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Introducing "Bluesmen" series from VS

Messages
10,930
Location
My mother's basement
OK, OK, how about "Pinetop"

Pinetop1-vi.jpg


Light sage, pure beaver
5 3/4" crown, deep diamond crease
2 1/2" raw brim
Dark forest 19 ligne crown ribbon

I'm seeing what looks like a couple of rows of decorative stitching near the brim edge. Nice touch.
 

frussell

One Too Many
Messages
1,409
Location
California Desert
Stevie! I remember talking to Stevie Ray for about an hour before a show he played for a charity I worked with in college at UT Austin. He was wearing one of his flat brim "bolero/pimp" hats with a purple feather that seemed to be about a foot long. I was amazed at what a sweet, soft-spoken and kind man he was. He insisted that we do a free sound check with the actual recipients of the charity money a few hours before the concert, which wound up being a free 2-hour concert-before-the-concert. He also seemed almost frail up close, which was hard to reconcile with the larger-than-life onstage persona. I gathered he'd just gone "clean," and was smoking a dog-head pipe full of fine tobacco, which he shared with me when I mentioned I had inherited one just like it from my grandfather. Classy guy, and really all about the fans. Certainly one of the few who could carry off his style of hat and not look silly. His brother doesn't get as much recognition outside Austin, but he's a monster bluesman as well. I lost count of how many times I went to some dive in the 80s to see him with the Thunderbirds. Great hats Art, first really cool tribute I've seen to these giants since R. Crumb's series of bluesmen portraits. Excellent idea and execution. Frank
 

Blackthorn

I'll Lock Up
Messages
4,567
Location
Oroville
Wow, those are some gorgeous hats, Art!

Thunderball, I love that concert with Albert and Stevie! I have that CD, it's one of my very favorites.
 

scooter

Practically Family
Messages
905
Location
Arizona
Great hats by a master, great music by a master. Long live SRV's memory! I was just listening to him the other day. He's first on my Pandora music list.
 

JonnyO

A-List Customer
Messages
463
Location
Troy, NY
WOW, that 'Tater Red' is striking! An awesome color combo! Art, you did an fantastic job on these three.
 

Art Fawcett

Sponsoring Affiliate
Messages
3,717
Location
Central Point, Or.
I'm headed down to the crossroads to see about a Robert Johnson. :eeek:
Believe it or not W4ASZ, he is soon up on the list but everyone in the industry that I talked to in Memphis just called him "Po Bob" so that's what his tribute hat will be called. I haven't conjured up the mental picture yet but as soon as it comes to me, it will happen.
Thank you Gentlemen for the kind comments, it's what keeps me going in new directions. TonyB, Thank you. Now you see what I've been working on, at least a start at it and why I've been so excited over it.
More to come
 

danofarlington

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,122
Location
Arlington, Virginia
If Art made a Robert Johnson model, I might have to buy it just for the name. A Robert Johnson hat, in my mind's eye, would be a high-crowned city fedora, dark, almost black.

Actually, in his photo he wears a fedora, which I guess would have to be the model. Seeing it again on Google, it's a style that Alive n amplified would embrace--stingy, wide ribbon. I wouldn't go for that one for myself, but the high crown style might inspire Art to do a "line" of Robert Johnson hats--his genuine photo hat, but others in a 20s urban style.
 
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Rudie

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,069
Location
Berlin
I'm curious. Robert Johnson is kind of the epitome of pre-war country blues. Why would you envision a Robert Johnson hat in an urban style? Being a poor traveling bluesman I imagine he couldn't afford the latest in style?
 

SpeedRcrX

One Too Many
Messages
1,116
Location
France
Those are really beautiful hat !!!

I think my restyle black cherry is inspire from this series.

I'll have to refrain form ordering one, I have to save for a hat for my next summer vacation :D
 

Thunderball

One of the Regulars
Messages
171
Location
North Alabama
I don't know how far you want to wander outside of the traditional bluesmen. But I think a "Midnight Rider" Greg Allman hat would be nice. The colors could include peach (for GA), black and or Navy? Just a thought.
 

Feraud

Bartender
Messages
17,190
Location
Hardlucksville, NY
If Art made a Robert Johnson model, I might have to buy it just for the name. A Robert Johnson hat, in my mind's eye, would be a high-crowned city fedora, dark, almost black.

Actually, in his photo he wears a fedora, which I guess would have to be the model. Seeing it again on Google, it's a style that Alive n amplified would embrace--stingy, wide ribbon. I wouldn't go for that one for myself, but the high crown style might inspire Art to do a "line" of Robert Johnson hats--his genuine photo hat, but others in a 20s urban style.

There definitely needs to be a R. Johnson model!
 

Art Fawcett

Sponsoring Affiliate
Messages
3,717
Location
Central Point, Or.
I'm thinking along the same lines Dan as far as pure '30s design. Where I get stuck is his lifestyle was so rural and "day to day" that it wouldn't be clean, wouldn't be new, wouldn't be fancy, so I can see what it wouldn't be, just not what it SHOULD be. Does that make sense? It will most likely be in charcoal or dark brown, it will definitely have a wide ribbon, most likely welted edge and not very distinctive. Remember, "Po Bob". I would love to build something grandiose but it wouldn't fit the character. For me one of the keys is fitting the character of the man to the hat and asking myself, "Would he wear this given the chance"
 

Art Fawcett

Sponsoring Affiliate
Messages
3,717
Location
Central Point, Or.
Here's another for you Gents. I posted this in another thread but should move it here to keep them together

"Honeyboy"
Honeyboy_1-vi.jpg

Honeyboy_3-vi.jpg



Color= Dove, pure beaver
crown 5 3/4" open, 4 1/2" creased in a diamond
brim= 2 5/8 bound in 6 ligne "glen"
Crown ribbon 22 ligne "glen"
 
Messages
17,477
Location
Maryland
I'm curious. Robert Johnson is kind of the epitome of pre-war country blues. Why would you envision a Robert Johnson hat in an urban style? Being a poor traveling bluesman I imagine he couldn't afford the latest in style?

Might be a chamois finish.

220px-RobertJohson.png
 
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danofarlington

My Mail is Forwarded Here
Messages
3,122
Location
Arlington, Virginia
On Robert Johnson, although it's been years since I read his bio blurb, I thought he played in Chicago at one time, or at least cities. Maybe Memphis also. I don't think he would've gotten very far in the cities with a country hayseed look. The first photo of him that came up on Google, shows him with a suit and a city stingy brim, like Alive n Amplified has. Nearly identical. He had a city style in the photo. So I think it's in context for a Robert Johnson hat, by all means. On the other hand, I would expect Lightnin Hopkins to have some kind of country hat, ditto for Leadbelly. Campdrafts might be appropriate for them (though I have no idea what Mississippi blues guys would have worn in the rural area). Want to add that my reading of cultural history (I read a whole book on that once) is that people's common theme is a "search for refinement," and to dress up for people of any locality, urban styles may have held sway. You know, even Western cowboys wore derby hats, supporting the "refinement" point. That said, I wouldn't want a Robert Johnson stingy brim, because I wouldn't wear it; so I personally would like to see a brim at least 2 3/8, or better yet 2 /12, in the Robert Johnson line. Anyway, if Art Fawcett came up with a Robert Johnson line of hats, it might see some popularity, in my opinion.
 
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Rudie

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,069
Location
Berlin
He played in several cities. He was even up in Canada. But he was a notorious rambler, never staying in one place for long. I didn't mean a Johnson hat should be in a backwoods country style. But he wasn't exactly a star making huge amounts of money at that time. He was playing for tips on street corners. And being a rambler he probably didn't have a huge wardrobe. I wouldn't be surprised if they lend him a sharp suit and hat for this 1936 promo picture. In my mind I always envision him in a kind of disheveled look. No rags, but a well worn suit and hat probably not of the latest style.

I actually like the look of his stingy very much. I have a beat up English hat, probably early 30s or even earlier, with a two inch brim and straight crown that looks very similar.
 

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