Charlie McFadden

Charles Pertum, known professionally as Charlie "Specks" McFadden (April 24, 1895 – November 15, 1966), was an American country blues singer and songwriter. On his few recordings, released from 1929 to 1937, he was accompanied by Roosevelt Sykes, Lonnie Johnson and others. His most notable song was one he wrote, "Groceries on the Shelf (Piggly Wiggly)", which he recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin, about February 1930.

There is little information about his life outside of his recordings.

Birth and Death Data: Born April 24th, 1895 (Quincy), Died November 15th, 1966 (St. Louis)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1929 - 1937

Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist, composer, lyricist, songwriter

See Also: Pertum, Speck

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-76831 10-in. 8/2/1933 Piggly Wiggly blues Willie Kelly ; Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, composer, lyricist  
Victor BS-76832 10-in. 8/2/1933 People, people Willie Kelly ; Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, composer  
Victor BS-76833 10-in. 8/2/1933 Friendless man Charlie McFadden ; Aaron Sparks Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, composer, lyricist  
Victor BS-76834 10-in. 8/2/1933 Times are so tight Charlie McFadden ; Aaron Sparks Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, composer, lyricist  
Victor BS-77277 10-in. 12/9/1933 Low down rounders blues Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Victor BS-77278 10-in. 12/9/1933 Last journey blues Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Victor BS-77279 10-in. 12/9/1933 Hold it where you got it Willie Kelly ; Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, composer, lyricist  
Victor BS-77280 10-in. 12/9/1933 Lonesome ghost blues Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
OKeh W402455 10-in. 6/14/1929 Gambler's blues Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with (fiddle) violin and piano vocalist  
OKeh W402456 10-in. 6/14/1929 Misunderstood blues Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with (fiddle) violin and piano vocalist, composer  
OKeh W402457 10-in. 6/14/1929 Moon and star blues Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist  
OKeh W402458 10-in. 6/14/1929 Broken down blues Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with guitar and piano vocalist  
OKeh W402461 10-in. 6/14/1929 Don't bite that thing Charlie McFadden Male vocal solo, with fiddle (violin) and piano vocalist  
Brunswick C4673 10-in. 10/18/1929 Broken down blues Charles “Speck” Pertum Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, songwriter  
Brunswick C4674 10-in. 10/18/1929 Weak eyed blues Charles “Speck” Pertum Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, songwriter  
Brunswick C4677 10-in. 10/19/1929 Gambler’s blues Charles “Speck” Pertum Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist  
Brunswick C4678 10-in. 10/19/1929 Harvest moon blues Charles “Speck” Pertum Male vocal solo, with piano vocalist, composer  
Decca 91208 10-in. 4/30/1937 Groceries on my shelf Charlie McFadden vocalist  
Decca 91209 10-in. 4/30/1937 People people Charlie McFadden vocalist  
Decca 91214 10-in. 4/30/1937 Come easy, go easy Charlie McFadden vocalist  
Decca 91215 10-in. 4/30/1937 My best days are gone Charlie McFadden vocalist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "McFadden, Charlie," accessed January 26, 2021, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107424.

McFadden, Charlie. (2021). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 26, 2021, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107424.

"McFadden, Charlie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2021. Web. 26 January 2021.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107424

External Sources

Wikipedia: Charlie "Specks" McFadden

Allmusic: McFadden, Charlie

Linked Open Data Sources

LCNAR: McFadden, Charlie - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n96047121

Wikidata: Charlie "Specks" McFadden - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q19277273

VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/73120243/

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