The Pruitt Twins

The Pruitt Twins
Born(1894-04-19)April 19, 1894
Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S.
OriginKansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Died
  • Millus Pruett: October 13, 1957(1957-10-13) (aged 63)
  • Myles Pruett: after 1940
GenresBlues
Years active1920s
LabelsParamount Records, Gennett Records
Past members
  • Millus Pruitt (or Pruett)
  • Myles Pruitt (or Pruett)

The Pruitt Twins were American identical twin brothers, who provided both guitar and banjo accompaniment on a number of blues recordings made in the 1920s. Both musicians were proficient in playing either instrument.

According to researchers Bob Eagle and Eric S. LeBlanc, they were Millus David Pruett [sic] and Myles Pennington Pruett, who were both born on April 19, 1894, in Bentonville, Arkansas, and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. Myles Pruett, at least, lived in Minneapolis in 1917 before returning to Kansas City, and by 1930 both brothers were living in Oklahoma City.[1] Myles Pruett was married and living in Kansas City in 1933,[2] and was in the same city in 1940.[3]

AllMusic noted in relation to Myles Pruitt that his "... solid guitar work accompanied Kimbrough throughout her career and provided an excellent complement to her vocal style".[4] On Kimbrough's first recording made in March 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, the pair got equal billing on the record label with Kimbrough (who was known as Lottie Beaman at that time); their surname was spelled as Pruett.[5] According to Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix in their history of Kansas City jazz, "Myles's steady rhythm guitar and Millus's banjo frills embellish Beaman's otherwise plain vocal delivery. Dazzled by the twins' virtuosity, the producer for Paramount pressed them into service for two additional sessions accompanying Ida Cox and Ma Rainey."[6]

The twins supplied accompaniment on four tracks recorded by Ma Rainey in 1924.[4] When "Lost Wandering Blues" and "Dream Blues" were issued on a 10-inch shellac disc 78rpm single, the record label featured a picture of Rainey, which Paramount claimed was the first time that an image of an artist had appeared on a record label.[7] The label also stated that Rainey was "with two guitar accompaniment by the Pruit Twins" [sic], although most blues scholars agree it was played on a guitar and banjo.[8]

They also worked with Ida Cox, providing musical support on two sides she recorded in 1924 for Paramount Records.[9] By 1928, when Lottie Kimbrough was recording for Gennett Records, Myles Pruitt alone, without the assistance of his twin, probably supplied the guitar backing.[10]

According to Social Security records, Millus David Pruett died on October 13, 1957, at the age of 63.[11] No information is available on the death of his brother Myles.[1]

Discography

Year Artist Title Record label Guitar Banjo Reference
1924 Ma Rainey "Lost Wandering Blues" Paramount Records Millus Pruitt Myles Pruitt [12]
1924 Ma Rainey "Dream Blues" Paramount Records Millus Pruitt Myles Pruitt [13]
1924 Ma Rainey "Shave 'Em Dry Blues" Paramount Records Millus Pruitt Myles Pruitt [14]
1924 Ma Rainey "Farewell Daddy Blues" Paramount Records Millus Pruitt Myles Pruitt [15]
1924 Lottie Kimbrough and the Pruitt Twins "Red River Blues" Paramount Records Myles Pruitt Millus Pruitt [5]
1924 Lottie Kimbrough and the Pruitt Twins "Honey Blues" Paramount Records Myles Pruitt Millus Pruitt [5]
1924 Lottie Kimbrough "Regular Man Blues" Paramount Records Myles Pruitt § Millus Pruitt § [5]
1924 Ida Cox "Mean Lovin' Man Blues" Paramount Records Myles Pruitt Millus Pruitt [9]
1924 Ida Cox "Down the Road Bound Blues" Paramount Records Myles Pruitt Millus Pruitt [9]
1928 Lottie Kimbrough and Winston Holmes "Lost Lover Blues" Gennett Records Myles Pruitt § – [10]
1928 Lottie Kimbrough and Winston Holmes "Wayward Girl Blues" Gennett Records Myles Pruitt § – [10][16]
1928 Lottie Kimbrough "Going Away Blues" ≠ Gennett Records Myles Pruitt § – [10]
1928 Lottie Kimbrough "Rolling Log Blues" ≠ Gennett Records Myles Pruitt § – [10]

§ = Probably, although detailed information was often lacking at that time
≠ - Re-recorded in 1929

References

  1. ^ a b Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues - A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 62. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  2. ^ Kansas City, Missouri, City Directory, 1933, p.1140
  3. ^ 1940 U.S. Census, Kansas City, Wyandotte, Kansas; Roll: m-t0627-01268; Page: 9A; Enumeration District: 106-21
  4. ^ a b "Various Artists - Kansas City Blues (1924-1929) Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d "Illustrated Lottie Beaman/Kimbrough discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  6. ^ Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix, Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop—A History, Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 48
  7. ^ "Ma Rainey acc. by The Pruitt Twins - The Syncopated Times". December 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  8. ^ "An Alphabet of Treasures: Special Collections from A to Z". University Libraries. 29 January 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Paramount 12094 (race series). Ida Cox and The Pruit Twins". Pisigin.ru. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d e Komara, Edward; Lee, Peter (July 17, 2004). The Blues Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 566. ISBN 9781135958329. Retrieved November 18, 2022 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, SSN:513052623
  12. ^ Titon, Jeff Todd (February 1, 2014). Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis. University of North Carolina Press. p. 99. ISBN 9781469616919. Retrieved November 18, 2022 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ D'Souza, Ajay. "Richard Trice | Big Road Blues". Sundayblues.org. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  14. ^ Shaw, Charles E. (July 14, 2011). The Untold Stories of Excellence: From a Life of Despair and Uncertainty to One that Offers Hope and a New Beginning. Xlibris. p. 181. ISBN 9781462849079. Retrieved November 18, 2022 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ "Ma Rainey - Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 1 (1923-1924) Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  16. ^ Minton, John (8 October 2009). 78 Blues: Folksongs and Phonographs in the American South. University Press of Mississippi. p. 60. ISBN 9781604733273. Retrieved November 18, 2022 – via Google Books.