The following list comprises known Fonotone releases derived from recordings from the period 1958 - 1962. Other issues may have been made but do not appear in known Fonotone catalogues. Song / album titles are preceded by their Fonotone issue number. (Copies of those marked with an * are cared for by Chris Downes, Sydney, Australia)

FONOTONE SESSIONS (DDD 1- 3)

(derived from the notes to The Dance of Death and Other Plantation Favorites
Fonotone Issue # in [ ]

Takoma Park Pool Hall Blues [1157]
• (Fahey) Slide tune in open D minor. No source identified - comes from everywhere and goes nowhere.

The Transcendental Waterfall [1157]
• See Blind Joe Death Song Notes

Buck Dancer's Choice [1182*]
• (Trad) From Sam McGee. Features washboard percussion and vocal exclamations in the second half.

Barbara Namkin Blues [1182*]

St. Louis Blues [1184*]
• See Blind Joe Death Song Notes

On Doing An Evil Deed Blues [1184*]
• See Blind Joe Death Song Notes

In Christ There is no East or West [1185]
• See Blind Joe Death
• Cf: Patton/ I Shall Not Be Moved

Stak o' Lee Blues [1185]
• (Trad) Many Versions of this folk standard include Ma Rainey (1924) and Mississippi John Hurt (1928), right up to Lloyd Price's pop hit version "Staggerlee" (January 1959). Fahey's version does not use the usual tune and is in fact a version of "Railroad Bill". also recorded by many - Fahey probably used the Frank Hutchinson version. There are similarities with "The Cannonball" by the Carter Family also.
• cf. Furry Lewis/Billy Lyons & Stack O'Lee

If You Haven't Any Hay [not issued]
• (Skip James). Vocal by Pat Sullivan.

CC Rider [not issued]
• (Trad) Vocal by Pat Sullivan.

Mississippi Boweavil Blues [1199]
• (Charley Patton)

Green River Blues [1199]
• (Charley Patton)

Over the Hill Blues [6707*]
• (Trad? Bukka White?) This is the first recorded version of "Poor Boy". See Volume 3 notes. It does not help the hapless discographer that this song was also recorded under the title "Poor Boy Long Ways From Home" which is a seperate song. Banjo Joe (Gus Cannon) and Barbeque Bob committed this crime, as did Bukka White.

Labbas Rag [6707*]
• DoD states: "Fahey has no knowledge of 'Labbas rag' and believes the title to be mistaken" - but Fonotone did issue it, so Fahey was by the time the DoD notes were written already not a Fahey completist.
• cf. Poor Boy A Long Ways From Home

Pat Sullivan Blues [6708*]
• First version of "Poor Boy Long Ways From Home". See Blind Joe Death

Chris's Rag [6708*]
• The first part is based on "St. Louis Tickle" and the middle reminds some of "Dill Pickle Rag".


FONOTONE SESSIONS: AS BLIND THOMAS (DDD 6 - 9)

Blind Blues [505*]
Poor Boy Blues [505*]
• This is the song "Poor Boy Long Ways from Home", i.e. "Poor Boy".
• cf. Poor Boy Blues/Ramblin' Thomas Blind Blues

Long Time Town Blues [506*]
Gulf Port Inland Blues [506*]
• Cf "Last Fair Deal Gone Down", Robert Johnson.

Blind Thomas Blues Part 1 [507*]
Blind Thomas Blues Part 2 [507*]
• Cf "T'Ain't Nobody's Business" by umpteen people, especially Mississippi John Hurt.
• cf. Frankie/Mississippi John Hurt

Wanda Russell's Blues [610*]

Going Away to Leave You [610*]
• cf. I Can't Be Satisfied/McKinley Morganfield

Lay My Burden Down [612*]
• Also known as "Glory Glory" and "Since I Laid My Burden Down". Under the latter title recorded by McIntorsh & Edwards (AAFM), and in 1936 by Crumpton & Summers, who also recorded "Go I Will Send Thee".

Hill High Blues [612*]

You Gonna Need Someone On Your Bond [631*]

Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin Bed [631*]
• From Blind Willie Johnson

Banty Rooster Blues [632]

Tom Rushin Blues [632]

You Gonna Miss Me (aka Some of These Days I'll Be Gone)
• From Charley Patton. Here begins Fahey's attempt to record the whole Patton songbook.

Wissen Schaetlich River Blues Part 1 & 2 [634]
• This is a parody, of sorts, of Patton's "High Water Everywhere Parts 1 & 2". Read a partial transcript.

Blind Thomas Blues Part 3 & 4 [635*]

Zekian Swamp Blues [636*]

Nobody's Business [636*]

I Shall Not Be Moved [?]
• Patton again.

Weissman Blues [6148*]
• This is a very fast version of "Worried Blues", a theme which was still appearing in Fahey's work 35 years later. See DDD 9

Dasein River Blues [6148*]
• Fahey the great recycler, ecological to the core, never throws anything out. The intro to this obscurity reappeared as part of "Om Shanti Norris" 12 years later.

Racemic Tartrate River Blues [6149]
• Slowish version of "Old Country Rock".

Old Country Rock [6151*]
• From William Moore. 22 years went by this time before this appeared on an official album.

Little Hat Blues [6151*]
• From Little Hat Jones.

FONOTONE SESSIONS - MISSISSIPPI SWAMPERS (DDD 15)

Some Summer Day No.2 [6221]
• DoD notes say "The first version of 'Some Summer Day No. 2' is by Charlie Patton. Specialists may find a comparison amusing." I think that might be because at the time of this session (June 62) a copy of that Patton single had not been located. So later the DoD says the song was "named after a lost Patton work". This version is actually a song, i.e. with (rudimentary) lyrics, which Fahey sings, if you call it singing. So that makes it a unique item in the canon. {See "Dorothy" for the second song Fahey wrote.}

Dark and Lonely Night Blues [6221] • Seems to be a Fahey/Firk original and a great piece, too. Should have been reissued somewhere. Anyone who loves "Sun Gonna Shine in My Back Door Someday Blues" is going to love this one too.

Black Swamper's Blues Part 1 & 2 [6219*]

Green Blues [6220*]
Stone Poney [6220*]

Information on unheld recordings is derived from the Fonotone catalogues of the time. For further (and occasionally discrepant) information, see also liner notes to Takoma C-1004 - The Dance of Death and Other Plantation Favorites - John Fahey Vol. 3. Some of the recordings mentioned in those notes have different issue numbers than above or do not appear in the catalogues at all.