The title track of their upcoming album, ‘Naptown Blues’ sees Christopher Wyze and the Tellers looking backwards in order to move their next record forward.
Drawing directly once more from the deep well that is the musical legacy of Indianapolis blues musicians, Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell, Big Radio Records artists Christopher Wyze and the Tellers put their spin on the track which Carr and Blackwell originally recorded back in 1929.
A nickname for Indianapolis, the name “Naptown” has its origins in the 1920s, when African American performers and musicians started referring to the city by its fourth syllable, with the added suggestion that it’s a sleepy place, but with a hidden fun side (such as a dream had while having a nap).
In the hands of Christopher Wyze and the Tellers, ‘Naptown Blues’ retains much of the simplicity of the original, while giving it a modern twist in the form of contemporary instruments and recording processes. At just under 3 minutes long, it’s a song that will have you bopping along, Wyze’s gravelly vocals a perfect match for the blues sound, while his harmonica solo will make you feel as though you’ve been transported back to the 1920s.
‘Naptown Blues’ is accompanied by a music video from HIP Video productions, which uses public domain footage from the 1920s – newspaper clippings, photos of entertainment venues from the time, and other images from that period. Christopher Wyze and the Tellers feature too, but as sepia-toned illustrations that could have been just as easily found images as the rest. It’s a great homage to a classic song, and connects the modern music city of Indianapolis with that of Naptown a century ago.
Watch the music video for ‘Naptown Blues’ below, and find out more about Christopher Wyze and the Tellers online on their official website, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram.
