Henry Townsend
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Best I can recall - It was early 30's and of course, I was soloing and so was Robert, at that time. I really don't recall anyone playing with him. I don't know that he did any recording with anybody. During that time as musicians as such as we were we more or less had to create our own thing. It was jam session, who ever would come in would go to playing. If we played anybody elses tunes we would have to do it our way, it wouldn't be a copied pattern, you know. One would take the vocal and the other would strive to keep the sound.
At that time, I was playing with Davis and Sykes working with Aaron Sparks. I also worked Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Nighthawk. Oliver Cobbs. We went to I believe it was Grafton Wi, and we recorded there for Vocallion.
I was just doing solos around different places myself after that point and of course time to time I'd work on recording. Did lots of recording with Walter Davis, not so much with Sykes, we did a lot of local works. His title was the Honeydripper. Ether Johnson came up with that name. He was owner of the Deluxe Cab company and owned one of the finest restaurants in town. He was a scout for record companies. I did do some recording for him, he selcted me for one of his trips to Louisville Ky.
Shortly after I was drafted into the war. I was in the Air Corps - Greenborough. I had no desire to fight, I couldn't find anything I wanted to fight for. Had no intention of being in the army, none if whatsoever. I was asked about that, about how did I feel about fighting. This was about 45. There was a few things that did fall out in my favor. The colonel who was the head of the whole camp, we didn't get along so well. The lieutenant was on my side, gave me the opportunity to knock him down, and of course I didn't. The colonel would have been in my infantry and I think that because he knew I would be there with a rifle, he felt a little uncomfortable being on the front with me, knowing how I felt, you know.
Every time was drillin I would drill wide and fall out "Get in line soldier" "Goddammit didn't I tell you to get in line". Then I'd make a remark "Goddammit didn't I tell you my legs hurt".. he ended up stopping the marching and praising me because I stood up to him.
I worked in music when I came back. I played more or less at the speakeasys.. people's house, basements. There was still restrictions. Black club owners had a hard time getting licenses.
A friend of mine came out of service, he and I were pretty good pals. We both got to the same camp, and when he was discharged we got back together again. We left here and went out on jobs. Went to work for Clark Equipment worked on the assembly line. We quit work and was staying in an apartment that was made for workers. He went for hustling. I was not a hustler but had a lot of knowledge and could help him out. The owner of the apartment, she ran us out of town. We left for Memphis and then Chicago.. then eventually came back to St. Louis.