Career
Spand was deemed one of the most influential piano players of the 1920s. Little is known of his life outside of music, and his total recordings comprise only thirty-three (33) tracks. There is speculation about his place of birth.
Allmusic stated that some claim Spand arrived in Elljay, Georgia, whilst his self-penned track, "Alabama Blues," had a reference to his birth in that part of the country.
Various blues historians also cited Spand"s songs, "Levee Camp Manitoba" and "Mississippi Blues," as evidence of connections there. More certain is that Spand, along with others such as William Ezell, was one of those boogie-woogie pianists who, in the 1920s, performed on Brady Street and Hastings Street in Detroit, Michigan.
In 1929, Spand relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where he met and began performing alongside Blind Blake. Spand recorded twenty five songs for Paramount Records between June 1929 and September 1931.
The tracks were variously recorded in Richmond, Indiana, Chicago, and Grafton, Wisconsin.
From the 1929 Richmond recording sessions, were seven songs which had guitar accompaniment to Spand"s piano playing and singing. Most of these were directly attributed to Blake. During Spand"s most notable recording, he and Blake had a small conversation during the making of "Hastings Street." Another such duet occurred on "Moanin" the Blues."
After a gap in his recording career, in June 1940 Spand recorded what turned out to be his final eight tracks, this time for Okeh Records.
These were made in Chicago, when Spand was backed by Little Son Joe and Big Bill Broonzy.
However, after these recordings were made, no further reference to Spand can be located. In 1992, Document Records issued The Complete Paramounts (1929-1931).
Spand"s track "Back to the Woods" has been recorded by Kokomo Arnold, Joan Crane and Rory Block, while Josh White recorded his "Good Gallon".
