52 weeks of blues

Edward Thompson is an absolute mystery of the blues.
He was a bluesman from Alabama, who travelled to New York to record six songs on October 23, 1929. They were released on three 78’s, two of which were under the name “Tenderfoot Edwards”. The songs show a great variety – different keys, different positions – and the playing was quite advanced. Those 6 tracks, including one that is almost unlistenable due to the only remaining copy being damaged, are the only things we know about Thompson – we do not even have a single photograph of the man.

Showers of Rain is a 12 bar, played in the key of G in standard tuning. It uses the IV chord for the first two bars of the progression.
It’s a fast, rollicking song, propelled by a great right hand technique. In the C sections, Edwards gets an almost flamenco sounding flourish on the chords using a combination of his thumb and fingers. He mixes up picking single and double stops with strumming the chords. He
The solo is repeated and has a slight variation. I’m not 100% sure about the fingering, but I play it by moving into a barre on the 3rd string for the first 2 bars, them switching down to an open G7 shape for the third and fourth bars. The C section features that great rhythm set up by the thumb playing the A and D strings them that flourish over the full chord.

G
Intro
C                                                                                  G
Don't mistreat me, mama, because I'm young and wild
C                                                                                  G
Don't mistreat me, mama, because I'm young and wild
D7                                       C7                                     G
Say, you must remember, you once have been a child

Mama, don't ever drive a stranger from your door
Mama, don't ever drive a stranger from your door
He may be your best friend, baby, you don't know

Solo

Now, I love my brownie, don't care what she do
I love my brownie, don't care what she do
Some one of these days, she gonna love me, too

Solo

I went to the station in a shower of rain
I went to the station in a shower of rain
I seen the brown I love when she caught the northbound train

Going up on the mountain, look down in the sea
Going up on the mountain, look down in the sea
Must be the whales and fishes doing the shivaree

Sets up the main riff of the song, keep the melody notes nice and string over a slightly muted bass note.

The first time Edwards plays 6 bars for the opening C section. In the C sections He changes between a C7 and a C with a high G by moving his little finger. Experiment with it and you’ll get a sound you like-

Use a barre on the 3rd fret for the opening two bars, then shift back into open position.