Friday Blues Fix

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue #5

2012-02-03T00:01:00.001-06:00

It's time once again for one of FBF's favorite topics. As always, Something Old brings you a real blast from the past, Something New brings you an up and coming talent, Something Borrowed features a blues man playing a rock tune (or vice versa), and Something Blue showcases somebody who is the epitome of the Blues.....a person whose picture might appear in the dictionary next to the definition of the Blues. Let's get started, shall we.....

Lonnie Johnson

For Something Old, let's go back to the 1920's, to perhaps the most influential guitarist of all time. Lonnie Johnson influenced the influences. When you hear artists like B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Robert Johnson, Robert Lockwood, Jr., and just about anybody else that ever slung a guitar over their shoulder play the blues, chances are you're hearing a riff originated by Lonnie Johnson somewhere in one of their solos.

Johnson was not years, but decades ahead of his time, the first guitarist to play single-string solos and enjoyed a highly successful and prolific career that spanned five decades. He played blues, jazz, and popular ballads with such fluidity and grace that even today's jaded listeners are still subject to goose bumps when hearing him. He recorded jazz tracks with white guitarist Eddie Lang (as Blind Willie Dunn) and Louis Armstrong, and recorded hundreds of blues tracks well into the fifties.

After a dry spell in the late 50's, he was rediscovered, working as a janitor in Philadelphia and was able to restart his career during the 60's, one of the high points being an appearance at the 1963 American Folk Blues Festival, where this video (complete with an introduction for the ages from Sonny Boy Williamson) was taken. As you watch, please note that as good as Lonnie Johnson sounds here, he was simply a force of nature nearly forty years earlier. Every blues fan needs a few Lonnie Johnson recordings in their collection. After all, they've heard most of his guitar work from his disciples already.

Gary Clark, Jr.

For Something New, let me just say that there's still time to get on the Gary Clark, Jr. bandwagon, but it's taking off soon. The Austin, TX guitarist has already had ample face time recently on projects like the 2007 John Sayles motion picture, Honeydripper, and on the most recent DVD of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, but with a new release in the works, previewed by last year's Bright Lights EP, word is getting out fast. With dynamic guitar work that brings to mind SRV and Jimi Hendrix, Clark is definitely turning heads. If he chooses to do so, Clark could redefine the blues for the next few generations, taking it to a new level. Thing is....he could easily move from the blues to other genres, so cross your fingers that he sticks with the blues and enjoy the ride.

Elvis Presley & B.B. King

For Something Borrowed, let's go to the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley. Everybody knows that Elvis covered lots of blues and R&B tunes over his career and did very well with them. Not only were they hits, but he did a great job interpreting them. Presley was raised around this type of music during his early years in Mississippi and during his coming-of-age years in Memphis, where he was a regular visitor to Beale Street. Presley got sidetracked during most of the 60's, with the new popularity of the Beatles and his management's determination to corner the market on cheesy movies, but he managed to reinvent himself with his intimate 1968 TV special, featuring him and several fellow musicians on a stage surrounded by adoring fans. Presley reached way, way back to his roots, to the music that he first embraced as a teenager, during this set. One of his chosen tunes was an old reliable, Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me To Do." Just watch as Elvis slips into this song like he was slipping into a pair of house shoes. It was an easy fit for him, obviously.

Honeyboy Edwards (seated) with Homesick James, Henry Townsend, Robert Lockwood, Jr.

For Something Blue, I don't think we can sum up the Blues any better than with this clip, featuring over 250 years of blues experience on the same stage. Robert Lockwood, Jr., Honeyboy Edwards, Henry Townsend all played the music well into their 90's, and were witness to many events and changes to the genre over the years. We've discussed the merits of Honeyboy Edwards here before, and Lockwood will be the subject of his own FBF post in the coming months. Henry Townsend was the only blues artists who recorded over NINE decades, from the late 1920's to his last recordings shortly before his death at 96 in 2006. He was also as indispensible as Edwards as far as being a source of the music's history, especially regarding the St. Louis scene, where he spent most of his life.

Veliotes and Hawkins

2012-01-27T00:01:00.020-06:00

Last week saw the passing of two blues icons, Etta James and Johnny Otis. Without one, we might never have heard of the other. Both made an indeliable impact on the music and while most current blues fans were definitely familiar with Ms. James, Johnny Otis might not be as familiar a name, but his impact as the "Godfather of Rhythm and Blues" was even greater.

Johnny Otis was born Ioannis Alexandros Veliotes in 1921. He was the son of Greek immigrants, but opted to live his personal and professional life as an African-American because of his love for R&B and jazz. He changed his name to Otis as a teen and developed a passion for the drums, playing in a number of swing bands. In 1945, he formed his own band, and had one of the year's, and the genre's, biggest hits, "Harlem Nocturne." The band also played with Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown (as part of Johnny Moore's 3 Blazers). He played on Brown's "Drifting Blues," and Johnny Ace's "Pledging My Love." He also opened a nightclub during that time, the Barrelhouse Club, in Watts, and his interests moved more toward Rhythm & Blues.

Otis (center) with Mel Walker and Little Esther Phillips

Over time, Otis reduced his band's size and began recruiting singers. Among his discoveries were sax man Big Jay McNeely, the vocal group, the Robins (who later became the Coasters), Mel Walker, and the teenage singer Little Esther Phillips, who won one of the Barrelhouse's talent shows. That band became known as the California Rhythm & Blues Caravan and enjoyed a lot of success for the rest of the 1940's. Otis had TEN Top 10 hits in 1949. He also expanded his musical repertoire to include piano and vibraphone.

After 1950, Otis' own impact on the charts began to decrease, but his band continued to back some successful musicians (including Big Mama Thornton on her hit, "Hound Dog") and he became a highly successful talent scout, discovering legendary acts like Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, Little Willie John....and Etta James.

James was born Jamesetta Hawkins in 1938. Her mother was 14 years old at the time and James never knew her father, but she speculated that it might be the pool player Minnesota Fats. Her mother was rarely around either, so she was raised by several different people, including her grandparents, who took her to church regularly. At the age of five, she became a soloist with the choir and even appeared with them on several radio shows. When she was twelve, she ended up living with her mother in San Francisco, with little adult supervision, and started getting into trouble. Still, her love for music prevailed and, with two of her friends, she formed a group called the Creolettes. It was during this time that Jamesetta Hawkins crossed paths with Johnny Otis.

Stories vary on how the two actually met, but Otis took the group under his wing, changing Jamesetta's name to Etta James and the group to the Peaches, and got them a deal with Modern Records, where they recorded "Roll With Me, Henry," an answer song to Hank Ballard's "Work With Me, Annie." The song was later released as "Dance With Me, Henry," due to the suggestiveness of the original title. The song hit #1 on the R&B chart, but was quickly covered by pop singer Georgia Gibbs, under the title "The Wallflower." Gibbs' version hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, which infuriated James.

James left the Peaches soon after and eventually signed with Chess Records. Leonard Chess envisioned James as a potential pop sensation and loaded her songs up with strings. Many of her early hits followed this pattern, including her signature song, "At Last," but she also recorded numerous blues, R&B, jazz, and doo-wop songs along the way. Some of her other hits during this time were "I Just Want To Make Love To You," "Sunday Kind of Love," and "Something's Got A Hold On Me."

After a brief absence from the charts, James returned with an R&B focus that resulted in two of her biggest hits, "Tell Mama" and "I'd Rather Go Blind." She continued to record with Chess until the late 70's, branching out into rock and funk on several of her later recordings. During this time, she struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism and basically dropped off the scene for nearly a decade.

Though she continued to perform in clubs as she battled her addictions, James resurfaced for all to see in the late 80's, as part of the Chuck Berry documentary, Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll, where she performed "Rock & Roll Music," with Berry (James contributed backing vocals to several of Berry's Chess sides). Soon, she signed a record deal with Island Records, and enjoyed a long string of successful recordings, mixing pop, jazz, the blues, and R&B. She also found time to release her autobiography, Rage To Survive (co-written by David Ritz), and received a boatload of honors, including induction into the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, and even induction into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

During James' run, Johnny Otis continued to enjoy success as a songwriter and producer. In 1958, he had a hit with "Willie and the Hand Jive," which has been covered by Eric Clapton, George Thorogood, and at least a million other artists. By this time, Otis was clearly established as a pioneer not only in blues and R&B, but also rock and roll.

He continued performing off and on, occasionally performing with his son, guitarist Shuggie (who wrote and sang "Strawberry Letter 23," later a Pop and R&B hit for the Brothers Johnson in the late 70's). Otis also worked in journalism, tried his hand at politics, became a pastor, owned a health food emporium, and hosted a longtime radio program in the San Francisco area. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He continued performing and recording well into the last decade, with Shuggie on guitar, son Nick on drums, and a couple of grandsons who also played guitar. Otis passed away on January 17 at the age of 90.

Etta James' last public appearance was in 2010, as she had to cancel her tour due to failing health. It was revealed that she was suffering from leukemia and dementia. Her final recording, The Dreamer, was recorded in 2009, but released this past November to critical acclaim. James passed away on January 20, five days shy of her 74th birthday.

Etta James leaves behind a huge fan base, many of whom only found out about her in recent years and have backtracked to discover her incredible early body of work. However, Johnny Otis, the man who started her on her path, though largely working behind the scenes since the 1960's, had an even bigger impact on the early development of modern blues and rock & roll.

Selected Recordings

The Greatest Johnny Otis Show (ACE) - 26 of Johnny Otis' mid to late 50's recordings for Capitol. This set includes two of his biggest hits ("Willie and the Hand Jive," "Crazy Country Hop"). Features Mel Walker, Marie Adams, guitarist Jimmy Nolen (future James Brown guitarist), Three Tons of Joy (see above), Jeannie Sterling, and Jackie Kelso.

The Johnny Otis Rhythm & Blues Caravan (Savoy Jazz) - This is a three-disc set (77 tracks) covering Otis' early years from 1949 - 1951. This was Otis' most successful period on the R&B charts and there's lots to enjoy for fans of early R&B. It features Walker and Little Esther Phillips on vocals.

Her Best (Geffen) - 20 of James' classic sides for Chess from the 60's and 70's. Pretty much everything you need is right here.....all the hits and should-have-been-hits. People who want to hear more of the Chess years can opt for the Chess Box, a three-disc set.

The Essential Etta James (Sony) - This is a pretty complete set of James' best moments from the past twenty years. Unfortunately, she got next to no radio play over that time, due to the crappy situation that passes for modern radio during that time, which is sad because she had some really great recordings in that time span.

Heart & Soul: A Retrospective (Hip-O Select) - A comprehensive set that covers James' career from "The Wallflower" in 1955 to 2008. This four disc set is really for the die-hard fans, but you can rest assured there's some great music on it from start to finish.

The Dreamer (Verve Forecast) - James' final disc finds her singing in a lower register than usual, but still as effective as ever. Though she was battling numerous health problems during this time (2009), she definitely showed she was going out on a high note with this effort.

My Favorite Things - Blues Around Midnight

2012-01-20T00:01:00.001-06:00

When I first started listening to the blues, I started receiving a catalog from Roundup Records in Cambridge, MA. As I stated a few months ago, I found an ad in a Jazz Fest program for Roundup and mailed a request (remember those days) for a catalog. When I got, it was almost overwhelming. The number of recordings available was staggering. I didn't know where to start, so I would try to order three or four at a time. I was getting cassettes at the time, which made my choices a little easier since most of their stock (particularly the ones I'd heard of and wanted to buy) was either available on LP or CD (the story of my life).

About a year into collecting, I saw one particular album called Blues Around Midnight that featured songs by B.B. King, Ray Charles, T-Bone Walker, and Johnny Copeland. It looked like mostly after-hours blues, maybe on the jazzy side, so I decided to order it, along with a few others. Talk about a worthwhile purchase. Not only were the above mentioned artists there, but many others that I'd never heard of, but liked just as much. I've always been a sucker for anthologies because they feature so many different artists and a variety of tunes. Even though many of these are usually budget collections, they almost always end up costing me more money because I have to track down releases from the previously unknown artists that I hear on them.

Larry Davis

One of the first posts I did on Friday Blues Fix was about Larry Davis, who was one of those most under-appreciated blues singers ever. Davis was a triple threat talent....a wonderful singer in the B.B. King tradition, a strong guitarist in the Albert King tradition, and also a talented songwriter (composer of "Texas Flood," among others). However, he was injured in a motorcycle accident just as his career was gaining momentum in the early 70's and was unable to perform for a few years. Although he did record a couple of excellent albums in the 80's, they were few and far between. When he finally did get a big break, recording for Rounder's Bullseye Blues label in the early 90's, he was unable to fully enjoy it because he died from cancer in 1994. Davis had two tracks on Blues Around Midnight, including his impressive version of B.B. King's "Three O'Clock In The Morning," which opened the disc.

Johnny Copeland

Johnny Copeland was a few years away from his success with Rounder Records when he cut "Old Man Blues," with backing from the Jazz Crusaders, better known by many jazz fans after they dropped the "Jazz" from their names and became known as The Crusaders. The Crusaders, who ruled the Jazz air waves in the 70's with their soulful take on jazz, got their start as high school students in Houston, which is where Copeland hung his hat as well. Copeland, of course, went on to greater success with Rounder, then later as part of the Showdown! collaboration with Albert Collins and Robert Cray, then finally cutting a few albums with Verve before passing away after complications from heart surgery in 1997.

Lowell Fulson

Oklahoma native Lowell Fulson recorded the title track and was also the author of several other memorable blues standards, including "Reconsider Baby" (made famous by Elvis Presley), "Sinner's Prayer" (later done by Ray Charles), and "Tramp" (later covered by Otis Redding). He also recorded definitive versions of "Blue Shadows," 'Every Day I Have The Blues," and "Black Nights." Fulson continued to perform and record regularly until the late 90's, when his health began to fail and he passed away in 1999, after a successful five-decade career.

Jimmy "T-99" Nelson

Jimmy Nelson was a star for a very short time. He recorded the song, "T-99 Blues," which became a chart-topper in 1951 for RPM Records. He never reached those lofty heights again, but recorded some quality material during his lifetime for other labels, like Chess and Music City. He resurfaced in the late 90's with a fine recording for Bullseye Blues and continued to perform up until shortly before he passed away in 2007 at age 88.

Jimmy Witherspoon

Jimmy Witherspoon is showcased on two tracks, including "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good To You." Witherspoon is considered one of the greatest of the post-war blues singers, but he was as comfortable singing jazz as he was the blues. He started recording with Jay McShann's band in the mid 40's and his first big hit was the classic "Ain't Nobody's Business." By the time the mid 50's rolled along, 'Spoon's brand of shouting blues was out of vogue, though he continued to record some great music for various labels, but got back on the map with a wonderful jazz recording in the late 50's from the Monterey Jazz Festival. He also cut his finest record, "Evening Blues," with T-Bone Walker backing him on guitar in the early 60's. He briefly retired from performing, but continued to record and worked as a DJ. He later returned to performing and recorded several albums with artists like Eric Burdon and Robben Ford. He contracted throat cancer in the 80's, which affected that powerful voice, but he continued to perform until his death in 1997 at 77.

Ray Charles

Ray Charles cut "I'm Wonderin' and Wonderin'" in the early 50's, just before he hit it big with Atlantic. In his early recordings, Charles was heavily influenced by Charles Brown, but on this track, while the Brown influence can still be heard musically, you can hear him slowly developing his own distinct style, especially on vocals. From this point, the young singer progressed quickly, single-handedly (some say) creating soul music during his tenure with Atlantic, then making an amazing transition toward country in the 60's, then developing into a music legend from that point on. On Blues Around Midnight, you get a glimpse of the early Ray Charles.

B.B. King

Since Blues Around Midnight contains tracks from Kent, Modern, and other labels, it's only natural that B.B. King should appear, since he spent many years during the 50's with Kent and RPM Records. He gets a great pair of tunes on this set. For my money, one of the greatest guitar solos ever kicks off "You're Breaking My Heart." Your feelings may differ, but the opening thirty seconds or so still give me chill bumps some twenty-five years after hearing it for the first time. I think every blues fan has a favorite B.B. King song and this one is mine. Though King has had a lot of great years since, I have always thought that some of his best output was during those wonderfully productive years in the 50's and early 60's.

T-Bone Walker

The set also features a previously unreleased track from T-Bone Walker from his nomadic period in the 60's, when he hopped from label to label. As you can hear, though Walker had problems finding a permanent home after successful long term label associations in the 40's and 50's, the quality of his music was still first-rate. Unfortunately, the times had changed and his style of blues was no longer as popular. "Love Will Lead You Right" is as strong as anything he ever released and would have been a hit in a perfect world.

Frankie Ervin

There are many other great tracks too, including a pair of songs from Frankie Ervin, who replaced Charles Brown in Johnny Moore's 3 Blazers. Ervin's two tracks were the amusing "Dragnet Blues" (which drew the ire of Jack Webb, who sought a restraining order and wrecked the song's momentum on the charts) and the witty "Playing the Numbers." Ervin had a star-crossed career in the 50's, serving as lead vocalist with the Shields after he left Moore. He resurfaced in the 80's and 90's for a time, passing away in 2009 at the age of 84.

Ace Records has released many quality recordings from many genres of music for a long time. There have been some fantastic compilations during that time. Their recordings are highlighted by outstanding sound and some of the best liner notes you'll ever read, with loads of information about the featured artists from some of Britain's foremost blues scholars.

For blues fans who enjoy the late-night, after-hours, jazzy urban blues from the 50's and 60's, you won't find a better collection than Blues Around Midnight. Unfortunately, it's out of print, but copies can still be found at various music sites, including a few listed in the links on the right sidebar.

Blues Legends - Howlin' Wolf

2012-01-13T00:01:00.001-06:00

"When I heard Howlin' Wolf, I said, 'This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies." - Sam Phillips

I wonder what went through Sam Phillips' mind when he saw Howlin' Wolf walk into his Memphis recording studio back in 1950. I mean, he had heard Wolf on his radio show, and he had probably even seen him before, but walking through the door toward him, standing 6' 3" and nearly 300 pounds, the Wolf had to be quite an imposing, and imtimidating sight. Whatever Phillips thought when he saw the Wolf probably couldn't hold a candle to whatever he thought when he heard him behind the microphone, as he snarled his vocals and breathed fire through his harmonica.

Howlin' Wolf (center) at Sylvio's, 1964, with (L to R) Willie Young (sax), Cassell Burrow (drums), Hubert Sumlin (guitar), Johnny Jones (piano), Andrew McMahon (bass) (photo by Raeburn Flerlage)

Howlin' Wolf was the blues' version of Mr. Hyde. He was the music at its most raw and primal. He had the rare ability to rock his listeners to their knees and scare the devil out of them at the same time. I can remember that series of Raeburn Flerlage photos of him in action at Sylvio's, and how he seemed to glide across that postage stamp of a stage like a man half his size, with an almost childlike pleasure at being able to do what he was doing....perform for his audience, who were probably watching in wonder, mixed with a little fear, trying to figure out what he was going to do next.

Howlin' Wolf was born Chester Arthur Burnett near West Point, MS in June, 1910. His parents split up when he was young and his mother threw him out of the house when he was still a child because he wouldn't work around the farm, so he lived with his uncle for awhile. After his uncle treated him badly, he ran away and found his father, where he ended up living happily.

Wolf's father was a farmer and for a while, it appeared that the son might follow in the dad's footsteps. However, his path crossed that of Delta blues legend Charley Patton and everything changed. Every night, he would listen to Patton play outside of a local juke joint. From this experience, the Wolf was able to pick up on Patton's inimitable growl and his showmanship. He learned harmonica from Rice Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II), who had married Wolf's half-sister. Miller taught him the basics of harmonica and by the early 30's, Wolf was performing, mostly as a Patton imitator, but he was also influenced by other artists at the time, such as Tampa Red, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Tommy Johnson, Blind Blake, Ma Rainey, and country music star Jimmie Rodgers. Wolf tried to emulate Rodgers' famous "blue yodel," but it came out sounding more like a growl or howl.

Wolf continued throughout the 30's, performing solo and performing with others, like Honeyboy Edwards, Floyd Jones, Johnny Shines, Robert Lockwood Jr., Son House, and even Robert Johnson. In 1941, he was inducted into the Army, but was discharged in 1943, without ever going overseas, because he found the adjustment to Army life too challenging. He returned to farming with his family around West Memphis, Arkansas, while continuing to perform on the weekends.

Howlin' Wolf with (L to R) Jody Williams, Earl Phillips, and Hubert Sumlin

By 1948, he had formed a band with guitarists Matt "Guitar" Murphy (who helped Wolf improve his guitar playing) and Willie Johnson and a piano man remembered only by the name, "Destruction." Wolf hosted a 15-minute radio show at KWEM in West Memphis, where he promoted his appearances, sold farm equipment and gave farm reports. By now, his band's sound was expanding to include electric instruments and Willie Johnson's highly combustible guitar style complemented Wolf perfectly.

In 1950, his radio show was heard by Sam Phillips, who eventually recorded Wolf in his Sun Records studio. These recordings, which captured Wolf's raw urgency and passion nearly perfectly, were sold to TWO record labels....the Bihari brothers' RPM Records in California and Chess Records in Chicago. He had two hits at the same time on two record labels, who were now fighting over him. Wolf ended up with Chess Records and made the permanent move to the Windy City.

Hubert Sumlin and the Wolf

Wolf's next recording session for Chess had more of an urban Chicago sound that his previous recordings, in part due to the addition of Hubert Sumlin's guitar to the band. Sumlin started out as a rhythm guitarist, but gradually became as big a part of the Wolf's sound as the Wolf himself. His guitar style can best be summed up as unorthodox....he rarely played chords, skittering terse, stinging notes all over the place, sometimes even over Wolf's vocals. Other than a brief stint in Muddy Waters' band in the mid 50's, Sumlim remained a vital part of the Wolf's band for the duration.

The Wolf enjoyed a large amount of success in the 50's, charting with four of his songs ("How Many More Years," "Moanin' At Midnight," both from his early recordings, the immortal "Smokestack Lightning," and the ominous "I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)"). As he moved into the 60's, Wolf enjoyed success with "The Red Rooster," "Evil," "Spoonful" (a variation of an old Charley Patton tune), "Back Door Man," "Wang Dang Doodle," and "I Ain't Superstitious."

Many of these tunes were written by Willie Dixon, who teamed up with Wolf in the late 50's/early 60's and gave the bluesman's career a bit of a boost. From the 60's onward, Wolf mostly recorded Dixon songs, many of which became standards over the years and were covered by many different rock bands of the 60's, notably Cream, Jeff Beck, the Doors, and the Rolling Stones, whose version of "The Red Rooster" went to #1 in England.

Also during this time, the Wolf took part in the American Folk Blues Festival tour in Europe in 1964 and also appeared on the TV show Shindig! The Rolling Stones had come to America to appear on the show and one of their stipulations for appearing was that Howlin' Wolf had to appear as their special guest. He did and, with the Stones sitting at his feet and millions watching on TV, blew the place apart with a scorching version of "How Many More Years."

Over the years, Wolf enjoyed a long-running, but generally friendly rivalry with Muddy Waters. Waters helped Wolf get work when Wolf arrived in Chicago and they actually shared a grudging admiration for each other. Wolf did pull little stunts occasionally, like stretching out his set at the Ann Arbor Blues Festival in 1969 to prevent Waters from coming onstage, and Waters did recruit Sumlin into his own band briefly when Wolf and Sumlin were at odds.

One of the last classic tunes the Wolf did was one of his own compositions, the wondrous "Killing Floor." Sumlin unleashed one of his most memorable guitar riffs and the Wolf's throat-shredding vocal made this one a keeper. This song was later covered by Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin (who actually claimed composer credits).

Howlin' Wolf at Newport, 1966, with (L to R) Eddie Shaw, Andrew McMahon, Hubert Sumlin (photo by David Gahr)

The late 60's were an interesting time for Wolf. Observing that many of the new rock bands were recording his old songs, Chess tried to "update" his sound by making a psychedelic album (which Wolf later described as dog excrement). In 1970, he and Sumlin went to England to record a session with Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Steve Winwood and others.

As the 70's progressed, the Wolf's health regressed. He suffered several heart attacks and was in a car accident which sent him flying through the windshield and caused permanent damage to his kidneys. Bandleader and sax player Eddie Shaw began rationing his songs to about six per show and he had to schedule his appearances in proximity to V.A. hospitals, so he could receive dialysis. He died in one of the V.A. hospitals in Illinois after surgery on January 10, 1976.

Wolf's legacy continues to this day. If you watch sports of any kind on TV, you will hear "Smokestack Lightnin'" at least fifteen times on Viagra commercials during any televised sporting event, but his real legacy is the fact that blues acts still perform his songs, singers try to emulate him, and performers still try to match his stage presence all over the world. They try, but no one has ever come close to matching Howlin' Wolf' on stage or recording.

Recommended Discography

I realize that these albums have been re-repackaged in recent years, putting a different cover and title on the same collections of songs (don't even get me started on this practice), but these are the formats in which I listened to these tunes on CD. My first exposure to Howlin' Wolf was on the cassette collections that MCA released in the mid 80's (His Greatest Sides, Vol. 1 and as part of the wonderful five-volume The Blues series) that are sadly no longer in print.

There's also an excellent biography, written by James Segrest and Mark Hoffman, and a very good DVD that was released seven or eight years ago, if you want to find out even more about Howlin' Wolf.

The Chess Box (MCA/Chess) - A three-disc set that is really all you can ever ask for. One disc full of the Memphis tracks and his early Chicago sides, one disc with the bulk of his 50's hits, and one disc that wraps up with his 60's classics. There's also a couple of cuts from an interview in 1968. This set pretty much has all the Wolf that anyone would ever need.

His Best, Volume 1 and Volume 2 (MCA/Chess) - These two are a good place to get started with Howlin' Wolf. Volume 1 features 20 of his greatest sides, pretty much all a casual fan could ask for, but Volume 2 features many of his lesser-known, but equally excellent sides spanning his years with Chess. Actually, these two discs provide a pretty complete look at the Wolf and cover the bulk of the box set at a much lower price.

Bits and Pieces......

2012-01-06T00:01:00.001-06:00

How's this for a 100th post??!!! The lousy computer virus struck my household again this week. Hopefully, it's finally been conquered once and for all. Unfortunately, because it was a particularly nasty virus, it was closer to the middle of the week before the conquest was complete (hopefully), so it looks like an abbreviated post this week.......sorry about that. There are lots of things to talk about that are coming up this month, such as the IBC and a few really cool upcoming releases that I really want to let people know about, but they will have to keep for another week or two. Meanwhile, here's an item or two that might interest you until we get back on schedule.....

The annual Music issue of the Oxford American is now available. This issue is always a favorite because a CD is included with the magazine that usually features some outstanding, sometimes hard-to-find music from the region's finest musical talent. Over the past three years, the OA has used the Music issue to focus on the music from a particular southern state....the first two being Arkansas (where the magazine is published) and Alabama. The accompanying CD usually showcases lesser-known singers and groups along with somewhat obscure tracks from more familiar artists. There's nothing wrong with that because this policy opens everybody's ears to some great music that they might have missed otherwise. In addition, there are some fantastic articles related to the music by some of the finest writers.

This year's issue focuses on the music of Mississippi, so naturally there's an abundance of blues present. Peter Guralnick (currently working on a biography of Sam Phillips) has an excellent article on Howlin' Wolf and how he might have been Phillips' greatest discovery of all. There are also articles about other Mississippi natives, like a short bio of the highly underrated Guitar Slim (a Greenville native), the many career ups and downs of soul/blues legend Syl Johnson, Bo Diddley, and the troubled street musician Ted Hawkins.

There are several other articles about Mississippi blues in general, but other genres are highlighted as well, especially rockabilly and rhythm & blues. I've always been amazed at the sheer volume of musicians that were born in the Magnolia State in every genre imaginable from blues to jazz to rock to country to R&B......not just musicians, but pioneers in their respective genres.

As I mentioned above, this is Friday Blues Fix's 100th Post (cue trumpets). In a few weeks, we will be celebrating our 2nd anniversary online. Thanks to everyone who stops by and checks us out on a regular basis. I was planning on a bigger post, but the virus hit....and hit again, so things didn't work out. Instead, here's a couple of videos I found on YouTube during the holidays.

Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials was one of the first bands I discovered when I started listening to the blues, courtesy of Alligator's The New Bluebloods collection, then their fantastic debut CD that they ended up recording while putting their song together for the Bluebloods anthology. They were also one of the first live bands I got to see back in the late 80's, and they just blew everyone away. This is from a Blues Cruise from a few years back, and as you can see, they are still a lot of fun.

Check out young Andy Poxon. The 16 year old just released his debut recording, Red Roots, which I highly recommend. Teenage blues guitarists seem to pop up on every corner these days, but Poxon really sounds like he's got the goods and the staying power. He writes nearly all of his own material (seemingly from his own perspective, which is refreshing) and has a highly diversified style in his writing, singing, and playing, which should appeal to blues and blues/rock fans. Plus, he sports the coolest afro since Phil Guy. Do yourself a favor and check this guy out.

Best of 2011: Top Discs You Might Have Missed

2011-12-30T00:01:00.003-06:00

All is well on the computer front for now. It's time for FBF's annual Top Discs You Might Have Missed for 2011, a proud annual tradition at Friday Blues Fix for at least the past two years. If you're interested, my Top Ten Albums for 2011 can be seen in the upcoming issue of Blues Bytes, but for now, below are several outstanding recordings that might have slipped past you during the hectic year (and haven't been discussed here previously), but definitely need to be heard. As always, fleshed-out reviews of these discs can be seen in past, present, and upcoming issues of Blues Bytes.

Dave Keller - Where I'm Coming From.... (Tastee-Tone) - I first heard Keller on Ronnie Earl's Living In The Light disc in 2009. Keller contributed a masterful cover of Bob Dylan's "What Can I Do For You," on that release. Keller has also recorded solo and his most recent effort is a wonderful set of soul covers, most of them not-so-familiar to the average fan. Keller does a masterful job on lesser-known titles from Bobby Womack ("More Than I Can Stand"), Syl Johnson ("Steppin' Out"), Percy Sledge ("That's The Way I Want To Live My Life"), O.V. Wright ("Are You Going Where I'm Coming From"), James Carr ("Pouring Water On A Drowning Man"), and Otis Clay ("You Hurt Me For The Last Time") and with incredible backing from the Brooklyn soul ensemble, The Revelations. I've had a hard time getting this one out of my CD player over the past few weeks. Chances are that you will, too.

Hans Theessink - Jedermann Remixed: The Soundtrack (Blue Groove): Theessink is considered to be one of the best blues/roots guitarists in the world and the Dutch guitarist has built an impressive catalog of recordings, instructional DVD's and books, and memorable performances around the globe. Drafted to provide the soundtrack to Jedermann, a movie adaptation of the Austrian play, Everyman, Theessink produced a mix of original songs and covers of familiar blues and roots tracks from artists like Memphis Slim, Bo Diddley, Tom Waits, Jagger/Richards, and Johnny Cash that captures the mood of the play perfectly and also gives you a glimpse of sorts at the inner Theessink as well. The guitarist performs solo tracks and band tracks and his guitar and deep, harrowing vocals are on top of it all. Though this is sold as a "soundtrack," it's really an amazingly personal release that serves as a great introduction to Hans Theessink if you're not familiar with him.

Sarah Jane Nelson - Wild Women Don't Get The Blues (CDBY): This is a laidback, relaxed session of backporch blues, courtesy of Sarah Jane Nelson, guitarist/vocalist Michael "Hawkeye" Herman, and harmonica player Big Irv Lubliner. You will be familiar with the majority of the setlist, but Ms. Nelson gives new life to assorted recordings by Ida Cox, Billie Holliday, Jimmy Reed, Robert Johnson, George Gershwin, and T-Bone Walker. How's that for a diverse set of songs? This reminds me more than anything of buddies getting together on a Sunday afternoon to play their favorite tunes, with themselves as the appreciative audience. Of course it doesn't hurt that Nelson is one talented singer, either.

L. C. Ulmer - Blues Come Yonder (Hill Country): Finally, somebody decided to get Ulmer in the studio after his appearance on the M for Mississippi documentary, and boy, was he ever ready when he got there. Mixing guitar with banjo and mandolin, Ulmer works through a wonderful set of blues that blend Hill Country trance-like grooves with upbeat and danceable folk songs as well as Delta and even a little bit of converted country-gospel (Hank Williams' "I Saw The Light"). Like most recordings of this type worth hearing, Ulmer's love for the music comes shining through and really makes a good recording great. I hope that we get to hear more from the 83-year-old soon.

Cousin Harley - It's A Sin (Little Pig): The best rockabilly record I've heard in a while came this year from Vancouver native Paul Pigat, a roots music guitarist and singer who's played with folks like Jakob Dylan, Neko Case, Jim Byrnes, and the Sojourners. It's A Sin is as rough and rowdy as rockabilly gets, with a few sidebars into jump blues and surf music thrown in. These guys are so good that it's enough to make you wonder how the music ever fell out of favor in the first place. Then again, these guys could lead the charge to bring it back into vogue. Meanwhile, just sit back, no....stand up, and enjoy the ride.

Rich DelGrosso/John Del Toro Richardson - Time Slips On By: I've only recently discovered blues mandolin. Rich DelGrosso is one of the few mandolin players in the blues right now, continuing a tradition started by Yank Rachell, Charlie McCoy, and Johnny Young. On his latest release, he teams up with Houston-area guitarist John Del Toro Richardson for a tight 14-song set of originals. Most of DelGrosso's tunes, though they vary greatly in arrangement, are on the traditional side of blues, while Richardson's songs run the gamut from blues to roots to soul to jazz. Overall this is a solid set of roots and blues music, made even more distinctive by the presence of the mandolin. Very enjoyable.

Ruff Kutt Blues Band - Mill Block Blues (Katy Mae Productions): This is a good cause to contribute to.....proceeds on the sale of this CD go to the HART Fund, a service provided by the Blues Foundation to help with medical/dental care and pay funeral expenses to blues musicians. The music itself is first-rate with support from artists like Anson Funderburgh, Hash Brown, Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones, and loads of talent from many Dallas area musicians, such as Dempsey Crenshaw, Michael Schaefer, Wes Starr, and Christian Dozzler. This is as solid a set of Texas-based blues as you will find, and for a worthwhile cause to boot.

Hadden Sayers - Hard Dollar (Blue Corn): Sayers returned from a brief hiatus to release this beauty of a recording that ably blends Texas blues with rock and the sounds of the swamp. In addition to being a fine guitarist, he's also a pretty good songwriter too, including the rocking opener "Take Me Back To Texas," his duet with Ruthie Foster, with whom he's worked over the past few years ("All I Want Is You"), and a nice tribute to the women of his home state ("Sweet Texas Girls"). After much too long an absence, it's great to have Hadden Sayers back on the scene and it sounds like he's as glad to be back as we are to have him.

In Memoriam: 2011 Passings

2011-12-23T00:01:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas, everybody!!! This year saw the passing of many familiar blues musicians, including several Muddy Waters Band alumni. Most of us have been following these people for a long time and will feel a definite void with their absence in the coming years. Here are just a few of the noteworthy passings in the blues world from 2011.

Lacy Gibson, who died in April at age 74, was an underrated bluesman from Chicago who played with Son Seals on several of his recordings, but he was also a pretty good solo artist, too........a great vocalist and guitarist. Check out his reissued 70's session on Delmark Records and his recording for Black Magic, Switchy Titchy, along with his set on Alligator's Living Chicago Blues series. Several of his tunes are fondly remembered....particularly his vocal debut on Chess Records during a Buddy Guy session. The tune, "My Love Is Real," was mistakenly attributed to Guy upon its initial release. Another tune was a show-stopping version of Ray Charles' "Drown In My Own Tears," that was his opening tune for his appearance on Volume 3 of the LCB series.

One of the first bluesmen I got to hear was Big Jack Johnson, who died in March at age 70. Few artists today brought the level of intensity to their performance that Johnson did. His guitar cut to the bone, his raw vocals sometimes brought chills, and his unique songwriting covered topics as far-ranging as ice storms, the AIDS virus, divorce, and country music. What always amazed me about Johnson was that on record, he always improved on what he had done previously. For his fans, there was never the likelihood that he was going to sit back and release The Oil Man, Part 2. He always moved forward, both as a songwriter and a guitarist. This made Johnson's death all the more depressing.......he had a lot more left to say.

The first track I ever heard from Pinetop Perkins is still my favorite. That was his fun-filled romp through the classic "Caldonia," recorded as part of the blues club Antones' 10th Anniversary celebration. The former Muddy Waters piano man started out as a guitarist as a youngster, but switched to piano after being stabbed in a fight. The guitar world's loss was our gain as we got to enjoy over half a century of some of the finest blues piano and one of the true characters of the blues. He was also proof positive that a steady diet of McDonald's food is not necessarily bad for your health, lasting almost 98 years.

I am so glad that I got the opportunity to see Honeyboy Edwards this winter at the Riley Center as part of the Big Head Blues Club show. He retired a few months later and then passed away in late August at 96. Because of Edwards, blues fans have a greater sense of what it was like to live as a bluesman during the first half of the century.....the endless travel, hoboing, and the danger. Edwards also crossed paths with many of the great bluesmen of the early years and because of that, we have a better feel about those musicians. Edwards' autobiography is essential reading for any blues fan and his recordings often include tracks where he recounts many of those old times. Every blues fan should want to know about Honeyboy Edwards and we all owe him a huge debt of gratitude for his musical and historical contributions.

You may not know who Cornell Dupree was, but if you've ever listened to blues, jazz, or R&B, you have heard him play before. The Fort Worth native, who died in May at age 68, got his start with King Curtis' band in the early 60's before becoming a session musician, appearing on 2,500 sessions. He played guitar on Brook Benton's classic "Rainy Night in Georgia," and recorded sessions for artists as diverse as Lou Rawls, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey, Michael Bolton, Donnie Hathaway, Bill Withers, and Joe Cocker. He was part of Aretha Frankin's band from the late 60's to the mid 70's (playing the opening riff of "Respect") and moved toward the jazz circuit from that point, exploring fusion, acid jazz, and funk. Dupree was a versatile and highly underrated and underappreciated artist.

When Muddy Waters tabbed George "Mojo" Buford to play harmonica in Waters' ensemble, the Hernando, MS native had some big shoes to fill in Little Walter and James Cotton, but he not only survived, but thrived, serving several stints with Waters during the 60's, 70's, and 80's, including holding down the post in Waters' last band. Buford, who died in October at age 81, did record several albums on his own for labels like JSP, Mr. Blues, Vernon, and Folk Art, all the time rarely straying from the classic Chicago sound.

New Orleans R&B singer Benny Spellman passed away in June at age 79. Spellman had a brief career in the 60's, recording on many Allen Toussaint sessions during that time. He provided the bass backing vocals to Ernie K-Doe's major hit, "Mother In Law," but he also recorded several hits of his own, later covered by soem familiar artists. "Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)" was covered by Delbert McClinton, Ringo Starr, the O'Jays, and Snooks Eaglin. The flip side of "Lipstick Traces" was "Fortune Teller," which was later recorded by the Rolling Stones, the Who, and most recently by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. In the mid 60's, he left the music business to become a beer salesman, but made regular appearances at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for many years.

Hubert Sumlin was responsible for many of the wild, unpredictable, darting and twisting guitar leads that punctuated Howlin' Wolf's 60's recordings. Songs like "Spoonful," "Hidden Charms," "Killing Floor," "Wang Dang Doodle," "Do the Do," and "300 Pounds of Joy," Sumlin became the Wolf's primary guitarist in 1955 and, except for a brief stint with Muddy Waters in 1956, served in that capacity until Wolf's death in 1975. He resurfaced in the late 80's and, after shaking off some initial rust, soon started sounding like the old Hubert Sumlin and enjoyed a fairly successful solo career until health problems surfaced in the mid 2000's when he nearly died after a massive heart attack. He died in early December at age 80. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards paid the expenses for his funeral. I got to see Sumlin with Honeyboy Edwards earlier this year and even though he was strapped to an oxygen tank, he was still scattering those unpredictible guitar lines all over the place with ease.

British guitarist Gary Moore died in February from a heart attack at age 58. Moore was well-known as guitarist for the groups Skid Row and Thin Lizzy, before he embarked on a solo career that shifted to blues/rock in the 90's, as he appeared on recordings with B.B. King, Albert Collins, and Albert King, and collaborated with numerous rockers over the span of his career, successfully jumping between the blues and rock over the past couple of decades. Though he was popular in the U.S., he enjoyed a huge following overseas and deservedly so with his powerful guitar attack which, whether playing rock or blues, was completely immersed in the blues.

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith was surrounded by the blues as a youngster. As a boy in Helena, Arkansas, his neighbors included Robert Nighthawk and Pinetop Perkins. He taught himself drums and harmonica after moving to Chicago, playing and struggling throughout most of the 50's in the Windy City before taking over the drum kit in Muddy Waters' band in 1960. He stayed with Waters for nearly 20 years before forming his own group, largely consisting of former Waters' sidemen who quit the band en masse in 1980, called the Legendary Blues Band. Smith finally started his own solo career in 1995, playing harmonica and singing, and releasing some consistently fine recordings, including his swan song effort released earlier this year with Pinetop Perkins. Smith died at age 75 in September, about six months after Perkins.

Lee "Shot" Williams, who died in November at age 73, also grew up around the blues, growing up with Big and Little Smokey Smothers in Mississippi. He later moved to Chicago at age 20, meeting up with Little Smokey Smothers in the Windy City and singing in his band, and also with Magic Sam's band. He recorded a few singles in the early 60's that were regional hits, and later toured with Earl Hooker, Little Milton Campbell, and Bobby Blue Bland. He started recording in the late 70's and started hitting the soul/blues circuit in the South, building a big following throughout the 80's. In 1995, Black Magic released Williams' magnificent Cold Shot album, which featured Little Smokey Smothers on guitar and a seasoned group of backing musicians like bass player Johnny B. Gayden and keyboardist Tony Z. Williams ended up with the Memphis-based Ecko Records after that and continued to be a success on the soul/blues circuit, ending up with CDS Records during the past few years.

We Juke Up In Here!

2011-12-16T00:01:00.096-06:00

I've been battling some computer issues for the past few days......hard drive problems on one computer and a virus on the other.......Hopefully, we will return to your regularly scheduled programming next week. In the meantime, what's new with the blues?

First up, an exciting new film is in the works. Here's a press release from our friends Jeff Konkel and Roger Stolle......

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact: Roger Stolle at roger@cathead.biz or Jeff Konkel at jeff@brokeandhungryrecords.com

(CLARKSDALE, MS) In 2008, music producers Jeff Konkel and Roger Stolle took viewers on a road trip through the birthplace of the blues in the award-winning film M For Mississippi. Now the duo is set to return with a new film exploring what remains of the once-thriving tradition of juke joints in the Mississippi Delta. Filming concluded last week for We Juke Up In Here: Mississippi’s Juke Joint Culture at the Crossroads. The DVD/CD set will be released in April 2012 but is available now for pre-order at http://www.wejukeupinhere.com/.

“Great blues music can be enjoyed anywhere, whether it’s at a big outdoor festival or an upscale supper club. But we believe the best place to hear it is in a dimly lit juke filled with tough characters, treacherous women and lukewarm beer,” Konkel said. “This film aims to prove our point.”

Production for We Juke Up In Here began in May and continued through the summer and fall. The project reunites Stolle and Konkel with their M For Mississippi cinematographer and co-producer Damien Blaylock. Also returning from the previous production was sound engineer Bill Abel. The team was rounded out by talented videographer and photographer Lou Bopp.

Red Paden (Photo by Lou Bopp)

Although the movie’s production included film shoots in venues throughout the Delta, the film largely focuses on Red’s Lounge, a long-running juke in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and its owner Red Paden. Over the past decade, Red’s Lounge has emerged as the most active juke joint in the region, hosting live blues every weekend by some of the state’s best-loved bluesmen.

“There are plenty of so-called ‘juke joints’ in Mississippi that book live music during festival weekends when thousands of tourists flood the region,” Stolle said. “But the test of a real juke is what happens when the crowds go home. Red books real-deal blues into his juke week-in and week-out, all year round. He’s like the last of the Mohicans.”

Filming at the Blue Front Cafe (Photo by Lou Bopp)

Other venues to be featured in the film include Po’ Monkey’s Lounge in Merigold, Mississippi and the Blue Front Cafe in Bentonia, Mississippi.

In addition to insightful interviews with juke owners, patrons and musicians, “We Juke Up In Here” will feature gritty performances by Anthony “Big A” Sherrod, Louis “Gearshifter” Youngblood, Elmo Williams & Hezekiah Early, Robert Lee “Lil’ Poochie” Watson, Big George Brock, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and Terry “Harmonica” Bean.

Filming at Po' Monkey's Lounge (Photo by Lou Bopp)

We Juke Up In Here will be released as a deluxe box set featuring a DVD, a CD soundtrack and a glossy pullout booklet with multiple essays, notes and color photos. The DVD will include the feature-length documentary along with a treasure trove of bonus features including unreleased scenes, production stills, a promotional trailer, closed captioning, foreign-language subtitles and more. The DVD will be region-free and playable on DVD players worldwide. The box set will retail for $29.99 (US).

Customers who pre-order We Juke Up In Here from http://www.wejukeupinhere.com/ will receive the product before its official release and at a discounted price of $25 (US) plus free shipping worldwide.

Several marketing sponsors have stepped forward with financial support to assist in the production of the movie. The filmmakers’ principal sponsor and partner is the Rootsway Roots & Blues Association (http://www.rootsandblues.org/), a nonprofit organization from Parma, Italy. Founded in 2004, the group is dedicated to promoting rural and indigenous American and African-American musical art forms throughout northern Italy. Rootsway has brought several Mississippi blues performers to Italy in recent years.

Additional sponsors include: AJStephans Company/Jeff Rose (http://www.ajstephans.com/), Cathead Vodka (http://www.catheadvodka.com/), Jerry and Marge Konkel, Lemuria Books (http://www.lemuriabooks.com/), Nayati Dreams (http://www.nayatidreams.fr/), The New Roxy (http://www.newroxyclarksdale.com/), Roadhouse Lou, and Smokestack Blues (http://www.smokestackblues.com/).

Additional sponsorship opportunities remain for We Juke Up In Here. To inquire about sponsorships, e-mail the filmmakers at info@wejukeupinhere.com.

We Juke Up In Here is a joint production of Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art (http://www.cathead.biz/) and Broke & Hungry Records (http://www.brokeandhungryrecords.com/).

Friday Blues Fix will be taking a closer look at We Juke Up In Here in the coming months.

This week, the nominees for the 33rd Annual Blues Music Awards (formerly the Handy Awards) were announced. Check out the list and see if your favorites made the cut. I've heard several of the nominees in the Album categories, but not enough of them to make a really clear-cut vote in any of those categories.
Acoustic Album

Brand New Eyes - Doug MacLeod
Conversations in Blue - David Maxwell & Otis Spann
Misery Loves Company - Mary Flower
Shake 'Em on Down - Rory Block
Troubadour Live - Eric Bibb

Acoustic Artist

David Maxwell
Doug MacLeod
Eric Bibb
Guy Davis
Mary Flower
Rory Block

Album of the Year

Chicago Blues A Living History the (R)evolution Continues - Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, Carlos Johnson
Evening - Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
Medicine - Tab Benoit
Revelator - Tedeschi Trucks Band
Rock and a Hard Place - Eugene Hideaway Bridges
The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too - Johnny Sansone

B.B. King Entertainer

Candye Kane
Lil' Ed
Ruthie Foster
Tab Benoit
Tommy Castro

Band

The Bo-Keys
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials
Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Tommy Castro Band
Trampled Under Foot

Best New Artist Debut

Bad Girl - Demetria Taylor
Choice Cuts - Big Pete
Leave The Light On - Sena Ehrhardt
Runaway - Samantha Fish
The Mighty Mojo Prophets - The Mighty Mojo Prophets

Contemporary Blues Album

Don't Explain - Beth Hart & Joe Bonamassa
Medicine - Tab Benoit
The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too - Johnny Sansone
The Skinny - Ian Siegal & the Youngest Sons
Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue--Live! - Various Artists
Unconditional - Ana Popovic

Contemporary Blues Female Artist

Ana Popovic
Bettye LaVette
Candye Kane
Janiva Magness
Susan Tedeschi

Contemporary Blues Male Artist

Joe Louis Walker
Johnny Sansone
JP Soars
Tab Benoit
Tommy Castro

DVD

Live At Antone's -Ruthie Foster (Blue Corn)
All Jams on Deck - Various Artists (Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise & Mug-Shot Productions)
An Evening at Trasimeno Lake - Ana Popovic (ArtisteXclusive)
Live at Montreux 2010 - Gary Moore (Eagle Rock)
Play the Blues - Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton (Rhino)
The Emporium to the Orpheum - Trampled Under Foot (Redwood)

Gibson Guitar Award

Derek Trucks
Duke Robillard
Kirk Fletcher
Lurrie Bell
Michael Burks

Historical Album

Bear Family - Texas Flyer 1974-76 (Freddie King)
Chess - Smokestack Lightning/The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960 (Howlin' Wolf)
Delmark - Hoodoo Man Blues (Junior Wells Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy)
Electro-Fi - Teardrops Are Falling - Live in 1983 (George "Harmonica" Smith)
Virgin - The Essential Modern Records Collection (Etta James)

Instrumentalist-Bass

Biscuit Miller
Danielle Schnebelen
Larry Taylor
Michael "Mudcat" Ward
Patrick Rynn

Instrumentalist-Drums

Chris Layton
Jimi Bott
Kenny Smith
Robb Stupka
Stanton Moore
Tony Braunagel

Instrumentalist-Harmonica

Charlie Musselwhite
Kim Wilson
Lazy Lester
Rick Estrin
Sugar Ray Norcia

Instrumentalist-Horn

Al Basile
Doug James
Keith Crossan
Sax Gordon
Terry Hanck

Instrumentalist-Other

Ben Prestage, diddley bow
Lionel Young, violin
Otis Taylor, banjo
Rich Del Grosso, mandolin
Sonny Rhodes, lap steel guitar

Koko Taylor Award (Traditional Blues Female)

Diunna Greenleaf
Maria Muldaur
Nora Jean
Ruthie Foster
Tracy Nelson

Pinetop Perkins Piano Player

David Maxwell
Eden Brent
Jon Cleary
Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne
Marcia Ball
Victor Wainwright

Rock Blues Album

2120 South Michigan Ave. - George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Dust Bowl - Joe Bonamassa
Greyhound - Mike Zito
Man In Motion - Warren Haynes
Shiver - Too Slim and the Taildraggers

Song

"Appreciate What You Got" - Terry Hanck (Look Out! - Terry Hanck)
"Back to the Blues" - Hadden Sayers (Hard Dollar - Hadden Sayers)
"Memphis Still Got Soul" - Bob Trenchard & Johnny Rawls (Memphis Still Got Soul - Johnny Rawls)
"Thank You for Giving Me the Blues" - Grady Champion, Zac Harmon & Chris Troy (Dreamin' - Grady Champion)
"The Lord is Waiting, the Devil is Too" - Johnny Sansone (The Lord is Waiting and the Devil is Too - Johnny Sansone)
"The Older I Get the Better I Was" - Joe Shelton (The Older I Get the Better I Was - Big Joe Shelton)

Soul Blues Album

Dreamin' - Grady Champion
Got to Get Back! - Bo-Keys
Memphis Still Got Soul - Johnny Rawls
Rock and a Hard Place - Eugene Hideaway Bridges
Show You A Good Time - Bobby Rush

Soul Blues Female Artist

Alexis P. Suter
Denise LaSalle
Jackie Johnson
Sharrie Williams
Sista Monica Parker

Soul Blues Male Artist

Bobby Rush
Curtis Salgado
Eugene Hideaway Bridges
Johnny Rawls
Otis Clay

Traditional Blues Album

Chicago Blues A Living History the (R)evolution Continues - Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, Carlos Johnson
Evening - Sugar Ray & the Bluetones
Trying To Hold On - Diunna Greenleaf
Victim Of The Blues - Tracy Nelson
You Better Listen - Lazy Lester

Traditional Blues Male Artist

Charlie Musselwhite
John Primer
Lazy Lester
Mac Arnold
Magic Slim

Black Top Records - 10 Great Albums

2011-12-09T00:01:00.002-06:00

As promised last week, FBF will take a look at ten of Black Top Records standout recordings. This is not a top ten greatest all-time list, but more of a ten personal favorites list. Your list may be a different animal entirely, but here's mine (in no particular order):

Grady Gaines & the Texas Upsetters - Full Gain (1988): The former Little Richard sideman rocked the house with this superlative effort, bringing a boatload of Houston-area talent along for the ride. Guitarists Roy Gaines (Grady's brother) and Clarence Hollimon shine, and the vocalists (Roy Gaines, piano man Teddy Reynolds, Big Robert Smith, and long-lost Joe Medwick) make a great recording even greater. Gaines' follow-up, Horn of Plenty, was also a rocking good time, but this one gets the nod because of the presence of Roy Gaines and Joe Medwick (who passed away before the second release). As you can see from the video below, Gaines and the Upsetters are still going strong.

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Robert Ward - Fear No Evil (1991): Ward had not recorded as a leader in almost 25 years when he wandered into an Ohio fan's guitar shop store one day. The fan had been searching for him for years, and Ward soon signed with Black Top and released this incredible album. Mixing remakes of his classic 60's sides with some interesting new material, Ward ended up with one of the best blues recordings of the 1990's. Despite his extended absence, Ward's skills were fully intact, both as an awesome guitarist and a powerful singer.

Lynn August - Creole Cruiser (1992): When I picked up this album, I had never heard of Lynn August and owned no Zydeco recordings. Blind from birth, August first learned to play the drums and ended up playing percussion with the legendary Esquerita, who encouraged him to take up keyboards. He backed Buckwheat Zydeco on Hammond B3 in the 60's and later focused on R&B and Swamp Pop. In the late 80's, he locked himself in a room and taught himself to play accordion, starting his Zydeco career in earnest. On Creole Cruiser, August mixes his R&B and Swamp Pop influences seamlessly with Zydeco, giving the music an little bit of an extra "oomph." On one track, "Undivided Love," August parks behind the B3 and lays down one of the funkiest tracks you'll ever hear. Big fun from start to finish.

Snooks Eaglin - Baby You Can Get Your Gun (1987): Speaking of fun, check out Snooks Eaglin. Nicknamed "the Human Juke Box," the blind guitarist started out as a solo acoustic folk/blues guitarist, but soon signed with Dave Bartholomew and Imperial Records, where his fretwork adorned many a side throughout the 60's. He also played with Professor Longhair in the 70's, appearing on some of Fess's "lost" sessions recorded in Baton Rouge and Memphis. Eaglin's debut recording for Black Top has a diverse set list, ranging from the funky "Drop The Bomb," the surf rocker "Profidia," and the R&B of the Four Blazers' "Mary Jo," and Eugene Church's "Pretty Girls Everywhere." Eaglin is absolutely astonishing on guitar and his vocal style have a touch of Ray Charles in them. Each of Eaglin's subsequent Black Top recordings were an improvement over this one, but this one is special because it was my first experience with the unpredictable guitarist.

Bobby Parker - Bent Out Of Shape (1993): Parker is best known for his 1961 hit, "Watch Your Step," and is regarded as a major influence on 60's artists like Spencer Davis, John Lennon, John Mayall, Robin Trower, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Carlos Santana (who covered "Watch Your Step" on his Havana Moon recording). The best way to describe Parker was probably summed up by protege Bobby Radcliff, who described his music as "Guitar Slim meets James Brown." If you're a blues fan, do you really need to hear anything else. This was his Black Top debut and ranks with the best of the 90's, with Parker re-recording "Watch Your Step," along with a couple of other oldies, and some impressive new tunes as well. Seek this one out, by all means, and be sure to catch Parker live in the Washington D.C. area.

Bobby Radcliff - Dresses Too Short (1989): I covered this release a while back, but it's worth revisiting. Radcliff mixes the best of Magic Sam, Otis Rush, and Bobby Parker. He can sing and play like nobody's business and this first disc was his best, with some choice cover tunes and some excellent performances. Standouts include the Dyke & the Blazers' favorite, "Ugh," the Syl Johnson title track, Rush's "Keep Lovin' Me Baby," and a manic take of the instrumental "Kool and the Gang."

James "Thunderbird" Davis - Check Out Time (1989): Davis started out as an opening act for Guitar Slim (where he earned his "Thunderbird" nickname after a disasterous encounter with the wine of the same name), but soon signed with Duke Records, where he recorded several classics, including "Blue Monday" and "Your Turn To Cry," and also served as demo singer for Bobby Bland. He dropped off the scene in the late 60's and was believed to be dead when he resurfaced in the late 80's and released this recording. Clarence Hollimon was on hand to play some wonderful guitar (along with Anson Funderburgh) and Lloyd Lambert (Guitar Slim's bandleader) played bass. Davis sounded even better than he did on his Duke sides, and soon relaunched his music career. He died with his boots on in St. Paul, MN, suffering a fatal heart attack onstage after finishing his song, "What Else Is There To Do?".

Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets (Featuring Sam Myers) - Sins (1987): Funderburgh was one of the first bluesmen I ever heard of. He was a regular at clubs in Jackson, MS in the late 70's and early 80's. He was also one of the first live acts I got to see when he appeared at the Chunky Rhythm and Blues Festival. Myers, a Jackson native, had enjoyed a nice career as a solo artist in the 60's before teaming up with Funderburgh and his band. Most of the group's output is first-rate, but Sins stands out slightly above the others. The group's mix of Texas and the Delta is hard to top and Myers sounds as good as he ever did. Funderburgh also played guitar on numerous Black Top sessions over the years for other artists. Myers passed away in 2006. (Useless Trivia Time........former Rockets bass player Mike Judge is the creator of Beavis and Butthead).

W. C. Clark - Heart of Gold (1994): At the time of this release, Clark was known by most for serving in an early edition of Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble (called Triple Threat) and for writing SRV's hit, "Cold Shot." Few realized that Clark was a first-rate guitarist and a soul singer on par with Al Green. In fact, the entire disc has a "Memphis Soul via Austin" feel. There's plenty of sweat-drenched soul and Texas roadhouse blues to go around on this disc. Plus, he got to record his own version of "Cold Shot" (as you heard on last week's post). This was a great later release for the label and one of three standouts from Mr. Clark (who later signed with Alligator).

Carol Fran & Clarence Hollimon - Soul Sensation (1992): Another fun ride that we've visited before. Fran and Hollimon were first heard on the Gulf Coast Blues anthology in 1990, but this release gives them an entire disc to strut their stuff. They mix blues, jazz, soul, and even gospel and Hollimon's guitar work is outstanding, as he gets two great instrumentals ("Blues For Carol" and the amazing "Gristle"). Fran does one incredible vocal turn after another, with songs like "I Needs To Be Be'd With," and "I Had A Talk With My Man," and "This Little Light." Lynn August appears on the Zydeco-flavored "Push-Pull."

Most of these recordings have been out of print a while, but are easily found via the internet. Trust me when I say that you will agree that they are worth searching for.

Blues Labels......Black Top Records

2011-12-02T00:01:00.001-06:00

As a new listener to the blues in the 1980's, it was hard to figure out what to listen to sometimes. It wasn't like there was a lot of blues fans in my town. The ones that did listen were about like me as far as locating music. There wasn't a long row of blues clubs anywhere nearby and most record stores had a section of blues that was about two or three rows long and consisted of nearly all of B.B. King's 70's and 80's recordings, a fair amount of soul/blues recordings from Malaco or local labels, and the occasional John Lee Hooker or Bobby "Blue" Bland LP. Most of us had the recordings from Clapton or SRV that got us started on the path, but we wanted more.

Fortunately, I lucked out. While in college, I saw this band called the Neville Brothers on Saturday Night Live one night and was blown away. One day after class, I stopped by the local record store (Be-Bop Record Shop) to look for any releases by the Neville Brothers. There was a cassette there called Nevillization. It was a live recording from one of their appearances at Tipitina's. I listened to it a lot for the next few weeks and noticed the logo shown above on the side of the cassette, not thinking too much about it.

A few years later, I was Jazz Fest with a buddy and we hit the record tent, where I picked up a couple of cassettes from artists I had seen at the Fairgrounds that day. One of them was by a New Orleans guitarist named Earl King, who had appeared that day with Roomful of Blues, who I had seen the night before at a midnight concert hosted by the Fabulous Thunderbirds. King had recently recorded the cassette I bought, Glazed, with Roomful of Blues......on the Black Top label.

While I was in the record tent, I bought a souvenir book of the festival that featured an ad for Rounder Records and an address where you could get a catalog that contained blues and jazz recordings......No 800 numbers, no websites, just an address where you could send a letter. So that's what I did, and four to six weeks later, I had the catalog that changed my life in my hands......Roundup Records. For a new music fan, Roundup Records was the same thing as the Sears Wish Book used to be for kids at Christmas. They had EVERYTHING from LP, cassettes, books, magazines, t-shirts.....anything you wanted that was related to music, and most especially the blues. I did my first mail order within a week and then discovered that they sent out a monthly catalog with new releases and favorite older releases, all discussed by a group of writers who were big fans of the music. I made an order almost every month, usually a mix of new recordings and older recordings of artists that I had heard of, but couldn't find in my local record stores. My collection grew by leaps and bounds.

Most of the new recordings were from a pair of labels......Rounder Records and Black Top Records, mainly because a lot of the artists I listened to, I had discovered at Jazz Fest, and both labels featured a lot of Louisiana blues and soul artists, plus many from the southern part of Texas as well. One of the first I remember ordering was a release by Hubert Sumlin, called Hubert Sumlin's Blues Party. It featured a lot of the artists from the Earl King set I had bought at Jazz Fest, plus a wonderful soul singer named Mighty Sam McClain. After I heard that one, I started making a point to see what Black Top had to offer each month, and I was rarely disappointed.

Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets

The label was started in the early 80's in New Orleans, by a pair of brothers named Hammond and Nauman Scott. They started out recording Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets (pre-Sam Myers). Funderburgh used to be a regular visitor to Mississippi, mostly in Jackson, and was one of the first blues acts I got to see live. He ended up making eight recordings with Black Top. Other artists that were recorded in the early years were Ronnie Earl, Buckwheat Zydeco, and former B.B. King keyboardist Ron Levy.

Snooks Eaglin

In the late 80's, around 1987, the label started recording more Gulf Coast-area artists, ranging from New Orleans to Houston, beginning with Earl King's collaboration with Roomful of Blues. Soon after, they recorded the fantastic New Orleans guitarist Snooks Eaglin, who would go on to record four albums. Blind from glaucoma since he was about a year old, Eaglin was known as "the Human Jukebox" because he was able to play so many different songs, over 2500, according to the man himself. Vocally, he was often compared to Ray Charles. I got to see him at Jazz Fest several years ago, and I discovered that he didn't do prepared sets, which had to have confounded his band members. He took requests from the audience and many times, he just played what came to his mind.

Joe Medwick

One of the most exciting albums I picked up from Black Top was from Grady Gaines and the Texas Upsetters. Called Full Gain, it featured a boatload of New Orleans and Houston musicians, including Gaines' brother, guitarist Roy Gaines on several songs, plus others like Funderburgh and Clarence Hollimon, piano man Teddy Reynolds, and singers Big Robert Smith and Joe Medwick. Medwick was an interesting story, having written many of Bobby Bland's hits ("Further On Up The Road," "Cry, Cry, Cry," "I Pity The Fool")for Duke in the 50's and 60's. Unfortunately, he sold the rights to the songs (and their royalties) to Duke's owner, Don Robey, so he only received an up-front fee for his efforts. Medwick also demoed many of his tunes for Bland and probably influenced the legend's vocal style in the process. Medwick got to perform two songs on Full Gain (including one tune later covered by Bland for Malaco), but passed away soon after from liver cancer.

Clarence Hollimon

A few weeks ago, I covered one of my all-time favorite recordings from Black Top, Gulf Coast Blues, Volume 1. A couple of songs on that collection were from the husband and wife team of Carol Fran and Clarence Hollimon. Hollimon was one of the most talented guitarists ever. I could sit and listen to him play guitar all day and all night. Black Top soon recorded Fran and Hollimon on two wonderful CDs in the early 90's, showcasing Ms. Fran's distinctively soulful pipes and Mr. Hollimon's incredible guitar.

Black Top also recorded some other great Gulf Coast musicians, like former Duke recording artist James "Thunderbird" Davis and Houston guitarist Joe "Guitar" Hughes. They also recorded artists like Al Copley, Greg Piccolo, Rod Piazza, Mike Morgan and the Crawl, and James Harman. In addition to Buckwheat Zydeco, the label also recorded zydeco artists Terrence Simien and Lynn August.

During the early 90's, Black Top hit the jackpot after stretching out a bit beyond the Gulf Coast. First, they recorded D.C. guitarist Bobby Radcliff, whose scorching Magic Sam-influenced sound turned some heads on 1989's Dresses Too Short.

Bobby Parker

Next, they found the legendary Robert Ward in Twiggs County, Georgia in the early 90's, and his Fear No Evil release was one of the great blues albums of the decade. Ward's success was followed by another D.C. guitarist, Bobby Parker. Parker's scorching guitar work was a big influence on artists like John Lennon and Carlos Santana and his two releases for Black Top (Bent Out of Shape and Shine Me Up) were top of the line.

Black Top also gave their listeners a little extra when they released the occasional budget-priced sampler. On some of them, like one of my personal favorites, Black Top Blues Pajama Party, they loaded heaps of previously unreleased tracks. On some collections, when you hear previously unreleased tracks, you have a good idea why they were previously unreleased......not the case with Black Top's collections. These tracks were as good, and sometimes better than the tracks that made the cut on most recordings.

In the late 80's, Black Top started another tradition. For a number of years, Black Top would sponsor a show during Jazz Fest, usually somewhere like Tipitina's, featuring a number of their acts together. These were usually outstanding shows, so it made sense to record them for the ages and sell them to the unlucky fans who didn't make the live show. Black Top kept this tradition going through seven volumes, with discs featuring Funderburgh, Radcliff, Grady Gaines, James "Thunderbird" Davis, Joe "Guitar" Hughes, Ron Levy, and many, many others.

As the 90's winded down, Black Top released recordings by W.C. Clark (hear his version of "Cold Shot," made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughan, below), Maria Muldaur, Phillip Walker, Robert Ealey, Solomon Burke, and former Excello recording artist Earl Gaines. During all these years, Rounder distributed the label, but they were picked up by another distributor, who was unsuccessful. Alligator handled distribution until 1999, when the label folded.

A few years after the label folded, Hammond Scott released a new CD from Snooks Eaglin on a new label called Money Tree. The new disc was called The Way It Is and for all practical purposes, it was the "unofficial" last Black Top release, even though it was on a different label. It was a fitting swan song, capturing perfectly the essence of the label at its very best.

In recent years, several labels have attempted to reissue a few of the Black Top recordings with varying degrees of success. However, copies of the original releases are still fairly easy to find at Amazon and Ebay, which is where I repurchased most of my favorites on CD. They should be required listening for any blues fan.

Next Week........FBF's Top 10 Black Top Albums

Five More Albums You Might Have Missed (V.3)

2011-11-25T00:01:00.002-06:00

Once again, it's time for Friday Blues Fix to look at five more gems from the past few years that might have slipped past blues fans the first time around........plus a relatively new disc. That's six CDs for the price of five. Who says I'm not giving you the best deal in blues these days??!!!

Zuzu Bollin - Texas Bluesman (Antones): Bollin led his own combo, beginning in the late 40's, recorded two 78's in the early 50's, and this recording in the 1980's. That's it. That's the list. The Dallas native eventually gave up the music business for the dry cleaning business in the mid 60's. He was rediscovered by the Dallas Blues Society in 1987, which led to this album being released by the society in 1989. Texas Bluesman contains remakes of both sides of his first 78, "Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night" and "Headlight Blues," plus covers of songs by Big Joe Turner, Count Basie, Cleanhead Vinson, and Percy Mayfield. There's also some great T-Bone Walker-styled guitar and outstanding jump blues. Bollin passed away in 1990, not long after the album was initially released. It was eventually re-issued by Antones, where it enjoyed wider distribution. It will definitely make you wonder why this guy had such a hard time getting in the studio.

Bill Sims (Warner Brothers): In the late 90's, NYC bluesman Sims appeared in the PBS documentary, American Love Story, which profiled his multi-ethnic family. This 1999 album was released in conjunction with the series and received a lot of attention back then, but has proved to be Sims' last release so far, so many new blues listeners may have missed out. Sims is an incredibly versatile musician, having played urban and country blues, R&B, jazz, and even doo wop. This is a stellar mix of all those styles. More recently, Sims has teamed up with harmonica player Mark LaVoie as an acoustic country blues duo.

Texas Northside Kings (Dialtone): Austin-based Dialtone Records has assembled a neat little catalog over the past decade or so, focusing on the vast talent of the Austin/Houston area for the most part. For this 2007 release, the label takes six of Austin's up-and-coming guitar slingers (Eva Monsees, Johnny Moeller, Shawn Pittman, Mike Keller, Nick Curran, Seth Walker) and gives each of them two or three tracks of their own, backing them with a tight set of area musicians (Earl Gilliam on keyboards, drummer Willie Sampson, sax man Spot Barnett). This recording is a lot of fun, with some great songs and performances. Several of these guitarists have since made some phenomenal recordings, so this is a good chance to catch them in their early stages. Check out this funky Johnny Moeller instrumental, "Radio Groove."

Bobby Purify - Better To Have It (Proper): James and Bobby Purify were one of the unsung soul duos of the 60's, with hits like "I'm Your Puppet," "Shake a Tail Feather," and "Let Love Come Between Us." This is the 70's "Bobby Purify," whose real name is Ben Moore. Moore had a successful career in Gospel during the 80's, but fell upon hard times after he lost his sight in 1998. In 2005, he launched a comeback with this release, which teamed him up with veteran soul songwriter/singer/producer Dan Penn, who wrote several of the Purify hits of the 60's, including "I'm Your Puppet." Penn, who had been involved in Solomon Burke's comeback release for Fat Possum the year before, brought in a bevy of Muscle Shoals music legends, including keyboardist Spooner Oldham and Carson Whitsett, bassist David Hood, guitarist Jimmy Johnson, and Memphis Horns trumpet player Wayne Jackson, and thirteen new songs that capture the essence of that 60's southern soul sound. Purify has just the right combination of smooth and grit in his voice to pull off this material.

Bo Ramsey - Stranger Blues (CDBY): Iowa's Bo Ramsey was influenced by the sounds of Sun Records and Chess Records. He has built a pretty solid career both as a solo artist and a collaborator (with Greg Brown, Lucinda Williams, Pieta Brown). His own music has a moody, atmospheric quality and it lifts this 2007 set of cover tunes several notches. The opening track, a ghostly reworking of the Elmore James tune, is fantastic, with Ramsey's craggly vocal punctuated by the keyboards whooshing along behind Ramsey's twangy guitar and a piercing harmonica. Ramsey also breathes new life into Little Walter's "Hate To See You Go," Muddy's "Little Geneva," Jessie Mae Hemphill's "Jump Baby Jump," and Sonny Boy Williamson II's "Unseen Eye." The tunes will be familiar to most blues fans, but it's pretty cool to hear Ramsey's restructuring of them.

For a newer disc that you might have missed, check out Denver bluesman Mojo Watson. Watson is the son of 50's R&B singer K.C. "Mojo" Watson, and has been recording his own material for around a decade. Watson's music was best described by a friend of mine as "part Muddy Waters, part Robert Cray, part Jimi Hendrix," which is not a bad combination when you think about it. Watson's previous CDs have included mostly original songs (or songs previously done by his dad), but this one also features a few cover tunes, including Elmore James' "Sunnyland," B.B. King's "Sweet Sixteen," the Wolf's "Killing Floor," and Hendrix's "Dolly Dagger." Watson is an amazing guitarist, mixing old school riffs with the occasional journey into Purple Haze territory. This is a set that will please both traditional blues and blues/rock fans, so stop by Mojo's site and check it out.

The Master of the Telecaster

2011-11-18T00:01:00.001-06:00

When Albert Collins passed away in November of 1993, it wasn't like it would have been if he had passed away this November. The internet was still in its infancy, and the world was a little farther apart back then. Collins was diagnosed with lung cancer, which had spread to his liver, in July of '93, and was gone four months later. The first time I knew anything about his death, much less the fact that he had cancer, was several days after his death, when I read it on one of those newspaper sidebars about entertainment. All it said was that he was a blues guitarist and that he was 61. No cause of death, no background or history.....just the minimum required to fill a paragraph.

To me, that was a shame, because if anyone associated with the blues deserved the full treatment, it was Albert Collins. As longtime readers of FBF are probably tired of hearing, he was one of the first blues guitarists I ever heard and once I did, I wanted to hear more, but I can safely say that I've never found another guitarist with a sound like his. His slashing, screaming guitar that sounded like it was strung with barbed wire and about two notes in, you had no doubt who was playing. His live shows were the stuff of legend as he was known for his forays into the audience with his guitar hooked to his amp by a 150' cord. I never got to see him in person, but I got to see lots of video of his performances. Obviously, he had a blast playing, with that Telecaster slung over his shoulder, massive fingers (sans pick) working magic on those strings. Even when he was singing about bad times, you just didn't quite believe that he was down and out. He was having too much fun.

He even had the coolest nicknames.....Master of the Telecaster, the Iceman, the Razor Blade. He really honed in on the Iceman persona though, with songs and album titles that reflected that nickname ("Frosty," "Frostbite," "Ice Pick," "Sno Cone," "Icy Blue," Ice Pickin', Frostbite, Don't Lose Your Cool, Cold Snap, etc.), but were the total opposite of his scorching fretwork. Many of his albums would include a song where Collins used his guitar to imitate various sounds. On one song, "Snowed In," Collins' guitar imitated him walking through the snow and scratching the ice and snow off his windshield. Another song, "Too Many Dirty Dishes," featured the tele as an S.O.S. pad scrubbing pots and pans.

Believe it or not, this guitar monster started out playing keyboards while growing up in Houston. His musical hero as a teenager was Hammond B3 wizard Jimmy McGriff. He switched to guitar in his late teens and absorbed the music of artists like Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, T-Bone Walker, Lightnin' Hopkins (his distant cousin), Guitar Slim (where he picked up his walk through the audience), and John Lee Hooker. Soon he was leading his own band, called the Rhythm Rockers, and was cutting singles, mostly instrumentals. His first big hit was "Frosty" in 1962, recorded in Beaumont, with locals Johnny Winter and Janis Joplin in the studio.

Collins continued to record while working day jobs, doing club appearance and mini-tours during the weekends. He ended up attracting the attention of Bob Hite from Canned Heat, who eventually got Collins signed to Imperial Records in the late 60's. He recorded three albums with Imperial, and got to play the Fillmore West, which led to wider exposure and the opportunity to open for bands like the Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead. Though his recording came to a standstill in the early 70's, he was still able to do some touring, based on the success of those singles he had recorded years earlier.

However, he might have toiled in obscurity forever if it weren't for Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records. Collins signed with the label in the late 70's and recorded seven wonderful albums. He gained confidence as a singer and composer, adding a whole new dimension to his act. During his stint with Alligator, he recorded some of his best songs, like "Master Charge," "If Trouble Was Money," "Conversations With Collins," and "Lights Are On But Nobody's Home." He was able to get even more exposure thanks to his tenure with Alligator, appearing on Late Night With David Letterman, a Seagram's Wine Cooler commercial (with Bruce Willis), and even scoring a hilarious cameo in the movie, "Adventures in Babysitting," teaming up with Elizabeth Shue to sing those lowdown "Babysitting Blues."

Johnny Copeland, Robert Cray, Albert Collins

Another highlight of Collins' tenure with Alligator was the classic Showdown! collaboration with fellow Houstonite Johnny Copeland and rising star Robert Cray. The album won a Grammy in 1987 and remains one of Alligator's best-selling albums. Collins was a big influence on Cray (who used to play the Collins instrumental, "Don't Lose Your Cool" during his shows), as well as other guitarists like Jimi Hendrix, who cited Collins as an influence numerous times, and Gary Moore, Coco Montoya, Debbie Davies, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and John Mayer.

In the early 90's, Collins signed with Virgin/Pointblank Records, a move that was sure to lead to even more exposure for him. He was able to release a couple of well-received albums with Pointblank before being diagnosed with cancer in mid 1993. He actually continued performing for a while, with some of his performances from the fall of 1993 appearing on the posthumously released Live '92/'93 album. This appearance with the Allman Brothers took place about a month before he was diagnosed with cancer.

The saddest thing about Collins' death to me at the time was the fact that the Blues was enjoying such a great resurgence in popularity due, in part, to his efforts, and he was not able to fully benefit from the sudden rise in the music's popularity. Thankfully, though, he was able to achieve some measure of fame before his untimely demise, and he left us a bounty of great recordings and for those who got to see him perform, some great memories.

Selected Discography

Truckin' With Albert Collins (MCA) - This set contains some of the Iceman's earliest recordings, including "Frosty." Consisting of mostly instrumentals, the only vocal track is "Dyin' Flu." These recordings hold up well with his later releases and serve as a great introduction to the Master of the Telecaster.

The Complete Imperial Recordings (EMI) - This set collects the recordings from Collins' three Imperial releases. His tenure with Imperial allowed him to branch out a bit, perform throughout a wider area, and receive greater attention and popularity. The highlights outnumber the misfires considerably, making this set worth seeking out.

Don't Lose Your Cool (Alligator) - While many of Collins' fans prefer his debut recording for Alligator (Ice Pickin'), this one is my favorite. I like the diversity of the song selection, and there are some great songs here....."But I Was Cool," "Ego Trip," "Get To Gettin'," and the funky title track. Picking the best Albert Collins' Alligator release is a happy exercise because you can't go wrong with your choice.

Deluxe Edition (Alligator): This is a great place to start your Albert Collins collection, but by no means should it be a stopping point. This set captures the best of his glory years with Alligator. It includes a solid set of his instrumentals, live performances, and most of his crowd favorites, but there's so much more that's not here that deserves to be heard.

Live '92/'93 (Pointblank) - Others may argue that Collins did better live recordings, but this one is special because many of the tracks were recorded after Collins knew he had mere months to live. The best thing is that you can't tell which tracks they are because he was a force of nature until the very end.

Odds & Ends

2011-11-11T00:01:00.052-06:00

Anyone who's been buying music for a long period of time has had to endure format changes, going from records to 8-track tapes to cassette tapes to CD's to mp3's. Fortunately, I've only dealt with the last three formats for the most part, but those were bad enough because, of course, you usually find yourself converting your particular favorites from one format to another so you can continue to enjoy them. But sometimes, certain recordings don't make the next format, or they're not available very long in the new format. Most long-time listeners have a few of these on their wish lists, hoping that one day they do move to a new format. The same thing happens with books as well....they go out of print and soon become hard to find, even today. Below are a few of the items on my own wish list.......

Angels in Houston: The Legendary Duke Blues Recordings (Rounder) - This release has only been issued on LP and cassette. I picked up the cassette in the late 80's. The main reason I picked it up was because I had bought a cassette on Black Top Records by James "Thunderbird" Davis and liked it so much that I wanted to hear more from him. In the process, I got to hear some other fantastic artists that I liked even more......Fenton Robinson and Larry Davis. I was already familiar with the great Bobby "Blue" Bland and he gets four songs on here, all from his peak years and all of which are familiar to most blues fans, including the incredible "Yield Not To Temptation." The two Davises get three songs apiece, including James Davis' "Blue Monday" and "Your Turn To Cry," and Larry Davis' "Texas Flood" and the title track. Fenton Robinson has long been underappreciated, which is a shame. He was an immensely talented singer, composer, and guitarist. He gets four songs, including "As The Years Go Passing By" and "Tennessee Woman." These were considered "rare" recordings at the time, as most had never even been on LP before. Now they are fairly easy to find, thanks to the internet, but this collection is pretty special by itself and it's never been available on CD. Since all of Duke's catalog belongs to another label now (MCA or whatever they're called now....Universal?), it's highly unlikely that this particular collection will ever see the light of day on CD. Too bad, but at least they're still available for listening on other collections.

Magic Slim - Live at B.L.U.E.S. (B.L.U.E.S. R&B) - This was the first Magic Slim recording that I ever owned and it's one of the best he's ever done. It was recorded at B.L.U.E.S. in Chicago and Slim was in really fine form that night, as was this particular incarnation of the band (John Primer - guitar, Nick Holt - bass, Nate Applewhite - drums). The coolest thing about this recording is that the set list includes some of Slim's less familiar songs from his vast catalog, such as "Luv Somebody," "Poor Man But A Good Man," "Gambler's Blues," "Keep a Drivin'," and "Help Yourself." The only tune that might be familar to some Magic Slim fans is a long-play version of "Mother Fuyer." I keep hearing rumors that this one will eventually make it to CD, but I've been hearing them for nearly ten years. If it ever does make it, you must give it a listen. You will thank me later.

The Down Home Guide To The Blues - by Frank Scott and the Down Home Music Staff (A Capella Books): One of the best of the mail order catalogs for blues recordings was Down Home Music. They specialized in those hard-to-find recordings and had them for a very nice price most of the time. Their monthly catalog was indispensible because nearly each item came with accompanying review written by Scott or one of his staff members. Best thing about those reviews was that if it was worth having, they would tell you it was worth having, and if it wasn't, they would tell you it wasn't. It covered about 3,500 recordings ranging from the pre-war country blues of the 20's and 30's, all the way through the early 90's (which was when it was published). Of all the books I have on the blues, I've probably looked at this one the most, at least a few times a week, until it came up missing some time back, during our house remodel event last year. Hopefully, it will turn up again soon because it's still a great source of information about a lot of blues artists and recordings. Down Home Music is still going strong today and have their own website, so stop by and see what you're missing.

The Listener's Guide To The Blues, by Peter Guralnick (Facts on File): I first heard about this book in an issue of Guitar World, their annual blues issue. There was an article about essential recordings, publications, and video (no websites or DVD way back then). Guralnick's book was listed among the essential publications. This is the only Guralnick book that I was never able to find in print. I may have to order it online, but it's similar to the Down Home Music book in that it covers artists and recordings....the difference being, from what I've heard, that it takes you through the blues as if you're a newcomer and starts you from scratch. I'm such a fan of Guralnick's work that I know it has to be as good as the rest of his books.

There you have it.....one man's blues wish list. Anyone who's ever collected any type of music over an extended period has a wish list, whether they're aware of it or not. What's on your wish list?

Happy belated birthday to one of my longtime favorites, the Texas Roadhouse King, Delbert McClinton. He turned 71 last week. McClinton's music fits many genres, including rock, soul, and country, but his roots are firmly planted in the blues, the music he grew up around as a youngster in Fort Worth. In addition to his vocal talents, he remains one of the best harmonica players around. If you've never seen him perform, you need to make a point to check him out next time he's in your neighborhood.

How about a couple of mini-reviews......I received a copy of Chicago guitarist Toronzo Campbell's new release for Delmark Records, called Leaving Mood. It's been in my stereo since yesterday and might be there for a while. Wow! From what I understand, this guy has played in a couple of bands around Chicago (Wayne Baker Brooks, Joanna Connor) before forming his own band, the Cannonball Express. From listening to Leavin' Mood, he learned well. He's an outstanding guitarist and singer, mixing the blues and soul with a dash of rock and even some 70's era R&B. Even better, he's writes his own songs and they are clever and distinctive, touching on familiar subjects but with a fresh coat of paint. Standout tracks include the opener, "She Loved Me," a third cousin of Hound Dog Taylor's "She's Gone," "Chicago's Song," "Hard Luck," with Carl Weathersby playing some blistering guitar, the title track, and "She's Too Much." Delmark has really done a good job in recent years recording many of the younger Windy City performers and this one is one of their best recent releases.

Shane Dwight moved to the Nashville area from California several years ago with mixed results. The good results involved getting good management, associating with some great musicians, and signing with a record label. The bad side was seeing his marriage come to an end. Most musicians thrive on adversity...often the best songs come from living the worst times. Dwight's latest release, A Hundred White Lies, lays bare his soul as he pull no punches, either with himself or with others. His songs mix blues, rock, and country rhythms seamlessly. Lending Dwight a hand are several members of Delbert McClinton's band, including Kevin McKendree, who produced the disc and played keyboards and guitars, and Nashville blues guitarist Mike Henderson and singer Bekka Bramlett. If you're not familiar with Dwight (he's played with such luminaries as B. B. King, Johnny Winter, Jimmie Vaughan, Los Lobos, and Los Lonely Boys), you should be. He's the real deal.

Ten Questions With Brad Vickers

2011-11-04T00:01:00.004-05:00

Brad Vickers' vision of the blues encompasses several styles of blues, including Mississippi Delta blues, Chicago blues, and even a bit of the Hill Country sound. However, it's not limited to just the blues, but is also subject to mixing in old time jazz and ragtime. In addition to the usual guitar, piano, drums, sax, and bass, there's also a good chance that you will hear clarinet or fiddle on some songs. Vickers and his group, the Vestapolitans, have released three unforgettable discs over the past three years on the ManHatTone record label, with songs from the 30's through the 60's, plus original compositions that seamlessly blend with the classics. Mr. Vickers has graciously agreed to sit down with Friday Blues Fix and answer a few questions.

1. When did you become a blues fan and what attracted you to the music?

I became a blues fan in 1964, at the age of 13, when I heard Leadbelly, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and Jimmy Reed’s recordings. What attracted me, I guess, was this music’s simplicity and truthfulness—and the vocal delivery that relies entirely on the individual artist’s range of talent and life experience. In other words, this music, the blues, doesn’t hide any good or bad feeling you may have about life, like problems with the opposite sex or working at a job you didn’t like. Though these were adult themes, as an adolescent I was becoming aware of these things by observing how people got along, and how they handled themselves when problems came to them. And, I also loved the beat and tempo of the fast blues: boogie-woogie and R&B jump.

2. What was your favorite blues album as a youth?

My favorite blues album as a youngster was a record called “Jimmy Reed Plays 12-String Guitar”. On this, he overdubbed the 12-string on top of his original recording, matching the melodies that he’d used for his vocals. Then they took out the vocal track. It was all instrumentals. There were ten of his greatest hits, and two new instrumentals written for the project. I wore that album out, drove my family crazy. My mother gave me the album as a Christmas gift because she knew that I was interested in guitar. This was when the Beatles and the Stones were making it big. Neither she nor I knew that Jimmy Reed sang, and it wasn’t until a few years later that I found many more of his recordings. It was when I discovered his voice, that I really got bitten by the blues bug!

3. What made you decide to play the music as a career?

Starting in 1968, I played on weekends with various groups, playing the hits of the day at church youth gatherings, coffee houses, and school auditorium concerts.

I took up the electric bass, honoring my grandfather’s wishes. He played lap-steel and drums back in the’30s, and said that if I played the bass I’d work all the time, that “Guitar players are a dime-a-dozen!” So, about 1982 I left my day job and worked a steady 4 to 5 nights a week in music. I liked the job, and I liked the hours. By then I was playing nothing but the blues. It was about that time that I joined the group Little Mike and The Tornadoes, and for the first time began to back up some of the great bluesmen on the road, and forging long relationships with them.

Tampa Red

4. Who are your biggest musical influences as a performer and a songwriter?

There are three performers, who are also songwriters, who have had an everlasting influence on me: Tampa Red, Jimmy Reed, and Chuck Berry.

5. Your musical catalogue spans quite a number of years, including songs from the ’30s to today. Which era of blues is your favorite, and why?

I love the blues and the bluesy pop of the ’30s, and also the ’20s, and as far back as the ragtime of the early 1900s. I like the R&B jump of the ’40s and ’50s that turned into Rock ’n’ Roll and Rockabilly. I also like some of the early country artists like Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow. It’s all become music to my ears—And it all probably figures into the sound I get with my songs and my group.

6. Over the years you’ve played with a diverse set of great musicians. Are there any cool stories that you would like to share about our years playing with all these musicians, whether in the studio or onstage?

Yes, I have lots of stories about the people I’ve played with. I don’t know where to start. I guess I’ll start with my favorite story, my first experience onstage with Chuck Berry.

In 1969 I had already been playing bass for two years and was already experienced in playing with other musicians in a non-rehearsed way. In other words, “winging it.” I was 18 years old and living a home, when my neighbor called and asked if I could replace him the following night in a band that would be playing in a club a few neighborhoods away. This neighbor, Ron, was also a bass player. He was about five years my senior, and liked the way I played—and he had come down with the flu.

I accepted the job, and the next night I arrived in good time, an hour before the show. It was the Friday between Christmas and New Year, and there were no marquee lights or posters to be seen. I had taken a taxi with my Kustom plush white bass amp, and I had two speaker cabinets, each with two 15” Jensen speakers. (I was ready for any volume of music.) After I got my gear inside the club, I saw that it was empty except for two musicians setting up onstage, a drummer and a keyboardist. I noticed that they were both Hispanic. I became concerned, as there were two kinds of music I knew nothing about playing: Latin Salsa and Cuban Jazz.

I introduced myself, and explained that I was the substitute. They had already heard from Ron and were happy to meet me. Then I asked what kind of music we’d be playing. The drummer said, “Hey, man! Ron didn’t tell you who the job is for tonight?” I shook my head “No.” He smiled and said, “We’re backing up Chuck Berry!” I began to turn pale and broke out in a cold sweat. The mere mention of his name gave me goosebumps I was a super Chuck Berry fanatic, and my friend Ron didn’t tell me on purpose. He knew I’d be so nervous that I’d have bailed out.

Before I even had time to understand the situation, Chuck walked in and slammed his guitar case on the stage, opened it, and looked around for the amp he was to use. As he unraveled his guitar cable, he asked, “Who’s the bass player?”

I was sinking into the floorboards as I raised my hand. He looked at me very business-like and said, “No walking.” He plugged his Gibson Stereo into the two Fender Deluxe amp that the club had provided, and strummed one loud chord before going off to his dressing room.

I was still very green, and didn’t know too much about musical terminology, but I felt relieved that I knew his entire catalogue, and left it at that. I was debating whether to have a drink at the bar before show time, but show time was in two minutes. Just then the club opened its door, and at once the place became packed. At least three hundred stood in front of the stage, and I got a sick feeling in my stomach. I’d never played for so many people before. Two minutes turned into twenty, and the crowd began to chant, ”We want Chuck, we want Chuck!” and stomping their feet. I stood beside the stage with the rest of the group, awaiting instructions from the management. Soon a man with a dark suit and sunglasses came through the crowd and motioned for us to hit the stage. I put on my bass, the drummer and keyboardist sat behind their instruments, and the stage lights dimmed. There was no announcement, but as Chuck, with his guitar on, walked through the crowd, it parted for him like the Red Sea. The cheers and roar from the crowd was so intense that I could hardly concentrate. Then Chuck plugged in his guitar and began his famous intro. The band kicked in on the second change, the IV chord. Thank God I could read his hand on the guitar neck, because the song keys were never given. When we got to that second change, I walked that bass line like crazy, in the fastest tempo that I could. Chuck began to sing “Roll Over Beethoven”, and I was in complete control of the song, until Chuck shot a scorching glance at me. I didn’t know why. He stopped the song halfway through. The crowd cheered wildly, and he started again with his signature beginning. As we came to the IV chord, I again began to walk bass line, cutting it so deep that my amp was roaring. Chuck began to sing “Bye, Bye Johnny.” After two verses, he shot me another withering look. I thought that maybe I was playing too loud, so I turned down and he stopped the song. The crowd went ballistic with hoorahs and cheers, as Chuck started another song the same way. Naturally, I began to walk another cool bass line with confidence to his rhythm. He sang a verse of “Let It Rock,” then broke into his famous “scoot” and headed right toward me. I smiled. He didn’t. He stood crouched, moving his leg in time with the music and yelled, “I said no walking! Why are you defying me?” I felt my face turn red and I said, “Chuck! I’m not walking. I’ve been standing completely still!” His eyes popped, and he looked me up and down and smiled. He might have realized then that I was very young. He went back to the microphone and ended the song. Then he started the “Maybelline” intro. I knew this was a country beat, so I played the minimal punch of notes on the one and five. He looked at me and smiled. “Yeah!” he said, “Do that all night long.” And I did. We did two shows that night, and I tweaked that country beat into playing 4/4 time on the root of every change through every song.

At the end of the night Chuck thanked us for a good show. I felt brave and confident enough to ask him if he would like a steady bass player. He said, “Hold that thought. Excuse, me, I’ll be back in a minute.” He never came back, but I’ve had the pleasure of playing with him again through the years. I lost contact with him in the mid ’80s. From that first show I began to play the bass the way he wanted, and I became a favorite of choice with many blues bands and performers. All I can say is “Thanks, Chuck!”

7. Who would be the members of our dream band, your all-star team of musicians, living, dead, well-known, lesser-known, etc.

This is a hard question, but I’ll answer it by saying that instead of a “dream band” I would want a “dream revue.” I’d have my favorite musicians, who have played on my recordings back up all my heroes: Tampa Red, Big Joe Turner, Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry, and Bo Diddley. I would bring them out one-by-one and play all their most influential songs.

8. Do you have any projects in the works?

I have many projects in the works!

>A folk-blues album,

>An old-time string band album with every stringed instrument possible

>An album of diverse styles from Louisiana

>More Blues and R&B albums.

>More original songs

I have enough projects to keep me going for a while.

9. Where do you see the blues genre in 10 years? Who do you think will emerge to succeed the current list of elder statesmen?

Ten years from now the blues genre with probably be the same as it is today, but with more diverse sounds woven in. I see that many of the younger players are drawn to related styles, like soul music on one hand, and in another direction, there seems to be some interest in earlier styles like jug band or string band music, and Gypsy jazz. So all that will probably be in the mix.

In answer to the second part of the question, it’s really bittersweet to think of all the great elders who have passed on recently: Honeyboy Edwards, Mojo Buford, and of course, Pinetop Perkins and Willie Smith. These have been our links to the original blues, and to Muddy Waters. The next line of great blues artists will inevitably become the new elder statesmen, and will be revered, i.e.: Taj Mahal, John Hammond, Jr., Maria Muldaur. Buddy Guy is already approaching that status.

As long as there is an appreciation for the blues, there will always be a new crop of players, and there will always be elder statesmen.

10. What are some of our favorite blues albums—the ones that you keep going back and listening to over and over?

My favorite blues albums are:

>”Sonny Terry is King” with Lightin’ Hopkins and Brownie McGhee (Arhoolie)

>”Muddy Waters’ Greatest Hits” (issued in 1964 on the heavyweight black label) (Chess)

>All Bo Diddley’s albums

>J.B. Lenoir “Natural Man” (Chess)

>Little Walter “Confessing The Blues” (Chess)

>Jimmy Rogers “Chicago Bound” (Chess)

>”Chuck Berry’s Golden Decade” (Chess)

>Chuck Berry “St. Louis to Liverpool” (Chess)

>All of Jimmy Reed’s early albums on Vee Jay

>and one newer one, in particular called

“The New Jimmy Reed Album” (1965 Bluesway)

It had five guitars playing different lines with no solos, except for Jimmy’s harmonica It’s an incredible album Wayne Bennett, Eddie Taylor, and Hubert Sumlin are among the guitar players.

>All of Tampa Red’s albums were great, especially the one issued on Krazy Kat records in the early ’80s. It had songs form 1947-1953, with Johnny Jones on piano, Ransom Knowling on bass, and Odie Payne on drums. Johnny and Ransom sing harmonies with Tampa. This is probably my favorite album of all times. I visit it quite often.

Discography

All of Brad Vickers' recordings with the Vestapolitans are on the ManHatTone label. They are listed below in chronological order. Each release is a slight improvement over its predecessor, but all are worth picking up. They offer a unique blend of blues over the years, plus roots, jazz, and ragtime mixed in for good measure. For more information, visit Brad and the band's brand new website.

Le Blues Hot

Stuck With The Blues

Traveling Fool

Young Bob, Continued

2011-10-28T00:01:00.001-05:00

In 1987, Robert Cray was at the peak of his popularity. His most recent release, 1986's Strong Persuader, had crossed over to the Pop charts and had won him recognition worldwide, earning him a Grammy in the process. He made stylish music videos (basically unheard of for blues artists at the time, dozens of appearances on TV, including talk shows, commercials, the coveted musical guest spot on Saturday Night Live, and was in high demand as a live act as well. The sky seemed to be the limit for Young Bob.

However, Don't be Afraid of the Dark, the follow-up to Strong Persuader, was a disappointment on several levels. I can remember being really excited to see it finally arrive in the record store, but a bit puzzled when I saw the sticker on the package that read "File Under Pop." Warning bells began sounding immediately, even before I removed the plastic wrapping. Trust me, it's NEVER a good sign when a blues record sports that sticker.

While there were a few good songs.....the title track opening the disc is a great soul/blues track with strong backing from the Memphis Horns, and "Don't You Even Care," "I Can't Go Home," and "Acting That Way" are all solid selections.....you can't help but wonder if some of these songs would have even made the cut on his previous recording. Everything sounds either a little bit forced or just a bit off track. Every once in a while, I will still take this one out and give it a listen, but it still leaves me cold.

Cray's next release, 1990's Midnight Stroll, was much better, with more of a focus on the soul side of the blues. Cray's vocals, already a major factor in his success, were better than ever before as he ripped through songs like "These Things," "Move a Mountain," and "Bouncin' Back." There were also some great songs that were perfect fits to an already impressive repertoire, like "Consequences," "The Forecast (Call for Pain)," "The Things You Do To Me," and the funky title track. Apparently, with Don't be Afraid of the Dark, Cray and the band were physically and creatively spent due to the success of Strong Persuader, the subsequent appearances and demands in support of it, and the pressure involved with making the next release even better. With Midnight Stroll, the pressure was off and the band seems rested and relaxed and they sound fantastic. It definitely has earned a place in the upper echelon of Robert Cray recordings.

After Midnight Stroll, Cray decided to expand his sound within soul and blues, something a lot of others in his genre wouldn't do...messing with a successful formula. At times the results were mixed, as might be expected, but never boring. Take Cray's 1992 effort, I Was Warned. When the songs were good, such as the opening cut, "Just a Loser," with that great guitar break from Cray, or the Memphis soul sender, "I'm a Good Man," and the deep southern soul of "The Price I Pay," "A Picture of a Broken Heart" (co-written by Boz Scaggs), and "On The Road Down" (co-written by Steve Cropper), they were very good. However, the melodramatic title track left most people scratching their heads, and there were a few other songs that sort of faded into the background. Still, this was overall a solid effort with some nice performances by Cray and the band (who was now without bass player and longtime Cray bandmate, Richard Cousins).

Shame & a Sin was Cray's next release, in 1993, and was the first Cray self-produced album. Guiding forces Dennis Walker and Bruce Bromberg was no longer a part of the Cray team, and the Memphis Horns were replaced by the Miami Horns. The majority of the songs for this release were written by Cray and his bandmates. There was a lot more emphasis on the blues, and Cray's songs are very good, including "1040 Blues," about having to pay taxes, "Some Pain, Some Shame," and several light-hearted songs as well, such as "Stay Go" (one of my wife's favorites) and "I'm Just Lucky That Way." For me, the highlights were the harrowing "I Shiver," one of Cray's best songs ever, and a wonderful cover of Albert King's "You're Gonna Need Me," which featured some scorching guitar work between Cray and his mentor, Albert Collins, recorded only a few months before Collins' death. Cray's previous two releases had been considered too slick, smooth, and clean by many critics. Shame & a Sin has a rougher, edgier sound than his previous releases. If I were ranking his releases best to worst, I would put Shame & a Sin in the Top Five, around #4 or 5.

(Okay, okay......my Top Five - 1. Strong Persuader, 2. Bad Influence, 3. Midnight Stroll, 4. Shame & a Sin, 5. Who's Been Talkin').

Cray's final two releases for Mercury, 1995's Some Rainy Morning (the Cray band w/o horns) and 1997's Sweet Potato Pie, were largely forgettable. Cray's performances were top notch as always, but the best songs were usually by someone else. On Some Rainy Morning, the highlight was Syl Johnson's "Steppin' Out," and on Sweet Potato Pie, the standout was an obscure Otis Redding tune, "Trick or Treat." Both of these recordings leaned more heavily toward the soul side of blues, nothing wrong with that at all, but the material was just not up to the standards of his earlier work. One of the better Cray originals was the sparse and soulful opening cut on Some Rainy Morning, "Moan."

Cray and Mercury parted ways soon after Sweet Potato Pie. He landed at Rykodisc, where he had a bit of a resurgence, continuing to make subtle expansions to his style (Take Your Shoes Off is #6 on my list). Then he moved to Sanctuary Records, where he began to insert the occasional political commentary on a few songs, mostly protesting the war in Iraq. Currently, Cray records for Vanguard, where he has settled into a comfortable groove with his mix of urban blues and Memphis soul. No one does that better than he does. Though his star had faded a little bit, he is still considered one of the top draws on the blues circuit and one of the main reasons that many blues fans became blues fans in the first place. We will look more closely at this later period of Young Bob's career in a future post.

New Blues For You - Electric and Acoustic

2011-10-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

There have been some pretty good releases over the past few months that you might have missed. This week, Friday Blues Fix continues its public service of making sure that blues fans don't miss out on any great new recordings, so here are a few capsule summaries of new discs. As always, more extensive reviews of these discs can be found at Blues Bytes either right now or in the coming months.

D'Mar & Gill - Real Good Friend (Airtight): Mississippi blues fans might be familiar with singer/songwriter/guitarist Chris Gill, who has been a mainstay of the Jackson blues and roots scene for several years. Gill has teamed up with percussionist Derrick "D'Mar" Martin, another Mississippian, who has played with Little Richard and currently fronts the local band, Nu Funk. The result is a combination of Gill's Delta-flavored acoustic blues mixed with Martin's amazing African-based percussion work that breathes amazing new life into the blues art form. This was just a fun disc to listen to, and you'll find yourself playing it over and over again. I hope that this is not a one-time collaboration and that we will get to hear more from them soon.

Bernie Pearl - Sittin' on the Right Side of the Blues (Major Label): If Bernie Pearl isn't a national treasure, he should be. For over fifty years, he's been a guitar player and singer, a DJ, a producer, and has led his own band. He's done as much as anyone to help keep the blues alive for over a half century. His latest recording is a live set, accompanied by bass player Michael Barry, recorded in Culver City, CA. Pearl does nine covers from artists like Lightnin' Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb, Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell, and obscure Louisiana bluesman Herman Johnson, plus six originals that include a pair of dandy instrumentals and the autobiographical title track. If you like acoustic blues guitar, you'll be hard pressed to find a more satisfying disc than this one.

Steve Gerard & the National Debonaires (Featuring James "Rock" Gray) - Voodoo Workin' (Blue Edge): Gerard and band mostly focused on jump blues and shuffles on their first couple of releases, but they shift to southern blues and soul on their third album. Relocating to Jackson, MS a while back, Gerard recruited local singer James "Rock" Gray to front the Debonaires. Gray is a versatile vocalist, easily handling swamp blues like Charles Sheffield's title track, Chicago blues, and even New Orleans R&B. Gray also penned three songs, which lean toward the R&B side of blues. The Debonaires are a tight group and faithfully update the classic sounds of 50's and 60's blues and R&B. Hopefully, this one won't slip through the cracks because it's a gem.

Maria Muldaur - Steady Love (Stony Plain): Everybody is familiar with Muldaur's seductuve 70's pop hit, "Midnight at the Oasis," but the sultry singer has focused on the sounds of New Orleans since the early 90's. She has made some great recordings during that time span, but Steady Love may be her best yet. This disc is her first full-fledged tribute to the Crescent City. She does a wonderful job on covers of songs by Elvin Bishop ("I'll Be Glad"), Bobby Charles ("Why Are People Like That"), Sugar Pie DeSanto ("Soulful Dress"), and a wonderful version of Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone To Love." She also mixes in several gospel tunes for good measure (another great part of New Orleans music), including "I Done Made Up My Mind" and Rick Vito's "I Am Not Alone" (with Vito on slide guitar). Muldaur's vocals have become richer and huskier over the years ,which suits this material perfectly. With Steady Love, Muldaur proves she's still one of the best singers of any genre.

The blues world lost an up-and-coming talent this week way too soon. Colorado-based bluesman John-Alex Mason died from complications after outpatient surgery to remove cancerous tissue. He had been in a coma for about three weeks and was taken off life support earlier this week. He was only 35 years old and leaves behind a wife and daughter. Mason was one of the most innovative of the recent wave of acoustic blues/roots guitarists. His last CD, Juke Joint Thunderclap, released earlier this year, is an amazing effort and well worth seeking out.

Some Recommended Reading

2011-10-14T00:01:00.006-05:00

I have fallen behind in recent years with my blues-related reading. There were so many great books that came out at the same time that I couldn't decide which ones to read, so I ended up not reading any of them. I still have lots of catching up to do. I would love to read the Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter bios that came out a few years ago, but I just haven't gotten to them yet. However, I was lucky enough to not only get an Amazon Gift Card for my birthday, but I also won another gift card at work, so now I could solve my problem and catch up on my reading.

Only problem was that once I started looking, the same thing happened again.....where to start, where to stop, what to do. There were too many choices, too many decisions. I would put books in my shopping cart, then take them out, then put CDs in the cart, then take them out (yeah, yeah, I know NONE of you ever do this). Finally, after a month or so, I finally settled on a couple of blues-related books and neither one of them were the two bios I mentioned above (yes, I'm nuts....it's obvious). I don't think I could have made any better choices though. See what you think.

Texas Blues: The Rise of a Contemporary Sound - by Alan Govenar: This weighty tome clocks in at 600 pages and is pretty comprehensive....at least as much as one of these books can be. Back in the late 80's, Govenar published a book called Meeting the Blues, which was a collection of interviews and short articles with and about various Texas blues musicians, going back to the early 30's up to the present time (then, the mid 80's). The earlier book covered a lot of the same musicians that are present in Texas Blues. In fact, some of the interviews from the earlier book are also present in the newer edition, but Govenar has greatly expanded his scope, including musicians from all over the Lone Star State.

There are sections devoted to the Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange, and Austin scenes, along with other areas, and also sections about Zydeco, the Texas guitarists who electrified blues guitar (Eddie Durham, Charlie Christian, and T-Bone Walker) and those who migrated to California (Walker, Lowell Fulson, Pee Wee Crayton), and the many Texas sax players (Henry Hayes, Henry "Buster" Smith, Grady Gaines, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson). It's loaded with interviews and stories about all the familiar faces of Texas blues, such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Freddie King, Johnny Winter, Delbert McClinton, Johnnie Taylor, Johnny Copeland, Albert Collins, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and many less familiar faces, such as Zuzu Bollin, Texas Johnny Brown, Big Walter Price, Robert Ealey, Summer Bruton, Alex Moore, Tutu Jones, and many others.

There are also some great, seldom-seen photos of many of these artists, mostly taken by Govenar over the past forty years, and a great bibliography section that will help you to be able to read or hear more from these artists if you're so inclined. Texas Blues was a great find and will open your eyes to the amazing diversity of the Lone Star State's blues scene.

Dr. Bill Ferris was one of the first blues scholars that I was familiar with. In the late 80's, Dr. Ferris hosted the Highway 61 radio program on Mississippi Public Radio on Saturday nights from ten until midnight. At the time, it was the only blues I could find on the radio where I lived, since this was all long before the days of 24-7 satelite radio. Dr. Ferris not only played the blues, he talked about them, too, so I was able to learn a lot about these new artists I was hearing. It was almost like a two-hour seminar every weekend, and I rarely missed a weekend.

Years ago, Dr. Ferris authored Blues from the Delta, a book which pretty much served a lot of blues fans as a textbook for Mississippi Delta Blues, and should be a permanent part of any Delta Blues fans' bookshelf. However, he has topped himself with his latest work, Give My Poor Heart Ease: Voices of the Mississippi Delta Blues.

This new book features several interviews with Mississippi artists describing in their own words their lives, their music and it's origins, and their culture. This is the blues from it's very source, as pure as it gets, from people like Otha Turner, Scott Dunbar, Lee Kizart, Son Thomas, Rev. Isaac Thomas, and B. B. King. Ferris also describes typical church services and house parties. The stories in the artists' own words are simply incredible and bring the blues to life. There's also an exhaustive bibliography that lists essential books, articles, CDs, DVDs, and websites.

As if the book wasn't enough of a treasure, Ferris also includes a CD of interviews and recordings (including songs by Dunbar, Kizart, Turner, and Son Thomas, and a DVD of his movies, which feature Thomas, King, and even a group of prisoners from the prison at Parchman. Folks, there aren't a lot of books on the blues that you really, absolutely, positively must have, but this is one of them....no question. It's a book you'll be going back and revisiting for years to come.

My Favorite Things - Gulf Coast Blues Volume 1

2011-10-07T00:01:00.008-05:00

We all have albums that we bought years ago that still put a hop in our step today when we listen to them. Over the years, as I hear more and more blues recordings, it seems like that happens less and less, but when I first started listening some twenty-five or so years ago, it was a fairly regular occurrence. One of the first blues labels that I discovered and came to love was Black Top Records, out of New Orleans. I picked up a couple of their recordings at JazzFest one year....I think one of them was Earl King's recording with Roomful of Blues (after seeing them on stage the same day) and the live Neville Brothers release that helped put them, and the label, on the map. I had fallen in love with the New Orleans R&B that the Nevilles did so well, and as a result, picked up on several other Crescent City artists in the process.

I continued to buy up Black Top recordings as they were released, enjoying each and every one of them. One cool thing that label owners Hammond and Naumann Scott started doing was to track down many of the artists from Louisiana and Texas that played on the great blues and soul recordings of the 50's and 60's for Duke and Peacock Records. This really opened my eyes and ears to some great sounds because a lot of these artists, even though most of them hadn't recorded in over twenty years, still sounded great...because even though they hadn't been making records, most of them had never stopped performing.

We will look at Black Top Records in a future post. Today, I want to focus on one of their recordings in particular.....one of my all-time favorites, Gulf Coast Blues, Volume 1. This disc was released, with little fanfare, in 1990. It featured two of the label's recording artists, Joe "Guitar" Hughes and sax man Grady Gaines, plus a couple of the label's supporting artists, taking center stage for the first time.....piano player Teddy Reynolds and guitarist Clarence Hollimon, along with his wife, R&B singer Carol Fran.

Carol Fran and Clarence Hollimon

Fran and Hollimon have a cool story. They first met and dated in the late 50's, when she was a singer for Excello Records with a hit record, "Emmitt Lee," to her credit. Hollimon had previously played guitar for Big Mama Thornton, but was now backing Bobby "Blue" Bland on several of his recordings for Duke Records. They eventually went their separate ways, Fran continuing to record for multiple labels and serving as vocalist (sometimes teaming with another future Black Top all-star....James "Thunderbird" Davis) in Guitar Slim's band, and Hollimon in demand as a session guitarist for Bland, Junior Parker, and others. The pair reunited in 1982 and this time around, sparks flew and the couple were married and began performing together.

At the time of Gulf Coast Blues Volume 1, Hollimon had already appeared on several of Black Top's recordings, but Fran had been away from the studio for awhile, frustrated by lack of success and too many great recordings that never were released. On this release, they shined on two tracks, a bouncy "Everyday Is Not The Same," where Fran sang lyrics in English and French, and this remake of "Emmitt Lee," featuring some of Hollimon's wonderful guitar. Fran and Hollimon eventually made two recordings for Black Top, plus one more for JSP several years later, just before Hollimon passed away in 2000. Fran has continued to perform and record, despite suffering a serious stroke. She recovered sufficiently enough to resume performing last year.

Joe "Guitar" Hughes

Joe "Guitar" Hughes had released an album for Black Top, called If You Want To See The Blues, in 1989. Hughes got his start in Houston in the early 50's, teaming up with Johnny Copeland in the Dukes of Rhythm. He later joined up with Bobby Bland's orchestra in the mid 60's and later with Al "TNT" Braggs. Though not as well known as Copeland, or another comtemporary, Albert Collins, Hughes was a fine guitarist in the great Texas tradition and a more than capable singer.

Like Fran and Hollimon, Hughes got a pair of showcase tracks, the slow blues, "Apron Strings," and the funky "Miss Too Fine" (heard below), which contains the immortal line, "I hope you not bettin' on / What you sittin' on." Hughes continued to record throughout the 90's, most notably a set from Bullseye Blues (Texas Guitar Slinger) before passing away in 2003.

Grady Gaines

Grady Gaines was an original member of Little Richard's Upsetters band, appearing in three movies with the rock and roll legend (notably on The Girl Can't Help It, where he soloed atop Richard's piano). After Little Richard left rock and roll for the church, Gaines continued to lead the Upsetters throughout the 60's.

Prior to Gulf Coast Blues, Gaines had released a stellar album for Black Top, called Full Gain, that featured Hollimon, Houston singer Joe Medwick, and Gaines' legendary brother, guitarist Roy Gaines. Gaines' contribution on Gulf Coast Blues was a pair of roaring instrumentals that concluded Side One and opened Side Two (back when recordings had "Sides"), with Hughes and Anson Funderburgh trading guitar solos. Gaines wasn't even supposed to be recording his own music for the album, but he talked his way onto it, which worked out great for us listeners.

Teddy Reynolds

Teddy Reynolds enjoyed the remainder of the disc all to himself, with four tracks. Reynolds, like the rest, came up the hard way, appearing with Little Richard and the Upsetters, and later played with Bobby Bland, Albert Collins, Clarence Green, B. B. King, and Johnny Copeland. He was also a regular session player for Duke and Peacock in the 50's and 60's, before leaving the business to work in construction. He returned to performing in the mid 80's, appearing on both of Grady Gaines' Black Top recordings.

On Gulf Coast Blues, Reynolds showed that he was quite a gifted songwriter, and a vocalist with chops that were at times similar to Lightnin' Hopkins. He got the lion's share of tracks on the disc with four excellent sides mixing Texas blues and soul in equal parts. He was best known during his later years for his commercials for Blue Bell Ice Cream in the 90's. He passed away in 1998, after one last recording session, this time with Texas Johnny Brown.

You might have noticed that the actual name of the subject album was Gulf Coast Blues Volume 1. Don't bother searching for Volume 2, because it never happened, which was a shame. I was dying to hear more of this great music back then, but thanks to Black Top, there's was still plenty to be heard for a few years to come.

Simply put, if you like southern blues and soul like they used to do it, you will love this CD. It's out of print, but not too hard to find, and Amazon actually has it in mp3 format. So what are you waiting for???!!!

Mount Bluesmore

2011-09-30T00:01:00.001-05:00

So, what blues artists would make up your Mount Rushmore of the Blues.....your Mount Bluesmore, if you will? I imagine there are as many combinations as there are stars in the sky. You can approach it any number of ways if you like, and I guess I have. You could have a Chess Records Mount Bluesmore, a Blues Pioneers Mount Bluesmore, a Blues Guitarists Mount Bluesmore, a Blues Harp Mount Bluesmore.....the possibilities are limitless.

The presidential faces on the real Mount Rushmore were chosen because they all played important roles in American history. Our first Mount Bluesmore will use the same approach.......four faces that played an important role in the development of the blues as it is today. While you read about who I picked and why, take the time to figure out who your four faces would be on this particular version of Mount Bluesmore and why. In the future, we will look at other versions of the monument, if you'd like. It could end up being a fun topic with lots of discussion.

1) Muddy Waters - I've stated several times that Waters is a definite member of Mount Bluesmore. Simply put, without Muddy Waters, blues as we know it today would not exist. Sure, the blues would still be there in one form or another, but for many listeners (past and present) Waters was the missing link between the blues of Delta and the blues of the City. His raw and ragged sound helped pave the way for modern Chicago Blues. There were others who played a role, but with his prominence as the "Main Man" at Chess Records, one of THE blues labels of the 50's, it's hard to ignore his influence then or now, both with listeners and with fellow musicians. His band was a veritable farm team for future blues stars for over thirty years. There's no doubt that Muddy Waters belongs on this Mount Bluesmore.

2) Robert Johnson - Without Robert Johnson, you don't have the incredible blues resurgence of the 1960's. Johnson is simply the most celebrated and revered blues artists ever. His body of work is relatively small, but is, pound-for-pound (or song-for-song) the most potent group of blues songs ever assembled with phenomenal guitar work, hellhound-on-his-trail desperate vocals, and lyrics loaded with imagery and emotion, all of which have simply blown the minds of young artists like Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Lonnie Pitchford, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and scores of others...... bluesmen and rockers..... for decades. That, and the fact that a box set of his recordings, released over fifty years after his death, would sold over a million copies (the first ever blues recording to do so) serves as reason enough to include Johnson on my Mount Bluesmore.

3) T-Bone Walker - Electric blues guitarists everywhere owe an insurmountable debt to T-Bone Walker. He revolutionized the instrument in the early 40's, singlehandedly transforming it into a lead instrument. His guitar playing had an elegance never before heard, and everyone wanted to play like him. Though he was a wonderful vocalist with a smooth, easy style, his guitar was what everyone wanted to hear and for close to twenty years, he enjoyed an impressive run, making essential recordings for Black & White, Imperial, and Atlantic. Over seventy years, Walker's style has influenced just about every blues guitarists in the world, and will continue to do so for years to come. This earns him a spot on my Mount Bluesmore.

4) B. B. King - Even music lovers who don't listen to the blues (are there such people?) know who B. B. King is. He's one of the few blues musicians who was able to cross over and have success on the pop charts. He's one of the first blues musicians to appear on regular mainstream TV variety shows, like the late night talkies and even American Bandstand. He's appeared on TV series and movies over the years, and he still packs them in over 200 nights a year at the age of 86. There's a reason for all of that.......King's guitar style, influenced himself by T-Bone Walker, has in turn influenced nearly every blues stringer (and quite a few rockers) plugging away out there today. His vocals are every bit of a match for his guitar, and he's still a master showman after all these years. He's the Face of the Blues today, so he HAS to be on Mount Bluesmore.

There you have it.....my Significant Figures of the Blues Mount Rushmore. Now, of course, your versions could vary quite a bit from mine, and that's part of what makes the blues so special. No two people come to the Blues from the same direction, but once here, we almost all end up headed in the same direction, listening to many of the same artists.

Friday Blues Fix would love to hear who your residents of Mount Bluesmore would be.

A Match Made In Heaven

2011-09-23T00:01:00.018-05:00

Memphis Slim (a.k.a. John "Peter" Chatman) is recognized as one of the greatest blues piano players of all time, and deservedly so with a career that spanned six decades and produced classic songs like "Mother Earth," "Lend Me Your Love," "Rockin' The House," "Nobody Loves Me" (later recreated by numerous artists, like B.B. King, under the title, "Every Day I Have The Blues"), "Memphis Slim U.S.A.," and "The Come Back."

Slim wisely sought out his own performing style at an early age, bringing an air of sophistication to his playing, more of an urban sound. His warm, mannered vocals were also unique at the time, and soon most piano players were doing their best to emulate his sound. Though he did record as a solo artist for Okeh in the late 30's, Slim also served as accompanist for guitarist Big Bill Broonzy for most of the early 40's, before striking out on his own for good in the middle of the decade and forming his own band, the House Rockers.

Slim moved around quite a bit from record label to record label through the 40's and early 50's, before settling with United Records in 1952. With United, the piano man decided to try something different. Prior to his tenure with United, he had only used guitar on two sessions, and had never had a guitar in his working band, even though he had played with Robert Johnson during his early years and with Broonzy. However, Slim was savvy enough to realize that the guitar's role in the blues was changing, thanks to the slick urban blues coming from artists like T-Bone Walker and Johnny Moore, and when he caught wind of a young guitarist based in his native Memphis, he decided to expand his sound, and the result was some of the best blues ever for over ten years.

Mississippi native Matt "Guitar" Murphy was only in his early 20's, but already he had served as guitarist on multiple recordings by Bobby "Blue" Bland and Junior Parker, and had also played in Parker's band and with Howlin' Wolf during the late 40's. He mixed jazz influences with raw amplification and set the Bluff City on its ear. Though he enjoyed local guitarists like Calvin Newborn and Robert Lockwood, Jr., he was more influenced by the likes of Walker and Moore on guitar, and by sax players like Sonny Stitt, Charlie Parker, Arnett Cobb, and Gene Ammons. Indeed, Murphy claims that he got most of his riffs from horn players. Wherever it came from, his playing was years ahead of its time. It was sophisticated and rough at the same time and he was one of the most adventurous, creative, and influential players of that era. Slim had heard of Murphy's formidable skills from friends in Chicago, and made the journey down south to see what all the fuss was about.

Referring to guitarists, Slim once famously said to blues historian Jim O'Neal, "There was two things I couldn't stand in those days. I couldn't stand no damn guitar and harmonica. But Murphy was such a damn genius, man, 'til I had to use him. And after that, I damn near had to have a guitar." Perhaps what caught Slim's ear with Murphy's guitar playing was the fact that he was more influenced by horn players and his jazz leanings, which actually would have been a better fit to Slim's urban style than what many other Delta-based blues guitarists like Broonzy were playing. When Murphy came on board for the United sessions, he also helped with arranging songs. The four United sessions included 30 songs, of which about a quarter were instrumentals. These sessions are unquestionably some of the finest sides that Memphis Slim ever committed to wax, and were later packaged into two albums by Delmark Records, Memphis Slim U.S.A. and The Come Back. Here's a nice pair of tracks featuring Slim ("Memphis Slim U.S.A." and "The Come Back") and a typically amazing instrumental featuring Murphy ("Back Bone Boogie").

In the late 50's, Memphis Slim ended up at Vee-Jay Records, where, in a two-year span, he released what many blues fans consider to be his greatest recordings. He re-recorded most of his great songs during this span, but these recordings are the definitive versions, thanks in no small part to the presence of Matt Murphy. These sides have been collected and re-collected over the years, with the best version being the Charly release, Rockin' The Blues. Below, you will hear "Messin' Around With The Blues," the instrumental "Steppin' Out" (later covered by Eric Clapton during his tenure with Cream), "Rockin' The House," and Slim's legendary "Mother Earth."

In the early 60's, after appearing at the first of several American Folk Blues Festivals, Slim decided to make the move to Europe, where he was able to take advantage of greater recording opportunities, more chances to tour, and more adulation and acclaim than he would have ever received in America. Before he made the move, however, he recorded one last session with Murphy before heading overseas, later issued as I'll Just Keep On Singin' The Blues. This is a hidden gem in the Memphis Slim/Matt Murphy catalog with songs like the rocking opener, "Lonesome," and "Cold Blooded Woman."

After Slim's departure, Murphy ended up playing in James Cotton's band in the early 70's, shining on Cotton's recordings for Buddha Records. He did appear at the 1963 version of the American Folk Blues Festival with Slim and Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Williams, and Lonnie Johnson. Among the highlights that years was Murphy's blistering version of "Matt's Guitar Boogie." Prepare to be dazzled by this version, with backing from Memphis Slim on piano, Willie Dixon on bass, and Billy Stepney on drums.

Now check out Murphy returning the favor, backing Slim on "I'm Lost Without You," also recorded in Europe during the 1963 tour. To be honest, while both artists did have their moments before and after their partnership, they never sounded better than when playing together.

Nearly everyone who listens to the blues knows what happened to Matt "Guitar" Murphy after his stint with James Cotton......he was recruited into the Blues Brothers Band (say what you will about Jake and Elwood, but the boys had good taste), serving as guitarist with Steve Cropper and increasing his exposure level a thousandfold. Murphy even ended up with a speaking part in the inevitable Blues Brothers movie in 1980, playing himself alongside Aretha Franklin (as his aggravated wife) and taking part in the accompanying musical number. He also appeared in the sequel some twenty years later.

Memphis Slim continued to record and perform in France and other European countries. He appeared on French television, acted in several movies, and enjoyed life as a genuine celebrity. He did return to the States occasionally to perform, even pairing up with old friend Murphy in 1985 for a live recording released by Antones in the late 80's. It was like the two of them had never been apart. Slim passed away in 1988, at age 72, of renal failure. He was active up until the last six months or so of his life.

Matt "Guitar" Murphy continued to perform, eventually recording a wonderful disc for Antones, called Way Down South, and two later discs for New England-based Roesch Records. Murphy suffered a stroke in 2003, during a gig in Florida (which he managed to finish playing one-handed). After a long, frustrating, but determined rehabilitation, Murphy made a triumphant return to performing with James Cotton during the 2010 Chicago Blues Festival.

Although both Memphis Slim and Matt "Guitar" Murphy earned many accolades throughout their careers, most blues fans realize that their best work may have taken place when they shared the stage or studio. Each one was a perfect complement to the other, truly a match made in Heaven.

There are four or five essential recordings featuring Memphis Slim with Matt "Guitar" Murphy. You can't go wrong with any or all of them.

Memphis Slim U.S.A. and The Come Back (Delmark Records): These two discs capture the highlights of Slim's four sessions for United, his first recordings with Murphy. There are some wonderful unreleased tracks on here as well that make you wonder how in the world they never saw the light of day until several decades later.

Rockin' the Blues (Charly Records): This disc is the best representation of Slim and Murphy's recordings for Vee-Jay. Slim reprised some of his best songs throughout his early years for Vee-Jay, and these are actually considered the definitive recordings of some of those songs. This disc is out of print, unfortunately, but is pretty easily found online.

I'll Just Keep On Singin' The Blues (32 Jazz): This is a later session of the pair, just before Slim departed for Europe in 1961. Both men sound great here and this is a great, unheralded set that should be more widely heard.

Together Again One More Time (Antones): What's amazing about this live release is that if you weren't familiar with either artist, you would have thought that they had been playing together for years instead of being separated for over twenty years. This is a really nice send-off for this incomparable pair, and is part of a special two-fer set.....the other half of the disc is a really nice Eddie Taylor set from the same time period.

If you would like to hear more of the amazing Matt "Guitar" Murphy, I highly recommend Way Down South (Antones). Murphy leads a fine band (including his brother, Floyd, a legendary guitarist in his own right) through a great mix of original tunes and instrumentals. This is one of my favorite discs ever and will probably rank near the top for you, too.

YouTube Blues #2 - Scenes from the American Folk Blues Festival

2011-09-16T00:01:00.038-05:00

Unfortunately, things have been busy lately, so I have had little spare time to put things together. Actually, I have two or three posts that I've started, but haven't completed yet that we will see down the road. This week, however, we will just sit back and check out some of the many blues videos that YouTube has to offer. I have to say that YouTube is a wonderful thing and has given us access to many songs and videos that we might otherwise have never seen. I really enjoy just roaming around seeing what I can find. Of course, I'm sure that someone will finally realize what a great concept YouTube is, and then proceed to screw it up for everyone who enjoys it. Before they do, let's take a look at some choice blues videos.

All of these videos come from the series of DVDs capturing the highlights of the American Folk Blues Festival, an annual concert series in Germany that ran throughout the 60's. Times were tough for bluesmen in the U.S. during this time, so these concerts opened up the musicians to a whole new fanbase that really appreciated what they were doing. Some of the bluesmen liked it so much that they ended up staying in Europe for many years. If you are not familiar with these DVDs, the clips we're showing here should give you enough of a taste to check out the series for yourselves. Just about everybody who was anybody in the blues made an appearance at this festival at one time or another. You will have the opportunity to see many blues legends in action like you've never seen them before.

Saying Little Walter Jacobs was an innovator is sort of like saying the Titanic was a big boat. He revolutionized the harmonica by using the recently discovered science of amplification to expand the possibilities of the instrument far beyond what was previously done, making it more of a solo instrument than the usual accompanying instrument that it had been. Though he started out playing in Muddy Waters' band, his own fame and success soon eclipsed that of his former boss as he enjoyed a string of R&B hits in the 50's, and played on many of Chess Records' recordings for other artists. Unfortunately, Little Walter was given to drink and had a notoriously short temper, which in the late 50's, soon alienated him from everyone and made it difficult for him to remain successful. He eventually died in early 1968 after a street fight, but his legacy continues as you see the list of artists influenced by him...pioneers like Junior Wells, James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Carey Bell, Big Walter Horton, Paul Butterfield, and John Popper. There is very little footage of Little Walter in action, all of it was captured during the American Folk Blues Festival tours of the 60's...a pair with Jacobs backing Hound Dog Taylor and Koko Taylor, and one with him working solo. From 1967, here's Little Walter backing Hound Dog Taylor on "Wild About You Baby."

I love to watch these old videos because in my mind's eye, even though I've never seen a lot of artists play, I have pictured what they looked like for the most part.....how they played, how they sang, etc... These videos opened my eyes up to my favorite musicians. Another one I had never seen perform was T-Bone Walker. As pointed out several months ago on this blog, Walker was an innovator of his own, taking the electrification of the guitar, and expanding the possibilities and potential of the instrument to places previously unimagined, and influencing a boatload of guitarists (B. B. King, Albert King, Jimi Hendrix, SRV, and Eric Clapton) in the process. As you can see from the video, Walker held his guitar at nearly a 90 degree angle from his body when he played.....something you probably wouldn't really understand unless you'd seen him do it. While there are several videos of Walker on YouTube, this one, also from the festival, is one of my favorites because you really get the opportunity to see Walker play guitar as only he did it. If you've followed FBF for awhile, you've seen this one, but it's good enough to take a second look.

Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins was another legendary performer who influenced others. The Texas-based guitarist left a huge catalog of recordings, both electric and acoustic. His recordings for Herald in the 50's are the stuff of legend, but nearly everything he recorded is worth hearing. He was a gifted, nimble-fingered guitarist and his songs, often made up on the spot, were always memorable. Hopkins got his start in the blues as a teenager in the 20's, serving as a guide for the legendary Blind Lemon Jefferson. He later worked with Texas Alexander, and with piano man Wilson "Thunder" Smith (which led to the formation of Lightnin's nickname). Despite those exciting Herald recordings, Hopkins faded into obscurity in the late 50's, until he was rediscovered as a folk blues artist. His career took off once again and he never looked back, recording prolifically until his death in 1982. Here's Hopkins rocking the house at the AFBF in 1964, playing "Mojo Hand."

For years, there was little video footage of Otis Rush, but in the past decade, a lot of performances have sprung up, including an 80's appearance at the Monterrey Jazz Festival (with Clapton and Luther Allison) and a couple of other concert DVDs. This appearance from the American Folk Blues Festival, circa 1964, is one of his best and most intense. Though he's unable to perform since his stroke several years ago, there are plenty of recordings and DVDs of his music to be heard and seen these days. Rush was also a subject of a post here several months ago, so for more details, check that post out here. Here's Rush, introduced by Roosevelt Sykes, playing "I Can't Quit You Baby."

A couple more before we go......Skip James has been covered pretty extensively here at FBF. He also ventured overseas to the festival in the mid 60's. James' version of the blues is the most stark and haunting you will hear. This is a quick (under two minutes) version of "Crow Jane." This is from the third volume of the American Folk Blues series, which features more acoustic artists than the previous two volumes.

Here's Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) playing "Nine Below Zero," backed by quite a band, which includes the great Otis Spann on piano, Matt "Guitar" Murphy on guitar, Willie Dixon manning the bass, and Billy Stepney on drums. The band is introduced by Memphis Slim, piano man extraordinaire, one of the musicians who ended up relocating in France. He enjoyed quite a bit of success, and remained there for the rest of his life with the occasional trip back to the states.

The first volume of the series opens with this downhome track featuring Shakey Jake Harris singing "Call Me When You Need Me." Harris played harmonica and was part of the Chicago Blues scene in the 50's and 60's. He was also Magic Sam's uncle and appeared on several of Sam's early recordings, with Sam returning the favor by appearing on several of Shakey Jake's singles. You're familiar with the fellow backing Harris on guitar. He sure makes it look easy, doesn't he?

Believe it or not, we have barely scratched the surface on this wonderful collection. There are four DVDs available right now, capturing the best of the festival throughout the 60's, featuring these artists and many, many others, like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim, Bukka White, Koko Taylor, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Joe Turner, and many others. If you like the blues at all, you will absolutely have to have this set. There are also some out-of-print CDs with festival performances floating around out there, too.

The American Folk Blues Festival continued on a nearly annual basis from 1962 until 1972. After eight years, it resumed in 1980 and continued until l985. There's also some YouTube footage of the 1982 festival (which I don't think is out on DVD yet). As we close for the week, enjoy this clip of the Sons of Blues playing Little Walter's "Juke." The SOB.'s were one of the newer bands at the time, and featured Billy Branch on harmonica and the awesome Lurrie Bell on guitar. Now the band is booked as Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues. Bell and later guitarist Carl Weathersby have long since departed. A different version of the group (only drummer Moses Rutues is still with the group) continues to back Branch on the road.

One more thing before we go......if you're in the Phoenix area this weekend and itching to hear some great blues, harmonica player, producer, and radio show host (KJZZ's Those Lowdown Blues) Bob Corritore's club, The Rhythm Room, is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with an incredible weekend of blues. Just check out the list of prestigious guests that will be helping Bob celebrate for three solid days.

Blues and Remembrances

2011-09-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

Today, we'll look at some new and upcoming releases, plus a few memorable performances, via YouTube.

Friday Blues Fix buddy Cee Cee James recently contributed a song to Never Forgotten, a benefit compilation CD honoring America's fallen heroes during and in the aftermath of 9/11. James contributed "Someday I'll Be Goin' Home," which she co-wrote with her husband, Rob "Slideboy" Andrews, especially for the collection. The CD features a variety of music (30 in all), ranging from Blues, Rock, Christian, Country, and Americana, all written in appreciation for the heroes of 9/11 and the Military. Proceeds from sales of the CD benefit the Landstuhl Hospital Care Project, Wounded Warrior Project, 9/11 Families For A Secure America, and Operation: Troop Aid. Cee Cee discusses her participation in the project at her website. For more info, or to purchase the CD or selected tracks, you can visit Thank You Heroes.

Speaking of Cee Cee, Ms. James will soon be returning to the studio with legendary producer Jim Gaines manning the controls. Gaines has produced albums for Santana, Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve Miller, the Neville Brothers, Walter Trout, and George Thorogood, so you know she's in good hands. The new CD, called Blood Red Blues, will be out in early 2012, so keep your eyes and ears open.

I wrote about Pete Herzog's ambitious project a few months ago. Herzog has composed a blues opera, called Steel Guitar, that is one of the most original ideas I've heard in quite some time. Herzog tracks the history of one guitar as it's passed from owner to owner, whether stolen, won in a card game, purchased or passed down from one generation to the next, using narration and music to illustrate the journey. As the guitar passes through time and through different hands, as the liner notes state,".....its sound is colored by each person who plays it and they feel its history." Herzog's songs give you a sense of the guitar's journey, incorporating various styles...all rooted in the blues. It's an interesting journey and one worth taking if you're a fan of the blues or blues guitar. Herzog recently released a double CD version of Steel Guitar, which can be purchased at his website, either as a CD or mp3. You can also listen to samples of the tracks there. He has a nice, easygoing style whether narrating the entertaining back stories or singing the songs. Hopefully, in the future, he can get it released in DVD format as well, but in the meantime, give Steel Guitar a listen.

In recent years, one of my favorite CDs has been Fred Sanders' Long Time Comin'. The Memphis guitarist really nailed it on that disc, with some wonderful Memphis blues and soul. His muscular guitar sound and his raspy, soulful vocals made it a disc worth hearing, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Sadly, Sanders has battled lung cancer over the last few years, and he passed away earlier this year after suffering a stroke. He had been working on an album for I55 Productions, the label that earlier reissued Long Time Comin' after it went out of print, and it was released just a couple of weeks after Sanders' death. The new album, called I Believe, picks up where its predecessor left off, with those greasy, gritty Memphis blues mixed with a touch of soul, funk, and even some jazz. While Sanders' singing sounds as strong as previously, there are several instrumentals featured this time around that really allow him to show his guitar chops as well, which really put a modern twist on traditional blues guitar. Unfortunately, these two albums are all the recordings we have of Fred Sanders, but you can't do much better than this pair to get a taste of how they play the blues in the Bluff City. Hopefully, in the near future, we will look at some other essential recordings of Memphis Blues.

Some of the first Blues that I ever heard was, believe it or not, on the Tonight Show (probably B. B. King). One good thing about Johnny Carson was that he booked some great music from many different genres, therefore exposing a lot of young listeners (because it was a BIG deal to get to stay up long enough to watch the Tonight Show back in the day) to a lot of different styles of music. Jay Leno has continued that tradition for the most part and David Letterman and Arsenio Hall did the same thing. As we sign off today, check out these tunes culled from the late night shows over the past couple of decades.

Bobby Womack, from David Letterman, roaring through "It's All Over Now." I can remember seeing this one when it first aired.

Stevie Ray Vaughan on the Tonight Show, circa 1990.

Brother Ray, from 1987 on the Tonight Show, playing "Mississippi Mud."

B. B. King and Buddy Guy, from 1993, around the time of King's Blues Summit release.

Honeyboy's Gift

2011-09-02T00:01:00.014-05:00

When Honeyboy Edwards retired a couple of months ago, you sort of had the feeling that there was a reason........otherwise, I can't imagine that he ever would have stopped playing. Since his death early Monday morning, there have been numerous tributes to him from many blues artists, writers, producers, managers, promoters, bloggers, etc... I never got to meet him. I wish I had taken the time in February to meet him after his performance at the Riley Center, to at least shake his hand and tell him how much I appreciated what he gave to the blues.

So, what exactly did Honeyboy Edwards give to the blues? Sure, he was a good singer and a highly underrated guitarist, even a composer, but in the scheme of things, you have to admit that over time, there were better guitarists, better singers, and better composers, but there was only one Honeyboy, with his idiosyncratic playing style and gravelly vocals. If you ever heard him, you knew who he was. There are only a few blues musicians that you can really say that about.

Even though he left home at age 14 to travel with Big Joe Williams, he was barely recorded at all (his 1942 recordings for the Library of Congress, a 78 in 1951 and four sides for Chess Records in 1953) until the late 1960's, in part due to his nomadic lifestyle. However, he managed to outlast all of his contemporaries. Included among the members of the "Class of '15" (Edwards' birth year) were Muddy Waters, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Willie Dixon, Brownie McGhee, Memphis Slim, Johnny Shines, Hound Dog Taylor. That's a pretty impressive list. Edwards played, recorded, and toured the world up until a few months before his death. That's an 80+ year career, folks!!!! The video below is from his final performance, on April 17, at the Cat Head Mini Blues Festival, with Bill Abel (guitar) and Michael Frank (harmonica) backing him.

The greatest gift that Honeyboy Edwards gave to the blues over his lifetime was to give fans (via countless interviews in magazines, books, and radio) a more vivid picture of what it was like during the blues' humble beginnings, before the days of electric instruments, Sun Records, Chess, VeeJay, Excello, and the rest, when musicians risked life and limb in the deep south moving from town to town to earn a living playing on the streets, in local joints, at fish fries, and at house parties....when musicians hoboed from town to town, riding the rails from the south to the north, looking for a way to get ahead, staying one step ahead of the law, or an angry woman, or a jealous husband. For most of his listeners, Honeyboy's recollections were about as close as they would ever get to actually "living the blues." As much as I enjoyed listening to Edwards perform over the years, it was even more interesting to hear about his life. He had an incredible memory and could recall things from seventy years ago like they just happened. That will be the biggest loss of all in losing Honeyboy Edwards.....that amazing memory and his wonderful stories.

Of course, he was most revered for his memories of Robert Johnson. He was there in Leflore County, MS, when Johnson was poisoned by a jealous husband and saw most of what happened. Sadly, it appears that he was our last living link to Johnson.....the last living musician to play with him, to talk with him, and to hang out with him. He was always generous with his time regarding Johnson (and other bluesmen, like Tommy McClennan and Tommy Johnson), even though he usually ended up relegating himself to the background with each recollection. He always gave the people what they wanted.

More than anything you can say about Honeyboy Edwards, that last sentence says it best......He gave the people what they wanted. He wasn't a pioneer, a ground-breaking artist, a major innovator. Instead, he was a guy who loved to play the blues and who filled more gaps in the music's history and lore than anyone else. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to him (and to Michael Frank, who provided invaluable support to Edwards over the past 40 years, recording him for Earwig Records, serving as his manager, backing him on harmonica on tour, etc...) for what he gave us, on record and with countless interviews, stories, and even his own autobiography (absolutely essential reading for ANY blues fan). His was a life well-lived and we should be glad that he shared a part of it with us.

A few of my favorite Honeyboy Edwards recordings.......

Delta Bluesman (Earwig): a wonderful combination of the old and the new. The "old" are Edwards' 1942 Library of Congress recordings. The new are freshly (early 90's) recorded blues tracks that show how strong a performer Edwards was, even in his late 70's. Though it's nice to have the Library of Congress songs, the modern tracks are really special.

Crawling Kingsnake (Testament): Recordings made by Pete Welding in the mid to late 70's. Edwards was at the peak of his powers at this time. Too bad, no one was taking notice. These recordings sat dormant for years (similar to his recordings for Chess, which weren't issued until being collected in an anthology set in the early 70's) before Testament reissued it in the late 90's.

Old Friends (Earwig): The second-ever release from Earwig Records, this recording features Edwards with a quartet of old-school Chicago musicians - Sunnyland Slim, Kansas City Red, Big Walter Horton, and Floyd Jones. Each took turns in the spotlight, and Edwards' material really stands out, but all of it is worth hearing. It sounds like a bunch of buddies getting together and just making music. Rough and ragged stuff....in other words, it's nearly perfect!! One of my all-time favorite recordings.

Shake 'Em On Down (APO): To me, this is one of Edwards' best recordings. The production and sound is first-rate and Edwards sounds as good as he's ever sounded. There's also a 13 to 14 minute interview with Edwards as he recounts his days with Tommy McClennan, Tommy Johnson, and Robert Johnson. This is a really well-done recording.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue #4

2011-08-26T00:01:00.001-05:00

One of FBF's oldest themes is back! Let's check out a few tunes via YouTube.

Hound Dog Taylor

For Something Old this week, we'll go back to the early 70's with the legendary Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers. If you're a fan of Alligator Records, you owe a big debt of gratitude to the Dog. Bruce Iglauer started the label with the intention of recording Taylor. At the time, Iglauer worked for Delmark and had no luck getting the label to record his favorite act, so with a small inheritance, he started his own label to do just that. Iglauer ended up releasing four more albums of Taylor's music, each one perfectly capturing that raw, ragged sound that captivated Iglauer and so many others in the first place.

The hand of the Hound

Taylor was born in Natchez, MS, but moved to Chicago in his early 20's, becoming a full time musician in the late 50's. He was known for his wild shows at local bars and on Maxwell Street, his cheap Japanese guitars and for having six fingers on his left hand. His band consisted of drummer Ted Harvey, and bass player Brewer Phillips and they were also the basis for Alligator's motto - "Genuine Houserockin' Music." The first track I ever heard of Taylor's was the opening tune on his debut Alligator recording, "She's Gone." From that point, I was hooked. Some Taylor recordings that have become classics are the immortal "Give Me Back My Wig," "Wild About You, Baby," "Walking The Ceiling," and this manic instrumental track, "Taylor Rock." If you want to hear more from Hound Dog Taylor, a great place to start is Alligator's compilation, Deluxe Edition, but by no means should you stop there. That fine collection merely scratches the surface.

Something New comes from one of the surprises of the summer, Ruf Records' Girls With Guitars disc, featuring three amazing young female guitarists.....lead guitarists Samantha Fish and Dani Wilde and bassist Cassie Taylor, all three in their early 20's. Fish has been wowing blues fans in Kansas City for a couple of years, Wilde has two well-received CDs to her credit, and Taylor has appeared on several of her father Otis' recordings as well as one of the late Gary Moore's releases as a vocalist.

The trio made up this year's edition of Ruf's Blues Caravan tour and released this impressive album earlier this summer. Fish also released a marvelous CD on Ruf just a few weeks ago, Runaway. Keep an eye on these ladies.....I imagine you will be hearing much more from them over the next few years.

Boz Scaggs

For Something Borrowed, we could almost call this tune Something Stolen. In 1968, on Boz Scaggs' self-titled second recording for Atlantic Records, one of the highlights was a marathon version of "Somebody Loan Me A Dime," featuring some simply incredible guitar work from Duane Allman. For some reason (not his doing), the label listed Scaggs as composer of the song, when credit should have gone to the actual composer, Fenton Robinson. Robinson eventually sued (successfully) for composer credit, and later on, he re-cut his own masterful version of the song for Alligator Records a few years later, but the version by Scaggs and Allman really eclipses all comers. Listen for yourself.

Even though Scaggs has proven to be something of a musical chameleon over his lengthy career, as a teenager he got his start as vocalist for in a blues band formed by his high school classmate and fellow Texan, Steve Miller. The pair played in several blues bands in college before Scaggs moved overseas to England to join the R&B scene there. He eventually reunited with Miller, appearing on Miller's first two recordings, then embarked on a solo career, seeing his biggest success from the mid 70's to the early 80's with pop hits like "Lowdown," "Lido Shuffle," "We're All Alone," "Miss Sun," "What Can I Say," and "Look What You've Done To Me." In the 80's, he backed off the music scene, operating a blues club in San Francisco, Slim's, and recording sporadically. In the late 90's, he returned to his blues roots, recording Come On Home, a mix of some classic blues and R&B tunes, mixed with a few originals.

Jack Owens (guitar) and Bud Spires (harmonica) with friend

You might have previously seen the duo selected for Something Blue. If you glance to the right of the wonderful Bill Steber picture that heads up this site, you will notice Jack Owens and Bud Spires, from Bentonia, MS. Owens was a contemporary of Skip James, and both played in the Bentonia style. Owens, however, never really intended on making a career as a musician, being content to play on his front porch (often with Spires playing harmonica), farm, and sell bootleg liquor. He did make a couple of recordings, played many festivals, and entertained a lot of passer-bys from his front porch before passing away in early 1997 at the age of 92. Bud Spires, whose father was Arthur "Big Boy" Spires (who recorded for Chess in the early 50's), played with Owens for many years and later accompanied Holmes on his first Broke & Hungry release.

Now, I'm not a music scholar by any means, but for me, the Bentonia style is highlighted by an ominous and eerie guitar tone, which is accentuated by the falsetto vocal stylings of both James and Owens (current Bentonia resident Jimmy "Duck" Holmes' vocals are different, but the guitar work is very similar). In the past, the only people who played in the Bentonia style were native to the area, which adds to it's uniqueness. I can promise that you've never heard anything quite like it and while it's more than likely not to everyone's taste (James' 1931 recordings sold poorly upon release), the Bentonia style of blues has been a major influence on the blues over the years, from Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Albert Collins (who all used the Bentonia tuning at one time or another on one song or another) to Eric Clapton (who recorded the Skip James tune, "I'm So Glad," while with Cream, ensuring the ailing guitarist a little income from royalties).

By the way, this video is part of a fascinating series on YouTube collecting various artists filmed by folklorist Alan Lomax over the years. If you're interested, there are some additional, equally cool clips under AlanLomaxArchive. Check them out.

New Blues For You - From Blues/Rock to Soul/Blues

2011-08-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

A few new releases for you to consider picking up this weekend......if you haven't already.

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator (Sony Masterworks): By now you've heard tons and tons of rave reviews about this release. Well, I'm not going to venture too far away from the consensus. I had strayed a bit from the blues/rock genre several years ago, mainly because a lot (not all) of the bands sounded too much alike and a lot of them really didn't have that much to say. Sure, the music was good and the performances were always great, but like Chinese food, it didn't stick to your ribs very long. I had heard about Derek Trucks from some friends of mine who were Allman Brothers fanatics, and had actually heard him perform on Junior Wells' epic slide guitarists album from the late 90's, but I never bought in until I heard Already Free. With Susan Tedeschi, I think it was all the hype surrounding her debut....EVERYBODY loved her. I deliberately avoided her (yeah, I'm sort of goofy that way) until one of my friends send me a couple of her songs via email, one of which was "It Hurt So Bad." Wow! Then I got to see Trucks and Tedeschi together on the second Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD, playing Clapton's "Anyday." Let's just say I was curious when I heard they were going to form a band together.

I have to say that Revelator was not what I expected. It's even better than I imagined. To be honest, I don't really know what I was expecting, but this one surprised me and overwhelmed me at the same time. The songs are excellent, and they blend everything from blues, soul, funk, rock, and gospel together. Supposedly, they wrote over 30 songs for this album, and if the unreleased songs are this good, we need to hear them, and soon. "Midnight In Harlem" should be a hit in a perfect world, with Tedeschi's soulful croon and Trucks' wonderful slide guitar, but then you could say that for several of these tunes, including the upbeat opening track, "Come See About Me," the funky "Bound For Glory," and "Simple Things." The band, combining members of Trucks' and Tedeschi's groups, plus a terrific horn section, is perfect. Yeah, I guess you could say I liked this one a lot. Both leaders are really in the zone for this one, and it feels like the maximum time and effort was put into making this a great album. It sets the bar pretty high for future blues/rock and roots recordings...both for them and for others.

Grady Champion - Dreamin' (GSM Music Group): Last year, Grady Champion and his band won the IBC. Those who have seen him live wonder why it didn't happen sooner. The Canton, MS native has impressed blues audiences since the late 90's with his singing, harp blowing, and showmanship, and returned a couple of years ago after a brief absence with an excellent live disc recorded with Eddie Cotton Jr. on guitar. Dreamin' is his fifth release and his best yet, with Champion getting a hand from fellow Mississippian Zac Harmon, who produced the disc, played guitar and drums, co-wrote several songs, and also contributed vocals (on "Walk With Me, Baby," the swampy sequel to "Baby, Scratch My Back").

Though the new disc is slicker than his previous releases, with more of a contemporary feel in the mix, the blues is still front and center and Champion, gives a stellar performance, with blues numbers like "My Rooster Is King," "Same Train," "Guilty As Charged," and the gospel-flavored "Thank You For Giving Me The Blues." The smooth ballad "Weight of the World" has already made some noise on a couple of the Blues charts, and deservedly so. Champion doesn't neglect the soul side of the blues either, with the up-tempo title track that should start a party every time it's played, "Laugh, Smile, Cry" sounds like a long-lost Ray Charles tune from the Atlantic Records days, and "Cross That Bridge" was co-written by another Canton resident, A. D. Prestage, who wrote "Shade Tree Mechanic" for Z. Z. Hill way back when. If there is any justice in the world, Dreamin' should be the disc that puts Grady Champion over the top.

Elam McKnight & Bob Bogdal - Zombie Nation (Desert Highway Records): I've been listening to Elam McKnight for nearly ten years. He moves effortlessly from the Mississippi Hill Country sound to blues/rock to acoustic Delta blues and has made solid improvements with each of his previous releases (check out Supa Good). Bob Bogdal's previous release was a dramatic expansion of the Hill Country sound (Underneath the Kudzu). The pair has teamed up for an impressive new release of all original tunes that mix acoustic and electric blues with rock and soul.

McKnight's guitar work is impressive, plugged or unplugged, and Bogdal shines on harmonica. This duo appears to be a match made in blues heaven, so hopefully they will team up again, but don't let this one pass you by. Check out the dazzling opening track from the new release, "Pojo's Place."

Johnny Rawls - Memphis Still Got Soul (Catfood Records): I first heard Johnny Rawls as part of the soul/blues duo Rawls & Luckett on their superlative release for Rooster Blues in the early 90's, Can't Sleep At Night, one of the best soul/bluse releases of the entire decade. Rawls & Luckett soon went their separate ways, but Rawls has continued as a successful solo artist, recording several discs in the late 90's for JSP, and eventually branching out to other labels. His previous release, Ace of Spades, won the 2010 Blues Music Award for Soul/Blues Album of the Year. Memphis Still Got Soul is a worthy follow-up.

Rawls has that uncanny knack of making old school soul sound like something brand new. He mixes blues numbers ("Burning Bridges," "My Guitar," "Blues Woman") with vintage soul ("Give What You Need," "Stop The Rain," "Love Stuff"), and even pays tribute to his mentor, O. V. Wright with a cover of "Blind, Crippled, and Crazy." Rawls doesn't sound so much like Wright, but his phrasing and vocal asides are reminiscent of the late soul man. This is as good a set of soul/blues as you will hear this year.

Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne - An Old Rock on a Roll (Stony Plain): Now here's something we don't get to hear nearly enough of these days....a new blues piano album. Wayne got his start in the 60's, playing with Billy Preston, Delaney & Bonnie, and the Doobie Brothers. Over time, he has developed a reputation as a solid blues and boogie woogie piano man, influenced by Bill Doggett, Fats Domino, Amos Milburn, and Johnnie Johnson. An Old Rock on a Roll is his first release in several years and his debut for Stony Plain. Lending a hand is Stony Plain stalwart Duke Robillard, who produced the disc and plays some splendid guitar.

Most of the tunes are up-tempo, including the rousing opener, "Searching For My Baby," "Fantasy Meets Reality," "Rocking Boogie Party," and "Way Overdue." "Heaven Send Me an Angel" is a easy mid-tempo track, and there are several straight blues tracks as well ("Don't Pretend" and "Bring Back the Love"). On the uplifting instrumental that closes the disc, "Give Thanks," Wayne plays organ with one hand and piano with the other. If blues piano is your bag, you need to add this disc to your collection, pronto.