Friday Blues Picks (Looking Back)

I'm currently working on new album reviews for the April issue of Blues Bytes, so we will be talking about them in a couple of weeks in that issue, which should be out around mid-month.  Meanwhile, let's take a look at a couple of older releases from a few years back that I completely missed the first time.  I used to do a Five Discs That You Might Have Missed post occasionally here, but two will have to do this time around, so here we go.....

I'm not sure how I missed M.C. Records' 2022 Big Jack Johnson release.  Johnson was one of the first blues men I listened to, beginning with his first Earwig Records release, The Oil Man, in the mid 80's.  He had one of the most distinctive guitar tones and big vocals to go with it.  

After hearing The Oil Man, I found his Jelly Roll Kings release on Earwig with Sam Carr and Frank Frost (Rockin' The Juke Joint Down) and loved it as well, so I tried to keep up with his career the best that I could, following him to M.C. Records in the 90's, where he released some fine albums as well, as well as his Rooster Blues sides that were released to limited distribution by P-Vine Records in Japan, and a couple of independent albums he did on his own.  

Johnson passed away in 2011, but I still listen to his music a lot, so I was surprised when I saw a picture of the album cover for Stripped Down In Memphis, which M.C. Records released in 2022.  It consists of sides recorded in 1998 with Wild Child Butler and 2000 with Kim Wilson and let me tell you that it warmed my heart to hear The Oil Man like I'd never heard him before in unplugged format.

There are nine tracks on the disc, Wilson and Johnson on five and Butler and Johnson on the rest.  The tracks are a mix of covers and three Big Jack originals.  The Butler/Johnson tracks are all original, with each writing two, and Butler provides vocals on one of his track.  Their good-natured banter is a highlight.  

The Wilson/Johnson tracks are all cover tunes recorded during their The Memphis Barbecue Sessions collaboration, which won a Handy Award for Acoustic Album of the Year.  The pair had never played together before, but you'd never know it.  Johnson plays mandolin on a cover of "Part Time Love," and Wilson plays only acoustic harmonica on these tracks.

All of these tracks are great listening and the musical interplay between the two duos is dynamite.  If you did acoustic blues played right, then check out Stripped Down In Memphis.

True Blues was originally released in 2013 on Telarc Records and it's a collaboration between Taj Mahal, Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Shemekia Copeland, and Phil Wiggins.  It consists of thirteen tracks recorded live at multiple locations across the U.S.  The set list is a mix of originals and some terrific covers and each artists appears on at least a couple of tracks.

There are a number of highlights as all of these performers are on the top of their game during these shows.  Among the highlights are Shemekia Copeland covering her father Johnny's song "Bring Your Fine Self Home" (backed by Harris, Hart, and Wiggins), Harris doing Sleepy John Estes' "Everybody Ought To Make A Change," and the closer, Robert Johnson's "Ramblin' On My Mind," which features Harris, Copeland, Hart, and Wiggins.

True Blues is another one that acoustic fans should seek out and they should be on the lookout for the sequel, which will be released in a couple of weeks on Yellow Dog Records featuring Harris, Hart, and Davis.  We'll be looking at that release in a few weeks and, trust me, it's really good, too!

I can't believe I missed both of these albums when they were first released.  Glad I was able to backtrack and pick them up, so I didn't have to miss out on this wonderful music.

Friday Blues Picks (3/27/26)

We're back again with a few new albums to look for, along with one you might have missed.  As always, expanded reviews of these releases can be found in past, present, or upcoming issues of Blues Bytes. 

Tedeschi Trucks Band - Future Soul (Fantasy):  I've followed Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi since they were in their formidable years and truly enjoyed their individual work.  That being said, some of their collaborative work has not really clicked with me as much as their early efforts.  As TTB, they have been very prolific, and I have to say that I've enjoyed most of their releases, especially their live albums, but to be honest, there are a couple that I don't really go back and play much once I've heard them.  However, this release is one that I will play again and again, and already have.  Everything really seems to fall into place perfectly with this album.  I think this is their best set of tunes overall, and they're delivered in the band's usual mix of blues, rock, and soul.  None of the tunes clock in over five minutes, but not to worry..... I'm sure they would stretch out nicely in live performances.  Trucks' guitar work is phenomenal as always (there's just never enough of it for me), Tedeschi has one of the best voices in the music world (and she's a great guitarist as well), vocalist extraordinaire Mike Mattison even gets a lead vocal, which is always a good thing, and the band is marvelous.  

 

Pontchartrain Shakers - Love, Peace & Chicken Grease (Southland Records):  This group's self-titled debut release was one of my favorite releases in 2024, and this one looks to be one of my choices for 2026.  The Shakers are out of Louisiana and they play a tasty mix of Louisiana blues and soul with a touch of Mississippi Delta thrown in for good measure.  Led by singer/guitarists Amadee "A5" Frederick and Jojjo Wight, both of whom come from musical families, the Shakers turn out a potent mix of blues and soul that will make you smile, tap your toe, or shake your groove thing.  Frederick's father, Amadee Frederick IV, sings one tune and Wight's parents add cornet and trombone to one track.  A5 is a really soulful vocalist who sells everything he sings 100%, Wight is a prodigious guitarist, and their rhythm section is first rate.  Their first two releases include fun original songs about family, food, fishing, and love, so after you check this one out (by the way, the album title is how they usually sign off to the audience after their shows), you might want to check out their debut.  You can thank me later.

Charlie Barath - Issaquena Getaway: Barath, from Pittsburgh, worked as a carpenter for years, playing harmonica on the side, but retired a while back to focus on his music.  He has developed a sound that encompasses blues, roots, and Americana and he also works as an educator in addition to performing and recording.  This is his second release and it was recorded in Clarksdale, MS.  He wrote 12 of the 14 tracks, with two instrumentals written by Ike Turner and Stanley Turrentine.  The tunes touch on Delta blues, swamp blues, Chicago-styled shuffles, Latin-flavored numbers, urban blues, and jazz.  Barath's harmonica work and vocals are outstanding and he gets great support from a superb band that includes guitarists Johnny Burgin and Andrew Sherer.  Barath also released a 2021 album, Just Me and My Friend(s), that's worth your time as well.  

Brother John - Black Crow:  Brother John is the duo of singer/guitarist Johnny Never and harmonica player John Colgan-Davis, both based in Philadelphia.  Never specializes in Delta and Piedmont blues styles, while Colgan-Davis has played and recorded with Bonnie Raitt.  Their new release is acoustic blues, 12 originals from Never and a cover of his favorite Charley Patton song.  there are some guest musicians, including Chicago Carl Snyder on piano, on selected tracks, but this is pretty much a duo album.  Never's songs are powerful, sometimes playful and sometimes poignant, and one could easily hear the blues artists of the 20's and 30's recording them.  Never has a weather-worn voice that's a snug fit with the songs he writes and you really get the feel of those century-old recordings with his new tunes.  I think anyone who digs country blues of the pre- or post-war variety will enjoy this album.

Luther Dickinson with Datrian Johnson - Dead Blues Vol. 1 (Strolling Bones Records):  Our "older" release is actually not that old....it came out last fall, but I wasn't aware of it until a couple of months ago after listening to a podcast where Dickinson was discussing it.  He and his brother Cody were invited to play with Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh in Lesh's Phil & Friends group.  The longer they performed together, Dickinson realized how many old blues songs were part of the Dead's repertoire.  Inspired by Lesh, he began working on an instrumental album during the pandemic and brought in friends to help flesh out the tracks.  Keyboardist John Medeski introduced Dickinson to North Carolina singer Datrian Johnson and Dickinson was inspired to let Johnson sing the lyrics of some of those classic blues songs over these instrumental tracks.  Other musicians appearing on the tracks are Cody Dickinson, Lesh's son Grahame, Boo Mitchell, Steve Selvidge, and fellow Allstar Ray Ray Hollomon.  These are really cool tracks and while they were inspired by the Grateful Dead's repertoire, they don't really sound like Dead tunes.... Dickinson has re-interpreted these tunes in a way that would probably make Phil Lesh smile.  Similar to Dickinson's work with North Mississippi Allstars, these tunes fuse blues, R&B, funk and soul in equal measures and I can tell you that I'm hopeful that there is a Dead Blues Vol 2 in the works sometime soon.

Thanks for stopping by!  Come back for more blues reviews next week!

Brakeman's Blues

Where I'm from, the name “Jimmie Rodgers” is a name that's heard frequently. I live about thirty minutes from Meridian, MS, where Rodgers was born. There's a music festival named after him that's a big part of the East Central MS region and has been for many years. There's a museum dedicated to him and his music, as well as some of his family who helped him along the way. There are roads named after him in the Meridian area (I was involved in the field work leading up to the Jimmie Rodgers Parkway during my working days), and in the city's Highland Park, there's a monument dedicated to him that's been there many years.

All that being said, I really didn't pay much attention to the music of Jimmie Rodgers during my youth or for most of my adulthood. I attended the Jimmie Rodgers Festival several times, including this past year when they presented a couple of shows at the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience (details below) in Meridian, but his music, and his legacy in a variety of musical genres, really didn't click with me until the last couple of years.

Rodgers monument - Highland Park, Meridian, MS

Jimmie Rodgers (1897-1933) is recognized as the “Father of Country Music,” and is in the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  However, did you know that he is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence? Not only that, but he is also in the BLUES Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2013. I guess that was really when I started paying attention. I'd heard bits and pieces of his music over the years, but really sort of disregarded it.  I wasn't a big fan of modern country music, so even going to the Jimmie Rodgers Festival, there were only a few of the artists that I really liked.

Over the years, though, I've heard lots of blues artists talk about growing up listening to the Grand Ol' Opry on the radio....country music and gospel music (on the radio or at church) really being the only music they had access to for a long time, so it only made sense that their own music would be influenced somewhat by the music they heard on the radio.

Then I started digging deeper into the Pre-War music of the Mississippi Delta. I discovered that some of the blues artists of the area played with Rodgers, either on stage or as co-workers on the railroad. A lot of the Pre-War artists that I began to listen to....Houston Stackhouse, Robert Nighthawk (then Robert Lee McCoy), Hammie Nixon, Frank Stokes, Rubin Lacy, Ishmon Bracey, the Mississippi Sheiks, and most notably, Tommy Johnson knew, influenced, were influenced, and even played with him . Just about every blues performer from Mississippi was influenced either by his recordings or his performances.....Mississippi John Hurt has some Rodgers influence in his playing (check out "Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me") and Howlin' Wolf claimed that his howl was influenced by Rodgers's yodel.....and Rodgers even recorded with black blues musicians like Louis Armstrong, St. Louis guitarist Clifford Gibson, and the Louisville Jug Band.

Jimmie Rodgers Museum in Meridian, MS

During my recent visit to the Mississippi Music Museum, I noticed a display dedicated to Rodgers, which sort of rekindled my interest in him and his music. A couple of months later, I had a doctor visit in Meridian and the Jimmie Rodgers Museum is located a couple of blocks away, so I decided to stop by and check it out. It's a nice little museum with a lot of Rodgers memorabilia....some of his clothes, a few guitars and a piano, plus other items donated from his family. It's a good 45 – 60 minute tour and the museum has free admission (donations are welcome).

On his Facebook page, Peter Guralnick had recently mentioned a new book about Rodgers, a biographical novel written by musician Paul Burch titled Meridian Rising that sounded interesting. The museum had this book for sale, so I picked up a copy.  It's an imagined autobiography of Rodgers (Burch also recorded a fascinating album dedicated to Rodgers with the same  title in 2016) that incorporates several blues artists and movers and shakers of the time within it's pages, including Charley Patton, H.C. Spier, Rallph Peer, Sam Chatmon, and even a young Howlin' Wolf (listed here as "Chester").  It's a thoroughly enjoyable book, especially if you're familiar with Rodgers, his music, or the blues....actually, it's enjoyable even if you're not familiar.

It would appear that people are starting to remember and appreciate Rodger's contributions to not just country music, but just about every other popular genre as well, and he gave and received a lot of influence to the blues that I never really knew about.

Keep in mind that when Rodgers started playing music, there was NO style of music called Country.....or Blues. Back in those days, genres were not as big a deal as they are today, where even blues gets compartmentalized into ever smaller sub-genres.  Traveling musicians in Rodgers' era, black and white, had to be able to play a pretty diverse repertoire to satisfy whatever audiences were listening, black and white. 

I've always thought it was ridiculous to have SO many different genres of music. When I was growing up in the 70's, you actually had radio stations that played MULTIPLE musical genres over their air waves and, lo and behold, we all managed to survive this. Even today, my playlist on my mp3 player in my car includes blues, jazz, gospel, country, rock, pop, reggae, Cajun/zydeco, soul, R&B, and even world music.  Clinging to one genre will certainly deprive music lovers of a lot of great music.

Working on the railroad, Rodgers crossed paths with a lot of different people, black and white, and he also absorbed their influences in his music.  His singing style replicated a lot of blues singers and his songwriting also focused on subjects that rang true with anyone who listened to the blues, so his music appealed to both white and black listeners at the time.  He recorded 13 "Blue Yodels" during his career, which served as an influence for how blues songs would be structured in future recordings, so whether white country music fans were listening to Rodgers, they were also hearing the blues.

There are a lot of Jimmie Rodgers recordings out there that collect his work, but I was interested in finding one that provided a good sampling of his more blues-related material to see if I could pick up what influenced a lot of these older blues artists and also what he might have picked up from those older blues artists, maybe some who never had the opportunity to record.

Happily, I found just the recording via the UK record label Catfish.  2001's Brakeman's Blues captures 24 of Rodgers' blues songs (about 40 of his 110+ recordings are considered blues), and all 13 of his "Blue Yodels."  Listening to these tracks, you can't help but notice the similarities in song structure, lyrical content, and vocal delivery.  It also shows how vital the blues were in the formation of early country music and much of that is due to Jimmie Rodgers.

All 13 of the "Blue Yodel" songs are worth hearing, but here are three noteworthy examples that can be linked to the blues genre directly.  The first is, of course, "Blue Yodel No. 1 (T for Texas)," a number that has been covered in multiple genres.  Another one is 1930's "Blue Yodel No. 9 (Standing On The Corner)," which features Louis Armstrong on trumpet and Armstrong's wife Lil Hardin on piano, and his last one recorded just a couple of days before his death, "Blue Yodel No. 13 (The Women Made A Fool Out Of Me)."

Rodgers also recorded "Let Me Be Your Sidetrack" in 1931 with St. Louis blues guitarist Clifford Gibson, but his label didn't release it at the time because they feared backlash with Rodgers recording with a black musician (Armstrong and his wife were not credited on "Blue Yodel No. 9") and had him re-record it performing solo.  Here is the unreleased version (listed as Take 2), with Gibson officially listed as guitarist.  

Other standout Rodgers' blues tracks include "In The Jailhouse Now," "My Good Gal's Gone Blues" (with the Louisville Jug Band), "Pistol Packing Papa," and "TB Blues."  Rodgers' lyrics are pretty raw and direct, compared to the standard fare of the day, but there's also some good humor in his words as well.

I spent most of my life more or less disregarding the music of Jimmie Rodgers.  Little did I know how much of an influence he was not just to country music, but eventually rock n' roll and, yes, the blues.  If you are a blues fan, especially of the older pre-war blues recordings, take a little time and give Rodgers' recordings a listen, especially the "Blue Yodels," and you'll discover that the connection between blues and country music is a pretty close one.

Friday Blues Picks (Looking Back)

No new picks this week since I'm working on my reviews for the March issue of Blues Bytes, which should be online sometime next week, but I thought I'd take time to highlight a Blast From The Past, just in case you missed it.....

Edgar Winter's White Trash - Roadwork (CBS/Epic Records):  I picked this one up a few months back at Discogs.  I've always heard about Edgar Winter's White Trash, and actually knew some of his later work.  However, I was much more familiar with his brother Johnny Winter, via his Alligator releases in the 80's. 

Years ago, about the time I got on the internet for the first time, I met a guy on the old Blues Access message board who lived in Houston, and he told me that he knew the Winter brothers when they were teenagers and trying to get into the music business.  He told me that a lot of club owners in that area would take advantage of the boys since they were relatively young and frail due to their albinism.  He sort of took them under his wing for awhile to make sure that they got paid for performing, until they eventually moved on to bigger things.

I was able to see Johnny Winter one time (1994) and he put on a mesmerizing performance, but I've never seen Edgar perform.  When I saw Roadwork, I figured this was a good opportunity to hear what a live performance would be like.  I'd always heard about White Trash, especially their lead singer Jerry LaCroix.  

My internet friend in Houston also turned me on to LaCroix via his sting with the legendary Lousiana swamp pop/blue-eyed soul group The Boogie Kings (as Jerry "Count" Jackson).  Some of the Boogie Kings albums from the 60's are collector's items and LaCroix is a big reason why.  He was a major figure on the Louisiana/Gulf Coast music scene.

White Trash was a powerful ensemble who mixed blues, funk, gospel, R&B, and rock n' roll and Winter, who sang and played keyboards and saxophone fronted the group.  LaCroix also sang and played saxophone, while Rick Derringer sang and played guitar.  Other members included Randy Jo Hobbs (bass), Bobby Ramirez (drums), Jon Smith (tenor sax), and Marshall Cyr, Mike McLellan, and Tilly Lawrence (trumpets).

The album was recorded at the Apollo Theatre and the Academy of Music in NYC and at the Whisky a Go Go club in L.A. and was released in early 1972.  It's a really fast-moving set with Winter, LaCroix, and Derringer sharing lead vocals.  LaCroix is a monster vocalist, but Winter isn't far behind and Derringer does a fine job as well.  The gospel-flavored "Save The Planet" gets the set off to a rousing start and LaCroix shines on "I Can't Turn You Loose," his own "Jive Jive Jive," and the Bobby Bland classic "Turn On Your Love Light."

Winter delivers a powerful, marathon version of "Tobacco Road" that actually took up one LP side (it was originally a two-record release), and Derringer sings "Still Alive And Well" and his future hit, "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" also appears here, but it's sung by the band's special guest star, Johnny Winter, who actually recorded "Still Alive and Well" a few years later.  Edgar Winter introduced Johnny with one of the most memorable lines on a rock album....."People keep askin' me.....where's your brother?"

Most of these guys are gone now, Johnny Winter and Jerry LaCroix both passed in 2014, and Derringer died in late May of 2025.  Edgar Winter is still going strong as of this writing.  White Trash only released three albums, including Roadwork, and all of them are worth a listen if you dig classic blues rock, but this is one of the standout live albums of the 1970's.