Friday Blues Picks (9/9/22)

 

When I first started listening to the blues in the mid 80's, the music was beginning to gain momentum among listeners, thanks to the efforts of Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Robert Cray, and a few others.....so much so that some of the major labels began signing and recording blues artists on their own of their subsidiary labels.  In the late 80's/early 90's, Virgin Records released several blues albums on their Point Blank label, including a 1990 release from Larry McCray, an Arkansas native who found his way to Michigan and managed to play the blues when he wasn't working at General Motors.  Ambition was a marvelous set that McCray recorded in a friend's basement in Detroit, a heady mix of blues, rock and soul highlighted by his robust guitar work and equally tough vocals.  He managed several more albums during the decade, including one for the late House of Blues label, all top quality, before the label woes of the late 90's hit.  He managed a couple of recordings on his own Magnolia Records label, but they suffered from distribution issues.  He also battled health issues and issues with management, but he never stopped performing.  Fortunately, he connected with Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith, who probably wondered the same thing other blues fans were wondering......why in the world is Larry McCray not making records??!!!  

Thanks to their efforts, Larry McCray is back on the radar with his first album in seven years, Blues Without You, on Bonamassa's Keeping The Blues Alive (KTBA) label.  "Arkansas" is a blues rocker tribute to McCray's native state and it shows from the very beginning of the disc that McCray hasn't lost an inch off his fastball as a singer or guitarist.  "Good Die Young" is a more traditional blues with Reese Wynans on piano.  Warren Haynes contributes slide guitar to the inspirational "Down To The Bottom," Chicago guitarist Joanna Connor guests on "Drinkin' Liquor and Chasin' Women," and Bonamassa guests on the funky "Mr. Easy," exchanging fiery solos with McCray.  "Breaking News" and "No More Crying" show McCray's soulful side quite effectively, too, while "I Play The Blues" closes the disc with McCray solo and acoustic.  I have to say that Blues Without You is one of my favorites of the year so far.  McCray sounds like he's making up for lost time.....maybe he is.....and hopefully, there's more where this one came from.   

The Taylor family is one of the legendary blues families of Chicago.  Guitarist Eddie Taylor was born in Mississippi and taught Jimmy Reed to play guitar.  He later served as Reed's rhythm guitarist for many years, along with playing sessions for numerous other Chicago artists and releasing several essential solo sides himself in the late 40's/early 50's (see below).  He passed away in 1985, but some of his family followed in his musical footsteps, including his late wife Vera, who was a singer/songwriter, his late son Eddie, Jr., who was a singer/guitarist, his stepson Larry, who is a drummer and singer, and his daughter, Demetria Taylor, who is a fine vocalist who recently released her second album on Delmark Records, Doin' What I'm Supposed To Do.  It took about two and a half years to record this album.....the pandemic happened for starters and Ms. Taylor also lost her son in 2021 after losing her brother Eddie, Jr. in the spring of 2019, but she persevered and turned in a marvelous album that features guitarists Mike Wheeler, Carlos Showers, and Billy Flynn, with bassist Larry Williams, drummer Pookie Styx, and keyboardist Brian James, with a guest appearance from fellow vocalist Deitra Farr (who also wrote the liner notes).  

Ms. Taylor's approach to the blues is different from many female vocalists today.....she's not really a screamer or growler, opting for a more polished, smoother delivery and it's a really nice change of pace that I enjoyed listening to.  The twelve tracks travel between traditional blues, soul and R&B, which perfectly suits her.  Wheeler and Williams wrote six songs, including the funky shuffle "Baby Be Good," "Bad Girl Day," the feisty title track, and "I'm Gonna Tell It," which has a nice West Side soul feel (she also covers Magic Sam's "You Belong To Me").  Taylor also covers three family tunes, her dad's "83 Highway" is a terrific straight blues opener, while Eddie, Jr.'s "Welfare Blues" is a keeper, too, and her mother's "Blues Early This Morning" features Ms. Farr on co-lead vocals.  Taylor contributes two of her own tracks, the spicy shuffle "Nursing My Kitty Cat" and the jaunty R&B closer, "Young Gun Taylor."  It's nice to know that the Taylor blues tradition will continue unabated with Demetria Taylor and one can only hope that she won't go another twelve years between releases.  

BTW, Taylor just won the Koko Taylor Queen Of The Blues Award for 2022, given by the Jus' Blues Foundation.

Back to Eddie Taylor.... he is certainly one of the unsung heroes of the classic Chicago blues sound.  He held together many of the Vee-Jay recordings of Jimmy Reed with his rhythm guitar, of course, but he also played on many other classic sides of that era.  He also found time to record a few of his own legendary tracks for Vee-Jay, the most memorable ones being "Big Town Playboy," "Bad Boy," "Ride 'Em On Down," and "I'm Gonna Love You."  Sadly, his own records didn't sell as well, but they were definitely influential among his fellow musicians, as blues fans still hear covers of these songs some sixty-plus years after their release.  He eventually resurfaced as a front man in the late 60's/early 70's with several excellent recordings before passing away on Christmas Day in 1985.

Jasmine Records has collected some of Taylor's mid-50's recordings in Eddie Taylor In Session:  Diary Of A Chicago Bluesman 1953-1957.  During that time period, Taylor recorded behind a host of Chicago's finest.....Reed ("Ain't That Loving You Baby"), John Brim ("Ice Cream Man"), Sunnyland Slim ("Going Back To Memphis"), Floyd Jones ("Schooldays On My Mind"), John Lee Hooker ("Dimples"), and Little Willie Foster ("Falling Rain Blues").  This album has 29 songs, including the above-mentioned tracks, plus Taylor's own ten recordings for Vee-Jay, which until this set came out were only available on a 90's-era out-of-print CD from Charly Records that fetched a pretty penny.  When you hear Taylor's own sides, you can't help but wonder what might have been had he been able to catch a break.  He was a most versatile guitarist and was the secret weapon behind Reed's classic sound and recordings......probably the better musician as well, but Reed's sound was what grabbed the people, who want what they want.  Regardless, Taylor's recordings are essential listening for anyone who likes traditional Chicago blues and this is the best place to get them in one spot.