Back in the early 90's when Billy Boy Arnold signed with Alligator Records, I grabbed his Alligator debut, Back Where I Belong, as soon as I could and I was really impressed with him as a harmonica player and a singer. Being the blues novice I was, I wished that I could find more music from him.
I was rewarded a few months later when I found a cassette tape from Charly Records called I Wish You Would that collected his Vee-Jay sides recorded between 1955 and 1957, plus a couple of sides he recorded with Chess Records while backing Bo Diddley. Those sides weren't released at the time. Arnold was in his early 20's at the time of these recordings, but he sounded like a seasoned veteran and several of those tracks ended up being Chicago blues standards...."I Wish You Would," "I Ain't Got You," "Don't Stay Out All Night Long," and "Prisoner's Plea," for starters.
Several years later, when I finally made the conversion from cassettes to CDs, I tried to update some of my previous collection and the Billy Boy Arnold albums were part of the set. I was able to get both of his Alligator sets....1993's Back Where I Belong and 1995's Eldorado Cadillac, but was never able to track down the Charly set at a price that wouldn't require me refinancing my house.
In the meantime, I was able to track down a copy of his 1963 classic More Blues On The South Side, and received a couple of his Stony Plain releases for review from the label in the early 2000's and, amazingly, though there was a considerable time gap between More Blues On The South Side and the two Stony Plain releases, it was apparent that Arnold hadn't lost an inch off his fast ball. I promise if you're not familiar with Billy Boy Arnold, if you listen to any release from any time period of his nearly 70 year career, you will become a fan.
In the meantime, the UK label Jasmine made my day when they reissued those great Arnold 50's sides on a wonderful collection called Come Back Baby, I Wish You Would, which not only included those Chess tracks and the Vee-Jay sides, but also his first recordings for the Cool label as a teenager ("I Ain't Got No Money" and "Hello Stranger") and several tracks from the Chess label where he backed Bo Diddley.....wonderful stuff.
If you're a fan of early Chicago blues and don't have these sides in your collection, I highly recommend this set. The liner notes are great and informative, which is the case for all of Jasmine's releases. It's also a good place to start your Billy Boy Arnold listening experience, but by all means, don't stop there. Everything he recorded is worth a listen and he sounds as good now as he did in 1955.
Also, check out his autobiography, which we discussed here way back in January. His recollection of details throughout his life, dating back to meeting Sonny Boy Williamson I as a youth is remarkable. He recently signed a recording deal with Delmark Records, so hopefully we will get to hear new music from the soon-to-be 89 year old.
(By the way, if you run through the FBF archives, you'll find a more-detailed post devoted to Billy Boy Arnold from nearly ten years ago if you'd like more information.)
(Another BTW, check out Jasmine Records' website. If you're a blues fan, you will more than likely find an album to your liking that you'll want to purchase.)
Here's another theme that FBF hasn't visited in a long time - over eight years. With this theme, we look at five recordings released over the years that listeners might have missed for one reason or another when they were first on the shelves. Some of them may not have ever made the streaming venue and may be out of print, but they are well worth seeking out for blues fans.
Like we posted last week, a lot of people don't listen to physical product anymore, but those that don't are missing out on a lot of treats, such as liner notes - which enabled me to learn so much more about my favorite blues artists, band and recording info - who played what instruments and where the albums were recorded, discovering songs on albums that I never heard on the radio that I really liked, and even the great album art and pictures that accompanied many of these albums.
Music is more convenient and accessible these days for sure, but I sure miss the days of thumbing through the music sections in record stores and finding a treasure that I wasn't expecting. That's actually how I got into the blues in the first place nearly forty years ago - seeing the cover of Showdown!, in the JAZZ section of a record store of all places. If I had not stumbled onto that album, I might never have stumbled onto the blues.
Okay, enough of that....here are five excellent albums that you might have missed over the years.
John Watkins - Here I Am (Blues Reference): I first heard Watkins on Alligator's The New Bluebloods collection and his featured track, "Chained To Your Love" was my favorite song on the album. Loved the passionate vocals and crisp guitar work and keyboards (Jimmy Johnson played rhythm guitar - I think Watkins was in his band at the time, and St. James Bryant played keyboards). Seems like the liner notes mentioned that Watkins had an album released in France, which he did on Blue Phoenix in 1985. I was not able to track that album down for many years, but finally tracked down a used copy of the reissued release on Blues Reference.
It was a long search, but well worth it. I really liked his mix of blues, soul, and R&B. He offered fine covers of several blues classics, adding his own personal touches to his versions, his original songs and his band support was first rate. That was the only release that Watkins had during his heyday. I heard that he left Chicago and ended up in Detroit. I was able to find him on Facebook and have chatted with him a couple of times on Messenger, telling him I tracked down his album. He seems to be doing fine, said he had fond memories of making the record. He is still performing as evidenced by several videos on YouTube.
Hip Linkchain - Airbusters (Evidence Records): I had no idea about Hip Linkchain (born Willie Richard in Jackson, MS in 1936 and died from cancer in Chicago in 1989). In my correspondence via email with Twist Turner during the late 90's, I heard about him - Twist played drums for him frequently. I was able to hear a couple of tracks on a UK anthology around that time and I liked what I heard, rock-solid Chicago blues, for sure, but had not ever seen any other releases except for this album, which was originally released on the Dutch label Black Magic in the mid-80's and reissued by Evidence in the early 90's.
Dick Shurman produced the album and features some top notch musical support (Barrelhouse Chuck, Jon McDonald, Ted Harvey, Robert "Huckleberry Hound" Wright, Big John Trice, etc...). Ten of the fourteen songs are originals and while there's nothing fancy on these tracks, if you're a big fan of good ol' down and dirty Chicago blues, you will love this set. I'm going to revisit Twist Turner's book, Blues With A Twist, to read some of the stories he wrote about Hip Linkchain - hey, grab that book if you haven't already. It's a keeper, too. This was actually Hip's last recording before he passed, and it's not very difficult to find a copy online - I found my copy at the Little Big Store - a surprise purchase while thumbing through the stacks of CDs.
Big Mojo Elam and his Chicago Blues Band - Mojo Boogie! (St. George): Another album I found thumbing through the Blues section of the Little Big Store. Elam was a bass player in Chicago, playing with Luther Allison and appearing on Delmark's Sweet Home Chicago anthology, and also appearing on the wonderful And This Is Maxwell Street collection on one track with Robert Nighthawk.
Elam only recorded one studio album (he also cut a live set in the late 70's for the Storyville label, which was also titled Mojo Boogie). This is a really hot set of traditional Chicago blues with Studebaker John on guitar (his slide work is superb), Twist Turner on drums, and Little Mac Simmons on harmonica. Elem sounds great on vocals and the song list is pretty good, too. I kind of bought this as an afterthought the day I was shopping, but it ended up being my favorite of the bunch.
Smokey Wilson - Round Like An Apple: The Big Town Recordings 1977 - 1978 (Ace Records UK): Yet another surprise find at the Little Big Store, I first heard Wilson when he recorded for Bullseye Blues in the 90's and he was quite electrifying to me. His gravelly Wolf-like vocals and his gritty guitar work really grabbed you by the collar. I loved all three of his Bullseye releases.....I really miss that label and the others listed here as well.
Wilson released two albums on the Big Town label, which was owned by the Bihari Brothers, who recorded numerous blues and R&B artists in the 50's and 60's, such as B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Elmore James, Lightnin' Hopkins, and many others. By the late 70's, their recordings had dwindled down, but they managed to release two albums on Smokey Wilson (Blowin' Smoke and Sings The Blues). This set captures songs on those albums, plus five unreleased tracks. Wilson sounds fine on these tunes, not quite as menacing as his later releases, but still pretty powerful. It was a nice predecessor for what was to come.
Ben Wiley Payton - Diggin' Up Old Country Blues (no label): Payton was born and raised in Greenwood, moving to Chicago as a teen, later worked in several industries and eventually he became a pastor in a church in Chicago, also serving as a minister of music during his earlier years, accompanying the choir often on guitar. He performed as a youth in local soul bands, playing guitar and singing backup, He was able to play the blues in several bands in Chicago including the Wolf Band, subbing for an ailing Hubert Sumlin, and played with Bobby Rush's road band for a time before stepping back to help his wife raise their five daughters.
In his later years, he returned to Mississippi, where he began to get into the blues of his home state. He relocated to Clarksdale and managed to release a pair of albums of his own unique approach to the Delta blues he grea up listening to and playing. This 2006 release was his first one and he wrote all new songs that were a snug fit with the traditional sounds of the region. His relaxed vocals and guitar playing make this a great album to listen to when you're just chilling out at the end of the day. This one might be a little harder to find than the others, but if you do find it, you'll be glad you did.
Well, it's been a long time (SIX years) but once again, dear readers, it's time for Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and Something Blue. This makes our 22nd edition. For a long time, this was one of our favorite themes and it dates back to FBF's early days as a weekly email sent to co-workers. I'm not sure why we stopped doing it in the first place, but this is a good time to start it back up.
For those unfamiliar with the format, we offer a song from the early days of the blues (Something Old), a song from a recent blues artist (Something New), a blues artist covering a rock song or vice versa (Something Borrowed), and finally, someone who epitomizes the blues.....usually a legendary artist (Something Blue). It's a pretty simple format that can be worked in a lot of different ways. Here we go......
The only known photo of Casey Bill Weldon
For Something Old, let's check out Casey Bill Weldon, one of the finest slide guitarist of the pre-war blues period, or really any period, to be honest. There's not much known about Weldon and there's only one known photograph of him. It's believed he was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas and went to Chicago, via Kansas City. He was one of the first to be recorded playing slide guitar, playing a National steel guitar flat on his lap, Hawaiian style, which earned him the nickname "The Hawaiian Guitar Wizard."
Weldon cut over 60 sides for the Bluebird and Vocalion labels and played on many other recordings by other musicians, notably Peetie Wheatstraw and Memphis Minnie. His biggest two songs were "Somebody Changed The Lock On That Door" and "We Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town," which was recorded in 1936 and has been covered by a number of artists, including Louis Jordan, Count Basie, Ray Charles, Mel Torme, Lou Rawls, Rod Stewart, B.B. King, The Allman Brothers Band, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, and Willie Nelson (with Keb' Mo'). Weldon married the blues singer Geeshie Wiley and they both disappeared from sight around 1938. He's believed to have passed away in Kansas City in 1972.
Kevin Burt
For Something New, meet Kevin Burt. Well, he's not really new, but he's new to a lot of blues fans. I first heard him when I reviewed his Heartland and Soul album about five years ago. He just blew me away with his guitar, harmonica, and his powerful vocals, which really reminded me of Bill Withers at times. He won just about every award that could be won at the 2018 I.B.C., including first place in the Solo/Duo category, the Cigar Box Award for best guitarist in the Solo/Duo category, and the Lee Oskar Award for best harmonica player. Believe it or not, Heartland and Soul, released later in 2018, was his first recording.
Burt has released two more albums that are just as good as his debut, Stone Crazy in 2020, and a wonderful tribute to Withers (who Burt cites as an influence) that came out earlier this year, Thank You Brother Bill: A Tribute to Bill Withers. An Iowa native, Burt also has had several role in off Broadway plays, notably playing Papa Gee in the play Klub Ka, the Blues Legend, which sold out for two weeks in New York City. Burt also arranged all the music for that play. If he happens to be performing near your area, you need to check him out.
For Something Borrowed, check out the late, great soul-blues singer Johnnie Taylor. I recently read a biography of Taylor by Greg Hasty and T.J. Hooker Taylor (Johnnie's son) called I Believe In You - The Incredible Journey of R&B Legend Johnnie Taylor, which I reviewed in Blues Bytes last month. Taylor was always one of my favorites and he enjoyed success from the late 60's through the late 90's before passing away in 2000. The book is well worth a read if you were a fan of his. I'm really amazed at how much he seems to be forgotten today despite his long run of hit songs. One of my favorite songs by Taylor was his wonderful cover of The Falcons' (with guitarist Robert Ward and lead singer Wilson Pickett) 1962 soul classic, "I Found A Love," which was on Taylor's 1988 Malaco release In Control. The Jackson, MS gospel group, The Jackson Southernaires provided background vocals.
John Mayall
For Something Blue, we pay tribute to the late John Mayall, dubbed The Godfather of British Blues, who passed away in late July at the age of 90. Mayall was influenced by American blues players at an early age and taught himself to play guitar, piano, and harmonica. After studying art, he moved to London and began playing the blues, beginning with the Powerhouse Four, the Blues Syndicate, which later became the Bluesbreakers. The Bluesbreakers became a training ground for some of the UK's finest guitarists, inclluding Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, Rocky Athas, and Carolyn Wonderland to just name a few. He remained active until the year before he passed away, releasing The Sun Is Shining Down in 2022.
One of my favorite eras of Mayall and the Bluesbreakers was recently captured in three volumes, featuring Mayall with Green, and his future Fleetwood Mac musical partners John McVie (bass) and Mick Fleetwood (drums). This set of Bluesbreakers never made it to the studio, but these live recordings from early 1967 were found and remastered over the past few years and are well worth a listen. Actually, all of Mayall's recordings are worth a listen. R.I.P. to this great British bluesman.
Recently, I revisited one of my favorite blues anthology series that first appeared in the late 70's. Living Chicago Blues was originally released by Alligator Records as two three-volume series in 1978 and 1980. Of course, at that time, I was not really following the blues....that was a few years away yet. When I did start following the blues in the mid-80's, I didn't have a record player, which was the only format Alligator offered. However, a few years later, it became available on cassette and CD (in four volumes instead of six), so I snatched them up in cassette form and, later, CD.
Over the years, there have been several great collections covering the blues from the Windy City. The first ones I heard were the three-volume Chicago! The Blues! Today!, on Vanguard Records (which we discussed here), the single volume Sweet Home Chicago (on Delmark Records, also discussed here).
I realize that a lot of people don't buy records so much anymore, or CDs, or any physical product where music is concerned. That's really a shame because they miss out on so much. One of the pleasures of buying a physical recording, which I still do frequently, is discovering a cool song that you might have otherwise missed. That was more applicable when I was buying rock, pop, soul, and R&B because the single isn't always the best cut. For the blues, it's almost essential to buy the whole album, especially these older set. I think most older blues fans would agree, and these four volumes include a lot of great tracks that you might have missed otherwise.
When Volume 1 was released in 1978, new blues releases were not nearly as frequent as in previous years. There were still a few labels, independent ones, that were occasionally releasing new product, but most blues artists were able to record overseas, making fine albums that eventually made it over to the states. Alligator was one of the labels that was still releasing new albums as often as they could afford to, and when they released this volume, which featured FOUR different blues bands on one album, it was eagerly received by blues fans.
Jimmy Johnson
The first volume featured four established Chicago blues stars. Jimmy Johnson was part of a musical family (brother Syl Johnson enjoyed a lengthy career in blues and soul and brother Mack Thompson served as bassist for Magic Sam) played guitar as a hobby for many years, but eventually moved to the blues, cutting a few singles in the early 70's and backing a number of Chicago artists, including Otis Rush on his Japan tour (appearing on Rush's So Many Roads - Live in Concert release).
Johnson was approaching his 50th birthday when he cut these four sides, backed by Larry Burton on rhythm guitar, Carl Snyder on keyboards, Ike Anderson on bass, and Dino Alvarez on drums. They were all covers, beginning with the Duke Records classic blues ballad "Your Turn To Cry," the Percy Mayfield standard "Serves Me Right To Suffer," Louis Jordan's jump blues "Ain't That Just Like A Woman," and the Memphis soul burner "Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home."
Johnson's musical talents were an even mix of blues and soul. I first heard him on his Bar Room Preacher album (also from Alligator) and his guitar work was very distinctive and was complemented by his expressive vocals, which were a solid fit in the blues and soul genres. Rock-solid support from the band helped get Volume 1 off to a fine start.
Johnson eventually signed with Delmark and released two excellent albums in 1979 and 1982 (1983's Bar Room Preacher was a reissue of a French release from the late 70's). He recorded a couple of albums in the 90's, and a collaboration with brother Syl at the turn of the century. At age 91, he released his final album, 2019's Every Day of Your Life on Delmark. During the pandemic, he appeared regularly on Facebook, playing the blues from home and corresponding with his fans, before suffering a stroke and passing away in late January, 2022.
Eddie Shaw and Hubert Sumlin
Next on the roster was Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang. Shaw inherited the Wolf Gang after his longtime boss, Howlin' Wolf passed away in 1976, but he'd been playing the saxophone since he was a teenager in Mississippi, playing with Ike Turner and landing with Muddy Waters' band in Chicago before switching to the Wolf's band, eventually serving as his bandleader. He also played with Magic Sam (on Black Magic and the Delmark anthology Sweet Home Chicago), Otis Rush, and others.
Shaw and the Wolf Gang (Hubert Sumlin - guitar, Johnny "Big Moose" Walker - piano, Lafayette "Shorty" Gilbert - bass, Chico Chism - drums) rip through a five-song set. Only Walker was not a member of the Wolf Gang while the Wolf was the leader, this session was his first with the band. Four of the five songs were covers, Hound Dog Taylor's "It's Alright," Magic Sam's "Out of Bad Luck," Chick Willis' bawdy "Stoop Down Baby," and the Mississippi Sheiks' "Sittin' On Top of The World." Shaw's own "My Baby's So Ugly" wraps up their exciting set. Shaw's energetic sax is complemented perfectly by Sumlin's unique guitar work and it all reminds you in a way of their tenure with the Wolf.
It was rare for a Chicago blues band to be fronted by a sax player, but Shaw did just that for five decades, eventually bringing in his guitar-playing son, Vaan Shaw (his other son, Stan Shaw, is an actor of some renown), and making numerous raucous rocking recordings for Rooster Blues, Delmark, and Wolf Records before passing away in 2018.
Left Hand Frank
I was not familiar with Left Hand Frank Craig prior to hearing him on this set. He was a native of Mississippi (born in Greenville in 1936), but moved to Chicago as a teenager. Like many left-handers, he played his guitar strung for a righty, but strapped it on upside down. He got his first guitar at four and learned to play blues and country music from older musicians who sought out his mother to buy homemade whiskey
Craig played with several teenagers (guitarist Eddie King and bassist Willie Black) outside The Zanzibar and Vi's Club for tips when he was too young to play inside, but eventually graduated to backing many of the city's foremost blues artists, such as Willie Cobbs, Jimmy Rogers, Lee Jackson, Jimmy Dawkins, Boyd Gilmore, Junior Wells, Carey Bell, Good Rockin' Charles, Hound Dog Taylor, and James Scott, Jr.
Craig worked as a manual laborer at a steel mill during the daylight hours, and played the blues at night. He was able to record in 1960, playing bass behind Eddie King, and later behind Morris Pejoe, Little Eddie Newell, and Willie Williams. In the 70's, he was still playing around Chicago when he appeared on this album, his first tunes as a front man, backed by Dimestore Fred and Pocketwatch Paul (his frequent collaborators around this time) on harmonica and rhythm guitar respectively, Bob Stroger on bass, and Odie Payne, Jr. on drums.
Craig penned two of his four songs - "Come Home, Darling" and "Blues Won't Let Me Be." He also covered Mercy Dee Watson's "One Room Country Shack" and the Ray Sharpe classic "Linda Lu." Craig's gritty, tough guitar playing was reminiscent of fellow former Mississippians/current (at the time) Chicagoans Magic Slim and Jimmy Rogers and he was also a strong vocalist as well.
Craig recorded a couple of additional albums after this set, a great live album recorded at the Knickerbocker Cafe in Westerly, RI in the late 70's and released on a French label (MCM), and a collaboration with Jimmy Rogers that appeared on JSP Records in England. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 80's to live with his sister and fell into bad health, eventually passing away in 1992. Both of his releases are worth seeking out.
Lurrie and Carey Bell
The final act on Volume 1 is Carey Bell's Blues Harp Band. Bell was part of the second generation of Chicago harp masters, learning his craft from Little Walter, Big Walter, and Sonny Boy Williamson II by listening to their records as a youth in Meridian, MS (he was born Carey Bell Harrington in Macon, MS) and later directly from them when he moved up north. The cool thing about Bell was he took the distinctive sounds of each of those harp wizards and created his own unique sound from them.
While in Meridian, he played in his godfather Lovie Lee's band and eventually traveled with Lee to Chicago. He then learned from the harp masters in person and also learned to play bass from Hound Dog Taylor to enable him to get more work as a musician. This worked out well for him as the harmonica was being de-emphasized in favor of the electric guitar, so he played bass for several bands, including Eddie Taylor and Royal Johnson, until the harmonica returned to the forefront in the late 60's.
He recorded with Earl Hooker in 1968 and an album for Delmark in 1969 and played with Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon's bands in the early 70's, also recording a collaborative album with Big Walter Horton for Alligator in 1972 (the label's second release), and another effort for Bluesway Records. His band on this four-song set included his 19-year-old son Lurrie Bell on guitar (more on him in a later volume), Bob Riedy on piano, Aron Burton on bass, and Odie Payne, Jr. on drums.
Bell's set list included a Willie Dixon song previously recorded by Little Walter ("Too Late"), "Laudromat Blues," a hit for Albert King written by Sandy Jones, Jr., and his own contributions "One Day" and "Woman In Trouble." Bell was a robust vocalist, but his playing on the harmonica was breathtaking at time in their energy and depth, and the band's support is first rate, as well.
Bell continued to record for JSP, Blind Pig, Rooster Blues (with his son, Lurrie) and made multiple recordings for Alligator, including a pair of solo albums, an album where he teamed up with three other Chicago harp legends (Junior Wells, James Cotton, and Billy Branch), and an acoustic release with Lurrie, who has become one of the Windy City's finest guitarists. He passed away in 2007, releasing a live set on Delmark that same year.
The first volume of Living Chicago Blues was a good one, giving several artists an opportunity for more exposure that worked out well for them. The subsequent releases in the series would prove to bring other great, under-recorded artists to the forefront, giving rise to a real resurgence in "Genuine Houserockin' Music" of the Chicago variety. We'll be looking at additional volumes in the near future.
