Reading the Blues

Last year, I tried to catch up with my blues reading.  I got tired of paying a lot of money to basically watch three channels on TV, so I turned off my cable and picked up a lot of books over the year, some of which I'm still reading.  Here's a look at what we got into in 2023.

King of the Blues:  The Rise and Reign of B.B. King - Daniel DeVise:  I'd heard some mixed reviews about this one, but it was actually a pretty compelling read.  DeVise covers the entirety of King's life, from his humble beginnings across the Mississippi Delta to his migration to Memphis and his eventual recording and performing success to his six-decade reign as the King of the Blues.  The author dug deep with interviews with family and friends and was not afraid to look at the man's faults as well as his great qualities, and also goes into the chaos and controversy regarding King's final days and the sordid aftermath.  I also learned more about King than I was expecting to learn with this book, which is always a cool thing.

Making Tracks:  A Record Producer's Southern Roots Music Journey - Scott Billington:  When I first jumped into the blues, I bought a lot of great albums from Rounder Records and Scott Billington produced an awful lot of those albums.  He not only produced blues recordings, but also numerous Zydeco releases, and a ton of New Orleans R&B.  Billington talks about his beginnings and how he ended up in the music business, but he also shares fascinating stories about many of the artists he produced.  I was amazed at how many of these albums I own and it was a lot of fun to hear some "behind the scenes" stories about the records and the musicians.  If you listened to a lot of these artists, you will want to read this.  If you don't know these artists or records, you will want to hear them when you finish this book.

Up Jumped The Devil:  The Real Life of Robert Johnson - Bruce Conforth:  If you're looking for the definitive story about the mysterious blues man, look no further.  I was totally absorbed in this book.  Sure, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about Johnson's life, his travels, and his mysterious death, but Conforth covers it as extensively as anyone else has, or maybe ever will.  Anyone who has any interest in Robert Johnson at all, and if you dig the blues, you have to have some interest, needs to read this book.  And when you get done reading this one, you need to read the one below......

Brother Robert:  Growing Up With Robert Johnson - Annye C. Anderson with Preston Lauterbach:  I heard Ms. Anderson on the Last Fair Deal:  The Robert Johnson Podcast.  She was interviewed by hosts Lauterbach and Elijah Wald.  As you're probably aware, Ms. Anderson was Johnson's half sister and the last living person who knew Johnson well.  They were very close during her younger years and she shares some nice stories about Johnson away from the music and around his family, painting a more complete picture of Johnson.  It also goes into what happened after Johnson's death and how the family was taken advantage of by several who benefitted financially instead of the family.  By the way, Ms. Anderson proudly displays the third photo of Johnson on the cover and reportedly has a fourth photo that she's saving for a future book

The Blues Dream of Billy Boy Arnold - Billy Boy Arnold with Kim Field:  I really enjoyed reading Arnold's story.  His memory and attention to detail is incredible and he tells so many stories about so many blues artists of the 40's, 50's, 60's, etc....all the way up to the current day.  The 88-year-old Arnold is still active on the music scene, having recently signed with Delmark Records, and truly hasn't lost an inch off his fastball over his nearly 70-year career.  His honesty, good humor, and vivid recollections make this one a must-read, especially for Chicago blues fans.  I have to admit that I read this one faster than any of the other books....the stories were just riveting and always entertaining.

Brothers and Sisters:  The Allman Brothers Band and the Inside Story of the Album That Defined the 70's - Alan Paul:  The Allman Brothers Band encompasses a lot of musical styles, but their roots are firmly entrenched in the blues mixed with rock n' roll, country, jazz, and soul.  They came to define southern rock, but truthfully, no one else really sounded like them when they hit the scene.  This book takes a look at the band after the sudden death of Duane Allman and, later Berry Oakley, and their return from the emotional abyss, and subsequent rebound to their greatest success and their inevitable downfall.  Maybe not every blues fans' cup of tea, but it fills in a few blanks regarding this often-overlooked era of the band's lifetime.

Can't Be Satisfied:  The Life and Times of Muddy Waters - Robert Gordon:  Yes, this is an older book that I recently picked up, but I'm a huge Robert Gordon fan, not to mention a huge Muddy Water fan, so I decided to check it out.  Currently, I'm about halfway through it and I've been surprised at how little I know about this legendary artist.  I will provide more details when I finish reading, so stay tuned....

What have you been reading?  I'd love to hear about it and, hopefully, find more suggestions for reading.  

In Memoriam: 2023 Blues Deaths

Friday Blues Fix pays tribute to those blues people who passed away in 2023.  It doesn't seem like we lost as many as in previous years, but there are some significant names here.  These are all the names I was able to come up with who passed away last year, but if anyone knows of any others, please let me know in the comments and I will add them to the list as we go.

Jeff Beck – British blues-rock guitarist

Huey “Piano” Smith – New Orleans R&B pioneer

Butch Mudbone – Native American bluesman

Thomasina Winslow – New York blues performer

Arthur Lee Williams – Chicago harmonica master

Barrett Strong - R&B singer/songwriter

Billy “The Kid” Emerson – Memphis blues/rockabilly performer

Peggy Scott-Adams – Soul-blues singer

Peter “Chuck” Badie – New Orleans blues/jazz bassist

Chris Johnson – Founder of Deep Blues Festival

Toussaint McCall - Louisiana R&B singer

Eddie Lee Rolling – Clarksdale, MS-based songwriter

Michael Rhodes - Session bassist (toured with Joe Bonamassa) 

Pete Whelen – Publisher/editor of 78 Quarterly magazine

Smilin’ Bobby Smith – Chicago-based singer/guitarist

Bill “Howl-N-Madd” Perry – Mississippi singer/guitarist

Tina Turner - Blues/rock/R&B/soul singer

Jean Knight - R&B/soul singer

Myles Goodwyn - Singer/guitarist/songwriter

Clarence Avant - Music executive "The Godfather of Black Music"

Chris Strachwitz – Arhoolie Records founder

James Yancy “Tail Dragger” Jones – Chicago bluesman

Willie "The Touch" Hays – Chicago drummer (B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam)

D.C. Bellamy – Kansas City bluesman

R.L. Boyce – Mississippi Hill Country bluesman

Greg “Fingers” Taylor – Mississippi singer/harmonica/keyboard player

Tommy Talton - Guitarist (Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Allman Brothers Band, Clarence Carter)

Red Paden - Owner, Red's Lounge (Clarksdale, MS)

Nikki Armstrong - Singer/songwriter/dancer/actress/DJ

Friday Blues Fix's Top Ten Albums for 2023

I apologize for the lack of posts this year.  Things happen and life gets busy and from the looks of things, most people haven't missed it that much.  That's my fault, of course, because when you have gaps in your posts, people stopped dropping by and tend to forget about it, which is most likely the case here.  I would love to post more than I do, but it's been hard to get back in the routine.  Will 2024 be different?  I certainly hope so, but we'll see.

Anyway, there were a lot of great new releases in 2023 from a lot of new faces and a few familiar ones as well.  We are compiling our favorites at Blues Bytes and there were just so many noteworthy releases that we just decided to do a Top 20 list, which was hard enough to do, but I've decided to condense my list to a Top 10 list for the blog.  

I realize that a lot of listeners don't really focus on albums anymore, preferring to download their favorites to the listening device of their choice, but please keep in mind that blues artists receive very little compensation for downloads at all, almost negligible funds from these services, which is very frustrating.  It greatly benefits them if you actually buy their albums and go see them perform in person, so do yourselves a favor and check out some of these releases (you'll be glad you did) and check these folks out in person if you can.

Without further ado, let's check out....

Friday Blues Fix's Top 10 Albums for 2023!!! (in alphabetical order)

The Dig 3 – Damn The Rent (no label):  This is a great set of blues and roots tunes, traditional with an eye toward the contemporary and always a lot of fun.  This is a side project for these gentlemen, but it would be fine if it became a regular occurrence.

  

D.K. Harrell – The Right Man (Little Village Foundation):  This year, more than any, has given me encouragement that the future of the blues is in the best hands possible.  Young Mr. Harrell’s release just blew my socks off earlier this year, and there were so many other good ones to follow this year from the younger generation.  It's an amazingly assured album from such a young talent.

Hudspeth & Taylor – Ridin’ The Blinds (Hudtone Records):  A wonderful tribute from two top notch Kansas City bluesmen to early, pre-war blues that gives the classic songs a fresh, updated feel and will have you revisiting the originals.

Christione “Kingfish” Ingram – Live In London (Alligator Records):  Much as I enjoyed his first two studio efforts, the best way to hear Kingfish is to hear him live, as in this stunning set of houserocking blues….don’t pass this one by.

Candice Ivory – When The Levee Breaks – The Music of Memphis Minnie (Little Village Foundation):  Memphis Minnie was one of the true pioneers of the blues, and Ms. Ivory’s breathtaking tribute to her music should introduce the blues legend to a whole new generation of listeners.

Dave Keller – It’s Time To Shine (Tastee-Tone Records):  A retreat to a cabin in the Adirondacks with his band produced one of Keller’s finest albums of soul and blues.....maybe his best batch of original tunes yet!

Joe Krown – Tribute (Sledgehammer Records):  I heard this album around the time Jazz Fest rolled around and it brought back such great memories…..just a really fun disc for any fan of New Orleans music with guest appearances from Leo Nocentelli, Ivan Neville, Jason Ricci, Noah Hunt, and Walter "Wolfman" Washington (his last studio recording).

Stan Mosley – No Soul, No Blues (Dialtone Records):  An incredible release that really took me by surprise…Mosley shows he’s got PLENTY of soul and PLENTY of blues in his repertoire.  Soul and blues fans must track this album down!

John Primer – Teardrops for Magic Slim (Blues House Productions):  Primer’s tribute to his former employer is obviously a labor of love and sounds great from start to finish, recorded live at Rosa's Lounge in Chicago.

    

Walter “Wolfman” Washington – Feel So At Home (Tipitina’s Record Club):  Washington’s final album, completed a few months before he passed away, follows the path of his previous effort, but leans more toward the blues.  While he's missed a lot, he left us with a lot of wonderful music.

Trust me when I say my next ten are just as good as these ten.....it was a tough task separating them. You can see my next 10 with the other reviewers' Top 20 albums in the January issue of Blues Bytes in a few weeks.

Black Prairie Blues

A couple of years ago, I started tracking down some information about the blues that originated on the eastern side of Mississippi.  I had gone up toward West Point with the intention of checking out the Howlin' Wolf Museum, along with the statue near the middle of town next to the Blues Marker.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get in the museum that weekend, so I planned to revisit it in the future since my daughter and her husband reside in Tupelo.

I posted about my visit up that way and got some feedback from a few people, who took the time to enlighten me on just how much great blues music came from northeastern Mississippi and northwestern Alabama.  I am still in the process of digging into this huge source of music that I had previously took for granted and I hope to, in a future post, provide more information for those unfamiliar.....I just don't want to do it until I feel like I've got it covered pretty well.

In the meantime, my birthday was a couple of months ago, and we decided to visit my daughter and son-in-law in Tupelo.  While we were going that way, I decided to see about visiting the museum as we passed by.  Since I tried to visit previously, the museum has moved to a larger building and is now called the Black Prairie Blues Museum.  I was able to get on Facebook, track down the contact information for the museum, and get in touch with Jeremy Klutts, who oversees the museum.  

The museum is a work in progress, the contents are mostly upstairs while the lower floor is used for events and occasional performances.  There's a stage and room for a couple of hundred in the audience.  There's also art on display from art students at nearby Mississippi State University that captures the spirit of the blues.

   

Since the museum was formerly centered around Howlin' Wolf, the bulk of items in the museum focuses on the Wolf......lots of photos, album cover displays and a few guitars donated by Hubert Sumlin and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, among others.  There were a few pictures of other artists interspersed.....Willie King, Big Joe Williams, etc.. as I said, it's a work in progress, the museum and the building, but when it is finished it will be a nice stop for blues fans in the area.  In the meantime, you can contact them at their Facebook page if you're traveling through and they will be glad to give you a tour.

There's a lot more blues history in the Black Prairie region than one would imagine.  In addition to the Howlin' Wolf Blues Marker and statue at West Point, there's also a marker in Crawford to the south for Big Joe Williams, which we posted about previously, and a marker in Macon (several miles south of Crawford) recognizing the Black Prairie Blues.  In addition to Wolf, Williams, and Willie King, this region was the home of Bukka White, Albert King, Lucille Bogan, Jesse Fortune, and the Houston Harrington family.  Harrington was a fiddler from the Macon area who migrated to Chicago, eventually setting up a recording studio and a record label (Atomic-H) and steering his family, which included Eddy Clearwater, Carey Bell, Lurrie Bell, and Steve Bell, to careers in the blues.

Howlin' Wolf statue in West Point, MS

  

Black Prairie Blues marker in Macon, MS

And that's just a taste of what originated in this area of Mississippi and Alabama (we haven't even made it to Alabama yet).  We will dig deeper into the artists from the Black Prairie Blues region in the near future, so keep checking back with us!