Johnny "Guitar" Watson, the Original "O.G."

When I was a kid, probably in my early teens, I first encountered the Gangster of Love.  I was hanging out with one of my friends in the parking lot at his dad's place of business.  One of the employees pulled in, late for work, in a old yellow Chevy Nova, windows down, music blaring.  He was listening to some of the wildest, funkiest music I'd ever heard, which intrigued me, even as a youngster.

This guy hopped out of his car, knowing he was late, but stopping to light a cigarette and shoot the breeze with us for a few minutes.  He had his work uniform on, but was sporting a fairly impressive afro billowing out from underneath his headgear.  While he was smoking, I asked him what he was listening to when he pulled up.  He looked down at me and said, really he sneered, "Johnny 'Guitar,' 'Real Mutha F'Ya," then he strolled into the back of the store like he was fifteen minutes early instead of fifteen minutes late.

Of course, he was listening to Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and even though I didn't know it at the time, I was listening to the results of the amazing guitarist's third musical reinvention back then in the mid 70's.  Watson had actually seen two impressive musical careers come and go before developing his funky R&B persona that carried him through until his death in 1996.  What I didn't find out until about ten years later was that Johnny "Guitar" Watson started out as one of the hottest blues guitarists of the 1950's, actually getting his start playing the piano as a teenager in Houston, TX in the early 50's.

Watson was, like many, influenced by the great T-Bone Walker.  He started out playing with such future blues legends as Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland in Houston, but migrated to Los Angeles as a 15-year-old, where he hooked up with sax man Chuck Higgins' band, playing piano and singing on the original "Motor Head Baby," cut by Higgins on the Combo label in 1952.  He later cut a livelier version the next year for Federal Records, billed as Young John Watson....this time playing guitar, along with Wayne Bennett, who would later play on many of Bobby "Blue" Bland's Duke recordings.

During this time, Watson would travel to New Orleans and hang out with Guitar Slim, whose wild act included hooking up a long power cord to his guitar to allow him to play in the audience and even into the street, along with wild suits of many colors (with matching hair and shoes).  Watson took it a step further.

"I saw what Slim was up to and figured I could do the same.  Liked his fire and flash.  Truth is, it got to a point where we'd gig together and march into the club with me carrying him on my shoulders, both of us firing away on our guitars like World War III.  But I did Slim one better.  Got me a 200-foot cord, so when I played auditoriums, I'd start in the back of the balcony and work my way down.  I could see rock 'n' roll coming, and could see that when it came in, it'd be riding on the back of some flame-eating guitar.  Well, hell, by then 'Guitar' was my middle name."

Also in 1954, Watson lived up to his new middle name by creating "Space Guitar," an astonishing instrumental that was at least ten years ahead of its time and one of the most amazing guitar tracks of the 1950's.  Watson's incredibly intense playing was done without the benefit of a pick, and the distortion and feedback foresaw the work of 60's guitarists like Jimi Hendrix by nearly a dozen years.  He took on a flamboyant persona, sort of a humorous swagger, with lots of flashy clothes and showmanship that rivaled the legendary Guitar Slim at times.

"I'd play with my teeth.  I'd play standing on my hands, play it over my head and under my legs.  See the technology was changing.  I was fooling with overdubbing.  I was looking at these Stratocaster guitars and Fender amps and reverbing like crazy.  I was seeing all these new sounds I could create.  Sounds the kids liked, and sounds that still had the funky feeling I'd gotten when I was playing with Amos Milburn or Bumps Blackwell.  I think I was the link between the old and the new.  I wasn't afraid to take it a little further and see where it went."

From Federal, Watson moved to the RPM label in 1955, where he continued to release excellent blues tracks like "Hot Little Mama," "Too Tired," and the incredibly cool "Three Hours Past Midnight," a second cousin to B.B. King's "Three O'Clock Blues."  During this time, Watson's vocal skills were rapidly developing to the point where they were as distinctive as his guitar playing, equally capable of humor, power and passion.  Most of these tracks were done under the supervision of Maxwell Davis, who was also the driving force behind B.B. King's great tunes of the same era.

After bouncing around several labels (Keen, Class, Arvee, Goth, and Escort) during the mid to late 50's, Watson joined forces with Johnny Otis at King Records in the early 60's, where he recorded some marvelous tracks, including the soulful "That's The Chance You've Got To Take," in 1962, along with strong remakes of some earlier hits in 1963, such as his trademark tune, "Gangster of Love" (originally cut for Keen Records in 1957).

Larry Williams

In 1964, Watson recorded a jazz album for Chess, where he focused on piano, then he partnered with rock and soul singer Larry Williams for several years, recording several singles and an album.  By the late 60's, the Gangster of Love had dropped off the scene temporarily, as blues faded and soul began to emerge.

When Watson resurfaced in the mid 70's, transformed into an urban soul singer, resplendent in sharp threads, dark glasses, and pimp hats.  His music took on a decidedly funky tone and he enjoyed success with tunes like "I Don't Want To Be A Lone Ranger," "A Real Mother For Ya," "Superman Lover," and "I Need It."  His 1980 tune, "Telephone Bill," featured Watson rapping, one of the first songs of its like ever recorded.

He also re-recorded his trademark tune, "Gangster of Love," in 1978, and enjoyed a long string of successful albums for DJM Records that lasted until the mid 80's, when he dropped off the music scene once again.  There was some speculation as to why he dropped off the scene at the time.  His friend, Larry Williams, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in 1980.  Though his death was ruled a suicide, there were rumors for years that he was murdered because of his involvement with drugs, crime, and prostitution, and there were also rumors that Watson himself was a pimp during that period.

In any event, after a lengthy absence, Watson returned in 1994 with a recording, Bow Wow, that was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album, despite it's purely old school funk material.  He also returned to performing, showing that he's lost little to none of his flamboyance and showmanship (as seen in the above video from 1996).  It was during part of this comeback tour, while in Japan, that Johnny "Guitar" Watson died from a heart attack while performing at the Yokohama Blues Cafe.  He was only 61 years old.

Watson's influence can be heard in the music of many past and present performers, such as Frank Zappa, who was inspired to pick up guitar after hearing "Three Hours Past Midnight," Steve Miller, who had a big hit with his version of "Gangster of Love" (and referred to the title in his hit song, "The Joker"), Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, and Bobby Womack.  His influence wasn't just on guitarists...artists like Etta James and Womack were influenced by his singing, and funk masters like George Clinton and Sly Stone learned a few tricks from him as well.  There are very few artists who cut a wider, more diverse path in modern music and also few who inspired artists from so many different genres.


Recommended Recordings:

Many of Watson's recordings are still available, but there are two choice releases that capture the two most productive periods of his career.

Rhino's The Very Best of Johnny "Guitar" Watson has 18 of Watson's best blues tracks spanning from the early 50's to the early 60's, including "Space Guitar," "Hot Little Mama," "Gangster of Love," "Those Lonely Lonely Nights," two versions of "Motor Head Baby," and "Three Hours Past Midnight."  The only track not here that I really wish had been included was his scorching "Hit The Highway," which has been covered by Robert Cray (on his Bad Influence album), and, most recently, but the Andy T - Nick Nixon Band (on their 2013 release, Drink Drank Drunk).  There have been several compilations of this music, but the Rhino set is the best overall package, and features informative liner notes from music biographer David Ritz.

Shout! Factory's The Funk Anthology traces Watson's soul/R&B/funk years from 1970 to his last release in 1994.  While maybe not every blues fan's cup of tea, there is some great, fun music here that really captures the era, with Watson taking his guitar chops (influenced by T-Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown, and others) and his strong vocal style and mixing it in with jazz, R&B, soul, disco, funk, and whatever else could fit in the pot.  This is a two-disc set that pretty much has all his must-hear material from this productive period in his career.  When you hear it, you will see clearly the number of artists he influenced in modern R&B.  This set also features excellent liner notes from Ritz, who should really consider writing a full-fledged biography about Watson in the future.

Magic Blues

This week's post was going to be a completely different subject, but we will have to postpone it for a week or two.  Most blues fans will understand, I hope.

As I've mentioned here before, my journey toward becoming a blues fan really started from my love for rock and roll and soul music.  However, I needed something else, maybe a combination of the two with the electric rock guitar work of artists like Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck and the gritty soul vocals of Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett.  That's what I found with the blues.  It was that simple at the beginning.

Starting with the music of B.B. King, Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, I kept digging deeper, discovering the Chess sounds of Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Howlin' Wolf, then the urban blues of the late 50's/early 60's with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, James Cotton, and Otis Rush.  From there I moved back and discovered the pre-war blues from Robert Johnson (who I had heard earlier, but didn't fully appreciate until I had actually absorbed the blues that followed him and was influenced by him), Son House, Skip James, and Bukka White.  

Later on, I filled gaps, taking in the assorted jump blues and R&B-based blues that were popular in the 40's and early 50's, then I delved deeper into regional blues sounds in Texas, California, Mississippi, Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region, Chicago, Detroit, East Coast, etc....  The blues may be simple music, but a lot of people play it a lot of different ways and I love every bit of it.

I say all this to say that of all the blues music I've heard over the past 25+ years, all the various styles and genres and sub-genres of music that I've experienced, whether blues, rock, jazz, soul or whatever, there have been very few artists who have moved me the way Magic Slim did when he played the blues.  

Magic Slim passed away on Thursday morning (February 21).  He had been on life support, fighting a desperate battle with various ailments concerning ulcers, his lungs, and his heart that have built up over his 75 years of living.  The rumor that he had passed began circulating on Wednesday night and spread like wildfire to the point where it was posted just before 10:00 pm, Chicago time, that the big man was on life support, but it was obvious from the briefness of the statement that he faced an uphill climb.

Since I've followed the blues as a fan, there have been a lot of deaths that hit hard.  Stevie Ray Vaughan's death was really tough because it was so sudden and tragic after he had seemingly regained control of his life.  Luther Allison's death was also tough, in part due to the sudden diagnosis of inoperable cancer, which hit his fans like a 2 x 4, especially those who had seen him play one of his marathon shows just days or weeks before.  Within a month, he was gone.  

There were other deaths that were tough to take, like Junior Wells, Michael Burks, Johnny Copeland, and Albert Collins.  When Collins died, we didn't have the internet to give us instant news, so a lot of his fans (me included) didn't realize he was sick until they saw the obituary in the newspaper.  As we've discussed on this blog before, death is a regular part of the blues fan's existence because so many of the artists are past middle age and many played just as long as they were able to, like Honeyboy Edwards, Pinetop Perkins, and B.B. King (who, despite his age, continues to amaze....I honestly cannot imagine the blues world without B.B. King in it.  When (if?) that day ever comes, it will be a most sad day indeed).

Slim's death is really hard to take because he has been such a constant for so many years.  I mean, he was putting out new CDs almost yearly, either on Blind Pig or Wolf Records.  He toured constantly and when he performed, it was always memorable.  Even though you pretty much knew what you were getting when you heard him, he still managed to surprise you somehow.  

As I wrote last year, since I first heard Magic Slim back in the late 80's and early 90's, he's been my favorite.  Sure, I have others that I like almost as much, but Slim is the one I always return to when I need a dose of the real, unleaded, downhome, greasy, gritty blues.  That raw and ragged guitar work, that driving, nonstop, always-dependable boogie rhythm, those gravelly vocals, and that million dollar smile are just the epitome of blues to me.  If I had to provide someone with an ultimate definition of the blues, I would point to Magic Slim.

Since Wednesday night, I've been reading the many tributes posted on Facebook at his page and on other people's pages.  There are lots of great stories and some really nice tributes from longtime fans and friends and I'm sure there will be many more to come.  The blues world really comes together during times of grief and its almost therapeutic for fans to read these comments and reminiscences.   

I do know that I will be playing a lot of Slim's music this weekend....like I need an excuse....I usually listen to one or two of his CD's each week anyway and spent most of December listening to the Zoo Bar series and his latest Blind Pig release.  If you're not familiar with Magic Slim, you can start anywhere and move backward or forward.  There are 30 or so albums of his music available in one format or another, plus a few DVD's.  It's all good and all blues all the time.



We don't usually get a lot of comments here, but if you would like to share your thoughts, or tell a Magic Slim story, you are always welcome to do so in the Comments below.

I'm almost positive that there's a big reunion going on up in Blues Heaven and the Magic Man is jamming away with his brother, longtime bassist Nick Holt, and his rhythm guitarist from the late 70's/early 80's, Coleman "Alabama Jr." ("Daddy Rabbit") Pettis, and the clouds are rocking.  R.I.P. Magic Slim.  It was quite a ride.

Mount Swampmore

Believe it or not, this week marks the third anniversary of Friday Blues Fix.  Thanks again to all you loyal participants who stop by weekly.  Hopefully, we will continue to make it worth your while for many more years to come.

Once again, it's time to visit one of FBF's most popular topics, constructing one of the various Mount Rushmores of the Blues.  Previously, we've covered Chess Records (Mount Chessmore) as well as an "All Time" Mount Rushmore of the Blues (Mount Bluesmore).  This week, Friday Blues Fix will focus on the Sounds of the Swamp...namely Excello Records...so buckle in and hang on while we look at what could be called Mount Swampmore.

(As always, your opinions may vary from mine.  I would love to hear from anyone who thinks there should be a different face somewhere in the formation, so drop me a line if you have soemtbody else in mind)

Lightnin' Slim - Slim (born Otis Hicks) was the Father of the Louisiana Swamp Blues sound.  His attack was pretty straight forward, gritty vocals with rudimentary electric guitar attack backed by harmonica and drums.....the country blues plugged into that magnificent atmospheric echo-ey production that was so exclusive to the recordings being produced by Excello in their Crowley, LA studios.  His music sounds easy, but if it was, everybody would be playing it, and there hasn't been anybody who played it quite like Lightnin' Slim.  Songs like "Rooster Blues," "I'm Evil," "Bad Luck and Trouble," and "I'm a Rollin' Stone" are Swamp Blues at their finest.  There may have been others who sold more records and maybe achieved a little more popularity down through the years, but Lightnin' Slim was the one who put the music on the map and paved the way for others to follow.

Slim Harpo - To me, there are a couple of no-brainers that will adorn this monument, and Slim Harpo (born James Moore) is one of them.  Though he came a decade after Lightnin' Slim, he achieved a bit more success than his predecessor.  His music wasn't as intense and cathartic as Slim's could be.....not even close, but his country-flavored vocals, mixed with the occasional rock & roll rhythms, and his laid-back delivery was appealing to a wider and more diverse audience, so Harpo enjoyed a bit more commercial success over his career with such classic tunes as "Baby, Scratch My Back," "I'm A King Bee," "Rainin' In My Heart," "I Got Love If You Want It," and "Te Ni Nee Ni Nu."  Harpo's music was not only covered by black musicians, but also numerous white musicians, both in the U.S. and over in Europe.  It was music that appealed to people of all colors, and it still does.

Lazy Lester - In 1987, I got to see Lazy Lester (born Leslie Johnson) perform with some of his biggest admirers, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, before I even knew what Swamp Blues was.  I had no idea what it was, but I knew I liked it after I heard him.  Lester started out backing Lightnin' Slim on harmonica and graduated to recording his own songs in the mid 50's, doing so until the mid 60's, resulting in such blues standards as "I Hear You Knockin'," "Sugar Coated Love," "The Same Thing Could Happen To You," "Ponderosa Stomp," and "If You Think I've Lost You."  Then, he just stopped playing music for a long time, resurfacing in the late 80's and recording five or six great discs that sounded like he'd never been off the scene.  He is still active today, and if you've not experienced Lazy Lester in action, I strongly recommend that you seek him out first chance you get.

The last choice was tough, because there are so many artists who could easily fill this slot, such as Silas Hogan, Lonesome Sundown, Raful Neal, Kenny Neal, Katie Webster, Larry Garner....see what I mean.  Any of these musicians would fit into that spot seamlessly.

However, I opted for one Ernest L. "Tabby" Thomas to fill the fourth and final spot and I don't think many could argue.  Though he didn't score a lot of hits over his career (the Crescent City-flavored "Hoodo Party" was his biggest hit in the early 60's), he is most widely known for his Baton Rouge blues club, Tabby's Blues Box and Heritage Hall, which he opened in the late 70's/early 80's.  The Blues Box played the blues and only the blues, mostly by local talent, so even when the music hit a dry spell, Thomas' club allowed most of these local Swamp Blues artists ample opportunity to play and a friendly venue to boot.  Most of the artists mentioned above played at the Blues Box and many others, too.  Even Thomas' son, Chris Thomas King (you may have seen him in O Brother Where Art Thou) got his start in the club.  Thomas continued to perform and record over time...his 1999 release, Swamp Man Blues, updated the Swamp Blues in an impressive fashion and wasn't heard by nearly enough people.  He suffered a major stroke in 2004, but has recovered to the point where he can sing.  The Blues Box had to close around that time as well, due to an overpass that was being constructed in the area.  Thomas still hosts a radio show on WBRH in Baton Rouge that plays nothing but the blues every Saturday afternoon.  For not only playing the Swamp Blues, but also providing a longtime venue for so many others to play them, Tabby Thomas gets the fourth and final spot on Mount Swampmore.

2013 Blues Hall of Fame Inductees

Soul/Blues singer Otis Clay

Pianist Little Brother Montgomery

Arranger/Songwriter Henry Glover

Early Chicago Guitarist Jody Williams

The Blue Yodeler - Jimmie Rodgers

Blues Guitarists' Guitarist Earl Hooker

Contemporary Bluesman Joe Louis Walker

New Orleans Studio Wizard  Cosimo Matassa

New Blues For You (Winter 2013 Edition)

Before we get started this week, a little information to share with you.......A couple of weeks ago, Chicago blues man Eddie C. Campbell suffered a heart attack and stroke while touring in Germany.  Campbell is now out of ICU and is slowly recovering, but is paralyzed on his right side.  His prognosis for recovery is dependent on him receiving the proper medical care, which will include therapy, but he has no medical coverage in Germany and flying home is going to be a challenge as he will need a medical escort or, in the best case scenario, an air ambulance, which will cost around $80,000.  A "Bring Eddie Home" benefit is scheduled on February 17th at Rosa's Lounge in Chicago, and will feature area blues musicians, such as Eddie Shaw, Eddy Clearwater, Deitra Farr, Zora Young, Jimmy Johnson, Lurrie Bell, and many others.    If you're too far away to make the show, there's a link to Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=EW7MD74X66SPE) where you can make a contribution.  If you're not able to donate, please keep Campbell and his family in your prayers.




2013 looks to be getting off to a good start as far as new blues recordings go, possibly improving on what was a pretty impressive 2012 list of standouts.  This week, Friday Blues Fix will look at five new releases that deserve to be heard by all respectable blues fans as soon as possible.  As always, you can find expanded reviews of each of these CDs in a future issue of Blues Bytes.


4 Jacks - Deal With It (EllerSoul):  The latest blues super group features Texas guitarist extraordinaire Anson Funderburgh, singer/drummer Big Joe Maher (of Big Joe and the Dynaflows), keyboardist Kevin McKendree (Delbert McClinton's bandleader) and Nashville bass player Steve Mackey.  This disc is a pretty well-rounded set of blues and roots music, opening with the funky title track, a Booker T.-styled instrumental, and moving from smooth jump blues to urban blues to soul to raucous rockers.  Most longtime blues fans know that Funderburgh and Maher are pretty skilled at all these styles, but McKendree and Mackey provide a tight rhythmic backing that makes an excellent release even better.  This is one that you really need to seek out and, while you're at it, take a look at the remainder of EllerSoul Records' wonderful catalog of recordings.  Meanwhile, check out the band in action on this great instrumental from the disc, "Texas Twister."

The Lucky Peterson Band (Featuring Tamara Peterson) - Live at the 55 Arts Club Berlin (Blackbird Music):  Lucky Peterson has been playing the blues since he was five years old....that's over FORTY years, folks.  He served in Little Milton's band and Bobby "Blue" Bland's band before striking out on his own at the tender age of 21.  He's been very active on the recording and touring scene in both the U.S. and the world.  Peterson's blues mixes traditional sounds with modern slices of funk and R&B.  He started out on keyboards, but has developed into an excellent guitarist over the years.  Since the mid 90's, Peterson's wife, Tamara, has been touring and recording with the band, adding some pop and jazz sensibilities to Peterson's repertoire.  In addition, Peterson's band is one of the best in the business, with Shawn Kellerman contributing some killer lead guitar throughout this performance taped in Berlin recently.  This set includes two DVD's and two CD's of the performance, plus a bonus DVD that features Peterson's band warming up the audience with several songs of their own, plus some "Behind the Scenes" clips of the band in rehearsal and an interview with the engaging Peterson.  The set itself is a mix of both Peterson's own compositions, plus some covers of traditional blues classics, and a countrified blues restructuring of Prince's "Kiss."  Peterson is a blues lifer who should actually be better known than he is, based on his talent and showmanship.  This first-rate set is a fine introduction to his talents.

The Andy T-Nick Nixon Band - Drink Drank Drunk (Delta Groove):  Andy Talamantez has been a blues fan since he was a kid, first hearing it, like most of us, from artists like Eric Clapton, but then tracing Clapton's music back to the original sources, like T-Bone Walker, Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, etc...  Then, he started playing himself and was soon backing Smokey Wilson and Guitar Shorty.  A move to Nashville found him teaming up with Nick Nixon, a music vet who had settled down to teach music in Music City.  Drink Drank Drunk is their debut recording, and it's a dandy, produced by Anson Funderburgh and featuring two other 4 Jacks members in its line-up of backing musicians (Kevin McKendree and Steve Mackey.  The disc offers up some sizzling cover tunes, plus a few originals that hold up very well to the standards, like the one on the video linked below, "Have You Seen My Monkey."  Nixon belts out vocals like his life depends on it, blasting out vocals with hurricane force, while Andy T's fretwork is spot-on, never a note out of place, similar in style to his producer, who also plays guitar here.  Looks like this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship that, hopefully, will last for years to come.  Blues fans will certainly hope so.

Robert "Top" Thomas - The Town Crier (WildRoots):  If you're a longtime blues fan, dating at least back to the early 90's, you may be familiar with a Florida-based band called Smokehouse.  Smokehouse recorded for the late, much lamented Kingsnake Records.  Thomas was one of Smokehouse's founding members and also one of the driving forces behind the band's "Florida Swamp Blues" sound that mixed Excello-styled Louisiana blues with the Mississippi Delta blues.  Yes, it was a potent mix.  This is Thomas' debut release as a solo act and it continues the Smokehouse tradition with some of the sweatiest, swampiest grooves this side of Lazy Lester, whose classic tune, "The Same Thing Could Happen To You," gets a remodel job, with the added attraction of Swamp Sista (and FBF friend) Beth McKee's accordion thrown into the mix.  Thomas' guitar work is super and his vocals are a perfect mix of swamp drawl and delta growl, with a little bit of country thrown in for good measure.  Check out Thomas' "Lazy Miss Daisy" below and you'll get a good idea of what so much fun about this disc.

Kevin Selfe - Long Walk Home (Delta Groove):  This is another keeper from Delta Groove, from an up-and-coming star, whose previous release, Playing the Game, was one of my favorites of 2011.  Selfe, a reformed weatherman, gave up a potentially lucrative career in meteorology for the blues life, and I would say he chose wisely.  His guitar work shows amazing versatility, and his songwriting is very original, with clever, sometimes humorous lyrics and themes.  Selfe plays the blues pretty straight, with an emphasis on jump blues and shuffles, but he does mix in a few acoustic numbers, pays tribute to Magic Sam on one West Side-flavored tune, shows off some pretty fine slide work, and he also can rock the house pretty well when required.  Selfe and his band, the Tornadoes, get a helping hand from harmonica player Mitch Kashmar, keyboardist Gene Taylor (The Blasters, Fabulous Thunderbirds), and drummer Jimi Bott.  I think we'll be hearing much, much more from Kevin Selfe in the future, but blues fans will surely enjoy this one right now.