RORY BLOCK ERIC BIBB

Traveling The Acoustic Road

LIL ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS

Still House Rockin

ROBERT CRAY
Redefining The Blues
DAVID MAXWELL ON
ISSUE # 132 NOV/DEC 2011
www.bluesrevue.com 1 1>

OTIS SPANN
TAJ MAHAL & KEB MO LIVE

25274 81378 0 US $5.99 Canada $7.99 UK 4.60 Australia A$15.95

FEATURES

8
ISSUE #132 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

ROBERT CRAY
A Modern Voice
BY

TIM PARSONS

COLUMNS
3 4 27 29 From the Top ... CHIP EAGLE Editors Solo ... ART TIPALDI Down in the Delta ... ROGER STOLLE Steady Rollin ... BOB MARGOLIN

14 17

RORY BLOCK
Honoring Her Teachers
BY

ART TIPALDI

LIL ED
Upward Slide: House-Rocking For More Than 25 Years
BY

MICHAEL COTE

DEPARTMENTS
6 22 25 31 67 70 News From The Field Q&A
> interview with Beth Hart > Otis Spann

20

ERIC BIBB
Donning The Cape and Flying
BY

DON WILCOCK

Legends Of The Roots Right On the Number Last Notes Classieds

> in memoriam

> harmonica instruction

REVIEWS
32 35 64 65 72 Club BR
> concert reviews

CD Reviews BR avo!
> ofce picks > reviews in brief

Blues Bites After Hours

SUBSCRIBE TO
PHONE (866) 702-7778 E-MAIL service@bluesrevue.com WEB www.BluesRevue.com
PHOTOGRAPHY AIGARS LAPSA

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH A. ROSEN

Editors Note: This issues From The Top was contributed by Jack Sullivan, our Circulation Director.

The 54th Grammy Awards Give Blues A Voice!

Im disgusted! It is unimaginable that any foundation as prestigious as The Grammys would fail to recognize the genre of music called blues. Thats right on the Grammy website, the one category where a blues artist can be awarded a Grammy is listed under the Americana Roots genre. However, we at Blues Revue feel that the blues should viewed as its own genre on the Grammy website, with the equal respect afforded the other musical genres like Rock and Roll, Country, Jazz, R&B, and even Polka. Nonetheless, blues is a genre rich in history and traditions; blues is an America art form built on the backs of hardworking musicians; its a music that has inuenced many genres on the radio today. Today blues is global with bands and fans from Nepal to Chicago; and we at Blues Revue, The Worlds Blues Magazine, service subscribers in over 50 countries. So all were asking our global community is to be recognized as a genre called blues. Since the Grammys began in 1958, blues has never had more than two categories. Blues was simply not on the radar or radios of many Americans during the 1950s and 1960s so it is understandable that The Grammys didnt recognize the blues either as a genre or a category. Call it coincidence that the rst category for a blues artist didnt appear until 1970 as the undeniable inuence of the blues on rock n roll was evident in the British Explosion. Was this why the category was created and named Best Ethnic Or Traditional Recording? The rst Grammy was awarded to T-Bone Walker for Good Feeling. B.B. King won the Best Rhythm and Blues Vocal Performance by a Male for The Thrill Is Gone that year also. However, to not recognize blues as its own unique genre of music, with its rich historical background, not to mention the inuence blues has had on several other genres listed at the Grammy website, is clear evidence of their disrespect towards this purely American art form. The blues began as a voice in the darkness. A voice that ultimately captured the ears of the world. We ask you to give blues its voice back, give us the recognition this genre deserves. The recognition and respect that has already been paid in full to the likes of B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, Howlin Wolf, and the tens of thousands of blues musicians around the globe who play this music everyday. Give blues a voice. Recognize blues as a genre equal to Jazz, R&B, Soul, Gospel, Country, Rock and Roll, and Polka. This is a small request from one of Americas original art forms to one of Americas iconic companies, which we support and believe was thoughtfully created to support music. To that end, our publication is taking a stand and asking blues fans around the world to join with us. Blues Revue has started a petition, which will be submitted to the Grammy Foundation the week of the Grammys this February 12th. You can help. Go to bluesrevue.com and sign the petition Give Blues A Voice. Your favorite bands will appreciate the support. In the immortal words of the iconic blues musician Willie Dixon, Blues is the roots, everything else is the fruits. Give blues its voice! As our esteemed publisher always says, Good Blues to Ya! Jack Sullivan, Circulation Manager

BLUES REVUE

PUBLISHER: Chip Eagle

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Art Tipaldi CIRCULATION DIRECTOR: Jack Sullivan CUSTOMER SERVICE: Kyle Morris GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Andrew Miller

I saw Sonny Boys spirit on Franks face / when heaven came to Helena
This October was a time for me to revisit a special place in the yearly cycle of the blues: the revitalized King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas. Though I attended it from 1994 through 2000, lifes demands kept me from it until this year. What I found was the same magical aura that rst attracted me there. From Thursday through Saturday, KBBF is all things blues, from stages facing picturesque levees to stages set in every Cherry Street nook, this festival is awash in the blues of the region. Few blues festivals prepare you for the blues by having you driving through Delta cotton elds to feel the authentic history of the economic and social systems that gave birth to the blues. At 26 years old, the King Biscuit Blues Festival is the taproot of American blues festivals. When you add in the Sunday Pinetop Perkins Homecoming Festival held each year at the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale and nightly jams at Reds Lounge or Ground Zero in nearby Clarksdale, there was more then enough blues to satisfy every blues lover. Kudos go out to Munnie Jordan, Bubba Sullivan, and their crew of dedicated volunteers who make this weekend a festival fans from around the world travel to each year. And a tip of the blues hat to Don Wilcock and Roger Stolle for the creation of the inaugural sessions of Call And Response: The King Biscuit Blues Forum. On Saturday morning, over 200 fans were treated to up close and personal discussions featuring many performers from the festivals all-star line-up. The man who walked by me in the backstage media section of the KBBF looked very familiar, but I couldnt place the face. He was an older man wearing a knit rasta hat; the kind one wears to hold in dreads. Each time he passed, I was ipping the mental Rolodex. During the James Cotton show, he was standing a few people in front of me diggin everything Cotton was playing.

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
David Barrett / Michael Cote / Thomas J. Cullen III Bill Dahl / Hal Horowitz / Tom Hyslop / Larry Nager Bill Wasserzieher / Don Wilcock

COLUMNISTS
Doug MacLeod / Bob Margolin / Roger Stolle

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Vincent Abbate / Michael Cala / Thomas Clarke Kay Cordtz / Ted Drozdowski / Robert Feuer Rev. Keith Gordon / Tim Holek / Brian D. Holland Stacy Jeffress / Michael Kinsman / Brian Owens Tim Parsons / Bob Putignano / Phil Reser / Bob Sekinger Richard Skelly / Eric Thom / M.E. Travaglini / Bill Vitka Nick DeRiso / Wade Tatangelo / Eric Wrisley

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Robert Barclay / Mark Goodman / Les Gruseck Aigars Lapsa / Doug Richard / Joseph A. Rosen Dusty Scott / Marilyn Stringer / Susan Thorsen

FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION www.bluesrevue.com E-mail: service @ bluesrevue.com FOR BUSINESS AND CIRCULATION QUESTIONS E-mail: circulation @ bluesrevue.com FOR MEDIA SUBMISSIONS Mail To: Blues Revue P .O. Box 42306, Urbandale, IA 50323 TO ADVERTISE Contact: Jack Sullivan Phone: (866) 702-7778 E-mail: circulation @ bluesrevue.com

Blues Revue welcomes articles, photos, and any material about the blues suitable for publication. Please direct queries to the Editorial Office. Blues Revue assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, or illustrations. Material may be edited at the discretion of the editors. To be credited and reimbursed, all submissions, including photographs, must be properly marked with name, address, and telephone number of author/artist/photographer. Payment for unsolicited materials is at the full discretion of the publisher. All material becomes the property of Blues Revue.

It was then the man next to me asked, Is that Robert Plant? BINGO. Though Buddy Guy was up next, he left after Cottons show. I found out the next day that Plant was sighted shopping for folk art at Stan Streets Hambone Gallery and watching Lightnin Malcolm Wednesday night at Clarksdales renovated New Roxy Theater. And he was doing exactly what blues fans and I do on our Mississippi blues pilgrimages, soaking in the Delta, going to Sonny Boys grave in Tutwiler, and looking at cotton, the cotton that grows in the elds and the Cotton that blows one-of-a-kind harmonica. Sometimes, sadly, the true measure of a person is only realized after he or she passes away. Such was the case of Willie Big Eyes Smith for me. Though Ive watched him perform at festivals and clubs for nearly 20 years, I did not have an off-stage relationship with him. It was through the poignant tributes that occurred over and over during the King Biscuit weekend that I truly understood what Id missed by not befriending Willie as he lived. At every show, performers invoked his memory. And the legions of fans responded. There were two beautiful tributes to Smith featuring Bob Margolin, Bob Corritore, Bob Stroger, and Kenny Smith, Willies highly talented son. To hear Kenny sing was like hearing Willie all over again. Last summer, Kenny and Willie were starting on a Knee To Knee feature for BR. Here is one of Willies lessons to Kenny. Kenny: What was the most important thing you wanted me to know about being a drummer? Willie: I wanted you to know that you play a very important part in the band. You are the timekeeper and you and the bass player sets the tone for the entire band. That can make or break the band. Remember you aint gotta emulate nobody just play the blues from your heart and your soul and its gonna come together. Let the music keep our spirits high.

Blues Revue is 2011 Visionation, Ltd.

The opinions expressed in this publication by individual columnists or contributors are not necessarily the editorial opinion of Blues Revue. Persons wishing to write letters to the editor are invited and encouraged to do so.

Blues Revue (ISSN Number 1091-7543) is published bimonthly by Visionation, Ltd., 8081 NW 54th Ave, Johnston, IA 50131. Periodicals postage is paid at Johnston, IA, and at additional mailing ofces. Subscription rates (for 6 issues) are: U.S. $ 35/year, Canada & Mexico $ 40/year, Overseas $ 50/year. U.S. funds only, cash, check on a U.S. bank, or IMO, Visa/MC/AmEx/Discover accepted. Allow six to eight weeks for change of address and new subscriptions to begin. If you need help concerning your subscription, e-mail service @bluesrevue.com, call (866) 702-7778 between 8a.m. and 8p.m. EST, or write to the business address Blues Revue, P.O. Box 42306, Urbandale, IA 50323. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Blues Revue, P.O. Box 42306, Urbandale, IA 50323.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

NEWS
L

PHILLY HONORS SISTER ROSETTA

On Monday October 24, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-1973), the pioneering gospel musician, was honored by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission with the dedication of an Historical Marker at 1102 Master St., her former North Philadelphia home. Speaking at the event were Mark Carpentieri from M.C. Records who released Shout Sister Shout, A Tribute To Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Karen Galle of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Beth Warshaw-Duncan of Girls Rock Philly, and Gayle Wald of George Washington University, who wrote the liner notes on the M.C. Records release. Tharpes inuence on American music began in the 1930s when she was a pioneering gospel musician. Then in the 1940s she took her sanctied music to the masses, laying the groundwork for the rock and roll guitar that soon followed. Her nal 15 years were spent living at her Master St. home until her 1973 death from complications due to diabetes. In 1998, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in her honor. She is a member of the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame. Sister Rosetta Tharpe rests today at Northwood Cemetery in Philadelphia. There is a new documentary on the blues and gospel pioneer by director Mark Csaky titled The Godmother of Rock & Roll: Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Girls Rock Philly (GRP), a local music and mentoring non-prot organization, and The Friends of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the committee responsible for funding the Historical Marker, sponsored these events.

FEAR NOTHING
Its always about a voice, and Beverly McClellan has one. In 2011, McClellan took a friends dare and submitted a video to the NBC show, The Voice. Within weeks, McClellan was brought on the show as a contestant who the judges were ghting over. In the end, she was mentored by Christina Aguilera and provided the opportunity to sing duets with Aguilera. But the real story is McClellans love and devotion to the blues and other American music. Born in East Tennessee and raised in Virginia, McClellan already has four

solo CDs to her credit, has years of touring tiny clubs under her belt, plays more then ten instruments, and writes her own material.

On this national debut, McClellan has enlisted the production help of David Z (and Keb Mo on A Way Out), the musical backing of Tony Braunagal, Hutch Hutchinson, Jim Pugh, Josh Sklair, and her own longtime guitarist, Billy Vazquez. Thats quite a studio punch. But it is her songs of joy and celebration delivered by a voice that is both powerful and nuanced that connects. Her only cover, Blind Willie Johnsons Nobodys Fault But Mine, is as authentic as any blues could be. Lets hope the blues world goes beyond appearances and welcomes McClellan to its stage.

HOUSE OF BLUES RADIO MAKEOVER

The House of Blues Radio has launched its newly redesigned online blues website. TheBluesMobile.com is the companion website to the House of Blues Radio Hour hosted by Dan Aykroyd (Elwood Blues). Now music fans have easy and exclusive access to Elwoods Briefcase Full of Blues that features The House of Blues Radio Hour audio stream, set lists and sneak previews. TheBluesMobile.com includes original blues music, the Top 15 Blues Chart,

the Blues Breaker, and Elwoods new song of the week. The site also contains blues photos, podcasts, videos, interviews, merchandise, and contests. Producer Ben Manilla says, For over 19 years, Dan Aykroyd and I have been collaborating on The House of Blues Radio Hour, the longest running syndicated blues series in U.S. history. TheBluesMobile.com is an active extension of the radio show and plugs into the vast library of video and audio we have amassed and still gather. We feel the new website is a continuation of our mission to celebrate this great American music.

Beginning in February 2012, they will be changing the name of The House of Blues Radio Hour to Elwoods BluesMobile. Look for our talk with Aykroyd about this and other blues matters in the upcoming BR#133.

BLUES REVUE WINNERS

WINNERS OF OUR 12-PACK CD GIVEAWAY

Stephen Mislyan of Sarasota, FL Gary Lamoureaux of Gresham, OR Catherine Frook of Kincardine, ON, Canada
ANOTHER BENEFIT OF SUBSCRIBING TO BLUES REVUE Magazine

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

ROBERT CRAY

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY MIKE SHEA

A MODERN VOICE
by Tim Parsons

obert Cray usually goes on stage as the end-of-show headliner but that was no solace to him during last springs Blues Foundations Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He was nervous, and his trepidation grew with each speaker who preceded him to the dais. Afterward, he was self-deprecating about his oratory performance when his moment nally arrived. I had stuff written out, and after listening to everybody else and how funny they were, it just made mine look like toilet paper, Cray said. I got up there and it just started stumbling out the wrong way. I couldnt wait to get off the stage. I am not comfortable with the speaking thing. Im better when I have a guitar in my hand and the guys backing me up, but put me on stage by myself and it doesnt work. Guitar in hand, Crays music, however, speaks eloquence, capturing the attention of listeners who lean closer when he makes his guitar whisper. The rhythm is engaging, the stories compelling. Its like being in a groovy conversation. A shining career no doubt was envisioned by the conventional wisdom in the blues community after Cray gained national prominence with the breakthrough 1986 album, Strong Persuader. But his path to greatness has a unique set of footprints that the blues world is happy to embrace. Do you want me to give you a handle? asked Jim Pugh, the Robert Cray Band keyboard player since 1989. Robert sings like Johnnie Taylor, plays like B.B. King, writes songs like hes Elvis Costello, and he looks like Sidney Poitier.

THE VOICE
Blues acionados took notice of Crays voice in 1983 with the release of the second album, Bad Inuence, which sold a million copies. The record opened with a song Albert King not only covered, he used its opening verse for an album title. Cray emerged from Phone Booth as a blues superman.

BLUES REVUE

Oh my God, Robert has a golden voice, said Roy Rogers, who later put Cray and John Lee Hooker together in the studio. Your guitar style mimics your voice. His guitar goes perfectly with his vocal chops, the way he sings. Its kind of a call and response in his own way. Crays lifelong friend and band member Richard Cousins called Cray his favorite singer in the world. You could argue for Prince or all kinds of people, but Roberts my favorite because of his taste and restraint and not just (doing) things for braggadocio. It has to mean something for him to play or sing. Robert Cray, Keb Mo said, as far as the blues singers, I think of the new blues singers of the last generation after Junior Wells and all those guys, I think hes the best one. Being able to open your mouth and make a noise like that is what separates him from a lot of people, Pugh said. Singing like that is a gift, and I worked for 10 years with Etta James. But in the 1980s to the less arcane, listeners did not clamor for another Bobby Blue Bland. They wanted and anticipated another Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Cray inspired a teenaged Davy Knowles, who has relocated from the United Kingdom to Chicago and is a rising star among esoteric guitar fans. His band that captured international attention was called Back Door Slam, in honor of a Blind Blake tune, arranged by former Cray drummer Kevin Hayes and his sister Bonnie and released on Crays Time Will Tell album in 2003. My dad took me to see Robert Cray when I was 16 and he played that song, and that was one of the moments that stood out for me, Knowles said I just thought, Oh my gosh, I need to be doing this. Another ascending guitarist, Trampled Under Foots Nick Schnebelen, said, Every time I see him, I walk away with new ideas. He plays stuff that you can understand and it sounds great. Its really blues and then hes got these real sophisticated rhythm

THE GUITAR
Crays guitar playing was singularly superb, but not in the same fashion of aggressive lead players like Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, and B.B. King. Nevertheless, that was a presumed path. He was supposed to be a gunslinger, like all the others who transcended the genre to attain mainstream recognition and Grammy Awards. Thats (because of where) everything was going, Cray said. Stevie Ray had had his major label debuts before we did, so I think that was where it was trying to go. But we had always been different from word one because we did the R&B thing as well. Crays guitar tone is instantly recognizable. With strong hands, he works the strings so hard they must be retuned after every song. Thats why he performs with two guitars. I guess its one persons touch on the neck, Cray explained. My thing is, I started playing Stratocasters in 79, and before I played on Gibsons. But I liked the Stratocasters sound and I always used a bright tone and I think that was because I was always a big Albert Collins fan and he had the strong attack. I didnt like 12-inch speakers, which to me sound a little bit slow in delivering the punch. So I used 10-inch speakers. Maybe that gives me a little bit brighter sound. His sound is the envy of some of todays greatest players. If you ask me what I would like to do, I would like to be able to have phrasing so well developed like Robert Cray, Albert Collins, Ronnie Earl, said Europes Ana Popovic. When you hear them, you can always say, This is Robert or Albert or Ronnie playing. What only the greatest of guitar players have is their unique phrasing. He stayed true to his style, tone and phrasing from the beginning, which is fabulous. Rogers, a slide guitarist, produced the song Baby Lee, with Cray and Hooker. Roberts a pocket player, not just a lead player, he said. He has that classic Strat tone. Hes just in the pocket with his rhythm chops. Great rhythm as well as lead. Hes got the chunk. He can put that groove down. Hes one of those guitar players who establishes his own groove. Its soulful but its bluesy. New Orleans, 1991

10

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH A. ROSEN

parts that he puts together that are rhythmically interesting as well and melodic and very fun to listen to, and I notice his guitar parts really meld with the keyboard parts.

Tony Braunagels Workaholic Ethic

ROBERTS MAKING SOME MOVES, the caller said. Keep your
mouth shut; dont say anything. Are you interested? Tony Braunagel was intrigued. But he certainly was plenty busy producing albums, recording in the studio and playing with the Phantom Blues Band. I didnt want to sound blas but I was happy with not being on the road too much, and I was making a very fair good living in town, the drummer said. The phone rang again a couple of months later. Look man, you dont want to lose this opportunity. A month later, Braunagel called bassist Richard Cousins back and said yes, he would join the Robert Cray Band. CRAY AND BRAUNAGEL Braunagels trepidation doubtless was because of what he knows about himself. He will give 100 percent to anything he takes on because he is a self-described perfectionist. And he recently produced albums for Curtis Salgado, Trampled Under Foot, Eric Burdon, and Billy Thompson. But for someone as vigorous as Braunagel, why not take on another major project? I am driven, he said. I have tons of energy. I cannot sit still. Its difcult for me to take a vacation. I have such a passion for what I do I cant stop thinking about it. So in 2008 Braunagel and Cousins joined Cray and Jim Pugh, Crays keyboard player since 1989, and someone who Braunagel played with for Etta James in the 1980s on Monday nights at the Vine Street Bar and Grill in Los Angeles. Tonys got more energy than anybody in the combo, said Pugh said. Tonys a very exuberant and very enthusiastic, Cousins added. Tony takes it personally. Hes personally involved. Hes not phoning it in. Hes not doing it so he can get a stick named after him. Hes got a stick. When Cray told him he could hire his rhythm section partner, Cousins considered only Braunagel. Wed always been boys and seen eye to eye about (music), Cousins said. I didnt want to have an L.A. audition. I wanted a made guy that I knew understood me. Braunagel has plenty of experience in high-prole bands, seven years with Bonnie Raitt, more than a decade with Taj Mahal, living ve years in England when he was with Backstreet Crawler and later Crawler. He also performed and recorded with players like Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, Otis Rush, and Lightnin Hopkins. Nothing can feel better than when somebody wants you for what you do, Braunagel said. That means that you get to go in there and you get to be yourself. And thats what this band is about. Its a good t. We all have backgrounds that were similar in what wed learned and listened to when we were kids: blues R&B, gospel, The Beatles. Braunagel only used part of his arsenal on the record 18 snare drums, two drum kits, three bass drums, and about 30 cymbals. Im completely nuts, he confessed. But they all have a voice and once I get to know
PHOTOGRAPHY AIGARS LAPSA

THE SONGS
Crays words are as integral to his music as his guitar and voice. Theres a story, he said. I think I picked up a lot of that from Dennis Walker (who produced, wrote and co-wrote songs with Cray from the 1980 debut Whos Been Talkin through 1992s I Was Warned). His songs are very visual. Cray has continuously recorded albums for more than 30 years. The record Take Your Shoes Off captured a 2000 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, one of ve for Cray. Crays songwriting has evolved, Pugh said. He has stretched out into other styles with a slight nod to Caribbean, salsa, reggae every once in a while, slightly jazz, he said. Cousins described the blueprint. It was always our thing to make blues more than the stereotype, he said. We always wanted to make the blues itself a song-orientated genre. Not guitar-oriented or piano-oriented or harmonica-orientated. Of course, we were all inuenced by the great players of the idiom but we were all trying to enforce the idea of expanding it by song. Cray said his songwriting has matured and hes losing enthusiasm for guitar solos. Its changed, he said. You grow older and, like Richard said, its been about the songs and the stories, and I think as you get older the stories mean more to you. Its the song thats the most important thing and, its like you said here, it is not right away the guitars jumping in your face. To me its not the best way to deliver a story. You have to have a story and you have to have the vehicle to carry the story and the solo is just an added bonus. And sometimes, you dont really need a solo.

THE BAND
Cray and Cousins became friends in 1969, meeting, Cousins said, at some silly, park hippie jam. They had commonalties. Crays father was in the Army, Cousins the Air Force. After high school, they moved to Eugene, OR. and started a band. Singerharp player Curtis Salgado found out about them and joined the group for a few years. A saxophone player said there are these two young black guys in town and they play the blues and theyre pretty good,

BLUES REVUE

11

Ethic

CONTINUED

that voice it means something to me. It makes me play a certain way. And I hear that when I record. Hes a genius, Pugh said. Hes the master of Americana music, but on rhythm and blues in particular he really is sort of an authority, and its really an honor to play with him. In 2000, Braunagel produced Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Bands Grammy winning, Best Contemporary Blues Album, Shoutin in Key, and he has played on three other Grammy winners. Salgado hired Braunagel to co-produce with Marlon McClain the 2008 album, Clean Getaway, titled for the singers cancer battle. You walk into a room and everybody is into the exact same music you are, Salgado said, referring to Braunagel and the other Phantom Blue Band members who appear on the CD. These guys really understand the idiom very well. Its singer-songwriter stuff with that big brush stroke of grease right down the middle of it. So we made a record where Ive never had a better experience in my entire life, Salgado said. We were either laughing or recording and it just came together. Tonys just easy to work with and he coordinates the stuff, Salgado said. Hes open-minded and for me we think the exact same thing. He understands the idiom. As a producer, Braunagel has worked with every kind of musician, from a hall of famer like Burdon to youngsters like the Schnebelen siblings from Trampled Under Foot. Everybody is a different situation and you cant treat any of them completely the same, Braunagel said. People who are newer at it. People who are younger. And Billy [Thompson] who is in his mid-50s. Hes not really touchy. But everybodys touchy. Its his art and everybodys touchy on certain levels. Braunagel occasionally uses the executive disease technique. Sometimes with certain people, when you get to know them, you just bring up an idea and you dont say anything else about it, he said. A week later they call up and say, Ive got a really great idea. And you go, Well, that sounds great, lets do it. Drummer Kris Schnebelen said he was nervous to work with Braunagel, who produced 2011s Wrong Side Of The Blues. I dont get stage fright often any more, but it is intimidating, he said. I did a good job of putting myself in his hands, and it made me a much better drummer. He has elevated us. Its just that simple. Danielle Schnebelen said Braunagel improved her song writing and the lessons she learned in the studio she now uses on the stage. Its easy when you are playing 200 shows a year, at least, to just get set in your ways, she said. Since recording with him, I really try and keep it fresh and make every delivery, every word, mean 100 percent in not only the way that you feel it, but in the way that you sing it. You have to be condent in what youre saying or you will sound unsure. Its a whole different side of the coin now when I perform. Braunagel rst played with Danielle Schnebelen during a 2009 Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise on a jam with Bob Margolin and Debbie Davies. When cruise organizer Roger Nabor requested Id Rather Go Blind, Danielle, a huge Etta James fan, took charge of the arrangement. I had no idea that Tony had played with Etta quiet a bit and had her to his house and stuff, she said. I was telling him how the song goes and he was really sweet about it. He didnt say anything. When we went to record later he was telling me stories about Etta James, and I thought, Oh my god, Im such a dork. Add humility the list of Braunagels qualities. Tim Parsons

Salgado said. I said really? Theyre young? Theyre black? Question mark. This is like 1974 or 75, right? Young and black guys into the blues, unheard of, especially in Eugene, OR. During a 2007 fundraiser concert for Salgado, who played on Crays debut album, Cray reunited with Cousins, who had been out of the band for many years. The drummer was the Phantom Blues Bands Tony Braunagel. Braunagel and I were able to hold it to something less than chaos, Cousins said. Cray said, I noticed Richard pushing and driving the rhythm section which is something he used to do when he and I played together. It was a great opportunity to jam and once again see how Richard was running things. And I got a real close look at Tony. Soon after, Cray sought a new rhythm section. Cousins returned and he selected drummer Braunagel, a top session player and producer who was used to performing with the best: Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, and Etta James. Richard brings back that solid chemistry thats been there all the years, Cray said. Tony brings in a whole new dynamic. Hes a veteran. Hes got years of experience playing this kind of music and other kinds of music so its a refreshing avor to add to Jim Pugh whos been with the band since 89. Its pretty cool. Roberts really somebody who encourages people to follow their muse and really let it out and be who you are, Pugh said. Theres a lot of reasons Ive been here for 22 years. Whats the plot? Braunagel asked. The plot is this really great singer-songwriter-guitar player. Make him sound good, yet enjoy and express yourself as well. And interchange with everybody else, and this band plays really well off of each other. You can play around and express yourself and you can sneak up and say something musically, and no one turns around and puts their hands up and says, Oh no, dont do that! All of the members contributed to writing This Time, released in August 2009. Another album is expected to be recorded this winter and released by August, Cray said.

THE PERFORMANCE
Blues Revue was able to catch the Robert Cray Band on consecutive weekends in August for concerts in Truckee and Mammoth Lakes, where Cray stepped on stage at noon on a Sunday. Id sure love to say good evening, Cray quipped, condent in the company of his guitar and quartet. I would wear shades but it affects my hearing. When a beach ball bounced from the crowd, Cray with his left foot playfully booted it back. Im having a ball, he said. This twelve oclock start aint so bad. Where am I again? The lunchtime performance allowed for a timely introduction of Chicken In The Kitchen from the latest record, one of a handful of songs repeated at the two concerts. Poor Johnny was the second song played at both shows, perhaps warming up his hands with an intricate solo. Phone Booth was also a staple, giving the singer a chance to personalize each venue: Im new to Mammoth Lakes ... To avoid complacency, we dont have a set list, Cray said afterward. We have a master list and are always trying to add to it. We go on stage and we just call them. Weve been doing that for a while. Its a work in progress. The band members sometimes work on learning material from a vast library of tracks during indoor sound checks. I came

12

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

back in the band in 2008 and they did 10 albums I didnt do, Cousins said. Tony and I were able to pick from all these songs from a giant book of 200 songs. Its just insane. Cousins, who jokes he was hired for his good hair, is the bands most animated performer. He will march with the anthems, creep around as a songs story unfolds, and wag his nger to a punch line. Crays rapport with the audience does not include histrionics. After nearly every song he simply says, Thank you very much, and grabs a freshly tuned guitar. And if the crowd wants to boogie, Cray just might have another plan. Leave the boogie to the Boogeyman, Braunagel said. Theres all those people out there and theyre in the party mode and Robert will do this very arresting ballad and you see people just not moving at rst, and you go, Have we got them? And then you see them start to shake their heads and then you go Yes, we got em. Thats powerful, man, in front of 10,000 people. Yet a man with such power with fans and reverence from peers is painfully shy. Or is he?

THE MAN
Robert Cray is a personal hero of mine, said Tinsley Ellis, the Georgia blues rocker. I toured with him as opening act in 95, and met him in 86 when we were all much younger and wilder. Great guy. Kind of shy at times.

Keb Mo fondly recalled recording Bring It On Home with Cray for a tour. I basically bugged him for years to do that tour with me. I kind of stalked him. I used to think he was evasive, but when I really got to know him, hes just really protective because hes a really nice guy. However, Cousins said Cray is neither bashful nor vulnerable. I dont think Robert is ever taken advantage of, and Robert actually isnt even shy, Cousins said. Its just sort of like he cant be bothered with some silly shit. He doesnt have (anything) to prove. If you cant gure out whats up with him, he doesnt feel he has to shout it at you. Robert Cray is a very intelligent person. Very condent and very competent. Cray may be a reluctant speaker, but he is accessible. A reporter needs to be prepared because Cray will address any topic hes asked about but wont necessarily volunteer new information or even correct a misconception. Ive never really been a people person, Cray said. I dont hang out and have no desire to be out there. Im kind of awkward being around people for a long period of time outside of the hellos and everything like that. Ill sit and have a conversation with them and then its time for me to go. I need my space. Perhaps the best way to know Cray is to know his music. Pugh said, Hes denitely somebody who likes his privacy but I think hes very revealing on stage. He gives that both lyrically and emotionally and the way that he sings and he plays. Its kind of hard to talk about his personality because hes a little bit of an enigma to a lot of people, even people who know him.

BLUES REVUE

13

LIKE MANY OF HER GENERATION,

Rory Block has a story to tell. Its a story that opens in the Greenwich Village folk revival of the early sixties. There were old masters like Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Rev. Gary Davis, and others to learn the blues from. At the same time younger personalities like Bob Dylan, Maria Muldaur, Stefan Grossman, John Sebastian, Jim Kweskin, John Hammond, and so many others were spearheading the folk blues craze. As a 14 year old in 1964, Block sat in her fathers Greenwich Village sandal shop as the music came to her. The message was passion, passion, passion alert, red light, red light, passion alert, says Block. First of all, everybody there would have been a complete enthusiast. The energy was exceptionally high. People were hungry for music. Everybody there was a music fanatic. Whether it was the bluegrass people or the country blues people or the folk people, everybody was deeply into the music. Because the energy level was so huge, you had to stand back for each person. Here comes Steve Mandell and Eric Weissberg, the guys who played the Deliverance soundtrack, theyre standing there in my fathers sandal shop and they start doing their thing. Then Maria [Muldaur] would come in with her ddle and you thought this woman is totally into this playing and her style was so awesome. Then John Sebastian would come along and start playing harmonica. John Hammond was doing the country blues before most of us were. John was the rst person I knew of who was already playing the country blues of Robert Johnson. There was an intensely passionate feeling about the music that people played. People werent doing the music because it was mainstream, they were not playing it because they thought they were gonna make money, they were playing it because it sounded so good and they loved it so much that they had no choice. That was where I was coming from too. I spent all my time walking from place to place and thinking or endlessly strumming my Galiano guitar that my mother had

RORY
HONORING HER TEACHERS
by Art Tipaldi

BLOCK

14

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY MARILYN STRINGER

acquired at a garage sale for all of $4. Music had become the absolute center of my being, and nothing mattered more. The guitar was an instrument of wonder and joy, a best friend. At 14, I became part of the Sunday jam sessions in Washington Square Park. People stood around in clusters, pressing together to watch incredible musicians playing styles largely unheard of up North playing ragtime, blues, swing, and early barrel house jazz. At the same time, Block was exposed to the real life country blues masters who had been rediscovered. No longer mere voices on dusty sounding recordings, legends like Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Rev. Gary Davis, and others now played in person for the teenage Block. When I rst heard the blues, there was no other choice. The music resonated inside me, felt real, beautiful, spoke to what was in my heart, and moved my soul. Sitting with many of the older country blues players made a major difference in how I play the music. Watching Son House play, I felt this aura around him. The power of the music, the story, the passion, and the essence of the music were all in that aura around Son House. More than music, the deepest thing I was learning were the spiritual aspects of the music. To me that was the essence of the music. But thats only part of the story. Mostly the story is about her life deep in the blues. Its about the uncertainty of this calling, the lessons of the miles and years that y by, the personal relationships that can be so eeting, and the answers that a song can provide a troubled soul. Almost 30 critically acclaimed records attest to her journeys ups and downs. In 2006, a new project took hold of Block. She embarked on her Mentor project, to record albums that celebrate the blues masters shes had the privilege of knowing personally. It feels like coming full circle, says Block. The rst 50 years of life seems like a taking experience where we are sometimes very focused on taking care of number one. We race from place to place and then we ultimately reach a point where we

think that this has got to be about giving back. I feel, personally for myself, that from here forward, dedicating the second halfcentury to giving back. So the Mentor series is denitely a thank you series. Instead of looking for the easy artistic life, Blocks most recent recordings have been an exercise in leaving ones comfort zone for the unknown. There could be nothing that pushes me harder, reveals Block. If I was just doing my own originals, I would be happy and having fun, but I would not be learning as much about the guitar and myself as I am through this project. This project is the most eyeopening, shocking realization. Listening again, my eyes are absolutely wide open as Im saying, How did they do that? That was really good for what I could do then. When I listen back to the reissues of my earlier music, I think that I was only 15 and that I was pretty good. I can hear that I had the feel for it. I thought I had cracked the code, and I was content with it then. But now when I listen again to the originals I can hear there are many other layers that I need to learn. Im not happy with glossing over what I have to know. Im obsessed with the note for note detail. That is my approach. From there, Block begins the arduous process involved with each tribute. For her, there was no debating who should be rst, Robert Johnson. Each one has been a stretch for me. Robert Johnson was killer. Then I thought Son House would be easier then Johnson. It wasnt. Son House was a big stretch for me too. He also was way over my head when I rst started doing that recording. I had homonigized it a little in my mind and ears, but taken note for note, I found it so much more complex. Then I thought Fred McDowell would certainly be easier then Son House and it wasnt. Though her latest record, Shake Em On Down, was recorded in 2011, the process for Block began well before she entered a studio. It was a total immersion into all things McDowell. Because I never really played Fred McDowell, I assembled

as much as I could of his full compliment of music. Then I just start jumping through it. I leap from song to song and make a note of which songs jump out at me. I hone the list down to about 15-20 songs and I start working on those songs. I pick the most exciting song that grabs me that day. I leap in and start working on cracking the code.

The listening process involves Block listening to and watching McDowell as closely as possible. Each listen provided Block with a new layer that helped her strip his musical approach to its roots. When I listened, Ill hear him using a thumb pick and think, I dont use a thumb pick. What am I gonna do now? Then I

have to try and get the right thumb pick and re-adjust my playing. I saw him play this song in person, Ive listened to it many times, but I never realized how much the hand has too go all over the keyboard to do it right. Thats when I think, Its much harder then I thought. And I have to start practicing. By the time Im ready to do the second song, it is, to that extent, a tiny bit easier, because Im already using a thumb pick and Ive already gured out something about the intensity of the style. But each song is so different. Every time I did one of Freds songs, I was nding that it was much harder then I realized. I had the sound in my head and thought it was very straight ahead. But then I played it and found that it wasnt straight ahead. That his music was very involved. Her next project, the one she was working on when we spoke, offers even more tests. If I make it thought Rev. Gary Davis, it will be a miracle, laughs Block. As I was doing all the Mississippi styles more than the nger picking styles, his is not one of the styles I focused on. But as I started listening again, some of his style is coming back. Its come back to me that I did play this style in my own way. I was also around when Stefan [Grossman] was learning it. So I found that I had far more memories coming back to me about how it was done. So I wasnt trying to get into Davis in a vacuum like I thought it was gonna be. Blocks other recent revelation was meeting the son and grand children of Robert Johnson. One of her guitar students called Block to say that Johnsons grandson, Steven, wanted to talk to Block. It was
PHOTOGRAPHY DUSTY SCOTT

When I rst heard the blues, there was no

other choice. The music resonated inside me, felt real, beautiful, spoke to what was in my heart, and moved my soul.
BLUES REVUE

15

an absolute shocker. I was shaking with emotion. To me, it was like speaking to a legend, even the grandson. Here was a voice [Steven Johnson, Roberts grandson] that came on the phone, and we connected right away. We went to Clauds [Roberts son] house and heard stories about how he was separated from his father. To meet Robert Johnsons son was beyond amazing. When I met them, I said it felt like I was meeting long, lost kin. Her 2006 tribute record, The Lady And Mr. Johnson, contains pictures and the story of that initial meeting. Of Johnsons continuing importance in this year of the centennial of his birth, Block says, When I teach Rambling On My Mind, I say that this format Johnson was playing in the 30s is the exact same format that we are still using in todays rock blues. Since were still using the exact same format and nobodys felt the need to change it, that says to me that Robert Johnson was at the creative height of perfection. If we could have made it better, why are we still using it as the prototype for exciting music. Often when people attend a show of acoustic, country blues, they feel they are at a museum and need to show reverence. Block wants you to remember this music was created at rural jukes as party music. Some people say that they like the way I make the traditional country blues have relevant meaning today in the way I present it to audiences. Eyes closed, head weaving, ngers ying, strings pulled at, not plucked, and feet stomping all turn any Block performance into a back country jukin reincarnation of this music. In an interesting twist and role reversal, the child who was student to the masters has a half-century later become the mentor to a modern breed of pre-war, country blues disciples. Armed with their newly purchased guitars and computers to watch YouTube guitar lessons, many of these devotees credit Block for her string mentoring. It is touching when younger players tell me that I am an inuence. But more then ever, Im hearing it from older people, say 50 and older, who say, Because of your music, Ive gone back to my guitar. Im so inspired. That means a lot to me that they have a lot of joy in getting back into their instrument and they were inspired through my music. So it isnt just young people, but also people who thought the guitar was only part of their past and never thought they would get back into the guitar. That is really rewarding.

16

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

& T HE B LUES LIL ED

IMPERIALS
by Michael Cote

HOUSE-ROCKIN FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS

il Ed Williams is holed up in a motel in Foxboro, MA. peering through the window at a group of people outside to let them know hes in there. Hes not sure why theyre outside, and hes not all that keen on the quality of the hotel. Its just part of life on the road for one of the blues worlds hardest working musicians. At 56, Williams and his Blues Imperials are still out there playing nearly 150 shows a year in the States, overseas, and on cruise ships. That means the guitarist who spins around the oor like a guitar-playing top as if his killer slide guitar wasnt enough to keep audiences enthralled has to keep in shape. Its the same sense of drive and passion that leads Williams to cut his music in the studio with the rawness and urgency that rst earned the Imperials a shot at recording an entire album for Alligator Records in 1986 after they initially were tapped to contribute a few tracks for a compilation of up-and-coming artists. These days, Williams doesnt do duck walks around the studio the way he did the rst time he impressed Alligator Records founder Bruce Iglauer.
PHOTOGRAPHY JOSPEH A. ROSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY DUSTY SCOTT

BLUES REVUE

17

And hes building a gym in his garage to keep in shape when hes not touring. But he keeps the energy level high, and he still likes to keep Iglauer entertained. The way our studio is set up now, Im in the control room singing, and my amp is outside, but Im still playing and singing, Williams says. The guy that is controlling the board says it gives us a little excitement to see me in there. I start moving a little bit and shaking my guitar. Thats just a hint of what Williams does when he gets onstage. These days, as the title of his most recent release, from 2008, suggests, he likes to go Full Tilt from the get-go, as he does on the discs leadoff track, the slide-heavy house rocker Hold That Train.

I was always fascinated with that slide...

with the way it sounded, and the way it shimmied in the darkness.
hard living on the road were taking their toll. He recorded a pair of albums, one with his early guitar partner, Dave Weld, and one bass player Willie Kent. His band members found ways to work the road on their own. Before I took that time off, I used to think I knew it all. Because I was excited, the people were fun. Drinking, smoking, whatever you wanted to do. Have a good time, and you thought you had it. But you really didnt have it, says Williams, who summed up some of those years in Full Tilts Dying To Live. When Williams was ready to return, marked by the release of the bands rst album in seven years, 1999s Get Wild, he had a newfound energy and attitude. I didnt really feel my music until I stopped everything. It was amazing, says the Chicago native, who has released three more albums with the Imperials since Get Wild and will be working on another one to be released in 2012. Since I quit smoking, Ive been able to reach levels that I could never reach back in the day. Bruce has told me this, Youre getting better; youre not getting worse. I thought the older I would get, the worse I would get. He said, No, youre getting better. Your body is broken in now. Youre at your prime. Williams doesnt need any more convincing. He can feel it. I listened to some of my old stuff, and I think, Why didnt I sing that this way? I couldnt sing it that way because I didnt know how. I thank my savior for the love because he gave me that second chance. I could have lost everything. I could have folded. I didnt have to come back. I could have gotten a day job and worked. But it wasnt for me to do that. It was for me to come back and enjoy my fans and enjoy the people and to show the people the music that I can bring to them. The bands schedule is somewhat less daunting than the early days, when the Imperials used to log close to 200 shows a year. But Williams and his band mates, his half-brother, James Pookie Young on bass; Michael Garrett on guitar, and Kelly Littleton on drums, still spend a lot of time crisscrossing the globe and are playing to some of their biggest crowds ever, especially in Europe. We went over to Turkey, and we played for 4,000 people. That was awesome, Williams says. I only thought people like B.B. King would have an audience like that. You get on a festival, and you get these types of audiences that just blow your mind. European audiences have a special respect for the blues, he says. There are lots of places in this country where people really, really love the blues. You look at all the blues society people. They all really, really love the blues because they are dedicated to it. But when you go overseas its a whole different feel. You get a lot of good treatment over there. They really respect the blues. Its respect more than anything. Not all the audiences just sit there and listen with reverence, however. You might have an audience that just likes to sit down and listen, and then give you applause when youre done. And then you have the audience that just wants to go crazy. Most of the time when I go over there, thats what I get. I get those crazy audiences. Its really a good thing.

Im starting out stuff like B.B. (King) would, says Williams, on a day he was scheduled to share a stage with fellow guitar slinger Popa Chubby. Im coming out strong, hitting hard, and heavy. Not sitting back, not trying to work into the music. Just come out doing it right then and there. My guys, when I rst started doing it, they werent used to that. Because it was always, well work up to the crowd. Well play moderate and really kill them dead at the end of the show. Now its lets grab them right now and squeeze them hard. And they look at me and go, Eds gone. For a few years in the 90s Williams really was gone, taking a break from the road to readjust his life and his priorities after years of

18

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH A. ROSEN

Williams rst learned about how to get crazy from watching his uncle, blues guitarist J.B. Hutto, walk on top of garbage cans and garbage can lids while performing, the kind of antics that inspired the young Williams to want to be a showman. But it was Huttos slide that really got him intrigued. When his uncle would entertain at the family home, the young Williams would peep around the living room curtains to catch a glimpse of Hutto running that shiny cylinder across the freeboard to tease a wailing sound out of his guitar. Back then you didnt have but a 40-watt bulb. At night time it as kind of gloomy in the house, says Williams, recalling the days as an 8-year-old when he watched the adults having a blues party. I was always fascinated with that slide. I couldnt see nothing too much in the room but that slide. I was always fascinated with the way it sounded, and the way it shimmied in the darkness. A few years later, when Williams was 12, his uncle started giving him guitar lessons, teaching him just enough to practice until Hutto returned from the road to see what he learned and teach him some more. One day he looked at me and said, You want to play that thing, dont you? And I said, Yeah, and he said, Let me show you

something. And then he showed me a riff, one riff, and he said, Learn that. When Hutto returned from a tour a month later, the young Williams had learned the riff well, half of one. He came back from out of town, and I ran over to him and said, Uncle Jamie, I can do it, I can do it. I ran over to him and I did it. And he looked at me and said, Ha! Ha! Williams says. Then he put the second half to it. That really messed me up. He taught me in a real special way, I think. He made me take my time, and I had no idea I was taking my time. I thought I was doing this in a hurry, you know? But when hed show me something, hed leave. He wouldnt come back for 30 days. What Hutto showed Williams more than four decades ago now infuses his soul. Its who Williams is and what drives him to keep playing and writing music. I write for a reason because its part of me. Its my heart. Its my life, he says. Its what I feel, what I see, what I speak. Its so much of me. When Im singing it, I feel everything that Im singing. So if Im singing a really slow tune, thats something that really affects me. Youll know it. If Im playing something fast, it really excites me.
PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH A. ROSEN

BLUES REVUE

19

ERIC BIBB
DONNING THE CAPE AND FLYING
HE DID NOT KNOW HE COULD NOT FLY,
so he did, sings Eric Bibb on his May 2011 CD release Troubadour Live on Telarc. Although this song The Cape is one of the few songs on this record and in his repertoire that he did not write it was written by Americana artist Guy Clark and Susanna Clark it most assuredly is autobiographical. The Cape rst appeared on his Friends and Songs LP in 2004, and it is a staple of his live repertoire often beginning his set, but Bibb had never really thought much about The Cape as a dening song. It was his fans who gravitated toward it. The thing that really got me for keeping it on the set list was peoples response to it. I think everybody really feels that desire to trust his or her cape and y. So many of us are inhibited by all kinds of things, and that natural gene to take off and y is slowly but surely stamped on and suppressed through the years. So that song starts with an eightyear-old boy, and people can relate to that. They either were that boy, or they knew somebody like that boy. I remember actually being up on garage roofs. I wasnt trying to y off with a cape, but I was trying to jump to the next garage that was across a little alley that was junk strewn. I had some daredevil friends. I was never really that way, but once or twice I did that. The things kids do believing in their own immortality is really amazing. Bibbs dad is Leon Bibb, a would be opera singer who found as an African American that he was unable to make advances in that all-white culture of the late 50s and early 60s. Instead, he made a name for himself as a folk singer, musical theater singer, and TV personality. By age 10 in 1961 Eric found himself playing lead guitar on dads Someone New TV show in New York. I was hired as the guitarist for his house band for a time totally unprepared for the job. I was surrounded by Ron Carter playing bass sometimes. Seldon Powell, the guy who played on Aretha Franklin albums, played saxophone. I mean heavy duty New York musicians, and I was struggling to read very simple charts, but my dad kind of threw me into the deep end wisely. Bibb did not know he could y, so he did. I saw Son House in 1965. I was 14, just the fact that I actually remembered and could tell people that Id seen Dylan. I met Dylan, I met Gary Davis, seen Son House. That lled me with a feeling of not exclusivity so much as empowerment just because I didnt think or dont think it was an accident. I feel like who I am and what I do has something to do with the fact that those people were in my path. Just like that meaning of Bookers Guitar (his last album that took rst place in the 2010 Downbeat Critics Poll). That happened to other people. Mark Knoer has played that guitar (a National Steel guitar once owned by Booker White) and other people. Still, I felt there was a real reason that my experiences kind of had drawn me to that experience of meeting Bookers guitar. I felt like there was almost an equation involved, you know? Two plus two equals four. And it encourages me, man. It just makes me feel like there is logic to this universe. Energy is a pretty exact business. What you passionately pursue you attract to you, and you get the kind of nutrition you need on your journey. So trust the cape, you know? Bibb donned his cape and moved to Paris at age 19. Hes enjoyed a much higher prole in Europe, has lived for decades in Sweden, but with Bookers Guitar reaching
PHOTOGRAPHY AIGARS LAPSA

by Don Wilcock

number one of the Billboard Album charts in 2010, a Grammy nomination of Shakin A Tailfeather and nine Blues Music Award nominations, his prole as a creative, acoustic folk blues artist is growing ever larger in the United States. In that growth process Bibb has developed a rapport with his audience thats almost more intense than the old-fashioned call and response best captured in B.B. Kings Live At The Regal LP from the mid1960s. So when he includes a false start as he begins his homage to B.B. King, Tell Riley on Troubadour Live, he is making a statement as signicant as on The Cape about his comfort with his audience. When I listened back to it I realized of course I could just chop this out. Nobody would ever notice the difference, I would have a seamless record, and people would think thats how professional I am. But the reality is that my performances are not pristine, and I just wanted a dose of reality, and it was a little bit boastful actually saying, Im competent to include a false start, because what it does is it tells people not only that Im not that vain, that I need to appear infallible. It also lets people know that I have a certain connection with my audience. If I can do that, laugh about it, and they can laugh about it, too, and it doesnt become an embarrassing moment, if I can recover because I am comfortable in front of my audience the way I did, then maybe thats something worth sharing, too. Its not all about just showing youre a good musician. But it is about Bibbs remembering that feeling of invulnerability he had as an eight year old, putting on that same cape and believing in his ability to y. I think if we were aware of all the things our kids do or remembered what wed really do, we would realize that something about our trust in nature, trusting nature is in itself protection, and I think that vibe, that feeling, is something worth holding onto because I think it would really serve you all through life. For some reason that song, without my being really conscious of it, became a mainstay of my repertoire. And Im really comfortable, especially when people really understand the words. And I think its for all audiences, whether Italian, Swedish, or whatever.

20

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

There was no problem, and people get it. And I like the fact they get it. Theyre not only responding to the rst song of my set. If I open with it, theyre not only responding to a musical performance they like, theyre responding to a story that I didnt write, but theyre responding to something. Its like theyre saying, Yay for that guy. But theyre really saying, yay for themselves. So, its a real connection.

clich of the black sharecropper in overalls theyd come to expect in the aftermath of Lead Bellys success. To be an African American of my dads generation and to be accomplished and successful and not bitter is a huge, huge victory, and I really feel empowered by what my dad has been able to do and pass on to me. So, yeah, you kind of just have to forge ahead.

You gotta face your fears. You actually have to

take that leap of faith knowing that the leap is what will protect you.
You know, it does get easier. The more you think, Well, Ive done this before and usually things work out good. So, its not something you consciously think about, but somewhere in your cell memory you remember that it actually works. You can actually y. Its thrilling to actually feel your own wings and do stuff that gosh, it doesnt take much for me. Every time I pass a musician who busks in the street, I make a point to put money in the case because I did that [busking], and it wasnt that long ago. I remember busking in the early 80s outside of a bank in Sheridan Square in New York. Id come back from Sweden; I was really struggling. I remember a guy came up to me, he looked like a musician, and he said, Man, I just want to tell you one thing. Dont stop! Dont quit! You got something, and I hear it. And its going to work for you. Just keep going. And it turned out it was G.E. Smith, the guitar player. Wearing that cape does require a certain amount of dexterity, and that was something Bibb learned from his dad who beat back the winds of prejudice to make his way and act as a mentor to his son. Leon Bibb was and still is a studied singer, almost operatic in his style, but when he realized that as an African American he couldnt get the favored roles on Broadway, he chose folk singing as an alternative. Mentioned in one 1969 biography in the same breath as Burl Ives and Theodore Bikel, Leon Bibb still faced challenges in his career when he was blacklisted for his ties with left wing groups and causes. To make matters worse, he was often vilied by journalists of the day who felt that his near perfect diction and cultured voice were inappropriate to the When you feel weighted down by a challenge or an uncomfortable situation, its basically trust The Cape thing. You gotta face your fears. You actually have to take that leap of faith knowing that the actual leap is what will protect you. Its like teetering on the edge. If you can just accumulate fears and anxieties, somehow actually decide youre supported. Im doing a good thing here, and despite all appearances sometimes theres something more powerful in all these appearances that support a courageous good move. So you go ahead with it. Troubadour Live is the follow up to Bookers Guitar. Booker White was called Bukka, a pejorative term for the stereotype African American bluesman in overalls. Eric Bibb had an encounter with Bookers 1930s vintage Resophonic guitar which inspired the CD. Like his father, Bibb

appreciates holding the instrument Booker called Hard Rock with its heart-shaped charm adhered to the headstock and hand written set list Scotch taped to the guitars side. He was presented with that opportunity by a fan who approached Bibb at a CD signing during a tour of the UK. White gave this fan the guitar when they met in England at the American Folk Blues Festival. I have a lot of energy in a lot of shows, but generally my approach is a lot closer to somebody like John Hurt unless Im in preaching mode, but then I really felt a kinship to Bukka White, that whole being drawn to both the street side of the blues and the sensual side but also the fact that he was basically a spiritual singer, too, and there was denitely a ery preacher in him. And he had sides out from his earliest recordings that reected that, that desire to really sing spiritual material, but theres something about Bukka White that just and particularly after playing his guitar and feeling that energy. This is some instrument that he held close to his heart for decades, man, and there I am holding it, playing songs on it, writing a song about that guitar. It was just like, whoa, it really took my breath away, and I thought the most important thing was for me to just testify to how he had inspired me in his guitar in my hands and inspired me, and I really wanted to make a personal statement that was derived from all of the years of listening to that music. The blues world is replete with great artists who y because they refuse to buy into others beliefs that they cant. Eric Bibb is a prime example.

BLUES REVUE

21

PHOTOGRAPHY MARILYN STRINGER

Q&A
Beth Hart

with

Beth Hart
the lead vocals. I couldnt believe it. Then he said that I could also choose whatever songs I wanted. That was an unbelievable opportunity for me. So I choose quite a few songs, Kevin Shirley and Joe also choose some. I had a list of everything I wanted to do. Kevin is such a brilliant producer because he helps you decide on songs based on the phrasing in your voice. Ive never had a producer do it in that way. He would send me tracks to listen to. It was so great because I got to hear new singers Id never heard before and fantastic songs Id never heard before. It was so great because it was so challenging. I was so nervous. Swear to God, I got hives the rst day we recorded, and Ive never broken out before. Sounds like you were pushed a little? I always want to be comfortable when Im singing or recording. But sometimes theres a courage that comes up like when youre a kid and you want to go for something even if it means youre gonna fall at on your face, you go for it. That pushed me. How would you describe your voice with his guitar on the record? The thing that amazes me about him is that hes got so many mixes in him. I hear a lot

was rst in the spotlight on Star Search, the 1990s precursor to the American Idol craze. She released a debut record, Immortal, in the States in 1996 on Atlantic and a follow-up, Screamin For My Supper, in 1999 to critical acclaim, but was never asked to record another. Her solution was to record Leave The Light On for the KOCH Records in 2003 and tour Europe to build-up her European fan base. That strategy has worked as Hart brings out legions of fans from Norway to Germany to Denmark. Her shows and recordings touch listeners of all ages. The frenzied energy she captures on each word makes her music an intense cathartic purge. As she bares her soul in song after song, listeners easily become captive to her art, either joyful or painful. Her most personal songs produce chills and tears; her most raw makes one imagine seeing Janis in a tiny Haight Ashbury dive throw herself to the world. Since 2003s Leave The Light On, Hart has released a CD and DVD, Live At Paradiso, 37 Days, and My California. But it is her duet album with Joe Bonamassa, Dont Explain, that should reintroduce Hart to American audiences that have either forgotten her or never heard this talented artist. (Read the review of Dont Explain in BR #131.) How did this partnership and CD with Joe come about? I ran into Joe a few times on the road. I didnt know much about him other than that so many people told me how amazing he was. After we did a small show in London, I heard that he was at the show. I was really surprised to hear that he was at my gig. I heard that one of the songs he always played on his Sunday radio show was Face Forward off my 37 Days album. I was sad that I didnt get to meet him. Months and months later, I got a call from his management saying that Joe wanted to do a soul record with me. I thought that meant that Id be doing background vocals. I thought that might be fun, but he said that he wanted me doing all

22

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY AIGARS LAPSA

of Jeff Beck in what he does. One of the things I love the most about what he did on this record is how he mixed emotional improv on his guitar with real melody. Sometimes you can watch a singer who totally sticks to a songs melody. Its nice, but it can get a bit boring because you want to hear the improv. Then other times you hear a singer who riffs the whole time and you think, just sing some melody. But Joe does both. What would he say about what your voice adds to the songs? I hope hed say nice things. What would you tell people who are new to Beth Hart? If I were to tell someone what I do, I wouldnt totally call myself blues artist. Im a mix, theres soul, blues, rock n roll, but Id never take offense if someone were to describe me as a blues artist. I would take it as a fantastic compliment. In my life right now, Im going through this huge jazz thing. Im getting ready to record a jazz record in Holland with a full-blown jazz orchestra. It will be covers of songs from decades from the twenties to the fties. It will be interesting to see if I have anything to offer in that area. I think its gonna take a lot of listening on my part and respecting the best of who did this music. It reminds me of being very young and it reminds me of my mother. As we both get older, I want to feel that time

again and listening to that great music takes me there. On this soul project with Joe, we hear a totally different vocal Beth Hart then what we are used to because these vocal approaches have that powerful restraint. Thats one of the things I love about it. Its the opposite of rock n roll. Instead of screaming to show that feeling, this music is all about holding back and seeing if you can emote that feeling within the phrasing. And that is so interesting to me. I love Billie Holiday. I think though her music was jazz music, her emotion and life are blues. I really love Dinah Washington, too. Ive been listening to a lot of Ella Fitzgerald lately. I listen to what shes done and think that I could never do that. And I love LaVern Baker. I just became aware of her a few years back and got everything we could. Whenever I cook, I listen to Etta James and LaVern Baker. Art Tipaldi
PHOTOGRAPHY ART TIPALDI

BLUES REVUE

23

The Blues Walking: An Appreciation of Otis Spann

Like many blues fans
I rst encountered Otis Spann as the brilliant pianist on countless recordings by the Four Horsemen of Chess Records (i.e., Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Little Walter). Had he only recorded on those sessions, Otis Spann would still be a legend. However, its the dozen or so albums he recorded in the 1960s under his name that sealed his reputation as the greatest blues pianist of all time. Ive been in the blues business for over 40 years and no one Ive talked to has ever disputed his preeminent stature. I was fortunate to see Otis Spann once; he was with Muddy Waters at the Main Point in Bryn Mawr, PA (just west of Philadelphia) on a frigid weeknight in January of 1969. He sat back in the corner and was hard to see; he was playing a keyboard that wasnt much bigger than a suitcase. Other than really enjoying the music, I remember little else except that Muddy had three guitarists that night (Sammy Lawhorn, Pee Wee Madison, and Luther Georgia Boy Johnson not be confused with Luther Guitar Junior Johnson); it was also

the rst time I saw Paul Oscher. The two albums he recorded in August of 1960 for renowned jazz critic Nat Hentoffs Candid label (Otis Spann Is the Blues and Walkin the Blues) are quintessential Otis Spann. Spann is joined by guitarist Robert Jr. Lockwood, who sings on four tracks, and their old friend St. Louis Jimmy Oden (composer of Goin Down Slow) vocalizes in his dry, laconic style on half a dozen tracks. The depth and breadth of Spanns keyboard artistry is on full display: thunderous boogies, rollicking shufes, smoldering slow blues, and dark autobiographical laments. These two albums were my constant companions during the last three semesters of college when I was writing various term

papers. They have left an indelible impression on my soul as much for his smoky, relaxed, yet deeply soulful vocals as for his virtuoso playing. To this day, Spann sounds like he is in the room playing just for me. Really cant say that about a lot of other albums. His death in 1970 at age 40 is one the greatest tragedies in the blues. In closing, Spann only released a couple of singles. The oddest was Blues for Hippies, a posthumous release (b/w Bloody Murder) on Excello. I only know of three blues songs with hippie in the title; the others are Junior Wells The Hippies Are Trying and Bob Margolins Maybe The Hippies Were Right. Thomas J. Cullen III

PHOTOGRAPHY courtesy of BLOCK MAGAZINE

I played classical piano growing up, but never intended to go on playing professionally... until I heard Otis Spann. Thats the day that changed my life forever. There never was, nor will be, a blues piano player with more talent and soul. He is a one-of-a-kind American treasure who is loved by the whole world of blues lovers. The joy he has brought me with his playing is indescribable. Since the rst time I heard him, 40 years ago, hes been in my heart each and every night I play. Id like to think that hes looking down from heaven saying, Youve done a good job. Im proud of you. Honey Piazza

OTIS SPANN Select Discography

Otis Spann Is The Blues (Candid) Walking The Blues (Candid) Otis Spann: Blues Masters (Storyville) Otis Spanns Chicago Blues (Testament) The Blues Never Die (Prestige) Best Of The Vanguard Years (Vanguard) Down To Earth: The Bluesway Recordings (MCA) The Complete Blue Horizon Sessions (Sony)

BLUES REVUE

25

PHOTOGRAPHY VALERIE WILMER courtesy of BLOCK MAGAZINE

I spent a lot of time with Spann. Willie Dixon would bring the lyrics over to Muddys house. I lived on the second oor of Muddys building and Spann lived in the basement. Id go to the basement and Spann and I would arrange Dixons songs for Muddy. Spann was the best blues piano player Ive ever heard and a very good guy. James Cotton As for piano players, theres Otis Spann and everybody else. Spann was a real good friend. To me, he was the personication of the blues; the way he walked, the way he talked, his whole attitude, everything he said, he was the blues alive and walking. Charlie Musselwhite

Dave Maxwell talks with Blues Revue about Otis Spann

BR: You were so lucky to have known Otis Spann and to be a direct link to him. What was your initial impression of Spanns music upon rst hearing? What is your most lasting impression of the man and his music? DM: I rst heard Spann [live] in Paris in 1963. He was part of the Blues Caravan that toured Europe. I was completely knocked out hearing his solo performance of Going Down Slow. Later, I heard him at Club 47 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I got to know him and eventually started sitting in with Muddys band. Spann, to me, is among the deepest and most soulful of all the Chicago blues pianists. To me, he is at the top. BR: Many fans consider Spann the greatest blues pianist of all time. What separates him from other greats like Pinetop Perkins, Sunnyland Slim, Memphis Slim, et al? DM: Spann had a range of expressive capabilities that was truly extraordinary. Pinetop had a wonderful presence and was an inspiration to me for so many years. Memphis Slim I knew personally; he was so prolic and powerful and quite the entertainer. Sunnyland, whom I knew quite well, led the way for many players who came to Chicago. Sunnyland was deep and powerful, a rugged player with so much force. Sometimes its hard to choose. For me, hearing Spann was to penetrate the very heart of the blues. BR: For many fans, Spanns Candid sessions are the alpha and omega of blues piano. What led you to choose the songs to duet on? DM: Well, we chose four songs that I thought

had enough space for me to have the conversation. I didnt want to wear out the novelty of it all. Also, I chose solo tunes of mine, which were directly inuenced by Spann. Some songs are duplicated in a dovetailing way to illustrate this point. BR: What is most difcult aspect of Spanns style to master? DM: Touch and phrasing. One can get the licks more or less, but it is Spanns dynamics and he puts things that make MAXWELL him the master he is. BR: What were some of the challenges you faced when recording the duets? DM: The main challenge was to complement Spann without getting in the way of the ow of the piece. At times, the density might be off putting, but if one hears it on an objective level as a sound piece, this might not be a problem. In other words, enjoy the conversations. BR: Although Conversations in Blue is an instrumental album, I always loved Spanns vocals deep, soulful, amazingly mature for a man in his thirties. What are some of your favorite Spann vocals? DM: I love just about anything that Spann sang; the solo album originally recorded in Denmark for Storyville (Good Morning Blues, 1963) all those songs. The Prestige album (1964) The Blues Never Die. Theres one on there with a 44 feeling. I think its After Awhile maybe. So down, so deep. The way he sang Nobodys Business...wow. Some of the songs on Testament for Pete Welding. I mean there are so many and I know Im leaving out a lot. The Chicago/The Blues/Today! series on Vanguard (1966), Spann told me he didnt like those sessions because he had a cold. Imagine that. Tom Cullen III
PHOTOGRAPHY DUSTY SCOTT

In the [Muddy Waters] band Otis was a tower of strength. Never obtrusive, he was the perfect accompanist and ensemble player and every note he played seemed just right.
Mike Rowe in Chicago Breakdown

26

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

M For Mississippi
On the surface of things,
making a blues movie or any documentary lm, for that matter seems like an easy thing. You get a camera and a microphone; you head out into the world youre trying to capture; and you press record. I wish. As I write this, Broke & Hungry Records Jeff Konkel and I are putting the nal touches on our second major Mississippi blues movie, along with our talented production team Damien Blaylock, Lou Bopp, and Bill Abel. The forthcoming lm is our better-late-than-never follow-up to the 2008 award winner M For Mississippi: A Road Trip Through The Birthplace Of The Blues (www.mformississippi.com). WHATS THE NEXT MOVIE ABOUT? Good question. The blues music documentary eld is seemingly a narrow one particularly if you always plan to lm in Mississippi. How many stories, how many characters, how many songs could there possibly be? Fortunately, the answer is, A lot. Though its an answer with a far from certain future. The new, forthcoming project was actually born during our last days of lming M For Mississippi. The title and the subject matter were inspired by the words of Clarksdale juke joint owner Red Paden, who said to us, We juke up in here. We go beyond the call of duty! In that simple statement, Paden said a lot. As we move forward into the second decade of the 21st century, traditional blues music is less and less of a vital art form for local Delta audiences and the African-American community it originally served. It is a music from another time and place. It is a music played by living dinosaurs, and just like these archaic musicians, the venues which have supported the music for a century or more have become anachronistic. The simple truth is that in this modern age of casinos, strip malls, MP3s, and

So if you are
sitting with your arm around a woman who is not your wife, you may want to get up and move!
manufactured authenticity, there really shouldnt still be such a thing as a downand-dirty juke joint. From an economic perspective alone, this quasi-legal house party should have crumbled into the shadows years ago. Fortunately, no one bothered to tell juke owners like Paden or his crazy collection of old-school bluesmen. We Juke Up In Here: Mississippis Juke Joint Culture At The Crossroads (www.wejukeupinhere.com) seeks to explore this current state of jukes in Mississippi while capturing memorable performances by a few of the Delta bluesmen who still prefer to play them. HOW TO MAKE A BLUES MOVIE AND NOT DIE TRYING? When I talk with young lmmakers about starting new projects, the rst and foremost question that always comes up is: How do you pay for it Well, if you pray, then start with that. Besides divine intervention, I suggest saving up enough cash to shoot a three-minute preview trailer before even thinking about production of the actual lm. Once you have your trailer, post it on YouTube and set up a simple web site with your trailer, a description of your lm project, and a mockup of your

Jeff Konkel and I pose while Damien Blaylock lms in the bucket truck

BLUES REVUE

27

PHOTOGRAPHY LOU BOPP

movie poster (or DVD cover art). The idea is to give the illusion, er idea that you know what youre doing, you are actively doing it, and its going to look professional. Of course, then you need to actually do it. A missed release or premiere deadline is not acceptable in this scenario. Assuming that you can reliably accomplish the plan above, then you should use that trailer and web site to help convince potential investors of your projects viability and start pre-sales of your DVD product (if that is your merchandise goal). In the case of our latest lm, we were able to identify a main marketing sponsor and distribution partner early on the Roots & Blues Association of Parma, Italy. Clearly illustrating what our new project was going to be about (and actually look like) denitely helped convince sponsors and partners like our friends in Parma to come aboard. ASSEMBLING THE IDEAL PRODUCTION CREW For documentary lm work, I rmly believe that the smaller the crew and the lighter the footprint, the better. Living in blues-centric Clarksdale, I have seen far too many lm and TV crews come to town with loud, disruptive crews. Such crews change everything. People act differently, interviewees clam up (or tell tales), normal audiences thin out and hanger on audiences suddenly appear. At that point, you are absolutely only documenting the fact that you are making a documentary. (A couple cases in point this summer

Bluesman Terry Harmonica Bean performs with drummer Frank Vick at Reds Lounge included American Pickers and Young, Broke & Beautiful two large TV productions that came slamming into town; allegedly reality TV, the results were far from it.) As with M For Mississippi, we favor a ve-person team. Its a micro crew by Hollywood standards, but we feel it allows us to capture a more natural, authentic look and feel by not overwhelming the local musicians, venues and audiences with a big group of lm folks and equipment. Speaking of equipment, we absolutely recommend as little lighting as you can get away with, when shooting juke joint scenes. Ever been to a well-lit juke? Neither have I. Nuff said. REMEMBER: THE AUDIENCE IS PART OF THE FILM Filming a night at an authentic juke joint is crazy, fun, and potentially risky. There is a lot of chaos built in to such a venue from the real-deal blues musicians to the you cant tell me what to do audience. On top of that, theres always a colorful owner at juke venues in this case, the man behind the dark lenses who is really running the show, Red Paden. One rule lmmakers need to follow (especially in a juke joint environment) to stay legal and ethical: You must notify your audience that they may well end up in your lm. We do it both visually with posted yers and verbally with on-mic statements between musical sets usually ending the ofcial statement with something like, So if you are sitting with your arm around a woman who is not your wife, you may want to get up and move! Most folks just laugh at this last statement; a few get up and move. WE JUKE UP IN HERE PREMIERES AT JUKE JOINT FESTIVAL There is still nothin like a Mississippi juke joint. If you havent been to one yet, then start planning your Delta visit today. A good time to come is in April for Clarksdales Juke Joint Festival (www.jukejointfestival.com). Its April 14th in 2012, and We Juke Up In Here appropriately premieres at Delta Cinema the night before. Its gonna be a blast, yall!

Red Paden runs the bar at the legendary Reds Lounge

28

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY LOU BOPP

PHOTOGRAPHY LOU BOPP

Goodnight, Willie Big Eyes Smith

Fate messes with us.
In February, Willie Big Eyes Smith and Pinetop Perkins won the 2011 Grammy Award for Traditional Blues Album. After that gratifying honor, both of them have left the building before the end of this year. Pinetop was 97 and the miracle of his survival had to end sometime. Willie Big Eyes Smith was only 75. He didnt look it; he was t, strong, full of life, and at the peak of his considerable musical powers until just last spring. Then he faced bone cancer, had pain in his hip, and lost weight, and yet didnt miss any gigs until near the end. Chemotherapy weakened Willie. A stroke took him at home in Chicago on September 16, 2011. Most blues fans who saw Willie last summer didnt know there was anything seriously wrong. He might limp to the stage, but then he would lead his band and strut around when the music got good to him. His harp playing was focused and his singing was strong. Offstage, his illness had to quietly take a back seat in his gray Ford van while Willie drove hundreds of miles at a time, as he had done thousands of times for more than 50 years on the road. I rode shotgun and watched him drive from Toronto to Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada just last August 11. I was worried about him, but I thought that if anyone could get past this health challenge it would be Willie. He was a strong, strong man. Still, I had a sign of the seriousness of Willies illness on July 23 at the Rauma Blues Festival in Finland. Willie and his band left at 4 a.m. after the show to y home. I was leaving later so I was up, partying with American and Finnish Blues bands and fans. Willie came over to me before he left and said, I have your money. I told him keep it, I had my own separate contract and had already been paid. Willie put the money back in his pocket and his band later told me he divided it with them. But then he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek. He had never done anything like that before. Its possible that Willie already believed his time wasnt long. It is a monumental tribute to Willie that at his funeral the name Muddy Waters was not even mentioned except in the written obituary, and only as one of the musicians Willie had played with. Grammy is a bigger name than Muddy, even for a

Willie enjoying giving a workshop at the Colorado Blues Festival Greeley, Colorado, 2007 bluesman. Willie was honored for himself rather than for his long-ago deep association with Muddy. Willie was one of the all-time great blues drummers. He played drums in Muddys band for part of every decade from the 1950s to the 80s. As with Pinetop Perkins distinctive voice and piano, Willie had an instantly recognizable style of drumming. He always swung; he bent time to his own emotional take on the song in the moment and the band followed. Willie was a lefty who played a right-handed kit. Watching him propel a band was as exciting as feeling that groove. Over the next two years I met Muddy and his band when I did guest sets on Muddy shows with former Muddy guitarist

Luther Georgia Boy Snake Johnson and later opening Muddy shows with The Boston Blues Band. Muddy was very encouraging to me because I was trying to play what he called Old School Chicago Blues. The rst thing Muddy did when he hired me to play guitar in his band in August 1974 was to summon Willie. He introduced us, Willie is my bandleader, Bob is going to play guitar in the band. Willie smiled and shook my hand and said one of the nicest and most important things anyone ever said to me, Welcome to the club. It chills me that time has taken all of the others in that August 1973 Muddy band: Muddy, Hollywood Fats, Fuzz Jones, Pinetop, Willie, and now Mojo Buford as I write this. In November 1973, Luther Guitar Jr. Johnson replaced Hollywood Fats and in March 1974, Jerry Portnoy replaced Mojo. Those two and I are now the survivors of Muddys band from 1974-80. Our friends and band-mates live on every time we play blues. Muddy called Willie the bandleader because he was paid extra for his driving and road managing. But on the bandstand, Willies drum groove led everyone, including Muddy. I nd it ironic that at his own shows, Willie often sang Jimmy Reeds classic Big Boss Man. Willie never had a boss man, even when he was employed by Muddy. If the song My Way was a blues song, that would have t Willie much better. He did everything his own way, regardless of authority or reason. Willie was such a great player and kind, friendly soul that everyone loved him and accepted him on his own terms. Willie admired Muddy long before he became Muddys drummer and close friend, but sometimes they would get into arguments after shows. I could hear them yelling at each other a few hotel rooms away. Then Id hear a door slam as Willie left Muddys room. Id put my hand on the phone and it would ring and Muddy would cuss and say, Find me a new drummer in the morning. In the morning Id wake up and put my hand on the phone. It would ring and Muddy would cuss and tell me hed keep Willie. Muddy loved him. One time they were arguing in a van while Willie was driving. Muddy was making

PHOTOGRAPHY BOB MARGOLIN

BLUES REVUE

29

sense, but Willie would say anything or nothing rather than accede to Muddy. Muddy suddenly stopped ghting and looked at his friend with genuine concern and amazement and observed, You psychotic! But Willie was not crazy, just very stubborn. In frustration, Muddy once complained poetically to Willie, The more I teach you, the dumber I get. In 1980, Willie, Pinetop, Fuzz Jones, and Jerry Portnoy formed The Legendary Blues Band. Eventually one original member at a time dropped out until the late 90s when Willie was the only one still on the road under that name. It became The Willie Big Eyes Smith Blues Band after the band was Willie plus whoever he brought.

achievement; that was his family. At his funeral, the preacher asked his children to rise. There were twelve of them; two more had preceded Willie in death. Then dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren rose. There were a lot of people of all ages at that funeral who looked like Willie. Willies funeral was also attended by hundreds of his friends, neighbors, and Chicago blues players. All were stunned and in shock. Everyone thought he would prevail and come back strong. We were also still reeling from this years passing of Pinetop and Honeyboy Edwards. I was going to write this personal tribute to Willie as soon as I heard the bad news.

Willie drumming with the Muddy Waters Band at The Jazz Workshop in Boston, Massachusetts,1971
(L-R: Willie Big Eyes Smith, Muddy Waters, Paul Oscher, and Pee Wee Madison)

In 2002, I called on Willie to do more shows with me and some of our Chicago blues friends in The Bob Margolin All-Star Blues Jam. We did smaller trio gigs with great bassist/harp player/singer Mookie Brill too. But the biggest step for Willies career was when he started to be managed by Pat Morgan, who was already turning Pinetop Perkins into a modern blues star after Pinetop had scufed all his long life. Pat advised Willie to come out from behind the drums to sing and play harp. He had already accomplished everything a blues drummer could do. Willies visibility did indeed grow and when Pat arranged for Willie and Pinetop to record Joined At The Hip together, the Grammy Award they won for it this year was the peak of both of their long, bluesy, hard-working careers. Still, Willies music, friendliness, and stubborn independence were not his biggest

I decided to wait until after the funeral. Then I waited until after the King Biscuit Festival, both because I just didnt want to write about Willie dead and because I felt that the story was not complete. Willies 37-year-old son, Kenny Beedy Eyes Smith, has been the busiest drummer in Chicago since 1994. He canceled his gigs and came down to the King Biscuit weekend in early October to ll in for Willie at a Bob Corritore showcase, the festival, at a street festival in El Dorado, Arkansas the next day, and back at the Pinetop Homecoming in Clarksdale on the Sunday. Kenny inherited his fathers drum skills, work ethic, charm, smile, and tone of voice. For himself and for all of us, he showed us that Willie Big Eyes Smith will be alive as long as Kenny is, and as long as we listen to Willies recorded music and remember him and smile for him.

30

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY BOB MARGOLIN

Lesson books, CDs, and videos by author David Barrett can be found at www.harmonicamasterclass.com

Are You Listening?

Lets get right to the point...
I dont know you personally, but I can condently say that most likely youre not a good listener. Musicians are used to putting on a recording and playing along to learn. Most likely youve heard the old adage, How can you listen if youre busy talking? Lets change this for our purpose to, How can you listen if youre busy playing? By immediately playing along with a recording, youre guarantied to miss notes, rhythms, textures, dynamics, and most other subtleties that great musicians utilize in the performance of their phrases. Want to change this? Sure you do! Let me share with you the method I teach my students for the learning of music. The rst step in the learning process is to break down a song into its digestible pieces. This is called chunking. The full song is rst cut up into choruses (each complete time through the twelve bar blues). Each chorus is then cut into its individual licks one at a time until the song is learned. So, our main focus is on the ideal practice habits for learning a lick. Here we go.

melody, dont worry about hitting the exact pitches and close the door for goodness sake so nobody can hear you! Listen once. Sing once. Listen once. Sing once. Repeat this process, each time getting closer to whats on the recording. DO NOT SING EVERY TIME. While listening, your mind is deeply focused on what youre hearing and calculating what needs to be adjusted in order to x the errors from your last singing. We speak about building muscle memory often in the world of technique, but its really your brain sending impulses through your neural pathways to instruct your muscles when to re, how hard to re, and for how long. Its your mind were training, not your muscles. If the lick youre learning contains a new technique for you, then it will of course take some time for your muscles to get accustomed to the new movement. Otherwise, its your mind were training for the new lick. Realizing this is key to reaching the highest levels of practice efciency and ultimately great musicianship.

Step 4.5 Dont Stop Yet!

Once you feel like youve dialed the lick in, dont stop; youre not playing music yet, just notes in rhythm. Listen to how the performers dynamics (were basically speaking of volume changes here). Once you have that dialed in, listen to their use of tremolo and vibrato. Once you have that dialed in, listen to any other articulations and inections in the performance that made that lick so cool what made YOU want to learn it in the rst place. Once you have all of those elements youre now playing music!

Step 5 Apply The Chorus Forms

At this point, place that lick into the context of what we know to be good phrasing, Chorus Forms. Play the lick as an A A A, A A B, Af Af At, Af Af Bt, and A B/A C Chorus Form. Play it up an octave, down an octave, add two-note combinations, shakes, slaps, octaves, utters, side-utters, pulls, and any other appropriate techniques to present that lick in as many different ways as possible. By improvising with this lick, and surrounding it with your current vocabulary, youre vastly enhancing the chances it will show up in your improvising. If youre not familiar with the Chorus Form process, work with the Improvising Study 1 lesson at Bluesharmonica.com or my book/CD, Improvising Blues Harmonica by Mel Bay Publications. After working on each lick in a given chorus, try playing the entire chorus at a slow speed (no need to listen once and play once any more) until you can play the chorus all the way through with minimal errors. Do this for each chorus in the song until you can play the entire song at a slow speed. Build up speed until you can play the song at tempo. Before hitting the bandstand, make sure to practice performing the song to a jam track. This is a great way to get one step closer to the real experience of playing the song live. Make sure to practice your intro speech (key, groove, where the band comes in, count-in, etc. ) and all hand signals (breaks and ending) needed for the song. Once you get used to the process, youll nd no match for how quickly you can learn a song and how musical the end result is. Good luck and have fun!

Step 3 Stop The Music And Practice

Youre reading this, so youre obviously interested in bettering your skills. With this in mind youre most likely working with me at Bluesharmonica.com where I have study songs to help students develop their skill sets. Or maybe youre working from a lesson or transcription book. Now that you have the lick in your head, stop the music and work from the harmonica tablature working the notes, movement, breath patterns, and techniques specic to that lick. Basically, you are focusing on the mechanical elements required to play this lick on your machine. This part of the process can go very quickly or slowly, all depending on how much of that lick involves new technique for you.

Step 1 Set A Loop And Slow It Down

Use a software program like the Amazing Slow Downer (www.ronimusic.com) to loop the lick youre trying to learn (a loop is where you set a start and end point for a lick and the software automatically repeats the lick). Set the start loop early enough so that you can tap your foot and anticipate the start of your lick. Set the end point far enough out so that the return of the loop doesnt feel abrupt. Slow down the lick until you can clearly hear all of the notes and the inections used to present them. Speed is the enemy of the learning process.

Step 2 Listen Once, Sing Once

Now that your loop is set, listen to the lick once, focusing on the contour of the melody (where notes go up, stay the same, or go down) as well as the rhythm and dynamics used to present them. Then sing the lick once. If you can, sing the actual pitches. If your singing sends young children away crying, just do your best to follow the contour of the

Step 4 Listen Once, Play Once

This process is the same as Step 2, but with actually playing on your instrument. Traditionally this has been the point where we would play along with the recording over and over, so the modication here is to have the discipline to listen between each play. Its challenging not to play each time, but the reward is faster and more accurate learning.

BLUES REVUE

31

TAJ MAHAL TRIO

21st Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
THE 21st running of the Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival owes some of its
success to its open-minded denition of musical genres. Although it hangs its hat on blues and jazz, organizers hold tight to their belief that people love all sorts of music acknowledging that much of it ts between these tightly knit categories. How perfect that an artist of the stature of Taj Mahal can partake of its jubilant, enlightened audience, reecting the same adventurous spirit as has his personal musical odyssey? He is, in fact, the perfect t. Taj Mahal performed twice with his Trio Kester Smith, drums and Bill Rich, bass one performance in the polished, soft-seat

September 16-17, 2011

Playhouse and the other in a packed, enormous weatherproof tent. As Taj and company mounted the Playhouse stage he, decked out in a colorful Hawaiian shirt, white slacks, and fedora, appeared somewhat uncomfortable playing before a seated, somewhat reserved audience whom he couldnt really see. Not that this stopped him from being his usual, highlyanimated self hips gyrating, rocking his body to the music. The following days performance found the band confronted by a boisterous, full house in the Blues Tent. As Taj and his Trio worked each

song from his extensive catalogue, his rhythm section followed his every lead. He was soaked, but happy and denitely at home. The crowd lapped it up as Mahal spun through new material and classics alike: Fishin Blues, Annie Mae, TV Mama, The Blues Is Alright, Diving Duck Blues, Zanzibar, and Slow Drag. Delivered with gusto at 69 and, for the audience, a rare opportunity to see an icon up close on this, his second coming now that the rest of the world has nally caught up to him. In the 40 years since Henry St. Clair Fredericks released his self-titled debut, making sizeable waves as Taj Mahal, much has happened. Taj single-handedly made his name on the revival and preservation of age-old traditional blues at a time when everyone else was trying something new. But, a restless musical traveler, he couldnt stay there for long. He was looking for more and seeking to dene his ethnicity by drinking in the blues from a world music perspective long before a later wave of groundbreakers like Keb Mo, Guy Davis, and Corey Harris made this popular. In no time this modern-day bluesman ran afoul of blues purists with forays into Caribbean sounds, New Orleans music, reggae, and Hawaiian music. Yet unbelievably it all made sense in Tajs hands and voice. Seeing him deliver this music in person was more than a history lesson. It became something far more precious and special. His slide playing was masterful and his abilities on guitar, harmonica and banjo were jaw-dropping as Mahal attacked each song like an enthusiastic kid. His is a celebration of music for those who love music. Its something that only a master who has lived the music rst can do. He doesnt borrow. He creates, all the more original for having a rm grasp on all the ingredients that came before. Theres really only one Taj Mahal and it was special for the two audiences to get the chance to partake of this legend. Eric Thom
PHOTOGRAPHY ERIC THOM

AT 77 years old, John Mayall is showing little sign of slowing down.

Mayall recently returned home to the UK for a 25-date tour in October and November. Joining him was fast-rising British guitarist Oli Brown and his band, one of a crop of young European blues musicians on Ruf Records. Brown has already built a great reputation in the UK with his band winning best live act in the 2011 British Blues Awards and his most recent release Heads I Win Tails You Lose picking up best album. Browns latest album, his second, was produced by Blues Horizon founder Mike Vernon. Some 45 years ago Vernon was in the producers chair for John Mayalls Beano album, and Brown hopes that Vernons inuence can give his career the same push that it gave the young Eric Clapton featured in that line up of the Bluesbreakers. Mikes name is on the production credits for most of the CDs I have at home, said Brown. Writing songs with him made me

JOHN MAYALL & OLI BROWN

Bristol Colston Hall, United Kingdom November 1, 2011

more aware of what I should be listening for when I am composing. I learned a lot from Mike. In much the same way as Clapton learned his trade as a sideman, Brown attributes much to his own mentors. At the age of 17, Brown was invited to tour with BlindDog Smokin and he credits the Wyoming based band for much of his development. I would never have been a singer or led my own band. They helped me develop my stage

32

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

UK, and made the top ten blues albums of 2010 in Mojo magazine with Heads I Win Tails You Lose. Next year will see him headline a UK tour that moves him to bigger venues and takes Brown to a much wider audience within and beyond the blues community. Headliner Mayall started with a solo version of Bye Bye Bird before being joined on stage by his band for a 90 minute set drawn from his massive back catalogue. Most of the song choices for this gig were drawn from his 1960s releases, including All Your Love, BROWN The Bear, Mail Order Mystics, Parchman Farm, All My Life, Ridin On The L&N, a jazzy Long Gone Midnight, and a funky Natures Disappearing, introduced by Mayall as his song about conservation before conservation became popular. Mayalls current band doesnt include any up and coming guitarist, it simply oozes MAYALL experience and features Texan Rocky Athas on guitar and a rhythm section made in Chicago, drummer Jay Davenport and bassist Greg Rzab. The almost motionless Rzab is surely a contender for the coolest bass player on the planet, quietly and unobtrusively laying down the groove before bursting into life for his solos, rst on Mail Order Mystics and a full on assault on Room To Move, the stand out song of the night which at one point had Rzab and Mayall trading licks on bass and harmonica. Brown played tracks from his rst two releases and previewed It is hard to believe that John Mayall has songs from his forthcoming 2012 release Here I Am. Denitely at been gigging for half a century. Songs that the rockier end of blues, the six song set showed great variety, are over 40 years old sound like they were from the laid back Complicated, during which Brown sang written yesterday and Mayall looks more like unamplied, to the heads down rock of Evil Soul, The set someone who is enjoying his rst tour than closed with a re-work of Blackstreet and Dr. Dres No Diggity, someone who has clocked up thousands of gigs. There is most denitely with Brown superbly turning hip hop into blues. a place for the likes of Oli Brown on the circuit, but the older generation At only 21 years old Brown has already been invited on major concert such as Mayall and Buddy Guy are in no mood to move over just yet. tours with Walter Trout and now John Mayall, has toured the USA and Chris Kerslake Canada and throughout Europe, is getting airplay on national radio in the presence and technique. I wouldnt be the musician I am today if it wasnt for them. Brown clearly listened and learned well. His performance exuded condence and he managed to make a near 2,000-seat hall seem more like an intimate club gig. Backed by a tight and funky rhythm section of British Blues Drummer of the Year Wayne Proctor and bassist Ron Sayer,
PHOTOGRAPHY OLIVIA WIKE

KEB MO will be the rst to admit that his latest record, The Reection,
is not a blues record. Try telling that to the capacity crowd that lled the Calvin Theater who came super psyched to party with whatever music Keb and his all-star band played. Keb understands the deep place where the blues comes from and he understands that media needs to label artists, but he also knows that any successful artist must shatter those labels. The Reection and this tour move Keb away from the label Keb Mo, bluesman, and into the territory of no appropriate label. Ultimately the night belonged to songs and personality. From the second song, when Keb sat at the edge of the stage high-vin fans, to his genuine warmth in sharing his lyrical visions, this night owed in a joyous performer/ audience give and take. What was nice about the evening is that Keb didnt hammer the audience over the head with one new song after

KEB MO
Calvin Theater, Northampton, MA September 22, 2011

PHOTOGRAPHY ART TIPALDI

another. Instead he cleverly sprinkled a handful of fresh songs throughout a set of 20 songs. The nights two hour set effortlessly moved from fresh arrangements of Keb Mo classics like Perpetual Blues Machine, More Than One Way Home, and Muddy Water to an unveiling of songs from The Reection like The Whole Enchlida (which you can get as your ringtone on your Iphone), We Dont Need It, and All The Way. With the synthesizer splash of Michael B. Hicks, Keb turned Gimme What You Got into a booty shakin song youd hear from Bobby Rush in a chitlin circuit club. The loudest roar of approval came for his Shave Yo Legs. As the women stood at the unconditional acceptance the line professes, I wondered if I too could have also gone unshaven to the show. The quietest moment of the night was Kebs delivery of the timely We Dont Need It, a poignant look at what unemployment does to families on the edge. A daughter who wants a

BLUES REVUE

33

dress, a son who needs new sneakers are answered with We dont need it. It hits especially hard when the children offer their meager savings to alleviate some of the nancial stress. Keb told me he wrote that song three years ago at the start of Americas economic woes. It was a moment musicians and audience considered personal and national economic woes. The band assembled for this tour was all-star caliber. Not only are each an expert musician, but Jeff Paris, Kevin So, and Hicks are excellent vocalists, so the harmonies they blended behind Keb throughout the show were gorgeous. When he closed the show with The Door, he gave each of the vocalists the chance to shine individually on the chorus. Then Keb called out his guitar tech, Casey Wasner, and gave the stage to him. Four expressive vocalists had the crowd standing. But Keb wasnt nished. He invited two locals from the audience, backed off, and let them hold court. Each took the mic and gave the vocal performance worthy of this stage.

When Keb and the band returned for the encore, he knew his dancin ladies in the audience were still waiting. The opening notes of She Just Wants To Dance brought every woman in the house to her feet with arms waving and hips swaying. In Solomon Burke fashion, Keb pointed out two gyrating ladies in the front row, invited them on-stage, backed off, and let them live the songs message as the rest of the house sang it out. Guitarist Sunny War opened the evening for Keb. Part folk, part blues, part new age, her alternating bass line coupled with intricate, original picking style makes me think of Mississippi John Hurts thumb meets Vieux Farka Tours ngers. Her 30 minute set featured a stunning, ngerstyle tribute to Libba Cotton on Freight Train along with some intricate, West African guitar phrasing on originals like Driftin and Tiny Town. Denitely a unique voice to watch. Art Tipaldi

LARRY GARNER
THOUGH the talent line-up at the 2011 Biscuit was a whos who of
the blues, featuring many Arkansas and Mississippi artists, Larry Garner entertained the crowd on the levee with a combination of wit and charm. For blues fans, its a joy to see Garner healthy, touring, and writing again. I had triple bypass surgery in 2007 and was treated for hep C too, said Garner. I started treatment before Kenny Neal. I told him what I was taking and how it was gonna feel. He stopped working and stayed in California; I never stopped working. Those meds had me so tired. I couldnt play as hard as I used to. It was like taking chemo. I was still driving to the gigs and the guys in the band said that theyd always respected me, but my hats off to you after this. Garner addressed his health on the slow blues update of St. Louis Jimmys Goin Down Slow. Here Garner visits a doctor who advises Garner to stop his bad health habits. Garner answers, Ive had some fun and if yall cant get me well, Im goin down slow. As always, each song came with a story rapped in the middle or end where Garner personalized the message. The Road Of Life was his song to the men with broken hearts. At the end, he advised taking hold of that broken heart and throwin it away. For rock solid, Chicago blues, Garner delivered Raised In The Country, chiding the audience on the levee to join him in the sing-along chorus. Always gracious, Garner turned over the stage to his keyboard guest, Sam Joyner, who performed Stormy Monday. While all this was going on, Sugar Blue was standing off-stage. When Garner saw his friend, Blue was invited up to add his high-end harmonica and vocals to Joyners tune. Those are King Biscuit moments that happen up and down Cherry Street. Garner isnt all wit. Garners contemporary blues grow out of our need to make sense of the problems and difculties in todays world. He has a keen eye

King Biscuit Festival Helena, AR October 6-8, 2011

to watch the world and then universalize it in song. Oddly, songs written a decade ago still hold truth and meaning today. His No Free Rides, written in the early 90s, still holds its relevance. Im nding that my songs are as relevant today as when I wrote them, said Garner after the performance. When I sing my songs and tell people they are all original tunes, their reaction is always, I cant believe you wrote them all! Thats a nice feeling, but an even better feeling is when I go places where people who own my CDs come out, request the songs, and then sing along with me, thats euphoric. The nale, Keep Singing The Blues, was classic Garner. Over a swampy rhythm and personal testimony to his lifelong blues commitment, Garner told the hilarious story of his encounter with a bass thumpin, jean droppin, kid sittin in a vibrating Honda. Garners story ends with him rappin verse after verse of 2PACs Bury Me A G to show the kid Larrys hip too. From there, Garner gives a gentle music education that ends with him givin the kid permission to go back to the start of rap with Isaac Hayes Shaft. From my standpoint, theres something about the music that makes you want to do your best. Even when you listen to the blues on the radio, the blues puts a whole different vibe on the work youre doing. That artistic philosophy is what keeps Larry Garner striving to entertain on many levels. Art Tipaldi
PHOTOGRAPHY ART TIPALDI

34

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Reviews
MARQUISE KNOX Here I Am
APO Records

When submitting CDs for review, please send two copies to

Blues Revue, P.O. Box 42306, Urbandale, IA, 50323

MARQUISE KNOX has recorded a wonderful blues record that harkens back to the Golden Age of big city blues. And hes only 19.
Here I Am features nine Knox originals and a trio of songs from one of the guitarists idols, Muddy Waters. Knoxs self-penned songs are impressive, strongly in the blues tradition with his gruff, soulful vocals and thick guitar licks ladled in on top. The albums title cut is a mid-tempo jump-blues number sans horns, with a fluid groove and Knoxs emotional vocals sounding a lot older than he actually is. With keyboardist Wayne Sharp laying down some haunting Hammond B-3 riffs on Tears Feel Like Rain, Knox delivers a powerful vocal performance punctuated by his stinging fretwork. Can A Young Man Play The Blues? answers itself with a resounding yes, Knox sounding remarkably like a youthful B.B. while imbuing the song with his own personality. Of the three Waters songs, the Chicago blues legends signature I Cant Be Satised is probably the best, Knox bringing his Mississippi roots to the fore with an astounding performance that is as raw and real as the blues gets. A guitarist of extraordinary skill, tone, and phrasing as well as a strong, emotionally powerful vocalist, Marquise Knox is a bluesman youre going to want to keep an eye on. Rev. Keith A. Gordon

Listening to blues guitarist Marquise Knox play on Here I Am, his third album, you can imagine what it was like rst hearing B.B. King back in the early 1950s. The young bluesman Knox is only 20 years old, 19 when he recorded Here I Am has already garnered an impressive number of award nominations, as well as a Living Blues Award for his 2009 debut, Man Child. He has toured with blues giants like King, Pinetop Perkins, and David Honeyboy Edwards, and at an age where Knox isnt even old enough to drink legally. Knox straddles a ne line on Here I Am, masterfully balancing Chicago-styled blues with the strong avor of his hometown St. Louis R&B, throwing just enough Mississippi blues inuences into the gumbo pot to dirty up his sound and keep it from becoming too slick. Knoxs performances here transcend the notion of contemporary, fusing past with present to create a sound that is pure blues heaven, creating a deserving buzz around the six-string prodigy.

STEVE CROPPER Dedicated

492 Records Steve Cropper, the legendary guitarist of Booker T. & the MGs, makes no bones about it: 5 Royales lead axeman Lowman Pauling was Croppers principal inuence when he was just starting out. Not only for Paulings biting, anarchic licks, revolutionary for their time, but even for his extra-long strap, which the young Cropper copied after seeing the Royales tear up the Tropicana nightclub in Croppers Memphis hometown. Lowman was a showman of the rst order in addition to being a blistering, boundlessly innovative guitarist.

Cropper pays his hero back in full with this all-star salute, which he co-produced with Jon Tiven. He revives 15 Royales songs from their 1950s heyday on the Apollo and King labels, all but three written by the prolic Pauling, the groups chief songsmith. The Royales were one of the rst R&B acts to heavily incorporate gospel inuences into their sound, so choosing the right vocalists to front the Cropper-led band here (which includes bassist David Hood and keyboardist Spooner Oldham) was crucial. For the most part, they chose wisely. Apart from instrumental treatments of Think and the blues-soaked Help Me Somebody, Cropper is just as self-effacing as he was when he was Stax/Volts invaluable session axeman during the

60s, content to lay back and push the grooves with his immaculate licks while throwing in a concise solo when needed. The selections that connect the hardest happen to be the eriest, in keeping with the Royales original gospel-permeated mindset: Sharon Jones Messin Up,

BLUES REVUE

35

Bettye LaVettes Say It (neat idea to pair her with her old friend, ex-Royal Jokers lead singer Willie Jones, for a duet rendition of Dont Be Ashamed), and somewhat surprisingly, John Poppers take on My Sugar Sugar. Old pros Delbert McClinton (a romping Right Around The Corner), Steve Winwood (Thirty Second Lover), and Dan Penn (the moving ballad Someone Made You For Me) are predictably solid, while B.B. King and Shemekia Copeland team up for a tasteful if a tad subdued Baby Dont Do It. Lucinda Williams excessively mannered delivery on the Royales masterpiece Dedicated To The One I Love and the closing When I Get Like This, on the other hand, must be an acquired taste that Ive somehow yet to acquire. Heres hoping Croppers heartfelt tribute to Pauling and his catalog results in heightened interest in the quintets legacy. There hasnt been a comprehensive 5 Royales CD compilation come along in a while now, and a complete boxed set of their seminal sides would be a dream come true. Ill bet Steve Cropper might be one of the rst in line to purchase it. Bill Dahl

MARY FLOWER Misery Loves Company

Yellow Dog Records Mary Flower sure makes an impression. Her creamy contralto voice alone could be one of the best advertisements for the rural country blues today. When she sings, she effectively swaths a listener in natural warmth and comfort whether conveying images of healing and joyful release, or hardship and even death. Combine that with her soulful nger-style expertise on guitar and heads denitely turn. In fact, when shes not entertaining, Flower can be

found teaching aspiring students her ragtime-inected technique privately in her Portland, Oregon, home studio, via SKYPE, or at a variety of music camps the world over. Misery Loves Company is her eighth album; its real blues themes of social and economic woes are about as kick-in-the-gut relevant as ever right now. The set comes alive on a vigorous stream of guitar and cheery harp by Flower and guest Curtis Salgado. A minute in, though, and an inspired tempo change brings it on down to Muddy Waters early Hard Day Blues, Salgado moaning and Flower intoning about a particularly solitary existence. In her version of Son Houses Death Letter, the timbre of Flowers guitar, and even the melody of it in places, is right out of Gregg Allmans Midnight Rider. Or is it vice versa? Regardless, its an interesting twist, intentional or not, and a unique version of the oft-covered classic. LaRhonda Steeles marvelous gospel background vocal helps to place the Rev. Gary Davis Goin To Sit On The Banks Of The River in a chapel just this side of that riverbank. On the other side of the coin, Flowers original instrumental Devils Punchbowl features cellist Gideon Freudmann keeping pace with her great guitar display, but hanging back perfectly with his strange compliments. For Elizabeth Cottons Shake Sugaree, the vocal and the groove are suitably airy and carefree. This lady is a treasure. Tom Clarke

CANDYE KANE Sister Vagabond

Delta Groove Music California entertainer Candye Kane, a prominent player in the Southern California roots music scene since the 1980s, has in recent years had to face down opinionated ignoramuses with public platforms, band personnel issues, and grave challenges to her health. Improbably, she has, at the same time, marked an undeniable career peak, achieving new highs in national and international acclaim, staging a successful musical, carrying messages of determination, optimism, and inspiration to her audiences, and releasing top-notch recordings rst Superhero! and now Sister Vagabond with startling regularity.

What a spirit, and what an album. Kane and her band, which here includes such stellar payers as James Harman (harp), Johnny V (sax), Thomas Yearsley and Kennan Shaw (bass), Stephen Hodges and Paul Fasulo (drums), and Laura Chavez and Nathan James (guitar), condently handle a range of material. Cherry-picked songs by Steve White (the minor key, acoustic Down With The Blues), Johnny Guitar Watson, and Brenda Lee (with a junkyard dog mean reimagining of Sweet Nothins) reect the excellence of the Kane-Chavez originals, numbering among them two slow, minor numbers (the splendid Hurricane Katrina song You Cant Take It Back From Here and the harrowing Walkin, Talkin Haunted House), the jumping Side Dish, the Fever-ish Hard Knock Gal, a Louisiana-inspired tune or two, and the unexpected sweet soul romp, Love Insurance. Top to bottom, its a superb set, arranged and played with dynamics and nesse, and sung fabulously. Without minimizing Kanes remarkable achievements, her successes of late have come, as she regularly points out, with help. There is her association with the Delta Groove label, but only shocking negligence or willful perversity could omit a discussion of the legend, prominently displayed on the CD cover, that reads Featuring Laura Chavez. Chavez is Kanes onstage foil, coproducer, songwriting partner, and a key element of Sista Vagabond. Her guitar work, marked by tasteful intuition and intelligence, is, by turns, tough as nails and melodic, ashy and economical, haunting and sweet in a word, brilliant. Keep your eyes (rather, your ears) on this genuinely deep new talent. Candye Kane herself has been demanding, and keeping, our attention for years. May she long continue to do so. (read Candye and Lauras Knee to Knee talk in BR#125) Tom Hyslop

36

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

WATERMELON SLIM & SUPER CHIKAN Okiesippi Blues

Northern Blues These two Clarksdale, Mississippi, musicians are clearly having a good time enjoying each others company and trading licks on this intimate album, which pairs two larger-than-life blues personalities. On Trucking Blues, the two put you inside the truck with them as they make jive talking comments about passersby, all the while Super Chikan is playing a boogie rhythm on electric guitar while Watermelon Slim

Theres plenty of variety here: DiddleyBo Jam is just the two men wailing away for more than seven minutes on electric diddley-bos, with the only trappings about the wailing slides is the sound of a shaker; Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning is a full-edged gospel barn burner; Within You Without You/Dinde is a kalimba instrumental performed by Slim. With Okiesippi Blues, Watermelon Slim and Super Chikan have created an address all their own. Michael Cote

MARIA MULDAUR Steady Love

Stony Plain Records Strangers to the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene rst heard Maria Muldaurs captivating and playful voice on the pop hit, Midnight At The Oasis, followed by the anthemic, Im A Woman. Since then, much has been added to Muldaurs discography and performing history in blues, jazz, gospel, and folk than this review can possibly hold.

adds some blues harp here and there. I Dont Wear No Sunglasses offers a spotlight for Slim to play his trademark slide guitar. Like much of this record, the lyrics are tongue in cheek, as Slim talks about how he doesnt like to take long solos or wear sunglasses when he performs. Likewise, Chikans The Trip sounds like a truthful lament from someone who spends a lot of his time on the road. To kick off You Might Know, Chikan plays a short blues riff on an acoustic guitar and Slim joins in on harmonica a few seconds later just before Chikan pretty sums up the theme of the album: Sitting on my front porch talking with Watermelon Slim, trading them ol Delta blues stories. Its hard not to crack up when you hear Im A Little Fish, which youll either think is hilarious or the dumbest thing youve ever heard. The background vocals alone are hysterical. Just voices, guitars, and handclaps. Slims spoken-word story on the next track, Northwest Regional, about his rst trip to Clarksdale from Oklahoma, is a much darker tale. Chikan punctuates the story with bluesy moans and humming.

chooses to work with talented peers who share her vision of American roots music. Her current release, Steady Love, was recorded in New Orleans and exemplies her soulful reinvention within traditions she has always loved blues, jazz, folk, pop, spirituals. The 13-track CD features some of the best Fat City musicians including Shane Theriot on guitar, keyboardist Dave Torkanowsky, bassist Johnny Allen, and drummer Kenny Blevins. Gospel highlights are the classic, As An Eagle Stirreth In Her Nest, along with Eric Bibbs Dont Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down. Very moving is the albums slide guitarist Rick Vitos I Am Not Alone. Her blues and R&B tracks are well chosen and superbly performed. Her take on Sugar Pie DeSantos Soulful Dress is enjoyable as much for the performance as for the fact that Muldaur chose to honor a lesser-known blues/R&B performer who deserves the spotlight. Her soulful voice has probably dropped an octave since the Sixties, but its gotten grittier and darker and more nuanced. In some ways, Muldaur displays similarities to Mavis Staples, who likewise shared the folk scene, and whos got the same soulful blues/gospel delivery and stage presence. Michael Cala

MARK HUMMEL Unplugged: Back Porch Music

Mountain Top On this 16-track album, Mark Hummel gathers some of his friends to play some down-home blues. Hummels count-off at the beginning of Have You Ever Been In Love sets the tone for the laid-back live feel of this album, which also features Rusty Zinn on guitar and vocals, RW Grigsby on upright bass, and Bob Welsh on guitar and piano. Note the absence of drums; this is back porch music, after all. Although its mostly a collection of covers, the harmonica player has chosen ones that have deep meaning to him, either from when he rst heard them or from the players who have inspired him over the years. High on that list is Sonny Boy Williamson. Actually, both of them. Hummel kicks off the set with Have You Ever Been In Love, a song written by Rice Miller (aka

As a teen, Muldaur started out recording regional roots musicians with the Friends of Old Timey Music. She soon became a major presence in the Village folk scene with pals including John Sebastian, Paul Buttereld, and ex-husband Jeff Muldaur, with whom she performed in the Jim Kweskin and Even Dozen jug bands. The two albums she recorded with Muldaur Pottery Pie and Sweet Potatoes remain cult classics. After nearly 50 years, its fair to say that Ms. Muldaur has become beloved by fans who have followed her sideways journey through American music. Consistently, she has chosen the material best suited to her voice and singing style. She also

BLUES REVUE

37

Sonny Boy Williamson II). Hummels harp playing echoes that moan and wail conversational style of Williamson. And his singing captures the hint of menace that was presence in Williamsons singing. Hummel also offers a version of Millers Love In Vain. (For harp enthusiasts, Hummel provides detail: I start in cross harp and switch to rst in the middle solo.) Songs originated by the rst Sonny Boy Williamson include Hummels takes on My Little Machine an early doubleentendre blues classic Shake Your Boogie and Step Back Baby. Hummel salutes Little Walter with I Just Keep Loving Her and the more obscure Cant Hold Out Much Longer (originally the B-side of Walters instrumental smash hit, Juke). Hummel also revisits a few of his own songs, including Ease My Mind, a song he rst recorded in 1986 and was also recorded by Brownie McGhee, to whom Hummel pays tribute with a cover of McGhees shufe ballad Living With The Blues. He also dusts off Learned My Lesson (Changed My Ways), a song Hummel says he wrote after he got sober in 1984. In the liner notes, Hummel mentions that he and Zinn perform the song at rehab centers a piece of news that epitomizes the personal, intimate nature of these recordings. Michael Cote

assisted by the hot guitar licks of Anson Funderburgh on the rst and Bob Margolin and slide player John Rapp on the second. She dreams of fun in heaven on Beautiful Hat, with the joyful mandolin by Rich Del Grosso, then rocks hard in the moment on the breakneck I Cant Wait, with Margolin and bassist Mookie Brill tearing it up alongside. Her deep bench of collaborating musicians including drummer Chuck Cotton on many songs, guitarists Smokin Joe Kubek, Josh Preslar, and John Del Toro Richardson, who has been her guitar foil for many years, and harp players Billy Branch and Bob Corritore shine up every track with skill and economy, never crowding her performance, but punctuating her lines with exactly the right touch at the right time. Another standout, Tryin To Hold On, catalogues the trials of a modern-day touring blues band trying to keep the music alive in these hard times, ending with the refrain: Trying to hold on to something/Thats already gone. As excellent as the rest of the CD proved to be, it is surpassed, in my opinion, by a pair of renditions of the traditional hymn He Is Everything To Me, the rst

OLLABELLE Neon Blue Bird

Thirty Tigers Ollabelles self-titled debut in 2004 was a remarkable album on several counts. It was produced by Grammy Award-recidivist T Bone Burnett hot off his O Brother, Where Are Thou? success, it was released through major label Sony, and it featured hip, young white musicians playing mostly black gospel songs, infused with a bit of blues and rock, and playing them very well.

DIUNNA GREENLEAF Trying To Hold On

VizzTone Records A powerhouse blues singer from Houston, Texas, Diunna Greenleaf pours soul and passion into the excellent songs on her latest CD, all but two of which she wrote or co-wrote. She rails against Sunny Day Friends, then is heartbreakingly resigned on Growing Up And Growing Old,

sung by Greenleafs late grandmother, Sylvie Travis, who was 102 years old when the recording was made. Although her voice is quivery, Travis attacks each line with spellbinding conviction, clearly demonstrating how such a spiritual should be delivered. On Greenleafs version that follows, she sounds like Marion Anderson back from beyond. The transformation of her powerful blues shout into an instrument of deep faith and endless comfort is truly awe-inspiring and a thrill to listen to again and again. (Disclosure: Trying To Hold On is issued by the VizzTone Label Group, coowned by Blues Revues parent company, Visionation.) Kay Cordtz

Their rst disc included songs by Mississippi Fred McDowell, Bessie Jones & the Georgia Sea Island Singers, Mahalia Jackson, Blind Willie Johnson, and, for changeups, Mick Jagger-Keith Richards and the Carter Family. Of course the album didnt move the number of units expected by a major label, but it found an audience sufcient for Verve Forecast to put out a second album, Riverside Battle Songs, and for rock label Yep Roc to issue a live disc. The group, named for early country singer Ola Belle Reed, features vocalists Amy Helm (daughter of The Bands Levon Helm) and Fiona McBain, Tony Leone on drums, keyboardist Glenn Patscha, and bassist Byron Isaacs, along with sometimes member Jimi Zhivago on guitar. Their latest effort, Neon Blue Bird, nds them off the majors and out on their own, producing themselves and releasing through an indie Americana label, Thirty Tigers. Its a good move. Neon Blue Bird offers ve originals, two traditional songs, and a wide-eyed range of covers from Taj Mahal, resonator guitarist Chris Whitley, and Aussie folkrocker Paul Kelly. The angelic voices of Helm and McBain, blended or separate, remain Ollabelles major attribute, particu-

38

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

larly on stand-out tracks such as Be Your Woman, and Butcher Boy, but their male band mates get to step to the microphone on One More Time, Tajs Lovin In My Babys Eyes and Whitleys Dirt Floor. The last would have t comfortably on any of The Bands best albums. The standout item though is an absolutely lovely, lilting rethinking of Swanee River. Yes, the song by the late, very great Stephen Foster, the early American tunesmith who wrote Camptown Races, My Old Kentucky Home, and Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair. Also known as Old Folks At Home, Swanee River is for my money his greatest achievement, written in 1851, a few years before he died an impoverished death in Lower Manhattan, not far from where Ollabelle rst came together playing at a neighborhood club. Its the nal song on this ne album and a tting tribute. Bill Wasserzieher

ERIC LINDELL West County Drifter

M.C. Records California native Eric Lindell has spent more than a decade soaking up the delectable sounds of the Crescent City and continuing to more naturally incorporate them into his soulful, genre-hopping material. On West County Drifter, his rst album for M.C. Records following a successful three-album run on the famed Alligator label, the singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer adroitly taps into various roots styles with one foot always lingering near the clubs of Frenchmen Street. For instance, on the poignant track Cazadero, about a romance that spans from New Orleans to Sonoma County, Lindell smartly gooses the breezy, acousticbased melody riding on a Golden State sensibility with clarinet playing that recalls the Big Easy. Similar stylistic crossbreeding works throughout. Baritone and tenor sax sweeten the lighthearted blues of Bow Wow and Nick Ellmans choice clarinet work returns for the rollicking title track, which also unites Lindell with his native and adopted homes for a reunion lled with revelry. When I get to California, Im gonna call you on the phone, goes the opening line. Bring your slide trombone, yeah, well get this bad bitch going.

Lindell shows off his singing chops with a commendable cover of the Curtis Mayeld gem I Aint Supposed To, which the Impressions included on their 1964 album Keep On Pushing. Lindells warm vocals benet signicantly by the inclusion of organ and lap steel. On Bodega, another song set in Sonoma County, Lindell takes his best melody as well as most compelling lyrics and judiciously surrounds himself with an all-star lineup including Ivan Neville on electric piano and slide guitar ace Thomas Johnson. The only perplexing aspect of West County Drifter is its release as a double album. Both discs clock in at less than 60 minutes. A CD holds 80 minutes. Huh? Wade Tatangelo

BERNIE PEARL Sittin On The Right Side Of The Blues

Major Label Recordings Bluesman Bernie Pearl is virtually unknown outside of the West Coast, and tis more the pity. A talented guitarist, Pearl learned his craft at the feet of artists performing at the legendary Ash Grove club in Los Angeles run by his brother Ed. Giants like Mississippi Fred McDowell, Brownie McGhee, and especially Mance Lipscomb and

Lightnin Hopkins schooled the young guitarist in the ways of the blues. Better than four decades later, Pearl still plays with the energy and fury of much younger artists, and through the years hes put his own spin on the lessons he learned from the blues legends he played with during the 1960s and 70s. Pearls Sittin On The Right Side Of The Blues is a portrait of the present-day bluesman, recorded live at Boulevard Music in Culver City, California, with just upright bassist Mike Barry accompanying the guitarist in an intimate setting. Youll nd no instrumental overdubs or Pro Tools tinkering here, just a raw, spirited performance heard exactly as the audience originally experienced it in February 2011. A 15-track collection of well-worn and beloved blues covers interspersed with a handful of original songs, Sittin On The Right Side Of The Blues is not only a ne showcase for Pearls skills with an acoustic guitar but also a welcome reminder of the simple country roots of the blues. Jailhouse Blues, for instance, offers Pearls take on the Lightnin Hopkins classic, the guitarists haunting vocals accompanied by intricate, elegant fretwork. The autobiographical title track is based on Pearls personal interaction with his mentors, its boogie framework peppered with some ne licks. A cover of Son Houses Shetland Pony Blues, while lacking the Delta bluesmans tortured vocals, nevertheless nails the complex and emotional soundtrack of the song. The original instrumental I Aint Hurt is inuenced by Mississippi John Hurt, but its all Bernie Pearl and a lively slice of country-blues at that. Mance Lipscomb, Fred McDowell, and Muddy Waters, among others, all receive a reverent treatment from Pearl, a gifted artist ripe for rediscovery. Rev. Keith A. Gordon

MCCRARY SISTERS Our Journey

MCC Records The daughters of the late Rev. Samuel McCrary of the original Faireld Four, Ann, Deborah, Regina, and Alfreda McCrary were blessed with angelic voices and raised on the outskirts of Music City in a house full of spiritual harmony. Reginas enjoyed the limelight since age seven, and recorded and

BLUES REVUE

39

BIG PETE Choice Cuts

Delta Groove Music Dutch bluesman Pieter van der Pluijm, known as Big Pete to his friends and fans, is hot stuff in Europe, and for good reason. The talented singer and harpist pursues a vision of the blues that is more traditional than contemporary, more likely to recall the Chicago blues of Little Walter or the West Coast style of William Clarke than many of todays more rock-oriented harp slingers.

toured with everyone from Elvis to Dylan. Ann worked with a whos who of contemporary gospel greats, and Alfreda applied her gifts to music ministry before the trio nally banded together. Deborah, meanwhile, pursued a career as nurse. Mike Farris, the former singer for rockers the Screamin Cheetah Wheelies and the unlikeliest bundle of volts and sparks, began featuring the McCrarys in 2008 in his crackling gospel-rockin soul revue at Nashvilles Station Inn. Those incendiary performances, several YouTube videos, and two Farris albums resulted in awards for the sisters in 2008 and 2010, and prepared them well for this very personal debut, with Deborah now on board. Beginning the album with Blowin In The Wind was a courageous move, but thankfully the ladies slinky, sultry, and ultimately soulred reading rises high above the norm. Delbert McClinton pianist Kevin McKendree plays with verve throughout the set, and is the man behind the swinging, hands-in-the-air surging Bible Study, presided over by Regina. Julie Millers Broken Pieces is sung tenderly by Alfreda, and set to a lovely arrangement by the authors husband, the Alt. country star and ne guitarist, Buddy Miller. Ann McCrarys lowdown Know My Name has the sisters in a eld hollerin mode, Farris accentuating their depiction of pain as its transformed into cleansing devotion. Deborah takes the lead among the four on the traditional Dig A Little Deeper, no instruments otherwise, just gilded notes from a palace of voices. And theres one roughhouse blues called Other Side Of The Blues (Since I Met You), a duet between Regina and McClinton, co-written and produced by McKendree, and featuring some pointed leads by guitarist Rob McNelley. All in all, the seamless ow of diversity on the album is testament not only to the sisters immense talent and storehouse of inuences, but to the distinct and admiring touch of the various producers and players on hand. Uplifting, and promising, by any measure. Tom Clarke

while Howlin Wolfs Rockin Daddy is a slow-burn blues jam with plenty o soul. William Clarkes Chromatic Crumbs displays the full range of Big Petes talent, the performance swinging and sizzling like a dance oor on Friday night. Big Pete is the real deal, a singer in the vein of the Fabulous Thunderbirds Wilson, even sharing some of Wilsons vocal phrasing. Its his harp play, however, that stands out. Pluijm is a gifted young performer who has absorbed six decades of the blues and put his own unique spin on the music. Rev. Keith A. Gordon

SAMANTHA FISH Runaway

Ruf Records Runaway isnt exactly a debut album for Samantha Fish, but, coming on the heels of Girls with Guitars with band mates Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde, its her rst solo studio outing. Fish has had a busy year, spending a good deal of time on the road with Ruf Records Blues Caravan tour. On this effort, Fish delivers a bluesy album that veers toward country and classic rock, and it cashes out much better than the gimmick of Girls with Guitars.

Big Petes throwback sound, illustrated on this U.S. debut, comes as somewhat of a surprise considering that he readily names the late roots-rocker Lester Butler (The Red Devils, 13) as his main inuence. While Butler was known to y off on tangents that many blues purists during the 1990s considered a bit tooshall we say, avant gardePluijm takes a more conventional tack with Choice Cuts, preferring to breathe new life and energy into a tried-and-true blues format. Delta Groove has loaded down Choice Cuts with studio guests that represent a veritable whos who of contemporary blues talent, from guitarists Kirk Fletcher, Kid Ramos, and Shawn Pittman to fellow harp players Kim Wilson and Paul Oscher, among others. While this was probably done to enhance Big Petes status stateside, the truth is, Pete doesnt seem to need much help. From the opening harmonica riffs on Butlers Driftin, recorded in tribute to his idol, one senses that this guy is something special. With Choice Cuts, Pluijm tackles a set of classic and obscure blues gems with enthusiasm and inspiration. He delivers a stellar vocal performance on Albert Kings Cant You See What Youre Doin To Me. Little Walters Just Your Fool is delivered reverently, but with Petes red-hot harp rifng leading the way,

Working hard and still honing her craft, Fish is neither virtuoso nor prodigy. On the other hand, she hits the trifecta of singing, playing, and songwriting that makes her a solid player on the contemporary blues scene. The fact that shes a cute twentysomething doesnt hurt, but thats far from the main attraction. She skirts the line of being sultry and provocative at times (particularly on Todays My Day and the smoky closer Feelin Alright), but mostly the disc is full of energetic strut. The lineup for Runaway includes Cassie

40

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Taylor on bass and some backing vocals and Jamie Little on drums. The trio kicks out a fat sound, enhanced by the addition of Mike Zito, who produced and contributes the stellar slide work on the disc. The group is tight; Taylors bass is subtle and supportive; Fishs powerful vocals are crystal clear. Much to her credit, Fish penned all but one of the tracks, a cover of Tom Pettys Louisiana Rain that catches the bayou vibe better than the original. Ranging from driving boogie-woogie to swampy Delta blues to the jazz-inected closer, Fish is adept at grabbing a theme and running it out. For her rst offering, there arent many tracks that sound terribly similar, and even the more pedestrian tracks are bolstered by Fishs angelic pipes. Fish cites inuences as diverse as Sheryl Crow and Tab Benoit, and they denitely come through. Given the pedigree, its hard not to compare this album with Girls with Guitars, but its a favorable comparison: I was pleasantly surprised to nd something delicate and bluesy instead of a rock & roll assault. Eric Wrisley

LLOYD JONES Highway Bound

Underworld On Highway Bound, Lloyd Jones offers interpretations of some classic country blues songs and gives the country blues treatment to some tunes that didnt start out that way. The purity and the quiet power of a single mans voice and guitar is a true pleasure. Jones, who hails from Portland, OR., aims to recapture the vibe he rst witnessed in the late 60s, when such blues icons as Big Walter, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, and Charlie Musselwhite came through his hometown. And he notes how the musicians took the time to share their musical knowledge with the locals. Travelin, among the handful of Jones originals, kicks off the album. Its the kind of fast-paced country blues songs that makes you conjure the movement of a freight train, thanks to Jones bare ngers against the strings and his warm, smoky voice. Mussel-

white, who gives Jones props on the back cover of the album, plays his Sonny Terry to Jones McGhee on John Brims Ice Cream Man, weaving his harmonica within the songs vocal line and taking a brief, tasteful solo. At a mere two minutes and 21 seconds, its one of those performances that leave you wanting more. And thats true of Highway Bound in general. Many of the 16 cuts clock in at less three minutes; Jones wastes nothing here, giving the songs their due and moving on to the next one. That sense of subtly and restraint gives the record much of its power. Robert Johnsons Last Fair Deal Gone Down is among the

BLUES REVUE

41

pair of songs on which Jones plugs in, playing a Danelectro guitar through the mighty Red Plate amp. Jones gives the song a rockabilly feel, creating a toe-tapping house party tune that has more brightness than you would normally associate with a Johnson tune. Jones bookends his own No More Crying with Big Bill Broonzys Southbound Train and Mississippi John Hurts Dont Want Me Baby, a trio of gentle, lonesome country blues that best illustrate Highway Bounds mostly mellow groove. Curtis Salgado sits in on the album closer, adding his harmonica to the Hoagy Carmichael/ Johnny Mercy standard Lazy Bones. Michael Cote

JOHNNY SANSONE The Lord Is Waiting And The Devil Is Too

Short Stack Records Well kick my ass with a bottle of shine on a log at the edge of the bog Johnny Sansone is back in the house and hes

hotter than a blazing oil drum stove. Recorded at Dockside Studio smack dab in the Louisiana bayou, The Lord Is Waiting And The Devil Is Too explodes with talent, monster beats, and hoodoo-voodoo wild-ass charm. Sansone may have been born and raised in New Jersey playing sax and digging the guitar on Jimmy Reed 8tracks, but damn, youd never know it. Even his years playing harp with John Lee Hooker and Ronnie Earl, and his initial Crescent City-style solo records on the Kingsnake and Rounder labels couldnt have prepared fans for this. Here, with his Voice of the Wetlands band mate Anders Osborne on guitar and in

the producers chair, and Galactics earthshattering Stanton Moore on drums, hes a harp hurricane and a wicked raconteur. As a trio, these guys slink and gnash and lay down some of the best swamp-shrouded blues since the last good John Mooney or C.C. Adcock album. In fact, even Sansones singing voice may at times calls to mind Mooney. His deance in the face of crushing odds (romance? economy?) in Sinking Ship is palpable, spitting volumes with the line You dont have to walk the plank on a sinking ship. In the blistering You Know Who, equal parts contempt, resignation, and guarded hope drip from his nasal cavity and singe the oor. But its his mile-thick, mind-blowing harp tone that makes these songs without overwhelming them. From that standpoint, this is a harp album with dynamic class. Sansone took inspiration and technique from the giants like Wells and the Walters, and spews their traditions while marking new territory. Listen to his rhythm within the insistent beat of the instrumental, Corn Whiskey, and know hes become a harmonica player to be reckoned with. He even plays it all Charlie Musselwhite-smooth and

42

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

spooky, in tempo, tone, and topicality, during his fascinating account of the tossedaside called Invisible. That little number really draws a line from the South through Chicago and back around again. Therere a million hooks to pin a listener in place on this album sure to make many best-of-theyear lists in just a listen or two. Tom Clarke

POPA CHUBBY Back To New York City

Provogue This is a script-ipped blues rock record, with a plugged-in emphasis on the rock part. Back To New York City, in many ways, is as loud as it is brash, a thundering restatement of Popa Chubbys outsized persona and even outer-sized personality. But peel away the scalding licks and the stomping rhythms and the braying vocals,

is a slow-cooked take on Bachs Jesus, Joy Of Mans Desiring. Throw in punk rock, too. A fan of the late-1970s CBGB scenesters, Chubby eventually worked as a sideman with Richard Hell whose band the Voidoids, along with contemporaries like the Ramones and the Cramps, added an element of danger that had been missing in rock music for some time. Chubby aims to do the same with the blues, and hes been largely successful at that, notably on 1995s Booty and the Beast, the Tom Dowd-produced gem that included the radio hit Sweet Goddess Of Love And Beer; and during a burst of activity a decade later that included the three-disc Jimi Hendrix-tribute Electric Chubbyland Along the way, Chubby also saw his writing mature. That continues with Back To New York City, as Chubby balances these many disparate musical inuences with condence and grace. More interestingly perhaps, the album connects on a visceral level too, as Chubby makes a number of telling, note-perfect comments on every-day life. Nick DeRiso

JOHN CAMPBELLJOHN Celtic Blues

Nood Records/Pepper Cake Having recently seen John Campbelljohns strong band performance at this years (2011) edition of the Mont Tremblant Blues Festival, I was really looking forward to his latest release. This solid and masterful solo performance was recorded live in Hamburg, Germany, and features sixteen songs, eleven originals and ve covers, augmented by outstanding sound quality. This performance opens with two strong originals No Philosopher and Non Conformist Blues then shifts to a creative cover of Mountains Mississippi Queen. The title track comes in two avors: Part One, referred to as (Tonis Brook), is a glorious bit of instrumental storytelling. Part Two of the title track (The Big Dig) is somewhat similar to Part One in that its another gorgeous instrumental. Sonny Sky Slide is another evocative, original instrumental that features Campbelljohns whistling which easily convinces the crowd to join in. Its obvious that Campbelljohn knows how to work the crowd well, even making comical

references to Woodstock, which the attentive audience loved. Things grow darker and less whimsical on Campbelljohns Knocked Down, that segues nicely to Rory Gallaghers Going To My Hometown, and then its onto Robert Johnsons Steady Rolling Man. Willie Dixons Little Red Rooster shows off Campbelljohns strong vocals and adds howling choruses. Chuck Berrys Dont You Lie To Me is another crowd pleaser with some sparkling slide. The closing original Autobahn John is a seemingly appropriate nod to the German audience, and it motors like a ne-tuned six-cylinder BMW. Campbelljohn is more than worthwhile to research and digest. Hes clever, inventive, powerful, entertaining, and unique. Hes denitely a musician who is far more worthy of wider notoriety, an artist whos a rare gem. Bob Putignano

and you nd, like a beautiful wildower pushing up through the cracks in a rugged city sidewalk, moments of touching, realworld lyricism. Chubby, whose real name is Ted Horowitz, embraces the contradictions. People look at me, he has said, and expect a certain thing. They dont realize theres more behind the picture. They see a big, burly guy with tattoos and they expect to get beat over the head. Here, he pauses, then adds, And you will get beat over the head, but youll also get rocked to sleep, and therell be poetry in there, too. Chubby is just as adept at the searing electried Texas shufe of She Loves Everybody But Me (a nod, it seems, to Stevie Ray Vaughan) as he is the pleading album-rock wail of A Love That Will Not Die. Switching gears, hes as apt to tear into a wall shaking groovier like Warrior God (a nod, it seems, to Motorhead) as he

LAURIE MORVAN Breathe Deep

Screaming Lizard Records One can anticipate the music to be enthusiastic and lively before hearing the rst note on Laurie Morvans fth release, because thats how Morvan albums have begun in the past. This one is no different in that respect. The lively opening song,

BLUES REVUE

43

No Working During Drinking Hours, immediately sets the stage for a festive atmosphere. The upbeat blues song begins with a catchy riff sequence performed by Morvan with Stratocaster amboyance. The appealing dual vocals complete the signature Morvan sound and groove. Morvans music stresses ne melody, polished musicianship, and catchy vocal harmony yet again. Along with her sultry voice, at times reminiscent of Christine McVie, Lisa Grubbs tasteful accompaniment gives it an Andrews Sisters harmonic air. It becomes threefold on two songs when Carolyn Kelley joins in. The rest of the band deserves credit too, as the piano, bass, and drums are watertight. But although the vocals are a huge part of the music, Morvans guitar playing is what the excitement is all about. Her dazzling chops and uid licks have that buttery texture at times, heard when a torrent of notes ow effortless about the frets. The funky Back Up The Train and Thelma And Louise contain catchy riff hooks that are the backbone of the songs. The band gets downright moody in slow blues mode in It Only Hurts When I Breathe and Long Time til Im Gone. The interesting lyrics in Saved By The Blues, in which she searches for Jesus and meets Robert Johnson down at the crossroads (what a twist), are augmented by a swaying melody and wah-wah induced lead guitar trails. Ive Had Enough starts in a mellow blues manner, but slowly transforms into rock mode. The rhythm section pours it on in the chorus, the rhythm guitar gets downright potent, and Morvans lead scorches. Other songs in this upbeat groove are Mojo Mama and Beat Up From The Feet Up. Laurie Morvans known for tasteful contemporary songs as well, and has proved in the past that she can go off in different directions musically. But she appears to be completely covered in the blues lately, and shes wearing it well. Though there are many talented blues guitar women on the scene, Morvans staying power and undeniable brilliance make her a prime example. Shes got the guitar re a player acquires after playing hours on end daily, when the instrument becomes second nature. And she appears to be getting better with each CD release. Brian D. Holland

SHANE DWIGHT A Hundred White Lies

R-Tist Records Many of us keep our heartbreaks to ourselves, or at the very least, dole them out cryptically. Shane Dwights seventh studio album, A Hundred White Lies, reads like the anatomy of a breakup, chronicling his marriage through long stints of separation, past mistrust and bitterness, and ultimately to its demise. The insiders view is painful to watch, as, even in moments of rage, Dwight shows his most vulnerable and tender self.

airplay, buoyed by stellar slide work and the McCrary girls perfect backing aaaaahs. Channeling the likes of Big Joe Turner, the twin closers shift lyrical gears and boogie-woogie from a broken heart to a hopeful future. Above all else, on A Hundred White Lies, Dwight is telling a story truthfully, employing every available means to make his point. To supplement his own modern rock sensibilities, hes reached back to the earliest days of rock & roll, added deep Delta stylings, and soaked in the country music of his transplanted hometown of Nashville. The result is something far more downtown than down home. To a great extent, its this ability to assimilate form and style into his own repertoire thats making Shane Dwight a perennial favorite at festivals and clubs around the country. But its his vulnerability as a storyteller that makes him approachable, regardless of the genre. Eric Wrisley

JJ GREY AND MOFRO Brighter Days

Alligator Records Luckily for us, Dwight aims his anger at his guitar, delivering outstanding work throughout the disc. In a departure from his usual penchant for stripped down, old school recording, Dwight has handed the production duties to Kevin McKendree, freeing himself to simply play the songs. The album was recorded mostly live with Dick50, Delbert McClintons longtime touring outt. To round things out, the McCrary Sisters add gospel harmonies that saturate many of the tunes, and Bekka Bramlett joins Dwight on several tracks. One of Nashvilles favorite studio vocalists, Bramletts smooth, sultry voice plays counterpoint to Dwights weathered timbre. One thing Dwight cant be is pigeonholed, moving easily between classic rock, soul, blues, and country. The disc kicks off with a contemporary soul number, Call Me, echoing Stevie Wonder, only slightly less funky. She Struts 22 is a modern rocker that warns about the perils of hot women. A metal-tinged blues grind, the title track serves as a prologue to the story the disc sets out to tell. The country ballad True Love Is Gone deserves mainstream Florida born roots/blues artist JJ Grey is one of Bruce Iglauers more inspired signings to his esteemed Alligator Records label. Over the course of ve albums, including three for Alligator, Grey has honed his near-perfect amalgam of muddy, Delta-inspired blues, Southern soul, and twangy roots-rock to a dangerous edge. While Greys gruff vocals have always carried their weight in a performance, his story-telling chops have developed to the point where Grey is one of the better songwriters in the blues at this time. Brighter Days is the culmination of a decade of hard touring and recording, an

44

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Get Yer Ya-Yas Out! Its been decades since BILL WYMAN has been a Rolling Stone, but in that time, hes devoted himself to a musical odyssey that covers the nest musical genres.
BILL WYMANS RHYTHM KINGS Collectors Edition Boxed Set
Ripple Records Ltd. Though Bill Wyman has achieved lasting fame as the rock solid bass player in the Rolling Stones, it is his life long dedication to and love of all forms of American blues that personally rewards him each day. To that end, Wymans post Stones band, the Rhythm Kings, has been pumping out wonderful music for nearly 15 years. This ve CD anthology collects music from the Rhythm Kings four records between 1998 and 2001. The 66 tracks are not blues, but rather an assortment of styles and genres performed by a uid, all-star cast of friends. Musical highlights with his friends include the Jagger-Richards song Melody and Gee Baby Aint I Good To You with Eric Clapton, Georgie Fame, and Graham Bond, Tobacco Road and Any Way The Wind Blows, with Peter Frampton on guitar, Willie Dixons Too Late with Andy Fairweather-Low on guitar and Jerry Portnoy on harmonica, Cant Get My Rest At Night with Mick Taylor on guitar, and perhaps the nal recordings of George Harrison (Love Letters) and Nicky Hopkins (Gonna Find Me A New Love). Throughout most of the tracks, the guitar chores are handled by Albert Lee or Martin Taylor, the piano keys are manned mostly by Gary Booker or Dave Hartley, and Georgie Fame does most of the organ work and vocals. The songwriting uctuates between classics from the rst half of the twentieth century and originals penned by Wyman and others. Thus, this collected works package plays like a musical slot machine, spinning a variety of blues, soul, R&B, gospel, pop, earthy rock and roll, and jump and swing music. Blues standards include J.B. Leniors Mojo Boogie, Willie Mabons Im Mad, and Screamin Jay Hawkins I Put A Spell On You. More contemporary tunes given the Rhythm Kings treatment include John Fogertys Green River, J.J. Cales Any Way The Wind Blows, 1967s Spooky, The Young Rascals Groovin, John Sebastians Daydream, Dan Hicks Wheres The Money, and Mose Allisons Days Like These delivered crooner style by Fame. Throughout these ve exceptional CDs, Wyman and his unique blend of world class musicians breath fresh life into all aspects of American music. This is the kind of music to play when friends come over to live it up. Spoiler alert. Though Mark Knoper is listed on the cover, publicists have advised that he is not on the record. (Personally I think thats Knopers guitar sound, not Framptons on Any Way The Wind Blows. What do your ears tell you?) Art Tipaldi

electrifying two-disc CD/DVD set that captures a January 2011 performance by JJ Grey and Mofro in Atlanta, Georgia. The audio portion of Brighter Days offers up 12 inspired and wired performances by the charismatic singer/songwriter, backed here by a red-hot and ready-to-roll sixpiece version of Mofro complete with a keyboardist and a pair of horn players. The albums tracklist rolls throughout the entirety of Greys career so far, kicking off with the Southern-fried swamp-rock of Country Ghetto, melding seamlessly into the joyous beauty of the uplifting title track, and rocking furiously on the muscular, guitar-driven War. The star-crossed romance of Orange Blossoms features a solid, mesmerizing riff while Ho Cake is both brilliantly humorous and get-down funky. The talented band supports Grey

well, but the singer denitely holds the spotlight. The DVD concert lm of Brighter Days offers up three additional tracks, including Hide & Seek and King Hummingbird, and the performance times for several songs vary from the audio documentary, edited down to t on CD. While watching Grey lead his band through its paces is entertaining, the real highlight of the Brighter Days DVD is found in Greys intelligent and thoughtful commentary, his stories alone worth the price of admission. A big thank you to his growing legion of fans, Brighter Days also provides a great introduction to the talented JJ Grey, setting the stage for the next decade of what is certain to be a lengthy and illustrious career. Rev. Keith A. Gordon

MIKE SPONZA European Blues convention

Sonic Shapes On the surface, the idea sounds easy: gather as many European blues musicians as you can and record the blues. However, putting the idea into reality was much harder to fulll. It took Italian guitarist Mike Sponza three years to gather 33 musicians from 12 different countries to accomplish his unique mission. This double CD, containing 19 songs, is the culmination of Sponzas dream. Instead of rehashing Sweet Home Chicago European style, Sponza and his musicians have set their musical sights on a meaty slab of originals.

BLUES REVUE

45

This is a very ambitious project that succeeds on many levels, expert musicianship, professional songwriting, and a European willingness to come together in the blues. Art Tipaldi

Musicians from all corners of the continent answered the call. In a land where every border crossing means a different language, these personalities Sponza enlisted all speak the same language, the blues. So when you put an Italian, German, Fin, Czech, and Spaniard together, the musical conversation that ensues needs no Google translations. Blues Revue readers will be familiar with a number of Sponzas invitees: Nico Wayne Toussaint (France, harmonica and vocalist), Erja Lyytinen (Finland, slide guitar), Andreas Arlt (Germany, guitar), Michael Arlt (Germany, harmonica and vocalist), Thornbjorn Risager (Denmark, guitar), and Dana Gillespie (United Kingdom, vocals). The other 27, though not as immediately recognizable, clearly are as procient as any American blues artist. The rst disc kicks off the European blues party with the beer and boogie Sugar Rush led by the husky voice of Toussaint and Sponzas thick toned Gibson. Later highlights include Gillespies slow blues Take It Off Slowly showing off her torchy, saloon delivery, Sponzas tight, sax and B-3 Continental Shufe, and Hungarys Matays Pribojszki funky harmonica on Here I Am. The second disc highlights include a smoky, Rather Than Being Free which features Sponzas vibrating guitar tones stitched with Italys Lumen Harmonicun String Trio and Frances Greg Zlaps vocals and chromatic harmonica. The Arlt Brothers from B.B. And The Blues Shacks rip it up on the roots rockin Its Hard To Be On The Road. Danish R&B guitarist Risager takes a hard look at the goings of the world in SGW. Slovenias Lara B. belts Steady Rollin Guy over the massive B-3 tones of Italys Michele Bonivento. And Croatias Tomislav Goluban and Finlands Lyytinen demonstrate a European understanding of harmonica and slide guitar dynamics.

IAN SIEGAL AND THE YOUNGEST SONS The Skinny

Nugene Records Alright, heres the skinny on The Skinny: English guy teams with American bluesmen to make an authentic blues recording. Sound familiar? When the Stones, Yardbirds, and Fleetwood Mac took the British Invasion the next logical step by actually recording with the artists they emulated, the music may not have been revolutionary, but

Junior), and drummer Rodd Bland (son of Bobby Blue) make quite an inspired racket behind him, which is no surprise given their pioneering pedigrees. And one more thing: the hip-hop that the young guns seem compelled to apply to this music these days is almost entirely absent. Thus, the title track about the lowdown real deal is an especially apt way to begin. Siegel dresses that tortured melody, as he does throughout the album, with some downturned, controlled shrieking on guitar, and guest Alvin Youngblood Hart follows him at the end with a nice snake-bitten run of his own. Tony Joe Whites self-evident Stud Spider makes a perfect home here, all at once fuzzy, funky, and swampdrenched. Hound Dog In The Manger is ominous like a spell, and as contagious as a bad disease. An old guy obsessed with young babe, its a subject that demands that kind of deal. Theres a loping acoustic ditty called Better Than Myself about a guy resigned to his dismal existence, and what sounds like a fe and drum eld day smack dab on the blast-furnace blacktop of Bourbon Street in Devils In The Detail. Vast talent, historical reverence, and forward thinking make The Skinny absolutely plump with excellence. Tom Clarke

it sure did sizzle and dazzle. Its the same here. Englands Ian Siegal, whos been at it for more than half his 40 years, is a tremendously creative, avowed Muddy Waters fanatic. What distinguishes these songs beyond their being the very particular North Mississippi blues about as far removed from Muddy as the hill country is from Chicago is their accessibility. The requisite monster-throbbing grooves and repetitious hooks of the style are all present, but always in strict service to a great song. Siegel wrote the lions share, sings them in a hoodoo-scratchy voice, and plays a mean slide guitar. To top it off, he travelled to the late, legendary Jim Dickinsons Zebra Ranch to record with an illustrious cast of locals hes dubbed The Youngest Sons. Drummer/ bassist/producer Cody Dickinson (the North Mississippi Allstars son of Jim), bassist/guitarist Garry Burnside (son of R.L.), guitarist Robert Kimbrough (son of

ANDREAS ARLT All Time Favorites

CrossCut Records From the creamy horn arrangement and twisting, T-Bone Walker guitar phrasing that opens Street Walking Woman, Andreas Arlt shows that hes deeply locked into the style of an era. Arlt is the guitar playing co-founder of Germanys top blues band, B.B. And The Blues Shacks. After 22 years of touring with the Blues Shacks and eleven

46

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

records, Arlt felt the time was right to record a solo album honoring his favorite blues songs. Arlt calls Walker his ultimate guitar inuence and early big band his favorite format. Both are the heart of this recording. Like a juke box in a Southern tavern, Arlts song choices ip through styles and approaches that are both nostalgic and hip. Instead of wrapping himself in the comfort of the Blues Shacks, Arlt enlisted a fresh group of musicians that could challenge him to revive these classics. Thought American blues fans may not be familiar with the players, Frank Pepe Peters (vocals), Andreas Sobczyk (piano and organ), Dani Gugolz (bass), Peter Mller (drums), and a horn section of Tom Mller, Martin Grnzweig, and Stefan Gssinger, after one listen their talented approach makes this an outstanding collection of songs. The 15 songs Arlt has chosen to record offer an intimate look into the music one studies on this musical journey. Arlt replicates Clarence Hollimons lines on Bobby Blue Blands Youve Got Bad

Intentions, res off Freddie King riffs on Shes The One, and caresses a rich B.B. King tone on Earl Hookers I Wonder Why. Make no mistake; this isnt a self-indulgent, guitar playing record. Brassy R&B horns lead the 50s rockers Shooty Booty and Its You I Love, while big band brass powers the instrumental High Low. At the same time, Sobczyks piano playing is the essential foil for Arlts guitar approaches on songs like Leroy Carrs seminal In The Evening (When The Sun Goes Down). On this tune, Arlt recreates Johnny Guitar Watsons guitar style from his 1962 King recording. Arlt also pays his six-string reverence to Albert Collins on Sno-Cone Part II, Texas guitarist Goree Carter on Hoy Hoy, and Guitar Slim on It Hurts To Love Someone. Because Arlts talents are with strings, Pepe Peters handles all the vocals. His elastic voice effortlessly moves from blues shouter to ballad builder to rst-rate belter to elegant crooner. Denitely a CD of comfort food for starved blues souls. Art Tipaldi

THE CASH BOX KINGS Holler and Stomp

Blind Pig Records When Muddy Waters electried the crude, idiomatic blues being played by Black musicians along the Mississippi Delta and took it north to Chicago in 1943, he couldnt have envisioned his transformative innovation spawning countless legions of

SUGAR RAY AND THE BLUETONES have crafted one of the nest traditional blues albums of the year
SUGAR RAY AND THE BLUETONES Evening
Severn Records Its time for celebration each time Sugar Ray Norcia releases a CD. You can be assured it will be rst-class material being handled by rst-class musicians. And, its always a textbook example of what the blues should be. Norcia may be one of the last great blues singers. He is relaxed and controlled with every phrase, allowing space where its needed to accent the tone. With nine originals here, Norcia is holding to tradition, yet infusing it with his bands own leanings. The music is tasteful at every turn, never trite or worn, and shines through with a vibrancy of its own. Here, he concentrates on old-school Chicago blues with an emphasis on the bounce and rhythms that marked the music of Little Walter, Big Walter, and others. In typical fashion, Sugar Ray and his Bluetones force nothing. Norcia glides through songs, backed by some extraordinary players such as Monster Mike Welch on guitar, Anthony Geraci on keyboards, Neil Gouvin on drums, and Michael Mudcat Ward on drums. The molasses-moving Too Many Rules And Regulations, is an atmospheric wonder. Its one of those songs you really hear when you are sitting on the last barstool and the night has already passed by and a small crowd is gathered to hear the band play its nal song. Welch plays poignant but subdued riffs under it all, never betraying the songs understated gait. Geracis piano leads the way for Norcias mournful harmonica and rambling spoken-word wisdoms like some kind of modern-day Percy Mayeld song. Throughout the CD, Welchs guitar is a model of restraint. He plays only the necessary notes and never forces them into or over the song. Norcia had a long association with guitar master Ronnie Earl, and Welchs sensitivity with his instrument follows that Earls less-is-more blueprint. The most rambunctious number here is Johnny Youngs Im Having A Ball, which in the hands of lesser musicians could become a runaway wall of sound. Yet, Norcia, Welch, and Geraci keep the song in line, never allowing it to become a sonic avalanche. With two Grammy nominations and several Blues Music Award nominations, Norcia is creating music that younger musicians should play close attention to. This is a man that knows the blues and is not about to let it spin out of control. Michael Kinsman

50

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

aspiring blues acolytes to take up their respective instruments in his honor. Among their number reside the Cash Box Kings. Its only tting that on the bands new release, Holler and Stomp, the Kings cover one of Muddys earliest recordings. Feel Like Going Home initially appeared on the Aristocrat label (a predecessor to Chess Records) and reached number 11 on the Billboard R&B Chart in 1948. The track evinces CBK founder and co-vocalist, Joel Noseks long-held fascination with the epochal sounds produced in the aftermath of WWII by the likes of Lightnin Hopkins, Little Walter, and Fred McDowell, who cut records for Sun, Imperial, Vee-Jay and the aforementioned, Chess labels. In the context of this album, Feel Like Going Home is noteworthy for the stellar performance turned in by new addition to the Kings line-up, Oscar Wilson, who affects Muddys expectorated vocal delivery with uncanny precision. Crooning abilities aside, Wilsons inestimable presence lends Holler and Stomp its playful expressiveness, the essence of which gures prominently in his two original compositions, Thats My Gal, and Barnyard Pimp. On these tracks, the singers self-deprecating brand of humor imbues both his lyric writing as well as the spirit of the sessions themselves. While the albums liner notes indicate a revolving cast of band members (Joel Paterson, guitar, Jimmy Sutton, bass, and Kenny Smith, drums) and contributing musicians (Billy Flynn, Barrelhouse Chuck), the Kings current incarnation maintains a cohesiveness that dees even the most outspoken critics view that a band in ux isnt quite up to scratch. Happily, this is not the case. And though Holler and Stomp contains little in the way of virtuoso performances, its rhythmic sparseness and stripped-down production create a low-impact charm that should resonate with casual listeners and avowed blues enthusiasts alike. Tony Del Rey

and sizeable Sirius/XM airplay. Its follow-up, Fell Toward None, continues, on balance, to reward listeners with a mix of highly rhythmic blues-rock and brass-backed soul. Its also an album steeped in Stevie Ray Vaughan six-string licks and vocal phrasing, especially on the up-tempo numbers. Nagy res off solid, albeit far from groundbreaking, guitar solos, and sings with varied emotion depending on the number. Hes solid enough playing the songs required to keep boozedup blues club attendees dancing until last call. But Nagys artistry peaks on the slow burning breakup ballad Ill Know Im Ready. Over churchy keyboards played by Nagys co-producer and chief songwriter Jim Alfredson, the singer intones, aint it a shame. Nagys in top form again on Still Means The World To Me, which Alfredson also wrote. In addition to the lived-in vocals, Nagy delivers a richly subtle guitar solo. The singer/guitarist stumbles, though, as a songwriter. Nagys biggest blunder being Facebook Mama. Over a forgettable melody he delivers a pitiful double-entendre, reinforcing the rule that tech lingo has no place in the blues. Nagy ends the disc on a high note, though, with his only other self-penned song, the title track. Its a gorgeously moody slab of sweet nostalgia that nds him singing every line with gripping conviction. A few more such tracks in place of the prosaic shufes and the

MARK NOMAD Torch Tones

Blue Star Records The Western Massachusetts based Mark Nomad is no stranger to the national blues scene. With seven albums hanging from his gun belt, Nomad has long been a wellknown entity among lovers of the blues. On his latest offering, the twelve-song, Torch Tones, Nomad boasts powerful vocals and guitar prowess as well as some imaginative contemporary blues song crafting.

GREG NAGY Fell Toward None

VizzTone Greg Nagy has enjoyed a nice helping of hype in recent years. His 2009 release Walk That Fine Line earned a Best New Artist Debut nomination from the Blues Foundations Blues Music Awards, positive reviews,

social networking silliness would greatly benet Fell Toward None. As it stands, Nagys sophomore release is solid, with plenty of meaningful material that hints at something truly special in the near future. Hell most likely continue to improve, but this album makes for a ne starting point for those interested in one of the blues worlds best newcomers of recent years. (Disclosure: Fell Toward None by Greg Nagy is issued by VizzTone Label Group, co-owned by Blues Revues parent company, Visionation.) Wade Tatangelo

Torch Tones opens with the groove heavy Love U Truly, a song wrought with tremolo driven guitar and Nomads matterof-fact vocal delivery. On Dont Say It, Nomads cadence continues in a funky, down-and-dirty kinda way. This song oozes with an infectious swagger that just wont let go. Gemini Blues suggests a cleverly executed key change as Nomad pulls out the bottleneck for some testifyin blues fretwork. This song will remain in your psyche long after the CD player has retired. Fuzzladen electric slide drives the melody on the swampy Poetry In Motion then Nomad shifts back to the resonator for a sweet taste of country blues on The Waiting. This is a hauntingly beautiful track and one of the best songs Nomad has ever created. The Real Thing bumps and grinds with some qualied horn lines courtesy of saxophonist, Doug Jones, then the melancholy Cactus Flower kicks in with full band accompaniment that features keyboardist Dan Fontanella, bassist John OBoyle, and drummer Sturgis Cunningham. Nomad toggles electric and acoustic guitars on the jivin Chinese Checkers. Singer Susan Duncan weighs in with some soulful backing vocals on this number. Took More Than

BLUES REVUE

51

You Gave is stark and plaintive as Nomad lets his guitar do the talking. Nomad and company gets back in to full swing on the Magic Sam cover What Have I Done Wrong. This time around, the tasteful drumming of Dale Monette along with the pumping bass lines of Peter King, and the saxophone blasts of Doug Jones round out the lineup. Nomad turns up the heat on I Got Over You and pulls out the electrics for some nasty tones and gritty gutbucket vocals. Shades of old-time recording techniques shine throughout this number. Nomad closes out this nely crafted album with his lone voice and acoustic guitar on All One. An acoustic classic that fades gently into aural oblivion. Whether wrangling a slide or letting his ngers do the talking, Nomad proves again to be a consummate singer, songwriter, and player and a qualied bluesman of the highest order on his latest recording, Torch Tones. Brian Owens

MATT SCHOFIELD Anything But Time

Nugene Records On a path of excellence in the area of guitar technique and showmanship, Matt Schoeld is comparable to the likes of Robben Ford and Mike Stern in places. With a handful of praiseworthy releases since 2005, hes proving to everyone listening that hes a modern blues performer deserving of respect and recognition. With velvety guitar tone and dazzling fretboard mastery, garnished with balanced phrasing and just the right amount of sustain, he departs blues parameters only periodically to shake things up in a contemporary yet unique manner. Schoelds unbridled yet perfectly executed notes soar about generously and tastefully in the title track. The drive is smooth and suave. The addictive melody and uid excursion is coerced along nicely by the incredible rhythm section of ex-Robert Cray drummer Kevin Hayes and the keyboard wizardry of Jonny Henderson, who also keys in the bass lines throughout the CD. In a straightforward blues manner, See Me Through is highlighted by Schoelds vocal ability, which gets downright sweaty and emotional in slow blues

mode. With uid guitar notes reminiscent of Stevie Ray and Otis Rush, the smoky barroom progression is intensied by Hendersons swimmy B-3 and by the bluesy piano additives of special guest Jon Cleary. Schoeld gets diverse and unpredictable with interesting chord changes and melody in Where Do I Have To Stand, and then downright funky in a near hip-hop way in One Look (And Im Hooked). The funk doesnt stop there, as he takes it in another direction in Steve Winwoods At Times We Do Forget. He shows respect and adoration for the blues in Albert Kings Wrapped Up In Love, with brawny notes that conjure images of the King himself, Albert Collins frosty bite as well. The surreal melody and robust tone in Dreaming Of You possesses a 70s air that will appeal to fans of Hendrix and Robin Trower, especially the latter, as the fat tone and weepy notes are dead on in that area. Anything But Time was recorded under the supervision of producer John Porter at the Music Shed in New Orleans. Eight of the albums tens songs were written by Schoeld and Dorothy Whittick. Its a nice follow-up to his 2009 award winning release Heads, Tails, And Aces, as well as the exhilarating 2010 live excursion Live From The Archive, matching both in taste and quality. Brian D. Holland

his six-string doing a loving, by turns somber and humorous, impersonation of the man who gave the world such chestnuts as Boogie Chillen, Boom Boom, and Crawling King Snake. Cooder delivers a six-minute stump speech in Hookers trademark talking blues styles over the Mississippi masters most famous guitar licks. Hooker has selected Jimmy Reed as his vice president and Little Johnny Taylor for secretary of state. Dont be fooled by the Republican, dont pity the Democratic, vote John Lee Hooker and everything gone be mellow, knocked out, copastatic, is the candidates closing remark. Cooder has been successfully exploring various musical styles domestic and abroad for decades. He continues that fantastic journey on his latest, self-produced album Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down. Though John Lee Hooker For President is the lone song that ts neatly into the blues box, the entire album has the blues in its heart as Cooder performs self-penned songs for and about the same laborers, outlaws, and poison lovers that have been part of the great American musical form since the days of Charley Patton.

RY COODER Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down

Nonesuch Records Leave it to genre-hopping guitar great, expert bandleader, accomplished producer, and champion singer/songwriter Ry Cooder to deliver one of the best blues songs of the year. Titled, John Lee Hooker For President, it features Cooder solo on

The disc opens with the rollicking proletariat anthem No Banker Left Behind. The cheerful melody shrewdly juxtaposed with biting lines such as Champagne and shrimp cocktails and thats not all youll nd/Theres a billion dollar bonus and no banker left behind. Cooder smartly uses a similar approach on a couple other standouts. Christmas Time This Year features a bouncy beat goosed by Tejano hero Flaco Jimenezs uplifting accordion work. Play it in a Starbucks and corporate drones might tap their toes. But to the discerning listener the message is strikingly grave. Our children will be coming home in plastic bags I fear / Then well know its Christmas time this year. Cooder rocks out, even giving listeners a taste of his famed slide guitar

52

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

playing on If Theres A God; all the while lambasting the Republicans who have no pity for the poor and changed the lock on heavens door. There have been many political albums released during these tumultuous times, but few work as well as Pull Up Some Dust And Sit Down, an essential purchase for Cooder fans and a ne place to start for the uninitiated. Wade Tatangelo

SENA EHRHARDT BAND Leave The Light On

Blind Pig Records Hailing from Rochester, Minnesota, the Sena Ehrhardt Band features singer-songwriter Sena Ehrhardt and her father, Ed Ehrhardt on guitars, along with bassist Steve Hansen and drummer Tim Hasler. Growing up in a musical household, Ehrhardt was exposed to music at an early age by her dad and now she has emerged as one of the newest voices of the blues in the national arena.

her lover to leave the light on as shes realized her mistake in leaving. After one listen, I guarantee there wont be a listener on any coast denying Ehrhardts wishes. From track to track, Ehrhardt establishes that shes capable of crooning softly or wailing with the best of them as is evidenced on her vocal workout in The Best Thing. Eds playing is dark, rich, and inspired on this track. This song is a blues radio staple for sure. When the lights go down, Ehrhardt and the band roll out the bluesy crawl of Last Chance. This six and a half minute ode to toeing the line is Ehrhardts last warning to her man to get your act together, and she means business. The Sena Ehrhardt Band are going to make a lot of waves in the blues world and her new album, Leave The Light On, is just the rst ripple in a widening ocean of blues from this ne band. Brian M. Owens

THE 44S FEATURING KID RAMOS Boogie Disease

Rip Cat Records

THE MIGHTY MOJO PROPHETS

Rip Cat Records These two retro-sounding albums are among the rst ve to be released by the edgling Rip Cat Records of Los Angeles. Rip Cat was founded by Scott Abeyta, guitarist for Whiteboy James & the Blues Express (who also record for Rip Cat). According to Abeyta the Rip Cat Sound is a cross between Chicago blues and West Coast swing...a modern take on the LA blues scene of the 1980s and 1990s when James Harman, William Clarke, Robert Lucas Luke & the Locomotives, and afliated luminaries ruled. The 44s (Johnny

On her debut album, Leave The Light On, Ehrhardt proves without question that shes deserving of all the hype by boasting a smoky, soul-lled voice and inventive, emotionally charged word crafting. Couple her obvious gifts to Eds soul drenched guitar work and a backing band that rivals any on the circuit today, and youve got the makings of one of the hottest new blues outts in the country. Leave The Light On opens with the slinky guitar rhythms of My Bad punctuated by Ehrhardts considerable vocal prowess. This opening number establishes good things to come from this superb debut disc. Next up, the albums title track Leave The Light On oozes a heartwrenching lament as Ehrhardt pleads to

Main guitar and vocals, Tex Nakamura, formerly of War, harmonica, Mike Turturro bass, and J.R. Lozano drums; co-producer Kid Ramos plays guitar on four of the nine tracks) draw their inspiration from the late William Clarke and the late harpist/vocalist Lester Butler of the Red Devils. As a tribute, they cover Butlers Goin To Church and So Low Down, and Clarkes signature instrumental, the harmonica hurricano Blowin Like Hell with gusto; they also cover Howlin Wolfs Commit A Crime, Willie Loves Automatic, and Magic Sams Take It Easy (penned by Willie Dixon) with equal vigor. Two originals come from the band, a mid-tempo shufe of romantic manipulation with Pull My Strings and the grinding title track. Kid Ramos contributed the rumba-rockin instrumental Johnny Cochino. This is a solid debut, but it could use a few more tunes; perhaps another Clarke nugget or a Harman or Lucas tune. With Nakamura blowin up a storm on diatonic and chromatic and Mains vibrant, piercing solos and gritty vocals, which evoke William Clarke (at times), the band is one to watch. The Mighty Mojo Prophets (vocalist Tom Big Son Eliff, guitarist Mitch Dow, bassist Scott Lambert, drummer Johnny Minguez, and harpist Alex Lil A Woodson) hail from Long Beach and, like the 44s, were formed in 2007. Their eponymous release is comprised of 12 Eliff and Dow originals and one by Whiteboy James, who vocalizes on his snappy call to the dance oor Boogie Woogie Rhythm. As there are four more tunes, there is more depth and variety to their label debut than the 44s. Eliff and Dows tunes dont break any new ground and are mainly inspired by either classic Chicago blues (Evil Sometimes, Night Train, and Hoodoo Lover) or by the R&B of TBone Walker, Big Joe Turner, and Wynonie Harris et al (Friday Night Phone Call, Lifes A HurtN Thing, and My Baby).

BLUES REVUE

53

Eliff is an unpretentious vocalist, seemingly more inspired by R&B than Chicago blues, yet equally condent in either style. Dow complements Eliffs vocals with big splashes of glistening chords and some dazzling solos that recall T-Bone Walker and Albert Collins. Woodson is a force on harmonica and deserves more space on their next album. Kudos and good luck to Rip Cat for shining the light on this new breed of West Coast blues bands. Thomas J. Cullen III

THE MIKE REILLY BAND Reillys Road

Atlas Records Mike Reilly, a Southern California guitarist and singer, is making up for lost time with this recording. Reilly has been a mainstay on the West Coast for 25 years, playing blues in a variety of assemblages, but always in a band that knew precisely how the music should be played. His music is good-time, party blues. Reilly also has been tragically overlooked and some of these recordings, which date back to 1985, never saw the light of day.

Johnson, and Larry Fulcher and the inimitable Tony Braunagel on drums. The songs are agreeable and the music leans mostly toward the Hammond B-3-driven-guitar interplay in the vein of the Allman Brothers. In fact, too often this CD sounds like an audition for the Allmans. The live version of Hot Lanta here features two drummers, Allmans organ, and the slashing guitars of Toler and Reilly in what can only be described as a knock-off of the original. Thats not say Reilly doesnt have his moments. His self-penned Caught In The Act features him singing like Delbert McClinton if he happened into a Little Feat concert. Though the 17 songs here have heavy Southern rock leanings, you have to admire Reilly as a singer, guitarist, and bandleader who skillfully capitalizes on the genre through his sheer enthusiasm and talent. Michael Kinsman

SARAH JANE NELSON Wild Women Dont Get The Blues

Sarah Jane Nelson Music For those in New York theatrical circles, Sarah Jane Nelson may be well known as an actress, but shes not exactly a household name in the world of blues music. Nelson, raised in Monroe, Louisiana, came across the Robert Johnson boxed set while in high school, bought the discs, and had her revelation. So, you ask, what are her blues credentials? As an actress, Nelson was cast in It Aint Nothin But The Blues at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. A year later, she performed in an off-Broadway production of El Paso Blue. Both theatrical projects required her to sing the blues, so this album is a natural extension of that work.

Wild Women Dont Get The Blues is one of her rst attempts at recording and it has a laid-back, living room feel, as shes accompanied by acoustic bluesman Michael Hawkeye Herman. All the tracks here were recorded live, after many rehearsals, one presumes, at Freeman Sound in Ashland, Oregon. To accommodate Hermans guitar stylings, light percussion accompaniment from Tom Freeman, and harmonica treatments from Big Irv Lubliner, the production is deliberately no-frills. If you appreciate classic blues tunes rendered acoustically, youll nd something to latch onto with this album, as Nelson covers well-known blues standards like the title track, Nobody Knows You When Youre Down And Out, St. Louis Blues, Sweet Home Chicago, I Put A Spell On You, Leiber and Stollers Hound Dog, and Jimmy Reeds Baby What You Want Me To Do. She includes just one original, Long As I Got You, and its good enough that we wonder if her next project will be a project of her own tunes, maybe even rendered with electric guitars and ampliers. Richard J. Skelly

DAVE KELLER Where Im Coming From

Tastee-Tone Records With three CDs of original songs to his credit, blues singer and guitarist Dave Keller wasnt looking to record someone elses songs until producer Bob Perry suggested he tackle some deep soul numbers. Perry, an urban music producer who established himself working with Wu-Tang Clan, Foxy Brown, Brian McKnight, and 50 Cent, sensed that Kellers guitar and vocal skills would be stand out surrounded by some classic soul songs. The result is the stunning Where Im Coming From that pays tribute to 60s and 70s soul tunes that barely were heard outside of soul radio stations in the South. Names like George Jackson, J.J. Barnes, and Syl Johnson barely made a ripple on the larger music scene, but within the soul world they were mighty respected. Keller has a knack for singing impassioned vocals without resorting to vocal gymnastics like some singers straining for

Best known for his work as a slide guitarist for the bands of Elvin Bishop and Gregg Allman, Reilly displays his muscular guitar playing, clever songwriting, vocal skills, and arranging here. And, make no mistake, he doesnt suffer musical fools when it comes to sidemen. His band mates read like the liner notes from a Hall of Fame class recording. Joining him on guitar are names like Bishop, Bill Champlin, Taj Mahal, Kid Ramos, Johnny Lee Schell, and Dangerous Dan Toler. Keyboard players include Mike Finnigan, Garth Hudson, Champlin, and Allman, while bassists include George Chocolate Perry, Gerald

54

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

authenticity. His smooth delivery of Bobby Womacks More Than I Can Stand is effortless, seamless and punctuated by horns, backing vocals and Kellers guitar lls. Keller has recorded with Ronnie Earl and Johnny Rawls, which doubtlessly has disciplined him to let songs stand on their own merit. But he also appreciates the warmth and caressing sounds of gospel that hes learned from Al Green, Otis Clay, and Mighty Sam McClain. He understands that when he sings about a pained heart, he must sing from his soul for the song to have an honesty that cant be mitigated. Its

a style derived from the studios of Hi Records in Memphis and Fame Recording in Muscle Shoals where raw soul made its way to vinyl. Kellers duet with Tre Williams on Percy Sledges Thats The Way I Want To Life My Life stirs up images of Sam & Dave at their soulful best. Kellers vocals possess an unswerving commitment to the lyrics that vow he will live the way his baby wants to live. And, like good soul music should be, Kellers interpretations are fueled by infectious beats that prevent them from being burdened by the weight of the lyrics. On the J.J. Barnes/Don Davis song Baby Please Come Back Home, his pleas assure his woman that their future is full of optimism. The best-known tracks here come from the likes of James Carr, O.V. Wright, and Arthur Alexander. On Alexanders remorseful If It Really Got To Be This Way, Kellers voice is lled with the resignation of man who has given in. As it turns out, producer Perry made a wise choice to recover some great lost soul music. Michael Kinsman

WYNTON MARSALIS AND ERIC CLAPTON Play The Blues Live From Lincoln Center
Reprise/Rhino Records For those who havent attended any of the many great concerts put on by the folks at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan, heres the next best thing: a CD/DVD set that pairs guitar great Eric Clapton with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Clapton, Marsalis, and company tackle well-known blues fare, like FortyFour, Careless Love, and Stagger Lee, but they also run through an inventive rendition of one of Claptons biggest bluesrock hits, Layla, and touch on another branch of the same tree with a gospel hymn associated with Marsalis native New Orleans, Just A Closer Walk With Thee. The sound here is impeccable and full, as it should be for any world-class jazz

BLUES REVUE

55

orchestra. Clapton and Marsalis are accompanied by Claptons longtime keyboardist Chris Stainton as well as LCJO members like Ali Jackson on drums, Victor Goines on clarinet, Don Vappie on banjo, and Carlos Henriques on bass. The results are generally superb, and while the mostly acoustic nature of this concert may not be every blues-rock fans cup of tea, Taj Mahal accompanies them for the albums three closing tracks, Just A Closer Walk With Thee, Corrine, Corrina, and Stagger Lee. This CD/DVD set makes a nice addition to any blues fans collection. I would like to suggest to programming folks for Jazz at Lincoln Center to always remember what Wynton Marsalis taught me many years ago: You cant play good traditional jazz if you dont know the blues. Suitably enough, this fall they had Shemekia Copeland perform there, so at least we know theyre not ignoring the contributions of talented blues people at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Richard J. Skelly

Your Name, a Top Five U.S. hit in 1988 for pop-soul singer Terence Trent DArby, which Martinez plucks out of obscurity then reanimates with a soulful insistence. Even when Martinez steps away from these brilliant interpretive successes, he remains a strong, daring presence; heartfelt when others are boastful, soulful when others simply shout. Thats best heard on his own What Was I Thinking, a devastating, regret-lled cry for redemption. Elsewhere Martinez, who returned from his brief irtation with the national spotlight to earn Louisiana Music Hall of Fame honors as a member of the Boogie Kings, brilliantly recreates two tracks from the underrated song stylist David Egan. First, theres the mid-tempo rambler Blueblooded Girl (a new song about an every-day guy in love with someone above his station) and then the emotional ballad Please No More (outlining the nal moments of a difcult relationship). Theres also a rollicking second-line joy to Going Back To Louisiana, originally composed by Bobby Osborne and later covered by Delbert McClinton, Bugs Henderson, and Clarence Gatemouth Brown, among others.

GEORGE HARMONICA SMITH Teardrops Are Falling

Electro-Fi Subtitled Live in 1983 with Buddy Reed and the Rocket 88s, this ten-song set was recorded before an enthusiastic crowd at Chuys in Tempe, Arizona, a few months before Smiths death at age 59. Having a new recording by the progenitor of West Coast harmonica blues, the king of the chromatic, and friend and mentor to Rod Piazza and the late William Clarke filled me with anticipation. Guitarist Buddy

GREGG MARTINEZ South Of The Parish Line

Magnolia Records Louisiana-based Gregg Martinez presents a soul-lifting blend of blues, swamp pop, and soul, powered in no small way by his canny choice of cover tunes. Some are inthe-pocket classics, others simply offbeat delights. But each, in its own way, gives Martinezs new South Of The Parish Line this keen edge and weight. For instance, Martinez once pitched to record execs in the early 1980s as a kind of blue-eyed Teddy Pendergrass simply blows through a rollicking take on Chuck Berrys 1964 composition Cest La Vie, with a brawny brass punctuation. Less expected is Sign

Taking another sudden left turn, Martinez includes R. Kellys When A Woman Loves, from 2010s Love Letter, and it too somehow works. The 1974 Al Green classic Take Me To The River sounds less like a gospel-infused church number in Martinezs hands than a pleasingly uncautious R&B wailer. Martinez then adds new blues tinges, and real emotion, to the crushing lament At This Moment, a No. 1 U.S. hit for Billy Vera in 1987 and a capstone moment here. In the end, South Of The Parish Line, with its belly-rubbing R&B, rangy grooves, and fearless attitude about song selection, is that rare blues offering thats both individualistic and connective to the musics history. A real nd. Nick DeRiso

Reed played with Smith in Bacon Fat and recorded several albums with him in the early Seventies, so it made sense to back Smith with a sympathetic band like the Rocket 88s (drummer Roger Rotoli, bassist Jerry Smith, and harpist Bullet Bill Tarsia who is heard on half the tracks). Smiths glorious chromatic is only heard on the somber title track that starts the set; he sticks with the diatonic after that. Teardrops Are Falling is an original slow blues with sonorous, craggy vocals, and a piercing extended solo by Reed who really cuts loose with Smiths encouragement. Unfortunately, what follows doesnt match the intensity of the lead track. Most of the tunes are standards: Im A Man, Woke Up This Mornin, Big Boss Man, and an anomalous upbeat version of Going Down Slow. Little Walter is the source for Juke, Key to the Highway, and Crazy bout You Baby not sure what Little Walter tune he was referencing with Crazy, which sounds like any number of LWs slow blues. Strangely enough, Smith claims that he never met Little Walter or heard any of his records. This from an artist who recorded

56

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

a Little Walter tribute album and sometimes billed himself as Little Walter, Jr. There are other dubious aspects. The sound is adequate, but often cavernous and distant with intermittently excessive reverb on the vocals. During his stage patter the affable Smith mentions problems with his eyesight and fatigue; Im in favor of keeping it real, but their inclusion is questionable. Lastly, a few signature tunes like

Telephone Blues, Oopin Doopin Doopin, or Blues In The Dark would make for a more satisfying set. Smith completists will most want this album and hopefully it will pique further interest in Smith so that some label will reissue two of his best albums on CD, 1971s Arkansas Trap (Deram) and 1969s Of The Blues (ABC/Bluesway). Thomas J. Cullen III

JOHN MAYS I Found A Love

Electro-Fi John Mays has the voice to deliver the goods. That voice is so good that Mays has six Juno Awards as Canadas Male Vocalist of the Year. At 70 years old, Mayss voice can travel up the range from a growl to falsetto. Born in the US (the same year and Southern town as Otis Redding), Mays today calls Canada his home and Fathead his Canadian group of choice.

Throughout the recording, Mays sings a dozen soul classics from bygone eras. Theres the late-sixties guitar sax funk on Arethas Think thats reminiscent of James Brown. Mays treatment of 99 And A Half has a late-sixties boogaloo dance groove. With a musical arrangement of harmonica and organ instead of horns, King Floyds 1970 Groove Me is every bit as effective as the original (theres even period sock it to me references). Fatheads Teddy Leonard adds gorgeous soul guitar riffs to Mays punctuatin growls on O.V. Wrights Youre Gonna Make Me Cry. Mays relaxed delivery of Tyrone Davis feel good Can I Change My Mind recalls the days when this soul anthem blared from car radios. Remember when Wilson Picketts yells led the Orioles I Found A Love? So does Mays who approximates Pickett while the backing vocals of his Fathead mates become the Orioles. As Leonard smoothes out Robert Wards staccato guitar lines, Mays raspy signifying blurs the gospel/soul line so Saturday night becomes hand waving Sunday morning. Mays gospel roots (he began his singing career as a child in Southern gospel groups) shine on his treatment of Jesus On The Mainline. With a Blind Boys-styled

58

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

BUDDY and JUNIOR in 1965 playing the future of the blues. This record is a must in your blues collection.
JUNIOR WELLS Hoodoo Man Blues
Delmark Records Elegant in its bandstand-tested, stripped-down attack and shot through with the cocksure, soulful swagger that dened Junior Wells public persona until the day he died, Hoodoo Man Blues is one of the truly seminal electric blues albums of the 1960s. It marked one of the rst times a working blues band was allowed to lay their nightly repertoire onto tape for posterity as an album rather than working toward a hit single (often with the singer backed by a studio band). Delmark boss Bob Koester brought Wells and his trio (Buddy Guy on guitar, bassist Jack Myers, and drummer Billy Warren, who all backed him regularly at Theresas on Chicagos South Side) into Sound Studios for two days in September of 65 and let Junior count off one edgy number after another without intruding. The result was a landmark of modern blues. Wells had made great records before, beginning with his 1953-54 sides for the States label and proceeding through his classics Little By Little and Messing With The Kid for producer Mel London at the dawn of the 60s. By the time he waxed Hoodoo Man, hed polished his R&B-tinged sound to a razorsharp toughness, his handpicked rhythm section percolating to funky perfection. Wells blew sinewy harp through a cheap mic and snarled streetwise vocals on the sizzling Snatch It Back And Hold It, You Dont Love Me, and the after-hours gem Ships On The Ocean, a combination that remains devastating to this day. The quartets gutsy arrangement of Kenny Burrells jazzy instrumental Chitlins Con Carne has been copped by countless blues bands ever since; even Hound Dog was invigorated in Juniors hands. The sessions werent without their difculties. When Guys amp blew at one point, engineer Stu Black routed him through a Leslie organ speaker, giving Buddys eet-ngered interjections an unusual watery tone reminiscent of Robert Ward on a few selections. Delmarks deluxe reissue is a marked improvement on its predecessor. Its digipak housing sports updated notes from Koester as well as his original essay and vintage photos from the sessions, while the track list has been expanded to a generous 19 songs plus some amusing studio chatter. The previously unreleased cooker I Aint Stranded is a major nd; the other additions are alternate takes of familiar titles (several early attempts at Yonder Wall and the studio chatter in between make it clear this one didnt come easy for the band). If you dont already own Hoodoo Man Blues, theres never been a better time to pick it up. Even if you do, the enhanced presentation may well make it worth a purchase all over again. Bill Dahl

choral response to his testifyin calls, Mays tackles this hand clappin anthem with a mid-tempo vocal restraint that builds into an infectious sing-along. An all-star cast backs Mays on the Dominos 1950s classic doo-wop Have Mercy Baby. Bob Stroger (bass), Willie Big Eyes Smith (drums), Michael Fonfara (piano), and Jack DeKeyzer and Little Frank Krakowski (guitars) give Mays a lively shufe that injects a 21st century atmosphere into this jukebox staple. This is the perfect record for anyone who has never traveled north and experienced Fathead. Throughout these 12 songs, Mays demonstrates what Canadian music lovers have long known, this is a formidable singer who fronts a highly talented band of musicians. Art Tipaldi

DAVID GOGO Soul-Bender

Cordova Bay Records I rst saw Western Canadian blues guitarist and singer-songwriter David Gogo at the excellently programmed Windsor Blues Festival in Canada a few summers back. He made a good impression as a live performer then, and he makes an even better impression now on Soul Bender, his 11th release This album includes just four of his original songs, but the guitar playing and singing throughout is top-shelf. To be sure, Gogo, who may not be a familiar name to some U.S. blues fans, has paid

his dues and then some, traveling across Canada from his native British Columbia to Nova Scotia and all points in between. He does a terric job with his originals. Slow It Down, Time Is Killing Me, Getting Old, and Do You Know How It Feels? will please the most cynical of blues and blues-rock fans. Interestingly,

BLUES REVUE

59

he and his stellar backup band offer up a horn-heavy cover of the late Michael Jacksons The Way You Make Me Feel that you can see going over well in a blues festival setting, even without the complement of horns on the recording. If you werent a convert to David Gogos great talents as a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bandleader before, you will be after listening to Soul Bender. One wishes more U.S. blues festival bookers were hip to him. Richard J. Skelly

BILLY C. FARLOW Alabama Swamp Stomp

Crosscut This CD moves Billy C. Farlow two clicks to the right on the continuum between rogue and dirty old man when he sings, Honey, stop a-suckin them catsh bones and put your greasy mouth where it belongson my lips, on Drive Me Like A Mule. Back at a time when there wasnt just a line in the sand, but rather a dangerous chasm between the country of Merle Haggards Oakie From Muskogee and the bell bottomed raunch of Big Brother and The Holding Company, an overeducated band of artistes from Ann Arbor calling themselves Commander Codys Lost Planet Airmen moved to California and leaped over that abyss with covers of country staples like Hot Rod Lincoln, combining them with originals Too Much Fun, Seeds And Stems, and Lost In The Ozone each written by Farlow. These anthems announced to all the bubbas of the southland that the Allman Brothers, and other bands with a Southern connection, were not misplaced anomalies and that hippies could twang, too.

Four decades later, the good Commander is fronting the 4563rd version of the Lost Planet Airmen for Saratoga Raceway audiences in the Northeast and publishing books of his art; guitarist John Tichy is heading the mechanical engineering department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Farlow is still making up for the rest of the band in maintaining a reputation for being a scallywag. If, like me, youre still hoping that lightning strikes twice and that Farlow is going to rewrite the book on the hybrid amalgam of rockabilly/country and swampy blues, dont exhale just yet. Although Farlow wrote all 14 of these songs, Tennessee Saturday Night is fundamentally a reworking of every Bo Diddley classic delivered with George Thorogood attitude. All the cuts here are backed by a French trio called Mercy that turns in performance better than paint by numbers, but they cant live up to the raw crunch of Farlows early mentors John Lee Hooker and Big Joe Williams or even some of his latter day buds like D. J. Fontana, Elvis Presleys drummer. The rest of the songs with titles like My Name Is Trouble, Alligator Crawl, and my favorite, Snake Eyes, deliver what the cover promises, sweaty, swampy Southern rockabilly/blues from an artist who wears dark glasses and looks like someone youd report to the police if you saw him in the park near your kids: good dirty fun but no new barriers crossed. Don Wilcock

THE BRIDGE National Bohemian

Woodberry Records National Bohemian is one of the best records of the year. And bridge is what they do their blues-based rock proving a coat of many colors making them difcult to pin down stylistically. The band are, musically, the bohemians of the album title, eleven originals backing this up in spades. Add in the production genius and musical contributions of Los Lobos Steve Berlin (vibes, strings and synth effects) and youve got a solid 4th release (after 08s criminally overlooked Blind Mans Hill). The players, Cris Jacobs (vocals, guitar), Kenny Liner

(vocals, mandolin), Patrick Rainey (saxophones), Marc Brown (keyboards), Dave Markowitz (bass, backup vocals), and Mike Gambone (drums), recall the animated spirit of Little Feat, if not Atlanta Rhythm Section, Delbert McClinton, and King Crimson. Crimson? Cue the gigantic wall of sound in the kick-off track, Sanctuary, as Raineys sax and Berlins vibes create a distinctive Crimson King-esque sound that takes the track somewhere youve not been before. Jacobs rough-hewn vocal conjures the ghost of Lowell George (with a slight Southern accent), his guitar whipping into overtime. Take the oddly surreal intro/outro to the hyperactive Chavez and call them nothing less than adventurous. The nger-tapped percussive effect on Big Wheel gives no hint to what follows, as Jacobs whiskey-cured vocal takes a soulful turn, the funk element set to high. Liners lead vocal on the gentle, mandolin-red Moonlight Mission quickly establishes his strengths. Geraldine sounds recorded in a party atmosphere as if The Band joined The Nevilles in their basement, as sax and guitar brew a Nawlins effect. Highlights are many including the powerfully addictive Long Way To Climb, a song that simply wont go out of your head, sending a shiver down your back as if Lowell himself was involved. The Feat-like Rosie features a band with maximum compression from all eight cylinders thanks to Gambones propulsive drumming. The seductive power of Jacobs vocals in Stranger In My Home displays an entirely different strength as a band. Likewise, the beauty of their simple, acoustic treatment of Dirt On My Hands proves The Bridge have much to offer and so many places to go, creatively. Regardless of categorization, these guys are too good to be overlooked. Eric Thom

60

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Three INTERNATIONAL BLUES CHALLENGE winners have recently released new CDs. Band competition stars J.P . Soars (2009) and Grady Champion (2011) along with 2011 Solo/Duo winners Georg Schroeter and Marc Breitfelder, who were the rst Europeans to win in Memphis, have recorded albums to highlight their talents and diversity. Ive seen each of these performers perform in Memphis as they won their respective titles, I have seen each perform since, and I can attest to the fact that they all carry their title with respect for the music and display a constant growth as musical artists.

J.P. SOARS More Bees With Honey

Soars High Productions In 2009, J.P . Soars not only took rst place in the band competition, he also copped the award as the competitions best overall guitarist. That night, his ten-minute slow blues was one of the events highlights. Since then, Soars has toured the country playing in a trio format. Here, however, Soars expands the band sound with keyboards, harmonica, and the twin tenors of Terry Hanck and Sax Gordon Beadle. In addition, unlike his 2008 cover lled Back Of My Mind, Soars penned 10 of the 13 songs here, giving him the opportunity to sing and arrange his own compositions. The disc opens on a bittersweet note; the late Robin Rogers and Soars trade vocals as Hanck and Beadle wail on this Memphis soul stew. From there, Soars cooks up a musical stew showing off blues styles. His Howlin Wolf vocals accent the Chicago-styled K.Y.N.O.M.B., and Chasin Whiskey With Whiskey. Travis Colby and Soars recreate T-Bone Walker on The Hustle (Is On), then Colby and Soars throw down a barrage of 50s rock n roll on Twitchin. Colby adds Hammond organ to Soars torrid slow blues So Many Times. Soars playful wahwah on Doggin and his slide expertise on his homemade two-string cigar box guitar (Soars makes and sells these custom items too.) on Theyll Do It Every Time, and the disc closer, Whered You Stay Last Night offer proof of Soars expansive guitar techniques.

player, the records harp accents are mostly downplayed. Instead, Champions vocals, ranging from an after hours Mississippi juke joint to a dressed up Mississippi casino, are on-stage. Theres the gritty, Bobby Rush-styled opener, My Rooster Is King, where Champion struts his cock-a-doodle-dos, the Rush-like sexual innuendos on Make That Monkey Jump, the soul blues title cut, the creamy R&B in the modernesque ballad Weight Of The World, and Champions use of his back-up singers call and response chorus on Cross That Bridge. The nal three songs, all written by Champion, co-producer and guitarist Zac Harmon, and keyboard player Christopher Troy, are the bluesiest and show a stylistic continuity. At times, Champions genre jumping can feel like someone slipped in a new record when you werent paying attention. Because there are so many approaches Champion embraces, he shows them all off on record and live. In a show, that diversity works; on record, it can be somewhat genre jarring.

GEORG SCHROETER AND MARC BREITFELDER Live At BluesBaltica

Analoghus The most recent IBC winners, 2011 Solo/Duo winners Georg Schroeter and Marc Breitfelder are no newcomers to music or the blues. Theyve been playing piano and harmonica together in northeast Germany for over 22 years. Schroeter told me about the two years it took him to learn one left handed boogie pattern; Breitfelder told of the ve years he had nothing but Paul Buttereld in his head. But that was years ago. Today, these two have crafted a unique voice that IBC judges took note of. Schroeters piano style is classic American blues styles, but augmented with European classical accents sprinkled in; Breitfelders harmonica sound is also based on American blues masters, but his own studies in violin and ute seep into his reed work. His harmonicas low, rumble approximates those deep tones from an orchestras brass instruments, while his high end blasts are less John Popper frantic, more Musselwhite. Their songs include covers of Elmore James Sunnyland, Muddys Cant Be Satised, and Big Joe Williams Shake Your Boogie alongside Claptons Running On Faith and John Fogertys Long As I Can See The Light. Their six originals include All Night Long, an instrumental locked in the Help Me groove, Little Piece Of Paper, where Breitfelder shows why the harmonica is called the Mississippi saxophone, and Talk To Me, Breitfelders slow blues, high end workout. The live set closes with Rock N Roll Queenie, featuring Schroeters boogie-woogie chops. The blend of American blues with their classical European training makes this a very enjoyable outing. Art Tipaldi

GRADY CHAMPION Dreamin

Grady Shady Music As the nights nal performer of ten, Grady Champion walked into the Orpheum audience, crowed My Rooster Is King, and took home 2010 rst place honors. Since that win, Champion has taken that validation on a one man, cross-country blues blitz. If youve seen the live show, you know Champion takes the role very seriously. Here, Champion records ten originals (two by Champion and eight he co-writes) that showcase the musical diversity Champion has always embraced since his debut in the mid-90s. Though Champions a ne harmonica

BLUES REVUE

61

BLUES FROM THE HEART

Thus far, the RUFF KUTT BLUES BANDS Mill Block Blues project has donated over $10,000 to the Blues Foundations Hart Fund for ailing musicians. Do your part and purchase it today.
RUFF KUTT BLUES BAND Mill Block Blues
Katy Mae Productions Although Mill Block Blues is one of the best and, in several ways, most signicant releases of the year, you shouldnt feel selfconscious if the artist rings no bells in your memory: its deantly lowkey presentation is seemingly anonymous by design. Early versions, in fact, included no liner notes, and the outer packaging barely indicated the participation of producer and guitarist Anson Funderburgh, who has been absent from the recording and national touring scenes since the release of the nal Rockets CD in 2003. Thats a long drought by any standard, and in particular for a multiple W.C. Handy Award (since rechristened the Blues Music Awards) winner, making his overdue return highly noteworthy. Whats more, a portion of the proceeds from CD sales will help defray the costs of medical and dental care, and funeral expenses, for blues musicians, via the Blues Foundations Handy Artist Relief Trust. Mill Block, the brainchild of bassist and songwriter James Goode, is a song cycle framed around a working class neighborhood, but this is probably the least precious (and pretentious) concept album in history. Truthfully, the listener might not notice, as these 13 compositions explore such typical blues subjects as hard living, hard times, and hard loving. The music offers a cross-section of Texas and other contemporary blues styles. Veteran Dallas singer/harmonica player Dempsey Crenshaw sings four numbers, including the funky, slowgrinding blues Stone Cold Woman and the uptempo, good-time shufe This Is The Place. Drummer Steve Richardson handles the R&B-style ballad Living Without You, with beautiful saxophone courtesy of Ron Jones and smooth guitar chording by Andrew Jr. Boy Jones. Always the model of laid-back cool, Jones sings the funky Shes Gone, and delivers a magnicently understated vocal on the wry slow blues Now You See Me, also notable for Christian Dozzlers accordion backing. Elsewhere, ShuRhonda Kemp is ne on the gospelish Oh Lord Please, and Michael Schaefer turns in several soulful vocals, especially on the title cut, a minor key blues la Otis Rush. Along with Goode, the primary musicians include John Street (keyboards), who arranged the set; Brian Hash Brown Calway (harmonica); Wes Starr (drums); and Funderburgh, whose guitar work retains every bit of the tone and crisp, inventive attack that made his reputation. His lls and solos, in particular on the jumping instrumental Fowler Street Stumble, make this a must-hear for Rockets fans as it is for blues fans and supporters in general. Tom Hyslop

PETER NOVELLI Self-Titled

Chalet Music Guitarist Peter Novellis music seems to strut through a New Orleans neighborhood, dance at a fais-do-do, and relax with the blues along a country levee all in the same sweep. About a decade ago, the Syracuse, N.Y., native relocated to Louisiana where he fell in love with not only the music, but with the peoples respect for their environment. That move has had a profound inuence and his music, a combination of blues and R&B with elements of funk and country. Novellis handled this well on his debut CD, creating songs that seem to breathe with the tempo of the region.

His guitar solos are crisp and direct, always accenting the song and never overrunning the intent. The grace of his approach is evident in the self-penned Since The Hurricane, which sounds like it should have been written by Randy Newman and features Novellis tasty guitar with a tremendously agile piano solo by Dr. John. Notables such as Little Feats Paul Barrere on slide, Joe Krown on B-3,

Fingers Taylor on harmonica, and Tex-Mex rocker Augie Meyers all add to the avor of this rich CD. Eight of the songs were written or co-written by Novelli, with covers gleaned from the works of Delbert McClinton/Gary Nicholson, Rusty Kershaw, and John Hiatt. The New Orleans inuence is heavy, with funky touches to the blues and songs that match the citys offbeat spirit and perspective. When Novelli sings, She may not be a lady, but shes woman enough to be my baby, he may just as well have been serenading the quirkiness of New Orleans. Theres also a historical element to this CD as Novelli includes interviews with Slim Harpos friends James Johnson and Raful Neal and drummer Big Johnny Thomassie, who explains how drummers play the distinctive second-line beat. Novelli joins them and Dr. John for a ne

62

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

version of Te-Ni-Ne-Ni-Nu and then subs Neal on harmonica and Meyers for Dr. John on keyboard for a version of Scratch My Back. Although enlightening, however, these tracks seem to out of place on this CD. Michael Kinsman

MATTHEW CURRY & THE FURY If I Dont Got You

Self-release Its getting so its nothing new to hear of another young guitar prodigy on the music scene. Its certainly a recurrent scenario weve grown accustomed to over the years. However, in reality, its irrelevant whether the performer is a youngster or a mature man or woman, because the songs and the musicianship are what its all about. But in Matthew Currys case, its truly remarkable

TIM GARTLAND Looking In To The Sun

Taste Good Music Bostons own singer-songwriter-harmonica player Tim Gartland has been an integral part of two of the areas most popular bands over the years, Walk That Walk and, more recently, The Porchrockers. His veteran vocals and precision harp work can be compared to that of the great bluesman Charlie Musselwhite as he wields a mighty musical axe throughout his new solo CD.

with picking, fretting, and slide work. He closes the album with a passionate cover of Warren Haynes Soulshine. For someone so young, Currys voice and guitar licks sound weathered and practiced, like someone whos been through the ringer of lifes experiences for years. And his music is truly diverse and well groomed. Its all about passion and good songs here, and Currys got the fury going on in this self-released, debut CD. Brian D. Holland

DON SUGAR CANE HARRIS Cup Full of Dreams

Promising Music Violinist Sugar Cane Harris is red up during this 1973 studio session for MPS (now available for the rst time on CD.) Harriss career started as the guitar playing half of the 1950s rock duo Don & Dewey. Hes also toured and/or recorded with John Lee Hooker, Frank Zappa, Johnny Otis, Harvey Mandel, John Mayall, and the short lived Pure Food & Drug Act. Drug abuse

Enlisting local Boston producer, Chris Rival of Middleville Studio to oversee the sessions, Gartland was joined by notable Baystate players Kevin Barry on guitar and lap steel, Tom West on piano and Hammond B-3, Paul Justice on acoustic and electric bass, Alan Waters on drums, and Mark Earley on saxophone to produce an uplifting album of contemporary swing, jazz, and soul lled R&B. From the cleverly penned funky album opener 615 West Park Drive, to the lamp lighting If I Cant Do Right, to the instrumental harp and B-3 swirl of Blues For Mr. Bryant, to the harmonica workout of Staxed and the honky tonk two step of Mr. Wades Plus One, Gartland and company never miss a beat. His spot-on harp nuances and unwavering vocal signifying sells each and every one of these songs at the list price marked. This is good time music at its very best. Brian Owens

to hear a 15-year-old who can write and perform so passionately, with ery guitar licks that are as runny as soft butter on hot bread. His style is exhilarating and emotional, and although hes reminiscent of Jonny Lang at times, that similarity disappears after a few listens. Its not that theres anything wrong with that comparison, its just that they truly are different. In the opening title song, If I Dont Got You, Currys blues sound gets an R&B injection with the addition of a ne horn section. His passionate vocals and uidly melodic licks stand out immediately. The lyrical sentiment of heartbreak and loneliness in New York Blues is highlighted by his grainy, emotional voice. Walk Out That Door and Dancing To The Blues are hard-driving blues numbers that push the limits from start to nish. His scorching lead guitar work is augmented by a ne wahwah effect in the latter. His strong instrumental sense is electrifying in the instrumental Storms A-Brewing, as well as in a cover of Charley Pattons High Water Everywhere. The nger work of Sonny Landreth and Eric Johnson come to mind in both, as well as the passion of Joe Bonamassa in the second. Curry shows a uid dexterity and melody

fueled his battles with pulmonary disease, and, at 61 years old, he was found dead in his Los Angeles home in 1999. Guitarist Harvey Mandel, Dewey Terry, Larry Taylor, Paul Lagos, Randy Resnick, Victor Conte Jr., and Richard Aplan on sax aids the ve instrumental tunes. Runnin Away nds Harriss opening notes furious and intense. Hatties Bathtub is gorgeous and wild; Harriss playing is dynamic, Mandels sharp with his guitar solo with guitar tapping, closing with Harris and Mandel frantically rifng off each others solos. Bad Feet bubbles with creativity Lagos drumming percolates with Contes bass, Harris drives hard, and Mandels guitar offers scrumptious lls and leads.

BLUES REVUE

63

The title track starts with a beautiful introduction, slowly begins to broil, then lifts off into the stratosphere. The nale Generation Of Vipers is a funky jam that features unique rhythm playing from Harriss violin and Mandels dissonance sounding much like he did on his groundbreaking Shangrenade recording. Bob Putignano

STERLING KOCH Slide Ruler

Full Force Music Even if the playing on Sterling Kochs Slide Ruler wasnt so good, the artists oddball selection of some powerful cover tunes is a welcome surprise. For example, the last time we heard steel guitar duo Santo and Johnny Farinas mesmerizing instrumental lap slide/Gibson 6-string Sleepwalk, was probably around 1959. Good news: On track 5, Koch, on MSA Superslide lap steel guitar, with help from former Doobie Brothers

drummer Chet McCracken, renders an even more hypnotic version than the original. If that werent enough, the track before Sleepwalk is Driving Wheel, Junior Parkers seminal 1950s recording of Roosevelt Sykes composition that jettisoned Parkers brief career beyond even Mystery Train. Nobody should cover a quirky R&B icon like Parker, IMO, but Kochs arrangement, fuzzy lap slide effects, and vocals, plus McCrackens dynamic rhythm add a juiced-up now feel to an already ne tune. The bands cover of Otis Rushs Double Trouble begins more on the beat than the other covers, but by the time Koch takes

the song home, its all his. And John Lee Hookers Dimples feels hotter here than on the original. But its a real coin ip over Kochs cover of the Elmore James/Sonny Boy Williamson II One Way Out. This song, also recorded as Its A Man Down There, is so strongly identied with the Allman Brothers that its like covering Hey Jude. While strong and even insistent, who can beat Dickey Bettss edgy boogie line and Greggs panicky vocals on the Allman version? Three songs on this CD are Koch compositions, including the ne title track/disk opener. The tune is an insistent lap-slide meditation on the blues, opening like a brooding Ry Cooder circa Paris, Texas, then steadily morphs into a frenzied not-quite-butalmost-shredding reminiscent of sacred steel gospel bands like the Campbell Brothers. Koch really is a very appealing lap-slide player. By the time the band is ready for last call on track 12, Kochs slow blues, The Sun Will Shine, becomes a tting coda to an excellent evenings worth of masterful blues playing of some really ne tunes. Michael Cala

! o v a BR
MARQUISE KNOX Here I Am
APO Records

BRavo!
The following are the most listened-to recordings in Blues Revues ofces during the making of this issue:

IAN SIEGAL & THE YOUNGEST SONS The Skinny

Nugene Records

BIG PETE Choice Cuts

Delta Groove Music

ERIC LINDELL West County Drifter

M.C. Records

DIUNNA GREENLEAF Trying To Hold On

VizzTone Records

SHARRIE WILLIAMS Out Of The Dark

Electro-Fi

BERNIE PEARL Sittin On The Right Side Of The Blues

Major Label Recordings

LAZY LESTER You Better Listen

Bluestown

BEVERLY McCLELLAN Fear Nothing

Junk Drawer Records

RUFF KUTT BLUES BAND Mill Block Blues

Katy Mae Productions

64

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Blues Bites
Reviews in Brief
Brandon Santini, who was frontman for the ne Memphis group Delta Highway, steps out solo on Songs of Love, Money, and Misery, a set of 11 new songs performed with suppleness, subtlety, and splendid tone on harmonica, and panache backed up with conviction on the vocals. The outstanding supporting cast includes The Evil One (bass, Tinsley Ellis), Victor Wainwright (keys, the Wildroots), and Elliot Sowell (guitar, Los Carnales). St. Louis-based Sowell, a graduate of Brian Hash Brown Calways on-the-job academy for aspiring Dallas guitarists, serves as a hip, tasteful secret weapon on a setlist that spans Little Walter-ish swing leavened with Grant Green, chugging Gulf Coast rockers, funky grinds, Elmore James slide workouts, Texas shufes, hard-charging, 50s-style Memphis boogies, New Orleans rumba-blues, and minor lopes. Great stuff! British blues-rock guitarist Mick Clarke, who has been performing since the 1960s, takes a refreshingly informal approach to his latest album. Cutting tracks nearly impromptu with drummer Russell Chaney, Clarke plays strippeddown blues on much of The Rambunctious Blues Experiment: theres no bombast behind Cheap or the sittin-on-top-of-the-world slow blues Poor Day. Greasy, low- tones give the shufe I Wanna Do and the slow blues 20 Miles extra kick, Groundhog Man rolls a Bo Diddleyesque groove, and Slipaway practically detours into White Stripes territory. Disappointments: Dave Newmans overdubbed harp is so much highend noodling; Woodsman is generic boogie, and Go Go Freddie never touches on the King I expected to hear referenced. Recent buzz in the Twin Cities surrounds Davina and the Vagabonds, a quintet with a jazz-combo lineup (trumpet-trombone-drumsbass-piano) and a quirky variety of arrangements. With a stylistic range that dips into pre-war jazz, English-music-hall-inected, early 70s pop (Disappears), New Orleans-style funk (Pocket), rollicking piano boogie (Lipstickandchrome), and crystalline, Band-like Americana (Sugar Moon), the new CD is a trip. Songwriter-pianist-vocalist Davina Sowers is very likely star material, but her highly mannered delivery may irk listeners who dont ordinarily spin Broadway musicals for pleasure. Black Cloud (Roustabout) is intriguing, to say the least. New Zealands Darren Watson has crafted a beautiful album in Saint Hildas Faithless Boy (Red Rocks Records), a set of backward-looking (but by no means retro) blues recorded with a bracing, contemporary sonic treatment. Watson pops his guitar strings like Johnny Guitar Watson on She Got It All, mines soulful, Robert Cray territory in Love Is An Ocean, and channels Howlin Wolf in full, stomping intensity on A Desperate Man. Dig the swampy rootsrocker He Dont Love You, the serpentine Bitter Suite, and the acoustic slide reading of My Love Will Never Die leagues from Otis Rushs original stylistically, right there emotionally. Watsons hearty vocal approach sounds utterly honest. The supporting cast is superb. Blues On The Ceiling (Rowdy Blues), by acoustic guitarists Glen Collins, Sandy Morris, and Peter Narvaez (harmonica and voice also), cannily avoids the tiger trap practically guaranteed by the collectives name Superpickers! which threatens a certain level of soul-numbing virtuosity. No gratuitous displays of chops here, just deep blues, well played, with a few tasty excursions into country and singer-songwriterstyle material. I really like Narvaezs singing, which conveys humor, ennui, pathos, and more in a very natural style. The disc blends unexpected covers (Fred Neil, Amos Milburn, Albert King, Johnny Cash, Memphis Minnie) with a raft of affecting Narvaez compositions. Sweet Daddy Cool Breeze hits a career peak on the tough Live In Germany. On this largely uptempo set, Wally Sweet Daddy Greaney is singing better than ever; the lone slow number, Casey Bill Weldons blues ballad Outskirts Of Town, reveals no vocal deciencies beyond a questionable instinct to leap at random into falsetto. His harmonica breaks are generally strong in tone and dramatic construction. The band Thomas Lipps (bass), Peter Perdo (drums), and Uwe Herr (guitar) is rock-solid, playing with a clear awareness of dynamics and taste. Herr deserves special mention for his ne, clean Fender tones, crafty note choice, fresh phrasing, and, especially, for his solo choruses in Driving Wheel, played via tuning peg manipulation. Medicine presents 10 songs recorded in refreshingly minimalist format, mainly guitars and drums. Solomon King hits a Bo Diddley grind

Tom Hyslop

on Baby Does Me Good, lays down Elmore James slide on Dont You Love Me No More, strikes an interesting roots/post-modern sonic balance on Bucket, Closer, and Cinnamon Rose, and plays Trouble, the title track, and the Ronettes immortal Be My Baby as neareerie dirges. At the least, Medicine is an interesting listen; it could serve as the right soundtrack for a voodoo-infused fever dream.

Harp player Big Joe Shelton is back and tougher than before, despite the wry title of his latest CD, The Older I Get The Better I Was (Alt 45 Records). His fond look back at vanished youth is only one example of Sheltons perceptive, often witty, songcraft: What Else Can It Be is narrated by the man whos pretty sure he has been kissed off; in Psychoanalyst Voodoo Queen, a New Orleans radio show hostess captures the singers fancy; Hole In Yo Soul is part anthem, part manifesto; and They Cant Be Satised fearlessly calls out the questionable motives of President Obamas detractors. Shelton delivers boogies, slow blues, shufes, country blues, R&B ballads, and even a Latin number in a gruff, gritty manner much like Omar Dykes. Highly recommended. Headlights (dont get caught in the glare), the latest album from Lou DeAdder, tries on a variety of genres without committing to any. The Canadian guitarist plays with condence across boundaries Jeff Beck-style funk, hot-rodded modern country, irritatingly heavy rock, pop, and folk but his lightweight singing detracts from even the otherwise strong songs. You Can Count On Me, the closest thing here to blues, barely qualies, and the immaturity evinced in an instrumental called Kick Em In The Balls and in the title cuts slangy reference to breasts is unexpected in the work of an artist who has been working, according to his liner notes, since the 70s. The rst solo disc from guitarist Tommy Mora is essentially a blues-free zone, hence likely to disappoint the purist. But Keep On Movin (RMC Records) is not without rewards for listeners with slightly more open ears. Although his mostly romantic lyrics are trite, Mora wears his chief musical inuence Jimi Hendrix on his sleeve. Sometimes the resemblance is overt, as on rockers High (On You), Freedom (Of Love) and Going Down To The Border (with its Santanaesque interlude); elsewhere, as on the pure

BLUES REVUE

65

power pop of Gimme Your Love and You Got Me Running, the echoes are sublimated. Far more interesting are such cuts as the very contemporary, Tex-Mex/R&B mashup Tell Me or the gorgeous brown-eyed Latino soul numbers Keep On Movin and Una Razon. While Let It Rain, a new album from Oregons Tommy Hogan Band, stakes out a more traditional blues territory, its arrangements seem produced by rote, with generic boogies, watereddown West Side blues, strummed shufes, Robert Johnson rip-offs, and big-leg funk colored entirely as if by numbers. Even here, closer to the basics, there are straight-ahead rock ballads (Wont You Take Me), and the shadow of Hendrix casts a pall, on Voodoo Queen (a tired title to be sure). Though a bit anemic, the rootsy rocker Oh So Fine has its moments, but its discouraging if this is what the blues is coming to. In contrast, Come On If Youre Comin (Big L) offers a vital, present-day incarnation of pre-war acoustic music. Recording as the Blue Rhythm Boys, guitarists Tom Mitchell and Jim Stephanson with added trumpet, violin, Dobro, and bass nail blues, hokum, country, hot jazz, Western swing, and other avors. Tempos tend to be fast but the Boys sound equally ne when they slow down the proceedings, as on Denomination Blues and Prisoner Of Love (yes, the very ballad immortalized by James Brown); their reading of Mean Old World cant top T-Bone Walkers, but is perfectly listenable, and scores points for originality and a stuttering, playful rhythm. Lovely. Drinkin With The Harp Girls is the latest CD from veteran Amherst, Massachusetts, blues-rockers The Wildcat OHalloran Band. OHalloran shamelessly borrows melodies from Sloppy Drunk and I Want To Be Loved (to cite two examples), but his writing is slightly redeemed by unpretentious humor, as in If God Can Make That (No Wonder Hes In Charge) and the lastcall epic Crunch Time. But the unsubtle rock arrangements are not helped by the relentlessly unimaginative buzzsaw of Nate Danas lead guitar, and the cover of a Stax classic by William Bell demonstrates, painfully, that the pitchchallenged OHalloran should either stick to his usual shouting or invest in Auto-Tune. Strictly Whatever (Stony Plain, 2011) has undeniable appeal, based in the husky vocals of songwriter-guitarists Harry Manx & Kevin Breit, an edgy palette of tones and instruments (from baritone guitar to National steel, banjo to mohan veena), and approaches (imaginative guitar styles courtesy of Jeff Beck and David Lindley; the

atmospheric sonics of Daniel Lanois, songwriting referencing The Beatles and Mark Knoper). It also has truth in labeling: Whatever fairly describes its essence, but whatever it is, it aint blues. In truth, its barely bluesy, with the exception of Mr. Lucky and the guitar boogie shufe Dance With Delilah. Favorite tracks include There Was A Girl and the opening trifecta Nothing I Can Do, Looking For A Brand New World, and a startlingly sober take on Bobby Hebbs Sunny. Lisa Sheppard, a songwriter with a refreshingly low-key, slightly at, yet surprisingly powerful delivery, has crafted an appealing new album. The project has a strong Americana feel, shading Tom Petty with the great Dave Alvin, and the playing is immaculate, in particular the ne work of Rich McKulley (guitar) and Carl Byron (keyboards). Still, however ne its rewards, Neon Lights is not so much blues as solid roots rock. Exceptions include the R&B-inected ballad Once I Leave L.A. and the loping boogie Youve Got Your Freedom. Both the sweet, Gram Parsons-esque country of Blue Tonight and the raw, garagerocking Come On In click deeply. On Lazy Star, French veterans Big Dez prove that they dont need to hire American studios and players. Bandleader Phil Fernandez delivers the goods across a spectrum of contemporary blues, roots rock, and soul, with his fervent vocals and indelible Stratocaster tone in front of Bala Pradals superb piano and Hammond B-3 and a supple rhythm section. Rodolphe Dumont is the other excellent guitarist. A sampling of highlights must include rowdy rockers (Her Own Way, Lucky Devil), smooth ballads (Top Of Your Game), dramatic soul (Another Ride), sly funk (The Rewind), and Jimmy Reedinected shufes (Take Me To South Carolina). Recommended. Adventuresome listeners will nd much to like in the raw blues of solo artist Mickey Pantelous, who performs on guitar, drums, harmonica, and horns as Dr. Albert Flipouts One Can Band. On cuts like the title track, I Cant Find My Pills, and There Goes Jack, Pantelouss imaginative rants recall the warped outlook and carnival-barker delivery of Tom Waits; his music splits the difference between Waitss curious delicacy (Lets Go For A Dance) and sublime weirdness (The Madhouses On Fire), and the punk-edged assault of the White Stripes (People Talk About You Baby updates Seven Nation Army), with touches of Delta and Hill Country blues. Thumbs up. All Night Long, a Clarksdale, Mississippi, band who take their name from Junior Kimbroughs

genre-dening song, are dedicated to the Hill Country blues. Sean Apple (guitar, vocals) and Martin Grant (harmonica, vocals) succeed, playing the style correctly and passionately. Aint Gonna Stop presents 11 original compositions, ranging from the archaic fe-and-drum pastiche Ode To Otha to such stomping, hypnotic jukejoint numbers as Still On This Side Of The Dirt, You Gots Ta Shake Your Rump, and frontporch explorations like Take And Take Some Mo and Mighty Mississippi. Deep blues indeed. Rock My Soul (Feelin Good Records, 2011) nds the South Side Chicago chanteuse Vivian Vance Kelly (daughter of soulful bluesman Vance Kelly) in good voice, singing a wide-ranging set with condent phrasing, power, and emotional expressiveness. The opening trio sets the tone for the playlist: Bobby Blue Blands driving Love Of Mine sits nicely between a churning, uptempo reading of Al Greens Love And Happiness and a Windy City shufe interpretation of Hank Williamss You Win Again. Familiar though the selections may be, as supple soul alternates with blues and soul-blues standards, Kellys singing and the Italian bands sure-footed performances are absolutely enjoyable. Alex Ross (vocals, guitars) fronts the Oxfordbased Mississippi Cadillac Blues Band. Bolstered by Billy Earharts fat, funky keyboards and a gritty but not overpowering rock feel, the group has potential, with swaggering roadhouse tunes (Cheatin Ways and Beauty Operator) and slinky R&B (Six Months Ago) rubbing against well-played covers (Otis Spanns Home To Mississippi and the Buttereld Blues Bands Our Love Is Driftin). Rosss one-speed-ts-all, shouted vocal approach, however, has a limited appeal, and the guitar playing sometimes overpowers the arrangements on Stone Cold. Memphis Jewel (Catfood Records, 2011) offers a smooth showcase for singer Jackie Johnson without abandoning classic R&B roots. Where Rain is a laid-back, soul-inected rocker, and bassist Bob Trenchards originals have a modern gospel feel, Johnsons Do Ya a lovely midtempo number that is more Sade than Ann Peebles is followed by a faithful but obviously updated cover of Smokey Robinsons Tears Of A Clown. Label mate Johnny Rawls duets on his typically excellent soul blues, Love You Still, and any cover of Betty Wrights irresistible Clean Up Woman is welcome at Blues Bites. Hats off to Jim Gaines, whose production gives the set a lush, classy sonic sheen, uncharacteristically light on guitar (supplied here by Lance Keltner and Johnny McGhee).

66

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Hubert Sumlin

On Sunday, December 4, 2011, the music world lost one of its true originators. Hubert Sumlin passed away peacefully in his sleep in St. Josephs Hospital in Wayne, New Jersey. Though Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters dueled it out nightly in the 50s in Southside Chicago clubs, often it was the visionary musician behind these giants who pushed the urban blues envelope. It was Hubert Sumlins peerless guitar work supporting Wolf that forged the distinctive sound associated with Wolf. Sumlin was born in 1931 in Greenwood, Mississippi, but was raised across the river in Hughes, Arkansas. The family took much of its musical direction from Sumlins mother who put all the offspring into the Baptist church. When his older brother moved to a real guitar, Hubert began to learn the rudiments of a guitar from the one string nailed to the wall. When I was seven or eight, my mother saw me crying and bought me a guitar just like his. She paid a whole weeks salary, $8 for it. I watched what he did, where he placed his ngers until I got it together. Thats how I learned, Hubert told me. Sumlin rst saw a 40-year-old Wolf in 1948 at an Arkansas juke joint called Silkhairs. I was still a boy, maybe 11 or 12 years old. He was called Big Foot Chester then. They didnt allow no children in that club because there was booze and gambling in there. I heard so much music that night, I couldnt believe it. When he took me home in his car, he told my momma, Dont punish him, he just wants to hear the music. I followed the Wolf ever since, said Sumlin. From then, the relationship between Howlin Wolf and Sumlin became like father and son. In 1953, Wolf sent to Memphis for Sumlin to join him in Chicago, and his unconventional, slashing guitar expressions that but Sumlin still had the rough, back etched an urgent, modern sound on Wolfs music. His hip country musical edges from his licks are a joy for every fan to feed on. self-taught style. However, it was a When Wolf died in 1976, Sumlin laid the guitar down personal frustration with playing too for three months. I couldnt imagine going on without close to the sounds off records that him. Every time Id look at my guitar, Id think of him. led Sumlin to his major musical Sumlin Manchester, England, 1964 There just wasnt any getting over that man. He hooked epiphany. I got tired of hearing that up with Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang from 1977 to 1984, and has style and wanted to be me. I was never able to nd myself being B.B. continued touring and recording solo since 1984. His most recent or Albert King. I worked with a pick since I began and I could play so recordings include Hubert Sumlins Blues Party (1987), Heart & Soul fast, but I was leaving my own self behind. I did some serious praying (1989), Healing Feeling (1990) Blues Guitar Boss (1991), Bills Blues, and it come to me all at once, throw the pick away and be yourself. I a 1994 collaboration with Muddys former guitarist, Jimmy Rogers, ended up playing with my ngers and doing stuff I never did before. Thats when I discovered I had a tone of my own. I was missing notes I Know You (1998), Wake Up Call (1998) Pinetop Perkins and Hubert with my pick, but I didnt miss with my ngers. Sumlin: Legends (1999) and About Them Shoes (2004). Except for a one year stint with Muddy Waters in 1954, Sumlins In addition, Sumlin has been featured in may other recordings 23 year association with Wolf until his death in 1976 stands as one of and DVDs such as Kenny Wayne Shepherds 10 Days Out, Eric the most important musical partnerships in creating cutting edge Claptons Crossroads Guitar Festival, and Martin Scorseses The explorations. I was closer to Wolf than any other musicians were. I got Blues. Most recently, Sumlin can be seen as the iconic guitarist in
PHOTOGRAPHY BRIAN SMITH

to where I knew what he wanted before he asked for it because I could feel the man, Sumlin said. His ultra-modern, jagged edge guitar phrasing became synonymous with the Chess sound of Howlin Wolf songs like Smokestack Lightnin, Spoonful, Little Red Rooster, and Shake For Me. At rst listen, Wolfs raw voice will send shivers throughout the bodies of neophyte listeners, but deeper investigations will reveal it was the talented unsung guitarist Sumlin

BLUES REVUE

67

PHOTOGRAPHY DUSTY SCOTT

the feature lm, The Perfect Age Of Rock n Roll, with the recently deceased Pinetop Perkins and Willie Big Eyes Smith. Huberts story is eloquently told in the 2005 biography, Incurable Blues: The Troubles And Triumph Of Blues Legend Hubert Sumlin by former Blues Revue contributor Will Romano. Romanos annotated discography offers 17 pages of detailed Sumlin recordings up to 2004. Sumlin is also covered at length in James Segrest and Mark Hoffmans 2005 Moanin At Midnight, The Life And Times Of Howlin Wolf. Notoriety has recently come to Sumlin in his later years. During the past decade, he was nominated for four Grammy Awards, ten

Blues Music Awards, and he was ve-time BMA winner as Guitarist of the Year (2007 and 2006), Traditional Blues Artist (2008) and Traditional Album of the Year, About Them Shoes (2006). And in 2008, Sumlin was elected to the Blues Foundations Hall of Fame. Few blues guitarists have explored the creative possibilities of the guitar as eloquently as Sumlin. For all he has given the world musically and personally, Hubert Sumlin deserves the respect accorded a music legend. Art Tipaldi

Banks, Spurling
June 28, 1949 August 27, 2011 Spurling Banks was a Chicago bass player who made his name with many of Chicagos blues and soul bands. He rst played with Jimmy Johnson as the house band in the citys popular blues clubs in the late 1960s. In 2004, he became a full time member of Mississippi Heat. Most recently, he recorded on Mississippi Heats Live At Rosas record.

Gilliam, Earl
January 13, 1939 October 19, 2011 Blues legend Earl Gilliam died peacefully at his home in Tomball, Texas. By the age of 10, he was playing the organ in his towns Baptist church. At the age of 17, Gilliam moved to Houstons Fifth Ward, landed a gig with Clarence Gatemouth Brown, and became the creator of the Gulf Coast blues organ sound. Either with his own band or as sideman, Gilliam played with nearly every Texas blues star: Lightnin Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Joe Hughes, Big Mama Thornton, Katie Webster, and others. He also backed Big Joe Turner, Roy Brown, Nappy Brown, Albert King, Grady Gaines, Esther Phillips, Trudy Lynn, Bobby Blue Bland, and many others. More recently, Gilliam could be found leading the house band at The Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club in Houston.
PHOTOGRAPHY DONOVAN ALLEN

Bramhall, Doyle
February 17, 1949 November 12, 2011 Texas blues force Doyle Bramhall died suddenly in his sleep at his home in Alpine, Texas. Bramhall was most famous for his work with both Vaughan brothers in the early days of Austins music scene. He began his music career as a member of The Chessmen in the late 1960s. Jimmie Vaughan eventually joined that band. Then in 1970 he formed The Nightcrawlers with Marc Benno and a kid named Stevie Ray Vaughan. As the in-demand drummer, Bramhall was a heavy hitter, but he also grew to be an in-demand producer and songwriter. As a songwriter, he wrote or co-wrote many songs recorded by SRV, including the autobiographical Life By The Drop, The House Is Rockin, Tightrope, Hard To Be, The Telephone Song, Long Way From Home, and others. Bramhalls own discography includes Bird Nest On The Ground from 1994, Fitchburg Street from 2003, and Is It News in 2007. His music and spirit lives on in his talented son, guitarist Doyle Bramhall II. For more information, read the 2007 Blues Revue cover story in issue #110.

Jansch, Bert
November 3, 1943 October 5, 2011 Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Bert Jansch was a leading gure in the British folk revival. Jansch listed seeing Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGhee in 1960 as the turning point in his life. In the early sixties, Jansch was often referred to as the British Bob Dylan. In 1967, he formed the band, Pentangle. In 2001, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at BBC radios Folk Awards. In 2011, his nal performances were reunion performances with Pentangle. (Read the review of his DVD The Guitar Artistry of Bert Jansch in BR#130).

Buford, George aka Mojo Buford

November 29, 1929 October 11, 2011 Mojo Buford was best known as Muddy Waters off and on harmonica player throughout four decades, beginning in 1959 and ending in 1980. In addition to appearing on Muddys recordings, Buford also recorded his own records with Blue Loon, Fedora, JSP , P-Vine, and others. In his later years, Mojo could be found touring with Bob Margolin, Pinetop Perkins, Willie Big Eyes Smith, and Calvin Fuzz Jones to recreate the music of Muddy.

PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH A. ROSEN

Leiber, Jerry
April 25, 1933 August 22, 2011 Along with Mike Stoller, Jerry Leiber wrote many of the most important songs in early rock n roll. Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog, Stand By Me, Young Blood, Love Potion Number 9, and Yakety-Yak are only some of the hits co-written by Leiber for African-American singers like Big Mama Thornton, Jimmy Witherspoon, Wilbert Harrison, and Willie Littleeld. It was the success of Elvis Presleys cover of Hound Dog that put Leiber and Stollers names in the pop culture. They were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

68

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

Mason, John-Alex
November 30, 1975 October 19, 2011 Guitarist John-Alex Mason, one of the brightest young talents in the blues, passed away following complications after outpatient surgery. Mason was best known as a ery, one-man band who took country blues into exciting new directions. Mason rst hit you with a voice that came from another time and place. On record, its a mature, smoky curl that jumps off the record with a density many singers spend years trying to achieve. In 2001, he won the Telluride Acoustic Blues competition. Then, in 2004, he copped the prestigious Arkansas Blues And Heritage Blues Festivals Most Promising emerging Artist Award. In 2008, John-Alex competed in the Blues Foundations IBC and made it to the events nals. His sixth and last record, Juke Joint Thunderclap, was reviewed in BR#129.

Smith, Willie Big Eyes

January 19, 1936 September 16, 2011 Born in Helena, Arkansas, and raised by sharecropper parents, Willie Smith became one of the premier drummers in the blues. In 1959, Smith began his long association with Muddy Waters, appearing on Waters 1960 record, Sings Big Bill Broonzy. He remained with Waters until 1980 when he and Pinetop Perkins founded the Legendary Blues Band. Smith recorded his rst solo album Bag Full of Blues in 1995, followed by Nothin But The Blues Yall four years later. Since 2000, Smith recorded Blues From The Heart in 2000, Bluesin It in 2004, Way Back in 2006, and Born In Arkansas in 2008, where he augments his singing and drum talents with his expert harmonica playing. His most well received project was the 2010 Grammy and Blues Music Award winning Joined At The Hip, recorded with Perkins. Smith, the Blues Music Award winning drummer 12 times between 1996 and 2010, leaves the sticks, brushes, and voice to his talented son, Kenny. (Read Bob Margolins highly personal memories of Smith on page 29.)

PHOTOGRAPHY DUSTY SCOTT

Tate, Howard
August 14, 1939 December 2, 2011 Like so many soul legends of the 1960s, Howard Tate began singing gospel in his teens. In the early 1960s, Tate was introduced to Jerry Ragovoy, who began recording Tate for Verve records. He recorded a series of songs and albums between 1966 and 1968. Songs included Aint Nobody Home, and Stop which charted in the Top 20 on the R&B charts. After a brief stint with Epic Records, Tate retired from music in the late 1970s. He returned to the stage in 2001 and released Rediscovered in 2003. Two other Tate recordings, Howard Tate Live (2006) and the Jon Tiven produced Blue Day (2007) furthered his souldrenched status to new listeners. As a vastly underappreciated singer who blended soul, gospel, blues, and R&B as well as any singer, Howard Tate enjoyed great success in the decade since his rediscovery.
PHOTOGRAPHY AIGARS LAPSA

Ragovoy, Jerry
September 4, 1930 July 13, 2011 Jerry Ragnvoy was one of the great songwriters in American soul music during the 1960s. Some of his hits included Cry Baby for Garnett Mimms, Get It While You Can recorded by Howard Tate, Time Is On My Side, recorded by the Rolling Stones and Irma Thomas, and Piece Of My Heart recorded by Janis Joplin and others. Ragovoy founded the Hit Factory recording studio in New York in 1969. In 2003, he reunited with Howard Tate to write and produce Howard Tate Rediscovered.

Robicheaux, Coco
October 25, 1947 November 25, 2011 New Orleans hoodoo musician Coco Robicheaux collapsed in the Apple Barrel on Frenchman Street and was pronounced dead at the Tulane Medical Center. Guitarist Robicheaux entertained listeners here and abroad with his unique vision of swamp-styled New Orleans blues. Over the past two decades, hed released several albums, performed often throughout the Frenchman Street clubs, and was a mainstay at many Louisiana festivals including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 2009, Robicheaux was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Also a visual artist, Robicheaux also created the bronze bust of Professor Longhair that stands near Tipitinas.

Williams, Lee Shot

May 21, 1938 November 25, 2011 Henry Lee Williams grew up in the country close to his cousin and fellow blues man, Little Smokey Smothers. He got the nickname Shot from his mother at a young age, owing to his fondness for wearing suits and dressing up as a big shot. Williams moved to Chicago in 1958, joined Smothers there, and began singing with Smokeys band in 1960. A few years later, he joined Magic Sams band as a vocalist. His 1964 recording Welcome To The Club was a hit in Chicago, so much so that it was later covered by guitarist/ singer Little Milton for Checker Records in 1965. One of his most wellknown CDs, Cold Shot, was released in 1995 on the Black Magic label and was voted the Best Blues Album of 1995 in the Living Blues readers poll. From 2000 to 2008, he recorded eight records for the Memphis-based Ecko Records. In 2008, Williams signed with CDS Records and released Im The Man For The Job and The First Rule Of Cheating.

Sanjek, David
September 3, 1952 November 29, 2011 David Sanjek was a wellrespected music educator and, for 16 years, director of the BMI Archives in New York. An authority on music archiving, Sanjek was an advisor to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, the Experience Music Project, and was a 12 year member of the Blues Foundations Board of Directors. In 2007, he was appointed Professor of Music and Director of the Centre for Popular Music at the University of Salford, U.K.

BLUES REVUE

69

Classieds cost $2 per word, 20 word minimum and 500 word maximum. Send classied text that is to run in the next issue to circulation@bluesrevue.com.

www.WillieMayMusic.com

FESTIVAL
CONSULTANT
CONTACT:

YOU want to start a festival? YOU need help with your existing festival?
Paul E. Benjamin 70 Lake Ave Rockland, Me 04841
phone: (207) 596 - 6055 email: bluesman@midcoast.com

~ 20 YEARS EXPERIENCE ~
Voted the promoter of the year 2002 by the Blues Foundation

A D V E R T I S E R I N D E X
To advertise in Blues Revue contact Jack Sullivan, call (866) 702-7778
COVER 3 23 64 70 41 58 70 26 3 5 Beverly McClellan Blue Bella Records Blues Foundation Blue Star Connection Bluezzee Tees Bob Margolin Bonita Blues Festival Brad Vickers Ernie Hawkins Gary Allegretto Gina Sicilia 13 19 26 41 70 COVER 2 55 19 30 16 Hans Theessink Hart Fund Jay Gordon Kelly Hunt Killer Blues Laurie Morvan Legendary R&B Cruise Madelines Journey Mark Nomad M.C. Records Mississippi Tourism 70 57 70 71 55 42 47-49 7 COVER 24 70 Paul Benjamin Ray Fuller Salty Dog Sea-Blues Festival Shaun Murphy Skippers Smokehouse Sponsor The Bands Contest Tampa Bay Blues Festival Trampled Under Foot VizzTone Label Group Willie May Music

#133

COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE

No one closes a show like Rod Piazza. His blues performances, with his wife Honey and band, the Mighty Flyers, continues to enliven audiences around the world. Read Tom Cullen IIIs talk with Rod and Honey. In addition, Bill Dahl sits with Otis Clay, the last of Americas great soul singers. There are also proles of Chicago guitarist John Primer and Texas blues warriors Smokin Joe Kubek and Bnois King.

70

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

BLUES REVUE

71

Blues Revue has assembled a short list of some essential books, DVDs, and boxed sets that every blues fan should read, watch, or listen to. No more driving from store to store on a frustrating media search or asking bafed store clerks where the blues section is. On-line shopping and on-line auctions make nding these satisfying treats as easy as point, click, and ship. And wed love to hear back what you thought or what are some others that our readers would dig.

CD Boxed Sets
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

OKEH Rhythm & Blues Story (Okeh/Legacy) Hooker (Shout Factory) Lightnin Hopkins Complete Prestige/Bluesville Recordings Freddie King Taking Care Of Business 1956-1973 (Bear Family) Complete Recordings Of T-Bone Walker 1940-1954 (Mosaic) Hi Records Royal Memphis Soul (Demon Records)

DVDs
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Antones Home Of The Blues Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004, 2007, 2010 Bill Wymans Blues Odyssey Lightnin In A Bottle Last Of The Mississippi Jukes

Books
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Chicago Blues Photographs of Raeburn Flerlage Chasin That Devil Music, Gayle Dean Wardlow Chicago Blues, David Whiteis Big Road Blues, David Evans Looking Up At Down, William Barlow

(ECW Press)

(Miller Freeman Books)

(University of Illinois Press) (Temple University Press)

(Da Capo) (Thunders Mouth Press)

Between Midnight And Day, Dick Waterman

72

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011