Alabama Slim The Parlor

Alabama Slim
The Parlor
Music Maker

Born Milton Frazier, Alabama Slim was scheduled to have a breakout performance at the 2020 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. That performance never happened because the Festival was canceled as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. He grew up "listening to the old blues since I was a child. I spent summers with my grandparents who had a farm. Them old folks would get to moanin' while they worked, and I just started moanin' with them. That's where I learned to sing. When I got grown I formed a band and we played little juke joints in the '50s and '60s."

He moved to New Orleans in 1965 and started jamming with his cousin Little Freddie King. The two have become tight as brothers and also tight musically. It was while visiting Freddie King that Tim Duffy, of the Music Maker Foundation, discovered Slim. Post-Katrina, the two lived in Dallas initially and in 2007 recorded for Music Maker's album, "The Mighty Flood." Slim is also featured in the CD that is a companion to Duffy's photography book, "Blue Muse." The album title, The Parlor" comes from the recording studio that Slim with King and drummer Ardie Dean spent recording this album. Later, Matt Baker on bass and Jimbo Mathus on piano and organ were added to this recording.

The publicity for this recording observes "Slim and King's guitars interweave between Dean's mastery of the drum kit to create a driving boogie with Slim's soothing vocals sprawled out on top, reminiscent of John Lee Hooker." The album opens with the simple driving low-key boogie flavor of "Hot Foot." Little Freddie King takes the vocal on the driving "Freddie's Voodoo Boogie," a reworking of "Boogie Chillum," with an irresistible groove. "Rob Me Without a Gun" is a strong slow brooding performance with Mathus' light organ adding to the feel of the two guitars, while "Rock With Me Momma" is an easy Hooker shuffle evocative of Hooker's recording "Dimples." There is a bit of political commentary directed at a certain President in "Forty-Jive." "Midnight Rider" has a bit of the moaning blues feel of Junior Kimbrough, while the rendition of "Rock Me Baby" has a North Mississippi juke-joint flavor.

The album closes with the swamp blues styled "Down In the Bottom." After listening to this recording several times, I agree that the music here is reminiscent of John Lee Hooker, although I might describe it as Hooker-lite. This is not a criticism but reflects that Slim ably evokes Hooker's sound; however, he doesn't bring the same amount of authority that Hooker did. Having listened to the recording several times, I doubt that listeners will be disappointed by the music here. It is a highly entertaining recording of modern down-home blues.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the January-February 2021 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 394). I have made a couple minor edits. Since writing this review I noticed that I had reviewed a previous album by Alabama Slim, "Blue and Lonesome," back in  2011 that is not mentioned in my review. This is the link to that review. Here is Alabama Slim performing "Rob Me Without a Gun."

Alabama Slim's Down Home Blue & Lonesome Blues

Here is the latest installment in my series on small blues gems issued by the Music Maker Relief Foundation, Alabama Slim's "Blue & Lonesome" Slim was born Milton Frazier in Vance, Alabama in March, 1939. He grew up playing in juke joints before moving to New Orleans in 1965 and got jobs with a moving company and later making cooking oil before hooking up with his cousin Little Freddie King with whom he would jam ever so often. Drinking heavily for a period, he cleaned himself up in the 90's and resumed a close friendship with King. The pair have shared an album on Music Maker and Blue & Lonesome is a welcome solo disc by Slim who towers near 7 feet tall.


Slim is rooted in such artists as Lightnin' Hopkins, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and especially John lee Hooker, which is made clear in his rendition of Fannie Mae that opens this up a duet with Freddie followed by a Hooker-styled rendition of Muddy Waters' Someday Baby, and then on the invigorating Old Folks Boogie, a take on Hooker's Boogie Chillum, and Junior Parker's Feeling Good. Ardie Dean adds some light percussion for this performance on which Slim's controlled performance adds to its appeal. "Weather Done Got Cloudy," is the first of several tracks featuring him with a Huntsville, Alabama band and is a nice brooding blues in a Hooker-ish vein which has lyrical allusions to "Checking on My Baby."


Ain't I Been to You is a one chord Hooker styled blues that would sound at home in the North Mississippi Hills with some biting guitar runs. Joined by Freddie, West Texas Blues, is a nice song showcasing Slim's restrained, pleading style. Two O'Clock in the Morning is a spare Texas styled blues based on Lowell Fulson's Three O'Clock in the Morning. There is a bit more modern flavor on Has Anybody Seen My Baby, which sounds like as Hooker interpreting a B.B. King blues, while "I Love My Guitar" is a Hooker-styled boogie as Slim tells his woman not to get hooked on him as he loves nothing but his guitar. The album closes with I'm Blue and Lonesome, a lazy Jimmy Reed blues interpreted in a manner that John Lee Hooker might have.


Alabama Slim has produced an entertaining collection of blues with strong evidence of the influence of John Lee Hooker. While one might not call this essential, it should appeal to fans of post-war, down-home, country blues. It certainly caught this reviewer's ear.


I received this from the Music Maker's Relief Foundation as a donor to that organization. Visit www.musicmaker.org for information on purchasing this and other recordings as well as contribute to help blues and other roots musicians.