Tribute: Delmark's 65th Anniversary

Various artists
Tribute: Delmark's 65th Anniversary
Delmark Records

As Delmark celebrates 65 years since founded in St. Louis by Bob Koester, new has come out that the label has been sold which hopefully will keep this historic and visionary blues and jazz label healthy for years to come. This "Tribute" recording has eleven newly recorded blues to help in the celebration. It should be noted that these are new recordings of prior recordings by various blues artists on Delmark. There is a house band with either Mike Wheeler and/or Billy Flynn on guitar on several tracks, Roosevelt Purify on keyboards, Melvin Smith on bass and Willie Hayes on drums.

Omar Coleman sings strongly and plays nice harp on his tribute to Junior Wells, "Train I Ride," with guitar from Wheeler and booting sax by Hank Ford. Lurrie Bell & the Bell Dynasty with Eddie Taylor Jr do Carey Bell's "One Day You're Gonna Get Lucky," likely recorded at the same session that produced their Tribute to Carey Bell album. Steve Bell's harmonica shines on this. Billy Flynn emulates the late Jimmy Dawkins' distinctive guitar style behind Linsey Alexander's fervent vocal on Dawkins' "All For Business." Demetria Taylor effectively growls performing Big Time Sarah's "Riverboat." Jimmy Burns performs his amiable take on Big Joe Williams' "She Left Me A Mule To Ride," without band accompaniment. His performance is not as percussive as that of Williams but he sings quite ably.

Lil Ed Williams and Dave Weld cover "Speak My Mind," by his uncle J.B. Hutto and it is a solid rendition if Ed does not quite match J.B.'s vocal here. Jimmy Johnson with Dave Spector do a strong Magic Sam's "Out of Bad Luck," with Sumito 'Ariyo' Ariyoshi adding some fine piano behind Johnson's marvelous vocal and fine guitar from him and Spector. Corey Dennison and Gerry Hundt provide a lively acoustic duet on Sleepy John Estes' "Broke and Hungry" with tight mandolin runs against the rhythmic guitar, with a strong crying vocal. Mike Wheeler evokes Jimmy Johnson on a fine cover of an Otis Rush classic, "So Many Roads," which is followed by Shirley Johnson's fine singing on the Little Willie John classic "Need Your Love So Bad," that Bonnie Lee previously waxed for Delmark.

Ken Saydak's solo piano and vocal barrelhouses Roosevelt Sykes' rollicking "Boot That Thang," closing this most entertaining collection of fresh blues cover recordings.

I received my review copy from Delmark Records. This review appeared in the July-August Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 379).  Here is Bob Koester interviewed about Delmark about 5 years ago.

With Eddie Taylor Jr, Blues Runs In The Family

A second generation bluesman of note is Eddie Taylor, Jr. One of several children of the late Eddie Taylor, best known as Jimmy Reed’s guitarist, but also an unheralded and under appreciated Chicago blues artist on his own whose music never lost its delta roots. Eddie Jr. has a new CD on the Austrian Wolf label, I Got To Make This Money, Baby. On this his brother Tim handles the drums and sister Demetria (who recently released a well received album on Delmark) sings one song while Harmonica Hinds is present with Greg McDaniel on bass and Anthony Palmer on second guitar.

Its a pretty straight Chicago blues album with Taylor performing several songs in homage of his father, other classic Chicago blues numbers and others in this style. On the opening title track, there is an opening quote of Lester Leaps In, before Taylor and the band launch into a Shake Your Moneymaker groove and sings about playing his guitar and playing the blues. This selection has him playing some nice controlled slide in the vein of Elmore James mixed with Homesick James. Hinds wails in support in support on harmonica here. Echoes of his father’s “Bad Boy,” as well as the lazy Jimmy Reed shuffle groove, are heard in his loving Salute to Eddie Taylor. Hinds is particularly outstanding on this track. 

There is a nice mix of songs including his father’s Train Fare Home, John Lee Williamson’s My Little Machine (from Jimmy Rogers rendition), and a slowed down rendition of Tommy McClennan’s Whisky Headed Woman. There are also a few other originals like his salute to the late bass player and vocalist, Goodbye Willie Kent,” where he notes Willie was a blues solider, a blues soldier going home.” Sister Demetria handles Ruth Brown’s big fifties smash, Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean, with the band providing solid support and an arrangement that does not slavishly copy the original. Similarly the interpretation of Rosco Gordon’s Just a Little Bit, makes that number a walking Chicago shuffle.

This isn’t the first record by Eddie Taylor, Jr. I heard. His earlier recordings had me wanting more and I purchased this. This is a solid, traditionally oriented blues recording. He sings from the heart and plays the old school style of Chicago blues guitar that fewer and fewer still play.

Here is a video of Eddie Taylor Jr, performing Jimmy Rogers' "You're the One."

Demetria Taylor's Bad Girl Entertaining Debut

Delmark brings us another new CD by a Chicago blues woman, this time one whose family has deep blues roots. Demetria Taylor is the daughter of the late Eddie Taylor and her brothers Eddie Jr., Larry and Tim have previously established themselves in the blues world. With the release of her “Bad Girl,” Demetria is set to make her mark on this world as well. She is joined by her brother Eddie Jr. and Shun Kibuta on guitars; Roosevelt Purifoy on keyboards; Greg McDaniel on bass and Pookie Styx (great name) on drums with guest appearances from Big Time Sarah, Billy Branch and Eddie Shaw.

For her first album there is a pretty diverse set of tunes but is in part a homage to the folks she was raised on. In certain cases like her medley of I’m a Woman w/ “Hootchie Coochie Woman, and Voodoo Woman (with Eddie Shaw adding his growling sax), her indebtedness to Koko Taylor is clear although she doesn’t project as strongly as the late Chicago blues queen did. Her raspy voice really suits Magic Sam’s All Your Love, with her brother adding some nice guitar, while both Shaw’s sax and Branch’s harmonica (terrific solo in the Walter Horton vein) contribute to the title track, a nice swinging shuffle remake of her father’s Bad Boy, with once Eddie Jr. shining in his solo.


When You Leave, Don’t Take Nothing, taken from an Artie ‘Blues Boy” White recording, is a solid slow blues where she tells her man who has his suitcase and about to leave because not a damn thing belongs to him with terrific sax and Shaw adding some atmosphere with his sax. Its followed by a terrific rendition of Nora Jean Bruso’s shuffle Goin’ Back To Mississippi, with more strong playing from Eddie Jr., Shaw and Purifoy on piano. The band really cooks on this track.

Billy Branch returns to add his harp to Big Boss Man, with the tempo taken a bit too fast, but with Shaw back she turns a superb vocal on Luther Allison’s Cherry Red Wine, as she worries about her baby, caressing the lyric. I dare say her vocal may top Allison’s original while her brother is stellar. Eddie Jr. contributed I Can’t Take It No More, a derivation of Messin’ With the Kid, followed by a remake of Trying To Make a Living. While these are well played, Demetria Taylor doesn’t have as much vocal presence on these songs. The album closes with two Willie Dixon songs, Little Red Rooster and Wang Dang Doodle, which she shares with Big Time Sarah. These are enjoyable, although not remarkable, performances, with Billy Branch contributing some nice harmonica and Eddie doing a nice Hubert Sumlin imitation on the latter number.

Demetria Taylor’s Bad Girl has excellent performances along with some that show her potential. She states she intends to do originals on her next album and display a bit more versatility on her next recording, and after this promising debut will have many waiting to see how it turns out.

I received my review copy from Delmark.