Take 5 - It Hurts Me Too

Today's Take 5 playlist is devoted to the blues classic "It Hurts Me Too."

We start with Tampa Red's recording.

Among the most famous recordings of this song was that by Elmore James.

Next up is Junior Wells with Buddy Guy on guitar.

I just discovered this amazing rendition from Jimmy Nolen who may be better known for his time with James Brown.

We close with a terrific version by Luther Allison.

The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James Steve Franz

The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James
Steve Franz
BlueSource Publications: St Louis

Initially published in 2002 and reprinted in 2008, Steve Franz's biography of Elmore James, one of the greats of the post World War II blues, was made available in June 2019, shortly before Franz's unexpected passing. This is a richly researched and detailed biography of the slide guitar master, but as Franz shows, James was so much more.

Franz recalls an unusually warm January day in 1987 when he was first formally introduced to Elmore James' music. He had just transferred to Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville when he heard a ceramics student blasting music. It reminded him of a song he heard on a compilation album. Franz reacted similarly to myself when I first heard Elmore a couple of decades earlier.

"I found the music invigorating and mesmerizing, all at the same time. Just then there was a lull in our conversation, as the opening notes of "Standing at the Crossroads" broke out over the speakers. I was completely transfixed. I had heard music that rocked my soul before, but never anything quite like this. My whole being was so focused on the music emanating from the tiny speakers, that all activity, time, and motion in the surrounding world seemed to slow down or fade away, while the only thing that traveled through it was Elmore James, singing this song. I remember thinking to myself at the time that 'Elmore was singing it like was the best goddamn song ever written.'"

Before launching into the biography, Franz provides an overview of how interest in Elmore among blues enthusiasts (himself included) at the same time he had passed. There is a brief description of the early research into James' career, including pioneering research by Europeans. Also, there is a brief overview of the release and reissue of his recordings before Franz details his life.

I am not going to go into great detail about the contents, but Franz takes us from Elmore's early days growing up in the Mississippi farmlands, his learning to play music, and more. There is a description of his playing with Robert Johnson and Sonny Williamson II. Those that knew Elmore, including Homesick James, Floyd Jones, Sunnyland Slim, Houston Stackhouse, and David 'Honeyboy' Edwards, provide their recollections as Elmore became a juke joint musician. Later after serving in the Navy during the Second World War, Elmore worked in a radio shop where "he began to work out the ideas for an acoustic guitar amplification system that would guarantee a unique sound."

 

The original recording of "Dust My Broom"

Elmore and Sonny Boy Williamson II began a fruitful performing relationship, which also led to some of Elmore's earliest recordings on Trumpet Records with Sonny Boy and Willie Love. This led to Elmore recording "Dust My Broom." Franz demolishes the myth that Elmore was tricked into recording the song. He also details how Joe Bihari recorded Elmore while James was under contract to Trumpet, and various legal proceedings that led Bihari to have to sit on the recordings for a period.

There is much devoted to his performing career as well as subsequent recordings. These included discussion of the various specific songs he waxed and sideman sessions he was on with Big Joe Turner for Atlantic and Junior Wells for the States label. The analysis of these sessions also provided considerable space devoted to The Broomdusters. One of the finest post-war Chicago blues bands, it consisted of pianist Little Johnny Jones, tenor saxophonist J.T. Brown, bassist Ransom Knowling, and drummer Odie Payne.

Franz chronicles Elmore's time playing in various Chicago clubs and the problems he had with the union in great detail. The various union issues that prevented him from playing or recording in Chicago, so he relocated back down south, are discussed. Also, the circumstances that led him to record for Bobby Robinson are given. The personnel of the various sessions are listed, including the shifting changes in the personnel of The Broomdusters.

There also are brief snippets of those who saw Elmore live, including James Meredith's relatively well-known recollections. The late George Adins recalled, "Elmore James will always remain the most exciting and dramatic blues singer and guitarist that I've ever had a chance to see perform in the flesh."

In addition to Adins, Jacques Demetre and Marcel Chauvard saw Elmore at a Chicago Lounge. "All was ready for the grand ritual of pure blues. What do I say? What words can I use to describe this? How to put the music on this paper—bluesy, one-hundred percent.... From the public's side, exclusively black except for the two of us, it was a party. A great festival... Elmore James was, at the instant, a shaman, and had a precise role—to exorcise their misery and to make them forget their troubles. It was during this time, while he was singing and playing that exclamations of encouragement came from the public without stop. "Yes, you is right, man!", "Talk to me!" and others "That's the truth!", forming like a choir, sustaining... his presentation... ."

"The band sounded rather wild," Demetre and Chauvard noted, "but their music was very beautiful. Elmore sang just like a preacher, using many gospel effects. He accompanied himself magnificently on his electric guitar, a small metal slide on the little finger of his left hand. His stunning 'Hawaiian' style reminded us of Robert Johnson and Kokomo Arnold. Next to him, Sunnyland Slim played a mean boogie-woogie accompaniment on the piano."

Elmore was about to be reinstated by the Chicago Musicians Union, record again, and play in Chicago when he suddenly passed. Franz considers Elmore's legend among his fellow musicians and fans. He then provides information on the post-Elmore James careers of Johnny Jones, J.T. Brown, and Odie Payne. Another chapter considers Elmore's musical legacy, including the various artists who adopted Elmore's "Dust my Broom" guitar lick. The artists range from Boyd Gilmore, Woodrow Adams, and Lil Son Jackson, to B.B. King and Juke Boy Bonner, L.C. 'Good Rockin' Robinson to Hop Wilson, and Ike Turner, Eddie Taylor, to Earl Hooker to mention some of those artists.

Then there is a chapter devoted to the Keepers of the Flame. It provides an overview of the careers and music of those who played in the style of Elmore. These include Joe Carter, Hound Dog Taylor, Johnny Littlejohn, J. B. Hutto, and Homesick James. These portraits of these artists are reasonably detailed. I do note that Franz missed one Keeper of the Flame. New Orleans guitarist, Deacon John Moore has shown himself in live performance, including on a live CD, more than a little familiar with James' music. One might understand how Deacon John was overlooked because he was a studio musician, and his commercial recordings did not show him as a Keeper of the Fame. But to hear him do "Standing at the Crossroads," one appreciates his love of Elmore, even if only a small portion of his repertoire.

Some appendices deal with various issues. One is devoted to the myths and folklore about Elmore. Here Franz provides considerable detail about the myth Elmore was hoodwinked into recording "Dust My Broom." There is a full discography of Elmore's recording sessions, including the personnel and the various releases a song was issued on.

This book is copiously illustrated with photos, trade magazine ads, label shots, and newspaper ads for club listings. There are over 880 footnotes,  an extensive bibliography, and other sources. This book was a labor of love and joins biographies of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, B.B. King, and others that belong in any blues lover's library. The original printed edition may be hard to find, so, fortunately, this is available as an e-book.

Also, Steve Franz, under the name Sleepy Boy Hawkins,  hosted a radio show, Blues Unlimited, which delved into various blues topics. These shows are available as downloadable podcasts on Bandcamp, https://bluesunlimited.bandcamp.com. There are four episodes devoted to Elmore James that might serve as a musical soundtrack to this book. These are episodes 321, 326, 327, and 328.

I purchased my e-book. Here is Elmore James doing "The Sky Is Crying."

 

Take 5 with Junior Wells

This installment of Take 5 looks at five songs by the popular Blues Hall of Famer, Junior Wells. Wells was a significant part of the post-World War II Chicago blues scene. He played with Muddy Waters, recorded with Muddy and Elmore James as sidemen. Other recordings had the likes of Earl Hooker playing guitar. Later his album "Hoodoo Man Blues," on Delmark, was one of the first album of a working Chicago blues band that was recorded as an album, not a collection of singles. For a number of years, he toured with Buddy Guy with a band that included A.C. Reed on saxophone and Phil Guy on second guitar. This was one of the best blues bands that ever was. Then after the partnership with Buddy ended, he led his own, very popular band throughout the world. Here are five choice recordings or performances by him.

We open with his original recording of "Hoodoo Man Blues," with Elmore James on guitar, Little Johnny Jones on piano, Louis Myers on guitar, Dave Myers on bass guitar and Fred Below on drums.

Next up is his original "Messin' With the Kid," which Muddy Waters would record an answer to.

The collaboration with Buddy Guy first included a session for the legendary "Chicago, The Blues Today" recordings, "Hoodoo Man Blues," and the Vanguard album "It's My Life Baby." Here is Junior with Buddy on guitar doing a Little Willie John song as "Country Girl."

A popular Junior Wells recording on Delmark, "Southside Blues Jam," tried to capture the feel of an informal jam at Pepper's Lounge. This was one of pianist Otis Spann's last recordings. Here is his reworking of "Stop Breaking Down" that goes back to Robert Johnson, but Junior likely got it from John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's recording.

Junior also did a terrific job on Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason." It is a song representing his later solo career of this brief retrospective of a Blues Hall of Famer.

Down Home Blues • Chicago: Fine Boogie

Various Artists 

Down Home Blues • Chicago: Fine Boogie 

Wienerworld

If you are thinking about a gift for the blues lover in your life, this public domain 5 CD box set certainly is well worthy considering. With 134 songs from both famous and obscure blues performers, and an 88 page booklet with an overview of the post-war Chicago blues scene and the artists heard, along with a full sessionography, it provides over 6 hours of prime Chicago blues. The mastering is as good as one can expect with some of this material coming from rare acetates or 78s. 

Musically, this compilation takes us from recordings in the relaxed band sound that some scholars termed “the Bluebird Beat,” to the more familiar impassioned ensemble blues of Mississippi natives Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Elmore James. Included are the earliest commercial recordings of Muddy Waters and Johnny Shines, that were not issued until a couple decades later. There are recordings from small independent labels like the Maxwell Street based Ora Nelle label with Johnny Young’s “Money Taking Woman,” the J.O.B. label with Johnny Shines’ “Ramblin’,” Old Swingmaster for Snooky & Moody’s “Keep what You Got,” Parrot with Dusty Brown’s “He Don’t Love You,” Cool Records with Billy Boy Arnold’s “Hello Stranger,” and more.

There are artists new to me such as Grey Haired Bill, Mildred White (who recorded at a session with Pete Franklin (with Tampa Red on piano), and ‘Blues Boy’ Bill, along with representative recordings of Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter and Howlin’ Wolf, with some of these being alternate takes to those on 78s and 45s and only available on out-of-print album reissues on labels like Blues Classics, Nighthawk, Muskadine, Flyright and others. There are also rarities from Birmingham Jones, St. Louis Jimmy, Robert Nighthawk Albert King, Baby Face Leroy Foster, J.B. Hutto, Pete Franklin, Sunnyland Slim, Eddie Boyd, Memphis Minnie and Po’ Joe Williams (aka (Big Joe).

While not every one of the 134 songs is a blues classic, this collection is filled with so many gems as well as some entertaining selections that give an solid overview of early blues recording in Chicago. Add the 88 page booklet from Blues Scholar Mike Rowe, and this release is invaluable to lovers of Chicago blues. There is almost 6 and 1/2 hours of music on these five CDs which does not duplicate any of the selections on another reissue collection, the four-disc “Down Home Blues Classics Vol. 3:Chicago” on Boulevard Vintage) which is also highly recommended if you can find it.

I purchased this and it was originally submitted as a review for a Holiday issue of Jazz & Blues Report that was issued, but has appeared in the Jan-Feb 2018 issue (Issue 376). For a taste of some of the music, here is Dusty Brown's recording of "He Don't Love You,"

and Johnny Shines' JOB recording, "Ramblin'."

Dust My Rhythm & Blues: The Flair Records Story

Dust My Rhythm & Blues: The Flair Records Story
Ace (UK)

A compilation "Dust My Rhythm & Blues: The Flair Records Story" is one of a series of double CD reissues that the English Ace Records label has issued that survey the Bihari Brothers legendary Modern Records label and its subsidiary labels that include Flair, RPM and Kent. Flair was the third subsidiary and in its three years of existence issued some terrific music although it never had a national hit. Originally intended to be the Bihari's country label, the label shifted direction with Elmore James being the first R&B artist assigned to Flair. This reissue has a number of choice recordings from the likes of Elmore James (seven sides including "Standing at the Crossroads"); his pianist Little Johnny Jones (with the classic "Dirty By the Dozen (Sweet Little Woman)"; Mercy Dee; pioneering electric blues guitarist Saunders King; Richard Berry (famous for "Louie Louie" (not included here) represented by several tracks including "The Big Break"); the doomy West Coast downhome blues of Johnny Fuller, the vocal group The Flairs (whose Cornell Gunter would enjoy fame with The Coasters); Shirley Gunter; Ike Turner (a couple instrumentals including "Cuban Get Away"); and Clarence 'Bonton' Garlow doing the rollicking "Route 90." The 50 tracks include some alternate takes and some selections that had not previously been issued on CD. If not having complete session information, the wonderfully illustrated booklet accompanying these 50 tracks includes Tony Rounce's essay with history of the label as well as his discussion of the artists and the recordings.

I purchased this CD. This is one of a number of short reviews I have written for the 2015 Holiday Gift Guide edition of Jazz & Blues Report. Here is Clarence Garlow's recording of "Route 90."

The Legendary Ike Turner: The Kat Sure Could Play!

Ike Turner's life may have been a controversial one, but their can be little doubt of his significant contribution to the blues, rhythm & blues and rock musical worlds. A four CD box, "The Legendary Ike Turner: The Kat Sure Could Play! (Secret Records) presents 118 songs (and over 5 hours of music) from singles Turner played on between 1951 to 1957. Some of these recordings include famous recording like "Rocket 88" by Turner and his own band The Kings of Rhythm, and others are backings to recordings by the likes of Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Johnny Ace, Bobby Bland and Elmore James.

There are so many historic recordings here starting with Rocket 88, but also including King's 3 O'Clock Blues, Wolf's How Many More Years, Boyd Gilmore's raucous Rambling On My Mind, and Rosco Gordon's No More Doggin'. The is a terrific delta juke joint band session that produced Drifting Slim's Muddy Waters pastiche Good Morning Baby, and Sunny Blair's house rocket, Step Back Baby. Junior Brooks terrific Gonna Let You Go is a reworking of a Muddy Waters recording with Ike on piano as he is on Elmore's frantic broom dusting on Please Find My Baby. Ike is present on Little Milton's early If You Love Me Baby as well.

Ike also had his own coterie of musicians including Eugene Fox whose Sinner's Dream and the two-part The Dream, are interesting bits of story-telling with Ike's evocative use of tremolo in his guitar noticeable. As The Sly Fox, Eugene Fox had a couple of other gems with his extroverted vocals; Hoo-doo Say (with a solo from Ike) and I'm Tired of Beggin'. Lonnie the Cat's I Ain't Drunk is a choice cover of a Jimmy Liggins tune that Albert Collins made famous. Johnny Wright's The World Is Yours is one of several times Ike adapted lyrics to Guitar Slim's The Things I Used To Do with Wright shouting with considerable vigor as Ike makes effective use of his Fender's whammy bar during his solo. 

Some of the latter recordings come from when Turner recorded for Federal and include such gems as Billy Gayles I'm Tore Up, Just One More Time, and Let's Call It A Day; Jackie Brenston's Gonna Wait For My Chance and Clayton Love's She Made My Blood Run Cold and Do You Mean It. Also heard are instrumentals including Cubano Bop and Trail Blazer.

Not every track is a classic, but throughout one can discern Ike Turner's ear and ability to craft the sound of the recordings with some nice piano on his earlier recordings and distinctive guitar in the later recordings. Included is a booklet with a lengthy overview of the recordings and Ike's contributions by Fred Rothwell as well as another booklet with discographical details on the selections included. The Kat Sure Could Play! is an impressive compilation of Ike Turner before Tina. Folks might check better mail order outfits like bluebeatmusic.com to purchase this.

I purchased my copy. Here is Clayton Love singing She Made My Blood Run Cold.

Modern Records Classic Delta Downhome Sessions

The Modern Record labels are perhaps best known for classic blues and R&B recordings by the likes of Hadda Brooks, The Cadets, Etta James and B.B. King, but the Bihari Brothers (the principals behind the group of labels) also recorded some tuff downhome jukejoint blues in the deep south area around Memphis and Jackson, Mississippi. The Modern Downhome Blues Sessions, Arkansas & Mississippi 1951-1952 Volume 1 (UK Ace) collects a number of recordings at sessions organized by Joe Bihari and Ike Turner. 

These are mostly tough small group blues groups which opens up with Elmon Mickles aka Drifting Slim reworking a couple of John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson songs. He was part of a group that also included harmonica player Sunny Blair and Junior Brooks whose rendition of Muddy Waters’ Appealing Blues, She’s the Little Girl For Me has Brooks doing a remarkable job of evoking Waters’ distinctive slide style. 

Other sides represent Charlie Booker and Houston Boines, the latter who was a member of Eddie Cusic’s group that the young Little Milton was a member of. Boines’ Relation Blues makes effective use of the Dust My Broom riff, likely played by Ike Turner on piano. Turner’s piano also is present on Charlie Booker’s fine Rabbit Blues. Boyd Gilmore, supposedly a cousin of Elmore James is heard on nine tracks, which does include some alternate takes, including three of his rendition of Ramblin’ on My Mind with fine piano from Turner.

There are two Elmore James tracks included Hand in Hand and Please Find My Baby that illustrate why he was among the favorite singers of Jules Bihari and the latter includes some slashing, distorted slide guitar to compliment the intense singing. There are also two sides from pianist Ernest Lane who is still active and playing, before the closing instrumental from Red Boyd’s Big Band, which is a bit out of character from the rest of the music here. 

There are extensive liner notes from Living Blues founding editor Jim O’Neal that go into depth on the artist and the recordings. I first got exposed to a number of these recordings on vinyl reissues on the Blues Classics label 35 years ago, and these recordings still hold up. With advances in technology, they sound better than ever. This is a must for fans of down-home, juke-joint blues. 

This review originally appeared in the July-August 2003 DC Blues Calendar, then the newsletter for the DC Blues Society. I purchased this CD.

Elmore James Shook His Money Maker

One of the greatest bluesmen of all time, Elmore James is the subject of a new collection of his later recordings on the reactivated Buddah label, Shake Your Money Maker - The Best Of The Fire Recordings. The Mississippi blues legend of course is known for his electric juke joint recording of Robert Johnson’s Dust My Broom for Trumpet Records, but over the course of the next twelve years, his music developed into a somewhat more urbane style that also clearly showed a debt not simply to Johnson, but also to Robert Nighthawk. What is also lost is the fact he was a great blues singer who sang with great urgency and power. John Broven’s liner notes describe the background of James’ career, and based on his interview of legendary record producer Bobby Robinson, details how Robinson, in Chicago for business, came across James playing in a club, leading to James recording The Sky is Crying, which helped rejuvenate his career. This album contains many of the choicest selections of James’ recordings for Robinson with the possible exception of One Way Out. In addition to the title track there are such other gems as Look on Yonder’s Wall, Stranger’s Blues (set to the Rolling and Tumbling melody), Done Somebody Wrong, Nighthawk’s Anna Lee, Something Inside Me (perhaps his finest slow, brooding blues), and first rate reworkings of earlier recordings Dust My Broom, and Standing at the Crossroads. The package is wonderfully mastered and is a must for anyone who lacks prior releases of this material. The James is the first significant blues reissue on Buddah, which apparently is becoming the major reissue imprint for BMG. This review originally appeared in the July/August 2001 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 252) and the April 2001 DC Blues Calendar, then the DC Blues Society’s newsletter. This review was written before Steven Franz’s excellent biography of Elmore James The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James that states that Elmore deserves as much credit as Johnson for Dust My Broom, and that he did more than simply update Johnson’s recording.

Louisiana Red at the 2008 Ponderosa Stomp

2008-0429_Ponderosa_Stomp-610, a photo by NoVARon on Flickr.

We mourn the passing of Iverson Minter, better known as Louisiana Red on February 25. Louisiana Red had a recording career that stretched six decades, starting with recording for Chess Records in 1952 and including the wonderful Memphis Mojo for Ruf Records, which I reviewed this past October.

Red's music showed varied influences including Muddy Waters, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker and Lightnin' Hopkins. He was adept at the slide guitar styles of both Muddy Waters and James, and adapted some of their tunes for his own use, employing original, often chilling lyrics that arose from his own life and situations.

He recorded frequently and generally at a high level for a variety of labels. With his passing, another link to the blues vintage age of the fifties and sixties has passed, but even more important, an original musical voice has been stilled.

The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James

Among the greatest of all Blues artists, Elmore James’ influence is heard in the music of countless musicians today, whether his cousin Homesick James Williamson, Chicago slide guitar boogie master, Lil Ed Williams, New Orleans slide master Deacon John, Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green or George Thorogood’s blues-rock. James’ recording of Dust My Broom is among the seminal blues recordings and covered or adapted by countless artists. Even forty years after his death, the passion and urgency in his music is evident to anyone who spends anytime listening to his recordings. Elmore’s music was so powerful that Steve Franz did his Masters research on Elmore. Several years ago, Franz published a discography of Elmore’s music.Adding additional research, he has completed the first full-length biography of James, The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James (BlueSource Publishing).

James died of a heart attack in 1963 right around the time interest in Chicago blues was growing outside the African-American community. He was only subject to cursory interviews by several Europeans, such as photographer George Adins who saw him performing in various Chicago night clubs. As a result, much of what we know about his life derives from interviews from those who played with him or knew him including his cousin, “Homesick” James Williamson, harmonica player and vocalist Sam Myers, the late drummer Odie Payne, James’ Atlanta manager Otis Ealey, and record producer Bobby Robinson.

There is also an account of Elmore in performance in a southern juke joint excerpted from civil rights pioneer James Meredith’s autobiography. Other information is gathered from various public and quasi-public records including those of the Chicago Musicians Union local. Included also are brief discussions of some of the myths about Elmore, his influence and biographies of the musicians who played with Elmore and some of the artists who were directly affected by Elmore including Homesick James, J.B. Hutto, Joe Carter and Hound Dog Taylor.

There is also an extensive discography of Elmore’s recordings including listings of various album reissues. This is copiously illustrated with pictures of Elmore and his musical associates. There are a few minor typos but this is an impressive contribution to the literature on the blues. This can be obtained from amazon or bluebeatmusic.com.

This review was written after I purchased this book. The review originally appeared in the April 2003 DC Blues Calendar, then the newsletter of the DC Blues Society. I have made minor stylistic revisions and updated the purchase information from the original review.

Homesick James Could Still Shake His Moneymaker In His Eighties

Cousin of the late Elmore James, the late Homesick James Williamson was perhaps described among the second-tier of slide guitarists performing in the manner of his more famous broomdusting cousin. SRV Blue has just issued Shake Your Money Maker, some 1999 live recordings in Switzerland produced by Fred James who is on guitar on these tracks.

James was one of the artists who recorded for small Chicago labels like Chance for whom he waxed Lonesome Old Train and his signature song, Homesick Blues. Later he recorded an album for Prestige which I find hardly memorable although Fred James, in the liner booklet, calls it Homesick’s ‘high water mark.’ He also was recorded by Sam Charters for the classic anthology, Chicago The Blues Today, which this writer feels is his most impressive work. In the ensuing years until his December 2006, he recorded a number of albums for a variety of labels including Trix, Ice House, Appaloosa. European recordings he made with the late harp player Snooky Pryor are the ones most worth seeking.

With respect to Shake Your Money Maker, it shows that in his 80’s Homesick James had lost little in terms of his playing and husky vocals. As Fred James observes, Homesick had an erratic sense of timing, but also his slide playing seems a bit off the beat compared to his contemporaries. Certainly his slide attack lacks the forcefulness of his contemporaries such as Hound Dog Taylor and J.B. Hutto. There is little surprising of the performances here in terms of material. Gotta Move and Set a Date had mainstays of Homesick James repertoire as was Elmore’s The Sky is Crying. There are some interesting songs included like, Crosscut Saw, that sort of meanders along as opposed to being played with the crisp rhythms of Albert King’s recording, and a rendition of Arthur Crudup’s That’s Alright Mama.

These are mostly lengthy performances that would have benefited from being a tad bit more focused and briefer, but generally are engaging.

I received my review copy from Jazz & Blues Report and this review originally appeared in that publication’s January 2008 issue (issue 300), and I have made some stylistic changes.

Remembering Robert Lockwood Jr.

Robert Lockwood at 2005 Pocono Blues Festival

In light of my retrospective of some of the music of Robert Lockwood in the past few weeks, I thought it might make sense to republish my obituary of him that appeared in the December 2006, Jazz & Blues Report. I knew Robert some 36 years, first interviewing for the Case Western Reserve University student paper in Fall, 1970 and having him on my blues show on WRUW. I had the pleasure to see him perform numerous times over the next thirty five years, in a variety of contexts including several memorable performances at the Pocono Blues Festival and at the Ponderosa Stomp backed by his long-time bassist, Gene Schwartz. One mistake in my review is suggesting Lockwood’s “Aw Aw Baby” may have influenced Roosevelt Sykes. Sykes recording of “Sweet Old Chicago” probably was earlier and also, as Bob Koester notes in an interview on Blues Revue’s website with Don Wilcock, includes a verse that is not in most renditions of “Sweet Home Chicago.” Koester also notes the song's origins predate Scrapper Blackwell’s “Kokomo Blues.”

Robert Lockwood, legendary and highly influential bluesman, passed away Monday November 21 at the age of 91. Born in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, near Marvell, Lockwood started playing a pump organ when at the age of 11 a traveling blues performer named Robert Johnson started a dalliance with Lockwood’s mother. Johnson showed Lockwood some stuff on the guitar and while still a teenager started playing around the Delta region with Johnson, Aleck Rice Miller (better known as Sonny Boy Williamson), Johnny Shines, Elmore James and others. For a period he lived in St. Louis, where along with blues singer, Dr. Clayton, he traveled to Chicago. In Chicago, he he backed Doctor Clayton and also made his initial recordings for Bluebird that included songs that became blues standards such as “Little Boy Blue,” “Take a Little Walk With Me” and “Mean Black Spider.” That latter number, retitled “Mean Red Spider,” was the first commercial recording of one Muddy Waters.

Robert Lockwood at 2005 Pocono Blues Festival

He returned to the Delta region and joined up with Miller for a new radio show, King Biscuit Time, that was broadcast at lunchtime and was heard throughout the delta region. Lockwood was one of the earliest electric guitarists in the south so his play- ing inspired numerous performers including B.B. King and Muddy Waters. Lockwood left King Biscuit to do his own broadcast for a competing company, Mothers Best Flour, backed by the Starkey Brothers, a jazzy band with horns in which Lockwood could expand his musical repertoire to include the big band and jump numbers that could be heard on radio and in juke boxes. He was an admirer of Charlie Christian among others and songs such as “Exactly Like You” and “Chinatown, My Chinatown” were also numbers that were part of his repertoire (as well as that of Robert Johnson) busking on the streets.


Later Lockwood mentored BB King, trying to get King to improve his timing. King’s timing was so bad, that Lockwood was among those who told Bullett Records to have King record with horns to cover his bad timing. Eventually Lockwood ended in Chicago where he became a session musician for a variety of labels appearing on classic Chicago blues recordings by Eddie Boyd, Willie Mabon, Baby Face Leroy Foster, Floyd Dixon, Sunnyland Slim, and most notably Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter. He also recorded “Dust My Broom” before Elmore James did but Mercury sat on this record- ing and did not release it until later. His J.O.B. recording, “Aw Aw Baby” was perhaps the version of Johnson’s “Sweet Home Chicago” that led to recordings by his good friend, Roosevelt Sykes and latter renditions by Junior Parker and Magic Sam that helped establish this as a blues anthem.

Robert Lockwood Being Honored at Pocono Blues Festival
by Blues Scholar Larry Hoffman with Lifetime Achievement Award

But the bulk of his work was supporting other artists and his marvelous chord work and single note runs behind Williamson and Little Walter were integral to these classic blues recordings. Lockwood toured with both and it was with Sonny Boy Williamson that he came to Cleveland in 1960 to play the legendary club, Gleason’s. He never left Cleveland and lived for the rest of his life there. 1960 was also when he was part of the legendary sessions that led to the classic Otis Spann albums, Otis Spann is the Blues and Walking the Blues.


During the sixties and early seventies he played local clubs while working delivering prescriptions for a pharmacy or as a painter. He was called on stage at the 2nd Ann Arbor Blues Festival in 1970 which was followed by his first solo album, Steady Rolling Man for Delmark where he was backed by the Aces. He recorded a number of very fine albums for several labels with the two Trix albums, Contrasts and Does 12 both standing out. By the late seventies, he had stopped playing his Gretsch Chet Atkins model for a 12-string guitar and continued trying to come up with new sounds and songs at an age where many would retire or recreate past glories. He recorded a couple of fine albums with Johnny Shines for Rounder, although a severe stroke suffered by Shines limited the extent of the collaboration. He was honored with Handy Awards, induction into the Blues Hall of Fame and in 1995 President Clinton presented him with a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment For the Arts.


Lockwood’s influence on blues guitar is under appreciated. Guitarists Louis Meyers, Matt Murphy, Eddie Taylor and Luther Tucker are among those Lockwood touched in the fifties and sixties and more were influenced in latter years. Bob Dylan reportedly asked Lockwood to show him some tips on how to play some of Robert Johnson’s songs.

I was fortunate to know Robert for over 35 years. Some folks meeting him could view him as arrogant, but if they checked out what Robert told them they would discover he was simply stating facts. I found him quite engaging with a very dry, wry sense of humor, and someone I am pleased to have known and had interviewed on several occasions. His death coming on the heels of Ruth Brown’s passing is another great loss for the blues community. The sweet sound of his playing still resonates in my head and I will miss him as a performer and a person.


I took the photos that are part of this blog entry.

John Primer's Blues Life

There are few blues performers as accomplished in a traditional blues vein as John Primer. A member of Muddy Water’s last band as well as long-time stint with Magic Slim, Primer has certainly produced a number of really fine recordings starting with the Atlantic/ Code Blue CD “The Real Deal” and including last year’s excellent All Original (Blues House Productions) that Primer produced himself which is a 2010 Blues Music Award Nominee with some really terrific originals and solid playing including Harmonica Hinds adding his sympathetic accompaniments. Among Primer's other releases was a  tribute to Elmore James, Blue Steel (A Tribute to Elmore James) on Wolf. The Wolf label has been a supporter of Primer and have issued other discs by him in addition to Blue Steel and Delmark also has issued some strong stuff by him.

Here are three older reviews of his music I have done over the years. First up is a 1993 review of Stuff You Got to Watch that was issued on Earwig when he was second guitarist in Magic Slim & the Teardrops. This originally appeared in the May, 1993 Jazz & Blues Report, issue 181:

Fans of straight ahead Chicago blues should check out John Primer’s Stuff You Got to Watch on Earwig. The Mississippi born Primer was in the houseband at Theresa’s Lounge where he was befriended by the late Sammy Lawhorn. Later he was in Muddy Waters’ last band and has been with Magic Slim and the Teardrops for the past few years. While he has an album for the Austrian Wolf label, this US debut certainly makes one wonder what took him so long to get hooked up with a US label.


Among those on this date are fellow Teardrop, Nick Holt, on bass, Harmonica Hinds on harp and Carl Snyder on keyboards. It is an excellent studio band which strongly supports Primer’s delta rooted vocals and guitar . While much of this is comprised of Primer’s originals, his covers are imaginative with a strong nod to Muddy on the title track. His renditions of Freddy King’s See See Baby and Magic Sam’s That’s All I Need are wonderfully paced performances while he personalizes Otis Rush’s Double Trouble, giving it a fresh cast that almost is as good as Rush’s original (which had Ike Turner’s guitar in addition to Rush’s).


Jimmy and Jeannie Cheathem’s Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On, is answered by Primer’s original Bring Your Clothes Back Home. Less expected is his transformation of Texas country bluesman Little Son Jackson’s Cairo Blues into a Chicago band blues.The instrumental Lawhorn Special is a fitting nod to the late guitar giant and his mentor. To these ears, the only misguided effort is Rhinestone Cowboy (the Glen Campbell pop-country hit), but perhaps it will get him on Nashville Now.


This is first-rate album of Chicago blues that comes from (to borrow a Bob Margolin phrase) “The Old School.”

In the March 1996 Jazz & Blues Report, Issue 209, I reviewed the Mike Vernon produced The Real Deal:

John Primer certainly has paid his dues, having been a member of perhaps the top Chicago party band, Magic Slim & the Teardrops, as well as stints in Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues All Stars and Muddy Waters’ last band. He also spent several years in the house band at the legendary Chicago club, Theresa’s, working with the late Sammy Lawhorn, and Lawhorn’s influence can be heard in Primer’s strong, focused guitar work, with a cutting tone, and a crisp delivery.

He is also no slouch as a vocalist, and his new Code Blue release,The Real Deal, is actually his fourth album, two being highly regarded imports on the German Wolf label, and the other a strong album on Earwig. Producer Mike Vernon has put together a strong backing band here: Billy Branch on harp, Johnny B. Gayden on bass, Dave Maxwell on piano (coming on like Otis Spann) , and Teardrops’ Jake Dawson on guitar and Earl Howell on drums.

Primer and the band grind out some old-fashioned Chicago blues with tasty covers of Willie Dixon’s Good Understanding and Lafayette Leake’s Blind Man Blues,relatively obscure Muddy Waters recordings, along with his own originals. Oddly, Muddy’s influence as a guitarist is more evident on Primer’s original Still in Love With You, than on Blind Man Blues, and while the influence of Muddy’s vocals can be detected, Primer has developed into an authoritative, forceful ‘deep blues’ singer in his own right. Elmore James’ music reverberates on Still in Love With You, with some broomdusting slide guitar. Branch is outstanding throughout, particularly his crying accompaniment on the Walter Davis-Henry Townsend standard, Come Back Baby, while Maxwell (veteran of Freddie King, James Cotton and other bands) is strong throughout.

John Primer is indeed the real deal and this is a splendid set of straight ahead Chicago blues.

In the March-April 2001 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 250), I examined the Wolf release It’s a Blues Life:

Leader of Muddy Waters last band, and for thirteen years a member of Magic Slim and the Teardrops, John Primer has been developing into one of the strongest traditionally based blues artists out of Chicago. He has also been building a very impressive catalog and the enterprising Austrian Wolf label has issued this 1998 session by Primer and The Real Deal Blues Band. Primer’s band of rhythm guitarist Thomas Holland, harp player Steve Bell (Carey’s son); and drummer Bert Robinson are joined by bassist Nick Holt and pianist Ken Barker for a rocking set of no-nonsense Chicago blues.


There are covers of songs from Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Albert King and Hound Dog Taylor (though Give Me Back My Wig is more inspired by Lightnin’ Hopkins than Taylor) and strong, idiomatic originals from Primer who can take things down in the alley on Albert King’s Can’t You See What You’re Doin’ to Me as well as get a rollicking groove going on his own Sweet As a Georgia Peach. Primer’s direct style is devoid of artifice or overwrought emotion. His crisp, stinging guitar complements his forceful vocals, and with solid backing has produced another release that showcases his abilities quite nicely.

Reading these reviews years later, I am struck by some of the same points coming out including his straight-ahead style with solid singing and playing. The same points can be made about All Original, which shows why Primer is a favorite among fans of straight-ahead Chicago blues. Solid no nonsense numbers with echoes of Muddy, Elmore and others in Primer’s singing and the solid Chicago blues bands he has assembled. And he remains “The Real Deal.”


For purposes of FTC regulations, I believe I received review copies of these from the recording companies or a publicist for the company. I purchased All Original.

Joe Louis Walker Keeps a Witness For the Blues

One would be hard-pressed to name any other blues performer in the past two decades who has produced such a body of recorded work to stand-up to that of Joe Louis Walker. Rooted in the blues and soul traditions, and informed by his time in gospel groups, he has been able to rock with going heavy-metal over the top. No one covers such a range of blues at such a consistent high level as Walker who has a new disc, Witness to the Blues (Stony Plain). The disc was produced by Duke Robilliard who brought together a backing band anchored by the keyboards of Bruce Katz and includes Doug James on baritone and tenor sax as well as Scott Aruda on trumpet. Robilliard himself adds guitar to 5 of the 11 songs, which includes several new Walker originals as well as interpretations of songs that have not been overdone (no Sweet Home Chicago or Mustang Sally). An example of the latter is J.J. Malone’s It’s a Shame, that opens this set. It has a nice funky groove with stinging guitar which contrasts with Midnight Train, a rocking original with a tinge of rockabilly flavor in the backing and some guitar with echoes of Ike Turner. I am not familiar with the original of Lover’s Holiday, which is a fine soul duet with Shemekia Copeland. It is followed by Hustlin’, a slow blues whose melody echoes Little Walter’s Everything’s Gonna Be Allright, with a lyric about “hustling my life away,” and contains a fiery solo. Walker’s adaptation of the traditional Rollin’ and Tumblin’ brings life to well known blues, owing as much to Elmore James’ recording as the better known renditions, although Walker’s voice at a couple spots here sounds a little hoarse. “Highview” is a mid-tempo guitar instrumental with Katz also getting some solo time. along with Robillard trading fours with Walker, but musically seems to meander a bit. Walker plays some fine acoustic slide on I Got What You Need, a country blues by him and Robilliard, while Keep on Believin’, is a soulful ballad with a backing vocal chorus. 100% More Man, is a driving slow blues similar melodically to Elmore’s Twelve Year Old Boy, with plenty of driving slide, while Walker plays some high-note harmonica on Sugar Mama, with some nice accompaniment from the band (Katz’s piano is very solid here). This is quite an enjoyable recording as Walker sounds quite good here, although some of the performances meander a bit and some editing would have kept the performances more focused. Still, it is a very good recording, although not one of Walker’s best.

Guitarist Chris James and bassist Patrick Ryan have been working together for quite some time, playing the clubs in Chicago, touring with Sam Lay for several years as well. This writer saw them as part of Jody Williams backing band at the 2007 Pocono Blues Festival (seen above with James to the left and Ryan obscured by Williams guitar) and had a chance to chat with Chris finding him as knowledgeable as he was a marvelous player. Earwig has just issued a release by the duo, Stop and Think About It, which is a terrific recording of old school Chicago-styled blues.
James fronts the recording with his powerful vocals and his terrific guitar (evoking the late Robert Lockwood and Williams). He and Ryan are joined by a variety of backing musicians including harmonica player Bob Corritore with whom they have toured Europe, pianist Dave Maxwell, drummers Sam Lay and Willie Hayes and saxophonist Jonny Viau. They mix in some wonderful originals that suggest John Brim, Little Walter along with covers of songs from Elmore James (four numbers, of which only Hawaiian Boogie, may be well known), Jay McShann, Bo Diddley, and Snooky Pryor.
Whether the title track, a strong shuffle taken a relaxed tempo; a remake of Jay McShann’s Confessin’ the Blues, with a terrific tenor solo from Carla Brownlee and strong piano from Julien Brunetaud; and Mister Coffee is a easy rocker with hints of Jimmy Rogers and John Brim as James sings about being man who grinds so fine,” with Corritore adding harp. Early in the Morning, is one of the Elmore James covers here with some nice slide along with horns using the “Fannie Mae” riff. Hawaiian Boogie, is often is played with a no-holds bar manic tempo the performance here benefits from James’ restraint which does not diminish the power of this rendition. You Got to Move, is one of the songs Elmore recorded for legendary Harlem record man Bobby Robinson, and with Brownlee’s baritone helping give bottom to the performance, James lays down a first-rate vocal, and takes a terrific solo. Its so refreshing to hear someone put his own stamp on Elmore’s music yet remain true to the music’s essence. James is a tad bit out front on the vocal on Snooky Pryor’s Someone to Love Me, but it still is a solid performance. Relaxing at the Clarendon,” is a fine instrumental that displays more of James’ strong slide style taken at a walking tempo. Mix in the fine rendition of “Bo Diddley’s Mona, and one has little to find fault with Stop and Think About Me. When I saw James and Ryan backing Jody Williams I could appreciate how good they were as musicians, but this stellar release shows even more, how good they are out in front. This was an unexpected blues delicacy and highly recommended.

Robert Lighthouse's Blues For New Orleans

Robert Lighthouse is a Swedish native (real name Palinic) who settled in the Washington DC area about two decades ago and has established himself as an important part of the blues scene in the Mid-Atlantic. he has busked on the streets and played a variety of clubs. His regular weekday gig at the late club City Blues was a local institution. Today he plays a solo gig weekly at a club Chief Ike’s Mambo Room, and plays band gigs with his trio at various bars and clubs. Wayne Kahn, a champion of D.C.’s music scene recorded Robert and issued Lighthouse’s first album, Drive-Thru Love, which received considerable local and international acclaim. Now he has issued on his Right on Rhythm label, the follow-up album of location recordings, Deep Down in the Mud, which includes solo selections recorded at Chief Ike’s and band cuts recorded at D.C.'s Zoo Bar (The Oxford Tavern located across from the National Zoo). Robert has developed a distinctive style from a variety of influences including Muddy Waters, Dr. Ross and several others so that when he does Robert Johnson’s Last Fair Deal Gone Down and Preachin’ the Blues, his attack lacks the more percussive approach of Johnson and most imitators, and has a more flowing approach that is evocative of Furry Lewis. His original Stuck in the Mud and Dr. Ross’ Turkey Leg Woman are fine performances in a style suggestive of Dr. Ross, although his rendition of Cat’s Squirrel, Dr. Ross’ treatment of the Catfish Blues theme also shows a bit of Muddy Waters influence. The title track is not a blues, but a protest social commentary song about Katrina and the government’s inadequate response. The trio cuts include Lighthouse’s laconic rendition of Elmore James’ Red Hot Mama, totally reworking the melody, a nice cover of Magic Sam’s All Your Love, an understated treatment of Wolf’s Meet Me in the Bottom and an unusual piece of funk, a rendition of George Clinton’s Red Hot Mama. Lighthouse also has an attraction to Jimi Hendrix's music and included is a take on Spanish Castle Magic, but this somewhat lengthy rock performance I found somewhat less compelling than some of his prior Hendrix covers. Still, overall this album is an impressive follow-up release and illustrates why he maintains a loyal following in the DC area. This can be purchased at www.rightonrhythm.com or cdbaby.com