J.B. Hutto - Stompin' at Mother Blues

J.B. Hutto - Stompin' at Mother Blues  - Delmark

The late J.B. Hutto was among the most gifted of those slide guitarists who were heavily indebted to the legendary Elmore James. The Georgia-born Hutto played a fierce broom dusting slide mixed with his powerful vocals that probably are best  captured on the first volume of the classic series, “Chicago, The Blues Today.” Delmark has just released a new cd of previously unissued tracks, Stompin' at Mother Blues, that makes available a complete session with the same band (bassist Herman Hassell and drummer Frank Kirkland) that appeared on those celebrated recordings and six recordings from a 1972 session with Lee Jackson on second guitar, Elbert Buckner on bass and Bombay Carter on drums. 

From the first session, only “Hip Shakin’” (heard here) was previously issued on Hutto's first Delmark album, “Hawk Squat,” while of the six tracks (along with some studio chatter) come from the session that produced “Slidewinder,” three are unissued, two alternate takes and one was issued on Delmark Records - 50 Years of Jazz and Blues. The two sessions were done during the day at the now-defunct Mother Blues.

There are some exceptional tracks here as on the opening “Evening Train,” with its “Dust My Broom” riff and Hutto's insistent vocal while on other tracks, the backing does not seem as balanced as on “My Soul” and the rendition of “Alcohol Blues” is not as charged as Hutto and the Hawks' performance on “Chicago The Blues Today.” One of the performances, “If You Change Your Mind,” was recut with a slightly different band including pianist Sunnyland Slim for the “Hawk Squat” album, and was stronger than this earlier recording, which is by no means poor. “Married Woman Blues” and “Sorry,” have strong vocals although the backing is not as crisp as this band was at its best. With respect to the 1972 tracks, Hutto is upfront as always, but the band seems more in the background and not nearly as sympathetic accompanists. None of these tracks comes close to the level of the chilling original “Too Late,” which was a highlight of “Slidewinder.” 

This is a release more for blues slide guitar fans and Hutto completists. For those not familiar with J.B. Hutto, you should get  “Chicago The Blues Today Volume 1” (which also has excellent Junior Wells and Otis Spann) and “Hawk Squat” before this release.

This review originally appeared in the November-December 1999 Jazz & Blues Report. I have made minor stylistic changes. I likely received a review copy from Delmark. Here is a vintage clip of J.B. Hutto.

J.B. Hutto and the Hawks Squat

The latest classic Delmark blues CD to received an expanded, deluxe treatment is J.B. Hutto & His Hawks, "Hawk Squat." Hawk Squat is perhaps my favorite J.B. Hutto album and one I have been listening to since it was initially released back in the later sixties. Backing J.B. were Sunnyland Slim on keyboards; Herman Haskell on guitar for one track; Lee Jackson on guitar for six songs (8 tracks); Junior Pettis or Dave Myers on bass; Frank Kirkland on drums; and Maurice McIntyre on saxophone for one session. The original twelve tracks are supplemented by one new song and alternates of four selections (one song has two alternates).

J.B. Hutto was an Elmore James disciple, yet only on "Speak Your Mind," does he employ the familiar "Dust My Broom" lick, but in the context of his own song. His forceful vocals and take no prisoner slide guitar are strongly supported by Sunnyland's organ which also provides some additional musical coloring. Their are two alternates to this track, the more interesting one is a slowed down rendition that closes this reissue. In contrast, with  typical Sunnyland Slim piano, "If You Change Your Mind," has Hutto playing  tough slide to support his powerful singing. It should not be lost that J.B.'s was a first-rate songwriter as heard on "Too Much Pride." Here J.B. sings about having too much pride to beg his woman to stay. This is the first track to have McIntyre's saxophone and it is fascinating to listen to how responsive his playing, behind J.B.'s vocals, was.

The declamatory vocal delivery on "Too Much Alcohol" is followed by the slide guitar boogie "Hip Shakin'," and then the "The Feeling is Gone"  about "feeling like crying but the tears would not come down," as his keen slide complements his vocal. They do not simply write or play blues like this anymore. "Hawk Squat" is a raucous number as J.B. introduces everybody who take short solos. It is almost a blues equivalent of Louis Armstrong's "Gut Bucket Blues." "I'll Cry Tomorrow" is the one new selection, and is a slow blues with nice interplay between Hutto and Lee Jackson and followed by the alternate takes.

In addition to the previously unissued material, Bob Koester provides new notes in the accompanying booklet that supplement the original liner notes. The booklet are contains a number of previously unissued photos from Turner's, then J.B. Hutto's home base, and the recording sessions. The original recording was selected for the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013, and the music still resonates strongly over forty-five years after first listening to it. J.B. Hutto's music was direct, not fancy, and full of heart and "Hawk Squat" was one of his finest recordings.

I received my review copy from Delmark and a review appeared in Jazz & Blues Report Issue 361. Here is a clip of J.B. Hutto from the film Chicago Blues.

Before Woodstock

There was Ann Arbor Blues Festival. Musically, it was an event the likes of which we will never see again. Here is a story from an Ann Arbor paper recalling this event, the likes of which we will never see today. This is the one festival I wish I had been at. Make sure you read the comments because that is where the line-up is given. And one can think of other great acts that were not at this festival that could have been there as well. The two Ann Arbor Blues Festivals was the high point of blues festivals. A decade later and some of these pioneers were no longer with us. A few that played in Ann Arbor are still alive, but alas we will never see such great blues again.