Eddie Burns - Snake Eyes

Eddie Burns - Snake Eyes - Delmark

Delmark has also issued Snake Eyes, the latest album by another under-recorded blues veteran, Eddie Burns. Burns is a veteran of the Detroit blues scene, including playing with John Lee Hooker on a number of Hooker's finest band recordings. He shares some influences with Hooker including Tommy McLennan but in addition to being a fine rhythmic guitarist, he is a capable harmonica player indebted to John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson.

Delmark, who has issued a couple of albums by his younger brother Jimmy, has just issued Eddie's Snake Eyes. On it, Burns is joined by brother Jimmy on guitar along with pianist Roosevelt Purifoy, bassist Nick Charles (brother of Magic Slim), and drummer Larry Taylor (one of the legendary Eddie Taylor's sons), in an album of postwar ensemble blues. 

Playing both acoustic as well as electric guitar and harmonica, Burns' simple, effective playing and his straightforward plaintive singing result in some delightful traditionally oriented blues. There are echoes of classic Muddy Waters' stop-time grooves on Night Shift, while the rollicking Papa Likes to Boogie evidences the influence of Williamson. A spirited remake of the Drifters' Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash is joined by a tasteful cover of Memphis Slim's Lend Me Your Love, while Going to New Orleans, is similar to recordings by Otis Spann and Lonnie Johnson. The two Burns play acoustic guitars on the shuffle Treat Me Like I Treat You. 

The backing band is wonderful and with Burns' honest and heartfelt performances, Snake Eyes is a gem.

I received my review copy from Delmark. This review originally appeared in the June 2002 DC Blues Calendar although I have made some minor edits to the original review. Here is "Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash" from this recording.

Chris Shutters With Special Guest Jimmy Burns Good Gone Bad

Chris Shutters With Special Guest Jimmy Burns
Good Gone Bad
Third Street Cigar Records

The genesis of this collaboration is from when Strutters played at an open mike that Burns was hosting at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago. They connected that night, shared stories, and exchanged phone numbers. Almost ten years later, Shutters called Burns, and that ended up with them making hopeful plans for what became this recording. They share the vocals, and both play guitar. Shutters also plays bass and drums on some tracks. Others on this recording include bassists Bryon Harris Jr. (who also plays drums), Frank May, drummer Danny Jahns, harmonica player Tony Shutters, saxophonist Art Bishop, and keyboards from Rick Warner and Mike Huffman.

It is a well-played and sung recording even if Chris Shutters occasionally leans towards a blues-rock guitar style. There is an interesting contrast on the four tracks that Burns takes the lead vocal with those by Shutters. The feel of Burns' performances being pretty much in the manner of his Delmark albums. The relaxed grooves are quite similar, and Burns guitar and singing are in fine form. This relaxed approach is in contrast to Shutters' sometimes frenzied approach as on the opening title track with its race neck tempo.

A particularly exceptional track is Burns' "Miss Annie Lou," which also features a strong sax solo. Other selections by Shutters are a bit more relaxed, such as his tribute to B.B. King, "Can't Play The Blues Like B.B." At the slower tempo here, he sings with assured authority. Despite its blues-rock trappings including the wah-wah guitar, "Unwind" also displays Shutters' singing to considerable effect. Shutters pulls out all the stops on his guitar for the driving "Keep You Satisfied," with Burns adding a backing vocal.

If at times Chris Shutters rocks his blues a bit too much for this listener's taste, this is overall, a solid collaboration. Burns is in excellent form, and Shutters is mostly an authoritative singer. There is a nice mix of material, and "Good Gone Bad" should appeal to a wide range of blues lovers.

I received my review copy from Third Street Cigar Records. This review appeared in the March-April 2020 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 389) although a few minor changes have been made to the review as published. Here is a video of Chris Shutters performing.

 

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.

Jimmy Burns It Ain't Right

 

The new Jimmy Burns recording, "It Ain't Right" (Delmark Records),  is his fifth album for the label dating back to 1997. He has not exactly been over-recorded, so a new release by him  should be welcome. The younger brother of Detroit blues legend, Eddie Burns, Jimmy has an extensive vocal group and soul background, although he also has deep Mississippi rooted blues roots as was displayed on his album "Leaving Here Walking" Jimmy is backed by his working band Anthony Palmer, guitar; Greg McDaniel, bass: Bryant "T" Parker, drums; with support from Sumito "Ariyo" Ariyoshi, piano; Roosevelt Purifoy, organ; and a full horn section. With the exception of two originals from Billy Flynn, the album is comprised mostly of covers including a couple of Percy Mayfield songs and one by his late brother, Eddie. Dick Shurman produced this recording in February of 2015.

The opening track by Flynn, "Big Money Problem" is a track that evokes some of the best Mississippi rooted performances from Burns' prior recordings and is followed by Flynn's lovely R&B ballad "Will I Ever Find Somebody?" showing off his soulful singing with a notable piano solos and effective horns. The backing to "Snaggletooth Mule," a nice hoodoo blues, may sound familiar to Johnny Copeland fans.  On a rendition of Percy Mayfield's "Long As You're Mine," the horn riffs lend an unwelcome frenzied sense to the performance. The treatment of Mayfield's "My Heart Is Hangin' Heavy," is more straightforward and, to these ears, more satisfactory. There is a solid rendition of The 5 Royales "Crazy, Crazy, Crazy," a performance that harkens back to his vocal group days.

Eddie Burns' "Hard Hearted Woman" is a crisp, easy rocking shuffle, and Jimmy plays nice down-home harmonica on a fresh reworking of Jimmy Reed's "A String To Your Heart," with a nice loping groove. Also heard is surprising, enjoyable cover of Goree Carter's "Rock Awhile," if a bit laid back compared to Carter's jump blues original. A cover "Stand By Me" has a nice vocal and some nifty guitar, but otherwise did not leave much of an impression. "Surrounded" is a nicely paced shuffle with a terrific baritone sax solo from Aaron Getsug and nice guitar break. Burns places his own stamp on Little Walter's "It Ain't Right," with rollicking piano and a clever guitar line in the accompaniment, while a fresh funk arrangement enlivens his interpretation of the Junior Wells classic, "Messin' With the Kid."

The album closes with a Burns leading a gospel quartet styled rendition of "Wade in the Water," with a nice lead vocal. Jimmy Burns "It Ain't Right," displays his considerable talents over a variety of blues, R&B and gospel. Perhaps it has a couple of musical miscues, but overall this is a welcome addition to his very distinctive body of recordings.

I received my review copy from Delmark. Here is Jimmy performing "Leaving Here Walking."

Eddie Burns Remembered With Snake Eyes

Word arrived by vocalist and harmonica player, Eddie Burns one of the centerpieces of the downhome post-war Detroit Blues Scene, passed away Wednesday, December 12, 2002. Burns was perhaps best known for being part of John Lee Hooker's Band for part of the fifties. The Mississippi native was influenced by John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson and also Big Bill Broonzy. He was an adept harmonica player who was heard on Hooker's brilliant early recording of Burnin' Hell, on Sensation, along with the Chess album, The Real Folk Blues. He recorded a number of singles and some albums over the years for labels that included Harvey, Von, Checker, Blue Suit and Delmark. In 2002 I reviewed his Delmark album, Snake Eyes in the September/October Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 259) which follows.

Delmark has recently issued this latest album, Snake Eyes, by another under recorded blues veteran, Eddie Burns. Burns is a veteran of the Detroit blues scene, including playing with John Lee Hooker on a number of Hooker’s finest band recordings. He shares some influences with Hooker including Tommy McLennan, but in addition to being a fine rhythmic guitarist he is a capable harmonica player indebted to John Lee ‘Sonny Boy' Williamson. 

Delmark, which has issued a couple of albums by his younger brother Jimmy. On Snake Eyes, Eddie Burns is joined by brother Jimmy on guitar along with pianist Roosevelt Purifoy, bassist Nick Charles (brother of Magic Slim) and drummer Larry Taylor in an album of postwar ensemble blues. Playing both acoustic guitar as well as electric guitar and harmonica, Burns’ simple, effective playing and his straightforward plaintive singing result in delightful traditionally oriented blues. 

There are echoes of classic Muddy Waters’ stop-time grooves on Night Shift, while the rollicking Papa Likes to Boogie evidences the influence of Williamson. A spirited remake of the Drifters’ Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash, is joined by a tasteful cover of Memphis Slim’s Lend Me Your Love. wile Going to New Orleans is similar to recordings by Otis Spann and Lonnie Johnson. The two Burns play acoustic guitars on the shuffle Treat Me Like I Treat You. 

The backing band is wonderful, and with Burns’ honest and heartfelt performances, Snake Eyes is a gem.

I probably received a review copy from Delmark and I have made some minor stylistic edits. Nick Charles is not Nick Holt, who was Magic Slim's brother, but a different person. Thanks to the members of the Facebook group, The Real Blues Forum, for pointing this error. Also on that forum was a suggestion that Burns harmonica with John Lee Hooker in 1949 (the Burnin' Hell session) may have been the first recording of amplified harmonica on record.

Jimmy Burns Never Leaves the Blues Walking

Back in September 2007, I blogged about Jimmy Burns Live CD/DVD on Delmark. Burns emergence a decade earlier produced a truly memorable recording, Leave Here Walking, that I reviewed back in the April 1997 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 220). This terrific recording is still available although it may not be familiar to many of you, so I thought it proper to revive (with a few stylistic changes my older review to call this excellent release to your attention.

A surprising new release comes from Mississippi-born Jimmy Burns, the youngest of eleven children. Famed Detroit bluesman Eddie Burns is his oldest brother. He moved to Chicago in 1955 when he was 12 and started singing in street corner harmony groups emulating the Moonglows and the Spaniels. Burns spent the next couple decades working in this rhythm and blues vein, and became a sophisticated soul stylist. In more recent years, Jimmy Burns has focused more on the blues, drawing on the music of such greats as the first Sonny Boy Williamson and Muddy Waters. What’s striking here is the mix of traditional blues themes with Burns’ soul-tinged vocals. He attacks his performances at a nice relaxed tempo and none sound rushed. His singing has an urgency without having to resort to frenzied histrionics. The title track, a Burns’ original, may be this writer’s favorite, as Burns sings about getting his baby’s letter and having to go back south. There’s tasty low-key reworking of Mercy Dee Walton’s One Room Country Shack, a jaunty take of Tommy McClennan’s Whiskey Headed Woman, a sprite rendition (with Burns on the harp) of the first Sonny Boy’s Shake You Boogie, and fresh sounding renditions of Rollin’ and Tumblin’ and Catfish Blues.  On most of this album Burns receives strong backing, including the judicious use of horns on two tracks). His soulful vocals are accompanied only by his guitar on three tracks: Curtis Mayfield’s Gypsy Woman; Joe Seneca’s Talk to Me (best known from Little Willie John’s hit); and Burns’ original blues Miss Annie Lou. Burns’ blues consistently hits the target with his wonderful singing and his crisply, and cleanly delivered guitar. This is an impressive recording by a veteran who has found a welcome musical home in the blues. Postscript. I have had the pleasure of seeing Jimmy Burns perform a couple times and he puts on a terrific show. His Live DVD/CD captures his strong side as a live performer and here is the link for my blog entry on that. For purposes of FTC regulations, the review copy was likely provided by Delmark Records.

Swississippi's Amiable Chicago Blues

Swiss native Chris Harper left his business in his homeland to become immersed in traditional blues styles, and in conjunction with Dave Katzman, a Chicago music scene veteran, founded Swississippi, a label devoted primarily to record traditional blues artists who aren't being recorded. ‘Swississippi Chris Harper himself is among the featured performers on one of the label’s initial releases on “Four Aces and A Harp,” which has him with blues veterans Jimmy Burns, John Primer, Robert Stroger and Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith, with Katzman, Little Frank Krakowski, and Kenny ‘Beedy Eyes’ Smith appearing on various tracks in support. Half of this is recorded with acoustic backing and half with electric backing with vocals being shared by Harper, Burns, Primer and Big Eyes Smith with one from Tail Dragger.


This is an very pleasureable collection of performances, although of mostly familiar material from the opening electric moments of “Hand Me Down My Walking Cane,” as Jimmy Burns emphatically delivers the song many know as “Look on Yonder’s Wall,” with nice slide guitar to Primer’s easy rendition of Rice Miller’s “Fattening Frogs For Snakes.” Harper showcases some adept harp playing whether in a Little Walter vein as on behind Willie Smith’s rendition of “Sloppy Style,” to the more intimate playing style Rice Miller often utilized on the closing number. Playing acoustically provides a different character to “I Smell Trouble,” that Burns sings so well. Harper sings in an affable manner with a jazzy inflection on his original “Blues is My Life,” with some nice piano backing from Marty Sammon, before a nice harp solo displaying a nice tone and musical imagination. Primer takes the able vocal on a shuffle rendition of Lightnin’ Hopkins “Mojo Hand,” with Peaches Staten adding rhythm on a washboard. Willie Smith’s revisits his “Born in Arkansas,” musically set to the “44 Blues” melody, which allows his country harp with Harper’s more modernistic playing. More of Harper’s playing, with some choice piano support from Arriyo, is featured on the lovely treatment of Duke Ellington’s, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” The rendition of the Muddy Waters recording “Forty Days and Forty Nights,” with Burns handling the vocal, benefits from the acoustic setting, almost a back porch feel, while Tail Dragger does his Wolf impersonation on “Evil is Going On.” Primer does a fine revival of Muddy’s “Long Distance Call,” although Harper’s accent is evident on his vocal on “Worried Life Blues,” credited here to John Estes, but still is an appealing, solid performance.


Overall, this is a collection of solid performances. Given the derivative quality of most of the material, this recording necessarily stands in the shadows of the originals, but still there is a congenial quality that makes for a very entertaining recording, although one would be hard-pressed to call this essential.


For FTC regulation purposes, this was received from publicist handling Swississippi Records.

Jimmy Burns Lively Live at B.L.U.E.S. CD-DVD

Here is a review I recently wrote for a couple of publications. I made a minor change in what may have been published elsewhere to clarify a point about two songs on the DVD not on the CD

Younger brother of the veteran bluesman Eddie Burns, the Mississippi-born bluesman has distinguished his modern Chicago blues with some tastefully integrated soul accents. His latest Delmark disc (and DVD) is Live at B.L.U.E.S., the celebrated Chicago club. With his solid band of second guitar, Tony Palmer; Greg McDaniel, bass; and James Carter, drums, Burns launches his live set with what is perhaps his signature song, Leaving Here Walking, with striking guitar and his vocal of leaving and going back to his woman back in Mississippi. Its a crisply delivered performance with a solid solo as well. Mixing in other Burns originals like Better Know What You’re Doing and Miss Annie Lou with fresh, interesting reworkings of Little Walter’s Can’t Hold Out Much Longer, and Elmore James’ Wild About You, Baby, Burns showcases his aching, soulful singing with fine playing. Perhaps a few songs go on a bit too long and some solos are more jams over a bass vamp, but this is a live performance after all and is representative of the solid performances by Burns that this writer has seen. A bonus is a guest appearance by Jesse Fortune who is terrific on Lowell Fulson’s Three O’Clock Blues which is mis-attributed to B.B. King. There is nearly 70 minutes on the CD and the DVD has an additional two songs for 80 minutes. I have never been the B.L.U.E.S. and wonder if the room is a narrow room with a somewhat small stage as many of the camera angles of the performers are directed upward at the faces or instruments of Burns and band members and not many at eye level and less crowd shots say than the wonderful videos of Mississippi Heat and Tail Dragger. Still the additional songs are not filler and could have been interchanged with some of the songs on the CD without changing the quality of the cd. Thanks Delmark for another solid CD/DVD release.