"Bad Boy" Perhaps Is Magic Slim's Last Recording

Bad Boy on Blind Pig unfortunately is the final recording of Morris ‘Magic Slim’ Holt who passed away on February 21, 2013 at the age of 75. Over the past forty-five plus years Magic Slim and the Teardrops toured all across the United States (eventually establishing the Zoo Bar in Lincoln Nebraska as home base) and around the world captivating blues lovers with their non-stop Delta-rooted Chicago blues. A terrific live band, Slim's recordings usually captured this.

The last edition of the Teardrops included Andre Howard on bass, Jon McDonald on second guitar, and Brian “BJ” Jones on the drums and they provide the strong driving rhythm to propel the twelve performances here starting with the Eddie Taylor blues that provides this album with its title. Its a pretty diverse collection of material including an interesting rendition of Denise LaSalle’s Someone Else Is Steppin’ In, with Howard contributing a second vocal. One of the best tracks here is a driving rendition of Detroit Junior’s I Got Money, with plenty of stinging guitar, and the following Sunrise Blues, which is a prototypical Magic Slim performance at medium walking tempo.

Girl What You Want to Do is a driving number with a bass line that evokes Mustang Sally and certainly will fill dance floors. I do believe Slim previously recorded for the Austrian Wolf label Roy Brown’s Hard Luck Blues, but certainly there was nothing with him revisiting. Gambling Blues, is a rocking original and the Teardrops get the tempo up for J.B. Lenoir’s How Much More Long, although it doesn’t strike me as one of the most realized performances here. Better is Matchbox Blues, a clever reworking of Albert King’s recording, with plenty of stinging guitar and a tight groove.

A spirited instrumental Country Joyride concludes this album although unfortunately Slim will no longer able to play for us later as he tells us during this tune’s closing. Given the fact Magic Slim had a few dozen albums over his life time, one might be hard-pressed to include this as among his best. Perhaps a couple tracks here are not Slim at his best, but there is still much first-rate blues on Bad Boy.

I purchased my copy. Here is Magic Slim performing the title track.

Excellent If Not The Essential Magic Slim

Morris Holt, best known as Magic Slim, has had a celebrated recording career over 40 years, and rarely produced a blues record that was merely good. It is misleading for Blind Pig to call the compilation of some of the best tracks from his half dozen or so Blind Pig albums, The Essential Magic Slim since any compilation of Slim’s recordings that do not span his entire career including the superb records that have been issued on Rooster Blues, Alligator and the Austrian Wolf label can hardly be called Essential. Best of Magic Slim on Blind Pig would be more accurate.

This is not to say that the music here is substandard. In fact the music here is typical of the hard-driving rocking Chicago blues that Slim has been producing since his 1966 45 of Scufflin’. Opening with a rocking rendition of Bo Diddley’s Before You Accuse Me, rocketing through the terrific shuffle, Mind Your Own Business and continuing with a driving updating of Jimmy McCracklin’s Think, Magic Slim forcefully delivers his lyrics while laying down some stringing guitar. He is one of the few who can produce a listenable Mustang Sally while going down in the alley on the slow groove of Crazy Woman. Those backing him here include guitarists John Primer, Steve Freund, Michael Dotson and Jon McDonald, with brother Nick Holt handling the bass on most of the 15 tracks.

This may not be “The Essential” Magic Slim, but it is an excellent introduction to his music if you are not familiar with his distinctive and recognizable style.

I wrote this review in 2007 for the DC Blues Calendar and Jazz & Blues Report but I am not sure if either publication ran it. I likely received a review copy from Blind Pig.

With Magic Slim Anything Can Happen

I have had the pleasure to review Magic Slim’s music over an extended period of time and he certainly has been among the greatest living Chicago bluesmen around. The following review appeared in the November 2005 DC Blues Calendar. There is something to be said about its conciseness. I likely received my review copy from Blind Pig.

Over a three decade plus recording career, Morris Holt, better know as Magic Slim, has remained a consistent force in the blues maintaining his basic sound despite the change in personnel over the years. Slim’s churning rhythms and stinging guitar with his straight-ahead gravelly vocals show little wear from the constant touring and performing and has built up a substantial catalog for his fans.

He has recorded a number of live albums including several in a series, Live at the Zoo Bar, on the Austrian Wolf Records label. Blind Pig has just issued his latest live recording, Anything Can Happen, recorded at Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, California and there is a companion DVD with slightly different songs included. With his present band of second guitarist Jon McDonald, bassist Chris Biedron and drummer Vernal Taylor, Slim does not disappoint on a mix of originals and a couple of covers.

This will not disappoint anyone wanting some real Chicago blues or Slim’s fans (although if you have a dozen Slim discs you may not need this one) and for the few of you who do not have any Magic Slim, this serves as a good introduction to his music.

Now enjoy a clip of Magic Slim performing live.