Willie Kent Long Way to Ol' Miss

Willie Kent
Long Way to Ol' Miss
Delmark Records

Willie Kent is a Mississippi native who has mixed in traditional and modern blues elements. His new Delmark album, "Long Way to Ol' Miss," eschews novelty for straight-forward blues. Kent's gruff vocals and firm bass anchor the performances which mix shuffles and midnight grinders with nice playing as keyboardist, Kenny Barker, and guitarists Chico Banks and Willie Davis tossing in apt fills and solos.

The back cover highlights Banks, so he may be the featured player here. Kenny Savdak spells Barker on four tracks including "Dirty Works", an effective reworking of Little Joe Blue's back door blues classic and Mississippi Heat guitarist James Wheeler adds guitar to a couple of his originals, the high-stepping shuffle, 'It Ain't Right" (where he also sings), and "Extension 309". 

There are also covers of the a classic Charles Brown recording "Black Night," and Amos Garrett's" Ain't No Love in My Heart," along with eight Kent originals. "My Friend," is a nicely rendered shuffle suggestive of a top-flight B.B. King number from the late fifties. There are some flaws like Kent's "Ain't Got Long to Stay," with its messy accompaniment, but that is the exception here.

Certainly those who have enjoyed Willie Kent's past albums or live performances will find plenty to like here. Others will discover a bluesman worth hearing.

I believe this review appeared in a 1996 DC Blues Calendar, the newsletter of the DC Blues Society. I received my review copy from Delmark Records. Here is a video of Willie Kent performing.

Maurice John Vaughan - Jimmy Johnson - Luther Johnson Jr

(1) Maurice John Vaughan

Dangerous Road

Blue Suit-116D

1- Talking to Each Other With the Music/ 2 - Dangerous Road/ 3- Two Can Play That Game/ 4- Love Abuse / 5- Mama, She Believed in Me/ 6- In the Midnight Hour/ 7- Stop and Take a Drink/ 8- I Don’t Care/ 9- Lady in the Box/ 10- The Pigeon/ 11- Shoo Fly Shoo/ 12- The Telephone’s Running My Life/ 13- I Can’t Stand Being Alone. 51:41

Maurice John Vaughn, g, s, c; B.J. Emery, tbn, v-4, 7; Ilaria Lantieri, b, v-9, 13; Massimo Bertagna, d- 1, 4, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13; Fred Brousse, g -2, 5, 6, 7, hca -1, 10; Jerome Moho, d- 2, 3, 5, 6, 7,10; Khouki Pontelero, or - 2, 6, 7, 10, p-1, 5; Detroit Junior, p. 8, 11, 12; Allen Batts, or 4, 12; Velvet McNair, v - 4, 7, 13. Milan, Italy & Chicago Il.

(2) Jimmy Johnson & Luther Johnson Jr

Ma Bea’s Rock

Storyville STCD 8050

So Many Roads -1/ Crosscut Saw -1/ Ma Bea’s Rock -1/ Feel So Bad -2/ I Believe My Time Ain’t long -3/ All Your Love -3/ You Gotta Have Soul -3/ My Own Fault -1/ Get Ready Here I Come -1/ Same Old Blues -1/ Got Mind to Travel -3/ Can You Use a Man Like Me -3/ I Got To Be Crazy -3/ Got papers on You Baby -3. 62:18.

-1 Jimmy Johnson v, g; Jimmy Dawkins, g; Sylvester Boines, b; Tyrone Centuray, d. October 15, 1975, Chicago IL.

-2 same as -1 but Andrew ‘Big Voice’ Odom, v. October 15, 1975, Chicago IL.

-3 Luther Johnson Jr, v, g; Willie James Lyons, g; Willie Kent, b; Tyrone Centuray, d. October 17, 1975.

While he has been producing and playing on a variety of recordings the past few years, (1) is Maurice John Vaughan’s first album since his 1993 Alligator album Shadow of the City. Recorded in Italy and Chicago, Dangerous Road displays his soulful mellow baritone, guitar, and saxophone in a variety of blues and soul/funk settings. Along with trombonist B.J. Emery, he is aided by pianist Detroit Junior on three tracks along with other guests elsewhere. In the liner notes, David Whiteis describes Vaughan an “aggressive innovator” as an ironic comment on the title of Vaughan’s self-produced debut album, Generic Blues. Some might dispute calling him an innovator, but his strength is that he is a very good performer. He writes thoughtful original blues such as “Love Abuse” and “I Don’t Care,” knows how to deliver a lyric and he plays thoughtfully, and his solos are full of surprises. His saxophone soloing is particularly noteworthy as he avoids honks and overblowing that one award winning sax player employs to excess. Equally intriguing are the funk numbers such as “Lady in the Box” which incorporates clever Italian repartee from bassist Ilaria Lantieri. However, the reworking of Wilson Pickett’s “Midnight Hour” is pleasant at best, with the rhythm section not as hard-hitting as might have been hoped. Vaughan is not one to hit you over the head with musical cliches. It may take some listening to this disc to appreciate its pleasures, but it will be worth the effort.

(2) is another in Storyville’s reissues of a series of recordings made at various Chicago clubs in the mid-seventies and which first appeared on the French MCM label. Despite being club recordings, they usually were recorded in the afternoon, often minimizing any club ambience. Additionally, the recordings have somewhat dull sound and would have benefitted from more skillful engineering. This writer at one time possessed the original vinyl album of this disc and remembers it as among the better ones in the MCM series. It was among the first LPs to spotlight Jimmy Johnson and Luther Johnson Jr. The original eight songs (the first eight titles) are augmented by two additional Jimmy Johnson performances and four by Luther Johnson Jr. For those familiar with the two artists, there will be few surprises. Their basic approaches have not changed, although they have honed and refined their styles. 

Jimmy Johnson is heard on covers of songs associated with Otis Rush (“So Many Roads), Albert King (“Crosscut Saw”) and B.B. King (“Its My Own Fault”) displaying his stinging guitar and his tenor that cuts through to the listener’s gut. Some composer credits are sometimes mangled as Johnson is wrongly credited as composer of the Temptations hit, “Get Ready,” perhaps his weakest performance. At the time of the recording, Johnson was in Jimmy Dawkins’ Band which provides functional backing. Dawkins’ own guitar is featured on the title cut, a medium tempo instrumental, and behind Voice Odom on Chuck Willis “Feel So Bad.” 

Luther Johnson Jr. was an important part of Muddy Waters Band at the time of his recording, which are solid performances in the West Side Chicago blues vein. He opens with a rippling instrumental homage to Elmore James on “I Believe,” on which he emulates Elmore’s broomdusting slide guitar without (I believe) using a slide. Luther follows with Magic Sam’s “All Your Love,” and then launches into the funky “You Gotta Have Soul.”. The late Willie James Lyons on second guitar and Willie Kent on bass lay down a nice foundation, although Tyrone Centuray’s wooden drumming adds little. The new Luther Johnson tracks are quite nice to have available. “I Got To Be Crazy” is a powerful adaptation of a fine George ‘Wild Child’ Butler lyric. Despite the quality of the music, the sound quality will probably deter more casual listeners who might want to check out the more recent recordings by both. Fans of either will certainly enjoy this disc.

This is a review I wrote for Cadence in 2001. As was customary, full discographical information was provided although I do not remember what 'c' was for Maurice John Vaughan. The s was for saxophone and g for guitar. I should have had v for vocals there as well. I likely received my review copies from the publication.  I have made only minor changes to punctuation. Both may still be available although the cover for Ma Bea's Rock is from a later Storyville reissue.

Bonnie Lee Sweetheart Of The Blues

Bonnie Lee
Sweetheart Of The Blues
Delmark

Among new Delmark blues releases is Bonnie Lee’s Sweetheart of the Blues. Probably best known for her performances with Willie Kent and the Gents, this album will surprise many as it shows her to be far more a singer than a blues belter.

While those familiar with her will not be surprised by her take on Jimmy Reed’s Baby, What You Want Me To Do, her low-key interpretation of Buddy Johnson’s classic ballad Since I Fell For You is a model of taste and phrasing that showcases another side of her. There is considerable variety in the musical settings, from the straight Chicago blues flavor of Got the Blues ‘Bout My Baby with Billy Branch’s harp, the dance-oriented I Love My Baby, and Ocean of Tears which is suggestive to these ears of a Big Maybelle tune.

In addition to Billy Branch, others appearing on this album include bassist, Willie Kent, guitarist Willie Davis, guitarist Steve Freund (who contributes several choice solos, and even takes one vocal, If You Be My Baby), pianist Ken Saydak, and saxophonist Hank Ford, whose solo on Since I Fell For You is especially tasty. Johnny B. Moore contributes the stinging, snapping guitar behind Bonnie’s unforced vocal on Junior Parker’s Next Time You See Me.

With its variety and Bonnie Lee’s natural soulful singing, Sweetheart of the Blues makes for an impressive American LP debut. 

I likely received a review copy from Delmark Records. This review originally appeared in the October 1995 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 205). Here she is performing at the 1999 Chicgao Blues Festival.

He's Got The Bass - A Daughter Remembers Willie Kent

He's Got The Bass : My Life With Daddy
Valerie Fringero
XLibris
2016: 92 pp. and 18 pp illustrations

It would be easy to dismiss this self-published short memoir for typos and occasionally clumsy grammar, but this memoir of blues bassist and band leader Willie Kent by his daughter Valerie is full of love for her father that brings his personality and character to life. One cannot think of any typo or spelling error that would totally confuse the reader as to what was meant. The value of this book is Valerie telling her story in her voice. She does refer to some of the musicians her father played with by first names and initially it may not be clear who she is referring to.

The first few pages of "He's Got The Bass" must be a dream (nightmare) that Willie Kent had as a youth growing up in Mississippi, and told his daughter. In the dream, he is fleeing for his life before being woken up. After presenting this dream, we are taken to his daughter's recollections of his father as a dad. How he provided for his family particularly before he became the band leader we most know him for, how he would discipline them, watching television together as well as moving to different homes as circumstances changed.

It is in the latter section of the text she addresses the father the musician and eventually band leader. One learns that coming back from Europe on an early tour there, Kent discovered that a guitarist on the trip had cheated him and this ended up breaking the relationship with this guitarist. I wonder if this individual might have been Willie James Lyons but Valerie often only provides first names for many of musicians. For example, she refers to Guy as a member of her father's band. After a few mentions, I realized she meant Guy King.

In recounting her memories of her father's musical activities, she also may present events out of actual order. The value of her memories though is the sense of the person Willie Kent was and how he was as a musician and band leader. He comes off as not only a solid bass player, but a very fair band leader, who when faced with discipline and similar matters acted in a restrained fashion as opposed to impulsively acting physically. There is also an appreciation of the recognitions he achieved during his life. Finally she deals with the sadness of her father's final days, but also reveals the love many had for him (and still do).

She was very proud of her father and after the conclusion of the text, there are a number of photos, clippings and proclamations included, although reproduction of some items is fuzzy.  I enjoyed so many of the recordings Willie Kent made and was fortunate enough to have seen him perform several times. If not essentail, I certainly enjoyed reading this. It is not often when we get to know a musician like Valerie helps us get to know her father. I purchased a printed copy of this and the paperback is listed at approximately $20.00 at some internet stores. The e-book version (for kindle or nook) is approximately $4.00.

Tail Dragger - Stop Lyin'

A surprising new release on Delmark makes available the first recordings byJames Yancy Jones, better known as Tail Dragger, Stop Lyin’. It was recorded at the time Tail Dragger had been been performing with various bands, but had yet to make to make music his career. He had been working as a truck mechanic and a log distance hauler (including traveling down south to haul back catfish from Mississippi for the Delta Fish market) On Stop Lyin’, he was backed by a band that included Johnny B Moore and Jesse Lee Williams on guitar, Eddie ‘Jewtown’ Burks or Little Mac Simmons on harmonica, Willie Kent on bass and Larry Taylor on drums with Lafayette Leake

adding piano on two selections. 

Tail Dragger’s music is very much in the vein of Howlin’ Wolf that Justin O’Brien, in the liner notes, observes was an “over-the-top take on Wolf’s delivery.” Two of the nine songs here So Ezee and My Head Is Bald were issued on Jimmy Dawkins’ Leric label and the others appear on a recording for the first time. Tail Dragger’s songs here are all originals although some modeled on Wolf’s recordings so the groove of Where Did You Go might evoke Smokestack Lightnin’ or Commit a Crime, whereas the use of the Dust My Broom riff on Alabama Bound similarly suggests Wolf’s Highway 61. Their is some nice slide guitar on the latter number. Tail Dragger was, and is, an appealing singing although his vocals lack the articulation of the Wolf's singing.

In addition to the blues performances, this cd is filled out by the lengthy spoken Tail’s Tale, a fascinating and frank bit of oral history that provides some sense of the time and place of this recording. The songs are nicely played and performed and this will appeal to fans of old school Chicago blues.

I received my review copy from Delmark. Here is a video of Tail Dragger with Rockin' Johnny doing My Head Is Bald.

Linsey Alexander Has Been There Done That

There are several songs on Linsey Alexander's Delmark debut Been There Done That that if were recorded thirty years ago would be viewed as blues classics. Mississippi born and growing up in Memphis, he has been part of the Chicago blues scene and even produced some independent CDs and finally has this CD for an established label.

He and his guitar is backed by a terrific band of Roosevelt Purifoy on keyboards, Breezy Rodio and Mike Wheeler on guitar, Greg McDaniel on bass and James Wilson on drums. Several tracks have Ryan Nyther on trumpet and Bryan Fritz on tenor saxophone, while Billy Branch adds his harmonica to three tracks. Alexander wrote (or co-wrote) all but one of the twelve songs, the exception being a Willie Kent number. Listening to this recording I was reminded of some of the Willie Kent Delmark albums as well as some other from Lefty Dizz, Big Moose Walker and Willie James Lyons from the seventies. 


Raffle Ticket, opens with some strong harp in the backing as Alexander asks his baby, "what is the name of that game you playing on me" as she came back on a Wednesday night with a diamond ring which she claimed she won with a lottery. This is a classic Chicago blues performance with Branch wailing on the harmonica and the band hitting that groove as Alexander tells his woman when she goes out Saturday night to get her raffle ticket wet. His singing is so natural and full of feeling, although his buzz-tone guitar solo is a bit generic. The next track Bad Man has a crisp, funky groove and riffing horns as he sings about smoking his "pipe till I go to hell," with nice guitar from Rodio and him here. I Had a Dream is a straight, slow blues that he delivers in a very intense manner.

The title track is more in a soulful vein (suggestive of Tyrone Davis) and sung as naturally in this vein as he sings straight blues. If he is looking down from Heaven, Willie Kent has to be smiling at Alexander's cover of Look's Like It's Going To Rain, while he continues with the traditional Chicago blues sound on My Mama Gave Me The Blues. It opens singing about his elders telling him when you sing the blues when you die you will go straight to hell, but Linsey is still on earth and has his story to tell. Billy Branch channels Little Walter on chromatic harmonica with terrific playing on this song. Branch also is present on the excellent The Same Time I Could Tell Myself, with lyrics about Linsey not wanting a woman to tell him things he already knows or will go wrong cheating and lying.

On the closing Saving Robert Johnson, he sings about going to Highway 61 where it runs into 49 where Robert Johnson sold his soul and Linsey said email the devil or poke him on Facebook so Linsey can meet the Devil at the Crossroads to free Robert Johnson's soul. It has perhaps a silly lyric although the performance is solid. It may be the weakest track on Been There Done That, but that does not diminish the fact that this is a most impressive blues recording which is one of the finer blues albums I have heard this year. His is a voice I want to here more from.

I received this from the record company. Here is a performance by Linsey.

Iceman Robinson's Slide Guitar Blues

Riler 'Iceman' Robinson, like many playing the blues in Chicago, came from Mississippi. He learned to play blues guitar from a man who was in his 50s and also played the fiddle and the two worked house parties together, with Robinson accompanying the fiddler on guitar. Later he moved to Chicago working a variety of blue collar jobs. An early musical idol was Lightnin' Hopkins, but Robinson later was enamored by John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor with the latter two especially influencing his music. 

To my knowledge, Iceman Robinson has one recording available, the 2001 Fedora album I've Never Been Loved. He is backed on it by Frank Goldwasser on guitar; Willie Kent on bass; and producer Chris Millar on drums.  His influences are pretty evident on this traditionally based Chicago blues album. The opening My Baby's Comin' Home, is a reworking of Elmore's Talk To Me Baby, with an urgent vocal and driving slide. It is followed by insistent rendition Hound Dog Taylor's Sadie, where half way through Robinson starts referring to a "Sally" for the remainder of the performance. Other strong tracks include a fine slide instrumental Robinson's Rock styled after some of the instrumentals Elmore James recorded for record producer, Bobby Robinson, and Chicago Lakefront which is a hot shuffle with some tough non-slide guitar.

There is nothing profound about his songs. Just like he needs money, he needs a woman he sings against the insistent backing of I Have a Need. The title track is a relaxed shuffle where he complains that he has never being treated right and has the blues all day and all night. He complains about having no time to play and his woman not being helping any on Workin' Man, a driving blues using the Dust My Broom riff. The insistent Baby How Long adapts Howlin' Wolf's How Many More Years. A driving slide guitar boogie in the vein of Hound Dog Taylor, "Waiting on My Baby," ends this entertaining album.

Iceman Robinson’s I've Never Been Loved is one of many solid traditionally oriented Chicago blues that many may have been overlooked by fans of this style. It delivers some solid Chicago blues with solid slide guitar that should appeal to fans of Chicago styled blues who may have missed this. Fedora is to be thanked for making the music of unheralded acts like Ice Man Robinson available for posterity.

I believe I purchased this and it is still available.

Willie Kent's Real Deal Blues Missed

The late Willie Kent was one of the most respected bass players in blues as well as a formidable band-leader and vocalist. I first became aware of him when he was with the late singer-guitarist Willie James Lyons as well as Left Dizz and pianist Big Moose John Walker. They made some memorable recordings for the French Isabel label which to my knowledge has not been reissued. Too Hurt To Cry is still listed in Delmark’s catalog and should be easy to find. I likely received a review copy at the time from Delmark. Willie Kent’s second outing for Delmark, Too Hurt To Cry, should win him some new fans. This album may be of interest to some for the presence of trumpeter Malachi Thompson, who leads a horn section on several of these recordings. Also, Billy Branch lends his harp voicings on several selections. Bassist-vocalist Kent handles all of the vocals on this album, unlike his earlier Delmark release that included vocalist Bonnie Lee. Kent is a very expressive, slightly gruff vocalist who tears into the lyrics. While most of this album is comprised of originals, the highlight is a superb reworking of Buddy Guy’s A Man and the Blues, with Branch and the horns framing the rock steady playing of Kent’s band. Thompson’s arrangement of the horns is first class, and Branch’s playing shows why he is among the most in demand session players around. While Kent contributes most of the originals, Bob James wrote the Blues Train (with Johnny B. Moore guesting on guitar) for which “you don’t need no ticket, just some heartache”, and poet Sterling Plumpp contributed the slow blues 911, (“..I can’t dial 9-1-1 for no pain”). Kent’s title track is a tough brooding blues which he particularly excels at, while his This Thing Called Love is a rocking shuffle with a riffing horn arrangement and more Johnny B. Moore guitar. The only mistake is Countdown- it sounds like the band’s closing number with Kent giving some of the rap he might give closing a set, thanking those playing on the recording. It doesn’t work on the disc. That aside, this is a first-rate set.