Jerry McCain - Somebody's Been Talking

Jerry McCain - Somebody's Been Talking - Westside (UK)

One of the post-war masters of blues harmonica Jerry McCain has recorded steadily since the fifties when he first sent some demos to Trumpet Records. If he had only recorded Steady/ Shes Tough, his status would be assured because of his wonderful harp tone, swinging playing, and wry, soulful singing. 

Somebody's Been Talking, The Complete Jewel Singles on England's Westside label (and available on Fuel 2000 as Absolutely the Best in the United States) collects the six 45s that were issued on Stan Lewis' Jewel label between 1965 and 1972 along with previously unissued renditions of Bill Doggett's Honky Tonk. The material here is varied. There is the wry She's Crazy About Entertainers, a slow stop-time blues about his woman who would rather be with James Brown, Otis Redding, or some other big star of the time. Somebody's Been Talking focuses on a nosy next-door neighbor who is blabbing all over town. Toss in several New Orleans flavored numbers like I Don't Care Where I Get My Loving, and Love Ain't Nothing to Play With, some harp showcases like Midnight Beat and 728 Texas (Where the Action Is), named after Jewel Records street address in Shreveport) and one has an entertaining collection. 

McCain does not play harp on all the tracks, and if his playing tone is not as tight and fat-sounding as on Steady (perhaps he was not playing his harp through an amp), it shows his fertile musical imagination throughout. While not the best collection of his early recordings, it is welcome to have this available.

This is an older review that I am posting as an extra post for some days. I may have purchased this. I wrote this review in mid-2001 when Jerry was still alive and made some minor changes for clarity. It likely appeared in the DC Blues Society newsletter and appeared in the Jazz & Blues Report in 2002. This reissue (whether the Westside or Fuel) seems to be out-of-print but available as a collectible. Here is "She's Crazy About Entertainers."