Joe 'Guitar' Hughes - Johnny Jones - Chris Thomas King

(1) Joe “Guitar” Hughes

Stuff Like That

Blues Express BEI-0002-1

Stuff Like That/ A Blues Song/ Ouchie Baby/ My Baby Told Me/ Pit Bull/ Going to San Francisco/ Bad Dreams/ When a Man Loves a Woman/ If You Want to See the Blues/ Bonus Track - Interview with Joe. 56:25.

Hughes, g, v; Bobby Murray, g; Leonard Gill, b; Tim Brockett, org; Dave Matthews, kybds; Tony Coleman, d; George Brooks; s; Mic Gillette, tbn, Marvin McFadden, tpt. San Francisco CA. 

(2) Johnny Jones

Blues Is In The House

NorthernBlues Music NBM 0007

A Fool Never Learns/ Girlfriend Blues/ I’m Gonna Love You/ Stacked in the Back/ I Could Be Dangerous/ I’ll Be the Judge of That/ Love Recession/ Good Idea At the Time/ Your Stuff Is Rough/ Farm Boy/ Why Can’t We Be Alone/ Really/ A Rock and a Hard Case/ The Blues Is In the House -1.

Jones, v, g; Fred James, g; Jeff Davis, b; Billy Earnheart, kybds; Dennis Taylor, s; Bryan Owings, d; Mary-Ann Brandon, Charles Walker, bckg vcl; Charles Walker, vcl-1. Nashville, TN. January 2000.

(3) Chris Thomas King

The Legend of Tommy Johnson: Act 1 Genesis 1900s-1990s

21st Century Blues

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (A Capella)/ Trouble Will be Soon Over/ Canned Heat Blues/ Flooded in the Delta/ Watermelon Man/ John Law Burned Down the Liquor Store/ Red Shoes/ Bonnie & Clyde in D Minor/ Do Fries Go With That Shake/ O Brother Where Art Thou? -1/ Spread the Glory (Requiem) -1. 48:32.

Thomas King, v, g; -1 also includes Voodoo Dolls. No other information given.

Part of Houston’s vibrant blues scene of the past five decades, Joe Hughes may not be as celebrated as his good friend, the late Johnny Copeland. This fact that hopefully will change with the release of (1) on Blues Express. Hughes played around the various Houston clubs, toured with a variety of R&B giants, and spent some time as a session musician for Duke before he decided he wanted to stay at home rather than deal with the road life. A trip to Europe with Copeland helped reinvigorate his career and this is the latest of several albums he has recorded, the first this reviewer has heard. It is a terrific live recording with a brassy band backing up Hughes' strong, jazzy guitar leads and smooth, soulful singing that is reminiscent of the legendary Junior Parker. 

There is variety in material that is performed at a high level. “My Baby Told Me” is a solid slow blues about his woman telling him not to do as she does, but do as she tell him to do so that they are making love she get exactly what she wants. Melodically, it is suggestive of “Going to Chicago” and there is some call and response between the guitars of Hughes and Bobby Murray. An instrumental version of “When A Man Loves A Woman” is nicely delivered. Hughes' other originals are fresh lyrically, his musicianship exemplary and the band is wonderful especially given the fact that they avoid playing classic blues tunes. This strong release makes one why Hughes’ name is not better known among blues fans.

Nashville is not known as a blues and soul town, but it was home for several classic R&B labels including Excello. Johnny Jones is among the performers that have long been at the root of this scene. He has had several recent recordings for a variety of labels including a live European recording with deep soul singer Charles Walker. (2) is Jones’ new disc on NorthernBlues Music, and includes a number of originals. Most of these are from the pen of Fred James who has been a driving force in the revival of the careers of Jones, Walker and others. Walker is a solid soul-blues performer with a style akin to the late Fenton Robinson. The songs include some clever lyrics built, sometimes built around some everyday phrases like “A Rock & A Hard Place,” and “A Good Idea At the Time.” The latter number sounds familiar and may have been previously recorded by Jones and/or one of the other performers that James has worked with such as Roscoe Shelton or Earl Gaines. Jones is a pretty fair guitarist guitar and sings with plenty of heart and authority throughout. The studio band provides solid support with horns effectively employed on several tracks and a strong, swinging rhythm section. Like the Hughes disc, this is a notable recording of soul-infused blues.

Chris Thomas King has had a rather varied and interesting career as a performer and recording artist. Thomas King comes from a blues pedigree. His father Tabby Thomas recorded for Excello and operated for a legendary blues club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Not afraid of musical barriers, he has delved into world-beat, blues-rock, rap with more traditional blues in the recordings he has made. He certainly has had his profile raised by portraying legendary Mississippi bluesman Tommy Johnson in the movie Oh Brother. This has been augmented by his appearance on the Oh Brother soundtrack, surprisingly one of 2001 biggest selling albums, and the musical tour that was inspired by the soundtrack. Not surprisingly, King latches on to this role for his latest disc, (3). Two tracks are credited to the Voodoo Dolls, but the review copy was devoid of any identification of this group which I assume is the latest band that Thomas King leads. The album provides us with a solo rendition of “O Brother Where Art Thou” and a contrasting electrified band updating of the number. Thomas King has an appealing voice that especially works with acoustic oriented numbers like “Watermelon Man”, where overdubbing allows him to do a call and response with himself. Another acoustic gem is the spiritual “Trouble Will Soon Be Over,” where he forcefully strums on his guitar while fervently delivering the lyric. There have been stronger renditions of Tommy Johnson’s “Canned Heat Blues” by performers like Boogie Bill Webb and others who knew Johnson personally, although Thomas King evokes Johnson’s use of a yodel-like falsetto. “Flooded in the Delta” brings together fragments from a variety of blues (including Charlie Patton’s “High Water Everywhere” and “Drifting Blues”) as well as evokes the “Crossroads,” with an accompaniment that alludes to Robert Johnson and Patton, even incorporating some Patton-like guitar slaps. The last six selections are in a band context. “John Law Burned the Liquor Store” is a rollicking tune with Thomas playing some slide on a dobro or steel guitar. “Red Shoes,” with some frenzied slide playing, has a rock-laced boogie accompaniment. “Do Fries Go With That Shake” has a classic rock and roll groove, although Thomas’ vocals do not come across quite as strongly on these latter tunes. An eclectic release of interest but perhaps too varied to be compelling for many.

These are reviews I wrote for Cadence in early 2002. I likely received review copies from the record companies or from Cadence. the Joe Hughes and the Chris Thomas King are still available, The Johnny Jones may only be available used.

Take 5 With St. James Infirmary

One of the best-known jazz & blues songs associated with the City of New Orleans, St. James Infirmary has been subject to many recordings and interpretations for decades. Artists such as Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Chris Thomas King, and many others have recorded it. Also, it has been subject to scholarly study by Robert W. Harwood (and I recommend this volume) going through its origins and its history. Here is a link with more information about this book. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4758997-i-went-down-to-st-james-infirmary

Today's Take 5 is a short playlist of renditions of this classic tune. And I could easily have included another dozen renditions.

We start today's playlist with the great Louis Armstrong. This was not the first recording. That was by Fess Williams under the title of "Gambler's Blues."  This recording is from 1928 and includes the great Earl Hines on piano.

Next, we turn to the great Cab Calloway who recorded it originally in 1930 but also did a 'soundie' of the tune.

Bobby Bland made one of my favorite recordings of this song. It was the flip side of his No. 2 R&B hit "Don't Cry No More." I have included the original recording and not a live performance as he performed an abbreviated version on the videos available. I note that soul-blues singer Geater Davis also did a recording that was modeled on Bland's version.

Chris Thomas King, son of Baton Rouge blues legend Tabby Thomas, is a highly underrated blues performer and so much more. His moving rendition was included as part of 'Rise," his post-Katrina recording. Here he performs it at The Beeches Jazz Festival in Toronto.

We conclude this with a performance by Shamarr Allen who recorded this for his 'Meet Me on Frenchman Street" album.

Blues Takes on St. James Infirmary

Discussing Herbie Hancock's Watermelon Man in his book, The Jazz Standards, Ted Gioia includes recordings by it by Buddy Guy and Albert King and bemoans what he found the scarcity of blues artists performing the songs he viewed as jazz standards. One problem is that his list of standards omits juke box jazz hits like Herbie Mann's"Comin' Home Baby, and Jimmy Smith's Back at the Chicken Shack, that served as band and/or set openers for various bands such as Muddy Waters and the like. But even with famous blues songs that he included such as W.C. Handy's St. Louis Blues and St. James Infirmary he seemed unaware of notable blues recordings of those songs, some of which I included with respect to St. Louis Blues, a couple of days ago.

Today I do the same with St. James Infirmary, the story and origins of which are discussed in a wonderful book by Robert W. Harwood, I Went Down to St. James Infirmary: Investigations in the shadowy world of early jazz-blues in the company of Blind Willie McTell, Louis Armstrong, Don ... where did this dang song come from anyway? It explores some of the myths of the songs origins as well as its complicated copyright history and the like. In his book, Gioia inexplicably omits the great Bobby Bland Duke recording that can be heard on the link of the top of the page (Soul singer Geater Davis did a tough recording that mirrored Bland's. Below are some more renditions from the Blues World.

Snooks Eaglin

Gary B.B. Coleman

Chris Thomas King recorded this on his 2006 post-Katrina recording Rise. 

Here he is seen performing this in 2015 at Toronto's Beaches Jazz Festival.

Chicago blues diva Angela Brown

The highly underrated Dave Alexander aka Omar Sharriff

Heritage Blues Orchestra

Lastly, Rhiannon Giddens with the Silk Road Ensemble

Chris Thomas King at Blues Alley

Chris Thomas King at the 2009 Pocono Blues Festival. Photo © Ron Weinstock

Just a heads up that Chris Thomas King, a forward looking blues artist is at Blues Alley in Washington DC starting tonight, August 29. He will be there through Sunday, September 1.  Thomas' music is rooted in the deep Baton Rouge blues scene epitomized by his father the legendary Tabby Thomas, but brings a whole range of elements to his music including Jimi Hendrix, New Orleans jazz and hip hop. While he may be known for his acting (he played "Tommy Johnson" in the acclaimed movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"), he is a true blues treasure. 

Here is a video of Chris Thomas King in performance doing Baptized in Dirty Water. It is from his marvelous post-Katrina album Rise which to my mind is among the best blues albums of the past decade. My review of it is here.

Chris Thomas King's Moving Katrina Inspired "Rise"

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Chris Thomas King issued perhaps the finest of blues recordings dealing with that catastrophe. I reviewed his album Rise (21st Century Blues Recordings) in the November-December 2006 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 288) which I reproduce below. This CD, which I purchased, is still available.

Chris Thomas King, the Baton Rouge born son of Tabby Thomas, has issued a most impressive recording reflecting on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that was recorded at several locations. From the opening What Would Jesus Do? to the closing What a Wonderful World, Thomas interprets some classic songs associated with New Orleans along with originals that cover a wide range of musical styles, although not the incorporation of hip hop that he has utilized on other recent recordings. Thomas is in an almost traditionalist mode here. The CD was recorded at a number of locations and tracks include several on which Thomas plays all the instruments along with several musicians including Mike Finnigan and Tony Braunagel of the Phantom Blues Band on several selections, and drummer Jason Marsalis on the closing What a Wonderful World.


There is some country flavor to the opening What Would Jesus Do? as he sings “Tell Me America, What Would Jesus Do (2x) If he had to walk a mile in my shoe” with its haunting lyrics. There is a bit of modern gospel-soul flavor in the backing for Faith told from the standpoint of someone on a roof-top waiting to be saved as a deceased neighbor floats on by and how we need to have some faith in one another. Baptized in Dirty Water is a modern electric guitar blues as he powerfully shouts in the manner of a young Buddy Guy or Otis Rush (and the song suggests Rush’s I Can’t Quit You Baby.


On the wistful Flow Mississippi Roll, King sings about having no place to go and wanting to drown on my own tears as a businessman is making plans for his land. St. James Infirmary is handled as a modern blues with more fine guitar as King updates the lyric with his asking when he dies for six gamblers to carry his coffin, six chorus girls to sing his song and put a good jazz band on my tailgate to raise hell as we roll along.


Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, I believe was recorded a few days before Katrina in New Orleans, and Thomas’ performance makes the lyric “Don’t You Know What You Got ‘Til Its Gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot,” prescient in terms of the destruction of wetlands that helped contribute to Katrina’s devastation. Its not the only tune that is so in place even if not directly alluding to Katrina, as does the gospel number Deepest Ocean. His rendition of the Irish ballad, ‘Tis Last Rose of Summer, a tribute to his mother, is full of warmth and tenderness as is the rendition of the closing chestnut, What a Wonderful World.


Rise is a remarkable recording that transcends any limitation of genre. Heartfully sung and played with an eye to the losses he and so many others have suffered yet he also has an eye for that part of the human spirit that enables people to work together to overcome such traumatic and devastating natural disasters.