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I started a quest to find terrific blues music and incredible musicianship when I was just a little kid. I also have a tremendous appreciation of fine musical instruments and equipment. One of my greatest joys all of my life was sharing my finds with my friends. I'm now publishing my journey. I hope that you come along!


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Showing posts with label Oklahoma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oklahoma. Show all posts

Thursday, December 19, 2013

JSE Records artist: Scott Ellison - Hit It, Get It and Go - New Release taster review

I just received tracks from the new recording (February 2014); Hit It, Get It and Go; from Scott Ellison. Ellison, former sideman to Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and recent inductee to the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame, released the first cut from this recording set on Thanksgiving. Jesus Loves Me (Baby Why Don't You), a smooth, guitar rich, shuffle track is featured in Homefront, a new movie starring Jason Statham, James Franco, Wynona Ryder and Kate Bosworth. Backing Ellison are Charles Tuberville (rhythm guitar), Walt Richmond (B3), Gary Gilmore (Bass) and Jamie Oldaker (drums). The second track, Elevator Man has a strong back beat featuring Matt Kohls (bass) and Robbie Armstrong (drums). These are both strong tracks featuring Ellison on vocal and guitar, promising to be a CD to watch for.

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 This is not one of the featured tracks but does represent Ellison's work:

Saturday, July 27, 2013

JJ Cale has passed

John Weldon Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013), known as JJ Cale or J.J. Cale, was a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and musician. Cale was one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has often been described as "laid back". Songs written by Cale that have been covered by other musicians include "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton, "Clyde" by Waylon Jennings and "Call Me the Breeze" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1956. Along with a number of other young Tulsa musicians, Cale moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he first worked as a studio engineer.[ Finding little success as a recording artist, he later returned to Tulsa and was considering giving up the music business until Clapton recorded Cale's "After Midnight" in 1970. His first album, Naturally, established his style, described by Los Angeles Times writer Richard Cromelin as a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and his unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists." In 2013 Neil Young remarked that of all the musicians he had ever heard, J.J. Cale and Jimi Hendrix were the two best electric guitar players. Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Cale talks about Elmer Valentine, co-owner of the Sunset Strip nightclub Whisky a Go Go, who employed him in the mid-1960s, being the one that came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail. His biggest U.S. hit single, "Crazy Mama", peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand to promote the song, which would have moved it higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words. Cale died on July 26, 2013, at Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, California, after a heart attack.  

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Thursday, April 25, 2013

Harlem Nocturne - Earl Bostic

Earl Bostic (April 25, 1912 – October 28, 1965) was an American jazz and rhythm and blues alto saxophonist and a pioneer of the post-war American Rhythm and Blues style. He had a number of popular hits such as "Flamingo", "Harlem Nocturne", "Temptation", "Sleep", "Special Delivery Stomp" and "Where or When" which all showed off his characteristic growl on the horn. He was a major influence on John Coltrane. Bostic was born April 25, 1912 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He turned professional at age 18 when he joined Terence Holder's 'Twelve Clouds of Joy'. He made his first recording with Lionel Hampton in October 1939, with a.o. Charlie Christian, Clyde Hart and Big Sid Catlett. Before that he performed with Fate Marable on New Orleans riverboats. Bostic graduated from Xavier University in New Orleans. He worked with territory bands as well as Arnett Cobb, Hot Lips Page, Rex Stewart, Don Byas, Charlie Christian, Thelonious Monk, Edgar Hayes, Cab Calloway, and other jazz luminaries. In 1938, and in 1944, Bostic led the house band at Small's Paradise. While playing at Small's Paradise, he doubled on guitar and trumpet. During the early 1940s, he was a well-respected regular at the famous jam sessions held at Minton's Playhouse. He formed his own band in 1945 and made the first recordings under his own name for the Majestic label. He turned to rhythm and blues in the late 1940s. His biggest hits were "Temptation", "Sleep", "Flamingo", "You Go to My Head" and "Cherokee". At various times his band include Keter Betts, Jaki Byard, Benny Carter, John Coltrane, Teddy Edwards, Benny Golson, Blue Mitchell, Tony Scott, Cliff Smalls, Sir Charles Thompson, Stanley Turrentine, Tommy Turrentine and other musicians who rose to prominence, especially in jazz. Bostic's King album entitled Jazz As I Feel It featured Shelly Manne on drums, Joe Pass on guitar and Richard "Groove" Holmes on organ. Bostic recorded A New Sound about one month later, again featuring Holmes and Pass. These recordings allowed Bostic to stretch out beyond the three-minute limit imposed by the 45 RPM format. Bostic was pleased with the sessions, which highlight his total mastery of the blues but they also foreshadowed musical advances that were later evident in the work of John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy. He wrote arrangements for Paul Whiteman, Louis Prima, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, Artie Shaw, Hot Lips Page, Jack Teagarden, Ina Ray Hutton and Alvino Rey. His songwriting hits include "Let Me Off Uptown", performed by Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge, and "Brooklyn Boogie", which featured Louis Prima and members of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Bostic's signature hit, "Flamingo" was recorded in 1951 and remains a favorite among followers of Carolina Beach Music in South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. During the early 1950s Bostic lived with his wife in Addisleigh Park in St. Albans, Queens, in New York City, where many other jazz stars made their home.[3] After that he moved to Los Angeles, where he concentrated on writing arrangements after suffering a heart attack. He opened his own R&B club in Los Angeles, known as the Flying Fox. Bostic died October 28, 1965 from a heart attack in Rochester, New York, while performing with his band in 1965. He was buried in Southern California's Inglewood Park Cemetery on November 2, 1965. Honorary pallbearers at the funeral included Slappy White and Louis Prima. Today he rests not far from other musical luminaries as Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, and Ray Charles. Bostic was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993.

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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

After Hours - Jimmy Nolen

Jimmy Nolen (April 3, 1934 – December 18, 1983) was an American guitarist, known for his distinctive "chicken scratch" lead guitar playing in James Brown's bands. In its survey of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time," the English magazine Mojo ranks Nolen number twelve. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, Nolen took up the guitar at the age of 14, teaching himself on a Harmony Acoustic guitar. Having played the violin since the age of 9, Nolen already had a sound musical foundation upon which to base his T-Bone Walker-inspired guitar playing. Nolen was "discovered" in a club in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Jimmy Wilson, a blues singer famous for his 1953 hit "Tin Pan Alley." Soon afterward, Wilson offered Nolen a job in his band. He took Nolen back to Los Angeles, California to play in a studio band with popular southern California players Monte Easter (trumpet) and Chuck Higgins (tenor saxophone). During this period Nolen recorded his own commercially unsuccessful singles, mostly for King Records' Federal subsidiary, on which he both sang and played period-inspired blues songs. In 1957 Nolen began to play for Johnny Otis, replacing the ailing Pete "Guitar" Lewis. He was the principal behind Otis' hit "Willie and the Hand Jive."He remained in Otis’ band until 1959 when he formed his own group, The Jimmy Nolen Band. They performed in small clubs and ballrooms in California and Arizona's "chitlin' circuit", backing many of the blues greats that passed through California. The principal influences that inspired his guitar technique were, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and Lowell Fulson. The Jimmy Nolen band was popular but never released any records since their primary purpose was to work as live backup for more famous acts. In the early 1960s Nolen began playing with the backing band for harmonica legend George "Harmonica" Smith. In 1965, Nolen joined the James Brown band at the recommendation of Les Buie, Brown's guitar player at that time. Buie had grown tired of the road and recommended Nolen as a replacement when the band was in Los Angeles. Like saxophone player Maceo Parker, trombonist Fred Wesley and drummers Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jabo" Starks, Nolen was a staple in James Brown's band. He played with James from 1965 until 1970, when the entire band quit in response to Brown’s erratic behavior, withholding of wages, and demeaning treatment. During this time Nolen began to tour with Maceo Parker’s group Maceo & All the King’s Men. James replied to the mass resignation of his musicians by hiring a then-juvenile band called the Pacemakers who were based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. This band was composed of the young but heavy-hitting William "Bootsy" Collins on bass, his brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins on guitar, Robert McCullough on saxophone, Clayton Gunnels on trombone, and Frank Waddy on drums. The new band was named The J.B.'s and marked a new era for James Brown. Months after this new band was formed Starks and Stubblefield returned; this lineup can be heard on Brown’s album Soul Brother Number One. Despite this band's undeniable talent for playing breakneck funk, it were relatively short-lived as a group, as the Collins brothers soon left to join George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic organization. In 1972 Nolen returned to play with The J.B.'s. Nolen remained with Brown until December 18, 1983, when he died of a heart attack in Atlanta, Georgia

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Sunday, March 31, 2013

You're Gonna Miss Me - Lowell Fulson

Lowell Fulson (March 31, 1921 – March 7, 1999) was a big-voiced blues guitarist and songwriter, in the West Coast blues tradition. Fulson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He also recorded for business reasons as Lowell Fullsom and Lowell Fulsom. After T-Bone Walker, Fulson was the most important figure in West Coast blues in the 1940s and 1950s According to some sources, Fulson was born on a Choctaw reservation in Oklahoma. Fulson stated that he was of Cherokee ancestry through his father, but he also claimed Choctaw ancestry. At the age of eighteen, he moved to Ada, Oklahoma, and joined Alger "Texas" Alexander for a few months in 1940, but later moved to California, forming a band which soon included a young Ray Charles and tenor saxophone player, Stanley Turrentine. He recorded for Swing Time Records in the 1940s, Chess Records (on the Checker label) in the 1950s, Kent Records in the 1960s, and Rounder Records (Bullseye) in the 1970s. Fulson was drafted in 1943, but left the United States Navy in 1945. His most memorable and influential recordings included: "Three O'Clock Blues" (now a blues standard); the Memphis Slim-penned "Everyday I Have the Blues"; "Lonesome Christmas"; "Reconsider Baby" recorded in 1960 by Elvis Presley and in 1994 by Eric Clapton for his From the Cradle album as well as by Joe Bonamassa); and "Tramp" (co-written with Jimmy McCracklin and later covered by Otis Redding with Carla Thomas, ZZ Top (on 2003's Mescalero), Alex Chilton, and Tav Falco. "Reconsider Baby" came from a long term contract agreed with Chess Records in 1954. It was recorded in Dallas under Stan Lewis' supervision with a saxophone section that included David "Fathead" Newman on tenor and Leroy Cooper on baritone. Jackie Brenston played in Fulson's band between 1952 and 1954. Fulson stayed with the Checker label into 1962, when he moved to the Los Angeles-based Kent Records. 1965's "Black Nights" became his first hit in a decade, and "Tramp," did even better, restoring the guitarist to R&B stardom. In 1993 at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California a show entitled "California Blues - Swingtime Tribute" opened with Fulson plus Johnny Otis, Charles Brown, Jay McShann, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy McCracklin and Earl Brown. Fulson's last recording was a duet of "Every Day I Have the Blues" with Jimmy Rogers on the latter's 1999 Atlantic Records release, "The Jimmy Rogers All-Stars: Blues, Blues, Blues." A resident of Los Angeles, Fulson died in Long Beach, California, in March 1999, at the age of 77. His companion Tina Mayfield stated that the causes of death were complications from kidney disease, diabetes, and congestive heart failure. He was the father of four and grandfather of thirteen. Fulson was interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California.

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Piney Brown Blues - Abe Bolar with Big Joe Turner

Vocal by Joe Turner Oran"Hot Lips"Page,trumpet; Pete Johnson,piano; John Collins,guitar; Abe Bolar,bass; A.G.Godley,drums Starting at about the age of 14, Abe Bolar was playing bass in a variety of local combos around Guthrie, OK. Within a few years he had gone completely professional and relocated to Oklahoma City, with a music scene that was twice as lively and fives times as rowdy. In the early '30s, the bassist eased into the lineup of the famous Blue Devils band of Kansas City, a launching pad for all manner of heavyweight classic jazz activity. In Bolar's case this meant an invitation to New York City, where he began gigging with trumpeter Hot Lips Page. An important page turned for Bolar in 1940, literally, as in bassist Walter Page, who put Bolar to work as his substitute in the Count Basie band, basically a graduate course in timekeeping. Bolar also played regularly with the fortunate Lucky Millinder during this period and became more active as a freelance entity at recording sessions. The bassist also developed something of extreme value on the Big Apple jazz scene, as in a regular long-term gig. A combo formed with pianist Benton Heath and several other sidemen wound up with a booking at the New Gardens club that lasted nearly two decades. Whether this engagement left a positive impression or not on the bassist is up for grabs, since his reaction to the end of the gig was to leave full-time music and become a taxi driver. His wife is pianist Juanita Bolar. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi

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Saturday, February 16, 2013

My Key Jumped Back In My Hand - Ted Taylor

Austin Taylor, better known as Ted Taylor (February 16, 1934 – October 2, 1987) was an American soul musician. Born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United States, Taylor sang with The Cadets/The Jacks in the 1950s. He sang lead vocals on The Cadets' "Do You Wanna Dance (Hey Little Girl)" and "I Cry" and also on The Jacks' "Away" and "My Darling." He did not appear on The Cadets' biggest hit "Stranded In The Jungle" in 1955. For that session, he was replaced by singer Prentice Moreland. Taylor left The Cadets/The Jacks to begin a solo career which began with two singles on Melatone Records in 1957. He would later release singles on Ebb Records and Duke Records from 1957 to 1959; in the 1960s he recorded for Ronn Records and Okeh Records in blues and soul styles. In the 1970s he recorded disco for TK Records. Taylor died in a car crash in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1987, aged 53 If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Hootie Blues - Jay McShann

Jay McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American Grammy Award-nominated jump blues, mainstream jazz, and swing bandleader, pianist and singer. During the 1940s, McShann was at the forefront of blues and hard bop jazz musicians mainly from Kansas City. He assembled his own big band, with musicians that included some of the most influential artists of their time, including Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Ben Webster and Walter Brown. His kind of music became known as "the Kansas City sound" McShann died on December 7, 2006, at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City. Jay McShann was survived by his companion of more than 30 years, Thelma Adams (known as Marianne McShann), and three daughters - Linda McShann Gerber, Jayne McShann Lewis, and Pam McShann. Nicknamed Hootie, McShann was born James Columbus McShann in Muskogee, Oklahoma. Musically, his education came from Earl Hines' late-night broadcasts from Chicago's Grand Terrace Cafe: "When 'Fatha' [Hines] went off the air, I went to bed". He began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Oklahoma and neighboring Arkansas. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Beer Drinkin' People - Big Al Downing

Al Downing (January 9, 1940 – July 4, 2005), later known as Big Al Downing, was an entertainer, singer, songwriter, and pianist. He received the Billboard's New Artist of the Year and the Single of the Year Award in 1979. He was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and was a frequent performer at the Grand Ole Opry. Downing was nominated as Best New Artist by the Academy of Country Music and appeared on Hee Haw, Nashville Now, and Dick Clark's American Bandstand television programs. Downing began his career doing piano and vocals in Bobby Poe and The Poe Kats, who were an early backing band for country entertainer Wanda Jackson. His piano contributed to the single "Let’s Have A Party", which was released in 1960. The song reached #32 on the UK charts and made the Top 40 on the U.S. pop chart. Downing reached the U.S. Hot 100 with "You’ll Never Miss the Water (Till the Well Runs Dry)", a duet with Little Esther Phillips. After the release of this single, he was signed by Warner Brothers. His 1974 single, "I'll Be Holdin' On", made the Disco charts in America and Europe, reaching number one on the U.S. dance chart. Al Downing's popularity continued to grow, and he had several hits on the country charts between 1978 and 1989. He compiled a list of his own songs, which he presented to his producer at Warner Brothers. In 1978, "Mr. Jones" reached the Top 20, followed by "Touch Me (I'll Be Your Fool Once More)" in 1979. That same year, Downing produced "Midnight Lace," which reached the 50s on the charts, and "I Ain't No Fool," which peaked at the upper 70s. In 1980, the "Story Behind The Story" reached the Top 40 and "Bring It On Home" reached the Top 20. Two years passed before Downing created another hit, this time with the Team label. In 1982, "I'll Be Loving You" reached the Top 50, followed by "Darlene," which reached the lower 60s. The next year, "It Takes Love" reached the Top 40, followed by "Let's Sing About Love," which peaked in the mid-60s. In 1984, "The Best Of Families" became a Top 50 hit; That same year, Downing released his final hit with the Team label, "There’ll Never Be A Better Night For Being Wrong". Downing built a five-decade career around his powerful singing voice and his hard-driving rockabilly-style piano. Downing's compilations of earlier work have been released throughout the world. In Europe, Crazy Music obtained exclusive rights for the original Team label recordings and released these in the form of a 2-CD compilation, Classic Collection. This also contained some of Downing's earlier hits, including "Mr. Jones." In 2003, Downing released his first new album in more than a decade, One of A Kind. The album received favourable radio and print reviews. It ranked third on American Roots Country and was commended for featuring 14 memorable tracks. He continued to give regular performances at the Grand Ole Opry. In 2000, he was nominated as a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Downing continued to perform on more than 75 occasions per year in the remaining years of his life. He appeared at Ontario's prestigious Havelock Country Jamboree with Kenny Rogers and Roy Clark. In 2005, Downing postponed plans for a European tour that was set to begin on July 1 in Austria. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Soon after, he commenced chemotherapy treatment. Downing died on July 4, 2005. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! ”LIKE”

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

(Love Is Like A) Ramblin' Rose - Ted Taylor with Lloyd Rowe

Austin Taylor, better known as Ted Taylor (February 16, 1934 – October 2, 1987) was an American soul musician. Born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United States, Taylor sang with The Cadets/The Jacks in the 1950s. He sang lead vocals on The Cadets' "Do You Wanna Dance (Hey Little Girl)" and "I Cry" and also on The Jacks' "Away" and "My Darling." He did not appear on The Cadets' biggest hit "Stranded In The Jungle" in 1955. For that session, he was replaced by singer Prentice Moreland. Taylor left The Cadets/The Jacks to begin a solo career which began with two singles on Melatone Records in 1957. He would later release singles on Ebb Records and Duke Records from 1957 to 1959; in the 1960s he recorded for Ronn Records and Okeh Records in blues and soul styles. In the 1970s he recorded disco for TK Records. Taylor died in a car crash in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1987, aged 53.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Saturday, December 22, 2012

I Ain't Got Nothing But The Blues - Joe Lee Wilson

Joe Lee Wilson (December 22, 1935 – July 17, 2011[1]) was an American gospel-influenced jazz singer, originally from Bristow, Oklahoma. His voice is best recognized from several Archie Shepp albums recorded for Impulse! Records Wilson was born to farming parents in Bristow. He was part African American and part Creek Native American. As his band's name, Joy of Jazz, suggests, Wilson's baritone personified the life-affirming nature of jazz and blues. Seeing Billie Holiday perform in 1951 began his interest in a music-industry career. He studied in Los Angeles before touring the West Coast, where he sat in with Sarah Vaughan, and down to Mexico. In New York in the 1960s, he worked with Sonny Rollins, Lee Morgan, Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, and Jackie McLean; during the 1970s, he operated a jazz performance loft in New York's NoHo district known as the Ladies' Fort at 2 Bond Street. His regular band, Joe Lee Wilson Plus 5, featured the alto saxophonist Monty Waters (from Modesto, California) and for several years the Japanese guitarist, Ryo Kawasaki, before the latter left to lead his own group. Archie Shepp and Eddie Jefferson were frequent collaborators at these sessions. He also sang with Eddie Jefferson, Freddie Hubbard, and Kenny Dorham. He recorded a live radio program at WKCR-FM, Columbia University, on July 16, 1972, which was released as an album, Livin' High Off Nickels & Dimes, on the short-lived Oblivion Records in New York. Wilson's rendition of "Jazz Ain't Nothing But Soul" was a radio hit on New York jazz radio in 1975. While based in Paris, Tokyo, and the United Kingdom, he recorded regularly with the American pianist Kirk Lightsey, including the Candid recording Feelin’ Good. One of his last albums was an Italian recording with Riccardo Arrighini and Gianni Basso, Ballads for Trane (Philology W707.2). Wilson was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in November 2010, where he gave his last public performance. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Swingin' Peter Gunn - I - Jimmy Nolen

Jimmy Nolen (April 3, 1934 – December 18, 1983) was an American guitarist, known for his distinctive "chicken scratch" lead guitar playing in James Brown's bands. In its survey of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time," the English magazine Mojo ranks Nolen number twelve Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, Nolen took up the guitar at the age of 14, teaching himself on a Harmony Acoustic guitar. Having played the violin since the age of 9, Nolen already had a sound musical foundation upon which to base his T-Bone Walker-inspired guitar playing. Nolen was "discovered" in a club in Tulsa, Oklahoma by Jimmy Wilson, a blues singer famous for his 1953 hit "Tin Pan Alley." Soon afterward, Wilson offered Nolen a job in his band. He took Nolen back to Los Angeles, California to play in a studio band with popular southern California players Monte Easter (trumpet) and Chuck Higgins (tenor saxophone). During this period Nolen recorded his own commercially unsuccessful singles, mostly for King Records' Federal subsidiary, on which he both sang and played period-inspired blues songs. In 1957 Nolen began to play for Johnny Otis, replacing the ailing Pete "Guitar" Lewis. He was the principal behind Otis' hit "Willie and the Hand Jive." He remained in Otis’ band until 1959 when he formed his own group, The Jimmy Nolen Band. They performed in small clubs and ballrooms in California and Arizona's "chitlin' circuit", backing many of the blues greats that passed through California. The principal influences that inspired his guitar technique were, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King and Lowell Fulson. The Jimmy Nolen band was popular but never released any records since their primary purpose was to work as live backup for more famous acts. In the early 1960s Nolen began playing with the backing band for harmonica legend George "Harmonica" Smith. In 1965, Nolen joined the James Brown band at the recommendation of Les Buie, Brown's guitar player at that time. Buie had grown tired of the road and recommended Nolen as a replacement when the band was in Los Angeles. Like saxophone player Maceo Parker, trombonist Fred Wesley and drummers Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jabo" Starks, Nolen was a staple in James Brown's band. He played with James from 1965 until 1970, when the entire band quit in response to Brown’s erratic behavior, withholding of wages, and demeaning treatment. During this time Nolen began to tour with Maceo Parker’s group Maceo & All the King’s Men. James replied to the mass resignation of his musicians by hiring a then-juvenile band called the Pacemakers who were based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. This band was composed of the young but heavy-hitting William "Bootsy" Collins on bass, his brother Phelps "Catfish" Collins on guitar, Robert McCullough on saxophone, Clayton Gunnels on trombone, and Frank Waddy on drums. The new band was named The J.B.'s and marked a new era for James Brown. Months after this new band was formed Starks and Stubblefield returned; this lineup can be heard on Brown’s album Soul Brother Number One. Despite this band's undeniable talent for playing breakneck funk, it were relatively short-lived as a group, as the Collins brothers soon left to join George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic organization. In 1972 Nolen returned to play with The J.B.'s. Nolen remained with Brown until December 18, 1983, when he died of a heart attack in Atlanta, Georgia If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

She Use To Be My Girl - Wayne Bennett

Wayne Bennett (December 13, 1931 – November 28, 1992) was an American blues guitarist. Bennett was born in Sulphur, Oklahoma, and died in New Orleans Louisiana. He worked with blues musicians such as Bobby Bland, Boxcar Willie, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Alan Haynes and Elmore James, as well as with jazz musicians, including Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt and Dexter Gordon. In 1990, he played on Willy DeVille's album Victory Mixture. Bennett also played with the Chi-Lites, the Lost Generation, the Hues Corporation; among many others and cut his own record in 1968, an instrumental called "Casanova, Your Playing Days are Over" on the now defunct Brunswick label. Bennett was a guitarist originally known for his jazz-tinged blues guitar work with Bobby "Blue" Bland. He worked with Bland for a long time, and his solo on "Stormy Monday" on Bland's album Here's The Man is still considered by many guitarists[who?] to be a classic, drawing both from T-Bone Walker and jazz influences. Another standout solo on Bland's "Wishing Well" displays a compelling virtuosity in the blues idiom that would become a model for young guitarists in England such as Eric Clapton who would become part of the British Invasion of the 1960's. Bennett himself never liked to claim to be a blues player, preferring instead to be as versatile as he could be, and taking pride in being able to quote from a wide variety of popular music, including TV theme songs. In his earlier years he played a Gibson Byrdland hollow-body, but in later years he was also seen playing a custom Tom Holmes Cadillac solid-body. At one time or another Bennett had also been a member of the house orchestra at the Apollo in New York, the Regal Theatre in Chicago, the Howard in Washington, D.C., the Uptown Theatre in Philadelphia and the Royal Theatre in Baltimore. Some of Bennett's training included studying guitar with Harry Volpe in New York for two years; studying harmony with Nate Griffin in Chicago for one year; studying harmony with Junior Mance in Chicago for two years; and studying harmony and ear training with Tony Hanson in Cleveland, Ohio for one year. Bennett died from heart failure, a week before a scheduled replacement could be transplanted, at the age of 60. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! ”LIKE” Bennett was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in 2001.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Magnolia - JJ Cale

Eric Clapton was the first to pick up on the talents of JJ Cale covering a number of his tunes in the early 70's. Kansas and Skynyrd also picked up a few of his tunes and with fire gave them a whole different life. This is my favorite JJ Cale tune.... simple and the way he wrote it. JJ Cale (also J.J. Cale), born John Weldon Cale on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and musician. Cale is one of the originators of the Tulsa Sound, a loose genre drawing on blues, rockabilly, country, and jazz influences. Cale's personal style has often been described as "laid back". His songs have been performed by a number of other musicians including "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" by Eric Clapton,"Cajun Moon" by Randy Crawford, "Magnolia" by Jai, "Bringing It Back" by Kansas, "Call Me the Breeze" and "I Got the Same Old Blues" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "I'd Like to Love You, Baby" by Tom Petty, "Travelin' Light" and "Ride Me High" by Widespread Panic, "Tijuana" by Harry Manx, "Sensitive Kind" by Carlos Santana, "Cajun Moon" by Herbie Mann with Cissy Houston, and "Same Old Blues" by Captain Beefheart. Cale was born on December 5, 1938, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was raised in Tulsa and graduated from Tulsa Central High School in 1956. Along with a number of other young Tulsa musicians, Cale moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s, where he first worked as a studio engineer. Finding little success as a recording artist, he later returned to Tulsa and was considering giving up the music business until Clapton recorded "After Midnight" in 1970. His first album, Naturally, established his style, described by Los Angeles Times writer Richard Cromelin as a "unique hybrid of blues, folk and jazz, marked by relaxed grooves and Cale's fluid guitar and laconic vocals. His early use of drum machines and his unconventional mixes lend a distinctive and timeless quality to his work and set him apart from the pack of Americana roots-music purists." Some sources incorrectly give his real name as "Jean-Jacques Cale". A Sunset Strip nightclub owner employing Cale in the mid-1960s came up with the "JJ" moniker to avoid confusion with the Velvet Underground's John Cale. In the 2006 documentary, To Tulsa and Back: On Tour with J.J. Cale, Rocky Frisco tells the same version of the story mentioning the other John Cale but without further detail. His biggest U.S. hit single, Crazy Mama, peaked at #22 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1972. During the 2006 documentary film To Tulsa and Back Cale recounts the story of being offered the opportunity to appear on Dick Clark's American Bandstand to promote the song, which would have moved the song higher on the charts. Cale declined when told he could not bring his band to the taping and would be required to lip-sync the words to the song. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! ”LIKE”

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

She Use To Be My Girl - Wayne Bennett

Wayne Bennett (December 13, 1931 – November 28, 1992) was an American blues guitarist. Bennett was born in Sulphur, Oklahoma, and died in New Orleans Louisiana. He worked with blues musicians such as Bobby Bland, Boxcar Willie, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Alan Haynes and Elmore James, as well as with jazz musicians, including Cannonball Adderley, Sonny Stitt and Dexter Gordon. In 1990, he played on Willy DeVille's album Victory Mixture. Bennett also played with the Chi-Lites, the Lost Generation, the Hues Corporation; among many others and cut his own record in 1968, an instrumental called "Casanova, Your Playing Days are Over" on the now defunct Brunswick label. Bennett was a guitarist originally known for his jazz-tinged blues guitar work with Bobby "Blue" Bland. He worked with Bland for a long time, and his solo on "Stormy Monday" on Bland's album Here's The Man is still considered by many guitarists[who?] to be a classic, drawing both from T-Bone Walker and jazz influences. Another standout solo on Bland's "Wishing Well" displays a compelling virtuosity in the blues idiom that would become a model for young guitarists in England such as Eric Clapton who would become part of the British Invasion of the 1960's. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

My Key Jumped Back In My Hand - Ted Taylor

Austin Taylor, better known as Ted Taylor (February 16, 1934 – October 2, 1987) was an American soul musician. Born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United States, Taylor sang with The Cadets/The Jacks in the 1950s. He sang lead vocals on The Cadets' "Do You Wanna Dance (Hey Little Girl)" and "I Cry" and also on The Jacks' "Away" and "My Darling." He did not appear on The Cadets' biggest hit "Stranded In The Jungle" in 1955. For that session, he was replaced by singer Prentice Moreland. Taylor left The Cadets/The Jacks to begin a solo career which began with two singles on Melatone Records in 1957. He would later release singles on Ebb Records and Duke Records from 1957 to 1959; in the 1960s he recorded for Ronn Records and Okeh Records in blues and soul styles. In the 1970s he recorded disco for TK Records. Taylor died in a car crash in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1987, aged 53. “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

New Release: Elvin Bishop "That's My Thing" (DVD)


 
ELVIN BISHOP "THAT'S MY THING" DVD
A BLISTERING PERFORMANCE FEATURING 18 ROLLICKING HITS
PLUS A BONUS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ELVIN BISHOP!




Retail: $25.99
Discounted Price: $17.99
+ s&h

"Before Eric Clapton was old enough to shave, Elvin Bishop was hanging out in Chicago with the first generation of electric bluesmen." – Guitar World
"Forever a crusader for fun blues and rock 'n' roll, Bishop gives his cherry red 1959 Gibson ES-345 a hug and places emphasis on his terrific slide guitar chops…" – Downbeat
"It's impossible not to like Bishop (his lyrical persona is not just for show). He's always singing something lowbrow and uplifting..." – Chicago Sun Times
"…Bishop's muscular guitar provides the sets pulse, as his soulful slide ripples through R & B classics and rowdy blues alike." – Relix



DETAILS
FORMAT: DVD (ALL REGION)
# OF TRACKS: 18 (96 MINS)
RELEASE DATE: 10/16/12
CATALOG #: DGPDVD010
UPC NUMBER: 850021001704

MUSICIANS
Elvin Bishop: Guitar and Vocals
Bob Welsh: Guitar
Ruth Davies: Bass
Ed Earley: Trombone & Percussion
Bobby Cochran: Drums & Vocals
S.E. Willis: Keys & Accordion DVD CREDITS
A VenMundi Production
Produced by: Jarid S. Johnson
TRACK LISTING
01. That's My Thing (5:17)
02. My Dog (5:10)
03. Gettin' My Groove Back (5:49)
04. Mellow-D (4:47)
05. What the Hell is Going On (3:40)
06. Arkansas Line (5:52)
07. Got to be New Orleans (5:16)
08. Travelin' Shoes (7:53)
09. Fishin' (6:52)
10. Stomp (5:26)
11. Stealin' Watermelons (6:09)
12. Rock My Soul (5:42)
13. Calling All Cows (5:12)
14. El Bo (5:13)
15. Booty Bumpin' (4:42)
16. Party 'Til the Cows Come Home (5:35)
17. Little Brown Bird (6:04)
18. Bishop's Boogie (2:11)

Elvin Bishop's music has been making people smile for over 50 years. A founding member of the ground-breaking Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elvin has performed and recorded with music legends such as B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and The Allman Brothers. From deep down gut-bucket blues played in smoky South Side Chicago taverns, to raucous roadhouse R&B, Bishop's instilled all of his music with passion, creativity and a healthy helping of wisdom, wit and good humor!
That's My Thing: Elvin Bishop Live In Concert DVD presents a blistering performance by Elvin Bishop and his road-tested touring band recorded live in front of a sold out crowd on December 17, 2011 at Club Fox in Redwood City, California. Bishop exuberantly struts his stuff while simultaneously coaxing his "Red Dog" to howl (aka his trusty cherry-red1959 Gibson ES-345 axe) on a selection of 18 rollicking numbers including Travelin' Shoes, Rock My Soul, Fishin', Stealin' Watermelons, Gettin' My Groove Back, Party 'Til The Cows Come Home, Little Brown Bird, Calling All Cows and 10 more !
In addition to his live concert performance, the DVD also includes a bonus exclusive interview of Elvin Bishop taped at Hog Heaven Studio. This is the DEFINITIVE interview of Elvin, tracing his life and career from the farms of Oklahoma, through his blues apprenticeship in Chicago, to his breakout as a solo star (including his hit Fooled Around and Fell in Love), all the way to his present career.

VIDEO PREVIEW:

Trailer/Clip:
Elvin talks about his guitar "Red Dog".
UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
11/23/12: Brooks, CA - Cache Creek Casino Resort
11/24/12: Healdsburg, CA - Raven Theater
11/26/12: Fort Lauderdale, FL - Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
12/07/12: San Francisco, CA - Biscuits & Blues
01/20/13: Fort Lauderdale, FL – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
01/21/13: Fort Lauderdale, FL – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
01/22/13: Fort Lauderdale, FL – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
01/23/13: Fort Lauderdale, FL – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
01/24/13: Fort Lauderdale, FL – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
01/25/13: Fort Lauderdale, FL – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
01/26/13: Fort Lauderdale, FL – Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
02/22/13: Park City, UT - The Egyptian Theatre
02/23/13: Park City, UT - The Egyptian Theatre

BOOKING:

THE ROSEBUD AGENCY
Mike Kappus
Phone: (415) 386-3456
Fax: (415) 386-0599
mikek@rosebudus.com
www.rosebudus.com


Saturday, October 6, 2012

Walkin Blues - Leon Russell and Chris Simmons

i have a very wide, yet highly selective range of influences... starting with robert johnson, muddy waters, freddie king and bb king. i put mr. johnson at the top of acoustic blues and everyone else a distant second. muddy stands way out to me when it comes to the real blues electrified. the two kings are my faves when it comes to the blues solo guitar. i got into eric clapton with cream and blind faith and derek and the dominoes... and duane allman and the allman brothers pretty heavy and that really led me to the even older blues. i also got in to peter green pretty heavy for awhile. DEREK TRUCKS, Aubrey Ghent, PETER GREEN. PETER GREEN. PETER GREEN. before i played guitar i was really into prince. i thought he was super cool and i was right. van halen is what made me beg my mom for my first guitar. before i got into any of the old blues or allmans or clapton, i was a 100% AC/DC fanatic. i still am, just to a lesser percent, more like 95%. i think angus young's guitar is really what introduced the blues to me in the first place. led zeppelin, GOD! they're great! the who, i like their power. don't forget skynyrd. my favorite vocalist in the world is paul rodgers. FREE and bad company and everything else up to queen. i like some old country music.. merle, cash, hank, dolly, loretta... all that good old stuff. i'm a slight stones fan.. a huge beatles fan... paul and george are my favorites. "the Band" really gets me inspired. that whole thing is just surreal. i think 70's lite rock like ARS and firefall and nitty gritty is super cool. i think the bee gees are kinda cool and extremely good songwriters. speaking of songwriters... jim croce, james taylor. skip the 80's until you get to GnR. there we're a lot of okay rock bands, but GnR really stands the test of time for me. hey and the black crowes! stone temple pilots are super duper cool. velvet revolver rocks. ben folds kicks ass. my favorite band right now is the foo fighters. great playing, great songs, great show. i forgot a few, but lately i've definitely recognized a lot of influence from Leon Russell that i didn't before and some Jerry Lee Lewis. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

Friday, September 21, 2012

Delta Groove artist: Elvin Bishop - That's My Thing DVD - New Release Review



First I've got to say...WOW!! I love Elvin Bishop and I am thrilled that he has been captured in concert. I've been a Bishop fan for more years than you can imagine and although I love his CD's the man just is a great performer! There is a sincerity and lack of pretentiousness that Bishop just brings along with him and a man with his credentials... it just makes me proud to be one of his greatest fans. I have traveled to both coasts to festivals based upon whether he was playing or not (other performers were icing but Bishop was the incentive). Now on with the show.I have the to be released DVD (available October 16, 2012) and let me tell you what's up!  Bishop opens with That's My Thing, a simple country blues romp with Crabshaw on old Red Dog and there aren't too many guitars in the world that I'd prefer to have. This guitar not only has provenance, it has character! It has tone! This guitar has seen stuff that blues fans only dream about! And here Elvin has it in a club and it sounds great! I also think Ed Earley is a great contributor with his perfect tone on trombone. Like Miles, his tone is his own and he fits Bishop like a glove. Next up is My Dog, a personal favorite and one that has personal feelings for me having lost my own personal companion "Wood" last week. Bob Welsh plays a smokin' guitar solo on this track and Bishop kills it on the end. He gets the crowd a howlin' and barkin' and having fun is what this is all about. There is one thing that is particularly cool about listening to such a variety of music (like I do) and that's that you really get to see what's different and what's all the same. Bishop has his own style and he is tremendously inspiring. Gettin' My Groove Back finds Bobby Cochran (drums) on sweet lead vocals and the band gets a Louisiana blues going with S.E. Willis on accordion coming through. Again Welsh plays an inspired solo and Bishop is sitting with Red Dog in his Over Hauls (Bib Overalls)and boots just rippin' out the tone. Next up is Bishop playing slide on Mellow-D. This is played on a more modern 345 and although it doesn't have the guts of Red Dog, I love Bishops tone on slide. His early tracks from the late 60's and 70's are definitely worth searching out. After a nice solo from Welsh, Bishop plays some first position slide work on the 5th and 6th string. That is the guts of the guitar ...then moving to the upper octave for the glory. Sweet. Next up is What The Hell Is Going On, with Elvin back with classic vocals. Elvin's voice is a perfect match for Red Dog's bark and this is a great track to illustrate that. Before I forget I want to mention Ruth Davies who holds down the bottom really tight on an electric upright. Welsh pushes Crabshaw with fine riffs on what looks to be a 60's sg with a Bigsby. Great clean (compared to Bishop) tone. Digging back into the 70's Bishop pulls out Arkansas Line and gives it a real Tex Mex sound (with a touch of New Orleans). This was a great track on Juke Joint Jump and now sounds fresh as ever with a new slant. It's really cool that Elvin plays Red Dog most of this concert cause the dog really likes to sing.
Pic by Bill Horton
This is pure music. It's really great seeing this in my own living room at my leisure (and permanent). Got To Be New Orleans is a great funk track with Crabshaw leading the way. This track should show up on Treme (hint guys). If you haven't seen Treme and you love new Orleans music, it's a must! This track is really loose and and the vocals just gotta make you smile. Welsh flashes some funky riffs on a white tele to punch up the belly of the song but this track is really about the slack! Another great 70's track, Travelin' Shoes is up next. One of my best friends in college actually turned me on to Elvin Bishop. He was a football player from Mississippi (Ernie Webster)and he was known as the Big E. He had the logo from JJJ painted on the front of his hippie van. This track sounds great and Willis does a nice job on keys. Elvin has altered the word to this tune a few times to describe the "a-whoppin" he was gonna lay on somebody head. Welsh rips out a great solo on this track and Elvin gets the dog barking in tandem. Great music! Elvin asks the crowd if they're having a good time... and he means it! Next up is Fishin' which is really the track that brought Bishop out of the blues/r&b line and into his own unique style. He had some really great tracks that strayed on earlier albums but this track I think was the major departure to Elvin getting into his having fun openly. Watch clips of Bishop at the Fillmore and catch the chills run up your back. Bishop is like Picasso who can paint a perfect portrait but have found his own unique and extremely potent style. He pulls a fishin' pole guitar out for the punch line and fishes a blonde out of the audience to join in the party letting her strum the old dog. Stomp is a terrific slide instrumental from Rock My Soul and another that I'm glad to see him revisit! Stealin' Watermelons is a funky track from Let It Flow. Again back on the modern 345 Bishop sets a great stage for the band to play. Davies sets a solid bottom and Willis takes his turn on keys, Walsh on his tele and the heads are bobbin as the band sings. There is just great electricity produced by this band and Elvin chides them along! Breaking back to Rock My Soul, a great old R&B tune (from Rock My Soul) Elvin and gang get the grind. Cochran sings Jo Bakers part and although he isn't Baker, the voices (with Earley) sound great. the breakaway with Elvin, Welsh and Earley is terrific! On Calling All Cows  the tandem guitar work was always great and equally matched here with a dash of New Orleans. Bishop and Welsh each take riffs on slide. Bishop takes a walk through the crowd on El Bo and pulls out the old Chicago licks. This is a great track and giving Crabshaw the space to show what Red Dog can really do. Earley gets a nice run on the trombone and Welsh also plays a nice solo before joining with Bishop for some dueling guitar. Elvin grabs a great riff to finish the track. The band plays Booty Bumpin', an uptempo boogie giving Davies a brief bass solo and Elvin gives Red Dog a thumpin again. I hope that the audience appreciates what a tremendous treat they were witnessing 'cause I sure do. Party Till The Cows Come Home which I only remember in live form from the Fillmore release, has become one of Bishops trademark songs. Little Brown Bird has appeared on a few live recordings and Bishop always does a tremendous job. Not only does Bishop sing his guts out, he really kicks the crap out of the guitar on this track! I know that Bishop is all fun and games, but when the man stops to say something serious, people you need to listen. This is it!! Elvin wraps the set with Bishop's Boogie. Like any great entertainer you leave the crowd on an uptempo track and Elvin kicks it in gear for a terrific encore! The icing on this cake is Elvin Speaks, a frank discussion with Elvin in what appears to be his home studio. This is a really great one on one look at Elvin's exposure to the blues as a child, his first concert, life in Oklahoma in the 40's and 50's, his perceptions of music (he even uses the same expression that I do when I talk about "stale music" "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window!") at the time, his trip to Chicago; his trips to Maxwell street, and exposure to older blues players that we've mostly only seen faint films of. He also reminisced about his times with Smokey Smothers (if you haven't heard Smokey you must check him out!) and Paul Butterfield, his first real band mate. He talks about Bill Graham and his influence on the integration of all genres of music into the mainstream. He even does a little short on Red Dog for guitar heads like me and talks Fishin! He takes a walk through his small garden and shows his real life. He talks about getting Mickey Thomas on his big hit and why. The grits and gravy is when he talks about his take on playing blues...he hits it square on the head. Enjoy this unique video of one of the great blues entertainers of our time. If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”

 This is not from the film but representative of current work...enjoy!

Monday, September 17, 2012

City Hall Records artist: Big Walker - Root Walking - New release review


I've been listening to a new release,Root Walking, by Big Walker. Big Walker has assembled 12 original compositions including 17th and 18th century poems. It's Hard, the opener is a standard Chicago blues track and grooves quite nicely. Raise A Rukus has the flavor of a back country compound with hoot and hollarin along with a stripped down blues singing, guitar and harp. Wild Black Bill uses the blues format to tell an interesting little story not unlike the early southern blues... very cool. Run Nigri Run really has that southern voodoo sound and is a great track. The Hypocrite Blues has the characteristics of a early American country song ... possibly from the Appalachians. Can't Take No Train head back to Chicago for a high steppin' early electric Mud type track. Midnight Special is the traditional track whose authorship is unknown. It was first recorded in around 1900 and has since been recorded by everyone from Ledbelly to CCR. There is a cool acoustic slide part on this track. You Got A Home In That Rock, a traditional spiritual, is done uptempo with a bit of a rock beat and nice harp work. Papa Guede gets that Little Feet/ New Orleans feel going and along with again nice slide and harp work is a really cool track. Devil's Cloth has that deep south voodoo sound and is very interesting. It's not just the rhythm with these tracks but how certain instruments and sounds are used strategically to create the ambiance... again very cool. Thirteenth Full Moon is a much more conventional rock format track and has a real nice groove including guitar and sax riffs that help to create the mood. Slave is another dark track in that voodoo sound. Big Walker seems to have the formula down to express these tracks in a very effective way. Instuments are used for effects and voices are used as instruments in an orchestra. Overall a very interesting composition.
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
This is Big Walker playing blues in a more traditional fashion: