Delta groove artist: Nathan James and the Rhythm Scratchers New Release: What You Make Of It - Review

I just got a copy of Nathan James and the Rhythm Scratchers new recording, What You Make Of It which will be released on March 20th. It's actually really cool! The recording consists of 14 tracks of which 10 are James originals. The opening track, Chosen Kind, The guitar work on this track is played on a self designed and made Tritar, made of a washboard and an axe handle. The sound is very raw and well suits the song with harp backing and vocals. The second track, the title track, What You Make Of It, is played on another self produced instrument called a baritone Washtar the song maintains a sound that is part wolf and part Texas Blues. Very strong. There is certainly a demonstration here that you don't have to have a 20,000 dollar guitar to make great music. The third track, a Blind Boy Fuller track, Black Snakin' Jiver is stripped down with basic instrumental background and a kazoo for lead soloing. Later On, a Jimmy McCrackin remake is a cool slower soul oriented blues track with really nice Washtar soloing demonstrating again how cool these rural instruments can be. Get To The Country is a story of being raised in a small rural town and done in influence of the great Furry Lewis. Make It On Your Own is written a a tribute to a friend, Steve White, another musician who had a similar one man band as James is sometimes known to do. White who recently passed away. You can tell there is a personal story being told here and it has a solitude to it's sound. If you don't know James' earlier work you may be wondering where this guy is coming from but he has been around the block plenty with 15 years professional musician experience with the likes of James Harman. Harman penned, sang and plays harp on this next track, Rhino Horn, and James takes time away from the mike to put out some cool Tri-tar riffs. Pretty Baby Don't Be Late is played on an acoustic National Resonator and kazoo. Has a great country rag time feel. Blues Headache finds bass player Troy Sandow stepping up on harp and doing a great job. It also gives James a chance to play some very cool Tri-tar slide. Possibly my favorite on the recording. Pain Inside Waltz shows how different styles of music can easily blend and make something pleasantly unexpected. Great tune. I'm A Slave To You is a 60's soul tune written by Bobby Patterson and James and the boys play it to the hilt with horns and all... this is a great tune. While in that 60's soul mode, James cranks out soul infused First And Most, a traditional soul style ballad. You Led Me On starts off with drums that are reminiscent of a marching band. The boys keep that groove going throughout the track with a stripped out blues tune with effective harp playing and sporadic singing. It ends in a great swing boogie, Chicago style. The final track, Tri-tar Shuffle Twist is a really cool instrumental featuring James on slide Tri-tar. It starts out as a loping shuffle but ends getting a nice gallop to it before the end. This is a very cool album with more polish than it may sound like from my description but much less polish than what you might expect from a major production.

Great job!
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WRRW To Air Eric Lindell Radio Special This Weekend

Saturday March 3rd - 10 PM
Sunday March 4th - 5 PM

http://www.wrrw.fm/

Contact: Mark Carpentieri

Phone: 631-754-8725

E-Mail: mc@mc-records.com

web: www.mc-records.com

Northport NY - M.C. Records is proud to announce that WRRW, 102.5 FM in Willamsburg VA. will be airing a 1 hour special on Eric Lindell featuring the band performing in-studio. You can catch the fun this Saturday at 10 PM and Sunday at 5 PM. If you don't live in the area you can hear it through the station's website, http://www.wrrw.fm/

Last weekend Eric Lindell had a great gig at The Hiro Ballroom in NYC. Check out the review and awesome photos right here, http://blues411.com/?p=3549

If you would like to check out live performance from the gig (and why wouldn't you), here's where you need to be,

>

Photo by Leslie K. Joseph

Tour Dates:

one eyed jacks

new orleans la.

sat. march 3 10pm

_________________

rock and bowl

new orleans la.

sat. march 17 tbd

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crawfest 2012

new orleans la.

tulane university

sat. april 21 tbd
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tipitinas

new orleans la.

w dragon smoke

ivan neville - robert mercurio - stanton moore - eric lindell

sat. april 21 11pm

_________________

new orleans jazz and heritage fest.

new orleans la.

fri. april 27 tbd

_________________

rock and bowl

new orleans la.

fri. april 27 9pm
_________________

funky fish fry

birmingham al.

sat april 28 tbd
_________________

carolton station

new orleans la.

sun. april 29

_________________

one eyed jacks

new orleans

with dragon smoke

ivan neville - stanton moore - robert mercurio - eric lindell

tues. may 1 tbd

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circle bar

new orleans la.

wed. may 2 10pm

_________________

old point bar

new orleans la.

thurs. may 3 11pm
_________________

rock and bowl

new orleans la

fri. may 4 tbd
_________________

D.B.A

new orleans la.

sat. may 5 12pm
_________________

one eyed jacks

new orleans

sun. may 6 11pm

Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis

Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis (March 2, 1925 – December 28, 1995) was an American electric blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. He played with John Lee Hooker, recorded an album for Elektra Records in the mid 1960s, and remained a regular street musician on Maxwell Street, Chicago, for over 40 years.

He was also known as Jewtown Jimmy, and is best remembered for his songs "Cold Hands" and "4th And Broad"
He was born Charles W. Thompson, in Tippo, Mississippi. In his teens, Davis learned to play guitar from John Lee Hooker, and the two of them played concerts together in Detroit in the 1940s, following Davis' relocation there in 1946. Prior to his move to Detroit, Davis had worked in traveling minstrel shows. This included a spell with the Rabbit Foot Minstrels. Davis later spent nearly a year living in Cincinatti, Ohio, before he moved to Chicago in 1953. He started performing regularly in the marketplace area of Maxwell Street, playing a traditional and electrified style of Mississippi blues.

In 1952, he recorded two songs under his real name for Sun Records. They were "Cold Hands" and "4th and Broad", and despite being offered to both Chess and Bullet, they were not released. The exact timing of Davis' adoption of his new name is uncertain, but in 1964, under his new pseudonym, he waxed a couple of tracks for Testament. They appeared on the 1965 Testament compilation album, Modern Chicago Blues. His songs were "Crying Won't Make Me Stay" and "Hanging Around My Door".The album also included a track from another Chicago street performer, John Lee Granderson, as well as more established artists such as Robert Nighthawk, Big Walter Horton, and Johnny "Man" Young. Music journalist, Tony Russell, wrote it was "music of great charm and honesty".

In 1966, Davis recorded a self-titled album for Elektra Records, which Allmusic's Jason Ankeny called "a fine showcase for his powerful guitar skills and provocative vocals". Davis recorded several tracks for various labels over the years without commercial success.

He owned a small restaurant on Maxwell Street called the Knotty Pine Grill, and performed outside the premises during the summer months.[4] Davis continued to play alfresco in Chicago's West Side for decades, up to his latter years. In July 1994, Wolf Records released the album, Chicago Blues Session, Vol. 11, the tracks of which Davis had recorded in 1988 and 1989. The collection included Lester Davenport on harmonica, and Kansas City Red playing the drums.

Davis died of a heart attack in December 1995, in his adopted hometown of Chicago. He was 70 years old
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Lawdy Lawdy Worried Blues - Blind Teddy Darby

Theodore Roosevelt Darby, better known as Blind Teddy Darby (March 2, 1906 – December 1975), was an American blues singer and guitarist.

Darby was born in Henderson, Kentucky. He moved to St. Louis with his family when he was a child. His mother taught him to play guitar. He served some time for selling moonshine, and in 1926 he lost his eyesight because of glaucoma.

He recorded from 1929 until 1937 under the names of "Blind Teddy Darby", "Blind Darby", "Blind Blues Darby" and "Blind Squire Turner" for the Paramount, Victor, Bluebird, Vocalion and Decca labels. In 1960 he was "rediscovered" and recorded by Pete Welding of Testament Records, yet the recordings from this session were never released.

In the late 1930s he gave up the blues and became an ordained deacon.

His song "Built Right On The Ground" has been covered (under the title of "I Never Cried"), from the 1970s onwards, by John Miller (who first changed the title), Roy Book Binder, Howard Bursen, and Phil Heywood.

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People Get Ready - WILLIE CHAMBERS

Willie Chambers is a singer guitarist and a former member of The Chambers Brothers who had hits with "In The Midnight Hour, "I Can't Turn You Loose", "Time Has Come Today"
He was a founding member of The Chambers Brothers and sang lead on their hit, a cover of Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour". He also co-wrote their biggest hit "Time Has Come Today" with his brother Joe.

In 2006 he sat in with a group called Vince and the Invinceables at a benefit concert for Arthur Lee of the group Love.

In recent years he has become more active and has collaborated with artists such as Louis Metoyer and Australian singer Stephen Rowe and appearing in his "Restless Soul" video.
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Larry's Blues - Larry Carlton

Larry Carlton (born March 2, 1948, Torrance, California) is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands. Over his career, Carlton has won four Grammy Awards for his performances and compositions, including performing on the theme song for the hit television series, Hill Street Blues (1981)
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I Don't Know - Odie Payne w/ Robert Jr. Lockwood

Odie Payne (vocal & drums) Robert Jr Lockwood (guitar) Gene Schwartz (bass) and Sumito Ariyoshi (piano)
Odie Payne (August 27, 1926 – March 1, 1989) was an American Chicago blues drummer. Over his long career Payne worked with a range of musicians including Sonny Boy Williamson II, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Little Johnny Jones, Tampa Red, Otis Rush, Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Little Brother Montgomery, Memphis Minnie, Magic Sam, Chuck Berry, and Buddy Guy.
He was born Odie Payne Jr. in Chicago, Illinois. Payne was interested in music from an early age, and did not restrict himself to a narrow musical genre. He studied music in high school and later drafted into the Army, but upon his discharge, Payne graduated from the Roy C. Knapp School of Percussion. By 1949 Payne was playing along with the pianist Little Johnny Jones, before meeting Tampa Red and enlisting into his band. The association lasted for around three years before, in 1952, Payne and Jones joined Elmore James's band, the Broomdusters.

Payne played with the Broomdusters for another three years, although his recording association with them lasted through to 1959. In total he recorded thirty one singles with them, including "The Sky Is Crying". By this time Payne had become a favored session musician appearing through that decade on the Cobra label, with Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Buddy Guy. His playing also can be heard on various Chess records, including the Chuck Berry hit singles "Nadine", "You Never Can Tell", "Promised Land" and 1964's "No Particular Place to Go." All appeared on the Berry's 1982 compilation album, The Great Twenty-Eight.

Noted for his usage of the cowbell, bass drum pedal, and extended cymbal and drum rolls, Payne's double shuffle drumming technique was much copied and utilised by both Fred Below and Sam Lay. The technique called for Payne to use both his hands to effect the shuffle effect.

Payne appears to have a songwriting credit to his name for the song "Say Man," which was recorded by both Bo Diddley and Willie Mabon; although Payne's name certainly did not appear on every version published.

Odie Payne died in Chicago in March 1989, at the age of 62.
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Shake 'em On Down - Compton Jones

I've got absolutely nothing on this guy but I found it real interesting!
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Kind Hearted Man - LITO BLUES BAND

José Fernández " Lito ", born in Malaga on May 24, 1953, began his career as guitarist in the 60s with a number of Malaga formations: The Owl, Big Wide-brimmed straw hat, Conditional Freedom, Jamaica, Malaka, Tabletom, The Blackberry (with Manolo Galvan " The Screams "), Barbara Band, etc.

In 1989, it forms the first band with his name Lito Blues Band, acting with big success in the whole Andalusia...

In the years 91-92 it leaves to Europe and realizes several tours with Big Jack Jonson, Richard Ray Farrel and Luther Allison … for Italy, Germany and Switzerland, and in this country it forms a band with the guitarist of Aretha Franklin.

Back to Spain, he reforms Lito Blues Band.

SUZETTE MONCRIEF (Vocals)
New York - Manhattan (the USA)

Singer of jazz and teacher of singing. Her artistic and musical formation begans in the city of New York. At present it is the powerful voice of Lito Blues Band.

- JESÚS GRADUATE (Bass) "BACHI"
Malaga (Spain)

He has more swing than Tiger Woods and a lot experience in spite of his young age.
He takes charge of the bottom of the band with his light touch, inventive and solid.

- NICOLAS HUGUENIN " NIKO " (Drums)
Geneva (Switzerland)

Settled down for 10 years in Malaga and with a long musical trip behind him, he is the last piece of Lito Blues Band. Versatile and enthusiastic, adds to Lito Blues Band his particular miscellany of styles (jazz, rock, funk, fusion)
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Shake Your Moneymaker - Riverhead Slide

Steve Wigglesworth (Wigz)

Founder member of Riverhead Slide, Steve is lead singer and a guitarist with a penchant for slide (bottleneck) styles.

Greatly influenced by British blues artists of the late 60s (Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, John Mayall etc.) along with black American bluesmen such as Robert Johnson, Elmore James, John Lee Hooker and Hambone Willie Newburn.

Murray Finer

Solid bassman Murray has been with Riverhead Slide since the very early days replacing original member John Downes on bass

Gael Ludlow

Gael started performing as vocalist with Riverhead Slide in 2006, making her debut at the Mission Bay Streetfest.

Nigel Major

UK born Nigel Major is a self-taught guitarist who learned his skills by watching working bands at local gigs. He formed his first rock and roll band at the age of 14, gigging at local pubs.

Mike Jensen

Mike started his musical career with classical piano lessons at age 6. His early training also included pipe organ, trumpet, guitar, violin and flute, and even for a time conducting a full orchestra.

Paul Dunningham

Paul Dunningham, drum teacher and professional musician, joined Riverhead Slide in May 2010, bringing new drive to the Slide backline.

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Tech Talk - Collings Guitars, C-10 Deluxe Custom - Nick Lucas L00

Based on guitars first introduced around the same time as the OM, the Collings C10 is a leaner alternative, with the narrow waist and small upper bout resulting in a precise, focused response. Of all our acoustic models, the C10 is perhaps the easiest for electric guitarists to adapt to, thanks in part to the more rounded neck profile. The small oval neck heel is ideally suited to the optional cutaway, which allows unrestricted access to the upper frets. With its unique shape and asymmetrical headstock's lines echoed in the curvilinear pickguard, C10 models offer a welcome alternative for those who find that most small acoustic guitars look too much alike.

Features Include:

Select Sitka spruce
East Indian Rosewood back and sides
Grained Ivoroid bindings w/ black nitrate purflings
Matching Ivoroid Rosette
Pre-war scalloped bracing
Tortoise-style pickguard
High gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Mahogany neck
Double-bound fingerboard and peghead
Ebony peghead veneer
Inlaid Collings Logo
Ebony fingerboard and bridge
Dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Bone nut and drop-in saddle
Ebony bridge pins and end pin
Nickel Schaller Mini-tuners
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Capitol Blues Night rocks D.C. March 27th!

Ironing Board Sam gets warm welcome in North Dakota! Ironing Board Sam played the North Dakota Museum of Art this past weekend, and he was greeted with a sign hand-made by children who attended the museum's Family Day art event the morning before Sam's show. That ironing board sign just about made Sam's year. The museum has gifted the sign to Sam, as he wants to use them for a future album cover! See below for a shot of Sam on a snowmobile - his one request while in North Dakota! Listen: Cootie Stark - Keep on Walkin Diggin': Henry Slyker digs Cootie Stark's "Keep on Walkin" When my son was just a baby he would have long daily crying fits. My wife Shelly would throw him over one shoulder and walk around with him; just sort of dancing to this tune. He seemed to really calm down when he heard Cootie Stark's soothing bass voice and that awesome banjo lick that Taj Mahal wrote and played. Years later, a modified version of that lick is the backbone of the song "Slow Drag" on Taj Mahal's CD, "Maestro." Enjoy "Keep on Walkin" by Cootie Stark! -- Henry Henry Slyker is a Financial Advisor with an MBA and a CLU from The Baltimore area. As a veteran, Henry is also involved with the VFW and the VA hospital system. Henry has served on the MMRF Board of Directors since 2004. Capitol Blues Night returns to D.C. March 27th! Capitol Blues Night is back at Clyde's of Gallery Place in Washington, D.C. on March 27th! MMRF artists Ironing Board Sam, Captain Luke, Big Ron Hunter, and Shelton Powe will be there to rock out from 7pm to 10pm. Tickets are $100 and include beer and wine, hors d'oeuvres, and non-stop entertainment from these blues legends! Proceeds from the event will directly benefit the elderly and impoverished Blues musicians throughout the South who are served by Music Maker. Tickets will go on sale Monday! Leaving Eden from the Carolina Chocolate Drops is finally here! Music Maker Next Generation artists and board members the Carolina Chocolate Drops have just released their newest album, Leaving Eden! The group follows up their 2010 Grammy-winning release, Genuine Negro Jig, with this record of original compositions, covers, and traditional songs produced by Buddy Miller (Emmylou Harris, Robert Plant, Patty Griffin, Solomon Burke). In Rolling Stone's 4-star review of Leaving Eden, Will Hermes says that the album "grows handsome fruit from a nation's tangled roots," calling the record "a lesson in 21st-century American folk." Order now at nonesuch.com and carolinachocolatedrops.com! Leaving Eden also features Music Maker Next Generation artist Leyla McCalla, who is currently touring with the Drops. Photo of the Week Mott Willis, associate of Charlie Patton by Axel Kustner Quick Links: Website Merch Music

Upcoming Shows: Click here for more info on upcoming events 3/03 - Ironing Board Sam - Armed Forces Retirees Club, Greensboro, N.C. 3/09 - Pura Fé, Deer Clan Singers - UNC Pembroke 3/10 - Shelton Powe - St. Anne's Chapel & Event Center, Tarboro, N.C. 3/23 - Leyla McCalla - The ArtsCenter, Carrboro, N.C. 3/27 - Ironing Board Sam, Captain Luke, Big Ron Hunter, Shelton Powe - Capitol Blues Night, D.C. 3/29 - Ironing Board Sam - Art with a Heart, Washington D.C. 4/13 - SOOTS 6th Annual Blues Review featuring John Dee Holeman, Tad Walters, & Justin Robinson & the Mary Annettes 4/14 - Big Ron Hunter - North Dakota Museum of Art 4/27 - Guitar Lightnin' Lee, Leyla McCalla - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/28 - Carolina Chocolate Drops - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/29 - Ironing Board Sam - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Music Maker Relief Foundation, Inc. helps the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain recognition and meet their day to day needs. We present these musical traditions to the world so American culture will flourish and be preserved for future generations.

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EUROPE unveil new album "Bag of Bones" with guest appearance from Joe Bonamassa

earMUSIC, rock leg of the Hamburg, Germany, based full entertainment company edel, is thrilled to announce the new album of THE Swedish rock supergroup, EUROPE. The long player, set for UK release on Monday 30th April 2012, is entitled Bag of Bones.

The new record was produced by one of the world's most prestigious producers, Kevin Shirley. No stranger to the crème de la crème of iconic rock, Shirley has produced albums for Iron Maiden, Joe Bonamassa, Black Country Communion, Black Stone Cherry and Journey. Bag of Bones features 11 brand new tracks, including the first single, Not Supposed To Sing The Blues, which will be serviced to radio this Friday, March 2nd and will be released digitally March 9th.

The band recently unveiled the album artwork and now is ready to confirm the track listing of the new album, which is said to be a milestone in Sweden's biggest hard rock band’s long lasting career. Prior to the recordings, when EUROPE front man Joey Tempest confessed, "We're ready to do some serious damage,” - he could not have been anymore correct. Bag of Bones was already titled "one hell of a record" and is the successor of EUROPE's 2009 album Last Look at Eden, which proved to be the band's most important record since The Final Countdown.

Says singer Joey Tempest: "Finally we express ourselves completely without restraint. Straight from heart and soul. It took some time but WE HAVE ARRIVED!"

Contributing slide guitar to the title track Bag of Bones is no one less but currently hottest blues rock name, Joe Bonamassa. "We're honored that Joe Bonamassa wanted to play some slide guitar on our record. We're all big fans of his music", Tempest points out.

The album, which features a more straightforward rock approach including the track Doghouse, already performed during the band's most recent European tour, is going to be available in a standard CD version as well as on classy vinyl.

Album Track Listing:

1. Riches To Rags
2. Not Supposed To Sing The Blues
3. Firebox
4. Bag Of Bones
5. Requiem
6. My Woman My Friend
7. Demon Head
8. Drink And A Smile
9. Doghouse
10. Mercy You Mercy Me
11. Bring It All Home

EUROPE drummer Ian Haugland sums up the taste of the new album - "If Bag of Bones was a dinner menu at a restaurant, it would get 5 stars in the Michelin guide. We are ready to take your orders!”

EUROPE are also embedded into the European Handball Federation's (EHF) Champions League finals in 2012. Part of the EHF & EUROPE Campaign will be a band performance during the "Final4 tournament" award ceremonies on May 27th in Cologne, Germany.

Having confirmed some first festival appearances across Europe over the summer, the Scandinavians are also set to hit worldwide stages with extended touring fall and onwards.

01.05. Thanks Jimi Festival – Wroclaw (PL)
17.05. Bikers Festival – Wetzikon (CH)
25.05. Metallasvenskan – Orebro (S)
24.06. Graspop Festival – Dessel (B)
30.06. Kirunafestivalen – Kiruna (S)
21.07. Olsa Live – Porvoo (FIN)
27.07. Rock Of Ages – Seebronn (GER)

WILD CHERRY - Leroy Washington

Excello was formed by Ernie Young as a subsidiary of Nashboro Records in 1952 to record blues. Jay Miller was the primary studio producer for Excello. Excello was the first blues label established in Nashville, Tennessee. The label made an important contribution to rock and roll in 1954 when it recorded an answer song to Eddy Arnold's country and western record "I Wanna Play House With You" called "Baby, Let's Play House," by Arthur Gunter. The song was covered by Elvis Presley a year later in one of his finest performances on Sun. Presley's cover version was closely based on the Gunter original.

Excello had a wonderful array of blues singers who even today have a strong following among collectors. Chief among these was Slim Harpo (James Moore), whose unmistakable voice droning "I'm a king bee, buzzin' 'round your hive" was imitated years later by groups such as the Rolling Stones. His inimitable '60s hit "Baby, Scratch My Back" has been recently unearthed in the 1992 motion picture Rush. Other Excello blues masters included Lightnin' Slim, Silas Hogan, Lazy Lester, and Lonesome Sundown.
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Elliot Sharp's Terraplane

Elliott Sharp (b. Cleveland, Ohio, March 1, 1951) is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and performer.

A central figure in the avant-garde and experimental music scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five recordings ranging from blues, jazz, and orchestral music to noise, no wave rock, and techno music. He pioneered the use of a lap top computer in live performance with his Virtual Stance project of the 1980s. He has used algorithms and fibonacci numbers in experimental composition since at least 1987. He has cited literature as an inspiration for his music and often favors improvisation. He is an inveterate performer, playing mainly guitar, saxophone and bass clarinet. Sharp has led many ensembles over the years, including the blues-oriented Terraplane and Orchestra Carbon
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Baby Scratch My Back - Johnny Perry and his Blues Band

There is no information that I can find on Johnny Perry. He made his debut recordings as a "jump blues" pianist bandleader in Chicago in 1949 for Rondo. In 1953 and '54 he recorded more singles in New York City for Rama, Jubilee & Atlas. Nothing else was heard from Perry until 1963 where he had left the "jump blues" behind and had moved into the direction of "soul blues". He dropped into Nashville and recorded one 45 for the Cherokee label that year. Disappearing from the recording studio once again, he turned up again in New York City in 1968 recording more 45's for Primus & Adell up until 1970. His last documented single was recorded for Styletone later in 1970, in Los Angeles.
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Why Should I Be Blue - Walter Davis

Walter Davis (March 1, 1912 – October 22, 1963) was an African American blues singer and pianist.

Davis had a rich singing voice that was as expressive as the best of the Delta blues vocalists. His best-known recording is his "Railroad Man Blues" where he sings about the Sunnyland.

One of his records was bootlegged under 'Hooker Joe'.
Davis was born on a farm in Grenada, Mississippi, United States, and ran away from home at about 13 years of age, landing in St. Louis, Missouri. During the period from the late 1920s through the early 1950s he played club dates in the South and the lower Midwest, often with guitarist Henry Townsend and fellow pianist Peetie Wheatstraw, and recorded prolifically. Roosevelt Sykes accompanied him on his first records (1930–33); thereafter he had the ability or confidence to play for himself.

He was among the most productive and popular recording artists in blues, cutting about 180 sides between 1930 and 1952, several of which ("M&O Blues", "Angel Child" and "Come Back Baby") have been taken up by other singers.


Davis appears to have stopped performing professionally around 1953. Suffering from health problems, primarily a stroke, he settled in St. Louis, Missouri, supporting himself as a night clerk at a hotel and as a preacher.
He died in St. Louis in 1963, aged 51
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Tab Benoit compilation from Telarc/Concord on its way

TELARC ASSEMBLES LOUISIANA BLUESMAN

TAB BENOIT’S FINEST TRACKS OVER A SPAN OF

MORE THAN A DECADE

Legacy: The Best of Tab Benoit, includes guest appearances by Jimmy Thackery, Cyril Neville, Billy Joe Shaver and others

Album set for release on April 3, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Calif. —In a career of more than two decades, blues guitarist/vocalist Tab Benoit has generated an impressive body of work — every note of it rooted in the rich and centuries-old musical and cultural traditions of his native Louisiana. While his earliest recordings and performances may have established him as a genuine blues musician, his ever-expanding body of work has become even more resonant in the years since Hurricane Katrina and its devastating aftermath in 2005. Through his environmental advocacy work with Voice of the Wetlands — which actually predates Katrina by a few years — Benoit has counterbalanced his musical career with a tireless commitment to protecting the precarious landscape of his home state.

This fierce commitment to creative and environmental ideals comes to the forefront in a compilation of recordings from Benoit’s years, so far, on the Telarc label. Legacy: The Best of Tab Benoit gathers 14 tracks that mark some of the high points in the career of an artist who has been aptly described as “the new kid from the old school.” Legacy is set for release on April 3, 2012, on Telarc, a division of Concord Music Group.

“Benoit is a true Louisiana resource, the product of a life steeped in music — blues, country, Cajun, rock and soul,” according to the liner notes by John Swenson, author of New Atlantis: Musicians Battle for the Survival of New Orleans. “Tab brings all these elements to bear in a style uniquely his own, a delivery built around one of the greatest voices of his generation and powered by an exciting guitar sound. Benoit stands out as a blues player because he never, ever overplays, making every note count the way greats like Albert King and Johnny Copeland could do it. Benoit is also a fine songwriter whose heart shines through his work and who conveys an earnest message in every story he tells.”

All of these virtues are apparent throughout Legacy, which opens with the potent “Shelter Me,” a Buddy Miller song about overcoming adversity. Benoit’s version, from his 2007 album Power of the Pontchartrain, was produced by David Z (Prince, Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy), who thought it carried the appropriate message for a post-Katrina album.

“[David] had worked with me before Katrina when I told him what Voice of the Wetlands was about,” says Benoit. “I described what was going on with the wetlands and what the problems were. I’d been trying to warn people about what would happen. And then it happened. Of course there’s frustration and all kinds of other emotional things. We’ve worked enough together that he knows I’m still optimistic. I don’t give up the fight. I think a lot of that is in that song.”

The foot-stomping next track, “Night Train,” comes from Benoit’s 2005 release, Fever for the Bayou. “It was one of those songs that kind of writes itself,” says Benoit. “I’d just driven home from Chicago or someplace. I drove straight through, about 20 hours. It’s like being on a night train going all night and trying to get home.”

Throughout the collection, Benoit is joined by other luminary bluesmen with whom he has collaborated during the past 13 years. Among them are guitarists Kenny Neal (“I Put a Spell on You”) and Jimmy Thackery (“Nice and Warm,” “Whiskey Store”), vocalist Billy Joe Shaver and fiddler Wayne Thibodeaux (“Comin’ on Strong”), vocalist/percussionist Cyril Neville (“The Blues Is Here To Stay”) and harpist Jimmy Hall (the live “New Orleans Ladies,” featuring Louisiana’s LeRoux).

The album closes with “Bayou Boogie,” a wild jam taken from Whiskey Store Live, Benoit’s 2004 recording with Thackery (and the follow-up to the 2002 Benoit-Thackery studio project, Whiskey Store). Also on hand for this balls-out free-for-all are saxophonist Jimmy Carpenter, Ken Faltinson on Hammond B-3, bassist Carl Dufrene, and dual drummers Darryl White and Mark Stutso.

“Me and Jimmy have been friends since I got out on the road. We had a chance to play and tour together and we had a ball doing it. On the road we’d pair our bands together so we’d have two drummers, my bass player playing bass and his bass player playing B-3. Both bands had a chance to hang out together and become friends. That was a lot of fun.”

The fact is, “it’s always a lot of fun when Tab comes to play,” says Swenson. “Legacy: The Best of Tab Benoit allows his fans to share in that fun back at home.”

Green Onions - Roy Buchanan

And now we have a Booker T and the MG's song done by the greatest unknown guitar player in the world...Roy Buchanan. And I will dig out some of my concert photos of Roy eventually and post them..I promise! Hard to believe he's been gone over 20 years.
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Born Under A Bad Sign - Booker T. Jones

Everyone knows who wrote Born Under A Bad Sign... it was Albert King... no...the Cream...no Jimi Hendrix. Almost right the first time. It was written by Booker T Jones (Booker T and the MG's) who were providing accompaniment to Albert King, who sang and played lead guitar, The MG's were the Stax in-house recording session band, Booker T. and the MGs, plus The Memphis Horns. Here's Booker T doing his own song.

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