Bman's Blues Report

I just received the newest release, Hawk Squat , from J.B. Hutto and His Hawks with Sunnyland Slim and it's dynamite! This is a reissue of tracks recorded in 1966 and 1978, six of which are previously unreleased. Opening with Speak My Mind , Elmore James' influence on Hutto is immediately apparent. With classic James style slide riffs, Hutto launches and hits square on the target. His slide work is raw, real and hot! Excellent! Sunnyland Slim leads the way on slower blues track, If You Change Your Mind , and Hutto with his unmistakable vocals and slide work are backed by Dave Myers on bass, Frank Kirkland and Mauricce McIntyre on sax. Too Much Pride again shows the strong work of Slim on piano and Hutto on vocal and slide. McIntyre makes his presence known with cool sax backing. Great shuffle track, What Can You Get Outside That You Can't Get At Home has a real nice groove and shows Lee Jackson on lead guitar as well as Hutto on slide joined by Junior Pettis on bass. S...

J. B. Hutto (April 26, 1926 – June 12, 1983) was an American blues musician. Hutto was influenced by Elmore James, and became known for his slide guitar work and declamatory style of singing. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame two years after his death Joseph Benjamin Hutto was born in Blackville, South Carolina, United States, the fifth of seven children. His family moved to Augusta, Georgia when Hutto was three years old. His father, Calvin, was a preacher and Hutto, along with his three brothers and three sisters, formed a gospel group called The Golden Crowns, singing in local churches. Hutto's father died in 1949, and the family relocated to Chicago. Hutto served as a draftee in the Korean War in the early 1950s, driving trucks in combat zones. In Chicago, Hutto took up the drums and played with Johnny Ferguson and his Twisters. He also tried the piano before settling on the guitar and playing on the streets with the percussionist Eddie 'Porkchop' Hines. A...