Bman's Blues Report

John fell in love with the blues as a child when his father and an older cousin played guitar and sang at night after a hard day in the fields. His mother moved to Chicago to secure a job and support her family. She promised to bring John and his sister to the big city when they reached age 18, leaving them with family. Depressed and lonely, young Primer frequently went into the neighboring woods, where he cried his troubles away and began singing the blues in solitude. He eventually built himself a diddley bow on the side of his grandmother's house out of broom wire, two nails and a brick and began accompanying himself as he sang, eventually playing for dimes and quarters in his schoolyard. After listening to Jimmy Reed , Little Milton, B.B. King , Albert King and Muddy Waters on his grandmother's record player, his biggest dream was to play alongside Muddy Waters one day. 🎵 LISTEN & SUPPORT THE ALBUM ▶ Listen to Album Samples (Clic...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Grown In Mississippi , by John Primer and it's deep rooted blues, Delta style. Opening with John's Blues Holler , an authentic style acapella track replicating the sounds that Primer heard by field workers in his youth. Rolling into Born In Mississippi with Primer showing his slick finger work and his warm vocals on acoustic guitar. Fluid, precise and solid. Very nice. Willie Dixon's Down In The Bottom features Primer guitar and vocal and Watermelon Slim on slide dobro, and backed by Billy Earheart on piano. Very nice. Bobby Rush joins on Nothin' But A Chicken Wing adding some nice harp work to this funky blues track featuring Primer on lead vocal and guitar, Harvell Thomas Jr on bass and Quicksand Martin on drums. This track is stripped down and moving. Another track with a cool funk is When I Met The Blues driven by Lee Williams on drums and featuring Lightnin' Malcolm on guitar and Primer on guita...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Doin' The Shout!, from Bob Corritore & Friends and it's cooking! Opening with shuffle, Say Baby Say, Thornetta Davis is upfront on lead vocal and I really like her style. With my pal Johnny Burgin on guitar, Dave Keyes on piano, Bob Corritore on harmonica, Bob Stroger on bass and Wes Starr on drums, this is a great opener. Woman Wanted features Oscar Wilson on lead vocal and Muddy Waters like slide work by guitar wiz Bob Margolin. I really do love his loose slide and with Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano, and Starr on drums, this is a super track. Francine Reed has an unmistakable voice and her addition on I Guess I'm A Fool is a terrific idea. With Duke Robillard adding lush guitar, Corritore up with key harmonica lead, Ben Levin on piano, Ben Hedquist on bass and Lewis Nash on drums, this is a solid soul track. Wilson is back on lead vocal on Just A Dream and it really lays in the groove. His vocal...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Crawlin' Kingsnake , from John Primer & Bob Corritore and it's a full house, blues release. Opening with Take A Message , John Primer on lead vocal and guitar starts off this dynamic shuffle. Bob Corritore steps up pretty quickly on harmonica with great Chicago style blues chops that he's well known for, adding a nice solo by Jimi Primetime Smith on guitar, and joined by Bob Stroger on bass, Anthony Geraci on piano and Wes Starr on drums. Super opener. Willie Dixon's Down In The Bottom is up next with a cool bass line by Stroger and potent piano rhythm by Geraci. Primer's vocals are solid and Corritore trades solos with Primer and Smith adding nice balance. John Primer's shuffle, Hiding Place has a really great feel with vocal swagger by Primer and a driving guitar/ piano feel. Corritore lays out a real nice harmonica solo and Primer's solo nods to Elmore James. One of my favorite tracks o...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Somebody Put Bad Luck On Me , from Bob Corritore & Friends and it's another super release from Corritore. Opening with This Little Voice , Corritore, conjures so great harp tone on the intro with Jimi Primetime Smith on guitar and John Primer on vocal and guitar, backed by Bob Stroger on bass and Wes Starr on drums. Solid opener. Bobby Rush has the mic on I'm Good As Gone , a slinky R&B style blues with Smith and Dexter Allen on guitar, Chester Thompson on organ, and Steve Ferrone on drums. Very nice. Thornetta Davis is in charge on Remember Me and I gotta say, she's exceptional. I caught Davis when I went to see guitar master, Johnny Burgin and she really did a great job. Davis is joined here by Smith, Burgin, Keyes, Corritore, Stroger and Wes Starr. Very nice. Lurrie Bell leads off, Act Like You Love Me on vocal and guitar. A slow Chicago style blues with solid harp work by Corritore, is joined by ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Women In Blues Showcase by Bob Corritor e and there are some real gems here. Opening with You're Gonna Be Sorry , Barbara Lynn on vocal and guitar is joined by Corritore on harmonica, Maxine Johnson and Laydee Jai on backing vocal, and Bill Tarsha on drums. A cool, early blues rock sound makes this an excellent opener. One of my favorite tracks on the release is soulful, I Just Need A Friend, by Carol Fran . Johnny Rapp on guitar, Paul Thomas on bass, and Chico Chism on drums really support this excellent vocal track perfectly. Koko Taylor is front and center on What Kind of Man Is This with great Chicago swagger. Joined by Bob Margolin on guitar, Frank Krakowski on guitar, Bob Stroger on bass, Adriana Marie on bass and Willie Big Eyes Smith on drums, a real cool track. Shy Perry does a great job  belting out Dixon's Wang Dang Doodle with Corritore on harmonica and Brian Fahey on drums. Diunna Greenleaf ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Teardrops For Magic Slim , from John Primer and it's a strong blues release. Opening with JB Lenoir's classic, Mama Talk To Your Daughter , Primer on guitar and vocal really gets the house rocking. With Jon McDonald on 2nd guitar, Earl Howell on drums, Danny O'Connor on bass and Lenny Media on drums, this is an excellent opener. On Jimmy McCracklin's Every Night, Every Day , Primer slows the pace and grinds in this solid blues number. Primer has a real good voice for this style of blues and it also works well with his playing style. On shuffle, Ain't Doing Too Bad , Primer takes his guitar for a nice walk and fans Elmore James like riffs creating a nice groove. His soloing is fluid and tight. Elmore James' It Hurts Me Too is one of my favorite tracks on the release with Primer making the track his own. Yes, the tune is all Elmore but the riffs are all Primer. It's obvious that he's on his ow...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Hard Times , from John Primer and it's a fat slice of Chicago blues. Opening with contemporary blues rocker, You Got What I Want , John Primer on lead vocal and guitar  set up another solid blues performance with  the Real Deal Blues Band. Steve Bell on harmonica lays down some real nice harmonica riffs, backed by Lenny Media on drums and David Forte on bass. Title track, Hard Times , has a cool driving blues feel with Primer on slide and vocal and featuring  Johnny Iguana on piano. With an aggressive bass line by Forte on I Won't Sweat It , Primer sings the blues at half tempo over a double time tempo. A cool solo by Bell on harmonica and a nice guitar solo of his own gives this track traction. One of my favorite tracks on the release is soulful, Tough Times featuring Primer's daughter on her vocal debut. Primer lays in some real nicely phrased guitar lead on this one diving it another dimension. All Al...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, You Shocked Me , from Bob Corritore and Friends and it's chocked full of great Chicago based blues. Opening with Hiding Place , John Primer has the lead on vocal and guitar backed by Anthony Geraci on piano, Wes Starr on drums, Jimi Primetime Smith on guitar and Bob Stroger on bass. This is a terrific opener with high energy. Diunna Greenleaf is up front on vocal on title track, You Shocked Me with Bob Margolin on guitar, LA Jones on guitar, Ben Levin on piano, Starr on drums, Adrianna Marie on  bass and Corritore on harmonica. Super track. Alabama Mike has the mic on slow blues, Somebody Stole My Love From Me , a soul jammed track. With excellent harmonica lead by Corritore, Stroger on bass, Margolin on guitar, Fred Kaplan on piano, and Starr on drums, this is one of my favorites on the release. Love Francine Reed's vocals on Don't Need Your Permission , a swinging shuffle with Corritore really humming on har...

 I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Spider In My Stew, from Bob Corritore and Friends and it's terrific. Opening with Tennessee Woman , Corritore on harmonica is joined by Oscar Wilson on vocal, Tony Tomlinson on guitar, Shea Marshall on piano and sax, Patrick Skog on bass and Alan West of drums and percussion. A solid Chicago style track with a Latin beat, this is a solid opener. Moving into a full on romp, Sugaray Rayfield has the lead on vocal on Big Mama's Soul Food , backed by Kid Ramos on guitar, Blake Watson on bass and Marty Dodson on drums. Great vocals by Rayford, Corritore's always always fine harmonica work and saucy guitar work by Ramos give this track real zing. Diunna Greenleaf is upfront on Don't Mess With the Messer and with a snappy drum beat by Andrew Guterman and hot sax work by Doug James, this track is strong. Lurrie Bell delivers really inspired lead vocal and guitar on title track Spider In My Stew with Bob Margolin ...

 I just had the opportunity to review the newest release from Johnny Iguana , Chicago Spectacular! and it's a cool mix of styles and packed with blues notables. Opening with Roosevelt Sykes' 44 Blues , featuring John Primer, Bob Margolin and Michael Caskey, Iguana does a great job on keys and Primer's lead vocals are super. On Willie Dixon's Down In The Bottom  ,Primer has the mic again and with cool guitar lead and with Michael Caskey on drums another cool entry. Gil Scott- Heron's Lady Day and John Coltrane has a cool, laid back jazzy feel and features Phillip-Michael Scales on lead vocal and guitar. Iguana really rocks the piano on this one with simple rhythms by Caskey. Lil' Ed guests on Burning Fire with flaming lead guitar and vocal. Rolling piano work by Iguana and solid drum work by Kenny Smith makes this one of my favorite tracks on the release. Lil' Ed is back on Elmore James' Shake Your Moneymaker and Ed knows how to make that slide talk. V...

I just had the opportunity to review the latest release, The Gypsy Woman Told Me , by John Primer & Bob Corritore and it's a great dose of contemporary Chicago style blues. Opening with Keep A-Driving , Primer on vocal and guitar really does a nice job of setting the stage with Corritore supporting nicely and with solid piano work by Bob Welch, Kedar Roy on bass and June Core on drums. With a bit of boogie built in, Knockin' On Your Door , with Primer again leading on vocal gives Corritore a nice chance to spread a bit with great harp tones and Primer's guitar work is tight and well phrased. Lil Son Jackson's Gambling Blues is one of my favorite tracks on the release with quick paced acoustic guitar and fleet fingered lead by Primer and a fatter harp part by Corritore. Primer's own, Little Bitty Woman falls right from the Muddy Waters tree with a bouncy, Chicago blues pace, riding harp and Waters like slide work by Primer. Very cool. Slow blues, Walking ...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Do The Hip-Shake Baby! , from Bob Corritore & Friends and I really like it. Corritore usually sticks pretty close to traditional Chicago style blues but not on this one. He's mixing it up but the mix is great. Opening with Shake Your Hips , Mighty Joe Milsap is upfront on vocals and they are rich and powerful. With Alan West on drums and percussion this track has a swampy rhythmic feel and Corritore's harp work is used like a sharp knife carving in essential riffs. Very nice. Alabama Mike leads on Gonna Tell Your Mother , a classic R&B track with Johnny Rapp and LA Jones on guitar, Adrianna Marie on bass, Fred Kaplan on keys and Brian Fahey on drums. With sassy backing vocals and a slick guitar solo, this track is swinging. Bill "Howl-N-Madd" Perry gets down, slow and gritty on You Better Slow Down . Corritore has his harp singing on this one over the classic guitar riffs of Perry and Rapp. Ver...

I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Tony Holiday's Porch Sessions and I really like it. Vocalist and harmonica player, Tony Holiday has put together a great release here with a who's who of the blues business. Opening with Pick-Pocket Fingers a cool shuffle track Holiday on lead vocal is joined by James Harman on harmonica, Kid Ramos on guitar, Landon Stone on guitar and Kid Andersen on bass, this is a cool opener. John Primer steps in on lead vocal and guitar on They Call Me John Primer with featured harp work by Bob Corritore and Holiday and Joel Meza Jr. on drums. I always love Primer's slide style and Corritore has beautiful tone. Very nice. An easy, funky track, A Woman Named Trouble , showcases John Nemeth and Jake Friel with Holiday on vocal and harmonica. This is a funky funky track with a great bass line by Anderson. Excellent! Mitch Kashmar and Ronnie Shellist join Holiday for Three Way Party and slower but soulful guitar and ha...

                                                                                                                                                   MUDDY WATERS 100 featuring  JOHN PRIMER, GARY CLARK, JR., JOHNNY WINTER, JAMES COTTON, KEB' MO', DEREK TRUCKS, SHEMEKIA C...