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Thursday, February 16, 2012
Delta Groove Needs Your Support!
I55 Productions artist Willie Foster - My Inspiration - New Release Review
I just received and had the opportunity to review a new release by Willie Foster called My Inspiration. This is a CD about a real bluesman's music... Willie James Foster. From the handwritten name on the old van door to no legs, still playing them blues..even on the very night he died. He never made too much money or did the killer big money gigs. He was the blue collar or workingman's bluesman. - Brad Webb
This is a pretty cool little package. Not over polished Chicago blues sung rom the heart. Foster pens and plays 11 tracks on this cd playing harp and covering vocals. He is backed by Micky Rogers (Guitar), Skeeter Provis (Guitar), Donnie Brown (Bass), Mike Dill (Drums), Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms (Piano), Brad Webb (Guitar) and Russell Wheeler (B-3). The first track shoots out of the can with Let Em Talk, along the lines of "Messin' With The Kid" laying down a nice harp solo. Why Babe lopes along again with cool harp licks and cool guitar riffs. Found Me A Lover shows Foster's patience as a blues artist singing with great comfort and playing harp as a backing instrument. Born In The Delta is a great slower blues song and one great to highlight each musicians chops. Great tune! Leland Shuffle is a great instrumental track highlighting Mickey Rogers on guitar. Lonely Man again shows not only continued great vocals but particularly strong instrumentals from both Nighthawk on harp and Brad Webb on slide guitar. Foster plays each song with conviction and feeling. If you like Chicago blues style check out this recording. This guy means business.
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George Daniels rocks out some more
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MMRF and The Eddy Pub, in Saxapahaw, N.C., are celebrating Black History Month by presenting four Music Maker artist performances in February! 
Ironing Board Sam
Born in Macon County Alabama, 
Steal Away - 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.
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This Old Worlds in A Tangle - Calvin Frazier
Calvin Frazier (February 16, 1915 – September 23, 1972) was an American Detroit blues and country blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Despite leaving a fragmented recording history, both as a singer and guitarist, Frazier was an associate of Robert Johnson, and recorded alongside Johnny Shines, Sampson Pittman, T.J. Fowler, Alberta Adams, Jimmy Milner, Baby Boy Warren, Boogie Woogie Red, and latterly Washboard Willie. His early work was recorded by the Library of Congress (now preserved by the National Recording Registry) prior to the outbreak of World War II, although his more commercial period took place between 1949 and 1956
Calvin H. Frazier was born in Osceola, Arkansas, and originally performed with his own brothers. Befriending Johnny Shines, in 1930 they jointly travelled to Helena, Arkansas where they met Robert Johnson. The threesome moved on to Detroit, Michigan, performing hymns on local radio stations. Frazier and Johnson returned south where they played along with the drummer, James 'Peck' Curtis.
In 1935 Frazier was involved in dispute in Memphis, Tennessee where he was wounded and another man was shot dead. Frazier returned to Detroit, and married a cousin of Shines. He played guitar as an accompanist to Big Maceo Merriweather, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Baby Boy Warren before being recorded in 1938 by the folklorist Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress. His recordings included "Lily Mae", a revised version of Johnson's "Honeymoon Blues"; and "Highway 51", another variant, this time of Johnson's track, "Dust My Broom".
His unique style combined slide guitar work with unusual lyrics, and a vocal phrasing that was difficult to decipher. He released three singles under his own name in 1949 and 1951 on the Alben and New Song labels, including "Got Nobody To Tell My Troubles To", which he recorded in Toledo, Ohio in 1951. Between 1951 and 1953, Frazier was a recording member of T.J. Fowler's jump blues combo, then recorded with Warren in 1954, whilst his final sessions in the studio appear to be in 1956 backing Washboard Willie.Without any tangible success on record or otherwise, Frazier nevertheless performed around Detroit until his death.
Calvin Frazier died in Detroit of cancer in September 1972, at the age of 57.
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Please Help Me Find My Way Home - Otis Blackwell
Otis Blackwell (February 16, 1931 – May 6, 2002) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist, whose work significantly influenced rock and roll. His compositions include Little Willie John's "Fever", Jerry Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire" and "Breathless", Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel", "All Shook Up" and "Return to Sender" (with Winfield Scott), and Jimmy Jones' "Handy Man". He should not be confused with another songwriter and producer Robert "Bumps" Blackwell.
Otis Blackwell was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, and died in Nashville, Tennessee. He learned piano as a child and grew up listening to both R&B and country music.
He first became famous by winning a local talent contest ("Amateur Night") at the Apollo Theater, Harlem, New York in 1952, led to a recording contract with RCA and then with Jay-Dee. His first release was his own composition "Daddy Rolling Stone" which became a favorite in Jamaica where it was recorded by Derek Martin. The song later became part of The Who's Mod repertoire. Enjoying some early recording and performing success, he found his first love was songwriting and by 1955 had settled into the groove that he would ride for decades. His first successes came in 1956 when Little Willie John's R&B hit with the sultry "Fever" was an even bigger pop success for Peggy Lee. Then, "All Shook Up" (first recorded by David Hill on Aladdin) began a highly profitable association with Elvis Presley, who was credited as co-writer.
Blackwell was one of the leading African American figures of early rock 'n' roll, although he was not well known by the public. His own records never cracked the Top 40, yet he wrote million-selling songs for Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Dee Clark and others. He also recruited other songwriters to write for Presley such as Winfield Scott.
From the jacket liner notes of the Elvis' Golden Records (1958) Anne Fulchino from Radio Corporation of America wrote:
"While sipping coffee, Steve Sholes pulled out a demonstration record of "Don't Be Cruel" and told Elvis it was a new song written by Otis Blackwell, whom Elvis had long admired as a rhythm and blues artist. It took just a few bars to convince Presley that it was a perfect song for him, and he decided to cut it right away. Presley learned the song within minutes—he has an inherent musical sense—and in short order a great master was put on tape.
It isn't often that the title of a song will create a whole new expression in Americana. "All Shook Up" did exactly that. Youngsters and adults alike have made the phrase a common part of everyday usage. The background to the song itself is a rather interesting one. Since the huge success of "Don't Be Cruel", Elvis had been anxious to record another song from the pen of Otis Blackwell. Eventually, Blackwell came around with "All Shook Up." Presley wasn't completely satisfied with the song, and with Blackwell's consent re-wrote part of the lyrics. Thus, as co-writer as well as artist, Presley produced his ninth consecutive gold record, his first in the year 1957."
During an appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman," Blackwell said he'd never met Presley in person. When he was having a contract dispute with his publishing company, he also wrote under the white-sounding pen-name of "John Davenport", Throughout his lifetime, Blackwell composed more than a thousand songs, garnering worldwide sales of close to 200 million records. Colonel Tom Parker, manager of Elvis asked Otis to appear in the Presley movie Girls! Girls! Girls!, for which he had written "Return to Sender," but the superstition about meeting Elvis kept him from accepting.
As the tide of rock 'n' roll receded, Blackwell recorded R&B material for numerous labels including Atlantic, MGM and Epic. In later years he was in semi-retirement, making only occasional live appearances. Otis Blackwell is the grandfather of Torian Brown.
In 1991, Blackwell was left paralyzed by a stroke. Three years later, Shanachie released Brace Yourself! A Tribute to Otis Blackwell. The album features 15 Blackwell-penned tracks recorded by the likes of Kris Kristofferson ("All Shook Up"), Blondie's Debbie Harry ("Don't Be Cruel"), The Smithereens ("Let's Talk About Us"), Graham Parker ("Paralyzed"), and Ronnie Spector ("Brace Yourself"). Otis Blackwell died in 2002 of a heart attack and was interred in Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Matthew & The Fury Update
Matthew Curry & The Fury are headed to Springfield IL for the Illinois Central Blues Club jam with the MoJo Cats on Feb. 25. There's a nice little buzz going about that - Matthew is starting to play out of the local scene more. He's looking to work the St. Louis, Chicago and Indy scene and looking to make some contacts. Who's got some contacts... the booking agents are not into taking a 16yr old seriously. Jeff Beck went through this too... I'm resolute that they'll get it, and they'll be glad they did - especially whoever is first!
The title track of his first CD "If I Don't Got You" will be on the Indie Music Reviewers Festival compilation CD. He's also getting considerable airplay around the US, but also in Australia, the UK and Spain on shows like Salty Dog's Blues Radio, and Terry Knott's "RoadRash Blues" show, also syndicated in the US on KCOR. happy to see that these are some of my largest markets (Sans Germany).
Matthew's also working on some new songs and they're charting horn parts . On April 7 they're back at the Castle Theatre. Great to hear from Matthew!
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Hard Grind - Wild Jimmy Spruill
Jimmy Spruill (June 9, 1934 – February 15, 1996) also known as Wild Jimmy Spruill, was an American New York based session guitarist.
Spruill was born into a sharecropping family in Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States. As a budding guitarist he was weaned on equal proportions of country music and blues. By the time he made it to New York in 1955, he had progressed from a "diddly bow" made from a cigar box and an elastic band to a Fender Telecaster and Standel amplifier. Later in his career, he took to playing a Gibson Les Paul which he "modified" by sawing off most of the body.
In New York, he worked steadily as a session sideman, appearing on records by King Curtis, Little Anthony and the Imperials, the Shirelles, Tarheel Slim and Elmore James, in addition to putting out singles under his own name. He most frequently worked for the record producers Danny and Bobby Robinson, who ran record labels called Fire, Fury, Everlast, Enjoy and VIM out of Bobby's Happy House of Hits record store in Harlem.
In May 1959, "The Happy Organ" by Dave "Baby" Cortez reached #1 on the Billboard chart, before giving way only one week later to Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City", both of which featured guitar solos by Spruill. He almost duplicated this feat in 1961 when Bobby Lewis's "Tossin' and Turnin'", featuring Spruill's guitar solo, hit #1 was followed up the charts by the Shirelles' "Dedicated To The One I Love", which peaked at #3. Another well-known recording on which Spruill plays is "Fannie Mae" by Buster Brown, which hit the top of the R&B charts in early 1960. He also provided guitar on "Bad Motorcycle" by The Storey Sisters. His rhythm work in the background of some of Elmore James' last records is also notable. He is rumored to have played on Aretha Franklin's "Respect" sessions, and although uncredited, may be somewhere in the mix providing his original "scratching" rhythm guitar. He undoubtedly played without credit on many other well-known rhythm and blues and rock and roll records.
Spruill was a showman, known for playing guitar with his teeth. His sound was unconventional, notable for its hard attack and sense of freedom, unexpectedly going from assertive lead parts to rhythmically dynamic, scratching rhythms. At no time did Spruill use picks or any effects on his guitar - his sound was solely the result of his fingers. Among his most interesting solo records is "Hard Grind" (Fire 1006), which was originally issued as the B-side to "Kansas City March". Other solo sides include "Slow Draggin'", "Cut and Dried", "Scratchin' Twist", and "Slow Draggin".
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Little Walter's Jump - Little Walter
Little Walter, born Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), was an American blues harmonica player, whose revolutionary approach to his instrument has earned him comparisons to Charlie Parker and Jimi Hendrix, for innovation and impact on succeeding generations. His virtuosity and musical innovations fundamentally altered many listeners' expectations of what was possible on blues harmonica. Little Walter was inducted to the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 making him the first and only artist ever to be inducted specifically for his work as a harmonica player.
Jacobs was born in Marksville, Louisiana, United States, and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana, where he first learned to play the harmonica. After quitting school by the age of 12, Jacobs left rural Louisiana and travelled around working odd jobs and busking on the streets of New Orleans, Memphis, Helena, Arkansas and St. Louis. He honed his musical skills on harmonica and guitar with Sonny Boy Williamson II, Sunnyland Slim, Honeyboy Edwards and others.
Arriving in Chicago in 1945, he occasionally found work as a guitarist but garnered more attention for his already highly developed harmonica work. According to fellow Chicago bluesman Floyd Jones, Little Walter's first recording was an unreleased demo recorded soon after he arrived in Chicago on which Walter played guitar backing Jones. Jacobs reportedly grew frustrated with having his harmonica drowned out by electric guitarists, and adopted a simple, but previously little-used method: He cupped a small microphone in his hands along with his harmonica, and plugged the microphone into a public address or guitar amplifier. He could thus compete with any guitarist's volume. Unlike other contemporary blues harp players, such as Sonny Boy Williamson I and Snooky Pryor, who had also begun using the then-new technology around the same time solely for added volume, Little Walter purposely pushed his amplifiers beyond their intended technical limitations, using the amplification to explore and develop radical new timbres and sonic effects previously unheard from a harmonica, or any other instrument. Madison Deniro wrote a small biographical piece on Little Walter stating that "He was the first musician of any kind to purposely use electronic distortion.
A few months after returning from his second European tour, he was involved in a fight while taking a break from a performance at a nightclub on the South Side of Chicago. The relatively minor injuries sustained in this altercation aggravated and compounded damage he had suffered in previous violent encounters, and he died in his sleep at the apartment of a girlfriend at 209 E. 54th St. in Chicago early the following morning. The official cause of death indicated on his death certificate was "coronary thrombosis" (a blood clot in the heart); evidence of external injuries was so insignificant that police reported that his death was of "unknown or natural causes", and there were no external injuries noted on the death certificate
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Good Times Here, Better Down The Road - Joel Hopkins
Clyde Langford: Lightnin’ Hopkins’ older brother, Joel, taught me when I was 13 years old. He was a guitar picker, and he was sweet on my grandmother that lived with us. And he found out some kind of way that I was interested in learning to play a guitar. And that was a sure way he could get a chance to be around her. Over there, he’d show me how to play a guitar in the evening time, and after I’d get out of school. Joel was part of my mama’s daddy’s people. Not really close cousin, but maybe a fourth cousin, something like that.
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Make Signals - Guadalupe Plata
Ubeda, Spain. June 2006. Two young swamp blues worshippers - Pedro de Dios Barcelo and Carlos Jimena - perform a chemical experiment by mixing the rusty-water-wheel chant of Hound Dog Taylor, the darkness of Skip James, the hypnotic rhythm of John Lee Hooker and R.L.Burnside, the madness of Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the sweet sound of Tampa Red, the killer slide of Elmore James and the essence of Son House.
The combustion was immediate, but the flames soared completely out of control when Paco Luis Martos, the world grand Master of hand-carved coffered ceilings, appeared in the laboratory accompanied by a primitive bass, handmade with a zinc washtub, a wooden stick and a chainsaw string.
Rising up out of this fire, a diabolically addictive substance shaped by a snake-like, raw and dirty blues, zombie-love lyrics and an original and electrifying performance was born - GUADALUPE PLATA.
"Brilliant blues and a washtub bass, how much more authentic do you want it be? As a Spanish act, we may not get the chance to see too much of Guadalupe Plata but if you like the old fashioned blues played by modern acts, this band should be on your list".
Guadalupe Plata - Casino El Camino (parte 2) from Toni Anguiano on Vimeo.
Walkin' Blues - Papa George & Alan Glen
Internationally acclaimed London bluesman Papa George is admired on the UK blues circuit as an extremely well respected musician. Since the mid-70s Papa George has forged a reputation for stunning performances on the blues circuits and festivals, “Highly regarded, both here and in the US, and Europe, for the gritty passion of his voice and his finesse on the blues frets…” Paul Jones BBC Radio2. Recognised as one of the top guitarists and vocalists and described by THE TIMES as “a mean axeman”, he captivates audiences playing Fender Stratocaster, or bottleneck blues-style on Amistar and National Steel Guitars.
During the 70s & 90s George ventured out to play in Colombia, New York, LA and Texas, these experiences had a profound effect on his musical journey. Shortly after his return to the UK in 1986, he formed the Papa George Band, which became very popular around London & the South East, plus Europe & Scandinavia. The Papa George Band has built a solid reputation for their great musicianship, mainly using original material - their improvisational skills are second to none. They continue to tour and play festivals throughout Europe. Guest Appearances include: Micky Moody, Zoot Money, Freddie Mercury, Paul Jones, Roger Chapman, Bobby Tench, Jon Lord, "Sir” Charles Atkins, Ken Emerson, Gary Husband, Elliot Randall, PP Arnold and the late, Gary Moore.
Alan Glen (born 1951, Wuppertal, Germany) is a British blues harmonica player, best known for his work with The Yardbirds, Nine Below Zero, Little Axe, and his own bands, The Barcodes and The Incredible Blues Puppies.Glen started playing harmonica after seeing Muddy Waters, and the 'American Folk-Blues Festivals' which visited London in the late 1960s and early 1970s. His early influences being Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson[disambiguation needed ], and Junior Wells. Early bands he was involved with were Crowjane Bluesband, The Radical Sheiks and Brothers Grimm, before going on to join Nine Below Zero (1991–1995), and The Yardbirds (1996–2003 and 2008–2009).
Glen has played on over 50 albums and recorded/performed with: Alannah Myles, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, Slash, John Mayall, Steve Lukather, Skunk Baxter, (on the Yardbirds' album Birdland) and he recorded six albums with Little Axe. In addition he appeared alongside Alan Barnes, Jim Mullen and Roger Cotton on the With Friends Like These album for the Barcodes, which also included Zoot Money. He played with Peter Green, Paul Jones, Junior Delgado and Hubert Sumlin at the Long Beach Blues Festival.
With Dr. Feelgood he recorded the album On The Road Again. Other collaborators include Art Themen, Pee Wee Ellis, Dub Syndicate, Paul Cox, Alan Barnes, Little Axe and Gypie Mayo. Glen has played at Montreux, Brecon Jazz Festival and Nice Jazz Festivals, Hollywood House of Blues, the Hilton, Las Vegas, and The Royal Albert Hall, as well as various television and radio performances.
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Snatch It Back - James Supra Blues Band
The name James Supra is a legend in the world of the Blues. For more than 25 years James has been playing the blues in the United States and abroad with exceptional musicians and incredible bands. The list of players he has performed with includes some of the most revered names in music including BB King, Jason Ricci, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Catfish Hodge, Whop Frazier, Debbie Davies, Mike Dugan, and Craig Thatcher, to name a few.
James was the Winner of the Lehigh Valley Music Award for best harmonica player the past 11 years in a row. He was nominated again in 2010 along with this band in a variety of categories. His work is recognized internationally through his recordings and live performances. James is a dynamic entertainer and leads a group of four exceptional and entertaining musicians of eclectic musical backgrounds. Together they have found common ground in the blues.
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BluesNews Records artist: Pristine -New Release - Detoxing - Review
I just received a copy of the new recording by Pristine called Detoxing. Pristine is a Norwegian band led by vocalist Heidi Solheim. The recording opens with a very cool unusual jazzy blues tune called Damned If I Do. It hints back to the exploration into progressive or psychedelic rock and with heavy blues overtones. It is loaded with plenty of blues lead soloing backed by Hammond and rhythm. I think that it is a very strong track. You Don't Know, a funk infused song follows the intro and again has a terrific guitar interlude that gets my gears moving. Breaking Bad is a up tempo texas style blues and delivers the good with jazz overtones. Interesting touch. Whipping Post, yes the Allman Brothers Whipping Post slips in there. Pristine puts their own twist on it in a more stripped down version. The Countdown, a more straight forward rock style tune gives the band another shade of blue. Damage Is Done is a light funk track which mostly features Solheim's vocals. The Last Day is a subtle blues song that starts off quiet but builds to a full out grabber. Guitar work again is worth the price of admission as Espen Elverum Jakobsen takes his guitar by the neck and shows it who's boss. One of Norways top singer/songwriters and performers, Knut Reiersrud is featured on both this track as well as the last track, The Blind. Detoxing really puts me a lot in mind of the early San Francisco sound and the real psychedelic experimentation. Quite Interesting. The recording closes with The Blind which is a contemporary blues rock song. Vocals and instrumentals remain strong throughout.
If you want something different... check this out. I like it and it won't be in my giveaway bin!
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