Little Walter The Complete Chess Masters (1950-1967)
http://www.hip-oselect.com/scr.public.product.asp?product_id=6FC023FC-B9F0-4D3C-A27A-69E463291257
Monthly Archive for March, 2009
Page 2 of 6
The Killer Blues Band jams in a basement somewhere in New Jersey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFkg5cDXCuc
MUD MORGANFIELD & BIG JOE LOUIS AND THE BLUES KINGS
‘Goin’ Up The Country’ at Overton-on-Dee Village Hall: 20.03.09
Every once in a while comes along one of those special nights of live music which will live in your memory forever – I am pleased have witnessed such an evening at Overton-on-Dee, with the only Northern gig for the eldest son of the undisputed king of the blues, the late, great Muddy Waters – Mud Morganfield, backed by some of these shore’s finest musicians, Big Joe Louis and his Blues Kings.
A packed and sold-out gathering was a reward for the ‘Goin’ Up The Country’ promoters – Pete Evans, Paul Taylor and Ian Williams – with the gig moved to a much larger hall from their regular base in Worthenbury – 200 plus, who had the night of their musical lives! Mud Morganfield has the look of his late father – who he affectionately referred to as ‘Pops’ all evening – and the voice is uncannily alike as well. However, this is no cash-in tribute – partly because of his desire to carry the music on, and also the calibre of the band.
Apart from band leader Big Joe Louis (guitar and vocals), the other musicians were the quite amazing Steve ‘West’ Weston on harmonica, the stellar rhythm section of Matt Radford (bass) and Pete Greatorex (drums), and the brilliant piano of London-based Italian, Eric Ranzoni – together they were superb on two sets of mainly Muddy Waters-connected songs and a few from Mud’s latest album, “Fall Waters Fall”.
A few minor issues with power and lighting were overcome as Big Joe Louis and the band kicked off the first set with a great instrumental shuffle, and Robert Petway’s “Catfish Blues”, a mainstay of his live set over the years, before Mud Morganfield strode on stage to great applause and into a couple of classics, “I’m Ready” and the timeless “Baby, Please Don’t Go”.
The band were just so good it was not hard to imagine you were in a Chicago blues club in the Fifties – every song just grooved along, with Big Joe Louis’s top rhythm guitar work and occasional solo; and boy, what can you say about Steve Weston’s harmonica work! I have seen many great harmonica players over the years, but have to say he delivered, all night, some of the most thrilling playing I have ever heard. Couple these two with Eric Ranzoni’s sparkling Otis Spann fills and it was just heaven.
Other first set highlights were the strutting “Walking Thru’ The Park” and the more lowdown “Forty Days And Forty Nights”, with another Muddy chestnut in the shape of “Honey Bee” – all great stuff, and well received by the packed house.
Big Joe and the band started the second set with a couple of numbers again – including one of his 45 rpm single releases – the driving “The Go Go Train”, before Mud Morganfield returned for a journey through some of his father’s best known numbers, starting with the immortal “Hoochie Coochie Man” and “I’m A King Bee”, with authentic guitar ‘stinging’ from Big Joe Louis. He then dipped into “Fall Waters Fall” for “Satisfied”.
A rollicking “Caldonia” saw Eric Ranzoni tearing up the piano, with some Jerry Lee Lewis style feet and backside banging the keys; with the pace taken down on “19 Years Old”. This memorable evening ended with possibly two of the most famous Muddy-related songs, a fantastic “Mannish Boy” – more wonderful harmonica from Steve Weston; and a surprise in a tear-up through “I’ve Got My Mojo Working” as Mud jumped off the stage to join the dancers in front of him!
Opening up the evening was the popular duo of Trafficker frontman and guitarist, Tommy Allen; and Johny Hewitt, harmonica ace from the Smokehouse Blues. Both very popular guys in this area, they delivered a most entertaining half hour – the highlights being a lovely “Who’s Loving You Tonight” and, best of all, a stripped down “Nine Below Zero”, the Sonny Boy Williamson classic, with marvellous harmonica work from Johny Hewitt.
GRAHAME RHODES
Photo from Ian Williams – for more, see the bluesinthenorthwest.com photo archive.
SHERMAN ROBERTSON
Live Monroe’s Bar, Finkle Street, Workington, Saturday 18th April 2009.
Doors open 8.00pm all tickets £14.50
Bookings 01900 602122
Or in person from: The Carnegie Box Office, Finkle Street, Workington, Cumbria.
I have posted this before but I post again as a tribute to Mel Brown 7 Oct 1939 to 20 Mar 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUHhdh45ncM
Not blues but some bluesy material. The Derek Trucks Band will play Manchester on 25 April 2009.
http://www.manchesteracademy.net/Artist%20Pages/derektrucksband.html
Here is local lad David Sutton jamming with Walter Trout in October 2008.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VuU1-CfjqA
The email from David’s uncle Trevor Morris does not say how old David is. Still pretty young I reckon. Keep it up David.
This from GuelphMercury.com
The legendary bluesman Mel Brown has died. He was 69.
Brown was admitted to the intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener on March 1 with a collapsed lung. He never made it home. Miss Angel, Brown’s longtime wife and partner, was at his side.
Soft spoken and humble in life, Brown will be celebrated and remembered in death as one of the most talented blues guitarists to come out of the Mississippi Delta.
Born in Jackson, Miss. on Oct. 7, 1939, Brown lived in Los Angeles, Nashville and Austin before settling in Kitchener, Canada in 1989.
His first gig was with the famous harp player Sonny Boy Williamson. Brown’s last show was a Sunday afternoon gig at the Boathouse in Victoria Park, Canada.
I have just returned from an excellent gig at Overton-on-Dee Village Hall organised by the Worthenbury Blues and Roots guys. A superb sold out house saw a great show of classic Chicago blues mainly inspired by the songs of Mud’s dad McKinley Morganfield.
More of my pics at the bluesinthenorthwest.com photo archive. Review and more pics to follow. If you spot a YouTube, please post as a comment or contact me with the URL.
Another New Orleans legend passes in the same month as Snooks Eaglin. This time piano player Eddie Bo. Here’s a clip from the WWOZ website posted to Blues-L.
We are very sad to learn that pianist <http://www.eddiebo.com/> Eddie Bo, one of New Orleans’ greatest and most beloved performers, passed on Wednesday, March 18 at the age of 78. His legacy is profound, and he was considered the last of the “junker”-style pianists, fusing jazz, R&B, funk, soul, and blues seasoned with New Orleans flavor.
Edwin Joseph Bocage got his start in 1955 on the Ace Records label, and by 1961 he had his first hit, the novelty dance tune “Check Mr. Popeye.” He
went on to release more singles than any New Orleans artist except Fats Domino, including “Check Your Bucket” and his signature “Hook and Sling,” which made it to #13 on the R&B chart in 1969.Eddie Bo was more than just an entertainer, penning “My Dearest Darling” for Etta James and producing albums for the likes of Art Neville, Irma Thomas, and Johnny Adams. He even lent his carpentry skills – by which he sustained a living through much of the 1970s – to build a studio for the Ric label, just one of over 40 labels he worked with over the years.
He amassed an impressive collection of awards and honors, including a pair of Lifetime Acheivement Awards from the South Louisiana Music Association and the title of New Orleans musical ambassador to Pakistan.
NAOMI MATHER
“Born At The Wrong Time” (EP)
Here’s the first promising release from Liverpool-based blues lady Naomi Mather – a graduate of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, who has been gigging around the city for a couple of years now – a four-track self-penned EP, which show off her singing, playing and writing skills.
Favouring stripped down slide guitar (Dobro, I think), the four songs show a definite Delta blues influence, with the opening “Can’t Do Nothin’” driven along with a scratchy guitar riff and her gutsy vocal; the title cut, “Born At The Wrong Time” has a more folky blues feel, with more nice guitar work – both slide and fingerpicking.
“Nobody Treat Me” rides along on her slide work again, with some nice percussion work – probably my favourite of the four tracks. The closing “From Here, We Can See It All”, shifts tempo a little, being more of a plaintive, reflective ballad and a quite lovely song, with her fine voice to the fore.
A most enjoyable 13 minutes, and I am looking forward to catching Naomi live – probably at the Worthenbury Festival in June – checkout usual websites for more details.
GRAHAME RHODES
www.myspace.com/naomimatherband
There are two YouTube videos of the incredible Johnny Dickinson from his recent creweroots gig.
Here is a link back to the bluesinthenorthwest.com review.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9kQflA7n18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auWejDvIuRU
The Jalapenos
The Academy,
Buckley CH7 2JA
Saturday 21st March
The Jalapeños are a blend classic 50’s and 60’s rock‘n’roll and R&B with carefully selected latter-day material and self penned rockin’ tracks.
A Jalapeños show is a spiritual experience for anyone who likes good music –mad, wild fun and above all some great music.
Check out the Jalapeños on their MySpace profile page.
Doors open 7:45pm
Tickets £7.50
Eli Paperboy Reed
Academy 3, Manchester
19 April 2009
http://www.manchesteracademy.net/Artist%20Pages/elipaperboyreed.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy6q9HfsJmo
RICKY GENE HALL & THE GOODS”
BAM!”
(Yard Dawg Records)
Originally hailing from Pikeville, Kentucky, but now based in Ohio, guitarist and vocalist Ricky Gene Hall, has released “Bam!”, a fine blend of funky, rock-tinged blues – highlighting his spiky guitar work and appealing vocals, accompanied by The Goods, the stellar rhythm section of Tom Martin (bass guitar, harmony vocals) and Rocky Evans (drums, percussion and harmony vocals).
The twelve cuts on offer, on this follow up to the trio’s 2007 self-titled debut, features nine original compositions – the three covers being Jerry Reed’s “Amos Moses”, with some hot slide work; the great Delbert McClinton’s “Read Me My Rights”, a great piece of country-flavoured funky blues from a master; and Huey Lewis’s strutting “Bad Is Bad” from his early Eighties heydays.
The album kicks off with the funky groove of “Way I Feel”, with Hall’s tasty leads and the punchy rhythm section driving the song along. The title cut “Bam!” is a driving shuffle; with the loping “Real Fine Woman” recalling early ZZ Top – it has that lowdown feel that Mr. Gibbons and boys mastered. “Just My Luck” has a Deep South swampy feel – probably only missing an accordion for full authenticity!
“This Old Guitar” takes the pace down, a country-tinged ballad telling of the guitar surviving various trials and tribulations, like real life; the gospel-flavoured “Revelation Radio” has a somewhat “Hallelujah I Love Her So” feel to it and is very nice indeed. The jazzy slow blues of “Blues Leave Me, Too” closes the album – some fine guitar again here and expressive vocal performance from Ricky Gene Hall – one of the standout cuts in a most enjoyable release.
GRAHAME RHODES
www.myspace.com/rickygenehallandthegoods
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