BlueNotes - All Comments

re: The Living Blues poll

BLUZER — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:37:55 GMT

OH NO...ANOTHER QUIZ. I hate quizzes. At least this one is multiple choice rather than an essay like the last quiz.

As the kids say...'ROTFLMAO'.

Check these out...they'll be in Kent, Ohio at the end of September. Definitely worth a road trip!!

www.youtube.com/watch

It's July ...yonder comes the Pittsburgh Blues Festival!!

re: Charley Patton -- a piece of blues history

BLUZER — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:51:18 GMT

Books have been written about the immense influence of Charley Patton. Nearly all Blues musicians who came after him cite him as an influence and/or inspiration. If ever there was a Blues 'GOD'...it's Charley Patton. I highly recommend the collection put out by Revenant Records some years ago. It's a beautiful package and a loving tribute. The Ultimate box Set...'Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues' - a 7 CD Box. (Charley also cut a record as 'The Masked Marvel')!!

en.wikipedia.org/.../Charley_Patton

(click on the song titles in the Discography...it saves me the trouble of posting individual tracks)

And to go even further back into murky, unchartered Blues waters...

Henry Sloan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Henry Sloan (b. January 1870 - d. ?) was an African American musician, one of the earliest figures in the history of Delta Blues. Very little is known for certain about his life, other than he tutored Charlie Patton in the ways of the blues, and moved to Chicago shortly after World War I. There are no recordings of him.

According to researcher David Evans[1], Sloan was born in Mississippi in 1870, and by 1900 was living in the same community as the Patton and Chatmon families near Bolton, Mississippi. He moved to the Dockery Plantation near Indianola about the same time as the Pattons, between 1901 and 1904. Patton received some direct instruction from Sloan, and played with him for several years. Two of Patton’s later accompanists, Tommy Johnson and Son House, both stated that Patton "dogged every step" of Sloan’s[2].

One unprovable possibility is that Sloan was the mysterious hobo observed by musician W.C. Handy playing guitar at Tutwiler train station in 1903. Handy wrote in his autobiography of being awakened by "... a lean, loose-jointed Negro [who] had commenced plucking a guitar beside me while I slept. His clothes were rags; his feet peeped out of his shoes. His face had on it some of the sadness of the ages. As he played, he pressed a knife on the strings of the guitar. ... The effect was unforgettable... The singer repeated the line ("Goin' where the Southern cross the Dog") three times, accompanying himself on the guitar with the weirdest music I had ever heard."

re: Charley Patton -- a piece of blues history

BLUZER — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:49:23 GMT

This 'new' collection contains alot of tracks that AREN'T by Charley Patton. It's a good place to begin a Blues collection if you don't already own many Pre-war/Paramount recordings.

TRACK LISTING:

Disc 1

1. Mississippi Boweavil Blues - Charley Patton

2. Bo Weevil Blues - Bessie Smith

3. Screamin' & Hollerin' The Blues - Charley Patton

4. Down South Blues - Alberta Hunter

5. Down The Dirt Road Blues - Charley Patton

6. Big Road Blues - Tommy Johnson

7. Pony Blues - Charley Patton

8. Black Horse Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson

9. Banty Rooster Blues - Charley Patton

10. The Crowing Rooster - Walter Rhodes

11. Pea Vine Blues - Charley Patton

12. Come On In My Kitchen - Robert Johnson

13. Tom Rushen Blues - Charley Patton

14. Booze And Blues - Ma Rainey

15. A Spoonful Blues - Charley Patton

16. Just A Spoonful - Charley Jordan

17. Shake It And Break It - Charley Patton

18. I Don't Know - Cripple Clarence Lofton

19. Going To Move To Alabama - Charley Patton

20. Jim Jackson's Kansas City Blues - Jim Jackson

21. Elder Greene Blues - Charley Patton

22. I'm Alabama Bound - Papa Charlie Jackson

23. Frankie & Albert - Charley Patton

24. Leaving Home - Charlie Poole

25. Some Of These Days I'll Be Gone - Charley Patton

26. Some Of These Days - Ethel Waters

Disc 2

1. Hammer Blues - Charley Patton

2. Mountain Top Blues - Bessie Smith

3. You're Gonna Need Somebody When You Die - Charley Patton

4. You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond - Blind Willie Johnson

5. High Water Everywhere Pt.1 - Charley Patton

6. Tallahatchie River Blues - Mattie Delaney

7. Jesus Is A-Dying (Bed Maker) - Charley Patton

8. Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed - Blind Willie Johnson

9. Running Wild Blues - Charley Patton

10. Running Wild - Cow Cow Davenport

11. Some Summer Day - Charley Patton

12. Sitting On Top Of The World - Mississippi Sheiks

13. Moon Going Down - Charley Patton

14. Crying At Daybreak - Howlin' Wolf

15. Bird Nest Bound - Charley Patton

16. Bird Nest Blues - Ardell Bragg

17. Jersey Bull Blues - Charley Patton

18. Bull Cow Blues - Big Bill Broonzy

19. 34 Blues - Charley Patton

20. Forty Four - Howlin' Wolf

21. Oh Death - Pace Jubilee Singers

22. Oh Death - Charlie Monroe

23. Poor Me - Charley Patton

24. Cryin' Blues - Hound Head Henry

25. Yellow Bee - Charley Patton & Bertha Lee

26. Bumble Bee - Memphis Minnie

Disc 3

1. Mama's Got The Blues - Bessie Smith

2. Bye Bye Blues - Tommy Johnson

3. Clarksdale Moan - Son House

4. Mississippi Bottom Blues - Kid Bailey

5. Banty Rooster - Blind Pete & Partner

6. On The Wall - Louise Johnson

7. Hitch Me To Your Buggy And Drive Me Like A Mule - Casey Bill Weldon

8. Water Coast Blues - David Edwards

9. The Pony Blues - Son House

10. Louise, Louise Blues - Johnny Temple

11. Rowdy Blues - Kid Bailey

12. Down The Big Road Blues - Mattie Delaney

13. Future Blues - Willie Brown

14. Maggie Campbell - Tommy Johnson

15. The Jinx Blues Pt1 - Son House

16. Dark Road Blues - Poor Boy Lofton

17. Pony Blues - Sonny Boy Nelson

18. If You Haven't Any Hay - Skip James

19. Saddle My Pony - Howlin' Wolf

20. Texas Blues - Marshall Owens

21. Turpentine Blues - Casey Bill Weldon

22. Spoonful - Papa Charlie Jackson

23. My Black Mama Pt. 1 - Son House

24. M & O Blues - Willie Brown

Disc 4

Includes the DVD: "Talkin' Charley Patton." Featuring interviews with Luther Brown, Bob Brozman, Charlie Musselwhite, Tony Russell, Charles Shaar Murray and Nigel Williamson as well as snippets of Patton songs.

Also included in this box set is a 24 page booklet.

re: Ben Prestage - a one-man band with a new CD

BLUZER — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:51:51 GMT

The greatest One-Man-Band who ever lived has been dead for nearly 52 years. Sadly, I was unable to find any actual footage of him performing. Believe me, I'll keep looking...he's one of my very favorite Bluesmen!!

en.wikipedia.org/.../Joe_Hill_Louis

www.youtube.com/watch

Doctor Ross comes in at a close second place followed by the late Hasil Adkins.

www.youtube.com/watch

re: Some blues photography

BLUZER — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:31:19 GMT

Unlike earlier photos, these pictures make more sense with captions...thanks!!

For Joe Rosen, who I met many years ago, I dug around for some appropriate video and here's what I came up with. Something completely different. I couldn't decide on just one so here's a big bunch. Taken together, I think these are some pretty amazing performances (regardless of the quality of the recording) but you be the judge. Enjoy.

www.youtube.com/watch

re: BlueNotes readers speak

BLUZER — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:17:41 GMT

I did a Google search for 'electrocuted musicians and found this interesting chart...

www.av1611.org/rockdead.html

Also, the evidence I've found on Youtube DOES NOT suggest that Delbert McClinton is even close to what I would call a BLUES act. Judge for yourself.

www.youtube.com/watch

(He cuts out early here, too!)

www.youtube.com/watch

It makes me wonder how he gets booked on so many Blues Festivals. I think he's more of a Country-Rock/Honky-tonker. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Thunder In The Valley was pretty cool. They say 200,000 people show up and I would be surprised if that's wasn't the case. I was there long enough to see the band BEFORE Jimmy Adler and the band AFTER Jimmy Adler....I'll just say that Jimmy did a GREAT job and his little four-piece band was COOKIN'. (What else would you expect with Mike Sweeney playing Bass!!). Jimmy just needs to do a little better job of marketing. Hopefully, he sold ALOT more CDs on Saturday!!

www.youtube.com/watch

re: BlueNotes readers speak

rd350c — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:45:07 GMT

when I posted the Delbert vid and made mention of the premature withdrawal, people took umbrage in the notes section, protesting that it's better to pull the plug than to get electrocuted. I realize the safety issues, but I also can tell when the guy's just not into it. I got the same impression from Delbert at 3RAF. Now don't get me wrong, he IS a good performer, and when I see him on Austin City Limits or other shows, he's INTO it. But both times I've seen him in our area he seems like he's resentful for being stuck in some godforsaken town...... and when he gets the option to make tracks (a little bit of rain), it's SEE YA!

Arts on the Allegheny, the sponsoring agency had a lot of ancillary fundraisers (food, art, 50/50, etc.) that suffered when he quit early.

If they booked him for a show, I'm hoping he planned to play for at least 1 hour, and then start breaking down. Delbert played for 15 and waited for 10.

I remember Ernie Hawkins playing through miserable cold rain at 3RAF opening for richard Thompson.

But even when they pull the plug, there're bands that'll just come out acoustic and play like they did back before amplification. Entrain is a drummer's group that requires all members to be able to do a 15 minut timbale solo. when they cut the power to their show, it got BETTER, with 9 guys beating the hell out of congas, timbales, and drums and the entire crowd dancing in the rain.

what it comes down to is that some performers WANT to get a show in, not just satisfy a commitment.

re: BlueNotes readers speak

BLUZER — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:48:12 GMT

Dag, Dang, and Double Darn (keepin' it family-friendly)...I really wanted to see that Smither show. I should have paid a little more attention. It's my loss.

Tim wrote: 'Delbert pulled the plug fast, just like he did at 3RAF'

Bluzer sez: I once sat out in POURING ran to see Barrance Whitfield and the Savages at the TRAF many years ago. Barrance offered me a towel but by that time I was soaked to the bone and it wouldn't have made much of a difference. There weren't alot of people in the crowd (obviously) but the show went on. I was similarly soaked at Hartwood Acres during a Preservation Hall Jazz Band show. Still the band played on. Delberts' departure says alot about Mr. Mcclinton. Even the Polka bands at the J-Town Folkfest (sorry, the Flood City Music Fest) keep playing when it rains. I would think that if a band is booked to do a gig outdoors then the gig happens regardless of the weather. Call me crazy.

Bebe asks: Why do you think the rock groups think they are playing blues. how did this happen?

Bluzer answers: As far as they (the 'Rock' groups) are concerned in their minds what they play IS Blues. It's difficult to comment without knowing who, specifically, Bebe is refering to but I can say that if Bebe doesn't think the band in question is playing 'Blues' then as far as she is concerned the music isn't Blues. Other people may disagree with her assessment but, by God, I'll defend her right to have an opinion. As they say on this here Bluenotes Blog, "Who cares if it's Blues or not...Let the good times roll!!". Well, anyway, I just said it. To answer the question 'How' would require alot of explanation and history but if you want someone to blame you might as well blame Jimi Hendrix. Or Eric Clapton. Or electricity. As far as what you can do about it...make up your own mind and listen or walk. There's plenty of fish in the sea!!

Here's something else to ponder. If you think about it, the current PITTSBURGH Blues Festival is actually held in Allison Park (or wherever Hartwood is...Dorseyville?). Personally, I don't think the Pittsburgh Blues Festival will EVER be as good as it was when it was held at the Brewery. It was brilliant, out-of-the-box thinking and a truly great Pittsburgh location. To me, a festival's (or show's) location makes a big difference...that's why I could kick myself for missing Smither in Greenburg.

Mr. (or Ms.) unknown laments:It's another example of the sad promotional habits of Moondog's.

Bluzer replies: Get over it. It's been the same old story for as long as I've been following live music. At least you can be pretty sure Tommy Castro will be coming back to play in Pittsburgh. It was MUCH worse when I was following the Swing/Rockabilly bands. I had to really work to find out who was coming and where. (Does anyone know that Wanda Jackson is coming to Howlers in Bloomfield in July...I'd be surprised if you do). In my book, Moondog deserves alot of credit for the efforts he makes as far as bringing Blues-oriented entertainment into this city. I said it before and I'll say it again, If you ever want to know who's coming to Moondogs...ask Craig the Doorman. Yes, Moondog could have a stronger presence on the web (ie. a more detailed website) but he chooses not to. What are ya gonna do? It's his loss.

BLUZER Ruminates...

What a strange and weird day it was today in America. Not one but TWO big stars passing away. It reminds me of the day Elvis died...which was also the day Groucho Marx died. And Koko Taylor passed on the same day as Sam Butera. I'll admit I was and still am a big Motown fan (a fondness for Soul music is part of my DNA) but I'll also have to admit to wearing bell-bottoms and platform shoes when Disco music became all the rage during and after the Motown era. (Some things are best left forgotten...I was young and impressionable). Lucky for me, as Disco waned I discovered the Blues and it has become the music of my life. If I had the opportunity to live it all over again I wouldn't change a thing.

Here's a link to a video I'll post to honor the legacy of Michael Jackson...the Junior James Brown!! Regardless of what you might think of MJ...he sold (literally) tons of records!!

www.youtube.com/watch

Jimmy Adler is playing outdoors in Johnstown today...what a combination!! I just hope I can hear the band over the roar of the bikes.

BlueNotes readers speak

BlueNotes — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:01:43 GMT

Here are a few recent items sent in by yourselves (thank you very much) that I think are worth a little

re: Kim Wilson, Doug Deming: Blues with a feeling

Dutchomatic — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:45:09 GMT

Greetings all,

Reading the post and comments above reminded me of a few years back. Please pardon my typos.

Loved the old Thunderbirds lineup (of course) but I am a really big fan of Kid Ramos. I have a number of his CDs.

I have been playing, touring and recording a bit for a number of years. i don't do it anymore after my wife and I moved to Texas. Back in the 90s Rod Piazza and his band with Rick Holmstrom aka. LA Holmes did an amazing show in a dreadful venue back home in Arkansas in an Eagles Club. It was a local Blues Society event and i think the original venue plans fell thru at the last minute. I don't think Rod and his guys were all that very happy about the conditions. It reminds me of the scene from Spinal Tap where they were relegated to playing on an Air Force base for some "dance" or something. It seemed to come out in the treatment of fans between sets.

I had met Rick when he was playing with Johnny Dyer on the CD they did in the early 90s. I was stationed at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas. Seemeed like a nice guy and he even turned me on to a guitar shop in Phoenix that I ended up working in once I left the military. At the time I was playing similar in style to him as a big Hollywood Fats fan. He and I looked a lot alike, oddly enough, and that with the playing got me a one-nighter with Bill Tarsha's Rocket 88s at Warsaw Wallys in Phoenix. Bill had both Rick and another amazing guitarist Pat Boyack with him in Phoenix with the Rocket 88s before I got there. Bill's guys (and gal) were good to me, but I was moving back to Arkansas for college that very next week. We did a show with Pat Boyack and the Prowlers in 98 or 99 in Fort Smith. Those guys were good to us too. Great show.

I met Mr. John Hammond, Jr. while in Scottsdale AZ at the Rockin' Horse. He'd just completed his documentary on Robert Johnson at the time. John had played with Duke Robillard that night and after the show he and I sat and talked at length about making that documentary. John was such a genuine guy to talk to. There was an amazing lightning storm in Scottsdale all while he was playing. The sky was on fire. Once he stopped and Duke went on the storm had stopped. When John and i parted after talking the lightning came back with furious intensity. John shook my hand, smiled, and told me to "enjoy the weather". Can you imagine? I was 23 or 24 at the time. I will never forget that.

Cheers to you all and happy playing.