The Blues Blogger

Last Summer

I was asked to write a piece on Buddy Guy’s album Skin Deep, which at the time was close to being released. In the article I mentioned how I warmheartedly remembered the music legend’s work from the sixties… I listened to Skin Deep, and immediately loved what I heard, but for some reason it made me drift back to an album Guy came out with forty years earlier.

A Man & the Blues was released in 1968, and today I can still visualize the album cover in my mind… I associate that particular LP to the upbeat atmosphere I was surrounded by at the time… In last year’s article I had to restrain from drifting too much. So I thought it might be cool to take the reflective trip I wasn’t able to make last year…

Church Gig 1968

Now I never normally go to church. That’s because I was more familiar with the synagogue further down the road. I remember thinking even at eight years old, how the Cantor when he sang sounded like Jack Bruce from the band Cream. That’s where my imagination led me even at that young age. A wild association I still get a kick out of telling today… Yes, I fondly recall those times being very buoyant indeed. So you could imagine how anxious I was going to church for the first time.

I helped my brother’s friend and roadie The Big F load the gear out of the basement of our house (where they usually rehearsed) to the church hall. The guys were playing one their first live gigs that night and I was helping them set up. I remember they even brought in a horn section to back them up. The gig was going to be more of a family evening of entertainment; a moment in time where friends, music lovers and neighbors would get together and just have a blast.

My brother’s band eventually got a reputation as a great blues party band. In 1968 my brother and his friends were all teenagers looking for an outlet to express themselves through the love of the music that inspired them. Their enthusiasm and musicianship was well received. The guys loved what they did and it showed.

Several of the songs that my brother and his musician friends rehearsed leading up to that gig were from the album A Man & The Blues. The tunes the guys played were “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” “One Room Country Shack” and they opened with the classic Berry Gordy tune “Money.” Many of those songs were versions Buddy covered on the album.

Back then I was too young to express how the music made me feel. All I knew was how important it felt to be around for some reason. And even though I knew deep down I wasn’t going to be a musician, I did know one thing: I needed to experience more of what was going on. I knew right then that music was going to play a big part in my life. It was just a matter of when.

Buddy Guy

was born in July 30th,1936 to a sharecropper’s family, and was one of five children raised on a plantation near the small town of Lettsworth, Louisiana. He learned to play guitar on a self made diddley bow and eventually began performing in the fifties with local acts in Baton Rouge.

Shorty after arriving in Chicago in 1957, Guy entered guitar battle contests on Sundays and Mondays against west side guitarists Magic Sam and Otis Rush. With help from Muddy Waters, he eventually got a recording contract. Some of his early influences were T-Bone Walker and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Guy also learned a thing or two from Guitar Slim (a.k.a. Eddie Jones)

“The first guitar player I saw putting on a show was Guitar Slim—I must’ve been 13 years old—he came out riding that guitar, wearing a bright red suit. I thought; ‘I wanna sound like B.B. King, but I wanna play guitar like that.”

In 1960 Guy worked at Chess Records and recorded “First Time I Met The Blues.” Later that same year he started working the first of what would be many projects with Junior Wells. As the sixties progressed, Buddy left Chess and soon got on a serious roll. He entered Billboard’s R&B charts, toured all over the world and shared the stage with many of the best musicians around at the time.

A Man and & The Blues is Buddy Guy’s first full length solo LP. It featured Otis Spann on piano, bassist Jack Myers and drummer Fred Below. This recording is essential listening for any fan of the blues old or new. Hearing the music once again certainly reminded me of the impact it played in my life.

As the sixties closed, so did a chapter in many of our lives. My brother and several of his friend’s would leave home and head out to the bigger cities in hopes of that one gig which would get them the attention they deserved… Buddy Guy continued to record throughout the seventies and eighties, but as the blues scene softened, so did the high profile gigs. It would take close to 20 years of perseverance, until new opportunities would flourish for Guy. And when it did, they would be huge! But that’s a story for another post.

Buddy Guy Summer Tour Schedule 2009

You definitely don’t miss the opportunity to see this true blues music legend as he continues his tour throughout this summer… Dates and show times are subject to change, so make sure you double check. If you want more information on Buddy Guy you can go to his web site by clicking here….The following are some dates that are lined up for this summer’s tour:

Buddy Guy Summer Tour Schedule 2009

JUNE

06/19/09 Charleston, West Virginia Mountain Stage @ Clay Center
06/20/09 Atlantic City, New Jersey Showboat Atlantic City - HOB
06/21/09 Vienna, Virginia The Filene Center @ Wolf Trap
06/23/09 Savannah, Georgia Johnny Mercer Theatre
06/24/09 Atlanta, Georgia Chastain Park Amphitheater
06/26/09 Saskatoon, Sask., CANADA Saskatchewan Jazz Festival
06/27/09 Winnipeg, MB, Canada Winnipeg Jazz Festival
06/30/09 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Summerfest

JULY

07/02/09 Montreal, Quebec, CANADA Fest Int’l De Jazz De Montreal
07/04/09 Chicago, Illinois Petro Music Shell/Grant Pk.
07/05/09 Detroit, Michigan Comerica CityFest
07/09/09 Burlington, Vermont Quadracentennial Festival
07/10/09 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
07/18/09 Council Bluffs, Iowa Mid-America Center Ribfest
07/19/09 Commerce City, CO Mile High Music Festival
07/23/09 Hyannis, Massachusetts Cape Cod Melody Tent
07/24/09 Verona, New York Turning Stone Resort Casino
07/25/09 Montclair, New Jersey Wellmont Theatre
07/26/09 Bridgeport, Connecticut Gathering Of The Vibes

AUGUST

08/01/09 Notodden, Norway Brygga
08/11/09 San Juan Cap., California The Coach House
08/12/09 Los Angeles, California Hollywood Bowl
08/14/09 Primm, Nevada Primm Valley Resort
08/15/09 Saratoga, California Historic Mountain Winery
08/27/09 Bethel, New York Bethel Woods Center For Arts
08/29/09 Westbury, New York Capital One Bank Theatre

SEPTEMBER

09/05/09 Ocean Springs, Mississippi The Shedd BBQ & Blues Joint
09/06/09 Bedford, Texas Bedford Blues Festival
09/12/09 Lincoln, Rhode Island Twin River Events Center
09/19/09 Telluride, Colorado Telluride Blues & Brews Fest.
09/26/09 Birmingham, Alabama Alys Robinson Stephens PAC

Have you seen Buddy Guy in concert before? Anyone checking out the shows listed above? Where were you when Buddy Guy’s 1968 release A Man & The Blues came out? Your comments are always welcome.

TheBluesBlogger

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Tags: Blues Reflections, Reflections, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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I feel a whole lot better this weekend! It’s funny, every time I get sick or injured, I always seem to trip back to the sixties. I guess forced relaxation can do that to some people… On that note, I’m going to take it easy this weekend. In the meantime, here’s a post from last year you may enjoy if you missed it the first time around.
~tbb

It Was The Year 1966

My brother knew his cue… Late at night when he heard our father snoring; he would grab his guitar from underneath the bunk bed and begin to play… On most nights I would only pretend I was sleeping. I would listen as he would re-create the sounds he had earlier spun on our console stereo system. It always sounded perfect to me… Not too shabby for a 14 year old guitar player! I was only six years old.

I remember three volumes of an LP called Chicago The Blues Today! My first recollection of Otis Rush is from that album. Along with many others, Otis will always be a part of my earliest musical memories. Chicago The Blues Today! represented the first time that many people were introduced to the sounds of Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Otis Spann, Buddy Guy and of course Otis Rush… He pioneered what was known as The West Side Sound and this album is a perfect example of that era.

One of the tunes I recall my brother playing in the middle of the night was from that LP. The song in particular was called “I Can’t Quit You Baby.” It was the first single and a vehicle for arranger/producer Willie Dixon to launch both Otis Rush’s career and Cobra Records.

“I Can’t Quit You Baby.” was originally released in 1956 and reached number 6 on the Billboard R&B charts… In Willie Dixon’s biography he explains that the song was written about a relationship that Otis was in at the time. Dixon drew from Rush’s experience and captured an emotional performance. The version of the song on 1966’s Chicago The Blues Today! was a little different than the original. However it ended up being the most covered version of the song…

Led Zeppelin did their take on the song on their 1969 debut self entitled album. Zeppelin regularly performed the song at concerts around 1968 to 1970… As well as so many other performers such as Buddy Guy & B.B.King, and Gary Moore.

Otis Rush

was born one of seven children in April 29, 1934, in Philadelphia, Mississippi …He sang occasionally in the church choir, but remained drawn to the country blues sounds of Tommy McClennan and Lightnin’ Hopkins.

In the winter of 1948 Rush went to Chicago and stayed with this sister. While working in the Chicago stockyards, he played harmonica and was inspired by watching Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers perform. Rush then began to study the guitar in 1953. A year later, he fronted a band under the name of “Little Otis.” He played his first job with Arkansas-born guitarist Bob Woodfolk. Otis was self taught and plays his right handed axe left handed and upside down without restringing it. It certainly contributed to his unique sound.

Rush combined his Mississippi roots with modern urban styles of the time. He produced a solid soulful sound with vocals that were capable of really wild falsetto shouts. During the sixties blues revival, Otis emerged as a guru to many well known musicians.

Even though it was his original version in 1956 that got inducted in the blues hall of fame in 1994, for me it was Otis’ sixties take of his song that I commonly remember. And how my brother was able to capture that energy; solo on the bunk bed below… One thing for sure, it’s a great memory for me.

If you are not familiar with Otis Rush, you can get more information regarding this amazing artist on his website. I think if you asked the question… What do Clapton, Hendrix, Bloomfield, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Peter Green all have in common? The answer is they were all influenced by Otis Rush.

Well I hoped you enjoyed another one of my little trips down memory lane? I could go on and on, but the idea is to get the readers of this blog involved in the discussion. So many of you have your own stories to tell… Please make sure you comment below.

Have a good one. I’ll be back soon…

The Blues Blogger

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Tags: Blues Reflections, Reflections, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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Flashback Summer 1969

I recall it well… I was helping The Big F, my brother’s friend/roadie, bring in the gear from last night’s gig… My brother was in his glory admiring his latest acquisition; a red 1964 Gibson SG standard. Then the boys, as they usually did on Saturday afternoons, started to rehearse. This time they were inspired by some tunes they heard on the latest Johnny Winter album…

I hung out for a while and then decided to go to the store for some soda. So I took my bike and starting making my way down the sidewalk… I remember thinking how cool it was that I could still hear them playing Mean Mistreater halfway down the block… I got distracted by my next door neighbor, who said something I didn’t quite hear as I cycled by. I glanced back momentarily to acknowledge her, and then as I turned around, I cycled right into a tree. If that didn’t suck, I fell off my bike and broke my arm.

My neighbor ran to my house and after ringing the doorbell several times, she managed to finally get The Big F’s attention. I still remember that crazed look of concern on his face as he ran down the street telling people to get out of his way. Without hesitation, he picked me up like I was a football. And proceeded to run into the house and let everyone know what happened… Off I went to the hospital. Yes, I guess I ended the rehearsal prematurely that day… Oh well, life is hard sometimes. No wonder I love the blues so much.

Present Time

Today almost 40 years later, I reflected about this while recovering from my ridiculous dirt bike incident over a week ago… Reminiscing, I went downstairs into my gym closet. After a moment, I pulled out my personal copy of Johnny Winter’s 1969 LP. It had been a while since I listened to it, so I put the album on my turntable and converted it to digital. I then get the sound of the vinyl with the convenience of MP3. It helps get my creative mind in motion… I started a mild walk on the treadmill, did some stretching and listened once again as I got swept away in one of my many reflective vinyl moments.

Johnny Winter

was born in February 23 1944. Playing clarinet at the age of 5, Winter made his first television appearance at 10 years old playing ukulele and singing on a local children’s show with his brother Edgar.

He first recorded with his band Johnny and the Jammers when he was 15 and released the single School Day Blues, which became a local hit. Winter was further inspired at the time by the live performances of classic blues artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King and Bobby Bland.

After a string of ventures throughout the sixties, Winter released his first album on Sonobeat Records called The Progressive Blues Experiment in 1968. On 1969’s self titled LP, Johnny Winter found himself backed by blues stars such Willie Dixon and “Big” Walter Horton on harp. As well as bass player Tommy Shannon, who would later get recognized as backing Stevie Ray Vaughan in Double Trouble.

The accomplishments and inspiration Johnny Winter has garnered is enormous. His life long dream of playing with Muddy Waters became reality in 1977, where he produced Muddy’s album Hard Again. The following year, he continued that success with Muddy’s I’m Ready, and then one final time in 1980 on King Bee. Together Muddy Waters and Johnny Winter’s partnership produced a number of Grammy Awards.

Winter performed at Woodstock, was on the cover of the first issue of Guitar World in 1980, and in 1988 was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. And if that ain’t cool enough, he even jammed with Jimi Hendrix.

“Like Bloomfield’s band and the Blues Project, Johnny Winter pulled blues classics, like ‘Mean Mistreater’ and ‘When You Got A Good Friend,’ back into the mainstream of rock music and forced rock guitarists once again to pay attention to their musical heritage and draw from it.” ~Gene Santoro

Listening to this album again sort of gave me the shivers. It certainly will go down as the soundtrack to some of my broken bones…. All kidding aside, I love this record. There are some albums that act like a time machine, and this one took me way back. It contains some of the most genuine and memorable blues that I recall then and now.

Johnny Winter On Tour

Winter gigged this past weekend with upcoming blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor and continues touring this summer and throughout the year… Here is a brief itinerary of his summer tour. Times and dates are subject to change, so make sure you double check.

Johnny Winter Summer Tour Schedule

MAY 2009

Mon 05/25/09 Cardiff, United Kingdom The Globe
Tue 05/26/09 Cardiff, United Kingdom The Globe
Wed 05/27/09 Bilston, United Kingdom The Robin 2
Thu 05/28/09 Falmouth, United Kingdom Princess Pavilion
Fri 05/29/09 Leamington Spa, United Kingdom TBA

JUNE 2009

Mon 06/01/09 Copenhagen, Denmark Pumpehuset Club
Wed 06/03/09 Helsinki, Finland Finlandia Hall
Fri 06/05/09 Solvesborg, Sweden Sweden Rock Festival Grounds
Sat 06/06/09 Fredrikstad, Norway Blues Camp Festival Grounds
Wed 06/17/09 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
Thu 06/18/09 Palatine, IL Durty Nellie’s
Fri 06/19/09 Canton, OH Downtown Canton
Sat 06/20/09 Lexington, MI Lexington Music Theatre Company
Fri 06/26/09 Carrboro, NC The ArtsCenter
Sat 06/27/09 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
Sun 06/28/09 Virginia Beach, VA 31st Street Park

JULY 2009

Fri 07/03/09 Portland, OR Tom McCall Park
Sun 07/05/09 Saskatoon, SK Bessborough Gardens
Fri 07/17/09 Chicago, IL Beverly Arts Center
Sat 07/18/09 Bay City, MI TBA
Sun 07/19/09 Windsor, ON Downtown Windsor

AUGUST 2009

Sat 08/01/09 Bellingham, WA TBA
Sun 08/02/09 Coos Bay, OR The Green Spot
Mon 08/03/09 Bend, OR Tower Theatre
Thu 08/06/09 Petaluma, CA McNears Mystic Theatre
Fri 08/07/09 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
Sat 08/08/09 Sonora, CA Mother Lode Fairgrounds
Mon 08/10/09 Grand Junction, CO Mesa Theater & Club
Tue 08/11/09 Denver, CO Oriental Theater
Wed 08/12/09 Colorado Springs, CO Armstrong Hall
Thu 08/13/09 Salt Lake City, UT Jeanne Wagner Theater
Fri 08/14/09 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House
Sat 08/15/09 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert House
Sun 08/16/09 Salmon Arm, BC Fairgrounds
Fri 08/21/09 Toronto, ON Exhibition Place
Sat 08/22/09 Gravenhurst, ON Peter’s Player

SEPTEMBER 2009

Wed 09/02/09 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
Thu 09/03/09 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre
Tue 09/08/09 Exeter, CA Orange Blossom Junction
Thu 09/17/09 New York, NY B.B. King Blues Club
Sat 09/19/09 Alexandria, VA Birchmere

During the Course of This Blog

I’ve featured some albums that were released in 1969. Johnny Winter’s self titled release came out almost 40 years ago to the date that I am writing this. If you’re unfamiliar I strongly suggest getting a copy of this. Sony Legacy re-issued this recording with five extra bonus tracks 5 years ago. It’s a great album for any fan old or new who wants a good dose of the blues from a true music legend. Just try not to hurt yourself when you listen.

This post represents only a small portion of Winter’s work. It’s impossible to cover the rich history and his contribution to the music world in just one blog post. Perhaps you can add your comments and help fill in some of the many gaps… Is there any Johnny Winter moments that comes to mind for you? Will you be checking out any of the shows listed above?

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Tags: 1969, Blues News, Blues Reflections, Reviews, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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