The Blues Blogger

Today (July 30th, 2010) music legend Buddy Guy turns 74. To mark the occasion, here’s an article I wrote last summer with some updated tour information. I hope you enjoy it. ~tbb

In the Summer of 2008

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.

You definitely don’t miss the opportunity to see this true blues music legend as he continues his tour throughout this summer and into the fall… 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….

Buddy Guy Tour Schedule 2010

Latest Dates Announced

09/03/10 Naperville Last Fling Naperville, IL
09/04/10 American Music Festival Daytona Beach, FL
10/01/10 House Of Blues Boston, MA
10/14/10 Rothschild Pavillion Rothschild, WI
10/19-20/10 Birchmere Alexandria, VA
10/22/10 Count Basie Theatre Red Bank, NJ
10/26/10 The Grand Opera House Wilmington, DE
10/27/10 Pullo Center @ Penn State York, PA
10/28/10 Maya Center for the Perf. Arts Morristown, NJ
10/30/10 Westhampton Beach P.A.C. Westhampton, NY
11/05/10 Silverton Casino Las Vegas, NV
02/06/11 Mahindra Blues Festival Mumbai, India

With Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

07/28/10 Madison Square Garden Arena New York, NY
07/30/10 Birchmere Alexandria, Virginia
07/31-08-01 Wachovia Center Philadelphia, PA

With B.B. King

08/11/10 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA
08/12/10 San Miguel Indian Bingo/Casino Highland, CA
08/13/10 Chumash Casino Santa Ynez, CA
08/14/10 Harrah’s Rincon Pavilion Valley Center, CA

With The Robert Cray Band

08/17/10 Tulalip Amphitheatre Tulalip, WA
08/18/10 Rogue Theatre Grants Pass, OR

With B.B. King

08/20/10 Ironstone Vineyards Theater Murphys, CA
08/21/10 Mountain Winery Saratoga, CA
08/24/10 Deer Valley Outdoor Theater Park City, UT
08/25/10 Red Rocks Amphitheater Morrison, CO
08/27/10 Zoo Amphitheatre Oklahoma City, OK
08/28/10 Black Oak Amphitheatre Lampe, MO
08/29/10 Allen Event Center Allen, TX
09/11/10 Bull Durham Blues Festival Durham, NC
09/18/10 Sandia Amphitheatre San Diego, CA
10/01/10 House of Blues Boston, MA

With Jonny Lang

10/7-10/8 Northern Lights Theater Milwaukee, WI
10/09/10 Horseshoe Southern Indiana Elizabeth, IN
10/10/10 Sangamon Auditorium Springfield, IL
10/15/10 Historic Surf Ballroom Clear Lake, IA
10/16/10 State Theater Minneapolis, MN
10/23/10 Patriots Theatre Trenton, NJ
10/24/10 The Ridgefield Playhouse Ridgefield, CT
10/29/10 Ulster Performing Arts Center Kingston, NY

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.

The Blues Blogger

Tags: Blues Music Awards, Blues Reflections, Reflections, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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“I’m excited about releasing some new music for the audience and for my band and for me to play. This material we’re just releasing now we’ve been working on stage for the last couple of years and it’s been going over really, really well and it’s just worked out that now seemed like a good time to release a record.”~ Steve Miller

Saturday Morning – Breakfast

My wife TBBW and I sat down for a scrumptious Ukrainian breakfast at a local neighborhood eatery with some good friends. Many months had passed since our last get together. I commented on how amazed I was that half of 2010 had gone by. And that so many different, but positive changes had already taken place in our day gigs for both my wife and I. This was something I predicted would be the case the last time we all got together.

As our server warmed up our coffee, I was asked if The Blues Blogger had any new posts lined up. I told everyone how concerned I was because during the transitional stages of the last six months, I felt some of my older readers may have noticed that I’ve been posting less frequently. And I hoped they understood.

I then mentioned I was writing an article on Steve Miller. Just hearing the name had everyone flashing back to a moment where one of his tunes played like a soundtrack to their past. But it also met with some curiosity and a few questions. Why Steve Miller? And how does he relate to the blues? These were all very good questions. He may be known to many as the “Space Cowboy” or the “Gangster of Love,” but his background is as vibrant as all the upbeat recognizable songs.

Several Years Ago

I wrote an article where I highlighted a song called Loan Me a Dime that Boz Scaggs recorded from the album of the same name back in 1969. In that piece I mentioned that Scaggs grew up in Texas with rock legend Steve Miller. In fact it was Miller that taught Scaggs some guitar chords and convinced him to join his band. For me it was actually Boz’s album in 1969 that introduced me to the late sixties psychedelic blues sound of Steve Miller. I’ve enjoyed both of them since.

Steve Miller

was born October 5, 1943 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Steve’s father was a jazz enthusiast, hat salesman, pathologist and amateur recording engineer. And his mother was a jazz-influenced singer.

Miller’s godfather Les Paul (pioneer of the electric guitar and multi-track recording) taught him his first guitar chords at the age of five. Paul and his wife Mary Ford were one of the regulars who stopped by the Miller household. Steve’s father was also the best man at Les Paul and Mary Ford’s wedding. It was Paul who encouraged a young Steve Miller to utilize his talent.

The Miller family later moved to Dallas Texas in 1950. At St. Mark’s School Miller put together his first band “The Marksmen.” This was also where (as I mentioned above) Miller met classmate Boz Scaggs. Steve would eventually graduate from Woodrow Wilson High School.

Another regular in the Miller house was T-Bone Walker. Steve’s father used to record Walker and his playing became a huge influence on Steve.

Returning to Wisconsin in 1962, he entered The University of Wisconsin–Madison, and put together a band called The Ardells along with Boz Scaggs who joined down the road.

After briefly attending The University of Copenhagen in Denmark, Miller returned to the U.S. and moved to Chicago. He would learn the ropes in the same Chicago sixties setting that Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop thrived.

Absorbed in the Chicago blues scene, Miller got the opportunity to play with guys like Paul Butterfield. He also found himself jamming with blues legends such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Buddy Guy. It was a very influential time. And Miller realized, if he hadn’t already, that music would be a part of his life forever.

In 1965 Miller and keyboardist Barry Goldberg formed the Goldberg-Miller Blues Band; eventually getting a steady gig at a New York City blues club… After his stint with Goldberg, Miller moved back to Chicago. Feeling it was time to move on, he made the decision to buy a used Volkswagen bus and go to San Francisco. Impressed by the lively scene, he decided to stay… The Steve Miller Blues Band (later known as just the Steve Miller Band) was born.

The first three albums Children of the Future, Sailor, and Brave New World weaved psychedelic rock with blues; generating a unique style. As most of you all know, Steve would later go on to become a rock icon with enormously popular hits in the seventies and eighties. But it was during the period I mention above that signifies Miller’s roots…

And this is the setting and influence that brings his latest album to life.

Bingo!

The Steve Miller Band’s first studio release in 17 years, takes a look back at the music that initially inspired him; his true roots – The Blues.

Bingo! was recorded at filmmaker George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch and co-produced by Andy Johns. (The Rolling Stones, Free, Led Zeppelin and Blind Faith) The album features energetic covers of ten blues and R&B classics. Songs like “Rock Me Baby,” “Tramp” and “You Got Me Dizzy” along with three Jimmie Vaughan tunes are just some of the classic blues numbers you’ll hear on Bingo! Some of the tracks feature Michael Carabello, Latin percussionist and founding member of Santana. Miller can also be found trading licks alongside guitarist Joe Satriani. This is the first of two parallel releases planned by Miller’s Space Cowboy label and Roadrunner Records.

BINGO! will be released in two formats: a 10-track digipack CD and a special edition with 4 bonus tracks and expanded artwork by Storm Thorgerson. The same person responsible for artwork packages for Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd.

With a gorgeous touring stage by Broadway designer Rob Roth, Miller and his fellow band-mates will perform in selected cities this summer. It’s a positive feel good setting and an experience that aims to please all Steve Miller fans old and new alike.

Our Breakfast Concluded

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. It’s good to get together with friends. Unfortunately with busy schedules, it never seems to happen enough… As we headed towards our vehicles, I was asked how I knew all this stuff. It’s not so much the information I retained over the years, but really my love of music and writing that brings it all together. There are lots of opinions which are formulated regarding artists without really knowing their background. It’s that additional information that as a writer and music lover really puts the artist’s work in perspective for me.

Looking at the life and times of Steve Miller runs like a screenplay through my mind. I have so many cool visuals that I often find it difficult putting it to words. The videos included in this article show Steve talking about his cool past, and help fill in the gaps beautifully. Please check them out; I think you’ll find them very interesting indeed.

Did you know of Steve Miller’s Chicago blues roots and encouragement by blues greats such Otis Rush, T Bone Walker, Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy? Will you get the chance to see Steve this summer? Please add your comments below.

I’d love to hear from you!

The Blues Blogger

— The Steve Miller Band 2010 Summer Tour —

For updated times and concert info, please go to the Steve’s site by clicking here.

June 2010

June 07 Pepsi Center – Corner Brook, NL
June 08 Mile One Center – St. John’s, NL Canada
June 12 Hilton Hotel – Atlantic city, NJ
June 13 MGM Grand – Mashantucket, CT
June 30 Molson Amphitheater – Toronto, Ontario

July 2010

July 02 DTE Energy Music Center – Clarkston, MI
July 03 Taste of Chicago – Chicago, IL
July 05 DE Montreal Jazz Fest – Montreal, QC
July 09 Pechanga Resort – Temecula, CA
July 10 Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
July 11 Greek Theater – Los Angeles, CA
July 14 Chateau Ste Michelle Amp – Woodinville, WA
July 15 Edgefield Amp – Troutdale, OR
July 16 Les Schwab Amp – Bend, OR
July 17 Raley Field – Sacramento, CA
July 24 PNC Park – Pittsburgh, PA
July 25 Churchill Downs Fest – Louisville, KY
July 27 Wolf Trap – Vienna, VA
July 29 Biltmore Estate – Ashville, NC
July 30 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Alpharetta, GA
July 31 Amphitheater at the Warf – Orange Beach, AL

August 2010

August 10 Wisconsin State Fair – West Allis, WI
August 12 Eagle River Pavilion – Boise, ID
August 14 Mile High Music Fest – Denver, CO

September 2010

Sept 17 Fender Center Museum – Corona, CA
Sept 18 Verizon Amphitheater – Irvine, CA
Sept 22 Oracle Open World Fest – San Francisco, CA

October 2010

Oct 02 Sun Life Stadium – Miami, FL

Tags: Blues News, Blues Reflections, Classic Rock, New Releases, The Seventies, The Sixties, blues by The Blues Blogger
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The following article was originally featured Dec 3rd, 2007 on blogcritics.org. Coincidentally a few weeks later, Little Walter was inducted into The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. The timing made this a very popular piece… As May 1,2010 would have been Little Walter’s 80th birthday, I’ve re-posted the article adding the video below for any of my readers who might have missed it the first time around. ~tbb

Rehearsal 1968

I love Saturdays… In the basement of our house we were getting ready for another band rehearsal in the afternoon, and there was no place I would rather be. However, there were a few other things that captured my attention. I didn’t have many, but they were some shows on TV I liked to watch. Programs like Underdog, The Flintstones, Spiderman, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and then American Bandstand. Why not? After all, I was only eight.

My brother and I would have canned spaghetti for lunch. After that he’d indulge in a piece of chocolate cake and a slice of processed cheese, which made me wince with disgust.

While helping setup for practice, I would pay close attention to what needed to be done, and learn as much as possible.

BROTHER: Whatever you do, don’t fart around with the gear. I’m serious.

TBB: Don’t worry. I wouldn’t think of messing with everyone’s stuff.

BROTHER: The last time I left you alone you bit my guitar. I see those bucktooth marks every time I play.

TBB: That was years ago… Besides it adds some character.

BROTHER: That type of character I can do without.

My brother had to leave for a while to get something that can only be left to the imagination. My parents were at work and my sister was nowhere to be seen. No one thought much of leaving a kid alone for a few hours back then. Besides I could be trusted. I was left alone to gawk at all the gear. But I would never think of actually sitting down by the drum kit… Well… maybe just a few snaps on the snare…

It sounded good to pound away at the drums. I would imagine I was Gene Krupa and continued to hammer away… How terrible I must have sounded. But it sure felt great… I then went to the bass guitar, picked it up, took a seat and plugged into the amp. Cranking the volume I plucked away at a few of the strings and decided to stop when a bit of plaster came off the ceiling and landed onto the floor… Hmm… maybe I should clean that up.

I grabbed my harmonica that I received as a gift… Hovering over our Admiral console player I found a 45 already on the turntable. It was a Checker Records single called “Key to the Highway” by Little Walter. Placing the stylus in its groove, I positioned the harmonica close to the mike and played along… Who was this Little Walter I thought? He was amazing. I would amuse myself by playing along; getting lost in my imagination. He was unlike any harp player I heard before. Little Walter breathed life into an instrument that I only knew as a toy.

I often thought to myself how cool it would be to actually play music, but those were only fleeting moments. Truthfully I wasn’t interested in being a musician. I wanted to do something different. I wasn’t sure what it was I wanted to do, but I knew it had to involve music.

I finished up my little session and by the time I tidied up, the boys came barreling down the stairs eager to rehearse.

DRUMMER: (sitting down on stool) What’s this white crap on my kit?

BASS PLAYER: (concerned) Hey kid … Where’s your sister?

TBB: I don’t think she’ll bug you … She’s not home.

BASS PLAYER: (relieved) That’s good… I don’t think that chick likes me.

I briefly asked the guys about Little Walter and they told me a little bit about him. They mentioned he died in a street fight in Chicago. What a terrible outcome for such a talented musician. He was only 37. My brother and his friends were working on a few of his tunes. One of those songs was Key to the Highway, which Walter did a version of.

The other song was called Off The Wall. It was the first song on their list to go through. The rehearsal went on for almost 2 hours, and I listened with enthusiastic interest.

Walter Marion Jacobs

known as Little Walter was born May 1, 1930 in Marksville, Louisiana. He taught himself harmonica at the age of 8. After quitting school at 12, Jacobs left Louisiana and traveled wherever his mood took him. He would work at all types of jobs and busk on the streets of New Orleans, Memphis and St. Louis. Little Walter would later honed his skills with great blues man like Sonny Boy Williamson and Big Bill Broonzy, who originally wrote Key to the Highway.

In 1948 Little Walter hooked up with Muddy Waters, and while playing in the Chicago clubs, helped define electric blues. Walter played the amplified harmonica by holding a small microphone in his cupped hands, and achieved a saxophone like sound that expressed his highly creative improvisations. Walter’s ground-breaking playing and distinguishing sound contributed deeply to Muddy’s recordings of the early 1950’s.

The tunes my brother’s band was rehearsing at that time were more from Little Walter’s solo career which began in 1952. Walter formed a group called The Jukes with David and Louis Myers on guitars and Fred Below on drums. This trio were known as The Aces and had been working previously with Junior Wells.

A Loud F Sharp Came From Upstairs

Sometime during rehearsal my sister came home. Storming down the stairs right in the middle of one of the tunes she sneered directly at the bass player. She then yanked the cord from his amp and the outlet almost came off the wall. They continued without missing a beat even though the whole bottom end disappeared. As my sister briskly went back upstairs you could now hear in the distance The Monkees “Last Train to Clarksville” blend into the missing bottom end. This always signified the end of practice for the day.

From 1952 to 1968 Little Walter recorded about 100 titles of which about half were issued on record as of the early 1970’s. Previously unreleased material has made its way to CD’s, and is a great tribute. For a brief time frame in 1964 Little Walter did a tour of England with The Rolling Stones. The years during and after these times were not glorious and would eventually end in his tragic death.

Little Walter inspired artists like Clapton to Butterfield and many other great musicians of our time. I feel very fortunate to have such rich memories and Little Walter is one of those special musicians that helped influence my love for the blues.

It’s been over 40 years since we lost Little Walter. Do you have a memory or favorite Little Walter song? Can you recall a harp player that amplified his sound prior? Feel free to add your comments.

The Blues Blogger

Tags: Blues Reflections, Reflections, The Sixties, blues by The Blues Blogger
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