The Blues Blogger

Several weeks ago I wrote an article called Still Feeling the Groove. In that post I drifted back almost 40 years; recalling a time where change was occurring in the TheBluesBlogger household. The lively place I called home wasn’t so much fun anymore. We moved out of the house I grew up in and into a small apartment. The vibrant household was now filled with a close stressful silence. But it was always the music that made the hard times of growing up go away… So I filled my new bedroom with the sweetest sounds I could get… And in the process drove my poor impatient father crazy…

The Year Was 1969

and this was the time frame towards the end of the year, that both my sister and brother left town. I can clearly remember when I snagged my brother’s copy of The Allman Brothers Band self titled 1969 album debut. It seemed the album helped fill the void I felt when he moved out from the room we had shared all our life. At the time I certainly had a chip on my shoulder, but I do have to give my family credit for being the influence of so much music back then. Until this day, I have continued to hold on to some of those albums, The Allman Brothers Band’s first LP is one of them…

“Yes Bro it was me who took your album! Close to 40 years has passed and the mystery is finally over.”

I can’t remember the last time I heard this album, but it must be at least 25 years ago. So this weekend I gave it a spin; converting it to an MP3 format so I can be more active and mobile when listening. Right from the very first cut Don’t Want You No More, I was hooked once again. And for the next 35 minutes I took a reflective trip back through time.

I recall how my father thought it was just plain strange that a 9 year old could get so into listening to this stuff. But my father never shared a room with a guitar player who practiced these blues and jazz riffs all day and night. It must have been an innate necessity for me. It also helped me focus my nervous energy on something. Besides… somebody had to play some tunes, because the silence was far too deafening.

Since we moved to the apartment and my brother moved out of town, the Saturday afternoon rehearsals with his band were no more. There were no real instruments in the house for me to pretend with, so I replaced them with chop sticks, different size glasses of water, a comb and plastic film. This of course fueled my dad’s neurosis as I’m sure it sounded bad and the apartment was much closer quartered than our house… It would take over 8 years of separation, but eventually my brother and I did hook up when he moved into my apartment in NYC when I moved there in my late teens. The music would once again continue and a new found respect and partnership would form…

It’s impossible to sum up the almost 40 years of The Allman Brothers Band illustrious history in a few paragraphs. One thing for sure, right from the start, the band had so many challenges… In the beginning years of the bands existence, they endured the deaths of band members Duane Allman and Berry Oakley. Drugs would take its toll on most of its members. On again off again separations and re-unions resulted…

Throughout All the Years

from their 20th Anniversary re-union in 1989, to 1995’s Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction, 1996’s Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental performance for “Jessica,” the band has endured the test of time… In 1999, The Allman Brothers Band celebrated their 30th anniversary with an 18-night stand at New York’s Beacon Theater… The 21st Century also saw the Dickie Betts part ways, but still the band continues to this very day playing their special blend of genius for their fans and curious newcomers.

It is interesting to note that in 2003 out of Rolling Stone Magazine’s top 100 guitarists of all time, four are Allman Brothers alumni:

#2 Duane Allman
#23 Warren Haynes
#58 Dickey Betts
#81 Derek Trucks ( the youngest player on the list )

The Allman Brothers Band were the principal architects of Southern Rock. They combined many elements of music and helped advance the rock genre as a medium for improvisation along with bands such as Cream. To this day, the band remains a force to be reckoned with. As I write this, the band is currently on tour. I strongly suggest if you’re in the area that you check them out. They are an amazing band with a rich history and incredible musicians that will soulfully rock you through the past and into the future… You can find their current tour schedule by clicking the link here:

I must admit I have listened to their debut release several times while writing this piece. After all these years, it really was a great listen and a real blast reflecting on. What an inspiration they are …

The videos I chose in this post show two songs from their debut album; a then and now perspective of this amazing band. Notice original drummers Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson as they continue to shoulder the band after nearly 40 years…

Now I think it’s best to turn the ball over to the readers of this article. You can help by filling in those gaps with your comments… So do you have a favorite song? Or a favorite year and lineup that appealed to you the most? Where we’re you in 1969 as The Allman Brothers Band were carving their niche on the music world?

Tags: Blues News, Blues Reflections, Reflections, The Seventies, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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I do a lot of soul searching on this blog… I listen to selected pieces of music as a way to relax and ponder aspects of my life I haven’t thought of in many years. Recently I was thinking about how my life has changed since my heart attack last fall. One thing I know for sure, I feel more at ease when reflecting back to certain moments from my past… And for the first time ever, I’m beginning to get clarity on past events that were once complicated to comprehend.

I Was Inspired by Terry Kath

Between growing up listening to my brother play guitar every night and the sounds of Mike Bloomfield, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and then Terry Kath, it’s no wonder my interest in being an engineer in a recording studio developed. Yes I was young in the late sixties, but while there were many things I couldn’t comprehend because of my age, I was still miles ahead of any kid, or some adults for that matter, when it came to music.

Towards the end of 1969

circumstances were starting to shift drastically in my household. My father’s own heart attack in his late forties appeared to be a defining moment for several members of my family. He survived, but it was serious. It knocked him out of work force and he was never the same. His zest for life disappeared and that glow I so fondly remember was lost. The harmonica that he always carried around in his pocket I never saw again.

My mother worked hard putting in 6 days a week twelve to fourteen hours a day to make ends meet. Because I was only ten, and was too young to understand the scope of the situation, my thoughts became muddled in selfishness. It would be a point in time I have only recently come to understand as I blamed my father for so many unnecessary things.

As we headed into the seventies the vibrant house I grew up in became very sombre. My parents on one income could not afford the payments, and sold the house. Both my brother and sister decided to discover their own lives and moved out. My parents moved into an apartment where I would have my own bedroom for the first time. I spent all my time in that room hiding from all the things I didn’t want to understand. I got lost in my own thoughts and would listen to endless amounts of music… Everything I could get my hands on I would listen to. Any album cover I could read I would read… And I started to write; escaping into a world that would take me away from the bummer of my family going their separate ways…

Chicago Transit Authority

was a band that seemed to combine all the elements I heard in my household while growing up. It was a unique and very successful blend of genres. It was the first double LP I could call my own and a gift from my brother when he moved out of the room we had shared all our life. I then became enthralled by the incredible guitar work of Terry Kath and the soulful infectious rhythmic grooves I heard on the album.

Almost 40 years later

this LP stands out as a major influence to many musicians and older rock music buffs. The band owes more to artists such as Benny Goodman’s swing style rather than the rock riffs of Elvis or Buddy Holly. Original band members Walter Parazaider, Terry Kath, Danny Seraphine, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow, Robert Lamm, and Peter Cetera formed a group with a unique vision and the result was a diverse powerhouse that created a “new rock sound with horns.” The group’s desire to make it big turned out to be more successful than they ever dreamed.

As most people already know, the band shortened its name to Chicago for their second album and became a pop ballad juggernaut. While they gained huge massive appeal, many of their fans went elsewhere after their first two albums. For older music lovers and rock historians that first album has gone into the history books as a hugely creative, experimental and very musical piece of work on the same level as some of the best music ever produced in a debut effort.

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree

My own son tries to figure out in his own way how to deal with a father with a heart condition. When he gets concerned, I try and tell him that it’s a different era today than in his grandfather’s time. We know well more in advance as to what is going on. And we can take preventative measures long before it can get too out of hand… As I said in the beginning my priorities have changed … After 9 months since my own heart attack, thanks to my wife TBBW, I have lost over 50 pounds. I’m eating better than ever and have an appreciation and understanding of things I never had before. I also enjoy my long walks with my faithful golden retriever Lucille.

The Chicago Transit Authority album has played a huge significance in remembering moments in my past. But I have to ask you… Does CTA’s first album after 40 years play any significance in time for you? Do you have any favourites from this classic album in music history? Please leave your comments …

Tags: Reflections, The Seventies, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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FLASHBACK TO 1968

I have a passion for music. Some people may find that unusual … After all I am only seven years old.

You could always hear music playing in our house. No one really spoke too much; they seem to express themselves by either listening to music or playing different instruments.

I grew up listening to all kinds of tunes, but it was the blues that I first remember as it was played in my bedroom since my early days in the cradle. I shared my bedroom with my brother who was a musician. He played his guitar all night every night till the wee hours in the morning. Guitar licks have been laced into my earliest memories.

My brother is in a blues band, and our parents allow him to rehearse with his friends in the basement on Saturday afternoons. There were other things I could have been doing, but I loved hanging out during rehearsal. They have a fully staged setup down there. And this gave me the opportunity when no one was around to fool around with all the gear …

In the basement we also had our main turntable/sound system and my brother kept his album collection down there. Of course touching the LP’s or any of the instruments was strictly forbidden, but I had trouble understanding this notion. I couldn’t help it. Something inside of me needed to experiment with them.

There are too many LP’s to mention, but just to give you an idea there were albums such as East West from Paul Butterfield, A Hard Road by John Mayall and The Blues Breakers, Truth by The Jeff Beck Group, Wheels of Fire by Cream, and A Man and the Blues by Buddy Guy… Just to name a few.

I have a secret to tell you … The past few weeks whenever my brother isn’t home I’ll grab his guitar, cue up the turntable, sit down, and plug his axe into his Champ Amp. One of the songs on an album in my brother’s collection compelled me. The album is entitled West Side Soul and the song is called “All Your Love”. Something about the song grabbed a hold of me and it was bigger than any of the warnings I received telling to me to stay away from the stuff. So I started to play …

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Tags: Blues Reflections, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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Rehearsal 1968

I love Saturdays. In the basement of our house we were getting ready for another band rehearsal later in the afternoon, and there was no place I would rather be. However there were a few things that needed my attention in the morning. It was essential to watch my television shows; Programs like Underdog, The Flintstones, Spiderman, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and then American Bandstand. After all, I was only eight.

My brother and I would have some alphagetti for lunch. He would indulge in a piece of chocolate cake and a slice of processed cheese, which made me wince with disgust. After helping setup for practice, I would pay close attention to what needed to be done and try to learn better for the next time.

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. So while he was doing what he had to do, I was left alone to gawk at all the gear. I would never think of actually sitting down by the drum kit … Well… maybe just a few snaps on the snare….
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Tags: Blues Reflections, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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