The Blues Blogger

A few days ago my brother emailed me some pictures I haven’t seen for more than 30 years. Some memorable images that acted as a strong reminder of the many articles I’ve written as The Blues Blogger. One of these was a piece I wrote last summer on Junior Wells… Since there are so many new readers in the past few months alone, and this December 9th,2009 marks what would have been Junior Wells’ 75th birthday, I thought I would republish the post. I hope you enjoy my musical memory…

The Year Was 1965

As many of you are already aware, music was a big part of my life growing up. In 1965 I was only five years old and my brother in his early teens. Nothing was cooler to me than hanging out with my brother. Back then he practiced guitar constantly, and those licks he worked on while we were growing up were embedded into my earliest memories…

As usual my brother grabbed his guitar case that was sitting in the corner of the room right next to his Champ Amp. With vast pride, he took out his baby blue Fender Mustang. Then he put on the strap and propped the guitar onto his shoulder; quickly sneaking a peek at himself in the mirror while plugging into his amp…

I sat down on the basement hide-a-bed. It had a cigarette burn the size of a saucer from one of my sister’s crazy parties. Shuffling through a few of his new albums lying on his amp, he picked an LP by Junior Wells entitled Hoodoo Man Blues. My brother gestured for me to be silent as he prepared to practice. Taking the record out of its cover and placing it on the turntable; the stylus hit the vinyl and the room swelled with that sweet sound! My brother would flawlessly play along.

 

 We're Ready [3:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup

Junior Wells

was born Amos Blakemore in Memphis Tennessee on December 9th, 1934. His career would span over 40 years. For those unfamiliar, Wells was famous for performing with the likes of Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Lonnie Brooks, The Rolling Stones and Van Morrison. Junior was also one of the major and influential players of Chicago’s vibrant, funky, electric blues sound in the late 1950’s and 60’s.

Raised on a farm in rural Memphis and Arkansas, Wells was inspired by the productive blues culture of Memphis and would learn harmonica from Little Junior Parker. After his parents separated, Junior and his mother eventually moved to Chicago in 1946. It was here where Junior discovered his future.

In his teens Wells often played hooky from school; finding whatever time he could to practice his craft. He would sneak into clubs, vying to “sit-in” with bands… One classic story is where Junior convinced his sister and her boyfriend at the time (a Chicago policeman) to take him to Sam’s Ebony Lounge to see Muddy Waters band.

“I went up to Muddy and told him I played harp… Muddy said he’d let me try. Little Walter said, “That little shrimp.” They stood me on a coke box to reach the mike and I made $45 in tips.” ~Junior Wells

When Little Walter left Muddy Waters in 1952, Junior got the call. He stayed with Waters until he was inducted into the army. However, Wells never let that stand in his way. He would go AWOL, and create some of his first recordings during that time.

In 1957, Wells hooked up with producer Mel London, who owned the Chief, Profile and several other record labels. The association resulted in many of Wells’ most memorable songs, including “I Could Cry” and “Lovey Dovey Lovely One” in 1957 and the R&B influenced classic (and one of my personal favorites) “Messin’ with the Kid” in 1960.

Junior was best known for his 1965 album Hoodoo Man Blues on Delmark Records, it featured Buddy Guy on guitar and the vibe emulated the smoky atmosphere of the era’s Westside Chicago blues bars. It made an impression on many people. The music from that LP will always remind me of some the first audible sounds that I recall.

As time progressed into the mid seventies, and after opening for the Rolling Stones with Buddy Guy in that time frame, little was heard of Wells on vinyl. He did however continue to have mass appeal at home and abroad throughout his career.

In 1997 on his album entitled Come on in This House, the critics took notice once again. It would seem that Junior was on the comeback. The album even won the W.C. Handy Blues Award for Traditional Blues Album.

Wells remained a powerful live performer. With one mesmerizing blast from his amplified harmonica, he would gain the respect of everyone in the room. Junior continued to perform until he was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer in the summer of 1997. That fall, while undergoing treatment, he suffered a stroke; sending him into a coma. Wells passed away in January 1998.

There are several compilations that were released after his death, as was the film Blues Brothers 2000, where he had a cameo appearance…

Back In The Mid Sixties

There was always these cool musical moments that took place in my household. My parents worked everyday and encouraged music as a form of escape and creativity. Eventually my brother added his friends to the practice sessions. By this time he was really getting his chops down and this lead to some serious rehearsals in our basement on Saturdays. And as a result, my interest in music grew further watching everyone rehearse.

Often there were audible music wars in the house as The Monkees, The Beatles and Paul Revere & The Raiders were blasting from my sister’s bedroom. But to me, even though I was so young, it was the blues that truly stuck in my mind the most. It seemed to come from somewhere deeper inside.

Do you have any favorite songs or memories of Junior Wells that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you…

The Blues Blogger

Tags: Blues Reflections, Reflections, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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The following article was written in the summer of 2008. It was a little untimely then, as it was just 39 years since The Allman Brothers Band’s debut release, and still many months before the 40th Anniversary tour. So I’m re-posting for those who missed it. And to commemorate the LP’s release 40 years ago this week.

Many years have passed since I heard The Allman Brothers Band 1969 release. So this weekend I gave it a listen. 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.

Towards The End of 1969

My family hit some hard times and out of necessity sold the house where lots of my early childhood memories began. As a result, we ended up all squeezing into a small apartment. My brother and sister (who at the time were in their late teens) would have no part of apartment living. So it really wasn’t a surprise when they moved on and opened new chapters in their lives…

The Saturday afternoon rehearsals with my brother’s band were no more, and the vibrant household I once knew was now filled with a close stressful silence… For me, I would eventually discover new creative ways to occupy my time, and in the process drive my poor father crazy.

At nine years old, I truly knew one thing for sure; music was going to play a big part in my future. It always motivated me and also eased the pain when challenging times struck… When I look back I can think of several albums that have been embedded into my memory banks, and The Allman Brothers Band’s first LP in 1969 is one of them. I also recall pinching my brother’s copy of the album before he left town. It seemed to help fill the void I felt when he moved out of town… So I flooded my new bedroom with the sweetest sounds I could find.

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 he 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.

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, 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…

Through 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 Dickie Betts part ways, but still the band continued to perform, playing their special blend of brilliance for their fans and curious newcomers.

It’s 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. The band remains a force to be reckoned with. I strongly suggest you see them if the opportunity arises. They’re an amazing band with a rich history and incredible musicians that will soulfully rock you through the past and into the future…

As a note of interest, in November of 1979 ten years after my first introduction to the music of The Allman Brothers Band, I made this crazy decision to move to New York. When I got there, I stayed with a friend who lived in Park Slope. Several months later my brother moved there too, and we ended up finding an apartment together. A new respect and alliance started to form. And the music continued once again.

The videos I chose in this post features two songs from The Allman Brothers Band November 1969 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 40 years…

Now I think it’s best to turn the ball over to the readers of this article. Do you have a favorite Allman Brothers song, album or moment you’d like to share? Where we’re you in 1969 as The Allman Brothers Band were carving their niche on the music world?

The Blues Blogger

Tags: 1969, Blues News, Blues Reflections, Reflections, The Seventies, The Sixties by The Blues Blogger
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The following was written November of 2007 and was originally featured on blogcritics.org. It came at a tough time where I was doing a lot of soul searching. Certainly one of my more personal pieces, it represents the creative building blocks for this blog and the therapeutic road to my recovery… I have re-posted this with some slight revisions and cosmetic changes.

November 2007

I haven’t written very much in the past 20 years. Recently I’ve rediscovered one of my greatest passions. There are many reasons for this that are not necessary for me to get into. That’s another story. Perhaps my recent heart attack gave me the opportunity to spend a fair amount of time reflecting back into my past.

I started listening to a lot of music recently and drifted back to my childhood. Maybe in some profound way I finally felt more justified to discuss my love of jazz music and especially blues. These latest events made me finally attempt to bring my love of music and writing together.

Growing up in the sixties I recall so many genres of music that played in our household. From The Beatles and The Monkees in my sister’s room, to big band jazz in the living room, to my brother’s turntable that spun the soulful sounds of electric blues and jazz in the bedroom we shared.

Music Was Everywhere

Tunes were always playing in our house even before my birth. It would appear I was breast-fed music and by the time I was in my early teens I developed a natural but unusual knowledge level for my age. My father played the harmonica and my brother the guitar. Together they would have jam sessions that filled the house with a vibrancy that I can never forget.

My grandparents were very orthodox, and while my parents never got too involved in Judaism, they thought that out of respect, they should make me understand my roots. I went to Hebrew School and studied up until I had my Bar Mitzvah at thirteen. I was the strange child that loved listening to the Cantor sing at the synagogue because I was convinced he sounded like Jack Bruce of Cream. To this very day I still think that!

It was this very thought wave that made me think… Is there a link between this? Maybe there was something to it. I know there are people who are going to think I’m off my rocker, but that’s OK. We’re all entitled to our opinion. I wanted to see if instinctively I felt something back then that I couldn’t explain until now.

I started thinking to myself… Out of all the blues and jazz music I remember, how many of these were Jewish? I mean the roots of blues originated in the late 19th century in the American south by African-American slaves forced to work from sunup to sundown. Hmmm… Sunup to Sundown… Sunrise Sunset… Sorry drifted off.

These slaves sang a rhythmic “call and response” to ease their brutal labor and to converse without knowledge of their masters. They were known as “field hollers.” One of the workers would shout a solo line, and then the others would repeat a harmony line, all while being in tempo with the work at hand. This is the seeds of the blues, and the improvisational style of early jazz would stem from this.

In Europe something interesting was developing…

At the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th, many of the Jewish people lived in the Pale of Settlement. This included the territory of present day Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Belarus. The Jewish people from these Eastern European parts borrowed and synthesized music from different cultures, including styles with North Africa. When this Jewish culture started arriving as a whole in America’s northern cities, they brought with them a style of music called the “Klezmer.” A word created when combining the words vessel and song together.

African Americans were escaping poverty, and in America’s south headed for a new beginning in the great cities of the industrial north. They brought the blues with them and started to form a new lifestyle away from oppression. In the formation of the blues, vocalists developed a style that was familiar, but at the same time not heard of before. During this time, horn and string players studied these blues singers, imitated their techniques and altered the sound to their own instrumental accompaniment.

W.C. Handy was one of these horn players and would eventually be known as the Father of the Blues. Jewish people and African Americans would live together in the big cities of New York, Boston, and Chicago; sharing their experiences with similar impoverished roots.

Al Jolson

is a name which comes to mind as somebody who best links the two cultures. Jolson’s The Jazz Singer was the first movie to use sound as dialogue. The movie is a creation of Jewish imagination and it tells the story of a dream and new found ambition in conflict with old world values in America at the time. Musically it’s a mix of jazz and Yiddish blues by way of Tin Pan Alley.

A professional scholar of musical studies could better explain the musical notes and the similarity in the Jewish musical roots to that of the blues…

The contributions of many Jewish performers would continue to influence the blues and jazz scene. The significant clout of artists like Artie Shaw, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Stan Getz and Irving Berlin were massive at the time, and that’s just to name a few. Many believe that George Gershwin was strongly influenced by his Yiddish background. The beginning clarinet of “Rhapsody in Blue” was definitely a Klezmer influence and Benny Goodman is also a good example of this. Not to compare myself by any means, but these were Jewish people with their roots in the synagogue like me.

My soul searching while I was recovering from my heart attack was now starting to come together. There was something I felt back then. The big band jazz and sleepless nights of soulful blues was finally making sense. It would certainly explain why my father would play his harmonica and jam with my brother, and so profoundly be turned off by The Monkees and even The Beatles.

Fast Forwarding to the Sixties

The contributions of Jewish people in blues and jazz continued, and I recalled my brother spinning music of The Paul Butterfield Band on his turntable. Mike Bloomfield, who received his first guitar as a Bar Mitzvah present, would contribute and inspire a new generation of musicians and fans. It really didn’t matter where he was from; the sound was pure and heartfelt. Everyone, including all the blues giants couldn’t deny his talent. Bloomfield was so dedicated to his craft, he turned down going on the road with Bob Dylan to stay with Paul Butterfield.

By the way, speaking of Dylan, between Al Kooper’s The Blues Project and the Highway 61 Sessions Revisited, there were so many Jewish contributions you could have easily had a minion if you needed to.

In the sixties, John Mayall and the Blues Breakers were carving a name for themselves in the British Blues scene. Now don’t get concerned, I’m not going to tell you that Eric Clapton was Jewish. However, when Clapton left The Blues Breakers he was replaced by a Jewish blues man called Peter Greenbaum, more commonly known as Peter Green.

Green would eventually be known as a pioneer of the British blues scene. Everybody would marvel at the sound that Green would generate from his famous 1959 Gibson Les Paul. B.B. King would go on to say that Green,

“…has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.” ~ B.B. King

Similar to Clapton, Green only worked on one major album with John Mayall and the Blues Breakers and would go on to form a little known band of his own called Fleetwood Mac. Just in case you never knew, he also wrote “Black Magic Woman,” made famous by Santana.

I mentioned earlier about Jack Bruce. My research leans towards the fact that while certainly Scottish, he has some Jewish ancestry. I cannot prove that notion, but he always had the Cantor feel to me. However his songwriting partner Pete Brown, responsible for many of Cream’s hits was definitely Jewish. So maybe Brown did have some Klezmer influence on Jack. Who knows!

I feel I could go on and write more on this subject. There are so many names to mention. I’m sure that many of you who are reading this are coming up with a few yourselves? We can always touch on this through your comments.

Anyways… I hope you found it interesting.

I think it’s important to know that this subject matter is quite vast and has viewpoints that are not very positive. I have chosen not to touch upon those areas. My whole approach to writing is not to concentrate on the negatives, but to be positive and upbeat. Music has and always will be my great love. When all is said and done, it doesn’t matter who we are or where we’re from. We will always feel sorrow, joy, anger and love together through song.

Feeling Good,

The Blues Blogger

Tags: Blues Reflections, Classic Rock, Jazz, Jazz Reflections, Reflections, The Sixties, blues by The Blues Blogger
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