Blues Matters 77

FROM THE USA!

DENNIS WALKER BLUES BROTHERS FROM THE UK!

WILKO JOHNSON

STEVE RODGERS BLUES BOY DAN SAVOY BROWN AND MORE!

FROME, MONAGHAN AND SKEGNESS

MICHAEL KATON THE BOOGIE MAN FROM HELL!

FROM HOLLAND!

Welcome, welcome to the show! We have another mega issue to keep you involved, including chats with Robert Cray on his new album, the head of the Blues Foundation, Jay Sieleman. Lengthy dialogue with Michael Katon (which had to be split into two parts) prodigy Blues Boy Dan, son of the voice (Paul Rodgers) Steve Rodgers and the talented Tom Gee plus so much more so enjoy.

It was a thrill once again to have worked with the Entertainments team at Butlins and once more the plaudits for the BM Jaks stage have been extremely good so we thank the many of you who love the artists we bring for your pleasure.

We should all be shouting it out for David Migden & The Twisted Roots who are representing the UK (as BM! Writers Poll Best Newcomers 2013) at the 4th European Blues Challenge, taking place in Riga, Latvia. Our UK nominations have done very well in this event so shout it out for them!

Finally (and sadly) we part company with Geraint (Gez) Morgan who is moving on to a new challenge. Our team have been wishing him well for the future as we are sure you all will. He will be missed. Gez, (took me ages to get used to saying that instead of Geraint!) I shall miss your company and trust the future will be kind to you (and your lady, bless ya Sara, look after him), Alan.

We are spartacus!

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cOntributing Writers: liz aiken, roy bainton, adam bates, adrian blacklee, bob bonsey, eddy bonte, Dave butler, Colin Campbell, bob Chaffey, martin Cook, Norman Darwen, lauren Dove, Dave Drury, Hugh Fielder, barry Fisch, linda Fisher, sybil Gage, Diane Gillard, stuart a. Hamilton, brian Harman, Natalie Harrap, Gareth Hayes, trevor Hodgett, billy Hutchinson, Peter Innes, brian Kramer, Frank leigh, mike lightfoot, Geoff marston, Ian mcHugh, Christine moore, Jennifer Noble, martin ‘Noggin’ Norris, merv Osborne, mike Owens, Iain Patience, Frankie Pfeiffer, Clive rawlings, sarah reeve, Darrell sage, Paromita saha, Pete sargeant, Dave ‘the bishop’ scott, Graeme scott, Peter simmons, andy snipper, ashwyn smyth, Dave stone, suzanne swanson, richard thomas, Kevin legs’ Walker, tom Walker, Dave Ward, Daryl Weale, Kevin Wharton, Iain Young, steve Yourglivch.

cOntributing pHOtOgrapHers:

Christine moore, liz aiken, annie Goodman, Jennifer Noble. Others credited on page

© 2014 blues Matters! Original material in this magazine is © the authors. Reproduction may only be made with prior consent of the Editor and provided that acknowledgement is given of

20 u.p. wilSon, FroM THe blueS arcHive

VISUALS: PAUL Reed

REGULARS

11 Happpenin’

Keeping you up to date with all the news from the Blues. We take the road to Siberia, meet DJ Ian McKenzie, check out Kitchat, visit the Blues Archive and you give us your Feedback.

22 blueS Top 10

Julian Sas – Holland’s premier bluesman talks about his influences.

58 DenniS walker

Part One with the revered record producer and song writer.

64 MicHael kaTon

68

72

28 blue blooD

New talent. Featuring Sunday Wilde, Forty 4, Calum Ingram, Bonnie Mac, Buck & Evans and The Graveltones.

98 reD lick Top 20 Red Lick presents their bestselling blues albums.

108 rMr blueS Top 50

The Roots Music Report independent airplay chart. The blues that matter!

INTERVIEWS

34 wilko JoHnSon

Part Two of an in-depth look at his music, life and legacy.

40

Part One with the Blues Boogie man from Hell!

Jay SielMan

The man behind The Blues Foundation talks to BM.

blueS boy Dan owen

His journey so far and aspirations for the future.

FEATURES

76 THe blueS broTHerS

Part Two. Diving deeper into the history of the Blues Brothers.

82 unDer THe raDar

Finland’s own Black River Bluesman, the one-and-only Jukka Juhola.

88

Savoy brown

Part Two with Blues legend Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown.

46 ToM gee

Young and full of fresh ideas, a purveyor of red hot funk and blues.

54 STeve roDgerS

The son of Paul Rodgers is taking his own road with the blues.

beTSie brown

Top US Blues PR tells us about her journey from Norwich, Norfolk to Memphis, Tennessee.

REVIEWS

93 albuMS

114

Including Eric Jerardi. Geraint Watkins, Dan Bubien, Paul Rodgers, Sidewinder, Luke Jackson and more.

SHowTiMe

Festival highlights, including Lucerne, Harvest Time, the Great British Rock & Blues festival and Frome. Plus regular gig reviews across the Blues spectrum.

KEnnY wAYnE Is gOIn’ hOmE

Kenny Wayne Shepherd will release Goin’ Home on May 5th through Mascot Records. To coincide with the release Kenny undertakes a whistle stop 15 date European tour that includes performing at London’s O2 Academy, Islington on Wednesday the 30th of April.

The album will feature music that has influenced Kenny and includes songs originally recorded by the likes of BB King, Albert King, Bo Diddly, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and more. Guest musicians include Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Keb Mo, Robert Randolph, Kim Wilson and many others.

ALLMANS TO CALL IT QUITS

In a recent interview, Gregg Allman said that The Allman Brothers Band will stop touring at the end of 2014. When asked about the band’s future, Allman says, “This is it, this is the end of it.” He goes on to say, “45 years is enough and I want to do something else, anyway. Everyone has their own, real good prospective bands.” However, Allman leaves the door open to possible reunions down the road. Whose to say? We may get together every five years and just do one play at a time.”

As previously reported, Allman Brothers Band guitarists Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks will leave the veteran group at the end of 2014. Allman will continue to tour with his recharged Gregg Allman & Friends project. The singer/ organist recently expanded his solo project to include a full horn section and longtime Allman Brothers Band percussionist Marc Quiñones. Keyboardist Ben Stivers and bassist Ron Johnson (Warren Haynes Band, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe) also recently joined the outfit.

GOOdBYe: the ALLMAn BROtheRS

hERE’s ThE PROOF...

The Proof have made a very quick and powerful impression on the Blues scene. The idea came about from Roger Cotton, producer and keyboard player of the album, 100% on Note-music.

Having been a member of Peter Green’s Splinter Group for some 10 years as a writer and producer as well as musician Rogers’ CV includes producing Buddy Guy, Honeyboy Edwards, Hubert Sumlin and touring for four years with Buddy Whittington’s band producing the highly sought after album, Bag Full Of Blues.

Along with long time musical collaborator Paul Cox, The Proof arrived. Touring extensively since April 2013 and the album and live shows have picked up five star reviews. The CD available on www.note-music.co.uk

nInE BELOw ZERO REunIOn AnD REIssuEs

Nine Below Zero are reforming their classic line-up for a series of live dates during 2014. From Feb 27 through to Mar 29 they will play 22 UK dates, supporting The Stranglers on their UK tour, followed by their own 30-date UK tour in the autumn. The two

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wALTer TrOUT CeLebrATeS 25 yeArS

2014 is a very special year for Walter Trout. The blues veteran is celebrating his Anniversary as a solo artist. 1989 was the year he struck out on his own and never looked back. For a man whose previous lifestyle and former addictions made him a candidate for early self-destruction, he has since matured into one of the world’s premier exponents of blues rock.

In celebration Provogue Records will be releasing ten of Walter’s back catalogue albums as a Limited Edition Deluxe Vinyl Series throughout 2014, the high quality 180g vinyl editions will be limited to 2,000 copies per album (worldwide).

Release schedule for Walter Trout’s 25th Anniversary Edition

WALteR tROUt: ReAdY tO CeLeBRAte

vinyl series begins in March:

3 March 14 – release date for No More Fish Jokes

7 April 14 – release date for Deep Trout

5 May 14 – release date for The Outsider

7 July 14 – release date for Positively Beale Street

18 Aug 14 – release date for Breakin’ The Rules

8 Sept 14 – release date for Life in the Jungle

6 Oct 14 – release date for Unspoiled By Progress

3 Nov 14 – release date release date for Transition

1 Dec 14 – release date for Prisoner of a Dream

15 Dec 14 – release date Face The Music

New IDLE HANDS ALBUM

Widely acclaimed as “One of the UK’s Best Blues Rock acts” and picking up three top three nominations in BM’s 2013 Writers Poll including ‘Best UK Band’ category, The Idle Hands will release their hotly anticipated new album

sIEgAL TO PLAY sEcRET sOLO shOws

Ian Siegal is about to hit the road, including a three day artist-inresidency at the Top Secret Blues festival in Scarborough. This mini-tour finishes with an intimate show at Camden’s Green Note in London. After a short break he hightails it to the Netherlands, where he will be the featured guest on one of the nation’s biggest TV shows.

He then commences a band tour, starting at the North Sea Jazz club in Amsterdam (April 17), taking in four more locations in the Netherlands and then switching to the UK for 10 dates including Scala in London’s Kings Cross, where he plays a double-header with celebrated Hungarian band, Quimby. At the end of May he flies to the USA for shows and festivals on the eastern seaboard and then it’s a continental hop to Russia for five shows. The summer sees him playing festivals and

clubs in Belgium, Italy and Spain. In September he travels to Austria with his band for a run of eight shows. Early October is earmarked for a return to the USA, and then there is another run in Europe taking in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.

November will see Siegal touring as a duo with the American Jimbo Mathus, whom he met in North Mississippi when recording. A multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer. Among Mathus’ many credits is the production of Buddy Guy’s Sweet Tea album. The duo tour is scheduled for 20 shows in the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.

ThIs MInI-Tour

fInIshes wITh an InTIMaTe show

Feeding the Machine in early Spring. With 12 new tracks encompassing everything from Acoustic Country Blues, passionate ballads and funky hard edged Blues rockers, the album once again showcases the band’s capacity to consistently produce high quality original material.

The album includes the already lauded live favourites Weatherman and The Fever which will be on the set-list alongside other new songs on the band’s current 2014 UK tour dates promoting the release. Originally entitled Missing Pieces, this has been dropped in favour of what the band identify as a ‘more appropriate and meaningful’ title!

On the air : IA n mcKEnZIE

McKenzie presents the Blues radio show Blues

Before Midnight, but there is more to this man of late nights than one radio show, as well as a particular attitude to how he presents it.

‘Any show I do’ says Ian McKenzie, ‘I always have playing in the back of my mind a comment made by the Station Manager of Exeter Local Radio, the first radio station I worked with. He told me “The people want to listen to the music, not you talking”.’

Although he started doing live radio shows, Ian now presents and produces his own shows for internet broadcast. Currently there are three shows:

Wednesday’s Even Worse on Blues and Roots Radio, a station based in Canada near Toronto (www.bluesandrootsradio.ca) every Wednesday 12 noon Eastern US time (5pm UK time). www.facebook.com/

Wednesdays. Even.Worse

The station plays roots music of all kinds and is run by a husband and wife team, the male part of which comes originally from Scotland.

Blues Before Midnight Fridays 6pm-8pm on Kansas City Online Radio based in Kansas City. Known as KCOR and broadcasting online only at www.kconlineradio.com

The station is an Awardwinning blues only format.

www.facebook.com/ BluesBeforeMidnight?fref=ts

The third show is an acoustic blues only show called Acoustic Blues Club Mondays 10pm-11pm. This one is also on Kansas City Online Radio (KCOR) Online Only at www.facebook.com/Acoustic BluesShowOnKcor?fref=ts

All shows are available as podcasts at http://ianmbluesprogrammes.podomatic. com and the two KCOR shows are syndicated on Network Radio EU a new platform (www. networkradio.eu Channel 4).

Ian’s shows are intended for blues lovers old and new. All shows are a mix of pre-war and post-war blues, including jazz blues, and with the exception of Acoustic Blues Club, include contemporary bluesrock, soul blues and other good stuff. As Ian says, ‘I do not play only what I like, but recognise that my audience will contain people with widely varied interests.’ See also www.bluesinthesouth.com

Ian told us, ‘All my adult life I have expanded my music pool and still have a collection of old vinyl albums, as well as a still-growing collection of CDs: Blues, Jazz, Gospel and so on. I read, and still read, as much as I can find about all those musical genres (which I see as one melting pot of Americana). Books ranging from the Sheldon Harris tome, Blues Who’s Who, and Goodrich and Dixon’s, Blues And Gospel Records, form the core of my

library. Unfortunately, work and a successful career prevented me from taking things any further. But, on retirement, things changed. I was able to take advantage of all that reading by developing my radio shows.’

All the shows include occasional interviews featuring a range of artists as diverse as Hans Theessink and Popa Chubby. Ian welcomes submissions from musicians. Ian is a founder member of the Independent Blues Broadcasters Association (IBBA) www.bluesbroadcsters. co.uk and is actively involved in the fourth year of the British Blues Awards (BBA). Ian’s e-zine Blues in the South www. bluesinthesouth.com has been the sponsor of the Male Vocalist award since the inception of the BBAs three years ago.

Verbals: daryl W eale Visuals: i an Mc k enzie ONe DJ, tHree sHOWs aND muCH mOre

classic albums, Don’t Point Your Finger and The Third Degree will be released through Universal in Spring 2014.

The band’s original drummer Mickey ‘Stix’ Burkey is rejoining

NBZ for the tour – he recently played live with the band for the first time since the 1980s, at the 30th Anniversary of The Assembly Room in Islington in November 2012.

BB KIng mARKER RETuRnED

An anonymous tip lead to the recovery of the Mississippi Blues Trailmarker commemorating the birth of blues great B.B. King that

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BACk On the RACkS: nIne BeLOW zeRO

went missing in Leflore County this week.

An anonymous caller told officials that the missing marker was where the marker was originally located, back near a small clump of trees at the intersection of County Roads 305 and 513, just west of Itta Bena. The tip turned out to be true — the sign was found lying against the small aluminium post it had originally been erected upon.

Allison Washington, the Blues Trail program manager, said authorities believe whoever took the sign returned it. The sign suffered no excessive damage, Washington added.

wILLE & ThE BAnDITs chARITY sIngLE

Cornwall based band Wille & The Bandits have released a single Trouble Down The Line with all proceeds going to support victims of the recent flooding. It’s available from iTunes or via the bands website: www.willeandthebandits. com. Following their successful UK tour last year the band are currently playing live throughout Europe.

BLuEs FOunDATIOn IBc wInnERs

The famous International Blues Challenge took place in Memphis over January 21st to 26th and this year featured 255 acts representing 40 U.S. States and 16 countries spanning four continents. The main winners in the band and solo/duo categories were, bands, 1. Mr.Sipp. 2. Ghost Town Blues Band and 3.Billy The Kid & The Regulators. Solo/duo winners were 1. Tim Williams and 2. Lucious Spiller.

musIc FAns sTILL sEARchIng FOR ThE ROOTs OF ThE BLuEs

Memphis, Tennessee - In the early 1900s, a sound came out of African-American communities in the southern U.S. states that came to be called the blues. Some of the deepest roots of the music come from the rich farming region known as the Mississippi Delta. A little over a century ago, poor AfricanAmerican labourers in Mississippi took up European instruments like the guitar and harmonica to play soulful and expressive music called the blues.

It was a time when the rich fields of the Delta region required many labourers. Clarksdale, Mississippi, home of the Blues Museum, was a transportation hub then, according to museum director Shelley Ritter. “With so many farms, there was an opportunity for a lot of work and then we had the river here and the railroad was here,” she said.

One of the largest exhibits in the museum is the reassembled farm cabin where famed bluesman Muddy Waters once lived. He and other bluesmen honed their skills in Clarksdale, which offered workers music and more. “On Saturdays or on weekends, when the labourers were given time off, they would all come into town and avail themselves of all the vices, if you will, as well as the wares,” Ritter said.

Ritter says aspiring bluesmen who couldn’t afford a guitar sometimes played on a “diddly bow,” a wire strung between two nails.

The sound it produced may have influenced the guitar style now associated with Delta blues. Musicologist David Evans, who teaches at the University of Memphis, has spent a lifetime

playing the blues and studying its characteristics. “The blue notes and blues scale, these bent notes and neutral pitches, sliding pitches, however you want to characterize them and there are various ways to express them vocally and instrumentally,” he said.

Evans says the blues borrowed elements from Europe as well as Africa, but its inventors were thoroughly African-American. “It was a new synthesis, but it was pretty clear that that synthesis was accomplished by black musicians,” he said. While the Delta region, as well as Memphis and New Orleans, all have a claim on the blues, Evans says there is evidence it developed over a wide region. “The earliest reports come from all over: Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, cities like St. Louis,” he said.

The disapproval of community leaders, black and white, and preachers who called it “devil music,” only enhanced its allure, says Evans. “That made the blues variously exotic, exciting, dangerous,” he said, and that may be part of what keeps the blues alive today. It may have started in the American South, but the blues now belongs to the world.

TABBY ThOmAs

1929 – January 1st 2014

Born Ernest Thomas, Tabby as he was known to all, is probably most famous for creating and running for many years Tabby’s Blues Box in his native Baton Rogue. The venue became world famous and a haven for blues lovers across the world. Thomas had first become a recording artist in the early 1950’s, originally signed to Hollywood Records. His most famous hit was ‘Voodoo Party’ in 1962 on the famous Excello label, with his backing band The Mellow, Mellow Men. In 1970 Tabby set up his own label, Blue Beat Records supporting many local artists and a few years later opened The Blues Box club. He is named by local musicians like Tab Benoit, Kenny Neal and Larry Garner as being a huge influence and support. Tabby’s son Chris Thomas King is a blues performer of international renown. Tabby had struggled healthwise since suffering a stroke in 2004 whilst preparing to go on stage at The Blues Box.

jEFF sTRAhAn

1960 – January 16th 2014

Jeff Strahan was a well-known and popular performer on the Texas Blues circuit and had released ten critically acclaimed albums, the most recent, ‘Monkey Around’ in October 2013, which had started to give Jeff much deserved wider recognition. Early reports suggests Jeff

died from complications of viral pneumonia, friends saying he had struggled to complete his final gig on New Years Eve. He was born and spent most of his life in Lamesa, near to Lubbock, Texas. He played the distinctive ‘red dirt Texas style’ and was a gifted live performer and showman perhaps best heard on his Live At Billy’s Icehouse CD.

PETE sEEgER

1919 – January 27th 2014

Pete Seeger was one of the world’s most well respected musicians perhaps best remembered for his time as a folk singer activist during the 1960’s. It was during that period that his recording of ‘We Shall Overcome’ became the anthem of the American Civil Rights Movement. He first achieved fame as member of The Weavers folk band in the 1950’s who had several hits, most notably a version of Goodnight Irene by Leadbelly. The band were blacklisted by the McCarthy administration. His most famous songs are probably Where Have All The Flowers Gone and If I Had A Hammer, both recorded by a multitude of artists. New York born Seeger had always been a political activist since joining The

Young Communist League in 1936, aged just 17. He was part of The Almanac Singers in 1941 that also included Cisco Hamilton and Woody Guthrie. He worked closely with Alan Lomax at the Archive of American Folk Song of the Library Of Congress, and appeared in the first of Lomax’s Back Where I Belong broadcasts, unique at the time for having a racially integrated cast. As a board member of the Newport Folk Festival he was responsible for appearances there of Bob Dylan, who he championed in his early days, and black blues acts like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker.

OBiTUARieS

FLOYD TAYLOR

1954 – February 20th 2014 Chicago based singer Floyd Taylor has died aged 60. Floyd was the son of the iconic Johnnie Taylor. He had released his debut album Legacy in 2002, last year saw the release of his fifth album, Shut Um Down and a US tour.

As well as performing on stage with his father, Floyd appeared with Aretha Franklin, Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson and many others. He was the Chicago Blues Society Entertainer of the Year in 1998. He had used many of the renowned Muscle Shoals musicians on his recordings who had also appeared on his father’s work. Another brother TJ Hooker Taylor continues to perform as a blues artist.

jeFF StRAhAn

FLOYd tAYLOR

Got somethinG to say?

tHeN

WrIte tO us at: PO

bOx 18, brIDGeND, CF33 6YW. uK.

Dear Blues Matters, I’m not normally one to write to magazines but I felt on this occasion I should. I’ve always enjoyed blues music but it doesn’t always get much media coverage so its hard keeping up with new bands etc. I used to often pick up a copy of Blues Matters in my local Borders bookshop and bought several CD’s on the strength of it, usually with positive results. However when Borders closed down I drifted, never got around to subscribing and now wonder what I’ve missed out on. I was so pleased to see a copy in my local WH Smith recently and after flicking through was stunned by how much better and full of information Blues Matters is now. Needless to say I bought that issue and enclose my subscription for future copies.

Please keep up the good work. Leslie Parsons, Cambridge.

Thanks for the kind words Leslie, glad you’ve rediscovered us. We are always working hard to find ways of improving the design and its great to receive positive feedback. You can order back copies of Issues you may have missed via or web site, www.bluesmatters.com – BM!

Hi Guys, Let me get straight to the point. I’m a huge fan of Wilko Johnson. Always have been since the early Feelgood days, right through the Solid Senders and I try to get to see him as often as I can. Like everyone else I was devastated when his cancer become public information and quite frankly I’ve become increasingly angry at the way newspapers and other magazines focus on this whenever Wilko is interviewed or covered in any way. Thank you so much for bucking the trend and focusing on Wilko, the man and his music instead. The interview with him made me feel as if I was there in the room listening in.

I like to have a whinge, so here goes. Should have been in one big spread not over two parts but I appreciate its in depth so I forgive you and can hardly wait for part two.

Barry via e.mail

Thanks Barry, we do try to interview musicians in as much depth as possible so it means

sometimes splitting them to offer as much variety as possible in each Issue. We’ve passed on your comments to our interviewer too. Enjoy the second part of our Wilko interview in this very magazine. – BM!

Dear Blues Matters!

I read the interview with Zoe Schwarz and Rob Koral with great interest having seen them before and I came to Skegness when I saw you had them playing full set and acoustic on the Sunday afternoon but hell I did not expect to have such a bloody good time over a whole weekend!

I trekked about the other stages of Reds and Centre and caught a few things that were good to see like The Yardbirds, Wilko (where does he get that energy?) but spent most of my time in Jaks and thoroughly enjoyed the whole vibe of the place combined with the acts you bring in it is without a doubt one of the best weekends of music I have experienced. Oh and great to read about Downliners Sect as well, so thank you

Francis Simons, Plymouth, Dorset

EnD OF ThE ROAD

Iwas starting to experience slight panic because Sasha, our driver appeared to be nodding off occasionally and I desperately tried to keep his attention by humming loudly or clearing my throat.

But I soon discovered that he in fact kept the GPS on his mobile phone way down by the cars stick

shift and every so often would dip his head down to simply get a clearer look.

None the less we arrived safely and did a great show at the MezAmi; a very up-scale French restaurant that has been featuring roots and blues artists for quite some time. It was an interesting mix and have to admit felt a little

out of place. But the show must go on!

Then it was over to Novosibio once upon a time in America; yes that’s right, if you are familiar with the classic film featuring Robert De Niro, James Woods and Elisabeth McGovern, well this club is a faithful recreation of that very film set environment in every

The venues conTInue To be consIsTenTly IMpressIve and well equIpped In every way

conceivable way!

We started the day with a full-out, all-American brunch there; Omelettes, cappuccinos, home fries, photos of every conceivable iconic Blues and Jazz musician staring at us from all over.

Eugene, happy and proud to have us in his own home town loudly exclaims “Now, you are in REAL SIBERIA!”.

We smiled, looking around in mock confusion.

We were joined for some tunes by the very enthusiastic Leo and some of his blue grass musicians.

It was an interesting feeling indeed to be deep in Siberia, yet surrounded by 100% Americana

Our final gig in Siberia was at Akademgorodok, NII KUDA. Or what Eugene described to us as the University for “mad scientists”. Another great venue decorated with old beakers and tubes and ancient electronic devices used for god know what kind of experiments on the human brain.

The venues continue to be consistently impressive and well equipped in every way for local and touring musicians.

After the show we quickly try to locate a taxi to get us the hell out of there as we wound up in a pit of drunken medical students on the rampage from the same venue we just played, which was now transformed into a disco.

APRIL 14Th

The next morning Eugene gets us to the airport. We had the luxury to fly out of Siberia to do our final gig on this tour in St. Petersburg at Art-Salon Nevsky, 24.

As we worked our way through

security, I looked back and noticed Eugene gazing at us. Looking as if he already missed our presence and I felt a pang of longing as well. Fuck, I was actually gonna miss the guy!

Our hostess who picked us up at the airport on the other end was the lovely and lanky Nataly, who is a professional accordion player for a popular Russian group Iva Nova. Eugene is involved in their bookings. Actually she’s Eugene’s girlfriend. Lucky bastard.

St. Petersburg is absolutely gorgeous and from our residence, which is also part of the venue, you can see the amazing cathedral.

There is some time to reflect on the trip, stretch out and be tourists and we have the interesting fortune to stumble over numerous “New York Pizza” or “Brooklyn Bagel” eateries. Ahhhh, just like home.

The venue of our final show was in the spirit of a house concert and a large room in an apartment was set up with a small bar, upright piano and sound system with a sound man.

Cozy and intimate, Bert told his stories and we played with all the vigour and passion you would expect from being on the road together for almost two weeks.

The crowd was enthusiastic and it was a fitting conclusion to this interesting tour through Russia and deep Siberia.

We both felt we were challenged to the peak of our senses and there were a few learning curves as well.

But now I’ve done it and the question remains; if the opportunity arose to repeat this unique experience, would I do it again?

HELL YEAH!

BRIAn KRAmER

Brian is known for his playing on National Slide and National Steel guitars, but is sometimes seen playing on an accoustic Gibson, Resonator or Dobro. His bottleneck and fingerpicking styles can be heard on recordings with Eric Bibb or with members of Taj Mahal, reflecting his early influences by Blues masters such as Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Steve Jordan and Larry Johnson, who took Brian under their wing, showing him how to play Delta Blues, Country Blues, soulful or happy Blues.

A Brooklyn native, Brian was barely out of his teens when he began hanging out with these legendary blues men, picking up tips and advice from them whenever they visited his hometown of NYC. Brian was recently on stage with Grammy winning World Music artist Toumani Diabate. Stockholm-based, Brooklyn-born bluesman Brian Kramer’s new CD Full Circle is available from Plugged Music/CDbaby.com. His new novel Out of the Blues is also available, from Bullett Point Publishing. For more details on Brian’s work (and his latest adventures), check out www.briankramerblues.com

BLuEs ARchIvE

Our stOrY – Part ON e

stOrIes beING DOCumeNteD ON FIlm

at that time I was a freelance Television Video Cameraman working with Sound Recordist Bob Webber, and, with both of us having a long term blues addiction in common, this article inspired us to combine our skills and start recording visiting blues musicians. Very soon we were joined by Amanda Palmer, another blues addict whom I had met while we were both photographing at The Gloucester Blues Festival. Amanda was a Sociologist at the University of Oxford and she brought her interviewing skills into the team, and so Blues Archive came into being.

Clearly there were many blues interviews written up in magazines but the idea of hearing and seeing the artist actually talk about themselves in depth was preferable if it could be achieved. What we wanted to do was cover the broad spectrum of blues music and document a fair representation of what was happening in the UK at that time.

I had done some research on the internet and found various organizations acting as collection points for pre-existing footage but I couldn’t find anybody running an organised archival programme recording artists on a regular basis, so I felt sure that we had hit upon

something that was both different and exciting. What followed over the next few years was a great deal of time spent on the telephone contacting artists, managers, venue owners, agencies and record companies trying to raise interest in our project and travelling up and down the country recording artists.

OuR chALLEngE

We started recording interviews at venues like the Kings Hotel and The Filling Station in Newport, The Hub in Bath and The Fleece in Bristol, interviewing artists such as Byther Smith, Paul Geremia, The Butler Twins, Henry Gray, The Hoax, Chris Smither, Jesse ‘Guitar’ Taylor, Walter Trout and Otis Grand. We were really pleased at the way it had all started and how helpful and interested people were, not only the artists but the owners of the venues too.

Our challenge was to produce professional, high quality footage eventually suitable for mainstream programming which would be essential if artists were going to be remembered in years to come. We were shooting in club environments and it was important to capture the atmosphere while not make it look like a home video.

I had always liked the handheld

film camera footage from the 1960s so I started developing a style that would make our two cameras look like four when the material was finally edited together.

I was trained as a Film Cameraman with the BBC, and Amanda, although an excellent stills photographer, had never shot video before. This was great because we started with someone who knew how to frame a picture and then it was a matter of teaching video camera technique which she picked up very quickly. Clearly it was going to be a very steep learning curve but very soon we were getting great results.

Our first interviews were shot on Beta SP video which was the television industry standard analogue format at the time, and although the pictures were very good, the camera itself was very bulky and small broadcast digital cameras did not exist back then. Luckily in early 1997, the first digital Mini DV cameras became available so we bought one initially and very soon another, at a total outlay of £3,000. The digital pictures we obtained were remarkable as the format worked particularly well under stage lit conditions, achieving excellent colour saturation. The only downside was that the tapes were costly and we shot at least two at each

gig! We wanted to record whole performances and although we had already been shooting short bits of performance with the permission of the artists to complement their interviews, doing a complete show was quite different.

With our two handheld cameras left and right front of the stage and in amongst tightly packed, beer drinking, smoky and hot crowded audiences, we achieved material that was nothing short of stunning, especially as we often had never seen a particular band play before and there had been no rehearsal time.

Our next problem was recording sound. Interviews were not a problem as we could go directly into the camera and do a back-up recording using a professional DAT (Digital Audio Tape) recorder but full performances were a different matter altogether. The onboard microphones just couldn’t cope with the very loud sound levels produced by most bands so we opted for connecting a Sony Walkman DAT recorder to the sound desk and recorded a mixed track, which could be synchronised to the pictures when edited.

In Oxford there was a very active blues scene which Amanda was involved in and I was introduced to Jonathan Lees, the landlord of The Brewhouse who ran The Monday Blues Night sessions. The main attraction there was that it had a decent size stage and proper lighting which was ideal for us, and Jonathan gave us free rein. He was another total blues addict and he encouraged many touring US artists to come and play, like Bernard Allison, Bobby Mack, Kent DuChaine, Larry Garner, Eugene ‘Hideaway’ Bridges and Deacon Jones as well as top notch British blues bands like Paul Lamb and The Kingsnakes, Savoy Brown, Out of The Blue, Dana Gillespie and

The Producers. We filmed many blues life stories in a room above the bar before the gigs and The Brewhouse became our regular venue for recording.

Our shooting schedule rapidly expanded with us travelling around the UK, for example to The 100 Club and Jazz Café in London, recording artists such as Phil Guy and U.P.Wilson, to Ronnie Scott’s in Birmingham for Chick Willis, to Buxton Opera House for the Rory Gallagher Memorial Concert and Chichester for Sherman Robertson.

In parallel to the video work Amanda and I were on a self imposed manic schedule photographing at places like The Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, Hammersmith Odeon and at festivals such as Bishopstock, Maryport, Colne and The Burnley Blues Festival.

We were often shooting two or three times a week covering artists including B.B.King, Bobby Bland, Robben Ford, Ronnie Earl, Walter Trout and Van Morrison.

Extensive and important keynote video interviews were recorded with pivotal figures in British blues such as Chris Barber (who brought many US blues artists over to the UK in the 1950s and 1960s and who established a long and lasting friendship with Muddy Waters), blues historian Paul Oliver, Kim Simmonds from Savoy Brown and John Mayall, who was also filmed in concert in Cardiff. Another important figure was record producer Mike Vernon, who told us his would be a once-only interview. It lasted four hours.

part two continues in issue 78

our shooTIng schedule rapIdly expanded wITh us TravellIng around The uK

juLIAn sAs

aregular headliner at many of the continents’ biggest and most prestigious festivals for many years alongside his band Tenny Tahamata (bass) and Rob Heine (drums) with a catalogue of numerous studio and live albums and DVDs behind them.

Last year saw Julian playing his first few UK shows and he hopes to build on that start later in 2014. Talking to Julian it soon becomes clear that he is a music scholar with a particular interest in blues. He is a huge collector of music and has spent many years studying the sounds and artists he loves. So its especially interesting to hear his Blues Top Ten and the reasons behind his selections.

rory gallagHer

A MILLION MILES AWAY

One of the first songs I heard in my life from the legendary Rory Gallagher. Still my favourite Rory to this day. The loneliness, the emptiness of everything is in here, great lyrics and oh man, what a killer guitar structure, the bridge in the middle says it all. We played Ballyshannon in Ireland once, and in the morning I went to the harbour, sat down on a bench, and ran the song through my head, full circle. Then I knew where it came from, excellent stuff.

02 roy bucHanan

THE MESSIAH WILL COME AGAIN

My love for Telecasters come from Buchanan. This man and guys like Peter Green are amongst my favourite guitar players. Roy was something different, his sound and a way of playing that scared me the first time I heard it. If a melody can reach these depths and becomes visual, then you got Roy Buchanan. I have been listening to him for over 30 years now and he still amazes me every time I put one of his records on, his tone is brilliant and beautiful, and sometimes it still scares me. Haha, hail to Roy.

03 peTer green BOTTOMS UP

I literally grew up on Fleetwood Mac, Alexis Korner, Chickenshack, John Mayall, Amen Corner and so on, but Peter Green was one of my biggest influences ever. I always loved psychedelia and free jamming, that is what we still do on and off stage, but this song says it all. Freedom is the reason why I started playing, what got me on the road and gave me the life I live. Freedom is all around Peter’s music on End Of The Game . It is complete tripping music, like Miles Davis in those days, or Coltrane. It seems that music like this is not around much today, that’s a shame. I believe this is what music should be all about, real improvisation, get to it and make it funky.

04 blinD willie JoHnSon

I KNOW HIS BLOOD CAN MAKE ME WHOLE

When I started to explore Delta Blues, a journey that took me over ten years, I came across this player. The voice and slide playing are ONE. This is amazing stuff. Gospel music but also the Devil’s music. Contradiction between heart and soul, the real thing. All his songs were covered by the great names of rock. For me, when I’m on the road, driving through dark and rainy nights, this man is the answer to all the loneliness, he takes it all away. If you listen to this you will know that the blues is important. Music with and from a great culture. Deeper than this is hard to find in my opinion. Check out Bo Carter, Kokomo Arnold and Tommy McLennan and you know what I’m talking about, true masters.

05 FreDDie king

ME AND MY GUITAR

The lyrics and style of Freddie’s singing are amazing. In my opinion he was a delta blues shouter, BIG voice and attitude. The instrumentals are brilliant. This album is one of my favourites. The

V

energy and his rawness of playing, a bad cat at the peak of his game. Huge influence to this day. Amazing guitar player with a fat, big tone. What I really like is that he always squeezes the notes out of his Gibson, you feel it in your entire body. It was hard to choose between the three Kings, and they are close, but its Freddie this time..if that’s OK with you. Cheers, 06

JoHn caMpbell BLUEBIRD

If John were alive today he surely would be one of the greatest living legends around. I saw him perform live three or four times and we all knew this is the real thing. It was all there, goose bumps, Lightning Hopkins style of playing, dark vocals and the mystery of voodoo. I loved his music. I have always loved and been interested in New Orleans stuff, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, The Meters. The voodoo history, it’s a rich culture and John Campbell is the real bluesman, a traveller, a storyteller and his playing sets my soul on fire even to this day. Brilliant! 07

MuDDy waTerS, JoHnny winTer, JaMeS coTTon

BLACK CAT BONE/DUST MY BROOM

These three guys are amongst the best singers and players ever. Three different sounds, vocal as well as instrumental. When I listen to this live version I start jumping across the room with a big smile on my face, haha. This is energy at its peak, if you talk Chicago blues this is it, what a groove, what rhythm. I always loved Muddy, all his recordings. I cannot think of one bad album. Johnny Winter is the ultimate blues guitar player, I like his rock records too, but when he came back with Muddy it was like, yeah, this is it! I loved it when I first heard it at 12 years old and I still do. A love for life as they say.

08

JoHn lee Hooker

BOOGIE CHILLUN NO.2

I absorbed everything Hooker did. He is my favourite bluesman, I can’t explain why. I tried to listen to all his records and, I guess I’ve heard almost all of them. I kind of studied him. John Lee is something else, a complete style of his own and then the magic word, boogie. So here the combination of these two bands is amazing, 11.35 minutes of boogie, so if you wanna boogie put on this record and get down. This is always the first song I listen to loud on the first day of a New Year, it’s become kind of a tradition, and what a way to start the New Year. Do you feel alright, yes I do Mr. Hooker.

09

Ten yearS aFTer

HELP ME

The first blues song I heard in my life, and what a song it is. Alvin Lee is one of my greatest influences. That Marshall sound, the way the song flows, the band, the dynamics. I loved every minute of it and still do. Alvin’s guitar playing is superb on this track. I must have been eleven years old, and this, as they say, struck me like lightning. The next record I bought from my saved pennies was by Sonny Boy Williamson, so this is really the song that got me on this journey to listen to and find everything I could lay my hands on. It also directed me to jazz, country and so on, I love music that’s versatile and interesting and Alvin showed me the way. Thanks, and the rest is history.

10

THe allMan broTHerS STORMY MONDAY

Duane Allman and Dickie Betts are and will always be some of my greatest heroes. A great version of T.Bone Walker’s song, great vocals and the guitar parts are mind blasting. If I put this record on I listen to it in its entirety. It is sacrilege to listen to only one song.

For this ten track feature I’ve been forced to make choices so no room for Hendrix, Steve Marriott and many more, which is very difficult for me, especially if you knew the size of my record collection. I could write a thousand stories about music, songs and all that come with them. I wish you all well and hope to see and talk to you soon, greetings from Julian..

FEEL LIKE I’m FIXIn’ TO PLAY

no indeedee, only old Doctor Dave prescribing some efficacious techniques for those whose nuts need lubricating or maybe suffering from a floppy wang bar (now then Matron). OK then, off we go to Dave’s clinic for sad Strats , languid Les Pauls, groaning Gretchs and sundry axe related diseases.

TunIng DIFFIcuLTIEs

Probably the most common disorder to affect the axewielders of all denominations is the problem of keeping the beast in tune both during performance, or at any other time really. Most tuning issues are related to string tension and friction points; i.e. bridge , nut , tailpiece, tuners plus, of course, string quality itself. Less common are the more serious issues of wood warpage/ distortion and tremolo system issues. While these complaints can relate to both electric and acoustic instruments, the type of treatment and cures may differ from patient to patient.

Firstly, most common is probably your nuts, the slots at the headstock end where the strings pass through are infamously variable in quality of build from

instrument to instrument – but maintaining this item is a technique applying to all axes – lubrication! A poorly cut nut is a curse to the axeperson at all levels and experience. Those Gibson owners amongst you will undoubtedly have run across the third string hang-up situation whereby you can often seem to be out of tune on your G string. It is often noticed when tuning this string that there is a slight ‘krang’ to be heard as you tune up.

A sure sign that the string is restricted in passing through the nut slot. In this case it is advisable to clean out the nut slots firstly, maybe use a fine probe or finest grade sandpaper to GENTLY clean the floor of the slot. Once done you should then lubricate by applying an appropriate product.

This can be a dedicated proprietary lubricant product available in stores and online, often called nut Juice or similar names. Some of these can be fairly expensive and a common alternative home-cooked remedy is to apply a SMALL amount of graphite (aka pencil lead) to the affected slot – or indeed to all the slots if the tuning need is more widespread. Take great care when cleaning the slots which if over

widened or the bottom reshaped may give increased problems.

Poor quality tuners can also be a culprit and the lubrication advice is best disregarded here as overlubrication of tuners can create a problem . On the majority of decent modern guitars the tuners are internally self-lubricating, and should not cause trouble. Where a second-hand or older instrument is found to be suffering with very rusty or damaged tuners, it may be that the tuner itself may need replacing (sometimes, as with some single sided sets, this may have to be a full set replacement). There is a vast selection of replacement tuners out there and replacing like for like is a very doable DIY job for the budding guitar tech.

The Graphite remedy above can also be applied at the lower end to the bridge saddles of electrics, and indeed there are replacement saddles, and nuts, available these days actually made from graphite-based materials which carry a good reputation.

Needless to say adjustments of this type will vary when dealing with acoustics as opposed to electrics, although the majority of issues are common to both. A major difference of course is dealing with

Great NeWs FOlKs – NO HIstOrY lessONs FOr tHIs e DItION OF KItCHat (WHO saID Huzza?!)

the bridge on acoustics which is a little trickier. We will talk more about this later when covering action adjustments.

Some tips regarding strings. Tuning issues aside: a major weak point in guitar tone in my opinion is the question of strings. Nobody gets a great tone out of old, dirty or rusty strings. Pro players will usually change strings for every gig (or rather their guitar tech’s will.) This is kind of inconvenient – not to mention costly, for the everyday player – but there is no doubt the sound is superior with a brand new set of strings on your favourite axe. I will not make any brand recommendations save to say the method I have always had best results from is ‘buy cheap and change often’. There are plenty of deals to be had for bulk buying strings, and prices for single sets are very competitive, especially online. One way that stringing up may impact on tuning is by players just stringing the guitar without trimming surplus length at the machine head end, which has potential for strings slacking off. You should need no more than about three wraps around the tuning post, and keep it neat!

How often do you see players on stage with the headstock adorned with what appears to be several bundles of Gran’s knitting hanging off the end? The best tip I can give on string length is after loading string through tail piece to thread the end of the string through the hole in the tuner and cut it when it is level with the next tuner post above. This gives just the right amount of string left to make a couple or three winds around the post.

Do this for each string in turn. Another tip for securing at the tuning end is to start the wind by passing through the tuner hole and making the first turn beneath the emerging string end and subsequent turns above the

string end. This makes for a really secure anchor and keeps tuning to a minimum. The above assumes you don’t already have some lovely, expensive locking tuners fitted, so feel free to ignore this one. Finally on strings. When first fitted ALWAYS give them a good stretching. Don’t be afraid of giving a good strong tug. Just stop when fingers bleed (Joke, do not bleed!). Plus don’t forget to wipe strings down after any serious playing time. Strings + sweat = bad news. There is a further bugbear we

can allocate to tuning problems which is a bit more serious to handle and that is neck warpage. Virtually all modern guitars have a metal rod running through the centre of the neck, called the Truss Rod. It is put there to deal with this precise problem. If you are in the process of acquiring a second-hand guitar always have a look-see if the neck is straight. You can do this by sighting down the edge of the fingerboard (I

cOntinues On page 26...

dOn’t tRY thIS At hOMe A WReCked GUItAR, YeSteRdAY

always look at the neck from both ends of the guitar just to be sure). If the line appears anything other than straight. There may be a problem with the truss rod. I say may be advisedly as some time a very slight concave / downward profile is acceptable as this may relate to something called ‘neck relief’ which may be necessary to stop any string buzzing noises etc. However, this should be minimal in appearance, otherwise it could be warpage. Adjusting the truss rod is often referred as a guitar repair shop job, and I wouldn’t disagree unless you feel competent enough to handle this type of adjustment. This is accomplished by adjusting the torque of the rod (which may be found at either end of the neck, but most commonly at the headstock end, especially on electrics.) One reason that it needs special attention is that there are no real standard end fittings to the truss rod. New guitars are often supplied with an adjustment tool for this purpose, however it is more often than not an Allen Key type fitting. With the rod cover plate removed and tool inserted, the rod is turned to the right to correct a bow (concave) in the neck, or left to correct a convex (raised) profile. Great care needs to be taken as the adjustment can be really minute, especially if you are turning to correct a bow which means you are tightening the rod. I turn no more than one eighth of a turn each time and then check the line again before proceeding. Not a job for the faint-hearted amongst us, but very satisfying when you manage to correct the fault and your favourite squeeze plays straight and true once more. Not

so satisfying when your custom shop Rory Gallagher tribute makes a loud snapping noise and the truss rod spins like a Porsche’s driveshaft!

ThE AcTIOn

Adjusting the action of a guitar (how high above the fingerboard the strings sit) is also closely related to tuning issues, and, as I mentioned, is dealt with in different ways in the case of acoustic and electric instruments. Acoustic action adjustments tend to be more in the domain of the professional luthier or guitar repair shop, as most often the only options (other than truss rod adjustment as above) are monkeying with either the nut or bridge, or both. Monkeying is, as you all know, a highly technical term applied to the skills imparted by numpties when desperately out of their depth in attempting to deal with projects entirely beyond their capabilities. As BM! readers you will , of course , not belong to this school of workmanship, so finding your nearest repair man is the best approach. Just for information though, there are specific measurements which need to be considered for a comfortable playable action to be achieved on any guitar, which, for a medium action are, 1/16” measured at the 12th fret for the first (top) string, being the height from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string. At the bottom, 6th, string it should be 3/32”. It may therefore be necessary to adjust the height of the bridge and the nut and/or slots which, on acoustics, can be pretty tricky at times as the bridge saddle needs to be removed – also the

nut and their respective heights reduced by sanding the under (flat) side. This is a tedious trial-and-error job mostly, and again, not one for the inexperienced hand.

Good news though, amateur surgery can be safely performed on the electric machine. Most electrics have fully adjustable bridges these days, so that the action height can readily be altered with simple screwdriver technique. Some vintage guitars did not have these, and this applies to modern day copies of some examples, like certain 50s Gibson models, and Fender’s Telecaster range.

The other plus for adjustable bridges/tailpieces is that you can usually adjust the intonation of each separate string to help correct tuning problems. This involves changing the string length between the bridge and tuner by changing the position of the moveable saddle which is what the string sits in on the bridge.

To test intonation you need to compare the sound of a fretted note with its harmonic equivalent (i.e. an octave above). To do this, use a tuner unless you are gifted with perfect pitch, fret the note on the 12th fret then sound the harmonic at the same point. If the harmonic sounds flat compared to the fretted note you need to move the saddle forward (i.e. towards the neck), thereby shortening the string length. If the harmonic sounds too sharp, the string needs lengthening, so go the other way. Intonation issues can arise for various reasons but are caused by guitars having frets, some of which are not always accurately spaced.

This is why players of fretless stringed instruments, violins etc., need to use finger vibrato to maintain their tuning. These saddle adjustments are usually by way of a small adjusting screw within the string saddle/bridge itself, as before, little and often is the way to go.

good news Though, aMaTeur surgery can be safely perforMed on The elecTrIc MachIne

SUNDAy wILDe

suNDaY WIlDe Is aN

tHe remOtest Parts OF NOrtH ONtarIO, CaNaDa IN reCeNt Years. Her rePutatION Is NOW sPreaDING FurtHer aCrOss tHe GlObe

sunday possesses a unique voice and plays barrelhouse piano in a self taught style that perfectly fits the song writing and performance. With her stylized vocals and passionate delivery, her music goes way beyond the12 bar blues, but the blues it still remains. The North American press have variously compared her to Bessie Smith, Etta James, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and even Tom Waits. Her last album, He Gave Me A Blue Nightgown , was recorded live in a remote log cabin and gained worldwide radio play and won a coveted Jimi Award for Best International Blues Release in 2013. The album tackles subjects concerning grief, addiction, love and family dysfunction with the authority of experiences.

Sunday was also invited to be part of the Blues Women International project that recorded at the

legendary Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale.

Life is pretty hectic now, with recordings almost complete for a new album which Sunday describes as having a bigger sound but retaining the powerful vocals and telling it like it is. This time some covers, like Patsy Cline’s I Fall To Pieces are included.’

Discover more about this unique artist at www.sun D aywil D e.com or check her fan list on www.reverbnation.com/sun D aywil D e

her MusIc goes way beyond The 12 bar blues, buT The blues IT sTIll reMaIns

V erbals: steve y O urglivc H and renne F rattura

exCItING YOuNG taleNt. sHe emerGeD FrOm

CALUM INgrAM

although I originally come from Paisley, Scotland, I have spent the last 5 years living in New York where I met and worked with so many talented musicians. NYC is a melting pot for all kinds of music and expression, and Brooklyn has a cool music scene at the moment.

One highlight of my career to date was recording my debut album Making It Possible at Avatar Studios in NYC and Speaker Sonic Studios in Brooklyn NY. working with Brian Speaker on Production and Gene Paul (son of legendary Les Paul) doing the mastering. I had two launch gigs on at The Bitter End in Greenwich Village in USA, and O2 ABC Glasgow, UK, both were amazing nights.

I sTudIed aT nyc aT The new school for Jazz and conTeMporary MusIc

The album has been well received both in the US and Europe, with nominations for Best Debut Blues Album in Germany and Best Blues Studio album in the UK. I am so humbled by this.

While working on the album I got the call to open for Jack Bruce at The Queens Hall for Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival on my 21st birthday! After his set, back stage he came up to me looked me in the eye and shook my hand, a real gentleman. What a night.

I studied at NYC at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and on the streets where I really honed my improvisational skills. I get a real thrill out of playing with other great musicians.

While busking in New York , I met an artist who passed my name to playwright Miki Bone, which led to a job composing the music and performing in an Off Broadway production, Division Avenue for The Midtown International Theatre Festival. The Play won 9 awards including one for Best Sound Design.

c heck us out at www.calumingram.com for more information

THe grAVeLTONeS

Three days later they are blowing the roof off the 100 Club and phone-made videos flood the cyber world. That was February 2011, and three years on Jimmy O (guitars/ vocals) and Mikey Sorbello (drums/noises) have toured Europe and Australia, playing over 400 shows, including support slots for Rival Sons and Temperance Movement, a sell out headline show at The Borderline, and been nominated as Best New Band at the Classic Rock Awards. They also found time to record their highly acclaimed debut album, Don’t Wait Down, which amazingly had the track I Want Your Love used by both the Irish Lottery and Rimmel in ad campaigns!

It’s easy to be drawn to make comparisons with other successful two piece lineups like The White Stripes or Black Keys, but there is more to The Graveltones than that. They produce a powerful energy, but one that is textured and layered at the same time. The song writing and lyrics have been compared to Bob Dylan, one of Jimmy’s early heroes and Mikey’s drumming to Bonham, a pretty mind blowing combination.

April sees the band embark on another European tour, dates available on the website. 2014 promises to be quite a year for The Graveltones.

c heck us out at www.thegraveltones.com

bUCK & eVANS

sadly TH3 broke up and in 2013 Chris recorded an album, Postcards From Capricorn, with Arizona based The Big Horns. This in turn lead to an invitation to open for Sandi Thom at the prestigious Madame Jojo’s club in Soho. Chris wasn’t going to let the fact that he didn’t have a band or singer at that point deter him from accepting.

He knew Sally Ann Evans from his local South Wales music scene and the couple had performed together once before opening for Oli Brown, so she joined Chris for the one-off show.

The magic the two created was special however and the show had been video recorded. After watching the tape Chris and Sally knew they had to push this further. Fellow Welsh rhythm section Bob Richards ( Man, Dave Edmunds) and Dominic Hill were added and the band were soon performing

regularly at The Troubadour. Early last Summer they played as the Friday night headliners at the Steelhouse Festival before travelling to Arizona to play in a benefit concert for victims of the Yarnell wildfire disaster that had claimed 19 lives. After performing a memorable show of their own they closed the event backing headliner Slash.

The pair with Bob and Dominic are now working hard writing material for their debut album that should be ready in the latter part of the year. There is a three track EP available from the band’s website. Watch out for gigs as the band are booking shows across the country to road test the new songs, and festivals booked include HRH Blues in Pwllheli and Maryport Blues Festival.

c heck us out at www.buckan D evans.com

bONNIe MAC bAND

tHe bONNIe maC baND Came INtO beING IN 2010 aND Have CONsIsteNtlY DelIvereD a raNGe OF blues aCrOss tHe DeCaDes, WHIlst DevelOPING a verY DIstINCtIve stYle

In a relatively short time they have grown from playing local venues in West Yorkshire to appearing at major clubs, rallies and festivals including Colne, Hebden and Maryport. Bonnie Mac’s achievements were recognised in February 2012 with singer Sheila McFarlane being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as a ‘Great Blues Artist’ of the U.K. Since late 2012 the line up has settled with Sheila on vocals, Geoff Waddington (guitar), Craig Jackson (bass), Ian Scaife (harp) and John

worK has already sTarTed on MaTerIal for albuM nuMber Two

Sharp (drums). The much anticipated debut album Pleasures And Pain is due for release later this year at Hebden Bridge Festival. The debut single, The Flood has been well received and was written by Sheila en route to a local gig during a frightful storm. Seven more originals and a couple of classy covers will complete the album.

Influences throughout the band include Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Gary Moore, Paul Butterfield, John McVie and Greg Bissonette. Work has already started on material for album number two and the main aims for the next twelve months include receiving positive reactions to Pleasures And Pain and the opportunity to play to more devoted blues audiences at clubs and festivals up and down the country.

c heck us out at www.bonniemac.co.uk

FOrTy4

V erbals: c lare Free / d es Ja M es Visual s: Outla W pr

tHe NOrtH West OF eNGlaND PrODuCes Its FaIr sHare IN quOta OF baNDs, as HIstOrY WIll verIFY. but lurKING amONGst tHe POstbeatles/OasIs/maDCHester OversPIll, YOu WIll be HarD PusHeD tO FIND a GrOuP OF musICIaNs tHat sOuND aNYtHING lIKe FOrtY4

upon first listen, it becomes immediately clear that this quintet have more in common with the music of the southern American states, than the dirty old towns of northern England. ‘None of us really feel any affinity with modern British music’ affirms singer and guitar player, Neil Partington, ‘It doesn’t swing, it doesn’t groove, it’s not something we listen to or aspire to sound like’. With their debut CD, 44 Minutes, the band undoubtedly back up this proclamation, delivering 10 tracks that would sit perfectly in a New Orleans bar, as opposed to what would be expected to be heard in the majority of mainstream English music venues.

Not that they’ve been totally ignored in their home country, ‘We’ve been lucky enough to play some really great venues and festivals that totally get what the band is about’ says drummer, Nick Lauro, ‘It’s been a long hard slog, but we’re chipping away at the coal face!’ Guitarist, Paul Starkey confirms his drummer’s observations, ‘Without a doubt, there is an audience here for the band; having now received the Paul Jones seal of approval with national radio airplay, it certainly proves that we are making the right noises worthy of bigger audiences.’ Checking out their CD liner notes, the name Pete Brown crops up as Producer. Noted

for his work with his sister Sam and Dad Joe, Pete’s intervention finalised the project, embellishing that old school organic sound the band had strived to capture. ‘Although we recorded the tracks pretty much live in a great room, we had real trouble at the end of the day trying to produce it ourselves’, states Keyboard player, Glen Lewis, ‘So getting Pete on board as, let’s just say a family favour, was the icing on the cake!’ At one point, it looked as though the album wasn’t going to happen, as the band’s original bass player, Steve Brown, had not long finished chemotherapy treatment before recording. However, he managed to battle through nearly all of the sessions, leaving one track to be finished by now incumbent bass player, Bill Price. ‘I’d already been playing live with the band covering for Steve, so it was a very natural progression.’

So what next for Forty4? ‘We need to start playing outside of the UK’ declares Paul, ‘Everybody keeps telling us how well we’d do in Europe and America. It’s taken us seven years to get the band to where it is now, so it’s no microwave project; we’re in it for the long haul and have got a lot more music to play before we’re done!’

c heck us out at www.forty4music.com or fin D us on facebook

o you remember in ‘72 a rock and roll show at Wembley? I was just watching the video the other night, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Chuck Berry.

BM: Some friends of mine were appearing at it; the MC5, from Detroit. They had been talking to me about what they might play. I said “you do realise that rock and roll here means the more traditional, Teddy Boy stuff and what Americans see as rock and roll is not quite the same thing?” Rob Tyner was a bit surprised by the reaction they got, from the diehards. Because they weren’t playing just old jukebox hits, the Five did a lot more than that. Did you ever meet Wayne Kramer?

WJ: I did indeed, because the MC5 absolutely knocked me out when I saw them. I knew who they were. I knew their records. I went out and saw them and went ‘Wow Yes!’ they had a bad time from the Teddy Boys throwing tins at them and stuff. And I went down afterwards and saw Wayne Kramer and I said look man I just gotta tell you that’s one of the greatest ****ing shows I’d ever seen. You’ve just really

done my brain in there, it really made me think’. And he was saying to me if we’d just had another twenty minutes with them, we would have won them over. I said man you’d never have won them over, they’re called Teddy Boys and they’re arseholes and you’ve just gotta play Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry note-fornote and then they’re happy.

Don’t matter how badly you play it, they’re happy doing their stupid dancing in their crepe-soled shoes. If you get the MC5 video that came out a year or two ago, there’s a bit that’s quite moving actually and it’s Wayne Kramer driving around Detroit in a big old car and talking about the history of the band. And he comes to the bit when he’s talking about England and things are going really, really bad for them. And he comes out with this thing about ‘these here Teddy boys’. I thought I told you that man! He took my lesson on board, and yours it seems, Pete!

When you were writing for Dr Feelgood, the songs

Following up on part o ne, w ilko and p ete talk about more musicians and the noble art o F ‘r ocking o ut’

V E rb A ls: Pete Sargeant Visu A ls: S teve monti / david coombe S

that you were producing were just tailor-made for forty five rpm singles weren’t they? That’s what the music is, three minutes, three and half minutes to each song. They naturally structured themselves like that. You’ve got to write an entirely different thing or you’ve got to expand it artificially somehow. But generally you’ll find that any song that you write, certainly in rock and roll, has said what it’s got to say within three and a half minutes.

Yeah. Which meant that your sets were chockful of nugget after nugget. (Laughs) Well you have to rack up a lot of three minute songs in a set, yeah!

What fascinated me is that you seemed to be at your absolute best – outside your own compositions –when you were doing Coasters songs. I’m thinking Hog For You Baby and Riot In Cell Block No. 9. I never saw them but yes I was always very fond of The Coasters. The whole set-up with King Curtis, the guys and also Lieber and Stoller’s songs. Absolutely great.

And of course, that touch of humour

Exactly! They really were everything. They were very witty and it used to make me wonder how they could keep thinking up these really funny ideas. They were really mean as well. They were really street level. To get that kind of humour out of, say, shopping for clothes and young blood and stuff like that. Ordinary everyday activities.

Girlfriend trouble, being bawled out at school – I could relate to that far more than some Dingly Dell Jon Anderson type lyric. You’ve always dressed in black and what I wondered was whether that was maybe a nod to Johnny Cash? No. It’s simply because black always looks good and that’s the end of it!

Which Dr Feelgood tracks do you consider represent you at your best ?

I really couldn’t say, they’re just songs, y’know? I mean, there are songs that are really popular and I suppose you gotta like

them in a way. It’s very funny to be round the other side of the world and see a big crowd of people grooving to words you wrote in a little notebook, but I don’t think I thought well that one was really any better than others.

When people asked me about you and hadn’t heard you, I used to play them Roxette because of that rat-tat-tat rat-tat-tat driving tempo, they would say ‘Jeez – they sound like they’re breaking out of jail!’ I said that’s one thing they have in spades, postFeelgoods, I remember buying an album of yours which had Dr Dupree, which I just love (Breaks into grin) Ah yeah ! I always do that one. might have been my most enduring song.

What inspired that?

I co-wrote the song with a poet, Hugo Williams. I’d written the tune but I couldn’t get a lyric that was suitable for Lee Brilleaux. So it was just kinda hangin’… then Hugo wrote the first two verses and I wrote the final verse. He thought of the title, it was, I guess, about me, about someone being singled out and stared at and drowning! And not much caring about it. The final verse I wrote, it’s about suicide, a favourite idea of mine, where I go over to this marshland, down by Canvey Island, in which I go there, sit down and face the setting sun and blow myself away. And there’s a little bit of that in it. But what it’s all about really, we don’t know.

Well Gary Brooker will tell you he doesn’t know what Whiter Shade of Pale is about. Well, Pete, it is what’s known as ‘A Millstone’, and it hangs round Gary Brooker’s head for ever and ever!

(We talk briefly about Procol and Wilko mentions that at one point Robin Trower wanted the two of them to start a band. But Johnson was about to go to University, so it didn’t come about – PS)

What about Ice On The Motorway? An incident maybe ?

Naah, like a lot of my songs it comes from

a riff. I got up in the middle of the night, I had had an argument with this bird and I went down to the kitchen to get a sandwich and I suddenly had this riff in my head, like an earworm, dang dang dang dang dang! I thought I’d better jot this down and I sung it into a tape machine. Then the next day I found it and wrote the song.

Some of the best art comes from struggle. Symphonies, poems, paintings. Yeah that’s right. With me, sometimes if a difficulty arises, I’m like wanting to just walk away, do something else. I suppose if you’ve got an idea you really believe in and you are having difficulty realising it, you may struggle a bit then. (Laughs) I’d rather not struggle, me. I’d rather have everything my own way.

Can we talk about your current band? (Norman Watt Roy bass, and drummer Dylan Howe).

(Warmly) Well Norman, in the mid-80s Ian Dury asked me to join The Blockheads. I knew Ian but I’d never met Norman and he was my favourite bass player, I’d seen him play and he

knocked me out. I thought Yeah! A great band AND they were doing very well at the time, and also gave me the chance to work with this bass player and the drummer Charlie Charles, and it was very, very good.We immediately became friends, so when a couple of years later I was in the doldrums a bit and I phoned him up and said ‘Hey man do you wanna do some gigs?’ and he said Yeah and we just carried on, like 1985, and then a couple of years ago we got Dylan Howe, who is... (sighs) so good, and he really made a difference to the band, you can feel it in the audience. He’s not a flash drummer, just bloody good. It’s incredible what difference a good drummer can make, people don’t often realise.

Well you don’t need a drummer trying to play flashier than everyone else; that doesn’t help the song.

No, exactly. It’s worse though with guitar players, these characters that are doodling away up to the 57th fret! and won’t bloody well shut up! And they don’t know anything

about rhythm and EVERY bloody one of them sounds the same to me!

They make me recoil. Well if a piece hasn’t got feeling then it’s not going to grab you on any level, technique alone, no matter how good, how accomplished, can’t do it. But if you get someone like Django that’s got technique AND genius, well, some people can play very, very fast but actually they’ve got nothing to say.

Built in to your style, though, is that hard-driving rhythm thing , well, it’s unique to you really because with the other players out there at present nobody is really using aggressive rhythm the way that you can. So do you feel apart from what else is going on? Well to me it’s always been the only way I can do it. At first I wanted to sound like Mick Green, that’s how it came about, but I have found out in the last two years or so that there are some amazing actual teenage bands coming up that it transpires are very heavily influenced by the Feelgoods. And I hear some of these guys playing and I think ‘You little bastard, it’s sounding really good! (Laughs). But the kind of guitar I like, there’s a few of them coming up now, so that’s encouraging.

A friend of mine called Leigh from Flying Squad, he wanted me to ask you how you felt about this kind of strange reassessment or whatever of Dr Feelgood and you in particular, in the ‘Oil City’ film project Hmm.Well, Julien Temple, part of his motive was that he was a big Feelgoods fan and he always felt that for one reason or another we had kind of slipped out of history. When they talk about punk music and whatnot, but largely that was their fault, they should have quit when the quitting was good. (Wilko’s view of the current Dr Feelgood is aired, I won’t be going into print with this, sorryPS.) Now with Julien making the film, well for various reasons it concentrated on me, and there were things happening around that time, Dylan Howe coming in on the drums and the band got better, and overall yes, it was a good time. I kept going up and up and up and then I went and got cancer!

Most of us including Leigh felt it was about time more folk woke up to what you could do; it was a positive thing for Wilko Johnson as a fair play matter, really.

There is no new thing under the sun, but it’s nice to think that if people are following your influence rather than another, yeah there’s something nice about that, but at the moment there is a lot on my mind, not just music, Pete, but The Universe. I must say I’m feeling fine, I’m just not looking forward to this cancer starting in earnest, which will probably happen some time in the summer. I want to get this album done, get the Farewell Tour done and then I will probably go on holiday. We just started the new record yesterday, did about five songs and I think it will be roughly like what I always do, three chords and go! Besides Norm and Dylan, I will have Wes Weston on the harmonica and John Denton on the piano. That’ll be later next week.

Well I aim to be at one of your Koko gigs in London, Wilk, to cheer you on.

(Laughs) Well, I hope I can be there too!

A pOStScrIpt

Since this chat with Wilko I have seen him play twice at Koko, second time with Leigh Heggarty present on the bill as he is guitarist with the mighty Ruts DC, AND at a jazz show at Royal Festival Hall. You would think every time it was his first time on a stage, such is his drive and energy.

It’s also fun to see youngsters recognise him from Game of Thrones! If you get a chance to see him play Out On The Western Plain the old Leadbelly song just savour how he makes it into a hypnotic, polyrhythmic mantra of a blues. I met up with Wayne Kramer at the Blues Kitchen a few months back and he has been helping make a WJ album, he has nothing but good to say of his English friend. ALSO Wilko is performing with Who legend Roger Daltrey soon at London’s Shepherds Bush Empire. Now THERE’s a pairing! The touts seem to have all the tickets and want four-figure sums to part with them.

bm! catches up with sa V oY brown main man k im simmonds in sYracuse to talk about the band's F uture and be Yond

BM: Do you realise how many acts, contemporary or veteran acts are absolutely nuts about Savoy Brown? You must meet them on your travels. For example, Blue Cheer I interviewed them and all they wanted to talk about was Savoy Brown! KS: Oh really? They were fans?

One of the guitar players in Blue Cheer told me he had the honour of playing with you. George Thorogood absolutely adores your music, (BM publisher) Alan once gave me an album to pass on and he jumped in the air when I presented it to him. (Genuinely surprised) Oh wow! That is, well that’s wonderful… for us, for me.

I suppose you must meet these guys at festivals or whatever, but you’re a bit of a hot topic often on par with Peter Green, everybody wants to talk about Peter Green when they realise that you know him. Now Savoy, I think it’s the fact that people come out of the shows having been taken on a bit of a journey.

It leaves a memory with you doesn’t it? It must do. It’s like a great painting or a meal that you savour. Ell, if it’s the live shows that you’re talking about..? Well I think that’s what happens. It doesn’t appear that way to me. I can only talk about and analyse it from what I hear, the reaction and what people say. That’s why I think, ‘Why is this still going on?, ‘Why do people still come along?’ and ‘What’s the story here?’ People do tell me that the show is different every night. It doesn’t seem that it’s radically different to me every night, but something is different. I know I’m driven to try and change things around and try to approach things differently. So it’s exciting if that’s how it comes across. People say all sorts of things to me and I have no idea that that’s what’s coming out. I’m in no shape or form manipulating anything. I just walk onstage and try to work

as hard as I can, put as much as I can into it. Have those battles on stage and I just do what I do. One particular artist, who I admire said ‘I like you because you work hard on stage’. I don’t think what I play was his particular style of blues but that really meant a lot to me. He said that he sees a lot of people who don’t work hard on stage. That meant a lot to me because I think I’ve been a hard-working guy

Yeah, that’s what as a fan I perceive It doesn’t seem like much of a compliment, but I think it was a great compliment

I think it is. Don’t forget that the one thing you can’t shy away from is the fact that a lot of people started playing music because they saw Savoy, Chicken Shack, Fleetwood Mac, and you could see these guys were soaking up these influences. You told me about Albert Collins, I didn’t know who he was. You told me at Tolworth that I should go find Truckin and I thank you to this day!

(Laughs) Oh well! that was good advice, Pete, I stand by that one, the fans at that place were very young and VERY keen, I do remember that, all the bands liked playing there; Aynsley

Dunbar, Ten Years After, Jeff Beck and Rod.

I thought, I’ve never heard this guy but if Simmonds likes him I better check him out!

Wow that’s amazing! Your memory really is astonishing

True tale. Therefore, we are not following you out of nostalgia, it’s because we like a dynamic show. Yeah and going back to what you were saying as maybe I got off track there, I do think of myself as a musician, and Savoy Brown as a band has been way more influential on other musicians. There were no massive number one hits or top fives even. But nevertheless, I think it is something I am aware of that we probably have been influential. That is only a sort of misty awareness because people don’t come up to me on a weekly basis and shake my hand

I spend a lot of time interviewing people because I find it interesting. Let’s talk about your current band. Sounds great on the live record, have you used that same crew to make your new studio album?

Yeah. The studio album is really the same band and when I started the new line up Pat DeSalvo came on bass guitar and Garnet Grimm on drums. We were friends and we knew each other but I wasn’t sure whether playing in Savoy Brown would be something they would be interested in doing. They were at a stage in their lives where they wanted to take it on. So now we go out as a three piece and we have great fun. I was little bit of a nutcase as I’ve had a bit of a strain with previous line-ups and I was really very difficult to get along with. I think it was just the pressure of keeping a band going like this. There’s a lot that goes with it so I was under a lot of stress.

At that point I was doing the singing and playing guitar and I said ‘Let me bring in a singer. I think that will take some of the pressure off and make me a better person.’ I brought in Joe as a singer and player, he is a friend of mine and he introduced me to my wife. So Joe came in and took the pressure off me. Joe had a solo career and other things going on and wanted to do his own thing. I think I learnt a lesson about how to deal with pressure and it’s very important that I have people around me. So here we are again, a three piece and I’m able to have great fun and keep the pressure away.

You’re remarkably self-aware, objective, Kim. A couple of people have said over the last year ‘You’re there but not just for yourself’ , y’know. It’s true, I am there for the audience, now that’s a very sweet thing to hear, another reason why I’m still doing this. I am philosophical, and I am very religious, these things make me aware, to respond properly to you there.

What we’re getting to here is, Kim Simmonds is not going to go out there and play on auto-pilot.

(Chuckles) Ha! I wish I could! But it would never work, you be true to yourself and that’s been my mantra for a long time.

Your slide guitar style has got quite a distinctive feel to it, and I’ve always thought that just a little touch of George Harrison in there.

Slide playing came very easily to me and like everything that comes easy, you don’t value it.

I quite often don’t play any slide guitar at all in shows; now you mention George Harrison, I think he’s one of the best slide players ever.

He plays that split second behind where the note should be, doesn’t he?

(Ponders) Now you bring that up, yes, think he does… that is one of the things with me, I do sometime play behind the beat slightly in my case, it’s just poor musicianship!

No! it’s just something I did wonder about, and haven’t remembered to run past you before. Not til you mentioned it. Now you have, yes I can hear it. I wasn’t aware before that he was slightly behind the beat but yes he was, he is. I was never aware of it, as a sometime characteristic.

I’m kinda saying that you should maybe play a bit more slide, sometimes.

(Laughs) Well I wanna hear that, because here I am putting together a setlist for tomorrow and Saturday and I’ve been DAYS pondering what to include! OK, there was one song I wasn’t going to play slide, now I will, I think; your input will be heeded

Well OK. Sorry to take your time but I did really want to talk about how you’re doing and where you are now. So we’ve been in and around all that and thanks, amigo. Oh, I did Little Wheel the other night at a flood fundraiser. I’ve never heard anyone do that Hooker song as well as you, when I was in America and you played it with Pete McMahon. Oh thanks. Well, when we did that song, Pete and myself... we could just read each other’s minds on what space to put in here and when to crank it up, it was a joy to play with Pete, and in particular on that great song. We built up quite an intricate arrangement, just because we knew each other’s playing and who should push where.

There we have it, Mr Simmonds’ thoughts and opinions. Long may he play and sing up a storm with Savoy Brown and as a solo performer.

songs From the road is out now on ru F r ecords and F eatures a li V e cd and li V e d V d

om’s debut EP, Better Things to Do came out in 2013 and was very well received. 2014 sees them take in some prestigious festival slots and, in the spring, the release of their first full album. This is a band to watch.

The last year has seen Tom Gee Band really come to the front as a band to watch, what has been the biggest highlight this year?

Cheltenham Jazz Festival was definitely one of our favourite gigs this year. The atmosphere that the organisers create there is excellent and very conducive to putting on a good show. The immediate period after releasing the EP was really exciting too. The response we got from our fans, independent reviewers and radio DJs was really encouraging and spurred us on to get working on songs for a full album.

I hear there is a new album coming up, how’s that shaping up?

Things are going really well so far. The support that the EP received has fed into us becoming more comfortable with our identity as a band and we’re taking a few more chances this time around. We’ve finished writing the songs for the album and we’re going into the studio in February to start recording.

Do you like being in the studio?

We’ve previously had some of the most creative, hilarious and tense times as a band in the studio. Big projects like this really allow you to learn a lot about yourself and the music you have written. Generally we love recording, the experience of being in the studio is often dictated by the environment the producer creates for you to work in. We were very fortunate in finding Dan Mizen at Active Audio as he understands where we’re coming from as a band and how important it is to us that we capture our live sound. Thus far, every time we’ve gone into the studio, I’ve managed to get a sore throat just in time for recording the vocals. I’m usually so high off Ibuprofen and Vick’s Vaporub that I’m barely aware anyone else is there. Hopefully this time around I’ll be able to stay virus-free.

You have a strong focus on song-writing, do you feel lyrics are more or less important than the actual music?

With our genre of music, I think you’ve got to give both an equal amount of attention.

I think the majority of the band take their musical cues from the content of the lyrics and likewise, the lyrics have to reflect the mood we create with the music. You have to remember as well that as much as we write music for our own enjoyment we’re doing it for other people and most people aren’t going to like a song because you’ve used a really nice minor 9 chord, they’re probably more concerned with the melody and the lyrics.

Where do you get your ideas for your lyrics?

Inspiration comes in all different ways, sometimes it’s based on a real life situation for me or a friend and sometimes it’s completely made up. I find driving on my own is a really good time for song writing, I quite often get ideas for melodies and lyrics as I’m driving along and I have to pull over and record them on my iPhone before I forget them! Not everything is useable but I have a huge back catalogue of random lyrics and different song ideas just from driving in my car.

You have a big band, is that easy to work with?

They’re a pretty co-operative bunch, really. Everyone gets on very well and we’re all very committed to the band. It’s good that we’re all friends away from the band, it means we’re aware when someone needs space or needs to talk and we all work well together. Finding stages large enough to hold us and accommodate our big sound can be a challenge though.

How did the current line up come together?

When the band first formed it consisted of myself, Jamie Moore on Bass and David Sudall on Drums, all of whom I met at school. When I went to University my housemate David Levi joined us on Keys. We recorded and gigged extensively as a four-piece band until 2011 when we decided to bring in horns and backing vocals, which really changed the way we approached our music. Some members have come and gone, but the core of the band is much the same as when we started out.

What instruments do you have in the band?

Currently, we have myself on guitar and vocals, Jamie Moore on bass, David Sudall on drums, Tolu Ajayi on keys, Bridie May Miller and Caterina Comeglio on backing vocals, Joe

tom g ee, hails F rom b rad F ord. w ith a classY mix o F blues, soul and F unk in his sound, tom, and his band complete with brass section, are making wa V es in the uk blues scene

V E rb A ls: c lare Free

Visu A ls: Keith h artwell

Roughton on trumpet and Matthew Newby on tenor sax.

Do you write as a band or do you take the songs to the band in their completed form?

Generally, I write the lyrics and work out the basic structure and chords and then bring it into rehearsals where we flesh out the rest of the song. Our upcoming album will feature the first exception to that trend (I don’t want to call it a rule!) in the form of ‘Strongest Hands’, the lyrics for which were written by our bass player Jamie.

What and who are your biggest musical influences?

As a band, I think we draw a lot of inspiration from Dave Matthews Band in terms of our approach to songwriting. Personally, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, B.B. King, Albert King, Marvin Gaye, D’Angelo and Jamiroquai are huge influences on how I like to do things. Clapton is the reason I started guitar really and he got me into the blues, B.B. and Albert came later on but people like Marvin Gaye, Jamiroquai and D’Angelo have pushed me in the direction of soul and funk. I think it’s this

combination that makes our music very roots based but perhaps not falling into one distinct genre.

Did you study music at school/college?

I did. I studied performance at Leeds College of Music for three years which is how I met Joe (trumpet) Bridie and Caterina (Backing Vocals.) I was fortunate to have some great tutors and I enjoyed my time there, sometimes I wonder if I would have been better going straight out into the big bad world but everyone is different. I’d like to think I’ll be better for having spent some time learning my trade.

Do you come from a family of musicians and do you feel this has affected your music?

If you go back a couple of generations my family were part of a family band that owned and ran a movie theatre. They used to play the soundtrack along to all the old silent movies. Rather ingeniously they were called Giano. My dad also plays a bit of piano and bass guitar, I’m sure he’d love to take some credit for it. Jamming with some of my older cousins as a teenager no doubt helped me come out of my

shell, but then again I was never really the shy and retiring type.

What was it that spurred you to take up the guitar?

Layla, by Eric Clapton. I used to steal my parent’s CD’s and listen to that song on repeat. I remember finding out that he’d written it about George Harrison’s wife and being appalled…until I listened to it again. It was too good and very quickly the Pattie, Eric and George triangle faded away.

Tell us about your first guitar.

My first guitar was an Encore Fender Strat copy from Argos which was given to me as a Christmas present. I was really into my football as a kid and it sat in the corner gathering dust for a couple of years before one summer I became very ill, too ill to go out and run around so 14 year old me picked up the Strat copy and started to play around. I remember getting better and having the chance to go back and play football but I decided not to. I knew how to play Smoke on the Water so, as far as I was concerned, I was much cooler as a guitarist than a footballer.

What was the first song you learnt to play?

I’d love to be able to say something like Classical Gas, or Little Wing, but alas no, it was I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness. I’m sure my parents were thrilled.

Do you see yourself as a ‘blues’ guitarist/singer?

I’m certainly very influenced by Blues artists, but I wouldn’t say I confine myself to the genre. I don’t think I could if I tried, nor do I think my band of soulsters and jazzers would be very happy!

Do you see yourself as a singer who plays guitar, or a guitarist who sings and why?

I’d probably have to say I’m a guitarist who sings, but only because the singing side of things came later on in my development as a musician. I enjoy playing guitar a lot more than singing as well, I find I can express myself a lot better as a guitarist rather than a singer.

Which festivals can we expect to see you playing at this year?

We’ll be making an appearance at the Great British Rock & Blues Festival in Skegness and Hebden Bridge Blues Festival in May with a few others in the pipeline.

As a young artist entering the blues world, what have been the biggest challenges you have faced so far?

I genuinely have enjoyed every second so far. It’s sometimes difficult given that we crossover into different genres for people to define our music. I don’t think that anyone expects us to come out on stage and play 12 bar blues all night which is good because we aren’t that kind of band. There are other artists either out there or just coming through like Jo Harman and Wooden Horse, guys like us who are roots based but blurring the lines between blues, soul, funk and jazz.

It’s a challenge to keep up with everyone else on the scene, the new artists are really exciting and the guys who have been around for a while keep upping their game. It’s our responsibility to keep up with them.

When you are not doing music, what do you like to do?

I still enjoy my sports, watching and playing anything from cricket to football. Having said all that, you can’t beat a good curry, a bottle of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo and an episode of Sherlock

And finally, if you could have the chance to play with anyone, who would it be and why?

I’m sure each member of the band would have radically different answers to this.

Personally I would have to say Clapton. He’s the reason I started playing and it would be a dream come true. Ideally I’d just like to play Crossroads festival in Chicago, stand at the back at the end and play rhythm for Clapton, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and John Mayer.

That would be something to tell the grandchildren!

F or more in F ormation, check out: www.tomgeemusic.com

“ Clapton is the reason I started guitar”

BM: Thanks for coming through RC: It’s good to be able to talk to you.

Robert. Now strangely, I have met, spoken to and played with most of the Provogue artists but not you, which is why I seized on this opportunity when it came through from the magazine, label and PR here. You’re a real missing part of my blues jigsaw! Now the new album, I listened closely to it and it’s got a terrific crisp vocal on opener You Move Me and it sounds like almost gated-reverb guitar, what made you decide on that for the arrangement?

It’s just the way the song came about. It wasn’t something I gave a whole lot of thought to, the song has that immediacy thing about it, it’s upbeat, straight-ahead square beat.

It’s a very good opener and it grabs your attention. See overall, I had your last album and I enjoyed it, but this one, I don’t know but I like it a whole lot more. Maybe it’s the material, maybe it’s the production. There’s something about it that has quite a nice edge when needed. What was in your head when you recorded this one? What frame of mind were you in?

Well, what I enjoyed about making this record was the fact that we were working with Steve Jordan. He thought that for instance on the second cut Nobody’s Fault But Mine – this

being an Otis Redding tune, I could maybe do justice to the vocal along with Les, get a Sam & Dave tinge to it. He is so enthusiastic, wants to get it right, get the feel captured for each number. Y’see Pete, Steve is in the studio with us when we record and he comes in and we work the songs out. We’d get the tempo and on a lot of the tracks, Steve was always searching for that special band groove. So I think that has a lot to do with it. The other thing is, his drumkit is an older style kit so whatever situation he’s in he’s playing a period kit. He’s all about the sound.

Fine Yesterday – it’s very airy, a blues ballad thing. Came together over a while, over a summer and fall. I just pieced it together. There is a touch maybe of Sitting In the Park.

Billy Stewart! on Chess / Cadet … Your Good Thing Is About To End? Nice chords in there.

Yeah! Now Steve is one of the biggest Lou Rawls fans EVER! Happens I always loved that tune and what we did was touch on some different versions of the song, so what you get is Mabel John and O V Wright elements blended in there and we just cut it, that’s what you hear.

V E rb A ls: Pete Sargeant Visu A ls: Je FF Katz

w ith a new album in mY soul due and a uk tour in the s pring, it’s a good time F or our man s argeant to talk to m r c raY in l os a ngeles

Guess I’ll Never Know – made me think of Little Milton, did you ever meet him? Just the once, great artist, for sure.

Now obviously there’s a mistake on the disc I have, because by mistake they’ve included a track six called Hold On which is very clearly a demo for Billy Paul... (Laughs, rumbling me) Haha! Take me back to the seventies! That kind of groove. Richard Cousins and his writing friend Hendrix Ackle came up with that.

Forgive the gag… it really IS that Philly sound! (Laughs) No, it’s alrigh. It does kind of get it down, don’t you think?

Paul would love that song. He’d tear it out of your hands. Now the next track What Would You Say, great arrangement, acoustic in there, Hiatt ache to it, but why didn’t you get Susan Tedeschi or someone to join you on the vocal? You don’t seem to do enough singing with female singers. Well it all depends on what kind of song. That being said.

Dead right. But it’s just something I think your voice would sound so good with a Tedeschi type lady because you’re a natural accompanist as well as a frontman. See I don’t think you are a great musician unless you can back other people, make them sound good. That’s my own personal opinion from many years of playing is what I’ve come to think. Backing other people is the greatest fun ever. I like Hip Tight Onions, the Booker T homage track. It sounds like the theme to some dumb show like Leave It to Gopher or something. (Laughs) well that’s Cousins and Ackle again. We don’t do instrumentals, but it seemed a fun idea to put this into the order, in with songs in whole other moods.

You’re Everything. This is way favourite cut here. You sound most comfortably yourself on this one and the piano/organ is terrific. Sounds like a set closer you can dig into then name your band members.

(Thinks) I kinda know what you mean, there. It does build up, I wanted to do a Bobby Bland tune but initially couldn’t settle on one, y’know? I didn’t want to change it, just do it as a pretty direct tribute to Bobby who was one of my heroes. He had come to see us not long before he passed, had his wife and son with him, was a real honour.

How lucky was Bobby to have a guitar foil in Wayne Bennett? A master player, that man. Absolutely, killer musician and collaborator, one of the best ever.

My edition of this new album has a cut called PillowTalk that’s different to the other songs – is that a Coral electric sitar on there? cos it doesn’t sound quite like one.

Ah no, they’re pretty rare, it’s a Telecaster and we put a block of wood by the bridge, to get that sound.

OK – I get a quasi-sitar harmonic by picking a note near the neck and VERY lightly damping with my palm so the string starts to whine as you bend it. As you’ve sensed, we enjoyed making the

album and it’s cool to talk about what you’re hearing.

Now I’ve got a question from another player if I may. My mate Pete Gunn is in a band called The Inmates and they did a fantastic version of Bad Influence – do you have it?

I haven’t. Ah! No, wait! Yeah I have actually, I was given that CD, black cover?

Good man. Is it still one you manage to include in the shows? Yeah we do.

Oh good. My favourite track of yours but I bet you’ve forgotten it, Night Patrol. Unfortunately as relevant now as it was back when released. Oh well, that is one we haven’t done for a while, yes, with more wars continuing and more people left homeless, these things trouble me, what people can do to other people.

Please play that live again. That song is a diamond piece of work, to me, on songs, I wonder why you haven’t recorded more material by Curtis Mayfield? Good question! I LOVE Curtis Mayfield.

And with your voice? Eric Clapton, I don’t particularly go for the material he’s done in recent years, but, about twenty years ago there was a tribute to Curtis album and he played a song called You Must Believe Me. That song is a brilliant version, Eric can be SO good when he puts his mind to it.

(Singing) ‘No matter what the people might say.’ That is a great song. He had so much talent, that man. You’ve got me thinking now.

I read a thing a couple of years ago where you said you had some good advice from Eric Clapton in your early days of playing in regards to the courtesy of guesting. You said something along the lines of ‘He said when I want you to play out I’ll give you the nod and you can do your thing. But please don’t try and cut me.’ (Laughs) It wasn’t quite exactly like that.

Stephen Stills told me Clapton taught him the courtesy of guesting. He said ‘Go in and be yourself but don’t try and outshine the host’. I didn’t do it onstage, it’s a true story but it was just a conversation. We were just joking and having fun, maybe I had one drink too many and he said that as a warning. I’ve seen people try and do that, shut down the host.

Oh, so have I. Someone who should know better tried that macho guitar solo with Susan Tedeschi in London and when she came back in, she shredded him. In your lyrics especially early on you’re often very vulnerable or a potential victim. Are you/were you that vulnerable or are you assuming a character for such a song?

Well it all depends on the time period. The songs I write nowadays don’t have so much of that first-hand anguish or whatever, I have been happily married for a long tome now, In fact, our 24th wedding anniversary is coming up. You’re right to ask about that because there’s some events in the past that made me think certain ways, react to situations in particular ways, you know what I’m saying?

Of course, I’m not prying, because the recorded performance captured that the mood or attitude can be picked up when you hear it now; Strong Persuader? What you doing after this? Got some more interviews to do then we prepare for the tour. Hope to see you!

r obert c raY’s new album in mY soul is released bY p ro V ogue r ecords on 31st m arch. c raY’s uk tour starts FridaY 3rd m aY. tickets are a V ailable F rom ticketmaster: 0870 534 444 and s ee tickets: 0871 220 0260. Further in F o: www.robertcraY.co m

tHe 40tH ANNIVerSArY tOur

He will have Azadeh as his special guest for the 13-date UK tour. The tour stops at the following venues:

Friday 2nd May 2014 – The Anvil, Basingstoke, United Kingdom (Box Office: 01256 844 244) www.anvilarts.org.uk

Saturday 3rd May 2014 – Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Cheltenham, United Kingdom (Box Office: 0844 880 8094) www.cheltenhamfestivals. com/jazz

Monday 5th May 2014 – Town Hall, Birmingham, United Kingdom (Box Office: 0121 345 0600)

www.thsh.co.uk

Tuesday 6th May 2014 – Barbican Hall, London, United Kingdom (Box Office: 020 7638 8891) www.barbican.org.uk

Thursday 8th May 2014 – Royal Hall, Harrogate, United Kingdom (Box Office: 01423 502 116) www.royalhall.co.uk

Friday 9th May 2014 – The Sage, Gateshead, United Kingdom (Box Office: 0191 443 4661) www.sagegateshead.com

Saturday 10th May 2014 – Corn Exchange, Cambridge, United Kingdom (Box Office: 01223 357 851) www.cornex.co.uk

Sunday 11th May 2014 – Theatre Royal, Norwich, United Kingdom (Box Office: 01603 630 000) www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

Tuesday 13th May 2014 – Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom (Box Office: 01892 530 613) www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

Wednesday 14th May 2014 – St David’s Hall, Cardiff, United Kingdom (Box Office: 02920 878 444) www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

Friday 16th May 2014 – Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, United Kingdom (Box Office: 0844 907 9000) www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk

Saturday 17th May 2014 – Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, United Kingdom (Box Office: 0131 668 2019) www.thequeenshall.net

Sunday 18th May – G-Live, Guildford, United Kingdom (Box Office: 0844 7701 797) www.glive.co.uk/Online

24 – Hour Ticket Hotline – Ticketmaster: 0844 844 0444 www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Ticketline: 0844 888 9991. See Tickets: 0871 220 0260 www.seetickets.com Further info: www.robertcray.com

ste V e r odgers is a bright, Young, gi F ted songwriter and per F ormer who has been slowlY honing his cra F t o V er the past F ew Years

V E rb A ls: Steve Yo U rglivch Visu A ls: Shirle Y a ndrew S

ith a new album due for release and a collection of UK dates and festival appearances booked, 2014 could be his breakthrough year. Music and performance is part of Steve’s DNA, having grown up surrounded by rock royalty, but this humble young guy admits he finds talking about himself difficult. He needn’t worry, his music speaks volumes as high profile fans like Jimmy Page and Roger Taylor can attest.

BM: Hi Steve, thanks for making time to update Blues Matters readers on all that’s happening. I know its been a hectic schedule for you in recent months. When we met at Cambridge Rock & Blues Festival last year you told me you hoped to be recording a new album for 2014. How’s that progressing and what kind of record should we expect?

SR: It’s going great. It’s an upbeat record with plenty of diversity. I love records that take you on a bit of a journey. So it will almost be like a gig, where we start up tempo, then softer ones, then build up again. There are acoustic tracks, piano tracks, I use different tunings and nylon stringed guitars just to change the musical atmosphere.

When can we expect it to be available?

It should be available early March hopefully. The album is entitled, Life, I’m just working on putting the finishing touches to a few things now.

Tell us a little about your current band, I was very impressed by what I saw at Cambridge. Thank you. They’re great guys, I love ‘em. The album is actually done with equally great musicians that I’ve known for ages; Russell Carr on bass, Allan Salmon, guitars and Wayne Riches on drums. They will be backing me on this next tour of the UK.

Are the tour dates all confirmed yet?

We start touring from 11th February right through to June. All sorts of venues, art centres, clubs, plus some festivals. We’ll be playing Cambridge Rock and Blues Festival

again and the Acoustic Festival of Britain in Uttoxeter.

Your song writing and vocal style have been compared to Jeff Buckley and Ray LaMontagne among others. Do you think those comparisons are valid?

Yes, I love Jeff Buckley and Ray’s soul style. I like that you don’t have to stick to one style and can sing blues then shift to something else within a song, makes it more interesting for me. Another big influence for me is Scott Matthews, I really love listening to his performances.

Growing up with one of the world’s most admired musicians as a father must have given you some wonderful memories. Any you’d care to share? And did you always feel that music would become a way of life?

It was interesting how at the weekends as a child my sister and I would be running around Wembley Stadium playing, watching all the road crew put up the lights and push amps around on stage. I found it all very exciting, but totally normal. As a boy I’d be off to a festival with hundreds of bikers etc, and then come Monday morning I’d be in my school uniform. I never really mentioned it to my friends, it was just the norm.

I’ve read that your father’s record collection provided many influences, especially Albert King and Led Zeppelin, why those especially, and any others of special significance ?

Well Albert’s records taught me how to play guitar, I used to practise for hours and hours. And Led Zep had a warmth and a feeling that the sun was coming out, I loved all their songs, plus I’d been introduced to wacky baccy by then, not that I do any of that now. Miles Davis’s record, Tutu and Gustav Holst’s Planets Suite were strangely different at age 13, so they left an impression on me that different styles other then blues and rock could move you.

I know you were once in a band with your sister

“As a boy I’d be off to a festival”

Jasmine called Boa that achieved a reasonable level of success. Was that very different musically to where you are now and did those experiences leave a lasting impression as an artist?

I loved being in Boa. They were my extended family and we still are all best mates. It’s very different writing in a band to writing solo, they both have their plus points.

In a band you have to put your ego aside and just focus on the song, we became good at letting the song tell us where it wanted to go, rather than trying to force our own musical bits in.

I understand that as well as playing guitar you are an accomplished musician on piano and drums too. Is it true you learned drums as a very young child on Simon Kirke’s kit?

Ha ha! Me accomplished on drums! I did learn to play on Simon’s kit, but I was about three. I don’t think I’ve progressed since then.

You’ve already played in front of some huge audiences both here and abroad, but also smaller venues. Do you have to keep adjusting the focus and style of what you are trying to achieve accordingly?

Yes, definitely. In 2013 I supported Midge Ure in Germany, and T’pau and the Deborah Bonham Band on their UK tours. Each venue was different, especially Germany.

One day I’d be in a massive new venue, then a Blues hall, an Art Deco theatre, an old cinema, heavy metal bar or country and western themed club, each venue was different with different audiences. It was a fantastic learning curve. Mainly it’s about connecting to the people who are watching. Just as in real life, its all about people and how you connect to them. Life is more fun when you connect to those around you.

For more in Formation, check out: www.Facebook.com/ ste V erodgersmusic

ennis Walker has worked with Names like Phillip Walker, Big Mama, Otis Rush, Percy Mayfield. Names he has written songs and produced albums for like BB King, Robert Cray, Maria Muldaur, including many lesser known like John Campbell and Lonesome Sundown. Walker’s incredible stories flow easily from playing in the US Army Band to the early ‘fat years’, which really weren’t and to the fatter years after hitting the big time with multiple Grammys and Handys in hand. Walker’s legacy justifiably includes sparking the Grammy Awards to create a new category in 1988 in Contemporary Blues. Now, at age seventy, he’s kicking back in the mountains of Oregon and reflecting on life.

BM: You’re originally from Oregon aren’t you?

DW: Yes, I was born and raised in Grants Pass. My dad came back from his war and had all these jazz records by Black folks. I heard so much music as a child it soaked in like a pretty smell.

You were 24 and working in the sawmill before going into the Army. What was it like playing in the Army Band?

I went back to the trumpet which I’d played

since I was in the fourth grade. Young men were dying like flies in Vietnam, and every day one or two, sometimes three or four of us trumpet players would have to play taps at some soldier’s funeral. It was awful. I saw one Black woman try to climb down under the coffin so they couldn’t lower it, a Latino mother climb up on the coffin with a wail of anguish that only a mother could know. One young woman absolutely refused to take the folded flag. I saw her look up into that officer’s eyes with a hatred so intense it made him flinch. I went to my commanding officer and told him, ‘You can send me to Vietnam or you can shoot me right here. I will NOT play one more funeral’! I think he saw in my eyes that same sort of complete madness and got me transferred into the Army Big Band. I spent 14 months in Frankfurt, mostly just playing lead and smoking a lot of hash.

What were the early years in LA like?

Keep in mind that I was 42 before I ever made a dime, and it was like all right, what do I need to do? I was obsessed with music, so I figured I’d better up the time I’m spending on this. My dad was always telling me, ‘You can still come

V E rb A ls: d arrel Sage Visu A ls: J U d Y w al K er s ong writer-producer, d ennis w alker altered the course o F b lues historY. h e talks to bm! about the musicians he has plaYed behind, recorded with and was in F luenced bY...

WALKER IN THE ARMY AT FT MAcARTHuR, SAN PEdRo, cA WITH JoHN cANdELARIA

back to the mill’. ‘Oh man, I gotta go to the Grammys that night dad’. I sent him my first gold record, by the way.

A very cool son indeed. My first trip to LA I stayed with my Uncle Leo who got me a job with Dot Records. First guy I met there was Bruce Bromberg. He was working in the warehouse and my job was to drive all over LA doing inventories. Bromberg was from Chicago, a year older than me and had the biggest record collection in the entire western states. LPs he didn’t believe in. ‘Too much of a good thing ain’t good’, he told me. He knew guys like Bruce Iglauer (Alligator Records) and Dick Sherman (songwriter). They were white guys stepping up for the first time and saying this blues shit is the real-est of all deals. We’re talking 1962. White guys didn’t play blues back then. So I got plugged back into that whole circuit after the Army. Through these guys I was all of a sudden on bass and backing up Otis Rush and Fenton Robinson. Bromberg also taught me a lot about producing. ‘It’s all in the vocal, without that you got nothing’. I adhere to that advice to this day. Bromberg actually thrust me onto Mr. Phillip Walker, he of the Little Richard Band and the Lowell Fulson Band and the Clifton Chenier Band.

Wow!

Yeah wow. And any story about me pretty much has to include the three men who virtually made my career, Bruce Bromberg, Phillip Walker and Robert Cray, and in the Cray deal we’d have to absolutely include Richard Cousins. I was called in by Bromberg to play this session in the early 70s with Phillip. Before you knew it I was Phil’s bass player and we were playing in LA, Riverside and Compton. I wasn’t very good but, I was dependable. Phil let me learn on the job and he and I played together for the next twelve years. He taught me how to play the blues.

You played some with Otis Rush back then too. Yes. All up and down the coast these places like Santa Monica and Santa Barbara had Blues Society’s. They would get enough money put

aside to call up a guy like Otis, Fenton Robison, Eddie Taylor, Big Mamma or Cleanhead Vinson to play at their Society. Bromberg was involved in all this then and when they got to LA it was up to me to get the band together to back them up. It was fat. One month you do a ten day thing with Otis. The next month twenty days with Cleanhead or Margie Evans or Louis Meyers, maybe Eddie Taylor.

It was fat. Otis was a trip. Our first show was at the Lighthouse in LA and he wasn’t happy to be that far away from his girl and especially his band. He refused to talk to me and the drummer Eddie O’Niel, but he did tell our band leader and guitar player Tom McFarland, ‘I have just a little experience with white blues players and it’s all been bad’. With that we took the stage. No rehearsal. You’re expected to know the tunes and I did. Otis came out in the middle of an up tempo blues shuffle in B flat and started bending those Otis Rush notes the way he did. WOW, what a player, but what an asshole. He never talked to me for the whole tour, but by the end of it we were hitting some grooves. Otis had no use for us white boys and had no qualms about showing it. Of all those guys I backed up back then Cleanhead was the most fun, but you better be ready to stretch out with him.

How did all that lead to you touring Europe later on with those blues cats from back then?

One day Iglauer called and said, ‘Can you get Phillip Walker and the band to go to Utrecht for this festival’? All of a sudden, because I was white and bright and because I knew Iglauer and Bromberg, I was in charge. I evolved that into many years of touring with Lowell Fulson, Buddy Guy, George ‘Harmonica’ Smith, Frankie Lee and on and on. It was Lowell Fulson who took me to another level with the blues and also with the touring stuff. After all, here I found myself in the same band backing up Lowell that had at one time included Ray Charles and Stanley Turrentine. Even when I put the band together to back up certain European tours with Lowell and Percy I’d just hire the Phillip Walker Band which of course meant I also hired myself to play with all these

giants. Lowell was kinda dumbfounded by this white guy in the middle of all this, but once we played it was cool. I’d gone back and memorized all the bass lines on his records so when he called it up he got exactly what he was used to. Lowell liked to sit up in his room after the shows and play more blues. I sat with him for hours talking about song writing. He taught me, ‘Just tell your story son, in language so simple your Uncle Elmo can understand’.

You mentioned Percy, Percy Mayfield?

Oh yes. Another major influence was Percy Mayfield. I was his Band Director for a couple years standing behind him listening to those incredible words. He was also a monstrous drunk to where one of us had to watch him all the time. When it came my time I’d just bring in a fifth and drink with him and talk song writing. In Amsterdam one time he got up about eight in the morning and poured himself about ten fingers of Jack Daniels and in his slippers and hotel bath robe only, began to walk the halls sipping and making conversation with whatever cleaning lady didn’t faint at the sight of him. By the time security called and

woke me up Percy had drank up all ten fingers and had begun to help himself to the room’s mini-bar. He was happy as a loon when I got to him and was standing around singing to the security guys. I explained who he was and they let him go.

How old was Robert Cray when you met him? He was about nineteen. Bromberg saw him at this festival somewhere around San Francisco. It was incredible in those days to find a guy like that. I says to him, ‘Well, do you have any tunes’? ‘Yeah, I got Bad Influence’. WHOA, that’s a good start. What a talent! I mean what a guy to be able to go to as a very inexperienced song writer and say, what do you think of these? Then have Bouncing Back, and The Forecast and Right Next Door pop out. Richard Cousins was the one that ran his band during all those years and besides being a world class bass player at the age of twenty he managed every aspect of the band. But way beyond all that, even back then in ‘72 when they were coming out of Eugene Oregon and had worked their

BBKINg, dENNIS ANd RIcHARdcouSINS

way as far south as San Francisco, Cousins would say with penetrating confidence, ‘We’re all gonna be stars. Just wait, after all, we got Robert Cray’. I’ve used Cousins for my bass player ever since John Campbell and B.B. King.

Blues Matters ran a piece on John Campbell a couple years ago. How did you two get hooked up? Lubin wanted me to listen to this tape he’s made of John live. Just him, a drummer and a bass player and this fuckin guitar just takes off. The hair on the back of my neck stands up. I was working with Lubin on the Cray stuff when he found Campbell. He called me and said, ‘Come on down to this high dollar restaurant and lets talk’. Keep in mind I ain’t met John before and had no idea he was this carved up, lanky, one eye seeing, deathly handsome devil who knew, really KNEW how to wear black. We were introduced, the talk progressed and John and I both had a lot of the same demons up in our head holes so it became apparent the two of us were gonna work out real good. By then the wine had not only flowed but we’d all had three shots of some kind of Russian vodka and

a couple lines of coke. Lubin was the first to get out of line when he said, after John had called him a pussy for liking John Hiatt and Paul Simon, ‘Let’s arm wrestle’. Lubin is a Vice President of Elektra records, and I’ve already won two Grammys. But no matter. The match is on. I quickly dispense of Lubin. John is this wiry lunatic looking guy with a big smile and when I lock up hands with him across the table I can feel immediately, this fucking guy is gonna either squeeze every ounce of feeling out of my hand or slam it down so hard my knuckles are gonna dance the low flat, Bonaparte’s Retreat without the waltz. And that’s what happened. John was five times stronger than he looked. He wasn’t really human in a lot of ways. Aside from all that, I saw him half a dozen times at the top of my driveway the month or two after he died. And no, I wasn’t hallucinating. I saw him there plain as day. It didn’t really surprise me either.

Wouldn’t surprise any of us who knew the man.

d ennis w alker inter V iew to be continued in issue #78. F or more in F ormation, check out: www.denniswalker.in F o

dENNIS, gEoRgE HARMoNIcA SMITH, NATE dovE, ANd JoHNNY TucKER PHoTo: JudY WALKER

V E rb A ls: c live r awling S

aF ter a gap o F six Years, m ichael k aton, aka the b oogie m an F rom h ell (actuallY in m ichigan, You can check!) has toured the uk. bm’s c li V e r awlings, a long-time Fan o F the man, caught up with m ichael be F ore he went on stage

Some language was a little rich, but to remove it completely would detract from the essence of the interview, in my opinion. So our more timid listeners (do we have any?) may want to get the Tippex out.

BM: I first heard of you in 1988 when you came over and were on the Bob Harris show? MK: Yeah that’s right and who else, oh yes Johnnie Walker and Peel, (John Peel) and there was also Tommy Vance, I was on his show. Didn’t he die recently?

He died a few years ago. But anyway, you‘re over here touring with a couple of new albums out I believe?

Yeah man, one is Hard On! (The Boogie), on Mystic Records out of London, man and I believe he’s got something like Virgil and The Accelerators on the label, who else has he got on there, Mitch Laddie I think? Wishbone Ash, some re-issue stuff?

Ok, so talking of which you’ve mentioned two youngsters, two English youngsters, Virgil and Mitch Laddie, what do you reckon about the state of English blues and rock?

You know I’m real familiar, I’ve heard them cats and they sound good to me, as a matter of fact Mitch and I were playing together up at the Newcastle Blues Rock club there, new outfit Les Routledge operates and Mitch come up and sat in with us and did a few tunes and there was a couple harp players man, but he sounded really good and Virgil and the Accelerators, I haven’t seen them live, but I’ve seen some You Tube stuff and they’re cooking too man. Two brothers right, the drummer and a guitar player?

Yes, (we’re not really here to talk about Virgil) but the story as I understand is that they’re two South African brothers who just turned up in the UK with nothing – don’t think they had a penny to their name and this guy (their manager now, Martin Lewis) took them under his wing and got them together in a power trio. That’s the way we’re going over here, we’ve got some good young guys coming through with bands. But what turned you

on initially, having read your CV, it’s phenomenal, you’ve met Muddy Waters, back in the day, can you fill me in on that?

Ah yeah, like Muddy Waters, I met, I actually met Howlin’ Wolf before that when we were kids, man, my brother, he was a drummer in a blues band called The Prime Movers Blues Band they were doing shows like, they knew everybody was coming through town they’d be like opening up for Cream and people like that. I think they opened up for Hendrix one time, man.

My brother, he was seven years older than me, so he’d already been out playing in bands and stuff and Dan Erlwine, the guitar player in the The Prime Movers Blues Band, he built guitars for some of these guys like Albert King and stuff. Now if you see Albert’s Flying V that he had that was old mahogany, dark wood with his name down the front, I watched that guitar being built ‘cos Dan Erlwine, he would kind of show us young guys how to play a little blues.

Anyway, when I first met Danny my brother would sneak me out of my folks’ house, he was off on his own already and playing in joints you know. And he would sneak me out of the house to spend the weekend with him, you know, ask my Mom and Dad you know, ‘can I take Mike with me to spend the weekend?’ and they’d say ‘oh yeah’ – you know big brother is going to take care of little brother, so he’d take me off to these gigs man, when I was like 13/14 years old in these blues clubs until two am in the morning and that kind of stuff.

Then there was another place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, called The Fifth Dimension where everybody played like on a Saturday afternoon, I mean The Who played there, The Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix, they all played there! This is like 1965/66 you know. So Dan, he asked me one day, I think I was about 14 years old, he went like ‘who are you listening to’ and I ‘said well I kind of like this here Clapton guy, plays with a band called Cream’ – it was right when the Fresh Cream album came out and he went ‘yeah, he’s good but you

“My wouldbrother sneak me out of my house”

should really listen to who he listened to’ and I go ‘yeah who’s that’ and he goes ‘well you know like Freddie King and Albert King, BB, Elmore James, Otis Rush’ and I said ‘really?’ and he said ‘yeah man, go get those records.’

So it just so happened that there was a music store in my town, Ypsilanti in Michigan where I grew up, they had these records, back in those in days you had the white side of town and the black side of town, and the black side of the town was real close to this music store so they sold a lot of blues records to the people that would come and I just happened to be hanging out and I knew the guys that ran the store and I’ve got a stack of BB King records nearly three foot high man! You could buy them for a dollar, whole albums. So I was getting everybody man, I had Elmore James, BB, Freddie, Muddy Waters, everybody. So I got all the stuff when I was about 14/15 years old and I just been listening to it ever since and you know, it just kind of went from there.

Right so how did you get into the boogie – you are the master of the boogie – I mean every track title’s got boogie in it so what took you onto boogie?

ZZ Top or some sort of influence there?

No man, it was like, well Freddie King always did like a magic sound kind of imitation like, I’ve seen his song, when you went to see Freddie King live at the end, you know, he’s been doing this tune and he had finger picks and stuff, man, so it wasn’t really like magic sound. And Freddie King at the end of his concerts man he’s start off this thing. Gets guitar and he’d go like (plays a bit). Well that was magic sound and he was taking off like Magic Sam would (plays guitar), says this is on his Blues record Blue Tooth (Blues I Cut My Teeth On). That’s all Otis Rush, there’s a couple of Otis Rush things on there and Freddie King and I got an Albert Collins you know, so that’s all those guys I was listening to.

But I hear now you have a Rory Gallagher covers album coming out?

Yeah. I do, I have a whole album recorded. I can’t even tell you what songs I have on there now. I was going to put some Taste stuff on there but I just ran out of time.

A Million Miles Away?

Yeah, I got an acoustic version on there,

there’s no drums, I don’t even know if there’s a bass on there, but there’s a couple of acoustic guitars and an electric guitar.

‘Cos you tend to record playing all the instruments don’t you?

All the guitars and stuff yeah. But no, there’s a drummer on there and bass but yeah all the guitars I do. Yeah I did ‘Million Miles Away’ and I think there’s only (it’s been a while since I was working on it) I was working on it, trying to mix it before this tour and have it out, but I had these two other f****** records, man, so I just put it out in the show, but, man, I know I got ‘Cradle Rock’ on there, ‘Used to Be’, ‘Who’s That Coming,’ ‘Mississippi Shakes’, I got that on there. It’s real good I must say, it came out better than I hoped for because to tell you the truth, man’ I really didn’t know that much about Rory Gallagher because he was coming up the same time as me.

I heard about him, I lived in Los Angeles, it was about 1974, and I was going through the record bin and I saw this Stratocaster on the cover and it looked rather cool so I bought the record and that was Against The Grain, maybe, so what year was that? But anyway, man, I kind of knew about him then and kind of forgot about him and you know he’d pop up once in a while.

The reason I did that is just what happened some FB friend of mine, somebody put up a Rory Gallagher Youtube clip or something and this FB friend of mine commented on it and he says ‘I’m surprised nobody’s done a tribute album yet, a good one,’ you know.

I started thinking ‘cos when I first started coming to the UK here they used to kind of compare me, for many years kind of lump me in with Rory Gallagher and some of these guys which was quite an honour, you know I’ve been in Kerrang magazine or something, or some other guitar mag, anyways, I’d be like in the guitar mags or something in an article with Rory Gallagher you know and some people said oh he’s like the American Rory Gallagher or something like this.

I never thought much about it but my grandfather, my mother’s father, is from Ireland, in Cork there, and this guy said that, and it triggered something off, and I thought f*** man, well maybe I ought to do a goddam Rory Gallagher tribute, you know. ‘Cos I always liked him and stuff but it turned out to be harder than I imagined, I thought ‘oh

his style’s somewhat like mine I can just go in there and whip this thing off’ you know. But then I started listening, cos’ I didn’t know any of his songs or anything to tell you the truth, so I started listening to his stuff trying to pick out my songs and trying to stay as close as I could but I had to do it in my own style cos he’s like basically impossible to copy. Some stuff I got close, I got his tone pretty good, cos I had the right equipment like a Range Master and the right amps and stuff and a Stratocaster so I could get his tone, but his style is like super impossible to copy man. It’s the hardest stuff I ever tried to copy, he’s just so unique with his, but anyway so I got this, I think there’s 10 tunes, man. It turned out nice man, turned out really good and I’m going to try and get it out maybe this summer or something like that.

So, the Kerrang incident? You’re photographed with the Proud To Be Loud CD you had out at the time?

Oh, on the front cover, was the Boogie Train out yet?

(Clive: no I don’t think it was) So, Proud To Be Loud!

That awful picture of you, I’ve got the original copy, yeah, I think they re-released it and it’s got this fantastic photo of you with your lovely wavy hair. Oh, my Elvis look? Yeah man, giant sideburns.

That was the one. How did that all come about, it’s quite some story isn’t it?

The George Young sideburns. Well, the way the whole thing started was I was living in California and I got fed up with Los Angeles and I came back to around Detroit there about 1977 maybe. I started slinking around seeing what’s going on, then I got some recording equipment and started writing my own tunes and recording it but I couldn’t get a record deal, you know I was talking to people back in those days, you were trying to get like a little independent record deal or something. But I didn’t have any luck man, so I just said f*** it man and I printed up my own cassettes, you know.

A buddy of mine, Cub Koda was in a band Brownsville Station, (‘Smoking in the Boy’s

Room’) you know, I’d been doing gigs with him and stuff you know like my band was opening up there and my older brother was playing drums with me, we were doing gigs and stuff and I made this cassette tape and he was a writer, he was writing for Goldmine magazine which was worldwide and he wrote about this cassette I made which was called Boogie All Over Your Head, it was, like, my first album and it was kind of semi rockabilly.

He wrote about it in the magazine and he put my address and said they were for sale, so I started getting these orders you know, mail orders, I was packaging them up myself and I was mailing them out myself and I was getting them from all over the world and I got this one order from Sweden.

Having sent it to Sweden I got this letter back, this is before the internet or any of this stuff man, and I got this letter back which said ‘hey man, I’m a disc jockey and I played this song on my radio show and people are calling in saying they like this stuff, truckers are calling in saying they like this record and a friend of mine owns a record label and he’d like to put it out here in Sweden’. So I said ‘well send me some money man’ and I just gave them some outrageous figure and they sent it to me. I thought ‘wow this is pretty easy’, they sent me some money and I sent them the tape, they sent me my money before I sent them the tape, and they stuck out that ‘Boogie All Over Your Head’ on Garage Land Records, it was out all over Sweden, way up the top up near the Arctic Circle.

These guys were kind of like record collectors, this label and stuff, so they stuck it out and somehow it got to England man and somebody wrote about it. I said ‘hey man do you want to put out another one?’ And they said ‘yeah’, so I made Proud To Be Loud, I gave them that and they stuck it out and somehow it got to England.

Roadhouse 69, that was the big track on that? Yeah, and Boogie Whip (plays a bit...)

part two o F this amazing inter V iew continues in issue 78. F or more in F ormation on michael katon check out www.katon.com

“Got a stack of BB King records three foot high”

the b lues Foundation these daYs is a locomoti V e without a mean conductor or a cruel old engineer. i am also sure that John h enrY would haV e been proud o F this line

he BF’s President/CEO has made a great transformation since the days when W. C. Handy’s name was used to honour Blues musicians. We need to get behind such a man while he is in office because I feel he will be a hard act to follow.

Prior to your involvement with the Blues Foundation, what was your interest in music and the Blues?

Ever since the mid ‘60s I have been interested in music, listening to and buying music. Music has always been one of my main hobbies and interests; top 40, rock ‘n’roll and all that stuff. Then, in the late ‘80s, I kind of got bored with myself, listening to the same old stuff I had been listening to since I was a teenager. I started to search around for something new - different genres of music - and I ended up going to the jazz festival in New Orleans, then I ended going on a Blues Cruise in 1994. Since that first Blues Cruise in ’94 it has pretty much been my main musical hobby.

I won’t put you on the spot by asking you who are your favourites out of the living artists, but of the blues

musicians who passed on, who do you dig, also what styles of Blues music do you enjoy most?

Actually, I like singing better than I like anything else. I often tend to like the soul/ blues, because so much emphasis there is on the song and on the singing. The guitar shredding isn’t quite my thing. I sometimes joke that if I still wanted to listen to rock, I would be listening to rock. It is not so much a purist thing as it is what I like. So I am a big fan of Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland. I am a big fan of Little Milton.

When I met you in 2004 you had very little staff. How many do you employ today?

Well, we still run a pretty lean, mean operation.We have, including me, three fulltime employees, and we have a part-time book keeper. That is certainly going to change in the next year or so when we open up the Blues Hall of Fame, but we have kept it pretty lean and mean all these years.

You have a lot of projects under the banner of the

Blues Foundation. How difficult is it to organise and get everything done?

There are days when we think, ‘How do we do this’, and there are days when you think, ‘Jeez when is it ever going to stop’. I think that the secret has been to plan and to work hard and not waste time and keep getting things done. Today is the day after the holidays (Jan. 2nd), and you have kind of a post-holiday funk or something. I told my wife, ‘Well there is plenty to do’, so I just do one thing today, then I do another thing, and the day will be over, and you will have got a lot of things done.

Even if you don’t think you have to take on the world today, there are still things that can be done, and if you take care of business then it all adds up.

You were a brave man when you decided to move into bigger premises and shortly after to embark on a fund raising campaign to build the Blues Hall of Fame, all this in a bad economic period. It fantastically paid off. Why then, and what was your strategy?

I guess the short version is that we kind of fixed everything else - membership, Blues Societies, the IBC, the Blues Music Awards, and Hart Fund, and all these things were going pretty well. It was not that they could not improve and grow, but they were all better than they used to be, and they were all going pretty good. We were saying, ‘Well what’s next?’ We never started with the idea; ‘Well let’s do the Blues Hall of Fame’. I noticed that Blues tourists, especially European Blues tourists, would come to Memphis and the Blues Foundation expecting something to be there and there wasn’t anything there. In my time I have been more aware of, conscious of, and respectful of Blues fans from Europe and other parts of the world.

It dawned on me that we are letting people down, and we are not taking advantage of it. So on a day to day basis we had events and stuff on the website, but we didn’t have a physical place that would contribute to the mission. The idea was to get a place that would be a reason for people to come visit. When they did visit they could learn something and be exposed to Blues music. That was really what was driving

it, not to own a building, not to have a better location, not to have a nicer office, but to have something that would serve the mission every day of the year. Once we got this place then it was like, ‘OK we got this place, now what are we going to do with it?’. It was really our consultants that said, ‘Jeez, you dummies! The obvious answer is the Blues Hall of Fame!.

You have been inducting people into the Hall of Fame every year since 1980. You can look it up on the website, but there is no physical manifestation of that, and if you want people to walk in the door, everybody knows what you do at a Hall of Fame, you go visit it.’ When they explained it like that it was a no-brainer. We were concerned about biting off more than we could chew, and getting into the museum business. They came back with, ‘It can be any size you guys think you can handle, and with audio visual stuff, you want people to come in to tour then make it a size that works for the Blues Foundation”’. That is when we thought, ‘OK we will go this route.’

What is the concept layout of the Blues Hall of Fame to be?

There are really five categories of inductees. There are songs, albums, books, behind the scenes guys and there are performers. We can’t do it all. We didn’t really want to do it all. We want to focus on the performers, for that will lead to some songs and LPs. Give folks a taste, whether it’s an artefact, a video, an audio recording or an original artwork - in the Blues world there is so much folk art that goes with it. Instead of having a museum full of artefacts you could just about have an art gallery!

How different will it be to the National Blues Museum set to open in St. Louis?

I don’t know what the status is in St. Louis. Our focus is that we are not going to talk about the history of the Blues per se. We are not going to have a chronology. We are going to have some stuff devoted to a number of the top performers. It will be limited in that scope, limited to actual performers in the Blues Hall of Fame.

Memphis has a lot of attractions to offer, apart from

those music oriented, which include the Rock’n’ Roll & Soul Museum, Stax, Sun Studio and Graceland. Do you think the Blues Hall of Fame will have to fight for tourists?

I think it is all complementary. I think back in the day, Disney built Disney World down in Orlando, and then Universal Studios said, ‘We are going to build one, too’. People might think that was stupid or crazy, but it wasn’t! Two attractions are better than one, and three attractions are better than two, etc. Orlando has grown into a huge tourist destination because there is more than one thing to do there. I think it is the same with Memphis. The more places there are to visit here, the more likely people are going to get into the car or get on a plane and come. For a music fan, there is the Hall of Fame, Graceland, Sun Studio, Beale St., Mr. Handy’s house and the Rock and Soul Museum. We are directly across the street from the National Civil Rights Museum, and it is undergoing a $25,000,000 expansion and renovation. When the Blues Hall of Fame opens we will have two of the world’s great AfricanAmerican museums across the street from each other in downtown Memphis. The National Civil Rights Museum gets 250,000 visitors a year (laughs). Some of those visitors are going to wander across the street no matter how bad we are (laughs).

There are now many Blues associations outside of the USA which are affiliated to the Blues Foundation. Has their formation diluted the Foundation’s membership revenue?

No, again I think it is kind of similar. The more folks that are involved in this, more Blues societies, even the European Blues Union, the more they are trying to get something going in Southeast Asia. I think that the more active organisations there are, the better it will be for everybody. We perform a fairly unique function with the Blues Music Awards, the International Blues Challenge, and the Blues Hall of Fame. We are the centre, and the hub and all that, so I think the more that is going on in Canada, Australia, South America and Europe, the better.

Do you have a booth at events, and how is the Foundation’s profile marketed?

We don’t spend a great deal of money or time marketing ourselves. We don’t have that kind of in house experience, and we don’t really pay people to do that. So our main marketing is, in

my mind, having a good product that speaks for itself, so fans, musicians, other Blues societies, magazines and radio programs help spread the word. We are all in this together.

It is obvious, because of your length of tenure in the job that because of your vision and good judgement, the organisation has a greater standing. What changes did you have to make, and are there still some things to turn around or improve on?

Right now, I am particularly, almost laserfocused on finishing the fundraising for the Blues Hall of Fame, and finishing the designing of it and accumulating the content for it. These are all things we have not done before, and all very important. Then there is the actual operating it, and making sure it is well run, and that it is operating in the black. So that is my focus. I am also thinking that the next steps for the Blues Foundation may have to come from other folks and their vision. One of the things that is disappointing, always, is the number of Blues fans that are not members, or the number of members that discontinue their membership.

We don’t really know why, but we have about 4,000 members right now, and some people say that our retention rates are high, and that we should be happy with them compared to other organisations. It is hard to be happy when about a third of your members don’t renew in any given year. We have grown despite that, but if everyone that was ever a member of the Blues Foundation during my time was still a member, we would probably have about 20,000 members. I don’t know if anyone has the answer, but clearly if there was one thing that would alter the Foundation I think it would be that every Blues fan say, ‘Hey, the Blues Foundation is the organisation around the world that speaks up, and promotes, and is all the centre of all this, and for $25 a year I can do my part’. That would probably change the dynamics more than anything. Around the whole world we have about 4,000 members, and most of them are fans. That is the difference between the Blues Foundation and most music organisations. They are professional trade organisations. We are mostly a fan organisation which is great. The fans make their money in some other walk of life, and they invest it in the Blues community.

F or more in F ormation, check out: www.tomgeemusic.com

Last year Dan was voted joint young artist of 2013 in the British Blues Awards, appeared on the Andrew Marr show on BBC1, has played Glastonbury and the Sage in Gateshead as well as numerous festivals. One of the tracks that Dan played at Newark Blues Festival that was posted on YouTube (ballad of Hollis Brown) has to date had 452,532 views. One of the people that saw this post was Mick Fleetwood who subsequently contacted Dan and became his mentor. Mick Fleetwood said: “Dan’s music is from the heart. It is genuine blues and Dan is at the forefront of the new wave in British singer-songwriter talent.” Mick's management arranged for Dan to travel to Nashville in April last year, to record some tracks with Grammy award winning producer Vance Powell (Kings Of Leon, Jack White and Willie Nelson) and Corey Wagner. "When he arrived Vance he had sorted me a $50,000 1941 Martin acoustic guitar to have on my recording. Amazing. Coupled with the $38,000 Fender Telecaster that Luther Dickinson played on a couple of tracks, the making of this music is like a dream for any

guitar fan! Got all the acoustic guitar tracks down by 1pm then had half an hour to sit in the sun on the balcony before starting the vocals. After a visit to BB kings it was time to head over to WILLIE NELSON’S 80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY with Corey who gave us our guest passes. We sat through a face melting set with Jack White from the White Stripes doing the introductions including Jamie Johnson, Sheryl Crowe, Norah Jones, Ashley Monroe and Neil Young; all playing alongside the legend that is Willie Nelson. It was absolutely incredible and an honour to be in a small room, no more than 30ft away from some of the greatest musicians to ever walk the earth." This is just the start of Dan's career and if this is anything to go by he has a great future in store for him. And let's remember Dan has done all of that and he is only 21.

How long have you been playing and writing the blues?

I first got into the blues when I started guitar lessons at the age of nine from school.

What or who were your first influences that made you start playing blues music?

To be honest in my home town of Shrewsbury there was an incredible open mic night not far from where I live, in a small pub in the Shropshire hills, where some really high level musicians would go to jam. And I think seeing the fun they would have and hearing the story's from the road that they would tell me, got me hooked.

Who are your influences now?

My influences now are people like Jack White who, as well as being an incredible musician, is known for being a very good business man and knows a lot about the ins and outs of the music industry, which nowadays is very important

What would you say your style of playing is based on?

I wouldn't say my style of playing is based on anything, but is highly influenced by a wide variety of music styles.

Already in your career you have been mingling with the good and the great, I am referring to your encounters with Mick Fleetwood and Willie Nelson. Can you tell us how this all came about and what experience you gained from this? They were both really special moments, being in the presence of such huge musicians, and having dinner with Mick Fleetwood and watching Willie Nelson have a jam with Cheryl Crow and Neil Young on his 80th birthday in Nashville I don't think I even have to say how incredible it was.

Which gig has given you the most pleasure to perform and why?

I think playing at the legendary festival of Glastonbury was an amazing point in my musical journey, after playing over 400 tuff pub gigs, and working hard as a musician, it was a point I felt all the hard work was finally paying off.

You are still very young and obviously have lots of ambitions still, can you share any of them with us? For this year I'd really like to get out around Europe and bring out my first album. I think

I'm going to take it one year at a time.

Have you plans for a record? Up to now I am only aware of your EP you have recorded. When do you think it will be possible to produce this? We are currently working on another EP which will be out within the next couple of months, also with a new music video

Suppose you have guessed by now that blues is not really mainstream. Loving the blues as I have since the 60's I am keen to know how young people view your music, as many say the blues is for old folks like myself. What do your peers think of your music? I don't think it's like that at all. When young people hear it they love the energy of the blues, and usually ask me “what's the type of music your playing?” And I'll reply “the blues” and they’ll say “but my dad likes the blues?” It's not that it's for older people, it's that younger people haven't heard it. Yet.

Is there anything that can be done to bring more young people to enjoy blues music?

I definitely think there is, by not just playing the blues festivals, but playing the festivals like the V festival and surf festivals. Where there are more young people, and get blues names out there, which will bring even more young people into the blues festivals as well.

I see you sold out for was it five consecutive days after the first date sold out late last year at your local hostelry. That must have been a thrill for you to have so many local people enjoy your music. It definitely does help having a strong home crowd, they've been supporting me since the early days of my gigging, which started when I was 13, people have always helped try to push me forward. And it's always felt it's not just me going on a musical journey. It's most of Shropshire as well!

What would your guitar of choice be?

I'm not really one of these guitar nuts, my beaten up Gibson has never let me down.

I know most people know you for your solo gigs, but I was lucky enough to see you perform with a band

“I’d really like to get out around Europe”

at Colne Great British Blues Festival last year and I wondered if there was any plans to make this a more permanent feature.

Definitely room on stage for a couple more musicians, but I'm not planning on strapping a strat around my neck and letting rip just yet.

What do you find the difference is with playing solo and playing in a band?

I'm very hard to play with, as I find it hard to play the same song the same twice and I like to change keys and I never make a set list. I'm a session musician’s nightmare!

How did you get the name Blues Boy Dan?

It was from Dirty Ray from the Immaculate Fools, he was the host of the open mic I used to go to when I first started playing in public, he was calling me Blues Boy till we thought of a better name, but Blues Boy stuck.

Many Thanks to Dan for taking the time to talk with Blues Matters! All best wishes for your future, we all look forward to hearing more of your wonderful music.

F or more in F ormation, check out: www.bluesboYdanowen.com

LINDA PERHACS

The Surprise Return Of Acid-Folk’s Mystery Lady

JOHN McLAUGHLIN

The pioneering guitarist’s early years, from Georgie Fame to Miles Davis, revisited

NIGEL WAYMOUTH

On Granny Takes A Trip, Hapshash & The Coloured Coat and the art of being avantgarde

LEAFHOUND

Reborn ’70s hard rockers who influenced a generation of psychedelic guitar bands

MARY LOVE

The bittersweet story of soul’s troubled goddess

THE SEE SEE + DARKSCORCH CANTICLES + BLUE PILLS + JOHN SINCLAIR + TWINK

www.shindig-magazine.com

Remembering the blues brothers

he first part of this feature talked about the impact of the Blues Brothers act on music and musicians all these years on. It also touched on how the Blues came to Dan ‘Elwood Blues’ Aykroyd and John ‘Joliet Jake Blues’ Belushi. Now we turn to the progress of the act from its earliest days to its first major stage appearance.

In 1975, Canadian Aykroyd and Chicago’s Belushi met in an illegal after-hours drinking establishment run by Aykroyd. John Belushi was in the cast of a new comedy sketch show on America’s NBC Television, Saturday Night Live. Belushi recruited Aykroyd for the show, and, as Dan Aykroyd said, the subsequent history of the Blues Brothers came about ‘All because we met in a bar in Toronto listening to Downchild and said to each other “As you can play harp and you can sing, let’s put an act together.”’

Blues Brothers trombonist Tom Malone adds to the story, ‘Let me tell you how the Blues Brothers started. In the old days, Saturday Night Live ran three shows then took a week off. In Spring ’78 John and Danny went to San Francisco and hung out with Curtis Salgado, who was then the harmonica player in the Robert Cray Band. Danny knew the Blues, but John was a Rock and Roll drummer with

no knowledge of the Blues. They stayed up all night listening to Blues records. On the flight back from San Francisco to New York they talked about a new act, two ne’er do well orphans in the same size suits, so one suit was too large and the other too small. Howard Shore invited me to his office for 1PM and it was Shore who came up with the name The Blues Brothers.’

Belushi found Salgado’s enthusiasm infectious. In an interview at the time with the Eugene Register-Guard, he said, ‘I was growing sick of rock and roll, it was starting to bore me, and I hated disco, so I needed some place to go. I hadn’t heard much blues before. It felt good.’

Judith Belushi recalls meeting Curtis Salgado when her late husband was filming National Lampoon’s Animal House, ‘When John was in Oregon, if not working he needed to remain low key and Curtis came by with piles of albums, like he was a professor. That was when John got his education, talked about lyrics and songs. John had been into Chuck Berry, Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis before, and Johnny Winter and Cream. He didn’t know they were Blues-based until his education.’

Curtis Salgado was witness to what his

Photo: © Southern Reel

educational work was to help achieve, ‘One time he [Belushi] shows me his fist. The word Jake is spelt on the knuckles. He says, “What do you think of the name Jake? We’re doing a skit, going to call it the Blues Brothers.” I’ve not met Dan or got to know him yet. He’s going to be called Elwood. John asks, “What do you think about that?” I’m a musicologist; I go “Cool.”’

Belushi began to appear with Salgado on stage. Salgado found to his shock that Belushi was doing his famous Joe Cocker impersonation when singing, and pointed out forcibly to Belushi that he should be himself. Although the Blues Brothers had appeared in bee costumes covering the Slim Harpo song I’m A King Bee on Saturday Night Live in January 1976, it was in April 1977 that they made their first television performance explicitly as The Blues Brothers. They sang Hey Bartender and became an overnight sensation. That led to the need for the Blues Brothers to assemble their own band. The band could have been totally different from what it became, but for the intervention of John Belushi and a can of beer.

Curtis Salgado takes up the story, ‘John Belushi said, “We’re having Roomful Of Blues

as the band. But Duke [Robillard] is pissed off at me. We were at the Lone Star, were going to make them the full Blues Brothers act. It fell through because I got on stage and shook a beer can and sprayed the audience. Being New York, they did it back and got beer and foam on the instruments and band. Duke says, “Get off the stage, we’re not doing this.” Duke verified it since, says it’s true. He didn’t like beer on his guitar.’

Instead, Belushi and Aykroyd started to assemble the Blues Brothers band by drawing on the Saturday Night Live house band. That provided Tom Malone on trombone, Lou Marini on sax, Alan Rubin on trumpet, Paul Shaffer on keys, and Steve Jordan on drums.

Steve Jordan was delighted, ‘All these drummers wanting to be in the band were on John, but John said “No, you may not know him now, but you will”. He was adamant I would be their drummer. John chose me and that was that. I especially didn’t want to let him down and to play this idiom of music I love so much.’

Judith Belushi recalls how Blues singer

Remembering the blues brothers

and songwriter Jerome Solon Felder, aka Doc Pomus, helped John to fill out the band further, ‘He was introduced to Doc Pomus by a club manager. After the first performance on Saturday Night Live he started putting the band together. Pomus recommended Matt Murphy, Steve Cropper and Duck Dunn. He most influenced the choices. We spent a lot of time listening to other people, but John liked Cropper and Dunn right away, they were on songs he grew up with. He said “I’ve loved them all my life.”’

buIlDING uP the bb bAND

Matt Murphy was amused when we suggested that of all the band, and having played with numerous Blues greats including Howlin’ Wolf and Memphis Slim, he was Mr Blues, ‘Of course. I was one of the guys that played the Blues and we played Sweet Home Chicago, I had been playing it since I was a kid. Sweet Home Chicago was one I suggested and we did that and a Junior Wells one we did too, Messin’ with the Kid. That was Dan Aykroyd’s idea, and John’s. They collaborated, thought it was a nice tune and I did too. The one they really liked me to do was Shotgun Blues. I didn’t need to do anything to add a Blues feeling, all of these guys knew about the Blues. They might not have my feel, but they had their type and played well, like Blue Lou, and Alan Rubin out of the Julliard School of Music was a high class guy, one of the highest places to be.’

This band was a departure for Steve Cropper and Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn as well, as Steve Cropper recounts, ‘I wouldn’t have hooked up to play with New York musicians without the Blues Brothers. I knew some, but in the early 1960s, New York musicians played jazz more than R‘n’B, though they were excellent players. We knew the Blues, but we connected with the Blues in making it commercial. In those days the Blues didn’t sell much, I knew that through working in a record shop, the reality of the old Blues was that it didn’t sell much. We worked with Albert King and made it fun and danceable; we had a good time down at Stax. Duck and I put a lot of that energy

into Stax and it worked for Johnny Taylor and Albert King. It put Albert King on the map and when he got his first royalty it put him into shock when he received the cheque.’

With Matt Murphy and Steve Cropper on guitar and Duck Dunn on bass, that left the horn section to add its final member. Tom Malone recalls, ‘The band’s first concert was opening for Steve Martin at the Carnegie Hall in April 1978. In September, after the record deal was signed, we rehearsed in New York and Los Angeles. Briefcase Full of Blues came from our outdoor appearance. John agreed I’d be our horn arranger, but I couldn’t go to LA until my daughter was born. She was due on 1st September and our rehearsal was due at the end of August. The baby came later, and the band flew to LA on 4th September so I asked Tom Scott to substitute for me. The concerts were from 9th September at the Universal Amphitheatre, and there was still no baby. I was around my house, and thought, let’s have four horns. My daughter was born on September 12th, we got a babysitter and my wife’s parents in. I took a plane to LA, and John had a car waiting for me to take me to the Universal Ampitheatre. When I got there I told John my plan, “Let’s do four horns”, and Tom Scott became a permanent member of the band.’

The Universal Amphitheatre shows were very special for the band. Steve Jordan, though, wasn’t impressed with the first drums he’d been given. ‘Before the show I’d seen the drums. I had been endorsing Gretsch, but became a Yamaha artist. Gretsch had been used by all my heroes – Tony Williams, Alvin Jones, my mentor Freddy Waits, Charlie Watts. All of them played with them, bar Ringo Starr. Most jazz men played them. My dream came true. Gretsch were in a bad way in the late 70s. I called the company, Leeds Music in LA. I was just a kid, on some records, in the Saturday Night Live band, building a reputation. I called, saying “I’m playing the Universal Amphitheatre, with the Blues Brothers”. No one knew of it, and they weren’t that interested. The drums left for the soundcheck were cracked and broken, and all the wrong sizes. It was insulting. I had specific

sizes and a sound in mind. It wasn’t what I’d seen in my dream at that soundcheck. Duck and Cropper were living in LA and Willie Hall had endorsed Yamaha drums, and his new set had been sent to LA rather than Memphis as that was where Customs were. Duck had Willie’s drums. Yamaha gave its artists not one of everything, but a mega set including eight bass drums, high hats, a big kit that could be used or broken down into whatever was wanted. So Duck called Willie and asked him if he would be kind enough to let me use his drums before he got to use them. They were amazing, fantastic, and incredible. They had the sensibility of a vintage set, but were modern hardware. They were just great. Six months later, John said he went to Japan and saw a gigantic poster in a music store of me playing with Yamaha drums. I thanked Willie a few years later and I do now.’

Lou Marini knew the band was about to prove an exciting combination, ‘On the third day of rehearsals in New York, we knew this is sounding pretty good. De Niro and Meryl Streep and Cher and Bette Midler were backstage in LA, it was quickly apparent we’d

produced something special. There were very strong personalities all round.

Like Steve Jordan, Judith Belushi loved this show, ‘My favourite moment was in the Universal Amphitheatre opening night. I was behind them, a little below, saw their silhouettes as they came into the light on stage – Jagger and all those people were out there, this was LA, and seeing the responses, thinking “Wow, they’re really doing this.” It was in moments like that John would be so excited and happy he’d break character and giggle and laugh a little, which endeared me to him.’

The Blues Brothers were about to endear themselves to even more people with the first Blues Brothers movie. The album from the shows Briefcase Full of Blues, dedicated to Curtis Salgado, was a smash hit. John Belushi’s movie National Lampoon’s Animal House was a best-seller. So a Blues Brothers movie seemed a natural next step. The story of that film appears in the next issue of Blues Matters! magazine.

are you a fan of The raw unadorned B lues of rl Burnside or T. Model ford? lo V e The sound of a ci Gar B oX G uiTar and The ener Gy and creaTi V iTy of duos like The Black keys? Then chances are Black r i V er Blues Man will haV e so M eThin G on offer for you

he name probably conjures up images of the Deep South, perhaps the Mississippi Hill Country but in fact he is from a remote area of Finland known as Mustio, or Black River. In fact Finland has a vibrant blues scene of home grown talent and welcomes many visiting artists. Perhaps the challenging climate and long periods of almost total night time is enough to give anyone the blues. The Black River Bluesman is, in fact Jukka Juhola. Born in 1958, Jukka spent much of his early years in different countries including a time in Scotland but has been settled in Mustio now for some time. He is married to Katja, an acclaimed artist whose works include

images of the old blues masters. The couple work incredibly hard, splitting the time between their artistic output and working every waking hour for four months of the year growing and distributing herbs and plants, not easy given the harsh conditions, a business that helps finance Jukka’s music.

When I caught up with Jukka recently he had just returned from the USA where he had performed at the IBC in Memphis, as well as gigs in Alabama, Mississippi and Tupelo. The airline had managed to mislay Jukka’s unique handcrafted guitars on both the outward and homebound trips, thankfully both times they

did turn up eventually. These guitars were made by the famous luthier Johnny Lowebow, aka the Mad Scientist of Memphis. The main guitar was built to Jukka’s specifications and is a double neck combination of Lowebow’s bass/baritone model and his Personal Lyre with Underslide. This allows Jukka to play both guitar and bass simultaneously through two separate amps. A second version has the necks reversed. Jukka also has the world’s only Lowebow triple neck. I’ll let Jukka explain,’ I’ve now got three different Lowebow’s and I’m using them all on the forthcoming new album and live shows. One is a solid body and two are cigar box bodies. All of them have one bass string that is plugged into a bass amp, and three guitar strings that go into a guitar amp. The triple necker has a regular baritone neck in addition, it has two bass strings into a bass amp and four strings going into the guitar amp. The broomstick neck can only be played with a slide, the regular baritone neck, the lower one on the triple neck, can be played like any regular guitar. No one has one like it. Johnny has one but with the necks reversed. Mine was built to my wishes, I

ordered it when I was going to play The Deep Blues Festival, Minneapolis in 2009. I got it at the airport and had two days to learn to play it before the gigs.’

FlAt out hortICulture

It’s good to hear that a new album is in the pipeline. This will be the follow up to 2010’s ‘Double Headed Trouble’ recorded with percussionist Bad Mood Hudson, nicknamed Andy. Jukka tells me,‘We had hoped to have the album out by now, we’ve just released a single, Candy Box, but didn’t have time to complete the album. We’re both very busy, Andy has his own projects and between April and June I’m flat out with the horticulture. Most of the material is written and ready, just a couple of tracks and some arrangements to do. We are touring Asia in November so we want to release it before then. We plan to have a vinyl edition this time too.’ I’ve heard the Candy Box single and thought it was excellent, so I was slightly surprised and very

impressed when Jukka informs me that the lyrics came from his then ten year old son Viktor. ‘ I was struggling to find the lyrics so I asked Viktor to come up with some words and Candy Box took form.’ In fact Jukka admits that the longer he has been performing the harder he finds it to create lyrics, he is much harder on himself these days and feels he should keep finding new things to say. Andy is an important part of the writing process.

soMethING oF A MoVeMeNt

Double Headed Trouble was the first album Jukka had recorded with Bad Mood as a duo, the format he now favours. Names get complicated in Finland it appears because Bad Moon Hudson, aka Andy is also known as Antti Huttunen and played in The Croaking Lizard, a previous backing band for Black River Bluesman. Andy is a multiinstrumentalist who also releases his own non-blues material. The duo formed in 2009 after Jukka had returned from a solo tour of the USA. Going back in time Jukka had first put together the Black River Bluesman project in 2002, writing the kind of blues inspired by his love of the old Delta players and the Hill Country Blues. He adds some punky, garage elements coupled with a love of early Black Sabbath. Around that time there was a lot of ‘alternative blues’ getting recognition and something of a movement emerged with bands like Gravelroad, Left Lane Cruiser, Ten Foot Polecats, Deltahead and many others. As Jukka has said, ‘ I’ve been a blues fanatic since the 1970’s, especially Delta Blues. The real encouragement for me was the world wide alternative blues movement, known in the USA as ‘Deep Blues’, suddenly the music I wanted to play had a home.’ Jukka has always been musical, his mother taught him piano when he was a very young child. By the time he was ten or eleven years old he was playing blues, inspired at first by the British bands he heard in Finland, the likes of John Mayall and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. Like many of us that encouraged him to dig a bit deeper and discover the originals.

The debut Black River Bluesman album, Not A Dog-Gone Thing was released in 2003 with the follow up, Ants In My Kitchen, coming out in 2005. Both recorded with the traditional four piece line up band going under the name Cockroach Combo. A third album Rat Bone, with The Croaking Lizard followed in 2008. These were all excellent garage blues albums with Jukka playing superb blues on his Gibson guitars, but he felt he had taken that format as far as he could. ‘I can honestly say that my original idea for the kind of blues I want to play hasn’t changed one bit. It just takes time for things to develop, little by little things become what they need to be.’ After The Croaking Lizard split up Jukka played solo for awhile and after meeting Johnny Lowebow the new direction was secured.

Over the years Jukka has built up quite an international following. As well as regular trips to the USA, many winters are spent in Asia. As Jukka says, ‘nobody wants to spend the winter in Finland.’ He first played the Himalayan Blues Festival in Nepal in 2007,and has performed in Bangkok and Kathmandu. Jukka has performed many gigs the length of Europe over the years and even a live appearance on Brazilian TV after playing in Recife. Strangely, he tells me he seldom plays in Finland much now, preferring to focus on larger festivals, he describes this year as not having too much arranged yet but hopes to take in Switzerland, Czech Republic and Hungary. He does all of his own bookings, travel arrangements, visas etc, as well as promotional material. It’s all very exhausting and time consuming.

Live Jukka and Bad Mood rely on the chemistry they have built up over years when performing live. ‘ We never play the songs the same way twice. We rely on spontaneity, making it feel slightly dangerous that it could all go wrong.’ Sadly UK gigs have been thin on the ground but don’t miss the chance to see them live if you can and look out for a new Black River Bluesman album later this year.

ind ouT M ore, check ouT www.B lues M an.fi

“I’ve now got three different Lowebow’s”

etsie Brown was that young girl and I was interested to catch up and find out more about her story. When we spoke it was barely a week after the huge event that is the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, a peak time for blues people especially those working long hours behind the public face of the music industry. For Betsie it had been business as usual, organising her Blind Raccoon showcase event for bands she represents to play for industry and public alike whilst also raising funds for the American Red Cross. When arranging our chat in the run up to the IBC, Betsie had told me she was, ‘swimming in things to do, but it’ll be fine on the day.’ Seems it went well, showcasing a dozen top bands over two days including IBC semi-finalist Tommy Z and his band.

BM: Now began the job of following up on the event, following leads, contacts etc. With modern technology things are very different to when Betsie started up Blind Raccoon.

BB: These days I make the best use of everything out there. Twitter, Facebook, SoundCloud, whatever. There are so many radio shows now on pod casts with play lists, some of those promote themselves so successfully on social media they get more listeners then terrestrial stations. It’s called social media for a reason and it works.

I find blues is so well received internationally, and often I think its more popular in Europe and the UK than here, so it’s very important to cover the globe.

Interview betsIe broWN

Back to my opening question, how did the Norwich girl get the blues so bad?

Well I’ve always been one for adventure. After attending Norwich High School for Girls that gave me wings, I studied Economics at Loughborough University of Technology, which led to a job in banking based in London in the bank’s economics department. I realised pretty quickly that wasn’t really my bag. Luckily the bank were wonderful and placed me in their PR department to work on the bank’s sponsorship of ‘The Great Japan Exhibition’ in the early 80s at The Royal Academy of Arts. It was great getting to work with the Japanese Embassy, Royalty, world renowned curators on what was the first major exhibition of Japanese Art outside of Japan. From that moment on I was hooked on PR.

Through the exhibition I met a guy who was transferred to New York City. We married and lived in NYC seven years. We then moved to San Diego where I took a job in the PR department of the local energy company. After a divorce, a new man in my life introduced me to blues music, John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf. Wow, I was hooked, and I really wanted to do blues music publicity. So I started to figure out a way to make it happen.

How did you end up in Memphis?

Well I just thought if I want to be involved in blues music it doesn’t make sense being in San Diego, I should move to where it’s happening. I looked at Chicago and New Orleans too but because the Blues Foundation is in Memphis and Memphis is the Home of the Blues that’s where I headed. From the way the international blues world view Memphis it was a good choice. It’s a lovely and diverse place to live.

I believe when you first became interested in blues, along with a partner you started booking artists for a venue in San Diego?

Yes, that was very cool. We set up Crows Feet Productions. We worked with a very lovely venue on the bay in San Diego called Humphreys by the Bay, which is still there and doing well. We brought in blues artists to perform once a month in the lounge during the

afternoons, people like Ike Turner, Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown, Norton Buffalo, Tab Benoit and Roy Rogers. We also did the promotion for people like John Hiatt and Jonny Lang when they played the big main stage. Blues Lovers United of San Diego co-founded with fellow blues lovers in the area still carry on working with Humphreys, promoting blues music.

How long is it that you’ve been involved in the music industry?

We set up Crows Feet Productions in 2000, and I went solo in 2008 establishing Blind Raccoon. I’d moved to the US in 1983 and became an American in 1998.

In the time since you set up in Memphis the quality of the artists you’ve worked with has been stunning. Well I have a policy of only working with artists whose music I can really get into, really believe in. If I wasn’t personally moved by the music I wouldn’t represent them. Otherwise its just like any other job. We’ve built up a reputation over a period of time. I spent a lot of time travelling and meeting people.

I was recommended to Sony Music and ended up working on promoting the last three Buddy Guy albums, one of which, Living Proof, won a Grammy. Clients also include Charlie Musselwhite, Honeyboy Edwards, Tinsley Ellis and Earwig Music Company. It is a privilege and honour to work with the greats as well as those getting their music out to the blues community for the first time.

What’s next for Betsie and Blind Raccoon?

I’m always looking for new ways to do things. I’m putting together a weekly programme on SoundCloud now to promote my artists, called Rocky’s Jukebox. Also in the works is a proper radio show. I’ve just completed volume two of my Blind Racoon sampler CDs in time for the IBC. Blues music will always be at the core of whatever I do.

Of all the people you’ve worked with, who or what stand out as memories for you?

They all stand out for various reasons. I have

“It is a privilege to work with the greats”

to say working with Honeyboy Edwards and Michael Frank at Earwig was truly one of the biggest honours ever. Seeing him perform at Juke Joint Festival not that long before he died and getting to know a little of him personally was a true privilege. A real standout for me. I was so happy when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.

The other wonderful time was being at The Grammies when Buddy received his for contemporary blues album and seeing Pinetop Perkins and Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith get the traditional blues album award on the same night.

You were very involved with The Blues Foundation too, I believe?

Yes, I was a little involved before I moved to Memphis, and once I got here I became involved with the board. I became VicePresident for a time and got to Chair the IBC

committee 2004–05. It gave me great insight into the whole thing. The Blues Foundation was in a chronic financial situation at that point and I got involved to keep the IBC going, whatever happened.

One of the other great things was meeting Luther Brown at Delta State University, who is one of the main movers and shakers behind The Mississippi Blues Trail. I worked with him compiling the database of Mississippi sites of houses, graves, civil rights events and that sort of thing. That gave me a real hands-on understanding of the history that produced the blues.

Thanks for your time Betsie, its been so refreshing speaking to someone with such a deep and clear love for the music you work so hard for. It’s been my pleasure.

for More inforMaTion aBouT B lind racoon check ouT: www.B lindraccoon.coM

PinetoP Perkins and Willie ‘Big eyes’ smith and Buddy guy at the the grammies

this issue’s selection of the very best blues releases

AMELIA WHITE Old POstcard

Of bOb dylan & leOnard cOhen

It is always a brave project to do a covers album of any kind without sounding like karaoke versions, tribute bands and the likes, so when this arrived and I saw it was Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen standards, reviewing this was always going to be a challenge, but like any form of music it is always good to hear differing interpretations of classic tunes. This however is one release that different can be very good which this release is. Barb Jungr is known for being one of the best female performers of Bob Dylan material and certainly is a wonderful singer with great tone and smooth jazzy voice which especially goes well with First We Take Manhattan. The songs are very strongly interspersed with political stances especially noted in the six titles by Bob Dylan with Masters Of War being a particular haunting melody and very gritty interpretation and sneering vocals but set to a slow seductive style, an ongoing feel to this release. It is also interesting she has arranged every song herself and obviously self-confident to do justice to such songs as, Blowin’ In The Wind and Hard Rain. Ably assisted by Simon Wallace on piano, Hammond organ and synthesiser, who also produced this collaboration and with a consummate backing band, this all adds to a hypnotic lilt and a wholly unforgettable release, brilliant.

JUNGR: PLAYiNG dYLAN ANd coheN

PhoTo: cARoL RoseGG

White-Wolf

Amelia’s interest in music was fuelled by her brother’s records – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Muddy Waters – and this set is a perfect example of Americana. As it was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee (where Amelia lives now having spent time on Boston’s rock and folk scenes), there is unsurprisingly a strong country tinge, though elements of rock and occasionally folk do come through in these very personal songs.

There is some jangly guitar work, a little reminiscent of Tom Petty, on the title track, Brothers has a bluesy tinge and tough guitar, and the closing River Of My Dreams has some soaring, blues-rock inflected guitar playing. Not one for the blues purists (do any read this magazine?), but if your tastes do encompass first rate Americana, you’ll definitely go for this!

NormaN DarweN

RUSS PAYNE AND THE SHARK DENTISTS

In lOve WIth trOuble

thousand smiles records

The opening few bars to this album made me think I was in for a feast 10 quality tracks, somehow however this feeling of expectation soon tailed off. In Love With Trouble opens with some tasty slow Blues guitar and

BARB JUNGR

hard raIn, the sOngs

Krystalyn records

ColiN Campbell

DEB RYDER

Growing up in the Chicago area and being mentored by Etta James and Big Joe Turner, it’s no surprise that this, Deb Ryder’s debut, is such a strong collection, the only question could be, why did it take so long? Re-locating to Southern California, together with husband/bassist Ric Ryder, she has been leading the Bluesryders for over twenty years. Opener Get A Grip features Kirk Fletcher, one of four guest guitarists, pulling out some super riffs, complementing Deb’s incredibly rich pipes. Special mention goes to harpist Larry David also. On Blue Collar Blues we’re taken on a swinging ride, our own Albert Lee adding his own guitar wizardry to the mix. Really Gone is a real hot potato, with sassy vocals from Ryder and great guitar response from Fletcher, no wonder he’s a much called upon session man. Stan Behrens takes harp duties on both this and the following title track, a sombre, jazzy ballad, strongly complimented by decent keyboards from Greg Hilfman. Husband Ric leads the way on the funky Come On Home To Me, Fletcher yet again lays down some great guitar riffs. Louisiana infused Ce Soir Ce Soir has Fletcher, Ric Ryder, Hilfman and drummer Brad Swanson combining to lay down some cool gumbo, again with Albert Lee, highlighting Ms Ryder’s vocals. Bad, Bad Dream, is a slower blues track and not only highlights the vocals, but some of that man Fletcher’s richest guitar work on the album. The boogie of Love Stealin’ Liar has another guitarist, Dave Dills, pulling out all the stops and Deb pushing all the way. Perhaps the most compelling vocals on the album are left ‘til the last track, These Hands, with smooth dobro from James McVay. Not a bad album by any means, great vocals, superb guitar work and superb supporting musicians.

meaningful bass, demonstrating this trio’s capabilities. The song itself is good and builds to an acceptable guitar solo. In truth, all tracks, which are self-penned, are not bad, the bands’ playing mainly a Blues/Rock style, it’s just that for the trio format to really work, each part has to be at the top of its game, and here I feel that the vocals let the band down. I can understand that at a live gig, Russ Payne’s voice, which is rough and coarse, could work well.

This might even translate onto to a live album, but here on a studio album, I don’t believe it comes across at all well. Amongst the better tracks are We Can All Do Better, a rocking belter where all band members can be heard singing, and Home Again with some delightful harmonica playing by drummer Nigel Summerley. The trio is completed by John ‘Mez’ Smeathers on bass. Best track here is Nearly Died which has a great guitar solo by Russ Payne..

merv osborNe

ADAM GUSSOW

KIcK and stOMP right recordings

I first discovered Adam Gussow as part of Satan & Adam, on the album Living On The River in 1998, that was critically acclaimed and lead to the duo guesting on U2’s Rattle And Hum. On this album Adam performs as a one man band, proudly claiming on the sleeve notes that there is no loop pedals or overdubs, it’s just Adam singing, playing harp and kicking a bass drum with tambourine pedal. We go straight into the title track and it does exactly as it says on the tin, Kick And Holler, a Mississippi Hill stomp and its good energetic stuff. Sadly for me this was the best track on the album and from here on it loses direction. There are six Gussow originals, all but one instrumental only which are effectively harp solo’s between 4 and 6 minutes each, the rest is covers, two further instrumentals and six with vocals. With the notable exception of the

Clive rawliNgs

BLoNde ANd BLUe: deB RYdeR

slower traditional blues Poor Boy, the vocalised covers just don’t work for me. Adam’s voice lacks the power to carry songs like Good Morning Little School Girl, Every Day I Have The Blues and Crossroads Blues.

A six and a half minute Sunshine Of Your Love by Cream seemed a bizarre choice. Given Adam’s choice of instrument means that he can only accompany himself with the drum and tambourine which further highlights the vocal deficiency. Ending the album with The Entertainer probably seemed a fun thing to do at the time but felt like the longest two and a half minutes of the whole CD. To be clear Adam is a top class harp player and I’d like to hear his playing in a band environment. This release will have limited appeal. steve YourglivCh

DAVE CLEMO

hard

tIMes

This is one of those albums that are incredibly difficult to define by words.

Dave Clemo has been a musician for over 40 years playing an extremely wide selection of music and picked up many influences along the way. All of which are displayed here within Hard Times. Sometimes country, sometimes Irish folk but with tinges of pop, Blues and a myriad of other genres included, the whole is a very clean, interesting but very personal journey for the artist. Playing guitars, mandolin, fretless bass and singing, he is joined by his son Chris on cajon and suitcase drum kits. At times I feel as though I am sharing Clemo’s innermost thoughts. I don’t know if he has or is facing a particular health scare, but I feel as though some of this album is his take on the way in which he faces such a threat. The words to I Ain’t Quitting are particularly open and enlightening and the quality of his songwriting craft is well demonstrated in I Fought the Battle (You Won The War). This song also has son Chris demonstrating his drumming ability. Throughout, I am

GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS

lIve at MOntreux 2013 cd/dvd eagle records

“Let’s have a rock party“ says George Thorogood with that Texas droll at the beginning of this release and a party is what it certainly states. Strangely in three decades of playing music with The Destroyers, he has never played Montreux Jazz and Blues festival at The Auditorium Stravinsky, although this is his third official live release and certainly appears to be the best. From the first lines of Rock Party to the last song, Madison Blues, this is the band at their down and dirty best. It is a very good set list, though a bit less on the time on this concert, about ninety minutes played, the band still shows the power and tightness which has made them one of the best blues rock bands of all time. He still dots his cap to earlier influences in his career such as John Lee Hooker and the country song Cocaine Blues dedicated to Johnny Cash. Bad To The Bone lets him show off his growling voice and classic guitar riffs. Another showpiece of his guitar technique is the highly charged solo on the last track, leaving the listener wanting to hear more. This concert is also out in DVD format with a bonus interview with George Thorogood, and like the audible version has very comprehensive liner notes by Pierre Perrone.

continually reminded of Michael Chapman and this is so obvious with the fretless bass in the Fully Qualified Survivor sounding All Out Of Emotion. This is a song which has a beautiful interplay between mandolin and bass. I’m Too Busy Drinking For Thinking is a good time jaunt with some very apt lyrics that sum up one’s feelings completely when intoxicated. The closing track Carn Gloose succinctly conjures up what must be a special place for Dave Clemo. He has captured the warmth and beauty of this idyllic spot in a laid back semi ballad that has the listener imagining this place. I’ve enjoyed this album the more I’ve played it, it’s not easily accessible on first play, but grows and develops with each play.

merv osborNe

ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD

sOngs frOM the rOad ruf records

This double CD package (CD and DVD) is a cracking live set by the recently formed American

Supergroup, who play Allman Brothers style Southern rock with strong doses of Blues and funk. The opening track Fired Up sets the scene well and is reminiscent of early War and Santana, with great vocals from Cyril Neville. The recordings were taken from one concert in Bonn, Germany, during 2012, so there is almost 100% crossover between the tracks on the CD and DVD but this does not detract from the enjoyment these discs provide, the sound and film quality is first class, with the standout track Fire On The Mountain being particularly impressive on the DVD, this is thirteen minutes of Grateful Dead style rock, including a blistering five minute segment of duelling lead & slide guitar. The three leaders of the band are; Cyril Neville, Mike Zito and Devon Allman who are supported by a fine rhythm section of Charlie Wooton and Yonrico Scott, they all work together as one unit with the vocals shared between the three, this is the closest to seeing and hearing a ‘band made in heaven’, aDriaN blaCklee

ColiN Campbell

MIKE BLOOMFIELD

frOM hIs head tO hIs heart tO hIs hands (an audIO/vIsual scraPbOOK) sony/legacy (3cD/DvD box set)

This superb anthology features released and, importantly, unreleased gems from solo sessions and live performances from The Fillmores East and West, The Bottom Line and other historical venues. The set also features a new mini-documentary combining vintage audio interviews and live performances with input from his friends, collaborators and admirers. Bloomfield never got his due as one of the top sidemen of his generation nor for his being a vital common thread of the network of genres knitted together which changed the image of rock and roll in the 1960/70s. Until now.

Raised on the North Side of Chicago, Bloomfield’s immediately obvious guitar skills blossomed and spread widely helping fuse styles and cross-overs. John Hammond, legendary A&R man, saw the raw talent in him as he had in some of his other greatest discoveries from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen and he signed Bloomfield to Columbia Records. Bloomfield would make history as a session guitarist on Dylan’s album Highway 61 Revisited back in 1965, featuring the incendiary Like A Rolling Stone. An original member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bloomfield contributed to their 1965 debut album and the follow-up East-West a year later, the latter albums’ title track, co-written by Bloomfield, is regarded as a watermark of rock history, combining blues, jazz, psychedelic and even Eastern musical concepts in equal measure. From there, Bloomfield founded the famed “American Music Band” The Electric Flag, and fronted it into 1968. Also in 1968, Mike partook in the recording of Moby Grape’s Grape Jam and the platinum-selling Super Session LP, a collaboration with fellow session legend Al Kooper. Bloomfield died far too-young at just 37! Only after did his reputation become recognised as the leading white Bluesman of his day. Bloomfield will finally get his due with this excellent box set and booklet. The DVD – Sweet Blues: a film about Mike Bloomfield is directed by Bob Sarles.

ROOSEVELT SYKES

the OrIgInal hOneydrIPPer blind Pig records

Welcome to a barrelhouse blues party and everyone’s invited at least that’s this reviewer’s first thoughts about this intimate gig at a place called “The Blind Pig” in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1977, a great production and wonderful playing by one of the best blues boogie woogie piano players with a repertoire spanning six decades. You just get the feeling of a smoke filled club with Roosevelt having the odd cigar and smiling sweetly on such songs as the cheeky Too Smart Too Soon or is it a bittersweet comment , it was always difficult to interpret such songs and self-mocking parodies such as I’m A Nut , and Don’t Talk Me To Death he was such a crowd pleaser playing off some of the audiences enthusiasm especially so with the females where folklore has implied his nickname “honeydripper” may be something to do with his charismatic effect on them . He is assisted by King Curtis on saxophone and Robert Banks on organ, but it is Roosevelt who easily steals the show and what a great frontman and raconteur he was. it’s a gem and worth treasuring.

ColiN Campbell

GERAINT WATKINS

MOustIque

Jungle records

12 self-penned tracks, opening with a gentle acoustic number with a definite change in tempo with Walking To Milwaukee, which has the feel of an American crooner from the 50’s/60’s. Geraint has a reasonable voice, which lacks emotion and stays the same throughout despite the multiple change of tempo’s which makes an interesting listening, unfortunately the lyrics are ponderous and fail to create a story board with too many contrived rhymes. Surprisingly Blues and

FraNk leigh

MiKe BLooMFieLd: FiNALLY GiVeN The ANThoLoGY he deseRVes

Trouble has more of a Latino beat! It is a real pity that a couple of classics haven’t been given an airing to really judge Geraint as the overall impression is a dated sound lacking in musical verve and energy. Overall, Moustique does not excite despite the obvious quality of the musicians and the variable tempo’s used throughout the album that tempt you but never draw you deeper into the soul of the music being delivered.

MARK T SMALL sMOKIn’ blues

lead foot music

Mark T. Small has been performing music for over forty years, starting out with folk, ragtime and then on into newgrass. SInce then he’s delved into the blues and spent a decade or so leading a Chicago-style blues band before heading out as a solo artist and all of that background shows through on this, his fourth album. His guitar playing is a treat from start to finish, as he covers blues, folk and all points in-between, with trips into songs from the likes of Blind Boy Fuller, Tampa Red, John Lee Hooker, the Reverend Gary Davis, and Charlie Patton. And that’s without mentioning his rather splendid America Medley. He’s not the best singer you’ll ever hear, but his passion for the music always shines through. It’s almost a pure solo album but he finds space for a couple of guests in the shape of the octogenarian (and still touring) Shor’ty Billups and some sweet harmonica from Walter Woods.

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SHAWN HOLT & THE TEARDROPS

daddy tOld Me

blind Pig

About a year ago I enjoyed reviewing the album Bad Boy by Magic Slim (Morris Holt) which, sadly, turned out to be his last recording. Now comes the debut album by his son Shawn who has taken over the Teardrops and recorded his own set of straight ahead, no frills, no pedal effects, and steady rocking guitar based blues. A stonking cover of Buster Brown’s old favourite Fannie Mae sets the scene perfectly with Holt’s expressive vocals and chiming guitar work on that catchy riff. Title track Daddy Told Me is a rumbling blues shuffle and rocks superbly and then comes another original song Hold You Again a slow chugging blues with good guitar interplay between Holt and co-writer Levi Williams.

A speedy romp through Jimmy Reed’s Down In Virginia features Holt and Williams duetting on vocals and John Primer adds his guitar work to the funky Buddy Buddy Friend. The band tear through Albert Collins’ Get Your Business Straight and the oft covered Before You Accuse Me with energy and enthusiasm. The self-penned Mean Little Woman is a steady shuffle featuring a nice lighter touch to Holt’s guitar work. Holt does not use a plectrum, only a thumb pick, and this gives him a wonderful fat and raw tone which is perfect for his stripped down approach. Longest track on the album is the Holt original slow blues Please Don’t Dog Me where Holt finds his woman has betrayed him and uses his emotive vocals and furious guitar bursts to express his pain and anguish.

Closing track You Done Me Wrong is an Elmore James style rip with Holt firing out that familiar riff and The Teardrops rocking along splendidly in support. Shawn Holt spent the last 12 months of his father’s life playing guitar with him in The Teardrops and has clearly learnt well. It was always going to be difficult taking over from a legend but Holt has done a terrific job here with this excellent album which should appeal to all Magic Slim fans plus win over a new audience.

Dave DrurY

sUN oF sLiM, shAwN hoLT

Mark T. SMall haS been perforMing MuSic for over forTy yearS

EDDIE

(Jasmine 2cD)

LEADBELLY selected sIdes 19341948

(JsP 4cD)

WILLIE MABON WIllIe’s bluesgreatest hIts ‘52-57

(Jasmine cD)

VARIOUS dust My rhythM & blues - the flaIr r&b stOry (ace 2cD)

LOBI TRAORE baMaKO nIghts –lIve at bar bOZO 1995 (Glitterbeat cD)

DAVE VAN RONK dOWn In WashIngtOn square

(smithsonian folkways 2cD)

VARIOUS the rPM blues stOry (one Day 2cD)

JOHN & SYLVIA EMBRY trOubles

(Delmark cD)

ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD sOngs frOM the rOad

(ruf cD & DvD) 13

BOSTON BLACKIE & OTIS ‘BIG SMOKEY’ SMOTHERS: abc blues (Wolf cD)

VARIOUS erIc claPtOn’s crOssrOads guItar festIval 2013 (rhino 2DvD)

15

JUNIOR WELLS

PaInt the tOWn blues (blues boulevard 2cD)

GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS lIve at MOntreux 2013 (eagle cD) 16

17

EDWIN ‘BUSTER’ PICKENS the 1959-61 sessIOns (Document cD)

VARIOUS Where sOuthern sOul began vOluMe 2 (history of soul 2cD) 19

18

BIG WALTER HORTON lIve at the KnIcKerbOcKer (JsP cD) 20

MUDDY WATERS can’t get nO grIndIn’ (traffic cD)

Apart from that, it’s just Mr Small, guitar, voice and stomping. He’s not reinventing the wheel, but the songs and style are fast vanishing, so when he fires through tunes like Blind Boy Fuller’s boogiefied Step It Up And Go, Rev. Gary Davis’ Buck Rag and Howlin’ Wolf’s Moanin’ At Midnight, you can’t help but enjoy it. Best of all are Elmore James’ Early In The Morning and the America Medley, which sees him resurrecting ragtime on America The Beautiful, Take Me Out To The Ballgame and Yankee Doodle Dandy. A great ending to a great record.

stuart a hamiltoN

ROBBEN FORD

a day In nashvIlle

Provogue

This album has a retro feel from the cover to the music production, A Day in Nashville is delivered despite the retro approach in a fresh matter with all the skills Robben Ford and his friends can display on their musical weapon of choice. Robben spent a day in the Music City Studio Sound Kitchen recording seven new

Sidewinder are a band brought together by guitarist Dave Gray who has been involved previously in other bands and other projects , here he has a three piece band getting well known at various rock and blues festivals.

This release was recorded at the Cambridge Rock Festival 2012 an interesting test for a debut release, they went down a storm. Playing live is always a test of character and these boys certainly have that and more, Stuart McMahon bass player and vocalist adds humour to the performances and by his own volition he intimated “All three members thrive live and visibly relish the live experience. All ten songs on their set are covers , but with new interpretations of some old classics such as Rory Gallagher’s Tattoo Lady and Shadow Play the last in the set and by far the best and some of the chord playing during this and others such as Umbrella Man are fantastic.

There are obvious influences from other blues stalwarts three covers of Robin Trower songs, the best being a memorable version of Day Of The Eagle adding to the gutsy and hardworking drive of this powerhouse trio, with vocalist Stuart McMahon showing a consistently good voice range and sounds as if he has good stage presence and is a truly entertaining frontman. A great bluesy rock band with attitude.

ColiN Campbell

self-penned numbers and added to this box of delights is Maceo Merriweather’s Poor Kelly Blues given that dollop of Ford magic making this version very much his

own and a delightful rendition of Cut You Loose. This CD is a celebration of his virtuoso skills on the guitar which shines through like a beacon of musical light on every track; as you would expect there are instrumentals including Top Down Blues and Thulp and Bump with some fantastic harmonising between Ricky Peterson on Keyboard and the guitars of Robben Ford and Audley Freed. The aim was to create a record in a controlled studio environment, but treat it like a live show; this has definitely been achieved as every track has a momentum that makes it feel like a live sound. On Ain’t Drinking No More this is shown with the trombonist Barry Green and then the smooth transition to the star the guitar as you listen you can image how this works in a live performance it has authenticity that can only be achieved with that live rollercoaster of anticipation created as fingers-crossed everything comes together on the night. The album is blues with a twist of rock and a

RoBBeN FoRd

PhoTo: GeoRGe B weLLs

NIECIE Wanted WOMan

ride the tiger records

This is the third album release by the USA singer called Niecie, currently based in Nashville, who can certainly belt out the blues albeit that she additionally has a soulful streak that allows her to turn down the octaves when the mood requires.

The album has been produced by Johnny Neel who additionally adds Keyboards and is just one of several high pedigree backing ‘Band’ musicians who lay down a really thumping rock sound that never drowns out the hard edged vocals from Niecie, who at times is very reminiscent of British Blues artists like Maggie Bell and Debbie Bonham.

Niecie has been performing for over twenty years now throughout the USA and Europe, the live skills she has gained from performing live can be evidenced on the extended track Mother Nature ,which runs for over nine minutes but Niecie holds it all together as the band have a bit of a ‘freak-out’. Rocking blues with a flirtation with funk and soul is the recipe here; Niecie is definitely a wanted woman on the basis of these ten tracks.

dollop of Nashville country a soupçon of Jazz this is a record that refuses to be squeezed and constrained by being boxed in by a single genre! It is a structure that suits both the style and lyrics of Robben, and is driven by a tight and imaginative rhythm section of Wes Little (drums) and bassist Brian Allen. This is a master-class of an album. Once again Robben has produced a classy album that flows with a river of musical delight from the opening note and as the last note fades away; silence falls, solution press replay I know I will.

liz aikeN

MATT SCHOFIELD

far as I can see Provogue

I remember when Matt Schofield played the blues. Yes, I’m that old. These days, like many others he’s meandered over into the world of roots rock and even jazz rock, something that is continued on this latest release. Now that’s not a bad thing because Mr Schofield is a gifted enough musician to turn his

hand to just about anything. And on Far As I Can See he does just fine. I’ve got the promo release which comes without credits but I’m assuming that his band is Jonny Henderson on organ, Jordan John on drums and Carl Stanbridge on bass, and they really are shit hot, especially the work from Henderson over on the wing. Musically, there are gems

a-plenty with Albert King’s Breaking Up Somebody’s Home an absolute standout, with the slow blues of The Day You Left running it a close second. He gets his jazz on on Oakville Shuffle, gets a wee bit funky on ‘Hindsight’, which comes with excellent sax work and finds a Latin groove on the Neville Brothers Yellow Moon. There are a couple of dull moments with the closing ballad, Red Dragon, a total dirge, but pound for pound this is one of his best. stuart a hamiltoN

NINA FERRO

IntO the lIght night creature records

Born and bred in Australia Nina is now plying her trade in the UK, where she is performing regularly on the Jazz and Soul circuits, she has an excellent soulful voice and writes some good material, all thirteen tracks on this album have had her hand in them, with such a pure voice she does not really have the credentials to be an out and out blues artist but she does admirably on a couple of tracks, particularly Cry, Cry, Cry which benefits from a haunting lead guitar intro. The album

aDriaN blaCklee

MATT schoFiLed

was recorded in Nashville over two days last summer but does not have any real Country influences, producer Sam Hawkes has just concentrated in having Nina’s superb vocal out front and then back filing with some subtle quality musicianship, with the occasional foray into a more meaty rock backing, aided by Guitarist Rob McNelley. The final track on the album All in the Name of God is a haunting stark song covering the female/male divide that has a spiritual feel to it and is an excellent showcase for Nina Ferro’s vocals, while probably sitting closer to Jazz than blues this album still comes highly recommended.

aDriaN blaCklee

PAUL

RODGERS

the rOyal sessIOns Pie

Well, I’m struggling to understand the why, and in attempting to answer it, will probably fly in the face of industry and corporate ass licking as to the reason for this release. Has the voice succumbed to the Rod Stewart method of producing pap to fill his bank account? Or is this a self-indulgent trip down memory lane to fulfill his needs. You make up your own

minds. Before Rodgers found fame in Free, he was a teen band singer in his home town of Middlesbrough. Like many of us at the time he was blown away by vinyl from America, much of it from the Stax/Volt, Goldwax and Hi Records stables operating out of Memphis. This world was only a dream to the young singer, with names like Sam & Dave, Otis Redding, Ann Peebles and Isaac Hayes giving him hopes on a higher plain. It is to this dream that he has returned, in more ways than one. Through his long-time friend and musical collaborator, it was suggested they go to the Royal

ROBERT CRAY In My sOul Provogue / mascot

Studios in Memphis where many of the originals were cut. Using vintage equipment, old school wisdom and native players, The Royal Sessions was born. Straight from the off, the quality of musicianship on display is unquestionable, from Rodgers vocals, through the band to the Royal Horns, the Royal Singers and the Royal Strings, it’s all faultless. Songs covered range from David Porter/Isaac Hayes I Thank You, Albert King’s Down Don’t Bother Me, Peebles I Can’t Stand The Rain through to Born Under A Bad Sign. Sadly, on the whole the songs are replicated in what I consider a very safe way, without a great deal of interpretation. Best for me is a song I totally dislike, but with a great arrangement, Bacharach/David’s Walk On By. Otis Redding’s I’ve Got Dreams To Remember is also worthy of a mention. I’m unsure as to who this is aimed at, many of Rodger’s fans will know the songs from the originals. I’d understand more if this was covered by One Direction who could rightfully say they were introducing this to a whole new audience of nine year olds, but seriously Paul, I know you are capable of much better.

merv osborNe

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Working again with Steve Jordan, this set manages to capture Cray’s enduring mix of sophistication and bite, but add some freshness. There is still a lot of Sam Cook in that raspy voice and a lot of Collins and King in the Strat playing. Perhaps more varied than other recent Cray albums, this collection has the sound of a colourful stage show in the making. Robert tells me they change the set every night of a tour but expect upcoming UK dates to cherry pick from this disc.

Obvious highlights here are ‘Hip Tight Onions’ a fun Booker T nod, the gripping opener; You Move Me and the Bobby Bland celebration Deep In My Soul, which is taken with skill and power into a passionate blaze of notes.

Classy and with real clout just when it’s needed. pete sargeaNt

NiNA FeRRo

ERIC JERARDI BAND

everybOdy’s WaItIng

niche records

The new album has arrived and Eric has delivered a punchy and solid CD in what is his seventh release. David Z (Prince, Etta James, Johnny Lang) has produced this opus and is a ‘name’ that has watched Eric grow and grow and become “a serious contender”. This since his eponymous debut CD from 1995 shows considerable growth in musical maturity, well phrased music and lyrics show something of a craftsman at work.

The playing can be immense at times and also understated, he knows when to do what. Ably supported by Gary Gates (bass and backing vocals) and Adam Wheeler (drums, percussion, keys and backing vocals) these guys cement the whole experience together. Outside the Blues Eric is also an accomplished chef, sommelier and wine educator and no doubt has carried many lessons from these skills to his music such as creation, blending, maturing etc as can amply be heard.

Opening with That Hole the disc gets off to a solid groove which gets you bobbing along nicely and the guitar is in and out like a stabbing knife, gritty vocal rides along the top. Everybody’s Waiting On Me comes third here and bubbles along with a solid yet funky feel that holds back some. We have the mellow My Love Lies In Wait with a super, soaring and melodic guitar break, then stepping up the pace with End Of Days before the drums lead us into Midwest Livin’ and Adam produces some fine skin tones here. There’s a wah-wah intro to What Became Of Me that is mellow and striking and Kitchen Sinks starts in a frenzy but cools off quickly into another funky groove and the album closes with Double For Half. Smashing album, well crafted, well produced and very well played, do check this one out!

FraNk leigh

TIMOTHY J. SIMPSON

Oh, these endless fears

concentration city records

This is an accomplished third from Nottinghambased Timothy incorporating many styles with a generous dollop of British punky indie sound. The lyrics, self-penned and arranged by Timothy J. Simpson, have a contemporary feel yet also resonate the fears and hurts that have shaped songs forever, they have a twist of morality as he sings about songs reflecting work and life around the kitchen sink they inspect individuals place in society and the grinding misery of the workplace. Despite this is not a morbid or miserable album as the arrangements give the music space to flow within the spaces between the lyrics and lighten the atmosphere, thanks to the playing skills of The Monstrous Dead as they deliver supporting moody, snappy, at times countrified rifts.

Opening the album with the title track, draws you into wanting to listen some more with an opening of strong guitar chords before the vocals deliver a tale of modern day

fears and anxieties, with a chugging but positive beat setting the pace so your feet start tapping, a great combo.

Example of this is Working On a Chain Gang with lines such as I’m a divorcee in high heels waiting at a service station showing so much loneliness and anticipation great vocal people spotting this is seen throughout the lyrics. Overlaying this very British sound is grungy blues as delivered on track eight Bad Girls and heavily influenced by Neil Young.

The last track M.a.t.r.i.m.o.n.y. has a jaunty country feel leaving you on a feel good beat. This is an album that will definitely be listened to again as the lyrics have value and the melody is always appealing.

liz aikeN

SHINYRIBS

gulf cOast MuseuM

nine mile records

Shinyribs is the side project of The Gourds frontman Kevin Russell, and it’s not a blues album. For sure,

Roaring out of Vancouver but delivering electric Southern Soul with punch and a knowing style, No Sinner made a lot of fans on their swift visit to the UK late last year.

Sometime film and TV actress Colleen Rennison is a regular tune tigress, letting her throat fill any room with a kind of controlled abandon that is tuneful, yet torching. The lazy comparison is a young Joplin but I think a high-octane Ann Peebles is closer to the mark (maybe they’ll do Peebles the number I suggested?) Behind our chanteuese is a rock solid, but very nimble, electric guitar trio with a neat line in tones and beats that keep your attention. These studio cuts can only hint at the live experience but highlights are the single Boo Hoo Hoo which taunts and rocks out and has the audacity to change tempo and back again, rare these days eh, listeners? Plus the fine If Anything and their ballbusting take on Cannonball Adderley’s insistent Work Song.

Excitement and skill, just what most of you readers crave, I venture pete sargeaNt

there are some bluesy tinges hither and thither, but it’s basically an album of alt-country / Americana, call it what you will. It’s a good one, but don’t come here looking to sate your blues hunger. The Gourds have been on the go for decades, but they never touched me where it counted, so I was most surprised that this turned out to be a real treat. It’s very much a southern album, as his Texas roots show through, with country and soul being reheated and served up for your delectation.

A song like Limpia Hotel (Chihuahua Desert) just drips with southern groove, as does the out and out country of Song of Lime Juice & Despair. He rocks it up a bit on Bolshevik Sugercane, and by that I mean rock and rolls it up, and by the time he reaches the closing cover of Harold Melvin and the

Bluenote’s If You Don’t Know Me By

Now you’re left with a warm glow. It’s a proper album, nine tracks long, and leaves you wanting more, something that doesn’t often happen in a world of overlong records and deluxe editions. As I said at the top, it’s not blues, but if you’re in the mood for some genre hopping roots tunes, then this is a real treat.

stuart a hamiltoN

SONNY BOY NELSON AND BO CARTER st. charles blues

nehi records cD

Location is everything in the sound of an original blues record. Nehi have already taken us to Memphis with Peabody Blues, but now it the turn of New Orleans. One day in the Autumn of 1936 the legendary Victor Bluebird Records Company went to the St. Charles Hotel in New Orleans and laid down for eternity these tracks by Bo Carter, Sonny Boy Nelson and a clutch of other great artists. On that warm southern day they could never have believed that almost a century later, we would

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CHRISTINA SKJOLBERG cOMe and get It

Strutting her way into opening cut Come And Get It against the typical Ruf style bass/drums/keys backdrop, Ms Skjolberg confirms that Norway can produce artists reflecting its known predilection for Country, Blues and Roots musics. Her voice is emphatic and sometimes breathy and sounds 100% determined, whilst her guitar is of the forceful grimy persuasion. Touches like the abrupt key change in the pounding and ZZ Top-tinged ‘Runaway’ keep the interest.

A slightly wild delay on the guitar on Close The Door gives a tad frantic vibe but the sure-fingered Hammond anchors all.and the dynamic is sustained.

The funky Get On is the one for me and here she sounds a little like Bobby Rush’s groovy niece as the horns seep in. This is where Christina sounds most authentic, to these ears and the wah guitar run is on the money. The set swings out on boogie Nag Blues, which surely is a live winner.

pete sargeaNt

chRisTiNA sKJoLBeRG, NoRwiGiAN BLUes MisTRess

have the esteemed privilege of hearing such great contributions as If You Don’t Want Me, Please Don’t Dog Me Round by The Chatman Brothers, Robert Hill’s Lumber Yard Blues and Mr. Hill’s wonderfully titled You’re Gonna Look Like a Monkey When You Get Old. And let us not forget Bo Carter’s Your Biscuits Are Big Enough For Me. Sonny Boy Nelson’s Long Tall Woman and Street Walkin’ are also here, great examples of his powerful pre-war work. Once again, plaudits go to Russell Beecher’s excellent illustrated liner booklet, and the care taken to clean these old waxing’s up really shows. With releases like this, Nehi are on course to be the go-to label for true blues history. These records are the equivalent of a musical time machine, demonstrating how lucky we are that, decades after these long-gone rugged artists made their mark, we can still go back and listen to them in all their glory. Wonderful stuff. roY baiNtoN

TERRY GILLESPIE

Terry Gillespie is a Canadian based musician who recorded this album ‘live’ at the St Andrews Presbyterian Church, as part of the Maxville Musicfest in 2012 although you can only hear audience reaction on a couple of tracks, so either the audience sounds have been edited out or the bulk of material was recorded as a ‘studio live’ set.

Either way this is a good album showcasing Terry’s guitar and vocal skills although I do not fully concur with the liner notes that include the following sentence; “Like Mark Knopfler, JJ Cale or JB Lenoir Terry Gillespie is a player whose comfortable voice perfectly suits his economic deep guitar grooves”.

As the album title implies these thirteen tracks are a mixture of Blues and Soul music, with Blues being the dominant force

THE MIGHTY BOSSCATS bOIlIng POt inDePenDent

This is a fine example of good quality blues based British music with a healthy flavouring of Americana and West Coast to improve taste and allowed to simmer nicely. The Mighty Bosscats head chef Richard Townend can always be relied upon to write songs that are accessible but subtle, familiar sounding but unique. His lyrics are never clichéd but thought provoking without being preaching. Opening tracks I Need A Friend and Boiling Pot are fine examples, the music creating a panoramic feeling and the vocals soft but attention grabbing in a Chris Rea style. 2.45 Express, with its swing feeling and the rock’n’roll Elvis Coming Home add more light hearted musical interlude before the slightly more menacing ‘Bad Luck Blues’, Candy Man and Devil Inside. The mood lightens again with the gospel like Lordy Lordy Lordy preparing us for the final trio of Switch

The Tracks, Waco Station and Pride, these last two being my favourite tracks on the album.

You may have noticed from some of the titles a thread of travelling journeys emerging. I would suggest perhaps it’s a spiritual one, with ‘Pride’ the end of the ride, exhorting us to, lights on, turn your lights on. The musicianship throughout is first class, the core band of Terry Hiscock, Phil Pawsey, Phil Wilson and Glen Buck all excel without over egging any of the pudding. Worthy of four Michelin stars at least. steve YourglivCh

aided by some good supporting musicians including the talented Peter Measroch on Keyboards, who has a subtle piano solo on the best track on the album; The Devil Likes To Win which includes an Elmore James style guitar intro and some throaty harmonica from Terry, this track also appears as an extended ‘reprise’ as the final track. A good solid electric blues album by an established Canadian artist who previously led the Reggae/ Blues band Heavens Radio in the late 70’s.

aDriaN blaCklee

VARIUS ARTISTS

JacKsOn stOMP: the charlIe MccOy stOry

nehi records cD

The title track of this superb package, Jackson Stomp, by the Mississippi Mud Steppers will make you forget all about rain, austerity and the other assorted miseries of

the 21st century. Led by a fantastic banjo it storms along and lifts your feet off the ground. All these tracks have a Charlie McCoy connection, one of the most important figures in pre-war blues. He was an all-round, versatile musician and first choice for many sessions with various line-ups. This compilation, with Russell Beecher’s thorough booklet, outlines the whole musical McCoy story.

There’s some thrilling musicianship from people like the original Sonny Boy Williamson on Black Panther Blues, spine-tingling falsetto vocals and smooth guitar with Tommy Johnson’s Cool Drink of Water, as well as contributions from numerous others, such as the Mississippi Black Snakes, Johnnie Temple with his chunky, rolling (and modern-sounding) Lead Pencil Blues, and even more forceful, determined banjo playing on Charlie McCoy’s That Lonesome Train That Took My Baby Away.

Blues Top 50 january 2014

JAMIE WILLIAMS & THE ROOTS COLLECTIVE

dug deeP, fOund steel ashwill records

Young Essex based band whose line -up is fluid and whose all original music is probably best described as indie-rock with blues and roots influences. Opener Dug Deep, Found Steel kicks off with a fuzzy insistent guitar riff and a clonking snare drum before settling into a toe-tapping rocker with Williams’s vocals having a nasal twang as he declares “I’m together now & I can’t be beat”. It Doesn’t Change slows the pace a little and features Lizzie B sharing vocals on a heartfelt love song. Williams’ raw Dylan like vocal twang is particularly forefront on the country tinged chunk of Americana that is Blow Away

The Blues which also features mandolin from Williams. I Can’t Deny carries on the country feel with more mandolin and also harmonica fills from Nick Garner. Lizzie B takes lead vocals on her own song Stronger as she lays down her rules for a lasting relationship; “no point in faking I’ll know”. Stone Drunk opens with distorted guitar and wailing harmonica as Williams declares “You’ll find me in the gutter, I’m a real sad case”. A more upbeat note is heard on the bluesy I Want To Be Happy which features resonator from Williams and a harmonica solo from Garner. The musicianship is good throughout and a sense of commitment and fun is always evident. As the title suggests Angel From Above is a pretty ballad with Lizzie B’s vocals working alongside Williams’ rasp to soften this pretty pop song. Jamie Williams has plainly listened to Bob Dylan and the vocals on To See Her Was To Love Her show that influence clearly. The album closes with Will I Ever Learn featuring just Williams on acoustic guitar and some sparse harmonica vamping from Garner. An interesting and enjoyable album with a raw and vibrant feel with the promise of much more to come.

Dave DrurY

reviews Albums

The quality of these old recordings is superb due to the sterling work of Nehi’s tech team. If you’ve ever thought you’d heard all the old blues classics and that your collection was almost complete, then think again.

Here’s proof that the blues just keeps on giving and surprising us. If you want the 1930s feel of Jackson. Mississippi, and fancy hanging out with Memphis Minnie or listening to Preach, Pray and Moan with Monkey Joe, sit back, close your eyes, and you’re there.

roY baiNtoN

LUKE JACKSON fuMes and faIth

Pipe records

What a revelation. Luke Jackson is a nineteen year old penning all songs on this release, his second in as many years and has so far had much acclaim for both. This release certainly exudes a maturity way beyond his age. The overall impression is of an eclectic mix of musical interpretations and styles , suppose bluesy folky roots type genre but there is so much passion and soul to his lyrics that just listening to it, some make you smile others like Father and Son really hit home about loss and adaptation to family set ups.

His approach to some songs are beset with bitterness and a dark foreboding side, to such songs as Sister bringing out a religious interpretation of Jonah and Moses story. As the songs progress there is a more bluesy tone in such songs as Father’s Footsteps and an appreciation of blues roots to Robert Johnson, all on Ghost At The Crossroads. What makes the production of this release is that other than playing his acoustic guitar, foot stomping and clapping are all the backing he needs, as he also has a very mixed range of vocal tones and such a sweetness that it

diGGiNG deePeR: JAMie wiLLiAMs ANdThe RooTs coLLecTiVe

Sat 29 Mar 7pm £12.50 adv

MELANIE PAIN

Sun 30 Mar 7pm £15 adv

GEORGE PORTER JR & THE RUNNIN PARTNERS

Sun 27 Apr 5pm £24 adv

JOE MEEK SPECIAL

FT. CLIFF BENNETT, CHAS HODGES, DAVID KAYE, DANNY RIVERS,BILLIE DAVIS, ROBB SHENTON, RAY DEXTER, LEE CURTIS

Fri 9 May 7pm £17.50 adv

BAND OF FRIENDS

Tues 13 May 7pm £18.50 adv

SAVOY BROWN

Sat 17 May 7pm £12.50 adv

BARRENCE WHITFIELD & THE SAVAGES

Fri 30 May 7pm £16.50 adv

BRUCE, JOHNS & PAGE PLAY THE SONGS OF CREAM + STEVE RODGERS Thurs 25 Sept 7pm £20 adv

CARL VERHEYEN

18 Oct 7pm £16 adv

KIRK FLETCHER

nice To noTe ThaT chriS kenner’S SickandTired iS included

is spellbinding and mature especially on the ethereal take on Fumes And Faith and reflections of childhood on Down To The Sea. A very positive release, Luke is an undoubted talent.

ColiN Campbell

VARIOUS JuMP blues JaMaIca Way

JaMaIcan sOund systeM classIcs 1945 - 1960

fantastic voyage

The history of the blues has many unexpected twists and turns, but the popularity of American rhythm and blues in Jamaica is one of the more unpredictable. The radio stations that broadcast across the southern USA from the 40s onwards could be picked up on the island and from then until the island’s independence in 1962, Jamaicans just couldn’t get enough shuffling blues, big, bold, brassy R’n’B and rocking group sounds, with most being disseminated through the sound systems, huge mobile discos. To stay at the top, the ‘sound’ needed exclusive records, so the rarer the better.

Here we find prime influences

Louis Jordan, Fats Domino, The Drifters, Gene & Eunice and of course the hugely popular Rosco Gordon rubbing shoulders with King Tut, Bobby Smith, The Dodgers, and Terry & Jerry, among many others. Some of these sides were eventually released, officially but more usually not, for Jamaican audiences, and some were re-made or adapted by the island’s own musicians when the recording industry started up in the late 50s. Nice to note that Chris Kenner’s Sick And Tired is

DAN BUBIEN eMPty rOads independent

This release is a little more popular sounding than I’m used to, but with its musical strengths, catchy tunes and vibrant grooves, it’s a winner coming, as it does, from the former Sun Kings frontman. You’ll see what I mean from the opener and title track, with its solid lyrics and funky groove, making you want to hear more. It gets better with the next track Fight Club, a funky soulful tune with brilliant sax and Hammond B3 solos by Eric DeFade and Timmy Mabin respectively. Crazy Days has a definite Philly soul sound, also known as ‘blue eyed soul’ a key component to the authenticity being Andre Marocco’s backing vocals. My personal favourite has to be the easy going 12 bar ‘Exile Blues’ with the addition of Chris Nacy on harmonica and the clean piano solo by Timmy Mabin. Bubien’s slide work adds a vocal warmth to the track.

You Tube favourite To Youngstown has a distinctive Little Feat feel to it, with a hint of Travelling Riverside Blues. Dizzy Eyes is up-tempo R&B with horns supplied by Steve McKnight (trumpet), DeFade (sax) and backing vocals from Jimmie Ross, Morgan Maybray and Marocco. There’s a great organ solo Joe Monroe in there too. Irony takes us back to R&B, Bubien has a knack for melody, and warmth added yet again by the brass section, Bubien’s guitar solo ain’t bad either. Love In Mind is another Philly love song, and closer Sniper is an easy going blues track with a country feel, Justin Stagg adding banjo, complimenting Bubien’s slide work. Being from Philadelphia, comparisons lean towards Daryl Hall or maybe Smokey Robinson, but Bubien proves on here that not only is he a good song-writer, he’s his own man.

Clive rawliNgs

included; The Upsetters’ big 1969 instrumental reggae hit Return Of Django is actually a version of this tune, but many of these tracks have a story behind them, and all 88 are well worth a listen.

NormaN DarweN

VARIOUS ARTISTS

the rOad tO rOcK’n’rOll vOluMe 3

fantastic voyage 2-cd set Musician, rock historian and producer Stuart Colman knows his stuff, so when you see his name attached to a project like this, you know it promises much, and this delivers, big-style. The Road to Rock & Roll series has already blazed a trail with Vol. 1: Jitterbug Jive (1934 to 1952) and Vol. 2: Dangerous Liaisons (1953 to 1954).

Between 1934 and 1955, as this series of albums reveals, (subtitled No Stopping Us Now), there was a primeval, jewel-box of gems sneaking around the airwaves, all of which were milestones on the sweaty, exciting musical highway which was about to open up as rock’n’roll. This two CD set covers the period 1954 to 1955, when the 45rpm seven inch had come into its own. It’s a tasty bag of musical allsorts which includes American country, rhythm and blues and doo wop. Here you can bask in the earthy rhythm and blues of The Midnighters, Fats Domino, LaVern Baker, Nappy Brown, The Platters, Ruth Brown and Louis Jordan. There’s a strong down-home electric country hillbilly presence too, with uplifting acts such as Merrill Moore. Unfortunately Bill Haley (a personal

bête noir for this writer) rears his kiss-curled head, but the range and variety of such diverse styles in tracks by Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant, Merle Kilgore, Arthur “Guitar Boogie” Smith and Jack Cardwell all tell us one thing - that rock was coming like a tsunami, pushing all the saccharine crooners aside, and these artists knew it.

No matter what age you are, this is fifty riotous slabs of exhilarating musical history and although many of the names are forgotten today, the music they left behind was, is, and always will be, brilliant. Turn it up and enjoy!

roY baiNtoN

VARIOUS

reMeMberIng lIttle Walter blind Pig

This Grammy nominated CD should need no recommendation from me. Little Walter was probably the most influential modern blues harp player, and a fine singer of blues that are now classics. This live recording gathers together Mark Hummel (who also produces the album), Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, Sugar Ray Norcia, and James Harman who take turns to pay homage to Walter Jacobs, by tearing it up, not by being over-reverent.

When Little Charlie Baty is added on guitar (though his own harp playing is exceptional, as he proves on My Babe) alongside Nathan James (also on guitar)

bassist RW Grigsby and drummer June Core, the sound rivals that of the legendary Aces who laid down the originals behind Walter. Lend an ear to Mean Old World and you’ll believe me, though I feel a bit mean myself in not highlighting any of the other tracks as all are exemplary. Why, even the recording engineer is the highly-respected Kid Andersen. As I said, this needs no recommendation from me... it recommends itself!

NormaN DarweN

VARIOUS ARTISTS

PeabOdy blues nehi records cD

Ever wondered about the Mississippi Delta? It was said back in 1935 that it begins in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, and ends in Vicksburg on Catfish Row. Check it out on Google Earth! Think of Blues giants such as Leadbelly, Bukka White, Charley Patton, Blind Willie McTell and many more and you’ll realise that a lot of their more interesting stuff came out on Catfish Records. Well, Nehi Records is a new label out of the Catfish stable. But, before we go any further, zip up your anoraks, bluesologists, and read the following, from their web site: Nehi (pronounced knee high) is a flavoured soft drink that originated in America. It was introduced in 1924 by Chero-Cola/ Union Bottle Works and the drinks brand is owned by Dr Pepper with whom we are in no ways associated.

The drink was a favourite of Blues musicians as they could mix it with their homemade alcohol to make the drink more palatable and has been celebrated in songs by the likes of Frank Stokes (Nehi Mamma Blues) and Blind Joe Reynolds (Nehi Blues). As Michael Caine was wont to proclaim: ‘There’s not many people what know that. Well, you do now. Some of Country Blues most important artists recorded in rooms at the Peabody Hotel way back in 1929 and Russell Beecher’s excellent 16 page liner notes tell you all about it. Here’s 25 tracks (and the re-mastered quality is terrific) by Furry Lewis, Walter Vinson, Charlie McCoy, Speckled Red, Jenny Pope, Robert Wilkins, Garfield Akers, Jed Davenport, Joe Williams and Kid Bailey. This is the first time this material has been heard in such a combination for in over 80 years, and what was laid down in those hotel rooms would go on to inspire future artists such as the Rolling Stones. These new Nehi releases are the musical equivalent of major archaeological discoveries. They shine like Tutankhamun’s mask and leave you awe-struck at the raw power of a music it took the rest of the world so long to appreciate. Call yourself a historical blues aficionado? If so, you need these records.

roY baiNtoN

hoTeL BLUes: BLiNd wiLLie McTeLL

the bm ! rOu N d–up Of liVe blues

LUCERNE BLUES FESTIVAL

LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND

NOVember 14th-16th 2013

A chilly Lucerne, nestled by its lake high in the Swiss mountains, welcomes the hottest blues talent to its festival every November since 1994. The line-up for the big festival weekend is composed of artists drawn from many parts of the blues world, but it’s no surprise that the Chicago scene usually provides some of the most exciting acts –

after all Chicago and Lucerne have been culturally linked sister cities for over 15 years! This year was no exception, with a bill containing a smattering of BMA and Grammy winners; a handful of blues ladies, some guitar gurus and harmonica heroes; music from the Crescent City to Chi-town, from West Coast to East.

thursday

So to open the proceedings in the delightful setting of the Grand Casino, Larry Garner and Michael Van Mervyk settled into the

chairs. A partnership between the Baton Rouge. LA songwriter and a German blues buddy, there was a whole lot of laid back, joke-cracking banter to ease into the festival. Working with a pair of acoustic guitars, and occasional lap steel interlude from Van Merwyk, it was a friendly, engaging performance which easily got the audience in the mood. For example, a great sing along number was Going To Lucerne , a song dedicated to the festival, which featured a guest spot from the dual harps of Rick Estrin and Johnny Sansone , of whom

BoBBy Rush

photo: JennifeR noBle

Bnois King

photo: JennifeR noBle

more later in this review. The first of the the Chicago blues world contributions now took the stage. Under the banner of Chicago Blues Allstars

songstress Zora Young fronted a band featuring some of the stalwarts of the Chicago scene: Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin, with Kenny Beedy Eyes Smith and Bob Stroger in the engine room. Bob Margolin led off the first couple of numbers, growling through the vocals, then gave the mike to Bob Stroger, resplendent in zoot suit and feather hat. Not to be left behind, Kenny Smith took a turn singing from the drum seat too. Having set the scene Bob introduced the feature vocalist, Zora Young. Zora laid her blues diva credentials right on the table from the start, tearing straight into a rocking version of Daughter of A Son-of-a-Gun from her Sunnyland album, which she recorded with the great Hubert

Sumlin. A more emotional moment then, as she slowed down the tempo in Thrill is Gone, and then picked up the pace with another of her own tunes Pity Party. turning the heat up another few notches, the whole band went out on top with those old standards Dust My Broom and Mojo.

Johnny Rawls and Destini Rawls Mississippi Blues Soul delivered exactly what the name promised. Very tight and disciplined bandleader as you would expect from Johnny’s time leading Southern soul legend O.V. Wright’s band for many years. A sultry Help Me (Sonny Boy Williamson) heavily featuring Hammond B3 segued into Fever, whipping up the crowd (especially the ladies!) with some hot dance moves. Johnny then called up daughter Destini for a pretty rendition of I’d Rather Go Blind and Chain of Fools. Johnny then took over once more with Red

Cadillac from the award-winning album of the same name. The audience were really getting into the soulful groove over the next couple of numbers, happy to get down for me on Soul Survivor. Destini returned for I’ll Take You There then a couple more bluesy numbers I’m Movin In Baby and All Your Troubles Are Movin Out! and Baby Hit the Road. Getting back to the soul with Can I Get It, a good solid soul tune from the Red Cadillac album, continued to encourage the dance moves going through the crowd, called up Byther Smith for a chorus or two from two Mississippi boys. To wind up a set of toe-tapping, hip-shakin soul, Johnny turned to the late Bobby Blue Bland’s Turn On Your Lovelight, a wonderful choice of set closer.

The headliner Byther Smith, although a Mississippi native, has

Johnny sansone photo: JennifeR noBle

BytheR smith

photo: JennifeR noBle

smoKin Joe KuBeK photo: JennifeR noBle

festivaLs

spent the majority of his musical life as part of the Chicago blues scene. Backed by bass guru EG McDaniel and Bryant T. Parker on drums, the veteran bluesman laid out some straight ahead guitar picking and revealed he still has a remarkably robust voice for a performer in his 80s. On slow blues like Hold That Train Conductor and Forty-four Blues his hoarse, rasping vocal fitting the subject perfectly. More up-tempo fare like Howlin’ Wolf’s 300 Pounds of Joy and Mojo raised the energy level. Zora Young made a guest appearance and revealed that Byther was one of the first people to help her out when she was starting. Byther learned from (and was a first cousin of)

JB Lenoir, so finishing the show on Lenoir’s How Much More

Longer felt very apt. Way over on the other side of the Grand Casino, on the Casineum Club stage, the late night set went through to the small hours with a packed stage featuring James Harman’s Bamboo

Porch Revue, backed by longtime guitarist Nathan James and additional percussion from Bonedaddy Tempo. This line-up made for a lively fusion of West Coast blues and Cuban/Caribbean rhythms, led by Harman’s agile and gutsy harmonica lines.

Friday

Friday night opened up with the very cool-looking Rick Estrin & the Nightcats fresh from a 2013 BMA win as Best Harmonica Player. Straight off the bat, Rick started blasting the harp with a high-speed jump blues, Squeeze Me, then made way for guitarist Kid Andersen

to show off some extended and melodic solos on a slow blues. Lorenzo Farrell stepped out from behind the Hammond to work the double bass, demonstrating the versatility and talented musicianship supporting Rick. Not to be left out, drummer Jay Hansen, took over vocals from behind the kit on a real rock’n’roller of a number, with Kid Andersen high-kicking around the stage. Obviously energized, the next number was a showcase for Andersen,

– each bring their own distinctive perspective and influences to the mix. Dorothy Morrison’s gospel background, Tracey Nelson’s country style, Angela Strehli’s Texas roots and Annie Sampson’s musical theatre heritage provided a rich set of both individual contributions, and combinations that covered the widest range of blues styles. Livin’ the Blues and Two Bit Texas Town, down home blues tunes, contrasted nicely with soul classics Respect Yourself and River Deep. There were also a couple of big mainstream hits in the repertoire which had to be aired, Annie Sampson outstanding on Dylan track Its All Over Baby Blue and Dorothy Morrison’s rousing reprise of Oh Happy Day, a real high energy number with which to end a show of real quality.

The Legend of Taco Cobbler from 2012’s One Wrong Turn album. This was a completely over the top homage to surf music and spaghetti western soundtracks, which at one point had Andersen’s iPhone generating tones into the guitar pickups – wild stuff and great entertainment. A more traditional blues, Callin’ All Fools, brought Rick back into the picture, winding into If You Dig It Don’t Do It – a Nightcats oldie. You Can’t Come Back closed out a spectacular set.

The Blues Broads, a foursome of the best female vocalists around – Dorothy Morrison, Tracey Nelson, Angela Strehli and Annie Sampson

Bobby Rush laid down an eye-poppin’ extravaganza of a show, but behind the gals, glamour and glitz, there’s a pretty talented singer, songwriter and harp player with a great feel for a tune, as evidenced by his 2013 Grammy award nomination in the Best Blues Album category for Down In Louisiana. When Bobby sang Ain’t She Fine, and You Know What You Do with his two showgirls, there was little doubt what he was talking about! But with a twinkle in his eye, his relationship with the ladies always felt naughty but nice, never tawdry. Whipping from one style of music to another mid-song, from straightup blues – What You’re Doing To Me Would Never Do, funk – Ain’t Studdin’ Ya (featuring some fine guitar slinging – literally!) back to Chicago blues shuffle – You Know I’m Crazy About You and Have You Ever Been Mistreated Bobby put out a phenomenal amount of

RiCK estRin photo: JennifeR noBle

energy. Prolific in output, having made almost 250 recordings since 1951, Bobby gave us a little autobiography while singing Hoochie Coochie Man and shared his philosophy as a performer: why I’m here is to entertain you. 19 Years Old. Putting the funk into the blues, with Everybody In The World Like That Thing Bobby showed how rappers like Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent stole it all from him and James Brown; for good measure impersonated Michael Jackson and Elvis too! Catfish Blues, 3 Problems (i.e. A Lover, A Girlfriend and a Wife). An extended Shake Rattle and Roll to end the set, let Bobby and the girls take many bows and enthusiastic applause from a delighted audience.

Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King drove the night to a close with some signature hard rockin’ Texas style guitar from Smokin’ Joe, nicely balanced by the softer, more rootsy picking and singing from Bnois.

Byther Smith took on the late slot on the Casineum Club, and for my money, the veteran bluesman turned in a much more relaxed set in the club setting than the earlier main stage show. Once more, the stalwart work of EG McDaniels kept the show in shape through the late night haze.

saturday

California guitarist and singer

Pat Wilder and her band Serious Business kicked off the Saturday night session. Livened up by Pat’s infectious enthusiasm, the crowd gave her a warm reception. Carole Mayedo on violin added an extra dimension to a set with a definite slant to the funkier side of the blues.

Ron Levy's Wild Kingdom Trio were next up. A long time member of B.B.King’s band, Ron took the Hammond B3 and went in a more jazzy direction with it.

James Harman's Bamboo Porch Revue making their second appearance of the Festival, started

with a simple, understated tale featuring Harman and his solo harp; then brought on Nathan James, soloing on a peculiar guitar with a body made from a washboard – a downhome. fingerpicking number called Green Snakeskin Shoes. Introducing the rhythm section, the full band launched into an uptempo Crap Shoot, and set the tone for a set full of swinging West Coast blues, punctuated by the excellent harp work of Mr. Harman.

Johnny Sansome, New Orleans-based harmonica player, accordion player, singer and songwriter came on with a wild set to close out the action on the main stage. Set opener Invisible was an epic tale of bad news and bad luck, had Sansone using the bullet mike atmospherically to create a scratchy, broken feel to the vocals, while John Fohl’s long, sinuous guitar lines evoked a sparse backdrop for the harmonica accents. By contrast, when Johnny brought out his accordion and kicked into some Zydeco-flavoured numbers from his Crescent Moon period (Give Me A Dollar And Watch Me Play), he turned on the crowd’s dancing feet and had everyone jumping.

Ringing the changes of mood again, the intensity was turned way up on The Lord Is Waiting, The Devil Is Too. With a searing harp on top of heavy duty guitar riffs, brandishing a mojo like a man possessed, this was compelling performance that riveted the attention. Well deserved of his multiple BMA awards in 2012 (Song of the year winner)

Contemporary Blues Male Artist, Contemporary Blues Album, Album of the year , this was an outstanding show to remember the festival by.

It fell to Smokin’ Joe Kubek to take the last late show on the Casineum Club stage, living up to his nickname on the club stage jamming with many of the rest of the artists to the great delight of the hardcore blues fans who had the stamina to stick it out till the wee small hours. So, once more the Lucerne Blues Festival team, led by Guido Schmidt and Martin Brundler, had worked their magic and created a top quality lineup with something for everyone to enjoy. Blues fans across Europe eagerly await the 20th festival in 2014.

Glenn noble

the Blues BRoads photo: JennifeR noBle

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HARVEST TIME RHYTHM AND BLUES

MoNAghAN ToWN, IRELAND

september 6–8th, 2013

Situated approximately 80 miles to the north of Dublin is the delightful town of Monaghan, Ireland, it is here, every September, that the town plays host to the Harvest Time Rhythm and Blues Festival. Locals call it ‘the Jazz’, and since its inception in 1991 it has become one of the most significant blues festival in Ireland.

The original idea came in a collaboration between the Arts Officer for County Monaghan, Somhairle MacConghail and local Monaghan publican and blues enthusiast, Seamus McKenna. Now in its 19th year the county town will once again play host to the three day event on 5-7 September 2014. The festival attracts internationally

renowned performers, many from North America, UK and Ireland. Several noted performers have appeared at previous festivals including, amongst many others, Luther Allison, Gary Moore, Walter Trout, Tommy Castro, Van Morrison, Peter Green, Mick Taylor and Coco Montoya.

Two ticketed venues are located in the town, an afternoon-evening acoustic stage in the Market House and a late-night marquee hosting the main stage for the headline acts. Numerous pubs, bars, hotels and restaurants also open their doors to free gigs in what is known as the blues trail. All are located very close to each other, only a few minutes apart, so there is no trudging for miles from one side of town to the other.

The acoustic stage is located upstairs in the 17th century Market House. It is a seated venue with approximately 80 seats

so you really are up close and personal with the artistes. There is an afternoon session with three performers between 1-4 pm and an evening session between 7-10 pm, again with 3 musicians.

The performers vary from day to day and last year these included Jerron 'Blind Boy' Paxton (New York), Lil' Jimmy Read (Alabama), Kelly Joe Phelps (Vancouver), The Lost Brothers (Ireland) and Kris Dollimore (Cornwall). I particularly enjoyed listening to Jerron Paxton, a young man in his twenties, playing ragtime, old-time, mountain music, blues and even irish reels on a variety of instruments. With a voice like velvet and a story to tell, he was, for me, thoroughly entertaining and captivating.

Conveniently, the acoustic sessions in the Market House end just as the late night stage opens up for business. The main stage is located in a large marquee within a car park only five minutes walk from the town centre. The doors open in the Marquee at 10 pm each night and one of the acoustic acts entertains you in the bar area until the main attractions come on stage at 11.30 pm, rocking right through to 3 am. In 2013 the 'acoustic' act was the Lil' Jimmy Read Band with the legendary boogie-woogie pianist Bob Hall and Hilary Blythe on bass guitar.

The headline artistes, with two performing each night on the main stage, were Hot Rod Walt & Psycho Devils (Georgia), Rick Estrin and the Nightcats (California), Moreland & Arbuckle (Kansas), Bernard Allison Group (Chicago), Grainne Duffy Band (Ireland) and The Nimmo Brothers (Glasgow). With such a wealth of talent it was impossible to choose a favourite. They were all excellent but it was really good to see so many bands from North America at one festival.

The blues trail was equally as good with 10 great bands playing

hot Rod Walt

photo: david ButleR

a total of 28 gigs in six venues within the town. Most of the bands, such as The Rockets, Clara Rose Band, The Hardchargers, Ronnie Greer Band, The Blues Jam, Crow Black Chicken, The Mighty Mojos and Joe Fury & The Hayride all came from Ireland, with The Revolutionaires and Giles Robson & the Dirty Aces making the trek from England.

As a member of the music committee for the Linton Festival I'm always on the look out for new talent, especially newcomers from Ireland. There's a wealth of talent out there and I was particularly impressed with the five piece Clara Rose Band and the more rockier Crow Black Chicken.

The festival took place within the town of Monaghan, 80 miles north-west of Dublin. Visitors from outside of Ireland can conveniently fly into Dublin airport (or take the sea ferry) and then hop on the Route 32 bus direct to Monaghan. This leg of the journey takes 90 minutes and is an inexpensive way to travel. Finding accommodation within the town can be a bit of a challenge but it's not impossible.

The support for the festival is visible throughout the town and overall the atmosphere was as friendly as you would imagine Ireland to be. All the visitors and locals were having a great time watching and dancing to the bands. The acoustic gigs in the Market House was a great success, with shows being sold out on both Saturday and Sunday and the head-liners in the late night marquee were very well supported. It's a brilliant festival, thoroughly recommended and definitely on my list of annual events I visit every year.

My thanks go to Somhairle MacConghail for pulling it all together, the tourist information office and everyone else who makes this festival the success it is.

DaviD butler

GREAT BRITISH ROCK & BLUES FESTIVAL

BUTLINS, SKEgNESS, ThE BLUES MATTERS! STAgE, JAKS BAR

JaNuarY 24th-27th 2014

Friday

What a great choice by Blues Matters! to have Roscoe Levee & The Southern Slide open the festival on the Jaks Stage! So pleased to be in the opening slot were they, that Rosco chose this event to launch their new album Get It While You Can . They started the set with Some Angels Fall the first track off the new album – which set the standard for the rest of the evening. We were treated to six numbers from the new album, five from the first and a couple of covers. The set was well received by an enthusiastic audience, many of whom were up and dancing before the band were halfway through their set. Next up on the Jaks stage was Alex McKown, an 18 year old rising star on the Blues Festival circuit. The three times British Blues Awards nominee played a blistering set, with his guitar solos sounding as though they were played by a man with twice his experience. Alex describes his sound as 'a bit of soul, blues, funk and rock all mixed in together' which hits the nail on the head precisely. A certain reviewer thought the saxophone a little excessive. Closing Friday night in the packed Jaks Bar was Zoe Schwarz Blues Commotion, also new to the BM Stage. Zoe and the band take pride in filling their live sets and albums with vibrant and very distinct original numbers. Fronting the band, Zoe oozed class; she commanded the stage demonstrating her vocal versatility as a charismatic “blues shouter” on 'The Blues Don't Scare Me', through to the lyrical control of 'I Believe in You'. Her vocal virtuosity

and range are testament to her classical background and her “hearton-the-sleeve” delivery can be sometimes full-bodied, sometimes achingly tender. Providing a sweet and stylish guitar foil was Rob Koral, co-composer with Zoe of most of tonight's set and I especially like the way Zoe stepped out of the spotlight to focus attention on her musicians. Shifting effortlessly between grooves, the band rocked on, carrying the enthusiastic Jaks crowd with them for every step of the way. Drummer Paul Robinson (drummer with Nina Simone for the last 19 years of her career) glued the rhythm section with the all the authority of his massive CV and Hammond maestro Pete Whittaker was outstanding on 'Say It Isn't So'. The set closer, the funky 'Buck', let the band wild card SI Genaro off the leash, starting with rhythmic and virtuoso harp solo which then dissolved into one of his trademark raps which had the audience mesmerised. Summoned, unsurprisingly, for two encore numbers, the band closed with the great Etta James' 'Something Got a Hold on Me', which sent the Jaks crowd dancing into the chilly night air.

saturday

Saturday afternoon began with three numbers from the great Roadhouse, the Jaks stage stalwarts who hold together the ever-popular open-mic jam session. With a foretaste of their full set on Sunday, the band warmed the crowd before Gary Boner masterfully organised the signingup procedure giving all comers the chance to play or sing on the Jaks platform. As ever demand outstripped time available but we were treated to some fine music, from individual artists and full bands. There is so much talent out there... First up on Saturday evening,

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Norfolk’s Dove and Boweevil, who have been winning new fans on the festival circuit over the last year with their full electric band line up, having previously been together as a more acoustic based duo for some-time. Alas, lead guitarist Bo missed the weekend due to ill health, but hats off to Andy Walker who stepped in seamlessly. Lauren Dove is a seriously impressive vocalist on a set of mostly original songs of New Orleans and country blues style. Andy Cooper's swirling organ runs gave an added dimension throughout. Personal favourites were ‘Lady Lavoo’ and ‘Red Eye Fly'. Next up was the amazing talent that is Bath’s Innes Sibun, one-time guitarist in Robert Plant's touring band, but firmly established in his own right. From opener 'Your Love Is Real' any

doubters or the unintiated knew what they were in for, over an hour of blues/rock the way it should be played. The set consisted of mainly new stuff from the current Lost In The Wilderness CD, but the old chestnut A Million Miles Away, complete with walkabout stole the show for me, until Innes summoned Del Bronham onstage for Have You Ever Loved A Woman, sheer class! Closing with Let’s Call It A Night, summed it all up for me. Absolutely superb, do not miss this band if they come to a venue near you.

Saturday in Jaks closed with Steve Roux's Brass Knuckles Band. What a joy to see this band back on the BM stage! Steve introduced his 2 encores with “here's a slow one...and one to dance your arses off!!” but the

rammed crowd had been doing just that for the past hour and a half. No-one I know gets a crowd up and jumping like this band. More than a little creative and artistic dancing was observed at the front of the stage! Attentive and appreciative in the more lyrical numbers, totally engaged in the funky up-beat ones, the Jaks crowd loved every second of this carefully crafted and tightly performed set. Rock solid rhythm and tight two piece brass section support Steve’s virtuoso guitar throughout. No, Steve, no need to lock the doors! The crowd whistled and stomped for two encores and would have stayed for more given the chance.

sunday

Sunday afternoon's acoustic sessions were opened by Lauren

Chantel mCgRegoR

photo: saRah Reeve

fedeRal ChaRm

photo: saRah Reeve

Dove and the experienced Dave Thomas sitting in for Bo with aplomb, even leading the audience through a gospel call and response to cleanse the soul of the excesses of the night before. The next act up was Matt Woosey, a young British bluesman who has a style of his own and a sound that belies his age. As I caught the end of his set, Matt had his guitar across his knees and was playing it with a slide, he then turned said instrument up the right way and played it with a picking/slapping style that had the audience enthralled. Accompanied by Dave Small who added an easy rhythm on the cajon, as well as some vocals, the set had the feel of a small intimate gig as we were all mesmerised by Matt's outstanding performance. Sunday afternoon

in Jaks is a mellow place... and no mellower than during the fabulous, classy and intimate set offered up by Zoe Schwarz and Rob Koral who transformed this rather pubstyle venue into a bluesy jazz cafe. Zoe was able to exploit the relaxed ambiance of the gig to introduce and talk a little about the songs in their set list, many of which delved into the 32 bar blues form such as Billie Holiday’s Baby I Don’t Cry Over You. Blues standards included W.C Handy’s St. Louis Blues, plus Going Down Slow and You Shook Me. Her voice control and vocal quality was beautifully complimented by Rob’s intricate improvised guitar work, delivering a perfectly crafted and well-received set. For the encore, Zoe delved into the jazz repertoire for a moving Cry Me A River, which sent chills up the spine.

Saturday’s foretaste of the Roadhouse session was more than satisfied by their full set on Sunday night. As ever with this hugely popular band, playing the BM stage for the 11th time, the crowd surged to the front of the stage and were held there by this driven blues/rock fronted as ever by the powerhouse girl vocalists (the totally new-look Mandy G and the stunning Sarah), the superb guitars of Danny Gwilym and Gary Boner. Roadhouse delivered yet another classic set and Jaks was packed even though the band was up against stiff opposition from Jefferson Starship. Some old classics were played for the first time in years, such as, I Couldn’t Get To Sleep, as well as songs from the new CD, Gods & Highways & Old Guitars . It is so apparent that the band love playing this gig and the crowd responds in spades... it's old friends meeting up again after a year apart and the huge reception said it all – roll on next year! This reviewer was waiting with anticipation to see the next band, Little Devils, hailing

from London Town, via Holland. Husband and wife Yoka and Big Ray on vocals, sax, flute and guitar respectively, are ably assisted by a tight rhythm section of Graeme Wheatley on bass and Sarah Leigh Shaw on drums. The set list is compiled mainly from the three studio albums I know of, believe me they do not disappoint. Yoka's voice is so well suited to the Blues, dare I say with a Joplin-esque style, best illustrated on my own favourite Hang My Head, taken from the This Is How It Starts album. If you are not familiar with this exciting band, I implore you, go and check them out!

Jo Harman must have checked out the weather forecast for the Skeggy weekend as her trademark hotpants were not in evidence as she took to the stage to close the festival on our Blues Matters Stage in Jaks. Having played an acoustic set last year, this year saw her accompanied by her full band comprising Steve Watts on keys, Terry Lewis on guitar, Andy Tolman on bass and Martin Johnson on drums - each one a top notch musician in his own right. Jo and the band delivered some well-chosen covers and tracks from her current album Dirt On My Tongue including, Sweet Man Moses, which was nominated in the British Blues Awards in 2012. In front of a capacity audience Jo and her band, gave us an outstanding performance with a mixture of genres from soul, gospel, roots and rock, which had the audience up on their feet calling for more at the end of the set.

Another fabulous line-up in Jaks over the weekend, just as year on year BM showcases the best of the modern British blues. Overheard more than once were words to the effect that: ‘if it wasn't for Jaks, we wouldn't be coming to Skegness.’ Enough said.

Clive rawlinGs, steve YourGlviCh, sarah reeve, barbara K

paul lamB and the KingsnaKes

photo: saRah Reeve

Ron sayeR JnR

photo: saRah Reeve

FrOME BLuEs FEstiVaL

ChEESE AND gRAIN, FRoME, SoMERSET.

OCtOber 27th 2013

This, the second festival, took place despite major re-structuring of the venue restricting the space somewhat. Albany Down got us underway on the stroke of 2pm to a more rock than blues sound. They have, however, been making quite a name for themselves on the blues circuit and have several doubters, but there is no doubting the chemistry between the band members, although they tend to rely too much on guitarist Paul Turley for my liking. Vocalist Paul Muir has a great vocal range, and, together with the ripping rhythm section, put together a very professional set. They do deliver, to their credit, some great original material, but a little more emotion might not be a bad idea.

Ron Sayer Jr & Charlotte Joyce were next up and straight away connected with the audience. Whether it's funk, slow rock or blues, it's all the same, classy. They're a real team both on and off stage, whether taking lead vocals or dueting, special mention going to the rest of the band, and Charlotte's keyboards were a joy. The majority of the set was culled from their new Hard To Please CD, a must for any fan, the crowd certainly enjoyed it. The Innes Sibun Band followed and we were treated to a real good rocking time. Mind you, they can bring it down with equal efficiency, notably on the standout cover of Gallagher’s A Million Miles Away, complete with walkabout in the crowd. Great stuff!

Buddy Miles’s Them

Changes heralded the arrival of Jo Harman & Company, complete with trademark

denim shorts and sporting a pair of platform ankle boots. Now, I'm no fashion guru, but the aforementioned footwear restricted her movement somewhat, but didn't affect her voice in any way. She wooed the audience and the band's musicianship shone out like a beacon. No more so than on the stunning My Amnesty and Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City. Jo certainly is the 'real deal' and it's no surprise that she is so in demand, not only here, but all over Europe and, who knows, further afield. The wonderful Nimmo Brothers, Steve and Alan, took over and from their opener Obsession, neither the audience nor the band looked back. I personally never tire of seeing this band, so they can do no wrong as far as I'm concerned. They rattled through their set in no time at all in their usual professional manner, mostly all their own material that pushes all the right buttons.

The band who had the unfortunate, for them, job of closing the show, were the Climax Blues Band. Making their name in the ‘70s and with the long serving George Glover, Lester Hunt and Roy Adams on keyboards, guitar and drums respectively. They took a more funky approach, with a fantastic sax player in Chris Aldridge and a vocalist, Graham Dee, not to be met in a dark alley. I'm sure he's a nice bloke, really! Quite a number of tracks from that era featured, including the huge ‘hit’, Couldn't Get It Right and Last Chance Saloon, which they touchingly dedicated to original band member, Colin Cooper. Take Me Back To Georgia, the classic So Many Roads. Spoonful, they played them all to perfection.

Clive rawlinGs

GREAT BRITISH ROCK & BLUES FESTIVAL, jAKS BAR

BUTLINS, SKEgNESS, ThE BLUES MATTERS! STAgE

JaNuarY 24th-27th 2014

Last weekend in January, on the cold windy dreary East Coast 5,000 people descend on Skegness, by train, bus and car. Why? Its the Rock and Blues Festival at Butlins. This year there was a new stage to entertain between 4-8pm in the Skyline and was the Introducing Stage. The weekend kicked off on the new stage at 4pm with the Tom Gee Band with Clare Free acting as M.C so was the first voice of the rocking weekend; this eight piece band produces a modern funky sound with front man Tom Gee with his confident and strong voice. All members of the band play their part combining and inter-weaving the sounds and textures they produce so that a very full sound spreads across the auditorium making you want to listen longer. The set was imaginative treating the crowd to a mix of numbers from their début EP and forthcoming album. Many of the numbers were funky with a depth of sound developed with the combination of keys, brass section and backing vocals. The thread that held the band together was Tom Gee at the front with his understated lead guitar using great licks to co-ordinate and mesh the sound together. The final number was a fantastic version of I Shot The Sheriff given a generous dollop of Tom Gee magic. It was a real pity in a way that they were first up when people were still arriving, with a new album coming out in the Spring and nominations in the bag for various awards this young band is definitely one to look out for.

Grainne Duffy just keeps getting better and better and dominated the stage and delighted

the crowds that were drawn like bees to the honeypot. As ever however fraught the journey the performance was stylish as the notes rang out clear and true with Grainne’s beautiful vocals blending the sound together with a smile and delight in the sound the band are delivering to an enthralled audience. Grainne is unarguably becoming the Queen of British Blues; with a definite twist of Bonnie Raitt; those who went off to Reds or Centre stage definitely missed a class act and were missing a real treat on the Introducing Stage, one of the highlights of the weekend. Another act that definitely should have been on the main stage was the accomplished and very popular Ron Sayer Jr with Ron and Charlotte sharing the vocals that adds a very positive dimension and reflects their latest CD; there harmonies make them stand out from the crowd and this reflection of tones and textures is reproduced with Charlotte’s keyboard chords and the delectable guitar chords that Mr Sayer produces again and again. This stage had a selection of up and coming bands including Federal Charm, who provided an up tempo set for a grey Saturday afternoon playing their own blend of rock with a dollop of blues, a real powerhouse of sound, interspersed with the occasional powerful slow blues numbers, demonstrating loads of potential. Another band to watch is Mark Pontin Band, a three piece band with a mix of covers and self-penned numbers which had clever lyrics delivered by Mark with his clear and powerful vocals that he combines with great lead guitar work. They may be a trio, but not a power trio all the musicians blend together creating a complete sound. Interspersed on this stage were some acoustic bluesy artists, including Gary Grainger who delivered a powerful set with some accomplished guitar playing that delivered a sound that suited

this stage. As a new stage it was another opportunity to hear music and find bands – for 2015 be good to see a more youngsters at the beginning of their career to achieve exposure to the Butlins crowds and a better mix of acoustic and duo and not so many rocky/blues bands.

The main stages delivered crowd pleaser’s throughout the weekend with the Skeggie regulars including fantastic acts from The Animals, Yardbirds, Dr.Feelgood, Slack Alice and a spectacular set from Eddie and the Hotrods who really had the crowds rocking the night away as the whoops of delight raised the ceiling off Reds on a Saturday could it get any better! Yes it can with what must be a first for Skeggie weekend after a 2 am finish there were queues outside Reds from 11.30 despite the cold and rain what was the attraction that was pulling the crowds it was the first of the double appearance of

Wilko Johnson. The doors opened, the weekenders poured into venue and all too soon for many the doors shut as the capacity crowds waited in electric anticipation, what a buzz, what an atmosphere. Wilko did not disappoint as he strutted his stuff across the stage with his signature ‘rifling riffs’ with every note and vocal delivered the crowd wanted more, pure pleasure spread across the auditorium. Supported as by his brilliant, bass player NormanWatt Roy who delivers fantastic bass lines that compliment and challenge Wilko’s lead guitar,

WilKo Johnson photo: liz aiKen

Wilko did not disappoint as he strutted his stuff

CONCeRts

what an act the highlight for many was the awesome delivery of Roxettethe crowds wanted more and many returned for the second outing on Centre Stage two hours later. Skegness weekend is a true banquet of music and the other highlights from these two main stages were the Chantel McGregor Band who also attracted a capacity crowd as she wooed her fans with her distinctive and attractive style as she skipped bare foot across the stage with confidence in her own performance and the band with some extraordinary bass lines from Rich Ritchie and a drum beat that helped in creating the whole sound delivered by Keith McPartling the real powerhouse behind the music being delivered. ‘Voodoo Chile’ was delivered with a generous dollop of Chantel magic making this her own; the rest of the set was a selection of tracks from her CD; and Happy Song, reflecting the mood of the crowds. What we really want from Chantel is a second CD and some new material, but this may be the case she was the darling of the weekend with that glitzy smile combined with her skills on the guitar.

Geno Washington & The

Yo Yo Blues Band. Geno is a top artist with a great voice and open personality that really got the crowd to fever pitch with his clear powerful delivery by the time he sang Put Your High Heels On he had the crowd eating out of his hands. The set included some great interchanging between Geno and Stuart Dixon on guitar

as demonstrated on Get Your Mojo Working. This was a superb blues/soul fusion a truly masterful set. The delight of the weekend for me was Mungo Jerry with an unexpected bluesy start with a delightful version of ‘Going Down Slow’ amongst others a real crowd pleaser and they included in the set ‘In The Summertime’ and delightful finish to Sunday Afternoon. The Trevor Burton Band, stepped in the last minute to fill the gap left by Stan Webb, who

MiChaEL KatOn, BaCKWatEr rOLL BLuEs Band, KOdiaK BEars

TALKINg hEADS, SoUThAMpToN februarY 4th 2014

The guitar and drums duo, Kodiak Bears got us off to a flying start and from what I saw are worth checking out with a longer set.

Backwater Roll Blues Band have been around a while now and in the twin guitarist mode are again well worth another viewing. In singer/harpist Mif Smith they have a gem, he reminds me very much of Bob Hite, he plays a mean harp too. Tim Payne and Deano Matthias are perfect foils with their differing guitar styles.

The public of Southampton couldn't be bothered to turn out for tonight's headliner, The Boogie Man From Hell, Michigan, Michael Katon, more fools them!

was indisposed, they delivered a bluesy set reflecting his time with The Move. They did not disappoint with interesting covers that he was making his own including JJ Cale’s Crazy Mama.

All too soon it was time for the closing acts on the main stages Nine Below Zero delivered a truly amazing set that left everyone with a feeling of well being; the set included high energy performances that we have come to expect with a very special Twenty Yards Behind for Wilko, what a crowd pleaser. And so the curtain went down.

liZ aiKen

Ably assisted by Todd Perkins on bass and Jonny ‘Bee’ Badanjek on drums, it's straight into Hard On (The Boogie), the title track from one of the new CDs he’s touring. At the end of Red Moon Rising, whilst tuning his guitar, Michael says ‘when it’s cold it's tight, but when it's hot it's loose’, I think he was referring to his Strat! Diablo Boogie , BBQ On My Boogie and Rip It Hard follow.

Luv A Dawg slowed things down somewhat briefly, but it was soon back to the Boogie. Throughout the whole set, the guitar playing was impeccable, he can do loud or quiet in equal measure. He didn't have to, but he came back for three encores, King Bee, Shake Your Moneymaker and, finally, Done Somebody Wrong .What topped it all for me was calling up Mif Smith to jam, an incredible finale.

Clive rawlinGs

geno Washington and yo yo Blues Band

photo: saRah Reeve

WaLtEr trOut, thE LaurEnCE JOnEs Band

TIVoLI ThEATRE WIMBoRNE.

deCember 30th 2013.

By the time Walter took to the stage, the packed venue had been regally entertained by the upcoming support, the Laurence Jones Band. These youngsters just get better each time I see them, no surprise that they have been snapped up by Thomas Ruf and are, as we speak, recording their second CD in the US, with Mike Zito twiddling the knobs. To get the health report out of the way, Walter is not a well man, cutting, as he does, a frail figure, but at least he can joke about his problems, at the same time urging the crowd to provide him with some ‘spiritual healing’. Throughout the evening, he made the best of his self-imposed regime, whether by sitting on his flight case, or, as on Luther Allison's Bad Love on a chair, centre stage. When he needs them most, his band really come to the party; drummer Michael Leasure adding perfect tempo, Sammy Avilla on keyboards sharing solos immaculately, and bassist

Rick Knapp, swapping to lead on occasion. Most of the set comprised tracks from his recent Luther's Blues release, but the old chestnuts

Dust My Broom, Serve Me Right

To Suffer and Goin’ Down remain. A nice touch was to call young Laurence back on stage to jam on the latter. It was evident that Walter had to take a rest every now and then, but, as I said, the band took over the reins, at one stage Walter leaning on Rick's shoulder, watching intently while Rick played what can only be described as a toy guitar, whilst road manager Andrew Elt, as is usual, joined in the fun, adding class vocals and rhythm guitar. The band quite rightly received a thunderous reception, which clearly moved Walter, his parting shot ‘I ain’t done yet’, ringing very true.

Clive rawlinGs

BLuEs 2 GO

ThE Fox AND VIVIAN, LEAMINgToN SpA

NOVember 1st 2013

Most UK blues bands want to be famous rather than anonymous, so why do Blues2Go shun publicity, don’t have a website, never advertise their gigs, won’t produce or sell CDs and yet are fronted by one of the most talented bass players on the planet? Horace Panter achieved number one hits with The Specials with whom he still tours the world, and yet his first love is the blues; “Music is the healer, as John Lee Hooker explained, and if there hadn’t been American blues and country music there wouldn’t have been ska, reggae and rock and roll”’ opines Horace. Now a successful artist who paints iconic blues potraits, exhibited internationally and which capture the rough, gritty texture of the genre, Horace is back on the road, indeed the back streets, with his ‘alcohol inspired’ R&B band. BluesMatters! caught up with him in his native West

Midlands at an authentic drinking and music venue packed to the rafters thanks to social networking.

From the first bars of Everyday I Have The Blues, through to classics such as Leroy Brown, Killing Floor and Pride and Joy, as well as original material inspired and sung by Horace, the sheer energy, enthusiasm and velocity of the band ignite the audience who witness an exhllariting and virtuoso performance. Guitarist Pete Gardner is a restaurant waiter by day and a Bonamassa wannabee by night, drummer Russ Munns benefits from Panter’s irrepressible rhythmic feel for the music, and singer Al Maynard must be a love child of BB King or Buddy Guy such is his presence and charisma. These guys just love the blues and play for fun and yet I have not heard a better blues band in the UK this decade. The best kept secret? Sorry guys I have just blown your cover.

the bishop

INNES SIBUN, ROADHOUSE

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