Blues Matters 82

So after everyone left (and we cleaned up) we wondered “why?” and guessed that it must have been New Year or something. So this is 2015? You are holding issue 82 in your hands now and it’s another bumper packed, independent and genuine publication that has achieved much over fifteen years for the blues and the artists covered. When Blues Matters! was started it was impossible to imagine that it would have meant so much to so many people, but it has stayed it’s course and purpose and become an established and essential read for so many of you and we are grateful for your appreciation and support.

This ship of blues continues with a great team involved who love the music and being a part of something where it is the blues that really matter.

A very happy New Year to you all!

We are spartacus!

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cOntriButing Writers: liz aiken, roy bainton, andrew baldwin, adrian blacklee, bob bonsey, eddy bonte, Colin Campbell, bob Chaffey, martin Cook, Norman Darwen, Dave Drury, sybil Gage, Diane Gillard, stuart a. Hamilton, brian Harman, Gareth Hayes, trevor Hodgett, billy Hutchinson, Peter Innes, Duncan Jameson, brian Kramer, Frank leigh, Geoff marston, ben mcNair, Christine moore, martin ‘Noggin’ Norris, toby Ornott, merv Osborne, David Osler, thomas rankin, Clive rawlings, Chris rowland, Paromita saha, Pete sargeant, Dave ‘the bishop’ scott, Graeme scott, ashwyn smyth, andy snipper, Dave stone, suzanne swanson, Jed thomas, tom Walker, Dave Ward, Daryl Weale, Kevin Wharton, steve Yourglivch

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Christine moore, liz aiken, annie Goodman, sarah reeves, others credited on page © 2015 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 the source and copy is sent to the editorial address. Care is taken to ensure that the contents of this magazine

New blues talent, including Joe Cribb, Ged Wilson, Soft Shoe Sam and more.

reD lick Top 20

78

84

rMr blueS Top 50

bernie MarSDen

Ever popular ex-Whitesnake guitarist is back with a stunning solo album.

rev. SHawn aMoS

His epiphany into the Blues and his Motown upbringing.

FEATURES

16

20

22

reD buTler

The

The

popa cHubby

The

SpliT wHiSkerS

nick DuckeTT

The man with forensic research skills, the Indiana Jones of R&B archaeology.

cHriS gilSon

One man’s quest for the ultimate blues bargain and how you can join him.

Joe buSSarD

The Shellac sleuth, one of the worlds great record collectors spills the beans.

88 Blues under the radar: JiMi barbiani

The red hot Italian slide player finally gets to tour the UK and talk to BM.

92

96

Tara MackenZie

Her

MaTT ScHoFielD

The guitarists guitar player tells us about his jazz roots.

THe blueS broTHerS

We reach Part Five of the ongoing story. How the Y2K Blues came back.

Dave kelly STory

Part Three of our in-depth delve into the memories of Mr Kelly.

REVIEWS 101 Cds and dVds albuMS

The ultimate blues review. The best new releases and re-issues. 121 festiVals and ConCerts

SHowTiMe

Kirk Fletcher, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Plant, plus Carlisle, Beverly and Bog Blues festivals and more.

INTERVIEW warren HayneS

The former Allman Bros. and Gov’t Mule leader tells us all about The Dark Side of the Mule and more.

miKe Zito at carlisle BlUes rocK festival

popa chUBBy

shemeKia copeland

photo: anna weBBer

Our own Darryl Weale is one of the driving forces behind the British Blues Exhibition which has just gone online and is building a central online hub of information to celebrate the days of the British Blues boom when the likes of Muddy Waters came across the sea and performed alongside people like Chris Barber, John Mayall and the Rolling Stones. Backers for the project include Chris Barber, Mud Morganfield, Huey Morgan plus Radio Caroline and members of The Blues Foundation who are honouring their own blues heritage. The exhibitions motto is Breaking Blues Again, in honour of John Mayall and the logo references Chris Barber, Alvin Lee and Downliners Sect’s mainman Don Craine’s famous deerstalker hat.

theatreland gets the blues

West e nd venue to host a celebration of the greats

Lenny Lawrence is a Blues guitarist and singer who also has a successful career as a composer of film and documentary scores used by Channel 5, Sky, The History Channel and Televisione Svizzera Itaiana. He worked with Guy Dagul creating the heavy blues/cajun score for the film, Storm That Drowned A City about Hurricane Katrina and its impact on New Orleans. Other works include the anthem for the Italian Paralympic Swimming Federation. Having released a critically acclaimed EP, Blues Juice earlier in 2014 Lenny plans to take ‘the blues music he loves’ onto the bigger London Theatre stages; with his show celebrating the greats of blues music.

Shows are booking now for February 12th and April 12th at the famous Hippodrome Casino, Leicester Square. Lenny is also working in his purpose built studio on a Blues musical entitled Spaghetti West End

lenny lawrence: live at the ‘drome

Verbals: steve YO urglivc H all tHe blues tHat’s FIt tO PrINt, FrOm arOuND tHe WOrlD

MALcoLM BRUce new ALBUM PLeDGe LAUncH

The LaTe Jack Bruce’s son Malcolm launched the pledge campaign for his forthcoming album at London’s Jazz Café just weeks after Jack’s passing. The night was anything but sombre though with Malcolm joined on stage by his daughter Maya Sage to sing a tribute to the great man. A USA launch will take place in New York shortly and Blues Matters will be reviewing the performance in our next issue.

On the Road: LeGenDARY PRoDUceR coMInG YoUR wAY

Mike Vernon, one of the most iconic names connected with the cOntinues On page 11...

european blueS

FeSTival – uk blueS cHallenge

11tH DeCember 2014 Boom Boom CluB, Sutton

There were three bands competing for a chance to be in the finals, which will be held in Brussels in March 2015. The Bands: Red Butler from Sussex; Henry’s Funeral Shoe from South Wales; and London-based Laurence Jones. The Judges: Dave Hayden from Mystic Records; Alan Robinson from Manhatton Records; Pete Sergeant of ‘Fair Hearing’ and Blues Matters; Dave Peabody, Musician; Jamie Hailstone of Classic Rock Blues; and two representatives from Euro Blues. Their criteria were originality; musical ability; vocal ability; and stage presence.

The Sets: First up was Henry’s Funeral Shoe who gave us Grown So Angry; Give me Back my Morphine; Mission Maintenance; Empty Church; Janice The Stripper; Dog-Scratched Ear; Be Your Own Invention; and Stranger Dig. These two brothers had a telepathic quality with Aled on slide guitar and Brennig on drums with at times the flair of Keith Moon. Great sense of humour and audience communication.

Red Butler followed and gave us Jaywalker; Pension Blues; River

of Smoke; Hard Driving Man; Belly of the Blues; Danger Zone and Young and Free. Great vocal style from Jane Chloe Pearce; and great guitar work from Alex Butler.

Laurence Jones and his band gave us Can’t Keep Living Like This, Wind Me Up, Southern Breeze, Soul-Swamp River, Fall From the Sky and Bullfrog Blues. Laurence Jones had the audience in the palm of his hands from the onset. His vocal style, and guitar work were inspired.

The Result: The evening’s accolade went to Laurence Jones who will be a great ambassador for British blues in the finals in March. There were no losers, Henry’s Funeral Shoe had originality, great musical ability and a real sense of humour, whilst Red Butler had great stage presence, superb vocals from Jane, top notch guitar work from Alex and a lot of light and shade in their performance. I wasn’t surprised that Laurence Jones won on the night because he shone like the star he is and with mentors like Mike Vito and Walter Trout and his record company, Ruf Records behind him, he will go far. All three bands met the requirement of originality, musical ability, stage presence and vocal ability and was a great showcase for the current state of British blues.

BOB BONSEY

eBc UK winner laUrence Jones photo: rocKpix

miGhty: miKe vernon

nIcHe PRoDUctIons 7818

British Blues Boom of the 1960’s has announced he is to perform live again with his new outfit called Mike Vernon and The Mighty Combo. The band includes Geriant Watkins, Steve West Weston, Iain Jennings, Mike Hellier, Paul Garner and Martin Winning. Look out for some dates in August and September.

JAMes wHeeLeR

28tH AuGuSt 1937–26tH DECEmBER 2014

OBitUarieS

BORN IN ALBANY, Georgia James Wheeler, guitarist, moved to Chicago and enjoyed a long and successful career playing with many of the most famous bluesmen in the world. His first big break came joining Billy Boy Arnold and forming The Impressions. This popular band backed the likes of BB King, Millie Jackson, O.V.Wright and Otis Clay. In 1972 when The Impressions broke up James formed a band with Clay that lasted for three years. He later played with Otis Rush, Magic Slim among others.

Delmark Records released two solo albums, Ready, in 1998 and Can’t Take It in 2000.

Joe cocKeR

20tH mAY 1944 – 22nD DECEmBER 2014

BORN IN SHEFFIELD, where he spent his formative years, Joe Cocker became without doubt one of our best loved and iconic ever vocalists.

John MayaLL and his band say they felt so invigorated by the recent 80th Birthday tour that they have booked another one in 2015. The band will be playing September and October throughout Europe, followed by Australia. No UK dates confirmed yet, but fingers crossed.

seAsIcK Is ReADY to HIt tHe RoAD

seasick sTeVe is touring throughout the UK starting at Leas

cOntinues On page 13...

He had battled against lung cancer finally succumbing aged 70. He leapt to fame securing a number one hit with his version of The Beatles song A Little Help From My Friends in 1968 and his rousing performance at the famous 1969 Woodstock Festival. Few who witnessed it will forget his Mad Dogs And Englishmen tour of 1970, taking over 40 musicians across most of the UK. It resulted in a third gold record and lead to a concert film. Other highlights in a glittering career included the Grammy he won in 1983 with Jennifer Warnes for Up Where We Belong, and the award of an OBE in 2011 for contributions to music.

Joe had only recently released his first live recording in over twenty years, Fire It Up – Live on CD/DVD. In a long and prolific career he released 40 albums in just over 50 years.

‘InvIGoRAteD’ MAYALL to toUR...

on the road: John mayall

photo: tracy GoslinG pr

Joe cocKer live at the festival dU BoUt dU monde, 2013 photo: wiKipedia commons

rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk

In the Blu es business?

THE ESSENTIAL REMASTERED COLLECTORS’ SET

The most comprehensive collection of work by MICKEY JUPP including the solo recordings and LEGEND line-ups.

DELUXE 4 DISC (3CD + DVD) HARDBACK 44-PAGE DIGI-BOOK in SLIPCASE.

70 tracks packed onto 3 CDs - including the singles A & B-sides, tracks from Mickey’s classic albums and previously unavailable recordings - all remastered for this superb compilation.

The 4th Disc is a documentary TV film, now available for the first time on DVD.

The book features photos, memorabilia and an authoritative and extensive liner note by Will Birch containing exclusive new interviews with Mickey Jupp himself, as well as musicians, record producers and journalists of the era.

REPUK 1173

www.repertoirerecords.com

If you’re a true R&B fan, you will not experience a ner collection this year or any other. ROY BAINTON - BM

Cliff Hall, Folkestone on April 8th and finishing up at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on April 29th. Check out www.seasicksteve.com for the full listings. The tour follows on from the release of Steve’s new album, Sonic Soul Surfer due out March 23rd 2015.

Ben toURs wItH KennY wAYne

iT has JusT Been confirmed that Ben Poole will be supporting Kenny Wayne Shepherd on his upcoming UK tour in April. Salisbury City Hall, April 10th, Holmfirth Picturedome 11th, Glasgow O2, 12th, Aberdeen Lemon Tree 13th and London O2 Shepherds Bush on 15th.

Ben is also celebrating the release of a live CD, Live At The Royal Albert Hall (A BBC Recording). See page 108 of this issue for a full review.

toP secRet BLUes FestIvAL

Fancy spending a weekend beside the sea listening to world-class musicians, songwriters and singers playing Americana, soul, blues, gospel, rock, and roots? Then visit Scarborough Top Secret Blues Festival. There are 16 bands and eight acoustic artists providing 26 consecutive performances on two stages. Starting at 7pm on Friday 20th March and ending 10pm on Sunday 22nd March it’s only £80 for the weekend! Day tickets available from January. Check out what is on offer at: www. scarboroughblues festival. co.uk/

Ben poole: toUrinG with Kws photo: sarah reeve

ResonAtInG tHe BLUes

Verbals: nigel M entzel

Part 1 OF tHIs artICle (blues matters! 75) exPlaIN e D exaCtlY WHat aN aCOustIC resONatOr G u Itar Is, HOW tH eY Were DevelOPe D aND tH e I r rOle IN tH e blues. I N tHIs FINal

Part We WI ll COver sOme OF tH e best aND m Ost exCItING aCOustIC slIDe G u Itar ever Put ONtO reCOr D

Many of the truly amazing acoustic slide players, (1920s to 2014) that I’m going to introduce you to are shadowy itinerant figures, now almost lost in the mists of time. They are from the very source of the blues- and they are without a doubt the giants on whose shoulders stand Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher, Joe Bonamassa, Seasick Steve and all other great modern bluesitians. OK then, lets roll...

Any aspiring new slide player, dude, or Blues fan who wants to journey back to the source- and I mean the enchanted, powerful, mysterious music produced in the heat of a 1920s coal black Mississippi night. just must hear National Resophonic guitar maestro Son House. His records (made later in the 1930s and now worth a fortune) contain some of the most powerful acoustic slide guitar blues (and what a voice too!) ever committed to record. I would recommend particularly:- Preachin’ The Blues, Death Letter, Walkin’ Blues and Shetland Pony, Hope your boombox can take it****

Next, most people have heard of Robert Johnson (Crossroads)

and the legend that he sold his soul to the Devil in return for mastery of the slide guitar. Robert was a pupil of Son House and also recorded in the 1930s- his( some say a Seers and Roebuck bought Gibson) guitar style is deceptively simple (until you try to play it!), BUT it is really a masterpiece of originality, beauty and complexity. People rave about him today but in fact it will take several hearings before you ‘get it’. Have a listen especially to Terraplane Blues (How does he do that!); Preachin’ Blues; Stones In My Passway; Stop Breaking Down (covered by the Stones); Crossroads Blues (covered by Cream) and Come Into My Kitchen.

A name now long forgotten is Oscar (Lone Wolf) Woods. He is a simply stunning acoustic slide guitarist. He recorded between 1930/ 1938 and I would highly recommend “Lone Wolf Blues”; “Don’t Sell It Don’t Give It Away” and “Evil Hearted Woman”.

Now we come to the great grand daddy of the blues. The original down home, back porch, turn of the century, fountainhead himself, namely Charlie Patton. This man’s importance cannot be overstated. I

once read an interview with a lovely lady who lived in the Mississippi delta in the early years and one particular phrase rings in my mind to this day. She said “It all came from Charlie Patton. He started it all.”

Indeed, what we know for sure is that he taught Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and others the basics of blues guitar, (just like they taught the white players later in the 1960s), and made many influential records. Born in 1891, he was an older man of 38 when he made the very first of many blues recordings on June 14th 1929 for Paramount Records. Charlie isn’t easy to get into, largely because of the damage that has occurred over the years to many of his recordings-but there’s enough good stuff left, so listen to the slide blues being born on Spoonful Blues and Devil Sent The Rain.

Preachers and their eternal battle with Satan feature heavily in the early country blues. Which brings me to 1920s itinerant preacher and master of the Delta slide Blind Willy Johnson. (Recorded 1927 to 1930 for Columbia Records.) Using a pocket knife in place of the usual glass or copper slide to fret his guitar, he produced some of the

enJoy Fred’s totally

coolest most primitive Delta slide on record. Treat yourself to a walk down the old dirt road and dodge the forked lightning with Willie’s I Know His Blood Will Make Me Whole, Nobody’s Fault But Mine (covered by Led Zeppelin) Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed (covered by Bob Dylan as In My Time Of Dying and Led Zeppelin) and Lord I Just Can’t Keep From Crying.

Kokomo Arnold, originally from Georgia, played brilliant slide guitar [with a penknife!] and recorded for both Victor and Decca records in Memphis and Chicago 1930 to 1938. Hear his frantic exciting original bluesy slide work, especially on Kokomo Blues, Milk Cow Blues (covered on bootleg by Bob Dylan), Sissyman Blues and The Twelves.

Fred McDowell (one of my favourites) lived by Lake Como in Mississippi and recorded both early stuff and revival 1960s slide blues (both acoustic and electric) for the1960s white Folksong festival circuit. Enjoy Fred’s sublime, totally unique and beautiful bottleneck playing on Write Me A Few Short Lines, Fred’s Worried Life Blues, You Got To Move, (covered by the Rolling Stones), The Girl I’m Lovin’, Highway 61(covered by Bob Dylan as Highway 51) and Some Day Baby. Seasick Steve is heavily influenced by Fred (quite rightly), and Fred raised the bar for slide guitar players for many years.

In 1931 mysterious Delta bluesman King Solomon Hill (Joe Holmes) recorded a bare six stunning sides for Paramount records. Solomon’s chilling falsetto vocals and delicate slide guitar can best be heard on the legendary and powerful Gone Dead Train and Tell Me Baby. There are of course other hidden gems which space doesn’t allow for

here, but look out for Buddy Moss’s Hard Road, Willy Newburn’s Roll And Tumble and Bukka White, etc. Coming up to the present day, here’s a few cool modern National Resophonic and other slide bluesmen that I would certainly recommend: Corey Harris’s Fish Aint Bitin album, Kent Duchaine’s Live At Les Loufiats album, Rory Block’s Gone Woman Blues album, Ben Andrew’s Journey album, Michael Messer and almost anything by Seasick Steve and Eric Clapton.

Of course you must have guessed by now, with all the love, interest and care that I have invested here, that yes I am myself a long time acoustic National Resophonic playing bluesman. One of a dying breed that thinks it’s essential to go back to the original source of the music.

I sing under the name Black Jack Morgan and have a 15 track CD using all the original Delta techniques mentioned above, and entirely recorded using National Resophonic guitars using a slide. This CD is to mark my 30 plus years of playing, the title is Write My Name On Water and I’m pretty proud of it. So if you ever see it around see what you think!

find the author of this article, nigel Mentzel, aka the last of the country bluesMen at: blackjackMorgan@ gMail.coM

fred mcdowell: raisinG the Bar

unIQue and BeautIFul Bottleneck

resonatinG the BlUes: mUddy and fred on vinyl

ColleCtors speCial #1

MIsteR RHYtHM AnD BLUes

Verbals: r OY B aint O n

tH e musIC We all lOve aND resPeCt at b lues matters

Has a Dee P, lONG aND COm Plex HIstOrY. FeW PeOPle Have Delve D INtO Its valuable vaults WItH as muCH FOre NsIC sKI ll as 59 Year OlD n ick duckett, tH e maN be HIND tH e exCelle Nt, all-embraCING rHYtHM & Blues recOrds label

nicK dUcKett: “i often spend most of my worKinG day, listeninG and decidinG ”

duckett could be called the Indiana Jones of R&B archaeology, he unearths genuine gems from the glorious musical eras of the past, revives and resuscitates often forgotten classics back into throbbing life. His current release, the stunningly packaged six CD set History of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues 1955-1962 is a fine example of his dedication. If any record company can be classed as a labour of love, then Rhythm and Blues Records deserves that title.

So how did all this begin?

I’m from Manchester. I was playing guitar in a Reading jump’n’jive, R&B revival band back in the 1980s. In fact I only became really interested in R&B around then. I didn’t start the record company until 2007. I was between jobs and looking for something to do.

I’d always been involved in music, running record fairs and stuff like that. I was in a record shop and wondered if there was anything like a history of rhythm and blues available, but there wasn’t. So I thought it was time there was one.

What were your early musical influences?

I began by looking into the music of the Beatles and the Kinks, wondering where some of their songs came from, discovering the original versions and realising that these were much better than the versions I knew.

The logistics of setting up a record company must have been a challenge?

Well, yes. I needed to raise a few grand to get it off the ground, and there was a lot of bureaucracy to get through, but eventually it got sorted.

How do you steer a course through the provenance and legal undergrowth one often comes up against with some tracks, people like, for example, Little Richard or Dave Bartholomew?

I haven’t come across any real legal difficulties because I do stick to stuff which is pre-1963 and therefore out of copyright, which is about 90% of most of these tracks, which makes it pretty straightforward.

You have quite a penchant for narrowing various R&B styles into certain genres, such as: Guitar Cha-Cha-Cha, Rhumba Doo-Wop, etc. To sort through hundreds of tracks and narrow them down to compile a specific style compilation must be quite a task.

Yes, that’s very true. That’s how I often spend most of my working day, listening and deciding.

I’ve just spent three days listening to your superb six CD set on New Orleans Rhythm and Blues. There’s obviously something special about New Orleans that warrants that level of devotion. How would you define it?

I think New Orleans is definitely the most important area for this music. All the styles of music that I truly love have their roots there, from the jazz and the blues, although New Orleans isn’t a great blues town, but certainly blues influenced music comes from there, certainly rock’n’roll, and of course funk has its roots there. Everything comes together in New Orleans. I did visit the USA in the 1980s and went to New Orleans and I went to Jackson to the Ace Records shop and came back with a fine batch of 45s in their nice little Ace sleeves.

You must need a touch of the

musical Sherlock Holmes to uncover some of these obscure tracks and rarities. So how do you go about assembling a ‘shopping list’ when you’re planning a new compilation?

Yes, that’s certainly true. But I do go about it very forensically. I find the tracks, do my research as thoroughly as possible. Sometimes I just see a title. I might not know the artist, but I see that title and I think ‘mmm- that sounds like one I need to hear’ Then it might take me some weeks to find that title, so I’ll put it out on ebay, then a few weeks later someone will be selling that in, say, Wisconsin or somewhere. Then I’ll buy that, it’ll arrive, and it may well be a dud but it can also turn out to be a gem.

Is there stuff out there which you’re still searching for?

Oh, yes. ebay’s perfect for looking for tracks. I’ll put out a search on ebay and when something crops up they’ll send me an alert. That’s the way I manage to find many of the most rare tracks.

So, what would you say is the most treasured track you’ve resurrected?

Oh, that’s a hard one because there are so many. I was particularly pleased, though, with the 19401944 R&B compilations, because there was so much stuff included which I had never heard before.

“I needed to raIse a FeW grand to get It oFF the ground”

There were artists I’d never come across, people who maybe made one or two records in 1941, and that was it, nothing else.

It was a journey of discovery for me. I mean, tracks like The Valley of Time by the Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, which is the eventual template for I Got A Woman. All those early tracks resonate in the future. It’s all there.

Do you ever get any responses from any surviving artists or their relatives?

I never have, but I did a CD set of The Coasters with the help of Claus Röhnisch, who is the world expert on the group and Claus put me in touch with the widow of Carl Gardner and she was very pleased with the set, and I sent her some copies, because it represented the fine work the Coasters had done.

The packaging on Rhythm and Blues Records releases, for example, the New Orleans six CD set, which looks every bit like a hard back book until you open it to find the disks, can be quite luxurious.

I get a designer involved and I guide them towards getting the right feel for the subject. I may have gone a bit overboard with the New Orleans set, but it’s attractively done.

Is your product just released in the UK, or worldwide? If so, how is this received in the USA? My records go all over the world, but they can’t put this stuff out in America. There’s a difference there where copyright spans 70 years as opposed to 50 years here. They can bring my stuff in on import, but I don’t know over there how widely they can distribute the records, because certain US distributors don’t like to touch European stuff because they’re worried about the legality of it. You wouldn’t be able to do what I do in America, getting hold of the rights of some of these tracks would be nigh on impossible.

How many people does Rhythm and Blues Records employ? I’m a one man band. I do it all, although I do run another company with a partner, Stewart Tippett, www. historyofsoul.net which is doing the same for soul music as I’m doing for rhythm and blues.

Would you say that a fanatical passion for old R&B sits alongside the similar obsessions of Northern Soul fans? And what’s your reaction to the way the term ‘R&B’ today has been lumped in with rap and hip-hop? Yes, the love of R&B is just the

same as that of Northern Soul. It’s a passion. And the way the term ‘R&B’ is used now, well, as far as I’m concerned it’s simply lazy. I can’t listen to modern music.

What might your next project be?

I’m looking into early 1960s jazz, stuff which might never have been issued, obscure tracks which nobody knows and putting them out on vinyl.

I suppose you have quite a record collection by now?

Oh, certainly. Quite a lot of records. Fortunately, my partner doesn’t mind, because she likes the music as much as I do!

The art world has its National Gallery and the Tate, archaeology has the British Museum, but as blues and rock’n’roll aficionados, we’re lucky, through the sterling work of men like Nick Duckett, to be able to access the vibrant heritage of our music with inexpensive ease. It’s a catalogue you can stick a pin in and never be disappointed with what pops up. That’s not bad going.

any bM readers not faMiliar With the aladdin’s cave Which is rhythM and blues records catalogue should log on to WWW.rhythMandbluesrecords.co.uk and take a look

the coasters: ‘fine worK’

From the off, let me confess right now that I am a full-blown vinyl junkie. To me, the lure of the flat black slab of plastic with all its built-in idiosyncrasy is unbreakable, somewhat like Columbia’s original promise on the labels of its first non-78 pressings.

In this streamlined, remastered and digital focused world, where we can hear Sonny Boy Williamson in squeaky-clean clarity on our iPods, we often forget the lure of those black bands, warts and all, which essentially offer the only way to hear the music as it was intended and, for the most part, recorded.

Then, of course, there’s the sleeves, designed when the imagery was an advert for the contents within, and often featuring lovingly written notes. And that’s not to mention pops, crackles, warps, the joy of having to get up and change a side. In my mind at least, vinyl is, without a doubt, God’s own format.

Had I been writing this a decade ago, you would still have been able to wander down to the second-hand stall on your local market and pick up a few LPs, everything from Bo

Diddley to Big Bill Broonzy, for probably as little as a couple of quid each, or maybe – gasp – a fiver for the more exotic ones. Now however, vinyl has become big business, with a belated recognition long denied it, even the specialist hi-fi magazines promote the cult of the needle, and sadly you have to add a zero to prices from halcyon days. So what to do?

tAKInG tHe eBAY RoUte

There are a few options for the hardy fanatic. First there is the eBay route, which can lead to severe credit card damage when you end up in a bidding war, and what should have cost you £10 ends up as £100, because you weren’t going to give in. On the plus side you’ll find what you were looking for, but believe me, it will cost you.

Then there’s your trader down the market, let’s call him Honest Bob. Bob will sell you your coveted Decca gatefold pressing of John Mayall’s Bare Wires for sure, but, once again, it will dent your wallet significantly. And will probably be

warped. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some truly great second-hand vinyl emporiums out there, look and ye shall indeed find, but the chances are that you’re not going to want to spend big time bucks on a 1986 Fame label pressing, or something from the MFP catalogue that’s ‘scarce’ when in reality it isn’t. Everyone has to make a living though, and at least you can see what you’re looking at, unlike eBay, where sniffing the screen of your laptop doesn’t help one iota.

This leaves just one option, the charity shop. Once the place where Peters and Lee records went to die, or the nook to furtively rummage through Top of the Pops albums that had skimpily clad girls in spandex on the front cover, the humble charity shop now has more to offer. The iPod boom means that more and more people are discarding their vinyl via this route, and if you look carefully there are bargains to be found beyond your wildest imaginations.

I live in a fairly big Hertfordshire town with more than its usual fare of charity shops, and have yet to be

tHe BLUes on A BUDGet

there are a FeW optIons For the hardy FanatIc

disappointed when on the vinyl trail. Like an alcoholic who can’t walk past a pub, I have problems with charity shops. It should be mentioned at this point that in a very Orwellian way, not all charity shops are equal. The bigger names, I’m looking at you ‘O’, now think they’re running an antiques business and we’re back to square one again but pick on the smaller names and you will hit a vein of black, circular gold.

As an example I recently visited an old favourite, which prices its LP’s at a sprightly £1 a piece. After half an hour I had spent, for my sins, £15 or approximately the cost of a mid-1980s John Lee Hooker issue on Charly from a dealer. Tucked under my arm, my purchases bore such great names on their labels as Speciality, Roulette, Chess, Verve, Everest, Charly and Prestige. And that, genuinely, was just the start.

For me, the jewel in the crown of that haul was the 1963 Danish Storyville issue of Sonny Boy Williamson in all his fading glory, playing his harp in a church hall like his lungs were going to burst. Pressed on solid, slab like vinyl, it’s already brought me infinitely more pleasure than its price would suggest.

Close behind though was the 1964 pressing on Verve of Jimmy Smith’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, a personal favourite. Not to mention the Lightning Hopkins, Link Wray, Big Bill Broonzy, Leadbelly and Billie Holiday gems, as well as a host of others, all of which offered beautiful, faultless blues.

A fluke you will say. Not so, reply I, because the next day I visited a similar shop in Cambridge where I work, and discovered

a large store of Chess LPs,1980s compilations admittedly, but if you can tell me how buying Howling Wolf double albums for 50p each is flawed, then I take my hat off to you. You get the picture I’m sure. The message is simple. Vinyl is best and to buy it without selling a kidney, your charity shop is your best friend. Amen.

chris gilson has just returned froM neW york, With as Much vinyl as he c0uld carry

sony Boy williamson: fadinG Glory

fresh from the crates: Jimmy smith and John mayall

ColleCtors speCial #3

tHe sHeLLAc sLeUtH

Verbals: BillY HutcHinsOn

JOe Bussard Has beeN INtervIeWeD maNY tImes, maINlY reGarDING HIs vast 78 COlleCtION, aND tHe amOuNt OF ParamOuNt aND blaCK PattI reCOrDs He OWNs

Joe laughs almost as much as he talks, and he is enthusiastically infectious about 20’s and 30’s music. I almost got to meet him at his home last summer, but I missed his email before I flew to the states. Anyway he said his invitation is still open. Until then we have this to share:

When did you start collecting 78 records in a serious way?

I guess in the early 50’s. The first stuff I got just by asking around in town, people had records, but I didn’t know much about ‘em. When I was six years old, this was 1941, neighbours used to bring a stack of ‘em by the house. I used to have a little wind up Victrola, I still got that thing. My Grandmother hand a big wind up, and had all classical records. If they’d had something really good that I liked I would have collected them a lot earlier. They had all that high opera stuff, all high screeching. I got crazy about Gene Autry, and then I heard Jimmie Rodgers and that did it. I had to have Jimmie Rodgers records, so I went out. I didn’t know how many he made, or anything about

him, there wasn’t anything written about anything back then. I picked up a stack here in town; a woman gave them to me. Had two Jimmie Rodgers in there, but had other stuff, and I liked some of that. I started getting into it more and more.

A guy from Washington DC who collected jazz records gave me a list of jazz records. Well I started finding them, and I started liking ‘em. That’s when I started finding the blues stuff, started to get into the black section. I heard by first bottleneck guitar stuff, and I went nuts! So I kept going out more, and learning more and more. In 1977 I hit a real fantastic store stock in a town in Virginia, mostly jazz & blues, all brand new from the twenties. There must have been a thousand records there, then I hit one in Johnson City, Tennessee, it was all country stuff. Oh my God, there was just thousands of ‘em, and the first two records I took out of the stack were the Ernest Tubbs Bluebird (record label), the first one 1936 brand new. I sold one to the Nashville museum, and paid for the whole trip.

That was something else, we packed thirty two hundred records in that old Ford car, and we was

dragging the ground when we left there. I loved every second of it! I picked up stuff here and there, I went to a sale 18 miles from here about three years ago, and found a Mississippi John Hurt’s song, Frankie, on Okeh brand new, a Barbeque Bob brand new, the last one he made really rare, and a couple other nice records. These were in just an ordinary old farm, they weren’t black people, and they were white people. I have wondered to this day that they must have bought all those records at the one time, came home, played ‘em just one time and maybe had a heart attack. The rest of the records, the albums and the books were crap. Crazy, only 18 miles from here (Fredrick, MD), then I found a fantastic record no more than six miles from here, on the other side

“I Made a couple oF records In 1941, and I stIll got ‘eM”

of the mountain, Git Fiddle Jim on Victor, with Kokomo Arnold the first record he made in Memphis in 1931. On one side, Rainy Day Blues. It was E+, and I got the whole box for five bucks.

How many people were doing the same as you at that time?

I didn’t know too many of them, there was a friend in New York at the time, I was kinda way out in the middle of nowhere as regards to collectors. Like in the cities or bigger places maybe there would be one or two. I traded some with another guy in New York, one in Virginia, but most of the old guys are gone, sections sold off. There are few still left, Nevins in New York, and Dave Freeman down in Virginia; I haven’t talked to Dave Freeman in 10 or 12 years.

How did your Fonotone records come about?

Well I was in the National Guard, and there was a guy in there played guitar, in fact I took mine and we played, and went to meetings. He was a good singer, and one of these guys said “I‘d like to get a record of that”. I said, “You would, how many of you would buy a record of that for a buck”, and a whole bunch of ‘em said they would.

So I bought an old record cutter which wasn’t bad, then I found one at the radio station, bought it for 25 bucks and it had been abused. I went completely over it, took the cutting head off it, and at the time there was a guy living that worked for the company Presto, which made the cutters.

if you skipped it, you could send it back and for three bucks they would sharpen it, but the shank would be shorter. I bought after about two years of cutting records a hot stylus heater from them. It looks like a train transformer, it has little wires over the head to a plate with two contacts, and the end of it is wrapped around the needle heating it, and that’s the only way to make records especially LP’s.

I’ve had styluses cut 15 to 20 twelve inch LP’s, cold cut you wouldn’t get five or six, wouldn’t

sound very good either. I bought the styluses from them and the discs from different places, back then they were about six or seven cents apiece. I got up to the point in the eighties that it just got so expensive, Caps went out of business, and you had to buy styluses from another place, and they were about $30.

The cutting disc I got from this company in New Jersey, one side of it was good, and the other side of it was like tar. The thread wouldn’t

cOntinues Over...

cutters cost in 1938 over a

on that, LP’s on the lathe.

He rebuilt the head, those cutters cost in 1938 over a $1,000. I mean that was big bucks and that did a beautiful job, it’s an overhead lathe, and then I had swing arm, a big sixteen inch table. I cut most of my 78’s on that, LP’s on the lathe. The stylus’ I got from Caps of Valley Stream, New York. Around four to six dollars then, and they had long shanks on ‘em, and

Blind BlaKe: “there were places where there weren’t any Grooves.” inset: mississippi John hUrt’s 78, franKie

cue off the needle, I had a suction system I built too that would suck the thread right up off the needle, you didn’t have to watch it. I called the company up telling them about it, and all I got was this guy whining, “Why don’t you get them someplace else then”. It just got so expensive, trouble with the parts, turntable tar that rides against the shaft that turns the table, that gets dry and you start picking up worm burn on the records. Anyway a guy came in, and he offered me a good price so I sold the whole works to him.

Before I got into doing it during the war they were on cardboard, there was acetate, and there were some of them on glass. I got one by Bill Monroe that was cut off the Opry in 1944, see there was home cutters Will Cox Gay, my Grandmother had one. It was a floor model where you lifted the lid up, it had a radio in it and a little disc cutter, and a microphone where you could make your own records, and you could cut off the radio.

I remember 1941 December 7th or 8th she was cutting Roosevelt declaring war on Japan; I was six yrs old, remember it well, standing up there when it happened. They were alright, I made a couple of records in 1941, and I still got ‘em, my debut. Every time I went into houses where they had these homemade discs I always picked them up, because you would never know what was on ‘em. I found a stack, four/ five of ‘em in a place, and whoever had the machine, it must have been at least a $1,000 machine, the guy must have lived in Nashville because he was cutting stuff off the Opry it sounded clear like a professional record.

He must have been close because you could hear static noise off the AM radio from a storm. It was an expensive machine the records were cut on as they were cut from the inside out, a lot of radio stations would cut ‘em that way because it would throw the thread into the middle of the record and you wouldn’t have to wipe it off.

Give us some insights into John Fahey and recording him? He came up to listen to records, and one day he brought his guitar, I really liked him so I said, “Let’s make a record”.

It was November 1959 it was about three O’clock in the morning before he got right. He couldn’t have been more than

about 17. Now there are stories going around from an interview he did that I gave him booze to make him drunk, but that is not true. I don’t drink, I never drink, don’t even have any around so I don’t know where he came up with that. The ’61 session, he was pretty well loaded, he brought his own stuff. He brought this guy with him, they did: Going Crab and Talking Blues, and they were in the grip of the grape as they say. It was ever so bad that I didn’t release it for a long time. He was a wild man!

He came back in ’62 with Mike Stewart (Sam Firk), he and Mike cut six titles and they didn’t have a name for the outfit so I came up with the Mississippi Swampers. So they made; Green Blues, Stone Pony, Some Summer Day and two guitar things they didn’t have a name for so I came up with titles. That was the last records he made here, and he went out West, and I talked to him a couple of times on the phone and that was it.

He sent me tape of this girl singing, Pretty Polly, and he accompanied on guitar, he recorded it at his place, it wasn’t as good as the quality he cut here, but I released it and it sold well. That was the last time I heard from him. Mike Stewart’s guitar playing made up for his voice; he cut some really good stuff. No mistakes, I know the albums that he did he did many retakes and splices, but he went right straight through them.

He made some stuff before that, but the ’64 stuff he was really great on that. I know he went to Adelphi, but do you know there was an Adelphi before that way back in 1950, I don’t think it had any connection with

John fahey: “he was pretty well loaded”

“I Make custoM cassettes, I charge a dollar a song”

the Rosenthal’s label. Ben & Valley Kane put out a 78 record in Adelphi, Maryland where they lived at, Those Brown Eyes and Roamin’ Gambler, a very rare record. I don’t think they pressed more than a hundred or two hundred of ‘em. I have one that he autographed years ago, they used to come up here they were nice folks.

You also recorded Stefan Grossman

He showed up at my door 1965, he came in, listened to records and stuff. He saw that little Martin guitar of mine, and he started playing on it. I said, “Man you sound good, do you want to make a record”. He said yeah, and he cut six titles, that’s three records as Kid Future, that’s what we put them out as, I named him Kid Future. It is on the Fonotone boxed set, we are going to put that out again on Dust To Digital, I’m working on a contract with them now. It has been out of print a long time, it’s not going to be as much in it as the original, which I put out in a cigar box. I used to smoke cigars; I gave that up in 2003 when they made that movie, Desperate Man Blues

A guy from Australia came over and made this movie, I would have liked to have done it over again, but everyone thinks it’s great but I think it’s bad; anyway it was a lot of fun making it. I got CD’s already made up they are too much trouble to make, but I still make up cassettes, that’s how I do my radio shows on cassettes. You can listen in over there, punch up Georgia Tech University, Friday five O’clock our time. The response is incredible from all over the world via email, all kinds of new listeners.

One New Year’s Eve I put out a show, and you know how every New Year’s Eve they play a lot of these dance bands. I thought that year I am going to play the last part of the show with some real jazz. I am so sick of these people who say, “Oh hot jazz Saturday night” more like cold jazz Saturday night. They play Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, they ain’t jazz it’s crap, its big band. I put on Cecil Scott’s Bright Boys,

Jellyroll Morton (who invented jazz), Clarence Williams, Henry Allen 1928. Some really hot things to pick up. I was swamped with emails, from people who have never heard anything like that. Three stations carry that, they like country blues, I play Charlie Patton and all kinds of stuff, I mix in a little bit Dave Macon and Carter Family. A 1929 Vocalian record by the Carol County Revellers – I love that record, and Skillet Lickers. I make my shows three weeks ahead of time. Cassettes are getting harder to find, I make custom cassettes, I charge a dollar a song of anything that I have, $2.50 for the tape, for that is about how much they are to buy, and of course the postage varies wherever you live. I have some really cool gospel stuff on Rich-R-Tone, all the masters are gone so I understand.

You are one of the collectors featured in Amanda Petrusich’s new book, “Don’t Sell at Any Price”. Have you read it yet, and if so how do you feel you were portrayed?

That was nice, it should have been called the Chris King book, and he brought her up here. I thought that was a lousy picture of me going across the room in a blur. It was a nice book, there is a nice book out called the Brunswick 7,000 and the Vocalion 5,000. Oh beautiful pictures of labels they took some of mine. There’s some of them in there make your mouth drool, especially when you turn that page and see Hi Henry Brown’s Titanic Blues. Jesus it went for eight or $9,000 not long ago! We had a record go for $37,000 a couple of months ago on Ebay, I know the guy he’s been here (John Tefteller, see Blues Matters! 80 for more about him). If there’s a record he wants you better forget it, it’s his no matter what. He’s got a helluva collection; he’s got a lot of

money in it. He was here about a year ago and bought some stuff, he said, “Hey Joe I got the last missing Blind Blake record 13115”. As soon as he got out the car he said, “Do you want to hear it?”, he got it in North Carolina he paid him five grand for it. He put it on the turntable, there wasn’t any grooves. It was stripped; somebody must have played it with a penny nail. It was so bad; I mean there were places where there weren’t any grooves, a canyon!

Nevins up in New York did about the best thing with it, they put it out on CD. You wouldn’t believe it, I mean you can hear it, but my God to pay five grand for something like that, fifty cents would have been more like it! It’s the only one that hadn’t been found. He found another J. D. Short; he bought one from me ‘cause it was new I got it in a stock. He found another one in Tennessee, I bet he paid about 30 grand for it, and a friend of mine heard it, all the bass notes sounds like driving over gravel.

That’s the first thing to go on them wind-ups, those dull needles, those bass notes real wide and curvy, and those needles just cut through them like a knife through butter. The black American’s back then didn’t have anything, they would play ‘em on hat pins and stuff.

for More inforMation, go to:

WWW.oldhatrecords.coM/cd1004.htMl

Basement BlUes: soUnds from the BUssard archives

vagaband

Few bands defy categorisation so readily as the Vagaband, Norfolk-based eight-piece at the forefront of the region’s vibrant roots scene. Equipped with a bewildering array of instruments (pedal steel, fiddle, banjo, flugelhorn, resonator, mandolin, marxophone, dulcitone, hurdy-gurdy, piano, various guitars, flutes and saxes) they readily draw from rock, folk, country, jazz, vaudeville, and the blues to create a rich tapestry of sound - at times sweeping and cinematic and at others hushed and intimate. ‘The range of influences and sounds within the band is something we’re always mindful of’ reflects lead singer and songwriter Jose McGill. ‘It can be a powerful weapon, and always needs to serve the song... it’s always about the song’.

Since their critically lauded debut Town and Country (“Stunning” Q Magazine; “Masterly” Americana UK; “Breathtaking... haunting” americanrootsuk.com), the band has built up a loyal following touring Europe and the UK and were recently listed in The Alternate Root’s poll of Top 20 New Roots Bands of Europe. While their debut set out their stall and captured their often riotous live sound, follow-up Medicine for the Soul sees a more

brooding, soulful group at work. ‘There’s a time to dance, a time to die’ announces Jose in The Whistling Song, a song accompanied by a superbly gothic video of the band playing at a wake while a dead Jose and band-mate Alison Houillebecq sing along from their coffins.

The passing of time and the preciousness of life underpins much of the album, with a sense of up-beat reflection gradually giving way to darker tales of sundry drunks, dreamers and lost souls. A Town with no Name tells of the human flotsam left behind when the good times leave the seaside town. ‘That was a big part of growing up for me and (co-writer) Greg.’ says Jose, ‘the endless summer days and then... the shutters coming down’. The centrepiece of the album however is the title track, an ode to late Texan songwriter Townes Van Zandt which marries the widescreen Americana of Calexico or recent Beck with 70’s Pink Floyd. It’s also a great showcase for a band clearly influenced from both sides of the Atlantic - drawing from the roots whist remaining unmistakeably British.

2015 sees the band playing shows throughout the UK and Europe. Catch them where you can.

for More infor M ation go to: WWW.thevagaband.co.uk

V erbals: ge O ff M acd O nald V I suals : s ara H Jane

bill blue

hhe gave it all up and drove to Key West off the Florida coast in his Cadillac. He had a pretty girl by his side and his guitar slung in the back, but not much else to show for his many years on the road. As is so often the case with apocryphal tales, there is a very real and human story behind the mythology. The fact is, aged nearly 70, Bill Blue is only now starting to get the recognition he deserves.

In his long musical journey, Bill has played alongside some real legends and musical giants. Legends such as Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup who wrote several of Elvis Presley’s most important early records – tracks such as That’s All Right, Mama and My Baby Left Me. Musical giants such as Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, The Allman Brothers, Albert King, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Winter and ZZ Top. Along the way, Bill released several well received albums, including two on the prestigious Adelphi record label. But that all came to an end 30 years ago when, broke and disillusioned with the music business, Bill Blue settled in Key West, to take it easy and play the blues in the local bars and clubs, the way he’d started out.

Fast forward to 2013. Ian Shaw, the renowned UK record producer and studio owner, who had recently relocated to Key West, came across Bill playing in the bars, liked what he heard and offered to produce a new album for him. The sparkling results of this joyous collaboration can be heard in their full glory on Bill’s sensational new blues album Mojolation. Bill’s down home, earthy vocals and rough-hewn riffing and slide guitar are perfectly captured by Ian’s pin-sharp, clean and sympathetic production and recording technique. In addition to some of Bill’s own regular (and excellent) backing musicians, Ian introduced some fresh musical blood to bring maximum impact to every track – such as virtuoso UK rock guitarist Matt Backer (Julian Lennon, Bananarama, ABC etc.) Oh, and a top notch horn section! All to superb effect. And the songs, almost all written by Bill himself, provide true to life images of Americana past and present. The final number,

On The Road For Big Boy recalls his one-time famous boss, and the years spent working with him on the road.

Since its release, Mojolation has been garnering ecstatic critical acclaim from reviewers, deejays and fans alike across America and far beyond. Just recently, ‘Blues Matters’ Magazine gave Mojolation a glowing/highly appreciative/positive review.

Bill Blue himself is slightly bemused by all this sudden appreciation of his work. By his yardstick, he isn’t doing anything very different to what he was doing 30 or 40 years ago. But one thing’s for sure: whatever success may come his way following the breakthrough success of Mojolation, he ain’t about to change anything of his style and love of the blues at this stage of his career!

for M ore infor Mation go to: https:// Myspace.co M /billblues

V erbals: gez B utler V I sual s: ralp H de pal M a

BIll has played alongsIde soMe real legends and MusIcal gIants

ged WilsOn

“tHIs Is musIC ONlY a FullY GrOWN maN COulD maKe...”tHat’s tHe WaY ged WilsOn DesCrIbes HIs aCt OF sOlO aCOustIC CONtem POrarY blues. raIseD alONG tHe IrWell Delta IN maNCHester uK GeD Is a veteraN OF tHe brItIsH blues bOOm OF tHe 60’s

ged’s first band, called Spike, played Fleetwood Mac and Rolling Stones covers and was very much of their time in the early seventies. Fast forward to the nineties and noughties and Geds bands “Blues at Ten” and “No Money Down” hit the Blues festival circuit and had a large following in the North West of England.

In 2012 Ged went solo and became a full time musician with the aim of becoming a contemporary acoustic blues artist. He cuts his original tunes from the world around him viewed through his northern biased kaleidoscope. Ged likes to mix acoustic guitar, harmonica, slide and alternative tunings into his live act and likes to experiment whilst still acknowledging his

blues roots. Ged has made many radio appearances and had his music played around the world. His albums have been appreciated by a global audience and his album “What’s Going On?” was listed in the top 100 blues albums of 2013. He has supported Aynsley Lister, Sean Taylor, Zoe Schwarz, Ryan McGarvey, The Idle Hands, the list goes on and with gigs scheduled the length and breadth of the country Ged is now on the British blues scene radar.

Ged cites his influences as “all the usual suspects” and Lightnin’ Hopkins in particular. He has been likened to John Fogarty and Jace Everett but is keen to develop his own personal style.

In Geds eyes the blues is all about respecting the past, putting your mark on the present and passing it on to a future generation. That is why he is out there making music and honing his craft.

for M ore infor M ation go to: WWW.ged W ilson.co M

ged cItes hIs InFluences as “all the usual suspects”

JOe Cribb and the seed drills

the trio comprises of Cigar Box Guitar, Bass and Drums. Joe Cribb, vocals and three string Cigar Box Guitar; has been part of the Cigar Box Guitar community for a number of years, performing solo and teaching online.

The Cigar Box Guitar is an old American instrument that dates back to the early days of blues music. When people couldn’t afford to buy a guitar they would build their own instruments out of empty cigar boxes, attach a piece of wood as a neck then attach strings. The instrument traditionally has one to three strings and is played with a slide/bottleneck.

The trio are currently working on their debut album that will be finished this year. The music produced is raw and hard-hitting. Full of passion and honesty. Trying to keep within blues tradition yet giving the music an original and fresh approach. Matt Jones, drums has worked in

Bristol for a number of years with many different bands, and the trio record at his studio in Clifton. Spencer Brown, bass has performed with many bands over the years from jazz to rock and toured all over the world. Together the trio pull in all their influences and experience to create a unique sound.

For us blues music has to be real, about real things and feelings. We respect all the blues traditions and pull from these all the time but we are also trying to say something different and new. Our sound and songs contain blues, rock, soul, bluegrass and country influences. We are very proud of how our first album is shaping up and really looking forward to touring our music next year. Our music has the ability to cross over many music genres, rock, pop, country and blues.

for M ore infor Mation go to: WWW.joecribbandtheseeddrills.co M

King siZe sliM

tHe Name OF tHIs blues artIst, WINNer OF tHe emerGING artIst CateGOrY IN tHe brItIsH blues aWarDs, Is CONNeCteD WItH

the name? “King Size Slim is an generic name for particularly long but slim rolling papers. For a while, a few years ago now, I was quite staunch about only using these. Because of this some friends started to call me ‘King Size’ or ‘Slim’ and the name stuck. At the time I was touring with two-tone band ‘The Selecter’ and occasionally with some members of ‘The Specials A.K.A’ and so those same friends created the rather convoluted and ‘tongue in cheek’ nickname ‘Toby Barelli, A.K.A King Size Slim.’”

Starting out: “I was always going to make music and perform, since I was around 11 or 12 years old. I got a lovely second-hand Japanese Squier Stratocaster when I was 14 which I still have. I took it into school a few times at the end of term and

played in the school hall with some friends. There were a bunch of ‘cool’ girls who until that moment hadn’t noticed that my friends and I even existed, all of a sudden they did. ‘Cool’ girls can have a big impact on a young man.”

Down home in Hastings: “Most nights there’s at least two or three acts playing various genres of a great quality. For example, I could go down the hill and catch Lianne Carrols first set on a Wednesday night, then walk up the road 100 yards and see my friends Liam Genocky, Colin Gibson, Roger Hubbard or Nana Tsiboe play before climbing the hill and ending the evening at the weekly all-acoustic bluegrass session which has a world class ‘house band’. This daily availability of fine, fine music from across the musical spectrum energizes me and influences what I do enormously.”

What next? “We’re right in the middle of rehearsing the new album now. I’ve built a set of new songs over the last year or so, some of which I play regularly in my solo set. At the beginning of February 2015 we’ll take these songs into Rimshot studio and record the album. The last album, Milk Drunk, was about extending what I was doing live solo with me playing most of the instruments, multi-tracking with a few guest players. This time around its all about the band, getting those grooves down and tight, nice and live in the studio. We’re rehearsing up the new album for release on Treehouse 44 records, we’ve got solo and band shows all over the UK and Europe for festival season 2015 to support the release. In the early part of 2015 I’ve got some UK solo shows on the bill with Skip ‘Little Axe’ McDonald, I’m really looking forward to these, Skip played on so many records that I love, going back decades.”

f or M ore infor M ation: WWW.kingsizesli M.co M

V erbals: king size sli M V I suals : tOM Herringt O n

tObaCCO, NOt a COmmeNtarY ON HIs FIGure

“We’re rIght In the MIddle oF rehearsIng the neW alBuM noW”

sOFt shOe saM

‘IF He WasN’t bOrN IN tHe Delta, He Dam N’ Well sHOulD’ve beeN!’

– DeClareD tHe OrGaNIser OF tHe COrNuCOPIa FestIval, Peter rOlINsON, tHe FIrst tIme He HearD sOFt sHOe sam PlaYING lIve

sure enough, when you hear the Powerful, Swooping, Sliding, Diving Bottleneck Slide guitar sounds he produces, you could be forgiven for thinking that he actually was! But there is also such an up-to-date sound and feel to Soft Shoe Sam’s fingerpicked guitar and impassioned vocals that it is hard to say in which era he sits best. The answer is: Right here and Right now! Soft Shoe Sam has been around a for long while, singing and playing various instruments: guitar, mandolin, harmonica, banjo, diddley bow and ukulele, whilst honing his craft into the fine art we hear today, and word is getting around as he delights audiences with his understated ‘no nonsense, no ego’ approach to his performances.

Some might call it ‘basic’, while Sam says ‘it’s just the music, pure and simple ...get on stage, play the Blues and enjoy yourself ...and hopefully the audience will enjoy it too!’

Some mystery surrounds Sam’s origins, no-one really knows for sure where he hails from, or where he calls home, and as far as he’s concerned details like that just aren’t important. He travels and performs almost anywhere and ‘Soft Shoe Sam lets his guitars and his skill do all the talking that is required’ - to quote the National Debt album review in the December/January issue of this magazine.

If you want to hear Soft Shoe Sam at his best, catch him in live performance, where the vintage National and Gibson guitars he uses can be heard at their powerful best, often played at a speed that belies his advancing years, threatening to burn the fingers off players many years his junior! Harangue your local Blues Clubs, Festival Organisers and Concert Promoters into booking the ‘throwback’ that is Soft Shoe Sam as soon as they can, before he slips quietly back into the bluesy shadows that he usually frequents – stepping into the limelight only occasionally to enthrall us with his emotional and evocative playing and vocalising.

IF you Want to hear soFt shoe saM at hIs Best, catch hIM In lIve

Catch him while you can! To engage Soft Shoe Sam for UK concerts, or to purchase a copy of the ‘National Debt’ album (which is available in CD or Digital Download format) see contact details below... then just sit back and let his timeless music flow over you! You certainly won’t regret it!

for M ore infor M ation go to: WWW.facebook.co M /softshoesa M

the laura hOlland band

Verbals: gez WilsOn

“I Was alWaYs INtO musIC sINCe DaY DOt”, remembers laura HOlland, “mY mum aND Her FrIeNDs PlaYeD musIC I lOveD bY stax aND CHess reCOrDs sINCe I Was bOrN”

I’d sing along to Janis Joplin and Etta James. In Junior and Senior school I’d sing every time I could - choir, assemblies, I’d make my own bands, sing my own songs, ticket shows and make people come and see me! When I left school I travelled and tried singing with different people and in pubs. I’d sing classics like songs by Etta James, but I also tried other varieties of music, but based on Soul.”

“I saw an advert in The Stage for a singer to perform songs with Jules Kleiser, bass player and co-songwriter in, now, The Laura Holland Band. I sent in a tape with songs, including Son Of A Preacher Man. We did Jules’ songs and tried other music, then thought, ‘Why don’t we do the Blues thing, as we all love that?’ It took us back to what our real love was. We recorded our first album, The Smokehouse Sessions, to get something out there, but we hadn’t written much original material then.”

The seven-piece strong Laura Holland Band made a mark with their debut album of classic covers. Now their first originals album, Dare I Believe, is being released.

Jules Kleiser commented, “We used the same line up for both albums and even the same studio and instrumentation. We just try to stay true to the ethos of the band which is to be as authentic as we can to the Chess and Stax records era.”

Laura said, “I write from experiences of my life and some of the song ideas have been around for years, so listening to the album is like hearing excerpts from my diaries! I wrote the lyrics to Think Of You a couple of years back. I had a bit of a crush on someone and when I would see them I literally got pins and needles in my arms and like a heavy almost stabbing feeling in my chest so one

the seven-pIece laura holland Band Made a Mark WIth theIr deBut alBuM

day I started singing ‘Why does my chest feel heavy, why do my arms go weak?’ and thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll make a song out of this’, so I put my feelings at the time to paper... though I did later think though that the feelings I was getting was actually an anxiety attack! I love all the songs and each one has its own style and story!”

for More inforMation go to: http://laurahollandband.co.uk

Red Butler are Alex on guitar, Charlie Simpson on drums, Jane Pearce on vocals, and Mike Topp on bass. Drawing upon influences from Stevie Ray Vaughan, Etta James, Santana and many more, the band have developed their own writing style. So here we are with a booking of the New Year at the BM Jaks stage at Butlins, as the bands profile and reputation continues to grow. A first full album in Freedom Bound has garnered fine reviews and airplay, so we can tell that things are moving the right way for this fine young band so just what is it all about?

How did you all come together and what makes it gel?

Alex: It’s funny looking back at the way the band started, it’s almost like watching a snowball rolling, as something falls away another part seems to join from nowhere and it gradually keeps building. Charlie and I met around eight years ago at school. We formed several covers bands, the most successful of which was Cold Heat. People often did a double take watching four teenagers

(all under pub age!) burst into timeless riffs and songs. Subsequently, my aim was to move things to a more professional level. Steve Eveleigh, a college friend, became the bass player, shortly followed by Romona as vocalist. Circumstances dictated line up changes but the key objectives have always been to create a talented, compatible and tight unit. Jane emerged from auditions in April 2012 by which time Charlie had joined the band.

Red Butler

Mike replaced Steve mid 2014. It all seems to have happened very quickly over the past couple of years. We all get on really well on and off stage and this reflects in our shows. As a band, continuing our musical journey together is very important; we are a small but committed, family!

We note your influences on the guitar (Derek Trucks, Robert Randolf, Allmans, SRV, Davy Knowles etc) but what is it about some of them that particularly grabbed you? (Often it can be the notes that you don’t play that make the tune as opposed to too many). Alex: Just reading those names makes me want to listen to some music and pick up a guitar! I find it crucial to listen to the song that is being played first, and then the individual talents that surround the heart of the music. I was first introduced to guitar hearing greats such as Santana and John Lee Hooker. What caught my 10-

RED HOT AND BLUES

V E rb A ls: TOBY ORNOTT VI su

s:

PHOTOGRAPHY at the age of 18 a lex Butler decided to form a B and. a pril 2012 saw the B eginning of r ed Butler. in 2014 the Y B ecame winner B est newcomer in the Blues matters! writers poll. B ut what next for this exciting new B and?

A l

JOHN BULL

SEEmS TO HAvE HAppENED vERy

year-old ears was the depth of feeling that their music portrayed and the power behind it. As you can imagine when I later discovered Hendrix and Bonamassa I was blown away! As my musical tastes developed I really started appreciating different sounds and approaches, hence the Robert Randolph influence.

The novelty of a lapsteel in a gospel/rock/funk/soul band attracted me – and particularly the way in which he plays ‘for’ the song and not to show ‘what he’s got.’ In a recent interview Derek Trucks summed this up, ‘It’s about the song and band first ...when it’s time to say something it’s got to mean as much as the verse that came before it’.

What do you particularly like about your custom model Feline guitar and the Jack The Hat custom cab? Alex: I have always been fascinated by the look and tone of different guitars. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to buy a PRS or have one made by the lovely team at Feline guitars and chose the latter. It was an amazing experience watching its progress, I think that has become a great part of my connection with the guitar. Not only is it a beautiful piece of work and tonally stunning it feels like I have seen it ‘grow up’.

A lot of people ask me about it (and the amp) as they are unusual and that’s another feature I like, having

something a little off the beaten track! The amp was totally by chance: we were playing a few dates in the Channel Islands and had the loan of a backline. Imagine the surprise, arriving at a small venue and seeing this anonymous half stack waiting.

I plugged in and couldn’t believe my ears. From a simple understated appearance came an amazing sound. Even more surprising was the offer of the amp as an endorsement! When looking for an amp I look for the warmth and yet crispness at the same time. This one is built from old Marshal Plexi parts and has great presence and character. I am regularly in discussion with the maker (Howie) who is building me a successor model.

What or who are your main influences in song writing and how are you enjoying collaborating? Alex: My biggest influence for song writing has always been Free, I love the way in which they work musically and portray things in their songs. For instance the intro riff to ‘The Stealer’ immediately grips me and the rest of the song rumbles along in a wonderful driving yet smouldering sense. It’s the atmosphere that makes it a great song. Another example is “Belly of the Blues’ by Sandi Thom. To me the power is all in the build of the song and suspense from the lyrics and music intertwined.

You mentioned Davy Knowles, another great songwriter, whose songs have a very powerful message behind them, which is delivered perfectly to the audience. There are so many songs that speak clearly to me; one is “Stay” from his “Roll Away” album. The emotions in his lyrics are very simple, yet perfectly phrased.

We are all influenced by King King, once again coming from the simplistic Free school of writing. We love their sound and dynamics, which they use to create a huge impact.I enjoy collaborating with the band, trading new ideas and learning from other people’s views and interpretations musically. We are currently writing for the second album and thoroughly enjoying what it uncovers!

Jane, your voice is both soulful and vibrant with clear tones and you clearly are growing a reputation for this. So the queen of voices that is Etta James was a main inspiration to you, who else and how do you practice?

Jane: I grew up listening to Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald, who would do things vocally that seemed impossible to imitate. Technique and practice, takes patience and sacrificing socialising with your friends, is essential. Eventually the work pays off and you find yourself being able to reach notes and achieve your musical objectives.

Performing is the best practice in my opinion both in developing as a singer and helping the band to gel. Other influences of mine are Beth Hart and male vocalists such as Robert Plant and Paul Rodgers (as lyricists as well as vocalists). Vocal practice is much better little and often as vocal rest is also very important, especially if you are gigging a lot. Vital to respect the pipes!

Some singers are wary of diet for example, do you follow any routine? Jane: I am wary of certain foods, I avoid dairy and anything spicy, which may irritate my vocal chords. Warm water and natural throat syrups are my saviours!

“IT ALL

qUIckLy”

Sleep is obviously a massive factor too and overall health. No three course meals before shows, unlike the guys! As a growing writer how are you finding the forming of new songs now?

I have stacks of lyrics yet to be used. Like many writers, I scribble notes or record samples of song ideas when I feel certain emotions or am inspired by situations. Often I will mix lyrics from years ago with recent ones. New subjects include developing self-confidence and overcoming life’s challenges. Many more ideas are oozing out and we, as a band, can’t wait to share them with you!

Your drummer, Charlie, generally drives a four piece Pearl kit. Has he ever aspired to the sort of set up like Ginger Baker?

Charlie: I used to play a six piece Pearl kit years ago and then went to a five and subsequently to a four piece, although I may revert back to a five piece in the near future! A kit shouldn’t have a limit on how big it can be, Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa) uses about 30 toms!, each drum is tuned to a certain note.

How’s the new boy, Mike, settling in? One of your favourite artists is Lindsey Buckingham, surely one of the most under-rated and uncovered guitar giants of the day, but who as a bass player has given you the most inspiration?

Mike: I was really impressed by this band and was highly motivated to get up to speed as quickly as possible. They were all very welcoming right from the start and made it easy for me to slot in quite naturally. Musically, one of my favourites would be John McVie because he grooves in a unique way. I also draw inspiration from others such as Phil Lynott for his charisma

on stage, and Steve Harris for his uncompromising way of forming and leading Iron Maiden.

As manager of this steadily-growing act, Richard, are they a problem to keep under control or would you say they are level headed enough to require just gentle handling? How is life on the road as the name grows and the destinations are wider afield?

Richard: I’m sure every manager has a few headaches but these guys are so motivated and talented they make me very proud. Even so it can be like “herding cats” on occasion but then they are creative people!

The key thing is Red Butler are a complete band that works closely on every aspect from composition to total delivery on stage. Upon arrival at a gig they all work hard shifting gear and then transform to performance mode and give their all at

every outing. Life on the road is gaining momentum. The last two years has seen the band at a number of prestigious festival and other outings including; Colne, Blues on The Meadow, Broadstairs, Blues in the City, Boogaloo Promotions events and The 100 Club. In addition the band have supported: Aynsley Lister, Dr Feelgood, to name a few.

At every event Red Butler have delighted new audiences and gathered more friends. Whilst we have ticketed events, festivals and support gigs coming our way, we are looking for many more during 2015.

check out the latest news on the Band at: www.redButlermusic.co.uk

DiSCoGRaPHy Freedom Bound (2014)

Billy Walton Band

JERSEy BOy WITH THE BLUES

The band is a rare fusion of Rock, Blues, Soul, and more, built around a strong core of original songs and live improvisations, and while Billy’s band started as a power trio of lead guitar, drums and bass, the addition of sax and trombone take them into entirely different territory from many touring acts. We asked Billy, vocalist and lead guitarist, a few questions just as winter began to grip his New Jersey home.

You’re from the Asbury Park music scene, just what is that?

Well, it’s a great community of musicians that are all about supporting each other. Before my time there was the Upstage. It was a late night club that all the musicians like Bruce [Springsteen], Southside [Johnny] and all the cats would go to and jam with each other. It was led by a woman named Margaret Potter. I think the next few generations took that mold and kept that mentality alive. For me, I felt lucky to grow up in Central Jersey and to be accepted with the old-school Asbury guys. I got to play with some of the best. Asbury Park made

it’s music mark on the map when Springsteen had major success, but it wasn’t just Asbury Park that had it going on. Up and down the Jersey Coast from Capemay to Sandy Point there are clubs and Rock ‘n’ Roll bands that have been playing for years and they are still going strong. Most of the bands from the Asbury circuit would hit all these clubs. As for the sound that came out of Asbury Park, or should I say the Jersey shore, it is more of an energy and a connection with the audience. You could play a song from Detroit, but it might be a little more ahead of the beat and just driving, with the crowd all in. I noticed,

being from Jersey, we play every song like it’s our last. If you see a band walk off the stage not soaked with sweat, then they are not really from Jersey... Lol!”

How did you start out?

I started playing professionally around fourteen years old. I used to go up where in the center of my town was a little blues/strip club. I used to sneak in and see acts. I’d go faithfully to the blues jam they had. There were great old cats there that took me under their wing and let me jam. I’d go every week with my Chuck Berry licks and they turned me onto Freddie King, Otis Rush,and Johnny Winter. I finally put a little band together and booked a gig there. Little did my parents know it was also a strip club. They were very surprised, to say the least, when they had to drive me up with my gear and there were strippers on the pole. I look back now and saw

rb A ls: DARRYL WEALE VI su A l s: BILLY WALTON

the new al B um is entitled w ish f or what You want and BillY and his B and have B een giving devoted British fans what the Y want for manY Years

what I did to my poor parents! But at fourteen naked ladies and Rock ‘n Roll was where it is at! This is what I want to do! Lol But before that my father and my mother always had music playing at the house. My father was a Vietnam vet and loved his music. He turned me onto doo-wop to Creedence Clearwater revival to Hendrix to Crosby, Stills and Nash. He took me to see bands like Skynyrd. I was lucky to have a very musical and supporting family!

I’ve played in many bands on the Jersey shore .I had a band called Moments Notice, Boccigalupe and the Bad Boys, Steelmill Retro, Ill Spent Youth, I can go on and on. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and I think I’ve jammed with every band in New Jersey! Some of the bands I was a founding member of

or just joined to have fun. Southside Johnny asked me to be in the band. We opened up for them and Bobby Bandiera was leaving to go play with Bon Jovi. A few weeks later I was in England on tour with my band and I got the call. I came home and had two weeks to learn sixty songs which turned into a hundred and thirty songs! Lol, what a great time that was. I really love being a Juke, just a lot of fun. I played with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes for about five years.

One of my highlights was recording a Jukes live album at the Stone Pony. The original Jukes guitar player and founding member, Little Steven Van Zandt, sang a few songs with us.

We also did a tribute to Clarence Clemons. Southside Johnny just had the enormous

crowd in the palm of his hand all day. It was the type of gig that I didn’t want to see end, but I’ve had many highlights playing with that legendary band. Most of all they are just great people and top-notch musicians.

I’ve got to sit in with many great guys from Asbury. Jon Bon Jovi sat in a few times when I was with the Jukes. I think he knows every Jukes tune ever recorded..and he just brings an energy to the stage like no other. He just loves Southside. As a matter of fact, the one night he wrestled him while we were playing Talk To Me. You can’t make this stuff up! Now Bruce is known for his songwriting and stage shows, but you should hear him play guitar on a Cream cover! I think he has the loudest amp I have heard. I want one!”

Why have you changed The Billy Walton Band as you have progressed?

I think music should always be evolving. I put the band together as a power trio, which is still fun! You know guitar-driven rock, I’ve always loved horns and wanted to add them for some of the songs that I was writing! I think there should be no rules when it comes to this. For me, writing the same songs over and over again with the same instrumentation every time is boring. I like guys that can bring something to the party. This year I’ve added a

“I THINk mUSIc SHOULD ALWAyS BE EvOLvINg”

keyboard player in the States. Sam ‘the man’ Sherman and again it’s about the musical party!

How about the new album?

I am very proud of this album. We had a great producer, Tony Braunagel. We have a great band line up. Great guest stars: Michael Finnegan, Joey Stann, and Southside Johnny. I’m very proud of the writing and the energy that is on it. I love the other albums we have done and they are all a little different. They are all a record of where we were in that point of time as a band. That’s why could still use the word ‘record!’

You re-recorded a song from previous album, CrankItUp, an unusual step. I chose to rework Till Tomorrow. I thought that the song really fits into this album. It was getting a lot of response live and it’s a very positive message. I thought it deserved to be there!

What is unique about the Billy Walton Band?

This is a good question for the critics, but I will give my best answer of why I think were unique. We are proud Jersey band, led by a fiery guitar player. The way I approach our live show is the band knows we can go left or right at any time during any song. We are there to bring a party and involve any audience we have and we try to bring

them on a journey and involve them every step of the way, relating and engaging with them. Our agenda is to have them leaving the show going, ‘That was a trip!’. I think that makes us a little unique. I know music is just a reflection of life and you could choose to be miserable or have a good time. We choose to have a good time! And for us it’s more about the audience and the atmosphere we bring!

The band?

William Paris I’ve been with the longest, he plays bass and takes care of a lot of our organization, he’s been laying the foundation for a while. John D’Angelo has been playing drums with us for a few years. He’s a great asset. He just sits in the pocket and is ready to burn down the house at any time! We had a bunch of horn players the past couple years: Richie Taz with an exploding sax; Ian Grey, trombone extraordinaire! Sean Marks on the deep down low baritone saxophone! Matt “Fish” Fisher on the trombone and master of ceremonies and dance! Tom Petraccaro, the cool man on tenor saxophone. Sam Sherman tickling the ivories till they bleed!

Your songwriting?

Every song that I write is personal to me. Even the covers that we put on the album, they reflect a feeling or time in my life or a character I make up in his or her life, all mean something to me. Till Tomorrow is one of the songs I have a lot of people that have come to me and said ‘That song has helped me out’. It makes me happy that it means that much to them. You know, everybody has dark times and it’s always nice if you can find something to help you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Music has done that for me in the past. It’s just one of the reasons I love song writing.

In November 2013, The Billy Walton Band became the first US band in 48 years to play on the deck of a Radio Caroline ship. Two videos can be found at www.talentinfocus. co.uk.

What a great time that was. I enjoyed playing on the deck, we had a blast. Everybody that was involved just had a fun time, but the ship itself meant something a little more to me. I talked about music relating to people and their time in their life. I also mentioned that my father was a Vietnam vet, which in the States was not a very popular war. My father passed away from agent orange when I was 24.

Those Vietnam vets didn’t have it easy. The media even till this day controls what they want people to know and not know. Well the Rock ‘n’ Roll from that Era was the soundtrack to these kids lives. It was giving them hope in a dark time. The generation had a voice. Pirate radios were the ones playing it. They were not controlled by the government and the DJs had the balls to do it. So for me it was very cool to be there. It really should be a museum.

we will see what part the BillY walton Band will plaY in Blues and rock ‘n’ roll historY in future Years. in the meantime, their next uk tour will Be in april 2015. dates will appear on their weBsite http:// newJerseYrockBand.com

“WE ARE THERE TO BRINg A pARTy AND INvOLvE ANy AUDIENcE”

Popa Chubby

25 yEARS AND cOUNTINg

p opa c hu BBY cele B rates a quarter of a centurY in the music B usiness this Year and marks the occasion with the release of new al B um ‘i’m

All new material but a reflective look at a career that has seen Chubby move from teenage punk drummer and busker on the New York underground to world renowned blues guitarist and vocalist. He is revered as a producer too having worked alongside Magic Slim, Bill Perry and Neal Black.

It’s a pleasure to talk to you. I’ve been listening to the new album, celebrating 25 years in the business. A big Anniversary. It does man, it’s been a long road so far.

The album is quite reflective and soulful in places.

Yeah man, I hope you liked it. When I make an album it’s a reflection of where I’m at personally.

There’s a couple of guests on there, Mike Zito and Dana Fuchs. Yeh, two good friends. They are great to play live with.

You always tour hard, Europe and the UK in particular coming up.

UK is going to be March, April time in 2015. So looking forward to it, it’s been a couple of years.

Back to the album, so many good tracks to talk about. My favourite is the closer, The Way It Is, very soulful and laid back. That’s my favourite on the album too. It’s an urban ballad. Music is vast, it all makes its way into my stuff. It all makes it way in there through blues, country whatever. This album is more blues/rock. I try to write about universal themes, that’s what Willie Dixon always did. Everybody laughs, everybody crys, everybody dies.

Should we read too much into the title, I’mFeelingLucky?

I am feeling lucky that I’ve survived 25 years. I do work hard, because I respect the audience. The album title really does say it all man.

Not everyone will be aware of your beginnings. Starting out playing with people like Richard Hell and the CBGBs punk scene. And you started on drums. That early punk scene must’ve been really exciting to be a part of.

It was awesome dude! I started playing in those bands in 1978. The whole scene was blowing up then, I was an eighteen year old kid, playing alongside The Ramones, Richard Hell, Television, it was wild times.

Richard was a very cool dude, we remained friends over the years, very intelligent guy. Television were great, the sum was greater than the parts. Put together something magical happened. There was

Cyril Davies was perhaps the pivotal figure in the development of UK Blues and R&B, his pioneering work with Alexis Korner between the mid ‘50s and early ‘60s laying down the roots for a scene from which bands like The Stones later emerged. Sadly, his own life and career were cut tragically short in Januar y 1964 when he died, suddenly and unexpectedly, of endocarditis

Available only from the ver y best Record Stores and from www.magpiedirect .com 0844 888 7845 2CD Set: GVC2040 £9.99

Blues Matters!

for

a lot going on then, great to be a part of.

New York was a vibrant scene musically.

Before I put together the Popa Chubby band in the early 90’s I used to be a busker. I’m not sure if I made many waves but I got arrested a lot! That was pretty common, the police were pretty brutal back then. There was a group of underground musicians back then, we had some pretty hairraising moments. The biggest thing was avoiding the cops, they did not like musicians. I got busted once and the cop said to me, the people I hate most are drug dealers and musicians.

Then you got more into the blues scene.

I grew up listening to RnB, I think more than anything if you had to categorise me I’m a soul singer. That’s where my roots are, Otis Redding, James Brown, Motown. As for guitar, it’s Buddy Guy, Albert and BB King. Some Stevie Ray, you put the two together and that’s me.

New York always had a vibrant grassroots blues scene going on. There was a blues scene but never like Chicago. We did what we could, there were people like Blues Traveller. John Campbell, he was a friend of mine, amazing guy and an amazing artist. He was great! Chris Whitley I knew too. A very tragic guy, a genius, a sweetheart. He made some amazing records like Desolation Angel.

I’ve always enjoyed the fact that you collaborate with lots of other musicians. You brought those New York City blues collections out. I enjoyed those, I was trying to showcase the best NY guitarists on those. I might do

those again. I got to produce stuff for Dixie Frog too.

The new record is on Cleopatra in USA, but Dixie Frog in Europe. Dixie Frog are great, they really get behind their artists. I worked with the late Bill Perry, and Magic Slim, one of my favourites. He was one of a kind. I think I helped bring something out of Slim on that recording.

My favourite Popa Chubby album is The Good The Bad and The Chubby. It was a very dark record. Somebody Let The Devil Out, that’s a deep song. I wrote it right after 7/11, my studio was about a mile away from the Twin Towers. It was frightening times, the whole record was a dark period.

the new al B um i’m feeling luckY is released in the usa on c leopatra r ecords and in e urope via d ixie f rog and preceeds p opa c hu BBY’s 2015 e uropean and uk tour in f e B ruarY kicking off at the Jazz c lu B, l ondon on the 18th B efore taking in the Beaverwood c lu B, c hislehurst (19th), l ong street Blues, d evizes (20th), the s cene, s wansea (22nd), the g lo B e, c ardiff (23rd), i ron r oad, e vesham (24th) and the f lower p ot, d er BY (26th) B efore moving onto mainland e urope for more live dates.

DiSCoGRaPHy

Gas Money (1994)

Booty and the Beast (1995)

Hit the High Hard One (Live) (1995)

he First Cuts (1996)

One Million Broken Guitars (1997)

Brooklyn Basement Blues (1999)

One Night Live In New York City (2000)

How’d a White Boy Get the Blues? (2000)

Flashed Back (feat. Galea) (2001)

The Good, the Bad and the Chubby (2002)

Live at FIP (2003)

Old School (2003)

Peace, Love and Respect (2004)

Wild Live (2005)

Big Man, Big Guitar - Live (2005)

Stealing the Devil’s Guitar (2006)

Electric Chubbyland (2006)

Deliveries After Dark (2007)

Vicious Country (2008)

The Fight Is On (2010)

Back to New York City (2011)

Universal Breakdown Blues (2013)

I’m Feelin’ Lucky (2014)

“DIxIE FROg ARE gREAT, THEy REALLy gET BEHIND THEIR ARTISTS”

Split Whiskers are a five piece blues and rock band who have been together for nearly 10 years. In that dynamic decade the band have spread the word from their base in the Fens and out to the great beyond. BM chats blues and life with lead vocalist (and harp player supreme) Gilby J Fletcher and guitarist Johnny ‘Magic Boy’ Wright, Cambridgeshire’s finest blues and rock aficionados. Take it away, boys...

What is your earliest musical memory and when did you discover the blues?

GF: Well, from the womb I was born at a very early age...

Hang on a minute...

GF: I was very fortunate that my mother was a singer and played wonderful boogie woogie piano so I was surrounded by blues and fell it in love with. I was really impressed by it and asked her

for a lesson when I was 10. But after a 20 minute lesson my mother told me ‘Son, you either got it or you ain’t and you ain’t.’ After that I didn’t really bother and it wasn’t until my late teens that I took up the harp and haven’t put it down since.

JW: The first bands I got into were the Beatles, The Stones, Elvis and it was my dad that got me into the blues. My dad played and I got into playing

when I was 11. Now I’m a full time musician.

So blues has been passed through the generations.Fantastic. Musicians, I like it. And then were you hooked?

GF: It was when I was nearing the end of school a friend of mine called Chris Armstrong got me playing the harp. ‘Oh my God this is so cooel’ I still couldn’t play the piano but after seven days on the harp I’d learnt to play it and mastered what I needed, then two weeks I had learnt some tunes and then I remember listening to a record, Elmore James’ Dust My Broom and that was when I really got hooked.

Elmore James, great influence. As a band, who are your influences?

Split Whiskers

BLUES ON THE RAZOR’S EDgE

these Young and old misfits will B ring a new slant on the B lues, along with a sense of fun and micke Y-taking. the whiskers are where c am B ridge meets c hicago for some ‘p urrfect’ sounds (Yeah, we said it)

Book

ROBERT PLANT – THE VOICE THAT SAILED THE ZEPPELIN

BY DAVE THOMPSON backbeat books IsbN1-61713-572-0

This 288 page hardback issue is surprisingly the first biography on the blonde tousled singer previously likened to a Norse warrior or Greek God. He is for sure one who has been both a warrior and a God in musical terms for so many who have followed and been inspired by the power of the man, his voice and his image. Dave Thompson has certainly done a good job in these pages and I can well imagine that this tome will have been a Christmas present that many will enjoy. Robert has been both in the full glare of the spotlight and attempted at times to get far away from it. Always musing on what he wanted to do next he has led a textured musical life that has absorbed many influences, kneeded them his way and reinterpreted and laid down some very fine layers of work for which we know he cares. Dave follows Robert on his two separate paths of Zeppelin and solo careers which Mr. Plant has done rather well. Not one to be second guessed he continues to intrigue us and conjour images of sound and re-invent musically he is not one that we will tire of easily and so I say, enjoy this volume where the subject continues to evolve in his own way and will continue to do so.

(Hint to Robert - we’d love to talk to you just about his Blues sometime though!)

Toby ornoTT

GF: Yes and really after that I was heavily into BB King and Muddy Walters and my all time hero is Little Walter Jacobs. I spent a year living in Chicago a few years ago and got to visit the blues clubs there. Now, our founder member and drummer, Mick Carpenter of Split Whiskers actually played with Little Walter and Howling Wolf, T-Bone Walker and the great Jimmy Reed.

JW: Yeah, he played in many of their backing bands when they came over in the 1960s. They were called the Muleskinners and played around the country with these artists.

So expecting some serious Chicago Blues. You have two albums out?

GF: We have three! But the oldest one is out of stock and came out nine years ago. Then in 2010 we did Breakfast in Denmark and finally Money Ain’t Everything, which came out in January 2014.

That’s quite a long timespan, what has been the progression between the albums?

JW: I think we had more influences on the first albums, they were more eclectic. We did things like Minor Swing so we had gypsy jazz on there. GF: We’ve really developed our sound over time and we’ve had a pretty fluid line-up. We went through a phase of doing so many gigs. We had about 80 gigs a year in the first few years which means it’s not always possible to

have the same line-up, we’ve had different bass players and keyboard players and different personnel in the band since we’ve started. Our first album was almost skiffle in comparison to our current album which contain five original songs we’ve written ourselves. You’ll see JG Fletcher on the writing credit... that’s ME!

Obviously very proud of this. Have you got a favourite song? GF: Our current album is a collection of songs doing what we just wanted to do. Money Ain’t Everything is one song that I wrote and really love because I am so totally broke. I went from rags to riches to rags again. I lost a lot of work going self-employed and blues is about feeling bad, but that song is just being grateful for what I have, great friends, great band, great girl (Aww...) Money isn’t everything, it’s about quality of life.

Also, with that song, Johnny and I had gone through it during our rehearsal and told the rest of the band is was by some random made up name. Every time we went out at gigs we’d say it was by oh ‘Freddy Lee Roy’ or something even though Johnny and I had written it. Then we had to play it on radio and it wasn’t until then I had to confess that I’d written it and the look on the band’s faces live on radio.

Is this different for you Johnny? Or do you have a different perspective as a guitarist?

JW: I really love that song too. I guess musically I really enjoy Bee Sting which is on the resonator.

What do you take to gigs?

JW: All three, acoustic, electric Strat and the resonator and the resonator is made by a

friend of ours called Pete Towers. It’s a beautiful guitar with brass.

I love it but I couldn’t hold it for a whole gig, it’s just so heavy. I love the acoustic too but I don’t really play it like an acoustic player, I play it more like an electric player. I think for our next album its going to be more originals and only a couple of covers that are really rockin’ blues and LIVE, no compromise.

No compromise! So in terms of getting your album out there and the advances in technology does the way in which albums are sold online nowadays influence how you put an album together?

GF: We prefer to go out and play and get our music out there organically.

JW: Although being online is important.Things like social media are important for contacting fans about gigs and promoting our album and we have recently built a new website but all of it take up time. Because time is so scarce and so is rehearsal time it has been difficult to write original material but we’re writing more now.

Time for admin is always scarce. Who’s the driving force behind the band?

GF: Well Mick ‘Chippy’ was one of the founding members of the band and he sought a lot of our gigs and got things started. We’d love to play in Europe in the future so I think finding an agent or managers is important. We have played in Europe and would love to go back as it’s a completely different feel over there.

JW: The only thing about doing things yourself is that the admin takes up so much time. I’d rather be playing more music.

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Their magnificent first flush of success

GF: I did go self employed eight years ago. I was in a really well played job and I left to concentrate on music but I think I’ve got a good work/life balance.

We need a pretty healthy music scene to keep that Life/work balance stable sometimes. What do you think of the UK Music scene?

JW: There aren’t really any blues clubs in Cambridge but we did play Cambridge Rock Festival this year which was great and Camp Bestival in Dorset so festivals are really strong in the UK. We did have a regular gig in London, we’d end up being out the house for 12 hours just to do one gig.

GF: Sadly there are too many venues closing down in the UK because of money. Frustratingly noise complaints close a lot of venues down too because someone decides to move next door to a music venue. There are some great venues too though, like the New Crawdaddy Blues Club in Essex, so venues like that support the UK music scene.

Gotta love venues like the New Crawdaddy. So finally, what are your future plans and ambitions for the band?

GF: Well, we are definitely planning to record a live album with more orginal songs and we’d love to play in Europe more but ultimately we would love to play in the US one day.

for the latest news aBout the Band, check out: www.splitwhiskers.com

Shemekia Copeland ‘‘There was always some kind of jam going on in the living room’’

s hemekia c opeland must have B een the onlY B lack teenager in n ew York groovin’ on s lim h arpo and c larence ‘g atemouth’ Brown at the height of the hip hop explosion. f or that, and much else, she likes to thank her dad...

The 35-year-old offspring of late guitar slinger Johnny Copeland speaks with considerable warmth of her upbringing, not least because of the constant exposure to great music in her formative years. It’s all slightly surprising, given that most touring blues men cannot validly style themselves paragons of domestic virtue.

However, the subject of Shemekia’s father crops up again and again in this interview. Copeland senior obviously had quite an impact on his daughters’ life...

So what was it like to be born Johnny Copeland’s daughter?

‘I had a great father, great parents, especially growing up where we grew up, in a little bit of a dangerous area at the time’ she says without

hesitation. ‘He was on the road a lot, but when he was home, he was home. Even when he was on the road, I spoke to him a lot on the phone.’

Given that Copeland senior hailed from Texas, the diet of 12-bars was served up with side orders of soul and country, in large helpings.

‘It was cool having a parent who was a musician. He was into all kinds of music. Blues was what I fell in love with and

obviously what he was in love with, but he had a good ear for everything.’

The obvious female blues shouters were not her initial inspiration. Instead, it was the waxings cut by the classic sixties soul men years before she was even a twinkle in Johnny’s eye that grabbed the young Shemekia, at least at first. The women came only later.

‘I’m OBSESSED WITH male voices,’ she admits. ‘As a young girl, I wanted to sing like a man, that was my thing. So yeah, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, OV Wright. I was in love, and still am, with their voices. Then later on I got into Koko Taylor,

V E rb A ls: DAVID OSLER VI su A l s: JOHN HAHN

Ruth Brown and Etta James. Koko kind of made me realise I could sing blues, actually. She had that strong voice and I was just like, ‘yeah, she sings like a man! She sings like a man!’ I loved her.’

Taylor became a close personal friend and an early career mentor. Following her death a few years back, a ceremony at the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival saw Koko’s daughter Cookie Taylor crown Shemekia the new Queen of the Blues.

mODESTLy, SHEmEkIA insists that she will never use the title about herself, because nobody, but nobody is fit to fill Koko Taylor’s vacated throne. That may well be true, but for my money, she’s the obvious living contender.

Adding to the musicdrenched atmosphere at home, there was regular contact with blues royalty, with the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and BB King calling up when they were in the Big Apple. That’s without mentioning local musicians.

‘There was always some kind of jam going on in the living room. It was cool, I never knew what I was going to come home to when dad was there,’ Shemekia recalls.

Blues must have set her apart from other young Afro-Americans growing up in inner city New York in the 1980s and 1990s. Not for nothing do hip hop fans refer to that time as the golden age for that genre. Shemekia was

unmoved. ‘It was impossible for me not to hear, everybody was walking around with big boom boxes over their shoulders. So I heard it! Did I go buy it? No. But it was on the radio and was everywhere. I loved blues and I didn’t care that nobody else did. That’s what I wanted to do.’

Incidentally, when Copeland describes the Harlem of her youth as ‘a little bit of a dangerous area’, she isn’t kidding. I mention that on my first visit to New York in the 1994, I actually witnessed a broad daylight drive-by shooting in the adjoining Bronx.

‘So I don’t have to tell you, you already know that’s the kind of stuff that went on. It was pretty scary, I lost a lot of friends in that neighbourhood. I went to way more funerals than I want to talk about.’

Summers saw a change of scenery, with regular visits to Grandma Jessie in Walstonburg, North Carolina, population 219 as of the 2010 census. That meant church several times a week, and with it, ample exposure to gospel.

She still remembers the experience - commemorated in song via live show standout Big Brand New Religion - with obvious fondness. There was some serious praisin’ the Lord goin’ down, she reminisces.

‘Raw is the word I would use. Nobody was a singer or artist or anything, but they would get up there and sing with so much passion, it was really incredible to experience that.’

Back in New York – which is famously pretty much a jazz town – the young Shemekia was already starting to hang out in the blues clubs which were still thriving a couple of decades or so back. She recalls hanging out in places such as the sadly now defunct

Manny’s Car Wash on the Upper East Side. Given that licensing laws in the US are even stricter than they are here, wouldn’t that have been against the law, I ask?

‘Absolutely!‘ she laughs. ‘But the owners were fine, so long as I didn’t drink anything, and I didn’t misbehave in any kind of way, which I didn’t.’

Often accompanied by her father’s friend John Hahn, who these days acts as her manager, Shemekia would sit in with the bands, and eventually she started getting her own bookings.

Soon she had graduated to becoming her father’s opening act, doing the first set with Johnny Copeland’s band. She turned professional at sweet 16, and has led her own outfit since 18.

Six albums have appeared since 1998, the year of her astonishingly mature debut effort Turn the Heat Up. This hardly qualifies her as prolific, and the reason for that, she insists, is quality control.

‘I’m not just going to put anything out there for people and just say, ‘here, spend your money on this, it means absolutely nothing to me but buy it anyway’. That’s not me. I don’t make music that way, not just be some music I’m throwing out there.’

Along the way, she has been produced by both Dr John – a friend of dad’s, of course – on 2002’s Talking to Strangers, and Memphis soul legend Steve Cropper on 2005’s The Soul Truth. Unsurprisingly, Shemekia was rather taken with both these gentlemen.

‘I adore Dr John so, he’s just a great man. We recorded that [album] in New York. We didn’t record it in New Orleans, although it was all New Orleans musicians,‘ she enthuses. ‘It was probably the

“I WENT TO WAy mORE FUNERALS THAN I WANT TO TALk ABOUT”

closest experience to working with my father, if he had been alive. It was very, very comfortable.’

The Soul Truth even saw The Colonel adding his finger lickin’ soul chops to most of the tracks, by way of a special treat for fans of the Memphis Telecaster master.

‘Working with Steve was fantastic too,’ Shemekia says. ‘He’s just so energetic and was loving what he was doing. To see these guys who have been doing for 50 years and still love it so much, you know you are going to continue to be able to do this and still love it, so long as you have your health.’

BUT mOST REcENT

recording 33¹⁄³, named both for the rotation speed of longplaying vinyl and Shemekia’s age at the time, must count as her most persuasive offering yet. Especially noticeable are the lyrical forays into social commentary, something entirely consonant with blues tradition. Religious hypocrites come in for flak on Somebody Else’s Jesus, while Lemon Pie was penned with the Occupy protest campaign in mind.

‘I’m getting more and more political. When I started making records, I wasn’t even old enough to vote. Voting and becoming a part of politics and what is going on in government has become a big huge thing for me.’ Shemekia explains.

Like the majority of AfroAmericans, Copeland is an Obama supporter, and she even appeared at the famous White House blues spectacular in 2012. See YouTube for clips of Shemekia dueting with Gary Clark Jr and joining Susan Tedeschi on impromptu backing vocals for Sir Mick’s

hugh laurie...

and bb King

with billy gibbons...

“Overall, a ne little album, well worth a few listens”

“Wilson is easy on the ear... bringing warmth back to old traditional genres”

“WHAT’S

“There is an element of “What’s Going On” that I don’t think one of the blues young guns could deliver

This

rendition of Miss You. But she isn’t a partisan Democrat.

‘I don’t consider myself anything, I think all politicians are corrupt, which is what my songs say, pretty much. I don’t take a side. They are not party songs, they are ‘politician’ songs in general,’ she stresses. Lemon Pie is a song about the haves and have nots, and how unfortunate it is that you get treated like crap if you’re poor, which to me is ridiculous. We’ve tolerated being discriminated against because of sex and race and now you’re going to be discriminated against because you’ve got no money? Just add that to the list.’

Ain’t Gonna Be Your Tattoo, also on 331/3, sounds as if it is lyrically inspired on the less-than-tasteful inking of a battered woman that graces the neck of US actor Chris Brown. But co-writer Hahn insists that that incident didn’t cross his mind at the time, and Shemekia reiterates that there is no specific reference.

‘It’s a song about domestic violence in general. I know many men get abused as well. I’m just singing it from a woman’s point of view, but men relate as well, because it’s the same on both sides.’

Even so, the feminist intent seems clear enough. Shemekia relates how women have come to her in tears and thanked her, telling her that the song gave them the courage to leave an abusive relationship.

‘Am I a feminist? Yes! I mean, if I don’t speak for my ladies, who will? So I’m gonna. But I will speak for them while

letting men know I still love them, because I don’t want to alienate men in any kind of way. I am a feminist, but I also love men a lot.’

mEANWHILE, WORk has started on the new album, as yet untitled. We’re promised plenty more social commentary, not to mention a cover of ZZ Top’s Jesus Just Left Chicago. If Jesus just left it, Shemekia arrived there 13 years ago, when she quit New York to be with then boyfriend and now husband Orlando Wright, gainfully employed as bass player with Buddy Guy. However, don’t expect to bump into Ms Copeland in the audience at Blue Chicago, Legends or Kingston Mines.

‘My husband and I are both touring musicians, when I’m home, I kind of like to be home. If I’m home more than a week then I’ll get out, check out some music or if somebody I’m really close to is playing then I’ll go out. Am I out every night? No.’

Finally, I ask her if she has ever considered trying to make some easy money by maybe cutting some

commercial soul and trying to secure a pop hit. After all, we’ve all got to provide for the nursing home bills somehow.

‘Hopefully one of my songs will have the potential to have that happen, but it will be a blues song and it will be something I believe in. If one of my songs does that, great.’

‘I will only ever do music I believe in and music that I love and care about, and on my terms. If I have to be poor to do, you just have to be. I didn’t get into this to be rich. I’m blessed, I’ve been able to support myself all these years. But I won’t be buying a mansion in London anytime soon.’

for the latest news, check out www.shemekiacopeland.com

Turn The Heat Up (1998)

Wicked (2000)

Talking to Strangers (2002) The Soul Truth (2005) Never Going Back (2009) Shemekia Copeland (2011) 331/3 (2012)

“I ADORE DR JOHN SO, HE’S JUST A gREAT mAN”

Tara Mackenzie

SLAm BAm mAm!

tara m ac k enzie is the stunning voice of the m ac k enzie Blues Band, recent winners of a prestigious c anadian m aple a ward

Critics across the globe have lavished praise on their recent release Slam Bam and they are blowing up a storm at festivals and shows wherever they play. Seems a good time to talk to Tara and for our readers to find out more.

Hello Tara, how are you?

I’m fine, hope things are good with you? We’re having a lot of fun.

It’s all really started happening for you guys.

It sure has. We’re actually just taking a break and writing for a future album right now.

Is that usually a long process?

For us it is, we usually take about two years to write around thirty songs and then pick the best ones, find out what resonates. It’s our winter now so we can’t do much touring.

I love the current album, there is so much going on.

Thank you. You know all the blues people we love like Rory Gallagher or Howlin’ Wolf, they never wrote to a template. They really wrote what mattered to them and made it blues. I can’t write pure Delta blues, I’m not a

black woman I’m Irish descent. I can’t pretend to be someone I’m not. The only way I feel I can respect the blues properly is not to just regurgitate someone else’s blues.

The blues should be all about the truth, true feelings and emotions. Absolutely. I think a lot of people recognise and connect with those songs, especially the last track, Spiritual Power. That song literally we wrote it so that my best friend Ingrid could listen to it while she was in palliative care. Most of the tracks on the album are intact in that we recorded them in one take.

The two tracks that seem to stand out for most people are Spiritual Power and Bone Cage. Bone Cage was the hardest one for me to put on the album, it’s not totally clear what the song is about. It’s obviously kinda dark and has a lot a feel to it. I used to have problems with an

eating disorder, so it’s about feeling totally trapped and I wrote because one of my students was going through similar issues. It’s the one thing people don’t want to talk about, there’s a real stigma. It was very hard to sing.

Has it changed peoples views? Certainly it has when we play it live. Lots of people are touched by it. It shouldn’t be in the dark.

Some of the tracks on Slam Bam are quite long. It feels like it was a labour of love making this album. They aren’t terribly radio friendly. (laughs). It did take a long time to get right.

We mustn’t give the impression that the album is gloomy or morbid, it certainly isn’t, it’s pretty upbeat and good to listen to. There is lots of wonderful guitar playing. For sure, I don’t feel it’s too dark. I feel there’s hopefulness in every single track. Trevor [Tara’s husband] has always been a special guitar player. We didn’t actually play together until five years ago but we’ve been together for fifteen. We each had our

V E rb A ls: STEVE YOURGLIVCH VI su A l s: C. JASON RUSNAK

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own projects and come from different angles. I was an Irish traditional musician and worked in the classical world. I studied classical music. I also sang in metal rock bands! It wasn’t until Trevor took me to a Buddy Guy concert that I got into the blues. It took awhile for me to actually get the blues to be honest. Trevor was always an extraordinary player so when I moved from Amsterdam to marry him I felt a bit awkward, I already played in bands and had my own identity. I had that Yoko Ono vibe so it took time for me to feel comfortable working with him.

Well it was worth the wait. Yeah I think so. The guys we play with, Mike Weir and Joel Dawson, are very special musicians. We all write together, they let me say what I wanna say, because I have to sing it, so I write the words. But it’s a very special band. We all love each other and don’t fight. It is a proper band, not just Trevor and me as a couple. We don’t want to just perform and get a pay check, we want to be creative. We are always thankful for people like you who really get it.

Do you ever do covers of other peoples songs in your live sets?

If we do a cover it has to mean something. We often do three 45 minute sets so it can make an audience ears tired if they listening to all new stuff and nothings familiar to them. We use well chosen covers,

like Eric Clapton or some traditional songs.

You recently won the Maple Award for New Artist. That’s been very helpful opening doors for us. We’ve had a big year, playing lots of festivals. In Canada the Maple awards are highly respected, it’s helped people accept us. We did the Memphis Blues Challenge too. We learned a lot, we made it to the semifinals but not the finals. We think we learned what the formula is to make it to the finals now but we’re not completely sure that that’s what our band wants to do.

You need more choreography with lots of splash , we are truly just a blues band, we don’t really fit that template. A great experience to go through, we made lots of friends and

contacts. For me I just want to be a singer and give the best I can.

When you perform live are you very conscious of the audience? Do feel something coming back from them or are you lost in the song or the moment?

You know, it’s what I call the energy ball. I’m feeling the music the band is putting out, I’m aware of what my bandmates are doing and sensing if we need to follow a direction, but also I’m always feeling the temperature of the audience, and the vibe of the audience. So the music and the audience feed into the energy ball, if it’s a great show everything is lifted up, it’s palpable.

If they need a gap or a chance to rest we take it. We

“IF IT’S A gREAT SHOW EvERyTHINg IS LIFTED Up, IT’S pALpABLE”

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■ The secrets of guitar making revealed from the best in the business

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have a set list and a plan going into a show, we like to create a feeling but if that audience for whatever reason isn’t feeling it I’ll throw the set list out and start calling out tracks. If what we had planned on the menu isn’t working we change it. It almost always go to plan but some of our best ever shows have been because we suddenly took a left turn. The guys have developed a great trust and can just follow each other. If Mike or Joel feel a special groove and go for it we all follow. They create space for Trevor to play some magic.

You have a great vocal range and you’ve said you are classically trained. How much of that do you use?

I just feel that having the technique, like having the use of the instrument is important, but I feel if you’re over singing or doing too much singing it’s not right. Just because you have a bucket of paint doesn’t mean you have to use a full bucket of paint.

The classical training gave me the ability to teach other students and I’m passionate about vocal technique but I don’t use a lot of vocal range in a concert. I want to understate rather than overstate. I think it’s important to be able to deliver tasty nuggets now and then, people will know you’ve got it under the hood, that way the audience will be excited when you do those things rather than giving it to them all the time.

The same can apply to guitarists who overplay all the time. Yes I agree. I can certainly sing opera, and I love it for my own pleasure, and I use it to help my students, so for that it’s useful.

I’ve read that you also had quite a difficult adolescence.

Yes I did for sure. My mum was from Barrow-in- Furness, my dad was from West Belfast when we came to Canada there was a lot of stress. I grew up around a lot of anger issues and feeling isolated.

I’m an introvert whose friendly. I had anger issues that I had to control. In my teens I got into substance abuse and confusion. I try lift other people up and give a lot of grace, because I know I got given a lot of grace. From my twenties onwards I’ve tried to learn compassion, I’m far enough away from those times that I can write honestly about them.

The blues is about the power of overcoming difficulties. That’s what I learnt from seeing Buddy Guy, he brings such joy. It captured me. I’ve had some heavy stuff happen but now I

can let it go and help people through similar things, be a contributor to my community through music. I think it’s a privilege to sing the blues now.

I find it interesting that you said to start with you didn’t get the blues, but once it grabs you it’s impossible to get away isn’t it?

It’s the perfect vehicle for me to tell my story. No other sort of music before ever could do that. Only through blues could I get rid of a level of pain that I had. Blues has hopefulness in it.

check out www.mackenzieBluesBand.com for up to date news and information

Back Road Revelation (2012) Slam! Bam! (2014)

Matt Schofield

FURTHER ON Up THE ROAD

award winning guitarist, singer / songwriter m att s chofield is one of those guitarists who transcends st Yles or genres. a lthough his songs are deeplY rooted in the Blues he reformulates his music through J azz and soul

Generally regarded as one of the most gifted guitar players to have emerged from the UK in recent times and fresh from touring North America and Europe where his profile continues to build, Matt Schofield brought a challenging new three piece version of his as part of his most extensive UK tour to date.

Hi Matt, thanks for the interview. We are all excited at the prospect of seeing you in soon. I understand your long time keyboard player Jonny Henderson isn’t with you this time.

That’s right. This tour we are guitar, bass and drums. Jonny is about to become a Dad for the first time right in the middle of the tour. We’ve played together for eighteen years so it’ll be unusual for me not having him there. I wasn’t about to get a different keyboard player, that wouldn’t feel right so I decided to go with the three piece.

So something like a power trio? Yes (laughs). I’ll take all the

solos myself. We tried it in the US recently. It’s different, a bit challenging, but a lot of fun. It’s nice to have a fresh challenge and re-visit some songs in a different way.

Are the other members from the last album, FarAsICanSee?

Carl Stanbridge on bass is, the drummer will be Jamie Little who I’ve known about fifteen years. We’ve played together many times.

FarAsICanSeeis a terrific album and got nothing but great reviews. That must be very satisfying. It’s certainly nice. I tend not to pay too much attention because that’s not the reason

we record it. Of course it’s great people enjoy it but we record what we think is right at the time.

You seem to me to be different to a lot of the blues/rock players around. I detect a lot of soul and jazz influences.

Sure, there is a jazz thing in our approach and what inspires us. I don’t think we play jazz but it’s an influence. I think there’s some rock in there too, Jimi Hendrix, Cream etc. I think with the three piece that may come out a bit more, the organ tends to keep it rooted. We’ve chosen songs that work well in this format.

A lot of younger guitar players look up to you, you are very much a guitar players guitar player. I have been called that, which is nice.

You construct songs in a very thoughtful way not the easy route.

I think a lot of blues playing has been basic over the last few years. I think you can do something more with it and still have great blues. So I really push it and follow my ears rather than restrict myself into some format. That’s all it is really. Trying to be open.

One of the guys I sense in your playing is Jeff Healey. That’s interesting. You are the second person to mention that. See The Light was the first record I ever bought myself. I grew up listening to all my Dads records but that was the first one I bought. He was the same in the way he took a solo. Not limited by anything. He was a big jazz collector too. We like to keep it swingy with that feel, that also comes from a blues base, BB King and Albert.

You mention Albert King, of course you cover Breaking Up Somebody’s Home. He was signed to Stax Records. That’s right, he had Booker T and the MG’s backing him on loads of stuff. Fantastically groovy and funky.

And Robben Ford?

Yes, he was certainly the gateway for me. Everyone before I discovered Robben was squarely in the blues camp, When I heard Robben I couldn’t believe all these notes he played that no-one else seemed to use. From

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him I found Oscar Peterson the pianist, another huge influence. His sense of time and phrasing is impeccable.

You have your own signature guitar now I believe?

Yes I play an SVL signature built by Simon Law who I’ve known for 25 years. He has kinda reversed the DNA from my original ‘61 Strat that I don’t like to travel with anymore.

Simon is clearly an important part of the team. He produced the last album and co-wrote some tracks. He does our live sound too. Very important guy to us. All hands on deck!

On your web page you have a clip of a ten year old guitarist, Brandan Niederauer, up on stage with you. You suggest that you are on the lookout for young talented musicians, are we likely to see any of that?

It depends how they present themselves. If there are nice young lads who are talented who knows, it’s quite open.

I don’t believe there’s any such thing as good for your age, you’re either good or not. It’s not just about ability, it’s about having good ears and be able to communicate with the instrument. Brandan could do that, lots of kids can play flash guitar licks but come up and not know what to do.

It’s quite brave to put that on the webpage. I can imagine you getting swamped by parents bringing kids along.

Yeh, I have had a bunch of email requests, but that’s not the way to do it. There has to be some kind of rapport there.

Back to the tour. This is a pretty extensive one isn’t it? Yes, this time we are travelling further into every

corner of the UK. We’ve been out in the USA all year, we’ve only done about eight gigs in Europe.

The Matt Schofield profile definitely seems to be on the rise. Do you sense that on the road?

I think we are too close to it. I just keep doing what I’ve always done. I hope you are right because it’s hard out there. I just want to reach people who want to experience this sort of music live.

You’ve just been supporting Joe Satriani, that must have been a great experience?

It was fantastic. It was last Summer, what I picked up from that was that he plays in front of two or three thousand people and does exactly what he wants to do. No vocals, just music. Finding his audience. I felt inspired about how he has built his career.

What does 2015 hold? I see you are playing the Sunshine Festival in Florida again.

Yes, that’ll be nice, some warm weather. After that we start writing and planning another new record.

don’t miss the matt schofield trio on tour in the uk in march. dates include london’s Jazz cafe, (3rd), lichfield guildhall (march 6th) and Bristol Jazz & Blues festival, colston hall (8th). ticket info: http:// mattschofield.com/upcoming-shows/

Warren Haynes

‘‘Everything I’ve done is different from the previous recording’’

w arren h aYnes is rightlY considered to B e among the worlds verY B est B lues B ased guitarists. a s well as leading the hugelY popular g ov’t m ule J am B and he has B een a ke Y component in the legendarY a llman Brothers

As the Allman association comes to an end Warren goes from strength to strength with The Mule. There is no doubt that Gov’t Mule with two million paid song downloads through their site Mule Tracks, eight critically acclaimed studio records already released, a handful of DVDs and live albums, are up there with the best and will become just as influential, in no small part because of Warren Haynes. They rock with their well-known and respected jam style. I was lucky enough to be asked to talk with Warren for BM! about his career and review the band’s latest release.

You have had a long career in the music industry and I think as well as myself the readers would like to know, what was your first exposure to music?

My first exposure to music

was hearing whatever was in the air, on the radio- top music at the time. But the first thing I remember moving me in a different sort of way was hearing black gospel music

on Sunday morning in North Carolina.

Your home town of Asheville, North Carolina is where I believe you still live, is there a hotbed of music in your hometown?

There is a wonderful scene in Asheville, much more so than when I was growing up. However, I don’t currently live there although the rest of my family lives there. I live outside of New York City and have for about 25 years.

My wife and I have some property in Asheville and hopefully will build a house there later on. It is still my home and I miss it but it is not currently where we reside.

V E rb A ls: CHRISTINE MOORE VI su A l s: ANNA WEBBER

What turned you on to go down the path of music as your chosen career, and was guitar your first chosen instrument?

I started singing before I played guitar, and having two older brothers, I was exposed to a lot of music, a lot of great music because they had great taste in music. I was hearing the Beatles in the background and a lot of soul music. Four tops and the Temptations, Sam & Dave and eventually started hearing James Brown when I was quite young –six or seven and I became enamoured with James Brown.

I think James Brown was probably my first hero and I think that style of singing has always remained a huge influence on everything I do regardless of which direction I choose. It wasn’t until I picked up a guitar that I started discovering rock music more and more and of course blues and jazz.

Your first bands are on record as being guitarist with David Allen Coe and The Dickey Betts bands. Were you in any other bands before that when you were younger?

I was in bands from the moment I picked up a guitar even though none of us could play, we were learning how to play together. And I was in regional bands until I was 19 which was the time period at which I started playing with David Allen Coe.

How long have you been song writing? Do you find this an easy

“WHEN WE STARTED gOv’T mULE IT WAS ONLy AS A SIDE pROJEcT”

process where songs just come to you, or maybe there some ritual you go through?

Even as a young kid I was writing poetry. So when I picked up guitar, it automatically changed to writing lyrics. It’s something that I’ve been intrigued by and completely obsessed with from that moment forward and like any other craft, you get better and better at it the more you do it.

Do you have a favourite song you have written or album which you think defines you as a songwriter and performer?

Everything I’ve done is different from the previous recording. Gov’t Mule has prided ourselves on every record being different from the one before, my solo records are different from each other.

I don’t know that any one of them defines me the most. I love Man in Motion and I’m very proud of Shout, both from a song writing perspective and from a capturing the moment sort of perspective.

I am sure everyone who follows you and readers of Blues Matters are interested in what is your preferred guitar, strings, amps and other equipment you use. Could you share those with us?

My first guitar and amp were Norma.

Do you customise your guitars in any way like many guitarists do? Sometimes I change the pickups or the electronics but usually if the guitar sounds good, I tend to leave it alone. I have enough choices to where I can get different sounds that I’m looking for by swapping to a different instrument.

How many guitars do you own, are you a guitar collector?

I didn’t think I was a collector until the last 10 years or so. I used to always make fun of Allen Woody who had about 500 instruments and I probably have now 200, which just came about by accident somehow.

You have a vast number of albums which are available on your website, but your latest release DarkSide OfTheMuleconsists of three CDs and a DVD from live performances in 2008 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston. As the album title suggests this is covers of Pink Floyd numbers, I take it that they are favourites of yours otherwise you wouldn’t have played so many of them?

Covering other bands’ music has been part of what Gov’t Mule has done almost from the beginning. Mostly in accordance to the way other bands in the (so-called) jam band scene take a similar approach.

It’s only on special occasions like Halloween and New Year’s Eve where we cover an entire album or do a special set of someone else’s music. These shows are very rare and very special for us. I think aside from the fun factor, it is important to turn your audience on to the music that inspired you and maybe they’ve heard it, and maybe they haven’t.

Do you have favourite players or bands you like at the moment? There are bands like Earl Greyhound, the London Souls and The Revivalists that I really enjoy and think are carving a nice path for themselves.

Gov’t Mule have been together now for 20 years, what brought you together and what keeps you together?

DiSCoGRaPHy

SOLO:

Tales of Ordinary Madness (1993)

The Lone EP (2003)

Live at Bonnaroo (2004)

Man in Motion (2011)

Live at the Moody Theater (2012)

WITH GOV’T MULE:

Gov’t Mule (1995)

Live at Roseland Ballroom (1996)

Dose (1998)

With A Little Help From Our Friends (1999)

Life Before Insanity (2000)

Wintertime Blues: Benefit Concert (2000)

The Deep End, Volume 1 (2001)

The Deep End, Volume 2 (2002)

The Deepest End, Live In Concert (2003)

Deja Voodoo (2004)

Mo’ Voodoo EP (2005)

High & Mighty (2006)

Mighty High (2007)

Holy Haunted House (2007)

By a Thread (2009)

Mulennium (2010)

Shout! (2013)

WITH THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND:

Seven Turns (1990)

Shades of Two Worlds (1991)

An Evening with the Allman Brothers (1992)

Where It All Begins (1994)

An Evening with the Allman Brothers

Band: 2nd Set (1995)

Hittin’ the Note (2003)

One Way Out (2004)

When we started Gov’t Mule in late ’94, it was only as a side project. Allen Woody and myself were full-time members of the Allman Brothers Band. We had a lot of free time on our hands as the Allman Brothers schedule only took up part of the year. We decided to do something for the fun of it, having no expectations that it would grow into anything beyond a one-off project. It soon became a bonafide band that required our full-time attention and here we are 20 years later.

You have brought out many

releases solos, band etc. as well as Gov’t Mule also bringing something new to every performance with guest artists. But is there anything you haven’t done that is a burning ambition or project you would like to fulfil?

I’m working on a new solo record, which is very different from Man In Motion, my last solo record.

This project is centered more around acoustic instruments and taken from a more singer-songwriter direction. Although there is a lot of playing and improvisation, it’s in a completely different context.

I’ve been working with the guys in Railroad Earth and I’m very excited about what we’ve recorded so far.

Probably a strange question but do you have any hobbies outside of playing music?

I enjoy comedy and Movies, though not super commercial

ones. However, most of my spare time I spend with my family.

I know you have a charity you are connected with, would you like to tell the readers how and why you are involved with it and what it means to you?

The Christmas Jam that I do in Asheville is a charity I’ve been doing for 26 years. In the beginning we picked a different charity every year but for the past 15 years or so we’ve been working with Habitat for Humanity. Once we started working with them, I decided to stay with them because I really believe in their mission and I can see where the money is going and see all the houses that we’re building and it’s a wonderful organization.

c heck out www.warrenhaYnes.net for up to date news and information. dark side of the mule is availa B le now in multiple formats

“I WAS IN BANDS FROm THE mOmENT I pIckED Up A gUITAR”

Bernie Marsden

SHINE ON, mR mARSDEN

Bernie m arsden is B ack in the pu B lic glare promoting s hine, his new al B um and touring with the Young gifted Joanne s haw taYlor on her recent uk tour, winning a whole new generation of fans and colla B orating with Joe Bonamassa

The ever popular former Whitesnake guitarist has just released his new album Shine to critical acclaim and been on the road with young gun Joanne Shaw Taylor. It seemed to be the perfect opportunity for BM to catch up with the versatile veteran musician and singer.

Hi Bernie, I’ve been listening to a ProVogue promo of ‘Shine’…did they ask for a blues album? it’s turned out very wide-ranging! They didn’t ask for a blues album, as such. They wanted a Bernie Marsden record. Now I’ve never really done just blues of course. I went back and wrote some songs and it came out as it did. But I think they were very pleased because they were surprised at the variants of the styles.

To me, you’re a guy who can play blues, more akin to a Joe Walsh or Steve Miller, where blues is part of what you do. Yeah, Pete it’s part of your make-up. I was lucky enough to be around people and

involved with people who could turn it into an art form really. Playing rock music and being able to be exposed to what you do within the genre is good. It gives you your own style, to me and the people you mentioned there, well if I’ve gotta be pigeon-holed then those are the kind of guys I’d like to be pigeon-holed with.

Yeah. I consider in essence, certainly Captain Beefheart was a blues man, I think John Kay of Steppenwolf has got a real fantastic blues feel but these guys, you and me we don’t wanna be playing straight twelve-bars all night because it’s a bit like eating the same meal over isn’t it? It is! B.B. King, who I met

when I was fairly young, said a few things and we played together in dress rehearsal and stuff. He heard a few things that I’d done and we kept in touch. He did an interview, unknown to me, in the late nineties on the radio in Germany and the guy said to him ‘Can white guys play the blues?’ and he said ‘Yeah sure they can, but not many can feel the blues.’ He listed a few people and then he said ‘Don’t forget Bernie from Whitesnake.’ Now that’s the kind of thing. You can’t buy that can you?

Dead right. The thing is, it is the great, I mean Page calls it a battery, the blues. You come back to it, to recharge. There will never be day, when I don’t come in from the day job and sometimes want to put on a John Lee Hooker record. That’s why you’ve got stuff like Linin’ Track and then a couple of tracks later you’ve

V E rb A ls: PETE SARGEANT VI su A l s: JOHN BULL PHOTOGRAPHY

got ‘Walk Away’. It’s what I do. Let’s run through the tracks on Shine... Opener, Linin’ Track, has got a real Lonnie Donegan intro hasn’t it really?

Almost yeah.

Then the band kicks in with Mark Feltham. What I love about that is you yelling out the instructions. I know! On the first track, I don’t play a guitar solo which is like ‘Hold on. What’s going on here?’

It’s great because it makes you think ‘This isn’t some ponced up five years in the studio job.’ As much as I love Steely Dan, by the time the music comes out it’s so refined.

All the shouts and calls in Linin’ Track, as far as I was concerned they weren’t meant to stay obviously. The more we got into it, the producer said to me ‘I love this. They’ve gotta stay’. I said ‘No they’ve gotta go.’ The more we listened to it and finished it he said ‘This captures the whole vibe of the session.’ I said ‘Yeah, but in three months’ time I’ll hate it.’ I don’t hate it. He was right.

My vote’s going with it staying! The song Wedding Day is a bit of a stomper isn’t it? Would that be a Whitesnake number if you were still with the band?

I don’t know really. Wedding Day was an idea I put together and I wrote the words afterwards. In my head, ‘What would Big Bill Broonzy have done with a Stratocaster if he were able?’ I tried to get that picking thing in and I got it all finished. Then I thought ‘What’s it all about?’ I had no idea.

So a couple of drives between the studio and my house, I came up with this idea of a guy who almost let the girl get away because he

bernie onstage with joanne shaw taylor during her recent uK tour

saw his friends at a wedding. I’m really pleased with the result as it took me a while.

To me, it’s a distant echo of Peggy Sue Got Married? That kind of thing. Yeah exactly -that’s a nice story isn’t it?

Yeah. Me and Wilko Johnson we love The Coasters because they had lots of stories in there. Autobiographical and telling a story – and that’s what ‘Hoxie Rollin’ Time’ is all about.

Walk Away has this fresh bursting intro and it’s a song of regret isn’t it? I wondered if it was written for somebody else. You’ll laugh at this but I could see someone like Lulu doing it.

(Laughs) Well I laughed but she’s not a bad artist! It’s an up-tempo, in your face in a major key and yet it is quite sad. You get to a certain age and you think back at relationships and maybe it’s about one person or maybe it’s a summation of over the years how you’ve thought about other things.In every good marriage, both partners have someone in their past and they say ‘I wonder what happened to them?’ That’s what Walk Away is all about really.

It’s got some linear guitar lines which are pure Marsden aren’t they?

I think so yeah! I like that kind of thing.

You’ve got this thing where you do legato melodies and the person who gets closest to it was a bloke called Les Dudek. Yeah! That’s a compliment so thank you for that. Even though you didn’t mean it!

Well I do, probably – there’s a track that I’ve always wondered why you haven’t done called Old Judge Jones.

I heartily concur! I hadn’t thought about until you mentioned it but you are right on there.

Kinda Wish She Would has a nice fuzz Joe Walsh sort of tone happening in that one. With that song, I kind of hear a bit of early Mott the Hoople. I don’t know why.

Well the thing is, you’ve travelled around, you’ve met all these people and you hear all this stuff. I mean a lot of post-production was done on this. The track that I recorded and the comment was ‘This has got a bit of a ZZ Top vibe about it’. I said: ‘Yeah I think it has.’ I think they enhance that as well. I thought ‘Yeah that was fine.’

The number, Ladyfriend, has a great moody harp interlude in there. I thought this would be the David Crosby song ‘LadyFriend’ that I do but it’s not the same one. No, that’s about an old manager of mine. (Laughs) ‘Drivin’ round town in a black limousine!’

The song, Trouble. David Coverdale comes in on this. It’s got the down home slide intro but it so suits his pipes doesn’t it? Yeah so powerful and the same key we did it in thirty years ago !. So all that ‘He ain’t got it anymore’ wait till they hear this. When we recorded Trouble the first time we did it live for a couple of years and it was always popular and we always thought it could have been a bit tougher.

When we did it this time I wanted to approach it a bit different. I just got the idea, Paul Kossoff walks on and I said ‘How would Free have done this?’ So that’s why there’s a bit of Free in there as well. When you’ve got him singing like that, I’m really

pleased with: (a) the way it turned out but also (b) to have him involved together again was terrific. We were two blokes together again like we were twenty five years ago and that’s how it should be.

Absolutely right. It’s class. Who Do We Think We Are is great as it’s reflective. So this is your moment where it’s not a road story or a love story you’re in a different territory with your head, aren’t you? Yeah it’s unusual and it’s the one that’s kind of left-field isn’t? Whether I’m talking to someone like you over here or a guy in Spain or whatever, they’ve picked it out.

This song fits in with the rest you know? I must have watched a few documentaries so I wrote the whole thing before I even picked the guitar up. Except for a couple of lines, which were Abbey Road Studios inspired.

The whole Lennon line came from working in Studio 3 where they did Revolver so some of that came in like All You Need is Love! I cheated on that I suppose but the rest of it, it’s heartfelt and oldfashioned but I do think about and I do believe what I wrote down about that. I’m very pleased with the end song.

On track eight, Bad Blood, you’ve got Cherry Lee Mewis singing. Great voice and great bridge in that, too.

I wrote that song about four years ago I think and it’s a nasty song. The guy in the song is a nasty piece of work and is quite sleazy. I thought how can I really twist this so I put a girl on it! Cherry did a great job on it and she’s a really good singer. She’s nothing like the character in the song I might add. I like that line ‘A pocket full of

money don’t make a bad thing good!’

She does it justice. Shine has got this itchy, busy tempo and Joe sounds very distinctive on it. I can look in print and I can see other writers winding him up and sniping and I think he handles it pretty well.

I did a thing the other day with someone and I said ‘If people are going to need a leader of a new movement of blues-based guitar music, they couldn’t have anyone better than Joe Bonamassa’.

He’s a young guy and he’s doing everything his own way. Despite being kind of messed around to start with he went ‘That’s OK I’ll do it myself.’ He did and I think that’s why a couple of people will have a pop at him. As a guitar player and performer, I’ve seen a few people over the years and there aren’t many people better than him. I was with him on Saturday night in Germany and I got up with him at the end. I watched the show before and it was just a joy to watch and the most important thing is the people buying tickets they LOVE him. Joe has been influential in me doing this record.

He didn’t mean to be, but for the last two years he’s been inviting me up to play with him on many occasions. I always got a great reception and he would always say nice things about me during the gigs and post-gig. What I

didn’t realise was that at every one of those gigs where there were three or four thousand people there was someone from his record company. Someone must have gone back and said ‘This guy keep getting up and playing with him. The people seem to love him.’ So they go ‘Who is it?’ and they reply ‘It’s Bernie Marsden.’

The younger guys at the record company they didn’t know who I was, but the older guys did. Then the boss came and said ‘I wanna make a record’. So I said ‘What do you want?’ and he replied ‘I want a Bernie Marsden record.’ (Laughs) Joe has helped instrumentally and our relationship is very close. We can ball for England and America in guitar. Pete, there will be another version of ‘Shine’ where Joe plays all the way through it as an instrumental track He played the guitar solo which is sensational but I didn’t wanna change the feel of the track on the album just for the sake of putting in Joe Bonamassa. That wouldn’t have been fair to him and it certainly wouldn’t have been fair to Don.

The song Trail of Tears. Is touring really a trail of tears?

I think it is yeah. It can be. For every person who will tell you that a positive outcome of a three-month tour to America, I can name you the other nine who came back broke and disillusioned. Rather than go down that whole thing of having everything simple and positive and as soon as you turn pro everything is like The Beatles jumping up in the air. It isn’t like that.

The USA smacked The Kinks in the mouth. You know the story. Exactly. The first Whitesnake

tours of America we couldn’t get arrested. They were good tours and the people who came were fabulous but relatively no one came. Then suddenly in ’87 ‘Have you heard this new band Whitesnake. They’re brilliant.’ Well actually, they’ve been around for nine years!

Isn’t that the way it goes? Now you can laugh at me here, I was looking at the promo and track thirteen and I thought NW8? Odd title... hhat’s this about?’

It’s called NW8, yeah. I had a Dobro set up in the studio and the guys went downstairs to get a cup of tea and they said ‘Do you wanna come?’ and I said ‘No thanks I’ll just sit here’. We had such a great sound coming out of the desk and the monitors and I sat on my own with the Dobro. When they came back up ten minutes later I said ‘Don’t talk. Press record.’ So I did that track and we built it up after I did the melody so that’s a oneoff really. It just sums up the whole session, and I thought instead of calling it Abbey Road I thought I’d go a bit smaller and call it NW8.

check out more aBout matt at www.mattschofield.com

“JOE BONAmASSA HAS BEEN INFLUENTIAL IN mE DOINg THIS REcORD”

The Reverend Shawn Amos SHAWN THE REvELATOR

Blues Matters! was lucky enough to spend an evening with Shawn at the famous Ain’t Nothin’ But The Blues Bar and find a quiet space to talk about his background and hopes for the future.

Your new album is recently out. Your first straight blues album I believe?

Yes, I got into blues through being invited by some band mates to come along and play. Once I played with these guys in Northern Italy it was like a come to Jesus moment, I just literally felt my past, my present and my future all collide, my parents and forefathers were all into it and I couldn’t believe why it had taken me so long to get there.

So was this a real spiritual moment for you?

Quite literally. That was where the ‘Reverend...’ title came from. The crowd starting calling me that. I was feeling the blues so strongly I started tapping into it as a performer like I’d never experienced before. It was like I was

testifying on stage, having this zeitgeist moment.

But music had always been a big part of your life. For sure, since birth. My father was an agent, he was the first black agent in the business. He booked all the Motown acts in the 60’s, worked with Simon and Garfunkel, Solomon Burke, so I was surrounded by music, and my mother was a singer in night clubs. As a kid I wrote lyrics all the time, dabbled with guitars, loved all the British Invasion bands, so its been a big part of my life.

When I first started writing and performing it was largely in the Americana roots genre, the musical drapings were non-blues although I’ve always sung in an Afro-American way. Lots of banjo’s and twang

and pedal steel. I have to say, now with the blues, I love the musical directness of it. With retrospect I was probably over complicating things.

You mentioned Motown earlier, was Detroit where you grew up?

No, I grew up in Los Angeles. My father was from New York but moved to LA soon after I was born. My father in the States is a fairly iconic figure, he started a cookie company called Famous Amos, in the mid-70s it became a large brand, he started in Hollywood and it went national.

Are you comfortable to talk about your mum for a bit?

Of course, she was a singer, she performed as Shirlee May. Her real name was Shirley Ellis but there was already a singer called that. She recorded demos for Mercury Records, but never got released. She did perform at Carnegie Hall, and a number of big clubs, most notably

the r everend s hawn a mos has B een getting rave reviews for his recent ep, tells it, and the Y are well-deserved, B ut there’s a lot more to this extremelY talented individual than meets the e Ye...

Club Harlem in Atlantic City. Sadly she began suffering from mental illness and ultimately committed suicide. It’s sad because her career was cut short when it had such amazing promise to it. She was an amazing person and singer but got stopped in mid-flight.

You recorded an album called Harlem, was that about that whole scene?

Harlem was a straight up Americana album. A sort of concept album about a period of American history, the 1920’s, the great migration of blacks moving from the South into the North. The start of black intellectualism. It mixed in parts of my father and mothers lives. I’m proud of that record and maybe it sowed the seeds for discovering the blues.

It’s like your at an end product and that’s been part of the journey. I had a conversation in Chicago a few months ago about being on my own blues journey. I thought yeah, that’s an interesting take on it. It does feel like I’ve finally arrived at my destination.

Musically you’ve written

and performed with Solomon Burke and you’ve worked closely with Quincy Jones. So there are connections there, Solomon recorded his final work with the Fat Possum label.

I’ve had a number of guardian angels help me through. I respect Solomon, he saw something in me, my capabilities more than I saw it myself. He sure taught me a whole lot, it’s very humbling, it sets the bar.

I can’t sing anywhere near as good as Solomon Burke, but when I’m performing I can’t help thinking about him. These guys have a history that now I’m a part of in some small way, I want to do right by the music and by the history and do right for them.

You were connected to Rhino Records at some point too? Rhino yes, I worked there, I produced a series of box sets, compilations, career retrospectives. That’s how I met Quincy, producing a career retrospective box set. Working on that stuff was another big training ground for me. It taught me a lot, not just the history but the importance of listening.

Going back to your album, I guess it’s what we used to call a mini album. Six tracks, four covers and two originals. How did you get to the point of deciding what to put on the album?

When I first started the project I kinda used my Rhino tutorial hat and I was pretty rigid about what kind of blues we were going to do. To me, for too many people blues began at Stevie Ray Vaughan, the best blues for me is pre that time. No later than late 60’s blues. Once we got to the studio I wanted to find what best reflected that era.

For me without doubt that’s Junior Wells, The

“I’vE HAD A NUmBER OF gUARDIAN ANgELS HELp mE THROUgH”

Hoodoo Man record from 1963, hands down my favourite record of all time. In the end I used two of Juniors songs. And then of course there was Elmore James, one of those figures so synonymous with that sound.

The stage for me now is to write more of this type of material, I’m immersing myself in all this stuff. I sense there’s a lot more original songs to come hopefully on the next album.

For Tells It, I was more interested in paying homage and re-adjusting the aperture that I was on. And of course there’s a Who cover, anyone who knows me will tell you

I’m a huge fan. Pete Townsend is a god to me.

So the next album will be much more original material?

It’ll be if not entirely new material at least the majority new material. Maybe a couple

of covers I’m curious about and can’t let get away.

Live performances you seem to play at really high energy levels. It’s a pretty animated show. I want to feel transported to the juke joints, when I was doing the Americans thing I was very much a shoe gazer, opening up my soul.

Part of what’s been revelatory about the blues is thinking about myself as an entertainer, it’s a joy. High energy showmanship. It’s funny I’m nothing like that offstage. People who know me say, it’s very much you and yet it’s not you.

I know you’re heavily involved with Freshwire, and different ventures, motivational business talks etc. Is it difficult to balance the two sides of things?

The only way in which it gets difficult is with time management sometimes. In

terms bouncing from one headset to another I find it a continuum. I find one thing feeds the other and vice versa. I don’t know how long that’ll continue. It’s all just my life and it’s all stimulating.

You need to just make time to reflect, I find that in travelling time.

New album?

I’m hoping to start recording mid-February. Lots to look forward to!

check out www.shawnamos.com and www.freshwire.com for more news aBout shawn and his music

JIMI BARBIANI slidin’ the blues

Jimi Bar B iani might not Yet B e a household name among followers of the uk B lues circuit, B ut that maY B e a B out to change

This year sees Jimi embarking on his first short tour of UK venues and while this first sortie may be relatively low key his track record elsewhere suggests he will be turning heads and making his mark. Jimi is Italian and in his home country and indeed across mainland Europe is an established headline performer and festival star. He has performed many times across the USA too creating a loyal, solid fan base. Here’s hoping that the UK is ready for the Jimi Barbiani Band

Jimi first came to prominence in his native Italy as part of the popular band W.I.N.D. who released a number of albums between 2000 and 2005 but his career really rocketed when he left that situation to form the Jimi Barbiani Band in 2009, releasing the album Back On The Tracks to huge critical acclaim. The eleven tracks consisted of nine originals, plus stunning versions of Superstition and ZZ Tops, Sure Got Cold After The Rain Fell, establishing the band’s credentials as a top shelf blues rock outfit.

This original line up included JC Cinel, Daniele Vicario and Elvis Fior as well as Jimi. The current JBB line is now a classic three piece with Jimi and Daniele being joined by outstanding young drummer Gianluca Zavan. This band appears on the most recent album, Blue Slide, which is slightly less rocky than the debut leaning more into out and out blues territory.

Bm cAUgHT Up WITH Jimi recently and the first thing I asked him was why had it taken him so long

to finally get to play in the UK. He first told us: ‘Well, it certainly is a great satisfaction to come and play in the UK, a country where bands and musicians have been born who have made the history of music in the 20th century and beyond. Maybe it has something to do with my place of origin.

Some people might find it odd that an Italian musician plays blues rock, although Frank Zappa, Joe Bonamassa, Pino Palladino, Frank Marino and so on are all Italian descent. But I think that music and the blues keeps mixing different cultural influences, plus they are universal languages. So in 2014 a bluesman might not necessarily be born in Clarksdale, Mississippi to play well.’

Like many of the best of todays blues players the young Jimi grew up listening to his father’s vinyl

V E rb A ls: STEVE YOURGLIVCH VI su A l s: A LICE BL D URIGATTO

pEOpLE mIgHT FIND IT ODD THAT AN ITALIAN pLAyS BLUES ROck

record collection, especially loving The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Rory Gallagher and The Allman Brothers. Jimi tells me he considers his biggest influences on his playing to be Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, Mick Taylor, John Coltrane and Miles Davis, quite a mix and something to live up to.

WE ASkED JImI WHAT

UK audiences might expect to see and hear: ‘I’d say the whole blues and blues/rock genre, the music of the 60’s and 70’s, including British Blues, Afro-American and all the Kings, Albert, BB and Freddie. Jimi, THE Jimi, went to London in 1967 and changed the history of guitar forever, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do as well!’ He went on to explain a little about the show, ‘Our performance delivers an energetic rockblues music, particularly focused on a warm, engaging sound, jam-like, with the slide guitar leading the band and, hopefully, the audience.

When you’re on stage what matters most is to communicate something, energy, feeling, passion. We’ll be playing our own songs from the two albums plus a few blues classics and a few covers like Jeff Beck, ZZ Top and Hendrix.’

THE cURRENT LINEUp

has been together now for about five years, Jimi describes long serving bassist

and vocalist Daniele as ‘a real pillar for the band, as every bass player should be.’ The younger Giancula on drums is very high energy, a party lover. Jimi has been saving material for a future live DVD release and is hoping to get some more top quality footage on his visit, so that’s another incentive to get along to the shows.

WE mENTIONED

earlier that Jimi has played at most of the major European festivals and opened for some top performers. Because of his high energy and excellent skill as a slide player he often ends up jamming with the biggest stars. There is a wonderful You Tube clip of Jimi onstage with the equally talented Eric Sardinas that is well worth checking out.

Jimi counts John Mooney, Tishamingo, North Mississippi Allstars, Devon Allman, Marc Ford and Buddy Whittington among those he has jammed with. In addition to that he has opened for BB King, Joe Bonamassa, Johnny Winter, John Mayall, Robert Plant, Ten Years After, Ike Turner, Robert Cray and Mick Taylor to name only a few. Jimi has some fond memories: ‘The jams with Eric Sardinas were sometimes exhilarating, all sorts of slide guitar blasts, I had fun with those. Buddy Whittington invited me onstage at a festival and asked if I knew the song All Your Love, the Eric Clapton, Bluesbreakers album version. That gave me goose bumps and then we played it, and... wow!

In 2005, in Poland I opened a couple of concerts for Joe Bonamassa. After hearing his sound check it wasn’t easy to plug the jack into my guitar, he is an incomparable monster player! I opened two concerts for BB King and I can say that

he doesn’t play the blues. He IS the blues!’

WHEN pUSH cOmES

to shove though Jimi tells me the single most gifted musician he has had the pleasure to work and play with is Johnny Neel, of Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule fame. The two became firm friends after meeting to record tracks on the album, Johnny Neel and the Italian Experience back in 2002, although the album didn’t come out until two years later. Jimi is proud that Johnny guests on his most recent Blue Slide release. He says, ‘There is a great feeling and respect between me and Johnny, he’s incredible, he can play anything, is superb on Hammond organ, piano, whatever, and he got a fantastic singing voice too.’

Bm WONDERED WHAT the blues music scene in Italy is like. It seems it relies mostly on festivals, the main ones being Pistoia Blues, Castel San Pietro, and a big jazz blues event in Porretta, but Jimi tells BM they are all feeling the impact of the recent economic depression. With such gifted musicians as Jimi Barbiani and his band emerging, lets hope the local scene picks up again soon. In the meantime look out for the UK tour dates: O’Rileys, Hull on July 8th, The Musician, Leicester (9th), Darlington R&B Club (10th), Redcar R&B Club (11th) finishing at Three Tuns, Hull on 12th and 13th.

for the latest news on Jimi BarBani www.JimiBarBianiBand.com

Back on the Tracks (2010) Blue Slide (2014)

Blues Brothers - Part 5

mILLENNIUm BROTHERS

n earlY twent Y Years on from the Blues Brothers movie, came Blues Brothers 2000. the core B and was essentiallY the same, B ut f or the Blues Brothers themselves, it was a whole different storY

Belushi had passed away, leaving Aykroyd as the only original Blues Brother. In the first Blues Brothers movie, Elwood Blues (Aykroyd) and Joliet Jake Blues (Belushi) had played a concert to raise money to save the Catholic-run orphanage where they had been brought up, in the process attracting the unfriendly attentions of the Illinois law enforcement community, white supremacists, an irate Country and Western band, an out of pocket venue owner, a SWAT team, the National Guard, and a jilted ex-girlfriend.

The movie closed with the band playing a gig as jail inmates. By the year 2000, the band were out of jail, and Elwood is shown at the beginning of the movie being released from prison to discover that his brother had passed away. So too had the orphanage character Curtis, played by Cab Calloway.

As things rapidly move on, Elwood acquires care of an orphan, Buster (J. Evan Bonifant), as a result of a meeting with Mother Mary Stigmata at the St Helen of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage. He goes on to pick himself up the only way he knows how, by

once more reuniting the band and taking them, sidetracked by several adventures, to a Battle of the Bands in New Orleans, this time upsetting the Illinois law enforcement community (again), US-based Russian organised crime, a Voodoo Queen, and a White Power paramilitary group. By then, Elwood and Buster have been joined as Blues Brothers by Mack McTeer (John Goodman), who was barman in Willie Hall’s strip club, and the policeman son of Curtis’, Cabel ‘Cab’ Chamberlain, played by Joe Morton.

So, where there were two Blues Brothers in the first

movie, by the end of Blues Brothers 2000, there were five. This time, the film took in an even more stellar array of Blues talent than the first. Aretha Franklin returned for the second movie, and was joined by, Paul Shaffer, Jimmie Vaughan, Bo Diddley, BB King, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, and many more.

TOm mALONE REFLEcTS

that the movie faced an uphill battle to be a success from the start. ‘The second film was weakened without John Belushi. It was an effort of love to bring it back. It went out at the wrong time, when Titanic was released. They could have released it later, away from that competition. The movie had another dynamic. Even so, the film was blessed by all those stars, some great scenes, and some great music. Matt Murphy certainly enjoyed being back, ‘All the guys and Aretha and them and John Goodman too, all the guys were really together, professional and everything.’

Blue Lou was delighted to meet Aretha Franklin

rb

ls: DARREN WEALE VI su A l s: UNIVERSAL / JUDITH JACKLIN

AS THINgS RApIDLy mOvE ON, ELWOOD AcqUIRES cARE OF AN ORpHAN

again. ‘In the car dealership scene, when her limo pulled up, I said Aretha, ‘How are you?’ Her entourage were scowling, everyone calls her Ms Franklin. She said to me, ‘Blue Lou! How are you, baby?’ The cast have fond memories of many of the scenes in the movie. Blue Lou recalled, ‘My highlight of the second film was the Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett scene, set in Ray’s Love Exchange, a call centre for sex chat.

It was a wonderful, colourful scene, really cool. I was there when it was filmed and watched the whole thing. It was great that they used women of all shapes and

sizes and colours. Also in the second movie, for the final car crash scene. I got to know the stunt drivers.

The drivers would pile up in sequence, driving into the pile of wrecked cars then pausing for people to check they were OK and for them to get out of their cars. Each time the new cars would start further away and go faster to go up the pile. One car, when it crashed, the people didn’t give the all clear and an ambulance was called. The driver had concussion, I think he was in a coma for a few days. The vibe plummeted. Once it was all clear and started again the stunt men were burning, it fired them up more, it was intense. I did the scene where we were dressed as Good Old Bluegrass boys and the monster trucks were on. It was a classic screw up. Landis thought he was doing the take but only one camera was rolling. There was fur flying and intensity then, because we couldn’t do it again as the cars had been wrecked.’

At the Battle of the Bands, the Blues Brothers Band was memorably bidden by Queen Mousette to ‘do something Caribbean’. Elwood responded, ‘Uh, ma’am, we’re the Blues Brothers. We do blues, rhythm & blues, jazz, funk, soul. We can handle rock,

pop, country, heavy metal, fusion, hip hop, rap, Motown, operetta, show tunes. In fact, we’ve even been called upon, on occasion, to do a polka! However Caribbean is a type of music, I regret to say, which has not been, is simply not, nor will ever be a part of this band’s repertoire.’

That unwise response led to the band temporarily being turned into Zombies to perform a song. Dan Aykroyd loved the result, saying, ‘The second film is worth it just to see Funky Nassau.’

IT WAS AT qUEEN

Mousette’s Battle of the Bands where a stunning array of the world’s top Blues men and women performed. Dan Aykroyd loved that too, ‘The Blues Brothers is about reverence and veneration of real artists. I was awestruck by the talent on stage and grateful they came.’

Tom Malone loved the rival band to the Blues Brothers at the Battle of the Bands, The Louisiana Gator Boys, ‘The Gator Boys was my favourite part of the second movie. It was a one day shoot. Clarence Clemens couldn’t read music, so Blue Lou taught him the arrangement. He learned quickly. A lot of the band members have gone now, Bo Diddley, Clarence Clemens, Grover Washington Jr, James Brown and more, The guys, I’m not exactly sure, had $1000 apiece for the days shooting, nothing for guys of their stature. I’ve played with all of them, but to see them all together was just amazing, the biggest all star band ever assembled. Everybody was kidding around a bit, but they were very professional. There were some big egos on that stage, but they were on their best behaviour. Paul Shaffer has the unusual ability to

command the respect of big shots, like Quincy Jones had. Probably only Paul could have pulled that off.’

Tommy ‘Pipes’ McDonnell was on that stage with the stellar Blues talent, and still performs with the Original Blues Brothers Band worldwide. The day was special for him too, ‘When I stepped on that stage and took my place, I started looking around to see all my musical idols, all these famous, legendary musicians standing next to me on the same stage. It was a surreal experience. I was noticing people looking at me with the look of wonderment on their faces. During the lunch break I went up to Steve Winwood and said, ‘I am a huge fan, I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Tommy

McDonnell. I sing with the Blues Brothers band.’ His reply was, ‘Yeah, I know who you are. I had to ask someone, who the hell is that guy?’ With that, Eric Clapton walked over and I introduced myself to him and went through the same kind of thing. One of the most hysterical things, I was talking to Isaac Hayes. He was telling me about how Bo Diddley would always play Maleguena anytime he was impressing a pretty girl. They let in the extras for the scene, and as if on cue he started playing it. We just looked at each other and laughed and he said, ‘I told you.’

‘THE FUNNIEST STUFF happened between the takes. One guy would start playing a riff and then the next guy would join in, and the next

guy, etc. It was like a bunch of friends screwing around when they should have been quiet. The director, John Landis, had to yell, ‘Will you guys shut up!’

Blue Lou sums up the ending of what was the second and last of the Blues Brothers movies. ‘In movie two, at the end we were all jammed in a car together. We were up there three minutes and Landis says, ‘That’s a wrap’, and we’re done with the movie. I felt so sad, it’s a poignant feeling, an unexpected feeling to go back to regular life. It was sad and beautiful at the same time.’

The final part of this series on will reflect on the period between Blues Brothers 2000 to the present day and their legacy.

the official B lues B rothers can B e found at www.B lues B rothersofficialsite.com

What ’s happenin’next...

Dave Kelly - Part Three R AmBLINg ON my mIND

i n part three we move on from the influences of m emphis m innie and dave’s sister

Jo a nn and hear a B out the John d ummer Blues Band, the first earlY recordings and us visit and how the first seeds of the Blues Band came a B out

In the third part of this six part feature article (I know. we said four, but we lied) about the great British blues guitarist and singer Dave Kelly we pick the story up from Memphis Minnie and Joanne Kelly and move on to sharing some thoughts on the blues today, Dave’s first foray to the USA, the John Dummer Band, the prog’ rock and pub rock eras, and the birth of the blues band.

On to young people getting into the Blues. There are some out there but there aren’t many who really get under the skin of it and deliver it from their own hearts with spirit and respect. Ian Siegal, who I rate highly, goes well away from what you and I would call the Blues. Yeah. The spirit of the Blues!

Do you remember the guitarist Johnny Whitehill from Paul Lamb & The King Snakes? Very much a Blues guitarist. Yeah, I remember him.

Well, it was just a Facebook comment he put up a while ago. He said “I’m genuinely confused. Right now, these days, it seems that very few people like Blues.” He was talking about the younger studs coming through and what’s being played and went on to say: “There don’t seem to be many people

playing Blues, or what I recognise as Blues, but they like it when it’s called Rock!”

Ha ha! Very good.

I’m glad you said that because I don’t really get it either and you feel it’s politically correct to say, ‘well, it’s a different direction for the Blues and it’s keeping the Blues alive in a different way’ but it just doesn’t do it for me either. Lots and lots of technique and polish but the heart isn’t there.

When Stevie Ray Vaughan came on the scene I thought “Oh no. Another one!” Then I found myself touring with him in Italy when I was working with an Italian artist and I thought “This guy does it.” I was blown away!

Going back to the 60s and your sister Joanne saying she was going

to go professional. Did that have a certain influence on you?

Oh yes. In ‘63 I’d done ten O’ Levels and failed every one. In ‘64 I left school.

Good boy!

Yeah. I had dropped out really and went into the Lower Sixth to retake them all and really didn’t want to do it. I didn’t know how to work! I was doing floor spots at Bunjies with Jo and the Head called me in and said “Not much point in you coming back is there Kelly?” I replied “Well, no, I suppose not Sir.” He’d got me bang to rights so I left the school in ‘64. I’d taken a summer job as a road sweeper which was nice. The money was good and it was out in the nice weather in the sunshine. I could do me round up until lunchtime and then hide me barrow and go home.

A bloke came around on a bike to inspect and he could see I’d done it though I didn’t spend hours on it. That was quite fun.

Then I got a job in (it’s gone now) St Benedict’s Hospital, Tooting as a

gardener which I really enjoyed. I was there for a year and I saved up money and my girlfriend and I were going to go to America as a guest of her rich American friend, so we went over in ’66 and spent two months in New York then on up to Maine and Washington. I played a few floor spots in New York. One was at Gurdey’s Folk City where you paid three dollars and you did two songs.

What? You paid to play?

Yeah

Nothing really changes does it? No! I was hanging around and eventually I grabbed the owner and asked when he was going to get me up and he said “I’ve got my regulars to get up” and I said “Well, I’ve paid my money” so he did and he introduced me saying “Now we’ve got a guy from England who’s going to play us some Blues!”

What? Just like that? in that dismissive tone? That was all I needed!

I can see the glint in your eye! Heah heah, right…

‘I’ll show the buggers’? Yeah and I think I did five numbers and they wouldn’t let me off. I started off with Fred McDowell and went on from there and oh, yeah, I got asked to join two bands.

What? Over there?

Yeah. That night.

American bands asking you to join! Fantastic!

And then,well, we were there two months and when we came back to England I thought right, “I’m not going to get a job.” Well, that was it really.

So you’re getting dead

serious about it now-so what happened?

Well, you know, Jo had a few contacts in Folk Clubs. She did a few – Hitchin. You know –the Half Moon, Les Cousin’s...

Where John Martyn held court later?

Yeah, Yeah. Of course Les never existed.

I used to know The Norman Chop Trio. It was the same kind of running gag. Norman never existed and there were only two of them! And then, there was Bristol and Mike Cooper’s Club in Reading and, 1967 was Bob Hall, oh... Roger Pearce who had been in the Yardbirds before Clapton or Top Topham. He had been in the Dummer Band and was leaving and Bob Hall suggested that I be his replacement. Bob was playing with the John Dummer Band and Savoy Brown at the time you know.

Roger was, like you, a proper Blues guitarist, I only played me slide stuff and, whatever, and then bass player left us with Dummer, Steve Rye, Hall and me. We did a gig on Kingston Poly’ and the special tech’’ was a bloke called Ian –

Thompson, Thump, Thump Thompson, and, the joke was he said he played bass and he had a van – he later said he lied about both. He was a very good bass player. Looking back he was a very melodic bass player. He was in Darts with Dummer. They had hits in the 80s.

So that (The John Dummer Blues Band) was the first full Blues Band you were in? A solid band? Yeah it was Dummer, Thump, Bob Hall, Steve Rye and me. We did a few gigs. And then what happened? Steve left.

Is Steve Rye a harp player? Yes, but he left. He’s dead now. He died a few years ago. He drank himself to death.

It’s a hazard of the trade isn’t it? Yeah. But I’ve forgotten why he left the Dummer Band. I got McPhee in and we also had

dave with paul jones

John O’Leary on harmonica who replaced Steve – then they had a record deal. We got the record deal before McPhee but McPhee played on the album Cabal – which is quite good, uh mm, that was the first album.

The first album you did? Yeah McPhee, me, Dummer, Thump and John O’Leary and Jo sang a couple on it as well. Oh, and Bob didn’t play on it for some reason. Steve Miller played on it. Not the American Steve Miller – another one -Bishop Stortford Steve Miller – another good player: played with Alexis Korner on a few occasions. And he had a band with, Pip Pyle on drums, what were they called? Well.

That was the Cabal album and the Producer was the House Junior Brian Shepherd who ended up as the MD of EMI and A&M, he knew that I did solo acoustic stuff and got me to do a solo album which was Keeps it in the Family, which was my first solo album. I think it was in ‘68 we did that.

Years later in the mid seventies (I’d stopped playing for a bit – I had two young kids and I took a job as a laundry van driver and I was driving around the West End doing me delivery and one day there was Brian Shepherd walking along. I stopped and had a natter with him. He said “What are you doing?” I said “I haven’t got any gigs, I’ve got two young kids.” So he asked me if I was doing anything with music and I said “Well,

this bloke is paying for me to record” and he said “Well, I want to hear it” and, anyway, nothing ever came out of that but it was later, when The Blues Band started up we went to see him and he said we were too old... ha, ha, ha!

Too old? How old were you? It was 1979 and I was in my thirties. Paul was 38. We told Brian about this Blues band Nine Below Zero, who were all young but he didn’t sign them either! I asked him about the Dummer Band and he said: “Blues was selling and I was told to go out and find a Blues band.

I’d done bugger-all about it but I liked you as a front man and you seemed to know what you were doing and it sounded alright, so I signed you.” Would such things happen like that today?

No. It doesn’t happen like that anymore does it? So, how long were you with the Dummer Band? Well, I left them in ‘69 I think it was. We’d been touring in the UK and we went to Scandinavia for three weeks and we had two weeks off when we came back home to find they’d filled it with gigs and I said: “No. I’ve had enough of this. You want to get Nick Pickett to replace me. He’s a singer/songwriter/ guitarist/fiddle player.” So the Dummer Band got Nick in and did a couple of albums, including the million seller Nine By Nine. I don’t think they sold much here, but it sold in France. Stephan Grapelli covered it!

Wow. A million seller! When we lived in France.

Nine By Nine?

Yes. It was a simple tune: an instrumental, and the French loved it!

Ah…that must be placed in the ‘Opportunities I Have Missed’ file? Yeah. Ha, ha, ha. Well, not really, because it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t left.

When you took the break because of the kids, how long was it? I did the Bob Hall album –Tramp. I was also doing quite a lot of solo work. It was only a two week break really and then, in ‘70 it was back to the Dummer Band. Nick was managed by Clive – the guy who managed Mac and Duster Bennett and all that lot – and he’d said to Nick “No. You’re not going back to do the album” so they called me in. The studio was all booked and we did the album which became the Oobly Doobly Joobly album which was Dummer’s idea. We did a few things and muddled along in the early ‘70s.

Did you feel that the real Blues Boom – the ‘60s Blues Boom was all over?

Yeah. It was Prog’’’ So I did solo stuff again.

No. I didn’t think you did. I remember getting a call to ask if I’d like to go and audition for Procol Harum and I said “What? You are joking! I can’t play that.”

When was that? Early 70s – was that before they had the big hit? I don’t even know who it was who phoned me up: their Manager I presume but, uh, I think it was after Robin Trower had left…I don’t know.

So this was probably early ‘70s. The Dummer Band – Dummer was a plugger for MCA Records and he gave me the first Jackson Brown albums and said “You’ll like this” and yes I did. Maybe it was Warner Brothers? So the band. We had another drummer called John

“I’vE FORgOTTEN WHy HE LEFT THE DUmmER BAND”

Richardson, we did another album at Rockfield.

My old haunt!

Graham Bond on organ and saxophone, Pick Withers on drums because he was the house drummer and Thump, me and Pete Emery (or was he?) this was still on the back of Philips wanting another Nine By Nine hit! That’s how that came out a few years ago on Angel Air. Quite nice it was – of its time. Livewise it ended up... oh, that’s right – it was Thump on bass, George Curry on guitar (lovely player – Darts as well), me and it might have been Wilgar Campbell (ex-Rory Gallagher) on drums. So, did we get into Prog’ Rock? No, not really but that was the era…lots of substances, tripping off into lots of solos, jamming and, uh, being very ‘creative’ or boring!

Or both?

Yeah, depending how it went. That was a fun band actually. That was the Pub Rock era and we used to do a few pubs: the Kensington, the Brecknock and the Newlands Tavern in Peckham, things like that. That was when I was laundry van driving as well. Thump started depping with this Rock ‘n’ Roll band called Rocky Sharp & The Replays and they had this sort of following with young kids. Thump thought there was potentially something there but Rocky Sharp was going off to do something else. He thought the backing singers were really good so he said “Look, let’s keep this going.” So he got in George on Guitar and called Dummer and he said he’d do it. Maybe Hammy? They became Darts – and the rest is history. So that left me without a gigging band.

Well, I mean, I wasn’t really needed you know. There

wasn’t any nastiness, just the way it evolved. When Denny, the bass player left (Denny Hegarty – the bass/singer – the nutty one if you remember him?) I did an audition for the bass job. I could do baritone but I wasn’t ‘bassy’ enough – I couldn’t get bass! Wilgar and I decided to carry on. Wilgar lived in Streatham and he called a taxi to get to this gig and the cab was driven by this bloke Gary Fletcher…and there we have the connection! We did a few gigs together: me and Wilgar and Gary and Tom Nolan (who was something to do with press or programming). When the Sex Pistols did the Bill Grundy programme and somebody had to field all the flak it came down to Tom Nolan…ha, ha!

I do remember that!

Tom was a guitarist as well. It didn’t last because we only did a few gigs over six months, if that, and I got a call from Tom McGuinness to say that he and Paul and Hughie Flint were thinking of forming a Blues band just to do a few gigs for fun…nothing serious.

So Tom McGuinness was the instigator?

It was Paul’s idea. He got Tom in and Tom got Hughie in (Gerry McAvoy was going to do the bass originally but Rory called him in to do something. He was on a retainer from Rory) and, yes, Keith Nelson who built this guitar (DK pauses to knock on said guitar).

He was a friend of Tom’s as well. He lived over Tom’s way – in Deptford or somewhere. On my laundry round I used to call in and have a cup of coffee. Tom brought Hughie Flint in from McGuinness Flint and John Mayall – if you’re going to be playing Blues he knows his stuff!

Yeah, I used to call in at Keith’s for coffee on me round sometimes and Tom (a friend of Keith’s) and then he was thinking of someone els. And Keith said “Dave Kelly’s not doing much at the moment!”

Me and Tom didn’t know each other but we’d seen each other down at the 100 Club.

When is this now?

This is ‘79 and, so he thought, yeah, slide guitar and another singer so he said “Do you want to come along and play some stuff?” It wasn’t an audition, more a case of... “just play some stuff together and see how it goes. Do you know a good bass player?” So I took Gary along.

So no Gerry McAvoy? No. Never did.

Gary does all sorts of things doesn’t he?

He was a bass player mainly but he was always a writer as well, doing lots of solo stuff and he’s got his own band together and he’s got a banjo and a ukulele!

All the clever bits!

We were in Germany and he said: “Do you mind if we do a song with the ukulele?” and Paul said “There’s only room for one novelty instrument in this band.”

‘…and I’m playing it’ says Paul? Yeah. Ha, ha, ha!

Did he really?

Yes, well that’s what it is at the Musicians Union a harmonica comes under the ‘Novelty Instruments’ bracket.

What? To this day?

Yes, I think so. (Pause for ribald laughter!)

pat four of this interview continues in the next issue

cyRIl DAVIeS preaChIn’ The Blues –memorIalalBum (GVC 2CD)

Deke DIckeRSOn sIngsgreaT InsTrumenTalhITs (Yep roc CD)

VARIOUS ThIsaIn’Tnomouse musIC! ThesToryof ChrIssTraChWITz andarhoolIe reCords (arhoolie 2CD) 12

VARIOUS aIn’TITThe TruTh! TherIC&ronsTory Volume 2

(ace CD)

VARIOUS hard ToexplaIn –moreshaTTered dreams 1969-1984

(beat Goes Public CD)

DUke ROBIllARD BAnD CallIngall Blues (DixieFrog CD)

15

VARIOUS ThesoulofdesIgner reCords (big legal mess 4CD) 16

RORy BlOck hardluCk ChIld (stony Plain CD)

JOe BOnAmASSA dIfferenTshades of Blue (Provogue CD) 18

17

JO hARmAn AnD cOmpAny lIVeaTTheroyal alBerThall

(total Creative Freedom CD) 19

JOhn lee hOOkeR I’mgoInghome (Devil’s tunes CD) 20

gARy clARk JR. gary Clark Jr.lIVe (Warners CD)

the best blues reviews guide – accept no substitute!

ABSOlUTIOn dusTyroad

This is a classic blues-rock CD from another upcoming Brit power trio. I say that respectfully, I know they’ve been around a few years now, but for me, this is their breakthrough album. Joe Fawcett’s vocals are light, but not slight, his guitar work exemplary and his rhythm section of Ben Gardner on bass and Doug Lamb on drums/percussion back him to the hilt. It’s fairly obvious to me where their inspirations lie, the likes of Cream, Hendrix, perhaps a touch of ZZ Top, no doubting that from the music here. The second track in Giving It Up sums up what I’m on about, with its single string guitar break. They’re certainly not afraid to slow things down though, as on the seven minute Left In The Corner. All twelve tracks are originals and the band produce as well. They called in Aussie label mate Rob Tognoni to master for them. I can say no more than Absolution are a blue/rock band for the 21st century, it’s obvious from first listen that they are exceptional musicians because this is an excellent album that requires many listens.

CLIVE RAWLINGS

kARen lAne ORgAn pROJecT TWosTepsfrom TheBlues

Independent

According to Ms. Lane, Two Steps From The Blues was inspired by Sarah Sings Soulfully, a 1963 studio album by the jazz singer Sarah Vaughan. It’s one of her favourite records, so you won’t be surprised to hear that this record has a late night vibe to it. She’s also surrounded herself with a band that knows how to swing, with guitarist Dominic Ashworth who has toured

and recorded with Carol Kidd, Michael Garrick, Digby Fairweather’s Half Dozen with George Melly and Paul Jones. Percussionist Nic France has worked with Loose Tubes, Terry Callier and Tanita Tikaram, amongst others and Hammond organ player Pete Whittaker who has shrugged off an indie rock past to collaborate with the likes of John Etheridge and Theo Travis. That’s some pretty heavy names I’ve dropped there, but you’ll just have to deal with it. I’m less keen on the acronym KLOP, because it sounds like something very unpleasant, but once past that, and into songs like Gravy Waltz and I

Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry (both on Sarah Sings Soulfully) and you can almost forgive Ms. Lane for anything. It’s definitely not one for the hard core blues fans out there, as she takes her inspiration from the likes of Aretha Frankin, Nina Simone, and Shirley Horn. Best of the bunch is Nina Simone’s I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl, and the only clunker is Don’t Explain, which is an excellent rate of return on a record for those who own a roll neck jumper.

STUART A HAMILTON

mARS BOnFIRe

ThIsIssue: marsBonfIre marsbonfire.net

You know this cat’s music. Don’t shake your head, you do! Born To Be Wild? Magic Carpet Ride? Faster Than The Speed Of Life. This Sparrow/Steppenwolf collaborator has a great rock voice and is likely the zippiest rhythm guitarist outside of Tom Petty or the late Dave Peverett. This is a weird lil’ eight track mini album that you can get through Mr B’s site – check the jagged romp of Wasted Love, worthy of The Seeds but better sung. Peek At You has a jangly Kinks vibe, simple but so effective and try keeping your toes still as this plays. Amps on tremelo’d settings for the eerie good Girl; Friends In Hell has that insistent Steppenwolf

blues-rock beat and a knowing lyric. The saturnine tread of Possessed sounds like an airy edition of The Stooges! Bump And Grind has a rock steady tempo and purposeful guitar fuzz platform, other guitars ringing over the beat, and it’s about a contract killing. Offbeat and rootsy with a weird twist to most cuts, a cult gem for those that connect with it.

PETE SARGEANT

hOWARD glAZeR lookIngIn ThemIrror

lazy brothers records Howard Glazer, an award winning guitarist, brings Detroit influenced blues with a real mix of guitar sounds using electric, slide and resonator. This is blues that is modern, weaving in a contemporary sound with a smidgen of rock whilst still rooted in its traditional foundations. Glazer has a distinctive tone and approach that makes any track recognisable if played in a mix it does stand out from the crowd. The opening track Midnight Postman introduces Larry Marek organ playing that is heard again on a number of tracks adding layers of sound to the mix. Take Me Baby provides some rock, then if you want a twist shuffle along comes Walking in Detroit with Maggie

blues boulevard

BlUeS kARlOFF readyforJudgemenTday

blues boulevard records

This is true value for money in the sense that you’re getting sixteen tracks for the same price as far less capable bands with shorter than ten numbers. It starts off at a pace that would have you gasping for breath and I found them so reminiscent of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band that I couldn’t get the image out of my head, even although the members of this Belgian blues/rock group are anything but semblances of SAHB. As with so many European bands the five men are well founded in their chosen career paths.

These mature musicians are all skilled players of their chosen instruments and produce a sound that makes nonsense of their relative low profile in the UK. I particularly enjoyed Mean Ol’ Woman Blues as their own product and interestingly it appears that Karloff spent some three years effectively road testing the tracks they’ve compiled on this their debut album. Now that’s what I call customer care in that, if any track or sound didn’t meet with whole hearted audience approval then it was dropped from the end product. Would that some more established musicians care so much about the fans and music buyers. The album is an amalgam of covers of songs by the better known musicians such as John Lee Hooker, Robert Johnson and B.B. King but treated to a form of Rocking Blues allied to some of their own material. However, the covers add to their cachet and the whole album is a winner in any language.

TOM WALKER

McCabe’s and Howard Glazer’s vocals alternating but it is the trumpet solo from David Kocbus that makes this a stand out track.

The title track is an interpretation of British 1960 style blues full of power and an infectious riff that makes you want to tap your feet and get up and dance. This is an album of difference as the depth and breadth of the blues are explored we have a rootsy, swampy feel delivered on Misunderstood

The Devil, with stripped back drumming and strong vocals and dirty guitar. This is a different play on the Robert Johnson at The Crossroads story, Howard has made this contemporary and as ever he adds a twist to the playing that keeps your interest.

Emergency the closing track

has a long instrumental intro before his vocals kick in along with a haunting flute from Tom Schmaltz that works well as the song slinks through emotional emergency a really dramatic and memorable track to end this album making sure you will return to again as Howard has created a sound that is alluring and will always have a surprise around the corner.

LIZ AIKEN

elkIe BROOkS

We’VegoT TonIghT

TheColleCTIon secret records

This three disc collection is comprised of two CDs and one DVD, the DVD being a filmed

recording of Elkie’s live performance at The Shepherds Bush Empire on the Seventh of May in two thousand and four, which lasts ninety minutes. The music of the concert is captured over the two CDs. There are two extra features on the DVD, an interesting and informative interview with Elkie prior to the concert, which lasts for twenty minutes and there is also a brief written biography included.

Although the collection appears to be a re-release of the earlier original release of two thousand and five, it is none the worse for that. In fact, you are better off, because the two CDs were not part of the original package. The twenty one numbers featured, encompass the hits and possible misses of her career but also, there are country and blues influences on the numbers that have also been given a veterans interpretation, such as the gritty and earthy sounding Gasoline Alley, Elkie’s powerfully husky vocals gives the number a knowingly rougher edge.

After the interval the guitarist Jeffery Whitehall joins the five piece backing band and immediately the concert transposes into blues concert with a stunning running solo on the building, slow burning rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s Red House with Elkie breathing fiery depth and conviction into the lyrics. This attitude continues with Back Away a stark stomper describing a youths’ short life from childhood abuse to drugs abuse, culminating in a violent Police death. The quality of the sound and visuals are very good, with not too many intrusive camera angles. The audience is quite reticent until about halfway through

the proceedings. Pearls A Singer is the usual slow meandered favourite until Elkie changes pace. Her rollicking version of the Doors Roadhouse Blues is continued with Jimmy Reed’s Baby What Do You Want Me To Do, Heartfelt slow burning performances of Out Of The Rain and Bob Seger’s We’ve Got Tonight, bring the proceedings to an end. Recommended!

BRIAN HARMAN

JOhn WeekS BAnD JohnWeeksBand

Independent

Right from the outset, there is a quality to the playing and musicianship of the John Weeks Band. Sounding as if they are an outfit that has been pounding the boards together for a long time, it’s surprising to discover that this quartet have only been together since the spring of 2014. The band are resident in Denver Colorado, but John Weeks, guitar and vocals, was born in France and learnt his trade in the bars and clubs of Paris, and with Hungarian keyboard and harmonica player, Andras Csapo they have penned six of the seven tracks. The band is completed by Curtis Hawkins on bass and Tim “Chooch” Molinario on drums. The opener, All Night Long, starts with an easy rolling guitar riff and warm thick syrup like Hammond sound that made me think of Chicago clubs, a very welcoming feel. John lists Freddie King, Duane Allman, Carlos Santana and Hendrix as his major influences and it is easy to hear this in the sound that he achieves. Devil In My House intertwines John’s finger picking with Csapo’s harmonica fills. A

very simple but effective track. With the style changing with each track, this is not your average Blues album. Why Don’t We Sleep On It is an upfront shuffle that allows both weeks and Csapo to let fly on guitar and harp, at times rebounding off each other. How Can You Love Me is a slow melancholy Blues which opens with some haunting keyboard and a tasty guitar solo mid song. There is even a track, I Want To Get Back Home, that puts funk and harmonica together with great success, and Week’s sounds as if he is really enjoying himself. I truly enjoyed the music and playing on this release, even to the fact that the album is only 32 minutes long. Downside however is Weeks voice. It isn’t strong enough for this, and is found out on the slow Blues track where it quavers and doesn’t meet the mark. Get a singer and this would be a band to watch in the future.

MERV OSBORNE

JImmy WITheRSpOOn

rooTsfeaTurIngBen WeBsTer/eponymous Hoo Doo records

This release features two of Jimmy Witherspoon’s finest albums from the 60’s. Roots (Reprise 1962), with the wonderful accompaniment of saxophonist Ben Webster, trumpeter Gerald Wilson and a rhythm section consisting of Ralph Hamilton (bass), Herman Mitchell (guitar), Ernie Freeman (piano) and Jim Miller (drums). The Eponymous album (Crown 1960) is filled with gems and live recordings from 1947 –1951. Roots is an incredibly warm recording, the small combo setting allowing

Witherspoon and Webster to shine. It’s an album of blues standards beautifully sung by Jimmy, while Ben’s tenor solos drip with the blues. Witherspoon’s rich tone flows through a perfect set of songs, including Your Red Wagon, I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water, Key To The Highway (one of the most unique versions ever recorded) and Jimmy Rushing’s Did You Ever. The finger-popping reading of Big Joe Turner’s It’s A Low Down Dirty Shame is pure gutbucket blues, where the rhythm section swings hard, whilst not as raucous as the original, ‘Spoon’s smooth, clear delivery is beautifully complimented by Gerald Wilson’s trumpet solo and then by Webster’s sax.

The Eponymous album is a good overview of Witherspoon’s early career in which he, along with other R&B singers of that period, was purveying a brand of West Coast blues that could both croon and swing. ‘Spoon’s inimitable vocal style is ideally suited to the intimate, relaxed musical accompaniment that label manager Joe Bihari surrounded him with. There are four R&B hits on here Ain’t Nobody’s Business, No Rollin’ Blues, Big Fine Girl and Once There Lived A Fool, featuring some of the greatest session men of that period, such as Buddy Floyd and Maxwell Davis (tenor sax), trumpeter Jake Porter, guitarist Chuck Norris and ‘Spoon’s mentor from Kansas City, Jay McShann on piano.

Whilst the former were all recorded in the studio, there are also live recordings from 1949 at a Just Jazz concert in California, including Ain’t Nobody’s Business, No Rollin’ Blues and Big Fine Girl, with a spontaneous rawness unusual even by

the standards of this period. These two outstanding, historic recordings have been remastered and packaged together in this special collector’s edition, which includes 3 bonus tracks from the same period, Hard Workin’ Blues, I’m Just A Lady’s Man and Don’t Ever Move A Woman Into Your House.

CLIVE RAWLINGS

mIckey JUpp

kIssmeQuICk sQueezemesloW repertoire

Jupp’s legacy of south coast, down-home blues is often overlooked, so this anthology is long overdue and very welcome. Neatly packed in sturdy card box with same

sturdy book style for the three CDs and DVD to be clipped in and forty six page booklet which includes great and informative sleeve notes and commentary by Will Birch (ex Kursal Flyer) and more in the shape of quotes, pictures and a full discography.

There is not much more you could ask for but then this is Repertoire doing the job. This is for sure a very comprehensive overview of this talent that had such an influence on the Thames Delta and of course Dr. Feelgood. Mickey is yet another of that breed that we call ‘the artists artist’ who has garnered so much respect from those in the musical profession yet had never reached the great

The DellA gRAnTS TImeforChange

The debut album of the DG’s is a super start to the longer term recording aspirations of this British, Rock cum Rhythm and Blues Band. Three of them; Max Manning, Andy Boulton and Tom Walker (the latter I hasten to add, is no relation to yours truly) have been playing in some form or other for over 14 years, and the addition of Guitarist Tom Best has given them impetus to forge a productive recording career, which if; Time For Change is anything to go by will be long lasting and fruitful. This album has only one cover on it, and the rest are originals by the band. Additionally it was produced in a mere 6 days and to a standard which better known groups could only aspire to. When you think about an album put together in such a short space of time, then you’d be forgiven for suspecting the quality. Not here though, the opening track Too Fast sets the bar and is followed by successive tracks with all the hallmarks of R&B classic instrumentation. In this respect track three Lay My Head is the epitome of this R&B genre with superb harmonica blending with delicate finger work on guitar allied to sympathetic drumming. The cover version of Keb Mo’s Delta Blues classic; Am I Wrong is a cracker and had my geographic knowledge taxed as they truly sounded as though they were from the hot sultry Delta Region of the U.S. instead of the Midlands of England. This is true value for money so do yourself a favour and get it soon.

TOM WALKER

mAgIc SlIm AnD The TeARDROpS puremagIC

Wolf records

The fourteen numbers collected here are from live dates played in Austria, during the period between nineteen ninety–two and ninety five, Morris ‘Magic Slim’ Holt is joined by the Teardrops; (his brother) Nick Holt; bass, Earl Howell; drums and last but by no means least John Primer guitar. The sound quality is crisp, sharp and crystal clear, the attentive and appreciative audience are already in the groove as the striding guitar’s rich and funky opening notes of Love Somebody, pour out of the speakers.

The crisply rich and fluidly ringing notes from Magic’s string stroking fingers, immediately transport you a sweeter, better place. His rolling and tumbling, rough and ready approach to the blues whether it be Chicago or Delta based is very similar to that of Hound Dog Taylor and is all the better for it, because as you listen, you are automatically transported there with him, in mind and spirit. The set includes splendid renditions of numbers such as; a very fine and stirring, string bending version of Albert King’s I Got The Blues, while Lovin’ You (Is The Best Thing That Has Happened To Me) rolls wonderfully along with a low swinging guitar groove. The evocative and sincere slow burning Since I Met You Baby, has Magic expressing his emotions in low and mellow tones that are succinctly accompanied by a heartfelt and almost lonesome lyrical guitar. Look Over Yonder’s Wall, sees Magic infuse a rolling, urging stroller with some delicate string tingling finger moves. The dark pleading vocals he wails, seamlessly unite with the stark ringing emphatic guitar strokes he conjures up on Jimmie, are simply marvellous. Definitely, one for the collection!

BRIAN HARMAN

heights of those that look up to him. You have seventy songs here including some from his time with Legend, some mono versions and alternate versions plus the DVD is of the Long Distance Romancer – The Songs of Mickey Jupp, which was featured in the Anglia TV’s Marquee series of art programs in 1994. For those interested this is a super and very interesting set indeed and must be recommended.

TOBY ORNOTT

certainly grabs your attention with a huge guitar riff and ballsy, confrontational vocals which scream try me if you dare. Southern Honey rocks furiously but the pace changes for the slow burning dirty blues When The Crow Flies, which features raw, swaggering vocals from Miss Hunter. Gareth Annable contributes fiery slide guitar to Mama They’ll Never Know and the rhythm section of Steve Briggs on bass and Robert Glasner on drums are more prominent as Hunter’s bold vocals tell a tale of forbidden love.

22:11 records

Debut album from dynamic blues-rockers mixing British rock with Southern rock grooves and the sounds of the Delta swamps. They are based in Kent and have been gigging solidly for a couple of years, most recently at the Legends of Rock festival in Great Yarmouth. Walk The Line starts off broodingly and then crashes out of the speakers with a heavy guitar riff and belting vocals from powerful front woman Sky Hunter. Don’t argue with this lady! Favourite Bitch will be released as a single and it

The bluesy power ballad One Last Time features sultry vocals and a particularly melodic guitar solo. The raw emotional River Blues hints at Janis Joplin’s vocal style and the strutting Don’t You has echoes of Black Crowes. Other echoes in this music recall Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy. The album closes with Fix You a slow heavy riffing seven minute epic which rises and falls majestically as it changes tempo with soulful vocals and screaming guitars. Unexpectedly there is a hidden bonus – an untitled track featuring restrained vocals and interweaving layers of acoustic guitars which shows a different side to this band. This is a striking debut album from a heavy rocking band fronted by a powerhouse vocalist and together they whip up a storm.

DAVE DRURY

mARkey BlUe hey,hey soul sound records

Jeanette Markey and her partner in crime guitarist, Ric Latina have for quite some time now been noteworthy artists and members of the

Nashville Blues Society; playing various venues in their own right as well as regularly taking part in weekend jams in and around the area. Their only other release has been a four tack E.P. which appeared a few years ago but now, they have delivered an album of original material consisting of twelve numbers that have your feet tapping from the very start. Unfortunately there is not enough room here to name the fine ensemble that join Markey and Ric in creating a welcome return of the Muscle Shoals and Memphis sounds of the past.

The opener, When Love Comes Along (Hey, Hey), is a fast brassy blaster that evokes echoes of B.B. King but with a roaring and burning organ. Markey possess a voice that encompasses both sweet and svelte crooning with the raw power of a blast furnace, which is amply displayed on such numbers as; Something Wrong, a grooving Northern soul foot tapper that has Markey drawing you in with her sensuously enticing voice. Rics’ perfectly pitched guitar work carries you back to a time when carefree was simply part of daily life. The uplifting and at times tear jerking horn section only adds to the feelings of good times past but, not forgotten.

The floating and bubbling minimal keyboards on Flames, make way for a searing horn section that is paired with Markey’s fiery vocals while Rics’ rich guitar work splendidly entwines with both horns and keyboards. With You, is a slow burning and evocative horn punching Southern Soul tale concerning true love and devotion. On the sultry but, sad Baby I’m Crying, Markey ably captures the feeling of vulnerability and hurt that the

great Ann Peebles managed to evoke so well. Well worth a listen!

BRIAN HARMAN

hOWell DeVIne

modernsoundsof anCIenT JuJu

arhooie

With a credit from Charlie Musselwhite to spur him on, Howell Devine (Joshua Howell and Pete Devine) should be rightly proud of the music they have created here. The music is Blues in the classic style, acoustic and without the unnecessary hoopla of modern Blues but well enough recorded that the music is fresh and modern too. The true test of a band playing is their treatment of classics and the opener here is Muddy Waters Can’t Be Satisfied given a country Blues treatment: Howell’s slide is superb and with Pete Devine’s drums skittering and clicking away it feels light and airy but still has the feel of the original –Joe Kyle Jr. delivers some steadfast upright bass, anchoring the track and all round it is a great opener.

Frank Stokes wrote It Won’t Be Long Now in around 1925 and with Devine adding washboard to Howell’s clean acoustic sound it has all the feel of the original but presented beautifully. Stokes Sweet Mama loses some of the dirtiness of the original but gains a sense of innocence that makes for an interesting listen. Sonny Boy Williamson gets a look in with a chilling She Brought Life Back To The Dead with Howell wailing on harp alongside washboard and that wonderful bass from Kyle.

It goes on with numbers written by the likes of Booker T, Al White and a

nod to Howlin’ Wolf but the numbers written by Howell & Devine and well up to the classics and Woogie Man jams along with a great sense of “we’re going and we’ll get there but meantime let’s just chill” to it. Personal favorite is their version of Bukka White’s Shake Em On Down where they add a swamp feel to their sound. Howell, Devine & Kyle have a long history playing with some major names in American music but this album feels as though they have found the right place for them and the album is a cracker.

ANDY SNIPPER

Your Guest List is a gospel powered blues stomper, featuring the vocal talents of Lester Lands. After the feel good grooves of the first seven tracks, the weakest track here is the only cover, a life version of Bill Wither’s Ain’t No Sunshine which turns the melancholy masterpiece into a showcase for duelling guitars, which works in the live arena, but adds nothing really new to either the album, or the song.

henRy cARpAneTO VoodooBoogIe

Orange Home records

blind racoon records

The genesis of the Generation Blues

Experience is in the chance meeting of teenage guitar prodigy Ray Goren, 78 year old guitarist and singer Jamie Powell, and 68 year old harmonica player Sammy Lee. From their conversations, they put together a band, with full brass and an easy going groove and collective sense, and Private Angel is the end result. Over this short, eight track release, they show the connections between musicians of vastly different ages, and find common ground, musically.

We have the blues rock opening of Little Mama, to the jazz inflected Rainin’, which features an incredibly mature vocal performance from Ray Goren, whose incendiary, Buddy Guy like guitar is heard throughout the album.

Katrina is a look at the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans, whilst Put Love On

The grooves are all up-beat, and the full brass section adds a lot to the sound mix. Although having a band of older men, fronted by such a young guitarist and singer may at times seem like little more than a marketing gimmick, this is soon dispelled by the contents of the disc. It is soulful, bluesy music which has quality written throughout it.

BEN MACNAIR

New Orleans style boogie woogie piano playing does not appeal to this reviewer but am now a convert this is a master class of that big New Orleans sound. Researching Italian Henry Carpaneto he is an undoubted talent on keyboards getting much publicity on the European circuit and plaudits by fellow musicians. Already in an Italian band Guitar Ray And The Gamblers who have brought out three previous releases, for this one he has taken the step of doing a more solo recording. However this is no ordinary take he has brought in some real luminaries of the New Orleans music scene Bryan

It’s album number three for Norwegian slide guitarist Daniel Eriksen. His thing is Mississippi Delta blues, done the old way, and he really is very good at it indeed. He’s well known over there in Europe, sharing stages with the likes of Lazy Lester, John Mooney, Rick Danko, Eden Brent, Linda Gail Lewis and Phil Guy, and when he turns his hand to the music of folks such as Skip James, Leadbelly, Blind Willie Johnson and their ilk, it’s a real treat. I say a treat, but it’s certainly not easy listening or something likely to cheer you up, as he moans and wails his way through songs such as I Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down, John The Revelator and See That My Grave Is Kept Clean. He shouts, stomps and screams his way through this set of Delta blues and dark gospel with plenty of feeling. So much, in fact, that you sometimes forget this is a new record from a modern day, Scandinavian blues man. The songs are tales of life, death, redemption and failed redemption. It’s one of those records you can listen to over and over, and one that makes you want to go back and investigate his other work. And with two full albums and an EP tribute to Leadbelly to his name, there’s plenty more to hear.

STUART A HAMILTON

Albums reviews

Lee on guitar and all vocals

Tony Coleman mainly drumming for BB King and most credited of all is his producer Otis Grand who has worked with him on previous releases and various music festivals and basically helped get this formidable ensemble together. Henry is a virtuoso piano player very noticeable on Hammond organ solo on My Brain Is Gone and the laid back first track Drinking And Thinking sets the tone for the feeling of being in a downtown club in Bourbon Street just so laid back. Another highlight where the band shows how well they gel together is Caldonia an easy going upbeat boogie

geD WIlSOn WhaT’sgoIngon?

Independent

song with saxophone backing from Paolo Maffi. One Room is also a favourite and again displays the talents of Henry on piano without stealing limelight from rest of the band. There is a feeling of joyous expression to this release catchy and uplifting.

COLIN CAMPBELL

JImmy cARpenTeR WalkaWay

Vizztone Jimmy Carpenter is best known as a sideman, having started with Tinsley Ellis, before joining former Nighthawk

Ged Wilson has been around the block, probably more times than most, a very familiar sight and sound on the Blues circuit in Britain supporting the likes of Aynsley Lister, The Idle Hands and many more but I hadn’t heard him on album before this release and it’s a shame because he is pretty damn good. He sits in a place that could be described as Thames Delta Cajun (although he hails from Manchester) with a loose and sloppy groove (the good kind of loose and sloppy) and a dark miasma of sound coupled with a very definite English touch on the vocals. There are touches of jazz as well as Blues on the album but it definitely sits in a Blues place pretty well. The playing all through is excellent – he handpicked the musicians for this including BJH Kevin Whitehead on drums, Steve Buckley-Bruce on bass and keys and Tony Marshall on sax.

All the songs were written for the album but they have been played live and he has tuned them for the audience. I found that the more I listened to it the greater the detail was coming out at me, excellent guitar and sublime funk in the drums or choppy and Stax-like rhythms on a track like Spin The Coin. The groove on the opener, Different Class, is right out of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s top drawer and he continues choogling on Lies. The songs are more than your usual loves won, lost or destroyed as he touches on cheating politicians or the perils of poverty but this isn’t a shouty politico stance and the music is really what he is all about. A fine little album, well worth a few listens and I will be looking out for him live near me sometime soon.

ANDY SNIPPER

Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers for five years, before he moved to New Orleans to link up with Walter Wolfman Washington’s band the Roadmasters. It was while in New Orleans that he carved out a career as an arranger and musician, playing with just about everyone including Mike Zito, Eric Lindell, Anson Funderburgh, Honey Island Swamp Band, Papa Grows Funk and many others. But he’s also been working away in his own name, writing and singing, in addition to his saxophone duties.

This latest record sees his own take on Louisiana blues, with some special guests such as the aforementioned Mike Zito and Anson Funderburgh popping in for a jam. This offering has been fuelled by a woman in his life, which he says includes his unrequited passions, and sometimes obsessive preoccupation with them. A bit scary, but at least it has resulted in some good tunes.

Especially when he adds in some funk and soul riffs to tunes like Walk Away and C King Blues, which bring back the sound of Muscle Shoals. There’s even a pop hit in waiting lurking in the grooves. That would be She’s Not You, which if placed with a modern popstrel would get some serious airplay. Best of all, though, is the duet with Reba Russell on Fellow Traveler, which heads off into the world of country blues. It’s a really good offering, which when it strays from the standard blues template is sometimes remarkable.

STUART A

HAMILTON

JOhn SchOOley

ThemanWhorode ThemulearoundThe World

Voodoo records

The first release in seven years from Austin, Texas based bluesman John Schooley, certainly gets an extra point for coming up with a title like The Man

Who Rode The Mule Around The World

Mr Schooley is another musician, who likes to mix his blues with other influences. In this case, old time country and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Which is fine by me, and should be good for anyone who likes to hear something a wee bit different. I’ve only heard his earlier material in passing, but this one seems to be amping up the country vibe, something that should have been obvious when the opening (instrumental) track is called Clawhammer Banjo Medley.

After all, with a name like that, what else could it be? He goes for an unusual one man band setup, playing a doubleneck guitar, banjo and foot drum, with Austin harmonica player Walter Daniels popping up hither and thither. But it works as he clatters through a mix of covers and originals, the best of which include Doubleneck Stomp, It’s Git Down Time, Pray For The Lights To Go Out and Look Out Mabel. He’s no bandwagon jumper, either, having started life as a teenage punk before playing guitar with R.L. Burnside and heading off into his solo world of music. Highly recommended, if you like things rough, ready and old time.

STUART A HAMILTON

SnOWy WhITe lIVeaT The roCkpalasT repertoire

Another in the Repertoire series of double CD and DVD sets

that are very well packaged. This Snowy White set is again one recorded at the legendary Rockpalast live TV show in Germany and was first broadcast in 1974. Snowy White is one of the UK’s most accomplished guitarists. With a career including appearances and recordings with artists as diverse as Pink Floyd, Al Stewart, Cockney Rebel, Cliff Richard, and Thin Lizzy and many more. He has also been a successful solo artist in his own right since the mid-1980s.

Previously on Rockpalast with Thin Lizzy in 1981, he returned in 2007 as the front man with his White Flames band, whose career began in 1996. The tight backing band of talented Dutch musicians Juan Van Emmerloot (drums) and Walter Latupeirissa (bass), together with the seasoned Jeff Beck/Chris Rea sideman Max Middleton (keyboards), provide the perfect backing to allow Snowy’s distinctive fretwork to flow.

Highlights include title track of his album No Faith Required, and the encore I Loved Another Woman: Snowy’s tribute to legendary Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green, his mentor and a key influence. There is an extract from a show 11 years earlier where the song was originally played as a threepiece at the CrossroadsBlues & More Blues Festival in Leverkusen 1996 – the year the first White Flames band album No Faith Required was released. The recording of that show was not broadcast, so here you have a newly restored, rough cut version which is a collectable bonus feature. A highlight of the 1996 festival performance is the opener, another Peter Green song, Looking For Somebody. So there are moments of sheer

magic and memory here to enjoy and musical mastery.

TOBY ORNOTT

mISSy AnDeRSen

InThemomenT

main squeeze records

This is an album that is full of soul that has a tinge of blue that makes it work so well and the obvious synergy between Missy Anderson her husband/producer

Heine Andersen on guitar is obvious as this Detroit lady belts out a whole lot of something! The experience of being a backing singer to the likes of Ray Charles, BB King and part of the Jezabelles who backed Earl Thomas is apparent with her timing as she steps back and allows the glorious musicians around her take the limelight, and the little moments of silence where we the listener can draw breath.

The variation in writers gives the whole album balance and depth and a variation of lyrical tempo and approach. There are eleven tracks that all have something to say, there is not one moment that is a filler or you wonder why it was included. Opening with Benny Clark’s Rent Party it is her voice that instantly impresses and with the glorious sound of the horns you are already under her spell which will continue to the last track another cover this time from Snooks Eaglin; I’ve Been Walkin’. There is one thing for sure... you will not be walking away from this album she delivers a warmth and energy that makes sit back and enjoy the songs. The other highlights for me were Ladies Shoes with its bluesy intro and a theme we all love shopping for shoes

kIng BIScUIT BOyS allInadaysWork

Recorded in a day with the help of Gwyn Ashton, this latest from the King Biscuit Boys is as raw and rootsy as you would expect given the tight budget and time constraints the band placed on themselves. A collection of acoustic originals and reworked blues standards, more often than not given humorous lyrical twists by the duo, All In A Days Work captures all of the band’s unfurnished elegance as well as their impressive array of instruments and talents as players.

There’s obviously plenty of guitar and throaty vocals (pitched at an entirely authentic Delta yell throughout) but the band also have their trademark virtuosic harmonica, as well as melodica, washboard and even spoons in their arsenal. Album opener Cold In The Morning is a wonderful duet between harmonica and guitar and is rife with double entendre, a stylistic trait so oft overlooked in the Blues. Lies Travel Faster than the truth has an almost ethereal quality more than likely due to it’s open tuning, and again highlights the band’s willingness to pay tribute to their Blues idols (in this case Son House).

There is some fantastic slide work on the likes of Tell By Her Look and some interesting bass/harmonica counterpoint on Bye Bye Baby and it’s perhaps here that the band’s ‘ace in the hole’ becomes most apparent, this unlikely duo have that rarest of things, chemistry. The musical empathy they so clearly share is hard to resist and only ever serves the material in a beneficial way. Whilst a word of advice would be to amp up their promotional game as trying to find any relevant info on these guys may make you feel like you’re actually trying to track down one of the original legendary bluesman (perhaps this is the point), as songwriters and musicians first and foremost they are hard to fault.

RHYS WILLIAMS

in her beautiful voice and clever piano and No Regrets with a real live sound that is captured throughout the album it is really is In The Moment.

LIZ AIKEN

hURRIcAIne RUTh

BornonTherIVer blind raccoon CD

Cover up the budgie, put the cat out and send your dog to the garden shed. Phew! They don’t call this woman

‘Hurricane’ for nothing. This is modern, mid-American power blues, and this smartly packaged CD bears a picture of the band on its sleeve and they look exactly like they sound; tough. Ruth La Master (what an apt surname) is a highly experienced blues singer who began her career in 1979. Quality goes to quality, so when you see who this lady has performed with, opening for names like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon and Taj Mahal, plus

Albums reviews

featuring at dozens of top festivals, then you know you’re in for some roller coaster blues. The band are a powerhouse trio of David Lumsden, guitar, Gary Davis, bass, and Jim Engel, drums. The title track, Born On The River, immediately has you catching your breath, and Make Love To Me leaves you panting. With Lumsden’s strident, aggressive guitar driving the sound along like a train, what you have here is 11 slabs of pure wake-up music, but no matter how big that power trio can sound, Hurricane Ruth is the locomotive. And there’s 12 pages of lyrics to peruse. It would be great to see this outfit this side of the pond. Stirring stuff, yet exactly what you’d expect from a hurricane.

ROY BAINTON

kIRBy SeWell BAnD

gIrlWIThaneW

TaTToo

smelly Cat records

This is undoubtedly a well crafted release from a very tight and

bbC recording

accomplished band that have brought together an eclectic mix of ten original easy flowing cuts. Canada certainly seems to be a hot bed of blues talent and Kirby Sewell certainly fits the bill of a powerful frontman not afraid to blast out vocals and mellowing down tones in this superb release. With hints of Americana barrelhouse blues with noted bass guitar licks by Jae Cho on Carry Me Home.

Starting with The Devils

In The Detail a lesson to his partner it has hard hitting drums by Jim Johnston overlaying the funky electric guitar of Neil Gunhold a combination noted throughout this release Girl With A New Tattoo is a tantalising glimpse into the lead singers more seedy side or just an appreciation of his girlfriend’s tattoos a stop start take makes this an interesting track indeed. Other takes on the loving relationships are covered on Simply Not Enough and A Better Reason that have good lyrics showing off the talented tone and singing by lead singer. Stop And Go has any amount of innuendo

If you are going to record a live album I can think of no better place than the Royal Albert Hall. The album was recorded by the BBC for the Paul Jones’ radio show. Otis Redding’s Mr Pitiful shows great vocal and guitar skills and a piano solo by Sam Mason to die for. Freddie King’s Have You Ever Loved A Woman is tastefully done and made his own. Love Nobody No More has echoes of Eric Clapton and his version of the Temptations I Know I’m Losing You has a guitar solo normally heard from a heavy metal band, and again It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way has a solo that to be proud of. Ben has a soulful vocal style and is a guitarist in his own right, and his influences reek of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton (is that a bad thing?) I think not! Lovely live album to play in the car.

and lust with an underlying resonating slide guitar showing Morgan Turk’s undoubted talent on his solo contribution. For the final track emotions again run high with a definite nod to the delta blues phenomenon on the very catchy foot stomping Till The River Starts To Overflow. A subtle and classy release a definite grower.

COLIN CAMPBELL

JeFF DAle AnD

“There’s only two kinds of music – good and bad”, is Jeff’s pronouncement on the title track, a sentiment with which I guess most readers would agree. “Blues without the blinkers” may be what this magazine recommends, but for this set, you can more or less keep the blinkers on if you want.

Bandleader, singer and guitarist Jeff here presents a straight-up, no-nonsense blues sound, the kind of music you’d expect to hear in a south side Chicago club, and that’s no coincidence either, as that is where Jeff was born and raised, though he now lives in Los Angeles. His career had something of a false start in the 80s, when he worked and recorded with the Blue Wave Band, but hopefully this set will give him a better break, as he certainly deserves it on this evidence.

He honed his talents with the likes of Honeyboy Edwards, Lowell Fulson, Etta James, Pee Wee Crayton, Clifton Chenier and others over the years, and includes the great but under-rated Charlie Love as guest Woodlawner. In truth, the group line-up is er, flexible,

shall we say? “Rag tag”, the website says! The sleeve adds, accurately, that all 13 musicians played their asses off. Jeff’s lived-in voice convinces easily. Not that he is a hidebound traditionalist – lend an ear to the slow blues Final Destination, which boasts a cello solo or the Fever-derived Murder, with its prominent oboe: they fit just fine! Nice to report too that all the songs are Jeff Dale originals, with influences like Magic Sam, Muddy, Howlin’ Wolf, Junior Wells, BB and Albert King making this an extremely listenable and enjoyable release.

NORMAN DARWEN

The

knIckeRBOckeR All STARS

openmICaT TheknICk

JP Cadillac records

Here is a real treat for any Blues enthusiast. This compilation release, an assortment of standards and unsung classics all performed by musicians who regularly frequent Rhode Island’s Knickerbocker Café, features some of the most authentic, raw Blues and soul music you’ll ever come across.

The concept seems to be to capture both the original and true feeling of each song and the loose, uninhibited dynamic of an open mic at the venue. In both endeavors it succeeds beyond all doubt. Vocally too every song and singer have been carefully paired to best emulate, and do justice to, the great blues front men. Backed by a full dancehall horn section and with bluesy boogie-woogie piano driving most numbers, the band includes blues heroes, Curtis Saglado,

Ben pOOle

lIVeaT TheroyalalBerThall

BOB BONSEY

John Nicholas, Sugar Ray Norcia, Malford Milligan, Dave Maxwell, Al Copley, and project masterminds Bob & Fran Christina, the musicianship (and showmanship) showcased throughout is never short of sublime. The band clearly understand their material and their genre’s heritage and manage to seamlessly inject both humor and emotion into their material, though always tastefully and appropriately.

The melodrama of You Upset Me Baby, Reconsider Baby and Somebody’s Got To Go is leavened by the tongue-in-cheek delivery of Mother-In-Law Blues and Jelly Jelly. But the standout tracks here are the undeniable Blues classics I’m Tore Down, Ain’t That Loving You and Going Down, this material really lets the band’s myriad of talents shine through whilst reminding you of the power of these songs in and of themselves.

This is definitely a case of material and musicians elevating each other. The vast majority of this record’s audience will most likely never set foot in The Knickerbocker Café or hear this group of musicians perform live, but this release manages to capture so much of the magic that lingers and ignites such live performances that you may just feel like you were there.

RHYS WILLIAMS

SlOWmAn happyBoy

slow records

This is the Slowman’s (famous for his Hendrix interpretations) third album. This is a nice CD, great song, great vocals, Americana in style but the problem is Svante (Slowman) Torngren doesn’t

seem to know which hat he’s wearing. For example, Time could be by Bob Segar. Nothing To Pretend is a ringer for Springsteen. Little Berlin and What Do We Do Now could be Jackson Brown or Stephen Stills. Then we have The Eagles Every Heart Is Crying. Ain’t Gonna Worry and Where The Roses Grow is distinctly Warren Zevon style. Baby’s Burning is standard blues. That being said I like the album.

BOB BONSEY

eRneST TROOST

oloVe travellin’ shoes

Ernest Troost gained most notoriety as an Emmy nominated song composer for films but more recently has concentrated on a solo career. He has brought out three previous solo release also soundtracks previous to these. This release is an outstanding example of rootsy Americana music not really blues orientated but with some twangy folk blues noticeable on the lovely slow slide guitar driven All I Ever Wanted. From the opening track Old Screen Door with its portrayal of family rows his voice resonates with soft lilting tones with his honest and heart felt take on all tracks.

For all this quaintness in vocals it is the lyrics that stand out such as the effects on community dealing with mining and strikes on Harlan County Boys. A particular stand out track is the ballad Close an intense and evocative reflection of a long term relationship. All the way through this release there is an infectious desire by the listener to get immersed in the raw emotions of the songs but there are gritty

mIghTy BOSScATS

The7deadlysIns

Independent release

The latest release from Richard Townend, this time with his full band The Mighty Bosscats, sees him taking the theme of the seven deadly sins and writing a song inspired by each. As ever with Richard you get thought provoking lyrics carefully constructed and wrapped in talented playing from all involved. Opener Sweet Wine representing gluttony sets a lovely tone for the album, a countryish blues with gorgeous backing vocals by Alex Outlaw. 15 Minute Blues is next, a cool big city vibe, wonderfully paced with brilliant sax by Greg Camburn. My favourite of the seven tracks is probably The Diamonds, the greed inspired track, about blood diamonds from the worlds war zones, great intro with some deep blues slide guitar going on. You always find variety in Richards writing and Lazy has an almost jazz feel while album closer Indiana State Prison Blues adds a bit of swing. The Mighty Bosscats are a talented group of quality musicians, Phil Wilson (bass), Glen Buck (drums) and Phil Pawsey on keys always adding subtleties and twists to enhance the sound. Although inspired by the seven sins these songs are really about the universal themes of life and relationships and that’s what the best blues music has always been about.

STEVE YOURGLIVCH

undertones, it is hard to not assimilate his vocals to a Neil Young drawl but that is no criticism. With harmonies and backing vocals particularly Nicole Gordon on title track O Love a song that meanders like a fast stream and snarling bass drum played by Ralph Humphrey on Storm Comin’. This is a very accomplished and melodic release proving he is one of the best singer songwriters in the music business.

COLIN CAMPBELL

lISA mIllS

I’mChangIng

Independent

Mississippi born Lisa Mills has been a regular visitor to the United Kingdom over the last decade or so, touring with former Big Town Playboys bass player Ian Jennings,

who is present as both musician and co-producer on this set, a re-recording and re-working of her first studio album, originally released back in 2005. The present set was laid down in Mobile, Alabama with many of the musicians who were involved on the original album contributing once again. The resulting release is richly varied, with a sound that varies from the old-timey gospel inflected a cappella of Tell Me to the Otis

Redding flavoured soul of the opening Better Than This/I Don’t Need You

Anymore, via the youthful exuberance of the poppy Eyes So Blue, the more mature and quite sublimely sung I Don’t Want To Be Happy and the tough Americana Of The Truth. Lisa’s two cover versions are revealing: from Reverend

Albums reviews

Robert Wilkins she has taken the slow build I Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down with whining slide guitar by Corky Hughes, whilst Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing is transformed into a virtuoso slow blues performance, with some very thoughtful and sensitive slide guitar from Hughes again. The notes make the point that Lisa can be called a blues singer, a gospel singer, a torch singer or an R&B singer, to which I might also add an Americana

eRIc BIBB Bluespeople

Dixiefrog

singer, and those are all correct. Most importantly, this release shows beyond doubt that she is an always bluesy, always a wonderful singer.

VICTOR IAN LEYLAND

SÉBASTIen TROenDlÉ

rag‘n’ BoogIe

(pIanosolo)

Frémeaux Piano blues has waned in prominence somewhat

Is it coincidence that this set opens with the rather John Lee Hooker-esque blues of Silver Spoon? After all, rather like The Boogie Man’s breakthrough set, this album features an array of special guests, including the likes of Popa Chubby (outstanding on this opener), Taj Mahal, Harrison Kennedy, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Linda Tillery and Ruthie Foster, among others. Maybe it actually is coincidence, but as with Hooker’s release, the present set does provide a fine showcase for the main man, a strong blues set that hangs together very nicely. Eric’s guitar work is fine, his voice as attractive as ever, and his song-writing skills as strong and compelling as ever, drawing frequently on traditional items, absorbed and subtly reworked.

The destructive effects of racism are dealt with head-on in the harrowing, haunting Rosewood, written as a personal recollection of the destruction of an African-American community in 1923, with some optimism surfacing on the smouldering blue funk styled summary of the Civil Rights marches from Selmer, Alabama to Montgomery that is Dream Catchers (Eric has said this release was partly inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King), the “we’re all in this together” philosophy of the upbeat, gospel flavoured Chain Reaction and the lovely sophisticated soul celebration of Remember

The Ones, Pink Dream Cadillac and Chocolate Man (the latter a jaunty duet with Guy Davis) lighten the mood with some not-so subtle double-entendre, whilst Taj Mahal on banjo and vocals introduces a version of the sublime Needed Time – almost a two-parter, with the Blind Boys also helping out. The pumping, South African styled Home is another highlight on an album of highlights.

To sum up, one of Eric’s best – the guests are just the icing on a very tasty cake…

NORMAN DARWEN

over the last couple of decades, as the originators and main protagonists of the style died off. At one time Europe was home to Memphis Slim, Champion Jack Dupree, Eddie Boyd, Curtis Jones, Candy Green, Little Willie Littlefield and others, and in Germany and Austria there has long been a tradition of local boogie-woogie piano players, with the best known representative internationally being Zxel Zwingenberger.

Young Sébastien

Troendlé was born in SaintLouis (hmm, maybe that helped!) and was himself inspired by his fellow countryman, French jazz pianist Claude Bolling (who also recorded blues and boogie) and he has worked in many styles from reggae to classical, in addition to playing in his regular blues duo, Strings For Two.

This set provides just what the title promises: old time solo piano ragtime numbers, some popular and cheesy such as Kitten On The Keys and Waiting For The Robert E. Lee, others like Jelly Roll Morton’s The Perfect Rag far more dazzling. Unlike some who tackle this kind of material though, Sébastien’s treatment is warm and human rather than the recreation of a player piano that can sometimes be the case.

As far the boogiewoogie tracks are concerned, these are simply stunning (try his cover of Albert Ammons’ classic Boogie Woogie Stomp or Pete Johnson’s Death Ray Boogie) and our man closes out this immensely listenable and educative CD with a wonderful version of James P. Johnson’s Harlem Strut, Harlem stride piano at its finest.

NORMAN DARWEN

mISSISSIppI heAT

WarnIngshoT Delmark

It is easier to call Mississippi Heat an ensemble, rather than a band, as there are a number of musicians that have come and gone throughout it’s 23 year lifespan. Formed by harmonica player Pierre Lacocque, he is the main driving force behind the Heat, but is also very much a father figure in that he looks after and cares for those who play with him. Offering 16 tracks, all of which are band originals, the album clocks in at a mouth watering 64 minutes of Blues. There are so many differing styles on offer here. Elmore James style Sweet Poison opens with slide guitar and Lacocque’s harp growling throughout. Boogie blasts out with Alley Cat Boogie as Inetta Visor belts out her vocals and the sax rips out a blast mid song. Calypso style Blues is offered on Come To Mama, a rum-soaked, sun-drenched catchy tune that begs the feet to move. Then the feel is completely changed in a jazzy Blues, suited to a smoky late-night club as Ms. Visor smoulders with some great vocal. Old style Chicago is represented with the title track, Warning Shot on which Neal O’Hara plays some superb organ. We’re back in the Caribbean with Recession Blues, sounding very much like a Cuban salsa, the band sashay around Inetta’s vocals, and Giles Corey’s guitar solo is so very apt.

This is how the album moves, never staying still, but always moving into differing aspects of the wonderful world of Blues. I have to say that on first listen I wasn’t

impressed, feeling that it didn’t meet the level of some of their previous releases. Now however, after several listens, I have changed my thoughts and believe it’s up there with the best of them. My favourite track, dedicated to Lacocque’s grandchildren, is a light-hearted New Orleans style funk that recalls the sound of the early Santana band but with sax. Both bass and drums get their opportunity to strut their stuff and Corey’s guitar solo is top drawer.

MERV OSBORNE

VARgAS BlUeS BAnD fromThedark

Off Yer rocka recordings. It seems difficult to believe, but this Madrid-based blues rocker has been around for over twenty years and has, on average, released an album every year. His CV is incredible having worked with real superstars of the rock world including Chris Rea, Jack Bruce, Glenn Hughes, Devon Allman, Carmine Appice and Bonamassa. The hint to that is, Javier does not do vocals, just lays down fantastic guitar, often with a Latino tinge, but always enthralling. On this new album, he’s using his own vocalist, Mancunian Gaz Pearson, along with Luis Mayo on bass and Peter Kunst on drums. For the one cover on here, Don Nix’s Palace Of The King, our own Dani Wilde and Chris Jagger add vocals.

Javier’s playing has him rocking out one moment, bringing it down the next, best illustrated on the instrumental Esperanto, combining acoustic (Roberto Daiqui) with electric guitar to obtain an Eastern feel, over delicate

percussion. Wah-wah solos abound on opener Bye Bye Zombie, Let It Go is pure blues/rock.

Moon Light Blues gives us the first hint of Javier’s Latino roots, redressing the balance quickly on the radio friendly Radioactivity, which contains the best melody on the album, laid back with excellent slide work and a great beat. Best of all, though, is the tribute to Roy Buchanan, Roy’s Blues, where Tamas Szasz’s keyboard compliments Javier’s sympathetic soloing. From The Dark is a guitar driven album, with everything you’d come to expect from Vargas, thoroughly recommended by this reviewer.

CLIVE RAWLINGS

gARy mOORe lIVeaT Bushhall2007 eagle records

This is the first release of this live broadcast from Bush Hall, it was originally put out on Planet Rock Radio in May 2007 and apart from an odd airing, has never been repeated. The broadcast was part of the promotion for the then newly released Close As You Get, and consists mostly of numbers from that album.

The 400 strong audience were drawn from ticket winners, so it was a very exclusive gig. As far as the CD is concerned, it has 13 tracks and definitely has that edgy live feel to it, even though the audience responses are quite well back in the mix. Sound quality is as good as a studio recording though. The opening number is If The Devil Made Whiskey and is unusual in that it features Gary playing slide. The surprises continue with the Chuck Berry number

BIg mAmA ThORnTOn

roCkaByeBaByThe1950-1961reCordIngs Hoodoo records

This is the one release to get if you want a definitive collection of songs by Willie May Thornton, affectionately known as Big Mama, one of America’s definitive rhythm and blues exponents. This edition has twenty nine remastered studio songs for different record labels such as Memphis based Duke Records and it has an informative and comprehensive sixteen page booklet of rare photos and well researched material.

Although not known for many outstanding hit songs her biggest one was Hound Dog which was number one on the American Billboard chart. Brought out on the Peacock label, this song was later to be made famous by Elvis Presley.

It just proves what a pioneer of a type she was in relation to the early concept of rock and roll especially in her gutsy loud on stage persona. She had a very powerful and distinctive vocal range as heard on such highlights as Don’t Talk Back and Rock A Bye Baby but also she can bring the tone down on other tracks such as Everytime I Think Of You. She was also a self-taught harmonica player and drummer. This release has some gems and lesser known songs from her extensive back catalogue many of them backed in collaboration with the Johnny Otis Band a particular favourite being Walking Blues. This release unleashes the spirit and raw passion of one of an underrated great performer a true legacy to her work.

COLIN CAMPBELL

Thirty Days, and Gary plays it in a real fun Blues Rock style, owing almost nothing to the original. Next up we have five-and-a-half minutes of Gary at his best, playing Trouble At Home with as much raw emotion as a guitar can produce, beautiful slow blues with machine gun like flurries of notes in between.

Then it’s back to the rockiness of hard times, followed by Eyesight To The Blind, then another seven minutes of exquisite guitar on I Had A Dream. Gary put in a few crowd pleasers too with Still Got The Blues and Walking By Myself, the Blues Is Alright, before closing with an acoustic slide version of Sundown. You may have some of these tracks in your collection,

but this is the first time that several of them have been put out as a live set, this will not disappoint.

DAVE STONE

JOhn FAIRhURST salTWaTer

Not a name

I’m familiar with but definitely one whose back catalogue and gigs I will be checking out. You get a dark and powerful voice coupled with a bottleneck slide and Southern style stomp to his music. My immediate thoughts were that he is from Mississippi – he has that North Mississippi feel – but instead he seems to

cyRIl DAVIeS preaChIn’ TheBlues–TheCyrIldaVIesmemorIalalBum

GVC records (Great Voices of the Century)

At last a double album of Cyril’s work. The man who was so pivotal to the British Blues Boom with his pioneering work with Alexis Korner that really did lay down the roots for the UK scene to develop from which included of course the likes of the Rolling Stones themselves and so many others who we so rightly revere to this day and onwards. It was a very sad day in January 1964 when he suddenly died of endocarditis and nobody has ever truly replaced the man but there are those who pay a reverent tribute such as John O’Leary and Alan Glen.

We have fifty glorious tracks here which comprise virtually every track Cyril is known to have played or sung on and they range from a home recording in 1954 to some R&B All-Stars tracks cut in 1963. We have tracks with Beryl Bryden’s Backroom Skiffle Band (3), Alexis Korner’s Breakdown Blues Band, Alexis’ Skiffle Group, his Blues Incorporated featuring Cyril Davies, The Roundhouse Jug Four (Hesitation Blues certainly strongly reminded me of Mungo Jerry who were obviously strongly influenced by this music) and of course Cyril Davies R&B All Stars plus one track each with Nancy Spain and Alexis Korner & His Band and Cyril with Nicky Hopkins on Someday Baby. Chicago Calling to the ears is like watching popcorn pop!! Wow. This is an Anthology that is far too long overdue so do check it out and add it to your collection, it adds sense to the great, great music that came afterwards

hail from Sheffield England although his website suggests extensive travels through India and Asia and there is definitely a feel of more than typical Blues in his playing.

The songs are strong on melody and chorus with his guitar almost relegated to a slide drone under the vocals but if you delve deeply into the sound there are some definite gems to be heard in his playing; needless to say his solos are monumental as befits the almost raga style to the music but overall you are left with an impression of his vocals. Opener Breakdown boogies along at a lick with his slide to the fore and when the vocal breaks in it is almost a shock to hear his

vocals so closely aligned to the sound of the guitar but it works, creating an almost hypnotic groove where the words are unimportant and the sound of the song is all you get but then he hits the break and the whole song lifts into a higher gear before slowing back into the groove once more.

Another album that raises questions first time through but that definitely grows and pulls you in to the music the more that you listen. Oddly, he reminds me of John Kongas (Tokoloshe Man) but the quality of his playing is definitely better and he makes a sound that has many layers and levels – the more you unpeel the more you get out of it.

ANDY SNIPPER

TOm TURneR & SlOWBURn TomTurner& sloWBurn

Independent

This self-titled debut from singer/ songwriter Tom Turner and his band Slowburn seems to have been a long time coming. Many of the band members have spent years studying for masters and doctoral degrees in music, as well as supporting or backing such names as Buddy Rich, The Temptations, The Four Tops, WAR, Tower Of Power, Edgar Winter, Leon Russell and Eric Burdon.

Turner himself has spent his musical career thus far honing his craft on the club circuits’ day in day out, working his way from the ground up. Clearly this is a lifelong passion project for Turner, and others involved and (with Turner’s son as part of the band, and songwriter of one of only two songs not penned by the bandleader) it feels very much a family affair.

A joyous mix of soul, blues, funk, jazz, and pop fused together with impressive colorful improvisation, it’s a remarkable blend of compositional and technical skill, as well as heartfelt performance. Get A Life is a highly energetic slice of driving rock, a perfect opener to build the momentum early, before delivering on such early promise with a further ten tracks of ever-escalating quality. Turner’s vocal style (and to a certain extent, compositional style too) is perhaps most reminiscent of Boz Scaggs, particularly on Searching For A Callin’, and manages to be smooth and commanding yet still rough and fragile, a rare but highly

emotive combination.

The only cover included here is a funked up version of the ever classic The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and this is yet a further indication of the strength of both Turner’s songwriting and the album’s production as his material stands up boldly with this American Songbook standard which he also manages to cohesively make sound his own. All in all this is a highly accomplished release, and definitely worth the wait, hopefully a follow up won’t take quite so long to be realized.

RHYS WILLIAMS

ROB TOgnOnI

ThelosTalBum music avenue

Born in Tasmania (and sometimes known as The Tasmanian Devil) Australian Rob Tognoni releases what had become known as his ‘lost album’ as this was actually available back in 2002 sold at gigs only. Having released seven albums with Blues Boulevard records in the UK now is the first release under The Lost Album title, rather than the original Retro Shakin’ title. Known for his rocking blues style Rob moved from the Provogue label when it changed hands in 2002 and his style was deemed too ‘heavy’ and ‘Texan’. It was as a result of the original release that Rob signed with Blues Boulevard stayed. Here you have thirteen rockin’ good songs. Kicking off with a good boogie on Comin’ Home Tonight Rob shows off his chops with neat and pinched solo, He then hits a bit harder with Shakin’ The Devil’s Hand where the backdrop becomes more intense.

ALBUMS WOB AUTHOR TExT

You even get the instrumental Guitar Boogie Refried as the penultimate track before the live Black Chair closes this set. You will be able to catch Rob on tour again across Europe and later in 2015 back in the UK so you’d better watch out for his dates near you and go get an earful as if this is anything to go by you will be thoroughly rocked out by this CD, an energetic performance by The Tasmanian Devil himself.

TOBY ORNOTT

SAUce BOSS

100%pure

burning Disk records

The irony of my first hearing Bill “Sauce Boss”

Wharton in the car as I was heading to a rehearsal to sing 2nd Bass with Haydn’s Nelson Mass in Latin is a total contradiction, but nonetheless factual. The Sauce Boss is nothing if not an acquired taste and as with his apparent production of spicy Gumbo, once you have it then you won’t want to give it up. I couldn’t make it out too clearly in the car on the first play, but on the system at home then the quality showed through. This is gutsy blues with superb slide guitar playing in addition to his many other attributes. The bottom range of sounds was a bit overwhelming initially, but having said that it bore repetitive playing to appreciate the skill of his overall performance and the lyrics he’s written as well. His slide work is masterful and when you consider he is effectively a one man band, then he rockets in estimation! Cadillac Of A Woman is really sensitive lyrically and a contrast to Outlaw Blues at the end of the album, which in truth

was my favourite track. That is not to say that the whole album was anything other than a multi carat diamond, because it is a pure gem if you’re into the blues. This album just oozes southern states Americana with swampy overtones and an extraordinary subtlety towards the blues which since he looks like Colonel Saunders in KFC is difficult to swallow visually, though I feel sure his gumbo is infinitely more palatable than the Colonel’s product.

TOM WALKER

SkylA BURRell BAnD BluessCars

Vizztone

Known on their local circuit for their powerful high-octane electric Blues performances, the Skyla Burrell Band are a band of travelling musicians delivering hard driving Blues right to your door. This, their fifth album, Blues Scars sees the band try to capture the spirit and energy of their live show across a set of fifteen wholly original tracks written whilst traversing the open road. Drawn to music from an early age, it’s easy to hear the deep-rooted connection Burrell has with her material from the opening title track and across everything the band has to offer on this release. Although her vocal influences (Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt) are clearly worn on her sleeve, Burrell is also an expressive and impressive guitarist, augmenting her vocal duties with biting lead guitar that honors her six-string heroes such as Buddy Guy, Albert King and Robert Cray. This one-woman call and response dynamic is extremely engaging and

gives a consistency to the material as it’s so often the expression of one musician we are following, merely filter through her different outlets.

The original material on display here is highly emotionally wrought, as the record’s title would suggest, and highlights why the band is in such demand on the live scene. Their music is somewhat uncomplicated and some might even say overly derivative (though one could argue this

cApTAIn IVORy CapTaInIVory Gangplank

as merely reverence for their genre), but it’s also passionate, highly-energetic and a lot of fun. It’s quite clear that the live setting is where this material will really shine and grow, and that is where it is most likely to find a home anyhow. However, as perhaps the first exposure to their music, Blues Scars is one of the most entertaining Blues releases of this year.

RHYS WILLIAMS

Five-piece Detroit indie rockers now relocated to Nashville with their debut album of self-penned down and dirty Rock ‘n’ Roll grooves featuring powerful songs, high-energy vocals and bluesy guitar licks. The catchy power chords of opener Baroness set the scene for the swaggering vocals of Jayson Traver and the chunky lead guitar licks of Robbie Bolog. There are echoes of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Jack White’s guitar work here. Bottle & A Penitentiary features plenty of heavy riffing, pumping bass, crashing drums and wailing organ topped off by Traver’s gritty vocals. There’s a touch of The Allman Brothers about False Remedy with the twin lead guitars of Bolog and Traver duelling mightily behind Traver’s moody vocals. The centrepiece of the album is the lengthy track Quiet Casualties featuring the rhythm section of Brett Smith’s bass and Justin Leiter’s drums laying down a dense, heavy, throbbing backdrop for some impassioned vocals and wild, distorted lead guitar work.

The soulful rock ballad Here You Are features agonised vocals from Traver and a melodic guitar solo from Bolog. You can smell the sweet mountain air on the jaunty Tennessee Approximately featuring a sing-along chorus, country style guitar picking and a slithering slide guitar solo. Southern rock heaven! An eerie piano and bass drum riff introduces Curse Or Cure and the song builds in intensity with heavy guitar riffing and swirling organ from Steve Zwilling as Traver tells his tale of woe. These guys have been writing and touring extensively for a year now and their hard work is certainly paying off and they have a European tour planned for 2015.

The stomping closing track Six Minutes To Midnight is my pick of the bunch here with a catchy hand-clapping riff and storming slide guitar work and sweet female backing singers setting up a barnstorming finale. Great stuff and I hope they make it to UK on their travels.

DAVE DRURY

Blues Top 50 december 2014

JASOn cADe & ROB mcmAken hog-eyedman1

Yodel-ay-Hee

Well now, this is an absolutely cracking CD. Of course it’s not blues in any way shape or form. What it is - is bluegrass from the Appalachian Mountains played with vim, fervour and fire. A duo comprising Jason Cade (fiddle/banjo) and Rob McMaken (mandolin/lap dulcimer), they’ve been doing the rounds with an assortment of groups over the years including Gangstagrass, Dromedary and Kenosha Kid as well as playing on other peoples records, but this duo debut sees them, in their own words, going into the attic to find music that has been largely forgotten, music from the pre-radio era when ghosts of Irish, Scottish, English and American tunes co-mingled and echoed in the hollows of the Southern Appalachians. And it’s righteous stuff. They are both accomplished pickers and they set up the music with a joy that is a delight to hear.

As they rampage through material like Highlander’s Farewell/ Flanders’ Dream, a story tune of Scottish sweethearts torn apart by war mixed up with Flannery’s Dream, from eastern Kentucky’s John Salyer, on into Johnny Court The Widow and Railroad Through The Rocky Mountains, it just gets better and better. They manage to steer clear of musicologist territory, which often bedevils this kind of record, and it’s pound for pound one of the best albums of the year.

STUART A HAMILTON

lARRy mIlleR soldIerofThelIne

Larry’s latest offering, number nine if I am correct and nine tracks all penned by Larry. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this one as the sleeve art is unlike anything that Larry has put out before, showing as it does two First World War soldiers.

The opening track One Fine Day has a horn section giving a very big almost cinematic sound and at times the guitar sounds like a cross between Gary Moore and a James Bond theme tune, but I liked it a lot. The title track follows, with gunfire as an introduction, this being Larry’s tribute to men of his grandfather’s generation and it sounds like an acoustic guitar with a quite sombre cello accompaniment. Then we are back to Larry giving his all on Failed Again, and then Power You Have which is another big number, very much in Larry’s Blues rock style. A nice slow blues Come Hell Or High Water, with keyboards taking the main line, with guitar fills, another really nice piece of work. Bathsheba is a very dramatic love song and the album closes with Mississippi Mama. I am a fan of Larry, but even so I still think this is his finest release to date.

DAVE STONE

BlAck STATe hIghWAy

BlaCksTaTehIghWay

HNe recordings ltd

Every now and again a new rock band bursts upon the scene with the right approach, the right feel and the right material to make an impact. This is why I am excited about this debut album from Black State

DInAh WAShIngTOn orIgInalQueenofsoul

Fantastic Voyage

I first heard the fabulous voice of Dinah Washington one starry night listening to the radio off the coast of South Carolina. It was a voice which drew you in like a siren’s beckoning finger. Sadly, a year later, in 1963, aged just 39, she passed away. But here is her legacy, and what a treasure it is. Forget all the straining latter-day competition, from Beyonce to Maria Carey, because there’s only one woman who could stand outside the long shadows of Aretha Franklin or even Billie Holiday, and Dinah was that woman. She was proud of her title as Queen of Soul. In fact she once said “There is only one heaven, one earth and one queen (me). Queen Elizabeth is an impostor.” I’m sure our Brenda at Buck House would have no problem with that claim.

This collection of 80 superb performances is amazing because it reveals such a range of vocal virtuosity. Jazz, blues, swing, ballads a touch of soul, even some Hank Williams, with her smooth rendition of Cold Cold Heart. Some of the backing bands on these records represent the cream of 50s and 60s musicians. Just listen to the instrumental break on Half As Much and the fine arrangement which rolls along on I Cried For You. There’s material here to bring about many a warm smile, such as the bluesy, weirdly titled Trombone Butter, with terrific trombone playing by an unidentified musician.

There’s her classics, too, including the movingly romantic What A Difference A Day Makes, with its superb, velvety string arrangement. All in all, this is soul music in romantic mode, three dreamy disks wherein you could select any track at random and be delighted. If you want to get sophisticated in the candlelight, this is the stuff. Yes, Dinah, if there is only one heaven, then when ‘our’ Queen gets up there, she’ll have to bring her own throne. Beautiful music.

ROY BAINTON

Highway, based on England’s South Coast. They are the nearest thing I have heard in recent years to The Hoax in that they use roaring guitars, fiery rhythms and punchy drums and all stuffed with blues-rock riffs that take over your brain cells and get the feet tapping.

This group is fronted by a female singer who seems to have a tuneful energy and well-placed abandon at times – one Liva Steinbergia, a spirited chanteuse who doesn’t let the band overpower her. Guitars in

the hands of Olie Trethewey and Jon Crampton; Gordon Duncan on bass and Harry Bland on the drums. The cuts: Conclusion kicks off the set with grinding riffs, a hint of feedback and a Southern Rock tinge, Liva sounding like she means it, as the slide whines in the mix; Ain’t Got No is another punchy rock blues with rolling drum patterns. ‘Broken’ has a sombre watery UniVibe guitar intro and midnight blues bassline

BB kIng

TheBlues/BluesInmyhearT

Latest in a series of twofer reissues includes The Blues (1958) and Blues In My Heart (1962) plus four bonus tracks from BB King’s early career. Opener Why Does Everything Happen To Me is a classic muscular horn driven blues with BB’s stinging, single-note riffs and passionate vocals backed by a small but powerful band. Ruby Lee is a lively, jumping number which together with the slow grinding Past Day both show off this stellar band at their peak.

The Blues album was built around the hit tune When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer which fully justifies everything you’ve ever heard about BB – the backing is raw but spot on with BB’s vocals and playing wringing every drop of emotion from the listener. Other notable tracks are the stomping Boogie Woogie Woman, the plaintive I Want To Get Married and the swinging Don’t You Want A Man Like Me. Blues In My Heart features slightly later material, from around 1961, and features BB in a small group setting which allows plenty of room for his strong guitar fills and precise solos. The spare backing band includes notable contributions from Plas Johnson on smoky tenor sax and Maxwell Davis on keyboards and BB puts in gritty, sincere, performances on guitar and vocals. Opener You’re Gonna Miss Me is a classic slow-shuffle deep blues with BB’s vocals giving an air of quiet authority backed by his punchy guitar fills. I particularly like this less-is-more approach with its air of defiance. Most of the material here is unfamiliar but the songs are strong and BB always gives his all. Standout track for me is Downhearted (better known as How Blue Can You Get) which features Davis’ thumping piano and Johnson’s sax weaving in and out of BB’s sharp guitar fills to reinforce the sense of drama. The bonus tracks include the exciting big-band sounds of I’m In Love and Treat Me Right. Most people will be more familiar with BB’s later, slicker, material but these early sides with their straight forward approach are a must have for me.

DAVE DRURY

and brings a Portishead trace before the heavy riff kicks in – a nicely measured delivery that is moody without being rock corn of the Foreigner persuasion; Free has a guitar noisefest before an irresistible run brings us maybe the best vocal of the set, almost like Garbage dabbling in the blues, and how well do the guitars work together here, light and shade make this work and it surely is a live

favourite? Sacrifice is Metal Hammer territory, almost but melodically handled. I am more of a European FF metal band fan, if rawk is must be, so this is slightly outside my favoured strand. Tekkers has a strident start then chattering chords as Liva fires up, another cool vocal with assured phrasing, catchy song too.

Common Man’s gnarly commencing guitars build to a stomping killer of a song

which treads a mean path and neat stops. I confess I have been playing this cut the most, for whatever reason, elegant but tough solo’s and all; Trouble is the closer and trick bag of spinning riffs and crisp drumming and pounding bass, a set closer I imagine? Again Liva sings up a storm. I look forward to seeing this crew perform, as this debut album rocks.

PETE SARGEANT

BlUeS BOy kIngS

BluesBoykIngs self released

The guitarist and singer Jason North has put together a fine set of original songs for the debut collection of Blues Boy King. Accompanied by wife Sam on vocals and bass, Rich Taylor on rhythm guitar, Hammond organist Phil Aldridge, and drummer and percussionist Mark Barrett they plough a sonic seam of tuneful, adult rock that takes in the blues, funk, and elements of jazz to good effect.

With a guitar style that takes in mid period Clapton and Knopfler, the blues feel of BB King and Peter Green, and strong support from the rest of the band, this is a very fine release. Songs such as the opening Trouble Comes To My Door, sound like an outtake from Chris Rea’s more recent work, with relaxed guitar and organ to the fore, whilst So Alone is a funkier song that has country inflections within its DNA, and Love That Woman is a belting blues stomper with Jeremy Spencer like slide guitar to the fore. So this is not an album for the purists, although there is blues throughout this collection, North’s fine vocal and

guitar performances being testament to that, the shifting backings go from jazz, to rock and blues, there is always something new and interesting to listen out for in this album.

BEN MCNAIR

SeAn cOSTellO InThemagICshop

Vizztone

I’m not the biggest fan of posthumous releases, but as this record is to benefit the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research, then you have to let it slide. In case you didn’t know, bluesman Sean Costello was found dead of an apparent overdose in his Atlanta hotel room on April 15, 2008, the day before his 29th birthday.

After his death, his family confirmed that the troubled artist had suffered from bipolar disorder and established the aforementioned Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research. The music here was recorded back in 2005 at a studio called The Magic Shop, hence the title.

It’s a mixture of originals and covers, with Costello backed by Paul Linden, Melvin Zachary, and Ray Hangen. With hindsight, it’s easy to add extra meaning to songs with titles like It’s My

Own Fault, Feel Like I

Ain’t

Got No Home and I

Went Wrong, adding dark layers where possibly none were intended. But in this case it’s probably right, and with Costello in good voice, and with his guitar work as good as always, it’s a record that can provide some listening pleasure, despite the undercurrent. 100% of the proceeds are going to the memorial fund, so do yourself (and them) a favour and buy one.

STUART A HAMILTON

TInA BeDnOFF AnD The cOckTAIleRS TInaBednoffand TheCoCkTaIlers exTendedplay

bluelight records

The Scandinavian blues scene appears to be a hotbed of talent and also of differing music genres and popularity of blues music is thriving. This is notable on the new release by this undoubtedly talented Finnish quartet assembled in 2013 but they sound like they have been playing for years. Although only a four track release it definitely packs a punch. This seems influenced by old style rhythm and blues of the forties and fifties decades mostly cover songs.

The opener Ding Dong Daddy immediately gets a swinging groove from the opening piano tones played by Ville Doc Tolvanen this a take of a song by gospel singer Wynona Carr and this is belted out by lead singer and guitarist Tina Bednoff whose passion and vocal range will get the listener to tap their toes to the beat the most outstanding song on this release.

cAnDI STATOn lIfehappens

beracah records

Following on from last year’s Greg Camalier directed Muscle Shoals documentary, in which she featured, Candi Staton met up with friends from old and made new ones, culminating in this, her twenty seventh album in her long career. She opens with I Ain’t Easy To Love, which connects her with the new generation of Alabama superstars from Jason Isbell to John Paul White of The Civil Wars. This powerhouse trio embarks on a gospel jubilee, with juicy Hammond B-3 chords and Memphis brass. Long-time producing cohort Rick Hall assists on production and a fine job he does. Without doubt Never Had A Chance is the Young Hearts Run Free for the new millennium, beautifully arranged and sweetly embellished with proper strings and sophisticated soul. This is by no stretch of the imagination a blues record, let’s make that clear, but with fifteen tracks, including the bonus Where I’m At, there’s plenty to dance to.

The VelDmAn BROTheRS lIVIn’ ByTheday

self Produced

This is the fourth release from the four piece Dutch band who consist of Gerrit Veldman; guitars and lead vocals, brother Bennie Veldman provides keyboards, harmonica and vocals, Donald Van Der Goes; bass and Marco Overkamp drums. Since the release of their debut album Home in two thousand and eleven, they have been consistently nominated for various blues awards by the Dutch Blues Foundation for the high quality of their musical output, which culminated in

the Best Dutch Blues Band Award for two thousand and eleven.

Here they present a full-bloodied collection of eleven rousing and heartfelt numbers that merge together the influences of classic Chicago based artists such as Muddy Waters, Elmore James and Howlin’ Wolf, through to Jimi Hendrix, the Vaughan Brothers, the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Jazz keyboardist Jimmy Smith. The opener Frenzy, is a striking funky Jazz influenced organ led instrumental that duels with a fast paced, stridently surging Chicago guitar shuffle, both instruments

DAVID mIgDen AnD The TWISTeD ROOTS anImalandman blues boulevard

Since You

Came

Along has a New Orleans feel with the band members slowing things down and blending together very well The third song Mr Jones has a more laid back bluesy feel with gruff vocals and guitar licks by Tina again complemented by backing piano and slow tone drumming by Honey Aaltonen. The release finishes with a tongue in cheek version of You Can Have My Husband. This is a precursor to a debut long player well worth waiting for going by this taster a band to look out for with a great future a classic mix.

COLIN CAMPBELL

There’s the Steely Dan jamming on Thirty Minutes To A Relapse, echoes of Aretha on You Treat Me Like A Secret, Staple Singers on Close To You. There’s even a flirtation with a Police riff on Commitment. Ms Staton had a hand in the majority of the compositions, seeming perplexed with the social ills of today, evidenced on Have You Seen The Children, a dig at the video game culture and A Better World Coming, which is selfexplanatory. Regular readers will know me as a blues/rock aficionado, but this CD is well worth investing in.

CLIVE RAWLINGS

The first thing that struck me about this album is the smooth, svelte like voice of David Migden. Not that this in anyway detracts from the essential blues content of the production, in fact it adds to the overall quality. Blues doesn’t need to be guttural to be effective, and the lyrics, which are all by the main man in any event, are blues in content! Track six; We Know What You Have Done, showcases not only his vocal ability but it is further refined with some backing vocally by Goldie Reed and truly atmospheric Hammond Organ work by the multi-talented musician that is Graham Mann.

The almost instantaneous change in tempo with the next track; Wild World is a shock to the system, but is a positive one with an almost Barber Shop vocal backing to the Migden lyrical arrangement. Joe Gibson’s slide guitar work on this track is quite superb and the combination of all the above made this a gem of a track. There’s an American Roots feel to the final actual track on this album, Once Again as opposed to the fundamental Blues of the previous nine offerings and it is a sweet harmonious number capping off this album of Blues/Rock. There are two bonus tracks from previous albums Second Hand Tattoo and Just a Ride to ensure true value for money on the third album of David Migden and the Twisted Roots, or as they were formerly known, The Dirty Words. There is nothing dirty about the words to describe these guys, they’re a treat to listen to.

TOM WALKER

Albums reviews

keenly competing to reach the summit. The captivating strutting organ of I Want You, duels with a slow burning and aching harmonica while Gerrits’ burred edged vocals hoarsely pleads over the top and in the background a wah, wah fuelled guitar screams for attention.

The blistering and lingering desolate slide on the slow burning Cryin’

Shame, leads an urging organ onwards and meanders on until it fades away into the distance. Livin’ By The Day, is a forlorn tale of a son despairing of his father’s failing health, the poignantly emotion filled steel guitar and harmonica particularly emphasizes the sense of helplessness and loss. Struggle, is a razor slashing harmonica and slide thumper that romps

The BAlhAm AllIgATORS BayoudegradaBle

Proper records

This forty-four track, two disc package contains the following four albums; The Balham Alligators, Live At The Half Moon, Life In The Bus Lane and Gateway To The South. The Balham Alligators came into being in nineteen eighty-three in the North London Pub, The Hare & Hounds in Islington when Geraint Watkins and a few friends played an impromptu gig to replace a cancelled bands appearance, at the bar afterwards a decision between Geraint and Robin was made to create their own band who consisted of; Geraint Watkins; vocals, keyboards and accordion, Robin McKidd; fiddle, guitar and vocals, Kieran O’Connor; drums, percussion; Garry Rickard; guitar, vocals and Pete Dennis; bass.

Their easy going and highly infectious mixture of Cajun, Louisiana swamp blues, Country, Folk, Rock & Roll and Rhythm and Blues found lively and willing audiences wherever they played and one very fine example of this is the featured live gig at the Half Moon in Putney, from the exuberant Six Days On The Road, to the mellow accordion and fiddle led Lawdy Miss Clawdy, their warm inviting playing drew one to the conclusion that they were only playing for you yet, when they built up a head of steam with the frantic fiddle duelling with the raucously wheezing accordion above the ramping percussion and ringing guitar on such numbers as Diggy Liggy Lo, or The Balham Two Step, you were convinced that the roof was going to fly off at any minute. In the studio their authenticity and professionalism was undeniable, added to which were their various experiences in London pubs that only added extra spice to the flavour of their music which can be easily heard on the likes of; Sugar Bee and the heartfelt and emotional version of Tennessee Blues.

Although, over time there have been various personnel changes the ethos, atmosphere and musical quality has not dropped one iota. This is amply displayed on later numbers such as; Cajun Walk, Fine, Fine, Fine, Honky Tonk and Hot Rod. This is seriously addictive goodtime swampy foot tapping music. Essential!

BRIAN HARMAN

along, with gusto filled drum work pounding underneath. Trembles, is simply a foot tapping Rock ’n’ Roller with very fine twangin’ guitar and honking harmonica. Well worth a listen.

BRIAN HARMAN

chRIS SmITheR

uponTheloWdoWn/ drIVeyouhomeagaIn retro World

Chris Smither is one of those guys who may not be a bluesman as such but is so close as to make no difference. This two CD set pairs up the albums Up On The Lowdown (recorded at the end of 1994) and Drive You Home Again from the end of 1998. Despite the four years between the two albums (and there was another release, Small Revelations, in the intervening time) there is a coherence to the two and it makes sense to combine them – both were produced by Texas legend Stephen Bruton He also plays guitar on both sets, though of course, Smither’s lived-in vocals and guitar are also common to both. So too are the blues – Alan Robinson’s excellent notes detail just how steeped in the blues Chris is, though that is also obvious from even the most cursory listen to these albums.

Although Chris ventures beyond the blues – here there are songs from Danny O’Keefe, Tim Hardin and Eric Von Schmidt as well as Chris originals - Alan rightly draws attention to Jailhouse Blues, which closes out the earlier album; it is a low-down number, very, very strongly in a Lightnin’ Hopkins vein and a quite stunning performance. Mind you, items such as the opening Link Of Chain

impress too – I enjoyed the subtle influence of Jimmie Rodgers, The Singing Brakeman on this one. The folk ballad Duncan & Brady and the Tex-Mex styled Tell Me Why You Love Me are other favourites but really every track here is a bit of a gem. If you like Chris Smither, blues or Americana, you will find plenty to enjoy on these sparse, mightily impressive albums.

NORMAN DARWEN

DAVe FIelDS

Dave Fields has a wonderful musical pedigree across several genres and his career has already seen him get inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame and win the best independent blues produced album in 2006 with Roxy Perry’s Back In Leesville release, it is only recently that he has decided to push forward and concentrate on his own musical career.

This album kicks off with high octane doses of rocking blues with Dave demonstrating he is a notable ‘Guitar Slingers’, when you consider his additional talents of song writer, vocalist and producer you can see he really is a stand out artist, the supporting musicians cover the key rhythm areas with everything else left to Dave to weave his magic, two tracks worthy of mention are songs that are probably not strong blues themed ones but have aspects that highlight Dave’s versatility; Dragon Fly which has progressive mystical undertones with a slow guitar led intro and Lovers Holiday which is an

acoustic unplugged raw love song performed solo, one of the two covers is Led Zeppelin’s Black Dog which was recorded live in Norway with local musicians and is given a unique reworking, the guitar work is exceptional.

While being predominately a rocking blues album there is plenty of variety on show here highlighting that not only is Dave Fields a quality musician but he is prepared to stretch the blues boundaries and not be constrained by them.

ADRIAN BLACKLEE

DAVe RAy

legaCy

red House records.

The strap line on the CD is Rare and Un-released Recordings

1962-2002 from an American Blues Master, I thought who? Why haven’t I heard of him when we have a 55 track collection over three CD’s with extensive booklet. I did then realise he was the Ray in Koerner, Ray & Glover and then you start to listen.

The majority of the tracks are unreleased and some are live recordings from the age of 19 to shortly before his death in 2002. We span the ages with a combination of his blues driven guitar, harmonica and vocals acoustic blues that just makes you want to sit back and listen. The sound is not pure studio engineered as the songs were collected from various sources but this adds the authenticity of the sound. As you listen to the albums, you realised that Dave Ray is a loss to the world of acoustic blues who never received the recognition his skills deserved.

There are many songs

you will recognise from blues repertoire. Jimmy Reed’s, Take Out Some Insurance has an irony as it is a fact that Ray earned his living for 15 years by taking over his father’s insurance business!

It is impossible to pick out the special tracks as they all add to the lexicon of blues, as Dave Ray has added so much to standards with his own variations as on Robert Petway’s, Catfish Blues and Willie McTell’s, Statesboro Blues making you listen and fall in love with these standards.

Broonzy & Segar’s, Key To The Highway and Rufus Thomas’s Walking The Dog shine a bright light but every track has its own place in Dave Ray’s life journey playing the blues and from part of the history of the blues lexicon.

LIZ AIKEN

DAnA FUchS songsfromTheroad ruf records

Hard on the heels of similar packages from, amongst others, Coco Montoya, Royal Southern Brotherhood and Mike Zito, Florida’s Dana Fuchs becomes the latest in Ruf’s winning formula of CD and DVD releases. Four studio albums have impressed and earned Fuchs a reputation as a passionate performer of her own co-writes with guitarist Jon Diamond, and of well-chosen covers. Recorded live at The Highline Ballroom in New York City, Fuchs opens in dramatic fashion with Bliss Avenue complete with a stinging tele solo from Diamond. Livin’ On A Sunday has a funky revival back beat, at the same time introducing The Screaming

Compilation

VARIOUS

ThehIsToryofneWorleans rhyThm& Blues1955-1962

rhythm & blues records

After spending the last couple of months basking in the aural joy of this label’s History of R&B CD series covering the 1940s, I’ve reached the conclusion that anything which comes off the Rhythm and Blues Records production line is bound for ‘top of the stack’ status. This exquisitely packaged six CD set, presented in a handy hard-back book format, and pushes every button a fan of Blues, R&B or Rock ’n’ Roll might have. Here’s a 160 tracks, starting with Rip It Up by Little Richard in 1955 all the way to Huey ‘Piano’ Smith and his Clowns Talk To Me Baby in 1962. The journey from disk one to disk six is an education, made more so by Nick Duckett’s 24 pages of comprehensive notes which forms the central section of the package.

Names here represent true rarity, often by longvanished single record artists whose fine work may well have been buried by time but for the forensic research and digging by true aficionados like Mr. Duckett. There are some terrific items which have been hitherto unreleased, such as Leonard Carbo’s I Don’t Want To Lose Her, Larry Williams’ Oh’ Baby, Tommy Ridgley’s dynamic Real Gone Jam or the quirky Tell Me The Truth by the Turquinettes. In fact up to 50% of these records feature names a great many of us, R&B devotees or not, may well never have heard of, yet everything on this glorious hours-long listening spree will serve to remind us all that Chicago, New York, Memphis and L.A. may have been important spokes on the blues and rock wheel, but New Orleans was the hub.

There is a unique, joyous bounce to the Louisiana sound. It emanates from the small, passion-packed studios which echoed to the rolling rhythms of Professor Longhair and the cheeky thrust of Fats Domino, both of whom feature here, as well as dozens of other luminaries such as Art Neville, Frankie Ford and TV Slim. If you can’t afford the fare to New Orleans (and we could all do with a touch of Mardi Gras in our dour British winter) these six platters will turn anyone’s front room into North Rampart Street. I suppose by now you’ve reached the conclusion I like this. Damn right. Highly recommended.

ROY BAINTON

Sirens (Elaine Caswell, Nicki Richards and Bette Sussman) on backing vocals.

How Did Things Get

This Way has a real Stones feel to it with Fuchs’s Joplinesque vocal shining through. A hard driven

rocker, with Diamond giving his Les Paul serious stick. So Hard To Move is a pure R&B ballad, with solid bass work from Jack Daley and keys from Pete Levin instrumental

DVD

chAZ

DepAOlO

onenIghTlIVeInIona smoke tone records

Chaz Depaolo has been living the Blues-rock dream for the past 15 years. From driving into Canada to hand out free CD’s, to living in Bristol, England and fronting the Groundhogs (where he saw no sun!) for two years to further his career and experience, this boy has sure paid his dues. One Night Live In Iona comes in both CD and DVD format (his first) within the same packaging, and is a neat way to see what is being offered on the audio disc. There are no frills with Depaolo, his format is a straightforward three piece with additional horns, and visually the band are focused purely on the set, theatrics there are none.

Depaolo is an interesting player, at times seeming to lose the thread and beat, but yet this is part of his appeal, as he plays in an off-the-wall manner trying odd things, as is deftly displayed in the opener Chicago 101. However at other times he displays a prowess and ability to shred as in Voodoo Style Chazy, an interpretation of Hendrix’s Voodoo Chile. Half the tracks here are Depaolo originals and two of these stand out, namely the wah-wah drenched I Want To Get Funky and the slow instrumental Blues of Slo Bite, a tribute to the late Roy Buchanan, demonstrates his dynamic and innovative style with some great sax playing from Rob Chaseman.

Another slow Blues worthy of note is his song Woman In A Black Dress, which showcases his voice to good effect. Playing for just under 70 minutes, the audio CD is great value, but having the DVD included makes this release extremely good value. At the start, you see the small stage being assembled and the band arriving, but at the end there is a short Question & Answer session that is extremely enlightening.

Depaolo spent 11 years as a record salesman and two years in radio promotion for Hip Hop artists such as Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube. Generally, he comes over as level headed individual, intent in succeeding in the music business.

MERV OSBORNE

in giving the track an easy feel. Summersong is another stab at R&B with The Screaming Sirens providing sterling support. Sad Salvation finds Fuchs in country ballad mode with acoustic guitar for accompaniment, segueing neatly into Tell Me I’m Not Drinking, where second guitarist Matt Beck

contributes some tasty slide. Rodents In The Attic has a real country western feel about it, accentuated by Joe Daley’s clever drum patterns, Fuchs perfectly at ease with her vocals. Getting more into honky tonk mode, Nothin’ On My Mind gives Levin licence to show his country chops, Diamond twangs along

nicely as well. Vagabond Wind illustrates how Fuchs excels at bluesy pleading soul.

Keep On Walkin’ gets back into a funky rock feel with Fuchs getting tight along with The Sirens, good solo work from Diamond as well. On the Otis Redding classic I’ve Been Loving You Too Long, Fuchs shows the best of her vocal skills and Diamond lays down some of the beefiest licks so far, one of the best tracks on the album. You do wonder how she could follow that, but Fuchs does the trick with Lennon –McCartney’s Don’t Let Me Down. Using Lennon’s basic arrangement, with solid organ work from Levin, a great bass line from Daley and a stiff solo from Diamond, warm backing from The Sirens, she manages to pull it off. This release is the stuff of greatness and well-worth handing over the CLIVE RAWLINGS

DennIS

TheCarolIneep sapien records

This is a quirky disc to categorise in terms of genre, as it crosses boundaries with ease. I suppose it could be described as a form of rock/ pop/folk/traditional music with a fairly strong hint, of all things, a brass band. Coming from the coal producing region of Tyne and Wear close to Easington, then it is almost inevitable that the influence of the colliery brass bands gives that hint credibility. There is only four tracks to the extended play (EP), but they are all played with sensitivity and lyrically they are well written and delivered with quality demonstrating the

underlying musical background of the eight musicians.

On the outside is the second track which has more rock pop than brass is quickly followed by a story telling of school times. Moved To Soon, should actually read; Moved Too Soon so perhaps the regret about school was heightened by a failure in English O level. Grammar aside this was another gentle and well produced song with a stronger brass influence. The E.P. closes with some more rock/ pop and the opportunity to hear the vocal capability of the only female in the eight strong outfit, Hannah Rudge.

She can sing as well as play the piano with consummate ease and softens the sound of an excellent disc which could have been too masculine with the colliery connotations. This band will be busy for as long as they want, but even if they don’t hit the charts they will have the satisfaction of being well thought of by people who like music to be well played and sung.

TOM WALKER

The DOgTOWn BlUeS BAnD

To say that the music on this album is relaxed you would need a new definition for horizontal. It takes in moods from the blues, but also has time for a jazz classic, and Frank Zappa. The guitar playing of Richard Lubovitch does much of the heavy lifting, whilst the lyrics could be loosely described as being bawdy. The drummer Lance Lee keeps a moving personnel in charge, whilst

the vocals and lyrics of Q William add something new to the mix.

She Was Not A Girl

At All is a mid paced blues rocker which starts off proceedings, whilst Groovin is an instrumental showcase for Bill Barrett’s harmonica, whilst a forceful Wang Dang Doodle dresses Willie Dixon’s old classic in new clothes. Ugly Girl Blues, as the title suggests is not one for the politically correct, but the arrangement of Paul Desmond’s Take Five takes some getting used to in a new signature, whilst Zappa’s Son Of Mr Green Genes is a good showcase of melodic guitar, and a very suitable ending for this album which offers something different for blues fans, but if you are inviting the Vicar around, it might be an idea to skip a few of the tracks.

BEN MACNAIR

Compilations

VARIOUS

ThIsaIn’Tnomouse musIC – ThesTory of ChrIssTraChWITz andarhoolIe reCords

arhoolie

What a delightful double CD set this is and with a 32 page full colour booklet that takes you through each song here by a wealth of artists from Arhoolie’s 54 year history with some amazing photographs and good notes. The music covers Blues, Cajun, Zydeco, Tex-Mex, Country, Jazz, Mexican, Klezmer and other traditional music from across the USA and the world. The music is from a documentary film about Chris Strachwitz (award winning producer) and the songs include such as

Lightnin’ Hopkins, Big Mama Thornton, Cliftom Chenier, Flaco Jimenez, Ry Cooder, Lydia Mendoza, Michael Doucet, Los Alegres de Teran, The Treme Brass Band feat. Henry Youngblood, Country Joe McDonald and more.

The music is most certainly an enjoyable pot pourri of styles as you will have already guessed, starting off with the wonderful Bald Headed Woman from Lightnin’ Hopkins and moving into the joyful (and chatty) Barbershop Rhythm from Wade Walton & R.C. Smith before taking on Maddox Bros & Rose in their country harmony and they allow joy to spring from the speakers to your ears, go slap that thigh! Disc two gets you on your feet to the Fiddle Two Step from Wilson & Joel Savoy and a wonderful three minutes and nine seconds it is. The great Clifton Chenier leads us in Louisiana Blues followed by Bye Bye Mo Neg. We even get a treat with Ry Cooder popping up to play with Flaco Jimenez who he became fascinated with to the point of taking him on tour. A wonderful surprise of a set to review that will stay in my collection for certain.

FRANK LEIGH

VARIOUS

aIn’T IT TheTruTh!

TherIC &ronsTory

Vol.2 ace

The Ric & Ron labels were two record labels that were formed by Joe Ruffino in New Orleans, and whilst they had an active lifespan of only five years, and only racked a handful of chart successes, they are nevertheless viewed as important in the history of

the development of black music in the Crescent City, and in the development of R&B music. This particular volume focuses on the singles that were issued from late 1960 to 1963, after which the labels were wound down.

The music reflects the idiom of the day, with twenty four tracks by thirteen artists, none of which last more than two minutes and 54 seconds, reflecting the importance of the single to that era, the importance being to get the songs played on radio. With names such as Eddie Bo, Martha Carter, Barbara Lynn or Johnny Adams, I do not recognise any of the artists that appear on this release, perhaps indicating the lack of wider recognition that the label received, and whilst it’s not my style of music, it has to be said that it sounds comparable to the type of R&B that one heard in this country around that time.

Of interest is the fact that there are four demo’s included, two by Barbara Lynn, who never released anything on the labels, but whose song Found My Good Thing, was touted to the label as a sequel to her breakthrough hit You’ll Lose A Good Thing. The song is set to just her guitar accompaniment.

Another track of interest is by Johnny Adams, who recorded more singles for Ric than any other artist. Showdown is a great slow Blues written by none other than Mac Rebennack, but the single went nowhere as Joe Ruffino had gone and no-one was really taking care of business. However, the music itself was important in the development of a New Orleans R&B from which artists like Allen Toussaint, Dr. John and others grew.

MERV OSBORNE

This is a DVD release from a gig at The Fuggle and Firkin, Oxford from 23rd February

1998. Our pages carried a feature a while ago about the Blues Archive (founded by Paul Reed in 1994) It’s nice to see this DVD coming for review by one of the top guitarists who takes no prisoners. His approach is unique and his mastery not in question. The set is interspersed with narrative of Otis talking us through his background and experience. We have fourteen tracks kicking off with Ice Pack and later in the evening you would have needed one to cool off. Otis introduces Roy Oakley to sing on She Moves Me and his husky vocal works so well. Otis talks about sucking eggs between numbers and you can sure see that he indeed does the facial expressions that are the territory of lead players as he immerses himself in his work and the facial expressions flow as do the notes dripping from his fretboard. The band play their part admirably and consist of drums, double bass and keys (no names on the packing or notes sadly as they deserve to be named). Other songs include; Come On In This House, The Freeze, Stand By Me, Howlin’ For My Darlin’ and later Chuck Berry’s Rock It as closing number before embarking on a three track encore winding up with, appropriately, It’s All Blues! To Otis it surely is and this is well worth checking out.

FRANK LEIGH

CARLISLE BLUES ROCK FESTIVAL

The Venue, CARLISLe

7th - 9th November 2014

Disaster struck just six weeks before the commencement of the festival when the hotel which has been its home for the last six years was closed without warning. Although the chain it belonged to had been under threat for the last few years the hotel was fully booked until way after Christmas making the closure a bolt out of the blue. This sent the organiser Nick Westgarth into full reorganisation mode to find a new venue and rebook all the accommodation to different hotels, as people had booked accommodation in the Hilltop as part of the full weekend package. No easy task at such

short notice, fortunately he found a readymade alternative in “The Venue” in the centre of Carlisle. The new venue was available for most of the weekend with only a change on the Saturday afternoon into another venue. “The Venue” a purpose built facility with ample room for the audience to see and enjoy the performances from any point in the room, and enhanced by two well stocked bars with real ales available. A stunning line up is always guaranteed at this festival and the 8th year was no exception.

Friday

Cracking start to the evening with Sparo and the Yahs a Scottish based band with an energetic front man in Grant, unfortunately Carlisle would be his last gig with the Yahs. This is a shame as they were a really entertaining

band. The Little Devils a blues combo from London were next on the bill, unusual as it is to have two women in the line-up Yoka on vocals and sax as well as Sara on drums, great visually and vocally most definitely a band to keep an eye on. One of the US best exports to the UK is Marcus Malone, always a favourite at Carlisle his performance is never a disappointment. Marcus present band consists of two lead guitarists with at times Marcus on guitar making a great rocky, funky, soul and blues set. He was showcasing his latest CD Stand or Fall, this got the feet tapping and in the blink of an eye the dance floor was packed. Marcus had the audience in the palm of his hand, great set. Samantha Fish was up next a dynamic performer who has toured the UK in the past in Girls with Guitars, alongside Cassie Taylor and Dani Wilde. This Kansas girl had no red slippers, Samantha entered stage left with cigar box guitar showing everyone she is a worthy protégé of the headliner Mike Zito. Changing to slide guitar Samantha blazed her way through her set setting the room on fire with great guitar and vocals. Mike Zito also from the US ex member of The Royal Southern Brotherhood that played the festival last year brought along his new band The Wheel. The band included Scott Sutherland on Bass, Jimmy Carpenter on Sax. Mike Zito gave us some blistering Southern Rock Blues which really set the bar for the rest of the festival.

Saturday

The festival had to move to a smaller venue “Club Rock” for the Saturday afternoon session, it was just around the corner from “The Venue.” All of the sound equipment lighting etc. had to be moved overnight ready for the Saturday afternoon. The atmosphere in “Club Rock” was of a packed gig, hot, sweaty and lively. There can’t be

the bm ! rou N d-up of live blues

Ian SIegal photo: chrIStIne moore

a better start to any festival than The Bushman Brothers originally from South Africa the Kellner brothers now reside in Brighton and are joined by Paul who’s vocals are not unlike Paul Rogers. The Bushman Bro’s put on an awesome performance of haunting music akin to Pink Floyd at times. A new band to lots of folk in the North but the buzz and the word in the crowd was they loved them. Not many could follow such a performance but Blues Boy Dan Owen was well up to the job. Dan has caught the eyes and the ears of the industries movers and shakers and one of the notables was Mick Fleetwood who met Dan took him for his tea and flew him to America inviting him to Willie Nelsons 80th birthday party, standing just feet away from Willie Nelson, Neil Young and Sheryl Crow. Dan has also played on the Andrew Marr show on Sunday morning TV as well as Glastonbury. All this and he is only 21 so you get the idea of the quality of this young man. Stomping and sliding his way through self penned songs with a voice that wouldn’t be out of place in and older American blues artist his encore was The Ballad Of Horace Brown which brought rapturous applause, watch out for him as he is a star on the horizon.

The Mustangs brought their polished performance and harp driven blues proving that they are a force to be reckoned with at any festival they always bring a party atmosphere with them, excellent set. Who can doubt that Blues ‘N’ Trouble can keep any crowd entertained and dancing in the street, which was nearly an option in the hot sticky club atmosphere that was “Club Rock.” They brought the afternoon session to a close. It was all hands on deck as all the sound and lighting equipment had to be moved from “Club Rock” back to the “The Venue” for the evening performance. It was done in record time for professionals never mind mainly volunteers. After last year’s guest spot Sean Webster was invited back with his band The Deadlines they went through their new CD See It Through, he gave us a stunning version of I’d Rather Go Blind which had the audience on their feet cheering. Sean always delivers a top class show. Next up was The Climax Blues Band, they delivered the blues we have come to know, love and expect from the stalwarts of the blues scene, great

entertainment. Nobody can deny that Connie Lush and Blues Shouter have been at the top of their game for many years now, Connie is without doubt on of the greatest singers the UK has produced, she entertains with every note and gesture wringing the blues out of every song she delivers. After the end of her set Connie presented Bill and Joyce from Barrow Blues Club an award from the bands on the blues scene, for their contribution to the blues. This was rather unique as the award and the funds for it were solely the idea of professional musicians on the UK blues scene. Well done to all concerned.

Another band I had been looking forward to seeing again is Rosco Levee & The Southern Slide; they didn’t disappoint and delivered a blinding set harking back to the 70’s. Drawing comparisons with Clapton and Kossoff but with a sound all of their own. Many had been waiting for the last band of the day Aynsley Lister, always ready to deliver he never disappoints, he is an accomplished songwriter, singer and entertainer tremendous performance as expected. As if we hadn’t had enough in one day there was a jam session to end all jam sessions with Sean Webster orchestrating the musicians. Joining his band on stage Jon Amor, Aynsley Lister, Matt Taylor, Christian Sharpe and Roz Sluman to name but a few. This was still going on like a steam train when I left at 2:30 after a day of tremendous highs.

SuNday

Matt Woosey opened the last session with a blistering set taking songs from his recent CD “Wildest Dreams.” Matt is touring at the moment, and Carlisle Festival was more than please to be part of it, Matt without a doubt impressed and gained many new fans. TC & The Moneymakers are one of the best harmonica lead blues bands in the UK but are little known outside of Yorkshire and the North of England. Though their appearance at Colne in 2013 did project them onto the scene when Tom Cocks jammed on main stage with Charlie Musslewhite, Billy Branch, Sugar Blue and Giles Robson. Prompting Charlie Musslewhite to say “TC & The MoneyMakers knocked me out they play great Blues with that good solid attitude just the way I like it. TC’s playing nails it, great tone and

great phrasing.

Every note counts.” Dani Wilde Band was up next, one of the UK’s female lead blues bands who gave us her own style of blues with self-penned compositions, inviting her brother Will Wilde on stage to play harp for a few numbers, tremendous. Without starting a rumour about this could never happen The Boom Band took to the stage with a host of well-known faces Jon Amor, Marcus Bonfanti, Matt Taylor, Mark Butcher, Paddy Milner and the rhythm section from Gary Moore’s band Darrin Mooney and Jon Noyce.

Without doubt a super group in the making, look out for their new CD which they hope to bring out soon. This was not a case of duelling guitars, this was a group of musicians at the very top of their game sympathetically producing a fantastic sound with each other, fantastic performance. Who could follow such an exciting line up and keep the audience enthralled, well there is only one person I could think of and that’s Ian Siegal who has been at seven of the eight festivals.. Every time he brings something new to the table and this year was no exception. Ian Siegal & Jimbo Mathus, they didn’t disappoint. We were entertained, amused and startled by the quality of the conversation, music and choice of songs. This was an exhibition of Americana of the highest quality.

All in all a tremendous weekend of top class music and entertainment in a purpose built music venue. I can honestly say Carlisle Blues Rock Festival is one of the best festivals in the UK.

CHRISTINE MOORE

Samantha fISh photo: chrIStIne moore

FestIVALs

BEVERLEY BLUES

BeVeRLeY, eAST YORKShIRe

17th – 19th september 2014

The festival was envisaged by a bunch of volunteers in 2010 and the first festival was held in 2011 and has been going from strength to strength since. The idea was to bring the arts and live entertainment to the community by bringing the artists and the audiences together. With this in mind the festival planned to raise money for the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Charity. The charity trains people in need to build communications through music therapy, it’s all about the relationship between the individual and the music.

I had wanted to experience the wonderful market town of Beverley for a while. The town is renowned for its exquisite 13th Century Minster and its quaint cobbled streets. The main venue was the Armstrongs Social Club the weekend line up of Mick Pini Blues Band, Dan Burnett Blues Band, Chicago Bound Tom Attah & the Bad Man Clan, and Ian Siegal

As well as the main venue The Sun Inn hosted many local bands, Friday: Bad Hat Harry, Poor Boy

Saturday: Alfie Steeleye

Stockman, Graham Wilkinson, Rivers Johansson, Chicago Bound, Pete Marson, Shiny Black Cadillac, Bluespex, Jonny and the Rizlas

Sunday: Dogfinger, Ben Iron Shoes, Velvet Dolls, Steve Fulsham Band, Quicksilver Kings, Dave Mann & the 4 Strings. The atmosphere in the Sun was super friendly and everyone was enjoying the free music and being very generous with the charity boxes for Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Charity.

As I had Family commitments the only day I could attend was Saturday, but it was well worth travelling for just the one day.

The festival is run by a committed group of music loving volunteers who give generously of their spare time to ensure the festival runs smoothly and people enjoy themselves. Saturday at Armstrongs kicked off with Chicago Bound, a duo playing old time blues with local legend on harmonica Brian Williams and Graham Hyde on resonator guitar. They were very credible with a well worked performance, a duo worth seeing if you get the chance. Next up was Tom Attah & The Bad Man Clan with T J Norton on harmonica, Ari Rannus on

tom Attah’s band play raw big bouncy blues and vie for position

guitar, Ari David Laycock bass guitar, Bob Wynd drums. Attah’s band play raw big bouncy blues and vie for position on the stage with an energetic performance from everyone.

Ian Siegal was the headline act and why the venue in my opinion had sold out long before the day of the festival. Ian has a devoted following in the UK, and with Ian you are never disappointed he always delivers. He entertained us with a feast of Blues, Americana, Roots music and good humored banter.

It was a glorious end to a very successful festival although I could have happily sat for another three or four hours listening to Mr Siegal such is his appeal. Hats off to the festival organisers for a well-run entertaining feel good festival. Let’s hope the festival continues for many years.

CHRISTINE MOORE

BOOGALOO BLUES

heAThLAnDS hOTeL

BOuRneMOuTh

5th – 8th december 2014

Well after ten years of attending the Boogaloo Blues weekend in the Isle of Wight in October, I felt like a change and consequently found myself driving down to Bournemouth on an unseasonably mild day to a new

chIcago bound

photo: chrIStIne moore

tom photo:attah chrIStIne moore

venue for me, the Heathlands Hotel in Bournemouth.

thurSday

This was the third year that Monica had had a Blues weekend here, and after hearing good reports, I decided to give it a go. As my wife and I entered the Hotel (after trying to squeeze my car into the very full car park) our ears were regaled with the sound of a Strat in full cry, and following my ears, arrived in time to see Tommy Allen and Johnny Hewitt (Blues Duo) playing up a storm. This was a departure from the norm as there is usually nothing happening before the evening session, and it was great to get straight into it as it were. MC and DJ for the weekend was the multi talented Earl Jackson and he set the ball rolling straight after dinner. Opening the weekend was the Dale Storr band, a five piece outfit that I hadn’t seen before, but Oh, what a set! Dale is a pianist in the traditions of the great New Orleans players, and his band proceeded to give us a master class in how it should be done.

After a short break, it was over to Bad Influence, now if you take any one of their numbers in isolation, you have a great sound from Val on rhythm guitar and vocals and Richard Hayes on lead guitar, good solid rhythm, great vocals and terrific slide guitar work, but, and I am afraid that for me, this was quite a big but, every number starts to sound the same. Judging by the number of dancers that stayed seated after a couple of songs, I wasn’t the only one to think this. I’d Rather Go Blind was the shining difference that showed me just how really great this band can be, but guys, you have really got to look at your set list and for goodness sake put some variety into it.

Friday

Next day it was time for the acoustic sets in the afternoon, now Monica should really rename these sessions as Blueslite or similar as nobody was playing acoustic, even those that were one allegedly acoustic instruments were plugged in. It was unusual too in that there werefive acts instead of the normal three or four, namely Dale Storr playing solo, Val & Richard, reprising the night before but with just the two of them, Robin Bibi who was at least playing an acoustic, and gave a great demonstration of just how talented

he is, then the hugely entertaining Jeremiah Marques with half of the Blue Aces, and finally Earl Jackson with Tommy and Johnny to close the session.

Saturday

Evening opener was the always entertaining Stomping Dave, with Sam Kelly on drums and Earl Jackson on Bass and Rhythm, as always a brilliant musician with a completely modest attitude, sometimes I don’t think he realises just how good he is, and always a crowd favourite. Jeremiah with the Blue Aces closed the evening with a storming set, and once again, I missed out on the jam session. Sunday’s afternoon set comprised Stompin Dave and Earl Jackson, followed by The Blues Duo of Tommy & Johnny, and then a short set from The Stumble, a further pleasant surprise was a full set in the bar from local one man band Andy Twyman, who despite suffering from a bad cold and a bout of nerves, gave a really good performance. Then all too soon it was Sunday evening again and the evening kicked off with Robin Bibi and his band, Robin had been hosting the jam sessions all weekend, but seemed remarkably fresh for someone who had still been playing until the early hours. He gave an astounding performance, doing all his usual theatrics, of going walkabout into the crowd, playing while standing on a chair and again with his guitar behind his head, he also played one that I hadn’t seen him do for a while – Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross, but played in a way that Peter Green could never have imagined, fantastic! Finally it was over to that great band The Stumble to close the weekend, and they were well up to expectation with the dance floor being packed for most of their set. Then I finally got to play in the jam sessions at around one o clock in the morning, well past my bedtime and I am afraid to say not one of my finer performances. I really must get some more gigs under my belt, but I consoled myself with the fact that I think I was the only person at the session that didn’t actually play in a band! Once more at a time of festivals closing and venues half empty, it was another great effort from Monica and her team, who truly are keeping the Blues alive!

DAVE STONE

rOBErt PLaNt

02 LeeDS

17th November 2014

Wake up Jed they are coming on now! 1979 Knebworth, the first time I saw Percy (as they called him was with Led Zeppelin) opening up with the song Remains The Same, not always. On comes Robert and band the sensational Space Shifters Juldeh Camara starts with one string fiddle this segues into a completely different version of Zeps Black Dog, this version sounds fresh and full of vitality, the crowd joining in on the “Ah Hah” call and response chorus. It`s only in the second verse that the drums kick in, “get rhythm you old farts” shouts Plant, Camara plays great fiddle, the last section having a Celtic almost trance like feel. Next first song off the superb new album “Lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar”, Turn It Up, powerful drums, great riffing guitars, awesome, Plant lets rip the way he didn`t with Band Of Joy, great but not like this... a different kettle of fish.

Next the haunting Rainbow, beautifully executed, Robert’s AWHOOS bring on the goose bumps. Time for some acoustic and a wonderful version of Going To California has the capacity audience singing along, like the best pint of real ale you ever tasted, the desire for more of that voice, Plant’s voice is rich, full and quenches the musical thirst. Back to lullaby’s Pocketful Of Golden, a modern mystical blues if I ever heard one. Then back to 1969 for What Is And Should Never Be, this one done to Seps arrangement goes down a storm. Am I allowed to say Plant rocks and the audience rocks along with him?

Space-shifting into a 2014 version of Howling Wolf’s How Many More Times, this has a crossover Afro-Celtic feel, again the crowd is bopping along to this, the African fiddle sounds great on this as do the whole band riffing out with much light and shade, I think this is the best I’ve seen Plant do since Zeppelin and I’ve seen most of his incarnations, so much power in this, it can go on all night for me.

A flamenco interlude from the Plant’s bearded guitar genius from Liverpool, Skin, leads into Babe I’m Going To Leave You, again along Zep lines this is as good as it gets, Justin

Plant’s voice is rich, full and quenches the musical thirst

Adams the other guitar genius joins in on beautifully bowed guitar, floating over the top of Plant’s vocals and the acoustic. Little Maggie with banjo dance music Start is another stunner, crowd claps along, the banjo hook riff becomes the chorus almost, wonderful like several rounds of Theakstons bitter it makes one feel intoxicated, tranncy dancy. Fixin To Die given the Space Shifter treatment rocks along like a runaway train, permeated with thunderous riffs from “the guitar geniuses” a stunning rockabilly feel solo from Justin Adams, his young son joins in on the stage to boogie along with Dad (nice moment and part of the warmth, family feel of this gig).

A Muddy Waters style start leading us through a verse Just Want To Make Love to you then Catfish Riff and Willy Dixons You Need Love can only lead one way, into a powerhouse version of Whole Lotta Love. The voice as powerful as ever takes us towards the finishing line in grand style, it’s done Zep style the middle interlude replaced with a more spaced out shifting feel with Camara’s fiddle singing like a desert wind, this should be headlining Glastonbury like your favourite Curry, it has all the right ingredients. Hot and Spicy!

Another shift of gear and Plant and band deliver the knockout blow of three songs for the encore, an acoustic ballad from lullaby, followed by Pretty Girl With A Red Dress On really has one feeling we are in the Gambia with Camara’s Riti deservedly taking centre stage again, then it`s time for full on version of Rock And Roll, Gambian fiddle soars over the top and takes the guitar solo, it works. What a climax. Plant doesn`t need to do the Zeppelin, he knows that but he was from what I could see and feel enjoying doing them with pride and relish, and saying that lullaby’s songs matched up perfectly in musical strength and power it feels like Robert Plant has made the shift home in more ways than one.

JED THOMAS

KENNy WayNE ShEPhErd

aNd LaurENCE JONES

The SAGe, GATeSheAD

26th october 2014

KWS has undertaken few UK tours and his appearances have been mainly in London so it was not surprising that the Louisiana bluesman attracted a sell-out crowd to this iconic north east music venue. The fact that the support act was the rising star Laurence Jones proved to be a bonus for the region’s blues fanatics.

When I last saw Laurence at the Durham Blues Festival, his set was spoilt by sound mixing problems, some monotonous bass playing and the lack of atmosphere in a half empty theatre. On that occasion he failed to live up to his label by Walter Trout as “a cross between Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy” but at The Sage he confirmed that he is an exceptional talent whose vocals, songwriting and guitar technique are brilliant. This was due in no small

part to stand in session bassist Barry Pethers who gave the performance of his career, and the interplay between him and Laurence was sensational. Top Finnish drummer Miri Miettinen kept the rhythm solid but with flair and panache, providing the perfect platform for the two front men. The fanatical and noisy Geordie crowd played their part too as they witnessed a very special rendition of songs mainly from the Tempest album. Indeed, the band sounded as good tonight as that CD which featured the Royal Southern Brotherhood rhythm section and Mike Zito. The slow burning Southern Breeze epitomised how far Jones has come as a seriously good blues musician whose voice now has the richness and authenticity which comes with maturity.

The main difference between Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Laurence Jones is the 15 years age gap, with KWS now the real deal and with a band to match his near legendary status. A man who is already

kenny wayne Shepherd photo: chrIStIne moore

a legend was sitting on a stool behind his Ludwig drum kit, the sensational Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble drummer, Chris ‘Whipper’ Layton. When the band played The House Is Rockin the older members of the audience were transfixed by the groove laid down by Layton who, with KWS, recreated the sound of SRV. It was one of those never to be forgotten experiences. Vocalist Noah Hunt looks and sings like Paul Rodgers and complements Kenny’s voice perfectly whilst the ex Firm ‘fretless monster’ bassist Tony Franklin adds further verve and personality. The star of the whole evening though was undoubtedly Kenny who is rapidly assuming the mantle of BB King and Buddy Guy as these older guys come to the end of their careers. BB himself would have been proud of Kenny’s version of Woke Up This Morning (My Baby’s Gone) as it retained the integrity of King’s version but with original solos and a modern feel to this classic.

Hopefully, Shepherd will remain less celebrity and show business oriented than King whose song has been parodied with the line, “Woke up this morning, both cars had gone” as the ultimate loss for a man of such wealth! The heartfelt renditions of Blue On Black and King’s Highway, where he grew up, proved that Kenny can write and sing the best contemporary blues.

It is a bonus that he has other musical strings to his bow, notably the ability to play like Hendrix on Gypsy Eyes and Voodoo Chile, the latter providing a fitting finale to the show which had started with the high-octane, equally inspirational self-penned Butterfly. Also, the inclusion of The Rides material with the Stephen Stills influences and even an Iggy Pop number made this a rich, multidimensional cornucopia of musical styles. Above all, however, it is the guitar which stands out with Kenny playing at 100 mph like a young Alvin Lee at Woodstock one minute and then at other times playing with sensitivity and feeling depending upon the mood of the song, but always note perfect and technically superb. For me, this is one of the most memorable shows of the last ten years.

THE BISHOP

CLiMaX BLuES BaNd LIChFIeLD

30th November 2014

After more than forty years of live on the road, in the recording studio, and on the live stage, it is not surprising that the Climax Blues Band know how to deliver a live show. The six piece band have always been a popular draw in Lichfield, and this concert proved to be no different, with a large crowd turning up to support one of the most critically acclaimed ensembles on the live blues circuit.

A lot of bands have one or two lead figures, and supporting musicians, but the Climax Blues Band experience is slightly different. Lead singer Graham Dee, saxophonist Chris ‘Beebe’ Aldridge, guitarist Lester Hunt. Keyboard player George Glover, and the hard working rhythm section of bassist Neil Simpson and drummer Roy Adams packed a lot of nuance and style into their two hours on stage. Much of their material are covers, with songs by such luminaries as Willie Dixon, and blues standards, such as Let The Good Times Roll featuring, their own original music, and the unison playing of lead guitar and saxophone sets them apart from the competition.

They started the set with a firm favourite, Willie Dixon’s Seventh Son a jazz, funk workout for the band, whilst Down In Louisiana was a swampy blues number,

with a danceable beat. Fool For The Bright Lights was a far more modern sounding funk number, whilst the musicians showed off their blues credentials during the slow, mournful So Many Roads which featured virtuoso soloing, and a star turn from Chris Aldridge. The guitar and vocals of Lester Hunt lead a stripped down band through the medium tempo of Going Back To Georgia whilst the Willie Dixon’s I’m Ready finished the first half in good style.

The second half offered only seven more songs, but they were packed full of action, from the long form version of Spoonful, removed from the famed Cream version, and a sad reminder about the death of Jack Bruce, whilst another Willie Dixon song Little Red Rooster was also a different version to any the audience may have heard before, but the fun atmospherics of Wang Dang Doodle added some levity to proceedings. Their best known, and only charting song Couldn’t Get It Right turned into a mass singalong for the audience, whilst the jazz funk, of Heading Towards the Sun, replete with harmony guitar, keyboards and sax led into the set closer of Let The Good Times Roll. The encore of Going To New York was a fine end to a concert that packed serious intent, talent and hard won experience into the music of the eternal Saturday night.

BEN MACNAIR

clImax blueS band

photo: Stuart Stott

KirK FLEtChEr SuPPOrt KatiE BradLEy BaNd The COnVenT, STROuD

29th october 2014

An evening of two halves that delighted from the first to the last note in this quirky music venue, The Convent in Stroud tonight provided a dramatic backdrop for Katie Bradley and Kirk Fletcher.

Katie and her band opened the proceedings and people who had not heard her glorious voice were simply blown away by the purity and emotion that she delivers in her soulful blues with a twist of gospel and a large dollop of Katie Bradley’s own brand of magic. Tonight we were treated to Katie introducing us to songs from her first and current album Anchor Baby, including Junior Wells’, Little By Little and featuring some sublime Harp by Katie.

Her harp playing added another depth of tone to a band that provided the musical waterfall that complimented Katie with every note they played, Dudley Ross with his clever guitar licks and the rhythm provided by popular bassist Roger Inniss and Wes Johnson on drums who were on fire enjoying every moment as they interacted and picked up the groove and laid it down and into the mix adding an extra tone on Hammond C was Vic Martin, who played with Gary Moore. Katie Bradley delivered her

distinctive brand of the blues, with soaring harp and a voice that rang high and clear through the chapel.

With a short break the band came back this time with Kirk Fletcher who having played with Mannish Boys, Fabulous Thunderbirds the quality of his guitar playing is known by many. What a fantastic blues guitarist, as he made the Telecaster play to his tune with a mix of subtlety, control and then a full blown array of power riffs and clever licks, at times the phrasing the control and the use of space in the music reminded me of Robben Ford with a blending of Chicago blues, as endorsed by Joe Bonamassa – “…hands down, one of the best blues guitarists in the world…”

He delighted the crowds with a rather special take on several blues classics including a slowed down version of Jimmy Reed’s Found Love. Throughout the set all the musicians had solo slots to show why they were such an awesome backing band for any guitar/vocalist. His renditions of blues classics made you appreciate why they are classics! A great double set evening’s entertainment from marvellous Katie Bradley and then the wonderful Kirk Fletcher leading a band of exceptional musicians at The Convent. Come back soon Kirk with the guitar.

LIZ AIKEN

rEd dirt SKiNNErS

The ChAMBeRS FOLKeSTOne

13th November 2014

This was the first time that I had seen Rob and Sarah since Sarah won the Instrumentalist of the Year award at the recent British Blues Awards, so it was a pleasure to see them again at my local venue. Rob has always been incredibly fussy about their sound, and has often spent longer getting it right than is healthy, but tonight, surprise, a new digital mixing board, a few tweaks and lo and behold, sound check complete and ready to roll. Ain’t technology wonderful? Although there might only be the two of them now, don’t be fooled by the lack of bodies, as the sound that they make is something else.

Sarah blows a mean sax, as you will probably appreciate, you don’t get Instrumentalist of the Year for nothing! Robs voice has got better too, or it may be that it is just more confident, but whatever, they make a great sound together and the bulk of their set is made up of numbers that they have written themselves. It is hard to say that they are a Blues band now, but there are definitely many elements of the Blues in their work, including Robert Johnsons Hot Tamales. They also played a lively version of Browns Ferry Blues and a great version of David Bowies Space Oddity that you have to see and hear to fully appreciate.

The quite small audience liked them too and it is a pity that there weren’t more there to see and hear them as these guys deserve it.

DAVE STONE

OLd CrOW

MEdiCiNE ShOW

O2 ABC GLASGOW

22Nd october 2014

It was a disappointing start to the night as it was announced Parker Millsap would not be appearing, due to being delayed in Belfast due to weather conditions and ferry’s being cancelled. Fortunately a local stand in in the person of Daniel Meade was found at short notice. Daniel was extremely pleased to be supporting as he would have been in the audience otherwise. Daniel gave a very credible performance in front of a capacity crowd who quickly warmed to him. Daniel had a great guitarist playing in the style of Django Reinhardt, really great start to the night priming the crowd for the main event.

photo: lIz aIken

This was the third time Old Crow Medicine Show had visited Glasgow and the capacity crowd were really ready to party. Scotland is probably the Best place in the UK for an American roots, bluegrass, folk and alt-country band to play, as they really do appreciate their roots music, especially as Ketch Secor shouted out that they had been induced into the Grand Ole Opry, the crowd went crazy. Old Crow Medicine Show consist of seven multi-talented musicians five are very credible singers who could front any band. They all play an array of instruments, guitars, banjos, double bass, fiddles, lap slide, drums and harmonica, swapping instruments as they reel about the stage creating a party. The band created a great atmosphere considering it’s such a large venue, but it felt like an intimate

venue and everyone was part of the party. The Old Crow Medicine Show had appealed to every age group and had drawn fans from far and wide. We had a family group of ladies who had been given reserve seats (though there were very few) beside us who were in their 80s and had travelled all the way from the Shetland Islands just to see the band, although the bulk of the audience was young and trendy such is the appeal they hold. I have been to many gigs but don’t often leave feeling so uplifted and happy.

CHRISTINE MOORE

harry MaNX

uLSTeR BAnK BeLFAST

FeSTIVAL AT Queen’S

october 22Nd 2014

“That was a nice introduction... I was dying to meet myself,” quipped Canada-based Harry Manx on hearing the MC’s enthusiastic welcome. The enthusiasm was wellmerited, as it transpired, for this was an outstanding performance by a bluesman of refreshing individuality. Manx featured on acoustic slide guitar (played lap steel style), six string banjo and Mohan Veena, a guitar/sitar hybrid which he studied in India with its inventor Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. The extraordinary instrument has twenty strings. “It takes about four weeks to tune,” joked Manx, adding

self-deprecatingly, “I only play on three strings – I’m not sure what the rest are for!”On the existentially chilling Death Have Mercy the Mohan Veena, its sound evocative of Indian classical music, added a potent, spectral quality while on Spoonful Manx, a gruffly effective singer, sounded like a streetwise guru dispensing hard-won wisdom.

Even on his other instruments there was an Indian sensibility to the music, as on guitar-led songs such as the compassionate Coat Of Mail, about a homeless person, Baby Please Don’t Go, which was sung with quiet desperation, followed by I Can’t Be Satisfied, which was played with dark intensity, the restlessness of the accompaniment reflecting the restlessness of which he was singing. On banjo Manx performed a moving, world-weary sounding variant of Take This Hammer, wretchedly repeating and repeating the line, “Working on the railroad, a dollar a day” and Voodoo Chile (“As you all know, Jimi loved the banjo,” he jested) at the end of which he mimed smashing his instrument against the stage, Hendrix style.

“My philosophy of blues,” Manx declared, “is that it’s not about feeling bad – it’s about making other people feel bad,” but the standing ovation at the end suggested that in that at least he had failed dismally.

TREVOR HODGETT

harry manx playIng mohan veena 1. photo: trISh keoghhodgett

The Old Crow Medicine Show had appealed to every age group

ketch Secor of the old crow medIcIne Show

photo: chrIStIne moore