Jet City Blues

2011-06-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

Some Dave Konsa photos...

Our good friends and fellow blues maniacs Dave and Pam Konsa have been fans of my various bands over the years. They live in Tacoma, WA but they trek all over Washington to see the band play, which we have always appreciated. Dave always gives me a photo or two that he has created at various gigs, so I thought I would share a few of them with you here - enjoy!

The Killer! Jerry Lee Lewis - Vallejo, CA, 1967

The Georgia Peach - Little Richard, 1967

Bassist Guy Quintino - Michael Lynch Band gig at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, Seattle

Greg Roberts and Russ Kamerer - Michael Lynch Band gig at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, Seattle

Greg Roberts, Bubba McCoy, and Guy Quintino at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, Seattle

Mike Lynch and Bubba McCoy at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, Seattle

Roy Kay sitting in with the Michael Lynch Band at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, Seattle

NW R&B singer Patti Allen's most excellent shoes!

Tom Boyle, Richard Degere, and Mike Silva - Kirk Tuttle memorial gig at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club, Seattle

Leslie Milton and Mike Lynch - Kirk Tuttle memorial gig at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club, Seattle

New Orleans Creole Restaurant owner Gaye Anderson and Pam Konsa

Portland guitarist Jim Mesi

Mike Lynch and Eric Daw (Satellite 4) at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant, Seattle

The Charles White Band - probably at the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle

2011-01-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Kirk Tuttle is dead.

Kirk Tuttle - 1942 to 2011

RIP

Our old friend and terrific drummer, Kirk "KT" Tuttle, died this morning (1/27/11) at Seattle's Swedish Hospital from complications associated with liver disease. He was 68 years-old. He will be sorely missed by the Seattle blues music community. Photo created by Phil Chesnut.

2010-10-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Solomon Burke is dead.

RIP - Solomon Burke 1940-2010

2010-10-10T00:58:00.000-07:00

Seattle Amp Porn - Pt. 1

Our good friend and excellent guitarist/bassist/singer Greg Roberts recently invited Jet City Blues to his Seattle home to check out his collection of vintage amps and guitars. Here are some photos from that visit for you gearheads out there. Enjoy!

Greg Roberts with his 1956 Alden guitar. Similar to the Stratotone guitars, these axes were manufactured by the Harmony company and were available through Montgomery Ward back in the day.

A 1938 Gibson EH-185 amp and matching 11-string lap steel guitar.

The amp and cabinet is in beautiful condition. The amp has both bass and treble controls, an unusual feature at the time.

The amp is actually a head that can be removed from the cabinet. Here you can see the original 12" speaker, which still sounds great!

A 1950 Fender Pro Amp with a Jensen P-15N speaker. This "TV" model cabinet would have had a tweed covering originally, but someone thoughtfully covered it with fake snakeskin sometime in the past.

It's not unusual to find old Fender tweed amps recovered or painted black (a friend of mine has a old Bassman that someone painted red!). It's a mystery why someone cut the two holes in the bottom back panel here.

A 1963 Fender Reverb tank, prized by many players as the best sounding outboard reverb units.

This cabinet is also the wrong color, with the exception of the back panel. Fender made the brown tolex covered amps for only three years.

Guild amp, circa 1961-62. Similar to the Fender Pro it also has a single 15" (Utah) speaker.

Rear view of the Guild amp. Note the wood reverb/tremolo footswitch.

A 1969 Fender Vibrolux Reverb amp. This was manufactured shortly after Fender was bought by CBS, but still has the pre-CBS circuitry. This is the same type of amp that Roy Buchanan played.

Rear view of the Fender Vibrolux Reverb. Two 10" speakers and reverb/vibrato footswitch.

A Magnatone Model 213 Troubadour amp with reverb, vibrato, and one 12" Utah speaker.

These Magnatone amps have a beautiful true pitch-bending vibrato.

An early '50s Leilani amp with a 6" speaker and Mother of Toilet Seat covering. All distortion, all the time!

Last but not least - a very nice 1967 Gibson ES-330 guitar with single-coil pickups.

I am aware of a couple of other amp/guitar collections here in the Seattle area. Keep an eye out for more amp porn to follow soon!

2010-09-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

This just in from Zab Zyvoloski over at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club:

Hey Fellas!

Help this guy out, he's doing double duty!

Here's how...

Salmon Bay Dance Series with Brian Lee & the Orbiters!

Brian Lee and Zab Zyvoloski

On Sunday evening Sept 12th, the Salmon Bay Eagles and Zachariah Cassady will be presenting the first Swing Dance lesson & DJ dance. We are expecting everyone from beginners to veteran dancers! The lessons will occur from 6 until 7pm and then Zachariah will have a DJ dance afterwards until 8:30 pm. Two and a half hours of dancing, and what a great work out! Who needs to go jogging or bike riding when you can dance instead! Spending time practicing in your living room during the week, so you can be better for the next lesson, is a fabulous way of getting fit and graceful at the same time. And Hey! What better way can you think of to get socially active at the same time as getting physically active?

On the 26th, after the dance lesson, instead of the DJ dance, Brian Lee & The Orbiters will provide LIVE music and really get the dancers moving! You know what a great blues band this is, and they are fantastic to dance to. This Sunday dance format will be continued for the indefinite future, so you can always show up for a lesson and/or a dance on any Sunday. The live band dances with Brian Lee & The Orbiters are targeted for Sundays towards the end of each month, with Oct 24th, Nov 28th, & Dec 19th set as the next dates in the series. The next live dance with the Orbiters will be on Sunday, Oct 24th.

It will always be $5 for the lesson and another $5 for the DJ dance afterwards. The Brian Lee & The Orbiters Dance is a $10 admission or only $12 for both lesson & dance! Come for one or both! For Salmon Bay Eagles members, the dance lesson, the DJ dance, and the live performance of Brian Lee and The Orbiters, are all free.

Zachariah is also planning on having a Waltz dance session from 1 to 4pm on the first and third Sunday of the month, just prior to the Swing Dance lesson, and he will use the same format as the Swing dance. Check Zachariah’s website for the particulars at:

http://www.waltzetc.com/sunday.htm

Come on down the Salmon Bay Eagles at 5216 – 20th Ave NW in “Definitely Different” Ballard, and get fit, have fun and meet new people! Grab your dancing shoes and we’ll see you there…

http://www.salmonbayeagles.com/

brianleeorbiters@gmail.com

2010-09-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

This just in from our friend and unindicted co-consirator John "Mr. Solid" Lee:

The J & M Café and Mr. Solid Productions Presents

The Sunday Evening Social Club and Jam, featuring the rockin’ and funky sounds of the Seattle Houserockers. Also tap dancer Tim Hickey will be performing some hot numbers for all to see. Every Sunday beginning September 12th 2010. 7 to 11pm.

The weekly gathering will also be a jam session of sorts as friends and musical compatriots drop by to join in the fun every week. Joining the Houserockers for the kick-off will be some of the Puget Sound area’s finest and lasting blues and roots players.

Guitarist Jack Cook has played with virtually everyone on the Seattle blues scene including the legendary Issac Scott. At this time Jack leads his own cool ensemble, The Phantoms of Soul.

Jack Cook

Mark Dufresne is an extraordinary vocalist, harmonica player, and songwriter. Mark was the vocalist for 5 years with Roomful of Blues, and during that time the band won the “best band” award from the national Blues Music Awards and one of the two recording projects he did with Roomful, “That’s Right!” was nominated for a Grammy in 2004. Mark is a true delight to hear!

Mark Dufresne

Mike Lynch, harmonica and vocals, has been a mainstay on the Seattle blues scene for many years always fronting top notch groups with excellent players. Mike has been a sideman with both Tom McFarland and Issac Scott. His band the Harmonica Playboy and His Midnight Movers was voted “best band” by the Washington Blues Society in 1998.

Mike Lynch

Members of the Seattle Houserockers are journeyman professional musicians who have performed at festivals and in clubs all over the world. After decades of performing and contributing to dozens of recordings, the Seattle Houserockers have formed to play a cool mix of classic R&B, Blues, New Orleans beat, fatback, and boogie.

The Seattle Houserockers are:

John Marshall- harmonica, vocals ( Wild Rhododendrons, Trouble At Home )

John Marshall

Dan Newton- guitar, keyboards, vocals ( the Crossroads Band, the Mark Dufresne Band )

Dan Newton

John Lee- bass guitar, vocals ( the Crossroads Band, the 3J’s )

John Lee

Marty Lockwood- drums, vocals ( the Blue Flames, Laurinado Almeida)

www.myspace.com/seattlehouserockers

Tim Hickey has worked on TV, film, and stages all over the world and now produces and choreographs shows with a focus on live music.

http://www.timtapshickey.com/

The J&M Café and Cardroom is a historic Pioneer Square landmark. The J&M is Seattle ’s oldest bar established in 1889 and has long been a popular watering hole. With new ownership, a little makeover, great food, tasty libations, and top flight blues and roots music, the J&M Café is a great spot to let the good times roll. From 7 to 9pm families are able to join in the Social Club fun. Also, bassist John Lee, former cook at both, Miz Sadie’s at the Owl Café and the Highway 99 Blues Club will be conjuring up his red beans and rice as a weekly special.

http://www.thejmcafe.com/

J&M Café and Cardroom
201 1st Ave. South
Seattle , Washington 98104
206-517-7864

Come on down and get you’re groove on. No cover charge.

2010-07-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

Some forthcoming musician benefits that you should know about...

1. Charles White Benefit Concert

Date: Sunday, July 11th
Time: 4:00 to 11:00 PM
Where: New Orleans Creole Restaurant
Address: 114 1st Avenue South, Seattle (Pioneer Square)

Seattle blues singer "Sir" Charles White has been diagnosed with and is battling Light Chain Myeloma cancer. This is a benefit concert to raise money to cover out-of-pocket expenses that his health insurance doesn't cover. Admission is $20 with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Charles' medical expenses.

Featured bands will include:

4:00 to 4:45 - The Fabulous Roofshakers
5:00 to 5:45 - Steve Bailey & Crossroads
6:00 to 6:45 - Tim Turner Band
7:00 to 7:45 - Mark Whitman Band
8:00 to 8:45 - Mary McPage Band
9:00 to 9:45 - Stacy Jones Band

If you plan on donating to the Washington Blues Society's (WBS) Musicians' Relief Fund (MRF) on behalf of Charles, you will need to identify your donation as such. All WBS-MRF donations earmarked for Charles will get to him. If you are unable to make the benefit, please consider mailing a donation (checks or money orders - no cash) to:

Washington Blues Society
Attn: Charles White MRF Fund
PO Box 70604
Seattle, WA 98127

For more information please contact:

Mary McPage: mary_mcpage_band@yahoo.com
Bill Blackstone: charleswhiteband@yahoo.com

2. Mauva Belle Family Benefit Concert

Date: Sunday, July 25th
Time: 3:00 to 6:00 PM
Where: Salmon Bay Eagles Club
Address: 5216 20th Avenue NW, Seattle (Ballard)

Leslie "Star Drums" Milton and Gael "Lady Keys" Kurath will host a benefit on Sunday, July 25th at the Salmon Bay Eagles for the family of premier singer and entertainer, Mauva Belle, who passed away on May 20th in New Orleans of pancreatic cancer. She was only 49 years young. After spending three months in the hospital with no medical insurance, donations are being requested to help her family with the medical bills. Her husband, James White, will try to fly up from New Orleans to attend the benefit, and is very appreciative of the Seattle musical community coming together to celebrate the life of one of our own.

Mauva's CDs will be auctioned off, and musicians are welcome to sit in with Star Drums and Lady Keys. Some confirmed musical guests (at this date) include: Mike Lynch, Bruce Ransom, Gary Lee Johnson, Walter Young, Matt Clausen, and Lonnie Williams.

For more information, please contact:

Barbra Crain: bcbayou@comcast.net

2010-05-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Dana Lupinacci Band at the Eagles Club

Here are some photos I took of the Dana Lupinacci Band playing at the Salmon Bay Eagles club about a week ago. My old pal Jeff Ziontz is playing guitar in this version of the band, and the group sounded great - swinging and not too loud. I sat in with the band for a couple of tunes, as did harp maestro John Marshall.

So what's not to like about the Eagles? The Thursday night gigs are early (8:00 PM to 12:00 AM), there is never a cover, and the inexpensive drinks are nuclear powered.

Left to right: Jeff Ziontz, Dana Lupinacci, Dave Petrie, and Charlene Grant

John Marshall sitting in on the harp and vocals.

Katie, the Eagles's singing bartender.

These guys were trying to get me to join the Ballard VFW. I'm considering it!

2010-05-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

Nitelife with Johnny Mercury

Here are some photos from a gig that Nitelife did at the Highway 99 Blues Club last month, with our special guest Johnny Mercury. Johnny is well known in the Northwest country/rockabilly scene and is a fine guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Thanks for the helping hand, Johnny!

Note: All photos in this blog were created by Cathy Borste.

Left to right: Greg Roberts, Mike Lynch, Russ Kamerer, Johnny Mercury, and Guy Quintino

Johnny Mercury

Our friend Brice reminding us the that the Liquor Control Board is cracking down on musicians drinking on stage. We wouldn't want to encourage drinking in the nightclub!

2010-04-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Rockabilly & Country Show at the Shanty Tavern

I wandered down to the Shanty Tavern in Lake City last Saturday with Greg Roberts and Bubba McCoy to see a rockabilly/country music show that was being put on by our friend and guitarist Johnny Mercury.

The Shanty is a small roadhouse out on Lake City Way that, as far as I can tell, is only open for music events. I recall playing at a short-lived jam session there years ago. The tavern shares a large parking lot with the Seven Seas Chinese Restaurant, which is convenient because you can buy liquor there between sets at the Shanty.

There were three bands performing at this show, and I really enjoyed all of them. First up was Johnny Mercury's trio (with our pal Guy Quintino on bass), followed by Lisa and Her Kin (a fine country band from Portland), and finally, the Rainieros, another cool country band from Seattle.There was a good turnout for the show, lots of nice lookin' ladies, and great music. I highly recommend checking out some shows at the Shanty - they feature plenty of events that fans of roots music will enjoy.

Here's some photos from the show:

The Johnny Mercury Trio - Left to right: Guy Quintino, Brian Elledge, and Johnny Mercury

Dancers!

These guys were playing at the Seven Seas - I didn't catch their name.

Did I mention the ladies? Left to right: Megan, Samantha, Michelle, Jenny, and Marjory.

Thanks, gals!

Marc and Gaby Bristol were also at this show. Marc is the publisher of Blue Suede News

Lisa and Her Kin

2010-04-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Jet City Blues CD Review

Up One Side...Down The Other by the Crossroads Band

Blues Town Records - Available at all Crossroads Band gigs, or CDs can be purchased from the band by contacting dennis@crossroadsblues.net.

This CD, released by Seattle's Crossroads Band in 2009, is easily one of the best regonal recordings I have heard recently. The Crossroads Band features seasoned Seattle blues veterans Steve Bailey (harp, guitar, slide guitar, and vocals), Dan Newton (keyboards, guitar, lap steel guitar, and vocals), Dennis Ellis (tenor and baritone saxophones, and vocals), John "The Savage" Lee (bass and vocals), and David Hudson (drums and vocals). Did I mention that everyone sings? Pretty unusual for a local blues project, my friends.

There is lots of good stuff on this disk, including five cool originals mixed in with some carefully chosen covers. One of the unique things that you will hear here are the horn arrangements, which are usually played on harp and sax, but sometimes created by Dennis overdubbing tenor and baritone saxes (Dennis also plays the flute on some tunes at Crossroad band gigs). The tunes range from Roy Brown-style jump tunes ("Fannie Brown Got Married"), Chicago blues ("The Sun Is Shining," Stop Now"), New Orleans funk ("Something You Got," "Walk Your Blues Away"), to West Coast boogaloo ("Get Back"). The blues, the whole blues, and nothin' but the blues, baby!!

Here's my take on the tunes offered here:

"Fanny Brown Got Married" - A swinging Roy Brown tune with great vocals and gritty honking tenor sax by Dennis Ellis. Check out the overdubbed horn parts. Note to the Washington Blues Society members - Dennis was not nominated AGAIN this year for best horn - why, pray tell?!

"Up One side And Down The Other" - An original by Dan Newton. I'll call it a Texas-style boogie - whatever, this tune rocks! I wish the lap steel guitar was a little easier to hear, but check out the oddball bridge which builds up tension between verses.

"Who" - An original by Steve Bailey about a ne'er-do-well lover. Love this song! "...now who's gonna fix your broke down car/pick you up when you drunk down at the bar..." Indeed!

"Something You Got" - The classic New Orleans Chris Kenner tune, shouted with feeling by bassist John Lee. There's that horn section again, a funky bariton sax solo, and Nawlin's style piano by Mr. Newton. Waiter - gimme some red beans and rice!

"The Sun Is Shining" - A tribute to the late great Hound Dog Taylor, with vocals and slide guitar by Steve Bailey. Steve manages to find the appropriately destroyed-sounding slide guitar tone here. You gotta turn this one up.

"Get Back" - The Jimmy McCracklin tune about about problems that can be encountered at the nightclub. I dig Dennis Ellis' vocals, sax solo, and the harp/sax horn section on this one.

"Mixed Up Fool" - Another Bailey original. A real Chicago blues grinder - great harp playing on this one, from a true northwest original!

"My Baby" - A teen beat tune credited to Charlie Musselwhite. The cool vocals make it sound like a Don and Dewey tune to me (that's a good thing!).

"Walk Your Blues Away" - A good rockin' Professor Longhair tune with excellent piano by Dan Newton, vocals by Dennis Ellis, and great backup horns. OK, I'm ready for some jambalaya now.

"Stop Now" - Steve Bailey plays excellent Sonny Boy II style harp on this tune about impending doom associated with a love affair suddenly gone wrong.

"She Used To Be Mine" - Another Dan Newton original about a good love gone bad, very bad. I dig Steve and Dennis' harp/sax solos on this one.

"Why Do People Act Like That?" - The first time I heard this Bobby Charles tune was on Muddy Waters' "Woodstock" album. John Lee shouts this one again. They ought to play this one on Wall Street, methinks.

"Black Nights" - Nope, not Charles Brown - this is the Lowell Fulson tune. A cool example of West Coast R&B, check it out!

"Double-Eyed Whammy" - A great version ofthe Tommy Ridgley tune that sounds amazingly like "San-Ho-Zay" when you remove the lyrics. You can tell that Steve's been doing this one for a while.

"Big D Walks In" - A cool swinging instrumental that features Dennis Ellis on the sax, of course. This sounds like a long lost Johnnie Otis tune to me.

I see that this CD has been nominated for a Best Blues Recording by the Washington Blues Society. This is a fine recording created by long-time veterans of the seattle blues scene, and deserves to win this award. My vote is in, how about yours?

2010-03-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

Kirk Tuttle Update

I dropped by our friend (and drummer) Kirk "KT" Tuttle's place today to check in and to pick up some stuff that I left there last week. He was doing OK today, but said that the last two days were pretty bad due to stomach problems and lack of sleep.

After his wife Jimi Jean died last year KT has living in a small apartment in Seattle's north end, very close to the Ballard locks. His liver disease is still progressing, and, being an Air Force veteran (flight controller), he is getting medical treatment from the VA. He can't work or play music any more, so he is living off of a small monthly social security check.

The liver disease symptoms include bouts of dizziness, sever cramps, back and leg pain, nausea, and disorientation. During a bout of dizziness about a month ago, KT fell in his bathroom and fractured one of his hips. He spent about a week in the hospital after that, and is getting around now with the help of a walker. He is scheduled to begin rehabilitation therapy at the end of this month.

I asked KT about the FaceBook page that has been set up for him, but he didn't know anything about it. If any readers here know anything about that page, please let us know what's going on so that we can enlighten KT. He also said to say thanks to the friends that have been visiting and bringing the occasional dinner for him and/or running a few errands.

2010-03-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

The 15th Annual Portland Blues Harmonica Summit

Here is information on the forthcoming Portland Annual Blues Harmonical Summit produced by Bill Rhodes:

WOW! I’ve sure had a lot of folks asking me “When is the Harmonica Summit”? That’s a good sign and here’s the lowdown. On Saturday March 6th at the Melody Ballroom, we will be holding the 15th Annual Blues Harmonica Summit.

The featured Harp players will be:
■ Johnny Ward—Hands down the man who has been playing the Harp longer than anyone here in the Northwest! A veteran of many groups including the Jokers, and numerous jug bands, Johnny brings one of the most original styles out there today.

■ Mike Moothart—Another Northwest vet, who has served time in the Switchmasters and the Jim Mesi Band. A hard blowing, no nonsense player, who specializes in Chicago and Southern style harp.

■ Little Ronnie Sirota—Originally from the big city (NYC), Ronnie will be playing the Summit for the first time. Whether playing solo or with a group, Ronnie displays an excellent sense for playing the Real Blues.

■ Tim O’Hare—Another first time addition to the Summit will be another of our great local Northwest harp blowers. Tim has listened and learned all these years and now we all get to hear the fine result.

■ Bill Rhoades—Your host and MC of the show will be another Northwest harpman. Bill has won the “Muddy” six times for “Best Harmonica Player” and recently contributed a solo harp part to the movie “Our City Dreams”.

Backing all of the featured artists will be an All-Star House band fronted by world renowned Bluesman Paris Slim on guitar and vocals.

Join us Saturday March 6th at the Melody Ballroom (downstairs) 615 SE Alder, Portland, OR. The show starts at 8 pm and should run until about midnight (Sorry—21 & over). Admission $10 at the door. CBA, Washington Blues Society, and Rainy Day Blues Society members will receive $1 off with membership card.

For more info call 503-253-1265 or 503-232-2759. Hope to see you there!

Note: This article originally appeared on the Cascade Blues Association web site.

2010-03-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

This just in from our Portland, OR correspondent, "Uncle" Ray Varner:

“REMEMBER ME” 2010
3rd Annual Paul deLay Scholarship Benefit Concert

Featuring:

The Charlie Musselwhite Band, the Curtis Salgado / Alan Hager Duo, Lloyd Jones, D.K. Stewart, Linda Hornbuckle, Rick Welter, former members of the Paul deLay Band, …and more

Sunday, April 25, 2010

6 - 10 p.m. / doors at 5:30 p.m.

ALADDIN THEATER

3017 SE Milwaukie Ave. • Portland OR • 503.233.1994

A sampling of Portland musical talent joins veteran blues artist and harmonica ace, Charlie Musselwhite and his band, in a benefit concert at the Aladdin Theater, on Sunday, April 25th. All proceeds from “Remember Me” 2010 will go toward the scholarship that has been established in memory of Portland 's late harmonica maestro, Paul deLay , at Ethos Music Center , a nonprofit dedicated to music education for youth in underserved communities. A committee of members from the Portland music community has again organized this annual benefit for music education. Last year’s event filled the Aladdin Theater and increased the growing scholarship fund by several thousand dollars.

Headlining this year’s celebration is a well-known friend of the blues and of Paul deLay – the award-winning bluesman, Charlie Musselwhite. As Rolling Stone Magazine puts it, "With unabashed excellence, Charlie Musselwhite and his tight band set the standard for blues bands everywhere." The Blues Foundation recently released their list of inductees into the Blues Hall of Fame for this year. The list includes this highly esteemed vocalist and harpist. More on Musselwhite follows below.

The concert also features a stellar lineup of local blues talent, including D.K. Stewart, Lloyd Jones, Jim Mesi, Linda Hornbuckle, Jimi Bott, Tahoe Jackson, Rick Welter and Franck "Paris Slim" Goldwasser, Arthur Moore and Tim O'Hare. They will be joined by former members of the Paul deLay Band: organists Louis Pain, and Dover Weinberg; drummer Jeff Minnick; bassists Don Campbell and Dave Kahl; and guitarist Peter Dammann . Curtis Salgado and Alan Hager will also perform together as a duo, which was a highlight of last year’s event. The celebration will be hosted by former tv sports personality and blues fan Ed Whelan.

Paul deLay's friendship with Charlie Musselwhite goes back to the early 1970s, when deLay's band was the backing unit for many of Musselwhite's Northwest tours. Paul and Charlie remained close friends over the years, and performed on many all-star "Harmonica Blow-offs" together, and led a harmonica workshop together, pictured below, at Portland 's Waterfront Blues Festival in 1999. Two of the featured performers in the "Remember Me" concert, Franck Paris Slim" Goldwasser and Rick Welter, who both relocated to Portland in recent years, played in Musselwhite's early bands.

Charles Lewis founded Ethos Music Center in 1998 in response to budget cuts that severely limited arts education in Oregon ’s largest public school district. Located in Northeast Portland , the organization’s name comes from the ancient Greek “Doctrine of Ethos,” which held that music can change your thoughts, moods and actions. Ethos believes every child should have the opportunity to make music. Contributions can be made at any time at www.ethos.org or sending a donation to Ethos Music Center , 10 N. Killingsworth Street , Portland , OR 97217 .

Tickets for this event are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Those under 21 and accompanied by an adult are welcome to attend. Advance tickets are available at the Aladdin Theater Box Office (503.233.1994) or online at www.aladdin-theater.com

Paul deLay wrote the haunting lament “Remember Me,” after his mother and the mothers of three band members passed away in a two-year period in the late 1990s. It was released on the Paul deLay Band’s Heavy Rotation CD (Evidence Music) in 2001. Paul deLay passed away on March 7, 2007 from complications of late-stage leukemia.

2010-02-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

Doug Royce is dead

I received a call from Seattle guitarist Jack Cook recently, who told me that Northwest native and bassist Doug Royce died in January 2009 in Fort Pierce, Florida. Doug had been suffering from prostate cancer, and was 74 years old at the time of his death.

Veterans of the Seattle blues scene will remember that Doug, a trained jazz musician, played with the Hokum Blues Band, the Brian Butler Band, the Tom McFarland Band, and Nitelife. Before moving to Seattle, he played jazz for years in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, including a period with the Ray Anthony Band.

I played with Doug in the Tom McFarland Band. He used an unusual bass rig - a semi-hollow body ES-335 style Gibson bass that he played with a pick, plugged into a solid-state GK amp powering 2 x 15 Fender cabinet. He told me that this setup sounded the most like the acoustic basses that he played for years. I always wondered what happened to Doug after we quit playing with Tom. He apparently moved to Florida to be near his daughter after his wife died in 2004.

The late Ric Howell (left) and Doug Royce - Ketchikan, AK (early '80s)

RIP

Thanks to Jack Cook and Mike Dumovich for their help in providing background information for this blog. Unfortunately, this is the only photo that I have of Doug Royce. If anyone has a better one, please let me know!

2010-02-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

Foster Williams Memorial

As mentioned in the previous blog, Greg Roberts and I played at the recent memorial for Foster Williams held at the new Orleans Creole Restaurant. There was a pretty good turnout, and owner Gaye Anderson provided a nice spread of food for the guests.

A sizable group of the jazz musicians that have played at the New Orleans over the years played most of the afternoon, mostly New Orleans style jazz music. I was thinking that those musicians and their fans wouldn't care too much for the Chicago style blues that Greg and I were going to play, but I was wrong!

Greg and I played a couple of tunes, then blues harpist Jeff Herzog and singer Charles White did a couple of tunes with Greg and a piano player and double bass player. Jeff played a cool version of "Amazing Grace" that got the crowd worked up pretty good! Here's a couple of photos from the gig:

Greg Roberts and Mike Lynch. Photo by Pamela Eaton-Ford.

Left to right: Greg Roberts, Jeff Herzog, Charles White, Dave on bass.

2010-01-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

Foster Williams memorial at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant

The photo shown in this blog was created by Pamela Eaton-Ford.

If you are a musician that played at Seattle's New Orleans Creole Restaurant over the past 25 years, you probably saw longtime employee Foster Williams there. Foster died of cancer on November 9, 2009. He was 74 years old.

I used to hang out with Foster occasionally and tip a few in the bar at the New Orleans. He was quite the music fan and a Korean War veteran.

A memorial for Foster will be held at the New Orleans on Sunday, January 17th, from 2:00 to 6:00 PM. Owner Gaye Anderson tells me that the jazz bands that play the regular Monday through Thursday night gigs at the club will be performing. Greg Roberts and I are planning on playing a few tunes at the gathering also.

Foster Williams - RIP

2010-01-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

Blues Eye Photos

Here are some photos that David Brewer sent to me some time ago of his Seattle band Blues Eye. From the clothes and hair styles, I'm guessing that these photos were created sometime in the '70s. I recall seeing Blues Eye at the old Pipeline Tavern, and believe that they used to back up Albert Collins when he came to town.

Sunburn City! Hey Dave, where was the band playing this summer day?

This looks like an "Images by Edy" photo to me. Edy and her little poodle dog ran a studio in Seattle's University District. Many Seattle bands had promo photos created by Edy. I wonder what happened to her photo stash after she passed away?

I believe that our drummer friend Les Hutchinson (second from left here) is in all of these photos. He lives in Portland now. Maybe Dave can identfy the other players for us.

2010-01-10T17:22:00.000-08:00

Jet City Blues CD Review

By Mark Dalton

Decade of Soul – From the Soul by Star Drums and Lady Keys

Surely the longest running continuous gig that fits under the big tent of the Pacific Northwest Blues scene is that of New Orleans native Leslie “Stardrums” Milton and Gael “Lady Keys” Kurath at Everett’s Alligator Soul Creole restaurant. Leslie and Gael have had a regular Saturday night gig at this venue for over a decade – a “house band” gig of the kind that has almost completely vanished from the national horizon in this era of big street television and downloadable, disposable music.

I had the good fortune of growing up in an era when longer term engagements were much more common – when setting up equipment for at least two nights, and often four or five was the rule, rather than the succession of one-nighters scattered around the area, which is the nearly invariable situation today. Longer engagements allowed a band to settle in and get to know their audience, and vice versa. I once played a five-night-a-week job with Tom McFarland that lasted eight months, and during that time we got to feel like part of the family at the Boulder Café on First Avenue… a very strange, intriguing, and sometimes scary family – but an experience I’ll never forget!

This live CD captures the warm relationship that has developed between this duo and their audience very well. Stardrums and Lady Keys sound relaxed and happy here, confident of their acceptance by the enthusiastic crowd. The material covers quite a range; from Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World” to the country standard “Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You” to the New Orleans classic “Junko Partner.” Standout tunes for me include Leslie’s sly version of “Little Red Rooster,” and the Guitar Slim classic “The Things That I Used to Do” (with stinging guest guitar by Walter Young), and Gael’s rollicking takes on “I Want to Be Loved” and “Madam Kicks,” and the scolding “Don’t Lie to Me” (with Mike Lynch taking a great harp solo). Other good tunes here include Marcia Ball’s “Red Beans,” Larry Davis’ “Texas Flood” (made popular by Stevie Ray Vaughan), Willie Dixon’s classic “I’m Ready,” and Leslie’s unique reading of “Tennessee Waltz.”

This is a pair of consummate entertainers. Leslie Milton is one of the finest drummers ever to hit a Northwest stage, and Lady Keys’ two-fisted piano playing shines throughout. I’m thinking you should head out to Alligator Soul some Saturday night soon; get yourself some good Cajun food, settle back and get into this joyful show! And if you like what you hear (and I guarantee you will), pick up a copy of this CD and take them home with you.

Originally from Nebraska, Mark Dalton moved to Seattle in the early '70s. He is an accomplished bassist and stalwart bluesman. He currently plays with Chris Stevens' Surf Monkeys. Photo by Ronda Lee.

2010-01-10T00:36:00.000-08:00

New Years Eve, Seattle - 2009/2010

I drove to downtown Seattle this last New Years eve to check out a couple of my friends' bands. Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies! were playing an early gig (7-10 PM) at the Frontier Room in the Belltown neighborhood. I didn't know this, but this joint has live music a couple of nights a week, but there's no dedicated spot for bands - just a spot on the floor next to the hallway leading to the bathrooms. So what else is new?!

The crowd was pretty light during BS&TBRD's set, but you wouldn't know it from watching the band. They put on a couple of their usual high energy sets, although there was no room for bassist Les White to play his acoustic bass behind his head as usual.

At the end of the band's show, the long table in front of the band was removed and a dance floor magically appeared. The house DJ was getting ready to perform, of course, and the Army of Young Women Wearing High Heels and Tiny Dresses began to assemble in the club. I would have liked to stay and admire the scenery, but I had to move on to Pioneer Square.

Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies!

Tom Boyle and Jim King

Eric Manegolden and Les White

Becki Sue

Next stop, the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Pioneer Square where the Blues Orbiters were holding court. The Square wasn't as busy as Belltown, but the band had a decent crowd to entertain. I dig this version of the Orbiters - they do a great job of backing up band leader/vocalist/guitarist/harp blower Brian Lee on tunes ranging from Elmore James to James Brown.

I hung around long enough to have a glass of champagne at midnight, then split to have a hot dog across the street before heading home. I played at the New Orleans the following Saturday, and even though we had a pretty decent crowd, the Square was a ghost town. I've never seen it like that before!

Here's a wish that everyone has a better year in 2010!

The Blues Orbiters

Conrad Ormsby and Hank Yanda

Brian Lee

Tim Sherman

2010-01-05T21:46:00.000-08:00

Jet City Blues CD Reviews

By Mark Dalton

Black Diamonds by Kim Field and the Mighty Titans of Tone

Hey Now! By Eric Daw

There are several good reasons to review these two CDs together – they were recorded at about the same time, by two men who were playing together in a band at the time (although the personnel on the two CDs are different on most tunes). The two CDs even share a song (Eric Daw’s “You’re the One”) in versions that offer a good comparison of these top-flight Northwest musicians.

The two CDs were also recorded in the same studio (Seattle’s Orbit Audio), both with an emphasis on an uncomplicated, live-in-the-studio, rootsy sound. Both these artists are comfortable as bluesmen, but both have a wider musical view. Influences from classic country music, 60’s soul music, and from the rise of rock and roll are evident here.

Of the two, Kim Field is the experienced master; possessed of a long and rich career as a performer, song writer, recording artist and graphic designer – and an internationally known music historian who literally “wrote the book” on the development and history of the harmonica. In his book "Harmonicas, Harps and Heavy Breathers," Kim traces his chosen instrument from its humble origins as a pocket instrument for cowboys and hoboes, to the highly amplified, soaring electric instrument launched by the likes of Little Walter and George “Harmonica” Smith into the front lines of modern improvisational music.

The younger man, Eric Daw arrived on the Seattle music scene less than a decade ago, and his rapid development as a guitarist; first as a dedicated sideman, seemingly popping up everywhere you looked, to a smoking instrumentalist and increasingly dazzling soloist, to a confident vocalist and a competent songwriter – this development has been a joy to watch and a pleasure to hear.

Kim Field’s album, Black Diamonds, represents a solid return to form by Kim as a songwriter. Kim has always pushed himself well beyond the clichés that so many roots music songwriters fall into. “Endless boogie” crowd pleasers are notably absent here, although the Titans can rock with the best of them. What you get from Kim are finely crafted songs – both musically and lyrically – songs that often plunge deep into the heart of human relationships. In addition to calling up the spirits of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and their delta predecessors, Kim’s influences by later R&B and country music geniuses like Sam Cooke, Arthur Alexander, and Merle Haggard have added a richness and complexity to his work that sets this CD apart form any other area artist currently on the scene.

Kim’s CD opens up with one of the highlights of the set, “My Heart is Still My Own,” a rocking statement of survival in the face of romantic turmoil, followed by “The Language of Love” with the great line “don’t look to the Good Book, or the customs of Japan, if you want my touch, you got to put it in my hand.” “So Dark in Here” follows, a fine soul ballad reminiscent of the classic work of Dan Penn, followed by another of Kim’s rockin’ Cajun tunes (this one written with Henry Cooper), “Dis Pas Ca.” Other highlights of this excellent set include Kim’s signature harp instrumental, “Heavy Breathing,” his rollicking take on Eric Daw’s “You’re the One,” mentioned earlier, and the very dark “She’ll Bury You (In the Hole She Dug For Me)” here with Kim on delta style guitar. A reworking of the Slamhound Hunters' “The Snake Sheds it’s Skin” might make your skin crawl, and the title tune, “Black Diamonds,” is a minor blues coming straight out that desperate 3 am hour, with Kim’s huge harmonica tone flowing out of the speakers like black, bitter honey.

The musicians on this CD are all top-flight, with a special mention of Billy Spaulding’s rock-solid drumming throughout. As James Ellroy would say, DIG IT.

Eric Daw’s CD opens with the title tune, “Hey Now!” a Jimmie Vaughan-style instrumental shuffle which let’s you know right away that you are in for some treats with this collection! The personnel on this cut and several others make up another band that Daw stands out in during appearances around the area – The Satellite Four, a Booker T. and the MG's style instrumentals-only band featuring the amazing Jeff Conlin, who has quickly become my favorite area organist, as well as a solid rhythm section in Johnny Horn and David Hudson on bass and drums. If you like what you hear on this track, “Ricky’s Revenge,” and “Under Control,” you need to get out and see The Satellite Four live! They will blow you away, guaranteed.

There’s plenty of great guitar scattered all over this set – Daw is an imaginative player who covers a lot of territory, all done with true feeling and a lot of style.

Eric has a lighter touch with his singing, but again, this man is growing by leaps and bounds before our eyes and ears, and he carries this initial solo CD very well as a frontman. His vocal touch on “You’re the One” calls up the classic Hollywood rock-a-billy of Ricky Nelson, and had my wife dancing around the room singing along. Expect more great things from Eric Daw – ‘cause we’re gonna get ‘em!

The best idea, of course, is to get out and see these cats live and pick up these CDs direct from the source, but if need be, you can get either one or both from http://www.cdbaby.com/. You WILL be glad you did!

2010-01-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

Which Roy Buchanan CD?

I picked up a real stinker of a Roy Buchanan CD the other day. Titled "When A Telecaster Plays The Blues,"it was a poorly recorded live set (unknown location and date), with Buchanan playing with a heavy-handed bassist and a drummer that appeared to be playing an electronic drum set. This thing was so bad that I simply threw the CD away.

Anyway, I don't want that to happen again, so I'm hoping that someone can recommend some listenable Roy Buchanan recordings. Which ones are your favorites?

I can think of at least a couple of Northwest guitarists that were probably partially influenced by Buchanan's high-wire act: Portland's Jim Mesi, and Seattle's Stan Eike (I don't recall seeing either one playing a Telecaster, though!).

2009-12-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Reed show with the Maxwell Street Revivalists

I played with the Maxwell Street Revivalists at the Highway99 Blues Club on December 17th. We featured the music of the great Jimmy Reed during the gig, and really had a ball doing it! I think that I'm going to have to start doing "Take Out Some Insurance" and "Found Love" at my gigs now.

These guys are the real deal, and you should try to catch their next show at the Highway 99 on January 21st, when they will be featuring Seattle saxophonist and vocalist Dennis Ellis (The Crossroads Band) and the music of Howlin' Wolf.

Speaking of my gigs, Revivalists guitarist Greg Roberts and bassist Guy Quintino will be playing with me at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Pioneer Square on January 2nd. That's gonna be a good 'un too!

I'll see you at the nightclub!

Maxwell Street Revivalists - left to right: David Hudson (drums), Greg Roberts (guitar and vocals), Guy Quintino (acoustic and electric bass), and guest Mike Lynch.

2009-12-19T18:19:00.000-08:00

20th Anniversary of the Salmon Bay Eagles Blue Thursdays

By Dennis "Zab" Zyvoloski
Salmon Bay Eagles Music Coordinator

The Salmon Bay Eagles Club

I was talking with Sheri Humphres the other day. Sheri is a partner in a recording studio with her husband, Raven Humphres, who is also a sax player in some of the longest playing blues bands in this area. Sheri is also a music and event promoter and had offered me some help in planning the celebration for the two decades of blues music at the Salmon Bay Eagles.

Since I had only come onto the local blues music scene a mere ten or so years ago, I was also particularly interested in having Sheri fill me in about the beginnings of the blues at the “Slammin’” Bay Eagles, as I’ve heard it informally referred to. I took some notes and wrote up the following story, and she failed to correct me in time before I sent this out, so she had her chance to stop me. Anyhow, the following tale is how I reconstructed the conversations.

Back in 1988, David Duff was the president of the Salmon Bay Eagles. Dave had this idea that music would attract a younger crowd and that younger crowd would increase their membership. He was a fan of the Kevin Wallace Exchange Band, so he hired Kevin’s Band, as long as they would play Dave’s favorite song, “Loan Me A Dime.”

At that time, Jimi Jean Tuttle was a bartender at the Eagles, and she and her husband, drummer Kirk "KT" Tuttle, lived in an apartment next door to the club. Jimi Jean and Dave put together the concept of a jam with guitarist Kevin Wallace organizing and running it on Sunday nights.

The original Kevin Wallace Band consisted of Kevin on guitar, Raven Humphries on sax, Pete “The Beat” on drums, Jeff Davies on bass, Dr O. (aka Kevin O’Reilly) on keyboards, with Eddie Garr sometimes filling in on bass and Sam Pierce stopping in to crank out some stellar vocals. KT would sit in on drums when Pete (aka Gig Pig) would have other commitments. Raven would provide the PA system, because the club didn’t have one at that time.

Kevin and Raven ran this jam for about two years and it grew with a lot of our well-known musicians showing up to jam. At that time, there weren’t any other jams like this on a Sunday night. After two years of Raven dragging in his equipment into the club and packing it out every night, Jimi Jean and Sheri decided to look for ways to raise money for a house PA system. They started having special dinners, raffles, tip jars, etc. and raised enough money to buy the present system. It was a lot of work!

Shortly thereafter, Kevin had some conflicts that prevented him from playing every Sunday night. He started putting together replacement bands for the Sunday nights. That is how he got into trouble with the IRS. All the contracts were in his name, and the replacement bands would just cash the check at the bar. With the contracts in his name, the IRS assumed that it was all his income and they wanted their cut. As far as they were concerned, he owed them a lot of back taxes, which of course, he didn’t have. This was a hard lesson to learn. About this time, Dave retired as the Eagles President and Jimi took over booking the bands, since she knew all the musicians in the community. The music was then moved to Thursday nights, where it has remained for the next twenty years.

Like the majority of self-employed musicians, Kevin had no health insurance and rarely, if ever, went to the doctor. In December of 1999 Kevin passed away due to an easily remedied health condition. Kevin’s untimely passing was a great loss to the Blues community. There’s a memorial plaque on the wall next to the stage honoring Kevin and his efforts to promote the blues community. At this time, Sheri was the Vice President of the Blues Society and this incident prompted her to personally donate $500 to start off the Kevin Wallace Musician’s Relief Fund. She told me that she felt that no musician without money or insurance should ever be unable to see a doctor. This Musician’s Relief Fund is still in place with the Blues Society to this day.

After Kevin’s death, the band was forced to re-group, and Stan Eike joined to replace Kevin on guitar and vocals. The band was re-named by Jimi Jean as The All Stars, No Stripes Band, which by this time consisted of KT on drums, Howard Hooper on bass, Scotty Lind on guitar & vocals, Stan Eike on guitar & vocals, and Raven Humphres on sax.

As an aside, Sheri shared with me a humorous story from the earlier days when the club was without a PA:

“As I said earlier, Raven always hauled the PA into the club, but one night we had equipment problems, so we called a local sound person to bring in some gear. His name was Badger. Later on that evening we found out Eddie Garr wasn't able to play bass that night, so Stan Eike’s bass player filled in. His name was Rabbit. Of course when Raven and I showed up, we just looked at each other and said, “Let me see if we have this right…we have Raven on sax, Rabbit on bass, Badger is running sound, and we are at the Salmon Bay Eagles. We know we have a lot of party animals at the club, but we couldn't believe half of them were on stage!”

While I’m telling stories about the Blues & the Eagles, here’s one that musician and promoter, Bill Freckleton gave me:

“I was playing with Isaac Scott, John Stephan, and Paul Wager at the Salmon Bay Eagles 11 or years ago. We got there about 30 minutes before stage time. Isaac pulled up a table and laid his guitar on it. Just like a Marine, Isaac field striped his guitar like a gun. He unscrewed every nut and bolt he could. Around 8:30 pm Jimmie Jean asked Isaac what the heck he was doing. She looked at Isaac like he had lost his mind. She said he should be playing by now! Isaac was busy fumbling with his guitar. He looked up at her with a sheepish grin and a guitar pickup with a bunch of loose wires in his hand, and asked Jimmie Jean if she had a soldering gun? Luckily his friend, Monte Price, had one in his car. We finally started playing around 9:30.”

O.K., just one more story about the club, this one is from Robert Sawyer:

“My wife, Carol, and I were at the Tractor for a John Hammond show, which was just John, doing his Solo gig. We were representing the Washington Blues Society and we helped John sell his CDs and such. I think Daddy Treetops opened for John that night. After his show we asked if John and his wife wanted to go up to the Eagles for the Thursday Nite Blues show and meet Jimi Jean, who had been running the Blues Night for about 12 years at that time. John Hammond and his wife both said yes, and away we went. Coming thru the door, I noted that Jimi didn't see us enter the club's front door, nor saw us take a table on the north wall across from the bar. John and I went to the bar to meet Jimi and get drinks. The Tractor was only a beer bar back then. I hid John behind me so Jimi couldn't see him, when Jimi came to the end of the bar where I was - I told her someone was here to thank her for the many years supporting the Blues and I stepped aside to expose John Hammond. BAM! It blew Jimi away! John thanked her (big hugs). The John Hogkin band was playing that night and during all the breaks John Hammond took a big interest in all the tunes the band was playing. Hammond was also telling stories and remembering shows they all had in common in the past- truly one of the great nights at the Eagles.”

I also got an email from David Brewer, which I suppose he didn’t think I’d include:

"Zab - I hear you’re looking for stories about the Eagles? Well I'd love to tell you about all of the biker parties and poker runs, all of the New Years bashes (Jimie always had me play New Years Eve when I was in town) and all of my birthday parties (I always have my birthday party there) as well as being on the regular Thurs night rotation. However I don't think I should reveal all the stories of debauchery, too many people might get in trouble. And truth be told, thanks to Jimie Jean’s bartending skills, I can't seem to remember them all that clearly. I'd just have to say that, over the years, The Eagles has become one of the local blue community's favorite places to hold court. It sure has for me. Let's hope it never ends. You’re doing a real good job, and Jimie would be proud of you."

I think that Brewer sums up a lot of people’s recollection of the past 20 years or so!

During the past two decades, we have had a virtual parade of the finest local talent, as well as some national blues acts that have crossed the modest stage of the Salmon Bay Eagles on Thursday evenings. In less than a minute I wrote down a dozen names of people and bands such as Little Bill & The Bluenotes, Mike Lynch and Nitelife, Duffy Bishop, Sweet Talkin’ Jones, Mark Dufresne, Mark Riley, David Brewer, Jack Cook, Paul Green, Chris Stevens, Mark Whitman, Tim Sherman, and many, many more that played the club during this period. Let’s figure this out…20 years times 52 weeks equals 1,040 Blue Thursdays! No wonder that, to this day, Blues musicians and bands continue to play the club as homage to the dedication of the club to this genre of American Roots Music.

New musicians to the area feel that they haven’t quite been accepted in the community until they have been hired to play a gig at this humble venue. The Washington Blues Society (check them out at (http://www.wablues.org/) has had a long standing, and close relationship with the Salmon Bay Eagles, off and on holding concerts, benefits as well as monthly membership and business meetings at the club. Due to its private club status, many people are reluctant to just walk in to hear the music and they feel that they have to be in the presence of an active member when they walk through that door. Not true! Anyone can walk through the door as a visitor and/or guest and enjoy the activities and events that occur in this all-ages venue! All visitors and guest need to check in with the bartender, who will orient them to the club and its activities. Due to this “Private club” status, the Salmon Bay Eagles has remained one of Seattle’s best kept secrets in the greater Seattle music scene. It’s a venue that the Blues community appreciates and, to a certain extent, reveres as the backbone of the Blues community, and certainly a major contributor in the history of the Blues community.

As one those who have been coming to the Blues nights going back a few year know, I have taken over booking the bands in 2009, due to the untimely loss of our friend Jimi Jean earlier this year. Jimi played a huge role in the Blues community and was the recipient of the 2008 Washington Blues Society Keeping the Blues Alive award. A plaque for Jimi Jean is being made and will soon be mounted on the wall next to the one for Kevin Wallace, hopefully, by the time you are reading this. Their memories will live as long as we keep the blues alive.

The only complaints I’ve heard at the club in regards to the music, is that sometimes someone says, “It’s too loud!” To which I can hear in my mind, David Brewer’s retort: “It’s not too loud…you’re too close!”

Come down any Thursday night, after 8pm, as I’ll be there and I would be glad to sign you in as my guest. In times such as these, those of us who value such things as music, art and community need to turn off the TV, get up off the couch, and go hear some live music! Check our website at http://www.salmonbayeagles.com/ and we are also on Facebook…heck, you can also call us at 206-783-7791 to see what’s going on at the club!

Long live the Blues!

The 20th Anniversary of Blue Thursdays at the Salmon Bay Eagles info:

Address: 5216 20th Avenue NW, Seattle (in Ballard)

Phone: 206-783-7791

Date: Sunday, January 17th, 2010

Time: 3:00 to 9:00 PM
This is a no cover, all ages event. Food will be available for purchase.

2009-12-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

My most memorable blues shows

I was thinking the other day about the blues shows I have seen that have made the biggest impression on me over the years. Here is a (very) short list for you of those shows - feel free to add your favorites in the comments section, please.

1. Jimmy Rogers at the Fresh Air Tavern in Seattle

I had purchased a copy of Jimmy Rogers' Chess album Chicago Bound shortly after I separated from the Army in 1971, and that record blew my mind then just like it still does now. When I heard that Rogers was playing at the (long gone) Fresh Air Tavern located on Seattle's Capitol Hill, I had to be there.

Jimmy was playing with the Bob Riedy Band at this gig. At the time, pianist Riedy was very involved with booking and playing with many of the legendary Chicago blues artists, and this particular band was smokin' hot, playing all of Jimmy Rogers' tunes with great feeling. There were about 30 people in the club for this show, most of them playing pool. I wish that I could remember who all of the band members were, besides Riedy and drummer "Hubcap" Anderson, but I'm here to tell you that the band was nailing Rogers' stuff perfectly. This is the show that made me decide to try to learn to play the blues harp (for better or worse), and I still wonder today who the excellent white harp player was on that show.

By the way, the fine Seattle blues guitarist Eric Madis was playing in Chicago around the same time as Bob Riedy, and recalls playing with the late great Big Walter Horton during this area. Go ahead, ask him about it some time!

2. BB King at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle

Another early '70s show, the opening acts were a Seattle funk band and Lightning Hopkins (believe it or not!). I recall that that the funk band's bass player and drummer were recruited to play with Hopkins, and he spent a good portion of his set bitching on the mic at them about their musicianship. A miserable set for that rhythm section, for sure.

Hopkins' set was a drag, but BB King's show was a killer! Besides the great musicianship and professionalism on both BB's and the band's parts, I was particularly impressed at BB's extrordinary storytelling skills which he used to keep all of us fully involved in his show.

3. Robert Cray Band at Hibble & Hydes in Seattle

I believe that it was sometime the early '80s when my pal John Lee and I went to the Hibble & Hyde's nightclub in Seattle's Pioneer Square to see the Robert Cray Band. I have never seen a better Northwest band. The band included Cray on guitar and vocals, Curtis Salgado on harp and vocals, DK Stewart on piano and vocals, Richard Cousins on bass, and a drummer who's name escapes me now. That's a lineup that you won't see again soon, cuz!

This was a damn awesome band, and I'm glad that I had the chance to see them play. Fantastic musicianship, fantastic vocals, and a great soundman that had the PA system tuned up perfectly. It was obvious to me that something good was going to happen to these guys, and of course Robert Cray moved on to well deserved national recognition.

Those were the days, my friend!

2009-12-05T23:49:00.000-08:00

Eric "Two Scoops" Moore at the Pacific Place Mall

The twins and I went down to the Pacific Place mall in downtown Seattle on "Black Friday" night to see Eric "Two Scoops" Moore and his band. Getting there was a total hassle because of the crowds of shoppers, and several streets in the area were closed for thousands of other folks who were apparently waiting to see a Christmas tree being lit up in the Westlake Center area.

The band was set up in the lobby and was rocking the joint when we arrived. The band members included Two Scoops on piano and vocals, Hank Witherspoon on saxes and vocals, Guy Quintino on acoustic bass, and Cutts Peasley on drums. Two Scoops was his usual irrepressible self, and my boys got a kick out of it when he played their favorite song "Big Buffet."

This was a two hour show, but we split after the first set - the lobby was getting way too crowded, and there was no place to sit. Believe it or not, this was the first time for me to see the Two Scoops Combo, but I hope to see them again soon. On our way back to West Seattle, we drove through the Pioneer Square neighborhood, which looked like a ghost town compared to the downtown area. Not good, since this is the nightclub part of town!

Eric "Two Scoops" Moore

The Two Scoops Combo - left to right: Two Scoops, Hank Witherspoon, Cutts Peasley, and Guy Quintino.

2009-11-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

Stoop Down got married!

I called Seattle guitarist Tim "Stoop Down" Sherman a while back to discuss a forthcoming gig, and he mentioned that, oh by the way, he was married to his girlfriend Charlene in October. Say what?!

Tim Sherman and Charlene Kern - October 12th, 2009

Yep, Tim and Charlene Kern were married on October 12th, 2009 at the Schafer-Baillie mansion on Capitol Hill. The Reverend Dave Brown was the officiant.

Congratulations Tim and Charlene!

2009-11-29T17:02:00.000-08:00

Chris Stevens' Surf Monkeys' All Star Holiday Review

Here's a forthcoming show that I highly recommend checking out at the Highway 99 Blues Club in Seattle on December 11th:

The Surf Monkeys will be performing with several of the sidemen that have worked with the band over the years, including yours truly on harp, guitarist Jack Cook, and saxophonists Brian Kent and Les Clinkingbeard. Chris Stevens tells me that there may be some surprise guests also. It's gonna be a good 'un - come on down and check it out!

2009-11-24T23:31:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Reed Tribute

As I mentioned in my most recent blog, I will be playing with the Maxwell Street Revival band on December 17th at the Highway 99 Blues Club as part of a tribute to the music of the great Jimmy Reed.

So give a brother a hand here, please, and suggest some of your favorite Jimmy Reed tunes that you might like to hear at this show. Here are some of the tunes that I'm considering:

Honest I Do
You Don't Have To Go
High And Lonesome
I Ain't Got You
Bright Lights, Big City
Down In Virginia

Hey, it's a start...come on now, lay some of your favorite Reed tunes on me for consideration. As they used to say in Chicago, vote soon and vote often.

Thanks, and see you at the nightclub!

2009-11-22T15:54:00.000-08:00

Maxwell Street Revivalists at the Highway 99 Blues Club

I dropped by the Highway 99 Blues Club last Thursday to check out Seattle's Maxwell Street Revivalists, and got to see a great show featuring the music of Robert Nighthawk. The core of the Revivalists features guitarist Greg Roberts, drummer David Hudson, and bassist Guy Quintino, and the band appears at the Highway 99 on the third Thursday of each month (as long as enough fans show up, of course).

Each show features different local artists backed up by the Revivalists performing the music of classic blues artists. So far, the band has featured the music of Magic Sam and Robert Nighthawk. I missed the first Magic Sam show, but was lucky enough to see the band perform the music of Robert Nighthawk with guest artists Mark Dufresne and guitarist Jack Cook. The band sounded awesome (a tip o' the hat here the the club's soundman, who was doing an excellent job), and I particularly enjoyed the band's takes on the tunes "Anna Lee" and "Bricks In My Pillow."

I will be playing with the band on Thursday, December 17th. We will be featuring the music of the great Jimmy Reed. We're gonna have a ball, so be there!

Left to right: Greg Roberts, Mark Dufresne, and David Hudson.

Left to right: Guy Quintino, Mark Dufresne, and Jack Cook.

Left to right: Greg Roberts, David Hudson, Mark Dufresne, Guy Quintino, and Jack Cook.

2009-07-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Jimie Jean Tuttle Memorial

A memorial will be held for the late Jimie Jean Tuttle this Sunday (7/26) at the Salmon Bay Eagles club from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. The club is located at 5612 20th Avenue NW in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. There will be a potluck dinner and music will be provided by Kid Porno & the Blues Nazis and many jammers (we hope!). Come on down and help celebrate Jimie Jean's life with us!

2009-07-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

Jimie Jean is dead

Jimie Jean Tuttle - 1948 to 2009

RIP

Jimie Jean Tuttle, hostess of the Thursday blues show at Seattle's Salmon Bay Eagles for almost two decades and wife to Seattle drummer Kirk "KT" Tuttle for 19 years, passed away at her home in Seattle on the morning of July 9th, 2009 after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. Thanks for everything, Jimie!

2009-07-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

The 4th Annual Guitar Killers Show this Friday!

If you are in Seattle this Friday, I recommend that you drop into the Highway 99 Blues Club to see Tim Sherman's fourth annual West Coast Guitar Killers show.

The featured guitarists this time will be Tim Sherman (Tim Sherman Band and the Blues Orbiters), Brian Lee (Blues Orbiters), Chris Stevens (Chris Steven's Surf Monkeys), and Tom Boyle (Beckie Sue and her Big Rockin' Daddies. The swingin' rhythm section will include seasoned Seattle blues veterans Mark dalton (bass), Conrad Ormsby (drums), and Ron Weinstein (Hammond B-3). Oh yeah, I will be singing a couple of tunes with Mr. Boyle and Mr. Sherman also.

It should be a good 'un - see you there!

2009-06-21T21:25:00.001-07:00

Those were the days, my friend...

The Seattle blues band Nitelife, most likely 1979 in Bellingham, WA. Left to right: Jim Becker (drums), Steve Flynn (keyboards and vocals), Jeff Ziontz (guitar), John Lee (bass and vocals), and Mike Lynch (harp and vocals). Not long after this photo was created, the band reorganized and headed to Ketchikan, AK for the summer.

2009-06-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sonic BOOM

I just finished reading a great book by Seattle author Peter Blecha about the Seattle pop music scene, titled Sonic BOOM - The History of Northwest Rock, from "Louie Louie" to Smells Like Teen Spirit."

This is a great read, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of Northwest rock and roll. It's all in here, from Ray Charles' first recordings in Seattle to the rise of the teenage rock bands (including Dave Lewis, the Playboys, the Frantics, Little Bill and the Bluenotes, the Wailers, the Sonics, etc, etc.), to DJ Pat O'Day's commercial grip on the music scene, the hippie years, the wasteland '70s (hey, Brian Butler and Isaac Scott get a brief mention here!), and the development of the punk and "grunge" music scenes.

I read this book on my way to Montana today. Great stuff - I just wish that there were more photos!

2009-06-03T22:42:00.000-07:00

Koko Taylor is dead.

Koko Taylor - 1928 to 2009

RIP

2009-05-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Kirk "KT" Tuttle at the Salmon Bay Eagles

All photos that appear in this blog were created by Dennis "Zab" Zyvoloski.

As many of you know, long time Seattle drummer Kirk "KT" Tuttle has been battling sever liver disease for some time now. As the disease has progressed he has gradually been forced to quit playing. However, thanks to the help of Seattle Bluesguy John Lee, who provided transportation for KT, Kirk was able to play a few tunes at a KT's Kicks gig that we put together recently at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club.

KT played the first three tunes with the band and then the drum seat was taken over by veteran drummer Les Merrihew for the rest of the evening. KT sounded great as usual, and it was a real pleasure interacting musically with him again. Believe me, it's a real treat playing with this group of guys anytime!

For the record, KT's Kicks was formed by Kirk a few years ago, originally to play a gig at the Eagles while one of his sisters was in town. We continued playing at the Eagles occasionally over the years, and I can't think of any reason why we shouldn't continue.

Please keep a good thought for for our old friend and musical conspirator, Kirk Tuttle!

KT's Kicks - left to right: Mike "Harmonica Playboy" Lynch, Ron "Sweet Talkin' Jones" Ussery, Kirk "KT" Tuttle, Mark "Tall Cool One" Dalton, and Tim "Stoop Down" Sherman.

Mark, KT, and Tim

Kirk Tuttle

2009-05-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

The Robbie Laws Band at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club

All photos included in this blog were created by Dennis "Zab" Zyvoloski.

I moseyed on down to the Salmon Bay Eagles Club a few weeks ago to see the award winning Portland guitarist Robbie Laws' band. This was the Seattle version of Robbie's band, the one that usually plays at the Highway 99 Blues Club with an additional two horn players (I believe that that band is called the Robbie Laws Bigger Blues Band).

The band included Robbie on guitar and vocals, Charlene Grant on bass and vocals, Steve Sarkowsky on drums, Frank "Hot Rod" Holman on keyboards. There was an open invitation for Seattle musicians to sit in, but only a few showed up, including yours truly, guitarist Jack Cook, harp blower Jeff Hertzog, and 'bone player Mike Tooley.

The band sounded great, and I wish that I had made an earlier appearance to listen more. The fan turnout was pretty light, especially for an unusual show like this. Zab was asked me: "What in the heck do we need to do to get people in here?" I dunno know, but consider this:

1. There is never a cover at the Eagles - never.

2. The drinks are nuclear powered, and practically free compared to other joints.

3. You are always going to run into some of your other blues lovin' pals there.

So what's not to like? Get yer butt down there for the next show...

Mike Tooly and Robbie Laws

Robbie Laws and Charlene Grant

Frank "Hot Rod Holman, Jeff Hertzog, and Robbie Laws

Left to right: Frank "Hot Rod" Holman, Robbie Laws, Mike Tooley, Charlene Grant, Steve Sarkowsky, and Jack Cook.

2009-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

In the Pocket with Mr. Solid

Return to the Musical Mother Land Part II

By John Lee

My better half, Nancy Rapp, and I recently traveled to Memphis Tennessee, the Mississippi Delta and to the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (the King Biscuit Blues Festival) in Helena , Arkansas. Here’s what we did from my perspective:

John Lee and Nancy Rapp - Photo by Kim Welsh

Day 7, October 9th

Nancy and I had a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and orange juice then we left the Blues Traveler Inn and Indianola, Mississippi about 9 AM. We hopped on Highway 49 just a stone's throw from our digs and pointed our ride to the cool little town of Clarksdale, Mississippi. home town of John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Ike Turner, and Sam Cooke. Along the way, we went past many catfish farms and cotton fields. We also went by the infamous penitentiary, Parchman Farm. It did not look at all pleasant. We didn’t stop. I’ve heard that if you take photos of the prison, the authorities will track you down and confiscate your camera! We kept on truckin'.

We arrived in Clarksdale about 10:30 AM and went right to the Delta Blues Museum. Established in 1979, the museum is a cool and funky space located in an old train depot with an address of 1 Blues Alley Lane . The history of Delta blues is highlighted with an extensive exhibit of Muddy Waters that is literally housed in the old frame of the cabin Muddy lived in when he was a sharecropper at nearby Stovall’s Plantation . Son House, Robert Johnson, and John Lee Hooker are also featured. Seattle artist Phil Chestnut has a very cool portrait of John Lee Hooker at the museum. Dozens of other bues artists are also featured here, like harp master, Charlie Musselwhite and local legend guitarist Super Chikin. The Delta Blues Museum is a soulful space that all blues fans should check out!

As we were searching the gift shop we ran into Mae Smith, who I met two years ago. Mae has worked at the museum for 13 years and she told us all about the B.B. King Museum grand opening and the dynamite party afterward at The Club Ebony that featured B.B. King, Bobby Bland, and Robert Cray a few weeks earlier. Mae said it was a blast.

We said our goodbyes and hit the streets. We stopped in to the very cool , Cat Head Delta Blues & Folk Art shop owned by Roger Stolle, a featured writer at Blues Revue magazine. Cat Head has cool blues CD’s books, post cards, and top notch Delta art. The place is a trip. I always dig a cruise thru Cat Head! We were getting hungry. Nancy and I decided to eat at Hick’s Tamales and BBQ on State Street , five or six blocks from the blues museum. We ate at Hicks two years ago. I really dug their rib tips and tamales. As we were entering, we noticed our designated digs for our four night stay in Clarksdale , The EconoLodge was right across the street. Getting home for the stay would be easy. They wouldn’t have rib tips until tomorrow. We both had the ribs and we shared a six pack of tamales. Tamales also come in a dozen. Our rib dinners came with BBQ beans and coleslaw too. This is some very tasty eats for sure. Two thumbs up. Way up! Then we checked into our room and opted for a couple hours rest before we took in day one of the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (AKA) The King Biscuit Blues Fest. The long time fest goers just call it the Biscuit!!

We were relaxing and I got up to look to see who was getting out of a car that pulled up in the parking area of the motel. It was a man that we saw in Memphis and also at the B.B. King Museum in Indianola , Mississippi . We had seen him on the trolley in Memphis and I asked him were he was from, and he said Paris , France . After seeing him at the B.B. King Museum and now in Clarksdale , I figured he was in the area to check out the blues fest. He went to the office to check in and Nancy and I prepared to head to Helena , Arkansas and check out day one of the third biggest blues festival in the United States . It was only a 30 mile drive and right across the Mississippi River from The Isle of Caprice Casino where Nancy and I had stayed when we did the Biscuit 2 years ago.

We arrived at the festival site at 5 PM. The fest began at noon, but Reba Russell, appearing at 5:30 PM was the first act of the day we really wanted to catch. Reba Russell is a blues shouter from Memphis , Tennessee. Ms. Russell belted out song after song, with power and energy, and a big dose of humor for a soulful 75 minute set. Up next were the country/ roots rock sound of Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks. They weren’t bad, but they just made me wish The Blasters were playing instead!

While the Beatnecks were still playing we went to check out the vendors of food and tee shirts and the like. That’s when we ran into my old friend Gary Sloan and his wife Sandy. I had just played three gigs in the Seattle area with Gary . Gary is a harp player that I played music with when I was in high school and off and on to the present day. With the Sloans' were Mike Elrod and his wife, Sara. Mike is Gary’s guitar man from Kansas City . Mike and his lovely wife were very nice and funny folks. We hung out for a bit and told them that they would be seeing us the rest of the weekend. Gary has been the MC at the Biscuit’s Houston Stackhouse/Robert Lockwood Jr. Stage for 14 years now. Mike Elrod was the number one stage hand. We would be spending a lot of time over the next two days at Gary’s spot. The fest's main stage is the only one operating on the first day.

John Lee and Gary "Alaska Slim" Sloan

Mike Elrod and Gary Sloan

We said our goodbyes and headed back to the main stage. Then came the rock blues guitar of Tinsley Ellis. Tinsley Ellis has been around for awhile and put on an energetic set of guitar heavy boogie. I hadn’t eaten since early afternoon and realized I had a hunger going on. Two years ago at the Fest I noticed many people eating very large turkey legs and I tried one during this 2008 music gathering. It was smoked and tasty. The only thing that would have added a little boost would be a nice sweet and spicy BBQ sauce. We settled in for the last act of the day and I ran into Jeff Hayes, homeboy and drummer for the cool Seattle area group, Becki Sue and Her Big Rockin Daddies! We said our hellos and I found that he was there for the duration of the Fest and the gathering Sunday at the Hopson Plantation. We both agreed to talk again soon. We were bound to meet in a day or two for sure!

John Lee and Jeff Hayes

The final act of the day was The Champions of R&B featuring Earl Gaines, Charles Walker, Johnny Jones, Al Garner, and James Nixon from Nashville Tennesse. The Champions were ably backed up by guitarist Fred James and some members of the '80s cult band Freddie and the Screamers (not to be confused with the Northwest version led by singer, Freddie Dennis). Earl Gaines was lead singer with Louis Brooks & His High Toppers when the group scored a hit with the blues classic “It’s Love Baby-24 hours a Day” on Excello records. Mr. Gaines was also lead singer at one time with Bill Doggett’s band. Al Garner recorded for Nashville ’s Excello and Champion labels in the 1950’s with a swinging R&B style. Johnny Jones is a guitar player who played with Jr. Wells, Bobby Bland, and played guitar along with Gatemouth Brown in the house band for the Dallas TV show, The Beat. James Nixon had hits on the gospel scene and Charles Walker has 2 or 3 albums out at this time under his own name. The set was a fun filled and soulful show in a classic soul revue style! As the Champions were bringing their set to a close we headed to our ride and the 30 minute trip back to our digs in Clarksdale , Mississippi .

Day 8, October 10th

The Econo Lodge bed was comfy, and we both got a good night's rest. I went to the lobby to check out the complimentary breakfast, and found that there was less to offer than the Best Western in Indianola. I had an orange juice and I brought my tea from our room. (I bring a hot pot, cup, stevia, and a large selection of black tea, whenever I travel). I looked up, and lo and behold, John McElligott (aka Johnny Mack), who we ran into two years ago from Florida was staying at the motel and going to the blues fest. He told me he was here with Jim Mills, the music photographer again. Jim and John are both great guys and it’s good to know they're both on the festival prowl again. As John and I were talking, we meet a woman named Helen Thomas who was also visiting the blues fest. Helen lives on the East Coast and paints portraits of blues musicians. Helen had to go and she said she hoped to see us again. Nancy came to the lobby and John and she gave each other a big hello. Nancy wasn’t too thrilled with the breakfast fare either, so we decided we would stop and partake in the Isle of Capri Casino buffet on the way to the festival. We said goodbye to John after a short visit and went back to our room and packed up our supplies for a full day of music and fun.

We got to the Isle of Capri to late for breakfast and it was a half hour before the lunch buffet began, so we went in search of coffee and the like. We found a deli in the casino that served Starbucks coffee and the sign said they had chai tea. Yes on the coffee, but no chai! We were told they discontinued chai, because no one ever ordered it. I had a hot chocolate, Nancy had a drip coffee. When we did get to eat, it was good! They had pizza and tacos, but we stuck with the Delta cookin'. Pork chops, sausage, baked yams, mashed potatoes, turnip greens, and lima beans were some of the selections. Also a nice salad and fresh fruit bar. And don’t forget the ice cream sundae bar and a large number of pies to choose from. We wouldn’t need to eat at the festival until late.

As we left the Isle of Capri Casino and the Delta Cookin' buffet we tuned to KFFA 1360 AM on our radio dial and caught the last bit of the King Biscuit Time radio show hosted by Sunshine Sonny Payne. The show has been running since 1941, and for a long spell in the 1940s, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) played live on the show, for many years backed up by the venerable pianist Pinetop Perkins. Pinetop plays the Biscuit every year, and this year he is 95 years of age. The legendary Sonny Payne has hosted the show since 1951. He broadcasts the show live Monday thru Friday from the Delta Cultural Center in downtown Helena, Arkansas on Cherry Street right behind the main stage of the blues festival. This was the 15,570th broadcast of the show. When Nancy and I arrived at the festival, we took in the Delta Cultural Center . The Center is an inspiring and beautiful museum mostly honoring the music and musicians of Arkansas and Helena . Musicians like Johnny Cash, Louis Jordon, Conway Twitty, Levon Helm, Johnny Taylor, and Junior Parker are from Arkansas . The Delta Cultural Center was the seventh museum we visited on this trip.

After an hour or so at the Delta Cultural Center , we went to the Main stage to catch drummer Sam Carr and The Delta Jukes with Dave Riley. Sam Carr is the son of the legendary Robert Nighthawk and was the engine behind the famed Delta group, The Jelly Roll Kings with the late keyboardist-harmonica player Frank Frost and guitarist Big Jack Johnson. Sam Carr only played about a half hour because of age and ill health. Another drummer filled in for Sam and guitarist Dave Riley fronted the group to complete the set. Nancy and I saw Dave Riley two years ago at this same festival. Dave Riley is a truly fine guitar player and a solid singer who approaches all he does with tons of soul. Next up was the Chicago guitarist, Carl Weathersby. Mr. Weathersby is a very good player, steeped in the West Side style like Buddy Guy and Otis Rush.

The Carl Weathersby Band

We moved to the top of the levee and sat under a gazebo with a great view of the stage. That’s when we ran into the gentleman we had seen in Memphis at the B.B. King Museum and checking into our motel not long after our arrival to Clarksdale, Mississippi . The fellows name was Mikael Timm. It turns out Mr. Timm is from Norway , but lives in Paris, France and is a professional writer. We chatted with Mr. Timm for a bit about writing, the southern US of A and music. Mr. Timm said he was in the states loosely doing research for a new book. When I brought up the number of times we had seen him, he said he was following us and maybe his next book would be detective fiction. We said our goodbyes to Mikael Timm and he asked us if we would be at the Pinetop homecoming on Sunday. We said yes and he said that he would see us then! We went down the levee toward the stage and caught the last of Carl Weathersby's set. Mr. Weathersby is a tremendous guitar player.

There was a twenty minute break before Pinetop Perkins played on the main stage, so we went to the Houston Stackhouse/Robert Lockwood Jr. stage to check on the Sloan’s and the Elrod’s and told them we were going to catch Pinetop and then come and hang out the rest of the evening at the smaller stage (there is a third stage down the way, the Emerging Artists stage, but we never did make it there.) Pinetop Perkins is a great piano player who played with Sonny Boy Williamson 2 ( Rice Miller) on the King Biscuit Flower radio show in the late 1940s and with the legendary Muddy Waters in the 1970s and early '80s. Pinetop was very lucid for 95 years of age and played a very nice set back by Bob Margolin on guitar, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on drums and the great Chicago bass man Bob Stroger. Half way thru the set Calvin “Fuzz” Jones sat in on bass. Bob Margolin, Willie Smith, Calvin Jones, and Pinetop were all in Muddy Waters last great band, and after Muddy’s death performed as the Legendary Blues Band for many years.

Pinetop Perkins - Photo by Kim Welsh

On our way to the Robert Lockwood stage, we ran into Jeff Hayes again. We talked for a minute and then hustled over to catch harp master Arthur Williams. Gary Sloan introduced me to Arthur Williams, a harmonica player originally from Tunica, Mississippi . Mister Williams now lives in St. Louis, Missouri . He was recently featured as a musician in the John Sayles film, Honeydripper. Arthur Williams is a fine harp man and a very expressive singer. His one hour and ten minute set was a joy to behold!

Arthur Williams - Photo by Kim Welsh

The Sloans' brought their motor home to the festival and parked it about 200 feet from the stage and set up a table and chairs under an awning. Gary’s wife Sandy is a sweetheart and earlier in the day had a crock pot of BBQ meatballs going. She offered me a meal of meatballs and a baked potato that she had cooked in their home on wheels microwave. Just what the doctor ordered. Mmm good! Then Nancy and I caught a high energy set by Willie King and The Liberators from Alabama . Willie King brings a soulful and party attitude to his singing and guitar playing. His excellent band followed suit! We could have caught some more music, but we decided to catch some shut-eye. The heat was taking its toll on us Northwesterners! We said goodnight to Gary, Sandy, Sara, and Mike, then pointed our ride back to our digs in Clarksdale , Mississippi .

Day 9, October 11th

We went to downtown Clarksdale early to see what happens on a Saturday. We visited the Saturday Market, with people selling pickles, jam and the like. We ran into Jeff Hayes one more time. Jeff, Nancy and I chatted a bit, then Nancy and I went in search of some tasty grub. We ended up at Sarah’s Kitchen, a block over from where the Saturday Market took place. Sarah serves plate lunches and soul food Thursday thru Saturday during lunch hours and dinner on some weekend nights. Two years ago, my homeys Becki Sue and her Big Rockin Daddies! and the Paul deLay Band rocked Sarah’s for one night at blues festival time. It is a small and intimate juke that would be a soulful spot to hear some good blues.

Helen Thomas and John Lee at Sarah's Kitchen

We ran into the artist I had met at The EconoLodge, Helen Thomas. She and her husband were in the same space Nancy and I were - they wanted breakfast! I talked to Sarah and she said if we wanted a breakfast, she would make us one. It was a very good meal. It consisted of scrambled eggs, grits, bacon, a sausage patty, and toast. Just what the doctor ordered. Helen and her husband are nice folks and we had good food and good conversation to fuel the start of our day. The Thomas’ were leaving town and heading home. We said our goodbyes, and Nancy and I cruised the streets of old Clarksdale one more time. We ended up at the Hambone Gallery, an art gallery run by, Stan Street , a Florida transplant who is a very nice painter of Delta art and a blues harp man to boot. We chatted with Stan for a bit about what it’s like to live in Clarksdale and he told us he is friends with Jeff Hayes and that he would be at Hopson tomorrow for the Pinetop homecoming. Stan is a nice guy and I can’t wait to hear him blow the harp.

We said our goodbyes and climbed back in our ride. As we were going back to our room, we stopped at a grocery store called Save-A-Lot . It brings back memories of the retail store on The Simpson’s, Try and Save. We picked up some yogurts, bananas and a six pack of Hershey candy bars. We went back to our room and put the food in the refrigerator. Yeah, all the food went in the refrigerator. Mississippi has many bugs. We freshened up and got back in our car. We got on highway 61 and tuned into radio station WROX AM 1450. They play a mix of '60s and '70s soul and pop. On Saturday nights they play blues. Early “The Soul Man” Wright, the first African-American disc jockey in the South and Mississippi worked at the station starting in 1947. The likes of Ike Turner, Robert Nighthawk, and Sonny Boy Williamson 2 performed live on WROX. The station today also simulcasts on 92.1FM.

We got to the festival site about 3 PM and I headed over to the Delta Cultural Center to use the restroom, where I saw Bobby Rush. Bobby Rush, if you are not aware, is the legendary singer, harmonica player, and possibly the genre's most dynamic entertainer, who has had a career that has spanned fifty years. Nancy and I had just seen Mr. Rush at the Highway 99 Blues Club in Seattle , in late July. When I told him that I saw his show that summer, he gave me a big ole bear hug. I told him he picked me out of the crowd, saying I looked like a panty sniffer (Bobby always uses somebody with this premise as an addition to his show.) After revealing this information, Bobby Rush gave me another intense bear hug. Damn he’s strong! He had to run, so we said our goodbyes and I told him I would see one of his shows later in the day. Bobby Rush was slated to perform with his full review on the main stage, as the final act of 2008 Arkansas Blues & Heritage Festival, but he was also to appear at The Robert Lockwood Jr. stage with his pared down setting (a guitar player and Bobby singing, playing harp and guitar) Bobby Rush received the 2008 Blues Award for best CD with this line-up, the album titled “Raw.”

Bobby Rush - Photo by Kim Welsh

As I stepped into the Delta Cultural Center , I spotted a smiling couple near the door and I mentioned that I just ran into Bobby Rush. I introduced myself. They introduced themselves in return. Kim Welch and Brian Epstein seemed like great folks. They were from New Orleans . We talked about the fest, New Orleans music, and the like for a moment. I told them I was heading to the Houston Stackhouse stage to check out Satan and Adam. They said they were heading that way and would see me later. Satan and Adam became legendary playing the streets of Harlem in New York for well over a decade. Adam Gussow is a world class harmonica player I met when he was in Seattle to speak at the EMP (Experience Music Project) in April of 2007. He sat in with The Crossroads Band at the Highway 99 Blues Club. He dug the band and someone laid our CD “I Want It Right Now” on him and Mr. Gussow eventually used it as a good example of material to learn from for his online harp lessons. Adam and I chatted for a bit, but Satan and his driver were running late, coming from Nashville , Tennesse, so Gary Sloan and Mike Elrod filled in for 20 to 30 minutes. Their short set was very good and more than filled the void. When Satan and Adam, along with a drummer got going, it was cool. Intense and impassioned country blues.

Satan and Adam

Gary Sloan introduced me to bass man Bob Stroger who has been one of my favorite bass players for many years. Bob played what seemed like forever with Jimmie Rogers, the guitar player with Muddy Water's early bands and writer of the classic Chicago Blues tune, “Walking By Myself”. Bob Stroger is one of a handful of go-to guys on the Chicago Blues scene!

Bob Stroger - Photo by Kim Welsh

I ran into Hubert Sumlin, Howlin Wolf’s legendary guitar player, who The Crossroads Band backed up at the Mt. Baker Blues Festival in 2004. Hubert is one hell of a guy and a total pleasure to be around. We reminisced and hung out a bit while Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and his band with Bob Stroger played a fine set. Big Eyes is very well known as the great drummer who for many years backed up Muddy Waters, but Mr. Smith is an incredible harp player and a soulful vocalist too. Catching his band is pure pleasure! I got to meet Mister Satan, whose real name is Sterling Magee for a minute also.

John Lee and Hubert Sumlin

Willie "Big Eyes" Smith - Photo by Kim Welsh

I ran into Kim Welsh and Brian Epstein again, we had a pleasant exchange, and they said they would see me soon. They said they would be at Hopson tomorrow also. I caught up with Nancy again, and we went in search of food. The festival has sanctioned vendors and the people who live in the area set up and cook meats and sell salads, beans and the like. The local we ate with was the same cat I bought food from two years ago. We had a little reunion (he remembered me and I remembered him .) Nancy had the catfish that he cooked up fresh and I had the BBQ chicken. We both had BBQ beans and slaw on the side. We talked for a minute, said our goodbyes and went back to Gary’s stage to see Bobby Rush do his “Raw” set. By the time we got back the area was packed. I caught the funky and dynamic set from behind the stage. Nancy cruised out front of the stage and took a few pictures. Bobby Rush is a great entertainer and a truly wonderful harmonica player. I really liked his version of the classic “Too Many Drivers at The Wheel”.

Next up was, for me the much anticipated juke joint duo Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm. Nancy and I had seen Lightnin’ Malcolm when we were in the Delta two years ago. He is a fine guitar player and expressive singer. Cedric Burnside is a crackerjack drummer and grandson of the late, great guitar man R.L. Burnside. They laid down a hard and loud boogie for the full one hr and ten minutes. Dancers joined them on stage and everyone had a hell of a time. If you get a chance to catch these guys, don’t pass it up. The title of their latest CD I think sums them up - “Two Man Wreaking Crew.”

Nancy and I were both done for the day. We said goodbye to Gary, Sandy, Mike and Sara. We thanked the Sloans' for their hospitality, and I told Gary I would see him next summer when we would play a number of gigs in the Seattle area. This will be the third year in a row. It seems to be becoming an annual event. We walked the four blocks to our car and pointed our Camry toward our digs in Clarksdale . We tuned our radio to WROX which was in the midst of their Saturday night blues programming. A fitting end to our Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival weekend, and what a weekend it was! For a minute we had trouble finding our motel. It was no longer an EconoLodge. The sign had been changed, and now our motel was an America’s Best Value Inn & Suites. With any luck they would upgrade the breakfast buffet, but probably the sign would be the only thing that really changed!

Day 10, October 12

The last night while we were at the blues festival, The Delta Cinema in Clarksdale hosted a free screening of the documentary, "M for Mississippi- A Road Trip Through the Birth Place of the Blues" film highlighting many of the delta blues musicians still plying their craft in Mississippi. Big City Blues Magazine said this about "M for Mississippi" : “For fans of that real deal, rough and ragged Mississippi Delta blues, it doesn’t get much better than this.” Jeff Konkel of Broke and Hungry Records and Roger Stolle, writer for Blues Revue magazine, owner Cat Head and producer of the annual Juke Joint Festival produced this cool film.

We woke early and had some yogurts and bananas that we bought at Save-A-Lot and we went to the lobby and ran into Johnny Mack. Many of the musicians who were featured in the film "M for Mississippi" had played at the premier or at events around Clarksdale the previous night. This day, a number of them where going to be performing in front of Cat Head at 9 AM. Johnny asked if he could ride with us to downtown and the early morning music. No problem, so John went to get ready. Jim Mills showed up and showed us some great photos he took recently of Hubert Sumlin and guitarist Michael Burks. Jim had a bite to eat and said he was going to catch some more sleep, so Nancy and I grabbed John and went to Cathead.

By the time we got there, a crowd of 50 to 75 people had gathered to catch Robert “Wolfman” Belfour and a drummer. Robert Belfour reminds me a lot of early John Lee Hooker. RL Boyce was lowdown blues at it best. A cat named Red was cooking BBQ with all the trimmings, but I wasn’t up for BBQ for breakfast. I met and chatted with Guitar Mac from Sacramento , California who played the fest, but we missed him. I met a harp player who goes by the title of Harmonica Bean. What a character. An even bigger character was Teddy, the proprietor of Teddy’s Juke Joint in Zachary, Louisiana . Teddy’s brochure says: "We play the best Louisiana blues along with good food and drink." We left Cathead with the blues and BBQ smoke still filling the air and walked down Delta Avenue.

We stopped into a very cool CD store called Blues Source.com, looked around, and then we came to the conclusion we could use something a little more substantial than yogurt and a banana, so we went right next door to the Delta Amusement Café. The Delta Amusement Café serves lunch and a legitimate breakfast. There was a 45 minute wait, so we hit the streets and went to The Ground Zero Blues Club. Their Sunday brunch was in full swing, but we decided to get some fried chicken for lunch. We went to Popeye’s which was not far from our room. I love that chicken. We went back to our digs and freshened up, then went just down Highway 49 to Hopson Plantation and the Shack Up Inn for the Pinetop Perkins homecoming.

Hopson Plantation

The Shack Up Inn

From what I understand, Hopson was the cotton operation where Pinetop spent his younger years. Every year Mr. Perkins plays the Biscuit and the day after they throw a big party in his honor at what is also called The Shack Up Inn . A number of blues fans bought Hopson Plantation and turned the gin mill building into a hotel with a stage in the lobby. The commissary is a very large space that is essentially a funky night club, or, when you are down south, a juke joint. The walls are covered with many metal signs and gig posters. The furniture is funky too. They also brought in eight sharecropper shacks to the property, cleaned them up, and modernized them with kitchens and bathrooms, with toilets and either showers or tubs. I would like to stay at the Shack Up Inn some time!

In the Commissary one group who’s name I didn’t catch was just finishing up. Next was the Willie “Big Eyes” Smith band. These guys are tough. Soon they were joined by the Delta legend, guitarist Super Chiken. Mr. Chikin is a solid player and expressive singer who really seems to enjoy playing music. Guitar man Bob Margolin joined the festivities and the music went into high gear. Good stuff! They were followed by the Hiser Brothers, Jacob and Kane. Their band was a cool mix of roots, blues and jazz. One of the brothers plays a killer violin. They were joined mid set by the Memphis singer and harmonic player Billy Gibson. Billy Gibson helped set the energy level a notch or two higher. They were cookin'.

The Willie "Big Eyes" Smith Band

Then we saw Kim Welch and Brian Epstein from New Orleans . They joined us in the balcony that ran along most of the wall to the right of the stage. As the Hiser Brothers were finishing up, the four of us went outside. Kim showed us all around grounds. As we were checkin out one of the shacks from the outside, a young lady came out of one of the units and told us to look around, and not to mind her boy friend who was passed out on a bed in the living room. Very cool digs. Each of the shacks and the rooms at the Gin Mill have televisions but when you turn it on you only get a satellite radio blues station. We walked thru a cotton field and then went back near the Commissary and hung out near where Pinetop Perkins was selling his CD’s and DVD’s. We ran into Jeff Hayes, got to say hello to Pinetop, saw Stan Street and his wife, ran into the writer Mickeal Timm again, and met people from all over the world. What a party. We hated to go but we had a very early flight we had to catch out of Memphis the next morning. We said our goodbyes to Kim, Brian and the whole scene at Hopson. What a cool thing. I’m so glad we were able to attend.

We needed something light for dinner, so we stopped at Wendy’s. It has been ages since either Nancy or I had eaten at Wendy’s. We both remember that besides burgers that they had a salad bar. The salad bar was no more, but they had a large selection of specialty salads. To our surprise it was fresh and quite good. We were only about two minutes from our room and when we got back we packed and got a good nights rest.

Day 11, October 13

We had a 4 AM wake up call. We showered and I made us both tea. We packed the car and caught Highway 61, and drove 75 miles to Memphis and the Memphis airport. We turned in our rental car and caught the shuttle provided by Hertz to the terminal. We made good time and we finished the yogurts and bananas we brought from Clarksdale . We went through security and they busted me with a can of Barq root beer in my bag. Damn! 20 cents worth of product confiscated. When we got to our gate we met a very nice couple from Canada that had come to Memphis to do the Elvis thing. They did Graceland and the like.

Our flight to Minneapolis was good and when we changed planes, we stopped at Chili’s right near our gate to head back to Seattle and picked up a large Southwestern chicken salad. On our flight home we shared the salad and I gave Nancy a card I picked up from Cathead. October 13th is my sweeties' birthday and I got her a B.B. King postcard with a birthday greeting and explained that I would buy her a dinner of her liking soon after we get back home. We got to Sea-Tac and caught the shuttle to downtown, then the 358 bus to our house in the north end. We had one hell of a time and it was good to be home, but I miss the land of the Delta blues a little bit every day. I always feel like I’m home when I’m there.

Quote of the Month

"When Robert Johnson got through playing, all our mouths was open. He sold his soul to the devil to get to play like that!" - Son House, Delta blues legend.

Electric bassist John "Mr. Solid" Lee was born in Alaska and has been active in the Seattle blues scene for about 30 years. He currently plays with the Crossroads Band. Photo by Mike Coyote.

2009-02-15T13:44:00.001-08:00

Recording session with Dana Lupinacci

Here are some photos from a recording session set up by Seattle singer Dana Lupinacci in January at Fastback Studios in North Seattle. It was a pleasure playing with Dana and the other guys that Dana invited to the session, including aces Mark Dalton (bass), Conrad Ormsby (drums), and Tim Sherman (guitar).

We recorded several tunes, including an original written by Dana and Charlene Grant. I was impressed by the professionalism of the studio staff - owner Mark Naron and his guys are very friendly and knowledgeable, and were able to help us get the tracks recorded with a minimum of fuss. Can't wait to hear the finished recordings!

Note: All photos created by the Blues Boss.

Dana Lupinacci

Conrad Ormsby

Mark Dalton

Tim Sherman

Mike Lynch

Fastback Studios

2009-01-13T22:58:00.000-08:00

Northwest blues show poster art.

Here's a nice selection of posters from blues shows in both Seattle and Portland that span the years from late '70s to 2007. My thanks to John Marshall and Isis Thor, who contributed most of these posters (those contributed by John Lee and Phil Chesnut are the exceptions). I have identified a couple of the artists only - if anyone can identify any of the others, I would appreciate it. I suspect that John Marshall and Kim Field created several of these blasts from the past.

My apologies for the large size of so many of the files. Click on any poster for a larger view.

Enjoy!

Poster created by Phil Chesnut

Hmm...this Harmonica guy looks familiar.

Poster created by Phil Chesnut

Poster created by John Marshall

Poster created by Mike Lynch. A fine example of the Ransome Note school of poster art...

Owl Cafe schedule - front

Owl Cafe schedule - back

Poster contributed by John Lee

Poster created by Mike Lynch

2009-01-12T21:51:00.000-08:00

Isaac Scott in Portland

By Rob Shoemaker

(Note: Rob is the bass player in the Norman Sylvester Band)

Sometime around 1983 the old Clinton Street Quarterly published an article by Roberta Penn promoting an Isaac Scott gig at the White Eagle in Portland. The article included the now familiar biographical stuff about Isaac (he claimed Pine Bluff Arkansas as his original home) and quoted Tom McFarland extensively. There was a bit of a buzz about Isaac; he had played at the prestigious San Francisco Blues festival, and he had accompanied Albert Collins both in Seattle and Portland. The show was stupendous. Isaac didn't travel with a band, he used pickup players assembled by John Borroz. Isaac showed that his skills leading an unrehearsed ad-hoc band were just as strong as his guitar playing and singing. The bar was packed wall to wall with a wildly enthusiastic crowd that included just about every serious blues fan in the city. KBOO jazz and blues disc jockey George Page, notoriously hard to impress, held court at a stage-side table all night with the fervor of a new convert in a revival meeting. Isaac returned to the White Eagle again bringing his bass player Tony Thomas, and in the early 80s, following the release of "Big Time Blues Man," got some gigs at Cousin's in Portland that paid well enough that he could bring his whole band.

Isaac Scott promo photo for First American Records - Seattle, WA

By the mid '80s, the Norman Sylvester Band was working fairly steadily in and around Portland, and Norman invited Isaac to pair up with him at the Key Largo in Portland, and Old Taylor's in Eugene, Oregon. Isaac and Norman had first teamed up as school kids, Isaac sharing his knowledge of church music and Freddie King licks with Norman, who played his first professional jobs with Isaac in 1962. The Taylor's audience was young and wild. Isaac waited out the first set, to come on as the star of the show after a break. Isaac was using a little-bitty cheap amplifier that was dwarfed by Norman's Twin Reverb, but when he started to play, it was LOUD beyond belief. Tremendous tone, a guitar sound that Buddy Guy or Albert Collins would love. Isaac started playing Albert King's "Wrapped Up In Love Again," way faster than the original, liberally adding Freddie King quotes on the guitar, trading solos with Norman, comping so hard behind Norman's playing that all the solos became his own.

The crowd ate it up. It was so loud though, that pianist Janice Scroggins, then as now Portland's first-call blues piano player, stopped playing and frantically started tearing up a paper napkin to fashion herself some home-made earplugs. I was playing bass, and seeing Janice's distress, turned to drummer Ray Nelson, and signaled to tone it down a little. As soon as the volume eased back, Isaac came nose to nose with me and screamed “Doesn't Norman pay you enough to play any louder than that? Back me STRONG, man!” When the next break came around, Dave Dingman, the bar owner, started talking to Isaac, very complimentary, wanting to hire Isaac to bring his own band to Eugene. A few minutes into the discussion, a Mighty Clouds of Joy record started playing on the house sound system, and Isaac faded right out of the business conversation, tipped back his head, closed his eyes and silently mouthed the words to the song.

For the rest of Isaac's life, he and Norman would work together once or twice a year, sometimes in Seattle, sometimes in Portland, including memorable festival performances at Portland's Bite, and the Waterfront Blues Fest. Once, following a night at the Swan in Seattle, Isaac and Wendy invited Norman, his sidemen and their spouses to a home-cooked breakfast the following morning. Big meal, eggs and bacon and biscuits and juice. Gospel music playing on the radio. After the meal, Norman, Isaac and I went to American Music, a frequent part of Isaac's social life. When we returned, our wives were sitting around the living room talking with Wendy, still with the gospel music on the radio. As we went inside, Isaac made a beeline for the stereo and turned the volume up past ordinary people's pain threshold and started grooving to the beat. Wendy just looked up and gave him a little smile, then scooted her chair over close to the other women and drew them all into a tiny circle so the they could hear each other by shouting at the top of their lungs. In Isaac's house, this seemed normal.

2009-01-12T21:15:00.000-08:00

Blog this!

By David Brewer

Hey Mike,

Remember when I told you I was going to put out the CD of Albert (Collins) and I playing on the 4th of July, 1976?

Well I've just finished mastering it. There's about 59 minutes of live Albert, with me on guitar, Darell "Rabbit" Warren on bass, "Boom" Gasper on Hammond B-3, and Les Hutchinson on the drums. It was recorded on 8-track at The Hayloft in Vancouver, Washington, on the bicentennial.

I must say it kicks ass - all I have to do now is get the liner notes done and make up a CD jacket..coolbeans! You can put up a blog about it, and give everybody a heads up that it is coming real soon

..and oblige - Brewer

2008-12-14T00:32:00.000-08:00

In the Pocket with Mr. Solid

Return to the Musical Mother Land Part I

By John Lee

My better half, Nancy Rapp, and I recently traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, the Mississippi Delta, and to the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (the King Biscuit Blues Festival) in Helena, Arkansas. Here’s what we did from my perspective:

Day 1 - Friday, October 3rd

My buddy Dan Newton, our guitar player and keyboard man from The Crossroads Band, gave us a ride to SeaTac Airport. We caught a 10:30 AM flight to Minneapolis, Minnesota and then we caught a connecting flight to Memphis. Travel went by without a hitch. It just took awhile!

We picked up our rental car, which was supposed to be a Ford Focus, but Hertz upgraded us to a Toyota Camry. A very nice car, and good mileage too! Our motel, the Hampton Inn, was located in south Memphis not too far from the airport. A very short ride, for sure. Just before we left the airport we grabbed a copy of "The Memphis Flyer," a weekly newspaper that combines politics, arts, and entertainment similar to our "Seattle Weekly." When we checked in to our room, we picked-up a copy of the Memphis daily paper, "The Commercial Appeal." Then when we went right to the "Go Memphis" section (arts and entertainment) and saw that the great Stax artist William Bell was playing a free show that night backed by the great band, The Bo-Keys. It was 8:30 PM and the show started at 7:00 PM. The show would be done or nearly over by the time we pulled it together, so William Bell was a no-go. We looked to see what else was going on and saw that the Pink Palace Museum was having a four day crafts fair and fund raiser at Audubon Park, right near the University Of Memphis. We decided to check that out the next morning just before our trip to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

We both were very hungry, and talked about eating at Popeye’s right across the street. Popeye’s it was for some damn good fried chicken, red beans and rice, and biscuits. For fast food that was some mighty fine eatin’. Plus, the restaurant played some great New Orleans R&B. Popeye’s originated in the Big Easy. We were already on our way to getting in a Southern state of mind. It had been a long day and a good night’s sleep was in order. Tomorrow would be our first full day in the great city of Memphis, Tennessee.

Day 2 - Saturday, October 4th

We started our day off with a real nice complimentary breakfast in the lobby of the Hampton Inn. A breakfast buffet that included eggs, sausage, grits, biscuits, fruit salad, yogurt, muffins, bagels, sweet rolls, cereals, and three kinds of juice make the Hampton Inn breakfast a crowd pleaser! Full and awake we headed out to The Pink Palace Crafts Festival in Audubon Park. There were 205 artists selling things like blown glass, ceramics, woven rugs and wood carving, so there was always someone doing a demonstration. With 40 food vendors, music, and dance, it all added up to a lively good time. Hey, I even found some chai tea.

After two enjoyable hours we headed toward The Stax Museum of American Soul Music, located on the original studio site, at 926 E. McLemore Avenue. This museum is a shrine with over 2,000 artifacts and exhibits honoring the music of Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Carla and Rufus Thomas, Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, and dozens of other Stax recording artists. There is also a section honoring the Hi and Goldwax soul labels. The Hall of Records - a hallway with all the singles and albums of the Stax label on display on both sides of a walkway is a total wonder. The display of the knee-high platform boots/shorts and cape outfit that Rufus Thomas wore in the Watts/Stax film is almost worth the price of admission! There were also two temporary photo exhibits that were really well done and of great interest to me. The first was a collection of photos titled "Otis Redding- from Macon to Memphis," an exhibit from the private collection of Zelma Redding, Otis’ widow. The second was a collection of photos by Howard Morehead of Ray Charles called "I Shot Ray Charles." Both sets of photos were outstanding. The Stax Museum is a must see spot on the music lovers list when you visit Memphis.

While we were at the Stax Museum, we saw a map that showed what people lived in the neighborhood near Stax, and it showed Royal Recording Service just four or five blocks away. Royal is the studio where most of the great Hi Records recordings were made. Al Green, Ann Peebles, Syl Johnson, Otis Clay, and many others made their legendary records at this studio. The great musician, bandleader, and producer, Willie Mitchell, who produced most of the Hi records sessions owns the studio, and Royal is very much an active studio today. The address is 1320 Lauderdale. The four blocks going from McLemore Avenue, past the studio to South Parkway has now been renamed Willie Mitchell Boulevard. Nancy took pictures and we paid homage to the birthplace of some of the sweetest soul sounds around.

We took our ride back to our motel to freshen up, then to downtown Memphis for dinner and some music. We went to the Rendezvous for ribs. This world famous eatery is located in an alley and downstairs justthree blocks from Beale Street. The food is so good I refer to the Rendezvous as “a basement of pure culinary pleasure.” We both had the ribs. After our incredible meal we headed to actor Morgan Freeman’s juke joint, the Ground Zero Blues Club, just one block over from Beale Street. There we heard the much heralded Memphis guitar man Preston Shannon. Mister Shannon’s band was a tight six piece ensemble that played original blues, covers and Memphis R&B, songs like Eddie Floyds "634-5789" and Otis Clay’s "Tryin to Live My Life Without You." I dug the sounds and I got to chat a minute with Preston Shannon. He seemed to be a real nice fellow. I hope the Northwest folks can hear him live sometime.

After two sets at Ground Zero we hit the streets and cruised down Beale Street, which was packed. We stopped in to A. Schwab's, a store that’s been on Beale Street since 1876. Originally an old fashioned general store, now A. Schwab's sells mostly souvenirs and knick-knacks. There are things there that you won’t find anyplace else. The place is a gas. After 30 to 40 minutes tripping around A. Schwab's, it was time to get some sleep. We took the short drive on I-55 and I-240 to our room, looking forward to another day in the home of the blues, the center of Soul, and the birthplace of rock and roll, Memphis, Tennessee.

Day 3 - Sunday, October 5th

After we finished eating breakfast at the Hampton Inn, we went back downtown, took a monorail to Mud Island River Park and went to the Mississippi River Museum. The museum is a fantastic study in the history of the river from the time of the early American natives, to the Spanish explorers, and the development of shipping and commerce up and down the river from Minnesota to New Orleans. There is a substantial section devoted to the Civil War and another that shows the blues and its influence along the mighty Mississippi. The exhibit ends with a great view of the river. If you go to Memphis, I would highly recommend the Mississippi River Museum. Right at the museum is a shop that rents bikes, canoes, kayaks, and pedal boats. Nancy and I rented two bikes at $10.00 each for two hours. We cruised around the park and then to a large neighborhood on the island called Harbor Town. We rode along this very lengthy park that runs along the river for about a mile and a half. We had lunch at a deli and grocery where we both had a very good Greek salad. Then we drove our mountain bikes back to the rental shop.

We left the island and walked thru downtown. Almost right away we heard it - live music, very good live music! We found the group at a park in the heart of downtown Memphis. As we were listening I realized we were checking out the classic Memphis group The Bo-Keys. The Bo-Keys are an eight piece band that plays the Memphis sound to a tee. Skip Pitts on guitar is the man who played the wah-wah guitar on Isaac Hayes’ opus “Shaft." One of the two trumpet players is Ben Cauley, former member of the Bar-Keys and the only man to survive the Otis Redding plane crash in 1967. The bass player is Scott Bomar, the extraordinary bass player who put together the soundtrack for the film “Black Snake Moan" with Samuel A. Jackson and Christina Ricci. The Bo-Keys played a nice 20 minutes, and then they were joined by vocalist John Gary Williams, former singer with the Stax recording group, The Mad Lads. Mister Williams belted out “Knock on Wood” by Eddie Floyd and “Dock on the Bay” by Otis Redding. Then Ben Cauley joined Mister Williams in a Sam and Dave medley. It was mighty good. It was hard to tell it wasn’t the legendary soul duo just by listening. They all played at least 2 hours and it was some of the finest music I’ve heard in awhile. It turned out to be a get-out-the vote event. What a marvelous accident!

We headed to 143 Beale Street and B.B. King's Blues Club for a little BBQ and some boogie. B.B. Kings is a funky, large club that has good views from the ground floor and the balcony too. We were given a balcony table with an excellent view of the stage. We ordered the B.B. King nachos and instead of salsa, it came with BBQ sauce. I liked it fine, but Nancy didn’t care for it. I ordered the BBQ chicken and Nancy the Caesar salad. It was a tasty meal. The music was the rock/blues guitar playing and singing of Corey Osborn. The rest of the group consisted of a bass player, drummer and a Hammond organ player. We caught a lengthy set and then went back to our room. A real hoot about B.B. King's is there was a rest room attendant. When you wash your hands the gentleman gives you a shot of soap and then a towel. He also had cigarettes, gum, chicklets, and cigars for sale too. A throw back to an earlier time, for sure - what a trip!

Day 4- Monday, October 6th

Right after breakfast we went right to Sun Studio located at 706 Union Avenue, not too far from the heart of downtown Memphis. We had about a 30 minute wait until the next tour, but the gift store is a fun place to hang out and check out all the souvenirs, including t-shirts, CDs, and books available for purchase. The gift shop is where the tour begins and in the early days it was a café where all the studio participants would hang out and grab a bite to eat. The tour begins in a small museum upstairs with lots of memorabilia and a complete rundown on the studio's history. The young lady who was our tour guide did a great job and had a great sense of humor. Sun Studio opened on January 3rd, 1950, under the name of the Memphis Recording Service. Sun is well known for the early recordings of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis, but before them, Sam Phillips recorded early sides for B.B. King, Little Milton, Howlin' Wolf, and Rufus Thomas to name a few. "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and the Delta Cats featuring a very young Ike Turner on piano, the song many people consider the first rock and roll tune, was recorded at Sun in 1951. The tour ends in the actual studio and the tour guide gave us more history and more tidbits of great interest. The tour of Sun Studios is a must for any American music fan. Sun Studios is another shrine in the musical Mecca of Memphis, Tennessee.

The Man, the Myth, the Legend - John Lee!

We headed back to the heart of downtown, parked our rental car and hopped on the Riverfront trolley which travels on a loop along the Mississippi River and then thru the heart of downtown by way of Main street, going thru the Pinch District and the historic South Main District where the Civil Rights Museum is located. The Civil Rights Museum is housed in the Lorraine Hotel and Motel where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. We didn’t take in the museum this trip, we did two years ago, but it is a moving and emotional experience that gives you a great understanding of the civil rights struggles in the middle of twentieth century America. I highly recommend it.

After a nice ride on the trolley we developed an appetite and stopped at the Arcade Restaurant right on the trolley line at South Main. The Arcade is a Memphis institution with a great past. Opened in 1919 and owned by the same family for three generations, the Arcade has an eclectic menu that features down home breakfasts with specialty items like sweet potato pancakes and lunch items like pizza. I had a salad and a side of hash browns. Nancy had a small pizza and a side salad. The Arcade also features ham and biscuits, salads-with nice gourmet greens, and Elvis’ favorite, the peanut butter and banana grilled sandwich. Both Elvis and R&B/soul legend, Rufus Thomas frequented the café and each has a booth named in their honor at this cool and funky classic diner styled eatery. Scenes from many major motion pictures were filmed here including "Mystery Train," "Walk the Line," "21 Grams," "The Firm," and "The Client." I really dig the Arcade, it’s a great spot to catch a delicious and reasonably priced breakfast or lunch in downtown Memphis.

Filled up, we hit the streets and headed to the heart of downtown. We ended up at the majestic and beautiful Peabody Hotel. The original Peabody was built in 1869 but closed in 1923. In 1925 the Peabody was resurrected in its present location on Union Avenue. Just like Memphis itself, the hotel was very much a part of music history. In the late '20s and early '30s, Furry Lewis, Frank Stokes, and Tommy Johnson made their first recordings at the Peabody for record labels like Paramount and Vocalion. In the 30s and '40s The Peabody was one of only three live radio sites to broadcast the likes of Harry James, Paul Whiteman, and Tommy Dorsey to a dance craving nation.

We ordered a drink and settled in to check out the Duck March. Let me tell you about the Peabody Hotel and the ducks. In 1933, the hotel’s general manager, Frank Schott and a close friend were duck hunting in Arkansas, and, as legend goes, the two were feeling no pain from a fair amount of Lynchburg, Tennessee's finest, Jack Daniels! They came back to Memphis and to the lobby of The Peabody to put a number of live decoy ducks in the fountain. Live decoy ducks were legal at that time, and the patrons of the hotel thought this was great fun. To this very day ducks are in the Peabody’s fountain seven days a week. At 11:00 AM, the ducks that live on the roof are escorted into the elevator, transported to the ground floor, out of the lift, down a red carpet, and into the ornate fountain in the grand hotel’s lobby. The ducks frolic there, until 5:00 PM, when they are led back down the red carpet, into the elevator, and back to their home on the roof. We went to the roof after the ducks and took in the spectacular view of Memphis and the Mississippi River with our drinks in hand. It’s things like this that can make this life so much fun.

We walked back to our car by way of Beale Street and said our goodbyes to downtown Memphis for this trip. We drove back to our room, and when we got into the lobby, we found that the Hampton Inn had put out a complementary spread of quesadillas, tortilla chips, salsa, and soft drinks. Very nice! The day before, I had asked the front desk for a cloth to clean my shoes, and they were so impressed that I didn’t just use a wash cloth that the management gave me a coupon for a free film and microwave popcorn. We picked the delightful Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson movie, "Bucket List," a nice kicked-back thing to do on our last night in Memphis.

Day 5 - Tuesday, October 7th

We had our last complimentary breakfast at The Hampton Inn, checked out of our room, and took our ride out of Memphis and into Mississippi, the land of the Delta blues in the pouring down rain. A half hour into our trip, we stopped at a visitor center and picked up a lot of info on some of the places we wanted to visit like Greenwood, Indianola, Leland, Clarksdale, and Greenville, Mississippi. We made a stop in Greenwood, about 120 miles from Memphis, the home town of guitar great Hubert Sumlin and the burial site of Delta blues legend Robert Johnson. (we didn’t visit Mr. Johnson’s resting place this trip) and the location of Mattie’s soul food restaurant where we ate two years ago. Mattie’s is no longer in business, but we did find a BBQ and delta cooking spot called Steve’s that has great food. We both had black eyed peas and turnip greens. I had ribs and Nancy had chicken. Most definitely very good food!

While we were finishing up our lunch, the owner came by and gave Nancy a piece of chocolate cake on the house. I took a pass. You've got to cut back somewhere, sometime. As we were leaving, we struck up a conversation with Steve and some regulars. They were good old boys and much different than a lot of the folks you run into in the Northwest. We hit it off with Steve and he gave Nancy and I both a Steve’s BBQ t-shirt. Cool. We said our goodbyes and got in our ride - next stop Indianola and The B.B. King Museum. If you ever find yourself in Greenwood, Mississippi and your hungry, do yourself a favor and eat at Steve’s. It is most definitely good eats!

We cruised down Highway 82 about 30 miles and stopped to check into our motel, the Best Western-Blues Traveler Inn. We freshened up and went to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center about eight blocks away, a few blocks off the main highway. The museum is not only a testament to the man born Riley B. King, but also a glowing tribute to the great American art form known as the Blues! The museum took us on the incredible journey of B.B. King from his life as a sharecropper in Indianola (B.B was born and raised in the area) his musical education in Memphis, his rise to super stardom, and his place as the world’s ambassador of the blues. The museum is a wonderful experience with 100s of pieces of memorabilia illustrating Mr. King’s influence and the many contemporaries who shared his journey like Bobby Bland and Rufus Thomas. This is a new addition to the list of great American musical shrines that should not be missed by the true music fan. We spent two enjoyable hours at the museum and both Nancy and I were getting hungry.

We left the museum and drove down Highway 82 which cuts right thru the heart of Indianola. We found a nice Mexican restaurant called the Guadalajara with good eats and excellent salsa. On the way back to our room we stopped at the Sunflower Market to pick up some laundry detergent and a 12-pack of Barq’s root beer. We needed to do laundry and I dig root beer. Then we caught a much needed good night’s sleep. Having so much fun can be exhausting!

Day 6 - Wednesday, October 8th

We started the day with a complimentary breakfast provided by the Best Western. It was just OK - nothing compared to the spread at the Hampton Inn in Memphis. The weather had turned beautiful once again. The day before was overcast and raining, and it was dusk and too dark when we got out of the B.B. King Museum to get some pictures of some of the blues sites around Indianola. So we set out to get some photos, and then check out the towns of Leland and Greenville, Mississippi. First up, we checked out the well known juke joint, Club Ebony, which has been providing great music and good food since 1945. Over the years, Club Ebony has been a regular road stop for many great musicians like Count Basie, Ray Charles, James Brown, Willie Clayton, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Milton, Ike Turner, Bobby Bland, and B.B. King. Mary Shepard owned and operated the legendary club for the last 30 years, but recently sold it to B.B. King.

We next headed just a few blocks from Club Ebony to the corner of Church Street and Second that is the spot where B.B. King would play when he was as young as 17. This spot is highlighted by a Mississippi Blues trail marker (Club Ebony also) that commemorates and honors places and people of importance in Mississippi blues history. There will over 120 Blues trail markers when the project in complete. According to Steve Cheseborough, country blues musician and author of the must have "Blues Traveling-The Holy Sites of Delta Blues" guide book, B.B. King began playing church songs at this corner and folks would smile and were friendly, but when he played the blues, they gave money. It didn’t take the young Riley B. King long to figure out which side of the bread was buttered! We also stopped by a park named for Mr. King, and then drove down highway 82 toward Leland, Mississippi and the Highway 61 Blues Museum.

This part of the Delta is flat and filled with many cotton fields and catfish farms. As we entered the Leland city limits we were greeted by a sign that stated "Welcome to Leland Mississippi-Birth place of Kermit the Frog." Muppet creator Jim Henson was born and raised in this area. The visitor center houses a small Jim Henson Muppet museum. We dug on some Muppet history and found directions to the Highway 61 Blues Museum (Leland is at the junction of Highways 61 and 82). The museum highlights, with cool and funky exhibits, many of the great blues musician that are from the area such as Jimmy Reed, Willie Foster, Son Thomas, Charlie Patton, Eddie Cusic, Little Milton, Honey Boy Edwards, Eddie Taylor, and Tyrone Davis. Johnny and Edgar Winter were born in Leland, and though they moved to Texas with their parents, they would come back every summer and visit their grandparents. They are also featured at the museum. We spent about an hour checking out this heartfelt space and ran into three women from Washington, DC and Patrick Thomas, son of the legendary Son Thomas played some blues on his electric guitar. We had a very nice time.

We hit the streets and checked out the four music murals that dot the small downtown. My favorite was the Jimmy Reed mural. We hit the road and drove down Highway 82 to the Delta’s largest town, Greenville Mississippi, home to blues players T-Model Ford, Lil’ Dave Thompson, and piano wizard Eden Brent. We cruised around town, but saw nothing in particular. I guess we were letting the heat take a little wind out of our sails. The temperature had been between 80 and 88 degrees everyday and we were getting hungry. We had seen a billboard that was advertising a show by the great soul/blues singer Willie Clayton on Saturday October 11th at Harlow’s Casino. One thing I’ve learned is Mississippi casinos have great buffets. So we drove about 10 miles and had some of the best Delta cooking I’ve ever experienced. Ribs, fried chicken, two kinds of catfish, fried and baked ham, turnip greens, cooked carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, red beans, rice, a huge salad bar with lots of fresh fruit, and a large selection of desserts that included peach cobbler, bananas foster and ice cream. Man, this was top shelve cuisine - damn good eats!! At $9.00 for all you could eat, we most definitely filled up.

With our hunger in check, we drove back to Indianola and our hotel to do a couple of loads of laundry. While we were waiting for our laundry to complete their cycles, we watched "Dream Girls" on HBO with Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson. This was a fictional telling of the story of the Motown super group, The Supremes. Not a bad film. I really thought Eddie Murphy was a standout as an authentic, very fragile, R&B singer. Hey, with the late lunch we had, we didn’t need dinner. The next day we would drive to our new digs in Clarksdale, Mississippi and partake in the Arkansas Blues Festival in Helena and the Pinetop Perkins homecoming at the Hopson Plantation in Clarksdale. I’ll be back soon to tell you all about it.

Note: I would like to give a nod to the book "Blues Traveling-The Holy Sites of Delta Blues" by Steve Cheseborough, whose fine writing and historic information was an invaluable resource for some of this content. Thanks, Steve.

Quotes of the Month

The Stax Museum of American Soul Music has a very cool phrase on their brochure that I really like, "Nothing against the Louvre, but you can’t dance to Davinci.”

Some of the lyrics to Son Thomas’ Beef Steak Blues are the finest of the genre:

“Give me beefsteak when I’m hungry,
Whiskey when I’m dry,
Pretty women when I’m living,
Heaven when I die...”

Electric bassist John "Mr. Solid" Lee was born in Alaska and has been active in the Seattle blues scene for about 30 years. He currently plays with the Crossroads Band. Photo by Mike Coyote.

2008-11-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Seydel Harmonicas - the new Sheriff in town?

I have been playing Hohner Harmonicas since 1972. I started out with the Marine Band, moved on to the Special 20, and have been using the Golden Melody model for years now. In my opinion, one thing has always been consistent with the Hohner harps over the years - poor quality control.

Buying harmonicas at the music store is problematic, because, unlike other instruments, you can't play the darn things before you buy them! Every store has the totally inadequate countertop bellows device that can be used to blow air through the harp, but all this tells you is if the reeds are working, not how hard (or easy) the thing is to play. I can't tell you how many times I've found a brand new harp impossible to play, and, because I've had it in my mouth, the store won't take it back.

Seydel Silver harp with plastic comb.

What to do? Well, you can buy a Hohner from the music store then send it out to a customizer, who can dramatically improve the playability of the instrument for a typical fee of $100-$150 (for a 10-hole diatonic harp). Of course, the pros keep these guys pretty busy, so the waiting times can be long. Plus, once you add the customizing fee to the current $30-$40 price of off the shelf Hohners, you are looking at a pretty large hunk of change for a complete set of instruments.

So, I was intrigued a few weeks ago when Seattle blues harp maestro Bubba McCoy called to tell me that he had been set up as an authorized distributor of the Seydel line of harmonicas. I had been hearing about the Seydel harps for a while, so I ordered a Seydel Silver harp in the key of C to replace the terrible Hohner Golden Melody I had purchased recently.

Wow - what a difference! The Seydel sounds great, plays beautifully, and feels good in the hand and mouth. On of the nice things about Seydel is that you can order the instruments (including chromatics) in all sorts of tunings, including the hard to find "low" tunings, which means I can finally buy the low F harp that I've been wanting. Of course, the Seydels should be an improvement over the Hohner - at a list price of $90 a pop for the Silver instrument (with a plastic comb), they are not cheap. However, if the quality of the next Seydels I purchase is the same as this first harp I bought, I will start retiring the Hohners.

Interested? First, check out the Seydel web site for more information on the product line, then give Bubba McCoy a call at 206-799-7675 for pricing and availability. Tell him the Playboy sent ya!

2008-11-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

The 2008 Raven's Jam for Cans Show

By Phil Chesnut

Long recognized as a highlight of the autumn blues season, Raven's Jam For Cans for 2008 certainly lived up to all expectations. Conceived over a decade ago by Sheri and Raven Humphres as a benefit for Northwest Harvest, this event has grown tremendously over the years with not only great music, but with a chance for out blues community to lend a hand as well.

Boasting another gigantic lineup with some of the Northwest's finest blues talent, this all day blues marathon ran smoothly, as usual, at Seattle's stellar blues joint, Highway 99 Blues Club. Ed and Steve and the whole Highway 99 staff, along with the event producers, made sure that this was another first class show.

With such great headliners as Duffy Bishop, David Brewer, Patti Allen and a superb supporting cast including, Portland's Chris Carlson and Peter Dammann, and Seattle blues aces Mike Lynch, Jeff Herzog, Stan Eike, Howard Hooper, Kirk "KT" Tuttle, Nick Vigarino, Annieville, Rob Moitoza, Billy Reed, Billy Lovy, Scotty Lind, Jeff Hayes, to mention a few, plus that monstrous horn section with Randy Oxford, Billy Blackstone and Jeff Beales, this show was truly unforgetable.

Though this reporter got there a bit late, I still think that I was able to capture the essence of this all too worthy blues event with my camera.

Patti Allen, Raven Humphres, Bill Blackstone, and Howard Hooper.

Nick Vigarino, Don King, unknown fiddle player, and Bill Blackstone.

Nick "Guitar Face" Vigarino

Ed and Steve

Chris Carlson and Duffy Bishop.

David Brewer and Kirk Tuttle.

David Brewer

2008-11-16T22:42:00.000-08:00

CD Review - "Mavis Staples Live - Hope At The Hideout"

By Mark Dalton

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the historic victory of our President-elect, Barack Obama, than to run right out and pick up a copy of Mavis Staples’ new live CD, "Hope at the Hideout." Mavis Staples and her family were themselves an important part of the civil rights movement in this country; marching with Dr. King, singing at many of the important events of the struggle, writing, recording and performing songs that lifted the spirits and stiffened the resolve of the thousands of Americans who repeatedly put themselves in harm’s way to further the cause of freedom and equality for all our people. This CD is a live, impassioned performance of classic songs of that struggle, interspersed with Mavis’ commentary and stories of this amazing history. This performance clearly demonstrates that, at age 69, she has lost none of her power as a singer and performer – and none of the determination, intelligence and righteous anger that carried the Staples Singers through half a century of relentless touring from the little wooden churches of the rural south, to the top of the hit parade in the '70s with songs like "I’ll Take You There."

This CD was recorded in the classic, spare Staples Singers style - Only a trio of musicians, a trio of backup singers (including surviving sister Yvonne Staples), and Mavis out front, one of the most amazing voices in the history of American music.

I have to offer big kudos to guitarist Rick Holmstrom for his superlative, tremolo-laden performance here. I knew Rick was a fine guitarist and a powerful bluesman, but Pops Staples’ shoes as a guitarist are huge and hard to fill. Pops’ guitar playing came right out of the Delta, and really encompassed the entire history of the Blues as a unique, subtle, soulful finger-style foundation to all of the Staples’ music. Holmstrom does an amazing job of providing that foundation here – capturing the complex spirit of Pops’ music without ever sounding like just a copy of his work – Holmstrom rather inhabits this music, while bringing his own ideas and sense of creativity to the songs as they unfold.

The set opens up with a reworking of the old Buffalo Springfield tune "For What It’s Worth" – sounding perfectly ominous, leading up to a presidential election that many feared wouldn’t even be allowed to happen, and if it did, would surely be at risk of being stolen. But this sort of paranoia was always what the Staples Singers struggled to overcome, and the very next song is "Eyes on the Prize." The problem and the solution. Oppression, and struggle. This mix continues throughout the performance with songs like "Down in Mississippi," "Waiting for My Child" and "Why Am I Treated So Bad" talking about life’s struggles, and anthems like "We Shall Not Be Moved" and my all time favorite "Freedom Highway" ("...walk, on freedom highway, walk, each and every day… made up my mind, that I won’t turn around…"). By the end of performance she has the crowd on their feet, singing along, filled with spirit!

Mavis Staples has been getting me out of bed, helping me do things I need to get done ever since I got my first Staples Singers ’45 at the age of 14 ("Will the Circle Be Unbroken" - also on this CD - with her singing lead on the anguished flip side, "Don’t Drive Me Away"). I told her about finding that record (in Nebraska) when I talked to her backstage at Bumbershoot a couple years ago. "Honey I was just a child when I recorded that song!" She said this with a far away look in her eye, and leaned back into the couch we were sitting on together and sang 'Oh Lord… don’t drive…. your child…. away.'

One of the best moments of my life. Get this CD. You’ll see what I mean.

Originally from Nebraska, Mark Dalton moved to Seattle in the early '70s. He is an accomplished bassist and stalwart bluesman. He currently plays with Chris Stevens' Surf Monkeys. Photo by Ronda Lee.

2008-11-15T01:09:00.000-08:00

Come on, baby don't you want to go...

By John Stephan

In August of this year, I traveled to Chicago to visit friends and check out the blues clubs. I heard Willie Davis and the All-Star Blues Band at Buddy Guy's Legends club. The place was jam-packed and the band was loud and proud. Great typical Chicago style blues - nothin' fancy, but the crowd loved every minute of it.

A new location has been planned and was announced in the club's August calendar. The first thing that's evident is the diversity of acts who are booked there, although all are firmly rooted in the blues. With a central national location and the deep heritage of Chicago, the clubs don't need to compromise with the music, as much as they do here in Seattle.

I heard a group at the "Blues" room at House of Blues. That band was so stale, they probably wouldn't last very long here. Very "Disney-fied", to quote Mark Hoffman, author of "Moanin' At Midnight." The next night or so, I then proceeded to Kingston Mines, to hear Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang. I'm telling you right now, Eddie sounded as good as when I heard him with Howlin' Wolf at Sicks' Stadium, right here in Seattle in 1975. Kingston Mines has two stages, so when they change acts, everyone goes into the adjoining room. When I left around 4:30 AM, the place still was packed with about 400 blues fans. Lots of younger folks, mind you.

John Stephan and Eddie Shaw

I visited Twist Turner's new studio - fabulous, indeed! Originally from Seattle, Twist moved to Chicago about 25 years ago, and has made quite a name for himself as a drummer, producer, and recording engineer. Try to top that! His latest release by ZZ Hill, Jr. , "Goin' To Mississippi," is up for some major awards. Check out Twist at http://www.deltaroots.com/.

Chicago has always been special to me, as my father, uncle and aunt lived in the Maxwell Street area from 1928-1934. I hung out on Maxwell Street in 1972, when it was still intact as the Sunday street musician/flea market mecca. it's long gone, now, but anybody who tries to tell you that the blues is dead should spend some time in Chicago. Granted, most of the gigs are in the outlining area, but that's merely an indication of the cost of rent in town - a typical phenomenon all around this great land of ours.

2008-11-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

Washington Blues Society benefit tonight!

Halloween occuring last night had to be a good thing for all of the Halloween maniacs, right? Well, for everyone that partied like a rock star and maybe passed out in their Sarah Palin costume, here's some good news - the Washington Blues Society is exteding Halloween one more night! That's right, you can attend the WBS benefit at the Salmon Bay Eagles (5216 20th Avenue NW, in Ballard) tonight, and please do wear your costume. Live music will be provided by Jeff & the Jet City Fliers.

Poster created by Phil Chesnut.

2008-10-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

Now wasn't that a party?!

KT & Jimmie Jean Benefit Show - 9/14/08 at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club

Our long time friends Jimie Jean and Kirk (KT) Tuttle were recently diagnosed respectively with pancreatic cancer and advanced liver disease. Like many American citizens, they are under-insured - KT is a veteran, so he can go to the VA, but Jimie doesn't have any insurance. I had been trying to get the OK from KT to throw a benefit for them, but he kept putting me off until Sheri Humphres interceded and we got the green light to proceed. Sheri is the organizational machine behind the successful annual Jam for Cans benefit hosted by her husband, saxophonist Raven Humphres.

The show went off without a hitch from 3:00 PM until 12:00 AM on September 14th at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club in Ballard. Nine bands (plus Uncle Ray Varner, Duffy Bishop, and Chris Carlson from Portland, OR) donated their time and talents to the show, and total collections (including cover charges, silent acution, food, and donations) amounted to about $8,000! I am sooo impressed with the love and generosity shown by everyone that participated in this event, including all you fans!!

Here's a special thanks shoutout to the following folks:

Sheri Humphres - The Woman Behind the Curtain
Don and the staff of the Salmon Bay Eagles Club
The Kitchen Crew - Spaghetti feed
Phil Chesnut - WBS print ad and event poster
Uncle Ray Varner - Master of Ceremonies
Conrad Ormsby - Backline drumset and floor monitor
Billy Reed - Backline keyboards
Tim Sherman and John Marshall - Backline guitar amps
Rob Moitoza - Backline bass amp and speakers
Little Bill & the Blue Notes
Sweet Talkin' Jones & the Muscletones
Nitelife
Chris Stevens' Surf Monkeys
Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies (with John Marshall)
The Crossroads Band
The John Stephan Band (with John Marshall)
All Stars & No Stripes (with Duffy Bishop, Chris Carlson, and LJ Porter)
Paul Green & Straight Shot
Duffy Bishop & Chris Carlson

The band all came to play, and the standing room only crowd was treated to smokin' hot performances all around, including a memorable set by Duffy Bishop and Chris Carlson with All Stars & No Stripes. The day was really like a family reunion, with many musicians and fans getting reaquainted with each other, sometimes after many years. I just wish David Brewer could have been there!

Here's some photos from the show for ya'll:

Nitelife. Yep, that's Leslie "Star Drums" Milton! - Photo by Phil Chesnut.

MC Uncle Ray Varner and John Marshall. Photo by Phil Chesnut.

Sweet Talkin' Jones & the Muscletones

Chris Stevens' Surf Monkeys - Photo by Phil Chesnut.

Uncle Ray Varner and Duffy Bishop.

The show poster, created by Phil Chesnut.

Paul Green & Straight Shot - Photo by Phil Chesnut

Super blues fans Dave and Pam Konsa.

Vocalist LJ Porter and guitarists Fat James and Mark Whitman - Photo by Phil Chesnut.

Little Bill & the Blue Notes

The Kitchen Crew

John Lee and Steve Bailey from the Crossroads Band. Photo by Phil Chesnut.

The John Stephan Band with John Marshall - Photo by Phil Chesnut.

John Marshall and Becki Sue.

A lotta talent digging Sweet Talkin' Jones & the Muscletones.

The one and only Duffy Bishop and Chris Carlson. Photo by Phil Chesnut.

Guitar slingers Chris Stevens and Rod Cook.

Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies with John Marshall - Photo by Phil Chesnut.

2008-09-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

David Brewer's "Ghost Dance"

Reviewed by Mark Dalton

David Brewer is an artist who defies convention. His new CD is an extension of his move to more solo performances in recent years (ease of touring reportedly being part of the advantage). But make no mistake here – there’s nothing “acoustic” about Brewer’s live performances, or about his approach on this CD! The absence of bass or drums here doesn’t mean the tunes rock any less - Brewer’s music is still centered around his big, fat, electric guitar sound and his driving sense of rhythm.

Brewer takes great pride in his Native American heritage (if you don’t know the history of the “Ghost Dance” in those desperate last days of the plains wars, I suggest you check it out – part of the story is included in the CD liner notes) and this music is firmly rooted in the land we continue to uneasily occupy together, transcending genres, all songs that Brewer has made totally his own. Music of North America – strong, plain, honest, straight ahead music, accurately reflecting the man who makes it.

The recording is well done here – Brewer plays all guitars, in layers, often with a flat-top guitar on the bottom, and electric rhythm laid over that, and those patented soaring lead guitar solos over the top. Vocals are right up front, with vocal harmony tracks coming in at times. Tambourine and various shakers and percussion are woven into the sound at times, but the driver for this music is always guitar; that from-the-elbow kind of rhythm–playing that Don Wilson of the Ventures modeled so well for musicians of our generation. This kind of one-man-plays-it-all project is tricky – I’ve heard CDs done this way that sound stiff and artificial – but Brewer’s CD has an integrated, organic feel to it that works throughout.

None of the songs on this CD were originally written by Brewer. The tunes range from a Chuck Berry classic, “You Can’t Catch Me” (the one about the “Airmobile”) to the old C&W favorite “Crazy Arms,” to more recent songs by Greg Allman and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. All of these tunes are well suited to Brewer’s eclectic style, and they all sound perfectly well-worn, like David’s been living these songs, and life they describe, for as long as any of us can remember. And you know what? That’s the truth, right there!

2008-09-21T22:36:00.000-07:00

A few words about basses…

By Mark Dalton

Mike asked me to write a piece about my basses, and specifically about ace instrument maker and former Seattleite Steve Davis and the “Tall Cool One” basses he makes. This seemed like a good idea for something to write about – it had never occurred to me, although people come up to me at gigs fairly often (usually other bass players) and ask about my basses (whichever one of the four I happen to be playing at the time), and I’m always happy to talk about them.

I owned only one bass for the first 20 years of my professional career, and I’ve still got it, but it is stowed away somewhere nice and safe and I take it out to a gig about once a year. It’s a 1959 Fender Precision Bass that I got in a swap deal with the original owner in 1965. It’s a sweet ax, with great tone and a nice neck. I’ve had the same set of strings on it for over 20 years too; big heavy flatwounds, of course, and they are completely dead – no twang left whatsoever. Just a good solid deep-throated thump. I remember reading an interview with Donald “Duck” Dunn (of Booker T, Otis Redding and Blues Brothers fame), and he was talking about how he broke the G string on his Precision (part of set he’d had on there for 17 years at the time, as I recall), and he just burst into tears at the thought of having to break in a new string, or worse, a new set of strings!

People started coming up to me at gigs after awhile and looking at this old bass with such lust in their eyes (old Precisions are rapidly increasing in value) that it got kind of scary – so I got another one – a Mexican Precision, really well made (I tried out a bunch of them), with a nice straight neck and thin frets that was really close to my 59, for about $300 bucks in around 1992. I set it up the same as my other one, low action, fat flats, and it sounded almost as good. And I didn’t have to worry so much losing my old one and the history we shared.

A couple years after that, I started getting interested in five string basses – both because they had an extra low string, and because I heard a few that had advanced electronics – big fat active pickups that captured thick overtones – I was listening to a funk band playing right before us – Guitar Slim at that time - at the Bite of Seattle, and the sound of this guys five-string was amazing – the sound was so fat that individual notes sounded almost like chords. So I found one I liked and played it exclusively for several years (once I figured out how to integrate that additional string). Five strings also have a slightly longer neck than regular electric basses – gives the strings a little tighter feel, and, for a guy with big hands, the longer scale felt just right. I still have it, and I still play it every now and then.

Here’s where Steve Davis came in. Steve used to live up around North Bend, and he used to come out and hear Guitar Slim a lot. He and Pat Chase, our guitar player, got to be friends, and he made some cabinets for Pat’s house in Snoqualmie that were really nice. Steve is a wood worker and furniture maker by trade and he does very fine work. So it came as no surprise to Pat when Steve talked about making a guitar some day. The surprise came when Steve actually did make Pat a guitar – a gorgeous instrument in Pat’s favored Stratocaster design, but a custom-shop instrument all the way, including “Guitar Slim” inlaid in mother-of-pearl on the fretboard.

So it was somewhere around 1999, we were playing the Pike Market Street Fair when Steve came over on a break, and said “Marcus, I’ve been thinking… how would you like me to try my hand at building you a bass?” Well, what do you say to that? “HELL YES!” is what you say. Especially after he explained the deal to me – I help him with the design, as this was the first bass he’d attempted, and I buy the pickups and hardware, and he kicks in the wood and labor. At this point, I’m looking up into the heavens with my head swimming - as middleweight champ Rocky Graziano used to say, “somebody up there likes me!”

So Steve came over to my house and swarmed over the basses I had, with rulers and micrometers… Whaddya like about this one? How about this one? What body style do you like? What scale do you like? (I opted for the long scale, which at the time was rare for a four-string bass.) What color do you want? (As it happens, I had a copy of a great coffee table book called “Blue Guitar” that had a custom guitar with exactly the blue finish I wanted. Steve contacted the guy that made the guitar in the book, and got that exact finish for the bass – this is the lengths that he will go to get things right!)

The Tall Cool One

Over the next couple of years I would get tantalizing glimpses of this work in progress via E-mailed photos (Steve, by this point, had moved to New Mexico, where he was making custom furniture for the likes of Robert Redford.) And then, one lovely spring day, the Blue Bass arrived. I picked it up, plugged it in, and it was like I’d been playing it for years immediately – because it had everything I liked built in from the beginning! Big, active Bartolini pickups (I’m sorry, but once you get used to these, going back to a Fender Precision is difficult, if not impossible in the long run), neck-through-the-body construction for amazing sustain and a solid feel, and a beautiful finish. It also had a nameplate on it that said “Tall Cool One” – a national hit song for the Wailers, Mike Lynch’s nickname for me since the early-80’s Bluestars days, and now the resonant name of the Davis bass design.

I love my Blue Bass, and more recently, Steve finished a sister instrument for me – “The Red Bass.” She is really a beauty – refined, sleek, cut away in all the right places, a pleasure to hold onto and play! The Red Bass has an EMG pickup (my choice again), and getting the sound just right on her is still a work in progress (I had heard great things about the EMG, but it is… different). The bottom line is that this beautiful bass plays just great.

Red bass - in the shop

Avert your eyes!!

I’ve had tremendous good fortune in the people I’ve met and became friends with throughout my musical adventures, and I’m here to tell you, the people around you, supporting you, educating you, giving you the gift of their friendship – this makes all the difference in the world of making music. Steve Davis is one fine instrument maker, and one hell of a good man!

2008-09-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

Tom and Becki Sue tie the knot.

Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies guitarist Tom "T-Boy" Boyle and vocalist Rebekah "Becki Sue" Delk were married on August 30th. The marriage, officiated by the Rev. Dave Brown, took place at Tom's parents' very nice home on the shore of Lake Steilacoom in Lakewood, Washington.

Tom and Becki

Lake Steilacoom

After the ceremony, the guests had some lunch (great chicken wings, by the way) and then the band played some tunes before Tom and Becki Sue cut the wedding cake. I had to split about that time, but I hear that the band played some more that afternoon. Congratulations Tom and Becki!

Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies - Left to right: Tom Boyle, Jim King, Becki Sue, Jeff Hayes, and Les White.

2008-08-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

Charles White at the New Orleans

I dropped in at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Pioneer Square last night and caught the Charles White Band in the act of entertaining the folks there. Man, I haven't seen this band in ages! The band consisted of Charles on vocals, long time members Bill Blackstone (tenor sax) and Scotty Lind (guitar), Steve Raible on bass, and the excellent drummer Russ Kamerer.

As usual, the band played an assortment of blues and R & B, including a James Brown medley. Charles, resplendent in a pinstripe zoot suit outfit was doing his usual great Mr. Entertainer job, wandering through the crowd and demonstrating some pretty good dance moves too. Charles is a Houston, Texas native and has been active on the blues scene for quite a long time. I think that we need to interview this guy...

Left to right - Bill Blackstone, Charles White, and Scotty Lind.

Charles White

2008-08-18T22:02:00.000-07:00

Jerry Wexler is dead

Jerry Wexler - 1/1917 to 8/2008

RIP

The legendary record producer Jerry Wexler died on August 15th, 2008 at his home in Sarasota, Florida. See the NY Times obituary here.

2008-08-11T23:52:00.000-07:00

Isaac Hayes is dead

Isaac Hayes - 8/42 to 8/08

RIP

The great soul singer, songwriter, and keyboardist Isaac Hayes died on August 10th in Memphis, TN. Click here for the NY Times obituary.

2008-08-09T23:09:00.000-07:00

Jimie Jean & Kirk Tuttle Benefit - Update #1

Here's the band lineup for the Jimie Jean and Kirk Tuttle benefit scheduled for September 14th at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club in Seattle (I will fill you in on the actual appearance schedule in a later post):

Can't attend the benefit? No problem! You can send checks to:

The Jimie Jean & Kirk Tuttle Benefit Fund
Wells Fargo Bank
2358 California Avenue SW
Seattle, WA 98116
Attn: Laine Rivera

It's gonna be a goon 'un - please come out and support this worthy cause!

2008-08-09T22:42:00.000-07:00

The Miltonian Institute turns 70

On July 19th I drove up to the Alligator Soul Restaurant to participate in the 70th birthday party for the Miltonian Institute. No, it's not a financial instution, it's the name I came up with years ago to describe the musical entertainment dynamo that is better known by the name of Leslie "Star Drums" Milton." A native of New Orleans, Leslie has been active on the Seattle blues scene since the late '70s, when he played with the band BlueLights (which also included the now well-known keyboardist Chuck "Barrelhouse Chuck" Goering and Seattle guitarist Daddy Treetops).

The Alligator Soul recently moved to a new, larger facility on Everett's Broadway street. Leslie, resplendent in a canary yellow jacket and matching shoes, and his musical partner keyboardist Gael "Lady Keys" Kurath were set up on a nice large stage, and during the evening were joined by several guests, including another drummer, a bassist, guitarist, plus Seattle blues harpists Kim Field and yours truly. Leslie and Lady keys have been playing at the Alligator Soul every Saturday now for 10 years - the last time I saw them was at the old location years ago when my band was playing up the street at the now defunct Horseshoe Restaurant.

Leslie "Star Drums" Milton and Gael "Lady Keys" Kurath

Leslie Milton

Kim Field and Leslie Milton

Leslie has played with just about everybody over the years, including Johnny Otis, Lee Dorsey, Sonny & Cher, and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, and Seattle's Slamhound Hunters and the Isaac Scott Band, to name just a few. He and Lady Keys and friends put on a great show for a full house of well-wishers. Man, I hope that I've got half of Leslie's energy when I turn 70!

Happy birthday, Pops!

2008-08-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Early Warning - September 14th Benefit

NW Blues fans - Please put September 14, 2008 on your calendars. Our long time friends, blues drummer Kirk "KT" Tuttle and his wife, Jimie Jean, the long time blues music coordinator (18+ years of Thursdays) at Seattle's Salmon Bay Eagles Club, are both battling severe health issues and need the help of our music community!

We are planning a benefit for KT and Jimie 0n September 14th, from 3:00 PM to 12:00 AM at the Eagles Club. We will have nine bands playing that day, about a gazillion jammers, plus food and a silent auction. Check back here for more details, including the band lineup, which should be finalized in a few days.

Here's some details about the gig:

Date; 9/14/08
The Salmon Bay Eagles Club
5216 20th Avenue NW
Seattle, WA 98107
206-783-7791
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Can't make the benefit? No problem - You can still send money to support this worthy cause.

Send checks to:

The Jimie Jean & Kirk Tuttle Benefit Fund
Wells Fargo Bank
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Seattle, WA 98116
Attn: Laine Rivera

Thanks in advance for your support!

Mike Lynch

2008-08-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

In the Pocket with Mr. Solid

A Weekend in the Life of a Journeyman Professional Blues Band

By John Lee

Over the last ten to fifteen years gigs for a Northwest blues or roots music group have become less and less in number. These days, the band might have a Saturday or maybe a Friday and Saturday night. But every once in a while a weekend shows up that you have three engagements in one weekend, then it feels like back in the day when it seemed you were playing music for people all the time. The Crossroads Band had one of those weekends just this spring of 2008. The Crossroads Band are: Steve Bailey - harp, guitar and vocals, Dennis Ellis - saxophone, flute, and vocals, Dan Newton - guitar, keyboards, and vocals, John Lee - bass and vocals, and David Hudson - drums.

Here’s what happened from my perspective:

Anacortes, Friday May 16th 2008. The Crossroads band was booked to play the kick-off dinner for the Waterfront Festival in Anacortes, Washington, in a decorated warehouse on the waterfront, about 75 miles north of Seattle. It was an early start (6PM) and the bonus is that the client provided a PA system. This was truly wonderful, because we didn’t have to haul Steve Bailey’s PA and set it up and tear it down. It was a dinner, so we had a soft take-off (played quietly). After a 45 minute set the speeches and acknowledgments took place. This was a cue for the band to grab a bite to eat. The buffet included salmon, chicken, and beef. The buffet also had the usual starches, veggies, and salads. I especially liked the garlic mashed potatoes. The food was done well and much appreciated by me and my musical brethren.

The Crossroads Band - Anacortes Waterfront Festival - Photo by Steve Berentson

We began set two with a little more bite to our sound. But just as we began to work up a good groove, someone motions that they had more announcements. A bit more talking from some of the city fathers, then we were allowed to finish up with a fairly lengthy set with a very nice amount of dancing couples. A nice warm up for the next two days, when we would play one 45 minute set, and a one hour set.

Dennis and Steve had come in Steve’s van, Dan and I in my car (Dan and I live fairly close to each other), and Dave drove with some family members. On our way back to Seattle and beyond , we ran into a one hour construction delay on I-5 near Everett, Washington, about 35 miles from Seattle. What the hell! This is 11PM on a Friday night. We all finally worked our way home for an evening of much deserved rest. The next day we played the granddaddy of Puget Sound street fairs, the University Street Fair in north Seattle.

Seattle’s University District, Saturday May 17th 2008. We had a nice time slot at 3PM and the weather was beautiful, 80 degrees and sunny. The band played a really nice set that included Crossroads favorites including “Too Young to Die,” “How Long,” “Can’t Judge A Book,” and “Don’t Leave Your Daddy Home.” Two of the songs, “I Want Some Love,” and “Up One Side And Down the Other” were written by Dan Newton. Dan is a talented and sharp guy with three and a half years of music theory at North Texas State University and a masters degree from the University of Washington in Russian Language and Russian Literature. He is working on his Phd at this time. Dan is a multiple threat musically, playing outstanding guitar, rockin’ piano, and delivering nice vocal work. He’s also one hell of a songwriter. Dan is a good man to have on your team.

After the street fair set, we all headed to my house for a dinner of Memphis Beale Street chicken, potato salad, and a tossed green salad. After a very tasty meal the band piled into Steve’s van and headed towards the Grand Coulee Dam and our rooms for the Sunbanks R&B Festival. Along the way we listened to Bumble Bee Slim and Johnny Otis’ tour de farce group, Snatch and the Poontangs. We were having too much fun. The band arrived at the Grand Coulee Motel at 11PM and somehow I ended up with my own room. The other four guys had to share two rooms. Sometimes things work out and you get a little extra quite time. It’s all good!

Grand Coulee Washington , Sunday May 18th. My motel room was quite comfortable and I slept well, but not long. By 8:00AM and I was showered, dressed and awake! When you live both as day people and as night people (I have a day job too) the sleep patterns get very strange. I walked out onto the steps leading to my room, and I saw Steve Bailey. We both mentioned breakfast, and we looked up and saw a sign that said “Flo’s Café.” We entered and found the place to be down home and full of locals. We ended up talking to one local man who is retired and living close by. The omelets were quite good and seemed to live up to the café’s motto: “10,000 Flies Can’t Be Wrong”.

Steve Bailey is my long time friend. I’ve played in a number of musical settings with him, most notably Steve Bailey and the Blue Flames. Steve is another one of those multi-talented guys. Steve Bailey is a world class blues harmonic player, a damn fine guitar man in both single note and slide styles, a good singer, and an excellent songwriter. Plus, he speaks fluent Spanish (he was a Spanish teacher at one time). Steve is a very good recording engineer also. He’s engineered dozens of Northwest recordings (hey he’s guiding The Crossroads Band’s latest CD effort right now. We have six basic tracks in the can right as I speak.)

We walked down the hill to a Safeway grocery store for a cold beverage and on the way back we run into our drummer man Dave Hudson. Dave was the driving force behind The Hudson Blues Band for many years, and he is a fine player with a great love for blues and classic R&B. Most drummers don’t even have Muddy Waters or Howlin Wolf recordings in their collections. Dave not only has the material in his collection, he knows the titles of all the songs. Most drummers listen to jazz recordings and aspire to that style. Brother Hudson is a breath of fresh air and one hell of a drummer! Dave was looking for espresso and I had seen a stand near Safeway. Steve headed back to his room, and Dave and I made the slight decent toward the stimulants! Dave had some kind of coffee drink, and bought me a chai latte with coconut syrup.

Dave and I headed back to the motel, and, as I went to my room, I ran into piano man D.K Stewart and his drummer, Carlton Jackson out of Portland , Oregon. D.K. Stewart is one of the finest keyboard players in all the Northwest, having played with some of Portland’s great blues and R&B artists like Curtis Salgado and the late Paul deLay. They gave me a copy of their new CD, "The DK4- In the House." There was just time for a short chat, then a quick goodbye. They had a 5PM gig outside of Portland .

I dropped into Flo’s which was now packed, and our great honkin' sax man Dennis Ellis was there for breakfast. Dennis and I chatted for a few minutes. Dennis is a fine sax player, an excellent flute player and outstanding singer. Dennis brings a swing and cool scuffle element to the band. He’s also easy to be around and a very, very funny guy. I also ran into Tom Hunniwell, the excellent music photographer who I know from back in Seattle . It’s always good to see Mr. Honeywell. I walked back to the motel and found Dan awake and ready to go. It was time to get dressed again and head to the festival site.

We arrived about 11:30AM at the Sunbanks Resort where the festival in held twice a year. The first person we checked out was Billy Stoops, the energetic Southerner who is the driving force behind The Sunbanks R&B Festival, and also the band Junkyard Jane. Steve Bailey knows Billy from awhile back. I first talked to Billy Stoops on the telephone about booking Crossroads into Sunbanks a year and a half ago, and I joked with him about owing me a few bucks for my phone bill. We ran into a few other folks we know, like Rhea Rolf, former president of the Washington Blues Society, and Cholo Willsin, who, back in the day, was a doorman at Larry’s Greenfront in Seattle ’s Pioneer Square . Cholo has been associated for many years with the Winthrop R&B Festival and most recently with the Blues for Food Fest. www.myspace/bluesforfoodfest (Crossroads will be featured at this year’s Blues for Food Fest August 30th, 2008 at the Magnusson Park amphitheater in North Seattle ).

We played a nice one hour set that featured some real nice sax by Dennis Ellis and excellent piano work by Dan Newton. After our show we hung around and chatted with a dozen or so blues fans, then we went to the Cantina (a bar and restaurant located at the Sunbanks Resort) to cash in our food coupons provided by Mr. Stoops for a meal provided to all the festival musical participants. The cook wouldn’t start until 3:30PM and the bartender said all she could put together were appetizers. So that’s what we did, we had appetizers. Coming and going to the Cantina we came across 10 or 12 people who said they dug the band. The Sunbanks R&B Festival site is very pleasant, a sparely wooded area leading up to a large stage that has its back almost at the lake's shoreline. We hung around near the stage for a while longer and caught most of the File Gumbo Zydeco Band’s set. Then it was time to head back to Seattle . It would take four hours to get home.

The Crossroads Band at the Sunbanks R & B Festival - Photo by Tom Hunnewell

Dan Newton - Photo by Tom Hunnewell

David Hudson - Photo by Tom Hunnewell

Dennis Ellis - Photo by Tom Hunnewell

John Lee - Photo by Tom Hunnewell

Steve Bailey - Photo by Tom Hunnewell

We had to travel a long way to play music for a relatively short period of time, but it was a very rewarding weekend. The band played good music and we got to hang out together in a setting other than a bar or nightclub. I’m very lucky to get to play good music and be friends with such a talented and solid bunch of guys. I feel like I can relate to what the roots music legend Delbert McClinton said in the title of one of his recent albums “One of the fortunate few.” Then the next day, it was back to our other lives!

American Music Icons Bo Diddley and Jimmy McGriff Pass On

Bo Diddley - December 30, 1928 to June 2, 2008

Born Ellas Bates, Bo changed it to Ellis McDaniel when his mother’s cousin adopted him. Then he eventually took the stage name Bo Diddley with the help of his Bomp ba-bomp-bomp, bomp- bomp “shave and a hair cut” rhythm”. Bo was on his way with the 1955 single "Bo Diddley/I’m A Man" to becoming one of the most influential guitar players and songwriters of early rock and roll. With a style steeped in blues and R&B he created such classics as "Mona," "Pretty Thing," "Can’t Judge A Book," "Road Runner," and "Who Do You Love" to name a few. Many groups from the 1960’s covered Bo’s songs, including the Rolling Stones. The legendary bluesman Muddy Waters took Bo’s "I’m a Man" and made it his own as the title “Mannish Boy.”

I met Bo Diddley for just a few minutes back stage at a show Bo was going to perform in the mid-seventies in Anchorage, Alaska . He was making fried chicken in an electric skillet while he chatted. He seemed pleasant enough. Bo Diddley was 79 years old. R.I.P.

Jimmy McGriff-April 3, 1936 to May 24, 2008

Jimmy McGriff was one of the finest soul/jazz Hammond B3 organ players of all-time. McGriff broke onto the national scene with the instrumental version of Ray Charles’s “ I Got a Women” in 1962. Jimmy McGriff never liked being called a jazz musician, he always said he was a blues player. Mr. McGriff was childhood friends with the legendary Hammond B3 man Jimmy Smith in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . Organ great Richard “Groove” Holmes played at Jimmy McGriff’s sister's wedding. For over 40 years Jimmy McGriff played blues, R&B and soul drenched organ driven instrumentals with some of the most soulful musicians of his time like saxophones players, Hank Crawford, David “Fathead” Newman, Red Holloway, and drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie. McGriff also made some nice recordings with blues vocalist and harmonica player, Junior Parker. He was as good as it gets. Jimmy McGriff was 72 years old. R.I.P.

Quote of the Month

My dear friend, the late Jim Schroy, as we were leaving a Little Richard show at Seattle’s annual Bumbershoot Festival, said “ That’s the best concert I’ve ever seen by somebody from Mars.” Little Richard was so odd, that after what I witnessed that day, I think Jim might have only scratched the surface.

Electric bassist John "Mr. Solid" Lee was born in Alaska and has been active in the Seattle blues scene for about 30 years. He currently plays with the Crossroads Band. Photo by Mike Coyote.

2008-07-20T20:25:00.000-07:00

Gasoline Blues

I don't know about you folks, but I'm really feeling the pinch from these rising gas prices. I'm back working full-time, which is great news, but the office is in Auburn, which is a 60 mile round trip from my home in West Seattle, five days a week.

That's 300 miles a week, or a tank of gas. So, at the current prices it is costing me about $240 a month just to drive back and forth to the office. There are no bus or rail lines that come close to the office, so drive I must. Fortunately, there are grocery stores, pharmacies, and even a budget theatre within walking distance of my house. Even the kids' school is only four blocks away, so my car stays parked whenever possible.

This has really affected my willingness to go out and see bands play. I really think about it before driving across town (or farther) to see even my favorite bands play. I can just imagine how gas prices are affecting the cash flow for both bands and nightclubs. Bands' wages haven't changed much since the '70s, but the price of gas has tripled, so the math is pretty simple. And, I can't be the only person that is thinking twice before spending money on a night out at a club, so I'll bet that attendance at shows has to be falling off too. I wonder if we will be seeing more clubs closing because of this?

What do you think? How have rising gas prices, just one aspect of our sagging economy, been a affecting your life?

2008-07-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

David Brewer Turns 60

Article and photos by Phil Chesnut

Seattle's Thursday night blues bastion, the Salmon Bay Eagles, held a rare blues celebration on a Friday night last week. If Thursday's Mike Lynch show wasn't enough, the SBE then gave us blues fans a very special show commemorating Seattle blues legend David Brewer's 60th birthday.

David Brewer

The SBE's longtime house band, "All Stars-No Stripes," set the mood for the night with their own, familiar blues - with Stan Eike fronting on the majority of the vocals, while both Stan and Scotty Lind gave all a dose of their own high energy guitars. It was, however, the mighty tenor sax of Raven Humphres that actually dominated the sets, more than holding his own among the pair of power guitars.

Though not official, I don't feel bad by saying that the second band of the evening, starring the Man of the Hour, could certainly be called the "Intimidators." With veteran Intimidators Bill Freckleton on bass, the horn of Raven, and "Pete the Beat" Langhans righteously filling the drummer spot usually held by Chris Leighton, it looked and sounded like the Intimidators to me. Of course, David Brewer & the Intimidators have been mesmerizing Northwest blues fans for decades, but since Brewer is usually on a European tour this time of year, it made this event all the more extraordinary.

Left to right: Pete Langhans, Bill Freckleton, and David Brewer

Playing to an appreciative, eager full house, 'til well into the AM hours, Brewer & Co set the room's energy level to an even higher notch. With a pair of sets featuring all of those unique Brewer originals, plus a few new Brewerized cover tunes, this remarkable night of the blues was truly be memorable for all. Sounding like a well rehearsed band, with a ton of shows behind them, Brewer and crew were sharp and on it, contrary to the fact that it was only their second show. With their first show played to a less than savvy crowd at Tacoma's JazzBones, the band was more than appreciative to then play to true fans while laughingly calling the JazzBones gig their rehearsal.

This was also my first chance to get my hands on Brewer's brand new, CD! Going in a different direction on this newest project, The new album is all Brewer and nothin' but. Covering ten blues standards, all with that special Brewer arrangement, David Brewer's "Ghost Dance" is certainly destined for wide recognition and accolades, not only in the Pacific Northwest, but world-wide. Created and produced at Sheri and Raven Humphres' Black Wing Studio, all of the instruments and vocals are rendered, by Brewer himself, and though no credit is given, it's obviously Brewer's pen and ink illustration on the back, tray card.

Though well known in the US and Europe for his power bands, Brewer has recently revised is presentation and now tours solo, making "Ghost Dance" his first album featuring this new side of David Brewer. Long known to be proud of his native heritage, the CD's title is derived from a cherished Native American parable, who's essence is emoted in each and every of these selections. Certainly a landmark album of 21st century American Blues, "Ghost Dance" will be essential to any true blues fan's audio collection.

2008-06-08T23:09:00.000-07:00

Road Trip - Natchez Burning and the King of Swamp Blues

By Bubba "The Unreal" McCoy

“Harmonica is an oral tradition.” This was a phrase often used by virtuoso harmonica player Gary Primich. Other players who met him were quick to find out that he lived up to his side of that tradition. So it was with this spirit that my wife Stephanie and I set out on a journey. For me it was to satisfy my craving for the knowledge that can only be handed down through that oral tradition and, for Stephanie, a chance to take in some sunny hot weather for a change.

Due to construction of the machine, most of the techniques used in playing the harmonica happen behind the teeth and gums of the player and unseen by the listener. In early days, much like magicians, the top players would only share the "tricks" they had picked up with the closest and most respected of peers. That is unless you happened to have a jug of corn whiskey. Then with luck you might be able to get a lesson that wasn’t full of intentional deception to throw off new rivals. Muddy Waters even said, “You got something you don't want other people to know, keep it in your pocket”. This is how it has remained. Only recently have masterclass camps formed, providing a proper meeting place for instructors and students. Still there are only a handful of instructional books for harmonica. Few of which manage to convey these techniques due to the difficulty in describing what you can’t see. While rows of books delving into each style and individual guitar player can be found at your local music store, there is scarce supply of harmonica related material for a reason.

Our trip began in Austin, Texas, music Mecca and former home to my favorite player Gary Primich. After paying our respects to his legacy by attending a former frequent gig “The Sinners Brunch at Jo’s Hot Coffee” (1300 South Congress) where on Sundays Tina Rose and Will Pipkin play host to guest appearances from local Austin heavies. The show was fantastic. Featuring Phoebe Hunt, a young Austin fiddle player “an sanger” as she would say. This young woman can play and sing with the best of them. While watching her you get the sense that you are in on something at the ground floor. You can expect to hear more about Phoebe Hunt in the future.

Arriving in Baton Rouge, Louisianna we were greeted by a swollen Mississippi River that was threatening to flood the city. From downtown Baton Rouge you could look UP to see the ships masts as they passed down the massive river. Our stay was short. With many businesses closed and the real possibility of a flood, we decided to move on.

While planning a trip to the delta you get the feeling that your computer is something of a time machine that allows you to get someplace remote. Like searching for an eddy in our virtual driven world that’s rushing like the Mississippi river, you know you’re onto something when the current or, in this case the web sites, stop flowing. In this day and age where even the bluesmen have cell phones and lap-tops, it seems amazing when we find a place that has not been changed forever, washed away by the flood of the World Wide Web. It’s still coming to them. Like radio forever changed regional music. The internet and it’s incredible shrinking powers will do the same. Where isolation gave birth to unique artists like John Hurt, Son House, Skip James, and Robert Johnson. Radio gave birth to a million Stevie Ray Wannabes and B.B. King impersonators. To find the music and heritage undisturbed and in its natural environment will continue to get more and more rare. It’s only a fact. Not one to be forlorn, just a fact as mighty as the Mississippi itself. Our internet research prior to leaving, left us with just enough information to lead us to where the flow slows. Almost to a complete stop. Once you have been dropped in Natchez, Mississippi with no place to stay on a hot Tuesday in May, it’s all up to the spirits that surround you. As we were about to find out the spirits were already with us.

Natchez, Mississippi is landmark in the Blues. Not only is it located along the blues Highway 61 and the Mississippi River. It’s also the subject of many songs. Most notably “Natchez Burning” by Howlin’ Wolf. A song about the true story of a fire inside a juke joint called “The Rhythm Club” that killed more than 200 people. Lending credence to the significance of the event, it should be noted that Wolf didn’t write the song until 1954, some 14 years after the tragedy. Today two markers commemorate the loss. One listing the names of each victim can be found near the rivers edge just west of town and the other, a “Blues Trail” marker is in front of the Natchez Museum of African American History. Natchez was also the home town to blues greats “Papa" George Lightfoot, Hound Dog Taylor and Jimmy Anderson. If you were like me, you may not have heard of Jimmy Anderson until now.

Jimmy Lee Anderson, a contemporary of fellow Excello label recording stars Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, Lightnin’ Slim and “Papa" George Lightfoot was a founding father of the “Swamp Hop” sound and was often billed as “The King Of Swamp Blues”. His band “Jimmy Anderson and the Joy Jumpers” played regional juke joints and clubs in and around Mississippi and Louisiana after moving base to Baton Rouge. In 1962 the group recorded their first song “I Wanna Boogie” for Excello Records. However, by 1964 after disputes over unpaid royalties Jimmy left the music profession behind, playing only on occasion with local acts.

Seven years later he returned to Natchez where he became a School District Crossing Guard manning the towns’ busiest intersection. Though embittered by the royalty’s dispute in which Jimmy claims to have received “Not one royalty check,” his interest in music never faded. After his stint as a crossing guard Jimmy began what was to be his second career in the music business this one as a disc jockey. Starting with country station WNAT he is considered to be the nation's first black country western disc jockey. Working two shifts, he went on-air in the afternoons as Jimmy Anderson spinning country records then returning in the evening as Soulman Lee in the evening playing the blues. The two names, along with a voice alteration that would have made Mel Blanc and Rich Little blush, avoided any objections the predominantly white audience may have had. Now, thanks to Stephanie and her hours of slow drifting on the back waters of the internet, we knew that as recent as 2007 Jimmy was alive and living in Natchez. Although he had suffered a stroke many years ago, Jimmy was rumored to be playing again!

When the currents pushed us into this eddy we found ourselves parking at random in front of two shops. Starving and craving soul food, Stephanie and I both gravitated towards Breaud’s Restaurant but we’re struck by the cool antiques in the store next door. Ignoring the calls of the Shrimp Po’ Boys, Muffalattas and Fried Green Tomatoes we headed in to take a quick look around.

When we stepped into Different Accents we were welcomed by the same XM radio broadcast of Bill Wax’s “Bluesville”, which had been our sound track all the way from Austin. When I asked about live music we were directed to the owner Edward Killeleas. Edward is a blues fan. Edward is a cool guy. Edward is about to hook me up. “Ya’ll are blues fans? (looking down at my Flame Job leather shoes) Shoes like that, you must play." “Harmonica” I replied with a laugh. “You ever hear of Jimmy Anderson?” asked Stephanie. “Sure!” He replied with amazement. “Jimmy lives right across the street from me. Ya’ll wanna meet him? I can go over and see if he’s up for visitors. I’m sure he’d like to meet you. Ya’ll can stay in the apartment upstairs tonight and I can take you on over to Jimmy’s when you’re ready.” BANG! Just like that we were set for the night.

Upstairs we unpacked our bags in the most fantastic bed & breakfast you could ever ask for. The room, filled with antiques from around the world, has it’s own kitchen, bath room, living room and bedroom. All of this overlooking Breaud’s inviting patio dinning area which was still calling our names. First, we needed to go visit with Jimmy Anderson! (For more info on Edwards Killeleas fantastic Bed & Breakfast go to http://www.locustalley.com/ )

We arrived at Jimmy’s house around two in the afternoon. His home is a row house with a wide front porch and a low pitched roof. The house was purchased by his mother after being condemned in a flood, and later resold by the government. The house was bought in both her and Jimmy’s’ names due to the passing of his father and the legal requirement of a male co-owner for a woman to purchase a house at the time.

Edward knocked at the door and spoke up as to make sure that Jimmy could hear we were there to see him. “C’mon in” Jimmy said as he wheeled towards us in his electric wheel chair. As we stepped into his house my eyes took a moment to adjust from the intense sunlight of the outdoors to the rich golden hue of the low incandescent lit room. I stepped inside and reached to shake Jimmy’s outstretched left hand. Edward introduced Stephanie and me to Jimmy and then headed back to his shop.

We spent close to three hours with Jimmy as our host. I had only intended to see him for a moment, maybe buy a CD if he had one. I didn’t want to take up his time or wear him out. It was clear that we had interrupted his daily viewing of “Leave it to Beaver” followed by “The Beverly Hillbillies,” and this I didn’t take lightly. He showed us around his home. His most prized possessions proudly displayed on the walls. First to grab our attention was the large billboard sign reading “King Of Swamp Blues," then the pristine 45 rpm record of “Elmo James – Catfish Blues”. Jimmy would stop briefly, telling us about each person in the photos. There was Muhammad Ali, Dr. King and JFK, there was a young Jesse Jackson and of course pictures of Jimmy’s band. There was a beaten photo of Jimmy and his best friend as toddlers. Right next to it was a photo of the same two friends some twenty years later. The pictures, once placed on the wall, have remained in the same spot for close to 40 years now. With each photo was a story, and in the center of it all was “Lily”. “Who’s this?” I asked of the striking woman in the photo. “That’s Lily . . . she was my wife.” he said with a noticeable gleam in his eye “She’s passed now."

Jimmy Anderson & the Joy Jumpers

We shifted from the photos to music. We talked about his recordings, and band mates, his influences and his approach to song writing. We talked about his travels to Europe in the '90s with the “Mojo Blues Band” and his days as a crossing guard for which he is rightly proud. We talked about his work as a country DJ and how local widows would send the "country" DJ home cooked meals, unaware that they were being delivered to a person of color. He even did his "country radio" voice for me. An impersonation of a "white guy" that blew my mind. We laughed loud and talked about what all bluesmen talk about. We talked about good lookin’ women, mean women and scorned women. We talked about clubs and juke joints, and about friends and sonofabitches.

I shared music from our i-Pod we had loaded with our favorites. He seemed to particularly enjoy William Clarke and Primich noting that Gary could “...play my style." He shared his collection of music with us as well. His eclectic tastes didn’t stop at the blues. We listened to everything from blues on 45's to country on LP’s and early Prince on 8-tracks. All the while “Leave It To Beaver” and “The Beverly Hillbillies” were competing to be heard in the background. When the conversation moved from other artists to Jimmy, he produced a compilation CD of 24 recordings featuring him on harmonica and vocals. We listened to his version of “King Bee”, the Joy Jumpers first recording of “I Wanna Boogie” and the thoroughly modern for its time original song “Going Crazy Over TV." I bought a copy of the CD which he then signed for me left handed, overcoming and defying the debilitating stroke with sheer determination. Then we got down to business and played some harmonica for each other.

Bubba McCoy and Jimmy Anderson

He was a 1st position master. A style of playing (think Jimmy Reed) that is often ignored by run of the mill players, but when done right, it stamps the player with blues authenticity and Jimmy Anderson was the real deal. That’s when it happened. He shared some of his "tricks" with me (NO I’m nots gonna tell you here). We ran though some of his favorite licks. First him - then me, with Jimmy adding a few “how come” and “that’s when you want to” tips along the way. It was short. Jimmy told me he “can’t keep his wind as much” and had recently switched to playing into an Astatic (bullet type) of microphone to help with volume and sustain. He asked me to play a bit more for him and I did. It made me feel good to see him diggin’ it, rockin’ in his chair and tapping his good foot as I played. Those few hours, with a combined actual playing time of five or ten minutes, is one of the best harmonica lessons I will ever have.

It’s true. It’s an oral tradition. It can’t be done any other way. I was wrong though when I said it was due to the machine and how it’s played, because it’s not in the licks or the blistering runs and amplified tone. It’s somewhere else. Maybe one day I’ll be able to pass it along. If you have a jug of corn I’d probably give it a try, but I told you how that works out. Also If I’m watching “The Beaver” or “Jethro” come back later.

One last note. You can now find Jimmy Anderson at www.myspace.com/soulmanlee . His site is managed by some friends of his from Europe. Marcus Frazier, Benjamin Daussy and Vincent Joos deserve a tremendous thank you from us here in the USA who haven’t taken the time to preserve and treasure our own history. Vincent Joos, a French transplant to Mississippi is currently teaching his native language to students in Natchez. He stopped by for a moment while we were visiting Jimmy. You could tell that he has an altruistic care for Jimmy Anderson and his legacy. Please stop by Jimmy’s site and give him the praise he deserves. And send in for a CD while you’re there. Now THAT’S the way to pay honor to the “King Of Swamp Blues.”!

See you on down the road –Bubba McCoy.

A native of Eugene, OR, Bubba "The Unreal" McCoy has been active on the Seattle blues scene for about nine years, most recently with the Broomdust Blues Band.

2008-06-07T20:19:00.000-07:00

The day I met Bo Diddley

By John Stephan

Bumbershoot Arts Festival, Seattle, Washington, 1981 or '82.

As a member of the Isaac Scott Band, I opened for Bo Diddley at the Mural Amphitheatre for a crowd of about 10,000. We'd played a great set, and they wanted an encore; much to the chagrin of Bo and his road manager, who was telling us to stop because "Bo's got to catch a plane after his set." This guy was pulling our AC cords out of the wall one minute, and then asking me if Bo could use my amp!

I had just about the only 100-watt Mesa Boogie amp in town, then. Bo was trying to connect my amp with an old rented blonde Fender Twin, as Jr. Cadillac (his backing band), a video cam operator, and 10,000 people watched on. The Twin was blowing a tube or whatever, and I refused to let him connect the two amps together. Bo, with a little piece of fried chicken hanging out of the corner of his mouth, had no more patience for me, and said "You don't understand- I don't play like you. I don't play that one-note shit, I get down!". Isaac was practically rolling on the stage laughing!

So Bo got up there and completely tore that crowd up! He was great, and had only 2 strings left on his guitar when it was all over (it still sounded about the same!). I grabbed my amp, and Bo caught his plane. He never thanked me! So goes the story of how I repaid my portion of the world debt to Bo Diddley for all the great music he's brought us.

2008-06-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Bo Diddley is dead.

Bo Diddley - 1929 to 2008

RIP

To see Bo's NY Times obituary, click here. What are your favorite Bo Diddley tunes? Mine are "Roadrunner" and "Crackin' Up." Check this video out (my thanks to one of my favorite drummers, Russ Kammerer):

2008-05-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

In the Pocket with Mr. Solid

By John Lee

“Honeydripper” – a film by John Sayles

I recently had the pleasure of viewing John Sayles’ latest work, a blues fable titled “Honeydripper,” starring Danny Glover, Charles Dutton, and Lisa Gay Hamilton. Mister Sayles wrote, directed, and even has a small role in this very heartfelt film. “Honeydripper” ran for only one week at Seattle’s Uptown Theater.

John Sayles and his partner, Maggie Renzi, who is listed as producer, financed and did the distribution of the film themselves. If someone of John Sayles talent has trouble getting financing, you know the film industry is in trouble!

Tyrone “Pinetop” Purvis (Danny Glover) is a piano player and proprietor of The Honeydripper, a 1950 juke joint located in Harmony, Alabama. Tyrone has financial troubles and has decided to let go the classic blues singer, Bertha Mae (Mable John) who has been playing the Honeydripper for awhile. The landlord sends a pair of hard-asses to put pressure on Tyrone to pay back rent payments or vacate the premises. Tyrone makes arrangements to book the blues star “Guitar Sam” on an up and coming Saturday night to help him pay his bills and save the Honeydripper.

A drifter with a homemade electric guitar (played by Austin, Texas guitar player Gary Clark Jr.) shows up and asks Tyrone for a gig at the Honeydripper. Tyrone turns him down and the young man goes away and is soon arrested by the bigoted, redneck local sheriff played by Stacy Keech for “…gawkery with the intent to mope.” Tyrone goes to the train station to pick-up Guitar Sam for the big Saturday night and finds the blues star is in the hospital. Out of options, Tyrone is forced to make a deal with the sheriff and bail out the guitar playing drifter. This is a contentious situation, not knowing the young guitar players ability and also because the sheriff has a thing for Tyrone’s wife and her fried chicken sandwiches!

The musicians used in the film are tremendous. Sax player Eddie Shaw, leader for many years of Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang, named from his many years with the legendary Howlin’ Wolf, is superb in the big show back-up group. Mr. Shaw also has played with the likes of Muddy Waters and Freddie King in the real blues world. Arthur Lee Williams is a harp player from Tunica, Mississippi, and, besides leading his own group based out of St. Louis , Missouri, Mr. Williams has also played with the legendary Delta players Frank Frost and Sam Carr. His superb blues harp playing lends an authentic deep-south feel to the production.

Mabel John is excellent as the Ida Cox/Bessie Smith styled singer, Bertha Mae. Mabel John has had a incredible career as a recording artist for both the Motown and Stax labels. She was a Raelette back-up singer for Ray Charles twice. Mabel John at this time is a minister and gospel record producer in Los Angeles, California . She is the sister of the late, great Little Willie John. The part of Bertha Mae was to be played by the late, great Ruth Brown. Mabel John really does the part justice, and her old friend Ruth Brown would be proud! Keb Mo’ has a very cool part as a street musician who is blind, but sees the events taking place around him very clearly. The soundtrack is cool too.

“Honeydripper” won this year’s NAACP Image Award for best independent film, which it richly deserves. It will come to DVD June 24th 2008. Do yourself a favor and check out this soulful and heartfelt film. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed! For a more in depth look at John Sayles latest film go to: http://honeydripper-movie.com/

“The Chess Rhythm & Roll” 4 CD Boxed Set
I recently picked up a CD boxed set that I thought was out of print. “The Chess Rhythm & Roll” boxed set concentrates on the R&B and Rock and Roll from the great record label, Chess Records’ prime years of 1947 to 1967. Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Etta James are some of the well known artists on this excellent 99 song set! Many of the classic tunes are here, like Jackie Brenston’s “Rocket 88,” Dale Hawkin’s “Suzie Q,” “Ain’t Got No Home” by Clarence “Frogman” Henry, “See You Later Alligator” by Bobby Charles, and “High Heel Sneakers” by Tommy Tucker. Little Milton is here (he also recorded at Sun, Stax and Malaco. What output!), as well as Earl Hooker, Rosco Gordon, Jimmy Nelson, Jody Williams, T.V. Slim, Willie Mabon, Eddie Bo, and Clifton Chenier. The Four Tops are included, recording with Chess before super stardom on Motown Records. I found this boxed set at my favorite online record store, Blue Beat Music http://www.bluebeatmusic.com/ out of Santa Cruz California. “The Chess Rhythm & Roll” CD Boxed Set would be a great addition to anyone’s music collection. I know you’ll dig it.

Joe Turner 1944- 2008

Bassist Joe Turner passed away January 31st, 2008. A large man, who was known as Big Joe Turner, was a consummate bass man who played with some of the greats: B.B. King for five years, Albert King for seven years and Little Milton for four years. Mr. Turner also played with Gatemouth Brown, Issac Hayes, and Al Green. For many years Big Joe Turner led his own group, The Memphis Blues Caravan, touring Europe extensively. The big man always seemed to play the right parts for ever tune. He will be missed. “One of the greatest bass players I have had the pleasure to work with” said B.B. King. R.I.P., Joe Turner.

Left to right: Hi Tide Harris, BB King, Albert King, and Joe Turner. Kyoto (Japan) Blues Festival -1978.

Quote of the Month

” I never wanted to be famous, I just wanted to be great”- Ray Charles

Electric bassist John "Mr. Solid" Lee was born in Alaska and has been active in the Seattle blues scene for about 30 years. He currently plays with the Crossroads Band. Photo by Mike Coyote.