Curtis Salgado Update

From the Curtis Salgado web page.

CURTIS SALGADO MAKING GREAT STRIDES FOLLOWING LIVER TRANSPLANT

The road to recovery will soon lead to home for musician Curtis Salgado. He should return to Portland before the end of the year.

Salgado, who'd been diagnosed with liver cancer in March of 2006, has spent the past two months at The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha where he received a life-saving liver transplant on September 30th.

Overall, his recovery has gone well. He did undergo a second surgery three weeks after his transplant due to abdominal bleeding. He was also hospitalized for a suspected rejection episode, but both issues have been resolved.

Salgado's transplant team says his liver function is completely normal. They expect him to make a full recovery. Right now, specialists are closely monitoring his medications and overall condition, as is standard practice.

Once released, Salgado will continue his follow-up care in Oregon. He may return to Nebraska for annual check-ups.

Fundraising continues to be a primary concern. Two substantial loans were secured at the eleventh hour allowing for the transplant. In addition to the upcoming loan payments, future expenses include medications, anti-rejection drugs, follow up medical care, travel and living expenses. All merchandise available at www.curtissalgado.com will benefit the Curtis Salgado Fund. Donations to the "Curtis Salgado Fund" continue to be accepted and can be made at any US Bank or can be mailed to US Bankcorp, 2550 NW 188 Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97124

Can white people play the Blues?!

Hah, made you look!!

I just want to wish our readers a safe and mellow Thanksgiving holiday. The weather is miserable here in the Jet City, so I'm going to catch up on some movie watching with my boys over the next few days, and we might go bowling too.

Have a good one!

Mike Lynch

Musings from Mr. Solid

The Musical Motherland Tour - Pt. 1

By John Lee

I recently traveled with my better half, Nancy Rapp, to Memphis, TN, the Mississippi Delta, and to Helena, AR. Our goals: attend The Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival and personally taste all the best BBQ joints. What follows is my daily log of our trip.

Day 1 - September 28th, 2006

We took the airport shuttle at 6:30 am to the SeaTac airport and then flew to Minneapolis, MN. The connecting flight to Memphis was delayed due to plugged up toilets. We arrived in Memphis, TN, grabbed our rental car and headed to our digs in West Memphis, AR, just six miles across the Mississippi River from Memphis. In the '40s and '50s West Memphis was a hot bed of the blues. B.B. King, Sonny Boy Williamson and others played the club scene, and Howlin’ Wolf lived there. It was late and we were tired, so we choose to have dinner close to the motel. We had some Mexican right across the highway at a place called Margaritas. I know, Mexican in the land of great BBQ? Hey, it was very good Mexican and tomorrow was another day!

Day 2 - September 29th 2006

We enjoyed a nice breakfast buffet in the Hampton Inn lobby that included grits and biscuits. Then we left early to visit Soulville USA in Memphis, home of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and the Stax Music Academy. Stax Records was home to (in their prime) Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Booker T. and the MG’s, Eddie Floyd, and Rufus Thomas to name a few. Oh yeah, and don't forget the super star Isaac Hayes! This place is a shrine. With 2,000 pieces of memorabilia, it is a moving and heart-felt experience. The museum also has a section that honors the Hi and Goldwax Memphis soul record labels. I could have visited there all day long! Across from the museum is the rundown former home of Memphis Slim. The museum is in the process of restoring the late, great piano man’s house.

Soulville USA

Memphis Slim's House

Next stop, Sun Studios. On the way, we had lunch at Interstate BBQ. I had the chicken; Nancy had a pulled pork sandwich. They piled some slaw on the pork and it was good to go. The BBQ beans were mighty good. This was very good, serious food.

With our hunger in check we arrived at another American music shrine, the legendary Sun Studio. The place is a gas. A great tour ended right in the middle of the recording studio, complete with a piano used by Jerry Lee Lewis. Before Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee, Sun founder Sam Phillips recorded Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Rufus Thomas, Ike Turner, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Little Milton to name some. Stax and Sun are two of the most important record labels in the history of American music. These two places are must sees if you visit Memphis.

Sun Studio

Sun Studio Office

Sun Studio Store

Then we checked out Beale Street, W.C. Handy Park, the Rufus Thomas monument, B.B. King's club, and a voodoo store called Tater Red’s. There’s a funky CD store called Memphis Music on Beale that has a huge selection of blues music. There are a dozen or more blues and roots music clubs along Beale and they all seem to have good food that includes to my surprise, BBQ! That’s a joke! This great city is full of good BBQ.

Day 3 - September 30th 2006

We drove in to Tennessee once more and checked out the Memphis Saturday Market, similar to the ones we have here in Seattle, but smaller! Then we headed back to Beale Street and to the Rock and Soul Museum, another great museum celebrating the great music of America. This is another must see Memphis spot. The Gibson guitar factory is right next door.

Then we had lunch at The King's Palace Café on Beale. This is the building where the famous photograph of Robert Johnson in a suit and holding a guitar was taken at the Robert Hooks Photography studio in 1935. After a short walk to The Center for Southern Folklore store, we asked where the main part of the center was located. It was closed at the time, but a gentleman said he had to clean some things there and that we were welcome to tag along and look around. We checked out photos of southern musicians like Rufus Thomas, Gus Cannon and Isaac Hayes. We looked at numerous pieces of folk and delta art and our good man ran a DVD for us produced at the Center, of B.B. King and Rufus Thomas reminiscing about the heyday of Beale Street and them jamming with a handful of old timers including “Gatemouth” Moore.

Rufus Thomas Blvd

Rufus Thomas Monument

After sightseeing the core of downtown, that evening, we went back to The Center for Southern Folklore store for a show with a singer from New Orleans named John Bouteé. Mr. Bouteé is mostly a jazz singer, but the cat can sing anything. Nothing but a good time so far!

John Boutee (left)

Day 4 - October 1, 2006

We were late to rise and after breakfast we lounged in our crib reading The Memphis Flyer (a lot like our own Seattle Weekly) and the Memphis daily newspaper, The Commercial Appeal. Then we headed back across the Mississippi river into Memphis to visit The National Civil Rights Museum, which is housed in The Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was gunned down. This museum is a moving testament of the African-American people and their brave fight, from the days of the slave trade to the civil and human rights struggles of the '50s and '60s.

Lorraine Motel

In reality, the fight is still being fought today on some levels. Anger swelled up inside me many times as I worked my way through the movement’s history and what I saw and read made me wonder what kind of nation I was born and grew up in. “Land of the free” seems to be somewhat of a misnomer. Slavery, segregation and prejudice toward people of color are a large stain on the soul of America. The Civil Rights Museum is a great history lesson that everyone should experience. Thoughtful people will forever be changed by a visit to this incredible space!

A short ride to a section of Memphis called “Midtown” brought us to a neighborhood joint called Huey’s. We had refreshment and dug some very fine music from a group called, DiAnne Price and Her Boyfriends. DiAnne Price is one hell of a blues piano player and singer. I first heard her on the radio show “Beale Street Caravan.” We departed Huey’s musically satisfied, then headed to Beale Street and The Blues City Café. Nancy had ribs. I had tamales. We shared. It was mighty good.

Day 5 - October 2, 2006

This was the first day of our road trip into the Mississippi Delta. We made a stop in Como, MS, a small town that has changed very little in 100 years. There is a newer library. That, I think is a good thing. Next stop: Greenwood. We passed Avalon, home to the late Mississippi John Hurt and arrive in Greenwood and park on Howard Street. We are looking for The Greenwood Blues Heritage Museum owned by Steve LaVere, the man who was the force behind the Robert Johnson boxed set. He also wrote the liner notes. The place was closed. Damn!

We were told to check out the Alluvian Hotel by a mighty fine lady at a local bank. Everyone we ran into down South were so nice and friendly. I know the South has its share of rednecks and rejects, but we never ran into any of them. We checked out the hotel and the man at the desk asked where were from, we told him Seattle and he asks if we would like to look around. Sure -so he gives us a guided tour of the hotel, cooking school, and the health spa across the street. He also offered us peach sweet tea for our tour. The sweet tea was one of the tastiest drinks I have ever had. I had been drinking sweet tea our whole trip, but this tea was incredible! The Alluvian Hotel is beautiful and rebuilt by Fred Carl, founder of the Viking Range Corp. which is located in Greenwood and employs 1,300 people. The Alluvian - a cosmopolitan boutique hotel deep in the Delta.

We were very hungry, and we found a funky soul food joint two blocks from the hotel called Mattie’s with fried chicken, candied yams, and corn bread to die for. With our hunger in check, we went in search of Robert Johnson. The King of Delta Blues has three graves in the delta, but I’ve read that long time Johnson researcher, Steve LaVere, is very sure the one we found just north of Greenwood in the Little Zion Mount Baptist Church cemetery is the correct one. We were visiting the grave and taking pictures when suddenly swirling winds came up and dozens of bugs descended upon us. Quickly saying our goodbyes to Mr. Johnson, we hit the highway to Tutwiler in search of the great blues harp master Sonny Boy Williamson’s (Rice Miller) grave.

Matties's

Robert Johnson's Grave

On the way to Tutwiler, we drove thru hundreds of acres of cotton fields in 90 degree heat and I’m reminded of the reasons the blues was born. Tutwiler looks to be an area that lives in abject poverty. In the richest country in the world this seems to be totally out of context! As we got out of our vehicle at least ten children panhandled for change. We got directions to Sonny Boy’s grave site from the police station and still had a little trouble finding the spot, a small wooded area surrounded by cotton fields in the middle of nowhere and no signs. While we were there someone was tilling the nearby fields. Sonny Boy is buried a mile or two out of town with a large tombstone and dates of birth and death that would have made him only 58 years old.

Mississippi Cotton Field

Sonny Boy Williams' (Rice Miller) Grave

After paying our respects to the man who wrote "Help Me," "Too Young To Die" and many more, we hopped on Highway 49 heading towards Clarksdale, just to get ourselves acclimated to the area. We spent about an hour walking around the area of the Delta Blues Museum and Ground Zero, actor Morgan Freeman’s large juke joint. We got a great idea of what we would do when we stayed a night and a full day in the early hometown of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Ike Turner. We headed up Highway 61 toward Memphis and stopped at the Horseshoe Casino in Tunica. The casino was said to have an extensive blues museum in the basement. We were highly disappointed to find out the museum had been suspended. Damn!

We were very hungry and hadn’t eaten since Mattie’s in Greenwood, so we had dinner at the big buffet at The Horseshoe which includes a section called Delta Cookin’ - lots of great food for a small price. Filled up and tired, we headed north to our digs in West Memphis and got ready for our last day in Memphis.

Day 6 - October 3, 2006

We headed back to Beale Street and walked up the street and checked out the Walk of Fame. Brass notes with names on them are set into the sidewalks to honor those important to Memphis music and business scenes. Otis Redding, Donald “ Duck “ Dunn, Steve Cropper, Rufus Thomas, Johnny Cash, Elvis, Rosco Gordon, Carl Perkins, B.B. King, Bobby Bland and Jerry Lee Lewis are some of the names. Nancy went to Peabody Place to check out a photo exhibit and I checked out the W.C. Handy house on Beale Street. Handy lived in this house from 1905 until 1918 at a different location. I did not find out when the house was moved. The place is filled with a lot of great memorabilia and recordings of Mr. Handy talking about his music. It is well worth the $3.00 admission.

W.C. Handy's House

Nancy and I hooked back up and we went to the cotton museum located about four blocks from Beale Street in The Cotton Exchange building. We thought that since we had been driving thru cotton fields all day, the day before, we needed to know more about the cotton industry. It’s a great museum that lays out the history of cotton in a most interesting and informative way. There is also a blues exhibit that shows the link between cotton and the blues. It put into perspective what I had been thinking about the blues and cotton driving thru the Delta the day before.

We went to the downtown Huey’s for refreshments, watched playoff baseball and waited for the great BBQ joint, The Rendezvous, to open for dinner. We arrived at 4:40 pm shortly after they opened, and the place was already jumpin’. This is a world famous restaurant that has catered to many presidents, Elvis and The Rolling Stones to name a few. I had the chicken and Nancy had the ribs. As often is the case, we shared. The Rendezvous uses the dry-rub style. No sauce ever touches the meat. They have two great sauces to add on your own. This BBQ ranks with some of the finest food I’ve ever eaten. After dinner, I thought about another course, but better judgment took over and I just enjoyed.

The outstanding food was a great way to end our stay in Memphis - The Home of the Blues and the Birth Place of Rock and Roll. Part of my heart will always be in Memphis and our experience was as much fun you can have with your clothes on.

Next time I’ll lay on you what we did in Clarksdale, MS and Helena, AR. Hint: lots of music for one thing! Until then, Peace!

November Blues Birthdays

Bobby Rush - November 10, 1940
John Hammond Jr. - November 13, 1942
Rod Piazza - November 18, 1947
Sippie Wallace - November 1, 1898 (died 1986)
Bukka White - November 12, 1909 (died 1977)
Eddie Boyd - November 25, 1914 (died 1994)
Robert Nighthawk - November 30, 1909 (died 1967)
Brownie McGhee - November 30, 1915 (died 1996)
Carey Bell - November 14, 1936
Dr. John - November21,1940

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.

Note: All of the photographs in this article were created by Nancy Rapp.

The return of Lonesome Jerome.

I was at the Highway 99 Blues Club last Friday checking out the West Coast R & B Summit show when I ran into Mark "Lonesome Jerome" Dufresne (left). He confirmed that he's no longer working as the lead vocalist for Roomful Of Blues, and is now living back in the Jet City with his wife Laura.

Welcome back Mark! Come on down to the Blue Monday jam one of these days - we'd love to see and hear you singing and blowing harp on the scene again.

Note: Mark's photo was created by Henry Benson. From the Alligator Records webpage.

Memo to my fellow Seattle Blues Nazis.

While I was perusing the October 2006 edition of the Washington Blues Society's Bluesletter today, I read Roy Brown's monthly "Sound Off" column. In this column, Roy reprints a letter from Seattle singer Mary McPage, who fronts the Mary McPage Band.

In her letter, Ms. McPage, discribes the 1998 Seattle Blues Nazis as a "...negative, hateful, splinter group..." of the WBS. Then she describes the current Blues Nazis organization as "Blues Police" who are arrogant, "ignorant idiots." Apparently, she picked up the Blues Police moniker from a recent Blues-To-Don'ts blog article.

Oh boy - OK, first of all, I want to reassure all of you that we have not changed the name of the organization from the Blues Nazis to the Blues Police. As we have all endlessly discussed, Blues Nazis is the perfect name, since it seems to irritate the most number of people possible. Also, the logo artwork for my sometime band, Kid Porno & the Blues Nazis, is bought and paid for, so it's too late to change the name of the band.

Now here's the thing that really concerns me - remember our last meeting (sheesh, a couple of years ago now) when we all decided to keep a low profile? We all agreed that there wasn't any money in trying to advance the cause with people that still think that "Messin' With The Kid" was written by Jake and Elwood Blues, or that "Somebody Loan Me A Dime" was written by Boz Skaggs (or the Allman Brothers). So, what the hell - which one of you guys pushed Ms. McPage's button? Frankly, I'm confused - there hasn't been much in the way of dissenting opinion in the Bluesletter for years, and I doubt that Mary's band gets heckled by any of our minions, so why the whining on her part?

You know what? I think she's mad at Brother Chesnut. Now, I know (I know!) that sometimes our Art Director, Phil Chesnut, can't help from speaking his mind. Heck, Ms. McPage says in her letter that "...Just because one can write about the blues, take a picture of blues musicians or perhaps draw nice litle pictures, does not make a blues expert..." Goodness! Take one for the team, Phil!

Anyway, let's hope this latest incident will blow over and we can continue our Blues work behind the scenes. Keep up the good work, fellow Blues brothers and sisters! Check your decoder rings for our next meeting date.

Musings from Mr. Solid

By John Lee

I had planned on talking about a number of music DVD’s in this space. That will be one of the things, along with books and recordings, that I will save for the fall and winter Musings.

Recently, I’ve been putting together what I think is a top-notch show that has had my full attention for the last two months. Below is the press release. It appears on the KPLU and the Highway 99 Blues Club web sites. Everyone involved is hoping you can join us for what I think will be one hell of a party!

The West Coast Rhythm & Blues Summit


For two nights, October 27th and 28th, 2006, The Highway 99 Blues Club in Seattle will become the scene of what amounts to a classic Rhythm & Blues revue. It’s a triple bill, starring Johnny Nocturne (John Firmin), who the San Francisco Jazz Festival called “The Big Daddy of retro jump-blues tenor saxophone”. The show also stars Miss Dee, long time vocalist with the legendary Johnny Otis Show. Miss Dee is the vocalist on the Johnny Nocturne Band CD “Blues Volume”. This portion of the show will also highlight Nocturne keyboard man, Henry Salvia.

The R&B Summit also includes The Crossroads Band, the Washington Blues Society’s “Best Band” of 2005. Crossroads is a five piece group of seasoned veterans. The Tacoma Weekly said about the band’s new CD “In case you have never seen them play yet, this record makes you want to change this fact as fast as you can.”

Special guests are The Three J’s Alaska reunion band, consisting of John Firmin (aka Johnny Nocturne), John Stephan (John Stephan Band), and John Lee (The Crossroads Band). Describing the Three J’s self-titled CD, Misty Blue, a Canadian radio show host, said “ Alaska sure can rock the blues!” Henry Salvia who plays on the 3J’s CD, will join the band.

Master of Ceremonies for the show will be Rock and Roll Hall of Fame disc jockey, Jimmy “Early” Byrd. “Early” Byrd is the first African-American disc jockey elected to the Hall. The other DJ’s in the Hall of Fame are Alan Freed, Wolfman Jack, and Dick Clark.

Where: The Highway 99 Blues Club-1414 Alaskan Way , Seattle , WA (206-382-2171)
When: Friday October 27th and Saturday October 28th 2006. Showtime is 8:45 PM.
Cover: $15.00

Links:
http://www.johnnynocturne.com/
http://www.crossroadsblues.net/
http://cdbaby.com/cd/3js
http://www.johnstephanband.com/
http://www.earlybyrd.com/
http://www.highwayninetynine.com/

For additional information call Mr. Solid Productions at 206-517-7864.

When you see a musician on stage having fun, remember all the hours and hard work it took to get to that place. Also take into account the true nature of the beast. I think the late, great Hunter S. Thompson summed it up best: “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.” Amen, Brother Thompson!

Last time in this space I made a serious omission: Ray Charles’ birthday. “Brother” Ray was born September 23, 1930. Ray passed away June 10, 2004.

Peace! Check you on the rebound.

October Blues Birthdays

Keb Mo - October 3, 1951
Albert Collins - October 1, 1932 (died 1993)
Stevie Ray Vaughn - October 3, 1954 (died 1990)
Lonnie Pitchford - October 8, 1955 (died 1998)
“Ivory” Joe Hunter - October 10, 1914 (died 1974)
“Jelly Roll “Morton - October 20, 1890 (died 1941)
Sonny Terry - October 24, 1911 (died 1986)

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.

Note: The poster that appears in this article was created by Phil Chesnut.

Down to the nightclub...

You know, the Great Northwest has a sort of embarassment of riches when it comes to blues harp players. Sheesh, Portland alone is the home of Paul deLay, Curtis Salgado, Bill Rhodes, Johnnie Ward, Mike Moothart, and LynnAnn Hyde.

We've got some good 'uns in Seattle too, including Steve Bailey, Kim Field, Mike Wylde, Brian Lee, Bubba McCoy, Jim King, Dave Prez, Paul Green, Jeff Herzog and John Deely (forgive me if I've forgotten anyone). Speaking of Dave Prez and Paul Green, I had a chance to see these blues harp maestros playing live recently - check this out:

I caught up with Dave Prez (left, with guitarist Eric Daw) and the Combo Nation at the Salmon Bay Eagles Club. Besides Eric, the other members of the Combo Nation that night included drummer (and sometime vocalist) "Sweet" Billy Spaulding, and multi-instrumentalist/singer/songwriter Jeff Simmons on electric bass and keyboards.

Dave is one of my favorite harp players. He is very good at applying the tongue-blocking technique, which produces his big, fat tone. I guess you could say that Dave is sort of Seattle's Little Walter specialist - you ought to hear his version of Walter's "Fast Boogie." I'm here to tell you he smokes on that tune! However, he was a little hard to hear clearly this night except right in front of the bandstand, probably because he wasn't micing the small Gibson amp that he was blowing through.

The band was playing straight ahead blues tunes, with the always excellent Eric Daw doing most of the singing while I was there. Unfortunately, I had to leave just as Mr. Simmons was preparing to do a set from behind the keyboards - I hear the band had a ball until closing time.

I saw Paul Green & Straight Shot (below) a couple of weeks later, also at the Eagles Club. The members of Straight Shot include drummer Les Merrihew, bassist Howard Hooper, and guitar/slide guitarist Mark Riley.

Left to right: Les Merrihew, Paul Green, Howard Hooper, and Mark Riley.

Paul has a harp style unlike anyone else in town. He is a very capable player, and blows very fast accurate runs over all three octaves of the diatonic harp. He is also a terrific singer, and ventures into the "Soul Blues" territory often during his show. Mark Riley also contributes vocals during the show, and can usually be seen playing his own handbuilt, custom guitars.

On the night I saw the band, Paul was sick with some sort of chest fever and was having a very difficult time singing. I got up and sang a few tunes with the band to help out. The band sounded great, as usual. I hear that some other singers showed up later to help out with the vocal chores also, so I guess that Paul made it to the end of the gig.

Man, I've gotta get out more often - Live music is best, folks!

Curtis Salgado Update

Here is the latest on Curtis Salgado's struggle with liver cancer. This press release is from his web site.

CURTIS SALGADO UNDERGOES SUCCESSFUL LIVER TRANSPLANT SURGERY

Curtis Salgado underwent a successful liver transplant surgery on Saturday September 30, 2006 at The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska according to his manager Shane Tappendorf.

The surgery which took approximately 6 hours was performed without complications and Curtis has now been moved out of the intensive care unit and a full recovery is expected. The singer, songwriter and harmonica idol was diagnosed with liver cancer March 23, 2006. Salgado's treatment included shrinking the tumor in June in Portland, OR and multiple evaluations at transplant centers around the country.

"I am fortunate to be under the care of an incredible team of doctors and nurses This transplant is truly a miracle - I have an enormous sense of gratitude to the donor's family and sincere sympathy for their loss," the 52-year-old performer said from his hospital bed this week. I am extremely grateful for the overwhelming support by everyone at The Nebraska Medical Center, from my family, friends and fans and and from the citizens of Omaha. I thank them for their love and hospitality." Salgado's transplant was part of a record breaking 37 procedures in September, 17 of which were liver transplants.

The singer-songwriter and harmonica idol was raised in Eugene, OR where he is best known as the inspiration for John Belushi's character of Joliet Jake in the Blues Brothers as well as his six year involvement with the Robert Cray Band. Salgado went on to become a member of the Grammy Award winning band Roomful of Blues and enjoyed a short stint as vocalist for Santana. The former Handy Award nominee has currently been working in Nashville, TN on new material for his next album as a follow-up to his last three critically acclaimed CDs for Shanachie Entertainment.

In the Pacific Northwest, Salgado is also highly respected for his 17 year commitment to sobriety and for his continued dedication and countless speaking engagements in educating young people on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.

In addition to the money raised from donations and benefits, Salgado was able to secure a substantial loan allowing for the transplant. A special account has been created for donations to help Salgado with medical costs, post surgery recovery, medications and repayment of the loans. Donations can be made for the "Curtis Salgado Fund" at any US Bank or can be mailed to US Bancorp, 2550 NW 188th Avenue, Hillsboro, OR 97124. For additional information, please visit www.curtissalgado.com.

Must-See Year End Seattle Blues Shows

Here are some year-end shows that I think will be of interest to Jet City Blues readers. Keep these shows on your radar screens!

1. The Fourth Annual Seattle Superharp Showcase

Seattle's Harmonica Playboy & the Midnight Movers will host this annual Blues Harp extravaganza at the New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Pioneer Square. This year, two blues harp maestros (LynnAnn Hyde and Johnnie Ward) from Portland, Oregon will be featured. Here's the talent lineup:

Friday:

Mike "Harmonica Playboy" Lynch
Sheldon Ziro (Bent Reed & Company)
Dave Prez (The Combo Nation)
Johnnie Ward (left - The Bond Street Blues Band)




Saturday:

Mike "Harmonica Playboy" Lynch
Bubba "The Unreal" McCoy (The Broomdust Blues Band)
Bian Lee (The Blues Orbiters)
LynnAnn Hyde (left - Kinzel & Hyde)

Where: The New Orleans Creole Restaurant - 114 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA (206-622-2563)
When: October 6-7, 2006. Showtime is 9:00 PM.
Cover: $10.00

2. The West Coast Rhythm & Blues Summit

For two nights, October 27th and 28th, 2006, The Highway 99 Blues Club in Seattle will become the scene of what amounts to a classic Rhythm & Blues revue.

This will be a triple bill, starring Johnny Nocturne (John Firmin - left, with Miss Dee), who the San Francisco Jazz Festival called “The Big Daddy of retro jump-blues tenor saxophone." The show will also star Miss Dee, long time vocalist with the legendary Johnny Otis Show. Miss Dee is the vocalist on the Johnny Nocturne Band CD “Blues Volume”. This portion of the show will also highlight Nocturne keyboard man, Henry Salvia.

The R&B Summit also includes The Crossroads Band, the Washington Blues Society’s “Best Band” of 2005. Crossroads is a five piece group of seasoned veterans. The Tacoma Weekly said about the band’s new CD: “In case you have never seen them play yet, this record makes you want to change this fact as fast as you can.” Special guests are The Three J’s Alaska reunion band, consisting of John Firmin (aka Johnny Nocturne), John Stephan (John Stephan Band), and John Lee (The Crossroads Band). Describing the Three J’s self-titled CD, Misty Blue, the Canadian radio show host, said “ Alaska sure can rock the blues!” Henry Salvia who plays on the 3J’s CD, joins the band.

Master of Ceremonies for the show will be Rock and Roll Hall of Fame disc jockey, Jimmy “Early” Byrd. “Early” Byrd is the first African-American disc jockey elected to the Hall. The other DJ’s in the Hall of Fame are Alan Freed, Wolfman Jack and Dick Clark.

Where: The Highway 99 Blues Club - 1414 Alaskan Way , Seattle, WA (206-517-7864)
When: Friday October 27th and Saturday October 28th 2006. Showtime is 8:45pm.
Cover: $15.00

For additional information call Mr. Solid Productions at 206-517-7864

3. Beale Street or Bust Fundraiser

This is the second in a series of fundraisers to send the 2006 Washington Blues Society's Best Band, Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies to Memphis to compete in the International Blues Challenge in February 2007. Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies will perform at this event, as will members of the Hudson Blues Band, Harmonica Playboy & the Midnight Movers, and the Crossroads Band. Also scheduled to appear are blues harp ace Dave Prez and guitarist Alice
Stuart. Three Fender Squire Stratocaster guitars will be raffled off to some lucky fans. Stay tuned for more details on this show.

Becki-Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies

Where: The Highway 99 Blues Club - 1414 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA (206-382-2171)
When: November 12, 2006. Late afternoon to about 10:00 PM (times to be confirmed)
Suggested donation at the door: $10.00

4. Highway 99 Road Rage!!

Harmonica Playboy & the Midnight Movers Vs. Chris Stevens' Surf Monkeys

Recently, the Playboy backed his '77 Coupe DeVille into Chris Stevens' '41 Woody. The damages will be settled out of court with a Battle of the Bands at the Highway 99 Blues club on November 17th.

Seattle's 10 most dangerous blues musicians will converge for some Rollin' and Tumblin' under the viaduct. Three guitars, two saxes, 12 harps, and a pair of dynamite rhythm sections will be Ballin' the Jack and Snatchin' it Back! Load Link Wray's "Rumble" into your CD player as you cruise down to the Highway 99 to re-live the glory days of live blues in Seattle with two great bands highlighting one great show!

Harmonica Playboy (left - photo by Phil Chesnut) & the Midnight Movers:

Mike Lynch (harp/vocals), Tim Sherman and Steve Yonck (guitars), Kirk Tuttle (drums), and Patty Mey (bass).

Chris Stevens' (left - photo by Ronda Lee) Surf Monkeys:

Chris Stevens (guitar), Les Clinkingbeard and Brian Kent (saxes), Mark Dalton (bass), and Alan Isaacson (drums)

Where: The Highway 99 Blues Club - 1414 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA (206-382-2171)
When: November 17, 2006. Showtime is 8:30 PM.
Cover: $12.00




5. Second Annual West Coast Guitar killers Showcase

Guitarist Tim Sherman will be hosting the Second Annual West Coast Guitar killers Showcase at the Highway 99 Blues Club on November 24th. The featured guitarists this year will include Tim Sherman (The Midnight Movers), Tom Boyle (Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies), Chris Stevens (Surf Monkeys), and a rare appearance by David Brewer (left - The Intimidators). The backup band will include Kirk Tuttle (drums), Mark Dalton (bass), and Ron Weinstein (Hammond B-3).

Where: The Highway 99 Blues Club - 1414 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA (206-382-2171)
When: November 24, 2006. Showtime is 8:30 PM.
Cover: $12.00

First Avenue Breakdown - Seattle Blues in the 70's

By Mark Dalton

Note: This article first appeared in the Washington Blues Society Bluesletter.

Looking back to the early days of my involvement with the then-fledgling Seattle blues scene, playing the dives and honkytonks of First Avenue stands out foremost in my mind. In fact, as far as playing the Blues in Seattle goes, it always seems to come back to First Avenue - for a blues guy, First Avenue is probably a state of mind as much as a geographic area.

I can go back and listen to tapes that were recorded at "Pig Alley" (still in the Public Market, a.k.a. the Place Pigalle) and at the late lamented Ridge Tavern (where one night we had to step over a large pool of blood to get our equipment in the doorway) that seem to be of some historical interest, and perhaps have musical value for the true fanatic, but the recording quality is so horrible that it would be unkind to subject a normal person to them.

I have other such tapes where the recording quality is pretty good, but the performances are horrible, often due the ingestion of excess quantities of mind-altering chemicals by the band (and everyone else in the place). The performances thus have only a low comedy value, sort of like those "blooper" albums people used to like, or perhaps "America's Funniest Home Videos"... a very low sort of humor indeed, and not something I'd want to inflict on anyone other than a confirmed Three Stooges fan.

But in late 1973, when Tom McFarland and I settled into our five-nights-a-week gig at the Boulder Cafe at First and Pike, I was in heaven. I came out here from Nebraska looking for a real blues bar to pay my dues in, and the Boulder was IT. Anything could happen in the Market in the early 70's, and there was a kind of freedom and energy in the air that was simply exhilarating.

I'd come out with the plan of going to work for harp player Don "Junior Earl" McNeff, but my wife Katha and I screwed around in the Bay Area, crashing on various friends floors, ingesting controlled substances at the beach, seeing Charlie Musselwhite with the Ford Brothers Band in Berkeley, hanging out on Telegraph Avenue, staying a few weeks longer than we planned. By the time I got here, the job was filled, but Tom McFarland had just moved up to Seattle from Portland, and was looking for a steady band.

So I had an audition with McFarland. I came over to his place, which was right off of 10th Avenue on Capitol Hill. His little house had a dirt floor basement, and I brought up my stuff from the car. Precision Bass, rolled and pleated black Kustom amp. I was cool. McFarland came to the door and he had on this black leather car coat, and he had a Budweiser in one hand and a Pall Mall in the other, and he said, "Let's go down in the basement." So I hauled my bass amp down there, and he turned on his brown-faced Fender Pro amp, got out his red Gibson ES-355 stereo guitar, sat down on a stool and poured himself a shot of whiskey from a silver flask,and opened up another Budweiser and put on his finger picks and said, "Well, let's play some Freddie King." He started playing these Freddie King tunes, which I knew, because Id played them all in Nebraska. The Seattle version of Tom McFarland and the Rhythmtones started that way.

The Tom McFarland Blues Band - mid '70s. Left to right: Peter Brown (drums), Isaac Scott (guitar/vocals), Frank Reich (bass), and Tom McFarland (guitar/vocals).

We played for a couple of hours that first day, and it was great. This guy was exactly the guy I came out to Seattle to play with. We played a few seamy clubs around town, and finally landed a regular gig at the Boulder Cafe on the corner of First and Pike. The Green Parrot porn theater was right next door, and Vyvyn Lazonga was working her first gig as an apprentice in a tattoo parlor just down the street. First Avenue, in those days, was a real scene.

The Boulder Cafe was a 70's version of a go-go joint. It wasn't topless, but they had what were then called B-girls working there, taking turns dancing on a little tiny stage in bikinis, while the rest of the girls mingled with the customers and kept them drinking. The place was all red and black vinyl, and Tony Jones, a rough longshoreman with an occasional heart of gold, was our patron and club manager. Some folks said the Boulder was actually owned by Seattle night life character Frank Collacurcio, but I wouldnt know about that. I do know that Tony Jones was a sort of a Godfather for blues bands at that time. He eventually added a club in West Seattle called The Admiral Tavern to his roster, and both places featured the Blues, and nothing but the Blues.

The Boulder was exactly the kind of place that I came out to Seattle to play in. It looked, and felt like a blues bar. It was a Jack Kerouac kind of a place - filled with working people, mixed with funky hipster intellectuals who would come in to drink and listen to the blues. The whole Market scene at that time was an amazing amalgam of really poor people, street hustlers, black folks, white folks, asian folks, everybody looking for action came down there. The atmosphere felt a little bit dangerous, but just enough to be really interesting. There was always an edge of excitement in the air, because you never knew what was going to happen that night, who would come in or what was going to go down. Every now and then someone would get cut or shot, but they left the band alone, and we played on....

The Public Market and all of First Avenue, that whole community, was Skid Row back then. The area is really quite cleaned up compared to back then, before the forces of gentrification cleared out most of the riffraff and turned it all into a nice little touristy street. First Avenue was not nice back then, but it was a lot more fun after dark than it is today.

In addition to the Boulder, Pig Alley, and the Ridge, live music bars included the Victrola in the lower Market, and the old Mint upstairs (where Little Bill, Joe Johansen and Larry Harris held forth for years on end). Downstairs from the Mint was a joint called Docs, and moving up Pike street there were clubs like Smittys and the Caballero.

In those days playing was everything - We looked for work wherever we could get it. We played on First Avenue a lot because we wanted to be there, and also because those were the guys that would hire us. We'd go out on booking expeditions - I'd go out with Junior Earl, or with McFarland, hitting the clubs on either side of Pike Street, for example. We'd go in and hit the club owners up, and say, "Look. We've got a couple bands here, and we want to play the blues and we're pretty good. We've been playing across the street and they like us over there. Why don't you give us a job." And the club owners would hem and haw around, but in the end they'd often let us play there. They'd pay us a nominal amount of money and we'd play the blues. In some of these clubs, I am sure the owners had a hard time figuring out why we would want to play there at all - these, again, were not nice places - this was skid row - it had a funky kind of authenticity that appealed to us fledgling bluesmen, but to the rest of the world, these joints were strictly for hitting bottom. Only young men and women enamored of the South Side of Chicago could find the kind of success we were looking for here! In any event, here we were, actual live bands, able to play in tune and get the people dancing, and we worked cheap. So we worked a lot.

The Gray Blues Band at the Place Pigalle (Pig Alley), Seattle - 1974. Left to right: Jerry Christie, Don "Junior Earl" McNeff, and Keith Duncan (dig the Mosrite bass!).

Pig Alley, or just The Pig, for example, paid $225 for three nights, total, for the whole band. They paid all the bands the same amount of money. No matter how many people in the band, or how good you thought you were, it was $225 for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Gary, the owner of the Pig, had us over a barrel. There simply wasnt a cooler place to play in the greater Seattle area, and he knew it. "Hey, I dont NEED you guys," he'd say when we complained about the lousy pay. "I got bands lining up to play here." Rather than lose the gig to any of dozens of hipster wanna-bes, we always gave in and came back for that same old money. Some of us would probably be playing there still if Gary hadnt given in to the forces of gentrification and turned one of the greatest Dylan Thomas Slept Here hipster bars in the world into a middling French Restaurant, which it remains today.

While it lasted, the Market Blues Scene was the best - a tight little scene, incredibly ethnically and economically diverse, where the players all knew each other, and everyone was there, week after week, sitting in with each others bands, trading off gigs, hanging out day and night. Bands nurtured each other - trading tunes, trading licks, trading players. The good-sized audience of Blues fans we ultimately attracted supported the bands in every way, including after-gig parties and breakfast in the morning. The pawn shops on First Avenue sold good old guitars cheap (the kind we liked to play). Life was simple, and life was good. If we hadnt been blues people, we might have thought it would last forever... but we'd already been told that good things dont last always. And they didn't. But life goes on, and the Blues does survive, and memories persist.

Note: The photos for this article were contributed by Mark Dalton.

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