Welcome to another edition of How Blue Are We? February is a short month. But, we haven't been short on ideas to write about! The team is already planning some outings for the year to offer you the best coverage in the blues world. We are always interested what our readers have to say. So, American Blues News now has a Facebook presence, please feel free to drop us a line anytime and let us know what you want to read! We'll do our best to give you the best in Blues News!
Let's take a look at some of the things we talked about for February.
I know that it's winter but those blues festivals are just around the corner. One of our newest writers, Jim Stick, who hails from Colorado, is offering the upcoming events for Colorado during the year 2010. Take a read on Jim's first offering, Colorado Blues Festivals which is our featured photo of the month, Telluride.
The biggest news for February was the announcement for the 2010 Blues Foundation Hall of Fame awardees. This event will be covered in May with the Blues Music Awards. Go take a read and see what great artists and contributions will be inducted into the blues hall of fame. For those of you that are my friends on Facebook, I also gently reminded you to cast your vote for the Music Award Nominees. Your vote Counts! Be sure to read us in May to see if your vote helped bring a winner to the podium!
I love our picture scrapbooks! This month we covered many artists in a pictorial view courtesy of Nelson and Gatorman. A picture tells a thousand words, so take a few minutes and see what the photos have to say. The artists and events we covered were: Johnny Winter, James Cotton, Lucky Peterson, John Mayall, Al Kooper,
There were, once again, a few tributes to our blues artist. Maureen, another new writer for us, offered a tribute to Warren King. Warren was a Pittsburgh icon and had ties in the Florida community as a session guitar player. Warren has his place in music history, having played in the Silencers where the band's video for the medley "Peter Gunn/Remote Control/Illegal" aired on MTV the day the network debuted in 1981. RIP Mr. Warren King.
Our guest columnist, Bob Corritore, kept us up to date with some of the latest news. Thank you so much, Mr. Corritore.
I don't have to tell you that interviews are my favorite thing to do. By doing these interviews this month, I have been humbled. I watched Leon Russell on the Grammy's this year. I know I should be beyond these things, but there on Mr. Russell's page is MY name to let you know to take a read about the Interview with Chris Simmons. Chris is Leon's lead guitarist. I thought it was so cool that I was a name on a page of someone that performed at the Grammy's. Humbled, I am.
In the spirit of the olympics held in Canada, I shared interviews with a few of our Canadian Blues Artists. The first being electric blues with Shawn Kellerman. The second being an acoustic blues artist by the name of Harry Manx. Please look for another Canadian artist next week, Ms. Sue Foley!
Abby our resident Texan shared her discussion with Mark May. Please take a read on the Texas scene.
What's life without a little fun? I guess Jason Ricci has quite a sense of humor. Catch the writing and video on Jason's latest escapade! I don't know. Did he have you fooled?
And our resident musician shared his times at the zebra ranch. I have to swing back around and ask what it was like to see a black panther in the wild? I would love to see one of those! What an experience. Go read what Nighthawk had to say about his recording sessions with his writing of Reba Russell Band records at Zebra Ranch and More from the Zebra Ranch.
I hope you have enjoyed our coverage of February. In March look for the Sue Foley interview and we will touch base with some more acoustic blues artists such as Ernie Hawkins, who studied with the Rev. Gary Davis and the international blues artist, Eric Bibb.
Don’t be fooled by the cover of Meantooth Grin’s debut CD. Meantooth Grin is not a dapper, dobro-wielding black man. It is in actuality 3 white guys from Wisconsin, but don’t let that deter you from checking out BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD.
Released on KAM Records in 2009, MTG’s first officially released album is overflowing with hard-rockin’ blues raunch. Frontman Tom Jordan’s vocals and guitar-wizardry may be reminiscent of artists like Warren Haynes and George Thorogood, but his beefy slide-work and borderline metal tone push the blues into heavier territory than most bluesmen would dare to venture.
Purists may cringe at the hard rock grooves of tracks like “Tommy Gun” and “Necessary Evil”, but luckily BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD has a little something for every blues fan. Tracks like “Homeless and Homesick” and “Insomnia” find the trio exploring a more traditional blues landscape, while songs like “Killing Time” and “Telephone Blues” sound more like high voltage interpretations of Elmore James and Howlin’ Wolf.
Drummer Brian Miller and bassist Seth Heffner lay down a solid foundation for Jordan’s fuzz-soaked guitar heroics and Cole Holliday’s contributions on harmonica should not go unnoted. Holliday achieves a thick and meaty tone that most harp players would sell their souls for and his ability to work in tandem with Jordan’s ferocious slide-work, without getting in the way, is commendable.
Meantooth Grin’s debut is not exactly a picture of perfection; its flaws lying more in the strength of the songwriting, but BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU’RE DEAD is a strong first showing for the Midwest blues-rockers. Their attempts to push the genre to its rock limits are exciting; making their next release one to look forward to. If Meantooth Grin is the future of the ‘Power Blues Trio’, then the tradition is in good hands.
(Memphis, Tennessee) Last night I met with President Darren J. Fallas and Vice President John Gemmill of the Memphis Blues Society, and Heidi Knockenheur and Donna Donald to discuss some items of interest and we chanced to talk about a project that will be near and dear to many of our readers' hearts. Across the street, directly east of the Memphis Stax Museum is the former residence of that great bluesman, Peter Chatman, popularly known as Memphis Slim. Slim's house has become dilapidated and needs restoring in a big way (photo above by Darren J. Fallas). The nice folks at Memphis Heritage and some other interested parties including the Memphis Music Foundation and the folks at Soulsville, USA are all interested in making an attempt to restore his home.
Memphis Slim was one of the early boogie woogie players back when that piano craze first started in USA in the 1930's.
Memphis Slim took his name from Memphis, where he was born and raised. Memphis Slim got his start playing the blues at the Midway Café, at 357 Beale Street (southeast corner of Fourth and Beale Street's) in Memphis in 1931. After his early career in Memphis, where he emulated barrelhouse piano players like Roosevelt Sykes and Speckled Red, he moved to Chicago, Illinois and recorded for Okeh Records (as Peter Chatman & His Washboard Band) in 1940. The same year he also recorded for Bluebird Records as Memphis Slim. He played piano as Big Bill Broonzy's partner until 1944. Broonzy, also a sophisticated performer, urged him to develop his own style. Big Bill and Charlie Segar are usually credited for writing the blues classic, "Key to the Highway." This polish gave Memphis Slim opportunities not only in the juke joints he had been playing, but also in the "uptown" nightclubs.
After World War II Slim joined Hy-Tone Records, cutting eight tracks that were later picked up by King. Lee Egalnick's Miracle label recorded the pianist in 1947; backed by his jumping band, the House Rockers (its members usually included saxophonists Alex Atkins and Ernest Cotton), Slim recorded his classic "Lend Me Your Love" and "Rockin' the House." The next year brought the landmark "Nobody Loves Me" (better known via subsequent covers by Lowell Fulson, Joe Williams, and B.B. King as "Everyday I Have the Blues") and the heartbroken "Messin' Around (With the Blues)."
The pianist kept on label-hopping, moving from Miracle to Peacock to Premium (where he recorded the first version of the down-tempo blues "Mother Earth") to Chess to Mercury before staying put at Chicago's United Records from 1952 to 1954. This was a particularly fertile period for the pianist; he recruited his first permanent guitarist, Matt Murphy, who performed "The Come Back," "Sassy Mae," and "Memphis Slim U.S.A." He also worked with bassman Willie Dixon.
I got to play with Matt Murphy one night at the Black Diamond on Beale and he was not only a great entertainer but also a wonderful kind man who loves the music and all of us who are trying to keep it alive. He invited me to join him as piano player on his show at the King Biscuit festival in Helena that year and I have always regretted that I could not make it.
In all, he recorded more than 20 albums under his own name, and appeared on many more recordings as a sideman.
Slim left the United States for good in 1962. Slim lived in France most of his days and conditions there were much better for him than in the South during the days of segregation. Before Memphis Slim passed away, my friend Don McMinn brought him back to Memphis to play some gigs and I got a chance to meet him at a gig they were playing on Washington Street in Memphis back in the 1980's.
Slim was playing with Don's band, then called the Memphis Blues Review, and they were comprised of several of the old members of the Amazing Rhythm Aces including Jeff "Stick" Davis on bass and my buddy, Billy Earheart on keyboards. Billy went on later to play on the road with Hank Williams, Jr. and many other famous musicians.
Memphis Slim
The club they were playing, which is no longer extant, was an old nightclub called the El Morocco, which in it's last days was used for square dancing and was available for rent for larger events as it would hold quite a large crowd and had a big dance floor. This night the place was packed and everybody there was excited to see the return of Memphis Slim. Slim put on a tremendous show and played one of my favorite classic blues, "Everyday I have the Blues," which he wrote. Here's a link to a video of him playing this song he called his bread winner:
As a young blues player and a big fan of Memphis Slim, I was thrilled when Don and Billy introduced me to this kind old gentleman and sat me down right next to him at their table during a break in the show. Slim was drinking Grand Marnier and I remember noticing how extremely long his fingers were when I shook his hand. He was very friendly and an extremely amusing and entertaining person on and off the stage. That night I asked him if it would be alright with him if I played his song during my little shows and he was delighted that I had asked and assured me that he would be very pleased to be remembered by his fellow musicians in his home town. He was a truly elegant gentleman and meeting him was a great moment in my life.
Papa Don McMinn
I also got to hear Memphis Slim play with Don McMinn at our old outdoor music festival the Schlitz Festival, on Main Street back in the 80's. It was another incredibly entertaining show with lots of great solos from both Don and Slim and a highly appreciative crowd cheering them on in the Memphis afternoon sun.
Memphis Slim died on February 24, 1988, of renal failure in Paris, France, at the age of 72. He is buried at Galilee Memorial Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee.
Memphis Slim's final resting place, Galilee Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee
In 1989, he was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.
Brad Webb
After some inquiries today by my friend, Brad Webb of I-55 Productions, we learned a bit more about the house resurrection project. Brad is my old bandmate who played with me in the band with Blind Mississippi Morris and with whom I have recorded a bunch of songs over the years. He is a fine guitarist and a very kindhearted, dedicated and soulful human being. We got this reply back from Dean Deyo, President of the Memphis Music Foundation:
Brad, there is a group that has started to do some work there but it is moving slowly.
I know a team from Memphis Heritage and the U of M spent a whole weekend at this house a few months ago and tried to clean it out and shore it up – there have been several architects and planners involved looking at it.
They have plans for it but it is depending on the economy and so probably still in the future…. Deanie Parker is the Director of Soulsville and is aware of the project – it is called Memphis Music Magnet – and I am working on it as well – we would appreciate any assistance
Dean A. Deyo
Thanks to the American Blues News, I will keep you all posted on our progress and also pass along how we can all offer donations and assistance to this project. Within just a few blocks of the STAX museum there are the homes of probably 15 or 20 famous musicians including Isaac Hayes, Johnny Ace Alexander and Aretha Franklin, just to name a few.
From the Memphis Commercial Appeal archives:
(photo by Dave Darnell)
Memphis Slim came from his home in Paris to play in Mississippi for the first time in 40 years in 1986. He performed at the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival at Freedom Village, near Greenville, on September 20, 1986. "The average blues singer has been taught to be ashamed of the blues. It was America's original art and it came from black people. So naturally they wanted to make us ashamed of it - and they did a good job of brainwashing. Now, it's almost too late," the 70-year-old bluesman said during an interview in his Southwind Motor Coach as he waited to go on. "I don't know what the young people are going to do. But if we don't get a new generation to do something about it, I don't know what's going to happen. They're calling blues everything but blues. They're calling it soul and rock-and-roll, but it's still the damn blues. I wish I knew if the young people are going to take it over, but I don't."
This is a video of one of the greatest BLUES bands of all time. Give it a listen:
Pleased to be part of this great blues adventure, some of the great blues artists she has met with are: Shannon Curfman, Delta Highway, Roger Earl, Jace Everett, Sue Foley, Sonny Landreth, Moreland & Arbuckle, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Bobby Rush, Gina Sicilia, The women of Saffire, G.E. Smith, Chris Smither, Derek Trucks, and Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds!
Monica's passion for music started with songwriting. She has been named as a suggested artist in the VH1 Song of the Year Contest. Her song, The Whiskey's All Gone, placed as number one on the billboard country blues charts on Soundclick.com. Her proudest accomplishment thus far, has been an invitation to perform at a weekday show at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville!
Having honed her skills with intensive one-on-one mentoring sessions with songwriting gurus John Braheny, Rick Beresford, and Debi Cochran, Monica continues to develop her songwriting craft.
Monica has studied voice with blues great, Gaye Adegbalola. Kirstie Manna has also mentored Monica on the many aspects of her stage performance as a blues artist. Monica is excited to share her words and music with you!
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