The Ash Grove profiled in Crawdaddy! April 18, 2009

Nice article on the Crawdaddy! website about influential Los Angeles-based Folk-Blues-Roots music club the Ash Grove, which operated from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Blues Musicians like Muddy Waters, Big Joe Williams, Mississippi John Hurt, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, among others, graced the stage of the legendary club. Check it out. Nice to know there’s a documentary in the works too. Can’t wait to see it.

Also, check out the Crawdaddy! archives for some cool vintage stuff as well, like a review of Slim Harpo’s latest 45 in issue number 2 (page 9), and an interview with Howlin’ Wolf from issue number 5 (page 11; be sure not to miss the great cover photo of Wolf sportin’ some groovy shades!). I’m sure there’s lots more treasures there to explore….

Vintage Otis Spann on You Tube April 16, 2009

This sure was a treat. Vintage Otis Spann, with Willie Dixon on bass and S.P. Leary on drums, from 1966, filmed in Toronto

Tribute to Joe Bihari’s Flair Records April 15, 2009

Stay tuned for next week’s show– April 22, 2009. It will be a tribute to the Flair Record label, which was owned and operated by legendary record man Joe Bihari. That’s this Wednesday, 2-4am MST, on www.kxci.org

Blues Unlimited on the airwaves April 13, 2009

Well…. we’ve been on the air a few weeks now, and so far looks like it’s going pretty well, so thought we’d share the fact that my radio alter-ego, Sleepy Boy Hawkins, is hosting a radio show devoted to exploring every facet of the blues on Community Radio Station KXCI FM 91.3 from 2-4am MST, every Wednesday. What’s that you say? Not an insomniac who lives in Southern Arizona? No problem, just visit us on the web at www.kxci.org — there’ll, you also find our playlists from previous shows. Unfortunately, the webmaster at KXCI hasn’t caught up with the fact that Wednesday 2-4am slot now has another name and another DJ…. sigh…. well, that’s OK…. they just finished their successful Spring Pledge Drive too, so maybe they’ve got a few other things on their ‘to do’ list these days.

I was going to see about posting old show archives to this blog, but don’t think wordpress accepts audio files. And anyway, just found out the nifty software I purchased to record my show isn’t, uh, apparently so ‘user friendly’ as I thought (LOL). Well, as we work on getting all the glitches out of the system, stay tuned for our upcoming shows…. one will be a tribute to Joe Bihari’s Flair Records, and another will be on under-heralded West Coast Blues Guitarists. Previous shows have focused on Bobby’s Robinson’s labels (Fire, Fury, Enjoy, etc), Unreleased-on-Sun (great blues recordings that Sam Phillips never released as singles), Detroit Down Home Post War Blues, The Roots of Rock in 1940s Blues, Bentonia, Mississippi Blues and a look at the post-war R&B and Blues scene in Shreveport, Louisiana.

We’ve been having an utter blast doing the show so far, and hopefully the good folks at KXCI will see to it to find us a permanent slot in the schedule (as this is just, for the time being, a ‘test drive’).

And, in case your wondering, yes, the name of the show pays homage to the world’s first English-language publication devoted solely to covering all aspects of the Blues. Founded in the spring of 1963 by British Blues fanatics Simon Napier and Mike Leadbitter, Blues Unlimited was at the epicenter of the Blues Revival of the 1960s, and enjoyed a print run of almost 25 years. In the process, it became a cornerstone of Blues literature and research, as their pages were filled with many one-of-a-kind items, articles, rare interviews, and on-the-spot concert reports– not to mention a killer photographic archive– and on one particularly memorable occasion, Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup’s recipe for home-made sour mash whiskey (Uh, kids, don’t try that at home, OK?). Champions of the famous as well as not-so-famous, the ‘knowns’ as well as the ‘unknowns’, one was just as likely to read about Dr. Isaiah Ross, Calvin Frazier, or Baby Boy Warren in the pages of BU as you were Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters or T-Bone Walker. Napier and Leadbitter were not only possessed of a natural curiosity and impeccable taste, but they also each had an immense knowledge that meshed quite well together (Simon tended to cover pre-war Blues, Mike, the post-war stuff, although a notable exception was that Simon was apparently a huge fan of Elmore James– as was Mike, of course; quite often, the task of reviewing Elmore’s latest LP would fall on Simon’s shoulders…. something I tend to think he rather relished doing).

Sadly, Mike and Simon both passed on long before their time was due. And while it’s true that they left behind some mighty big shoes to fill, Blues Unlimited on the airwaves hopes to pay tribute to two pioneering spirits of Blues literature by capturing just a fraction of the passion and enthusiasm that filled each and every page of BU. If we can manage to do that, then hopefully we’ll have a pretty good little radio show on our hands, and perhaps our listeners will agree with us as well.

Oh yeah, and there’s more great blues on KXCI too…. Marty Kool does a fantastic retrospective called the ‘Blues Review’ which airs every Saturday evening from 5-9pm MST, which he’s been doing for almost 25 years. Keep up the good work Marty!

The wonderful world of ebay February 6, 2009

From an auction ending tomorrow:

In May of 2005 my aunt Mattie James Grandberry died as the victim of a horrific crime. She was brutally murdered by a woman… who she allowed to live with while she got back on her feet. After her death I had the responsibility of cleaning the house while the family decided what to do it. At that time family members told me that prior to her last Marriage to a Minister and Pastor W.A. Grandberry my aunt in her youth had been married a famous blues singer named Elmore James. At the time I had no knowledge of Elmore James so I decided just to find and gather what I could and would do some research later. Months after the funeral I began to do some internet research and discovered the extent of Elmore James music career and his influence on the blues and rock n roll era. After researching and reading Steve Franz’s book “The Amazing secret life of Elmore James” I found not only was my aunt the widow of a pioneering blues legend my family knew all about it but the rest of the world knew nothing. When I asked my family why, the answer was simple. Aunt Matt wanted to be known as the wife and widow of a preacher not a blues singer.

It then went on to say that the auction contained the following items:
• Elmore James “Genuine, Original” Naval Discharge!
• Elmore and Mattie James Marriage Certificate!
• The last picture taken of Elmore James in His casket at the gravesite immediately before he was buried!
• Veterans Administration correspondence between Mattie and the VA while she described her relationship with her husband while applying for benefits. (She received benefits from being his widow until 1977 when she remarried.) These forms mention Elmore’s first wife Minnie Mae Carter and his parents Joe Willie James and Leora Brooks Randoll.
• A certified copy of Elmore James’ death certificate dated 1973.

Looking at the marriage certificate, it was clearly issued in Humphreys County, Mississippi, and appears to be dated either June 12, 1945 (at the bottom), or upon closer inspection, possibly July 12 or 21, 1948 (middle of the document). Very hard to tell at this resolution.

But, it does call in to question how much more of this there might be out there, somewhere, waiting to be discovered.

As far as her aunt wishing to be remembered for being married to a preacher, not a blues singer, I can only say that Elmore preached the gospel truth of the blues….. but I’m not sayin’ anything that his devoted fans around the world don’t already know.

Tip of the hat to Mike Rowe for sending this on. Thanks Mike.

Joe Von Battle & Hastings Street January 7, 2009

Memphis had its Beale Street, Chicago had Maxwell Street…… and Detroit had it’s Hastings Street. Nice article written by the daughter of legendary record man Joe Von Battle, who operated a store front there for many years, recording blues in the back, and selling 45s and 78s in the front. On weekends, he also recorded sermons preached by the equally legendary Rev. C.L. Franklin (some of which were later re-released on the Chess label). Unfortunately, as we head off into the future of the 21st Century, producers and independent record men like Joe will, sadly and unfortunately, be forever a thing of the past…..

I really enjoyed this article. Hope the book comes out soon.

Elmore James Jr! September 7, 2008

Went up to Phoenix’s Rhythm Room last night for the Elmore James Jr. show….. WOW! What a great time…. I’m sure like a lot of other folks, seeing the son of the legendary Elmore James was worth the price of admission alone, but it was a terrific show, and the guys in the band certainly have their chops down pat.

The backing band, Cadillac Zack, features two guitarists…. Zack and the oddly surname-less Steve, who both are proficient at slide, but Steve, moreso in the Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker vein. And of course, well, Elmore James Jr. plays slide too! Triple Threat!

I had a chance to chat with Elmore Jr. over a copy of my book, The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James, and some of the revelations were quite interesting.

His first comment that the color portrait on the cover was not actually Elmore James, but a cousin of Elmore’s. Hmmmmm– dunno about that one.

Inside, looking over some of the photos, other interesting comments came up– sometimes sandwiched between the band doing their soundcheck, so I was not always able to catch every word.

The photo of Elmore with a bow tie, and a lady leaning against him…. he knows who the lady is, he says. Couldn’t make it out.

The famous Kay guitar with the ‘EJ’ insignia in the corner was eventually stolen. Elmore Jr. said he had to go back to Mississippi in 1978 to bury his grandmother (that would be Leora, Elmore’s mother), and from what I understand, that’s when he picked up the guitar. He said that Louis Myers was always bugging him to play it, to borrow it, and finally he relented….. much to his regret. Apparently, while under the care of Louis, that’s when the guitar got stolen….. (makes you wonder what pawn shop it wound up in, eh?)

Another amusing story Elmore Jr. told involved a love interest that Elmore James AND his saxophonist, J.T. Brown, both were pursuing. One day, J.T. Brown came around to pay the love interest a visit, thinking no one was around. Much to his surprise, Elmore answered the door. After the exchange of a few choice words, such ‘what are you doing here, mother f***er,’ and what are YOU doing here, mother f***er,’ Elmore retreated inside, while J.T. went to his car, retrieved a shotgun, and yelled out to Elmore, ‘Stick your head out the window, mother f***er, so I can blow it off.’ As EJ Jr. said, ‘probably somebody went to jail that night.’

Other tales involved Mississippi. Such as Elmore, back in Mississippi between gigs, teaching his son a few pointers on playing slide guitar. Elmore Jr. thinks that it may have been because he somehow knew he didn’t have much time left, and wanted to share some of his knowledge with his son before he passed. Another story involved one of the ways that Elmore would cope with the harsh Mississippi life and economy…. he would apparently sign up on some plantation to be a sharecropper…. and be given a place to live, with some money to make it through the winter, and to be expected to produce a crop in the spring….. only, according Elmore Jr., his daddy would often split with the money and leave town. He says that Elmore spent some time on the County Farm over that one. Perhaps on more than one occasion. When I asked him if he’d ever heard any stories of Elmore going out to country churches, preaching a sermon and then absconding with the money in the collection plate (a story I’d run across researching the Elmore book but could never get corroboration on), he told me, no, he had never heard of anything like that. But, he did confirm the oft-repeated story of Elmore sometimes pawning the band members’ possessions and splitting with the proceeds, leaving the band stranded on the road. However, Elmore Jr., told me, he wouldn’t pull that crap in Jackson, because that was kind of like his ‘home turf,’ and he was too loved and respected there, and had too many friends.

Because of the times, Elmore Jr. moved from Mississippi to Chicago in 1965 (one story apparently involved Elmore Jr., at the time a member of the Freedom Democratic Party, outrunning the cops in a 1956 Ford that was a hand-me-down from his father). So, for instance, when I asked him about Little Johnny Jones, Elmore’s top notch ivory tickler, he had never had a chance to meet him, but, Magic Sam (coupled with Johnny in this one particular photo in the book), he did remember fondly. Other photos evoked memories a plenty…. Big Bill Hill, the radio D.J., a photo of Willie Nix (‘Nicest guy you’d ever wanna meet’), Eddie Taylor, Odell Campbell (I was distracted by someone or something before I could ask a follow up question), and of course Homesick James. The photo of Elmore drinking with a friend (see page 196 in the book), unfortunately, still remains a mystery…. when asked, Elmore Jr. couldn’t figure out who the other person in the photo might be.

Elmore Jr. and I agreed to spend some time chatting over the phone….. more details, and hopefully, some pics of last night’s gig, will be posted soon.

So, I guess the question on everyone’s mind? How was the music? Well, the band, with Elmore Jr., sound often like a mix of Johnny Littlejohn and Eddie Taylor, with some helpings of Otis Rush, Albert King and a pinch of J.B. Lenoir and Joe Carter thrown in for good measure. Elmore Jr. is no slouch on the slide either, but I think it is safe to say that he doesn’t quite have the chops of his old man (to be sure, a difficult accomplishment for any guitarist). However, with that vintage hollow body Epiphone of his, when he slides up to the twelfth fret and plays that old familiar ‘Dust My Broom’ phrase, the magic still rings out in the air. Somewhere, I have to think, Elmore surely must be proud to have his son as one of the ‘keepers of the flame’.

Oh yeah, and before I go, have to give a nod of the hat to Fiona Boyes, a blues guitarist from Australia that opened the set, in the company of Rhythm Room proprietor, Bob Corritore. She’s funny, smart, sassy, original, and passionate (you should hear her do ‘Smokestack Lightning’!), and, well, I think a force to be on the look out for. Oh yeah, did we mention she’s Australian too? Well, it just goes to show that even Aussie’s can get the blues.

Thanks to Bob Corritore for bringing Elmore James Jr. to Phoenix. Good on ya’ Bob! Keep up the good work.

And for those who missed the show, pick up Elmore Jr.’s latest CD. We need to encourage them to make more!

Maxwell Street Documentary now on DVD September 2, 2008

One of the greatest blues-related documentaries of all time, And This Is Free, is now available on DVD. RUSH, don’t walk, to your nearest favorite blues-related outlet to grab a copy. Why not try the good folks at Roots n Rhythm…. I’m sure they’ll have it…. 

While you’re there, grab a copy of the CD soundtrack…. loaded with bonuses that didn’t make into the film, including rare performances from Johnny Young, Carey Bell, and the legendary Robert Nighthawk, who rarely sounded better than he does in these classic performances. (NOTE: scroll down to almost the bottom of the page. Roots and Rhythm has the CD soundtrack on sale now for a limited time. GREAT bargain).

And to the folks at Shanachie, well, good on ya’!

David Evans Guitar Stolen August 30, 2008

This was posted to one of my blues discussion groups by Patrice Champarou:

We were warned [this week] that David Evans’ guitar had been stolen in La 
Chèze (France), and we are doing our best to warn everyone likely to hear 
about it, musicians and everyone in touch with second-hand retailers. I 
doubt the instrument will leave Europe, but I think it would be a mistake to 
assume it will remain in France so I guess [no one] will 
mind if I provide some details, in case it re-appeared some way or other - 
this is all the more important that this Gibson has a considerable 
sentimental value for David Evans, who inherited it from his father.

The best photo we could find until now is here :
http://tinyurl.com/69ofz6

Here are the details provided by David himself

serial # 821782
Gibson hollow-body electro acoustic guitar, dark brown body, white
border, red sunburst front red plastic pick guard
Cutaway neck coming to a point
One pickup (near end of neck), volume and tone buttons
moveable bridge
“retro” style string holder
(the bigsby handle seen in some photographs has been removed)
scratches on back ok neck behind the nut
Red-brown alvarez case
Boss electric tuner (white metal)
pre-amp (grey plastic)

Thanks for yor attention

Patrice 

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 

David Evans was my professor at the University of Memphis, and it’s a REAL effing nice guitar, so, we’ll all keep our fingers crossed for a safe return….

At last, the answer to ‘Where Can I Buy Crap That Shows The World I’m Into One-String Blues?’ August 24, 2008

For the blues fan who thought they had everything, now, it turns out, they DON’T. Hint: Get your Christmas Shopping Done Early!