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dimanche 29 avril 2018

THE NEW GENERATION OF CHICAGO BLUES. 1977


NEW GENERATION OF CHICAGO BLUES
Berlin, 6 novembre 1977

           
Le 6 novembre 1977 à Berlin s'est tenu un concert mémorable. Alors que l'AFBF s'était arrêté depuis 1972, Willie Dixon, malgré une santé défaillante, reprenait la même formule de ces tournées mais en rassemblant ceux qui lui apparaissaient comme de jeunes pousses prometteuses du Chicago blues et qui étaient alors largement inconnus du public et même des amateurs de blues. Tous avaient alors moins de 30 ans! Et ces jeunes gens parrainés par Willie triomphaient au Philarmonie Hall de Berlin avec I'm gonna tear down the Berlin Wall!
            Melvin "Harmonica" Hinds (né le 4 janvier 1945 à Trinidad aux Caraïbes) commençait une carrière à Chicago après avoir fait ses débuts à Ottawa au Canada. Billy Branch (né le 3 octobre 1951 à Chicago) n'avait encore enregistré que deux titres sur une excellente anthologie produite par Steve Wisner ainsi qu'un 45t au sein du groupe Tin Pan Alley de Crash Crawford. Johnny B. Moore (né le 24 janvier 1950 à Clarksdale, Ms) n'était alors connu qu'en tant que (excellent) guitariste de Koko Taylor. Vernon Harrington (né le 21 mai 1953 à Chicago, hélas décédé le 8 janvier 2015) n'était aussi connu que parce qu'il faisait partie de la famille de Carey Bell Harrington. De même que le fils de Carey, Lurrie Bell, le benjamin de la tournée (né le 13 octobre 1958 à Chicago!) n'avait alors fait des apparitions sur disque qu'en compagnie de son père sur l'album Heartaches and pains. Le chanteur-bassiste Freddie Dixon est évidemment le fils de Willie. Tous ont plus ou moins fait des carrières notables, devenant des piliers du Chicago blues.
            A l'exception de l'excellent chanteur et guitariste William "Dead Eye"
Norris (né à Jackson, Ms le 12 octobre 1951) qui a perfectionné sa guitare blues auprès de Fenton Robinson, rencontré lors d'un séjour à la prison de Cook County en 1971! Libéré, il participe aux orchestres de Jesse Anderson, Bobby Rush, Mc Kinley Mitchell, Little Mack Simmons... C'est Willie Dixon qui le remarque et l'engage pour ce concert à Berlin. Malheureusement, les décennies suivantes sont difficiles pour Norris qui ne joue plus que sporadiquement avec Johnny Christian puis Rico Mc Farland. Revenant dans le Sud à Memphis dans les années 1990, Norris réussit à remonter la pente, prenant alors le nom de Sonny Mack et recommençant une carrière de musicien. En 2000, il est fortement brûlé dans l'incendie de son garage et il lui faut cinq ans de soins pour pouvoir recommencer la musique. Il réussit un comeback sous le nom donc de Sonny Mack dans un style plus Soul blues sudiste enregistrant pour le label Elko.
            Merci à Hans Jürgensen, Blues Compartido et la revue Jefferson pour leur aide.
                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

            Berlin, 6th November 1977, a place and a time for a memorable blues concert! While the famous American Folk Blues Festivals had stopped since 1972, Willie Dixon - despite a frail shape - had taken again the same formula so popular in Europe. But with an important twist: for this time he has gathered some very young (all were less than thirty years old!) Chicago bluesmen, calling the tour rightly "The New Generation of Chicago blues". And this bold attempt proved to be a triumph, particularly when Willie and his young band sang the recently Dixon's penned I'm gonna tear down the Berlin Wall!
            Melvin "Harmonica Hinds" (born 4th January 1945 in Trinidad Island) was just starting a career at Chicago after displaying his harmonica blues skills in Canada. Billy Branch (b. 3 October 1951 in Chicago) had only recorded two tracks for a Steve Wisner's excellent anthology and a 45s as a member of Crash Crawford's band Tin Pan Alley). Johnny B. Moore (b. 24th January 1950 at Clarksdale, Ms) was only known as the Koko Taylor's lead guitar player. Vernon Harrington (b. 21th May 1953 in Chicago, unfortunately untimely dead on 8th January 2015) was just a member of the Carey Bell Harrington's large family of musicians. The same could be said for Carey's son Lurrie Bell, the youngest of them all (b. 13 October 1958 in Chicago) who had only appeared as a featured singer and guitarist on his father's LP Heartaches and pains. And, of course, singer and bass player Freddie Dixon is Willie's son! Others young bluesmen were featured (namely James Kinds) but I have not been able to trace their recordings of the day.
            Since 1977, all of them have become more or less noteworthy names of the Chicago blues, recording LP's and CD's, playing numerous gigs and concerts and touring the world over.
            All but the striking singer and guitarist, maybe the best performance herein, William "Dead Eye" Norris (b. 12th October 1951 in Jackson, Ms) who had really become a very expressive blues guitar stylist after meeting Fenton Robinson in... the Cook County Jail in 1971! When freed, Norris has played with Jesse Anderson, Bobby Rush, Mc Kinley Mitchell, Little Mack Simmons... before being hired by Willie Dixon for this Berlin date! The 1980's were lean years for Norris's career despite playing with Johnny Christian and Rico Mc Farland and he finally returned to Memphis during the 1990's to resume his musical career more in a Soul blues style under the Sonny Mack name, launching his MackII band and recording several CDs, particularly for the Elko label.
            Thanks for their help to Hans Jürgensen, Blues Compartido and the Jefferson magazine.
                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

NEW GENERATION OF CHICAGO BLUES
Berlin, 6 November 1977
Harmonica Hinds, vcl/hca; Bombay Carter, g.
01. My baby changed the lock on my door
Harmonica Hinds, hca; Bombay Carter, g; Lurrie Bell, g; Vernon Harrington, bs; Larry Taylor, dms.
02. Harmonica shuffle
03. Hinds' Chicago blues
Willie Dixon, vcl; Johnny B. Moore, g; Dead Eye Norris, g; Lurrie Bell, g; Billy Branch, hca; Freddie Dixon, bs; Larry Taylor, dms.
04. I am the blues
05. Tear down the Berlin Wall
Billy Branch, vcl/hca; Johnny B. Moore, g; Dead Eye Norris, g; Lurrie Bell, g; Freddie Dixon, bs; Larry Taylor, dms.
06. Billy's harmonica blues
07. Don't start me to talkin'
Freddie Dixon, vcl; Billy Branch, hca; Johnny B. Moore, g; Dead Eye Norris, g; Lurrie Bell, g; Vernon Harrington, bs; Larry Taylor, dms.
08. How long
09. Hoodoo doctor
Vernon Harrington, vcl/bs; Billy Branch, hca; Johnny B. Moore, g; Dead Eye Norris, g; Lurrie Bell, g; Larry Taylor, dms.
10. All your love
Johnny B. Moore, vcl/g; Billy Branch, hca; Dead Eye Norris, g; Lurrie Bell, g; Vernon Harrington, bs; Larry Taylor, dms.
11. I'm a king bee
12. Going back to Iuka
Dead Eye Norris, vcl/g; Billy Branch, hca; Johnny B. Moore, g; Lurrie Bell, g; Vernon Harrington, bs; Larry Taylor, dms.
13. As the years go passing by
14. Somebody loan me a dime
15. Thrill is gone/ I'll play the blues for you
Lurrie Bell, vcl/g; Dead Eye Norris, g; Johnny B. Moore, g; Vernon Harrington, bs; Larry Taylor, dms.
16. I'm ready
Willie Dixon & the band, vcls/g/hca/bs/dms.
17. Got my mojo working



16 commentaires:

  1. Ce commentaire a été supprimé par l'auteur.

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  2. Wonderful, only a couple hours ago I was thinking it's been a long while since Gerard made a post, and here we are. As always many thanks Gerard.

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  3. Merci Gérard pour cette rareté....

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  4. Nice historic recordings. Tx Gérard.

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  5. Many thanks Gerard for this live recording. It will be interesting to hear artists who are well known now in their early years.

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  6. Excellent idea for a post with such good music. Thank you very much Gerard.

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  7. Excellent! Merci Gérard. Lurrie Bell est étincelant, et aussi avec Johnny B.Moore...ils ont confirmé ensuite la qualité de ces(premiers(?) enregistrements. France Musique avait diffusé qqs extraits de ce concert, je les avait sur une K7 bien fatiguée depuis! C'est un plaisir de retrouver tout cela avec une bonne qualité de son! (parfaitement restaurée).

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  8. Thank you Gérard! love this set!
    Did you find the Jimmy Grissom ‎– World Of Trouble? I found one here in the US. I can pick it up and rip it if you still need it.

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    Réponses
    1. Thanks, Brian! Yes a good soul already sent me a .mp3 copy of the Jimmy Grissom's album (and thankd for thinking to that!)

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  9. thank you very much .. Gerard .. good work .. !!

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  10. Hello Gérard !
    Merci pour ce superbe album live, toutes ces précisions sur le contexte et les artistes présent.

    Barbar Drunker.

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  11. Thanks, Gerard! This is a great article and album, but would it be possible for a re-up since the links expired? Also Vernon Harrington appears on bass on the notes, but is his brother Joe Harrington (both were the Atomic Souls at the time in Chicago). Vernon plays guitar on the tracks he sings during this tour. Thanks in advance!

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    Réponses
    1. Thanks Juan. Here are the new links:
      https://www.mediafire.com/file/j8snvqyddidw5dt/NEW_GENERATION.zip/file

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    2. Juan Urbano Lopez16 juillet 2019 à 18:12

      Thanks for the new link, Gerard! Historic show!

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  12. I still remember Carey and Lurrie.....! Carey seemed a bit reluctant, hesitating, unsure..... Finally became positive when he looked at his Son and me exchanging Blues licks backstage and it was OK after his. Lurrie Bell is a great guitarist and Carey blew everyone out on this June, 8th, 1980 concert in Bordeaux.... You rarely hear him like this on the records! Yeah, that was the New Generation of Bluesmen and, alas, I never saw Billy Branch.
    By the way, they were bummed completely by our Blues Adolf.
    SZ

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