SAM BAKER/ NASHVILLE SOUL BLUES

 SAM BAKER: NASHVILLE SOUL BLUES

           

 Bien qu'il jouisse à juste titre d'une grosse réputation dans certains cercles férus de Soul, Sam Baker n'a jamais réussi à se faire connaître au-delà. Trop Soul pour les amateurs de blues, trop blues pour les tenants d'une Soul plus commerciale?

            Quoi qu'il en soit, Sam Baker a gravé dans les années 1960 une série de superbes 45t qui révèlent un chanteur expressif et vibrant, un ténor qui utilise fréquemment et pour le meilleur des effets de falsetto. Son oeuvre prend place parmi les meilleurs moments de la scène R&B de Nashville.

            Né à Jackson, Ms, le 14 juin 1941 Baker est très jeune passionné par la musique, chante dans plusieurs orchestres locaux, côtoie Jimmy Reed et Clyde Mc Phatter. Il enregistre un seul 45t à Jackson sur un obscur petit label local. Malgré la présence d'un beau blues Crazy about you baby, le disque demeure confidentiel et Baker décide de gagner Nashville pour y tenter sa chance.

            Il semble devenir assez vite une figure familière des clubs de la ville puisque le D.J. Hoss Allen (qui produit ce qui est peut-être la première émission TV de R&B noir The !!!Beat) lui fait enregistrer trois 45t dont une magistrale version de Sweet little angel. Après une séance à Miami, durant une tournée que Sam effectue en Floride, c'est le producteur John Richbourg, un des personnages clés de la scène du R&B de Nashville, qui, considérant que Baker a le potentiel de devenir une vedette, le fait signer pour son label Sound Stage Seven. Hélas, malgré l'excellence des séances enregistrées entre 1966 et 1969 (dont une à Memphis dans les studios Stax), Sam Baker ne connaît qu'un succès d'estime local et son contrat n'est plus renouvelé après 1969. Sam Baker quitte même Nashville dans les années 1970 pour retourner à Jackson où il s'occupera un peu de groupes de Gospel mais vivra en dehors de la musique

            Il sera finalement retrouvé par des collectionneurs dans une maison de retraite de Jackson, malheureusement confiné sur une chaise roulante à la suite d'une attaque cérébrale.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

            Although he is highly praised among some circles, Sam Baker has never been able to be known as the major name his talents would have qualified him to be. Too "Soul" for the hardcore blues buffs, particularly during the 1960's and 1970's? Too "blues" and downhome for the Sweet Soul fans?

            Anyway, Sam Baker has recorded during the 1960's some of the best R&B records coming out from Nashville. Baker's soulful, crying tenor voice makes almost every number he sings a winner, whether deep blues or ballads.

            Born at Jackson, Ms, on June, 14th, 1941; Baker starts to sing while a teenager with local bands and even opens for Jimmy Reed and Clyde Mc Phatter. While in Jackson, he records his first single in 1959 for a tiny label with an excellent blues, Crazy about you baby. Baker, finding Jackson a little bit limited for his musical ambitions, goes to Nashville to try his luck.

            He seems to have quickly become a familiar figure in R&B clubs and Hoss Allen, a DJ who was then launching what it might have been the very first black R&B TV programme (The !!!Beat), takes him under his wing and brings him in the Nashville studios for three excellent singles and a superlative version of Tampa Red's Sweet little angel. After another 45 recorded in Miami while on tour in Florida, Sam Baker signs with John Richbourg's fledgling label, Sound Stage Seven. Unfortunately, despite the very high level of the subsequent sessions (one in the Stax Studios at Memphis), real success eludes Sam and his contract ends in 1969, putting a final point to Sam Baker's recording career. The man even goes back to Jackson where he will participate at some Gospel sessions. But he will mostly have to make a living outside the music business.

            He will finally been rediscovered in the 1990's, living in a nursing home and confined to a wheelchair after a stroke.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

Tous mes remerciements à/ A lot of thanks to  Red Kelly (http://redkelly.blogspot.fr/2008/09/sam-baker-comin-to-bring-you-some-soul.html) et/ and John Ridley (http://www.sirshambling.com/) qui ont permis la rédaction de cet article.

SAM BAKER

Complete Recordings

Sam Baker, vcl; Johnny Jones, g; band. Jackson, Ms. 1959

01. Crazy about you baby

02. So long

Sam Baker, vcl; Johnny Jones, g; Skippy Brooks, pno; prob. Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, g; Billy Cox, bs; Freeman Brown, dms. Nashville, Tn. 1964

03. Storming and raining blues

04. Keep on scratchin'

05. You’d better check what you got

06. Storming and raining

07. He'll be sorry

08. Once upon a time (Nancy Cohen, vcls)

Sam Baker, vcl; Skippy Brooks, pno; George Yates, g; Jimi Hendrix, g; Mal Mc Millon, t-sax; Johnny Green, b-sax; James Watkins, bs; Freeman Brown, dms. Nashville, Tn. 1965

09. Sweet little angel

10. Best of luck to you

11. Tossin' and turnin'

12. The Bump

Sam Baker, vcl; band. Nashville, Tn. 1965

13. Do right man

14. You can't see the blood

15. What did Sister do?

16. Sometimes you have to cry

17. Something tells me

Sam Baker, vcl; band. Nashville, Tn. 1966

18. Let me come on home

19. Someone bigger than I and you

20. Don't feel rained on

21. Just a glance away

22. Safe in the arms of love

Sam Baker, vcl; band. Memphis, Tn. 1967

23. I can't turn her loose

24. That's all I want for you

25. I believe in you

26. I'm number one

27. I can't stand it

28. Sunny

Sam Baker, vcl; Johnny Jones, g; Larry Lee, g; Skippy Brooks, pno; Harrison Calloway, tpt; Pete Drake, st-g; Billy Cox, bs; Freeman Brown, dms. Nashville, Tn. 1968

29. Coming to bring you some Soul

30. I can't break away

31. Slow down baby

32. Strange sensation

33. Sugarman

34. Why does a woman treat me so bad?

Sam Baker, vcl; band. Nashville, Tn. 1969

35. Hold back girl

36. I love you

37. It's all over

            

LOUISIANA RED: Complete Recordings 1952-1973

 

LOUISIANA RED/ Complete Early recordings

 (Re-post with new links)

          

Voici l'intégrale des premiers enregistrements effectués par Iverson Minter dit Louisiana Red.

           Comme nombre de ses contemporains bluesmen, Red était un grand raconteur d'histoires et sa vie qu'il relatait reflétait davantage ce que voulaient entendre ceux qui l'interrogeaient que la réalité. Il est probablement né le 23 mars 1932 à Bessemer (Alabama) bien qu'il ait indiqué plusieurs autres lieux comme Vicksburg (Ms). Il a sans doute été orphelin assez jeune bien que là aussi les circonstances des décès de ses parents sont confuses. Minter a prétendu avoir été élevé à La Nouvelle Orléans dans le même orphelinat que Louis Armstrong mais ce qui est sûr c'est qu'il a grandi auprès de ses grands parents à Pittsburgh (Ohio) et qu'il n'a probablement jamais vécu en Louisiane. Encore adolescent, Iverson Minter part chercher du travail dans l'industrie automobile à Detroit, apprend la guitare avec les disques de Lightnin' Hopkins et Muddy Waters et se retrouve jouer ici et là dans des clubs en compagnie de John Lee Hooker et Eddie Burns qui lui apprend aussi l'harmonica. C'est l'infatigable producteur Joe Von Battle qui en 1952-53 l'enregistre sous le surnom de Rocky Fuller qu'il lui donne pour la circonstance, trouvant Iverson Minter invendable! Ces enregistrements démontrent le côté caméléon de Minter qu'il conservera toujours, cette capacité à imiter de façon convaincante un peu tous les musiciens qu'il côtoie. Il grave même un titre, peut-être à Chicago (il prétendait l'avoir fait par téléphone!!!), pour Chess accompagné de Little Walter.

           Encore une séance avec son mentor John Lee Hooker et notre homme part tenter sa chance à New York City. Il est vite remarqué par le producteur Bobby Robinson qui lui fait graver un single pour son label Atlas. C'est à ce moment seulement que Iverson Minter/Rocky Fuller prend le nom de Louisiana Red, là aussi probablement une idée du producteur Robinson. Mais son heure de gloire va arriver en octobre 1962 grâce à un autre grand producteur noir, Henry Glover, un des hommes-clés du label King, qui, cherchant de nouveaux talents à New York pour le compte de Morris Levy, un homme d'affaires qui vient de créer Roulette, un label aux dents longues, rencontre Louisiana Red dans un club et lui fait enregistrer dans la foulée Red's dream, une resucée du I had a dream de Big Bill Broonzy mais remise au goût du jour avec des allusions à la crise des missiles, Kennedy, Cuba et un zeste de droits civiques. Le titre s'installe dans le Top 100 R&B durant plusieurs semaines en 1963.

           Après sa rencontre en 1965 avec Herb Abramson d'Atlantic qui a une évidente affection pour lui, Louisiana Red est souvent en studio avec différents accompagnateurs newyorkais pour des séances plus ou moins informelles dont seulement une petite partie paraîtra en album au début des années 1970. Remarquablement servi par ses sidemen, avec d'excellents arrangements, Louisiana Red y apparaît au sommet de son art: chanteur profond, guitariste de blues multiforme avec un slide tranchant (au style de Muddy, Red a ajouté celui d'Elmore James qu'il a rencontré chez Bobby Robinson), compositions élaborées qui font souvent mouche...

           Mais cela n'apporte pas grand' chose à Red qui, presque sans engagements américains, décide de partir tenter sa chance en Europe où il finira par se fixer définitivement en Allemagne, se mariant et tournant sans cesse sur le continent européen. Il enregistrera quantité d'albums, souvent en solo, parfois avec des groupes locaux. Sa créativité semblera quelque peu émoussée au fil des ans et ses prestations scéniques qui pouvaient être remarquables un bon jour laissaient malheureusement assez souvent une impression d'inachevé. On le vit même quitter abruptement la scène pour... ne pas rater une émission de télévision à son hôtel!

           Red décède à Hanovre le 26 février 2012.

           Merci à tous ceux qui ont rendu possible cette "intégrale" de la première (et meilleure) œuvre de Louisiana Red

                                                      Gérard HERZHAFT

LOUISIANA RED/ Discography

             Like many true bluesmen, Red was a great storyteller and his early life as he told to his interviewers was not always the same and reflected first what they wanted to hear. Minter was probably born in Bessemer (Alabama) on March, 23d, 1932 (and not Vicksburg, Ms as he so often said) and he lost his parents at an early age. He also said he was boarded in a New Orleans orphanage but it's more probable that he was brought up by his grand parents in Pittsburgh (Ohio). Whatever, Minter went to seek work around 1949 in the automobile industry in Detroit, learning there how to play the guitar (listening to records by Lightnin' Hopkins and Muddy Waters), started to play in the early 1950's in local clubs and meeting John Lee Hooker (with whom he will record) and Eddie Burns who taught him the harmonica. Anyway, Minter started to record in 1952-53 thanks to the indefatigable Detroit producer Joe Von Battle and under the name, Rocky Fuller (given by Joe who thought he couldn't sell Iverson Minter). Those very early records show Minter's ability (he will always keep) to impersonate any other bluesman's style. In odd and unclear circumstances, Red also recorded one title for Chess backed by no one other than Little Walter!

              During the late 1950's, our man went to New York City to try his luck and meeting producer Bobby Robinson waxed a single for his Atlas label. Bobby gave him then a new nom de disque that would stick: Louisiana Red. But better things will appear for Red in fall 1962 when another African American ace producer, Henry Glover, searching talents for a new ambitious label, Morris Levy's Roulette, saw Red in a New York club and hurried him in the studios, backed only by bass and drums (the superlative Panama Francis), to record a long session from which Red's dream (a very clever adaptation of Broonzy's I had a dream with references to Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro, the UN and the Civic Rights) climbed in the R&B charts and stayed there for some weeks in the early 1963.

              Then, Red met Atlantic's producer Herb Abramson who seemed to like him very much and recorded him quite regularly. But unfortunately only some tracks were issued as an album in the early 1970's. Those sessions stand probably as the very best of Red's recordings. He is at the peak of his talents, a strong and flexible voice, a wonderful guitarist able to play regular or slide guitar (he had met Elmore James in New York thanks to Bobby Robinson), backed by some of the best New York session blues players, varied and carefully chosen material, excellently produced... Certainly some of the best blues coming from those years.

              But those didn't bring too much to Red who decided to try his luck this time in Europe where he was cheerfully welcomed. Although he would live for a while in Phoenix (Az), his hectic European tour schedule and the meeting of his wife in Germany, persuaded him to settle there permanently. He will then constantly appear on stages, clubs, festivals, recording dozens of LPs and CDs... Although he was sometimes great, his performances tended to become often tedious and he seemed sometimes not involved. We even saw him stop abruptly his show and quit the stage to hurry to his hotel to watch a TV programme he wouldn't want to miss!

              Red died in Hanover (Germany) on 26 February 2012.

              A lot of thanks to all those who made possible this "complete" compilation.

                                                                                    Gérard HERZHAFT

CLIFF BUTLER

 

CLIFF BUTLER

 

       

R&B and Gospel singer Cliff Butler is mainly known for a few tracks and only among hardcore R&B buffs. He has nevertheless recorded substantially through three decades and on several kinds of music.

          Cliff Butler was born in Louisville, KY on 17 October 1922. His mother died while he was a little boy, he never knew his father and was raised by his Aunt Tobe. Cliff started music at an early age playing in a local jug band. He also studied music at High School and entered the Army before returning to Louisville to launch his musical career, leading a strong R&B band that played in local clubs; private parties while Butler had his own radio show, The cliff Butler Show.

          In 1947 he made his first records in New York with his long time accompanist, piano player Ben Holton. Despite not selling in quantities, those discs draw the attention of producer Henry Glover who took Butler's band to Cincinnati to record for the fledgling King Records with a great John Woods on guitar. While keeping his Louisville base, Cliff managed to record subsequently for many labels whether in Chicago (wonderful States 45s) or Nashville, sometimes with a doo-woop group like the Doves. At the end of the 50's, the kind of R&B played by Butler being less favored by audiences, Cliff stayed in Louisville, recording for local small labels, playing in clubs but having to make a better living working outside music.

                                    Cliff Butler band c. 1947. Courtesy of Lamont Butler and Blues & Rhythm magazine

          When he suffered an heart attack, Cliff Butler decided to drop the R&B to turn into church. He became a esteemed bishop and recorded an excellent Gospel album in 1971. He died January 13^th 1982 in his Louisville home.

          Most of those infos come from the Keith Clements's work published in the excellent British blues magazine Blues & Rhythm n°195.

          Thanks to the friends who provided me some of the rarest tracks here. Several are still missing. If anyone who would own them would like to send a .mp3 copy, it'd fill those gapes.

                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

 

Cliff Butler, vcl; Ben Holton, pno; t-sax; g. New York City, 1947

01. Benny's boogie

02. Please don't say we're through

03. She's really sweet to me

04. You bring happiness to me

Cliff Butler, vcl;t-sax; Ben Holton, pno; John Woods, g; Ben Ingram, bs; dms. Cincinnati, Oh. 27 june 1949

05. Crying blues

06. Gold diggin' baby

07. When you love you'd love from the heart

08. Shame on you

09. I dream such foolish dreams

10. Hearts only ache

Cliff Butler, vcl; band. Nashville, Tn. december 1951

Lucky me

I love so much it hurts

Can't get her off my mind

Boogie with Lou

Cliff Butler, vcl; Leon Washington, t-sax; Ben Holton, pno; g; bs; Red Saunders, dms. Chicago, Ill. 17 november 1952

11. You're my honey but the bees don't know it

12. Adam's rib

Benny's blues

Cliff Butler, vcl; Dick Davis, t-sax; Ben Holton, pno; g; Jimmy Richardson, bs; The Doves, vcls; Red Saunders, dms. Chicago, Ill. 29 june 1953

13. People will talk

14. Jealous hearted woman

15. When you love

Cliff Butler, vcl; Ben Holton, pno; Dick Davis, t-sax; Eggie Porter, g; bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. april 1956

16. No faith in you

17. You name it

18. Bennies boogie

19. Listen to me

Cliff Butler, vcl; Don Q. Pullen, pno; Stanley Hemphill, g; John Palmer, bs; Sid King, dms. Nashville, Tn. november 1956

20. Rent's too high

21. Fool

Cliff Butler, vcl; Ben Holton, org/pno; band. Louisville, Ky. february 1957

22. My mood

23. On my mind

Cliff Butler, vcl; Andy Jackson, t-sax; band. Louisville, Ky. may 1957

24. Andy jumps

Beer mash blues

Cliff Butler, vcl; Ben Holton, pno; band. Nashville, Tn. may 1958

25. Devoted to you

26. That's how I go for you

27. Love one another

28. Let us break bread together

Cliff Butler, vcl; Ben Holton, pno; band.  Nashville, Tn. september 1958

29. Lover's plea

30. Shame on you n°2

Cliff Butler, vcl; The Lovers, band. Louisville, Ky. 1959

31. Everybody needs somebody

32. I can't believe

Cliff Butler, vcl; The Sun-Rays, vcls; band. Louisville, Ky. 1960

33. No treason in my heart

Lucky me

Bishop Cliff Butler, vcl; Congregation & band. Louisville, Ky. 1971

34. Love one another

35. He is God

36. Everybody's doing their thing

37. When I've done my best

38. Jesus on my mind

39. No one ever cared for me like Jesus

40. Smile

   

LADIES SING THE BLUES/ Volumes 1-3 / New Links

 LADIES SING THE BLUES

Volumes 1-3/ New Links

    Beaucoup de problèmes désormais avec Zippy (qui n'est plus actif), Mediafire etc... Par demande de plusieurs lecteurs, voici les trois premiers volumes de la série 

    A lot of troubles nowadays with Zippy (which has stopped), Mediafire and such... To answer queries, here are new links of our series about Ladies. The links are in the comments section. Grab them while it lasts! The articles and the discographies on each volume are still on the initial place on this blog.

            LADIES SING THE BLUES/ Vol. 1-3

Avec de nouveaux liens qui, espérons le, existeront un peu plus longtemps (cf la partie commentaires). Les textes et la disco de chacun de ces volumes demeure à sa place initiale sur ce blog.

https://jukegh.blogspot.com/2019/08/irene-scruggs-voice-of-blues.html

https://jukegh.blogspot.com/2019/08/iona-wade-complete-recordings.html

https://jukegh.blogspot.com/2019/09/ladies-sing-blues-volume-3.html

LADIES SING THE BLUES / Volume 6

 

LADIES SING THE BLUES Volume 6

 

 

Our 6^th volume of our Ladies sing the blues series start with the (almost) complete work of Bea Booze (or Wea Bea Booze). Beatrice Booze was born 23 March 1912 in Baltimore, started to sing and play guitar at an early age, appeared in several Harlem clubs before being signed by Decca in 1942 to emulate Lil Green's success. Her See see rider blues climbed to n°1 on Billboard. She recorded again after the war with Sammy Price, Andy Kirk, George Kelly. Bea died 11 November 1986 in Scottsville, KY. Although she has recorded once under the name of Muriel Nichols, she has no relationship with the jazz singer of the same name. We are missing her 1962 odd two tracks she recorded with her friend Sammy Price for Stardust.

Singer Ramona Hicks who recorded six nice tracks in Chicago is still largely an unknown. Her real name seems to have been Lillie Mae Kirkman. 

            Although Little Tiny Kennedy is generally confused with Tiny Kennedy, the male blues shouter who recorded for Trumpet (and even so in Blues Discography!), she is a good female singer of her own who seems to have been for a short time Tiny Bradshaw band's vocalist. She recorded only two tracks that are featured there.

            At last we have the delicious Betty Lou DeMorrow. Her ten very bluesy tracks are witty double-entendre bawdy numbers that she recorded with Western Swing veteran and guitarist Dick Hartman under the band's name of Hartman's Heartbreakers. Betty was born Carrie Beatrice Clontz on 27 April 1898 in Gaston, NC. She married Ernest Goodman in 1914 and she died in Rowan, NC on 9 April 1982. It seems she didn't recorded elsewhere although she seems to have been involved in Carolina Country Music scene most of her lifetime. One of her daughter Hope Powell was one of the prominent photographer of Country stars like Dolly Parton.

 

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

WEE BEA BOOZE (Beatrice Booze aka Muriel Nichols), vcl/g; Sammy Price, pno: bs; dms. New York City, 19-27 march 1942

01. If I'm a fool

02. I love to Georgia Brown so slow

03. Uncle Sam come and get me

04. If I didn't love you

05. See see rider blues

06. Let's be friends

07. Catching as catch can

08. War rationing papa

Bea Booze, vcl; Sammy Price, pno; Abe Bolar, bs; Doc West, dms. New York City, 3 march 1944

09. Mr Freddie blues

10. Gulf Coast blues

11. So good

Bea Booze, vcl; Floyd Smith, g; Hank Jones, pno; Andy Kirk Orchestra. New York City, 1946

12. Alabama bound

13. Doggin' man blues

Bea Booze, vcl; Her Dixielanders, band. New York City, 1946

14. See see rider

Wee Bea Booze, vcl; Larry Johnson, pno/og; George Kelly, t-sax; Chris Powell, bs; Panama Francis, dms. New York City, 2 march 1951

15. Don't tell me nothing about my man

16. Easy riding blues

17. I just ain't feeling right

18. I'm gonna put you down

RAMONA HICKS (Lillie Mae Kirkman), vcl; Buster Bennett, a-sax; Jimmy Adams, vb; Aletha Dickerson, pno; Leroy Brown, bs. Chicago, Ill. 15 may 1939

19. Ramona blues

20. Where the eagle builds his nest

21. Evil and blue

22. Don't be like me

23. Tell my mama on you (vcl: Reavely Randall)

24. I must have it

LITTLE TINY KENNEDY, vcl; Leslie Ayres, tpt; Jimmy Coe, a-sax; Rufus Gore, t-sax; Alexander Nelson, b-sax; Jimmy Robinson, pno; Willie Gaddy, g; Clarence Mack, bs; Calvin Shields, dms. Cincinnati, Oh. 27 february 1952

25. Rippin' and runnin'

26. Newspaper boy blues

(This Tiny Kennedy is a female singer and absolutely not Jess "Tiny" Kennedy the male black shouter)

BETTY LOU DEMORROW, vcl; Dick Hartman, g; Harry Blair, g; Cecil Campbell, bjo; Elmer Warren, fdl; Fred "Happy" Morris, bs; Pappy Wolfe, saw/wbd/perc. Charlotte, NC. 22 june 1936

27. Fetch it on down to my house

28. Give it to me daddy

29. Let me play with it

30. Oh sweet daddy oo pshaw!

31. Please Mr Moon don't tell on me

32. Grandma and Grandpa

33. Feels good

34. No hugging or kissing

Betty Lou De Morrow, vcl; Dick Hartman, g; Harry Blair, g; Cecil Campbell, bjo; Garnett Warren, fdl; Fred "Happy" Morris, bs; Pappy Wolfe, saw/wbd/perc. Charlotte, NC. 11 october 1936

35. A night in Carolina

36. My Southern movements

 

TEXAS BLUES YESTERDAY/ Volume 11

 

TEXAS BLUES YESTERDAY/ Volume 11

 

        

  This post brings to the fore the Texas piano blues school, a big amount of piano players generally labelled as "Santa Fe piano blues" because the pioneers of the genre were playing in the juke joints scattered along the railway stations of the ATSF (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe), a line that starting in Kansas brought travellers and goods to Santa Fe in New Mexico through Texas.

 

          One of the pioneer of this style is the enigmatic Andy Boy (probably Anthony Boyd), born in Galveston on 10^th November 1904. His playing has touches of older ragtime and he recorded behind Joe Pullum and Walter Cowboy Washington as well as eight beautiful titles in San Antonio in 1937. One don't know when and where he died. He was heard in the 50's in the juke joints of Kansas City although Blues/ A regional experience gives New York as the possible place of his death.

 

         

Earl Gilliam was born at Lafayette, La. on 13 January 1930. But he was raised at New Waverly, Tx. where he started to play the piano in his local church at an early age. Trying to make a living with his music, Earl went to Houston and found quickly a job as the piano man of Gatemouth Brown's band. He stayed in Houston almost all his life, playing constantly in local venues, bars and joints. He played as a solo act as well as an accompanist for many bluesmen like Albert Collins, Albert King, Lightnin' Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Big Mama Thornton. He also played with Western Swing bands like the famous Light Crust Doughboys which allowed him to make his debut recordings under his name on the Sarg label, mostly a Western Swing and Hillbilly Music label. He only recorded a handful of numbers between 1955 and 1968 (all are here). This is while backing Joe Hughes that he as "rediscovered" and recorded at last a whole excellent album in 2004 for the Dialtone label. Gilliam died 19 october 2011 at his home of Tomball, Tx.

 

          Although Connie Mack Booker is the pianist of dozens of sessions throughout the years behind a big amount of artists (B.B. King, Jr Parker, Blues Boy Jones, Johnny Copeland etc...) he has not been very well documented. Born on 2 May 1931 at Edinburg, Tx. Connie was raised at Houston, starting to play a deep and bluesy style of piano in the clubs as soon as 1948. He recorded under his name a small amount of tracks that we have been able to gather here, I guess for the first time.

 

          A lot of thanks to Tom Thumb and Jose Yraberra for their help, sharing some of the rarest tracks on this collection.

 

                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

ANDY BOY, vcl/pno. San Antonio, Tx. 24 February 1937

01. Evil blues

02. House raid blues

03. Too late blues

04. Church Street blues

05. Out o'line blues

06. Lonesome with the blues

07. Jive blues

08. Yellow gal blues

EARL GILLIAM, vcl/pno; Lucian Davis, a-sax; Gene Burke, t-sax; Russell Willis, g; Donald Cooks, bs; Leo Hopkins, dms. Houston, Tx. may 1955

09. Don't make me late baby

10. Nobody's blues

11. Wrong doing woman

12. Petite baby

Earl Gilliam, vcl/pno; B.J. Brooks, t-sax; g; bs; Ivory Lee Semier, dms. Houston, Tx. 1962

13. Just you and I

Earl Gilliam, vcl/pno; band. Houston, Tx. c. 1968

14. Funky twist

15. Going back home

CONNIE MACK BOOKER, pno; Eddie Green, dms; L.C. Williams, vcl. Houston, Tx. june 1949

16. Shout baby boogie

17. Rich women blues

Connie Mack Booker, vcl/pno; Goree Carter, g; band. Houston, Tx. 1949

18. Loretta

19. You're trying to bring me down

20. Rich woman blues

21. My baby left me

Connie Mack Booker, vcl/pno; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Ed Wiley, t-sax; Goree Carter, g; Donald Cooks, bs; Ben Turner, dms. Houston, Tx. 1950

22. Trouble making woman

23. Dolphin Street stomp

Connie Mack Booker, vcl/pno; Cal Green, g; band. Houston, Tx. 8 december 1953

24. Love me pretty baby

25. All alone

26. Freight train rollings