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mardi 19 novembre 2013

EDDIE BURNS/ Detroit Blues Masters




EDDIE BURNS/ Detroit Blues Masters
Complete Early Recordings

    
       Eddie Burns, plus qu'aucun autre peut-être, aura personnifié le blues de Detroit de l'après-guerre.
           Né à Belzoni dans le Mississippi le 8 février 1928, Eddie a appris le blues avec son père, un musicien des medicine shows qui venait le voir régulièrement tandis qu'il était élevé par ses grand parents. Il a aussi fréquenté de célèbres voisins comme Tommy Mc Clennan, Robert Petway ou Tony Hollins qui ont laissé sa marque sur sa musique. Eddie a aussi été fortement influencé par John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, apprenant à jouer de l'harmonica en écoutant les disques de celui qu'il idolâtrait.
           A la fin de la guerre, en quête de meilleures opportunités, Eddie quitte le Mississippi pour vivre avec des parents à Waterloo (Iowa) avant de s'installer à Detroit en 1948. Très vite, il devient une des figures favorites de la scène du blues qui bourgeonne et bourdonne autour de Hastings Street, le cœur du Black Bottom, le quartier noir de Detroit. Eddie se lie avec les autres bluesmen de la ville, notamment John Lee Hooker (qu'il accompagnera à plusieurs reprises dans les studios), Baby Boy Warren, Bobo Jenkins...
           Substantiellement influent auprès des promoteurs, directeurs de clubs et de labels comme l'incontournable Joe Von Battle, Eddie Burns deviendra une sorte de pivot du blues de Detroit et il mettra le pied à l'étrier à plus d'un apprenti bluesman tel l'harmoniciste Little Sonny. Cependant, Eddie devra conserver son job de mécanicien pour vivre décemment.
           Eddie Burns enregistre dès 1948 dans un style très influencé par John Lee Williamson puis, tout en conservant toujours cette empreinte, il saura moderniser son blues, développant aussi un jeu de guitare qui lui permettra de graver une œuvre assez éclectique pour de nombreux petits labels, une de ses séances pour Harvey présentant même un tout jeune Marvin Gaye à la batterie!
          
Detroit during the 1950's
Après une apparition remarquée sur l'album Chess de John Lee Hooker en 1966, The Real Folk Blues, Eddie Burns connaît un passage à vide: le blues cesse d'avoir les faveurs du jeune public noir, les terribles émeutes de Detroit en 1967 détruisant de surcroît la plupart des clubs noirs de la ville.
           Après une apparition remarquée au Detroit Blues Festival de 1970, Eddie Burns entreprend une tournée en Angleterre, y gravant son tout premier album Bottle and go pour le label Action. Burns revient alors plusieurs fois en Europe, toujours plébiscité par un public avide de ce type de blues authentique et traditionnel que sait parfaitement délivrer Eddie Burns. Il enregistre aussi plusieurs autres albums en Angleterre (Big Bear), en France (Black & Blue) et enfin dans sa patrie à partir de 1989 pour Blue Suit et Delmark. Enfin reconnu chez lui comme un des grands pionniers du Detroit blues, Eddie décède le 12 décembre 2012.

                                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

           Born in Belzoni (Ms) on February 8th, 1928, Eddie Burns has been raised by his sharecropping grandparents. But he learned anyway from his father who was an itinerant singer and musician in several Southern medicine shows and who came to visit him regularly. Young Eddie fell under the spell of John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson's records - a lasting influence - and followed and learned also from several Mississippi bluesmen like Tommy Mc Clennan, Robert Petway and Tony Hollins.
           At the end of the war, looking for a better life, Eddie moved North, first in Iowa and then in Detroit where he found a job as a mechanic. Very quickly, he became a favorite of the ebullient and burgeoning Detroit Blackbottom blues scene and his many clubs along Hastings Street. A very reliable musician and a fine gentleman, Eddie took a pivotal part in the local blues, befriended with most of the other Detroit bluesmen like John Lee Hooker, Baby Boy Warren, Bobo Jenkins, giving to all clubs and recordings opportunities. Eddie was also a wise adviser to promoters, clubs and labels owners like the famous Joe Von Battle.
           Eddie recorded excellent tracks quite regularly in Detroit from 1948 to 1963 for several labels unfortunately without much commercial success. His music developed from a strict Williamson's carbon copy to much more modern blues sounds that featured more and more his lead guitar playing. There has even been a session for Harvey Fuqua's label that featured a young Marvin Gaye as a drummer!
         
  He was hired to play lead guitar on John Lee Hooker's 1966 Chess album (The Real Folk Blues), recording two tracks under his name (one is still unissued!). But the late 1960's were very musical lean years for Eddie, the blues being then vastly ignored by young African Americans and the Detroit blues scene almost disappearing after the dramatic 1967 racial riots that literally burned down the Black Bottom.
           Anyway, after a significant appearance at the 1970 Detroit Blues festival where he even played a moving solo number a la Mc Clennan, Eddie Burns went to tour England in 1972, gaining more fame from appreciative audiences and recording in London his first album, Bottle up and go for the short-lived Action label. He would come back several times in Europe, waxing more albums for Big Bear or Black & Blue. At last, from 1989, he recorded albums in his home Country for Blue Suit and for Delmark (maybe his best with brother Jimmy Burns).
           Eddie Burns, enjoying a strong local status, appeared regularly in Detroit until his death on December, 12th 2012.
                                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT


EDDIE BURNS: Complete Recordings

Volume 1
Eddie Burns, vcl/hca; John T. Smith, g. Detroit, Mi. 1948
01. Papa's boogie
02. Bad woman blues (Notoriety woman)
Eddie Burns, vcl/hca; John Lee Hooker, g; John T. Smith, g; Tom Whitehead, dms. Detroit, Mi. juin 1951
03. Making a fool out of me
04. Where did you stay last night?
05. Squeeze me baby
Eddie Burns, vcl/hca; John T. Smith, g; John Lee Hooker, g; Tom Whitehead, dms. Detroit, Mi. novembre 1952
06. Gangster blues
07. Grieving blues
08. Decoration day
Eddie Burns, vcl/hca; Chuck Smith, pno; Percy Lee Brown, g; Washboard Willie, wbd. Detroit, Mi. décembre 1952
09. Hello Miss Jessie Lee
10. Dealing with the Devil
Eddie Burns, vcl/hca/g; George Jackson, g; Charlie Mills, pno; Tom Whitehead, dms. Detroit, Mi. mars 1953
11. She keeps me guessing
12. Sittin' here wondering
13. I love to jump the boogie
Eddie Burns, vcl/g; band. Detroit, Mi. septembre 1953
14. I ain't cheatin'
15. Sunnyland blues
Eddie Burns, vcl/hca; Percy Lee Brown, g; Bob Thurman, pno; Tom Whitehead, dms. Detroit, Mi. 1954
16. Superstition
17. Biscuit baking mama
Eddie Burns, vcl/g; Charlie Mills, pno; George Deloach, bs; Melvin Sims, dms. Detroit, Mi. 1957
18. Treat me like I treat you
19. Don't cha leave me baby
Eddie Burns, vcl/g; Aaron Willis, g; Robert White, g; Shorty Long, tpt; Marvin Gaye, dms. Detroit, Mi. janvier 1961
20. Orange driver
21. Hard hearted woman
Eddie Burns, vcl/g/hca; horns; Joe Hunter or Harvey Fuqua, pno; Robert White, g; bs; dms. Detroit, Mi. mai 1961
22. The thing to do
23. Mean and evil baby
24. Messing with my bread

Volume 2
Eddie Burns, vcl/g; Joe Weaver, pno; J.W. King, bs; Jimmy Ponder, dms. Detroit, Mi. 1963
25. You better cut that out
26. You say that you're leaving
27. I'm leaving
28. Wig wearing woman
Eddie Burns, vcl/g; Lafayette Leake, pno; Dave Myers, bs; Fred Below, dms. Chicago, Ill. mai 1966
29. Jingling baby
Eddie Burns, vcl/g/hc; Pat Grover, g; Bob Hall, pno; Jim Jewell, t-sax; Dave Gelly, t-sax; Bob Brunning, bs; John Hunt, dms. Londres, GB. février 1972
30. She's in L.A.
31. Cross your heart
32. Bad bad whiskey
33. Kansas City
34. Your daddy ain't fooling
35. I call it love
Eddie Burns, vcl/g. Londres, GB. février 1972
36. Bottle up and go
37. Detroit woman
38. Whiskey headed woman
39. Vicksburg blues
Eddie Burns, vcl/hca; John Lord, pno; Martin Stone, g; Harvey Weston, bs; Pete York, dms. Londres, GB. 5 mai 1975
40. Biscuit bakin' mama
41. Bury me back in the U.S.A.


28 commentaires:

  1. Eddie Burns/ Detroit Blues Legends vol. 5
    http://www28.zippyshare.com/v/32178770/file.html

    Eddie Burns/ Detroit Blues Legends Vol. 6
    http://www28.zippyshare.com/v/67423255/file.html

    O.K.?

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  2. Once again thank for your amazing posts

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  3. Gerard: Thank you for the Eddie Burns. I'm looking forward to listening to this this evening!

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  4. Once again another excellent post. Many thanks, zdtch

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  5. Thanks you, Gerard. I look forward to your unique collections of blues.

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  6. Merci Gérard car j'apprécie énormément Eddie Burns. Il y a quelques morceaux que je ne connaissais pas et je suis heureux de les entendre aujourd'hui. Ses disques plus récents sont aussi très intéressants ("Detroit" et "Snake eyes" sont mes préférés). Merci.
    Félicitations pour votre prix !
    Sylvain

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    1. Merci bien. Effectivement, les albums plus récents de Eddie sont fort reussis, comme d'ailleurs ceux de son frère Jimmy

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  7. Thank you very much for another great post Gerard. I'm looking forward to this!

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  8. Thank you so very much!!!

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  9. Thank you for another awesome compilation.

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  10. Looks good Gerard, I'm looking forward to having a listen later today. As always, many thanks for making these rare tracks available.

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  11. Gerard,

    You must be referring to the 1970 Ann Arbor Blues Festival as Detroit had no such festival in 1970. Annj Arbor is located 70km west of Detroit in Washtenaw County.

    Also, a quick check of Wikipedia tells me that Hastings St. was demolished in the early '60s to build the Chrysler Freeway (I-75). The 1967 riots had nothing to do with the with the razing of this neighbourhood.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Bottom,_Detroit

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    1. Thank you for the infos.You're certainly right for the riots but Burns himself told those events were fatal for club activites. There was indeed a Detroit blues Festival on 30th August 1970, reviewed in Living Blues # 3 by Bruce Igaluer. Eddie Burns took part of the Ann Arbor Blues & Jazz Festival in 1973.

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  12. Grand merci pour cette nouvelle magnifique collection ! (en + avec discographie détaillé comme à chaque fois)
    Un régal !

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  13. Incroyable blog ! Je possède la Grande encyclopédie depuis si longtemps.... Merci de m'accompagner dans ma perpétuelle découverte du blues... en français qui plus est....

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  14. L'encyclopédie musicale se poursuit avec bonheur
    Merci
    andré

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  15. Thank you for your excellent blog and all the wondeful music you shared with us.
    About these recordings, the last tracks on Vol. 2 featured the famous rock keyboadist Jon Lord (billed as John) of Deep Purple fame, along with legendary british drummer Pete York. Very rare indeed.

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    1. Thank you very much for those very interesting and useful details.

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  16. That's an outstanding photo of Napoleon Strickland you have put up Gerard.

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    1. Thanks, my friend. It was an outstanding trip indeed... Napoleon was a very good bluesman, excellent guitariste, singer and harp player. Unfortunately - as far as I know - he has been largely recorded as the leader of the Como Fife and Drum band. This is of course good and interesting music but I feel he certainly had the potential to record a full Delta blues album as a singer/guitariste/harmonicist

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  17. It's sad to think about the blues albums that should have been recorded but never were, Gerard. When I interviewed Hound Dog Taylor (I think it was 1975) he told me he badly wanted to record a solo album without the Houserockers, an acoustic Delta blues album. He said he's talked to Igaluer about it but Igaluer didn't seem interested. Hound Dog was dead a year later, so what would have been a fascinating recording never happened.

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    1. I didn't know that but Hound Dog would certainly have recorded a wonderful Delta blues acoustic album. Wolf would also have done the same if he had the opportunity to record it.

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    2. Merci Mr Herzaft pour ce partage.J'ai apprécié vos livre et dans ce cadre les "encyclopédie du blues" quelque soit l'éditeur.Ce partage illustre celles-ci ,et malgré les nombreux disques que je possède,je reste toujours impréssioné par tous ces nouveaux blues que je n'avais jamais entendus.JPVerger

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    3. Merci. C'est le but de ce blog: mettre en valeur les "soutiers" du blues, ceux qui ont eu moins de chance, moins d'opportunités, peut-être un peu moins de sens commercial voire de talent mais qui ont néanmoins apporté leur pierre personnelle aux fondations des musiques que nous aimons

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  18. Any chance for a repost of links? Thank you in advance! Regards from Brooklyn, NY - Michael Louis

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    1. Michael, you can find the links for all the Detroit Blues Masters I've made on this blog:
      http://theblues-thatjazz.com/en/blues/5030-detroit-blues-masters.html

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    2. Gerard - Thank you so much for the information, links and great work! All the best - Michael Louis Brooklyn, NY

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