TEXAS BLUES/ Volume 7
Calvin
"Loudmouth" Johnson chantait dans les juke joints autour de
Houston durant la fin des années 50 et les années 1960. Il semble avoir dirigé
un petit orchestre qui comprenait le guitariste D.C. Bender (cf Texas blues/ Vol. 6) avec
lequel il a enregistré un 45t autoproduit en 1964 qu'il vendait durant ses concerts.
Calvin est découvert par le
producteur texan Roy Ames vers 1965 alors qu'il vivait de sa petite échoppe de
ferrailleur. Ames l'enregistre à plusieurs reprises, notamment en 1967, une
première séance avec ce qui est son orchestre régulier. Mais le résultat est si
catastrophique que Ames décide de reprendre tout, fait venir son protégé
d'alors Johnny Winter (qu'il avait aussi découvert et promu) plus des musiciens
aguerris et, durant trois jours, enregistre dans ce contexte 14 titres chantés
par Calvin Loudmouth Johnson. Lien on
your body (Mortgage on your soul) paraît en 45t et connaît un certain
succès local, se vendant à plusieurs milliers d'exemplaires. On retrouve
Johnson la décennie suivante dans les bars de Houston, chantant et jouant de la
basse au sein d'un groupe de blues local, The Ministers of Sinisters qui
comprend l'harmoniciste Mike Wesolowsky et le batteur Russ Wilson. On ne
connaît ni les dates de naissance ni de décès éventuel (et probable) de ce
chanteur texan intéressant.
On ne connaît guère de choses du
batteur et chanteur Silver (John) Cooks,
le frère du bassiste Don Cooks, sauf qu'il a enregistré avec Edgar Blanchard et
Papa Lightfoot. C'est d'ailleurs avec eux (et l'excellent Tommy Ridgley au
piano) qu'il a gravé son seul 45t en tant que leader.
Le chanteur Jesse Lockett était très présent dans les clubs du Third Ward de
Houston durant les années 1940 durant lesquelles il a enregistré quatre 45t,
révélant un blues shouter convaincant. Il avait cependant en 1939 déjà enregistré
un fragment de titre pour John Lomax alors qu'il purgeait une peine de prison
au pénitencier de Brazorias, un excellent country blues dans lequel il joue de
la guitare et chante dans le plus pur style texan. Le journal
"The Houston Informer" le signale en juillet 1943 jouant au Lincoln
Theatre ("Jesse Lockett, the blues
shouter and composer, has returned to the Lincoln Theatre stage show after
filling an engagement at the exclusive ofay nitery on the outskirts of town.
Returning on the zoom, Lockett has knocked up some more of his low down numbers
and (is) really blowing his tops."). Et son dernier 45t, paru en
janvier 1949, est également chroniqué dans le même journal par John Thompson
avec des phrases assez élogieuses: “Jesse
Lockett, hefty blues singer, who is a native Houstonian, has returned to the
city from California, where he went to cut a few records. Jesse is still doing
the blues and his latest, which should get somewhere, is 'Run Little Rabbit
Run' (sic ). A catchy tune with lots of blues tempo it still has a bit of
be-bop. Have him sing it when you see him.”
Plus loin dans la même chronique; John Thompson note la présence de l'orchestre de Will Rowland qui accompagne Lockett:
“Listen to the traveling band of Will Rowland, who came to Houston via Beaumont from Los Angeles. A seven piece combo, the band did jump a little but not in the class of recent small bands heard here. One of those fine girls (of the Jane Russell type). Elsie Jones, entertained with the group.”
Plus loin dans la même chronique; John Thompson note la présence de l'orchestre de Will Rowland qui accompagne Lockett:
“Listen to the traveling band of Will Rowland, who came to Houston via Beaumont from Los Angeles. A seven piece combo, the band did jump a little but not in the class of recent small bands heard here. One of those fine girls (of the Jane Russell type). Elsie Jones, entertained with the group.”
On ne sait pas ce qu'est ensuite devenu
Jesse Lockett. Nous avons réussi à regrouper presque la totalité de son œuvre
enregistrée (à l'exception du seul Blacker
the berry).
Tous nos remerciements pour leur
aide à Cesare Malagodi, l'excellent blog Wired for Sound ainsi que le
regretté Roy C. Ames avec lequel j'ai eu une longue correspondance durant les
années 1970.
Gérard
Herzhaft
This
7th Opus of our Texas Blues series brings to the fore three quite obscure Texas
bluesmen who, nevertheless, leave us some quite interesting records.
Calvin "Loudmouth" Johnson
was singing in the Houston area juke joints during the late 1950's and 60's. He
seems to have lead a small band with guitarist D.C. Bender (cf Texas blues/ Vol. 6) with whom he
recorded a self produced 45 which he was selling from the bandstand.
Calvin
was "discovered" by producer Roy Ames around 1965 while he was mostly
making a living from scrap dealing. Ames recorded him several times,
particularly in 1967, first a session with his own band of friends. But the
results were so awful that Roy decided to start back the whole affair, this
time with his own protégé (and also discovery) Johnny Winter plus some good
local musicians during a three days session that gave an excellent reworking of
Lien on your body (Mortgage on your soul)
that became soon a small local hit. The following years, Johnson is reported
singing and playing bass at Houston venues with a group named The Ministers of
Sinisters with Mike "Wezo" Wesolowsky at the harmonica and Russ
Wilson on the drums... We unfortunately don't know when Calvin was born and
when he (probably) died and where he was buried.
Drummer
(and singer) Silver (John) Cooks,
probably the brother of bassist Don Cooks, is just a name, possibly from New
Orleans. He has recorded behind Edgar Blanchard and Papa Lightfoot and under
his name only one excellent single.
Houston
singer Jesse Lockett was playing
regularly in the clubs of Houston's Third Ward during the 1940's, even issuing
four 45s that shows a very convincing Texas blues belter. He had previously
recorded half a track (unfortunately cut short by probably technical problems)
in 1939 for John Lomax while he was serving a prison sentence at the Brazorias
Penitentiary. The track is an excellent country blues where Jesse plays an
unmistakable Texas guitar style. Local newspaper The Houston Informer wrote on
July 31, 1943, that "Jesse Lockett,
the blues shouter and composer, has returned to the Lincoln Theatre stage show
after filling an engagement at the exclusive ofay nitery on the outskirts of
town. Returning on the zoom, Lockett has knocked up some more of his low down
numbers and (is) really blowing his tops.". And his last single,
issued in January 1949, is also reported in the same paper by columnist John "Sid" Thompson with some laudatory
comments: “Jesse Lockett, hefty blues
singer, who is a native Houstonian, has returned to the city from California,
where he went to cut a few records. Jesse is still doing the blues and his
latest, which should get somewhere, is 'Run Little Rabbit Run' (sic ). A catchy
tune with lots of blues tempo it still has a bit of be-bop. Have him sing it
when you see him.” Elsewhere in the column, Sid notes the presence of an
out-of-town band, Will Rowland, but doesn't specify that they were the backing
band on "Rabbit": “Listen to the traveling band of Will Rowland, who
came to Houston via Beaumont from Los Angeles. A seven piece combo, the band
did jump a little but not in the class of recent small bands heard here. One of
those fine girls (of the Jane Russell type). Elsie Jones, entertained with the
group.”
We
have unfortunately no idea of the whereabouts of Jesse Lockett who seems to
have vanished during the early 50's. We have been able to gather all his
recordings minus one title (Blacker the
berry).
A
lot of thanks to Cesare Malagodi, the excellent blog about Texas records labels
Wired for Sound and the late Roy C. Ames with whom we had quite a long
correspondance during the 1970's.
Gérard
HERZHAFT
TEXAS BLUES/ Volume 7
CALVIN
"LOUDMOUTH" JOHNSON, vcl/g; D. C. Bender, g;
bs; dms. Houston, Tx. March 1964
01. Lien on
your body 1964
02. Unsatisfied
mind 1964
Calvin
"Loudmouth" Johnson, vcl/g/hca; band. Houston, Tx. 23 June 1965
03. Lost you
baby
Calvin
"Loudmouth" Johnson, vcl/g/hca; Johnny Winter, g; band. Houston, Tx.
17 May 1967
04. Lien on
your body (Mortgage on your soul)
05. Unsatisfied
mind 1967
06. Late on
blues
07. They call
me Loudmouth
08. Once I had
a woman
09. Take my
choice
10. Unwelcome
in your town
11. Gangster of
love
12. Alone in my
bedroom
13. Hootchie
Cootchie man
14. Moth Balls
15. She's mine
16. Rock me
baby
17. Down and
out
SILVER COOKS (John Cooks),
vcl/dms; Papa Lightfoot, hca; Tommy Ridgley, pno; Edgar Blanchard, g; Don
Cooks, bs. Houston, Tx. 1949
18. Coming back
home
19. Mr Ticket
Agent
JESSE LOCKETT, vcl/g.
Brazoria, Tx. 16 April 1939
20. Worry blues
Jesse
Lockett, vcl; Earl Sims, a-sax; Jimmy Moorman, tpt; Doc Jones, t-sax; Laurence
Robinson, pno; C. Lechugo, bs; Felix Gross, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 1946
21. Hole in the
wall
22. Mellow hour
blues
23. Boogie
woogie mama (prob. alt.
take to Hole in the wall)
Blacker the berry
Jesse
Lockett, vcl; Will Rowland, a-sax; band. Houston, Tx. January 1949
24. Reefer
blues
25. Don't lose
your mind
26. Run rabbit
run
27. Cold
blooded woman
