TEXAS BLUES/ Volume 10

 

TEXAS BLUES/ Volume 10

 

 

 

           The 10the opus of our Texas Blues (Yesterday as usual on this blog!) is more focused on three blues artists who were also (or even more) soul oriented, although they waxed some excellent blues tracks.

 

            L.C. Steels is mainly known by blues buffs from his great rendition of Magic Sam's instrumental Looking good. But he recorded also a handful of records on his own Steels label that he operated from his Fort Worth home based Steels Record Shop. Those tracks are very often soul blues of high quality. During the 1970's L.C. Steels turned exclusively to Gospel, having his own radio show and recording many Gospel cuts and even crafting a Gospel album with his son L.C. Steels Jr (who could be the lead guitarist on his father's recordings) when he died from Lou Gehrigs disease in 2002. All these infos come from the first rate website Sir Shambling who went in touch with L.C. Steels son and family, thus providing first hand facts.

 

            Once again all I know about singer and guitarist Fred Lowery comes from the indefatigable Sir Shamblin'. Fred Lowery was the arranger, lead guitarist, writer and sometime singer with more than a hint of Bobby Bland's influence for sax ace Willie "Big Bo" Thomas who recorded a lot of successful dance numbers during the 60's. Lowery recorded also under his own name a dozen of tracks from which we have kept the bluesiest ones. His bio whereabouts are unknown to me. And he certainly not be confused with the white pop and whistler Texan artist of the same name.

 

           

Then we have the blues singer and guitarist Joe Hughes (born 29 September 1937 in Houston) who is quite well known for his later great albums for several labels, Black Top, Double Trouble, Munich Records etc... Strongly influenced by T-Bone Walker, Joe started his career as a member of the Dukes of Rhythm alongside Johnny Copeland and later on as a member of Grady Gaines and the Upsetters, a rocking and rolling Houston band which backed Little Richard and many other R&B and Soul acts. As his albums are almost only blues, his former 45s that Hughes recorded for small local outfits are more in a Soul blues vein. His 1980-90's albums paved the way for numerous European tours. Joe Hughes died in his Houston home on 20 May 2003.

 

            As a bonus we have included some tracks by Lonnie Lyons and Milton Willis that were missing on Texas Blues/ Volume 9. Thanks to our friend Mike from Australia for providing those rare numbers.

 

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

 

L.C. STEELS, vcl/g; band. Shreveport, La. 1961

01. Come back Betty

02. Don't play no woman for no fool

L.C. Steels, vcl/g; band. Fort Worth, Tx. 1964

03. I always will love you

04. Go ahead baby

L.C. Steels, vcl/g; band. Fort Worth, Tx. 1966

05. Yesterday is already gone

06. Looking good

L.C. Steels, vcl/g; band. Shreveport, La. 1973

07. Losin' boy

08. Pretty black woman

FRED LOWERY, vcl/g; band. Dallas, Tx. 1962

09. Wait and see

10. Goodbye

Fred Lowery, g; Big Bo Thomas, vcl/t-sax; Oscar Perry, pno; Don Williams, bs; James Lynn, dms. Dallas, Tx. 1965

11. Ascot shuffle I & II

12. Boogie chillun

(This Boogie chillun is by The Nitehawks, a Revival band from Illinois. The track was included as a flip of a "reissue" of a title by Big Bo & The Arrows featuring Fred Lowery and that mistook me. Sorry. Anyway, the title is not bad, so I let it on this comp. Thanks to Ballas)

Fred Lowery, vcl/g; Big Bo Thomas, t-sax; The Arrows, band. Dallas, Tx. 1964

13. Thousand miles away

14. I done got over it

Fred Lowery, vcl/g; Big Bo Thomas, t-sax; Oscar Perry, pno; Don Williams, bs; James Lynn, dms. Dallas, Tx. 1966

15. I'm sorry

Fred Lowery, vcl/g; band. Dallas, Tx. 1968

16. Work with me Annie

JOE HUGHES, vcl/g; Henry Hayes, a-sax/t-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Eddie Solomon, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 1958

17. I can't go on this way

18. Make me dance little ant

Joe Hughes, vcl/g; Curtis Mitchell, tpt; Harold Bennett, a-sax; L.A. Hill, t-sax; Joe Nettles, org; Vernon Heard, bs; Johnny Prejean, dms. Houston, Tx. 22 mai 1963

My pacify

I hope I'll cry

Joe Hughes, vcl/g; Curtis Mitchell, tpt; Harold Bennett, a-sax; L.A. Hill, t-sax; Joe Nettles, org; Vernon Heard, bs; Johnny Prejean, dms. Houston, Tx. 1 août 1963

19. The shoe shy I & II

You think you got it made

Joe Hughes, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. 1964

20. May the best man win

21. The rains came

With you

Joe Hughes, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. 10 février 1965

22. Where there's a will

23. Can't figure out woman

Joe Hughes, vcl/g; Henry Boatwright, t-sax; Pee Wee Stevens, pno; George Brown, bs; Johnny Prejean, dms. Houston, Tx. 1972

24. Let's shack up

25. Ugly to the bone

 

BONUS TRACKS (complement to Texas Blues Vol. 9) (Thanks to Mike from Australia)

LONNIE LYONS, vcl/pno; Nelson Mills, tpt; Conrad Johnson, a-sax; Sam Williams, t-sax; Goree Carter, g; Louis Pitts, bs; Allison Tucker, dms. Houston, Tx. juin 1949

26. Lonely heart blues

27. Barrelhouse nightcap

MILTON WILLIS,bs; Elmore Nixon, pno; R.P. Rogers, t-sax; Johnnie Jackson, dms. Houston, Tx. février 1949

28. Lost you

29. Take me back again