DETROIT JUNIOR: Complete Early Recordings

 DETROIT Jr/ Complete Early Recordings

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De l'Arkansas (où il est né à Haynes le 26 octobre 1931) à Detroit et Flint - un séjour qui lui donnera son surnom - puis Chicago en 1955, l'itinéraire d'Emery Williams Jr ne diffère guère de celui de la plupart des bluesmen de sa génération. Les années d'apprentissage passées dans les juke-joints du Sud laissent leur marque sur son jeu de piano, sans subtilités mais puissant et carré, ainsi que sur sa voix qui semble perpétuellement essayer de dissiper une brume épaisse de fumées et de vapeurs d'alcool. Son ton laconique fait encore davantage ressortir l'humour grinçant de la plupart de ses compositions.

            Pris sous l'aile protectrice d'Eddie Boyd dès son arrivée à Chicago dans les années 50, Detroit Jr devient un pilier des clubs de la ville. Il fait partie des orchestres de Morris Pejoe, Lefty Dizz, Little Mack Simmons et enregistre pour Bea & Baby, Chess, CJ, Palos plusieurs blues marquants dont certains sont des succès locaux: Money tree et le désopilant Call my job en 1965. Mais le Chicago blues de cette époque est en crise et seuls les grands noms vont réussir à survivre. Detroit Jr reprend son rôle d'accompagnateur dans divers groupes, en particulier derrière Howlin' Wolf. Le Blues Revival ne fait que l'effleurer malgré, en 1971, un excellent microsillon, Chicago urban blues, produit par Al Smith où Detroit Jr, en grande forme, est accompagné par le guitariste Mighty Joe Young. Cette verve est intacte sur les quatre titres que le pianiste enregistre en 1980 pour l'anthologie Living Chicago blues (Alligator).

            Par la suite, Detroit Jr a continué d'écumer les clubs de Chicago, parfois en compagnie du guitariste L.C. Roby, enregistrant encore quelques excellents albums, notamment Blues on the Internet, son dernier pour Delmark. Il décède le 9 août 2005 à Chicago.

            Tous nos remerciements pour Steve Wisner, Robert Barleigh. et Blues4Sale qui nous ont généreusement fourni les titres les plus rares de Detroit Jr.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

            From Haynes, Arkansas (where he was born on 26 October, 1931) to Detroit and Flint where he get his nickname and where he worked three years in automobile plants to Chicago in 1955, Emery Williams Jr has followed the same path that many Chicago bluesmen. He learned the church organ at an early age and became a noted piano player in local juke joints. He will always keep his no-nonsense «barrelhouse» style of playing and his effective and fascinating voice, seeming always winning a hard battle against alcohol vapors and curls of smoke. All along his career he will also be able to write some first rate blues filled with a very personal wry and caustic humor.

            When in Chicago, Detroit Jr was taken under his wing by Eddie Boyd who introduced him in clubs and studios. During the 1950’s and 60’s Detroit Jr played with several bands (Morris Pejoe, Lefty Dizz, Little Mack Simmons) and recorded substantially for Bea & Baby, Chess, C.J., Palos, gaining local hits with Money tree or Call my job, two titles that have become blues classics until this day. But in the mid-60’s, the times were hard for the blues. Despite a very good LP for Al Smith, his solo career went nowhere and Jr found a better and steady job as a regular member of the Wolf Gang, behind Howlin’ Wolf and, after Wolf’s death, with Eddie Shaw’s Wolf Gang. He will have to wait the 1980’s and his excellent participation to Alligator’s legendary series Living Chicago Blues to resume his solo career, touring Europe quite often, staging on the main blues festivals and recordings several good albums whose the best might be his last for Delmark, Blues on the Internet. Detroit Jr died in Chicago on August 9th, 2005.

            A lot of thanks to Steve Wiseman, Robert Barleigh and Blues4Sale who have generously shared their very rare records.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

DETROIT Jr/ Early Recordings

Complete Recordings

Detroit Jr (Emery Williams Jr), vcl/pno; Little Mack Simmons, vcls; Eddie King, g/vcls; Bob Anderson, bs; Robert Whitehead, dms. Chicago, Ill. 18 février 1960

01. Money tree

02. So unhappy

Detroit Jr, vcl/pno; saxes; Eddie King, g; Willie Dixon, bs; Fred below, dms. Chicago, Ill. Mai 1960

03. Too poor

04. You mean everything to me

Detroit Junior, vcl/pno; Milton Bland, t-sax; Phil Upchurch, g/bs; Freddy Robinson, g/bs; Billy Davenport, dms; Harold Burrage, bells/sp. Chicago, Ill. 1960

05. This time for Xmas

06. Christmas day

Detroit Junior, vcl/pno; Johnny Campbelle, t-sax; saxes; band; The Troyettes, vcls. Chicago, ill. 1962

07. Money’s no problem

08. Different dances

Detroit Junior, vcl; saxes; James Wheeler, g; Lafayette Leake, pno; Johnny Howard, bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. 11 juillet 1964

09. Zig zag

10. I’ll find me another girl

11. Can't take it

12. Mother in law

13. Don't unpack

Detroit Junior, vcl/pno; Ike Perkins, g; band. Chicago, Ill. 29 mai 1965

14. Talk fast

15. It’s bad to make a woman mad

Detroit Junior, vcl/pno; Maria, vcls; Lonnie Brooks, g; bs; Harold Tidwell, dms. Chicago, Ill. juillet 1965

16. Call my job

17. The way I feel

Detroit Jr, vcl/pno; Fenton Robinson, g; Burgess Gardner, t-sax; Bob Anderson, bs Billy Davenport, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1966

18. All through with love

19. Come on in

Detroit Junior, vcl/pno; Lafayette Leake, pno; band; Louis Satterfield, bs. Chicago, Ill. 27 septembre 1967

20. Secret love

21. Young blood

Detroit Junior, vcl/pno; Mighty Joe Young, g; Little Mack Simmons, hca; Jimmy Richards, bs; Bill Warren, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1972

22. Money crazy

23. Windy city blues

24. Dance with me baby

25. So unhappy (1972)

26. Welfare blues

27. Don’t get in my shape

28. Call my job

29. My weakness is women

30. Alice

31. Christmas blues (1972)