HOWLIN' WOLF/ Complete Live Recordings 1963-72 (New Links)

 

HOWLIN' WOLF/ Complete Live Recordings 1963-72 (New Links)

           

Après avoir essayé de regrouper tous les enregistrements effectués "live" par Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), nous tentons d'en faire de même avec Howlin' Wolf.

            La tâche a été - si possible - encore plus compliquée car s'étendant sur une décennie. Même si Howlin' Wolf a été saisi en concert (au Copacabana Club de Chicago) en 1963 pour une parution sur un LP Argo, il lui a surtout fallu se rendre en Europe avec l'AFBF 1964 pour y être substantiellement enregistré, soit dans le cadre de la tournée officielle soit durant la deuxième tournée qu'il a effectué dans la foulée avec Willie Dixon, Sunnyland Slim, Hubert Sumlin et Clifton James. Il faut noter que peu de ces concerts n'ont été enregistrés pour être publié. Il s'agit essentiellement d'enregistrements effectués par des radios nationales et locales à travers l'Europe dont les stations diffusaient des extraits. Leur qualité technique est correcte dans l'ensemble et permet d'apprécier la teneur complète d'un concert du Wolf à l'époque.

            Les choses se précipitent par la suite. Après que les Rolling Stones durant leur première tournée américaine aient insisté auprès de Shindig, l'émission musicale TV de la chaîne ABC, très populaire auprès des ados, pour qu'y apparaisse Howlin' Wolf avant eux, les concerts américains du Wolf se multiplient et avec eux, les enregistrements sur du matériel de fortune et sans passer par le système d'amplification. A l'exception du concert du 26 janvier 1972 à Alice's Revisited, aucune de ces bandes n'était destinée à être publiée. Elles sont apparus sur des labels plus ou moins pirates au cours des années avec un son souvent très médiocre voire éprouvant. Nous avons essayé d'améliorer autant que possible leur "qualité" sonore mais la tâche a été souvent trop rude! Malgré tout, nous les proposons ici en tant que documents.

            Même s'il n'était encore qu'un jeune sexagénaire, Wolf était très malade, les années de son épouvantable enfance marquée par la violence, l'abus et les privations faisant leur néfaste effet sur sa santé. Après un accident de voiture le 1er janvier 1973, son système rénal arrête de fonctionner et, devant plusieurs fois par semaine subir une dialyse rénale, il continue (par nécessité financière) à tourner et jouer en public. Mais il est très diminué et souvent chante entièrement assis et seulement quelques morceaux, laissant l'essentiel du concert à son orchestre, dirigé par Eddie Shaw. Plusieurs disques pirates de ces dernières années ont paru ici et là que nous avons choisi de ne pas les faire figurer ici, la dernière fois où le Wolf apparaît dans toute sa splendeur étant, à notre avis, le Ann Arbor Jazz & Blues Festival de 1972.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

            After those of Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), we have tried to gather all (or the most possible!) live recordings of another blues master, Howlin' Wolf!

            The task has been - if any!- even more complicated because spanning on a decade.

            Even if Howlin' Wolf has been recorded live at the Copacabana Club in 1963 for the Argo LP's "Folk Festival of the Blues", the bulk of his 1960's live recordings was mostly done in Europe. He was one of the big star of the AFBF 1964, taking the dedicated European audiences by storm. His success was such that he and some members of the AFBF line-up (Willie Dixon, Sunnyland Slim, Hubert Sumlin and Clifton James) embarked in the wake for a further tour of Europe until November 1964. If few of those European 1964 gigs were recorded to be issued on LP, they were done by radio stations with good technical equipments and for the purpose to broadcast some tunes during their jazz programmes. Now they are a testimony of what the Wolf sounded at that time when he was in full possession of his considerable talent and stage presence.

            In the USA, Wolf's career took a decisive turn when the Rolling Stones - while touring America in 1965 - insisted with ABC's Shindig, a TV programme very popular to teenagers, that Howlin' Wolf would appear before us. Thus, suddenly, Wolf would be able to be lined-up in festival and concert halls throughout the country before a white audience! Apparently, several of those (and probably still much more laying in the vaults) were recorded, very often on primitive equipments. With the exception of the 1972 Alice's Revisited venue, none of those US recordings had to be issued. They appeared throughout the years on more or less confidential bootleg albums. The sound is sometime very poor and, although we have tried to improve it with our home studio, it's quite often still very bad. We have included them anyway here for documentary purpose more than listening pleasure!

            Unfortunately, even he was only in his early 60's, the Wolf was beginning very ill, the dreadful years of his childhood when he suffered greatly violence, abuse and unbelievable bad treatments (he got his hoarse voice because he wasn't allowed by his uncle to sleep in the house, even during cold winters and he had to beg for food to passengers' trains during the nearby stops) took their harmful toll. After a bad car accident during 1973 New Years' eve, Howlin' Wolf had henceforth to undergo kidney dialysis several times a week. Although he had still to play gigs throughout the country for making a living, he was strongly diminished and mostly played and sung seated and only a few numbers, leaving most of the set to his band, led by Eddie Shaw. Several bootleg recordings of those late concerts have also popped up but we have chosen not to feature them. 

                                         Gérard HERZHAFT

 Pour répondre à de nombreuses demandes, je remets à jour cet article avec de nouveaux liens. Mais, ayant eu des problèmes pour conserver ces liens la première fois, je ne peux savoir combien de temps ils pourront rester valides. Ce sera donc la dernière fois que je mes remettrai en ligne. Aussi, prenez les tant que cela est possible.

I've reuploaded this article and links to answer to numerous queries. But, as I have had problems to keep those links available, I can't say how long they will be available. In any case, it is the last time that I'm re-posting them. So grab them while it lasts!

Et aussi notre hommage à Howlin' Wolf sur ma chaîne Youtube

And our tribute to the Wolf on my YouTube channel

                                            TRIBUTE TO THE WOLF

The very best Howlin' Wolf biography that really explains the man, his greatness and his masterworks has been written by Mark Hoffman, certainly one of the very best blues books

Mark Hoffman/ Moanin' at midnight

CURTIS JONES/ Complete Recordings

 

CURTIS JONES/ Complete Recordings

 

               

Curtis Jones qui est né à Naples, TX. le 18 août 1906, commence à jouer du piano dans les bars du Texas central, notamment autour de Dallas puis fait une tournée avec une compagnie itinérante les Georgia Strollers, rencontre le vétéran Alex Moore à qui son jeu doit beaucoup: ponctuation des basses, arpèges de la main droite. En 1937, c'est à Chicago que Curtis Jones enregistre pour Vocalion son admirable chef d'oeuvre, sombre et introspectif, Lonesome in my bedroom qui deviendra un des grands standards du blues. Cela lui permet d'enregistrer les années suivantes un grand nombre de disques à Chicago, la plupart du temps des compositions personnelles, lourdes et pleines d'émotion: Bad avenue blues deviendra une sorte d'hymne national du blues californien sous le titre Tin pan alley; Highway 51 sera repris par Bob Dylan; Roll me mama qui annonce Rock me baby... Avec le timbre d'apparence détaché de Curtis, son piano solide et des accompagnateurs de premier plan (Joe Mc Coy, Willie B. James, George Barnes, le tout premier solo de guitare électrique du blues, Jazz Gillum), ces disques sont souvent de grande qualité mais tout en demi-teintes et peu spectaculaires. Les ventes sont de plus en plus médiocres et Jones n'enregistre plus que sporadiquement après 1940. Curtis, qui annonce par bien des côtés le style de blues californien de l'après-guerre, végète à Chicago. Il vit dans la misère lorsque le critique français Jacques Demêtre le retrouve en 1959 et le convainc de reprendre une carrière active pour le nouveau public international du blues. Curtis tourne en Angleterre, en France, en Pologne et au Maroc où il s'installe quelques années. Mais l'homme est comme sa musique: sombre et réservé. Il semble plus jouer le blues pour lui que pour un auditoire et, contrairement à un Memphis Slim, showman accompli, il ne saura jamais séduire le public européen et meurt à Munich en Allemagne le 11 septembre 1971, largement méconnu.

                Nous avons regroupé la totalité de ses enregistrements, ceux d'avant guerre comme ses albums. On s'aperçoit que Curtis Jones, aujourd'hui fort négligé mais auteur de blues profonds, mérite largement d'être écouté.

                                                                                              Gérard HERZHAFT

 

Curtis Jones, who was born in Naples, TX, on August 18, 1906, began playing piano in bars in Central Texas, particularly around Dallas. He then toured with a traveling troupe called the Georgia Strollers, where he met the veteran Alex Moore, to whom his playing owes a great deal—particularly his bass accents and right-hand arpeggios. In 1937, Curtis Jones recorded his admirable masterpiece, the dark and introspective Lonesome in My Bedroom, for Vocalion in Chicago; it would go on to become one of the great blues standards. This led him to record a large number of records in Chicago in the following years, mostly his own compositions—heavy and full of emotion: Bad Avenue Blues would become a sort of national anthem of California blues under the title Tin Pan Alley; Highway 51 would be covered by Bob Dylan; and Roll Me Mama, which foreshadowed Rock Me Baby...

With Curtis’s seemingly detached style, his solid piano playing, and top-notch accompanists (Joe McCoy, Willie B. James, George Barnes (the very first electric guitar solo in the blues), and Jazz Gillum), these records are often of high quality but somewhat subdued and unspectacular. Sales were increasingly lackluster, and Jones recorded only sporadically after 1940. Curtis, who in many ways foreshadowed the postwar California blues style, languished in Chicago. He was living in utter poverty when French critic Jacques Demêtre tracked him down in 1959 and convinced him to resume an active career for the new international blues audience. Curtis toured England, France, Poland, and Morocco, where he settled for a few years. But the man was like his music: moody, somber and reserved. He seemed to play the blues more for himself than for an audience, and unlike Memphis Slim—an accomplished showman—he never managed to win over European audiences. He died in Munich, Germany, on September 11, 1971, largely unknown.

                We have compiled all of his recordings, including his pre-war material and his albums. It becomes clear that Curtis Jones—now largely overlooked but a composer of deep blues—is well worth listening to.

 

Gérard HERZHAFT

KOREAN WAR BLUES

 

KOREAN WAR BLUES

 

        

La guerre de Corée qui a duré trois ans et fait – au moins! – entre 2,5 et 3 millions de morts et qui a abouti à une partition du pays (la Corée avait été envahie et annexée par le Japon depuis 1910 avec de terribles souffrances pour les Coréens) a fait l'objet de plusieurs anthologies musicales composées très majoritairement de morceaux de Country Music.

         Par contre, les bluesmen qui ont créé des morceaux à propos de cette guerre et de leurs sentiments durant cette période n'ont pas – à notre connaissance – fait l'objet d'une anthologie.

         C'est l'objet de cet article et anthologie Korean War Blues qui regroupe 21 titres enregistrés essentiellement entre 1950 et 1953, à l'exception de celui de Robert Pete Williams, enregistré en 1960 alors qu'il était enfermé au Pénitencier d'Angola.

         Il s'agit essentiellement de blues, certains bien connus, d'autres rares voire jamais réédités en albums auxquels nous avons ajouté deux airs de Cajun et un très intéressant hommage des Sioux Oglalas à leurs combattants tombés en Corée. Tout cela n'est bien sûr pas exhaustif.

         Sans prétention, nous avons aussi ajouté une version de "Build myself a cave", reprenant un morceau figurant sur notre album de 1995!

         Egalement, une autre version en Video, plus proche de celle de Jimmy Rogers (The World's in a tangle original insurpassable) ornée de photos d'époque, piochées dans différentes archives de centres de documentation ou de magazines comme Life.

                                               Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

The Korean War, which lasted three years and claimed—at least!—between 2.5 and 3 million lives, and which led to the division of the country (Korea had been invaded and annexed by Japan since 1910 , causing terrible suffering for the Korean people), has been the subject of several musical anthologies consisting almost entirely of Country Music tracks.

However, the blues musicians who created songs about this war and their feelings during that period have not—to our knowledge—been the subject of an anthology.

That is the purpose of this article and the Korean War Blues anthology, which brings together 21 tracks recorded primarily between 1950 and 1953, with the exception of the one by Robert Pete Williams, recorded in 1960 while he was incarcerated at Angola Penitentiary.

These are primarily blues tracks, some well-known, others rare or even never reissued on albums, to which we have added two Cajun tunes and a very interesting tribute by the Oglala Sioux to their soldiers who fell in Korea. Of course, this is by no means an exhaustive collection.

Without any pretensions, we’ve also included a version of Build Myself a Cave, a cover of a track that appeared on our 1995 album!

Also included is another version on Video, closer to that of Jimmy Rogers (the original The World’s in a Tangle, which remains an unsurpassable masterpiece), featuring vintage photos drawn from various archives at documentation centers or from magazines like Life.

                                      Gerard HERZHAFT

KOREAN WAR BLUES

Click on the picture or the title to have the Video

EARL HOOKER/ Complete Studio Recordings

 EARL HOOKER/ Complete Studio Recordings (re-up and new links)

 

          

  Although Earl Hooker was highly praised by his pairs, he never gained the recognition his talents should have brought him.

            Earl Zebedee Hooker was born in Vance, Ms on 15 January 1929 or 1930, from Earl Jake Hooker (an uncle of John Lee Hooker) and Mary Catherine Blare. His family moved to Chicago during the early 1930's and young Earl suffered from a frail health all his life, contracting tuberculosis while a child. He took the guitar at 10 years old and quickly developed a strong proficiency, listening to blues, jazz and Hillbilly greats like Les Paul, a strong inluence on him alongside T-Bone Walker. With his friend and mentor Robert Lee Mc Coy/ Nighthawk, Earl started to play on Chicago street corners while a child and thereafter in clubs and venues.

            After the war, Robert Nighthawk who was constantly going from Chicago to the South brought Earl with him, the two performing on almost all Southern juke joints from Mississippi to Florida. In 1950, Earl formed his own band with Kansas City Red on drums, trying his luck a little bit everywhere, playing in Chicago quite regularly. Able to play all kinds of music with the same technical ability and proficiency, from deep Delta blues a la Nighthawk to Country & Westerns instrumentals unto jazz and swing numbers, Earl Hooker was very often in the studios backing many artists and waxing some numbers under his name for a lot of labels: King, DeLuxe, Rockin', Sun, Chess/Argo, United, States etc... His main drawback was his voice, a little bit light and unexpressive and for which he had no confidence.

            In 1956, Earl suffered a bad attack of tuberculosis and had to be hospitalized for a long time. He had to wait 1959 to be fully back on the scene and on the recording studios, this time pairing with Junior Wells who brought him to Mel London's Chief group of labels. Very impressed by Earl's talents, Mel put Earl as his house guitarist for a lot of sessions and artists like Wells, Lillian Offitt, Magic Sam, A.C. Reed, Ricky Allen, Johnny "Big Moose" Walker, Bobby Paxton, Betty Everett and others. Earl also recorded some instrumentals under his name, particularly the soulful Blue guitar which went to be a minor hit in Chicago. In 1961, Hooker also recorded some instrumentals for Chess that Len Chess used later on as the backing track for some Muddy Waters's numbers (You shook me and You need love)!

            During the mid-60's Earl Hooker recorded his first album for the Cuca label (The Genius of Earl Hooker) with a strong Funk appealing mood. But once again in 1967, Hooker had to be hospitalized for almost a year and he thus couldn't capitalize to this LP. In 1968, Earl boldly formed a new and original band with his old friend Pinetop Perkins at the keyboards, Freddie Roulette on steel guitar, Carey Bell and Andrew "Blues Boy" Odom, a powerful singer in the B.B. King's mould. The band impressed enough Arhoolie's Chris Strachwitz who then recorded Earl, issuing the great now classic LP Two bugs and a roach.

           

The album sold quite well among blues buffs around the world, allowing at last Earl to play on major festivals, recording several very nice albums for Blue Thumb (thanks to his old friend Ike Turner) and particularly Bluesway for which Hooker also was the lead guitarist on many albums by blues luminaries like Charles Brown, Jimmy Witherspoon, Johnny Walker, Brownie Mc Ghee & Sonny Terry, even pairing with his cousin John Lee Hooker on a memorable session (If you miss' em I got' em).

            In October 1969, Hooker and a lot of Arholie's artists toured Europe with the legendary American Folk Blues Festival (cf the entry on my blog), getting rave reviews. This was the only time I saw Earl Hooker (at the Paris show) and he performed a very great set. But this very tiring European tour damaged even more Earl's health and he came back to Chicago very ill. Hospitalized again in December 1969, Earl this time never fully recovered, had to stay in a Chicago sanatorium a couple of months where he died on 21 April 1970.

            A very accomplished and versatile major guitarist, Earl left us a very rewarding recording legacy. Sebastian Danchin who knew very well Earl wrote a nice biography of the man, from which I have taken most of this article.

            Thanks to Steve W., John "Boston" and some others friends for their help in gathering the complete studio recordings of this major artist.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

HERZHAFT ON THE BLUES

HERZHAFT ON THE BLUES 

 

J'ai eu la chance de travailler à la conception de la série The Blues conçue pour commémorer le soi-disant centenaire du blues (1903 date où W.C. Handy mentionne un "bluesman") pour la chaîne américaine PBS. Cette série a été conçue par Martin Scorsese et a réuni des metteurs en scène aussi prestigieux que WimWenders, Spike Lee, Pearce ou Clint Eastwood et permis aussi d'exhumer des km de suppléments (films, enregistrements, photos) pour la plupart inédits. Lorsque une grande chaîne française cryptée a diffusé l'intégralité de ces 7 films vers 2007, j'ai été interviewé assez longuement (dans un joli magasin de musique parisien) pour les bonus de ces diffusions. Voici l'intégrale de mes interventions.

CLARENCE GREEN/ Blues Guitar Masters Vol. 12

CLARENCE GREEN/ Blues Guitar Masters Vol. 12

 

           

Après Cal Green, ce douzième "Blues Guitar Masters" est consacré à son jeune frère Clarence Green, lui aussi un excellent guitariste texan. Clarence est né à Mont Belvieu (TX) le 1^er janvier 1934 mais a grandi dans le 5^ème arrondissement de Houston, peuplé largement de créoles venus de Louisiane et connu sous le nom de Frenchtown. Contrairement à Cal, Clarence a toujours préféré vivre d'un travail salarié (chez Houston Light Power) mais a néanmoins pratiqué la musique régulièrement, jouant les week ends de façon régulière autour de Houston. Son premier groupe, Blues For Two, formé en 1951 avec le chanteur Zydeco Albert Redeaux, comprenait même à un moment Johnny Copeland et Joe Hughes. Mais c'est surtout d'abord avec les Cobras puis les Rhythmaires que Clarence a enregistré tout au long des années 1960, soit en vedette (en 1958 son premier 45t Mary my darling/ Old Grandpa) soit derrière quantité de chanteurs et chanteuses de Houston comme Iola Broussard, Lavelle White ou Trudy Lynn ainsi que derrière Bobby Bland, Joe Hinton et Junior Parker. Son orchestre régulier comprenait alors Henry Hayes, Teddy Reynolds , Wilbur Mc Farland.

            C'est un peu dans la foulée de Cal Green que Clarence Green a réussi un retour en studio et sur scène, gravant un très bon album en 1987.

            Il avait plusieurs projets de disques et de tournées quand il est décédé à Houston le 13 mars 1997.

            Nous avons regroupé presque la totalité des titres enregistrés sous son nom par Clarence Green sauf 6 qui soit sont introuvables soit uniquement dans des ventes aux enchères à des prix faramineux. Toute copie sous n'importe quelle forme (.mp3) est bien sûr la bienvenue.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

 

Following Cal Green, this twelfth volume of “Blues Guitar Masters” is dedicated to his younger brother Clarence Green, himself an outstanding Texan guitarist. Clarence was born in Mont Belvieu (TX) on January 1, 1934, but grew up in Houston’s 5^th Ward, which was largely populated by Creoles from Louisiana and known as Frenchtown. Unlike Cal, Clarence always preferred to make a living as a salaried employee (at Houston Light Power) but nonetheless played music regularly, performing on weekends around Houston. His first band, Blues For Two, formed in 1951 with the Zydeco Albert Redeaux, even included Johnny Copeland and Joe Hughes at one point. But it was primarily with the Cobras and then the Rhythmaires that Clarence recorded throughout the 1960s, either as the lead artist (in 1958, his first 45, “Mary My Darling/Old Grandpa”) or backing numerous Houston singers such as Iola Broussard, Lavelle White, and Trudy Lynn, as well as Bobby Bland, Joe Hinton, and Junior Parker. His regular band at the time included Henry Hayes, Teddy Reynolds, and Wilbur McFarland.

Following somewhat in the footsteps of Cal Green, Clarence Green made a successful return to the studio and the stage during the 1980's, recording an excellent album in 1987.

He had several recording and touring projects in the works when he passed away in Houston on March 13, 1997.

We have compiled nearly all of the tracks recorded by Clarence Green under his own name, with the exception of six that are either unavailable or can only be found at auctions for astronomical prices. Any copies in any format (.mp3) are, of course, most welcome.

Gérard HERZHAFT

Thanks to our generous friend Hartmut M. here are two rare tracks by Clarence Green that I was missing: Lil Green + Your love (Clarence Green, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. 1965)

 

A TRIBUTE TO SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON

 A TRIBUTE TO SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON

(click on the photo to hear the song)

"Help me" est devenu un standard obligé du blues presque par hasard. Nous l'avons joué à presque chacun de nos concerts (cf    • HELP ME Herzhaft blues, Québec 02 1997  ) et enregistré sur le deuxième CD Herzhaft blues. Cette version 2026 est l'occasion d'un hommage en photos au très grand bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), créateur de ce titre. “Help Me” became a blues standard almost by chance. We've played it at nearly every one of our concerts (see    • HELP ME Herzhaft blues, Québec 02 1997  ) and recorded it on our second CD, *Herzhaft Blues*. This 2026 version serves as a photographic tribute to the great bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), who wrote the song. I sing and play the guitar, David on harmonica, Lise on piano and sring bass and drums have been added electronically. Enjoy

Sur ce blog Blue Eye , vous pourrez ecouter la totalité de l'oeuvre de Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) avec deux entréés:

On this blog Blue Eye you will be able to hear the complete recordings by this major bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) on two posts:

SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON/ The complete studio recordings

Ainsi que sur cet autre post pour lequel j'ai rassemblé tout ce que j'ai pu des enregistrements "live" de ce grand bluesman, une compilation totalement inédite.

SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON/ The Complete Live Recordings

TRIBUTE TO JLH

 TRIBUTE TO JOHN LEE HOOKER

On My YouTube Channel

J'ai vu et revu John Lee Hooker dès les années 1960 en concert. Un bluesman gigantesque qui est revenu en Europe de très nombreuses fois. J'ai eu la chance de l'interviewer à Washington dans son (très modeste) hôtel tandis qu'il se produisait dans un club de Georgetown en solo, n'ayant alors plus les moyens de payer un orchestre. Personnage peu disert mais chaleureux et ravi d'être apprécié. J'ai écrit la toute première biographie de Mr John Lee. J'ai composé ce "Tribute" à la mort de Hooker et nous l'avons joué dans pratiquement tous nos concerts.

I saw John Lee Hooker perform live time and again starting in the 1960s. He was a legendary bluesman who returned to Europe countless times. I had the chance to interview him in Washington at his (very modest) hotel while he was performing solo at a club in Georgetown, as he could no longer afford to pay for a band. He was a man of few words but warm and delighted to be appreciated. I wrote the very first biography of Mr. John Lee. I composed this “Tribute” upon Hooker’s death, and we’ve played it at nearly all of our concerts.

JOHN LEE HOOKER with EDDIE KIRKLAND

Une anthologie de la quasi totalité des titres enregistrés par John Lee Hooker avec Eddie Kirkland, son accompagnateur le plus présent (et le plus fidèle)

An anthology of nearly all the tracks recorded by John Lee Hooker with Eddie Kirkland, his most frequent (and most loyal) accompanist

La biographie de John Lee Hooker que j'ai publiée (la première!) a été rééditée (sans la discographie) dans l'ouvrage PORTRAITS EN BLUES disponible ICI

FENTON ROBINSON/ Complete Studio Recordings

 FENTON ROBINSON/ Complete Studio Recordings

           

Malgré son immense réputation auprès des fans de blues du monde entier, Fenton Robinson est rarement cité parmi les bluesmen majeurs. Alors que son œuvre, presque toujours excellente voire remarquable, en fait un des plus accomplis des chanteurs/guitaristes du blues "moderne".

            Né le 23 septembre 1935 à Minter City, dans le Mississippi, au sein d'une famille de métayers miséreux, essentiellement élevé par sa mère, il doit quitter l'école très jeune pour aider aux travaux des champs. C'est un voisin, le guitariste Sammy Hampton, qui lui apprend les rudiments de la guitare. Mais ce n'est qu'après avoir déménagé à Memphis en 1951 que Fenton découvre les guitares des grands innovateurs de la Côte Ouest comme T-Bone Walker ou Oscar Moore, les arrangements des big bands de jazz et les voix des blues shouters tels Eddie Vinson ou Joe Williams. Ce seront toujours ces influences sophistiquées et urbaines qui domineront sa musique.

            Il décide alors de devenir musicien professionnel, forme un groupe avec Charles McGowan et parfait son éducation musicale auprès de différents musiciens chevronnés de la ville. Une démarche extrêmement inhabituelle pour un bluesman du Mississippi qui, plus tard, l'amènera à apprendre à lire et à écrire la musique et arranger l'orchestration.

            Memphis se révélant peu lucratif, Fenton gagne tenter sa chance à Little Rock en 1953, en faisant sa base de rayonnement jusqu'en 1961. Il joue dans les clubs de jazz et de blues, anime une émission de radio sur KXLR, présentant tous les talents de la capitale de l'Arkansas: Larry Davis (alors bassiste), Sammy Lawhorn, Sunny Blair, Ernest Lane... Il joue aussi souvent à Saint Louis, notamment en 1954-55 au Blue Flame Club où il rencontre Ike Turner et ses Kings of Rhythm. Quand Fenton retourne à Little Rock, il est suivi de quelques musiciens des Kings of Rhythm, tel le saxophoniste-ténor Little Cameron avec lequel il enregistrera.

           

Photo E. Choisnel

Remarqué par Lester Bihari, Fenton enregistre enfin en 1957 pour Meteor Tennessee woman, ce qui l'amène à signer pour le label de Don Robey, Duke qui saura lui faire graver une série de séances remarquables dans ses studios de Houston: As the years go passing by (une composition originale de Peppermint Harris cédée à Robey qui deviendra le standard que l'on sait), une version supérieure de Tennessee woman, Mississippi steamboat ou l'instrumental The Freeze (qui influencera tant Albert Collins). Fenton accompagne aussi plusieurs chanteurs comme Larry Davis sur le classique Texas flood.

            Mais dans le Sud, Robinson ne réussit pas à vivre, comme il le souhaite tant, de sa musique, et doit travailler en usine le jour (notamment chez Coca Cola). Il gagne donc Chicago. Presque immédiatement, la réputation de ses disques Duke, son jeu de guitare jazzy, fluide, virtuose, expressif, son chant poignant qui ajoute au phrasé distingué des blues shouters la ferveur du Gospel lui permet d'assembler un groupe (Bobby King, Jack Myers, Earl Robinson) qui devient l'orchestre-maison du club Theresa's. Il enregistre pour plusieurs petits labels de Chicago (USA, Palos). En 1967, le magnifique Somebody loan me a dime commence à flirter avec les Hit Parades locaux mais l'hiver précoce et très dur paralyse la ville durant plusieurs semaines, empêchant l'ascension du titre.

            Cependant, Somebody n'est pas perdu pour tout le monde, notamment pas pour le chanteur de rock Boz Scaggs qui l'enregistre en 1969 sur Atlantic, s'en approprie la composition et en fait un énorme succès commercial! Malgré ses efforts, Fenton - qui n'a guère les moyens financiers de lutter - ne récupérera jamais les droits qu'il aurait dû percevoir. Robinson continue donc une petite carrière, grave encore quelques 45 t pour le minuscule label Giant puis, dans la foulée du succès de Boz Scaggs, un album entier à Nashville sous l'égide de John Richbourn qui ne trouve rien de mieux que de le priver de sa guitare et l'entourer d'un des groupes de rock les plus rigides du moment.

            Fenton tourne ensuite avec Charlie Musselwhite durant quelques années. Jusqu'à ce que Bruce Iglauer lui permette enfin en 1974 d'enregistrer le merveilleux Somebody loan me a dime (Alligator). Magnifiquement produit, entouré de grands musiciens de blues, Fenton est au sommet de son art et cet album est certainement un des grands chefs d'œuvre indispensables du Chicago blues de cette période. Plusieurs titres de cette sublime séance sont encore inédits et on peut espérer que Alligator va en sortir un jour l'intégrale?

           

Avec un tel disque et un label comme Alligator, l'avenir de Fenton semblait enfin prometteur. Malheureusement, impliqué dans un accident de voiture mortel, Robinson est condamné à la prison et incarcéré en 1975. A sa sortie, il enregistre un nouveau très bon album pour Alligator I hear some blues downstairs. Mais le caractère ombrageux et la personnalité de Fenton le brouillent avec beaucoup de monde. Il retourne vivre à Little Rock, cette fois pour trouver une scène du blues agonisante, gagne Springfield (Ill) où il obtient une résidence d'artiste dans un college... Il ne joue plus en public que sporadiquement, disparaît pratiquement de la scène américaine. Heureusement, sa réputation en Europe et au Japon lui permettent d'y effectuer des tournées et d'enregistrer encore sporadiquement quelques albums pour le label néerlandais Black Magic (Blues in progress/ Nighflight; Special road).

            C'est hélas un homme amer, désabusé, sûr de ses talents dont il vivote à peine qui meurt d'une attaque le 30 novembre 1997 à Rockford dans l'Illinois.

            Sa très belle œuvre enregistrée, elle, n'a cessé de grandir avec le temps.

                                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

 

    

Although rarely credited as a major figure of the Chicago blues, Fenton Robinson has nevertheless a strong and well deserved reputation as a wonderful smooth singer and subtle and expressive guitarist among blues buffs all over the world.

    Born September 23, 1935 in Minter City (Ms), the young Fenton had a very hard childhood, having to quit school at an early age to help his farming mother. A neighbor guitarist, Sammy Hampton, opened up his mind to music, jazz and blues. It was anyway not before Fenton had moved to Memphis in the early 1950's that he was confronted to "real" musicians, live or on records, T-Bone Walker, Oscar Moore, the sound of the big bands, the blues shouters like Joe Williams (from Count Basie's) and Eddie Vinson who, all of them, would stay as his main musical influences. All his life Fenton would want to be a professionnal, classy musician, taking lessons, learning how to read and write music and arrangements. With a friend, the guitarist Charles McGowan, Fenton embarked himself on a musical career with great expectations and ambitions. Relocated in Little Rock (Arkansas) in 1953, Fenton knew and played with all the local musicians (Larry Davis, Sammy Lawhorn, Sunny Blair), hosted a local radio programme and had gigs all around Little Rock up to Saint Louis where he knew and played with Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm. Sax-tenor Little Cameron, one of Ike's alumni, even went into Fenton's band whose whom he would record a handful of sides.

     At last, Fenton recorded in 1957, first for Lester Bihari's Meteor label (Tennessee woman), then for Don Robey's Duke label. Well produced, with gound sound and arrangements, the tracks that Fenton waxed for Duke in 1959-60 stand up very well the tests of time. As the years go passing by (an original composition by Peppermint Harris who sold it to Robey), a new superior version of Tennessee woman, Mississippi steamboat or The freeze (which would greatly influence Albert Collins) are some of the best Duke titles.

     But despite all that buzz, Fenton had still to work on a day-job (in a Coca Cola plant) for bread and butter. Once again, with great hopes, he went to try his luck in Chicago where he would take more music lessons with Reggie Boyd.

     Quickly, his mellow, jazzy, floating and inventive guitar playing as well as his classy singing (plus the reputation of his Duke 45's) earned him a secure job as leader of the house band (with Bobby King, Jack Myers...) at Theresa's. He also managed to record for several small Chicago labels: USA, Giant, Palos... In 1967, his stunning composition Somebody loan me a dime, for Palos, started to climb the local charts but was unfortunately cut off by an early and severe Chicago winter which froze litteraly all activities in the Windy city.

     Anyway, rising rock star Boz Scaggs heard the song, copyrighted the tune and recorded it for his Atlantic album in 1969, a national smash it that should have earned some needed money to Fenton but instead left him embittered and poorer, the expanses of lawyers and such going nowhere!

     Trying to emulate Boz's music, Nashville producer John Richbourn signed Fenton and made him recording a poor rock-oriented album in which Fenton didn't even had the right to play his guitar! Fenton went for a while on the road with Charlie Musselwhite.

      At last in 1974, Fenton recorded a major album under the wise production of Bruce Iglauer. Somebody loan me a dime (Alligator) is certainly a masterpiece of the "modern" Chicago blues idiom in which Fenton appears at the peak of his considerable talents. Several tracks from this legendary sessions are still unissued. Maybe one day, Bruce and Alligator would give us the "complete" recording session?

     With such an album and a dedicated producer like Iglauer, the future of Fenton Robinson seemed at last promising. But bad luck struck him once again. Involved in a fatal car accident, Fenton had to go to jail for several months in 1975.

     He recorded another good album for Alligator albeit less stunning than the previous one (I hear some blues downstairs) but seemed not to be able to cash on anything. His brood temper, his versatility discouraged many to take care of his career. Fenton quit Chicago to return to Little Rock, just to find a dying blues scene, relocated to Springfield, Illinois, where he chiefly lived upon musical lectures in schools and even day jobs. He dropped off the US blues scene almost completely but, fortunately, his great reputation in Japan and Europe gave him the opportunty to tour overseas and record a handful of (very good) albums for the Dutch Black Magic label.

    But this is a very bitter, suspicious, disillusionned man, still aware of his considerable musical talents largely unrecognized outside some limited circles, that died after an attack on november 30, 1997. His mostly first rate recorded legacy speaks for his greatness.

                            Gérard HERZHAFT