ROBERT NIGHTHAWK/ Complete Recordings

 

ROBERT NIGHTHAWK/ Complete Recordings

 

           

    Robert Nighthawk est un des maîtres de la slide guitare, un des grands noms du Chicago blues et sa discographie qui s'étend sur plus de trente ans est d'une qualité impressionnante.

           

Robert Nighthawk, hca and his brother Percy

    Robert Mc Collum s'enfuit de la ferme familiale très jeune et mène une vie de musicien itinérant, jouant de l'harmonica dans les rues des bourgades du Delta. Il rencontre Houston Stackhouse, un élève de Tommy Johnson, qui lui apprend le jeu de guitare et le répertoire du grand bluesman. Robert fait aussi équipe avec Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), peut-être avec un tout jeune Robert Johnson. Mais, à la suite d'un incident violent dans lequel il est impliqué, Robert quitte le Delta et gagne Saint Louis où il s'établit sous le nom de sa mère Lee Mc Coy. Il joue là-bas avec Peetie Wheatstraw, Big Joe Williams et John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. C'est en leur compagnie qu'il part enregistrer en 1937 une mémorable séance qui verra à la fois les débuts en studio de Sonny Boy et les siens. Prowling Nighthawk est un important succès. Impressionnés par les talents de Robert Lee Mc Coy, autant à l'harmonica qu'à la guitare, les producteurs vont le faire travailler constamment entre 1937 et 1941. Il enregistre alors abondamment derrière de très nombreux artistes (Sleepy John Estes, Walter Vincson, Lee Brown, Joe Mc Coy, Henry Townsend...) ainsi qu'en leader. Ces titres d'avant-guerre sont souvent excellents, avec des sommets comme G-Man blues ou Friar's Point blues sur lesquels Robert joue du slide d'une façon veloutée et sensuelle, adaptée de la manière de Tampa Red.

            Après un hiatus dû aux années de guerre, Robert revient en studio en 1948, cette fois à la guitare électrique et sous le nom de Robert Nighthawk, en souvenir de son premier succès. Il enregistre pour Chess et United de formidables titres, la crème du Chicago blues de l'après-guerre: Sweet black angel, Anna Lee, The moon is rising, Maggie Campbell... Il effleure à peine les cordes de sa guitare électrique avec son bottleneck et obtient une sonorité encore plus exquise et langoureuse que celle obtenue par Tampa Red. Muddy Waters, Elmore James et surtout Earl Hooker puiseront à sa source. Si la critique blues a largement reconnu la filiation de Nighthawk avec Tampa Red pour son jeu de guitare slide, on n'a guère mis en valeur le fait que lorsqu'il s'exprime à la guitare électrique sans slide, Nighthawk joue, dès ses premiers titres d'après guerre, de façon extrêmement proche des solos de Lonnie Johnson, une influence qui demeurera jusqu'à la fin de sa vie.

Mais ces blues se vendent mal et Nighthawk végète dans les clubs de Chicago. Il part ramasser des oranges en Floride, reste dans le Sud, anime un instant l'émission de radio King biscuit time à Helena. La vogue du Blues Revival l'incite à retourner tenter sa chance à Chicago en 1962. Il y trouve une situation bien difficile pour les bluesmen. A part quelques concerts, les passages habituels dans les tavernes du South Side, quelques superbes titres produits par Willie Dixon pour Decca et Chess (une fantastique version de Sweet black angel, My angel en compagnie de Buddy Guy et Big Walter Horton) et un demi-album pour Pete Welding (Robert Nighthawk/Houston Stackhouse (Testament)), sa tentative de come-back est très décevante pour lui. Il retourne dans le Sud une fois de plus, est frappé d'une crise d'hémiplégie, est une dernière fois enregistré par l'infatigable George Mitchell et meurt peu de temps après le 5 novembre 1967 dans sa ville d'Helena (Ark)

Nous présentons ici la quasi totalité de la très importante œuvre enregistrée par Robert Nighthawk, à l'exception de l'album Live/ Maxwell Street 1964 (Rounder)

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

Robert Nighthawk is one of the masters of slide guitar, one of the great names of Chicago blues, and his discography, which spans more than thirty years, is of impressive quality.

Robert Mc Collum ran away from the family farm at a very young age and led a life as an itinerant musician, playing harmonica on the streets of Delta towns. He met Houston Stackhouse, a pupil of Tommy Johnson, who taught him guitar playing and the great bluesman's repertoire. Robert also teamed up with Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), perhaps a very young Robert Johnson. However, following a violent incident in which he was involved, Robert left the Delta for St. Louis, where he settled under the name of his mother Lee Mc Coy. There he played with Peetie Wheatstraw, Big Joe Williams and John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson. It was in their company that, in 1937, he set off to record a memorable session that would see both Sonny Boy's studio debut and his own. Prowling Nighthawk was a major success. Impressed by Robert Lee Mc Coy's talents on both harmonica and guitar, the producers put him to work constantly between 1937 and 1941. He recorded extensively behind a host of artists (Sleepy John Estes, Walter Vincson, Lee Brown, Joe Mc Coy, Henry Townsend...) as well as a leader. These pre-war tracks were often excellent, with highlights such as G-Man blues and Friar's Point blues on which Robert plays slide in a ultra-smooth, sensual way, adapted from the Tampa Red style.

After a hiatus due to the war years, Robert returned to the studio in 1948, this time on electric guitar and under the name Robert Nighthawk, in memory of his first success. He recorded for Chess and United some wonderful titles, the cream of post-war Chicago blues: Sweet black angel, Anna Lee, The moon is rising, Maggie Campbell... He barely touches the strings of his electric guitar with his bottleneck, and achieves a sound even more exquisite and languorous than that achieved by Tampa Red. Muddy Waters, Elmore James and, above all, Earl Hooker all drew from this source. While blues critics have widely acknowledged Nighthawk's affiliation with Tampa Red in his slide guitar playing, little attention has been paid to the fact that, when he expresses himself on electric guitar without slide, from Nighthawk's early post-war tracks, his guitar style and solos are extremely similar to Lonnie Johnson's, an influence that would remain with him for the rest of his life.

But these down home blues didn't sell well, and Nighthawk languished in Chicago clubs. He left to pick oranges in Florida, stayed in the South and hosted the King biscuit time radio show in Helena for a while. The Blues Revival prompted him to return to Chicago in 1962 to try his luck. He found the situation there very difficult for bluesmen. Apart from a few concerts, the usual stints in South Side taverns, a few superb tracks produced by Willie Dixon for Decca and Chess (a fantastic version of Sweet black angel, My angel in the company of Buddy Guy and Big Walter Horton) and a half-album for Pete Welding (Robert Nighthawk/Houston Stackhouse (Testament)), his comeback attempt was very disappointing for him.

He returned to the South once again, suffered a hemiplegic attack, was recorded one last time by the indefatigable George Mitchell, and died shortly afterwards on November 5, 1967 in his hometown of Helena (Ark).

We have gathered here all the recorded tracks and in chronological order made by this great artists with the exception of the album Live from Maxwell Street/ 1964 (Rounder).

Thanks a lot to all those who re-discovered, interviewed and recorded this important bluesman, particularly Pete Welding and George Mitchell

      Gérard HERZHAFT

ROBERT NIGHTHAWK Discography

FLORIDA COUNTRY BLUES/ Volume 1

 

FLORIDA COUNTRY BLUES Volume 1

               La Floride n'est malheureusement pas une région connue pour son blues. Essentiellement d'ailleurs parce qu'à l'exception du travail de la chercheuse et célèbre écrivain afro-américaine Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) bien peu d'enregistrements de blues ont été faits autant de terrain que commerciaux. Durant deux ans (1935-37) Zora Neale a été le fer de lance de sept expéditions de terrain, certaines en compagnie de John & Alan Lomax qui ont permis de découvrir certains des bluesmen les plus connus de cet Etat dont Gabriel Brown qui enregistrera substantiellement à New York après la guerre.

            En fait, en Floride - comme dans pratiquement tous les Etats du Sud - il y avait une scène du blues assez considérable dans les années 1930-60, certains étant des musiciens professionnels ou semi-professionnels, d'autres qui n'animaient que des soirées privées ou jouaient les week ends pour des pique niques ou des évènements familiaux. Mais ces musiciens ne sont pas connus tout simplement parce qu'aucune compagnie de disques n'est allée les enregistrer durant l'avant et l'immédiate après guerre et que, lors du Blues Revival des années 1960, les producteurs-amateurs de blues se sont essentiellement concentrés sur les régions qu'ils connaissaient par les disques et qu'ils croyaient être les principales (et seules!) régions du blues, en particulier le Delta!

            Mais à partir des années 1960, la State Library &Archives of Florida a fait - sans beaucoup de publicité, aucune revue spécialisée n'en ayant à ma connaissance parlé à l'exception de la parution d'un double album: Drop on down in Florida - un travail considérable de recherches et d'enregistrements de terrain, découvrant de nombreux musiciens folk et blues (et leur permettant de se produire dans des festivals locaux), la plupart étant alors désormais âgés et dont certains avaient fait une très longue carrière dans les juke joints, les medicine shows ou les circuits de Vaudeville. Cela a donné naissance aux considérables archives sonores, photos, interviews rassemblés dans la Florida Memory, à partir de quoi quasiment tous les morceaux ici rassemblés sont issus.

           

Odell Maxwell est un des rares artistes ici présents qui a enregistré deux albums dont nous ne pouvons que recommander l'achat. Né en Floride et fils d'un propriétaire de juke joint Gus Maxwell chez qui ont joué les plus grands bluesmen de passage, Odell partage son temps entre son métier de garde forestier à Orlando et son orchestre, les Maxwells, avec lequel il joue les week ends.

            Richard Williams (1887-1991), un musicien des circuits itinérants qui n'a appris que très tard le blues (avec des ouvriers de passage) a été substantiellement enregistré - blues et Gospel - à la fin de sa vie et en compagnie de sa fille Ella Mae Wilson par les chercheurs de l'Université de Floride qui ont même mis en ligne une excellente sélection de ses meilleurs titres.

           

Albert "Buck" Thompson a longtemps joué dans les juke joints de Floride et Alabama tout en louant ses bras aux différentes fermes et plantations de ces Etats durant les années 1950-60 et son répertoire est extrêmement vaste.

            Blind Johnny Brown (1910-86) et Moses Williams (1919-88) étaient d'excellents musiciens traditionnels, le premier très ancré dans le style Appalachien traditionnel, le second ayant développé une technique particulière au diddley-bow, cet instrument maison primitif, dont il arrivait à tirer des sons très excitants.

            Emmett Murray est né en 1911 à Moultrie (Georgie) et est venu en Floride durant les années 1930 afin de travailler dans les plantations de canne à sucre tout en jouant dans des hôtels et des réunions privées autant pour les Noirs que pour les Blancs.

            L'anthologie est complétée par le pianiste et chanteur Alex Mc Bride (1913-99), un musicien de barrelhouse et la chanteuse Mary Mc Clain (1902-2000) qui a enregistré par ailleurs sous le nom de Diamond Teeth Mary. Ainsi que par l'harmoniciste Samuel Young.

            Tous nos remerciements à Florida Memory pour ce formidable travail.

                                                                                   Gérard HERZHAFT

            Florida is unfortunately not very well known as a blues State for with the exception of the seminal work by famous African American author Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) who did a two year (1935-37) field research work (sometime with the Lomaxes and discovering some future blues artists like Gabriel Brown), no record company never came to this State. But in Florida - like in all Southern States - there were strong local blues scenes during the decades 1930-60 with many bluesmen playing in clubs, juke joints, picnics, medicine shows, who gained a strong local reputation but who never were recorded.

            But from the 1960's the State Library &Archives of Florida has done - without much publicity - a considerable field work, researching blues and folk veterans or younger artists, interviewing them, recording them on hours of tapes and sometimes bringing them to the limelight of local festivals and musical workshops. One box-set of two CD's - Drop down in Florida - was issued commercially and, despite few reviews, is well worth buying.

            This is from those huge archives that most of the following recordings come from.

            Odell Maxwell is one of the very few artists here who has recorded two albums that should be in every country blues fan's collection. Born in Florida and the son of a noted juke joint owner (Gus Maxwell), Odell has learned the blues from all the great names who came to play at his father's place. He shares his time between his day job in Orlando's Park and his band, the Maxwells whose whom he plays the week ends.

            Richard Williams (1887-1991) was a travelling folk musician who learned the blues thanks to itinerant workers coming to the phosphate mines near Richard's place. He has extensively been recorded (often alongside his daughter Ella Mae Wilson) late in his life by Florida Memory which even has put a downloading CD on line.

            Albert "Buck" Thompson has also substantially played in the Florida and Alabama juke joints while being an itinerant field worker during the 1950's-60's and he has a wide repertoire.

           

Blind Johnny Brown (1910-86) and Moses Williams (1919-88) were excellent traditional musicians, the first very rooted in the Piedmont blues tradition, Moses having developed a striking technique at his homemade diddley bow.

            Emmett Murray was born in 1911 at Moultrie (Georgia) and came to Florida during the 1930's to work on the sugarcane fields. He regularly played for parties and picnics for either Black or White folks.

            This homemade comp is rounded by some tracks by barrelhouse pianist Alex McBride (1913-99), singer Mary McClain (1909-2000) who recorded under the name Diamond Teeth Mary and harp player Samuel Young.

            Thanks again to Florida Memory for their huge and so useful work. Go to their websitefor much more material.

  Gérard HERZHAFT

FLORIDA COUNTRY BLUES

ODELL MAXWELL, vcl/g/hca. Orlando, Fl. 2012

01. Black man

02. Whiskey blues

RICHARD WILLIAMS, vcl/g. Newberry, Fl. 27 mai 1978

03. Baby please don't go

04. John Henry

05. Williams' slide blues

ALBERT "BUCK" THOMPSON, vcl/g. Hastings, Fl. 14 février 1985

06. Feel like a bird

07. I am drifting

08. Let's do the Twist

09. Rolling stone

BLIND JOHNNY BROWN, vcl/g. St Petersburg, Fl. 1 octobre 1976

10. Mistreating blues

11. Red Cross store

12. Woke up this morning blues

MOSES WILLIAMS, vcl/g/diddley bow. Waverly, Fl. 27 novembre 1977

13. Catfish blues n°1

14. Catfish blues n°2

15. Highway 13

16. The train

17. Which way did my baby go?

MARY MC CLAIN, vcl; Willie James, pno. White Springs, Fl. 27 mai 1988

18. Backwater blues

ALEX MCBRIDE, vcl/pno. Orange Park, Fl. 16 août 1989

19. In the Evening

EMMETT MURRAY, vcl/g. Pahokee, Fl. 8 avril 1980

20. Dig myself a hole

21. Emmett's blues

22. There is a man taking names

SAMUEL YOUNG, vcl/hca. Homestead, Fl. 14 septembre 1985

23. Decoration day

24. Birdnest on the ground

LAZY BILL LUCAS/ Complete Recordings

 

 

LAZY BILL LUCAS/ Complete Recordings

 

           

Lazy Bill Lucas is one of the too many unsung pioneers of the post-war Chicago blues. He recorded a handful of tracks in 1953 backed by the great Louis Myers that stand as Chicago blues classics, several times reissued on numerous anthologies since the Blues revival years. At that time, Lucas seemed to have disappeared for good and was only a name for blues buffs around the world. But the researcher, guitarist, teacher and future author of several important books and studies, Jeff Todd Titon who lived in Minneapolis (certainly not considered at that time as an important blues city) found there Lazy Bill Lucas, interviewed him in depth (published in Blues Unlimited n°s 6à to 63) and moreover pushed him to record once again for several albums that enabled the bluesman to show the width of his skills and repertoire.

           

Bill Lucas was born in Wynne, Ark on May 29 1918. His father, a poor farmer, was a blues guitarist and, seeing the interest of his young son to the music, he bought him a guitar in exchange of one of his pigs! Bill learned a lot from his father and from Big Bill Broonzy's records, Big Bill staying always his main musical influence. Bill learned also the piano at his local church, becoming a very skilled pianist in demand a little bit everywhere. He moved to Saint Louis, Mo. in 1940 playing during a short time with Big Joe Williams who urged him to try his luck in Chicago. In 1941, Bill moved to the Windy City, playing in Maxwell Street and many Chicago clubs with Little Walter (who gave him his nickname "Lazy Bill" probably due to the nervous eye disorder that gave him some physical limitations), Johnny Young, John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Homesick James etc...

Lazy Bill mainly playing piano by now formed his blues band during the early 50's with his niece Miss Hi-Fi on vocals, Jo Jo Williams on guitar and Johnny Swanns on drums. Bill recorded as a pianist with Homesick James, Snooky Pryor, Little Willie Foster, Eddy Clearwater and with Earl Dranes' group The Blues Rockers. Lazy Bill Lucas recorded only four tracks as a vocalist in October 1953, waxing the classics She got me walkin' and I had a dream. For several reasons, Bill moved to Minneapolis at the end of the 50's, making a living mostly outside music but still playing regularly locally with other Chicago blues expatriates like Mojo Buford and his old friend Jo Jo Williams. He was a regular at the Key Club, playing by himself or with his pals and he almost always was picked to back Chicago bluesmen when they came to town like Big Walter Horton, Smokey Smothers, even Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. This is (during the late 60's) when Jeff Titon interviewed him, documenting this bluesman in depth. Lazy Bill Lucas appeared on several blues festivals during the 1970's, playing also in a musical revue "Dat Feeling" and even hosting his own radio show The Lazy Bill Lucas Show on KFAI in Minneapolis. He recorded several albums from 1969 to 1973 for small independent labels that unfortunately were poorly distributed and sold.

            He recorded a last album in May 1982 before dying in his sleep at his Minneapolis' home on December 11 of the same year.

            This post gathers all his studio recordings and tries to be a well deserved tribute to an important but too neglected bluesman.

            Thanks a lot to Xyros who provided any of the rare recordings herein.

            Most of this article comes from Jeff Titon and Jim O'Neal writings about Lazy Bill on Blues Unlimited and Living Blues.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

 

Lazy Bill Lucas 1950's band with Johnny Swanns, Miss Hi-Fi and Jo Jo Williams.

 

T-BONE WALKER/ The 60's

 T-BONE WALKER/ The 1960's Studio Sessions

           

On ne présente certainement pas aux lecteurs de Blue Eye, l'immense T-Bone Walker (né en 1910 à Linden, Tx), l'un des grands pionniers de la guitare blues électrique et peut-être le principal créateur de ce qu'on appelle aujourd'hui le "West Coast blues".

            Après près de dix ans de succès du disque et de tournées incessantes et harassantes, les années 1950 sont une décennie difficile pour T-Bone. Malgré l'excellence toujours affirmée de sa musique, les succès commerciaux s'espacent. La formule gagnante (arrangements jazzy, tempos alanguis, compositions sentimentales et atmosphère éthérée), sans doute utilisée jusqu'à plus soif, ne fait plus autant mouche. Les goûts du public noir changent vers une musique plus musclée, vers le Rock'n'roll et de plus en plus vers la Soul naissante.

            La vie de T-Bone est essentiellement un tourbillon incessant de femmes, de jeu (il perd des sommes colossales en une nuit), de mauvais placements financiers et peut-être surtout, de whiskey. Il souffre de graves troubles digestifs et en 1955, les chirurgiens lui retirent les 2/3 de l'estomac. Cela ne l'empêche pas de continuer à boire autant mais le force à ralentir ses activités. La mort dans l'âme, T-Bone Walker dissout son orchestre et jouera désormais avec des musiciens locaux, au fur et à mesure des engagements et des apparitions en studio, de plus en plus rares.

            Les années 1960 sont encore plus difficiles. Comme toutes les gloires du Rhythm & Blues des années 40, T-Bone est un has been pour les jeunes Noirs. Et le Blues Revival américain ne recherche guère des musiciens de blues jazzy à l'apparence tirée à quatre épingles comme T-Bone. Mais le showman a de la ressource. Texan pur jus, cavalier émérite, il a toujours réussi à se maintenir en selle. Seul de son genre parmi des bluesmen bien plus rugueux, il va faire partie de la première tournée européenne de l'American Folk Blues Festival 1962. Son jeu de scène spectaculaire - il fait le grand écart, joue de la guitare dans le dos, roule des yeux langoureux - tout autant que le superbe son de sa guitare lui valent encore une fois un grand succès auprès de ce public européen qui ne le connaissait pas beaucoup, hormis les amateurs de jazz.

Il enregistre quelques beaux titres à l'occasion de cette tournée, parraine un groupe britannique de rock blues, les T-Bones qui comprend Stan Webb, le futur fondateur des Chicken Shack. Il reviendra dès lors souvent en Europe où il enregistrera plusieurs microsillons. Aux Etats Unis, grâce au producteur Bob Thiele, T-Bone refait surface en adaptant sa musique aux sonorités funky et boogaloo à la mode durant la fin des 60's. Avec le soutien d'un bel orchestre (le pianiste Lloyd Glenn, le guitariste Mel Brown et une forte ligne de cuivres), Walker enregistre encore deux albums magistraux.

Mais la fatigue, l'abus d'alcool (il vidait un litre de whiskey ou de gin par jour) finissent par miner sa santé. Son jeu s'en ressent, ses concerts aussi où il n'est parfois même plus capable de se tenir sur scène. Toute sa vie, femmes, voitures, guitares et amis, il a dépensé sans compter et n'a pas les moyens de payer ses notes d'hôpital. Pour l'aider et en hommage à sa gigantesque personnalité musicale, les plus grands jazzmen (Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Mann, David Newman, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan) vont l'aider et l'entourer pour un double microsillon, appelé "Very Rare" dans lequel T-Bone lui-même n'apparaît que comme l'ombre de lui-même.

T-Bone décède dans un hôpital de Los Angeles le 16 mars 1975, à peine âgé de 65 ans. Il laisse une œuvre exceptionnelle dont on ne saurait sous-estimer l'impact constant, dès l'origine.

            Nous proposons ici tous les titres enregistrés en studio (et pas ceux en concert) par T-Bone Walker durant les années 1960 dans un ordre chronologique.

            Merci à ceux qui m'ont aidé à compléter cette collection, en particulier Marc Claes et Blues Dude.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

            Everybody reading this blog would certainly know about T-Bone Walker (born in 1910 at Linden, Tx), one of the true originator of the electric blues guitar and of the so-called West Coast blues as well. His influence has been far and wide and can be still strongly heard today.

            After merely 10 years of successful hits and perpetual touring, the mid-50's are lean years for T-Bone. He has left Capitol for Imperial with great expectations but despite the constant excellence of his music, hits are few. His former successful formula (languid tempos, sentimental songs, ethereal jazzy atmosphere) sounds a bit old-fashioned for an African-American record market listening more and more to muscular R'n'R and burgeoning Soul. Like so many 1940's R&B stars T-Bone seems to be a has been for the new generations.

            T-Bone's life is also hectic: a whirl of whiskey, gambling and women that leaves him financially ruined and in a bad health shape altogether. He faces a severe stomach surgery that certainly won't prevent him for hard drinking but that forces him to strongly slow down his activities. In 1955, he must disband his orchestra and has to hire local musicians for gigs and less and less frequent studio sessions.

            While the 1960's begin, his situation seems hopeless. But a true Texan, a skilled horse rider, he will nonetheless be able to saddle again! While the blues revival is more into Delta or Chicago deep bluesmen, T-Bone will be one of the very few jazzy West Coast bluesmen to catch on this new train. He is from the first European AFBF in 1962. A spectacular showman and a great entertainer, he succeeds to win the European audiences. He becomes even the godfather of a British blues-rock group simply called ... The T-Bones (with a young Stan Webb on guitar). He will tour regularly Europe during the 1960's and early 1970's, drawing a faithful audience, recording many sessions as a leader or even as a lead guitarist (for Jay Mc Shann for instance). In the USA, thanks to producer Bob Thiele, he manages to resurface with several excellent records that mix his cool jazzy sound with funk and boogaloo arrangements provided by top-notch backing musicians like Lloyd Glenn or Mel Brown.

            But his hectic life and alcohol abuse take their toll and his last European concerts are painful experiences for even his most staunch fans. All his life he has never been able to keep his dollars in his pocket and to pay his hospital bills an array of great jazzmen (Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Mann, David Newman, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan) help him for his difficult last record, a double-album (Very Rare) in which T-Bone appears to be only the shadow of himself. Aaron Walker dies in a Los Angeles hospital on 16 March 1975, at the early age of 65, leaving a huge musical legacy.

            We have here gathered all his 1960's studio recordings (not those live in concert).  Thanks to all who helped me to gather those scattered tracks, particularly Marc Claes and Blues Dude.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

T-BONE WALKER/ The 60's: Discography

Mr BO / DETROIT BLUES MASTERS Volume 15

 

Mr BO/ Complete Recordings

DETROIT BLUES MASTERS/ Volume 15

 

           

Mr Bo was a true blues master from Detroit, much more than the B.B. King impersonator as he was too often described. And his too short recording works are generally excellent and should have been gathered way before this post. Unfortunately, Mr Bo – as so many Detroit artists – recorded often for tiny ill-distributed companies and, although he was a smash hit when appearing at Ann Arbor's blues & jazz festival, he never got enough attention except for the hardcore blues buffs around the world. And he had to wait his very last year to be finally able to record a whole album!

           

Mr Bo (Louis Collins) was born 7^th April 1932 in Indianola, Ms from a poor sharecroppers family. They – like so many – moved to Chicago just after WWII, then Detroit where the young Collins get his first guitar and was hooked to the blues through listening blues records and watching T-Bone Walker and moreover B.B. King, of course the main influence, caught live during local appearances. After a stay with Washboard Willie's band, soon, Mr Bo formed a band (Mr Bo and His Blues Boys) and played at venues and clubs around Detroit, recording for local labels with few airplays and distribution. In 1966, the great 45 I ain't gonna suffer/ If trouble was money enjoyed some local success and was reissued (bootlegged) in UK, drawing at last attention on this first rate singer and guitarist. His appearance at Ann Arbor's Festival in 1973 as well as several other festivals in Detroit and Chicago gave him more exposure. But the 1970's and 80's were very hard times for bluesmen like Mr Bo and he mainly made a living outside music, playing only sporadically.

            At last, he managed to make an European tour in 1993, playing in Utrecht, being interviewed for the Juke Blues Magazine. In 1995, he made a whole album, his only one! And he probably might have toured again overseas and recording more when he died suddenly from a pneumonia on 19^th September 1995 at Detroit's Hospital.

            I feel this post is a longtime well deserved tribute to a great underrated artist. It was very hard to gather some of his least known tracks and it couldn't have been done without the great help from Blessup, a true bluesfan and an excellent first rate blues guitarist on his own.

            Most of the details of this article come from the interview of Mr Bo by Jonhatan Varjabadian (published on Juke Blues 30) and article by Jim O'Neal on Living Blues n°15.

            I will add that several tracks doesn't even appear in the standard Blues Discography. So it is a tentative discography with possibly several mistakes. Anyway, enjoy this post and the music.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

 

 

Mr Bo (Louis Collins), vcl/g; Mac Collins, bs; Duke Dawson, dms; band. Detroit, Mi. 1959

01. Times hard

02. Hard times once more

03. Live my life all over

04. Until the day I die

05. I'm leaving this town

Mr Bo, vcl/g; band. Detroit, Mi. 1961

06. Heartache and troubles

07. Calypso blues

Mr Bo, vcl/g; Mac Collins, bs; Duke Dawson, dms; band. Detroit, Mi. 1966

08. I ain't gonna suffer

09. If trouble was money

Mr Bo, vcl/g; band. Detroit, Mi. c. 1967

10. A lost love affair I (II)

Thanks to Ballas: A lost love affair Parts I & II are HERE

Mr Bo, vcl/g; band. Detroit, Mi. 1967

11. Santa's on his way

12. Let's go to the party

13. Cha Bo Cha

14. Thinking about my baby

Mr Bo, vcl/g; band. Detroit, Mi. 1968

15. Baby your hair looks bad

16. Night walkers

17. Early in the morning

18. Never love again

Mr Bo, vcl/g; band. Detroit, Mi. 1972

19. Plenty fire below I & II

Mr Bo, vcl/g; Dave Leonard, hca; Sonny Allen, og; Little Mack Collins, g; Bob Kimball, g; Earl Jones, dms. Ann Arbor, Mi. 8 septembre 1973

20. The train

In fact, "The train" is an alternate take to "I'm leaving this town" and was recorded in 1959. Thanks to Ballas for pointing this mistake.

21. Don't want no woman

Mr Bo, vcl/g; Claude Black, pno; Sabrina La Mar, t-sax; Champ Dogg, bs; Ricky Bones, dms. Napoleon, Oh. février 1995

22. If trouble was money 1995

23. Fire down below

24. I've got the blues

25. The train

26. Detroit, Michigan

27. Lost love affair

28. Born in the country

29. B.B. King Medley

30. Buzz me

31. I'm gonna get even

32. Bo's groove

 

Juke Blues Magazine n°34