NEW YORK CITY BLUES YESTERDAY/ 3

NEW YORK CITY BLUES YESTERDAY 
Volume 3

           Reprenons cette série qui se veut documenter la scène du blues et du R&B Newyorkais de l’après-guerre.

           Guitar Crusher est né Sidney Selby dans la comté de Hyde en Caroline du Nord le 28 juillet 1931 et a commencé à chanter dans l’église baptiste fréquentée par sa mère qu’il suit à New York en 1950. Très marqué par les grands orchestres qui font les belles nuits de Harlem, il apprend la guitare et fonde son groupe les Midnight Rockers avec lequel il joue dans les clubs newyorkais. Son surnom ("briseur de guitare") semble lui être venu d'une rixe dans un de ces clubs et non d'une volonté d'anticiper ce que fera Jimi Hendrix! Il enregistre une série de 45t dans les années 1960 qui ont suffisamment de succès pour lui permettre de tourner avec des artistes comme les Isley Brothers, les Drifters ou Ben E. King. Mais ne voulant pas abandonner son travail régulier dans une usine, il disparaît plus ou moins de la scène musicale dans les années 1970. Retrouvé par des amateurs européens en 1989, il se produit sur le Vieux Continent et finit par s'installer en Allemagne, enregistrant plusieurs albums et apparaissant régulièrement sur scène jusqu'à maintenant. Nous avons réuni tous ses titres des années newyorkaises.

           June Bateman (née Marian June Batemon à Schulenburg au Texas le 17 novembre 1939) a suivi ses parents très jeune à New York, résidant à Brooklyn. Elle commence à chanter très tôt dans les clubs, notamment avec The Marquis mais c'est sa rencontre (et son mariage) avec le célèbre saxophoniste Noble Watts (cf l'article sur ce musicien dans Blue Eye) qui la fait devenir professionnelle. Elle est la vocaliste de son mari et enregistre sous son nom une série de beaux 45t, entre blues, R&B et Rock'n'roll dont certains (comme Possum belly overalls) sont devenus des classiques. Mais à la fin des 60's, elle abandonne sa carrière pour élever ses enfants et exercer une fonction pour l'Etat de New York. Elle suit Noble Watts lorsque celui-ci vient se réinstaller dans sa ville natale de DeLand en Floride en 1984. June Bateman-Watts y vit d'ailleurs toujours et joue un rôle actif dans l'annuel Noble "Thin Man" Watts festival. 

           Enfin Bee Bee Queen qui a enregistré deux 45t en 1956-57 demeure pour nous une complète inconnue. Tous renseignements complémentaires seront les bienvenus.

           Merci encore à Jack D., John Weill et l'infatigable Gyro 1966 pour leur aide dans cette anthologie à laquelle il manque encore deux titres de June Bateman (I still love him/ Mama I love him so) et un de Bee Bee Queen. Si l'un de nos lecteurs les a....

                                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

           And there it is the third volume of our New York City blues Yesterday series.

           Guitar Crusher was born Sidney Selby in Hyde County (North Carolina) on July 28th 1931. He started to sing at an early age in the Baptist Church of his mother and followed her to New York around 1950. Very fond of the R&B bands of Harlem, he started to lead his own group, The Midnight Rockers with whom he played in the clubs. His moniker (Guitar Crusher) seems to come from the consequence of a brawl in a bar and not because he anticipated the histrionics stage acts of Jimi Hendrix! Anyway, Guitar Crusher enjoyed some success during the 60's when he recorded a string of nice 45s and toured with such names as the Drifters, the Isley Brothers or Ben E. King. The 70's were nevertheless lean years for him and he then drifted into obscurity, making a living outside of music. But some of his 45 having been reissued on British LP's, he was rediscovered by European blues buffs during the late 80's and persuaded to resume his musical career. He even settled in Germany where he recorded several CD's. He is still sporadically singing on stage in Europe. We have here gathered all his New York 45's.

          

June Bateman

June Bateman (born Marian June Batemon on November 17th 1939 at Schulenburg, Tx) has came with her parents at an early age to New York, living in Brooklyn. Still a teenager, she started to sing with local groups like The Marquis. But this is only when she met (and quickly married) the famous sax player Noble Watts - see the article on him in this blog - that she embarked in a fully musical professional career. As the featured singer of her husband's orchestra, she recorded a string of excellent 45s between blues, R&B and Rock'n'roll, some of them (Possum belly overalls) having even become "classics". She gave up her musical career during the late 60's to take care of her family, holding a steady job for the State of New York. In 1984, she followed Noble Watts to his native DeLand (Florida) where she is still living and playing an active part for the local and annual Noble "Thin Man" Watts festival.

           At last, the so-called Bee Bee Queen is still a shadowy figure. She recorded two 45's in 1956-57. Any info about her would be welcome.

           Thanks a lot to Jack D., John Weill and the ever-reliable Gyro 1966 for their help when making this anthology. Two June Bateman titles (I still love him/ Mama I love him so) and one Bee Bee Queen (You made me do it) are still missing. Thanks by advance to anybody willing to share them.

                                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

NEW YORK CITY BLUES YESTERDAY

Volume 3

Guitar Crusher (Sidney Selby), vcl/g; B. Brown, hca; Clyde Sykes, pno; Willie Blair, bs; dms. New York City, 1962

01. I’ve got to know

02. Cuddle up

Guitar Crusher, vcl/g; band. New York City, 21 août 1962

03. I feel the pain

04. Itch with me

05. The monkey

06. I once loved you baby

Guitar Crusher, vcl/g; band. Cincinnati, Oh. 8mai 1963

07. I can’t help it

08. Better days ahead

09. Why oh why

10. Weak for your love

Guitar Crusher, vcl/hca/g; band. New York City, 12 janvier 1967

11. I’ll catch your tears

12. Goin’ down slow

Guitar Crusher, vcl; Jimmy Spruill, g; Alvin Lee, g; Terry Noonan, tpt; Bud Parks, tpt; Alan Skidmore, t-sax; Les Wigfield, t-sax; Dave Willis, b-sax; Chick Churchill, pno; Leo Lyons, bs; Ric Lee, dms. New York City, 6 août 1968

13. Since my baby hit the numbers

14. Hambone blues

15. What about me?

June Bateman, vcl; Noble Watts, t-sax; Jimmy Spruill, g, Horace Cooper, pno; bs; dms, vcl group. New York City, juillet 1957

16. Need your love

17. Yes I will

June Bateman, vcl; Noble Watts, t-sax; g; bs; Bernard Purdie, dms. New York City, 1960

18. Believe me darling

19. Come on little boy

June Bateman, vcl; Noble Watts, t-sax/vcl; Billy Butler, g; bs; Bernard Purdie, dms. New York City, 1962

20. What ya gonna do?

June Bateman, vcl; Noble Watts, t-sax; band. New York City, avril 1963

21. I don't wanta

I still love him

June Bateman, vcl; Noble Watts, t-sax; Paul Williams, b-sax; band. New York City, septembre 1963

22. Georgia mule

Mama I love him so

June Bateman, vcl; Noble Watts, t-sax; Jimmy Spruill, g; B. Brown, hca; Royal Hamilton, pno; bs; Willie Jenkins, dms. New York City 1964

23. Go away Mr blues (Everlast 45)

24. Possum belly overalls (Everlast 45)

June Bateman, vcl; Noble Watts, t-sax; band. New York City 1965

25. Possum belly overalls (Shaw 45)

26. Go away Mr blues (Shaw 45)

Bee Bee Queen, vcl; Teacho Wilshire, pno; band. New York City, 1956

27. Queen Bee

You made me do it

Bee Bee Queen, vcl; Teacho Wilshire, pno; band. New York City, 1957

28. I Wanna be loved

29. Yes Sir’ee

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday Vol. 9

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday Volume 9

            Neuvième volume de cette série sur le Chicago blues des temps jadis.

            Commençons avec un des grands maîtres de la guitare blues de Chicago, Jody Williams (né Joseph Leon Williams à Mobile, Alabama, le 3 février 1935). Jody a beaucoup contribué à mettre au point le jeu de guitare cinglant, précis et expressif du West Side Sound de Chicago. Venu à Chicago en 1941, il développe très jeune un style de guitare personnel et original et influence quantité de musiciens. Il accompagne Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, Billy Boy Arnold, Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Charles Brown, Billy Stewart et quantité d'autres artistes. Peu sûr de ses talents de chanteur, il n'enregistre que très peu sous son nom et sous divers pseudonymes et favorise des pièces instrumentales, notamment You may et Lucky Lou qui vont être copiés note pour note par de nombreux guitaristes de

Jody Williams at the Apollo. 1956

Chicago. Mais ne pouvant vivre décemment de sa musique, Jody s'engage dans l'armée puis embrasse le métier d'électricien et de technicien chez Xerox avant de revenir, une fois à la retraite, dans les studios et sur scène dans les années 1990, auréolé d'une réputation légendaire. Nous avons ici regroupé les dix titres qu'il a gravés entre 1955 et 1962.

            Bo Dud/ Bo Dudley, né Oscar Coleman dans le Mississippi en 1941 a fait sensation avec son premier 45t en 1968 (Shotgun rider/ Coast to coast), surtout d'ailleurs pour la partie de steel guitare de Freddie Roulette. Imitant alors délibérément Bo Diddley, Bo Dud a ensuite enregistré des titres entre Soul et Chicago blues traditionnel généralement sur son label maison Dud Sound. Deux instrumentaux sont surtout le fait du guitariste Johnny Twist que nous avons présenté dans le volume précédent. Après une longue carrière de chauffeur de taxi et malgré le grave incendie de sa maison de Chicago qui a failli lui coûter la vie, Bo Dud a continué à jouer plus ou moins régulièrement et a même enregistré un album (Oscar boogie) assez difficile à trouver.

            James "Beale Street" Clark (né le 12 janvier 1911 à Memphis) est un pianiste et chanteur venu à Chicago dans les années 30 et qui est surtout connu pour les deux titres sur lesquels Muddy Waters l'accompagne. Il a néanmoins enregistré sous son nom et celui de Memphis Jimmy huit morceaux entre 1945 et 1947 dans un style très ancré dans le Bluebird Sound de la décennie précédente. En particulier, Get ready to meet your man est peut-être la version originale du standard Look over yonder's wall généralement attribué à Jazz Gillum. Clark est ensuite retourné à Memphis où on a perdu sa trace. Nous avons regroupé six de ses morceaux et si quelqu'un a son dernier 78t, une copie .mp3 serait la bienvenue.

                                                                                  Gérard HERZHAFT

            This ninth volume of our Chicago/ The Blues Yesterday series starts with one of the leading Chicago blues guitarists, the legendary Jody Williams. Born Joseph Leon Williams in Mobile, Alabama, on February 3th 1935 and coming to Chicago very early, Jody has been instrumental in forging the so-called West Side Sound with a precise, scathing and ultra bluesy guitar style. Through his numerous sessions behind a lot of artists like Howlin' Wolf, Billy Stewart, Bo Diddley, Billy Boy Arnold, Otis Rush etc... he has strongly influenced most of the upcoming

Chicago blues guitarists. Thinking himself not as a singer, he has waxed only a handful of tracks, mostly instrumental pieces like Lucky Lou that has been copied by almost every Chicago guitar player. Unable to really make a decent living with his music, Jody has embarked in a career as a technician at Xerox. However, once retired from his job, he resumed his musical career and recorded several very good CDs and can be heard playing blues festivals around the world.

            Bo Dud/ Bo Dudley was born Oscar Coleman in Mississippi in 1941. The first single (Shotgun rider/ Coast to coast) he recorded in 1968 gained rave reviews, mostly because of Freddie Roulette's steel guitar pyrotechnics. After that he has recorded several 45 on his own label Dud Sound, less in the Bo Diddley mould than his beginnings, and generally backed by the excellent guitar player Johnny Twist that we have featured on a previous volume of that series. Making a living mostly as a cab driver, Bo has resumed his musical career after a fire had almost taken his life and destroyed his home. He is still playing in Chicago and has even recorded a CD (Oscar boogie).

            James "Beale Street" Clark (born January 12th, 1911 in Memphis) is a pianist and singer who came to Chicago during the 1930's. Although James is mostly known for the two tracks he made for Columbia backed by a young Muddy Waters, he has recorded several others 78s in 1945-47 under his name or the Memphis Jimmy moniker. Get ready to meet your man might be the very original of the blues standard Look over yonder's wall generally attributed to Jazz Gillum. We have been able to gather all his recordings minus his last Victor 78 for which a .mp3 copy would be a nice add.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday

Volume 9

JODY WILLIAMS, vcl/g; Harold Ashby, t-sax; Lafayette Leake, pno; Willie Dixon, bs; Clifton James, dms. Chicago, Ill. 5-9 december 1955

01. Looking for my baby

02. Easy lovin'

03. Groan my blues away

04. I feel so all alone

Jody Williams, vcl/g; Harold Ashby; t-sax; Red Holloway, t-sax; Lafayette Leake, pno/og; Willie Dixon, bs; Phil Thomas, dms. Chicago, Ill. january 1957

05. You may

06. What kind of gal is that?

07. Lucky Lou

08. Hooked on love

Jody Williams, vcl/g; Bernard Barkson, t-sax; b-sax; Lafayette Leake, pno; Bob Walter, bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. 1962

09. Moanin' for molasses

10. Hideout

Lonely without you/ Time for a change are sometimes wrongly attributed to Jody Williams. There are by Joe Driver Williams, a completely different artist

BO DUD (or Bo Dudley), vcl/g; Johnny Big Moose Walker, pno; Fred Roulette, st-g; Mack Thompson, bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. january 1968

11. Shotgun rider

12. Coast to coast

Bo Dud, vcl/g; Johnny Twist Williams, g/vcls; John Bubbles, t-sax; Abb Locke, t-sax; pno; Calvin Jones, bs; Bill Warren, dms. Harvey, Ill. june 1968

13. Soul election

14. Sure is fun

15. The get it

Bo Dud, vcl/g; Johnny Twist Williams, g; hca; Bobby Davis, pno; bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. c. 1969

16. I am back home

17. Why I sing the blues

18. Honky Tonk

JAMES "BEALE STREET" CLARK, vcl/pno; J.T. Brown, clt; Ransom Knowling, bs. Chicago, Ill. 24 october 1945

19. Love me or let me be

20. Get ready to meet your man

21. Who but you

James Clark, vcl; Leonard Caston, pno; Ollie Crawford, g; Alfred Elkins, bs. Chicago, Ill. 22 february 1946

22. Drifting

James Clark, vcl/pno; Muddy Waters, g; Leroy Foster, g; Ransome Knowling, bs; Judge Riley, dms. Chicago, Ill. 27 september 1946

23. Come to me baby

24. You can't make the grade

James Clark, vcl/pno; Howard Dixon, a-sax; J.T. Brown, t-sax; Lonnie Graham, g; Willie Dixon, bs. Chicago, Ill. 3 april 1947

Where shall I go

Jimmie's jump

BLUES FOUNDATION/ KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE AWARD

JANUARY 2014/ MEMPHIS

David Evans with Gerard Herzhaft's Award.

Thank you David for everything

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear friends of the blues,

         It is with a lot of pride that I'm receiving this Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation 2014.

         It has been a long road from the first time I met the blues in France to this Memphis ceremony. I guess it started during the late 1950's when I was a teenager. Those were the Rock'n'roll years even in France and it seemed that the real blues, which was of course one of the pillars of it all, was in small doses coming to us.

         I remember when I got my first blues record. We had a party to celebrate the eve of summer holidays and we were dancing to the sounds of our 45s that were relentlessly playing on an old battered record player. And shaking the floor like we did was also shaking the records a little too far sometimes. Among those damaged was one of my 45. Behind my worried look, the friend who hosted the party offered me to swap my record with one of his. I agreed and this is how I got a Lightnin' Hopkins EP. I had never heard about such a strange name and I strongly suspected my friend to be too happy to get rid of a record he didn't like!

         At first, I didn't like it either: four titles in the same strange mood. Fortunately, I hadn't too many records at that time and Hopkins came rolling again and again on my record player. And the more I listened to this strange music the more I was hooked on it. There was anyway a strong similarity between what I was accustomed to listen to and Mr Hopkins, but he had something more. This was music with incredible feeling, depth and guts.

         " The blues got after me and never let me be...". I could have made those lyrics my own because after that encounter I became a blues fan, searching everywhere for any blues record, tracking any information about it. After that I went to England where there were more blues records, some American blues acts too. I met some other staunch blues buffs, some of whom have become rock stars... I started some tentative writing for the very few magazines that were dealing with the blues.

         A greater shock would be when the American Folk Blues Festival tours started in 1962. It was so exciting to be able to see at last bluesmen that were for me mostly just names on records... Suddenly, John Lee Hooker was moaning his blues just behind me and he was still quite young! Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Big Joe Williams, Sleepy John Estes, T-Bone Walker and many more were playing and singing the blues for real!

         At that time, it was very easy to meet and chat with those artists, especially when you were bringing them a bottle of Cognac. Then I discovered that those who, for me, were Mozarts and Beethovens were fighting for bread and butter in their home country and were not very often recognized as artists. And one thing that was particularly stunning was the impression that I already had met those people through their records... The music was great and full of feeling because the musicians had lived exceptional experiences and had the ability to share them with us through their blues.

         I then decided to try to bring them the recognition they so much deserved. This was how I began to write books and articles about the blues and the bluesmen, searching everywhere, meeting other researchers, going to the USA first in 1968, then in 1973 and after that quite regularly, gaining two Fullbright Grants for my studies in 1979 and 1985.

         Many people helped me to understand the real soul of the blues and I would like to express them my full gratitude: David Evans who brought me in the juke joints of the Delta, an unforgettable experience, was certainly one of the most crucial of those helpers; Barry Lee Pearson, Bob Koester, A.E. Schroeder, Kenneth Goldstein, Bill Mitchell, Jim Griffith and too many generous others to be fully cited.

         I also would like to thank all those who made it possible for me to receive this award today, particularly my friend Jacques Périn, founder of the Soul Bag Magazine, my brother Cisco who was here in Memphis two years ago, France Blues and Jean Guillermo who were so instrumental for my "cause" and of course all of you here at the Blues Foundation who, year after year, act strongly for the blues to be considered as a major art form.

         Thank you, deeply and sincerely, to you all.

Gérard HERZHAFT, Memphis, 24 Janvier 2014

BABY BOY WARREN/ Detroit Blues Masters Vol. 7

BABY BOY WARREN: Detroit Blues Masters Vol. 7

        

   Baby Boy Warren a été un nom important du blues de Detroit, enregistrant entre 1949 et 1954 une série de disques qui font presque tous aujourd'hui figure de classiques du genre.

           Né le 13 août 1919 à Lake Providence en Louisiane, Robert Henry Warren a passé sa jeunesse à Memphis, apprend la guitare avec son frère aîné avec lequel il forme un duo, Big Boy Warren et Baby Boy Warren, un surnom qui lui restera. Il joue dans les années 1930 dans Beale Street et Handy Park côtoyant la plupart des grands bluesmen de la ville et forgeant son style de blues sous l'influence de Little Buddy Doyle et Willie Borum, deux bluesmen populaires à Memphis à cette époque ainsi que, surtout peut-être, de John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. Il fait même partie durant quelques mois du célèbre programme radiophonique basé à Helena (Ak), King Biscuit Time, aux côtés de l' "autre" Sonny Boy (Rice Miller) et Robert Jr Lockwood.

           Comme beaucoup, il gagne Detroit en 1942 afin de trouver un bon salaire chez General Motors et fait ses débuts discographiques en 1949, gravant 21 titres en six ans, une série de très beaux blues pour de petits labels comme JVB, Drummond, Blue Lake, Staff, Prize... avec assez de succès local, pour que certains titres soient repris par des labels mieux distribués comme Federal, Gotham ou Excello.

           Ces disques présentent Warren en compagnie de la crème des musiciens de Detroit comme Calvin Frazier ou Boogie Woogie Red. Mais ce sont ses séances de janvier 1954 qui demeurent les plus prisées des amateurs de blues car il y est accompagné de Rice Miller. En effet, l'harmoniciste de Jackson, avant de s'installer à Chicago, était venu à Detroit, logeant quelques mois chez son ancien compagnon du King Biscuit Time, Baby Boy Warren. Chicken (Chuck a luck) est d'ailleurs essentiellement un instrumental de Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller). Mais les autres morceaux comme Sanafee ou Hello Stranger / Mattie Mae (une composition de John Lee Williamson) sont aussi extrêmement réussis.

           Mais le blues très ancré dans la tradition sudiste de Baby Boy passe de mode dès le milieu des années 1950. Dans une dernière séance à l'été 1954, il tente un peu d'étoffer sa musique avec l'adjonction du saxophone de Johnny Hooks mais, malgré l'excellence de sa version du classique popularisé par John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Stop breaking down, ce disque n'a aucun succès et Warren va progressivement abandonner la musique durant une décennie.

           Le début des années 1970 voit un certain regain d'intérêt pour le blues traditionnel si bien représenté par Baby Boy et Warren apparaît au Detroit Blues Festival de 1971, à Ann Arbor et fait même une tournée en Europe en compagnie du pianiste Boogie Woogie Red. Il aurait enregistré durant cette tournée un LP entier qui n'a malheureusement jamais été publié.

           Il recommençait à jouer régulièrement à Detroit dans l'orchestre du guitariste Willie D. Warren quand il a succombé à une crise cardiaque le 1^er juillet 1977.

                                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

           Baby Boy Warren is another major name of the post-war Detroit blues scene and his recording output (between 1949 and 1954) has gained some kind of a "classical" status.

           Born on August, 13^th, 1919 at Lake Providence (La), Robert Henry Warren has in fact been raised in Memphis, learning the guitar with his elder brother with whom he formed a duo, Big Boy Warren and Baby Boy Warren, a nickname that would stick to him forever. During the late 1930's he plays regularly with local bluesmen Little Buddy Doyle and Willie Borum while being strongly influenced by the recordings of John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. He is rumoured to have recorded two titles at that time but no evidence of this has never surfaced. In 1941, he is for a few months a featured member (alongside the other Sonny Boy (Rice Miller) and Robert Lockwood) of the popular radio programme King Biscuit Time broadcasted from Helena (Arkansas).

           1942 finds him in Detroit trying to make a better living at General Motors and playing the blues in the clubs. He finally makes his first known recordings in 1949, visiting sporadically the Detroit studios for the next six years, issuing records on small local labels, some of it stirring enough interest to be also issued by labels with national distribution like Federal or Excello. Baby Boy is backed by the best Detroit bluesmen (Calvin Frazier, Boogie Woogie Red) but this is his January, 1954 session that generally is better known because he is in the company of his old mate Rice Miller who, coming from the South to Chicago, made a stopover in Detroit, living for some months at Baby Boy's place and playing with him at some Hastings Street's clubs. In fact, Chicken/ Chuck a luck is mostly a Rice Miller instrumental. The other titles are of the same high standard, particularly Sanafee and Hello Stranger/ Mattie Mae, a reworking of a John Lee Williamson's hit.

           But, despite an essay to modernize his sound with the add of Johnny Hooks' saxophone on a last 1954 session, the very downhome blues of Baby Boy with a strong late 1940's flavor seems already out-fashioned and Warren won't record anymore, playing less and less outside private parties.

           He was making a modest comeback in the 1970's with appearances at the 1971 Detroit blues festival, the 1973 Ann Arbor festival (where he recorded two "live" titles) and a European tour alongside Boogie Woogie Red (he may have recorded an album during this tour but nothing has been issued insofar) when he died of a massive heart attack on July, 1^st 1977.

                                                      Gérard HERZHAFT

BABY BOY WARREN/ Complete Recordings

Robert Henry Warren, vcl/g; Charley Mills, pno; Milt Larkin, bs. Detroit, Mi. 1949

01. My special friend blues

02. Nervy woman blues

03. Lonesome cabin blues

04. Don't want no skinny woman

05. Forgive me darling

06. Please don't think I'm nosey

Robert Henry Warren, vcl/g; Boogie Woogie Red, pno; Calvin Frazier, g; Curtis Foster, dms. Detroit, Mi. 1950

07. I got lucky

08. Let's renew our love

09. Taxi driver

10. Bad lover blues

Robert Henry Warren, vcl/g; Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), hca; Washboard Willie, wbd. Detroit, Mi. 10 janvier 1954

11. Sanafee

12. Not welcome anymore

13. Hello stranger

14. Bring me my machine gun

15. Chicken

16. Chuck a luck

17. Baby boy blues

Robert Henry Warren, vcl/g; Boogie Woogie Red, pno; Calvin Frazier, g; Washboard Willie, wbd. Detroit, Mi. mars 1954

18. Mattie Mae

19. Santa Fe

Robert Henry Warren, vcl/g; Johnny Hooks, t-sax; Boogie Woogie Red, pno; Little George Jackson, g; Jimmy Tarrant, dms. detroit, Mi. juillet 1954

20. Somebody put bad luck on me

21. Stop breaking down

Robert Henry Warren, vcl/g; Boogie Woogie Red, pno; band. Ann Arbor, Mi. 1973

22. Too many drivers

23. She's fine

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday Vol. 8

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday Vol. 8

             

Comme cette série est littéralement plébiscitée, voici donc un nouveau volume avec, comme toujours, 3 (ou 4?) artistes trop méconnus.

           Jesse Anderson, né le 21 août 1940 à Paris (Arkansas) s'est installé très jeune dans l'Oklahoma puis le Kansas, fondant à Topeka à la fin des 50's un orchestre de blues les Blues Toppers. Venu à Chicago en 1960, Jesse s'est lié avec d'autres jeunes musiciens de la ville comme Fenton Robinson (avec lequel il cosignera Somebody loan me a dime), Earl Hooker, Otis Rush, les frères Jimmy et Syl Johnson. Dans ses disques gravés pour Federal puis Cadet, Thomas, Outta Cyte dans les années 60, Jesse Anderson se révèle un excellent adepte de la Soul naissante tout en retenant l'atmosphère et le feeling du Chicago blues de l'époque. Il enregistre ainsi une courte œuvre de tout premier plan, brute et goûteuse, qui avec I got a problem flirte avec les Hit Parades de R & B mais qui n'est pas assez commerciale pour faire de Jesse Anderson - c'est aussi vrai d'autres Soul-bluesmen de l'époque comme Little Oscar ou Jamo Thomas - une vedette. Et sa musique est alors considérée aussi trop "Soul" pour les amateurs américains et internationaux du blues revival. C'est ainsi que Jesse disparaît de la scène musicale à partir des années 1970. Mais il est toujours présent et souhaiterait d'évidence pouvoir tourner et enregistrer l'excellent album de blues moderne dont il a d'évidence le potentiel.

           Le chanteur et guitariste (et aussi pianiste, bassiste) Johnny Twist (Johnnie Lee Williams), né dans le Mississippi dans les années 30 a suivi le parcours habituel de bien des bluesmen: des juke joints du Delta aux clubs de Chicago en passant par Saint Louis. Une figure bien connue de Maxwell Street, Johnny a été substantiellement présent dans les studios, notamment derrière Koko Taylor, enregistrant aussi quelques 45t sous son nom. Il vient de resurgir récemment, tenant une boutique/ musée "Old Dusty's Records" qui lui a valu un bel article du South Side Weekly. Lui aussi a certainement le potentiel d'enregistrer un bon album de blues.

           Enfin, je vous propose la totalité des morceaux enregistrés par Willie Mc Neal. Ou pourrait-on dire Willie Mc Neals? Même si plusieurs critiques et spécialistes pensent que c'est le même Willie Mc Neal qui a gravé des titres sous les noms de Boll Weevil, Willie Mc Neal ou Big Mac, la comparaison des voix n'est pas évidente. Rough dried woman I & II est bien connu (Willie a ajouté sa voix à un instrumental de Willie Williams - cf l'article à ce nom dans mon blog) mais son autre 45t l'est beaucoup moins. Pour épaissir encore davantage le mystère, il y a d'autres artistes qui ont enregistré sous le nom de Big Mac, en particulier un bluesman de Milwaukee. Quoi qu'il en soit, la musique est ici (et elle est bonne). A vous de vous faire une idée!

           Je regarde le bilan 2013 de ce blog dont le but est de mettre en lumière des artistes beaucoup trop négligés et il me paraît assez cossu. Merci de vos avis et remarques qui me permettent de savoir si ce "travail" (sans aucune rémunération d'aucune sorte) mérite que je le poursuive.

           En attendant, joyeux Noel à tous et qu'en 2014 la "Force blues" soit avec vous!

                                                      Gérard HERZHAFT

           As this Chicago/ the Blues Yesterday series seems to be increasingly popular, here is a new opus!

           Jesse Anderson (born in Paris, Ak. on August, 21st, 1940) has lived in Oklahoma and Wichita (Kansas) - where he led the Blues Toppers - before going to Chicago during the early 60's. A forceful and impassionate singer, Jesse became part of a group of young innovative bluesmen like Fenton Robinson (with whom he co-wrote Somebody loan me a dime), Earl Hooker, Otis Rush, Syl and Jimmy Johnson. He recorded a handful of great 45s during the 1960's for several labels (Federal, Cadet, Thomas, Outta Cyte) in which he mixes perfectly the sounds of the then uprising Soul Music with the gritty, harsh and gutsy feeling of the Chicago blues. Despite the very high quality of his music (I got a problem is a small hit), it was too down home for the new black public of the 70's and too "Soul" for the mostly white and international public of the blues revival! And Jesse didn't do too much musically after the early 70's. But this fine singer is still around, willing to perform and record the first rate blues album that he is certainly able to make.

           Johnny Twist (Johnnie Lee Williams) is a singer-guitarist from Mississippi (born in the 1930's) who was a very familiar figure of Maxwell Street Market and the Chicago blues clubs. He has substantially been in the studios during this decade, recording behind several big names (Koko Taylor) and a handful of 45's under his own name. He is also still around, keeping a shop (and museum), "Old Dusty's Records" which gained him recently an article in the South Side Weekly. It should be nice if Johnny could be interviewed in depth and record the complete blues album he certainly deserves to make.

           Willie Mc Neal (or should I say Willie Mc Neals?) is quite a mysterious artist. Although several specialists think that it's the same man who recorded under the names of Boll Weevil, Willie Mc Neal and Big Mac, it is hard to be affirmative when comparing the voices. If Rough dried woman is well known and is in fact Big Mac putting his vocal over an older instrumental track by Willie Williams (see an article about this bluesman in this blog), his other 45 is harder to find. There are other people that recorded under the Big Mac's moniker, namely a Milwaukee blues singer. Who is who? You can make your choice.

           During 2013, I've tried to bring the limelight upon bluesmen (and women) who are too much neglected or mostly unknown. I hope to have been useful and instrumental in letting blues buffs the world over (re?)discover artists who put their own modest but important stone to the foundations of the music we love.

           As usual, thank you for your feedback. It gives me the idea if I have to carry on or not this "work" (without any financial reward of course).

           But now, let me wish you all a Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year!

                                                                 Gérard HERZHAFT

CHICAGO/ The Blues Yesterday

Volume 8

JESSE ANDERSON, vcl; Eddie Caddell, t-sax; Gordon Sims, og; Herbie Welch, g; Carl Wright, bs; Willie Wright, dms. Chicago, Ill. 27 mai 1960

01. Got a feelin'

02. I'm gonna leave you baby

Jesse Anderson, vcl; Bobby King, g; Sonny Thompson, pno; band. Cincinati, Oh. 22 mai 1962

03. How long has it been?

04. You better think twice

Jesse Anderson, vcl/g; band. Chicago, Ill. 1966-67

05. True Love Express

06. Swing too high

07. Get loose when you get loose
08. You're only a woman

Jesse Anderson, vcl/g; band. New York City, 1970

09. Mighty mighty

10. I got a problem

11. Readings in Astrology

JOHNNY TWIST (Johnnie Lee Williams), vcl/g; band. Belleville, Ill. 1962

12. Teach me how n°1

13. Teach me how n°2

Johnny Twist, vcl/g; band. Chicago, Ill. 1964

14. Nona baby

15. Look out pretty baby

Johnny Twist, vcl/g; Willie Dixon, bs/vcls; band. Chicago, Ill. 5 avril 1966

16. Go Go baby

BOLL WEEVIL (Willie Mc Neal), vcl/g. Chicago, Ill. 1948

17. Christmas time blues

18. Thinking blues

 Willie Mc Neal, vcl/g; pno; bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. 1956

19. Things ain't what they used to be

20. Streamline woman

BIG MAC (Willie Mc Neal), vcl; Johnny Jones, pno; Hubert Sumlin, g; Eddie Taylor, g; Willie Williams, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1963-66

21. Rough dried woman I & II

Big Mac, vcl; band. Chicago, Ill. 1967

22. That's the way you treat your woman

23. Bad affair
 Big Mac, vcl; band. Chicago, Ill. 1969
24. Come to me