TEXAS BLUES/ Volume 10

 

TEXAS BLUES/ Volume 10

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

           

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

 

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

 

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

 

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

01. Come back Betty

02. Don't play no woman for no fool

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

03. I always will love you

04. Go ahead baby

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

05. Yesterday is already gone

06. Looking good

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

07. Losin' boy

08. Pretty black woman

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

09. Wait and see

10. Goodbye

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

11. Ascot shuffle I & II

12. Boogie chillun

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

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

13. Thousand miles away

14. I done got over it

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

15. I'm sorry

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

16. Work with me Annie

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

17. I can't go on this way

18. Make me dance little ant

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

My pacify

I hope I'll cry

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

19. The shoe shy I & II

You think you got it made

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

20. May the best man win

21. The rains came

With you

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

22. Where there's a will

23. Can't figure out woman

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

24. Let's shack up

25. Ugly to the bone

 

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

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

26. Lonely heart blues

27. Barrelhouse nightcap

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

28. Lost you

29. Take me back again

 

 

ALBERT COLLINS/ BLUES GUITAR MASTERS Vol. 5 (repost, new links)

 

ALBERT COLLINS: Blues Guitar Masters Vol. 5

           

Né dans une famille de métayers de Leona (Texas) le 1 octobre 1932, Collins commence très jeune à jouer autour de Houston, apprend la guitare en voyant Frankie Lee Sims et surtout Guitar Slim à qui il empruntera une grande partie de son jeu de scène. Il écume les bars du Third Ward et développe un style très personnel: courtes notes claires et hautes qui surgissent d'un fond de basse très épais, capodastre fixé très haut sur le manche et emploi systématique des gammes mineures. On retrouve dans le jeu de Collins de plus en plus sur une Telecaster, des traces du style traditionnel du Texas central, parcimonieux et économique mais cinglant et expressif auquel s'ajoutent les influences de Gatemouth Brown et B.B. King.

            A la fin des années 50, Albert Collins enregistre pour de petits labels locaux comme Hall-Way ou Kangaroo une série de pièces instrumentales qui ont un certain succès local: Freeze, Defrost, Frosty..., succession de riffs aux notes précises et tendues qui créent une atmosphère élégante et "glacée" qui restera la marque d'Albert Collins. Ces disques deviennent dans les années 60 de petits classiques, révérés des amateurs. La revue britannique Blues Unlimited publie plusieurs articles sur Albert, attirant l'attention du nouveau public international du blues. Entre temps et grâce à Bob Hite, le leader des Canned Heat, Collins a émigré autour de San Francisco à Palo Alto et Bob le présente au Fillmore West et lui fait enregistrer une série d'albums essentiellement instrumentaux pour le major Imperial/ Liberty.

           

Mais ces albums se vendent assez mal, ne sont pas très bien accueillis des amateurs et les années 70 sont très difficiles pour Collins. Auréolé de légende mais méconnu du grand public, sans label, il végète, pilier modeste des petits bars de Houston jusqu'à San Francisco. Heureusement, à la fin des 70s, Bruce Iglauer l'enregistre pour son label Alligator, le fait venir à Chicago et l'entoure des meilleurs musiciens de la ville (A.C. Reed, Aron Burton, le batteur Casey Jones). Surtout, Iglauer convainc Collins de chanter. Même si son timbre est léger et peu puissant, sa voix a de la personnalité. Il n'est certes pas le blues shouter qu'il se rêvait mais il est un "blues whisperer" très efficace.

            Ajoutant la souplesse de son style texan à la solidité du Chicago blues, Collins enregistre pour Alligator une série d'albums remarquables tels Ice pickin', Frostbite, Don't lose your cool, Cold snap, Frozen alive . Ils permettent enfin à Albert une carrière internationale. Son dynamisme, sa verve et son sens de la scène lui valent une forte réputation dans le monde entier, du Japon à Montreux où il enflamme le festival de jazz. Il signe pour Pointblank, un label tourné vers le public du rock, une série de disques qui connaissent un grand succès commercial.

            Hélas, atteint d'un cancer du poumon, il décède à Las Vegas le 24 novembre 1993

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

            Born in a poor farming family at Leona (Tx), 1st October 1932, Albert Collins starts at a very young age to play guitar under the influence of several bluesmen he had the opportunity to watch, mainly Frankie Lee Sims and Guitar Slim from whom he will borrow his flamboyant showmanship. After moving in Houston's Third Ward, Albert will cut his teethes in small clubs and private parties, building a very personal guitar style: short, precise, clear and high musical notes emerging generally from a background of heavy basses, his capo fixed very high on the fretboard with a frequent use of minor scales. One can anyway find on this very original style (more and more on a Telecaster guitar) some borrowings to the old traditional Central Texas blues guitar playing, parsimonious but scathing and very expressive. Later on Albert will add many other influences from Gatemouth Brown, Fulson or B.B. King.

           

Albert Collins starts recording from 1958 for tiny local labels like Hall-Way or Kangaroo, essentially instrumental riffs which generate an impression of elegant and "icy"' atmosphere (Freeze, Defrost, Frosty... ) that will stay as Collins' trademark. Those 45s gain some small success and allows Collins to have more gigs. But moreover they raise a lot of interest in Europe, particularly thanks to the British review Blues Unlimited which feature several raving articles about Collins' blues. Bob Hite, leader of the rock blues group the Canned Heat, is among those new fans and he persuades Albert to try his luck in California. Living from now on at Palo Alto, Collins can play on much popular clubs and scenes like the Fillmore West. Still thanks to Hite, Albert records a string of albums for the major label Imperial/ Liberty, once again mostly instrumentals.

            Unfortunately, those LPs don't sell too well and are not even very well received by the new international blues audience. The 1970's are very harsh for Albert who drifts from small label to another, playing in Houston and San Francisco clubs. Until he meets Alligator's wise producer Bruce Iglauer who brings Albert in Chicago and records him backed by some of the best Chicago sidemen (A.C. Reed, Aron Burton, Casey Jones), issuing several first rate albums on Bruce's label Alligator. This time - and despite being reluctant to do it - Collins sings or talks on several tracks and even he his certainly not Bobby Bland, his whispering nasal singing style has much effect. Ice Pickin', Frostbite, Don't lose your cool, Cold snap or Frozen alive are great albums, mixing Texas and Chicago blues styles for the better.

            Albert then starts to tour around the USA, Japan and particularly Europe where his constantly great shows win him a strong following among blues and rock fans. His last records for the Pointblank label are much more turned towards the rock audience and bring him an important success.

            Unfortunately, suffering from lung cancer, Albert Collins dies in Las Vegas on 24 December 1993.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

ALBERT COLLINS/ Early discography

CD1

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Frank Mitchell, tpt; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Herman Hopkins, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 1958

01. Freeze

02. Collins' shuffle

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Walter Mc Neil, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 5 December 1962

03. Albert's alley

04. Defrost

05. Homesick

06. Sippin' soda

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Frank Mitchell, a-sax; Henry Hayes, a-sax; Cleotis Arch, t-sax; Walter Mc Neil, pno; Bill Johnson, bs; Herbert Henderson, dms. Houston, Tx. 22 July 1963

07. Frosty

08. Tremble

09. Thaw out

10. Backstroke

Albert Collins, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. 1965

11. Sno Cone I & II

12. Dyin' flu

13. Hot n' cold

14. Don't lose your cool

15. Frost bite

16. Cool aide

17. Shiver and shake

18. Icy blue

19. I don't know

Albert Collins, vcl/g; band. Houston, Tx. février 1968

20. Taking my time

21. Cooking Catfish

22. Soulroad

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Mike Rosso, og; Sonny Boyan, t-sax; Bill Johnson, bs; Larry Daniels, dms. Los Angeles, Ca. May 1968

23. Do the Sissy

24. Collins mix

25. Let's get it together I & II

26. Got a good thing going on

27. Leftovers

28. Doin' my thing

29. Ain't got time

30. Turnin' on

31. Whatcha say

32. Puchin'

33. Stump poker

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Harmonica Fats, hca; horns; James Hooker Brown, og/pno; Charles Freeman, g; Tommy McClure, bs; Robert Tarrant, dms. Nashville, Tn. July 1969

34. Harris County lineup

35. Conversation with Collins

36. Jawing

37. Grapeland gossip

38. Chaterbox

39. Trash talkin'

40. Baby what you want me to do?

41. Lip service

42. Talking Slim blues

43. Back yard back talk

44. Tongue lashing

45. And then it started raining

Albert Collins, vcl/g; Bobby Alexis, og; band. Nashville, Tn. 1970

46. Soul food

47. Jam it up

48. Do what you want to do

49. Black bottom bayou

50. Junkey monkey

51. 69 Underpass Roadside Inn

52. I need you so

53. Bitsy

54. Cool and collards

55. Blend down and jam

56. Sweet'n'sour

57. Swamp sauce

LITTLE MACK SIMMONS/ Complete Recordings 1959-76

LITTLE MACK SIMMONS/ Complete Recordings 1959-76

     

 

Little Mack Simmons (né à Twist, Arkansas le 25 janvier 1933) a été quelque peu dans l'ombre des autres harmonicistes de Chicago. S'il n'est certainement pas "le plus grand harmoniciste de Chicago" comme il le proclamait fièrement, il est un bluesman d'importance qui a substantiellement enregistré et beaucoup de bonnes choses.

         Ami d'enfance de James Cotton, Mack apprend l'harmonica en écoutant les disques de John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson et joue dans les rues de Saint Louis avec Robert Nighthawk avant de gagner Chicago en 1954. Il fait rapidement partie du groupe d'harmonicistes de la ville qui rêvent de voler sur les traces de Little Walter et Jimmy Reed: Slim Willis, Dusty Brown, Good Rockin' Charles, Lester Davenport... En 1955, il forme son premier groupe avec Detroit Junior, Bobby Anderson, Eddie King et Robert Whitehead. Mack réussit à enregistrer en 1959 pour le producteur Carl Jones, Come back et My walking blues qui sont de petits succès. Cela lui permet de retourner fréquemment dans les studios les années suivantes et de sortir des disques sur Bea & Baby, Checker, New Breed, Palos... Mack y fait preuve d'un jeu d'harmonica dynamique, très dérivé de ceux de Little Walter et Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) et d'une voix chaude qui veut parfois évoquer Bobby Bland. Mais les goûts du public noir ne sont plus au blues et les tentatives faites par Little Mack pour devenir un musicien de Soul tournent court. Il s'installe un instant à la frontière mexicaine, vit du trafic de drogue et avec l'argent ainsi gagné s'achète le Club Zodiac et crée son studio d'enregistrement et son label P.M. Records qui produit les disques de Arelean Brown, notamment son humoristique I'm a streaker qui est un hit local.

         Simmons n'émarge que très accessoirement au Blues Revival. Durant les années 70, il doit se contenter d'une tournée en France durant laquelle il grave son premier album (Blue lights (Black & Blue)) de quelques autoproductions et surtout d'une activité d'harmoniciste de studio.

         La décennie suivante le voit s'embarquer dans une "carrière" religieuse. Il devient Révérend, enregistre du gospel. Mais son église reçoit bientôt la visite du FBI car le Révérend Mack Simmons se servait de sa tenue de clergyman pour faire un trafic de drogue! Condamné à de longues années de prison, Mack reprend son harmonica et le blues dans les années 90. Il enregistre enfin plusieurs excellents CDs pour St George, Wolf et Electro-Fi.

         Après une longue bataille contre le cancer, Little Mack Simmons décède à Chicago le 24 octobre 2000 laissant une œuvre qui mérite qu'on s'y attarde.

        

                                                        Gérard HERZHAFT

         Little Mack Simmons (born in Twist, Arkansas on January 25 1933) wasn't the "greatest Chicago harp player" as he used to present himself but anyway an important bluesman who has recorded many a great sides throughout four decades.

         Mack learn to play the harp with his childhood friend, James Cotton, in the shadow of Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller). He leaves the South for Saint Louis where he plays in the street with Robert Nighthawk and then comes to Chicago in 1954, playing in the many clubs of the Windy City. In 1959, Mack makes his recordings debut for producer Carl Jones and Come back and My walking blues are small hits that establish Simmons as a new promising bluesman. He then records quite prolifically for several labels but the mid and late 60's are quite hard for the blues. Mack relocates himself on the Mexican border where he makes a living with the drug traffic, earning enough money to go back to Chicago, buy a club and a recording studio. His P.M. label features several good singles by himself and by others like the excellent singer Arelean Brown whose her witty I'm a streaker is a local winner.

         Alongside Lonnie Brooks and Hubert Sumlin, Little Mack appears on the Chicago Blues Festival in France where he records his first album (Blue Lights) on the Black & Blue label. His religious feelings make him to become a preacher, running a church in Chicago where faith mixes with drug traffic. And in the early 1980's he is arrested by the FBI and put in jail. After his release in 1990, he starts a new blues career, recording several excellent CD's for St George, Wolf or Electro-Fi. But he dies of a cancer in Chicago on October 24, 2000.

         Most all of his recordings deserve to be heard. 

                                               Gérard HERZHAFT

Little Mack Simmons/ The Complete Recordings 

*the albums recorded by Little Mack Simmons as such are not included

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; James Cotton, hca on *; Detroit Jr, pno; Eddie King, g; Bob Anderson, bs; Robert Whitehead, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1959

01. Come back

02. My walking blues

03. Jumping at Cadillac*

04. I need you

05. Blues for Atomic H.

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; John Jackson, t-sax; Eddie King, g; Detroit Jr, pno; Kinner Scott, bs; Richard Robinson, dms. Chicago, Ill. 15 janvier 1960

06. Times are getting tougher

07. Don't come back

08. You mistreated me

09. Broken heart n°1

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; Georgia Hinton, vcl; Freddie Robinson, g; Eddie King, g; Detroit Jr, pno; Lafayette Leake, og;  Bob Anderson, bs; Billy Davenport, dms. Chicago, Ill. août 1960

10. I need love

11. I'm happy now

12. Don't leave me now

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; Jimmy Dawkins, g; Jerry Mundo, og; bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. janvier 1961

13. I'm so unhappy

14. Woman help me

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; Detroit Jr, pno; band. Chicago, Ill. juin 1961

15. Drivin' wheel

16. Broken heart n°2

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; James Cotton, hca on *; Eddie King, g; Detroit Jr, pno;  John Jackson, t-sax; Willie Henderson, b-sax; Bob Anderson, bs; Billy Anderson, dms. Chicago, Ill. 19 septembre 1963

17. I'm your fool

18. Let's hootenanny out of jail*

19. Help me

20. Mother in law

20A. Push and pull (Thanks to our friend Steve W.)

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; William MacDonald, g; Paul Meyers, g; John Jackson, t-sax; Buddy Scott, bs; Billy Davenport, dms. Chicago, Ill. mai 1968

21. A tribute to Dr Martin Luther King

22. Getting out of the ghetto

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; Detroit Jr, kbds; William MacDonald, g; Nat Charles, g; Paul Meyers, bs; Billy Davenport, dms. Chicago, Ill. novembre 1969

23. Mother in law blues

24. You got to help me

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; horns; Mighty Joe Young, g; William MacDonald, g; Paul Meyers, bs; Robert Covington, dms. Chicago, février 1970

25. Goose walk

26. Giving me a hard time

Check out my baby

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; James Cotton, hca; band. Chicago, Ill. juin 1970

27. Never leave my homework undone

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; Carey Bell, hca; Homesick James, g; Odell Campbell, bs; Willie Williams, dms. Chicago, Ill. juillet 1970

28. Hoochie koochie man

29. The sky is crying

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; Carey Bell, hca; Hubert Sumlin, g; Eddie Taylor, g; Sunnyland Slim, pno; Odell Campbell, bs; Fred Below, dms. Chicago, Ill. 13 décembre 1971

30. Trouble no more

31. I'm tore down

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; James Cotton, hca; band. Chicago, Ill. janvier1972

32. You're so fine

33. Blue lite

34. I'm gonna keep on searching

35. Rainy night in Georgia

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; band. Chicago, Ill. 1974

36. Snap your fingers

37. Next time you see me

38. Jesus so wonderful

39. Skin tight

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; band. Chicago, Ill. 1975

40. The turning point I & II

Little Mack Simmons, vcl/hca; band. Chicago, Ill. 1976

41. Inflation blues

42. Key to the highway

43. The same one

44. Messing with the Kid

45. Mama was right

46. I play for keeps

DAVE DICKERSON/ Piedmont blues

 

DAVE DICKERSON/ PIEDMONT BLUES

 

          Here we have almost all of the recordings made by West Virginia bluesman and songster Dave Dickerson, certainly a very obscure figure of the so-called fingerpicking Piedmont blues. All the few details of his life come from legendary British researcher and label owner, Bruce Bastin from his essential book Red River blues. Bruce issued the only commercial recording made by Dickerson in 1967. All the other tracks in this post are unissued and were recorded live in April 1965 by Andrew Poly and Roddy Moore, director of the Blue Ridge Institute. Those are now at the Ferrum College Audio Archives. Thanks to all for allowing those rare and quite good records to be heard by blues fans all over the world.

            Dave was born at Tip Top, Tazewell County, West Virginia a few miles from the Virginia border on May, 4^th 1913. For the era, he was quite educated, attending for 10 years at the Genoa High School in Bluefield, Va. His family was very fond of the blues records of the time, particularly Blind Lemon Jefferson's and Blind Blake's that they bought by mail order. Soon, the young Dave learned guitar from those records and during the 1930's borrowed a lot from his very favorite, Blind Boy Fuller.

            Around 1933, Dave Dickerson was making a living as a construction worker then as a miner for US Steel on various Virginia's mines. He sang and played for himself or for friends almost every week end at parties and venues but never thought to be recorded or even trying to make a few bucks with his music, despite the fact he earned a great reputation all around.

            In 1965, Roddy Moore who was heading the Blue Ridge Institute heard about Dave Dickerson, located him and brought him to play before the Institute's students, recording the concert. This gave confidence to Dave to play before wider audiences and he got a regularly gig at Balcksburg's coffeehouse where Bruce Bastin recorded The war is over in 1967. Unfortunately, Dave became very ill a few months after and had to give up playing. Dave Dickerson seems to have died a few years after but I have not been able to get an obituary or locate his grave.

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

 

Dave Dickerson, vcl/g. Blacksburg, Va. 1 april 1965

01. Dickerson blues

02. Electric chair blues

03. Hard luck blues

04. I wrote you a twelve page letter

05. I'm goin down thats unny road

06. In the pines

07. Milk cow blues

08. Old apple tree

09. Sadie Green, vamp of New Orleans

10. Steady rolling blues

11. Sweet root blues

12. Twelve days later

13. You've done wrong baby

14. Darling you can't love but one

15. Kansas City blues

16. Key to the highway

17. The preacher and the bear

Dave Dickerson, vcl/g. Blacksburg, Va. june 1967

18. The war is over

 

 

NEW YORK CITY FOLK BLUES FESTIVAL

 NEW YORK CITY FOLK & BLUES FESTIVAL 1965

            C'était l'époque du Folk Boom et des grands festivals folk et blues, tout acoustiques bien sûr. On pouvait voir sans difficulté le Révérend Gary Davis chanter à Harlem, Sweet Daddy Stovepipe hanter Central Park où chaque week end, guitaristes, chanteurs, musiciens folk venaient échanger musiques, disques, conseils, informations sur tel ou tel musicien...

            Ce festival qui a eu lieu en août 1965 dans Central Park à New York - concocté et présenté par Alan Lomax - permet d'entendre plusieurs artistes de New York en compagnie d'autres venus du Sud pour l'occasion. On trouve ici uniquement des artistes Africains Américains qui représentent une large palette des musiques folk encore vivantes un peu partout dans le Sud des Etats Unis.

            Inédit en disque, ce festival est un excellent témoignage de la scène musicale du folk et blues revival du milieu des années 60.

            Tous nos remerciements à la Fondation Lomax et à http://www.culturalequity.org/

                                                                       Gérard HERZHAFT

            It was the Folk Boom/ Blues Revival era of the mid-60's, all acoustic of course. One could easily hear and see the Reverend Gary Davis singing for tips in Harlem and beyond, Sweet Daddy Stovepipe playing in Central Park where every week end musicians, singers and fans were gathering a little bit everywhere, swapping songs, records, informations on where to see and hear who in the NYC area.

            This very festival was held during August 1965 in Central Park, NYC. It was apparently set up by Alan Lomax who also MC'd the event. Some artists featured were familiar of the New York City folk scene, others were brought from the South for this event and probably other venues on coffeehouses and such. They were only African-American performers who displayed a wide range of deep musical traditions still living and played a little bit everywhere in the Southern States.

            Unissued on record, this festival is an excellent testimony of what was happening on the Folk scene during the mid-60's.

            A lot of thanks to the Lomax Foundation and http://www.culturalequity.org/

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

Reverend Gary Davis, vcl/g/bjo; Bessie Jones, vcl; Mable Hillery, vcl; John Davis, vcl; Peter Davis, vcl; Emma Ramsay, vcl; Ed, Lonnie & Lonnie Young Jr, fife and drum band; Georgia Sea Island Singers; Roger Phoenix, g. New York City, August 1965

01. Intro (by Alan Lomax)

Ed Young's Fife and Drum band.

02. Young's tune (Ed Young)

03. Jim and John

04. Ida Red

05. Sitting on top of the world

Bessie Jones & Georgia Sea Island Singers.

06. Buzzard lope

07. Old Lady from Brewser

08. Little Johnny Brown

John Davis & Georgia Sea Island Singers

09. Riley

10. Raggy levee

11. Row the boat child

12. Sink'em low

Reverend Gary Davis.

13. Kitty wants a corner

14. Candy man

15. Sally where you get your liquor from?

16. Twelve stick rag

17. Buck dance

18. Twelve gates to the City

19. Samson and Delilah

John & Peter Davis.

20. Carrie Belle

21. O Day

Mable Hillery & Ed Young

22. Chevrolet

Mable Hillery & Roger Phoenix.

23. How long blues

Bessie Jones & Gary Davis.

24. Whoa mule

Finale (all together)

25. Got on my travelling shoes

ERVIN "BIG DADDY" RUCKER/ Complete Recordings

  

ERVIN "BIG DADDY" RUCKER/ Complete Recordings

 

         

   Despite the fact he has recorded more than 30 titles, enjoyed some minor hits and played music spanning a career of at least three decades and even having toured Europe with the Johnny Otis Show, Ervin "Big Daddy" Rucker's life has been poorly documented. As far as I know, there is almost nothing on him in the Blues Magazines throughout the world outside some chronicles about his 45s, a few lines on LP's and CD's anthologies where he is featured, and most of the time utterly irrelevant except Ray Topping's liner notes on an old LP, very few on the web and, once again, mostly wrong...

            OK, so thanks a lot to the indefatigable and very reliable Marv Goldberg for his help in sharing his information about the great and underrated blues singer Big Daddy Rucker.

            First of all, as Marv says with a great sense of humour: " Repeat after me: "Ervin Rucker IS NOT Ervin Groves" (louder; I want the whole Internet to hear you). Rucker was another entertainer from San Diego (at least in 1972). When Rucker married in 1969, he gave his age as 34, therefore born in 1935 and several years younger than Groves. He had releases on Groves' Musette and GME Records (for example, "She's Alright" & "Kids Together", both written by Groves). In 1972, when Groves was in Hawaii, Rucker was part of Johnny Otis' entourage "

          Ervin (Irvin) Rucker was born 12 July 1936 in Augusta (Ga) from Sidney and Lean (Lena?) Rucker. He began to sing into his parents' church before switching to blues and R&B around 1952, mostly under the influence of Bobby Bland. At that time, Rucker was living in Miami and he was soon singing with local bands particularly with tenor-sax/singer Mattie Jackson's Blues Nighthawks . He first recorded with them for the Linco label from Fayetteville (Tennessee) in January 1957 before being discovered by Jimmy Liggins who was looking for new talents for his fledgling Duplex label. Liggins recorded Rucker for Duplex, probably around fall 1957. While Liggins relocated his recording and musical activities in San Diego (Ca) in 1959, Rucker followed him and was again in the studio in 1959-60, backed this time by the Liggins brothers (Joe and Jimmy) for a couple of excellent tracks

            During the 1960's, Big Daddy Rucker continued to play in California clubs and venues and to record for several small labels, produced sometimes by Big Boy Groves (hence the confusion about the two), enjoying some hits with Big Daddy's shake and Christmas in the ghetto. The early 70's find him as a featured vocalist to the Johnny Otis Show. He recorded four titles with Johnny Otis' small band with a young Shuggie Otis as the lead guitarist. He went to Europe in 1972 with Johnny Otis. And then seems to have disappeared from the radars although even Marvin Gaye mentioned Big Daddy Rucker in his 1976 song Since I had you!

            Thanks to Marv Goldberg we know that Rucker married Diaann Brown in 1969 in San Diego, a short union that ended by a divorce in 1973. What have he done after that remains a mystery. He probably died 2 June 1996 in Los Angeles but this is not for sure!

            Anyway, here are the almost complete recordings of this very fine bluesman (I'm still missing two tracks). And once again a lot of thanks to Marv Goldberg without whom this article would have been way less documented.

                                                           Gérard HERZHAFT

 

ERVIN "BIG DADDY" RUCKER, vcl; Mattie Jackson, vcls/t-sax; The Blues Knighthawks Orchestra. Fayetteville, Tn. janvier 1957

01. I want to do it

02. I want to flop (as Mattie Jackson)

03. I want to slop (I want to do it)

04. Two people in love

Ervin "Big Daddy" Rucker, vcl; Ed Collins, g; Mattie Jackson, t-sax; band. Miami, Fl. late 1957.

05. Whoa whoa whoa

06. Did you evere love a woman? I

07. Did you ever love a woman? II

08. Hurry up

09. Working man blues

Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; Jimmy Liggins, g; band. San Diego, Ca. 1959

10. Searching for love

11. Done done the slop

Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; Jimmy Liggins, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. 1959

12. So good

13. No more rivers to cross

Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; Joe Liggins, pno; Jimmy Liggins, g; band. Los Angeles, Ca. janvier 1960

14. Baby you were meant to me

15. If you really really love me

Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; Blues Blenders, band. Los Angeles, Ca. mars 1960

16. If you have it

17. Hideout

Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; Froebel Brigham, tpt; Teddy Pico, t-sax; James Cole, b-sax; Sam Bolan, pno; William Brown, g; Bill Wood, bs; Jimmy Witherspoon, dms. San Diego, Ca. octobre 1960

18. I'll make it alright I & II

Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; The Kings, band. San Diego, Ca. 1964

19. Christmas in the ghetto

20. Big Daddy's shake

21. Just do your thing

22. Jealous woman

Bad understanding

Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; band. San Diego, Ca. 1965

23. She's alright

24. Kids together

25. True love

26. I'm going home

Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; Shuggie Otis, g/bs; Johnny Otis, kbds/dms. Los Angeles, Ca. 1972

27. He made you mine

28. This is my song

29. You got me moving

30. Best friend blues

My friend Pierre Monnery has provided me a last (?) track by Ervin Rucker, recorded in 1979 in San Diego.

Ervin Big Daddy Rucker, vcl; Larry King, pno; T-Bone Terrell, g; Nate Young, bs; Tony H.B. Robinson, dms. San Diego, Ca. 13 october 1979

32. Sweet little angel