pf
New member
I like them too! They're great! Its indeed a priviledge to watch them live.
http://www.joncleary.com
http://www.joncleary.com
Last edited:
great blues bands people should be listening to
- Thread starter glblues
- Start date
Albert Ammons
Pianist Albert Ammons was the king of boogie-woogie, a bluesy jazz style that swept the United States---and then the world---from the late 1930s into the mid-1940s. Although his origins were modest, his powerful piano style would take him from Chicago barrooms to Carnegie Hall to the White House. As a soloist and in duets, Ammons's propulsive style gave life to classics like "Boogie Woogie Stomp" and "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie." "Albert Ammons was one of the big three of late-'30s boogie-woogie," wrote Scott Yanow in All Music Guide, "along with Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis."
Ammons was born on September 23, 1907, in Chicago, Illinois. Both of his parents were pianists, so it was little surprise that he had learned to play by the age of ten. He also played percussion in the drum and bugle corps as a teenager, and was soon performing with bands on the Chicago club scene. After World War I, he became interested in the blues, and learned by listening to Chicago pianists Hersal Thomas and the Yancey brothers.
In the early-to-mid 1920s, Ammons worked as a cab driver for the Silver Taxicab Company and continued to reside in Chicago. In 1924 he met a fellow taxi driver who also played piano, Meade Lux Lewis. Soon the two players began working as a team, performing at club parties and what William Russell called "house 'kados.'" The latter events took place during prohibition at establishments where liquor was available. "When a house party was raided," Russell wrote in Jazzmen, "Albert and Lux hid outside on the window sill; after the Law had cleared out the mob they climbed back inside and finished the unemptied jugs." Silver Taxicab eventually set up its own clubroom, complete with a piano, so that they would be able to find Ammons and Lewis when someone needed a ride.
Ammons started his own band at the Club De Lisa in 1934, and remained at the club for the next two years. During that time he played with a powerful five-piece unit that included Guy Kelly, Dalbert Bright, Jimmy Hoskins, and Israel Crosby. Ammons also recorded as Albert Ammons's Rhythm Kings for Decca Records in 1936. The Rhythm Kings' version of "Swanee River Boogie" would sell a million copies. Despite this success, he moved from Chicago to New York City, where he teamed up with another talented pianist, Pete Johnson. The two performed regularly at the Café Society, and were occasionally joined by Lewis.
In the late 1930s, all things boogie-woogie became a sensation, a trend that would hold true until the mid-1940s. The beginning of the trend coincided with Ammons's appearance at Carnegie Hall with Pete Johnson and Lewis in 1938, in John Hammond's "Spirituals to Swing" concert. "Hammond's idea was to present a concert of black American music," wrote S.R.B. Iyer in the Columbus Dispatch, "from the blues and gospel music to contemporary jazz. At this concert black musicians would perform for an integrated audience. In 1938 this was fairly rare." Dedicated to blues singer Bessie Smith, who had died the previous year, the "Spirituals to Swing" concert was a watershed in blues and jazz history.
Hammond also made a political point in the concert's program. He noted that many of the artists who performed at the event were forced to work menial jobs to make ends meet or to perform their music for very little compensation. During this time Lewis continued to work at a garage, and Ammons made as little as $9 a week for his piano work. While the Carnegie Hall concert wouldn't change these discrepancies for all players, it did bring more attention to Ammons and his two companions. "Although this concert also included Count Basie, Sidney Bechet, Benny Goodman ... and many other top jazz and blues performers of the period," wrote Colin Davey, "the Boogie Woogie Trio, as they came to be called, stole the show. Almost instantly, they became international celebrities." The success of the concert also led to Ammons recording with Harry James for the Library of Congress.
On January 6, 1939, Ammons and Lewis recorded several tracks that would help launch Blue Note, a new label that would become synonymous with jazz. German immigrant Alfred Lion, who had seen the trio perform at Carnegie Hall, invited Ammons to bring his boogie-woogie style to a New York City studio and record a number of solos and duets. One of those Blue Note recordings, "Boogie Woogie Stomp," became Ammons's theme piece. "If you're lucky enough to be able to submerge yourself in ... Albert's solos," wrote Arwulf Arwulf in All Music Guide, "you'll most likely succumb to his dignified realism, his gut-level understanding of the blues." Ammons also recorded solos and duets for Solo Art and even recorded in other band combinations, including cutting five tracks with the Port of Harlem Jazzmen.
Ammons recorded with Pete Johnson for Victor in 1941, but it would be his last session for several years. He cut himself while making a sandwich, slicing the top off one of his fingers, and he later suffered temporary paralysis in both hands. A Musicians' Union ban also prevented Ammons and others from recording. When the ban was lifted in 1944, however, Ammons returned to the studio to record for Commodore with Don Byas, Hot Lips Page, and Vic Dickenson.
Although the boogie-woogie fad began to die down in 1945, following World War II, Ammons had no difficulty securing work. He continued to tour as a solo artist during this time, and between 1946 and 1949 recorded for Mercury. Ammons's last triumph came when he was invited to play at President Harry S. Truman's inauguration in 1949, the same year as his death at the age of 32. Even following his death, the pianist continued to assert a strong influence over a new generation of pianists, including Erroll Garner and Ray Bryant. "At its best," John Richmond told Michael Drexler in the Plain Dealer, "boogie-woogie was an invigorating art form that bridged the gap between jazz, blues, R&B and eventually rock and roll. Albert Ammons represented boogie-woogie's highest level of artistic achievement. At its worst, boogie-woogie was commercial and boring---and Ammons was never that."
by Ronnie D. Lankford Jr
Albert Ammons's Career
Recorded first records for Decca Records, 1936; performed with Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson at Carnegie Hall, 1938; recorded on fledgling label Blue Note, 1939; recorded with Don Byas, Vic Dickenson, and Hot Lips Page, mid-1940s; performed at President Truman's inauguration, 1949.
Famous Works
* Selected discography
* Boogie Piano Stylings Mercury, 1950.
* Boogie Woogie Classics Mercury, 1950.
* (With Meade Lux Lewis) The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis Mosaic, 1983.
* King of the Boogie Woogie Blues Classics, 1988.
* Boogie Woogie Man Topaz, 1998.
* (With Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson) The Boogie Trios, Vol. 1-2 Storyville, 2004.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNbc0YO5hKg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtcPHr2yJ8A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Ra0Rg1DD0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd2p9BLz6Is
Pianist Albert Ammons was the king of boogie-woogie, a bluesy jazz style that swept the United States---and then the world---from the late 1930s into the mid-1940s. Although his origins were modest, his powerful piano style would take him from Chicago barrooms to Carnegie Hall to the White House. As a soloist and in duets, Ammons's propulsive style gave life to classics like "Boogie Woogie Stomp" and "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie." "Albert Ammons was one of the big three of late-'30s boogie-woogie," wrote Scott Yanow in All Music Guide, "along with Pete Johnson and Meade Lux Lewis."
Ammons was born on September 23, 1907, in Chicago, Illinois. Both of his parents were pianists, so it was little surprise that he had learned to play by the age of ten. He also played percussion in the drum and bugle corps as a teenager, and was soon performing with bands on the Chicago club scene. After World War I, he became interested in the blues, and learned by listening to Chicago pianists Hersal Thomas and the Yancey brothers.
In the early-to-mid 1920s, Ammons worked as a cab driver for the Silver Taxicab Company and continued to reside in Chicago. In 1924 he met a fellow taxi driver who also played piano, Meade Lux Lewis. Soon the two players began working as a team, performing at club parties and what William Russell called "house 'kados.'" The latter events took place during prohibition at establishments where liquor was available. "When a house party was raided," Russell wrote in Jazzmen, "Albert and Lux hid outside on the window sill; after the Law had cleared out the mob they climbed back inside and finished the unemptied jugs." Silver Taxicab eventually set up its own clubroom, complete with a piano, so that they would be able to find Ammons and Lewis when someone needed a ride.
Ammons started his own band at the Club De Lisa in 1934, and remained at the club for the next two years. During that time he played with a powerful five-piece unit that included Guy Kelly, Dalbert Bright, Jimmy Hoskins, and Israel Crosby. Ammons also recorded as Albert Ammons's Rhythm Kings for Decca Records in 1936. The Rhythm Kings' version of "Swanee River Boogie" would sell a million copies. Despite this success, he moved from Chicago to New York City, where he teamed up with another talented pianist, Pete Johnson. The two performed regularly at the Café Society, and were occasionally joined by Lewis.
In the late 1930s, all things boogie-woogie became a sensation, a trend that would hold true until the mid-1940s. The beginning of the trend coincided with Ammons's appearance at Carnegie Hall with Pete Johnson and Lewis in 1938, in John Hammond's "Spirituals to Swing" concert. "Hammond's idea was to present a concert of black American music," wrote S.R.B. Iyer in the Columbus Dispatch, "from the blues and gospel music to contemporary jazz. At this concert black musicians would perform for an integrated audience. In 1938 this was fairly rare." Dedicated to blues singer Bessie Smith, who had died the previous year, the "Spirituals to Swing" concert was a watershed in blues and jazz history.
Hammond also made a political point in the concert's program. He noted that many of the artists who performed at the event were forced to work menial jobs to make ends meet or to perform their music for very little compensation. During this time Lewis continued to work at a garage, and Ammons made as little as $9 a week for his piano work. While the Carnegie Hall concert wouldn't change these discrepancies for all players, it did bring more attention to Ammons and his two companions. "Although this concert also included Count Basie, Sidney Bechet, Benny Goodman ... and many other top jazz and blues performers of the period," wrote Colin Davey, "the Boogie Woogie Trio, as they came to be called, stole the show. Almost instantly, they became international celebrities." The success of the concert also led to Ammons recording with Harry James for the Library of Congress.
On January 6, 1939, Ammons and Lewis recorded several tracks that would help launch Blue Note, a new label that would become synonymous with jazz. German immigrant Alfred Lion, who had seen the trio perform at Carnegie Hall, invited Ammons to bring his boogie-woogie style to a New York City studio and record a number of solos and duets. One of those Blue Note recordings, "Boogie Woogie Stomp," became Ammons's theme piece. "If you're lucky enough to be able to submerge yourself in ... Albert's solos," wrote Arwulf Arwulf in All Music Guide, "you'll most likely succumb to his dignified realism, his gut-level understanding of the blues." Ammons also recorded solos and duets for Solo Art and even recorded in other band combinations, including cutting five tracks with the Port of Harlem Jazzmen.
Ammons recorded with Pete Johnson for Victor in 1941, but it would be his last session for several years. He cut himself while making a sandwich, slicing the top off one of his fingers, and he later suffered temporary paralysis in both hands. A Musicians' Union ban also prevented Ammons and others from recording. When the ban was lifted in 1944, however, Ammons returned to the studio to record for Commodore with Don Byas, Hot Lips Page, and Vic Dickenson.
Although the boogie-woogie fad began to die down in 1945, following World War II, Ammons had no difficulty securing work. He continued to tour as a solo artist during this time, and between 1946 and 1949 recorded for Mercury. Ammons's last triumph came when he was invited to play at President Harry S. Truman's inauguration in 1949, the same year as his death at the age of 32. Even following his death, the pianist continued to assert a strong influence over a new generation of pianists, including Erroll Garner and Ray Bryant. "At its best," John Richmond told Michael Drexler in the Plain Dealer, "boogie-woogie was an invigorating art form that bridged the gap between jazz, blues, R&B and eventually rock and roll. Albert Ammons represented boogie-woogie's highest level of artistic achievement. At its worst, boogie-woogie was commercial and boring---and Ammons was never that."
by Ronnie D. Lankford Jr
Albert Ammons's Career
Recorded first records for Decca Records, 1936; performed with Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson at Carnegie Hall, 1938; recorded on fledgling label Blue Note, 1939; recorded with Don Byas, Vic Dickenson, and Hot Lips Page, mid-1940s; performed at President Truman's inauguration, 1949.
Famous Works
* Selected discography
* Boogie Piano Stylings Mercury, 1950.
* Boogie Woogie Classics Mercury, 1950.
* (With Meade Lux Lewis) The Complete Blue Note Recordings of Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis Mosaic, 1983.
* King of the Boogie Woogie Blues Classics, 1988.
* Boogie Woogie Man Topaz, 1998.
* (With Meade Lux Lewis and Pete Johnson) The Boogie Trios, Vol. 1-2 Storyville, 2004.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNbc0YO5hKg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtcPHr2yJ8A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Ra0Rg1DD0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd2p9BLz6Is
Kid Andersen
New blues guitar hero hailing from Norway, living and playing the blues California style. Jumpin'and wailing guitar and great songs.
Kid Andersen is probably best known as Charlie Musselwhite's lead guitar player in his current recording and touring band, but has been putting out solo records for some time now.
Born and raised in the country of Norway, Kid moved to California in 2001 and immersed himself in the West Coast Blues sound, which is quite evident on his debut, "Rock Awhile"
His wailing guitar and sincere, soulful vocals also draw heavily from Otis Rush,Peter Green, Buddy Guy and Freddie King.
This record finds Kid Andersen in full bloom in the California Jump-tinged blues sound. He receives generous help from sax man Terry Hanck, and harper Mark Hummel as well as a few surprises from his long time guitar hero- Junior Watson.
Fans of authentic Chicago blues and jumpin' west coast swing guitar cannot miss with this CD. There are also exciting ventures into the world of Surf and a haunting Peter Green-ish workout on "Hangover Day"
What some notables say about Kid Andersen and "Rock Awhile":
"Speaker-rattling chops, but unlike many players Kid Andersen also has the soul."
Dave Rubin- Guitar One Magazine
"A wonderful album. Check out his instrumental "Stompin' wit' the Kid!"
Junior Watson - West coast guitar legend
"Kid Andersen plays with humor, intelligence but most importantly from the heart"
Charlie Musselwhite
John Heidt, Vintage Guitar Magazine, May Issue 2004:
Kid Andersen
"Rock Awhile"
Blue Soul Records
You listen to music long enough, and you end up seeing the damnedest things. Take, for instance, this record. Who is Kid Andersen? Well, let's see. He's a Norwegian bluesman. No, really. He's been in the U.S. for about three years, and seems to have absorbed the blues.
Now when I say absorbed, you might think he's parroting things he's heard on old records. That doesn't appear to be the case. Many of the cuts here are written by the Kid himself, and the feel and emotional content appear to be all his own, and not borrowed from a music source.
"Aquavit Boogie" is an ode to the drink that has highlighted many a weekend. The distorted boogie perfectly fits the subject matter. There's a nice cover of "Walkin' Thru the Park" that features Mark Hummell on harp. The two of them run through this Muddy Waters stomper with reckless abandon, both soloing wonderfully. The menacing "You Ain't So Pretty No More" is a nasty goodbye to an ex that lets the Kid showcase some of his chops.
The influences here are all the greats of the American blues pantheon. A lot of the tunes have a real West Coast feel, and T-Bone Walker definitely shows up. The Chicago Blues are represented, as well, and the slow blues of "Someday You Got To Pay" makes it apparent that early B.B. King music made it's way to Norway.
This record shows a young man developing into a fine player. My guess is that the Kid will be heard from for many years to come, as he continues to grow on record and on stage.
-John Heidt
Kid Andersen
Rock Awhile
Review By Steve Spoulos
My first exposure to Kid Andersen occurred at the 2005 Portland Waterfront Blues Festival when he was a part of the road band for Charlie Musselwhite. Charlie Musselwhite performed in his customary top notch style and was grooving along when he turned over a solo to this big, tall, red haired, babyfaced giant playing guitar. Charlie stepped back and the Kid stepped forward and proceeded to blow the doors off the old Chevrolet! The solo soared and enthralled the crowd. It was so cool to see Charlie, joining the crowd, bobbin' his head with a huge smile as Kid tore the place up. A true highlight of a musical performance.
Kid's CD Rock Awhile will also have Charlie and you bobbin' your heads and smiling right from the opening title cut when Kris says in his unique Nordic influenced voice "Feelin' good this mornin' feel like I am gonna rock awhile." Oh yes...you will definitely rock awhile throughout this 2004 release from Blues Soul.
You can hear some of the influences on Kid's guitar playing from blues studs like B.B. King on "Someday You Got To Pay" to the unforgettable guitar of Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green on "Hangover Day" and hints and tastes from the likes of Freddie King, T-Bone Walker and Buddy Guy. Those influences aside, Andersen is his own man and displays it often with fine guitar work showing off his skills with great abandon and using that unique voice with controlled emotion. Andersen wrote or co-wrote nine of the fourteen selections showing that he has some abilities other than being a hot guitar slinger. You listen to his "You Ain't So Pretty No More" and you hear the bitter end to a love affair and "Hangover Day" where he uses very sparse words intertwined with haunting guitar blaming his drinking on his lover and you know that this is the blues.
Kid is joined by Mark Hummel, Terry Hanck and the always volatile guitar work of Junior Watson making guest appearances.
Kid Andersen is now, primarily, residing in the San Francisco Bay Area gigging with Charlie Musselwhite and assorted other Bay Area musicians. He will be appearing on Charlie Musselwhite's new album to be released in May and a new one of his own entitled Greaseland some time this year.
Rock Awhile is a fine album that will serve as a great introduction to a young bluesman, guitarist and songwriter. Don't miss it. Go out and rock awhile!
Kid Andersen's Web Site Pacific Blues-A Place To Get Andersen's CD
This CD Receives Four Cubes-This guy has talent and should be a force!
CD Review
Kid Andersen
Rock Awhile
(Blue Soul Records MBA 2312)
by Tali Madden
Review date: December 2003
"Keeping the Blues Alive Award"
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by The Blues Foundation
America has sown the seeds of the blues far and long enough to enjoy some valuable returns over the years. There was the British blues invasion of decades ago that yielded Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Mayall , Baldry et. Al. German guitarist and Ford Blues Band member Volker Strifler and Frenchman Paris Slim, also West Coast based, are more recent arrivals. The freshest entry is young Norwegian guitarist Chris "Kid" Andersen. So fresh, in fact, most of internet sites pertaining to him are in Norwegian. Like the other foreigners who have pledged allegiance to the blues, Andersen was exposed via blues recordings that had made it from the states to his tiny Norwegian town of Herre. The passion took hold early, and by age 20, he was playing in Oslo's Muddy Waters Blues Club.
"Rock Awhile" celebrates Andersen's love for and proficiency in a variety of styles, from jump and shuffle tunes to slow burners. Vocally strong and a bit reminiscent of Paul DeLay, Andersen's guitar ranges widely, from rocking strongly to expertly rendered Chicago style picking. The instrumental "Lil Earthquake" rocks along like an old Freddie King cooker from the King label days. West Coast guitar demigod Junior Watson joins in on "Bald Headed Woman", featuring his distinctive vocals and playing. Mark Hummel adds some smooth harp and vocal on three tracks, with the instrumental shuffle "Hobnobbing with the Hoy Poy" standing out via some great guitar and harp soloing. Based in the states for the past three years, Andersen presents a confident and talented posture. He's vocally and instrumentally strong and can write a damn good blues song: check out "You Ain't So Pretty No More".
Hopefully the future and the music business will be kind to Andersen and he'll achieve the success he's worthy of.
With his new effort, "Greaseland", Kid Andersen takes blues and the blues album to a whole different level
"Greaseland" is a concept album descrbing the life of a broke, disillusioned drunkard musician who loves to have a good time but is often overtaken by the blues.
Packed with great original songs, a few very fitting covers and lots of unparallelled playing by the Kid, his scandinavian rhythm section and the fine harmonica blowing of Richard Gjems and Charlie Musselwhite (on Greaseland Boogie)it is destined to be a classic.
The range of styles here are far wider than the mostly retro/west coast blues - tinged debut "Rock Awhile", as Kid finds his own voice in a landscape where the blues meets racous boogie, moody swamp-rock and even jazz and funk.
A totally unique album and a giant leap forward for this blues artist.
LATEST: "GREASELAND" WAS JUST NOMINATED FOR A SPELLEMANN AWARD, THE NORWEGIAN EQUIVALENT OF THE GRAMMY, IN THE BLUES CATEGORY!
Some famous quotes:
"Kid Andersen has a guitar style that is unlike any one else on the scene today. His vibrato and intensity matches that of Otis Rush and Peter green in his heyday. He manages to be a virtuoso without sounding like a guitar geek, capturing the reckless abandon of a primitive musician while at the same time displaying a seemingly endless arsenal of licks, tricks and skill on his instrument. He plays with great taste and creativity, forging old and new blues guitar stylings with a kamikaze attitude. At his best he sounds like the musical equivalent of a man jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, keeping you on your toes to watch him land on his feet.
There is no one else like Kid Andersen on the blues scene today. The Kid must be heard!"
- Peter Brown, Blues Soul records
"Kid Andersen is one of my favorite all-time guitar players!" - Charlie Musselwhite
"A big man and an even bigger talent." - Junior Watson
"This is a completely new take on blues! Kid is genuine and the best we've got!"
- Vidar Busk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BipjVNFimiA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZkMTg-1vtw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9fIUOvU1ws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbssZawzsi4
New blues guitar hero hailing from Norway, living and playing the blues California style. Jumpin'and wailing guitar and great songs.
Kid Andersen is probably best known as Charlie Musselwhite's lead guitar player in his current recording and touring band, but has been putting out solo records for some time now.
Born and raised in the country of Norway, Kid moved to California in 2001 and immersed himself in the West Coast Blues sound, which is quite evident on his debut, "Rock Awhile"
His wailing guitar and sincere, soulful vocals also draw heavily from Otis Rush,Peter Green, Buddy Guy and Freddie King.
This record finds Kid Andersen in full bloom in the California Jump-tinged blues sound. He receives generous help from sax man Terry Hanck, and harper Mark Hummel as well as a few surprises from his long time guitar hero- Junior Watson.
Fans of authentic Chicago blues and jumpin' west coast swing guitar cannot miss with this CD. There are also exciting ventures into the world of Surf and a haunting Peter Green-ish workout on "Hangover Day"
What some notables say about Kid Andersen and "Rock Awhile":
"Speaker-rattling chops, but unlike many players Kid Andersen also has the soul."
Dave Rubin- Guitar One Magazine
"A wonderful album. Check out his instrumental "Stompin' wit' the Kid!"
Junior Watson - West coast guitar legend
"Kid Andersen plays with humor, intelligence but most importantly from the heart"
Charlie Musselwhite
John Heidt, Vintage Guitar Magazine, May Issue 2004:
Kid Andersen
"Rock Awhile"
Blue Soul Records
You listen to music long enough, and you end up seeing the damnedest things. Take, for instance, this record. Who is Kid Andersen? Well, let's see. He's a Norwegian bluesman. No, really. He's been in the U.S. for about three years, and seems to have absorbed the blues.
Now when I say absorbed, you might think he's parroting things he's heard on old records. That doesn't appear to be the case. Many of the cuts here are written by the Kid himself, and the feel and emotional content appear to be all his own, and not borrowed from a music source.
"Aquavit Boogie" is an ode to the drink that has highlighted many a weekend. The distorted boogie perfectly fits the subject matter. There's a nice cover of "Walkin' Thru the Park" that features Mark Hummell on harp. The two of them run through this Muddy Waters stomper with reckless abandon, both soloing wonderfully. The menacing "You Ain't So Pretty No More" is a nasty goodbye to an ex that lets the Kid showcase some of his chops.
The influences here are all the greats of the American blues pantheon. A lot of the tunes have a real West Coast feel, and T-Bone Walker definitely shows up. The Chicago Blues are represented, as well, and the slow blues of "Someday You Got To Pay" makes it apparent that early B.B. King music made it's way to Norway.
This record shows a young man developing into a fine player. My guess is that the Kid will be heard from for many years to come, as he continues to grow on record and on stage.
-John Heidt
Kid Andersen
Rock Awhile
Review By Steve Spoulos
My first exposure to Kid Andersen occurred at the 2005 Portland Waterfront Blues Festival when he was a part of the road band for Charlie Musselwhite. Charlie Musselwhite performed in his customary top notch style and was grooving along when he turned over a solo to this big, tall, red haired, babyfaced giant playing guitar. Charlie stepped back and the Kid stepped forward and proceeded to blow the doors off the old Chevrolet! The solo soared and enthralled the crowd. It was so cool to see Charlie, joining the crowd, bobbin' his head with a huge smile as Kid tore the place up. A true highlight of a musical performance.
Kid's CD Rock Awhile will also have Charlie and you bobbin' your heads and smiling right from the opening title cut when Kris says in his unique Nordic influenced voice "Feelin' good this mornin' feel like I am gonna rock awhile." Oh yes...you will definitely rock awhile throughout this 2004 release from Blues Soul.
You can hear some of the influences on Kid's guitar playing from blues studs like B.B. King on "Someday You Got To Pay" to the unforgettable guitar of Fleetwood Mac's Peter Green on "Hangover Day" and hints and tastes from the likes of Freddie King, T-Bone Walker and Buddy Guy. Those influences aside, Andersen is his own man and displays it often with fine guitar work showing off his skills with great abandon and using that unique voice with controlled emotion. Andersen wrote or co-wrote nine of the fourteen selections showing that he has some abilities other than being a hot guitar slinger. You listen to his "You Ain't So Pretty No More" and you hear the bitter end to a love affair and "Hangover Day" where he uses very sparse words intertwined with haunting guitar blaming his drinking on his lover and you know that this is the blues.
Kid is joined by Mark Hummel, Terry Hanck and the always volatile guitar work of Junior Watson making guest appearances.
Kid Andersen is now, primarily, residing in the San Francisco Bay Area gigging with Charlie Musselwhite and assorted other Bay Area musicians. He will be appearing on Charlie Musselwhite's new album to be released in May and a new one of his own entitled Greaseland some time this year.
Rock Awhile is a fine album that will serve as a great introduction to a young bluesman, guitarist and songwriter. Don't miss it. Go out and rock awhile!
Kid Andersen's Web Site Pacific Blues-A Place To Get Andersen's CD
This CD Receives Four Cubes-This guy has talent and should be a force!
CD Review
Kid Andersen
Rock Awhile
(Blue Soul Records MBA 2312)
by Tali Madden
Review date: December 2003
"Keeping the Blues Alive Award"
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by The Blues Foundation
America has sown the seeds of the blues far and long enough to enjoy some valuable returns over the years. There was the British blues invasion of decades ago that yielded Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Mayall , Baldry et. Al. German guitarist and Ford Blues Band member Volker Strifler and Frenchman Paris Slim, also West Coast based, are more recent arrivals. The freshest entry is young Norwegian guitarist Chris "Kid" Andersen. So fresh, in fact, most of internet sites pertaining to him are in Norwegian. Like the other foreigners who have pledged allegiance to the blues, Andersen was exposed via blues recordings that had made it from the states to his tiny Norwegian town of Herre. The passion took hold early, and by age 20, he was playing in Oslo's Muddy Waters Blues Club.
"Rock Awhile" celebrates Andersen's love for and proficiency in a variety of styles, from jump and shuffle tunes to slow burners. Vocally strong and a bit reminiscent of Paul DeLay, Andersen's guitar ranges widely, from rocking strongly to expertly rendered Chicago style picking. The instrumental "Lil Earthquake" rocks along like an old Freddie King cooker from the King label days. West Coast guitar demigod Junior Watson joins in on "Bald Headed Woman", featuring his distinctive vocals and playing. Mark Hummel adds some smooth harp and vocal on three tracks, with the instrumental shuffle "Hobnobbing with the Hoy Poy" standing out via some great guitar and harp soloing. Based in the states for the past three years, Andersen presents a confident and talented posture. He's vocally and instrumentally strong and can write a damn good blues song: check out "You Ain't So Pretty No More".
Hopefully the future and the music business will be kind to Andersen and he'll achieve the success he's worthy of.
With his new effort, "Greaseland", Kid Andersen takes blues and the blues album to a whole different level
"Greaseland" is a concept album descrbing the life of a broke, disillusioned drunkard musician who loves to have a good time but is often overtaken by the blues.
Packed with great original songs, a few very fitting covers and lots of unparallelled playing by the Kid, his scandinavian rhythm section and the fine harmonica blowing of Richard Gjems and Charlie Musselwhite (on Greaseland Boogie)it is destined to be a classic.
The range of styles here are far wider than the mostly retro/west coast blues - tinged debut "Rock Awhile", as Kid finds his own voice in a landscape where the blues meets racous boogie, moody swamp-rock and even jazz and funk.
A totally unique album and a giant leap forward for this blues artist.
LATEST: "GREASELAND" WAS JUST NOMINATED FOR A SPELLEMANN AWARD, THE NORWEGIAN EQUIVALENT OF THE GRAMMY, IN THE BLUES CATEGORY!
Some famous quotes:
"Kid Andersen has a guitar style that is unlike any one else on the scene today. His vibrato and intensity matches that of Otis Rush and Peter green in his heyday. He manages to be a virtuoso without sounding like a guitar geek, capturing the reckless abandon of a primitive musician while at the same time displaying a seemingly endless arsenal of licks, tricks and skill on his instrument. He plays with great taste and creativity, forging old and new blues guitar stylings with a kamikaze attitude. At his best he sounds like the musical equivalent of a man jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, keeping you on your toes to watch him land on his feet.
There is no one else like Kid Andersen on the blues scene today. The Kid must be heard!"
- Peter Brown, Blues Soul records
"Kid Andersen is one of my favorite all-time guitar players!" - Charlie Musselwhite
"A big man and an even bigger talent." - Junior Watson
"This is a completely new take on blues! Kid is genuine and the best we've got!"
- Vidar Busk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BipjVNFimiA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZkMTg-1vtw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9fIUOvU1ws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbssZawzsi4
Willie "The Lion" Smith
bro XLayaR,
Albert Ammons is a boogie woogie pianist but here's another one below. meanwhile, i'll try and scratch my head and think of a sax player
Willie smith is a great player. not strictly a blues pianist but more harlem stride but he mixes a bit of blues and classical. but what a character he is!
William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith (23 November 1893[1] – 18 April 1973), aka "The Lion", was an American jazz pianist and one of the masters of the stride style. Smith was born as in Goshen, New York. In his memoir he reports that his father, Frank Bertholoff, was Jewish, and his mother Ida Oliver, had "Spanish, Negro, and Mohawk Indian blood". "Frank Bertholoff was a light skinned playboy who loved his liquor, girls, and gambling." His mother threw Frank out of the house when "The Lion" was two years old. When his father died in 1901, his mother married John Smith, a master mechanic from Paterson, NJ. The surname Smith was added to that of the "The Lion" at age 3.
[edit] Career
By the early 1910s he was playing in New York City and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Smith served in World War I, where he saw action in France, and played drum with the African-American regimental band led by Tim Brymn. Legend has it that his nickname "The Lion" came from his reported bravery while serving as a heavy artillery gunner. He was a decorated veteran.
Around 1915[2], he married Blanche Merrill (née Howard), a song writer and lyricist who wrote a number of songs and lyrics for Broadway shows from about 1912 through to 1925, particularly for Fanny Brice. Smith and Merrill are thought to have separated before Smith joined the Army in 1917 serving as a corporal (he claimed sergeant was his rank), but they were still living together in Newark, New Jersey at the time of the 1920 census.[2] Merrill was white and Smith was the only black man living in their apartment building at the time.[2]
He returned to working in New York City after the war, where he worked for decades, often as a soloist, sometimes in bands and accompanying blues singers such as Mamie Smith. Although working in relative obscurity, he was a "musician's musician", influencing countless others including Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and Artie Shaw.
In the 1940s his music found appreciation with a wider audience, and he toured North America and Europe through to 1971. Willie "The Lion" Smith died in New York City.
The liner notes his 1958 LP The Legend of Willie "The Lion" Smith (Grand Awards Records GA 33-368) reports: "Duke Ellington has never lost his awe of the Lion's prowess." It quotes Duke Ellington as stating "Willie The Lion was the greatest influence of all the great jazz piano players who have come along. He has a beat that stays in the mind." This LP is also noted for its album cover, featuring a painting of the Lion by Tracy Sugarman. Ellington demonstrated his admiration when composing and recording the highly regarded "Portrait of the Lion" in the 1940s.
His autobiography, Music on My Mind, The Memoirs Of An American Pianist written with the assistance of George Hoefer, was published by Doubleday and Company in 1964. It included a generous foreword written by Duke Ellington. It also includes a comprehensive list of his compositions and a discography.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7LGuW5kgZ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySuTiFL4SFs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PFnWYV75Ak&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg7E0vJUMRs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-a6FYryfow&feature=related
bro XLayaR,
Albert Ammons is a boogie woogie pianist but here's another one below. meanwhile, i'll try and scratch my head and think of a sax player
Willie smith is a great player. not strictly a blues pianist but more harlem stride but he mixes a bit of blues and classical. but what a character he is!
William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith (23 November 1893[1] – 18 April 1973), aka "The Lion", was an American jazz pianist and one of the masters of the stride style. Smith was born as in Goshen, New York. In his memoir he reports that his father, Frank Bertholoff, was Jewish, and his mother Ida Oliver, had "Spanish, Negro, and Mohawk Indian blood". "Frank Bertholoff was a light skinned playboy who loved his liquor, girls, and gambling." His mother threw Frank out of the house when "The Lion" was two years old. When his father died in 1901, his mother married John Smith, a master mechanic from Paterson, NJ. The surname Smith was added to that of the "The Lion" at age 3.
[edit] Career
By the early 1910s he was playing in New York City and Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Smith served in World War I, where he saw action in France, and played drum with the African-American regimental band led by Tim Brymn. Legend has it that his nickname "The Lion" came from his reported bravery while serving as a heavy artillery gunner. He was a decorated veteran.
Around 1915[2], he married Blanche Merrill (née Howard), a song writer and lyricist who wrote a number of songs and lyrics for Broadway shows from about 1912 through to 1925, particularly for Fanny Brice. Smith and Merrill are thought to have separated before Smith joined the Army in 1917 serving as a corporal (he claimed sergeant was his rank), but they were still living together in Newark, New Jersey at the time of the 1920 census.[2] Merrill was white and Smith was the only black man living in their apartment building at the time.[2]
He returned to working in New York City after the war, where he worked for decades, often as a soloist, sometimes in bands and accompanying blues singers such as Mamie Smith. Although working in relative obscurity, he was a "musician's musician", influencing countless others including Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, and Artie Shaw.
In the 1940s his music found appreciation with a wider audience, and he toured North America and Europe through to 1971. Willie "The Lion" Smith died in New York City.
The liner notes his 1958 LP The Legend of Willie "The Lion" Smith (Grand Awards Records GA 33-368) reports: "Duke Ellington has never lost his awe of the Lion's prowess." It quotes Duke Ellington as stating "Willie The Lion was the greatest influence of all the great jazz piano players who have come along. He has a beat that stays in the mind." This LP is also noted for its album cover, featuring a painting of the Lion by Tracy Sugarman. Ellington demonstrated his admiration when composing and recording the highly regarded "Portrait of the Lion" in the 1940s.
His autobiography, Music on My Mind, The Memoirs Of An American Pianist written with the assistance of George Hoefer, was published by Doubleday and Company in 1964. It included a generous foreword written by Duke Ellington. It also includes a comprehensive list of his compositions and a discography.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7LGuW5kgZ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySuTiFL4SFs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PFnWYV75Ak&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg7E0vJUMRs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-a6FYryfow&feature=related
Pink Anderson
now you know where the "pink" in pink floyd came from.
Pinkney "Pink" Anderson (February 12, 1900 — October 12, 1974[1]) was a blues singer and guitarist, born in Laurens, South Carolina.
Contents
[hide]
[edit] Life and career
After being raised in Spartanburg (in Upstate South Carolina), he joined Dr. Kerr of the Indian Remedy Company in 1914 to entertain the crowds whilst Kerr tried to sell a concoction purported to have medicinal qualities.
In 1916 in Spartanburg, Anderson met Blind Simmie Dooley, from whom he learned to be a blues singer, this after experience in string bands. When Anderson was not traveling with Dr. Kerr, he and Dooley would play to small gatherings in Greenville, Spartanburg, and other neighboring communities, as well as recording four tracks for Columbia Records in Atlanta in April, 1928.[2]
After Dr. Kerr retired in 1945, Anderson stayed more close to home in Spartanburg, keeping his musical talents in tune with an old Gibson J-50 guitar and a harmonica. He still "went out" annually when he could with "Chief Thundercloud" (Leo Kadot) and his medicine show, often with Jonesville, SC harmonica-player "Peg Leg Sam" (Arthur Jackson). Heart problems eventually forced Anderson to retire from the road in 1957.
Anderson went on to make some albums on his own after the blues revival commenced in the early 1960s and played some folk clubs, establishing him as a minor but worthy exponent of the Piedmont school, versed in blues, ragtime, and folk songs.[2] He also appeared in the 1963 film, The Bluesmen. A stroke in the late 1960s curtailed his musical activity altogether: Attempts by folklorist Peter B. Lowry in 1970 to get Pink on tape were not successful, although apparently he could occasionally summon up some of his past abilities. A final tour took place in the early 70s with the aid of Roy Book Binder, one of his "students", taking him to Boston and NYC.
He died in October 1974, of a heart attack at the age of 74.[1] Anderson's son, known as Little Pink Anderson, is currently a bluesman based in Georgia.[3]
[edit] The Pink in Pink Floyd
Syd Barrett, of English progressive rock band, Pink Floyd, came up with the band's name by juxtaposing the first names of Anderson and North Carolina bluesman, Floyd Council.[2] He noticed the names in the liner notes of a 1962 Blind Boy Fuller album (Philips BBL-7512). The text, written by Paul Oliver, read: "Curley Weaver and Fred McMullen, (...) Pink Anderson or Floyd Council - these were a few amongst the many blues singers that were to be heard in the rolling hills of the Piedmont, or meandering with the streams through the wooded valleys."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5uCn8a07Vs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC0BLSgm9mE
now you know where the "pink" in pink floyd came from.
Pinkney "Pink" Anderson (February 12, 1900 — October 12, 1974[1]) was a blues singer and guitarist, born in Laurens, South Carolina.
Contents
[hide]
[edit] Life and career
After being raised in Spartanburg (in Upstate South Carolina), he joined Dr. Kerr of the Indian Remedy Company in 1914 to entertain the crowds whilst Kerr tried to sell a concoction purported to have medicinal qualities.
In 1916 in Spartanburg, Anderson met Blind Simmie Dooley, from whom he learned to be a blues singer, this after experience in string bands. When Anderson was not traveling with Dr. Kerr, he and Dooley would play to small gatherings in Greenville, Spartanburg, and other neighboring communities, as well as recording four tracks for Columbia Records in Atlanta in April, 1928.[2]
After Dr. Kerr retired in 1945, Anderson stayed more close to home in Spartanburg, keeping his musical talents in tune with an old Gibson J-50 guitar and a harmonica. He still "went out" annually when he could with "Chief Thundercloud" (Leo Kadot) and his medicine show, often with Jonesville, SC harmonica-player "Peg Leg Sam" (Arthur Jackson). Heart problems eventually forced Anderson to retire from the road in 1957.
Anderson went on to make some albums on his own after the blues revival commenced in the early 1960s and played some folk clubs, establishing him as a minor but worthy exponent of the Piedmont school, versed in blues, ragtime, and folk songs.[2] He also appeared in the 1963 film, The Bluesmen. A stroke in the late 1960s curtailed his musical activity altogether: Attempts by folklorist Peter B. Lowry in 1970 to get Pink on tape were not successful, although apparently he could occasionally summon up some of his past abilities. A final tour took place in the early 70s with the aid of Roy Book Binder, one of his "students", taking him to Boston and NYC.
He died in October 1974, of a heart attack at the age of 74.[1] Anderson's son, known as Little Pink Anderson, is currently a bluesman based in Georgia.[3]
[edit] The Pink in Pink Floyd
Syd Barrett, of English progressive rock band, Pink Floyd, came up with the band's name by juxtaposing the first names of Anderson and North Carolina bluesman, Floyd Council.[2] He noticed the names in the liner notes of a 1962 Blind Boy Fuller album (Philips BBL-7512). The text, written by Paul Oliver, read: "Curley Weaver and Fred McMullen, (...) Pink Anderson or Floyd Council - these were a few amongst the many blues singers that were to be heard in the rolling hills of the Piedmont, or meandering with the streams through the wooded valleys."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5uCn8a07Vs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC0BLSgm9mE
fuzztremecho
New member
hey bro glblues..just wanna say great thread..thumbs up..!!!
i've been checking out some kid anderson's stuff...POWER dah..
i've been checking out some kid anderson's stuff...POWER dah..
Billy Boy Arnold
thks dime and fuzz! yeah, kid is young blood and his playing's quite original too. pity his live stuff is better than his albums. he holds back alot in his albums.
here's another. a blues guy who inspired alot of the british blues movement in the 60s
Biography by Bill Dahl
Talk about a comeback. After too many years away from the studio, Chicago harpist Billy Boy Arnold returned to action in a big way with two fine albums for Alligator: 1993's Back Where I Belong and 1995's Eldorado Cadillac. Retaining his youthful demeanor despite more than four decades of blues experience, Arnold's wailing harp and sturdy vocals remained in top-flight shape following the lengthy recording layoff.
Born in Chicago rather than in Mississippi (as many of his musical forefathers were), young Arnold gravitated right to the source in 1948. He summoned up the courage to knock on the front door of his idol, harmonica great John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, who resided nearby. Sonny Boy kindly gave the lad a couple of harp lessons, but their relationship was quickly severed when Williamson was tragically murdered. Still in his teens, Arnold cut his debut 78 for the extremely obscure Cool logo in 1952. "Hello Stranger" went nowhere but gave him his nickname when its label unexpectedly read "Billy Boy Arnold."
Arnold made an auspicious connection when he joined forces with Bo Diddley and played on the shave-and-a-haircut beat specialist's two-sided 1955 debut smash "Bo Diddley"/"I'm a Man" for Checker. That led, in a roundabout way, to Billy Boy's signing with rival Vee-Jay Records (the harpist mistakenly believed Leonard Chess didn't like him). Arnold's "I Wish You Would," utilizing that familiar Bo Diddley beat, sold well and inspired a later famous cover by the Yardbirds. That renowned British blues-rock group also took a liking to another Arnold classic on Vee-Jay, "I Ain't Got You." Other Vee-Jay standouts by Arnold included "Prisoner's Plea" and "Rockinitis," but by 1958, his tenure at the label was over.
Other than an excellent Samuel Charters-produced 1963 album for Prestige, More Blues on the South Side, Arnold's profile diminished over the years in his hometown (though European audiences enjoyed him regularly) and he first ended up driving a bus in his hometown of Chicago, then working as a parole officer for the state of Illinois. Fortunately, that changed: Back Where I Belong restored this Chicago harp master to prominence, and Eldorado Cadillac drove him into the winner's circle a second time. After a six year lull between recordings, 2001's Boogie 'n' Shuffle on Stony Plain found Arnold still in fine form, backed by Duke Robillard and his band on a set of rough and ready blues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1N44gamdFE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5Sd1vC_GA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R25xEo6GNl8
thks dime and fuzz! yeah, kid is young blood and his playing's quite original too. pity his live stuff is better than his albums. he holds back alot in his albums.
here's another. a blues guy who inspired alot of the british blues movement in the 60s
Biography by Bill Dahl
Talk about a comeback. After too many years away from the studio, Chicago harpist Billy Boy Arnold returned to action in a big way with two fine albums for Alligator: 1993's Back Where I Belong and 1995's Eldorado Cadillac. Retaining his youthful demeanor despite more than four decades of blues experience, Arnold's wailing harp and sturdy vocals remained in top-flight shape following the lengthy recording layoff.
Born in Chicago rather than in Mississippi (as many of his musical forefathers were), young Arnold gravitated right to the source in 1948. He summoned up the courage to knock on the front door of his idol, harmonica great John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, who resided nearby. Sonny Boy kindly gave the lad a couple of harp lessons, but their relationship was quickly severed when Williamson was tragically murdered. Still in his teens, Arnold cut his debut 78 for the extremely obscure Cool logo in 1952. "Hello Stranger" went nowhere but gave him his nickname when its label unexpectedly read "Billy Boy Arnold."
Arnold made an auspicious connection when he joined forces with Bo Diddley and played on the shave-and-a-haircut beat specialist's two-sided 1955 debut smash "Bo Diddley"/"I'm a Man" for Checker. That led, in a roundabout way, to Billy Boy's signing with rival Vee-Jay Records (the harpist mistakenly believed Leonard Chess didn't like him). Arnold's "I Wish You Would," utilizing that familiar Bo Diddley beat, sold well and inspired a later famous cover by the Yardbirds. That renowned British blues-rock group also took a liking to another Arnold classic on Vee-Jay, "I Ain't Got You." Other Vee-Jay standouts by Arnold included "Prisoner's Plea" and "Rockinitis," but by 1958, his tenure at the label was over.
Other than an excellent Samuel Charters-produced 1963 album for Prestige, More Blues on the South Side, Arnold's profile diminished over the years in his hometown (though European audiences enjoyed him regularly) and he first ended up driving a bus in his hometown of Chicago, then working as a parole officer for the state of Illinois. Fortunately, that changed: Back Where I Belong restored this Chicago harp master to prominence, and Eldorado Cadillac drove him into the winner's circle a second time. After a six year lull between recordings, 2001's Boogie 'n' Shuffle on Stony Plain found Arnold still in fine form, backed by Duke Robillard and his band on a set of rough and ready blues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1N44gamdFE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU5Sd1vC_GA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R25xEo6GNl8
Kokomo Arnold
Biography by Uncle Dave Lewis
"Kokomo" was a popular brand of coffee early in the 20th century, and was the subject of Francis "Scrapper" Blackwell's first recorded blues in 1928. When slide guitar specialist James Arnold revamped this number as "Old Original Kokomo Blues" for Decca in 1934, little did he know that this would soon become his permanent handle -- Kokomo Arnold.
Kokomo Arnold was born in Georgia, and began his musical career in Buffalo, New York in the early '20s. During prohibition, Kokomo Arnold worked primarily as a bootlegger, and performing music was a only sideline to him. Nonetheless he worked out a distinctive style of bottleneck slide guitar and blues singing that set him apart from his contemporaries. In the late '20s, Arnold settled for a short time in Mississippi, making his first recordings in May 1930 for Victor in Memphis under the name of "Gitfiddle Jim." Arnold moved to Chicago in order to be near to where the action was as a bootlegger, but the repeal of the Volstead Act put him out of business, so he turned instead to music as a full-time vocation.
From his first Decca session of September 10, 1934 until he finally called it quits after his session of May 12, 1938, Kokomo Arnold made 88 sides under his own name for Decca, which rejected only nine of them -- two of the rejected titles have since been recovered. On some sides he was joined on piano by Peetie Wheatstraw, although most of Kokomo Arnold's records were made solo. Arnold also played guitar on two tunes cut in July 1936 by Oscar's Chicago Swingers, a dance band led by singer Sam Theard. Judging from the overall size of his recorded output, you might suspect that he was a success as a recording artist, and this was true; along with Peetie Wheatstraw and Amos Easton (Bumble Bee Slim), Kokomo Arnold was a predominant figure among blues singers in the Decca Race catalogues of the 1930s. He was also well-known as a live performer as well, appearing mainly in Chicago, but also on at least a couple of occasions in New York.
Some of Kokomo Arnold's songs proved highly influential on other musicians. His first issued coupling on Decca 7026 paired "Old Original Kokomo Blues" with "Milk Cow Blues." Delta Blues legend Robert Johnson must've known this record, as he re-invented both sides of it into songs for his own use -- "Old Original Kokomo Blues" became "Sweet Home Chicago," and "Milk Cow Blues" became "Milkcow's Calf Blues." "Milk Cow Blues" ultimately proved of use, more or less, in its original form with some "real gone" modifications, to another artist a little further down the line: Elvis Presley.
As for Kokomo Arnold himself, he quit the music business in disgust in 1938 and went into factory work in Chicago. He was rediscovered there by blues researchers in 1962, but didn't show much enthusiasm for reviving his musical career, and certainly did not resume recording. Kokomo Arnold died of a heart attack at the age of 67.
Some blues pundits have drawn a direct qualitative value between Peetie Wheatstraw and Kokomo Arnold, with Arnold coming out on top. There was a popular re-issue album in the 1960s featuring eight songs by each artist which seemed to support this conclusion. This has no real relevance however; although they were personally acquainted and recorded together, Kokomo Arnold and Peetie Wheatstraw were really working different ends of the 1930s blues spectrum. Their main connection to one another is their combined influence on Robert Johnson, and in this respect Wheatstraw seems to have had the upper hand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI47KteZURY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kswMtNibao8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0J8m3YyIhQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pseC79zeYJY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkE2NqB3DFc
Biography by Uncle Dave Lewis
"Kokomo" was a popular brand of coffee early in the 20th century, and was the subject of Francis "Scrapper" Blackwell's first recorded blues in 1928. When slide guitar specialist James Arnold revamped this number as "Old Original Kokomo Blues" for Decca in 1934, little did he know that this would soon become his permanent handle -- Kokomo Arnold.
Kokomo Arnold was born in Georgia, and began his musical career in Buffalo, New York in the early '20s. During prohibition, Kokomo Arnold worked primarily as a bootlegger, and performing music was a only sideline to him. Nonetheless he worked out a distinctive style of bottleneck slide guitar and blues singing that set him apart from his contemporaries. In the late '20s, Arnold settled for a short time in Mississippi, making his first recordings in May 1930 for Victor in Memphis under the name of "Gitfiddle Jim." Arnold moved to Chicago in order to be near to where the action was as a bootlegger, but the repeal of the Volstead Act put him out of business, so he turned instead to music as a full-time vocation.
From his first Decca session of September 10, 1934 until he finally called it quits after his session of May 12, 1938, Kokomo Arnold made 88 sides under his own name for Decca, which rejected only nine of them -- two of the rejected titles have since been recovered. On some sides he was joined on piano by Peetie Wheatstraw, although most of Kokomo Arnold's records were made solo. Arnold also played guitar on two tunes cut in July 1936 by Oscar's Chicago Swingers, a dance band led by singer Sam Theard. Judging from the overall size of his recorded output, you might suspect that he was a success as a recording artist, and this was true; along with Peetie Wheatstraw and Amos Easton (Bumble Bee Slim), Kokomo Arnold was a predominant figure among blues singers in the Decca Race catalogues of the 1930s. He was also well-known as a live performer as well, appearing mainly in Chicago, but also on at least a couple of occasions in New York.
Some of Kokomo Arnold's songs proved highly influential on other musicians. His first issued coupling on Decca 7026 paired "Old Original Kokomo Blues" with "Milk Cow Blues." Delta Blues legend Robert Johnson must've known this record, as he re-invented both sides of it into songs for his own use -- "Old Original Kokomo Blues" became "Sweet Home Chicago," and "Milk Cow Blues" became "Milkcow's Calf Blues." "Milk Cow Blues" ultimately proved of use, more or less, in its original form with some "real gone" modifications, to another artist a little further down the line: Elvis Presley.
As for Kokomo Arnold himself, he quit the music business in disgust in 1938 and went into factory work in Chicago. He was rediscovered there by blues researchers in 1962, but didn't show much enthusiasm for reviving his musical career, and certainly did not resume recording. Kokomo Arnold died of a heart attack at the age of 67.
Some blues pundits have drawn a direct qualitative value between Peetie Wheatstraw and Kokomo Arnold, with Arnold coming out on top. There was a popular re-issue album in the 1960s featuring eight songs by each artist which seemed to support this conclusion. This has no real relevance however; although they were personally acquainted and recorded together, Kokomo Arnold and Peetie Wheatstraw were really working different ends of the 1930s blues spectrum. Their main connection to one another is their combined influence on Robert Johnson, and in this respect Wheatstraw seems to have had the upper hand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI47KteZURY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kswMtNibao8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0J8m3YyIhQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pseC79zeYJY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkE2NqB3DFc
Mildred Bailey
An early jazz singer with a sweet voice that belied her plump physique, Mildred Bailey balanced a good deal of popular success with a hot jazz-slanted career that saw her billed as Mrs. Swing (her husband, Red Norvo, was Mr. Swing). Born Mildred Rinker in Washington state in 1907, Bailey began performing at an early age, playing piano and singing in movie theaters during the early '20s. By 1925, she was the headlining act at a club in Hollywood, doing a mixture of pop, early jazz tunes, and vaudeville standards. Influenced by Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, and Connie Boswell, she developed a soft, swinging delivery that pleased all kinds of nightclub audiences in the area. After sending a demonstration disc in to Paul Whiteman in 1929, she gained a spot with one of the most popular dance orchestras of the day.
The added exposure with Whiteman soon gave Bailey her own radio program. She had already debuted on a recording date with guitarist Eddie Lang in 1929, but in 1932 she gained fame by recording what became her signature song, "Rockin' Chair" -- written especially for her by Hoagie Carmichael -- with a Whiteman small group. Recording for Vocalion during the 1930s, Bailey often utilized her husband, xylophonist Red Norvo. She also appeared on his recordings of the late '30s, and the arrangements of Eddie Sauter proved a perfect accompaniment to her vocals.
Though she and Norvo later divorced, Bailey continued to perform and record during the 1940s. She appeared on Benny Goodman's Camel Caravan radio program, and gained her own series again during the mid-'40s. Hampered by health problems during the late '40s, she spent time in the hospital suffering from diabetes and died of a heart attack in 1951. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4owpxWbOcYg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy-cKdHi4MI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToiBDPY7g2I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxC2-aujDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkrcB_za494
An early jazz singer with a sweet voice that belied her plump physique, Mildred Bailey balanced a good deal of popular success with a hot jazz-slanted career that saw her billed as Mrs. Swing (her husband, Red Norvo, was Mr. Swing). Born Mildred Rinker in Washington state in 1907, Bailey began performing at an early age, playing piano and singing in movie theaters during the early '20s. By 1925, she was the headlining act at a club in Hollywood, doing a mixture of pop, early jazz tunes, and vaudeville standards. Influenced by Ethel Waters, Bessie Smith, and Connie Boswell, she developed a soft, swinging delivery that pleased all kinds of nightclub audiences in the area. After sending a demonstration disc in to Paul Whiteman in 1929, she gained a spot with one of the most popular dance orchestras of the day.
The added exposure with Whiteman soon gave Bailey her own radio program. She had already debuted on a recording date with guitarist Eddie Lang in 1929, but in 1932 she gained fame by recording what became her signature song, "Rockin' Chair" -- written especially for her by Hoagie Carmichael -- with a Whiteman small group. Recording for Vocalion during the 1930s, Bailey often utilized her husband, xylophonist Red Norvo. She also appeared on his recordings of the late '30s, and the arrangements of Eddie Sauter proved a perfect accompaniment to her vocals.
Though she and Norvo later divorced, Bailey continued to perform and record during the 1940s. She appeared on Benny Goodman's Camel Caravan radio program, and gained her own series again during the mid-'40s. Hampered by health problems during the late '40s, she spent time in the hospital suffering from diabetes and died of a heart attack in 1951. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4owpxWbOcYg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy-cKdHi4MI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToiBDPY7g2I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhxC2-aujDA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkrcB_za494
LaVern Baker
She was one sexy woman....!
Biography by Bill Dahl
LaVern Baker was one of the sexiest divas gracing the mid-'50s rock & roll circuit, boasting a brashly seductive vocal delivery tailor-made for belting the catchy novelties "Tweedlee Dee," "Bop-Ting-a-Ling," and "Tra La La" for Atlantic Records during rock's first wave of prominence.
Born Delores Williams, she was singing at the Club DeLisa on Chicago's south side at age 17, decked out in raggedy attire and billed as "Little Miss Sharecropper" (the same handle that she made her recording debut under for RCA Victor with Eddie "Sugarman" Penigar's band in 1949). She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for OKeh in 1951 with Maurice King's Wolverines, then settled on the first name of LaVern when she joined Todd Rhodes' band as featured vocalist in 1952 (she fronted Rhodes' aggregation on the impassioned ballad "Trying" for Cincinnati's King Records).
LaVern signed with Atlantic as a solo in 1953, debuting with the incendiary "Soul on Fire." The coy, Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" was a smash in 1955 on both the R&B and pop charts, although her impact on the latter was blunted when squeaky-clean Georgia Gibbs covered it for Mercury. An infuriated Baker filed suit over the whitewashing, but she lost. By that time, though, her star had ascended: Baker's "Bop-Ting-A-Ling," "Play It Fair," "Still," and the rocking "Jim Dandy" all vaulted into the R&B Top Ten over the next couple of years.
Baker's statuesque figure and charismatic persona made her a natural for TV and movies. She co-starred on the historic R&B revue segment on Ed Sullivan's TV program in November of 1955 and did memorable numbers in Alan Freed's rock movies Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. Her Atlantic records remained popular throughout the decade: she hit big in 1958 with the ballad "I Cried a Tear," adopted a pseudo-sanctified bellow for the rousing Leiber & Stoller-penned gospel sendup "Saved" in 1960, and cut a Bessie Smith tribute album before leaving Atlantic in 1964. A brief stop at Brunswick Records (where she did a sassy duet with Jackie Wilson, "Think Twice") preceded a late-'60s jaunt to entertain the troops in Vietnam. She became seriously ill after the trip and was hospitalized, eventually settling far out of the limelight in the Philippines. She remained there for 22 years, running an NCO club on Subic Bay for the U.S. government.
Finally, in 1988, Baker returned stateside to star in Atlantic's 40th anniversary bash at New York's Madison Square Garden. That led to a soundtrack appearance in the film Dick Tracy, a starring role in the Broadway musical Black & Blue (replacing her ex-Atlantic labelmate Ruth Brown), a nice comeback disc for DRG (Woke Up This Mornin'), and a memorable appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival. Baker died on March 10, 1997.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtx3Wd2DH48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV5m9A388HA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn1Adf4cfyE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aASxYIk-rHw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HJY1TsIc50
She was one sexy woman....!
Biography by Bill Dahl
LaVern Baker was one of the sexiest divas gracing the mid-'50s rock & roll circuit, boasting a brashly seductive vocal delivery tailor-made for belting the catchy novelties "Tweedlee Dee," "Bop-Ting-a-Ling," and "Tra La La" for Atlantic Records during rock's first wave of prominence.
Born Delores Williams, she was singing at the Club DeLisa on Chicago's south side at age 17, decked out in raggedy attire and billed as "Little Miss Sharecropper" (the same handle that she made her recording debut under for RCA Victor with Eddie "Sugarman" Penigar's band in 1949). She changed her name briefly to Bea Baker when recording for OKeh in 1951 with Maurice King's Wolverines, then settled on the first name of LaVern when she joined Todd Rhodes' band as featured vocalist in 1952 (she fronted Rhodes' aggregation on the impassioned ballad "Trying" for Cincinnati's King Records).
LaVern signed with Atlantic as a solo in 1953, debuting with the incendiary "Soul on Fire." The coy, Latin-tempo "Tweedlee Dee" was a smash in 1955 on both the R&B and pop charts, although her impact on the latter was blunted when squeaky-clean Georgia Gibbs covered it for Mercury. An infuriated Baker filed suit over the whitewashing, but she lost. By that time, though, her star had ascended: Baker's "Bop-Ting-A-Ling," "Play It Fair," "Still," and the rocking "Jim Dandy" all vaulted into the R&B Top Ten over the next couple of years.
Baker's statuesque figure and charismatic persona made her a natural for TV and movies. She co-starred on the historic R&B revue segment on Ed Sullivan's TV program in November of 1955 and did memorable numbers in Alan Freed's rock movies Rock, Rock, Rock and Mr. Rock & Roll. Her Atlantic records remained popular throughout the decade: she hit big in 1958 with the ballad "I Cried a Tear," adopted a pseudo-sanctified bellow for the rousing Leiber & Stoller-penned gospel sendup "Saved" in 1960, and cut a Bessie Smith tribute album before leaving Atlantic in 1964. A brief stop at Brunswick Records (where she did a sassy duet with Jackie Wilson, "Think Twice") preceded a late-'60s jaunt to entertain the troops in Vietnam. She became seriously ill after the trip and was hospitalized, eventually settling far out of the limelight in the Philippines. She remained there for 22 years, running an NCO club on Subic Bay for the U.S. government.
Finally, in 1988, Baker returned stateside to star in Atlantic's 40th anniversary bash at New York's Madison Square Garden. That led to a soundtrack appearance in the film Dick Tracy, a starring role in the Broadway musical Black & Blue (replacing her ex-Atlantic labelmate Ruth Brown), a nice comeback disc for DRG (Woke Up This Mornin'), and a memorable appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival. Baker died on March 10, 1997.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtx3Wd2DH48
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV5m9A388HA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn1Adf4cfyE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aASxYIk-rHw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HJY1TsIc50
Hank Ballard
And you thought Chubby Checker wrote "The Twist"
Biography by Steve Huey
In the world of early rhythm & blues and doo wop, Hank Ballard was the very definition of earthiness. Though influenced by high-energy gospel vocal groups, Ballard's music with the Midnighters couldn't have been more diametrically opposed in terms of subject matter: his lyrics were filled with raunchy double-entendres that left little to the imagination, pushing the envelope of what was considered acceptable in the '50s. His songs were sometimes banned on the radio, but that only made him an even bigger jukebox favorite among black audiences. Ballard's hard-driving, rhythmic style was also an underappreciated influence on the rawer side of R&B, particularly on a young James Brown; plus, his composition "The Twist" -- recorded for a hit by Chubby Checker -- became one of the biggest hits in rock & roll history.
Hank Ballard was born November 18, 1927 (according to his birth records) in Detroit, but moved to Bessemer, AL, as a young child following his father's death. There he began singing in church and when he returned to Detroit at age 15, he set about forming a doo wop group while working on the Ford assembly line. Around the same time, singers Henry Booth and Charles Sutton were organizing a doo wop outfit called the Royals, which reputedly at one time also featured Jackie Wilson and future Four Top Levi Stubbs; it eventually grew to include vocalists Lawson Smith and Sonny Woods, plus gritty guitarist Alonzo Tucker. Initially copying the smooth style of Sonny Til & the Orioles, the Royals were discovered by Johnny Otis in 1952 and signed with Federal Records. However, when Hank Ballard replaced Smith in 1953, they adopted a rougher, more hepped-up sound in keeping with Ballard's numerous original compositions and Clyde McPhatter influence. Ballard's first recording with the group was 1953's "Get It," which hit the Top Ten on the R&B charts, but it was the following year's ribald "Work With Me Annie" that really broke the group (they changed their name to the Midnighters around this time, to avoid confusion with the Five Royales). "Work With Me Annie" topped the R&B charts and nearly reached the pop Top 20, despite a number of radio stations refusing to air the song. It inspired a number of answer records and the Midnighters themselves entered the fray with the sequels "Annie Had a Baby" (another R&B chart-topper) and "Annie's Aunt Fannie." They also scored another major smash with the Ballard-penned "Sexy Ways," which solidified their reputation as R&B's most risqué act.
However, after the momentum of "Work With Me Annie" slowed, the Midnighters seemed at a loss as to how to recapture it. They went nearly three and a half years without another big hit, and with the decline in their fortunes came numerous personnel shifts. Lawson Smith returned to the fold to replace Sutton, Norman Thrasher replaced Sonny Woods, and Tucker's guitar post was taken first by Arthur Porter, then Cal Green. Ballard attempted to take his 1958 composition "The Twist" to Vee-Jay, which declined to release the version they recorded; King, Federal's parent label, issued it as the B-side of the Midnighters' R&B comeback ballad hit "Teardrops on Your Letter" in 1959. Still, "The Twist" gained some notice and found a fan in American Bandstand host Dick Clark, who brought the song to Chubby Checker's attention; the rest was history, as "The Twist" became the first song to hit number one during two completely separate chart runs. Ballard and the Midnighters benefited from the exposure, scoring their first Top Ten pop singles in 1960 with "Finger Poppin' Time" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go." A few more R&B hits followed, generally dance-oriented songs in the vein of "The Twist," before the well dried up for a second time. The Midnighters gradually disintegrated and Ballard became a solo act; by the end of the '60s, he was working with longtime fan James Brown, who produced several singles for Ballard during the late '60s and early '70s. After a lengthy absence from music, Ballard re-formed the Midnighters during the mid-'80s, first as a female group, then male, and began touring once again. In 1990, Ballard received his due as an R&B innovator with his election into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. After suffering for several years with throat cancer, Ballard died quietly at his Los Angeles home in March of 2003.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh1zSwk7tcg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GhL78YPRNs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdQFf0p2kyg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlRK56RxHoI
And you thought Chubby Checker wrote "The Twist"
Biography by Steve Huey
In the world of early rhythm & blues and doo wop, Hank Ballard was the very definition of earthiness. Though influenced by high-energy gospel vocal groups, Ballard's music with the Midnighters couldn't have been more diametrically opposed in terms of subject matter: his lyrics were filled with raunchy double-entendres that left little to the imagination, pushing the envelope of what was considered acceptable in the '50s. His songs were sometimes banned on the radio, but that only made him an even bigger jukebox favorite among black audiences. Ballard's hard-driving, rhythmic style was also an underappreciated influence on the rawer side of R&B, particularly on a young James Brown; plus, his composition "The Twist" -- recorded for a hit by Chubby Checker -- became one of the biggest hits in rock & roll history.
Hank Ballard was born November 18, 1927 (according to his birth records) in Detroit, but moved to Bessemer, AL, as a young child following his father's death. There he began singing in church and when he returned to Detroit at age 15, he set about forming a doo wop group while working on the Ford assembly line. Around the same time, singers Henry Booth and Charles Sutton were organizing a doo wop outfit called the Royals, which reputedly at one time also featured Jackie Wilson and future Four Top Levi Stubbs; it eventually grew to include vocalists Lawson Smith and Sonny Woods, plus gritty guitarist Alonzo Tucker. Initially copying the smooth style of Sonny Til & the Orioles, the Royals were discovered by Johnny Otis in 1952 and signed with Federal Records. However, when Hank Ballard replaced Smith in 1953, they adopted a rougher, more hepped-up sound in keeping with Ballard's numerous original compositions and Clyde McPhatter influence. Ballard's first recording with the group was 1953's "Get It," which hit the Top Ten on the R&B charts, but it was the following year's ribald "Work With Me Annie" that really broke the group (they changed their name to the Midnighters around this time, to avoid confusion with the Five Royales). "Work With Me Annie" topped the R&B charts and nearly reached the pop Top 20, despite a number of radio stations refusing to air the song. It inspired a number of answer records and the Midnighters themselves entered the fray with the sequels "Annie Had a Baby" (another R&B chart-topper) and "Annie's Aunt Fannie." They also scored another major smash with the Ballard-penned "Sexy Ways," which solidified their reputation as R&B's most risqué act.
However, after the momentum of "Work With Me Annie" slowed, the Midnighters seemed at a loss as to how to recapture it. They went nearly three and a half years without another big hit, and with the decline in their fortunes came numerous personnel shifts. Lawson Smith returned to the fold to replace Sutton, Norman Thrasher replaced Sonny Woods, and Tucker's guitar post was taken first by Arthur Porter, then Cal Green. Ballard attempted to take his 1958 composition "The Twist" to Vee-Jay, which declined to release the version they recorded; King, Federal's parent label, issued it as the B-side of the Midnighters' R&B comeback ballad hit "Teardrops on Your Letter" in 1959. Still, "The Twist" gained some notice and found a fan in American Bandstand host Dick Clark, who brought the song to Chubby Checker's attention; the rest was history, as "The Twist" became the first song to hit number one during two completely separate chart runs. Ballard and the Midnighters benefited from the exposure, scoring their first Top Ten pop singles in 1960 with "Finger Poppin' Time" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go." A few more R&B hits followed, generally dance-oriented songs in the vein of "The Twist," before the well dried up for a second time. The Midnighters gradually disintegrated and Ballard became a solo act; by the end of the '60s, he was working with longtime fan James Brown, who produced several singles for Ballard during the late '60s and early '70s. After a lengthy absence from music, Ballard re-formed the Midnighters during the mid-'80s, first as a female group, then male, and began touring once again. In 1990, Ballard received his due as an R&B innovator with his election into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. After suffering for several years with throat cancer, Ballard died quietly at his Los Angeles home in March of 2003.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh1zSwk7tcg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GhL78YPRNs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdQFf0p2kyg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlRK56RxHoI
Carey Bell
Biography by Bill Dahl
His place on the honor roll of Chicago blues harpists long ago assured, Carey Bell truly came into his own in the '90s as a bandleader with terrific discs for Alligator and Blind Pig. He learned his distinctive harmonica riffs from the Windy City's very best (both Walters -- Little and Big -- as well as Sonny Boy Williamson II), adding his own signature effects for good measure (an otherworldly moan immediately identifies many of his more memorable harp rides).
Born Carey Bell Harrington in the blues-fertile state of Mississippi, he was already playing the harp when he was eight and working professionally with his godfather, pianist Lovie Lee, at 13. The older and more experienced Lee brought Carey with him to Chicago in search of steady musical opportunities in 1956. Gigs frequently proved scarce, and Carey eventually took up electric bass, playing behind Robert Nighthawk, Johnny Young, and his mentor Big Walter Horton. Finally, in 1969, Bell made his debut album (on harp) for Delmark, and he was on his way.
Bell served invaluable early-'70s stints in the bands of Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, touring extensively and recording with both legends. Alligator Records has been responsible for much of Bell's best recorded work as a leader, beginning with a joint venture with Horton back in 1972. Four cuts by Bell on the first batch of Alligator's Living Chicago Blues anthologies in 1978 preceded his participation in the 1990 harmonica summit meeting Harp Attack!, which brought him into the studio with fellow greats James Cotton, Junior Wells, and Billy Branch. His solo set for Alligator, Deep Down, rates as his finest album. Bell has sired a passel of blues-playing progeny; best-known of the brood is mercurial guitarist Lurrie Bell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuGfbNcSbw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-tnAY9rKRk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT9g4uqK9G8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYSNXBSjwQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toSz8aOeYGQ
Biography by Bill Dahl
His place on the honor roll of Chicago blues harpists long ago assured, Carey Bell truly came into his own in the '90s as a bandleader with terrific discs for Alligator and Blind Pig. He learned his distinctive harmonica riffs from the Windy City's very best (both Walters -- Little and Big -- as well as Sonny Boy Williamson II), adding his own signature effects for good measure (an otherworldly moan immediately identifies many of his more memorable harp rides).
Born Carey Bell Harrington in the blues-fertile state of Mississippi, he was already playing the harp when he was eight and working professionally with his godfather, pianist Lovie Lee, at 13. The older and more experienced Lee brought Carey with him to Chicago in search of steady musical opportunities in 1956. Gigs frequently proved scarce, and Carey eventually took up electric bass, playing behind Robert Nighthawk, Johnny Young, and his mentor Big Walter Horton. Finally, in 1969, Bell made his debut album (on harp) for Delmark, and he was on his way.
Bell served invaluable early-'70s stints in the bands of Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, touring extensively and recording with both legends. Alligator Records has been responsible for much of Bell's best recorded work as a leader, beginning with a joint venture with Horton back in 1972. Four cuts by Bell on the first batch of Alligator's Living Chicago Blues anthologies in 1978 preceded his participation in the 1990 harmonica summit meeting Harp Attack!, which brought him into the studio with fellow greats James Cotton, Junior Wells, and Billy Branch. His solo set for Alligator, Deep Down, rates as his finest album. Bell has sired a passel of blues-playing progeny; best-known of the brood is mercurial guitarist Lurrie Bell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuGfbNcSbw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-tnAY9rKRk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT9g4uqK9G8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXYSNXBSjwQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toSz8aOeYGQ
Eric Bibb
away in taiwan, so was unable to post. but am back now heh
Biography by Richard Skelly
Like Josh White Jr., who is the son of folk singer Josh White, singer, songwriter and guitarist Eric Bibb was raised in the folk tradition, the son of the folk singer Leon Bibb. Bibb's uncle was the world famous jazz pianist and composer, John Lewis, part of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Bibb was raised in a music-filled household, as family friends in the 1950's and 60's included Pete Seeger, Odetta, Bob Dylan and the late Paul Robeson, who was named Eric's godfather. Bibb got his first steel guitar at age seven, and he got some advice from Dylan that he never forgot, to "keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff." When he was 13, Bibb entered New York City's High School of Music and Art, where he studied double bass, vocals, classical guitar and piano. When he was 16, his father asked him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show, Someone New.
In 1970, Bibb left New York City for Paris, where he met with guitarist Mickey Baker. There, he began to focus in on blues guitar, and, after moving to Stockholm, he became enamored with pre-war blues. He continued to write his own songs and perform during this time and returned to New York in 1980 to pursue a career as a folk and blues singer. He moved back to Sweden five years later and continued performing but also taught music in school. His debut, Spirit and the Blues showcased the sounds of bouzouki, mandolin, accordion and a gospel group, inspired by other recordings that married blues men like Leadbelly with gospel groups like the Golden Gate Quartet. He performed at the London Blues Festival in 1996, where he shared a set with Corey Harris and Keb' Mo', and he quickly followed up with 1997's Good Stuff. His third album, Me To You, featured performances and collaborations with some of his musical heroes, including Pops and Mavis Staples and Taj Mahal. He followed up the success of the album with tours of the UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany and Sweden. He recorded and released "Home To Me" in 1999, Roadworks in 2000, Painting Signs and Just Like Love in 2001, and he put out a third release in 2001, A Family Affair, which featured duets and solo tunes by Bibb and his father. Bibb joined Robert Cray on two U.S. tours in 2001 and 2002 and opened for Ray Charles in the summer of 2002. Bibb has been nominated for a Grammy for "Shakin' a Tailfeather" and he has been nominated for many W.C. Handy Awards in a variety of categories.
Ever the prolific songwriter, forever brimming with new musical ideas and a freshness of appreciation with no dimming in his enthusiasm for performing, Bibb has kept up a hectic schedule of performing and recording since Home to Me and A Family Affair were released in 2001. He recorded Natural Light for Earthbeat in 2003, Roadworks and Sisters and Brothers in 2004, and Friends in 2004. His more recent recordings include 2005's A Ship Called Love, Diamond Days and Twelve Gates to the City in 2006, and a collaboration with his father, Praising Peace: A Tribute to Paul Robeson. Not all of Bibb's releases are available in the U.S., but most can be found via the Internet. He released a live album in 2007, An Evening with Eric Bibb for the Telarc Blues label. Bibb's latest album, 2008's Get On Board, [Telarc Blues] features performances by Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster. Bibb describes the sounds and songs on the album best when he says, it's "a further exploration into the place where blues meets gospel and soul."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu-otdZmC4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muQU_0527Cw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSEQkfN8PI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeEUNeMXiQI&feature=related
away in taiwan, so was unable to post. but am back now heh
Biography by Richard Skelly
Like Josh White Jr., who is the son of folk singer Josh White, singer, songwriter and guitarist Eric Bibb was raised in the folk tradition, the son of the folk singer Leon Bibb. Bibb's uncle was the world famous jazz pianist and composer, John Lewis, part of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Bibb was raised in a music-filled household, as family friends in the 1950's and 60's included Pete Seeger, Odetta, Bob Dylan and the late Paul Robeson, who was named Eric's godfather. Bibb got his first steel guitar at age seven, and he got some advice from Dylan that he never forgot, to "keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff." When he was 13, Bibb entered New York City's High School of Music and Art, where he studied double bass, vocals, classical guitar and piano. When he was 16, his father asked him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show, Someone New.
In 1970, Bibb left New York City for Paris, where he met with guitarist Mickey Baker. There, he began to focus in on blues guitar, and, after moving to Stockholm, he became enamored with pre-war blues. He continued to write his own songs and perform during this time and returned to New York in 1980 to pursue a career as a folk and blues singer. He moved back to Sweden five years later and continued performing but also taught music in school. His debut, Spirit and the Blues showcased the sounds of bouzouki, mandolin, accordion and a gospel group, inspired by other recordings that married blues men like Leadbelly with gospel groups like the Golden Gate Quartet. He performed at the London Blues Festival in 1996, where he shared a set with Corey Harris and Keb' Mo', and he quickly followed up with 1997's Good Stuff. His third album, Me To You, featured performances and collaborations with some of his musical heroes, including Pops and Mavis Staples and Taj Mahal. He followed up the success of the album with tours of the UK, USA, Canada, France, Germany and Sweden. He recorded and released "Home To Me" in 1999, Roadworks in 2000, Painting Signs and Just Like Love in 2001, and he put out a third release in 2001, A Family Affair, which featured duets and solo tunes by Bibb and his father. Bibb joined Robert Cray on two U.S. tours in 2001 and 2002 and opened for Ray Charles in the summer of 2002. Bibb has been nominated for a Grammy for "Shakin' a Tailfeather" and he has been nominated for many W.C. Handy Awards in a variety of categories.
Ever the prolific songwriter, forever brimming with new musical ideas and a freshness of appreciation with no dimming in his enthusiasm for performing, Bibb has kept up a hectic schedule of performing and recording since Home to Me and A Family Affair were released in 2001. He recorded Natural Light for Earthbeat in 2003, Roadworks and Sisters and Brothers in 2004, and Friends in 2004. His more recent recordings include 2005's A Ship Called Love, Diamond Days and Twelve Gates to the City in 2006, and a collaboration with his father, Praising Peace: A Tribute to Paul Robeson. Not all of Bibb's releases are available in the U.S., but most can be found via the Internet. He released a live album in 2007, An Evening with Eric Bibb for the Telarc Blues label. Bibb's latest album, 2008's Get On Board, [Telarc Blues] features performances by Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster. Bibb describes the sounds and songs on the album best when he says, it's "a further exploration into the place where blues meets gospel and soul."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu-otdZmC4E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muQU_0527Cw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYSEQkfN8PI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeEUNeMXiQI&feature=related
Godspeed64
Active member
Ok.. I sifted through the blues artists you've introduced.. I only know about Jimmie Vaughan!
Maybe here's a few more artists you can include:
Muddy Waters
John Lee Hooker
Buddy Guy
B.B. King
Jeff Healey
Maybe here's a few more artists you can include:
Muddy Waters
John Lee Hooker
Buddy Guy
B.B. King
Jeff Healey
amnesiac
New member
I remember having this CD tribute to Muddy Waters by Paul Rodgers. He and a few artistes like Slash, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Richie Sambora etc came together and played some of his songs. That CD is what got me interested in the blues. I lost it though, and I can't find it in stores anymore. If anyone sees it, grab it. It's a good buy
Here's one of the songs featured in the album, enjoy! Cheers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=014Huz_VZZQ
Here's one of the songs featured in the album, enjoy! Cheers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=014Huz_VZZQ
yeah, but i am purposely skipping all the famous blues artists as practically everyone knows them. you notice i didnt include john mayer. heck even john lee hooker was on a coke commercial 10 years back. haha!
I remember having this CD tribute to Muddy Waters by Paul Rodgers. He and a few artistes like Slash, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Richie Sambora etc came together and played some of his songs. That CD is what got me interested in the blues. I lost it though, and I can't find it in stores anymore. If anyone sees it, grab it. It's a good buy
Here's one of the songs featured in the album, enjoy! Cheers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=014Huz_VZZQ
sounds likea good cd! will check it out. thks amnesiac!