Big Mama Thornton - Rock me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXoRljXZwK0

Big Mama Thornton & Buddy Guy - Hound Dog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XUAg...eature=related

Koko Taylor & Little Walter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkykl...eature=related

Damn informative post, Wook, and thanks for the link. That is indeed the same track, so now I don't have to spend the 300 bucks or so being fetched online for a vinyl copy of the soundtrack John Cole got the track from.

You mentioned Fever, and I don't think anybody has mentioned Little Willie John yet, probably becasue he's more R n B or "jump blues" than a lot of the stuff being mentioned, and some of his stuff even veered into doowop territory. Still, anyone who has that mess in their voice, no matter how smooth, belongs in the conversation. "With a toothpick in my hand I'd dig a ten foot ditch, and run through the jungle fighting lions with a switch".

Dude...that is nothing but badass.

I threw in a couple of links above to a favourite band of mine - The 10 Cent Shooters

Here is a bit of a bio:

"The Shooters' approach to blues is different on a couple of levels. Firstly, they like the sounds of the early performers from the 20s and 30s. Secondly, they keep the music clean of the rock influences.

Both Scotty and Pete had been listening to country blues for a long time when they got together. Before radio and recording, regional differences were much more marked, based on individual players or perhaps a community style, says Scott. Come recording, a snapshot of those sounds from the 20s and 30s was laid down.

There are recognised styles, says Scott, such as Piedmont blues which is distinct from Mississippi or delta blues. "It's quieter, more ragtime with an alternating bass."

The Chicago sound evolved as people like Big Bill Broonzy, Memphis Minnie, Washboard Sam and Lucille Bogan settled there in the 30s. Then after the war, the electric guitar entered the mix. The new generation of Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk, (Little) Walter Jacobs came along and embraced the electric sound with added drums and bass. "What came out is a strong, recognisable style of blues which is once removed from the country blues that we play," says Scott. "We don't do the standard blues songs that people might expect."

Nor do they play it in a way that might be expected. Delta is a less regulated style, says Scott. "Blues only became 12, 16, 8 bar after the jazz bands got hold of it and everyone had to agree on when the chord changes were going to come. Before that, it was a vocal style and people changed chord when it suited the song."

"And Woody still plays like that."

Woody agrees. "I do because I learned to play listening to the records and reading books." As a miner working underground and on exploration out in the remote goldfields country, Woody was far removed from other musicians. Isolated and not having the discipline of playing with others, he developed some "deeply ingrained habits", he says. "If I felt like changing the chord when I was singing a song in a particular way, I did."

Woody still learns the same way, from the record, committing the melody to memory. "Scott just knows how to deal with it and so does Sean." Adds Scott, "We are different. You could say we were special." You get the feeling there's a little bit of tongue-in-cheek. "As a group, there's no one really like the Shooters that I have ever heard."

The Ten Cent Shooters as Woody and Scott explain it, is a synthesis of those regional styles, listened to for so long that they've become ingrained. "It's a combination of the way Sean plays and the way Woody approaches the music." Scott has strong melodic lines rather than patterns, Woody tries to explain when asked to be more specific - while his own rhythm playing is finger picked rather than strummed.

As for Sean, he prefers not to listen too closely to a recording before he learns a song, so that his style is his own. But then none of the Shooters are mimics, says Pete. Rather, they play from that place where a music is well known and well loved.

Bass player Sean Diggins joined in 1992. Scott had moved down to Margaret River from Perth and shared his time between playing, surfing and building up his instrument making business. One day he got a call from Sean. Steve Tallis (another Perth blues player) couldn't do a gig. Could Scotty fill in?

He sneaks little things in and makes fun of us

Scott rang Pete. "Yep," was the answer. Pete takes up the story. "We'd never played together," he says, in fact, he'd not even seen Sean play. Sean just sat in and twigged straight away, he remembers. "We've played ever since."

"We've only ever had one rehearsal?" It's a question to Scott. "Yep," replies Scott. "And we didn't enjoy it at all."

The rest of the Shooters' line up is Scott on guitar, mandolin and harmonica; Pete on dobro and foot percussion. After having played together so long, and given Woody's eccentric style, is Scott ever surprised by something he does? "Oh constantly."

The comment is one that's made affectionately. You get the feeling that the Shooters appreciate each others' talent and ability. Pete always listens carefully to a Scott Wise solo. "He sneaks little things in and makes fun of us." Musical in-jokes for the band? "Yes," says Scott.

The Shooters' fan base is a passionate one. That was evidenced last April at the Fairbridge Music Festival. Pete was ill and about to undergo radiation therapy. The band didn't know when they would get together again. People jammed the dance stage venue for the last gig of the festival, for what could have been a farewell.

After 15 years together, if they ever doubted the affection in which they're held, that gig would dispel any doubts. "It was humbling, actually," says Woody.

The Shooters are often given the dance gigs at festivals, says Scott. "We play a slow blues and people get up and dance," says Pete. Forget about constructing a set; building up the excitement to get people on the floor. They're up and dancing from the first note.

So what is it about the sounds of Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Boy Fuller, Charley Patton, Muddy Waters, Memphis Minnie and Robert Johnson that attracted the guys? Pete remembers being down from the bush one time and going to the old WA music library where they had Library of Congress recordings. He put a on track and out jumped this "frantic bit of playing".

Nobody knows old Memphis like I do, sings Woody. "I thought, 'What's that?' I want to learn to play like that. I love that."

Scott had something of the same sort of reaction when he first heard Blind Boy Fuller. "He rocks and it's incredibly lively music." He was fascinated by the guitar sound which turned out to be a resophonic metal body.

Scott started listening to blues again after high school. An older cousin had given him a harmonica. "'Have a go at this,' she said, and I did." He played along to records and soon had it sorted. Pete remembers his first instrument too. His Dad brought it for him. "A wooden Eko guitar in a cardboard box for $14."

"Hard to break," says Scott.

Scott might have gone off in a different direction musically if it hadn't been for John Hood. In 1968, Scott and his mate Bob Searles entered the University Folk Club talent quest. They won. Then he met John who introduced him to the world of country and Chicago blues and to the current crop; the likes of Paul Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite, BB King. "I owe John Hood a great debt."

Perth was isolated musically back in the 70s and both men agree that records were their most accessible source of inspiration. Just the same, there were some terrific finger pickers around, says Woody. You could go down to Perth, pick up your bottle of claret and head off to the Stables and the Hayloft Folk Club or the Shiralee down in Sherwood Court. "That was a lot of inspiration for me."

Harp player Little Walter was a favourite, naturally enough, of Scott's. So too, Mississippi John Hurt, Joseph Spence and the early small jazz combos. Robert J is a name that crops up often among blues players. "He was a freak," says Scott, a second generation blues musician and probably one of the first self aware self-promoters. Today, he'd be a singer songwriter rock star, Scott reckons: someone who knew their own worth and were determined to succeed.

The UK's Rory McLeod is a name that get the nod from both guys. He's "a logical extension of what the old guys were about", says Scott. Ry Cooder was also a strong influence, or perhaps affirmation, playing a lot of the same people as they were.

Nearly 30 years of music later, the Shooters are preparing to tour East again and there's a new CD in the pipeline. Pete has retired from his day job with the Musicians Union. He's feeling stronger everyday, he says and enthusiastic about playing again. The voice still has to be given a real work out but Woody's confident. Just no more four hour gigs.

Scott loves touring, the travel, the constant playing and performing. "My workshop hands disappear and I suddenly have clean fingernails. My hands start working as a musician's hands again."

There's a lot of goodwill capital in the band, says Scott. And it's been earned. He adds up the ticks - conscientious, play for good causes, start on time and give good value. All good manners, good behaviour stuff?

"Yep. Goes a long way."

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/...08/1783940.htm

Wook,

I found the cut I posted online, but the album I have is the soundtrack to the movie Remember My Name. It's fabulous, and you can pick up a used copy of the LP cheaply.

BTW, Koko Taylor was terrific when I saw her years ago.

Good stuff Wookie. I'll mention Etta James (she recently made an album Blues to the Bone which I may have mentioned in the first Blues Blues Blues thread. Anyway, here is Etta singing "I'd rather go blind"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcwylnmACZ8

-Zeno

John, was that with me downstairs in "The Last Call" in Providence around 1980 or so?

~ Rick

Rick,

That's where I saw her, but it seems like it wasn't that long ago. When the hell did you move anyway?

John

I moved in 1989 so it could have been much later. Good years, we saw some great music in Providence during the eighties, mostly at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, Last Call, & the Met Cafe.

As a blues aside saw the James Montgomery band in Newport twice the last few years. He was almost the house band at the Last Call. I'd post a You-Tube link but he does look like a "yuppie" these days so I held back given some of the other posts.

Geez, could I go for about four wieners all the way with coffee milk right now.

~ Rick

John Cole and maybe others might like Love is a Gamble by Rhode Island legend Duke Robillard. He's good enough to be seen playing with Tom Waits on Letterman.

~ Rick

Yeah, I definitely made some omissions in my post. One omission that I definitely didn't want to make was a group by the name of Soul Miner's Daughter (MySpace link) For the most part, they're sort of a folk-y duo that wouldn't really fit in this thread, but their song "Blues for Angel" is pretty hot, and you at least used to be able to download it free from that link. Now it looks like things have changed and you can only play it, but maybe they just changed the format of the player and I can't find it.

Good stuff. Roomful of Blues never quite tweaked my monkey bone, so I've kind of slept on Robillard as a guitarist.


Sometimes forgotten is John Hammond, who is, an aside, looking an eerie bit like his father.

Not exactly a pure bluesman in form, Willie DeVille not afraid to wear his influences on his sleve and mine the same emotional and aesthetic vein as some of the others. He considers himself a "primitive", but his influences, especially with a full band, dig into R n B, New york soul and Spanish forms, New Orleans music, European street music, good old rock and roll, Edith Piaf, native American indian music. Still, as his fans will agree, he has the heart of a bluesman. I've mentioned him a coupla times, but I don't know if I posted anything. Also, this.

In one of the other threads, we had some debate over whether a song could be overplayed. The song in question was Stairway to Heaven, which I used to love, buthaven't been able to stomach since my teens.

This cut, however, I heard first around the same time (they were only a few years apart in their release), and have probably heard more times in the ensuing years, from my own collection, obviously, not from radio or public play. I still get chills today just as much as the first time I heard it.

Go, Etta!!!!

kudz...you gonna go see that movie Cadillac Records? Beyonce plays Etta James, Mos Def plays Chuck Berry, Jeffrey Wright plays Muddy Waters, and Eamonn Walker plays Howlin' Wolf...they all sing their renditions of the classic songs...

You know, my wife, who is far more up on things cinematic, told me about it, and I just saw the trailer. It actually looks pretty fun, so I'll definitely catch it, and try to void the music geek snobbery when looking at it. The cast (even Beyonce) liooks pretty inspired, to me, anyway. It will probably be after Christmas until I get a chance to see it, CBS, so if you (or any one of you fine folks) catch it before I get a chance, we'll expect a review.

Mos Def as Chuck Berry just seems right to me.

I haven't heard a lot of positve buzz about this to be honest, more due to the pacing/script than the actors themselves. But I have heard that the actor who plays Howlin' Wolf (I'm not really familiar with him) does an AMAZING job...

Beyonce - I can't really stand and I wish that they just would have used Etta James original...Beyonce's singing has got no soul in it IMO...

Plus, I can't watch football without her entreating me to "Lemme, Lemme Upgrade".

And is it just me, or is modern soul, with few exceptions turned into a vapid crap fest? All stance and vocal histrionics without the passion. That McDonalds commercial with that R. Kelly sound-alike caterwaul nailed perfet, if you ask me.

Some of the press has also cricized the historical accuracy, but it's a dramatization, not a documentary. Given the subject, I'll probably see it, but at this stage, it's definitely matinee material, not "date night with the wife" fodder.

This may be the closest we get to a real biopic on some of those blues greats, so I really hope the ball didn't get dropped too bad.

And I'm pretty sure that Adrian Brody and Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes are the same person.

Actually I wasn't a big fan of Roomful but couldn't help but run into them everywhere in RI way back. I saw a lot of Robillard after he left Roomful; mostly at bars where you're really hoping to have a good time and pick up chicks (never was good at the picking up chicks part ).

My gf and I really likes the kind of blues with the guitar sound that tweaks the heart and not the dance/swing stuff that so many "blues band" sticks in I guess to get work in clubs.

Some of our favorites:

Luther Alison "Cherry Red Wine"

Stevie Ray Vaughan "Little Wing"

and of course Roy Buchanan doing "Down By the River". Note that this is Roy on guitar only; he couldn't sing a lick.

I think she'll like this (BTW, this post and thread kills two birds with one stone - our dates are often spent in front of the computer sipping martini variations and watching YouTube)

Albert King & Garry Moore "Stormy Monday"

Decent lyrics (not sure DBTR qualifies there) with long drawn out guitar notes really get us in the right sort of mood. Better than those "The Rents Due, My Woman's No Good, My Dog Bit Me in the _ss" type blues songs

~ Rick

True. But he didn't have to.

Thanks for that Luther Allison clip, as I had not seen this. That's some serious mess, there.

Since you mentioned Roy Buchanan, I thought I'd post his protege/nemesis Danny Gatton. Just read Roy's biography a few months ago. Sad, sad read. I have Danny's sitting here waiting to be read, as well.

Also, to continue our cavalcade of too-soon-gone legends, this Jeff Healey cut, taken from the old Night Music TV show, deserves some love. It features Dr. John on keys, Marcus Miller on bass, and (I think) Steve Jordan on drums.

Also, one of Jeff Healy's teachers, the legendary Thumbs Carlisle. The country side of the blues.

And there is no one who sings like Mavis Staples. Any talk of great female vocalists without her is incomplete. This is her doing the old Blind Lemon Jefferson song on Lightning in a Bottle, the documentary of the concert that served as a history of the blues, as well as a tribute to some of the greats. Very recommended.

Great scene in the movie in which Odetta comes on stage at rehearsel while Ruth Brown (if I remember correctly), who had recently had some health problems, is singing, stops the band, and chastises them for playing too loud, and drowning out "this beautiful woman." The band,an all star group that Steve Jordan put together for the show, looks chastised. And vaguely intimidated. Priceless.

Rick,

At last year's fundraiser for a committee I work on, we had Duke Robillard, James Montgomery, and young Grace Kelly, the sax player. I had to get there early to sort of make sure the building was open and stuff was ready, so I got to talk to most of the people. Montgomery, I'm pretty sure, comes from a pretty privileged background. One of the guys on the committee went to high school with his brother, and the school served most of the kids whose parents were the executives from the automakers in Michigan. BTW, he also majored in English in college. You might not be far off with the "yuppy" reference--although he seems like a decent guy.

Since you strayed into Gospel with the Mavis Staples reference, let me mention the great documentary Say Amen, Somebody. The highlight of the movie is two older gospel singers arguing over who started the first gospel convention. When one seemed to have won the discussion on the year of the first convention, the other replied, "That wasn't a convention. It was just a bunch of people sitting around talking."

I saw Snooks Eaglin about 10 years ago in New Orleans. I had never heard of him prior to that night. I spent most of the night with my jaw dropped. His title of "The Human Jukebox" is well earned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ40kVRvcdk

Seeing Clarence Gatemouth Brown at the 8X10 in Baltimore back in the late 80's was an amazing show. His house was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina and he had to evacuate to Texas where he died a week later after battling lung cancer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS5XH84mmI4

Danny Gatton was a beast. This is a clip of him playing in a bar in DC sometime in the 80's. He combined jazz, blues and some rockabilly. Unfortunately he killed himself in the mid 1990's. Those who followed the Mid-Atlantic music scene always felt that he was destined for stardom.

That Danny Gatton clip grooves hard. Awesome.

Thanks to all who posted the terrific links in this post. I'll be spending a few hours downloading them.

I'll add one...........Seasick Steve.

I had posted about him here a while ago, but thought it was worth a repeat for those who may have missed it.

There are quite a few video's of him live on You Tube....He's something special.

Enjoy....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNoPN...om=PL&index=19


Myrt........

I was saddened to learn that Snooks died in February this year. I knew that his health had been suspect for the last few years limiting the number of his live performances. He was definitely a highlight of my very first trip to New Orleans.

Damn. I didn't even know he died.

RIP Snooks.