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It is usually a bad idea to cover any song recorded by Howlin’ Wolf. You’re likely to come out second-best. But there are the rare exceptions, and this is one of them. Do Etta and Harvey blow away the Wolf in this version of Spoonful? No, but they certainly put their stamp upon it. . . . → Read More: Etta James and Harvey Fuqua – Spoonful, By John Siscoe Now that she is dead, Etta James is being accorded the respect and acclaim she seldom enjoyed in life. These eulogies link her with other names: Johnny Otis (himself dead last week), who discovered her in the ’40′s; Leonard Chess, who recorded her in the ’60′s; Keith Richards, who helped revive her career in . . . → Read More: Everything From Cole Porter to Gutbucket Blues – RIP Etta James, By John Siscoe Obituaries from the LA Times and NPR. In 1944, six weeks before D-Day, Warner Brothers filmed this gem of a jazz session, boasting a stellar lineup led by Lester Young in his prime. But it’s Marie Bryant who steals the show, first with a fine rendition of The Sunny Side of the Street, and next with an astounding dance number with . . . → Read More: JAMMIN’ THE BLUES – A Historic Short Film on Jazz From 1944, by John Siscoe This is one of the most famous jazz performances ever recorded for television. When it aired live on Dec. 8,1957, Billie Holiday and Lester Young were both in terrible health and far past their artistic best. Formerly close, they were now estranged, but the jazz critic Nat Hentoff had persuaded them to share the . . . → Read More: Billie Holiday and Lester Young – Fine and Mellow, By John Siscoe I give the Rolling Stones a lot of credit for showing up at Chess Records, 2120 S. Michigan Avenue, in Chicago in 1965 and I give Jagger and Richards a lot of credit for paying for Hubert Sumlin‘s funeral in 2011. This is how it’s reported in Rolling Stone magazine: “The funeral for Chicago . . . → Read More: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards Will Pay for Hubert Sumlin’s Funeral Of all the American songs that came out of World War II, Hitler Blues is one the very few that blames Hitler for his mistreatment of the Jews. This gritty 1942 recording by Huddie William Leadbetter (Lead Belly) is the definitive version, but is not the original. Hitler Blues– it’s actually not a blues . . . → Read More: Lead Belly – Hitler Blues, By John Siscoe When it comes to the single-string guitar solo, all roads lead back to Alonzo “Lonnie” Johnson, the first recorded artist to perfect the technique and who directly influenced Robert Johnson, Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and T-Bone Walker; which is another way of saying he has influenced just about everybody. Johnson, who was equally at . . . → Read More: Lonnie Johnson – Another Night to Cry, By John Siscoe He went by many names- Rice, Willie, Footsie, The Goat. His real name may have been Aleck Miller. He claimed to be the well-known bluesman Sonny Boy Williamson. When it was pointed out to him that this was another man, he insisted he had adopted the name first. Of course he was an imposter, . . . → Read More: Sonny Boy Williamson – Keep it to Yourself, By John Siscoe I went to see Walter Trout at House of Blues in Chicago on Friday, Sept. 2. And I must say, Trout is one excellent performer to see live. Be sure to go out and see him when he comes to your town. I’m not a big guitar hero guy, but when you can . . . → Read More: Walter Trout (With Greg Rzab) – A True Musician and We Need More Like Him, By Ron Swanson Lowell Fulson, singer, guitarist, and songwriter, was one of the giants of the West Coast Blues scene, a commercial and artistic success for over forty years. This brief clip from 1963 doesn’t just rock; it gives us an extremely rare glimpse of a major blues talent performing in a club setting before a black . . . → Read More: Lowell Fulson – Reconsider Baby Live Clip, By John Siscoe Still alive and singing at 81, Bobby “Blue” Bland is the last survivor of a remarkable group of artists– Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Little Milton, and Junior Parker– who in the 50′s and early ’60′s combined gospel and blues to create a new American music. Unlike his peers, Bland has never played an instrument . . . → Read More: Bobby “Blue” Bland – I’ll Take Care of You, By John Siscoe There are at least two Little Walters. One is the talented but troubled harmonica player, Muddy Waters’ sidekick, who drifted into brutality and alcoholism. This is the Little Walter of tragic legend. Then there is the consummate musician whose records outsold those of Muddy Waters or Howling Wolf, who fronted one of the best . . . → Read More: The Two Little Walters, by John Siscoe
I came across this odd video clip as a sidebar to the monthly e-mail from Rhino. Good ol’ EC at some mondo, Brit-looking festival in 2007, with the full complement of femme back-up, horns, multiple keybs, etc. all somewhat besmirching the hallowed "White Room", which may be the . . . → Read More: Eff Eric Clapton? Not So Much This Time. Instead, Let Us Celebrate Mr. Andy Fairweather Low! By Tom Kipp, Andrew Hamlin, Marc Marshall and John Siscoe . Two versions of a Willie Dixon novelty tune form a study in contrast. In the first (1963 above), Wolf and his band are at their peak, with everyone knowing what to say and when. The lyrics may be forgettable, but the performance gleams. In the remake (1968 below), a haphazard assemblage of . . . → Read More: Howlin Wolf – 300 Pounds of Joy – 1963 vs. 1968, by John Siscoe May 8, 2011 is the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of legendary blues guitarist Robert Johnson. Below are some internet resources and book suggestions which will give you a better feel for the man and his music. Even though Johnson actually lived, and has only been dead for 73 years, the few known . . . → Read More: It Was a Hundred Years Ago Today – May 8, 2011 is the Centennial of Bluesman Robert Johnson’s Birth, by John Siscoe To my ears this sounds like a soul ballad delivery and structure with bluesy guitar licks. So it doesn’t strike me as especially modern: You could well have heard something like this in the late sixties while driving in your car on a muggy summer’s night. Atmospheric and charming, but will it sound as . . . → Read More: Raphael Saadiq – Good Man – Live on KEXP It sounds like he can sing. I see a CD in the works,a national tour, a host of “cute” interviews (Scott Simon comes at once to the mind), American Idol, in short the whole whirligig hootenanny. When you see someone this young you can’t help but worry for them. – John Siscoe . . . → Read More: Young White Boy Sings the Blues in Guitar Store |
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