Long Live The King - Albert King that is.

I was thinking of posting some BB King video and then it dawned on me that while I have posted B.B. King and Freddie King I have not posted any Albert King. And really that is wrong, so let us fix that.

He was;

Born: Apr 25, 1923 in Indianola, Mississippi
Died: Dec 21, 1992 in Memphis, Tennessee

Famous for these songs:
"Born Under a Bad Sign"
"That's What the Blues Is All About"
"Blues at Sunrise"

Famous for these albums
King of the Blues Guitar
The Ultimate Collection
Born Under a Bad Sign

Influences
B.B. King
T-Bone Walker
Blind Lemon Jefferson

Blues Power


Notes from YouTube;

The HUGE man with the HUGE bends - Albert King, in great shape at Fillmore East 1970. Listen to his tone, ain't that great?

Albert King at Montreux 1990 - Why are you so mean to me?


Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pride and joy

I call this one guitar porn. That is how good it is. I really beleave that this is better than sex. LOL

file under;
music, blues, video

She's Nineteen Years Old

I'm gonna say somethin' to you
I don't care how you feel
You just don't realize
You got yourself a good deal
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
To make this young woman feel satisfied

I'm gonna say this to you
I don't care if you get mad
You about the prettiest little girl
That I ever had
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
To make this young woman feel satisfied
(What kind of woman is that?)

Can't ask her where she's going
She tells me where she's been
She starts a conversation
That don't have no end
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
Whoah, yeah!
Whoah, yeah!
Whoah, yeah!
To make this young woman feel satisfied

As performed by McKinley Morganfield a.k.a Muddy Waters

This song is stuck in my head.

file under;
music, blues, lyrics

And She Could Be Jiving Too...

Right now I have the blues and that famous line by BB King keeps coming to mind;

Nobody loves me but my mother,

and she could be jiving too....

Hubert Sumlin - Live blues at Delta Fish market in Chicago

Here is an interesting video featuring among others Hubert Sumlin from YouTube. Check out the notes for full details.

Notes from YouTube;

The Delta Fish Market on Chicago's West Side was the site of live blues from the late 1970s until it closed in the mid 1990s. Owned by Oliver Davis (who was himself a fine guitarist in the Elmore James style), the market imported live catfish from Mississippi on a weekly basis, selling it to the many former Mississippians who'd relocated to the area.

On weekends in the warm months there were free, informal live blues sessions that started in the afternoon and went on until late at night on a stage set up in the large parking lot, often drawing an audience of hundreds of people from the surrounding neighborhood.

Most of the major names in Chicago blues played there over the years, mainly just for the fun of playing. This clip is from the film "Hubert Sumlin - Living The Blues", and features Hubert Sumlin, Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Rogers, Sam Lay and others. The harp player may be Bill Hickey. Also seen in the crowd are Otis "Big Smokey" Smothers and Abe "Little Smokey" Smothers.

file under;
music, blues, video

Blues Music On The Go

Lately I have been thinking a lot about ways to take my music with me as I go out and about. One of the reasons that I started my mp3 blogs is because I really like the mp3 music format. But I don't like to carry several electronic devices around with me at all times. To take your music around with you it seems that you have to carry an mp3 player, and if you also carry a cellphone then that's another device that you have to lug along.

But what if you could have an mp3 player that is also a cellphone. Well of course they have those and they have been on the market for some time now. Which is what this particular post is all about.

I was not aware of it, but it seems that cellphones are all about multimedia these days. One of the more popular mp3 playing phones is the Motorola RAZR V3m Phone . Which uses the Verizon's music service. It is another EV-DO-powered service that makes the V3m a music playing phone. With V Cast Music, your phone is a music player, letting you jam your favorite blues tune wherever you are. It's also a music store, which allows you to download songs instantly to your phone wirelessly. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that's right for you. You can even pause to take a call without missing a beat.

Another cool phone for listening to music on is the Sony Ericsson W810i Phone. The W810i is a Walkman phone. You can play songs in MP3 or AAC format on a memory card. It also comes with a music player application with a "Music Mode" that shuts down the phone functions so you can listen on an airplane or anytime you don't want to accept calls. It has Digital Mega Bass and stereo widening to enhance your listening experience. There's an FM radio, which I think is a cool feature because I listen to a lot of radio too. The radio also supports reception of digital song information from radio stations. The phone comes with a stereo headset.



The Nokia E62 Smartphone is probably more suited for business but it also supports playback of MP3 and AAC audio files, as well as streaming and stored video files. Connect a headset, load up your tunes and videos to a memory card, and you've got some serious entertainment in your hand.



I some times wonder what the old time bluesmen would think about all this new technology. Most people probably think that these old guys probably would not have understood technology, but you have to remember that they were one the cutting edge of music in their day, and many of them were doing things with the technologies of their times, like using electric guitars for example, that were way ahead of the time. I'd like to believe that the old time bluesmen would embrace the new technologies and use them the best that they could.

This post was sponsored by Quality1distributing Blog the home of quality cellphone products.

file under;
music, blues, technology

T-Bone Walker Video & mp3

I feel a little T-Bone Walker coming on.

If you would like to know about Mr. Walker please read this: T-Bone Walker @ Wikipedia.

Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong

Call Me When You Need Me


(notes @ YouTube) American Folk Blues Festival-1962 (1962-66)Vol.1
T-Bone Walker/guitar and Shakey Jake/vocal...T-Bones earliest known film performance.

T-Bone Jaming with Chuck Berry


(notes @ YouTube) T-Bone Walker sits in with Chuck Berry at the Montreux Jazz Festival. They're backed by The Aces - Dave and Louis Myers on bass and guitar, Fred Below on drums, with Lafayette Leake on piano. All in all a pretty good band!

I call that one the Gods of Guitar.

Download this mp3: Louisiana Bayou Drive. Thanks to Trees Lounge. You have to check this blog out. They have many mp3s there.



File under;
blues mp3 music T-Bone Video

Blind Willie McTell mp3s & Bob Dylan video

Willie McTell was a masterful twelve-string guitarist and singer. He recorded from 1927 to 1955. His most famous song, "Statesboro Blues" has been covered by many artists including Taj Mahal, The Allman Brothers Band, and Bob Dylan. Dylan wrote and recorded a tribute to him.

He was blind from birth, and was an adept Braille reader. He learned to play six string guitar as a child and was a very skilled musician. I love his smoth voice, his quick delivery and his excellent guitar playing.

mp3s

"Mama 'Tain't Long for Day" (2:57, 517kB) - 40310-1, 18 Oct, 1927

"Statesboro Blues" (2:30, 439kB) - 47187-3, 17 Oct, 1928

"Broke Down Engine Blues" (3:08, 551kB) - 15905-1, 23 Oct, 1931

References

Blind Willie McTell (1898-1959) @ The New Georgia Encyclopedia

Blind Willie McTell @ Wikipedia

Blind Willie McTell Festival

Bob Dylan paying tribute to Blind Willie McTell


File under;
blues mp3 music Georgia Video

Skip James & J.B. Lenoir The Soul Of A Man Videos

Skip James - Soul Of A Man - Pt.1



Songs on this video:

Blind Willie Johnson - Trouble Will Soon Be Over. This is an actor playing Blind Willie McTell.
Skip James - Hard Time Killing Floor Blues (Actor playing Skip James)
Alvin Youngblood Heart - Tell All My Boys

Skip James - Soul Of A Man - Pt.2



Songs on this video:

Skip James - He Is A Mighty Good Leader
Church Choir - You Better Run
J.B. Lenoir - I Want To Go
J.B. Lenoir - Voodoo Music
Los Lobos - Voodoo Music
J.B. Lenoir - God's Word
Shemika Copeland - Release Me Devil


Skip James -Soul Of A Man - Pt.3



Songs on this video:

Dick Waterman - comments
Skip James - I'd Rather Be The Devil
Dick Waterman - comments about Newport Blues festival
Skip James - Cherry Ball Blues (during a blues contest between Son House, Skip James and Bukka White.)
Dick Waterman - comments about Skip James playing style.
Skip James - Worried Blues
Skip James - I'm So Glad
Cream - I'm So Glad

Skip James - Soul Of A Man - Pt.4



Songs on this video:

Cassandra Wilson - Vietnam Blues by J.B. Lenoir
Eagle Eye Therry, Vernon Reid, David Barnes and Games "Blood" Ulner - Down In Mississippi by J.B. Lenoir

Skip James - Soul Of A Man - Pt.5



Songs on this video:

J.B. Lenoir - Alabama Blues
J.B. Lenoir - The Whale Has Swallowed Me
Skip James - Crow Jane
Blind Willie Johnson - Somebody Tell Me

file under;
music, blues, video

Some Modern Blues - Keb Mo

I want to start featuring a few more modern bluesmen and women. There are many great blues musicians on the scene today. And I think I have been negligent in not posting info on them.

Please accept my apologies. And as a consolation, please consider one of my favorite modern bluesmen Kevin Moore (aka Keb Mo).

YouTube Videos of Keb Mo

According to the notes at YouTube this video is from the West Wings Final Episode.

Just Like You (with Bonnie Raitt)



Dirty Low Down & Bad



Keb Mo DVDs @ Amazon.com



Reference Info

Keb Mo @ Wikipedia

file under;
music, blues, video

Furry Lewis - When I Lay My Burden Down video

So you want to learn how to play a guitar? Well check out Mr. Furry Lewis, a master of the blues slide guitar. Oh and don't forget to talk to your guitar. When it starts talking back to you, then you know you are there.

The below DVD features the music of
John Lee Hooker & Furry Lewis


file under;
music, blues, video

The Late Great Freddie King

One of my jobs here at SqueezeMyLemon (I'd like to think) is turning the young on to the blues. And there are a few bluesmen who have slipped through the cracks. There are so many great blues musicians, and so little time. I feel that some blues musicians do not get the respect that they deserve.

One such bluesman is Freddie King (aka Freddy King).

Ok gather around children, gather around. We are fixin to listen to some blues music (when I say "fixin" I don't mean like fixin a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which is a different meaning of that verb all together. I mean getting ready to).

And if you do not consider yourself to be one of the children, then go and get a child and let them listen to this. They might want to learn how to play a guitar after listening and watching these videos. Because the late great Mr. King could play the "expletive deleted" out of a guitar. He was an excellent singer and composer too. Just an over-all great bluesman.

And If you yourself aspire to play the blues you might want to take notes on these. This is the way they used to do it back when Freddie King was on the scene.

The below video is just too delightful for words really, note the bongo player. Can't say I've ever seen a bongo player in a blues band before. But hey, he seems to be grooving.

And as for the question, "Have you ever loved a woman?"

I have to admit that I have and still do, "so much that it is a shame and a sin."

Have you ever loved a Woman



------------------------------------------

Aint Nobody´s Business



-------------------------------------------

Freddie King: Ain`t No Sunshine When She`s Gone.



-------------------------------------------

Hide Away


------------------------------------------
Boogie Funk



-----------------------------------------------

Freddie King



-------------------------------------------------

San Ho Zay



---------------------------------------------
I'm Tore Down




------------------------------------------------
The above video all come off (I believe) the below DVDs

------------------------------------------------------

References:

Freddie King @ wikipedia

Freddie King THE TEXAS CANNONBALL Official fan site.

Freddie King Article @ There1.com

file under;
music, blues, video

James Cotton Video

James Cotton Says, "Some People have the blues and don't even know it." Check out this cool video of one of my favorite harmonica players.



file under;
music, blues, video

Buddy Guy Live Video

Here is a little something for my old friend mr anchovy and my new friend stagg.

This video is of Buddy Guy playing "Look What All You've Got," "Crawlin' Kingsnake," and "Damn Right I've Got The Blues."

file under;
music, blues, video

Pedimont Blues Guitarist Etta Baker Dies At 93.

I love the pedimont blues. Because it is just simple and sweet blues music. Mrs. Etta Baker, a great peidmont blues player has passed to the other side. If I were a better writer I would write something more fitting to remember this gentle soul by. A woman who played the blues with such passion and grace.

Due to my failings, instead I think it might be better to give links where you can go and possibly down load some of Mrs. Baker’s music if you have never heard her. I think her music says it better than I ever could.

MP3s
Links to Etta Baker mp3s

"Never Let Your Deal Go Down" Mp3

"One-Dime Blues" Mp3

Articles
Etta Baker @ Fitzgerald’s Journal.

Etta Baker - Fingerpicking the Piedmont Blues

Etta Baker @ wikipedia

Etta Baker, Legend of Piedmont Blues NPR

Blues guitarist Etta Baker dies at 93

file under;
music, blues, mp3

Sonny Boy Williamson II Your Funeral and my trial Video

This Rice Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II) song has been on my mind as of late.

file under;
music, blues, video

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee Videos

One of the main reasons that I learned to play the harmonica was because of Sonny Terry. I actually became aware of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee via Sonny Terry's music which I listened to first. But then after I bought a couple of their CDs I learned to love Brownie McGee too. I really enjoy his performance in the video below.

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee- Born And Livin' With The Blues

Other Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee Videos @ YouTube

Corn Bread & Peas - This video includes some interesting commentary.

Key To The Highway

Easy Rider - Note the harmonica work on this song. This is from the Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest DVD mentioned below and is a delightfully display of blues mastery. These guys tear this one up.

Sun Gonna Shine In My Back Door

A great source of some great video of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee is the DVD Pete Seeger's Rainbow Quest - with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, and Mississippi John Hurt, Hedy West, & Paul Cadwell (see link below). This is a great DVD because it also has music by Mississippi John Hurt.



file under;
music, blues, video

Willie Dixon - I Get Nervous Video

This video is too cool. The bass playing prowess of one Mr. Willie Dixon are on full display here, and I believe that Otis Span is helping out a little bit on the piano. I'm getting nervous just typing this, I tremble in my bones. I believe that this video is from the "The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, Vol. 2 (2003)" DVD.

As in this video on that DVD Willie Dixon "nervously" stutters his way through this comical song where he is introduced by a very dignified Memphis Slim: "He is such a big man", says Slim, "he weighs four or five hundred pounds, something like that. Imagine a guy that big being nervous!"

Willie Dixon, is one of my favorite bluesmen, who I believe was pound for pound one of the best all around bluesmen ever, and I say that because of his abilities as a producer, songwriter and session musician who helped so
many other Chess Records artist and who also was instrumental in creating the Chicago blues sound.

In the original liner notes to Dixon's classic album "I Am The Blues: Willie Dixon", Pete Welding describes Dixon this way:

He may well be the single most influential artist in the modern blues. Certainly, in light of his prodigious activities in and on behalf of the magnificent, impassioned, urgent and powerful music to which he has contributed so significantly over the years, he must be considered on of the major figures of the postwar blues.

Willie Dixon: Seventh Son video @ YouTube.

file under;
music, blues, video

R.L. Burnside Videos

Here is a twofer of R.L. Burnside

R. L. Burnside - Poor Black Mattie(Short Version)



R. L. Burnside - Rollin and Tumblin

Thanks go to the Record My Mind blog. Lots of good stuff over there, check it out.

See also Venerable Bluesman RL Burnside Dies for other information on Mr. Burnside and some mp3s.

file under;
music, blues, video

Bukka White's Poor Boy Long Way from Home Video

The way Bukka White says, "You got to give me a chance to get all my tools out now, what'cha reckon." and then just goes into this song, makes me laugh. I guess you would have to have grown up around people who talk like that to understand.

And then there is that beautiful National Steel Guitar, being played on his lap. You got to love it.

And here is another surprise, a video of Bukka White playing a piano boogie.

Also check out this post over at trees lounge where you will find an mp3 of Bukka White's song "Boogie 'Til DuBuque." This post is one in a series of the great post from the 50 States.

file under;
music, blues, video

John Lee Hooker On My Mind

For some odd reason John Lee Hooker is on my mind. I have written about him on several occasions (here, here and here) and I think it is a good time to do another post on him and his music because his birthday was on 22 Aug.

Here are a few links to blogs that have recently posted some of his music.

In a post titled "Somewhere There's A Drink With My Name On It" from the On Cyprus Avenue you can find an mp3 of John Lee Hooker's song "Hittin The Bottle Again."

And here is another great post from the blog trees lounge. He has been doing a post on all the states, and his Kentucky State post includes an mp3 of John Lee Hooker's song "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."

And one last mp3 for your consideration. The right Reverend Frost posted a versions of John Lee's "Whiskey & Women in his great blog. This is another one of those post that has some really good music in it.

And here are a group of Videos from YouTube

John Lee Hooker & Santana - The Healer

John Lee Hooker & Santana - Chill Out

John Lee Hooker plays with Carlos Santana, Elvin Bishop and Paul Butterfield

file under;
music, blues, video, mp3

Muddy Waters mp3s and videos

Don't you hate it when you lose a CD, or more likely miss place it. So I'm surfing the web last night to see what other bloggers have to say about Muddy Waters and I come across this:

Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters & Bo Diddley doing Sweet Little Angel mp3 @ www.kalamu.com

Which is accompanied with a cool post on the similarities of rap and the blues. A conversation that I have had many times.

After listening to the mp3 I realize that I own a disk with this song on it, which caused me to search through some 400 disk or so, to no avail. This song is not on any of my Muddy Waters CDs, nor Howling Wolf CDs, or Bo Diddley CDs. But like as with most of my searches, there is a silver lining, I found several other disk that I have been looking for, for some time now.

Other post about Muddy Waters @ SqueezeMyLemon

It's The Birthday Of Muddy Waters

The Official Muddy Waters Site & Downloadable Sound Files

Muddy Waters - Interview

Links to other Muddy Waters mp3s @ other music blogs

Blues Had a Baby and They Named it Rock and Roll - Muddy Waters

Louisiana blues - muddy waters This is a great post, many songs about the great state of Louisiana.

GOT MY MOJO WORKING - Muddy Waters

Deep Down in Florida [#2] - Muddy Waters Again many other cool songs about the state of Florida.

Links to Muddy Waters Videos @ YouTube

Muddy Waters - "Hoochie Coochie Man" (Newport Folk Festival)

Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Working (Live 1963 American Folk

Muddy Waters - Johnny Winter "Walking Through The Park"

Muddy Waters & Sonny Boy Williamson II

Muddy Waters Long Distance Call(1968)

Muddy Waters Honey Bee(1968)

file under;
music, blues, video, mp3, muddy waters

Uncensored History of the Blues Podcast

I have just recently become aware of blues podcasting. It is something that I have wanted to explore in-depth for a while now, but just never got around to. But I recently found a podcast that prompted me to dive right in.

I wish I could write something elegant enough to explain how good the Uncensored History of the Blues podcast is. But words fell me. I don't know if it is the plain spoken presentation style of the host Mike Rugel or if it is the fact that he picks a topic and then presents prewar blues songs that illustrate the theme. One thing that I really like about this podcast is that it has a lot of historical value.

Both the themes and the music give you a glimpse into the past as well as the lives of the musicians. I have always thought that the best way to understand the blues, is to consider the time when the music was being made. This podcast does a good job of connecting the music to past events.

The site is discribed @ ODEO.com

Mike Rugel and the Delta Blues Museum take a raw look at the early history of blues music. Each show includes a series of pre-war blues tracks along with context and exposition.

Again words fell me, so without more delay please click on one of the links below;

www.deltabluesmuseum.org

Uncensored History of the Blues Blog - Song list and other information about each podcast.

Below are a few examples of podcast and song list:

Show 20 - Death Tributes Songs:

powered by ODEO
Death of Leroy Carr - Bumble Bee Slim and Scrapper Blackwell
Death of Blind Boy Fuller - Brownie McGhee
Oh Death - Charley Patton and Bertha Lee
Death of Walter Barnes - Leonard 'Baby Doo' Caston
Death of Holmes' Mule - Charlie Turner and Winston Holmes
Death of Sonny Boy Williamson - Peck Curtis and Houston Stackhouse

Show 19- Bootlegger's Blues Songs:

powered by ODEO
Bootleg Rum Dum Blues - Blind Blake
Bootleggers' Blues - Mississippi Sheiks
Jones Law Blues - James "Stump" Johnson
Sloppy Drunk Blues - Leroy Carr
Good Whiskey Blues - Peetie Wheatstraw
Bootleggin' Ain't No Good No More - Blind Teddy Darby
Alley Bound Blues - Curtis Jones

Show 15 - Blues of the Great War

powered by ODEO
Army Blues - Kingfish Bill Tomlin
Uncle Sam Blues - Clara Smith
Army Camp Harmony Blues - Ma Rainey
Army Mule in No Man's Land - Coley Jones
Wartime Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson

Click to subscribe
If you use one of the following podcasting tools, click on the badge to subscribe:





file under;
music, blues, podcast

Big Bill Broonzy Video

If this video is what I think it is then it is too cool, but if it is not then it is still cool. I think this is Big Bill Broonzy playing a guitar shuffle. Enjoy!

Other Big Bill Post @ SqueezeMyLemon
mp3s by Big Bill Broonzy

Blues Lyric: Big Bill's Blues

Other Interesting Reading RE: Big Bill Broonzy

Music Review: Big Bill Broonzy: Amsterdam Live Concerts 1953 @ Popmatters.com

William Lee Conley AKA Big Bill Broonzy @ nothingbut....

Exciting News For Big Bill Broonzy Fans ! @TheBluesAndThenSome


file under;
music, blues, video

Early Female Blues Singers

Here is a different take on some of the early female blues singers. I had not read or heard some of this information before, but it makes for interesting reading.

They had a reason to sing the blues: Lesbian blues singers Alberta Hunter, Gladys Bentley, Ma Rainey by Ernie Alderete @ Blues The World Forgot

file under;
music, blues, blogs

Interesting Blues Music Links

I had the idea recently to link to some of my favorite blues music links as a service to my readers and to shine a light on some of the better blues resources that are out there on the web.

One such resources that I find myself going back to again and again is The South Side, Blues and Rhythm & Blues with Chas Lewis links page.

This page is just full of interesting links that most blues fans will find useful.

They have links that cover the below areas;

• General
• History / Artists Bios
• Blues Blogs
• Record Labels
• Publications / E-Zines / News
• Art / Photography
• Lyrics
• Venues
• Organizations
• Blues Societies
• F e s t i v a l s

And if anyone knows of other interesting blues links that we might all enjoy, please leave them in a comment.

file under;
music, blues, links

Buddy Guy - Can't Be Satisfied video

Because my online friend mister anchovy mentioned Buddy Guy in a comment I thought I would do a quick search for some of Buddy's music. I came across this interesting interview of him. It made me laugh to here him talking about making guitars when he was a boy.

I guess every little boy in the state of Louisiana that was born before 1970 or so must have tried to make a guitar at least once in his life. Glad that Buddy's father broke down and bought him one though, because he is a great bluesman and I love his playing.

This video is a snipett from the Lightning In a Bottle: A One Night History of the Blues DVD.



There is also a companion CD;




Blues blog tags
file under;
music, blues, video

More Koko Taylor

Another Koko Taylor Video

file under;
music, blues, video

Great Blues Recordings - Koko Taylor, I Got What it Takes

In my continuing series of what I think of as the great blues recordings I want to present Koko Taylor's album "I Got What it Takes."

To say that I love this album is an understatement. It takes me back to a time in my boyhood that I became aware of the women who hung out at juke joints. The kind of woman who would make a statement like "I Got What it Takes" and mean it.

And if you listen to this album you will come away from it secure in the knowledge that Mrs. Taylor has what it takes too. The album was recorded in 1975, and this was just about around the time that I am talking about. This was Taylor's first release for Alligator Records and is a good introduction to her later work for that label. This CD contains 11 tracks which make for the kind of modern party music played in juke joints all over the blues world at the time, they all have that gritty but upbeat sound that I love to wallow in.

The liner notes to the release state, Koko Taylor has "no hesitation at all to put you right down in blues alley. There's total involvement, total commitment to the truth of the blues. Whether you want to or not — she'll make you get down." If you buy this CD and give it a listen, you will have no doubt about this.

Tracks from this CD

01. Trying To Make A Living <- Click here to sample this song.
02. I Got What It Takes
03. Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean
04. Voodoo Woman
05. Be What You Want To Be
06. Honkey Tonkey
07. Big Boss Man
08. Blues Never Die
09. Find A Fool
10. Happy Home
11. That's Why I'm Crying

I did a search for some cool Koko Taylor video, but could not find anything from this album. Please take a look at this video to get a sense of what it is like to see Mrs. Taylor perform in person.



Blues blog tags
file under;
music, blues, video

Bukka White Aberdeen Mississippi Blues Video

file under;
music, blues, video

Mississippi Fred McDowell - Goin Down to the River

Everybody seem to like the last Mississippi Fred McDowell video. So here is another, thanks to YouTube. And for all you guitar players out there, this note was also provided:

This is from a web page written by Brian Robertson - "Mississippi Fred McDowell used the D tuning on a fairly regular basis, and one of the advantages is that it allows the high string (D) to play melody or, more often, to play along with the singer, as in his classic, "You Got to Move"

BTW - 'open D' is D A D F# A D

file under;
music, blues, video

Champion Jack Dupree mp3

You know a bluesman that I have wanted write about for a while now is Champion Jack Dupree. He is one of my favorite musicians from my home state of Louisiana. Now I know it might seem like I say things like that about so many different musicians, but you have to understand that when you are from Louisiana, there is always a great musician hanging around just waiting to be loved. Not to mention the great Louisiana musicians from the past.

Like Louis Armstrong he was a student at the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, where he learned how to play the piano. He was born in July of the early 1900s (different sources give different dates) and he died January 21, 1992. He lived such a colorful life that to my mind not only did he live the blues but he lived many other colors as well. He was a master boogie woogie barrelhouse house piano player, but he also served in the United States Navy as a cook. He was captured during WWII and even served some time as a Japanese Prisoner of War. He got his nickname Champion Jack because after meeting Joe Lewis he went on to become a Golden Gloves Boxing Champion.

You can read all about Champion Jack Dupree@ wikipedia.

He once said,

"When you open up a piano, you see freedom. Nobody can play the white keys and don't play the black keys. You got to mix all these keys together to make harmony. And that's what the whole world needs: Harmony."

Champion Jack Dupree - Hometown New Orleans.mp3

I love during this recording when he ask rhetorically, "People say, what is barrelhouse piano playing anyway?" and then he proceeds to show you. Good stuff indeed.

file under;
music, blues, mp3

Mississippi Fred McDowell - John Henry Video

Now if you were to be a guitar playing man (or woman for that matter), you would do your self a favor if you were to watch as much Mississippi Fred McDowell as you could get your hands on. That's right, watch the blues children, listen to the blues, and baby play the blues. Live the blues, like Mississippi Fred McDowell did.

As the man famously said, "I do not play no rock and roll."

You can read about Mississippi Fred McDowell @ wikipedia.



file under;
music, blues, video

Video of Leadbelly

I've posted some mp3s of Leadbelly in this blog but until now I have not posted any video of him. These songs probably fit more in the folk music catagory, but I like them all the same. I love folk music (I love all kinds of music), but I like the simple lyrics and the presentation of most folk performers. Kind of the same way that I love the simple presentation of the early blues music.

Leadbelly for example had a very rhythmic way of playing his guitar as he sang. And seeing him on video is a much more satisfying experience then just hearing him sing. With that in mind, please take a look at this video of Leadbelly doing several of his songs. Note how he seems to be dancing with his guitar as he sings.

file under;
music, blues, video

Blues Instruments - The Guitar.

I've read in Gerard Herzhaft's Encyclopedia of The Blues and other places that the guitar, became popular and cheap just as the first bluesmen began to develop their sound. At the time among white rural musicians the banjo and the fiddle were just as important as the guitar if not more popular.

The guitar was more flexible and allowed for making blue notes and the creation of a true blues scale. Because the guitar was a cheap instrument and it could produce a wide range of effects it dominated the playing of the early black musicians. The early bluesmen, did not play the guitar the way it was played by classically trained musicians, just as they also played the harmonica in a different way then in classical music. Most black musicians were not trained in classical music at the time anyway.

The early bluesmen, such as Blind Blake and Blind Lemon Jefferson adapted fingerpicking, in which the melody is interwoven among the alternating bass notes and flatpicking, which helps to create the idea of a lead guitar. In flatpicking, the musician plays the melody line, note by note, with a pick. This allows the guitar to accompany a singer in a call and response technique which is familiar to almost every fan of the blues. Where the singer sings a line, and then the guitar repeats that line or vice versa.

It is reported that Lonnie Johnson probably invented this technique thus forever codifying the guitar's place in both blues and later rock and roll. The idea of flat picking lead to the electric guitar, which really allowed the bluesmen and women to express themselves. Thus you get guitars crying and displaying emotions as seen in the playing styles of musicians like B.B. King, T. Bone Walker and later Stevie Ray Vaughn.

To read more about the many blues guitarist check this out Blues Guitarists @ wikipedia.

A little guitar trivia; The guitar has come to be called many different colloquial names over time such as:

axe,
box,
guit-box,
guit-fiddle,
guit-box-fiddle,
guit-axe,
bread-box,
bread-winner,
bread-box-winner,
bread-box-fiddle.

This post is brought to you by ActoGuitar.com, a guitar learning community with free guitar video lessons.

Otis Rush "I Can't Quit You Baby" Video

Here is a cool video of another one of my favorite bluesmen. A man who not only played the blues but lived the blues. Otis Rush's guitar style is what intrigues me the most about him. He plays a right handed guitar left handed, upside down without restringing it. I think this makes the sound of his guitar playing unique. He has a big old tone on almost every note. Then there is the voice, he has a very powerful tenor voice that is shown well here.

I like how Mr. Rush totally looks the part of a bluesman in this video, neat dress, black sunglasses, processed hair. And then there is the audience in this video, straight out of the sixties. Too cool.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell!
I can't quit you baby, but I got to put you down for a while,
Well, you know I can't quit you baby, but I got to put you down for a while,
Yes, you messed up my happy home baby, you made me mistreat my only child."

Otis Rush DVDs



Mr. Rush suffered a stroke in 2004 and has since recovered and by all accounts is doing well.

file under;
music, blues, video, Otis Rush

Great Blues Recordings: Slim Harpo, The Best of Slim Harpo

Great Blues Recordings: Slim Harpo, The Best of Slim Harpo

I have been thinking about starting a new series where I list my favorite blues recordings. I thought it might be helpful to those blues music lovers who are not familiar with much of the prewar blues music.

My idea is that there is so much good prewar blues music out that it is difficult for someone who is new to the blues. I want help my readers know what the good stuff is.

Slim Harpo, The Best of Slim Harpo (Hip-O 40072)

Slim Harpo is another one of those musicians from my home state of Louisiana, and I think that has a great effect on his style of music. His real name was James Moore and he was from Lobdell, Louisiana. He was on of the most sucessful bluesmen of the late 1950s and early '60s. His music as dipicted on this CD is swamp blues, which is a laid back, heavy on the back beat, and totally dancable blues music.

Gathering 18 tracks from 1957 to 1965, The Best of Slim Harpo is a selection of Harpo's best known hits and some of his not as well known but memorable sides. The combination of good sound quality and a good selection of songs makes this a highely listenable and danceable CD. It is hard for me to listen to this swamp blues sound and not want to dance.

You can read about Slim Harpo @ Wikipedia.

The 18 tracks on this CD include;

1. Baby Scratch My Back
2. I Got Love If You Want It
3. "I'm a King Bee" <<< Click to hear a sample of this song.
4. My Little Queen Bee (Got a Brand New King)
5. Shake Your Hips
6. Te-Ni-Nee-Ni-Nu
7. Buzz Me Babe
8. Buzzin'
9. Rainin' in My Heart
10. Still Rainin' in My Heart
11. Late Last Night
12. Tip on in, Pt. 1
13. Bobby Sox Baby
14. Don't Start Crying Now
15. I Need Money (Keep Your Alibis)
16. Strange Love
17. Rock Me Baby
18. Blues Hangover



file under;
music, blues, Slim Harpo

B.B. King & Jeff Beck - Paying the Cost to be the Boss

Speaking of B.B. King, here is a video of Jeff Beck and B.B. doing Mr. King's classic blues song, "Paying the Cost to be the Boss."

My daughter tells me that I walk around singing this song too often. But hey, what can I say? I mean every now and then you have to explain to people how it is you got to be the boss. Right? Enjoy the video.

Jeff Beck with B.B. King - Paying The Cost to be the Boss

Kind of curious how this video was titled, "Jeff Beck with B.B. King" it should be "B.B. King with Jeff Beck" seeing that they are playing a song that Mr. King made popular, and B.B. does all the singing. Mr. Beck does deliver on the guitar solo, and I think his playing complements B. B.'s song very well. The end of this video is a cliff hanger. Over the years B.B. has done many duets with other noted musicians. I think this is a little more lively than the version on B. B.'s CD "Duces Wild" with the Rolling Stones.

Below are a couple of my favorite B.B. King duet CDs.

Songs and musicians on "Duces Wild."

1. If You Love Me with Van Morrison
2. The Thrill Is Gone with Tracy Chapman
3. Rock Me Baby with Eric Clapton
4. Please Send Me Someone To Love with Mick Hucknall
5. Baby I Love You with Bonnie Raitt
6. Ain't Nobody Home with D'Angelo
7. There Must Be A Better World Somewhere with Dr. John
8. Confessin' The Blues with Joe Cocker Marty Stuart
9. Paying The Cost To The Boss with the Rolling Stones
10. Dangerous Mood with Joe Cocker
11. Keep It Coming with Heavy D
12. Cryin' Won't Help You Babe with David Gilmour & Paul Carrack
13. Night Life with Willie Nelson



Some complain about this CD not being based in the blues enough, but I have to say that I like how some of the musicians that perform on this CD help B.B. to update his sound, and move the blues closer to music like R&B and even rap. I know it is a point of contention amongst some blues fans, but rap and R&B overlap with blues music too, just as rock and roll does.

Songs and musicians on "Blues Summit."

1. Playin' With My Friends duet with Robert Cray
2. Since I Met You, Baby duet with Katie Webster
3. I Pity The Fool duet with Buddy Guy
4. You Shook Me duet with John Lee Hooker
5. Something You Got duet with Koko Taylor
6. There's Something On Your Mind duet with Etta James
7. Little By Little duet with Lowell Fulson
8. Call It Stormy Monday duet with Albert Collins
9. You're The Boss duet with Ruth Brown
10. We're Gonna Make It duet with Irma Thomas
11. I Gotta Move Out Of This Neighborhood/Nobody Love - B.B. King & Orchestra
12. Everybody's Had The Blues duet with Louis Walker

This CD is a bit more rooted in the blues as can be seen from the performances of noted blues musicians such as Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Koko Taylor and Albert Collins.



file under;
music, blues, B.B. King, Jeff Beck

The King is Still in the News.

Here are a few recent news articles about B. B. King.

The King of the blues at 80 @ CNN.com.

B.B. King to Perform at White House in Celebration of 'Black Music Month' @ USNewsWare.com.

file under;
music, blues, B.B. King

Son House - Forever on My Mind Video

The other day when I posted the video of the little speech by Howlin Wolf, Micheal Leddy the writer of Orange Crate Art pointed out that the person Howlin Wolf was chastising in that video was none other than Son House himself. And he brought this video to my attention. I love Son House and his guitar playing, and the intensity that he played his music.

The man was truly a master.

Son House - Forever on My Mind @ YouTube.

Other Son House videos that I have posted;

Son House Death Letter Video

Another Son House Death Letter Video

file under;
music, blues, video

John Lee Hooker's Estate Has the Blues

I can vividly remember seeing John Lee Hooker at Humphrey's over on Shelter Island here in San Diego. It was a great show, and seeing the venerable bluesman perform was the realization of one of my life long dreams. I have tried to keep up with John Lee's legacy and I try to turn on as many younger music lovers to his music as I can.

I recently pointed him out to my twenty something year-old daughter, while we were watching the movie the "The Blues Brothers", in the hopes that she will learn about him and enjoy his music as much as I do.

So when I read the below news about the trouble that Mr. Hooker's estate is in I thought I needed to write about this. When I say trouble, it really is the kind of trouble that we would all like to have when you think about it. But hey everyone has got to figure out how to pay the rent, that is what the blues is all about.

"The cash-strapped estate of legendary blues musician John Lee Hooker is hoping to educate people about his prolific 50-year career and get themselves back in the black at the same time."

John Lee Hooker's Estate Licenses Albums To Shout Factory @ ChartAttack.com

"John Lee Hooker could not read or write, according to his daughter, but the legendary Delta bluesman's estate is hoping to educate a new legion of fans about his 50-year musical legacy."

I Need Some Money: John Lee Hooker estate, pursued by IRS, licenses catalogue @ MediaBistro.com


Other JLH news; John Lee Hooker Jr.'s blues are is his own @ MLive.com.

John Lee Hooker "Hobo Blues" video @ SqueezeMyLemon.

If you don't have any John Lee Hooker music in your collection check these out at Amazon.com;

The Very Best Of John Lee Hooker

Hooker 'n Heat [BOX SET]

It Serves You Right to Suffer [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

DVD's of John Lee Hooker;

John Lee Hooker - Come and See About Me: The Definitive DVD (2004)

John Lee Hooker - That's My Story (2001)

Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues - Godfathers and Sons (2003)

If you didn't know, now you know. Well that should get you moving down the road of hearing some of the best blues by a great blues musician.


Thanks to Bluesmama Renee at Bluesmama's House of Blues for turning me on to this story.

file under;
music, blues, John Lee Hooker

How To Sing The Blues: An Old Joke

I have seen this floating around on the internet for some time now, and have even recieved it in my emial inbox a couple of times. It is an old joke and a good one too. I hope it makes you laugh.

How To Sing the Blues

1. Most Blues begin "woke up this morning."

2. "I got a good woman" is a bad way to begin the Blues, unless you stick something nasty in right away: I got a good woman-with the meanest face in town.

3. Blues are simple. After you have the first line right, repeat it. Then find something that rhymes. Sort of.

I got a good woman-with the meanest face in town.
I got a good woman-with the meanest face in town.
She got teeth like Condoleeza Rice and she weighs 500 pounds.

4. The Blues are not about limitless choice. You stuck in a ditch, you stuck in a ditch; ain't no way out.

5. Blues cars are Chevies, Cadillacs and broken-down trucks. Other acceptable Blues transportation modes include Greyhound buses and southbound trains. Walkin' plays a major part in the Blues lifestyle. So does fixin' to die. Blues don't travel in Volvos, BMWs, or SUVs. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain't even in the running.

6. Adults sing the Blues. Teenagers can't sing the Blues. They ain't fixin' to die yet. In the Blues, "adulthood" means old enough to get the electric chair when you shoot that man in Memphis.

7. You can have the Blues in New York City, but not in Brooklyn or Queens. Hard times in Vermont, Tucson, or North Dakota are just depression. The best places to have the Blues are still Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City and New Orleans. You cannot have the blues in any place that don't get rain.

8. A man with male pattern baldness ain't the blues. A woman with male pattern baldness is. Breaking your leg while skiing is not the blues. Breaking your leg when your broken-down pickup truck rolled over on it is.

9. The following colors do not belong in the Blues: violet, beige, mauve (unless you're truly desperate for a rhyme).

9. You can't have the Blues in an office or a shopping mall. The lighting is just plain wrong. Go outside to the parking lot or sit by the dumpster.

10. Good places to have the Blues: the highway, a jailhouse, an empty bed, the bottom of a whiskey glass. Bad places to have the Blues: ashrams, gallery openings, weekends in the Hamptons, golf courses, Tiffany's, and Ivy
League institutions.

11. No one will believe it's the Blues if you wear a suit, unless you happen to be an old black man-and it's an old black suit.

12. Do you have the right to sing the Blues?

Answer "Yes" if:

a. your first name is a southern state-like Georgia
b. you're blind
c. you shot a man in Memphis.
d. you can't be satisfied.
e. you're older than dirt

Answer "No" if:

a. you once were blind but now can see.
b. you're deaf
c. the man in Memphis lived.
d. you have a trust fund or an IRA.
e. you have all your teeth
f. you were once blind but now can see

13. Blues is not about color, it's about bad luck. Tiger Woods cannot sing the blues; Gary Coleman could. Ugly old white people got a leg up on the blues. Julio Iglesias and Barbra Streisand will never sing the Blues.

14. If you ask for water and baby gives you gasoline, it's the Blues. Other acceptable Blues beverages are: wine, whiskey, muddy water, beer, black coffee.

Blues beverages are NOT: mixed drinks, kosher wine, sparkling water, Snapple, Starbucks Frappuccino, or Slim Fast. Although Rubber Biscuits and the Wish Sandwich are famous blues snacks, better stick to common blues grub
like Greasy Bar-b-que, Fatback and beans, and Government cheeze.

Blues food is never: Club sandwich, Sushi, or Crème brule.

15. If it occurs in a cheap motel or a shotgun shack, it's a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is a Blues death. So is substance abuse, the electric chair, or being denied treatment in an emergency room. It is not a Blues death to die during liposuction or from tennis elbow.

16. Excellent names for female Blues singers: Sadie, Big Momma, Bessie, or Fat River Dumpling. Excellent names for male Blues singers: Willie, Joe, Little Willie, Lightning, or Big Willie.

Singers with names like Muffy, Sierra, Auburn, Alexis, Gwenyth, Sequoiz, Brittany or Rainbow are not permitted to sing the Blues, no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.

17. The Build Your Own Blues Singer Name Starter Kit:

a. Name of physical infirmity (Blind, Cripple, Lame, Asthmatic)
b. First name (from above lists) or name of fruit (Lemon, Lime, Kiwi)
c. Last name of a U. S. president (Jefferson, Johnson, Fillmore, etc.)

Examples: Blind Lime Jefferson, Cripple Kiwi Fillmore, etc. (Okay, maybe not "Kiwi".)

18. I don't care how tragic your life; if you own a computer, you cannot sing the Blues. You'd best destroy it. Fire, a spilled bottle of Mad Dog, or shotgun. Maybe your big ass woman just done sit on it. I don't care

19. Hey there, you can READ! This too be a big ol' problem. Most folks singin' the Blues ain't never had much a chance for education. In the Blues. the three R's stand for Railroads, Runnin' and Rehab.

20. It gots to be dark to sing the blues, preferably after midnight. Singin' da blues at noon is forbidden.

21. If none of the above works, try one last, pathetic stab at authenticity: name your guitar. Remember, Lucille is taken.

22. Epitaph on a blues musician's tombstone: "I didn't wake up this morning"

file under;
music, blues, comedy, joke

Blues Places: Memphis

The blues is not just people, it is stating the obvious to say that this music is made by people for people, but the blues is also about places. From the old bluesmen and women of the prewar years to the young college kids of the sixties who fueled the revival, people made it happen and are what we think about when talking about the blues. But it could also be argued that the blues is as much about places as it is about people. I think because people make places and they also make music, they create places that focus the music and give it a foundation, one such places for the blues is Memphis, TN.

Author David L. Cohn, wrote in his book "Where I Was Born and Raised," "The Mississippi Delta begins in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis." That sounds right to me, when I look at a map it is obvious that Memphis is one of the great places of the blues. And that its influence stretches all the way down to the gulf of Mexico.

Here are a few of my favorite links that give information and history about the good city of Memphis;

The National Parks Service: Trail of the Hellhound Memphis site.

This page has some delightful photos and background information on the following Memphis blues sites.

Beale Street
Peabody Hotel
Orpheum Theater
706 Union Avenue the birthplace Sun Records.
W.C. Handy house.
W.C. Handy Park.

The National Parks Service: Memphis School History.

The above link is a detailed and interesting history of the Memphis blues scene and it goes a long way in describing how blues became the important blues center that it is.

a few other of my Memphis favorite links;
Memphis Official City Government Website
Memphis @ wikipedia.
Memphis Minnie @ wikipedia
Memphis Slim @ wikipedia
MemphisMojo.com
Stax Museum of American Soul Music


file under;
music, blues, Memphis, history