At age 94, Pinetop Perkins is one of the last great Mississippi bluesmen still performing. He began playing blues around 1927 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest blues pianists ever. He’s created a style of playing that has influenced three generations of piano players and will continue to be the yardstick by which great blues pianists are measured.
Born Willie Perkins on the Honey Island plantation in Belzoni, MS, in 1913, to a 15 year old mother. His father was a preacher, but the marriage busted up when young Willie was only 6. He started out playing guitar and piano at house parties and honky-tonks when not doing time behind a mule. He left home at age 16 after a beating from his grandmother and hit the road, heading for Tutwilwer, where he worked as a manual labourer
Perkins worked primarily in the Mississippi Delta throughout the thirties and forties, spending time at Clarksdale, and later, after teaming up with Robert Nighthawk in 1943, in Helena Ak. At Helena then he spent three years with Sonny Boy Williamson on the King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA,.
His work in the cotton industry kept him out of WW2, but he might have wished he had gone to war after sustaining a serious knife injury in his left arm caused by an altercation with an outraged chorus girl at a Helena, AR, nightspot. This injury forced him to drop the guitar.
1. Pinetops Piano Shuffle – 1996 – Hightone Sessions – Tk 14 – 3.20
Pinetop’s travels with slide guitar player Robert Nighthawk led them to a 1950 session for the Chess brothers but Chicago couldn't hold him at the time. After briefly working with B.B. King in Memphis, Perkins travelled the South with Earl Hooker during the early fifties. The pair completed a session for Sam Phillips’ Sun Records in 1953. .
2. Earl’s Boogie Woogie – July 1953 – Two Bugs and a Roach – Tk 14 – 2.36
It was at this session that he recorded his version of the song Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie. He admittedly wasn't the originator of the piano piece "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie," but everyone associates it nowadays with Pinetop Perkins rather than with the man who devised it in the first place, Clarence "Pinetop" Smith.
One of the driving forces behind the advent of boogie-woogie piano, Clarence "Pine Top" Smith was one of the most influential blues figures of the 1920s. Born January 11, 1904, in Troy, AL, he was raised in nearby Birmingham. A self-taught player, he relocated to Chicago in 1928. While boogie-woogie's exact origins are a mystery, Smith's energetic "Pine Top's Boogie Woogie" (cut in 1928) marked the first known use of the phrase on record, and its lyrics — a cry of "Hold it now/Stop/Boogie Woogie!" — became the template for any number of subsequent piano tunes. In early 1929 Smith's career came to an abrupt halt when he was shot and killed by a stray bullet during a dancehall fracas; he was just 25 at the time of his death,
Here is PP’s version (one of many) - This track is on every PP album!
3. Pinetops Boogie Woogie – 1988 – After Hours – Tk 12 – 3.15
Pinetop settled in Cairo, Illinois for a while, then relocated to Chicago. Music gradually was relegated to the back burner until Earl Hooker coaxed him into working on an LP for the Arhoolie label in 1968. called Two Bugs and a Roach. Track featuring PP on piano and recently departed Carey Bell on vocals and harp.
4. Love Aint A Plaything – Nov 1968 – Two Bugs and a Roach – Tk 7 – 4.58
When pianist Otis Spann split from the Muddy Waters band in 1969 to go solo, Pinetop was in the right place at the right time, and Muddy invited Pinetop to take Spann’s place. It was the 12 year period with the Muddy Waters band that was, up till now his best known period. Whereas Spann had a more ‘fomal’ piano style, Perkins’ music came straight from the Barrelhouse.
Pinetop helped shape the Waters sound and anchored Muddy’s memorable combo throughout the seventies with his brilliant piano solos. Instrumental track from a live Chicago club date from 1971:
5. Mudcat – 1971 – Muddy Waters Live – Tk 17 – 3.40
In 1976, while in Europe with the MW band, Pinetop made an album for the French Black & Blue label, recorded live in Zurich, Switzerland.
Track from this album. Listen out for Luthar Guitar Jr Johnson’s guitar solo
6. Pinetop is Just on Top – 1976 – Pinetop Is Just Top – Tk 7 – 6.16 – fade out…
After more than a decade with the Muddy, Perkins and his bandmates left en masse in 1980 to form the Legendary Blues Band, a decision which apparently broke Muddy’s heart and contributed to his death three years later. Their early Rounder albums (Life of Ease, Red Hot 'n' Blue) prominently spotlighted Perkins's piano work and rich vocals.
7. Thanks A Million – 1981 – Life Of Ease – Tk 6 – 2.50 (MD)
Pinetop, who had been labeled a sideman throughout most of his working life, eventually left the Legendary band to concentrate on a long overdue solo career.
Finally, in 1988, he cut his first USA released album for Blind Pig, called After Hours, backed by New York based band Little Mike & The Tornadoes. Track with founder Mike Markowitz on harp..
8. Thanks a Million – 1988 – After Hours – Tk 5 – 3.27
Ever since then, Pinetop Perkins has made up for lost time in the studio, cutting discs for Antone's, Omega, Deluge, Earwig, and several other firms.
Two tracks from 1996
9. Intro/Chicken Shack – 1996 – Antone’s Anniversary – Tk 11 – 1.33 (MD)
10. Down in Mississippi – 1996 – Hightone Sessions – Tk 1 – 3.20
Since going solo, Pinetop has been featured on many nationally syndicated news and music shows, and appeared in numerous movie productions, as well as television and radio ads. He has also headlined nearly every major showcase room in North America and most of the major festivals around the world.
He had some troubles with the law in the mid 1990s over a number of drink driving offences which resulted him giving up whisky completely at the age of 85.
Track from a live album made in 2001 to mark his 88th birthday. Muddy Waters number you will all recognize:
11. Mojo – 1997 – Pinetop Perkins on the 88s – Tk 9 – 4.12
It’s certainly ironic that Pinetop waited for his eighth decade to blossom as a headliner, releasing 15 solo records in 15 years beginning in 1992. He had three Grammy nominations in the 1990s and in 2005 he was also presented with a lifetime achievement award.
He was featured in the documentary Piano Blues directed by Clint Eastwood for the Martin Scorsese PBS series, The Blues. In addition, he continued to win the Blues Music Award for best blues piano every year until 2003 when he was retired from that award, which now bears his name-- the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year.
In 2007, in his 94th year he is still on the road. His website shows him playing a festival in Greeley Colorado this coming Sat, and two more festivals on the USA West Coast in the first week of July.
Pinetop Perkins’ unique life was chronicled in a graet biographical documentary DVD, Born In The Honey, which includes the 88th birthday live album
Beyond his musical accomplishments Pinetop is a friendly, charming, and gentle man. He says yes to everything and goes where he's taken, but somehow, life turns out well for him. He's quick to joke and play with words and he still goes out every night. He loves people and makes everyone around him feel good. Then he plays the piano and sings his blues and brings us his special gift.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Earl Hooker
Last session we covered pianist Pinetop Perkins. And during the course of that session we played two tracks of Perkins supporting slide guitarist Earl Hooker. That provides us with an excellent reason to cover more fully the work of that man, today
As a slide guitarist Earl Hooker was one of the best – a ‘musicians musician’ some called him.
“Earls playing was unique for a number of reasons- he was incredibly fast and accurate, but he also got a clear clean tone from his guitars. He had the uncanny ability to make his guitars weep and moan and talk just like a person, but had a three things going against him during a career that spanned the 50’s and 60’s Chicago scene.
Firstly was his surname – he was overshadowed by his much more famous cousin John Lee – world wasn’t big enough for two Hookers.
Secondly were his rather limited vocals – JLH’s biographer Charles Shar Murray comments “If Earls singing had been anywhere near the equal of his guitar work he would have been a star.”
Finally and perhaps most significantly was the tuberculosis that took his life at the young age 40 in 1970.
Track recorded with Pinetop Perkins in Memphis in July 1953, in Sam Phillips Sun Studio:
1. Guitar Rag – 1953 – Two Bugs – Tk 13 – 2.59
Earl Zebedee Hooker was born in Clarksdale, Miss, in either 1929 or 1930, the same town as, but approx 13 years later than his cousin John Lee Hooker. Their fathers were brothers. His parents moved to Chicago when he was a child and reportedly did it pretty tough in the poorest of neighborhoods.
Music came naturally as his parents were both playing musicians. He started playing guitar about 1945 after meeting slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk. Nighthawk had already cut records under the name of Robert Lee McCoy for the Bluebird label, and had been an accompanist for John Lee (Sonny Boy) Williamson on some of his sides for Bluebird.
He ran away from home at age 13, journeying to Mississippi. After another stint in Chicago, he returned back to the Delta again, playing with another Clarksdale son - Ike Turner, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Hooker made his first recordings in 1952 and 1953 for Rockin', King, and Sun labels. At the latter, he recorded some terrific sides with pianist Pinetop Perkins incl the one we led in with today
Back in Chicago again, Hooker's skills were showcased on singles for Argo, C.J., and Bea & Baby during the mid-to-late '50s before he joined forces with producer Mel London in 1959.
Instrumental track recorded for Chess subsidiary Argo in 1956
2. Frog Hop – 1956 – Simply The Best – Tk 2 – 2.27
One commentator wrote of EH’s guitar style in the late 60s: “Earls playing was unique for a number of reasons- he was incredibly fast and accurate, but he also got a clear clean tone from his guitars. He had the uncanny ability to make his guitars weep and moan and talk just like a person. Hooker also had a liking for ‘one of a kind’ guitars and he pioneered the use of double neck guitars and also had the first wah-wah pedals and fuzz boxes in the Chicago blues scene.”
For the next four years, he recorded both as sideman and band leader for Mel London, backing Junior Wells and others. Instrumental track recorded with Junior Wells in 1960, B side to Wells hit Messin’ With The Kid, Earl Hooker on slide:
3. Universal Rock – 1960 – Calling all Blues – Tk 14 – 2.31
Hooker recorded regularly with Wells during this period and Wells was quoted as saying “Earl Hooker could do more with a guitar than a monkey could do with a coconut.”
He also contributed great slide work to Muddy Waters' 1962 Chess track "You Shook Me". He was apparently the only slide player on a Muddy Waters recording besides Muddy himself.
4. You Shook Me – 1962 – Simply The Best – Tk 1 – 2.44
Interesting story about this song – originally written by Willie Dixon and JB Lenoir] - it was recorded by EH and producer Mel London as an instrumental in May 1961. More than 12 months later, in June 1962, Dixon took it to Chess where MW overlaid the vocals, and it was issued as a Chess single. Another Earl Hooker instrumental had the same treatment and became Muddy’s track You Need Love. And to round out the story – both these were lifted by Led Zepplin who claimed them as their own compositions in the late 1960s
Opportunities to record grew sparse after the Age label folded in the mid 60s but Earl was constantly on the road, traveling between Chicago and the South.
In the late 60s blues fan and Arhoolie lablel owner Chris Strachwitz asked Buddy Guy to suggest some Chicago guitar players who should be recorded. Guy immediately suggested EH, and even gave Strachwitz Hooker’s address.
The resulting Arhoolie album was named Two Bugs and a Roach, a dig at the TB that would claim his life two years later. Here is the title track, with Pinetop Perkins on piano, and talking with Chicago vocalist Andrew Odom:
5. Two Bugs and a Roach – 1968 – Two Bugs – Tk 1 – 4.19 (fade out…)
One source suggests that Hooker caught TB from living in the crowded Chicago slums in the 1940s
Even though Buddy was very complimentary about Hooker to CS, he wasn’t always so kind. According to BG EH was something of a thief – he would take the valves or speakers out of your amp if he liked the sound of them. “I never did see him drinking or do nothing. He had no bad habits other than stealing your stuff” Guy said.
Track from 1969 with cousin John Lee – listen out for Earls work on the wah wah pedal, which supposedly influenced Jimi Hendrix:
6. Messin Around With The Blues – 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 4 – 3.19
In the late 60’S he cut LPs for ABC-BluesWay, and Blue Thumb that didn't equal what he'd done at Age, but they did serve to introduce Hooker to an audience outside Chicago.
A few tracks from this period:
Firstly – another track with Andrew Odom on vocals - listen out for Earl’s fine guitar solos:
7. Come to Me Right Away Baby – May 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 11 – 3.43
Robert Johnson track where the wah wah pedal and fuzz box get a fine workout, again from may 1969. Ike Turner on piano
8. Sweet Home Chicago – 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 6 – 2.52
Track from an album titled Brownie McGhee/Sonny Terry and EH. Typical ST & BMcG number with EH guitar overtones:
9. When I was Drinkin – Sept 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 8 – 2.45
In late 1969, Earl traveled to Europe to play in the American Folk Blues Festival, along with Magic Sam, Carey Bell, Clifton Chenier and others. By this time though, he was quite ill with advancing tuberculosis, and after returning to the USA, was admitted to a Chicago sanitarium where he died in April 1970 just as the Blues Revival of the late sixties and early seventies was reaching full volume. He was just 41.
Close out with the title track of a JL and Earl collaboration album from 1970. This is a kind of novelty track, where John Lee recounts an incident in a bar on 47th street, where they were hassled by a patron – ‘don’t mess with the Hookers” says John Lee.
10. If You Miss Him, I Got Him – Sept 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 19 – 4.40
As a slide guitarist Earl Hooker was one of the best – a ‘musicians musician’ some called him.
“Earls playing was unique for a number of reasons- he was incredibly fast and accurate, but he also got a clear clean tone from his guitars. He had the uncanny ability to make his guitars weep and moan and talk just like a person, but had a three things going against him during a career that spanned the 50’s and 60’s Chicago scene.
Firstly was his surname – he was overshadowed by his much more famous cousin John Lee – world wasn’t big enough for two Hookers.
Secondly were his rather limited vocals – JLH’s biographer Charles Shar Murray comments “If Earls singing had been anywhere near the equal of his guitar work he would have been a star.”
Finally and perhaps most significantly was the tuberculosis that took his life at the young age 40 in 1970.
Track recorded with Pinetop Perkins in Memphis in July 1953, in Sam Phillips Sun Studio:
1. Guitar Rag – 1953 – Two Bugs – Tk 13 – 2.59
Earl Zebedee Hooker was born in Clarksdale, Miss, in either 1929 or 1930, the same town as, but approx 13 years later than his cousin John Lee Hooker. Their fathers were brothers. His parents moved to Chicago when he was a child and reportedly did it pretty tough in the poorest of neighborhoods.
Music came naturally as his parents were both playing musicians. He started playing guitar about 1945 after meeting slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk. Nighthawk had already cut records under the name of Robert Lee McCoy for the Bluebird label, and had been an accompanist for John Lee (Sonny Boy) Williamson on some of his sides for Bluebird.
He ran away from home at age 13, journeying to Mississippi. After another stint in Chicago, he returned back to the Delta again, playing with another Clarksdale son - Ike Turner, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Hooker made his first recordings in 1952 and 1953 for Rockin', King, and Sun labels. At the latter, he recorded some terrific sides with pianist Pinetop Perkins incl the one we led in with today
Back in Chicago again, Hooker's skills were showcased on singles for Argo, C.J., and Bea & Baby during the mid-to-late '50s before he joined forces with producer Mel London in 1959.
Instrumental track recorded for Chess subsidiary Argo in 1956
2. Frog Hop – 1956 – Simply The Best – Tk 2 – 2.27
One commentator wrote of EH’s guitar style in the late 60s: “Earls playing was unique for a number of reasons- he was incredibly fast and accurate, but he also got a clear clean tone from his guitars. He had the uncanny ability to make his guitars weep and moan and talk just like a person. Hooker also had a liking for ‘one of a kind’ guitars and he pioneered the use of double neck guitars and also had the first wah-wah pedals and fuzz boxes in the Chicago blues scene.”
For the next four years, he recorded both as sideman and band leader for Mel London, backing Junior Wells and others. Instrumental track recorded with Junior Wells in 1960, B side to Wells hit Messin’ With The Kid, Earl Hooker on slide:
3. Universal Rock – 1960 – Calling all Blues – Tk 14 – 2.31
Hooker recorded regularly with Wells during this period and Wells was quoted as saying “Earl Hooker could do more with a guitar than a monkey could do with a coconut.”
He also contributed great slide work to Muddy Waters' 1962 Chess track "You Shook Me". He was apparently the only slide player on a Muddy Waters recording besides Muddy himself.
4. You Shook Me – 1962 – Simply The Best – Tk 1 – 2.44
Interesting story about this song – originally written by Willie Dixon and JB Lenoir] - it was recorded by EH and producer Mel London as an instrumental in May 1961. More than 12 months later, in June 1962, Dixon took it to Chess where MW overlaid the vocals, and it was issued as a Chess single. Another Earl Hooker instrumental had the same treatment and became Muddy’s track You Need Love. And to round out the story – both these were lifted by Led Zepplin who claimed them as their own compositions in the late 1960s
Opportunities to record grew sparse after the Age label folded in the mid 60s but Earl was constantly on the road, traveling between Chicago and the South.
In the late 60s blues fan and Arhoolie lablel owner Chris Strachwitz asked Buddy Guy to suggest some Chicago guitar players who should be recorded. Guy immediately suggested EH, and even gave Strachwitz Hooker’s address.
The resulting Arhoolie album was named Two Bugs and a Roach, a dig at the TB that would claim his life two years later. Here is the title track, with Pinetop Perkins on piano, and talking with Chicago vocalist Andrew Odom:
5. Two Bugs and a Roach – 1968 – Two Bugs – Tk 1 – 4.19 (fade out…)
One source suggests that Hooker caught TB from living in the crowded Chicago slums in the 1940s
Even though Buddy was very complimentary about Hooker to CS, he wasn’t always so kind. According to BG EH was something of a thief – he would take the valves or speakers out of your amp if he liked the sound of them. “I never did see him drinking or do nothing. He had no bad habits other than stealing your stuff” Guy said.
Track from 1969 with cousin John Lee – listen out for Earls work on the wah wah pedal, which supposedly influenced Jimi Hendrix:
6. Messin Around With The Blues – 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 4 – 3.19
In the late 60’S he cut LPs for ABC-BluesWay, and Blue Thumb that didn't equal what he'd done at Age, but they did serve to introduce Hooker to an audience outside Chicago.
A few tracks from this period:
Firstly – another track with Andrew Odom on vocals - listen out for Earl’s fine guitar solos:
7. Come to Me Right Away Baby – May 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 11 – 3.43
Robert Johnson track where the wah wah pedal and fuzz box get a fine workout, again from may 1969. Ike Turner on piano
8. Sweet Home Chicago – 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 6 – 2.52
Track from an album titled Brownie McGhee/Sonny Terry and EH. Typical ST & BMcG number with EH guitar overtones:
9. When I was Drinkin – Sept 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 8 – 2.45
In late 1969, Earl traveled to Europe to play in the American Folk Blues Festival, along with Magic Sam, Carey Bell, Clifton Chenier and others. By this time though, he was quite ill with advancing tuberculosis, and after returning to the USA, was admitted to a Chicago sanitarium where he died in April 1970 just as the Blues Revival of the late sixties and early seventies was reaching full volume. He was just 41.
Close out with the title track of a JL and Earl collaboration album from 1970. This is a kind of novelty track, where John Lee recounts an incident in a bar on 47th street, where they were hassled by a patron – ‘don’t mess with the Hookers” says John Lee.
10. If You Miss Him, I Got Him – Sept 1969 – Simply The Best – Tk 19 – 4.40
Monday, April 27, 2009
Townes Van Zandt
Today we are not on a strictly blues path, but rather following the life of a Texas based singer songwriter John Townes Van Zandt. Townes VZ, while heavily influenced by bluesman Lightnin Hopkins as a young man, is probably best categorized in the ‘folk’ or ‘Americana’ tradition. Despite this categorization, there is a lot of blues in his discography and we will try to focus on this today.
One commentator has said “Whether he was singing a quiet, introspective country-folk song or a driving, hungry blues, Van Zandt's lyrics and melodies were filled with the kind of haunting truth and beauty that you knew instinctively. The magic of his songs is that they never leave you alone.”
Steve Earle once said of him “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that."
Song from his third self titled album, which the liner notes describe as “Funk – not in the traditional sense, but back country, dead of night Texas funk
1. Lungs – 1970 – TVZ – Tk 6 – 2.17
Despite a distinctive but pleasant voice, as a singer Van Zandt never had anything resembling a hit in his nearly 30-year recording career — he had a hard enough time simply keeping his records in print, in part because his alcoholism and erratic personal behavior could make him quite difficult to deal with. Nonetheless, he was widely respected and admired as one of the greatest country and folk artists of his generation.
The long list of singers who've covered his songs includes Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris.
Born in 1944 in Fort Worth, Texas to an oil-wealthy aristocratic Texas family, he spent his youth in Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois. Van Zandt also spent a couple years in a military academy and a bit more time in college in Colorado before dropping out to become a folksinger.
Van Zandt was supposedly being groomed for the Texas governorship, but he dropped out of college in the 1960s after being inspired by singer-songwriters and deciding to pursue a singing career. He was of extraordinary intelligence but was also diagnosed manic-depressive in his early twenties. He was treated with insulin shock therapy, which fried his brain and erased much of his long-term memory. His lack of memory and his mental condition contributed to both the passion and sense of isolation evident in his songwriting.
Van Zandt moved to Houston and got his first paying gigs on the folk music circuit there in the mid-'60s.
His first album was released in 1968, but in 2002 a long lost collection of 1966 demo tapes were found. These were Nashville recordings, and represent his first attempts of the 22 year old to “go national” – ie break away from the Texas folk circuit. The tapes were released on CD called ‘In The Beginning”
2. Black Widow Blues – 1966 – In The Beginning – Tk 1 – 2.33
During the 60’s he played clubs and he met singers such as Guy Clark (who became a lifelong friend and frequent road partner), Jerry Jeff Walker, and blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins, who had a large influence on Van Zandt's guitar playing in particular. VZ used to feature a lot of LHs work in his shows. He once said of the LH influence: “The first time I got really serious about playing the guitar was doing the blues - that will always be the biggest influence”
3. Hunger Child Blues – 1966 – In The Beginning – Tk 3 – 3.13
Another Texas songwriter, Mickey Newbury, saw Van Zandt in Houston one night and soon had him set up with a recording gig in Nashville (with Jack Clement producing). The sessions became Van Zandt's debut album, For the Sake of the Song, released in 1968 by Poppy Records.
4. Waitin Round To Die – 1968 – Drama Falls Disc 1 – Tk 4 – 2.23
The next five years were the most prolific of Van Zandt's career, as Poppy released five further albums, often featuring re recording songs that he had recorded on earlier albums. For example, the first track on his self titled third album, was the title track of his first album –
5. For the Sake of The Song – 1969 – TVZ – Tk 1 – 5.20 – play 3.15 then fade
Another track from 1969
6. Snake Mountain Blues – 1968 – Drama Falls Disc 1 – Tk 11 – 2.38
He released his 4th album in 1971 called Delta Mama Blues – the title track commemorates some two army friends who regularly got loaded on weekends on cough syrup, which they called Delta Mama
7. Delta Mama Blues – 1971 – Drama Falls – Disc 1 - Tk 16 – 3.57
He recorded two studio albums in 1972, which made a total of 6 in 5 yrs –
First called High Low and In Between. Gambling track called Mr Gold and Mr Mud.
8. Mr Gold and Mr Mud – 1972 – Drama Falls – Disc 2 – Tk 6 – 2.21
Second album from 1972, called The Late Great…(The name apparently came from a drug and alcohol session during the recording of the album) It featured the first recordings of two of his greatest songs- Pancho & Lefty and If I Needed You. This album has featured on many ‘best of’ lists. Track which became a number one country hit for Willie Nelson in 1983.
9. Pancho & Lefty – 1972 – The Late Great– Tk 8 – 3.34
For much of the 1970s, he lived a reclusive life in a cabin in Tennessee, with no indoor plumbing or phone, appearing only occasionally to play shows often to crowds of fewer than 50 people
In 1973 he recorded a double live album at the Old Quarter Club in Houston. This is a great album and the one against which all his other live albums are measured. The liner notes describe it as The Rosetta Stone of Texas music, and on it he covers tracks by Bo Diddley, and Lightnin Hopkins. Three tracks
10. Who Do You Love – 1973 – Live at Old Quarter – Disc 2 – Tk 8 – 3.44
11. White Freight Liner Blues – 1973 – Live at Old Quarter – Disc 1 – Tk 9 – 3.10
12. Loretta – 1973 – Live at Old Quarter – Disc 2 – Tk 4 – 2.26
Van Zandt moved to Nashville in 1976 at the urging of his new manager, John Lomax III.
He struggled with alcoholism throughout his adult life. At times he would be drunk on stage and forget the lyrics to his songs. Some critics believe his alcoholism inhibited his performances, whereas others believe it made his lyrical expression more genuine.
After 1978, Van Zandt didn't record again for nearly a decade, but he continued to tour.
In 1980 in Austin, Tx, he met Jeanene the woman who became his third wife and who would share the rest of his life. They had two children, and she tried to take over the business side of his life, but found it a trial. “He couldn’t handle fame and every time he got close to it, he would sabotage it”
He returned again to Nashville in the mid-'80s. In 1987, Van Zandt was back in business with his eighth studio album, At My Window, which came out on his new label, Sugar Hill.
By this time, Van Zandt's voice had dropped to a lower register, but the weathered, somewhat road-weary edge to it was as pure and expressive as ever. Two years later, Sugar Hill released Live & Obscure (recorded in a Nashville club in 1985), and two more live albums appeared on European labels in the early '90s.
In the early 1990s he also started work on what was intended to be a 60 song boxed set. Included in the recordings made at this time were a series of duets with the likes of Freddie Fender, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. The WN track in particular shows how his voice had changed
13. Marie – 1990s – Legend – Disc 1 – Tk 21 – 4.56
14. If I Needed You – 1990s – Legend – Disc 1 – Tk 23 – 3.19
He continued writing and performing at his own pace through the 1990s until his death on New Year’s Day of 1997 in Nashville, following hip surgery two days previous. He died with a flask of vodka in his hand and his daughter Katie Belle by his side. When he died, his daughter told her mother "Daddy had a fight with his heart. He was 52 years old.
Steve Earle paid his own homage to Van Zandt, describing him as the greatest songwriter who ever lived, and writing "Fort Worth Blues" as a memorial to the night of his death.
Townes used to say, "Man, I could have been a poet but this stupid music keeps coming with it."
One commentator has said “Whether he was singing a quiet, introspective country-folk song or a driving, hungry blues, Van Zandt's lyrics and melodies were filled with the kind of haunting truth and beauty that you knew instinctively. The magic of his songs is that they never leave you alone.”
Steve Earle once said of him “Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that."
Song from his third self titled album, which the liner notes describe as “Funk – not in the traditional sense, but back country, dead of night Texas funk
1. Lungs – 1970 – TVZ – Tk 6 – 2.17
Despite a distinctive but pleasant voice, as a singer Van Zandt never had anything resembling a hit in his nearly 30-year recording career — he had a hard enough time simply keeping his records in print, in part because his alcoholism and erratic personal behavior could make him quite difficult to deal with. Nonetheless, he was widely respected and admired as one of the greatest country and folk artists of his generation.
The long list of singers who've covered his songs includes Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris.
Born in 1944 in Fort Worth, Texas to an oil-wealthy aristocratic Texas family, he spent his youth in Montana, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois. Van Zandt also spent a couple years in a military academy and a bit more time in college in Colorado before dropping out to become a folksinger.
Van Zandt was supposedly being groomed for the Texas governorship, but he dropped out of college in the 1960s after being inspired by singer-songwriters and deciding to pursue a singing career. He was of extraordinary intelligence but was also diagnosed manic-depressive in his early twenties. He was treated with insulin shock therapy, which fried his brain and erased much of his long-term memory. His lack of memory and his mental condition contributed to both the passion and sense of isolation evident in his songwriting.
Van Zandt moved to Houston and got his first paying gigs on the folk music circuit there in the mid-'60s.
His first album was released in 1968, but in 2002 a long lost collection of 1966 demo tapes were found. These were Nashville recordings, and represent his first attempts of the 22 year old to “go national” – ie break away from the Texas folk circuit. The tapes were released on CD called ‘In The Beginning”
2. Black Widow Blues – 1966 – In The Beginning – Tk 1 – 2.33
During the 60’s he played clubs and he met singers such as Guy Clark (who became a lifelong friend and frequent road partner), Jerry Jeff Walker, and blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins, who had a large influence on Van Zandt's guitar playing in particular. VZ used to feature a lot of LHs work in his shows. He once said of the LH influence: “The first time I got really serious about playing the guitar was doing the blues - that will always be the biggest influence”
3. Hunger Child Blues – 1966 – In The Beginning – Tk 3 – 3.13
Another Texas songwriter, Mickey Newbury, saw Van Zandt in Houston one night and soon had him set up with a recording gig in Nashville (with Jack Clement producing). The sessions became Van Zandt's debut album, For the Sake of the Song, released in 1968 by Poppy Records.
4. Waitin Round To Die – 1968 – Drama Falls Disc 1 – Tk 4 – 2.23
The next five years were the most prolific of Van Zandt's career, as Poppy released five further albums, often featuring re recording songs that he had recorded on earlier albums. For example, the first track on his self titled third album, was the title track of his first album –
5. For the Sake of The Song – 1969 – TVZ – Tk 1 – 5.20 – play 3.15 then fade
Another track from 1969
6. Snake Mountain Blues – 1968 – Drama Falls Disc 1 – Tk 11 – 2.38
He released his 4th album in 1971 called Delta Mama Blues – the title track commemorates some two army friends who regularly got loaded on weekends on cough syrup, which they called Delta Mama
7. Delta Mama Blues – 1971 – Drama Falls – Disc 1 - Tk 16 – 3.57
He recorded two studio albums in 1972, which made a total of 6 in 5 yrs –
First called High Low and In Between. Gambling track called Mr Gold and Mr Mud.
8. Mr Gold and Mr Mud – 1972 – Drama Falls – Disc 2 – Tk 6 – 2.21
Second album from 1972, called The Late Great…(The name apparently came from a drug and alcohol session during the recording of the album) It featured the first recordings of two of his greatest songs- Pancho & Lefty and If I Needed You. This album has featured on many ‘best of’ lists. Track which became a number one country hit for Willie Nelson in 1983.
9. Pancho & Lefty – 1972 – The Late Great– Tk 8 – 3.34
For much of the 1970s, he lived a reclusive life in a cabin in Tennessee, with no indoor plumbing or phone, appearing only occasionally to play shows often to crowds of fewer than 50 people
In 1973 he recorded a double live album at the Old Quarter Club in Houston. This is a great album and the one against which all his other live albums are measured. The liner notes describe it as The Rosetta Stone of Texas music, and on it he covers tracks by Bo Diddley, and Lightnin Hopkins. Three tracks
10. Who Do You Love – 1973 – Live at Old Quarter – Disc 2 – Tk 8 – 3.44
11. White Freight Liner Blues – 1973 – Live at Old Quarter – Disc 1 – Tk 9 – 3.10
12. Loretta – 1973 – Live at Old Quarter – Disc 2 – Tk 4 – 2.26
Van Zandt moved to Nashville in 1976 at the urging of his new manager, John Lomax III.
He struggled with alcoholism throughout his adult life. At times he would be drunk on stage and forget the lyrics to his songs. Some critics believe his alcoholism inhibited his performances, whereas others believe it made his lyrical expression more genuine.
After 1978, Van Zandt didn't record again for nearly a decade, but he continued to tour.
In 1980 in Austin, Tx, he met Jeanene the woman who became his third wife and who would share the rest of his life. They had two children, and she tried to take over the business side of his life, but found it a trial. “He couldn’t handle fame and every time he got close to it, he would sabotage it”
He returned again to Nashville in the mid-'80s. In 1987, Van Zandt was back in business with his eighth studio album, At My Window, which came out on his new label, Sugar Hill.
By this time, Van Zandt's voice had dropped to a lower register, but the weathered, somewhat road-weary edge to it was as pure and expressive as ever. Two years later, Sugar Hill released Live & Obscure (recorded in a Nashville club in 1985), and two more live albums appeared on European labels in the early '90s.
In the early 1990s he also started work on what was intended to be a 60 song boxed set. Included in the recordings made at this time were a series of duets with the likes of Freddie Fender, Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris. The WN track in particular shows how his voice had changed
13. Marie – 1990s – Legend – Disc 1 – Tk 21 – 4.56
14. If I Needed You – 1990s – Legend – Disc 1 – Tk 23 – 3.19
He continued writing and performing at his own pace through the 1990s until his death on New Year’s Day of 1997 in Nashville, following hip surgery two days previous. He died with a flask of vodka in his hand and his daughter Katie Belle by his side. When he died, his daughter told her mother "Daddy had a fight with his heart. He was 52 years old.
Steve Earle paid his own homage to Van Zandt, describing him as the greatest songwriter who ever lived, and writing "Fort Worth Blues" as a memorial to the night of his death.
Townes used to say, "Man, I could have been a poet but this stupid music keeps coming with it."
Bluesnews 25 April 2009
Hello again. Here is another edition of a newsletter setting out all the blues news for South East Queensland.
The big event over the past few weeks of course was Easter’s ECBRF at Byron Bay. It was our 9th Festival in 10 years (we missed 2008) and the music was just as diverse and exciting as ever. As many have said it’s a blues festival in name only these days (with significantly, no one from Mississippi or Chicago this year) but exciting and inspiring nonetheless.
The rain and its impact on the Belongil Fields site was the big topic of discussion afterwards, and will give festival director Peter Noble plenty to think about as he plans for the move to a new (reportedly ‘swampy’) site in 2010.
Interestingly, in a post festival press release, the organizers keep their options open for the festival location next year:
Council approvals permitting, the Bluesfest team now looks very much forward to staging their 21st festival in Easter 2010 at its new home on land bought at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm – 10 mins north of Byron Bay.
And don’t forget, you can see this newsletter on the net. Click here
Cheers
Mark Hipgrave
0418 556048
NEWS
RADIO/TV
FESTIVALS
REGULAR STUFF AND GIG GUIDES
NEWS
Welcome to Wordfordia
At a recent Woodford Folk Festival Organizers conference, festival director Bill Hauritz proposed Woodfordia as the name for the previously unnamed site just out of Woodford where the festival is held.
We have come to the realisation that a name for our site, aside from “the Woodford Folk Festival site”, is truly necessary. Woodfordia is now what we will use for a trial period, to see if it fits, or if it spurs a new and better name in the minds of any of you. We’d ask you to use it, try it with others, and test the reactions people have to it. It may or may not be the name, but without giving it a go, we just won’t know. It would be great too if any of you have any feedback on “Woodfordia” as a name for our property that you do share it with us. We’ve put it on The Planting programme booklet as a test with our patrons. It has personally grown on me over the past few months, may it do so for you as well, or inspire you to come up with something even better.
If you have any comments, tell Bill at conference@woodfordfolkfestival.com
Peregian Originals – More
Following this recent article in the Noosa Journal, Peregian Originals organizer Jay Bischoff wrote back:
Dear Noosa Journal,
I am very grateful for your many years of consistent support for Peregian Originals and other events I have been involved with on the coast. Specifically, journalists Sue Mitchelson and Nathan Evans have been a wonderful help through the years. Referring to this week's article on Peregian Originals, "Council hit by Originals revolt" (16/04/09), unfortunately, Nathan Evans really got it wrong this time, and I must now attempt to clarify things, in an effort to rectify any misunderstandings and prevent any further damage being done through the current misrepresentation of Peregian Originals.
I am not embittered at your publication; I merely need to clarify these facts.
Firstly, we specifically chose not to forward the 'Peregian Originals letter to Council' to the press. Perceiving our event was being treated unfairly by Council and the discontented residents, it was necessary for us to stand up for our community event, to in a sense, 'draw the line', saying: enough is enough. In this way, we stand by all aspects of our 'Letter to Council'. As our event has been right on the verge of being shut down, we also felt it was important to inform the public as to what was happening behind closed doors. It is very important to clarify: as far as Peregian Originals is concerned, there has been no 'call to arms', there is no 'war', and there is no 'revolt'. As a community, we are in process of working through a few issues together, with the discontented residents, and with Council -- this is all.
We have asked all supporters of Peregian Originals to refrain from hassling Council, allowing Council the time and space to respond to our letter. We have already received an encouraging response to our letter from the Creative branch of Council. We are optimistic and hopeful that we can continue to work together with Council toward a quick resolution of the issues with the small group of discontented local residents.
Secondly, on the front cover of your paper, the caption reads: "Peregian Originals: It's War!" Though the tiny group of discontented neighbours have approached us in the past with this aggressive approach, a specific member of their group even using the expression, "It's War" amidst graphic verbal threats, Peregian Originals has never been interested in any 'war' or 'revolt', and we have certainly never used these terms or encouraged them in any way. In fact, we have gone to great lengths to meet the discontented residents and Council with community spirit. This is the only sensible approach, considering we are all part of the same community!
Again, we would like to be absolutely clear: Peregian Originals harbours no bitterness or feelings of aggression toward the discontented residents or the Council members we have been working through the issues with. We have walked a long journey together with Council, and we remain committed to working together, provided we are treated fairly and with the same respect we are committed to maintaining in communications.
Nathan Evans did not misrepresent me in quotes from our letter to Council; rather it is the tonality and terminology of his piece that are misdirected; the hyped 'Us against Them' framing of the piece is simply inaccurate as a representation of our perspective.
Kate Miller Heidke
I am a big fan of Kate, who is not just a poppy princess, as this recent email attests:
‘In late April I will be performing the role of Baby Jane in Jerry Springer the Opera at Sydney Opera House. My character is a woman who enjoys dressing as a toddler, soiling her nappy and getting her arse smacked. Yes, I know what you're thinking... I've been utterly type-cast... guffaw. My favourite Australian actor, David Wenham, is playing Jerry. The music is great. It contains a fair hunk of swearing and blaspheming. Is your curiosity piqued? You can check out the tap dancing Ku Klux Klan here.
Late April/Early May, the band and I are hitting the road again, to play shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. It will be our last Australian tour for quite some time.’
The Brisbane gig will be at the new Hi Fi Bar in West End on Sat 2 May
Interesting News from The Detonators
The Dets song, Throttle Jockey Demon was used during the Underbelly episode shown last Monday night - Underbelly 2, episode 11. It was used as some crooked guy copped it.. Top job fellas. The episode can be downloaded from the Underbelly site
Online Australian Festival Guide 2009 - who what where when
Matt Moline, from 7th Dimension in West End, reminded me that after taking a year off in 2008, they are back in business with their On Line Australian Festival guide:
There are over 350 festivals listed for 2009 so far, covering music festivals, writers festivals, community festivals...
Browse the Online Australian Festival Guide
http://www.7thdimension.com.au/festival/index.cfm
For Festival organisers and promoters, a quick and easy online form
http://www.7thdimension.com.au/festival/index.cfm?fuseaction=SubmitFestival
It's free
Press Articles – Various
Welcome to Mali, from Head Butler
Ted Jarrett obit: Musician, label-owner and producer who brought R&B to Nashville, from The Independant
Noel Mengel's top 150 songs of all time, from the Courier Mail
Saving Folk History, One Recording At A Time, from NPR Music, and the relevant website
Bob Dylan on Barack Obama, Ulysses Grant and American Civil War ghosts, from Times OnLine
Phil Spector: murder, madness and shocking hair, also from the Times OnLine
Attendance Strong at Coachella Despite the Economy, from NY Times
Chapman wins artist of the year at gospel awards, from the Chicago Sun Times
Derek Trucks still on the road, 18 years later, also from the Chicago Sun Times
Jimi Hendrix's boyhood home torn down, also from the Chicago Sun Times
Lots of Interesting Articles about the New Orleans Jazz Fest, from the Times Picayune
Bad music? It's all in the jeans, from The Guardian
Robert Johnson’s Boyhood Home, from Delta Blues Blog
Here is a collection of press articles relating to the ECBRF:
Seasick Steve
Blind Boys of Alabama
Festival General
The Specials (play Newcastle UK) from The Guardian)
Timeoff’s Review
…and balanced reviews from Faster Louder:
Friday
Sat
Sun
For the technically minded, a friend sent me these links which describe the use of Microsoft’s Seadragon technology to create an interactive visualization of Last.fm users and the music they like.
The ‘six degrees links’ display all the different artists on the Last.fm web site as differently colored circles of different sizes. The colors relate to the genre of music – rock, pop, metal, rap, classical, hip-hop, electronic, etc. Two search boxes at the top of the map let you enter in either an artist’s name to see where they fall on the map or the name of a Last.fm user to see what sort of music they like. Doing either search will actually place pushpins on the colored circles for easy identification.
This app is also featured in the Seadragon Gallery over on the Live Labs site, but that one isn’t searchable. If you’re into visualizations, though, the Live Labs Seadragon gallery is worth checking out –there are some pretty amazing visualizations embedded over there.
http://on10.net/blogs/sarahintampa/Visualizing-Lastfm-with-Seadragon/
http://blogs.sun.com/plamere/entry/visualizing_last_fm
http://sixdegrees.hu/last.fm/index.html
http://sixdegrees.hu/last.fm/technical_details.html
And finally, Rhythms Magazine’s Brian Wise is off to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival via Memphis and Clarksdale - as well as a preliminary excursion to the Wild West and Death Valley by motorcycle. His blog is here
RADIO/TV/YOU TUBE
Arthur Elliot reports on his upcoming Sidestream shows– for Brisbane listeners 99.7 FM, Wed 7pm to 9pm.
The 29/4 edition of Sidestream includes world music from Ancient Future, a new release from Scotland’s Paul McKenna Band, Fred Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Australian duo Matt Walker & Ashley Davies, and more.
Then in the 8pm blues hour, the range of artists includes Geoff Achison, Mississippi Shakedown, Littlewolf, Kate Meehan, Southside Johnny, and some vintage blues from Sun Records.
Between The Lines
Shaun Bindley (who presents Blues With A Feeling, from airing 8.05pm-midnight on M ondays on radio 98.9fm) has started producing and presenting a show on QCTV (formerly Briz31)
It’s called "Between The Lines" and airs wed night at 9pm and then is repeated a couple of times over the next few days
Its an interview show not a music show but he does intend to slip in the occasional top quality musician. Doug Macleod was the guest a few weeks ago, and Hat Fitz will be on in the next few weeks.
We will let you know of other interesting topics as they become available.
The Daily Planet, Weekend Planet and Music Deli (ABC Radio National)
The Daily Planet website, the Weekend Planet website and The Music Deli website all have links to shows broadcast over the past few weeks.
Video Selections
From Bob Corritore:
BB King at Sing Sing Prison, New York, 1972: How Blue Can You Get and Guess Who/Outside Help
Muddy Waters Live at Newport 1960
From Head Butler
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
FESTIVALS
Ipswich Festival – 15-26 April
There’s a free ‘Jazz, Wine & Blues’ concert commencing at 3pm Sat 25 April, as part of this festival. The lineup includes Wiley Reed, Barb Fordham, Mojo Webb, Renee Geyer and Chase the Sun.
Here is the festival flyer.
Urban Country Music Festival
The sixth annual Urban Country Music Festival returns to the Caboolture Showgrounds on from 1 -4 May, with:
‘over 500 artists on 11 stages in 16 different venues. Best of all 15 of these events are FREE, yes free! So bring your family and friends down to Caboolture and help us celebrate our fifth birthday.’
Brisbane Blues Festival
Festival promoter Rob Hudson writes:
The final act is confirmed for the 17th Annual Brisbane Blues Festival happening Saturday, May 16 at The Jubilee Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Texas guitar slinger Steve Lott and his new band LittleWolf (with Paul Cheesman) have been added to the bill. Steve has spent the last few years back in Texas but on his last extended stay in Australia, won Best New Artist and Male Artist of the Year at the Australian Blues Awards for his album, West Texas Refugee. The complete line up is now LittleWolf along with Mama Voodoo, Coojee Timms, Big Kitty & the Scaredy Cats, Johnny Hucker, Natural Ball, Blind Lemon, The Asa Broomhall Band and Mojo Webb and Band. More information at www.brisbanebluesfestival.com/ or 3252- 4508
Wintersun 2009
Australia's Leading Rock & Roll Nostalgia Retro Event....
Wintersun 2009 starts on Friday 29th May and ends with the huge Best of Wintersun Concert on Monday 8th June. Wintersun is Australia's leading annual Retro Nostalgia Festival. Featuring almost 1500 Hot Rods, Custom and Classic Cars, more than 100 bands and performers, dancing, movies, and competitions.
The festival is held in the border coastal towns of Coolangatta and Tweed Heads on the New South Wales & Queensland border. Many events are free, some are in the streets while others are in the local clubs and shopping centres.
The lineup is now available here.
International headliners include Sonny Burgess and the Legendry Pacers, The Vargas Bros and pinup model and burlesque star Sabrina Kelley.
Blues on Broadbeach
The lineup for this festival, at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast from Wed 27 May to Sun 31 May has been announced
The Dreaming – 5 – 8 June at Woodford
‘The Dreaming is a vibrant, exciting and a valuable destination where local, national and international audiences look forward to their annual ceremony time along with the most comprehensive showcase of Indigenous arts from across the country and around the world.
This three day and four night festival will have performing arts venues, bars, Ceremony grounds, traditional healing, galleries, rituals, campfire story circles and a mass of stalls, workshop avenue and food outlets.
Presented by the QFF, and under the artistic direction of Rhoda Roberts, the program will also feature film & literature components, performing arts, New media and Digital technologies, food & wine fare, comedy, ceremony, exhibitions, performance artists, physical theatre, Visual arts, craft workshops, music program, street performers, musicals and a youth program.’
The program is now available here…
Noosa Long Weekend
The Noosa Longweekend will be held over two weekends, from 19-28 June (about two weeks earlier than 2008). The programme is available here.
The main blues interest will be a gig from Kevin Borich on Tues 23 June.
If you missed Sam Cutler’s book launch at the State Library last year, you can also catch him talking about his life with The Stones on Mon 22 June.
Greenfest
Greenfest (5-7 June Brisbane Botanic Gardens) presented by Brisbane City Council, is Australia's largest free green festival and place for fresh energy! Commencing on World Environment Day Friday 5th June 2009 to Sunday 7th June.
Our 2009 program will be launched 11:30 on Sunday 26th April at the BCC Community Fair, Perrin Park Josling St Taringa. The Boat People and Bunna Lawrie are playing a free concert in support come along and enjoy all the fun.
Even though the program is not yet available, Mark Easton and 8 Ball Aitken hve the event listed on their own schedules – (see below)
GreazeFest
Festival founder Lori Lee hinted a few weeks ago that she had booked an international headliner for this year’s 10th Anniversary Kustom Kulture festval. I had my fingers and toes crossed for someone interesting, but leapt out of my leopard skin jocks when the big news came from the GreazeFest camp last week that USA rockabilly star Marti Brom has been inked as headliner for the three day festival which runs from 30 July to 2 Aug.
More on Marti here.
Tickets will sell fast. Get in quick.
Caloundra Music Festival
Dates for the above have been announced as 23-25 Oct. This little festival is now in its third year – the first two were great and this one should be too.
The website doesn’t announce much yet, other than that the organizers are providing a camping option this year.
And finally, the Redlands Bluegrass Convention will be held from 10-12 July.
REGULAR STUFF AND GIG GUIDES
There is blues on at the Jubilee Hotel in the Valley, every Sunday afternoon (but note not May3), commencing 1pm, but also look out for:
· Sat 2 May 09 Even Divas Get The Blues - featuring all your favorite lady blues singers, singing their favorite lady blues singers. Kate Meehan (Koko Taylor and Mama Thornton) Natural Born Lovers (Etta May), MamaVoodoo (Renee Geyer), Kath Butler (Louann Barton), Blond On Blue (Janis Joplin)
· Sat May 9 BASEQ Blues Bash, bands tba
· Sat 16 May Brisbane Blues Festival (details above)
And mark your diary for:
· Fortitude Valley Festival of Blues Sat. 25 Jul 09, with Muddy Waters' Number 1 Boy Child - Mud Morganfield, Mojo Webb, 8 Ball Aitkin, Asa Broomhall, Mick Hadley and the Atomic Boogie Band, Mamavoodoo, J B Lewis, Natural Ball, Natural Born Lovers, Sly Jack, The Medicine Show, Jam Stage + many more.
At Joes Waterhole, Eumundi
Look out for:
· Fri April 24 Stylus (The first white band and only Australian band to be signed by American Soul label Motown Records)
· Fri 5 June Bob Evans
· Sat 13 June Ash Grunwald
At The Tivoli you can catch
· Thurs 7 May Bob Evans
At the Cooly Hotel
· Fri 8 May The Gin Club, plus others
· Sat 9 May Bob Evans
· Sat 23 May The Black Sorrows
· Fri 12 June Ash Grunwald
And at The Judy.
There’s not much of interest until 30 July, when diesel plays.
At The Zoo
· Sat 2 May The Wilson Pickers and others
At The Soundlounge, Currumbin
· 30 Apr: Afro Dizzi Act & Oka
· 01 May: The Wilson Pickers & The Perch Creek Family Jug Band & Jason Lowe
· 07 May: Alex Lloyd
· 29 May: Black Market Rhythm Co. & Cool Calm Collective
· 12 Jun: Mick Thomas & The Sure Thing & The Killjoys
· 19 Jun: Afro Moses
Leah & Pearly @ The Brisbane Jazz Club – 23 May
After 20 years of long, leisurely conversations about their love of songs and singing, Leah Cotterell and Pearly Black are ready to present their distillation of what they find beautiful in the magical combination of words and music.
The songs they’ve chosen come from all the wonderful musical landscapes they have explored: classic blues and jazz vocalise, passionate Latin and traditional ballads. And right alongside their favourite songwriters, Cole Porter and Jimmy Van Heusen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Lou Reed, they will present their own recent originals.
But this is no post-modern pastiche. Leah and Pearly never waste their breath on
meaningless melisma. The glue that holds this concert together is a vision of beauty – plain and simple.
The outstanding quality of their piano trio led by Marc Hannaford (Melbourne) is an attraction all of its own - with Sam Vincent on bass and Will Eager on drums. Please join us at the Brisbane Jazz Club on Sat 23rd May 7.30 – 11.00pm.
Book tickets through bookings@brisbanejazzclub.com.au
Mark Easton is back in SEQ in May:
· May 16 2009 8:00 PM
Miami, QLD, AU
Shark Bar Miami Tavern
· May 23 2009 1:00 PM
Goodna, QLD, AU
Royal Mail Hotel
· May 24 2009 1:00 PM
Goodna, QLD, AU
Royal Mail Hotel
· May 30 2009 11:00 AM
Broadbeach, QLD, AU
Brannigans Tavern
· May 30 2009 6:00 PM
Broadbeach, QLD, AU
Blues on Broadbeach Festival
· Jun 5 2009 1:00 PM
Southbank, QLD, AU
Greenfest
· Jun 6 2009 1:00 PM
Southbank, QLD, AU
Greenfest
· Jun 7 2009 1:00 PM
Southbank, QLD, AU
Greenfest
8 Ball Aitken
8 Ball Writes:
We are just back in Australia from a two month tour in USA and Canada, taking in SXSW and playing Canadian Music Week. It was hard work, but it was just the best fun!
We even got to meet George H Bush. Hopefully next time we will get to meet Obama. Who knows what can happen in the USA?
Next up for us is the release of my new single 'Outback Booty Call'.
We are hitting the road in Australia for the next two months, and then heading back for more shows in UK, Denmark, other parts of Europe and America again.
Upcoming SEQ gigs:
· May 22 - Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW
· May 23 - Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna, QLD, 1:30pm
· May 24 - Harrigans, Calypso Bay, Gold Coast, QLD, 1:00pm
· May 28 - Blues On Broadbeach - Brannigans Tavern Lounge Bar, 7pm - 9pm
· May 29 - Blues On Broadbeach, Sails Stage Broadbeach Mall, 6pm - 7.40pm
· June 5 - Greenfest, Brisbane City Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD
· June 6 - Greenfest, Brisbane City Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD
And while we are talking about 8 Ball, there was a touching moment a few weeks ago at one of the Blue Monday Sessions at the Jubilee Hotel in The Valley, when 8 Ball’s younger brother Dillion James was on stage just about to commence his set. His phone rang, and he took the call to find it was his mum wishing him ‘happy (25th??) birthday’.
And look out for Lori Lee’s next outings:
· Sat 2 May The Vaudevillains cd launch at The Step Inn with The Jim Rockfords and more.
More details here
The big event over the past few weeks of course was Easter’s ECBRF at Byron Bay. It was our 9th Festival in 10 years (we missed 2008) and the music was just as diverse and exciting as ever. As many have said it’s a blues festival in name only these days (with significantly, no one from Mississippi or Chicago this year) but exciting and inspiring nonetheless.
The rain and its impact on the Belongil Fields site was the big topic of discussion afterwards, and will give festival director Peter Noble plenty to think about as he plans for the move to a new (reportedly ‘swampy’) site in 2010.
Interestingly, in a post festival press release, the organizers keep their options open for the festival location next year:
Council approvals permitting, the Bluesfest team now looks very much forward to staging their 21st festival in Easter 2010 at its new home on land bought at the Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm – 10 mins north of Byron Bay.
And don’t forget, you can see this newsletter on the net. Click here
Cheers
Mark Hipgrave
0418 556048
NEWS
RADIO/TV
FESTIVALS
REGULAR STUFF AND GIG GUIDES
NEWS
Welcome to Wordfordia
At a recent Woodford Folk Festival Organizers conference, festival director Bill Hauritz proposed Woodfordia as the name for the previously unnamed site just out of Woodford where the festival is held.
We have come to the realisation that a name for our site, aside from “the Woodford Folk Festival site”, is truly necessary. Woodfordia is now what we will use for a trial period, to see if it fits, or if it spurs a new and better name in the minds of any of you. We’d ask you to use it, try it with others, and test the reactions people have to it. It may or may not be the name, but without giving it a go, we just won’t know. It would be great too if any of you have any feedback on “Woodfordia” as a name for our property that you do share it with us. We’ve put it on The Planting programme booklet as a test with our patrons. It has personally grown on me over the past few months, may it do so for you as well, or inspire you to come up with something even better.
If you have any comments, tell Bill at conference@woodfordfolkfestival.com
Peregian Originals – More
Following this recent article in the Noosa Journal, Peregian Originals organizer Jay Bischoff wrote back:
Dear Noosa Journal,
I am very grateful for your many years of consistent support for Peregian Originals and other events I have been involved with on the coast. Specifically, journalists Sue Mitchelson and Nathan Evans have been a wonderful help through the years. Referring to this week's article on Peregian Originals, "Council hit by Originals revolt" (16/04/09), unfortunately, Nathan Evans really got it wrong this time, and I must now attempt to clarify things, in an effort to rectify any misunderstandings and prevent any further damage being done through the current misrepresentation of Peregian Originals.
I am not embittered at your publication; I merely need to clarify these facts.
Firstly, we specifically chose not to forward the 'Peregian Originals letter to Council' to the press. Perceiving our event was being treated unfairly by Council and the discontented residents, it was necessary for us to stand up for our community event, to in a sense, 'draw the line', saying: enough is enough. In this way, we stand by all aspects of our 'Letter to Council'. As our event has been right on the verge of being shut down, we also felt it was important to inform the public as to what was happening behind closed doors. It is very important to clarify: as far as Peregian Originals is concerned, there has been no 'call to arms', there is no 'war', and there is no 'revolt'. As a community, we are in process of working through a few issues together, with the discontented residents, and with Council -- this is all.
We have asked all supporters of Peregian Originals to refrain from hassling Council, allowing Council the time and space to respond to our letter. We have already received an encouraging response to our letter from the Creative branch of Council. We are optimistic and hopeful that we can continue to work together with Council toward a quick resolution of the issues with the small group of discontented local residents.
Secondly, on the front cover of your paper, the caption reads: "Peregian Originals: It's War!" Though the tiny group of discontented neighbours have approached us in the past with this aggressive approach, a specific member of their group even using the expression, "It's War" amidst graphic verbal threats, Peregian Originals has never been interested in any 'war' or 'revolt', and we have certainly never used these terms or encouraged them in any way. In fact, we have gone to great lengths to meet the discontented residents and Council with community spirit. This is the only sensible approach, considering we are all part of the same community!
Again, we would like to be absolutely clear: Peregian Originals harbours no bitterness or feelings of aggression toward the discontented residents or the Council members we have been working through the issues with. We have walked a long journey together with Council, and we remain committed to working together, provided we are treated fairly and with the same respect we are committed to maintaining in communications.
Nathan Evans did not misrepresent me in quotes from our letter to Council; rather it is the tonality and terminology of his piece that are misdirected; the hyped 'Us against Them' framing of the piece is simply inaccurate as a representation of our perspective.
Kate Miller Heidke
I am a big fan of Kate, who is not just a poppy princess, as this recent email attests:
‘In late April I will be performing the role of Baby Jane in Jerry Springer the Opera at Sydney Opera House. My character is a woman who enjoys dressing as a toddler, soiling her nappy and getting her arse smacked. Yes, I know what you're thinking... I've been utterly type-cast... guffaw. My favourite Australian actor, David Wenham, is playing Jerry. The music is great. It contains a fair hunk of swearing and blaspheming. Is your curiosity piqued? You can check out the tap dancing Ku Klux Klan here.
Late April/Early May, the band and I are hitting the road again, to play shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. It will be our last Australian tour for quite some time.’
The Brisbane gig will be at the new Hi Fi Bar in West End on Sat 2 May
Interesting News from The Detonators
The Dets song, Throttle Jockey Demon was used during the Underbelly episode shown last Monday night - Underbelly 2, episode 11. It was used as some crooked guy copped it.. Top job fellas. The episode can be downloaded from the Underbelly site
Online Australian Festival Guide 2009 - who what where when
Matt Moline, from 7th Dimension in West End, reminded me that after taking a year off in 2008, they are back in business with their On Line Australian Festival guide:
There are over 350 festivals listed for 2009 so far, covering music festivals, writers festivals, community festivals...
Browse the Online Australian Festival Guide
http://www.7thdimension.com.au/festival/index.cfm
For Festival organisers and promoters, a quick and easy online form
http://www.7thdimension.com.au/festival/index.cfm?fuseaction=SubmitFestival
It's free
Press Articles – Various
Welcome to Mali, from Head Butler
Ted Jarrett obit: Musician, label-owner and producer who brought R&B to Nashville, from The Independant
Noel Mengel's top 150 songs of all time, from the Courier Mail
Saving Folk History, One Recording At A Time, from NPR Music, and the relevant website
Bob Dylan on Barack Obama, Ulysses Grant and American Civil War ghosts, from Times OnLine
Phil Spector: murder, madness and shocking hair, also from the Times OnLine
Attendance Strong at Coachella Despite the Economy, from NY Times
Chapman wins artist of the year at gospel awards, from the Chicago Sun Times
Derek Trucks still on the road, 18 years later, also from the Chicago Sun Times
Jimi Hendrix's boyhood home torn down, also from the Chicago Sun Times
Lots of Interesting Articles about the New Orleans Jazz Fest, from the Times Picayune
Bad music? It's all in the jeans, from The Guardian
Robert Johnson’s Boyhood Home, from Delta Blues Blog
Here is a collection of press articles relating to the ECBRF:
Seasick Steve
Blind Boys of Alabama
Festival General
The Specials (play Newcastle UK) from The Guardian)
Timeoff’s Review
…and balanced reviews from Faster Louder:
Friday
Sat
Sun
For the technically minded, a friend sent me these links which describe the use of Microsoft’s Seadragon technology to create an interactive visualization of Last.fm users and the music they like.
The ‘six degrees links’ display all the different artists on the Last.fm web site as differently colored circles of different sizes. The colors relate to the genre of music – rock, pop, metal, rap, classical, hip-hop, electronic, etc. Two search boxes at the top of the map let you enter in either an artist’s name to see where they fall on the map or the name of a Last.fm user to see what sort of music they like. Doing either search will actually place pushpins on the colored circles for easy identification.
This app is also featured in the Seadragon Gallery over on the Live Labs site, but that one isn’t searchable. If you’re into visualizations, though, the Live Labs Seadragon gallery is worth checking out –there are some pretty amazing visualizations embedded over there.
http://on10.net/blogs/sarahintampa/Visualizing-Lastfm-with-Seadragon/
http://blogs.sun.com/plamere/entry/visualizing_last_fm
http://sixdegrees.hu/last.fm/index.html
http://sixdegrees.hu/last.fm/technical_details.html
And finally, Rhythms Magazine’s Brian Wise is off to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival via Memphis and Clarksdale - as well as a preliminary excursion to the Wild West and Death Valley by motorcycle. His blog is here
RADIO/TV/YOU TUBE
Arthur Elliot reports on his upcoming Sidestream shows– for Brisbane listeners 99.7 FM, Wed 7pm to 9pm.
The 29/4 edition of Sidestream includes world music from Ancient Future, a new release from Scotland’s Paul McKenna Band, Fred Smith, Bruce Springsteen, Australian duo Matt Walker & Ashley Davies, and more.
Then in the 8pm blues hour, the range of artists includes Geoff Achison, Mississippi Shakedown, Littlewolf, Kate Meehan, Southside Johnny, and some vintage blues from Sun Records.
Between The Lines
Shaun Bindley (who presents Blues With A Feeling, from airing 8.05pm-midnight on M ondays on radio 98.9fm) has started producing and presenting a show on QCTV (formerly Briz31)
It’s called "Between The Lines" and airs wed night at 9pm and then is repeated a couple of times over the next few days
Its an interview show not a music show but he does intend to slip in the occasional top quality musician. Doug Macleod was the guest a few weeks ago, and Hat Fitz will be on in the next few weeks.
We will let you know of other interesting topics as they become available.
The Daily Planet, Weekend Planet and Music Deli (ABC Radio National)
The Daily Planet website, the Weekend Planet website and The Music Deli website all have links to shows broadcast over the past few weeks.
Video Selections
From Bob Corritore:
BB King at Sing Sing Prison, New York, 1972: How Blue Can You Get and Guess Who/Outside Help
Muddy Waters Live at Newport 1960
From Head Butler
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
FESTIVALS
Ipswich Festival – 15-26 April
There’s a free ‘Jazz, Wine & Blues’ concert commencing at 3pm Sat 25 April, as part of this festival. The lineup includes Wiley Reed, Barb Fordham, Mojo Webb, Renee Geyer and Chase the Sun.
Here is the festival flyer.
Urban Country Music Festival
The sixth annual Urban Country Music Festival returns to the Caboolture Showgrounds on from 1 -4 May, with:
‘over 500 artists on 11 stages in 16 different venues. Best of all 15 of these events are FREE, yes free! So bring your family and friends down to Caboolture and help us celebrate our fifth birthday.’
Brisbane Blues Festival
Festival promoter Rob Hudson writes:
The final act is confirmed for the 17th Annual Brisbane Blues Festival happening Saturday, May 16 at The Jubilee Hotel in Fortitude Valley. Texas guitar slinger Steve Lott and his new band LittleWolf (with Paul Cheesman) have been added to the bill. Steve has spent the last few years back in Texas but on his last extended stay in Australia, won Best New Artist and Male Artist of the Year at the Australian Blues Awards for his album, West Texas Refugee. The complete line up is now LittleWolf along with Mama Voodoo, Coojee Timms, Big Kitty & the Scaredy Cats, Johnny Hucker, Natural Ball, Blind Lemon, The Asa Broomhall Band and Mojo Webb and Band. More information at www.brisbanebluesfestival.com/ or 3252- 4508
Wintersun 2009
Australia's Leading Rock & Roll Nostalgia Retro Event....
Wintersun 2009 starts on Friday 29th May and ends with the huge Best of Wintersun Concert on Monday 8th June. Wintersun is Australia's leading annual Retro Nostalgia Festival. Featuring almost 1500 Hot Rods, Custom and Classic Cars, more than 100 bands and performers, dancing, movies, and competitions.
The festival is held in the border coastal towns of Coolangatta and Tweed Heads on the New South Wales & Queensland border. Many events are free, some are in the streets while others are in the local clubs and shopping centres.
The lineup is now available here.
International headliners include Sonny Burgess and the Legendry Pacers, The Vargas Bros and pinup model and burlesque star Sabrina Kelley.
Blues on Broadbeach
The lineup for this festival, at Broadbeach on the Gold Coast from Wed 27 May to Sun 31 May has been announced
The Dreaming – 5 – 8 June at Woodford
‘The Dreaming is a vibrant, exciting and a valuable destination where local, national and international audiences look forward to their annual ceremony time along with the most comprehensive showcase of Indigenous arts from across the country and around the world.
This three day and four night festival will have performing arts venues, bars, Ceremony grounds, traditional healing, galleries, rituals, campfire story circles and a mass of stalls, workshop avenue and food outlets.
Presented by the QFF, and under the artistic direction of Rhoda Roberts, the program will also feature film & literature components, performing arts, New media and Digital technologies, food & wine fare, comedy, ceremony, exhibitions, performance artists, physical theatre, Visual arts, craft workshops, music program, street performers, musicals and a youth program.’
The program is now available here…
Noosa Long Weekend
The Noosa Longweekend will be held over two weekends, from 19-28 June (about two weeks earlier than 2008). The programme is available here.
The main blues interest will be a gig from Kevin Borich on Tues 23 June.
If you missed Sam Cutler’s book launch at the State Library last year, you can also catch him talking about his life with The Stones on Mon 22 June.
Greenfest
Greenfest (5-7 June Brisbane Botanic Gardens) presented by Brisbane City Council, is Australia's largest free green festival and place for fresh energy! Commencing on World Environment Day Friday 5th June 2009 to Sunday 7th June.
Our 2009 program will be launched 11:30 on Sunday 26th April at the BCC Community Fair, Perrin Park Josling St Taringa. The Boat People and Bunna Lawrie are playing a free concert in support come along and enjoy all the fun.
Even though the program is not yet available, Mark Easton and 8 Ball Aitken hve the event listed on their own schedules – (see below)
GreazeFest
Festival founder Lori Lee hinted a few weeks ago that she had booked an international headliner for this year’s 10th Anniversary Kustom Kulture festval. I had my fingers and toes crossed for someone interesting, but leapt out of my leopard skin jocks when the big news came from the GreazeFest camp last week that USA rockabilly star Marti Brom has been inked as headliner for the three day festival which runs from 30 July to 2 Aug.
More on Marti here.
Tickets will sell fast. Get in quick.
Caloundra Music Festival
Dates for the above have been announced as 23-25 Oct. This little festival is now in its third year – the first two were great and this one should be too.
The website doesn’t announce much yet, other than that the organizers are providing a camping option this year.
And finally, the Redlands Bluegrass Convention will be held from 10-12 July.
REGULAR STUFF AND GIG GUIDES
There is blues on at the Jubilee Hotel in the Valley, every Sunday afternoon (but note not May3), commencing 1pm, but also look out for:
· Sat 2 May 09 Even Divas Get The Blues - featuring all your favorite lady blues singers, singing their favorite lady blues singers. Kate Meehan (Koko Taylor and Mama Thornton) Natural Born Lovers (Etta May), MamaVoodoo (Renee Geyer), Kath Butler (Louann Barton), Blond On Blue (Janis Joplin)
· Sat May 9 BASEQ Blues Bash, bands tba
· Sat 16 May Brisbane Blues Festival (details above)
And mark your diary for:
· Fortitude Valley Festival of Blues Sat. 25 Jul 09, with Muddy Waters' Number 1 Boy Child - Mud Morganfield, Mojo Webb, 8 Ball Aitkin, Asa Broomhall, Mick Hadley and the Atomic Boogie Band, Mamavoodoo, J B Lewis, Natural Ball, Natural Born Lovers, Sly Jack, The Medicine Show, Jam Stage + many more.
At Joes Waterhole, Eumundi
Look out for:
· Fri April 24 Stylus (The first white band and only Australian band to be signed by American Soul label Motown Records)
· Fri 5 June Bob Evans
· Sat 13 June Ash Grunwald
At The Tivoli you can catch
· Thurs 7 May Bob Evans
At the Cooly Hotel
· Fri 8 May The Gin Club, plus others
· Sat 9 May Bob Evans
· Sat 23 May The Black Sorrows
· Fri 12 June Ash Grunwald
And at The Judy.
There’s not much of interest until 30 July, when diesel plays.
At The Zoo
· Sat 2 May The Wilson Pickers and others
At The Soundlounge, Currumbin
· 30 Apr: Afro Dizzi Act & Oka
· 01 May: The Wilson Pickers & The Perch Creek Family Jug Band & Jason Lowe
· 07 May: Alex Lloyd
· 29 May: Black Market Rhythm Co. & Cool Calm Collective
· 12 Jun: Mick Thomas & The Sure Thing & The Killjoys
· 19 Jun: Afro Moses
Leah & Pearly @ The Brisbane Jazz Club – 23 May
After 20 years of long, leisurely conversations about their love of songs and singing, Leah Cotterell and Pearly Black are ready to present their distillation of what they find beautiful in the magical combination of words and music.
The songs they’ve chosen come from all the wonderful musical landscapes they have explored: classic blues and jazz vocalise, passionate Latin and traditional ballads. And right alongside their favourite songwriters, Cole Porter and Jimmy Van Heusen, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and Lou Reed, they will present their own recent originals.
But this is no post-modern pastiche. Leah and Pearly never waste their breath on
meaningless melisma. The glue that holds this concert together is a vision of beauty – plain and simple.
The outstanding quality of their piano trio led by Marc Hannaford (Melbourne) is an attraction all of its own - with Sam Vincent on bass and Will Eager on drums. Please join us at the Brisbane Jazz Club on Sat 23rd May 7.30 – 11.00pm.
Book tickets through bookings@brisbanejazzclub.com.au
Mark Easton is back in SEQ in May:
· May 16 2009 8:00 PM
Miami, QLD, AU
Shark Bar Miami Tavern
· May 23 2009 1:00 PM
Goodna, QLD, AU
Royal Mail Hotel
· May 24 2009 1:00 PM
Goodna, QLD, AU
Royal Mail Hotel
· May 30 2009 11:00 AM
Broadbeach, QLD, AU
Brannigans Tavern
· May 30 2009 6:00 PM
Broadbeach, QLD, AU
Blues on Broadbeach Festival
· Jun 5 2009 1:00 PM
Southbank, QLD, AU
Greenfest
· Jun 6 2009 1:00 PM
Southbank, QLD, AU
Greenfest
· Jun 7 2009 1:00 PM
Southbank, QLD, AU
Greenfest
8 Ball Aitken
8 Ball Writes:
We are just back in Australia from a two month tour in USA and Canada, taking in SXSW and playing Canadian Music Week. It was hard work, but it was just the best fun!
We even got to meet George H Bush. Hopefully next time we will get to meet Obama. Who knows what can happen in the USA?
Next up for us is the release of my new single 'Outback Booty Call'.
We are hitting the road in Australia for the next two months, and then heading back for more shows in UK, Denmark, other parts of Europe and America again.
Upcoming SEQ gigs:
· May 22 - Beach Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW
· May 23 - Royal Mail Hotel, Goodna, QLD, 1:30pm
· May 24 - Harrigans, Calypso Bay, Gold Coast, QLD, 1:00pm
· May 28 - Blues On Broadbeach - Brannigans Tavern Lounge Bar, 7pm - 9pm
· May 29 - Blues On Broadbeach, Sails Stage Broadbeach Mall, 6pm - 7.40pm
· June 5 - Greenfest, Brisbane City Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD
· June 6 - Greenfest, Brisbane City Botanical Gardens, Brisbane, QLD
And while we are talking about 8 Ball, there was a touching moment a few weeks ago at one of the Blue Monday Sessions at the Jubilee Hotel in The Valley, when 8 Ball’s younger brother Dillion James was on stage just about to commence his set. His phone rang, and he took the call to find it was his mum wishing him ‘happy (25th??) birthday’.
And look out for Lori Lee’s next outings:
· Sat 2 May The Vaudevillains cd launch at The Step Inn with The Jim Rockfords and more.
More details here
Irma Thomas
The lady who has the title of Soul Queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas ranks among the city’s R&B's greatest musical ambassadors. Unfortunately she has never enjoyed the commercial success of contemporaries like Aretha Franklin and Etta James.
But despite that title she is well regarded as a blues artist, having won two Handy Awards in 95 and 97 in the soul-blues category, as well as the 2005 Grammy for the Best Contemporary Blues Album. Track from this album After The Rain – with Sonny Landreth on slide.
1. Stone Survivor – 1970 – After The Rain – Tk 12 – 3.47
Born Irma Lee in Ponchatoula, LA, on February 18, 1941, as a teen she sang with a Baptist church choir, even auditioning for Specialty Records as a 13 year old. A year later, she had a child, and her father forced her to marry the baby's father. She then had another before busting up. At 17 she wed again, this time to one Andrew Thomas, having two more children before she again divorced, all before the age of 20.
Keeping her second ex-husband's surname, Thomas went to work as a waitress at a New Orleans' club, occasionally sitting in with the house band. When the club's owner sacked her for spending more time singing than waiting tables, the band leader helped her get a record deal, setting up auditions with the local Minit and Ronn labels. The latter issued her saucy debut single, "You Can Have My Husband (But Don't Mess with My Man)," in the spring of 1960, and the record quickly reached the number 22 spot on the Billboard R&B chart. However she split with Ronn over an argument about royalties and she moved to Minit..
Thomas' first Minit release, started a collaboration with songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint that would continue throughout her tenure with the label; although none of her six Minit singles were significant hits, each was brilliant, in particular 1962's "It's Raining" and the following year's "Ruler of My Heart,"
Track written for her by Allen Toussaint
2. It’s Raining – 1962 – Time is on my Side – Tk 6 – 2.10
Imperial Records acquired Minit in 1963, and Thomas' contract was included in the deal. Her first single for the label, a track she wrote herself reached number 17 on the Billboard pop Top 20,
3. Wish Someone Would Care – 1964 – Time is on my Side – Tk 15 – 2.23
"I was really at the low point when I wrote that", she later related in an interview . "I was just looking back at life. I was a 14-year-old mother, I had three kids when I was 17, and I was on my second marriage. At the time, I was breaking up with my husband, because he was giving me a hard time about being on stage. It was a song from my heart, that's probably why it sold so well; I really wanted someone to care, to stand beside me and care."
The A side of her next single from 1964 was also well regarded, but, it was the flip side that people now remember. Here it is.
4. Time is on my Side – 1964 – Time is on my Side – Tk 2 – 2.55
Imperial released nine singles and two albums from Irma during her three-year stay on the label, but her later Imperial releases didn't live up to the expectations
"I had this gut feeling that my career was about to take off", Irma explained later, "I mean, I would have been up there with the Gladys Knights and the Dionne Warwick’s and those people, because I was doing material equal to or better than the same stuff they were doing at the time [...] There was a misunderstanding about me as an artist. They thought I would be difficult to work with, when I really wasn't. I just wasn't getting good direction."
By 1966, her commercial momentum dissipated, and Imperial terminated her contract.
Thomas next signed with Chess Records. Chess sent her to the Fame studio at Muscle Shoals which resulted in several fine sourthern soul ballads, three of which were tried as a single.
One become a minor r&b hit in February 1968. Unfortunately this was also her last release on Chess - according to Irma, she didn't go along with their plans which meant that her singles didn't get proper national promotion from the label.
In the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Camille which destroyed the Miss coast in 1969, she relocated her children to Oakland, CA, later settling in Los Angeles. During this time Thomas supported her family by working a as a car parts salesperson
During this time she continued working club dates on weekends, and she also recorded for several labels, including Atlantic, for whom she cut nineteen tracks in three different sessions, but apart from a solitary single, none of this material was released. She later complained that her producers were trying to make her sound like Diana Ross. Two tracks from the early 1970s while in Calif, first from 1970, then 1973.
5. These Four Walls – 1970 –A Woman’s Viewpoint – Tk 3 – 3.09
6. In Between Tears – 1973 –A Woman’s Viewpoint – Tk 1 – 2.34
She relocated back to New Orleans in 1976, and a year later she married her present husband and manager Emile Jackson, with whom she opened a club ("Lion's Den") in New Orleans
Track from a 1977 live album, recorded in a Baton Rouge club, one she first recorded in 1964
7. Don’t Blame Him – 1977 – Safe With Me/Live – Tk 19 – start at 3.17, then continue through to the next track
8. Break Away – 1977 – Safe With Me/Live – Tk 20 – 3.03
Announcer for that track was one John Gourrier aka John Fred who with his Playboy Band had a huge hit in 1967 with Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) – as takeoff of Beatles’ Lucy in Disguise ….Fred never had another hit but stayed on the fringes of the music industry until he died in 2005
In 1980 Thomas surfaced on the RCS label with Safe with Me, an album that sought to update her sound to approximate disco-era R&B. It wasn’t a real success and was the last record she would make for six years
9. Safe With Me – 1980 – Safe With Me/Live – Tk 2 – 3.22
In 1985, she was approached by Rounder Records producer Scott Billington to make a comeback record, and this partnership with Rounder and Billington continues to this day. She has released eight albums with Rounder over the past 20 years.
10. You Can Think Twice – 1988 – The Way I Feel – Tk 4 – 3.40
The following year she issued True Believer,
A live album from 1991 called Live! Simply the Best earned her first-Grammy nomination.
Dan Penn track from 1996
11. I Count The Teardrops – 1996 – If You Want It – Tk 2 – 3.28
Thomas shifted gears radically for a 1998 album called Sing It!, which paired her with devout fans Marcia Ball and Tracy Nelson.
Track from this album, with Marcia Ball, not on piano but backing vocals
12. Yield Not to Temptation – 1997 – If You Want It – Tk 13– 2.54
Her most recent album, After the Rain, released in 2006, won the Grammy Award for the Best Contemporary Blues Album.
13. Another Man Done Gone – 2005 –After The Rain – Tk 7 – 3.49
Although Irma has had only limited success as a recording artist after her mid-sixties heyday, she has been able to continue singing and performing through the years. During the sixties she was a popular performer in the Southern college circuit, she toured with people like James Brown, she appeared in New York's famous Apollo theatre, and she even visited UK once. At age 66 she remains a very popular artist in New Orleans, and she has also found herself a small but dedicated cadre of fans elsewhere in the US and many other countries, too.
But despite that title she is well regarded as a blues artist, having won two Handy Awards in 95 and 97 in the soul-blues category, as well as the 2005 Grammy for the Best Contemporary Blues Album. Track from this album After The Rain – with Sonny Landreth on slide.
1. Stone Survivor – 1970 – After The Rain – Tk 12 – 3.47
Born Irma Lee in Ponchatoula, LA, on February 18, 1941, as a teen she sang with a Baptist church choir, even auditioning for Specialty Records as a 13 year old. A year later, she had a child, and her father forced her to marry the baby's father. She then had another before busting up. At 17 she wed again, this time to one Andrew Thomas, having two more children before she again divorced, all before the age of 20.
Keeping her second ex-husband's surname, Thomas went to work as a waitress at a New Orleans' club, occasionally sitting in with the house band. When the club's owner sacked her for spending more time singing than waiting tables, the band leader helped her get a record deal, setting up auditions with the local Minit and Ronn labels. The latter issued her saucy debut single, "You Can Have My Husband (But Don't Mess with My Man)," in the spring of 1960, and the record quickly reached the number 22 spot on the Billboard R&B chart. However she split with Ronn over an argument about royalties and she moved to Minit..
Thomas' first Minit release, started a collaboration with songwriter and producer Allen Toussaint that would continue throughout her tenure with the label; although none of her six Minit singles were significant hits, each was brilliant, in particular 1962's "It's Raining" and the following year's "Ruler of My Heart,"
Track written for her by Allen Toussaint
2. It’s Raining – 1962 – Time is on my Side – Tk 6 – 2.10
Imperial Records acquired Minit in 1963, and Thomas' contract was included in the deal. Her first single for the label, a track she wrote herself reached number 17 on the Billboard pop Top 20,
3. Wish Someone Would Care – 1964 – Time is on my Side – Tk 15 – 2.23
"I was really at the low point when I wrote that", she later related in an interview . "I was just looking back at life. I was a 14-year-old mother, I had three kids when I was 17, and I was on my second marriage. At the time, I was breaking up with my husband, because he was giving me a hard time about being on stage. It was a song from my heart, that's probably why it sold so well; I really wanted someone to care, to stand beside me and care."
The A side of her next single from 1964 was also well regarded, but, it was the flip side that people now remember. Here it is.
4. Time is on my Side – 1964 – Time is on my Side – Tk 2 – 2.55
Imperial released nine singles and two albums from Irma during her three-year stay on the label, but her later Imperial releases didn't live up to the expectations
"I had this gut feeling that my career was about to take off", Irma explained later, "I mean, I would have been up there with the Gladys Knights and the Dionne Warwick’s and those people, because I was doing material equal to or better than the same stuff they were doing at the time [...] There was a misunderstanding about me as an artist. They thought I would be difficult to work with, when I really wasn't. I just wasn't getting good direction."
By 1966, her commercial momentum dissipated, and Imperial terminated her contract.
Thomas next signed with Chess Records. Chess sent her to the Fame studio at Muscle Shoals which resulted in several fine sourthern soul ballads, three of which were tried as a single.
One become a minor r&b hit in February 1968. Unfortunately this was also her last release on Chess - according to Irma, she didn't go along with their plans which meant that her singles didn't get proper national promotion from the label.
In the aftermath of the devastating Hurricane Camille which destroyed the Miss coast in 1969, she relocated her children to Oakland, CA, later settling in Los Angeles. During this time Thomas supported her family by working a as a car parts salesperson
During this time she continued working club dates on weekends, and she also recorded for several labels, including Atlantic, for whom she cut nineteen tracks in three different sessions, but apart from a solitary single, none of this material was released. She later complained that her producers were trying to make her sound like Diana Ross. Two tracks from the early 1970s while in Calif, first from 1970, then 1973.
5. These Four Walls – 1970 –A Woman’s Viewpoint – Tk 3 – 3.09
6. In Between Tears – 1973 –A Woman’s Viewpoint – Tk 1 – 2.34
She relocated back to New Orleans in 1976, and a year later she married her present husband and manager Emile Jackson, with whom she opened a club ("Lion's Den") in New Orleans
Track from a 1977 live album, recorded in a Baton Rouge club, one she first recorded in 1964
7. Don’t Blame Him – 1977 – Safe With Me/Live – Tk 19 – start at 3.17, then continue through to the next track
8. Break Away – 1977 – Safe With Me/Live – Tk 20 – 3.03
Announcer for that track was one John Gourrier aka John Fred who with his Playboy Band had a huge hit in 1967 with Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) – as takeoff of Beatles’ Lucy in Disguise ….Fred never had another hit but stayed on the fringes of the music industry until he died in 2005
In 1980 Thomas surfaced on the RCS label with Safe with Me, an album that sought to update her sound to approximate disco-era R&B. It wasn’t a real success and was the last record she would make for six years
9. Safe With Me – 1980 – Safe With Me/Live – Tk 2 – 3.22
In 1985, she was approached by Rounder Records producer Scott Billington to make a comeback record, and this partnership with Rounder and Billington continues to this day. She has released eight albums with Rounder over the past 20 years.
10. You Can Think Twice – 1988 – The Way I Feel – Tk 4 – 3.40
The following year she issued True Believer,
A live album from 1991 called Live! Simply the Best earned her first-Grammy nomination.
Dan Penn track from 1996
11. I Count The Teardrops – 1996 – If You Want It – Tk 2 – 3.28
Thomas shifted gears radically for a 1998 album called Sing It!, which paired her with devout fans Marcia Ball and Tracy Nelson.
Track from this album, with Marcia Ball, not on piano but backing vocals
12. Yield Not to Temptation – 1997 – If You Want It – Tk 13– 2.54
Her most recent album, After the Rain, released in 2006, won the Grammy Award for the Best Contemporary Blues Album.
13. Another Man Done Gone – 2005 –After The Rain – Tk 7 – 3.49
Although Irma has had only limited success as a recording artist after her mid-sixties heyday, she has been able to continue singing and performing through the years. During the sixties she was a popular performer in the Southern college circuit, she toured with people like James Brown, she appeared in New York's famous Apollo theatre, and she even visited UK once. At age 66 she remains a very popular artist in New Orleans, and she has also found herself a small but dedicated cadre of fans elsewhere in the US and many other countries, too.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Snooks Eaglin
Snooks Ealgin - Broadcast April 2009
It’s been a bad couple of months for the health of the older blues greats. In Feb the world lost NO guitarist Snooks Eaglin, March saw the departure of Piedmont style guitarist John Cephas and NO pianist Eddie Bo, together with a number of lesser known names.
We will talk about Snooks Eaglin today. Snooks who died on Feb 18 at 73, was a star in his home town for more than 50 years. He played and recorded with fellow locals Ellis Marsalis, James Booker, the pianist and producer Allen Toussaint, Professor Longhair, the Wild Magnolias and a host of others.
He was regarded, not only for his gritty, Ray Charles-inspired vocal delivery and wholly imaginative approach to the guitar, but for the seemingly infinite storehouse of oldies that he's liable to pull out on-stage at any second — often confounding his bemused band in the process!
Kick off with Snooks playing a NO classic from 1994
1. I Went To The Mardi Gras – 1994 – Blues Collection – Tk 1 – 4.53, fade at 2.30
Born Fird Eaglin, Jr in either January 1936, or perhaps 1937, Eaglin lost his sight not long after his first birthday after being stricken with glaucoma, and spent several years in hospital with other ailments. Around the age of five Eaglin was given a guitar by his father, which he taught himself to play by listening to and playing with the radio. Being a mischievous young boy, he was given the nickname "Snooks" after a radio character named Baby Snooks.
In 1947, at the age of 11, Eaglin won a talent contest organized by a local radio station. Three years later, he dropped out of the Louisiana School for the Blind in Baton Rouge to become a professional musician.
In 1952, the 16 yo Eaglin joined a band calledthe Flamingoes, a local 7-piece outfit led by a then 14 yo Allen Toussaint. The Flamingoes didn't have a bass player, and according to Eaglin, he played both the guitar and the bass parts at the same time on his guitar. He stayed with The Flamingoes for several years, until their dissolution in the mid-50s.
Eaglin once told a story about his time with the Flamingos – he once was given the job of driving them all home after a Saturday night gig. The musicians were all so drunk that they decided their blind guitarist was the most qualified driver.
After his spell with the Flamingos he worked under the billing "Lil' Ray Charles.”
His first recording was in 1953, as a session guitarist, but the first recordings under his own name came when Harry Oster, a folklorist from Louisiana State University, found him playing in the streets of New Orleans. Oster was an amateur music researcher and a junior English faculty member at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. By 1959, he had already published a long list of articles on Cajun folk music, religious folksongs of the South, spirituals, and prison blues. He was instrumental in getting Robert Pete Williams released from jail. Oster made recordings of Eaglin over seven sessions between 1958 and 1960 which later became records on various labels including Folkways, and Prestige/Bluesville.
Two tracks from his very early recordings for Harry Oster in March 1958
2. Rock Island Line – 1958 – NO Street Singer – Tk 17 – 2.03
3. One Scotch One Burbon– 1958 – NO Street Singer – Tk 19 – 2.42
All these 1958 recordings presented Eaglin as a solo acoustic folk-blues artist with an extremely eclectic repertoire and dazzling fingerpicking. He could play blues, country music, gospel songs, hits from the recent R&B charts, jazz standards and even flamenco guitar styles, all in rich, orchestral like arrangements for six- or 12-string guitar and sung in his husky voice.
4. Bottle Up and Go – 1958 – Country Boy – Tk 4 – 2.51
Track recorded in 1961, again for Harry Oster – you can hear the improvement in style and technique. Bluesway album, billed as Blind Snooks Eaglin.
5. I’m a Country Boy – 1961 – That’s All Right Tk 3 – 2.24
Ray Charles number from the same year
6. I Got a Woman – 1961 – That’s All Right Tk 4 – 3.07
He recorded for Imperial from 1960 through to 1964 and although his output was well received locally, but didn’t get him national exposure. For the remainder of the 1960s, he didn’t make any recordings.
He played for a few years in the house band at the Playboy club, but by the late 1960s, he had practically retired. When the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival began in 1970, however, he was drawn back into playing, and a couple of LPs for the Swedish Sonet label in 1971 and 1977 refreshed his reputation in the larger world.
First album was produced by Quint Davis.
Bill Haley cover
7. Shake Rattle and Roll – 1971 – Sonet 1971 – Tk 14 – 1.45
Soul number from the same album.
8. Good News – 1971 – Sonet 1971 – Tk 5 – 2.27
The 1977 Sonet album was portrayed as one where Eaglin could play what he wanted rather than being forced to adopt styles he didn’t really like. Lively track featuring Ellis Marsalis on piano.
9. Down Yonder – 1977 – Sonet 1977 – Tk 1 – 2.45
Apart from his own work, he joined recording sessions with Professor Longhair on Longhair’s ‘rediscovery’ album recorded in late 1971 and early ‘72 (Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge) and also played some funky guitars on The Wild Magnolias' first album recorded in 1973. Tracks from both these albums featuring Eaglins work on the guitar.
10. Sick and Tried – June 1972 - Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge – Tk 11 – 3.14
11. Coconut Milk – 1973 – I’m Back at Carnival Time – Tk 9 – 3.10
Snooks got a recording contract with Black Top Records in the 1980s which led to the most consistent years of his recording career. Between 1987 and 1999, he recorded 4 studio albums and a live album, and appeared as a guest on a number of recordings by other Black Top artists.
12. It’s Your Thing – 1986 – Blues Collection – Tk 7 – 2.44
Live track recorded at NO club Tipitina’s in May 1989
13. Certainly Y’All – May 1989 – Blues Collection – Tk 15 – 2.51
Soul track from a 1995 Black Top album called Soul’s Edge
14. Nine Pound Steel – 1995 – Louisiana Gumbo – Tk 12 – 5.33, fade at 2.50
In 2002 he released The Way It Is. A year later P-Vine put out Soul Train from Nawlins, an album drawn from a live set Eaglin did at 1995's Park Tower Blues Festival.
"The reason I cover so much ground," he said in a 1989 interview, "is that when you play music, you have to keep moving. If you don't, you're like the amateur musicians who play the same thing every night, which is a drag. That's not the point of music."
For many years, Eaglin lived in the suburbs of New Orleans in St. Rose with his wife Dorothea whom he met at a Mardi Gras engagement in 1958.
Reclusive and at times eccentric, he did not play many live shows. However, he regularly performed at Rock n' Bowl in New Orleans, and also at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. and was one of the annual event's major draws. "More celebrities came to see Snooks than anyone," says John Blancher, manager of the venue Mid-City Lanes Rock n'Bowl. "His reputation was as big as anyone's in New Orleans. And he wouldn't travel, so if you wanted to see Snooks you had to come to Rock n'Bowl."
In 2008, Eaglin was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he made his last public appearance, at the Mid-City Lanes, in July.
He was scheduled to make a come back appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Fest later this month, but died of heart attack in New Orleans on February 18.
"His death," said Quint Davis, producer of that festival, "is like losing a Professor Longhair, a Johnny Adams or a Gatemouth Brown. He's one of those giants of New Orleans music."
Finish up with an instrumental from his 1977 Sonet album, with Eaglin giving the fuzz tone a good workout
15. San Hose – 1977 – Sonet 1977 – Tk 12 – 3.38
It’s been a bad couple of months for the health of the older blues greats. In Feb the world lost NO guitarist Snooks Eaglin, March saw the departure of Piedmont style guitarist John Cephas and NO pianist Eddie Bo, together with a number of lesser known names.
We will talk about Snooks Eaglin today. Snooks who died on Feb 18 at 73, was a star in his home town for more than 50 years. He played and recorded with fellow locals Ellis Marsalis, James Booker, the pianist and producer Allen Toussaint, Professor Longhair, the Wild Magnolias and a host of others.
He was regarded, not only for his gritty, Ray Charles-inspired vocal delivery and wholly imaginative approach to the guitar, but for the seemingly infinite storehouse of oldies that he's liable to pull out on-stage at any second — often confounding his bemused band in the process!
Kick off with Snooks playing a NO classic from 1994
1. I Went To The Mardi Gras – 1994 – Blues Collection – Tk 1 – 4.53, fade at 2.30
Born Fird Eaglin, Jr in either January 1936, or perhaps 1937, Eaglin lost his sight not long after his first birthday after being stricken with glaucoma, and spent several years in hospital with other ailments. Around the age of five Eaglin was given a guitar by his father, which he taught himself to play by listening to and playing with the radio. Being a mischievous young boy, he was given the nickname "Snooks" after a radio character named Baby Snooks.
In 1947, at the age of 11, Eaglin won a talent contest organized by a local radio station. Three years later, he dropped out of the Louisiana School for the Blind in Baton Rouge to become a professional musician.
In 1952, the 16 yo Eaglin joined a band calledthe Flamingoes, a local 7-piece outfit led by a then 14 yo Allen Toussaint. The Flamingoes didn't have a bass player, and according to Eaglin, he played both the guitar and the bass parts at the same time on his guitar. He stayed with The Flamingoes for several years, until their dissolution in the mid-50s.
Eaglin once told a story about his time with the Flamingos – he once was given the job of driving them all home after a Saturday night gig. The musicians were all so drunk that they decided their blind guitarist was the most qualified driver.
After his spell with the Flamingos he worked under the billing "Lil' Ray Charles.”
His first recording was in 1953, as a session guitarist, but the first recordings under his own name came when Harry Oster, a folklorist from Louisiana State University, found him playing in the streets of New Orleans. Oster was an amateur music researcher and a junior English faculty member at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. By 1959, he had already published a long list of articles on Cajun folk music, religious folksongs of the South, spirituals, and prison blues. He was instrumental in getting Robert Pete Williams released from jail. Oster made recordings of Eaglin over seven sessions between 1958 and 1960 which later became records on various labels including Folkways, and Prestige/Bluesville.
Two tracks from his very early recordings for Harry Oster in March 1958
2. Rock Island Line – 1958 – NO Street Singer – Tk 17 – 2.03
3. One Scotch One Burbon– 1958 – NO Street Singer – Tk 19 – 2.42
All these 1958 recordings presented Eaglin as a solo acoustic folk-blues artist with an extremely eclectic repertoire and dazzling fingerpicking. He could play blues, country music, gospel songs, hits from the recent R&B charts, jazz standards and even flamenco guitar styles, all in rich, orchestral like arrangements for six- or 12-string guitar and sung in his husky voice.
4. Bottle Up and Go – 1958 – Country Boy – Tk 4 – 2.51
Track recorded in 1961, again for Harry Oster – you can hear the improvement in style and technique. Bluesway album, billed as Blind Snooks Eaglin.
5. I’m a Country Boy – 1961 – That’s All Right Tk 3 – 2.24
Ray Charles number from the same year
6. I Got a Woman – 1961 – That’s All Right Tk 4 – 3.07
He recorded for Imperial from 1960 through to 1964 and although his output was well received locally, but didn’t get him national exposure. For the remainder of the 1960s, he didn’t make any recordings.
He played for a few years in the house band at the Playboy club, but by the late 1960s, he had practically retired. When the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival began in 1970, however, he was drawn back into playing, and a couple of LPs for the Swedish Sonet label in 1971 and 1977 refreshed his reputation in the larger world.
First album was produced by Quint Davis.
Bill Haley cover
7. Shake Rattle and Roll – 1971 – Sonet 1971 – Tk 14 – 1.45
Soul number from the same album.
8. Good News – 1971 – Sonet 1971 – Tk 5 – 2.27
The 1977 Sonet album was portrayed as one where Eaglin could play what he wanted rather than being forced to adopt styles he didn’t really like. Lively track featuring Ellis Marsalis on piano.
9. Down Yonder – 1977 – Sonet 1977 – Tk 1 – 2.45
Apart from his own work, he joined recording sessions with Professor Longhair on Longhair’s ‘rediscovery’ album recorded in late 1971 and early ‘72 (Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge) and also played some funky guitars on The Wild Magnolias' first album recorded in 1973. Tracks from both these albums featuring Eaglins work on the guitar.
10. Sick and Tried – June 1972 - Mardi Gras in Baton Rouge – Tk 11 – 3.14
11. Coconut Milk – 1973 – I’m Back at Carnival Time – Tk 9 – 3.10
Snooks got a recording contract with Black Top Records in the 1980s which led to the most consistent years of his recording career. Between 1987 and 1999, he recorded 4 studio albums and a live album, and appeared as a guest on a number of recordings by other Black Top artists.
12. It’s Your Thing – 1986 – Blues Collection – Tk 7 – 2.44
Live track recorded at NO club Tipitina’s in May 1989
13. Certainly Y’All – May 1989 – Blues Collection – Tk 15 – 2.51
Soul track from a 1995 Black Top album called Soul’s Edge
14. Nine Pound Steel – 1995 – Louisiana Gumbo – Tk 12 – 5.33, fade at 2.50
In 2002 he released The Way It Is. A year later P-Vine put out Soul Train from Nawlins, an album drawn from a live set Eaglin did at 1995's Park Tower Blues Festival.
"The reason I cover so much ground," he said in a 1989 interview, "is that when you play music, you have to keep moving. If you don't, you're like the amateur musicians who play the same thing every night, which is a drag. That's not the point of music."
For many years, Eaglin lived in the suburbs of New Orleans in St. Rose with his wife Dorothea whom he met at a Mardi Gras engagement in 1958.
Reclusive and at times eccentric, he did not play many live shows. However, he regularly performed at Rock n' Bowl in New Orleans, and also at the New Orleans Jazz Fest. and was one of the annual event's major draws. "More celebrities came to see Snooks than anyone," says John Blancher, manager of the venue Mid-City Lanes Rock n'Bowl. "His reputation was as big as anyone's in New Orleans. And he wouldn't travel, so if you wanted to see Snooks you had to come to Rock n'Bowl."
In 2008, Eaglin was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he made his last public appearance, at the Mid-City Lanes, in July.
He was scheduled to make a come back appearance at the New Orleans Jazz Fest later this month, but died of heart attack in New Orleans on February 18.
"His death," said Quint Davis, producer of that festival, "is like losing a Professor Longhair, a Johnny Adams or a Gatemouth Brown. He's one of those giants of New Orleans music."
Finish up with an instrumental from his 1977 Sonet album, with Eaglin giving the fuzz tone a good workout
15. San Hose – 1977 – Sonet 1977 – Tk 12 – 3.38
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