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Robert Kidney One-Take - "Back To Disaster"

Dusty Wright — Wed, 19 Jun 2019 14:17:09 +0000

Robert Kidney One-Take - "Back To Disaster" Dusty Wright June 19, 2019 - 10:17

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Robert Kidney of 15-60-75 (The Numbers Band) leads The Golden Palominos in a killer version of his original song "Back To Disaster" from our Dusty Wright One-Take archives. This was recorded at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC in May 2010.

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Song of the Week: "Big Paradise"

Dusty Wright — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 16:24:26 +0000

Song of the Week: "Big Paradise" Dusty Wright February 4, 2016 - 11:24

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Robert Kidney, of the legendary N.E. Ohio-based agro-blues, voodoo jazz outfit 15-60-75 (aka The Numbers Band), is set to release his long-awaited solo album, -- Jackleg (Exit Stencil Recordings). Friend, producer, and bassist Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu) wisely persuaded him to record a solo album at his Brooklyn studio sans any outside distractions apart from a satchel of new songs and his guitar. What you hear is what you get. Unfiltered. His earnest vocals and guitar playing will leave you mesmerized. Not unlike the Rick Rubin-produced Johnny Cash sessions. "Paradise Lost" is the blues of a white man, blues that never try to mimic the blues of the African-American blues giants of the past, but rather distilled into Mr. Kidney's own unique style, a style that he has nurtured and refined for well over five decades. This track is only the tip of the iceberg and a full ablum review will be posted shortly. In the interim, please listen and share this unique tale of Americana. And order the album today!

Blues Images 2016 Calendar

Steve Holtje — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 04:34:47 +0000

Blues Images 2016 Calendar Steve Holtje December 28, 2015 - 23:34

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It's calendar-buying time, so here's my annual boosterism for Blues Images' great calendar/CD combo.

In past years the images and accompanying CD tracks were keyed to Paramount Records advertising. This time out, collector John Tefteller's company changes the focus to the upcoming TV series The American Epic Sessions, www.pbs.org/americanepic/ a triptych to be aired on PBS and the BBC next year. That series takes a look at the vintage recording equipment and artists of the 1920s and early '30s, when producers travelling to the artists, instead vice versa, became possible, resulting in so many vivid 78 RPM recordings of rural music styles in situ (not just blues, though of course that's what's focused on by Blues Images).

Thus, some of the music on Blues Images' annual CD comes from American Epic engineers, but (though this is not clear) it seems that at least some of the extreme rarities on the second half of the CD -- after the first twelve month-artwork-synched tracks -- come from Blues Images, most notably the major rediscovery: the only copy of Jaydee Short's 1930 "Tar Road Blues"/"Flaggin' It to Georgia" 78.

Other recently unearthed items are "Special Question Blues"/"T.N.&O. Blues" by Hattie Hyde (1929), accompanied by members of the Memphis Jug Band (parts of the B-side ended up in Junior Parker's, and hence Elvis Presley's, classic "Mystery Train"), and Papa Charlie McCoy's "Boogie Woogie"/"Country Guy Blues"(1932) -- since the first McCoy song is on the calendar, I guess it's an American Epic transfer.

More famous songs by blues icons Blind Willie Johnson, Barbecue Bob, Blind Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Ma Rainey are heard in new, cleaner transfers. The Jaydee Short item is the only one with any sonic problems, but they are brief and pale to insignificance compared to these tracks' historical importance. Any serious blues fan needs this CD, and the calendar is gorgeous as always.

Song of the Week: "Little Scratch"

Dusty Wright — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 12:41:39 +0000

Song of the Week: "Little Scratch" Dusty Wright November 13, 2014 - 07:41

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"He had a beautiful dish on each arm!" Yeah, Don Van Vliet, bellows like it is! The aggro-avant blues poetry of Captain Beefheart with his signature harmonica wails is an out take from the new Rhino Records box set Sun Zoom Spark: 1970-1972. It collects three of his Warner Brothers albums -- Lick My Decals Off, Baby, The Spotlight Kid, and Clear Spot plus a disc of previously unreleased tracks. Out on Tuesday, November 17th. Order it today!

15-60-75 One-Take - "Wolf"

Dusty Wright — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 21:43:57 +0000

15-60-75 One-Take - "Wolf" Dusty Wright January 30, 2014 - 16:43

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The legendary NE Ohio aggro-blues outfit 15-60-75 (aka The Numbers Band) perform "Wolf" at a private soundcheck before a rare NYC gig. Dusty Wright's One-Takes are live performances from artists you know, should know, or will know soon enough.

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Henry Butler - The Dusty Wright Show

Dusty Wright — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Henry Butler - The Dusty Wright Show Dusty Wright April 9, 2009 - 10:00

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Blues artist and Handy Award winning pianist Henry Butler shares his story and piano mastery with Culture Catch host Dusty Wright. Originally from New Orleans, he moved to Brooklyn after Hurricane Katrina. This Culture Catch Salon was co-hosted by actor Michael Imperioli and co-produced by Norena Barbella. RIP, Mr. Butler. You were an epic talent and wonderful human being.

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The Early Days of a Unique Soul/Blues Duo

Steve Holtje — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:07:04 +0000

The Early Days of a Unique Soul/Blues Duo Steve Holtje November 30, 2008 - 16:07

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Satan and Adam: Word on the Street: Harlem Recordings, 1989 (Modern Blues Harmonica)

Adam Gussow and Sterling "Mr. Satan" Magee were a fixture in New York City in the late '80s and early '90s: a young, white, Princeton-educated harmonica player and a black, experienced Mississippi-born blues/soul veteran who sang while simultaneously playing electric guitar and percussion. They eventually got club gigs, but they started out playing on the streets of Harlem, where Magee had been playing regularly and Gussow sat in one day in 1986 and, after a good response from the crowd (the tip bucket got filled), they became a team.

This two-CD set on Gussow's Modern Blues Harmonica label captures them in that environment, playing on the street. As Gussow explains, "these recordings were made on a $79 Radio Shack boom-box that I set down on the sidewalk." A modern field recording. The vocals aren't always as upfront as on the duo's later studio recordings (next decade they made three fine albums), and there's plenty of extraneous noise (a jackhammer can be heard in the background of the first track, and it doesn't matter a bit), but the strong grooves are unaffected. Hearing the pair really stretch out those grooves -- six tracks are between 10 and 16 minutes long -- is among the biggest rewards of this set, though of course the duo's usual merits pertain. Gussow's agile riffing is invigorating, and Magee's guitar tone is so richly distinctive that the first time I played their debut I immediately remembered having heard them at Broadway and 113th Street a few years before. Even non-New Yorkers get that I've-heard-this-before feeling, thanks to the duo's 38-second cameo in U2's 1988 documentary Rattle & Hum and on the accompanying soundtrack.

Another reward is that only on one song, "CC Rider," does the repertoire here overlap with their studio albums. Blues and soul standards are given new twists ("What'd I Say," "Big Boss Man," "Every Day I Have the Blues"), and plenty of previously undocumented originals are finally heard. As a bonus, Noah Adams's 1991 NPR interview is included at the end, catching Mr. Satan in rare preaching form.

Happy Birthday, Robert Wilkins

Steve Holtje — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:41:52 +0000

Happy Birthday, Robert Wilkins Steve Holtje January 16, 2006 - 18:41

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Robert Wilkins, the greatest blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist most music fans never heard of, was born on January 16, 1896 (exactly 110 years ago as I write this) in Herndon, Mississippi, in the hill country a bit south of Memphis, near the top of the Mississippi Delta region that was such a musically fertile area in the early 20th century. But while Wilkins might be an obscure figure to all but rabid Delta blues fans, among those fans are the Rolling Stones, and from that comes Wilkins's one bit of mainstream fame: the Stones' "Prodigal Son" (on Beggars Banquet) is a complete ripoff of Wilkins's "That Ain't No Way to Get Along."

A mix of black and Cherokee, Wilkins was the son of a bootlegger. After the state of Mississippi expelled the senior Wilkins, Robert's mother remarried; his stepfather was Tim Oliver, a good guitarist. Wilkins was exposed to some fine local musical talents: Jim Jackson was a family friend, and itinerant musicians played at Wilkins's sister's house parties.

Wilkins was also tutored by Aaron "Buddy" Taylor. Wilkins's musical horizons were expanded further when he moved to Memphis in 1915, though military service during World War I interrupted. By that time he was already a professional musician, sometimes working as Tim Wilkins or even Tim Oliver (in reference to his stepfather).

In later years, Wilkins rated himself rather higher in popularity during the 1920s and '30s than his record sales reflect (he also claimed to have tutored Memphis Minnie in guitar), though he did have the then-unusual distinction for a black musician of having played on the radio in 1927. He may have retroactively exaggerated his renown as far as the general public was concerned, but it's easy to imagine his fellow musicians granting his talents considerable respect. Wilkins is exactly the sort of performer who would impress cognoscenti more than the masses. He had no hits and no trademark sound, instead crafting highly individual songs across a wide array of styles and structures. He was secure enough in his virtuosity to abjure flamboyant effects, instead making his impact through superb complementary coordination of voice and instrument. His vibrato (fast and tight) and excellent vocal control contribute to a singing style that's distinctive despite being utterly devoid of eccentricities and tics or unusual timbre. His use of a thumb and finger pick may limit the expressiveness of his guitar sound compared to players who used only their fingers, but but it gave his tone a cutting brightness that must have helped pierce the din of Delta parties and certainly helps overcome the dimness of the era's recording sonics.

Of course, I make those statements based on having experienced Wilkins only on record -- specifically on Yazoo's compilation The Original Rolling Stone, which has most of his pre-retirement recordings. He recorded first in September 1928 for Victor. (In what follows, I go by song titles as listed in Dixon, Godrich, & Rye's monumental reference Blues and Gospel Records 1890-1943, Fourth Edition (Oxford University Press, 1997) rather than by Yazoo's track listing.) First came two-sided readings of "I Told My Rider" (unissued by Victor and, since it hasn't been put out by anybody as far as I can see, presumably lost) and "Rolling Stone" (yup!). Oddly, Yazoo positions part 1 of the latter at track 2 but doesn't give us part 2 until track 11. "Rolling Stone" may not have a normal blues structure (18 bars, ABAB), but in its one-chord presentation (enlivened by solo bass notes that slightly suggest other chords without sounding them) and mournful vocal tone give it a classically stark early country blues sound (much more spare than Wilkins's norm). The next day, two more songs were immortalized. "Jail House Blues" is an oddly ambivalent goodbye to a woman that makes more of an impression for his abandonment of the pick and the juxtaposition of two rhythmic patterns. The 10-1/2 bar "I Do Blues," also in finger-picking style, is thus able to offer timbral variety uncharacteristic of his playing with a pick -- though the characteristic coordination of his vocal and guitar work is at its peak here.

He returned to recording in September 1929, this time for Brunswick. First up was "That Ain't No Way to Get Along." It's easy to hear why the Stones admired it enough to copy it. The quite poetic lyrics are a classic lament of mistreatment, while the guitar accompaniment has a crying figure through the first part of each verse and a compelling rising section at the end of each verse. "Alabama Blues" has an interesting two-level structure; the music is a double-time 12-bar blues under a 6-bar lyric format. "Long Train Blues" has a 15-bar structure and one of Wilkins's most repetitive melodies. The guitar part is also repetitive, but every time the piquant descending mid-range figure comes back, it provides a delightful shiver. "Falling Down Blues" is an odd mixture of pleading and threats that peaks in the disturbing verse "I'll certainly treat you just like you was white / If that don't satisfy you, girl I'll take your life." Throughout this 8-bar blues, Wilkins's guitar accompaniment is relentlessly driving, lending greater urgency to the meaning.

A further Brunswick session came in February 1930. "Nashville Stonewall Blues" is an excellent jailhouse lament, musically similar to "Jail House Blues" but with vastly more heart-tugging lyrics depicting utter helplessness. "Police Sergeant Blues" is an old-fashioned rag given great character by some asymmetrical aspects and Wilkins's adept picking and pointed tone. "Get Away Blues" is characterized by lots of solo guitar and a thumb-picked bass and thrumming rhythm evocative of a locomotive. "I'll Go with Her Blues," featuring a striking instrumental introduction, is a remarkable lament on the death of a loved one (it's not surprising that Yazoo opens its compilation with this track, though that might also be because it's in very clear, well-balanced sound). The harmonic structure is quite unusual thanks to the early arrival at the dominant (V) chord.

Wilkins's final recording session before his retirement from the music profession came in October 1935 for Vocalion (a Brunswick subsidiary) as Tim Wilkins. A Japanese label, P-Vine, put out a disc in 2003 that includes the three pieces ("Dirty Deal Blues," "Black Rat Blues," and "New Stock Yard Blues") from the first day of this session that the Yazoo CD lacks, but I haven't heard it. For the first time on record, Wilkins has accompanists: Son Joe AKA Ernest Lawlars on guitar and Kid Spoons on spoons (a clacking, rhythmically enlivening use of the kitchen utensils). "Old Jim Canan's" (unissued at the time) is a jaunty rag tribute to a Memphis barrelhouse that closed in 1916. Its 8-bar chorus plus 8-bar verse structure offers dramatic contrast, while Wilkins's guitar solos typically are unflashy yet perfect, highlighted by some expressive note-bending. The spoons are less prominent on "Losin' Out Blues," a rag on which Wilkins informs an ex-girlfriend that she'll be missing out on a good thing.

At some point within a year or two after this session, the teetotaling Wilkins was playing a house party in his hometown when a violent brawl broke out. Shaken by this event, he became a minister and abandoned secular music -- though he continued playing and singing in church with appropriate material. In a related move, he took up herbal medicine. And so it was until he was "rediscovered" in 1964, during the folk revival, and convinced to record Memphis Gospel Singer and go on tour (with some Newport Folk Festival and Memphis Country Blues Festival performances recorded and issued). Reverend Wilkins was uncomfortable with secular material, and revamped the lyrics of his blues material accordingly. Then in December 1968 came the release of Beggars Banquet. When called on the authorship of "Prodigal Son," the Stones insisted that it was an oversight that came about when the artwork of the album had to be changed at the last minute, and subsequent editions of the LP correctly credited Wilkins. But typically, even after Wilkins's authorship of "Prodigal Son" had been acknowledged, he got no royalties. That was no fault of the Stones; somebody at Vocalion owned the song's rights. But as frustrating as the situation was to Wilkins, it did raise his profile and he was able to capitalize on it a bit. He even began calling "That Ain't No Way to Get Along" "Prodigal Son" instead; in addition to taking advantage of the notoriety it had gained, perhaps the Biblically derived new title appealed to his religiosity.

Wilkins was recorded one more time, released as Remember Me by Adelphi Records. He died aged 91 in 1987, his teetotaling lifestyle and knowledge of herbal medicine perhaps having helped him outlive his peers.

Shemekia Copeland: The Soul Truth (Alligator)

Steve Holtje — Thu, 27 Oct 2005 14:15:57 +0000

Shemekia Copeland: The Soul Truth (Alligator) Steve Holtje October 27, 2005 - 10:15

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Shemekia Copeland: The Soul Truth (Alligator)

Shemekia Copeland, daughter of bluesman Johnny Copeland, followed in her father's footsteps for her first few albums, but with this release she's slid into the adjacent genre on the musical spectrum: Southern soul. The disc is produced by Stax-Volt legend Steve Cropper of Booker T & the MGs (kids, if you haven't heard of him, at least you've probably seen him in the Blues Brothers: he's the guitarist), who also plays on all but one track. Add the Muscle Shoals Horns on seven of the eleven tracks, plus keyboards (especially organ) from Felix Cavaliere (Rascals) Chuck Leavell, etc., a rock-solid rhythm section anchored by Steve Potts or Chester Thompson on drums, plus Copeland herself, and there's soul oozing from every track. This was a direction Copeland was already moving in, so it's no surprise.

Listeners who prefer female singers waifish (in both body and voice) and deferential will be scared away right away: This is a big, strong woman with a big, strong voice that often sports a big, wide vibrato (maybe too wide and slow at times for some tastes). Nor are the lyrics subtle, allowing Copeland to lay out her feelings bluntly and powerfully, whether scolding or seducing. Dobie Gray (of "The In Crowd" and "Drift Away") duets on the more low-key "Used," a Bekka Bramlett song that was a country hit for Lorrie Morgan. Even more stripped down is the tour de force closer "Something Heavy" (an Eddie Hinton song): just Copeland and Cropper. With Copeland joining the fold, comebacks by Al Green and Bobby Purify, Carla Thomas's continued presence, and the ascent of younger talent such as Ellis Hooks and Joss Stone, soul is alive and well even if radio programmers usually won't admit it.