Development of the British Blues and Rhythm

   --- show 15 ---   9-24-2014  
 
American Folk Blues Festival                   1964
John Lee Hooker with Groundhogs          1965
American Folk Blues Festival                   1965
Champion Jack Dupree w Mayall, T.S. McPhee, Malcolm Pool, Keef Hartley, Clapton      1966

Once again, Willie Dixon put together a fine combination of acoustic “country Blues” artists and a top notch band to back the others who wished to use them for their performances. As usual, Willie played bass, this year with Clifton James on drums, Sunnyland Slim on piano and Hubert Sumlin on guitar.  Sumlin was probably not that well known unless one knew him as the longtime lead guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf.  With Wolf and the return of Sonny Boy Williamson, who had been hanging around Europe since the previous year’s show, this 1965 lineup, represents the urban Blues extremely well.  We open up with the band backing Sonny Boy, but after the opening track he is accompanied only by Hubert.  As Williamson steps down, Sunnyland Slim leads the quartet with his own Everytime I Get to Drinkin’.

Certainly when it comes to country Blues artists, Lightnin’ Hopkins has to be close to the top of anybody’s list, and his version of the Big Joe Williams classic Baby Please Don’t Go moves us into that genre.  Sleepy John Estes performs a couple of his compositions paired with the harmonica playing of Hammie Nixon, who’s jug addition to I’m Tearing Little Daddy is reminiscent of music froma couple of decades earlier.  Since country Blues are not my strongest suit, I can’t tell you a bunch about the artists, guitarist / vocalist John Henry Barbee in particular.  Sorry.

The bay area’s own Sugar Pie Desanto brings back the full band behind her, then Hubert Sumlin puts together a jam right before his boss, Howlin’ Wolf, brings up his guitar as he sings  Elmore James’ best known tune, Dust My Broom, to wind up our first set.

Individual albums containing ten songs from each year have long been available and are the foundation for these shows, but recently extra tracks for 1963-1965 have become available as the Lost Blues Tapes double CD, and these are preceded in our playlist by an asterisk.  It is regrettable that there were no new recordings of Howlin’ Wolf.  Oh, well ….

***********************************

Most notable of the cast of the 1965 American Folk Blues Festival would have to have been John Lee Hooker.  Before we get into another set from that concert series, we hear selections from a session that same year where he was backed up by T.S. “Tony” McPhee and the Groundhogs, a name chosen in honor of John Lee and taken from an LP in KKUP’s library, oddly enough titled John Lee and the Groundhogs.  This was very early in the career of McPhee, who was first known to me as one of the premier British acoustic guitarists prior to discovering his talent as a bandleader and electric guitarist.  Because of the three year time span, it is unlikely that this is the same cast of Groundhogs that we will hear backing Tony on albums beginning in 1968, but we will be hearing McPhee again in the show as part of the backing crew to Champion Jack Dupree on our fourth and final of today’s sets.

***********************************

To say that Hooker was the best known invitee to the 1965 concerts is not a slight to any of the others.  What with all his recording experience and knowledge of the Chicago club scene, Willie Dixon could be counted on to put together a band to impress, and this year might have been the pinnacle.  Freddie Below, with his jazz-tinged drumming style, was possibly the most sought out percussionist in the studios of the windy city and would soon (if not already) become a member of the Aces, the all star trio whose cast also included the Myers brothers as the backing band for the likes of Junior Wells after either Little Walter or Freddie King released them to form a travelling band.  I saw the three of them at the Red Ram, a little club by San Jose State University as part of Charlie Musselwhite’s band circa 1970.

The lead guitar player that year is a little better known nowadays than he was back then and is worthy for consideration as today’s ultimate example of Chicago’s many fine Blues guitarists. Buddy Guy.  Big Walter “Shakey” Horton was Chicago’s “other” harmonica player named Walter and would have had a more stellar career if it were not for his overindulgence in alcohol.  Lonesome Jimmie Lee Robinson covered most of the bass playing, although Buddy played a few licks there as well.  As a perfect example, please note on the bottom of our playlist Rosalie, where Jimmie Lee plays lead guitar and sings while Buddy takes over on bass.  This will precede the Eddie Boyd tunes if there is unexpectedly an overabundance of time for the show.  Normally, we have to remove a song or two in order to not run past 5PM.

Roosevelt Sykes was a mainstay on the piano Blues and Boogie Woogie scenes since the 30s, but only appeared on his own two songs.  Eddie Boyd played mostly organ while he played with the quartet, including his oft-recorded Five Long Years, but plunked the piano when they backed Big Mama Thornton on the ever-popular Hound Dog.

J.B. Lenoir opted for minimalism as he was backed up by only Horton on Slow Down, although he did choose his electric guitar for his performance, while Mississippi Fred McDowell maintained his front porch style accompanying his vocals with his acoustic guitar and harmonica.  Doctor Ross was a member of a select group, that of the one man bands.  The only others that come to mind are Joe Hill Louis and Jesse Fuller.  Typically the artist would sit behind a small drum kit (I believe just a bass drum and high hat) while playing his guitar as he either sang or blew away on the harmonica mounted in a rack on the top of his chest.  It was a unique sight to see as they busked out on the streets, but for recording sessions it was common[lace to provide them with some additional backup.

***********************************

One of my favorite pianists from a city long known for its impressive array of ivory ticklers and pounders, Champion Jack Dupree was a transplant to the European scene from New Orleans in the midst of a recording career that began in 1949.  I was fortunate to see him at JJ’s in Mountain View shortly before his passing and what sticks in my mind was his wit and stage presence, although his solo piano playing was top shelf as well.  The man was the consummate entertainer in all aspects.  We’ll get into a full biography later in our series as he made many a recording appearance in England and maybe even more in Denmark.

Despite its title From New Orleans to Chicago, the 1966 album was his first to fully use a cast of mostly young, white Brits as the backing band.  As we mentioned, one guitarist was McPhee, the other Eric Clapton, and Eric’s current boss John Mayall played harp.  At that time, drummer Keef Hartley and bassist Malcolm Pool were playing in the Artwoods.

***********************************

Dissatisfied

I’m Trying to Make London My Home
  *   I Got to Cut Out
   Sonny Boy Williamson
Every Time I Get to Drinking
   Sunnyland Slim
Baby Please Don’t Go
   Lightnin’ Hopkins
I’m Tearing Little Daddy
  *   Your Best Friend’s Gone
   Sleepy John Estes & Hammie Nixon
Cotton Pickin’ Blues
   John Henry Barbee
Slip In Mules
  *   You Got Me Running
   Sugar Pie Desanto
No Title Boogie
   Hubert Sumlin
Dust My Broom
   Howlin’ Wolf

Mae Li
I’m Losing You
(I Cover the) Waterfront
Nobody Pleases Me but You
It’s Rainin’ Here
It’s a Crazy Mixed Up World
Little Girl Go Back to School
   John Lee Hooker

King of the World
Della Mae
   John Lee Hooker
Highway 61
  *   Got a Letter This Morning
   Mississippi Fred McDowell
Slow Down
  *   If I Get Lucky
   J.B. Lenoir
Come On Back Home
  *   Sail On
   Roosevelt Sykes
First Time I Met the Blues
  *   South Side Jump
   Buddy Guy
  *   Blues Harp Shuffle
   Big Walter “Shakey” Horton
Five Long Years
The Big Question
   Eddie Boyd
Hound Dog
   Big Mama Thornton
My Black Name is Ringing
  *   Farewell Baby
   Doctor Ross

He Knows the Rules
Third Degree
Ooh La La
Going Down to Big Leg Emma’s
Down the Valley
She’s All in My Life
Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer
Too Early in the Morning
Ain’t It a Shame
Shim-Sham-Shimmy
   Champion Jack Dupree

Rosalie
   Lonesome Jimmy Lee Robinson