USA DIARY 1992
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Blues Cruise of the U.S.A
August 19th - November 6th, 1992.
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Wednesday 19th August
Venice Beach, California.
Saw an old man playing an amplified guitar and singing unamplified, people kept asking him where they could put their money but the reply was always the same "just practising", but we put money in his shirt pocket anyway. The man turned out to be 81 year old Uncle Bill Crawford, close associate of Little Brother Montgomery and Willie Dixon and who taught Janis Joplin and Rickie Lee Jones the Blues. He kindly invited us to his house where he treated us to some fine Blues piano and singing, with every song finishing with a big laugh, Uncle Big has surely had some Blues but is now able to laugh at his misfortunes. We were also able to get a copy of Uncle Bill's 1987 Recording Living the Blues, which is a great album of traditional Blues material.
Tuesday 25th August
Oakland, California.
This day will go down as one of the highlight of my life meeting Blues legend, MBAS patron and great bloke Walter Brownie McGhee. The Cadillac with WALK ON number plates sat in the driveway and Brownie sits in his garage. What a wonderful man, never short of a big smile and a laugh, he talked to us about every Blues event ever, or so it seemed. Brownie is compiling an autobiography but he has so much information that he doesn't write it down but tapes it instead. As well as having a great memory Brownie also has a scrapbook containing over 40 years of cuttings. The wonderful thing is hearing a legend talk of who his heroes and influences are and also his opinions on who he thinks are the greatest. Brownie was greatly influenced by Lonnie Johnson and states one of his proudest moments was when Lonnie came out to one of Brownie's gigs and requested to play with him. Brownie feels John Lee Hooker and Memphis Minnie are the best Blues singers he's heard and he rates B.B King as one of the greatest guitarists.
Then a real treat, we received a private performance from Brownie, playing both piano and guitar and singing. Brownie is semi retired, not because of any decrease in his ability though because his singing and playing are as great as ever. When I asked Brownie why he doesn't perform any more he answered with a question "Would you work if you were retired?" say no more! Well the time came for us to leave we had been with Brownie for five of the most informative and entertaining hours I've ever had. It is hard to understand why Brownie isn't mentioned more often in the history of the Blues. A brilliant songwriter, singer and guitarist Brownie was part of history, writing some classic Blues, being part of the greatest Blues duet ever and was a prime mover of introducing Blues to a white audience, not only a wonderful entertainer but a fantastic ambassador for the Blues.
Tuesday 25th August
The Fifth Amendment. Oakland, California.
Went to this small but up market Blues club that featured Levi Lloyd with J.J.Malone. This club certainly had more atmosphere than the very tourist orientated San Francisco clubs and we were treated to some fine Blues with Levi letting loose on guitar and J.J running the ship on keyboards and vocals. According to Levi, J.J is the main man of West Coast Blues and that was obvious to see.
Thursday 27th August
The Grand Emporium. Kansas City, Missouri.
Well this club is always winning some award, whether it is for best Blues club or best B.B.Q. All the walls in this place are covered in photos, posters and flyers of Blues muso's and neon's of 12th St and Vine and Hound Dog Taylor are also proudly displayed. The Emporium is run by Roger Naber, who is also president of the Kansas City Blues Society (KCBS), which has also won awards for best Blues club. We also met Darla who we decided was the best barmaid in the U.S.A. Entry fee for the night was $2 and we were treated to John Paul and the Hellhounds, who had just won the best amateur Blues band in the K.C area and were heading off to compete in the national award at the Handy's. This was one rockin' band with a good mix of original and reworked standards, the crowd was small but enthusiastic, the staff were friendly and the beer and food were great. K.C is also a lot safer than L.A or San Fran so it was great to be able to stagger home!
Friday 28th August
The Grand Emporium.
Kansas City, Missouri.
Saw local harp player Little Hatch, also a member of the KCBS. This man looks about 40 but he is 70 years old and plays a fine harp. We just missed him recording a live album at the Emporium, which should be a ripper. Another great night for only $2.
Saturday 29th August
The Grand Emporium. Kansas City, Missouri.
Started with Gilberts Blues Jam, a bit slow to get started but did a great version of When a Man Loves a Woman with Gilbert telling the crowd "any man who says he made love to a woman all night long is lying and if he did it right the first time he wouldn't have to do it all night!" The crowd laughed and voiced their approval.
Well I had only heard of Big Bad Smitty briefly but he is not hard to recognize he's a big, bad lookin' man, who is a friendly giant. His band of Bennie Smith (guitar), Arthur Williams (harp), Durious Montgomery (bass) and Rayburn Hayes (drums) are the cream of St Louis musicians and kicked the show off with style. The band is rough and ready and it seems they are jammin' rather than playing a gig, which is great as they all give each other space to do their thing and no one overdoes their playing. The band had a break after one set and I was lucky enough to be able to speak to Smitty's manager Joel Slotnikoff who is interested in getting Smitty down under. Smitty has a C.D out, Mean Disposition, which Joel kindly gave us a copy of and invited us to see Smitty Jam after the gig with old time friend Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes. Smitty came to the stage with a white suit, sat down, as did Bennie and Arthur, and totally blew us away! Smitty's guitar playing is the mean Mississippi style with more feeling than technique and Smitty sure let us know how he was feeling. Well he could play guitar and the band was cookin', but you know Smitty's one of the greatest when he opens his mouth because out comes the biggest gruff voice you will ever hear. Smitty's material covers classics such as Got My Mojo Workin', Smokestack Lightning and How Many More Years and his own material Angel Of Mercy, You Don't Love Nobody and I Didn't Marry Your Family, which can be found on his new recording Mean Disposition. The whole band has a great time on stage and was one of the few bands who didn't seem to be purely trying to please their mainly white audience, instead they played the songs they liked the way they wanted to play them and if people didn't like it, too bad, I loved it!
Saturday 29th August
Nightmoves. Kansas City, Missouri.
Well we had just witnessed the best Blues band I've ever seen but what was to come was incredible. We managed to get a ride in Smitty's van, with the entire band on board, to Nightmoves, a club out of town where Booba Barnes was playing. We all thought the club was just down the road so the van door was left open with Ray sitting on a kitchen chair right near the door. The club was miles away and Smitty had had a long day so wasn't driving as well as he could have, how Ray didn't fall out of the van still amazes me to this day! Well we finally arrived much to everyone's relief, received a free drink with the band and sat down and watched Smitty and Booba, long time friends, jam the night away. Booba is more of a showman than Smitty, playing the guitar with his teeth and under his legs and his band is very young but have obviously been brought up on this music. Booba began as a harp player and can still blow it well, but it's his mean, unique style of guitar playing and his strained, emotional vocals that sets him apart from the rest. Smitty got up and grabbed Booba's guitar and started playing with Booba on vocals, well we were blown away again! Smitty was then allowed to play with his band for a few numbers before Booba returned to finish off with his band. Well what a night, we had seen two of the very best Blues men in the land, met people who would become good friends and we even got a free t-shirt from Nightmoves owner and K.C.B.S member Kenny Taylor, well this is why we came here, to experience the best Blues in the world.
Monday 31st August
KKFI Radio. Kansas City, Missouri.
Well we had met Shirley Mae Owens at the Smitty and Booba jam and she kindly invite us on to her Blues show, of course us two shy Aussies jumped at the chance. Shirley has had a long time interest in Blues and her show has a wide variety of Blues styles. We talked to Shirley in the first hour of the show about Smitty, Brownie, Blues music in Australia, our Blues influences and we played the Dutch Tilders song, Blues is My Life. Radio in the states is very strict on language and Shirley couldn't play one song because it had the word goddamn in it, well Shirley nearly had a fit when we told her what Dutch was going to say at the end of this song, so needless to say the end of the song was faded out. It was a great experience and we actually got two phone calls whilst on air, that's more than I get at home!
Tuesday 1st September
The Grand Emporium. Kansas City, Missouri.
Early last week we had met KCBS member Jans Joachim-Mierswa who was returning to Germany after 6 years in the USA and he kindly invited us to his farewell party jam session. There were a lot of local musicians (who I can't remember, that Broadway beer does the job!) who overall were very good. The night was hosted by John Paul and the Hellhounds who did an admiral job. Spoke to T.J who plays keyboards and also works at Alley Cat records across the road, the guys were just about to head off to Memphis for the amateur competition and will be recording soon which I will look forward to hearing. The Blue Notions also played and guitarist Glenn Patrick played some scorching numbers. Glenn is a session guitarist who has the honour of playing with Junior Wells' band when Junior doesn't need them. He also said he will be recording soon, which will also be great to hear.
Saturday 5th September
St Louis Blues Festival. St Louis, Missouri.
Well the St. Louis Blues Festival is a free gig held on Market St, which they close for the day so no one gets run over! I spoke to Terri Reilly of the St Louis Blues Society who kindly gave me a press pass for the event. The day started off with gospel singers, Martha Bass and the Reverend Cleophus Robinson who got the crowd well and truly in the mood. Next was the St. Louis All-Star Jazz Band who were great but unfortunately one of the members had died the night before and as the presenter said, "Wouldn't be able to attend today."
Big George & the House Rockers opened up the Blues section with some great harp playing. He's a big man who owns quite a few local clubs and obviously appreciates the Blues. Next was Tommy Bankhead & the Blues Eldorados who were hot. Tommy's guitarist was playing some great solos and sang well also. Tommy is a local and a fine guitarist in a T-Bone Walker style and great to watch. The all-star band was probably the draw card of the event with Johnnie Johnson on piano, Oliver Sain on organ and saxophone and the great Lowell Fulson on guitar and vocals. The band played a few instrumentals for starters with Johnnie doin' some great boogie woogie and Sain shining on sax, they also had a great drummer who was jumpin' crazy. Fulson looks quite old and had to sit down for most of the set but he shore can play, with great licks and singing with venom. He covered quite a few of his classics such as Black Night and Everyday I Have the Blues, which got the crowd on their feet. Doc Terry is apparently a cousin of Muddy Waters and he and his band The Pirates had the difficult task of following the all-star band.
Henry Townsend is 84 years old and has recorded in every decade since the 1920's. He's a small man who doesn't show his age until he plays the Blues, it's real old down home Blues. He began playing solo piano and was then joined by mandolin player Yank Rachel, another old-timer. These guys used to play rent parties together and seem to have memorized every song they ever played together because they didn't have a set repertoire instead they would just say remember that song we played at that party and off they'd go. Henry then got out his guitar and the mix of guitar and mandolin was wonderful. The crowd loved it and even loved it more when the time cue cards were held up and neither of them could see them because they were so wrapped up in their Blues (or they couldn't see that far!). So needless to say they play somewhat overtime, but no one was complaining.
I hadn't seen Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers before and they knocked me out! This is a great band of talented musicians. The band is not merely a backing band for Rod's great harp playing and singing but a band that is as much a part of the entertainment as their leader. Miss Honey would have to be regarded as one of the finest boogie-woogie players in the land and her 10-minute solo and duet with the drummer received the biggest ovation of the day and deservedly so. The guitarist and bass player were also given some free rein with great results. It would've been great to see them do a full-length show.
I missed the next act David Dee as I decided to ring a mate (now MBAS President) Noel Goodwin so I could brag to him about what I was doing. Of course Noel wasn't impressed and said he would rather be at home, like hell! Dr Hector and the Groove Injectors were a good southern rock/Blues band that got the crowd dancing. The headlining act Bobby Rush had cancelled and the rumour was that he had been detained by police, so the fill in was Otis Clay a soul/gospel singer with a fine voice and a lot of soul. The whole day had been fantastic with some great Blues legends and some great Blues bands.
Saturday 5th September
Juke Joints. St. Louis, Missouri.
To see Big Bad Smitty in concert is great, to see him in a St. Louis Blues joint is unbelievable! Smitty's manager Joel Slotnikoff had kindly offered to show us the local Blues clubs an offer we couldn't refuse. First stop was to see Smitty at Spriggins Hacienda, a small dark room on the rough side of town. Well when you walk in the door you nearly knock the band over. The room can only fit about 30 - 40 people and that's how many people are there. Smitty was sitting down playing and drinking with a band made up of various muso's who had come for a jam. Smitty even introduced us to the crowd as "Friends from Australia" and made us stand up, we were even applauded! This is a Blues lovers dream, a small club with cheap drinks and no tourists, just people who love the music and the result is a warm and friendly atmosphere with the best Blues music you'll hear. It's like a big party with people coming in to jam, people talking to the band whilst they play and the singer has to watch out he doesn't get knocked over by people dancing. We were kindly greeted by the owner who has had a long relationship with Smitty and is a big Blues fan who plays his record collection during the breaks. Well everyone had been great to us at the Hacienda and Smitty was cookin' but Joel had even more in store for us.
We headed off to Climmies Western Lounge, which is a bit bigger venue but was also packed. We were again acknowledged by the band, thanks to Joel and we also had the pleasure of meeting the very lovely owner who invited us to snack on some home cooked food that had been provided for a birthday party that was being held there. Well it was time for Climmies to close but on the way out we had many enquires about Australia and the Blues and whether we had any places like Climmies. The answer was a simple, no. If I could I would transplant places such as Spriggins and Climmies, with every one in them, to Melbourne, because it's not just the venue that is great but also the people who go there make it what it is and they could really show us how to party!
Well even more was in store, this time to East St Louis, Illinois, which is seen as a very bad side of town. Here Joel took us to Tubby's Red Room, which starts at 2am and is a pretty mean joint. This is quite large for a Blues bar and it is filled with red lights and people jam here till morning. Well we were a bit apprehensive at first but then a few people we had met at the other bars turned up, including Shorty who had been serving us drinks at the Hacienda, and can he dance! So we soon started having fun with the band once again acknowledging us. Once people knew we were Australian the questions came pouring out and an offer to dance was one I couldn't refuse. Well the band played a Bluesy version of The Twist and how this woman was able to shake her hips whilst doing the twist still amazes me to this day! Also a woman who looked in her late 30's was dancing with Shorty and they were movin' and grovin' and getting down and dirty, then we find out it is her birthday and she is 65! This is the stuff we had came for, no frills Blues bands in small clubs filled with people who love to party to the Blues, so thanks to all the people we met, the owners of Spriggins, Climmies and Tubby's and very big thanks to Joel Slotnikoff, Jinny and Big Bad Smitty whom without we wouldn't have experienced such a great night.
September 6th
Spirit Festival. Kansas City, Missouri.
Well we were buggered! A late night in St Louis followed by an early morning on the skinny dog (Greyhound Bus) we finally arrived back in K.C. The Spirit Festival is an annual thing that always features Blues. The Blues tent had local Blues acts and we just managed to get in to see Little Hatch do his thing in front of a few hundred people before heading off to the main arena. Tickets were $5 (we got in free, thanks Shirley!) to see, on an open stage Taj Mahal, Albert King and Bob Dylan, how could you miss it! It was a bit unfortunate that the organizers had mucked up the times as we missed quite a bit of Taj Mahal's set. Taj was solo, playing first piano then guitar. Taj loves the old Blues and is a bit of a historian when it comes to the music. He entertained the large crowd (estimated 150,000) with his wonderful Blues style, but I think many were there to see Dylan so Taj didn't get the response he was after. It was a real pity we didn't get there earlier as he played great.
Albert King is a legend and those who saw him in Melbourne may have felt like me, disappointed he seemed to tune his guitar more than play it. Well he is still tuning his guitar but he is playing it a hell of a lot more also. It was just getting dark and the crowd was in a good mood and Albert did some great solo's on Sky is Cryin', Sweet Little Angel and Crosscut Saw. His voice is still expressive (still smoking the pipe) his band was hot and he really had the crowd on there feet and it was a pity he couldn't have played longer, but he had done his job of getting the crowd warmed up for Bob Dylan.
Well if you saw Dylan in Melbourne you may have felt like me, disappointed (perhaps they don't like Melbourne) but tonight he was fantastic. Bob is getting back to solo acoustic stuff and he played more than ten numbers this way and you could actually work out what he was playing, great! His band was tight and they gelled well with Bob and with the huge crowd it was an amazing event, another great night of music.
September 8th
B.L.U.E.S. Chicago, Illinois.
This is a small bar, as are many of the Blues clubs in the states, but the talent they have here is amazing and it is a brief walk from the Arlington House Hostel, where we were staying. Well our first night in Chicago and here was Booba Barnes, US$2.50 entry how could you go wrong. Booba is a Howlin' Wolf fan and thus does quite a few Wolf numbers, but it is his own rough, strained vocals and mean Mississippi guitar that really sets him apart from current Blues men. His band is young and enthusiastic, keep a good beat and add their own bit of flair. Terry the drummer has been with Booba since he was 14 and the rest off the band seem young also, but obviously have grown up with this style of music. Booba sings a lot of love, love gone bad songs which were even more potent with his lovely wife being present, his brother was also there, so I fell we were treated with some family favourites. Booba also plays harp, which was his main instrument until he couldn't find anyone to play guitar like he wanted them to, so he played it himself! Booba is a showman and you'll know what I mean if you see the Deep Blues video, he picks with his teeth, which really is something. Let's hope he makes a visit to our shores.
September 10th
Buddy Guy's Legends. Chicago, Illinois.
Legends is quite a big place, you could fit a few hundred people in here easily. There are pool tables and some great photos of Buddy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Clapton and other great Blues men and women. There is also a great picture of Mount Rushmore but instead of Presidents you have Muddy, Little Walter, Sonny Boy and the Wolf. Got in for US$2.00 to see Chicago legend Magic Slim & the Teardrops. He was sitting at the bar when we entered and he was happy to sign a C.D and have a chat. There's a lot of tables in this place, so it is no problem seeing the artist and there wasn't a hell of a lot of people here as Magic Slim does play here nearly every Thursday so I suppose they are very familiar with him, but those like us who have never seen him before it's magic (pardon the pun). Well Magic Slim isn't very slim but he has that Chicago magic. His band is lead by John Primer who is also a very respected guitarist, but when Slim gets up there it really happens, mean Chicago Blues with Slim roaring out the vocals Bad Boy, Before You Accuse Me and Sweet Home Chicago, they played them all. We were also lucky to meet up with Lonnie Brooks' drummer Kevin Mitchell who is a very good mate of Winston Galea (The Blues Club) who got us in touch with him. He has a great Harley and is a great bloke, unfortunately we never saw him play as our dates and places never corresponded. Also met another Chicago legend Lefty Dizz who we ended up sharing a cab with to another club Kingston Mines, which is across the road from B.L.U.E.S. Lefty got us in for nothing, which was appreciated, and the first people we see is Booba Barnes and his drummer Terry, who were having a great time on their night off. We then met Buddy Miles who is a huge man who played with Hendrix. Well I can't remember who the bands were this night, they have two stages so two bands play each night, but we met more Blues men than you could poke a stick at, and we could stagger home, brilliant!
September 11th
Buddy Guy's Legends. Chicago, Illinois.
US$8.00 would get you in to see Boston guitarist Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, but we got in free (thanks Rabbit). Earl has played with such people as Robert Junior Lockwood and Hubert Sumlin and has had a long standing with Sugar Ray Norcia, who was in Australia recently. Ronnie doesn't sing and usually has a singer/harp player on his albums, but he didn't tonight, which was a pity. Earl is a great guitarist going from subtle solos to blistering ones and back again and this was great to hear, for the first set, but with no vocals or harp it was a little to much and when he started playing Jazz orientated stuff well he really lost me. Saw Lefty Dizz again, getting worked up for a gig later that night, pity he didn't get up and play.
September 12th
Maxwell Street. Chicago, Illinois.
Met up with a mate of MBAS President Noel Goodwin, Bob O'Neil who is an all round nice guy who loves the Blues as much as he loves his cigars, which is a lot! Maxwell St is around about 13th St on the South side and used to be the hub of Chicago Blues. All muso's from the south who were new to Chicago came here to play in order to find some work and make some good money. Where people would be earning $8 ?$10 a night in a club a good day on Maxwell St could see $50 ? $60 in their pocket. Nowadays it is a run down street that will soon be closed as the site has been bought by Chicago University and buildings will cover the famous area and it seems no one is really trying to stop the development, which is a shame because another Blues landmark will be lost. The Blues here are quite wonderful with everybody having a good time jamming. Piano C Red was playing on a makeshift stage on the street and the Maxwell St Blues Band was playing on a lot full of demolition rubble. We were introduced to Maxwell St Jimmy Davis who has been there for years and has seen legends come and go, he's 76 years old and still plays a mean Hooker style of guitar and sings Wolf style. People get up and jam, first a man sings whilst holding his young son he is then followed by Kid Dynamite who is no taller than 4 feet but has a huge voice and all the time their is music there is chocolate who dances up a storm for the crowd. People get paid by tips and they all have people walking about with a box for tips, if you give a good tip they keep coming back, they have to get paid somehow. Around the corner is a huge area of stalls where you can by anything from cheap electrical goods to garage junk and hot dogs and it all mingles to give you a mix of sights, sounds and smells and with the sun, a beer and the Blues who could ask for more?
September 12th
Buddy Guy's Legends. Chicago, Illinois.
Well we fronted up to Buddy Guy's Legends once again, we should have got a room there, save us the half hour bus trip every night. Although the bus trips weren't so bad, they ran on time, were safe, comfortable and cheap, so we weren't complaining My knowledge of Johnny Copeland went so far as I loved his song Wella Wella Baby, a great laid back, pumping blues song. He did this in the first set, probably his theme tune to an extent. Johnny is a great performer, singer and guitarist, but after the first set he concentrated more on the "performance" and less on the other. Many time he let his guitar hang as he sang the blues, but apparently this is his style, he's more laid back doing his Texas thing. It would have been great to hear him belt out some great blues, but we got pure Copeland Texas Blues.
September 13th
B.L.U.E.S Etc. Chicago, Illinois.
Some friends of ours Tony and Charmaine wanted to hear some Blues so we took them to see harp man Billy Branch and the Sons of Blues at B.L.U.E.S Etc, which is a reasonable size and had very few people, but the ones who did arrive were treated to some great Blues. Those who saw Billy with Louisiana Red in Melbourne would already be aware of his talent and his band also provides a wonderful sound. It was only US$4 to get in and the small crowd got a lot more than their monies worth. I spoke to Billy who had fond memories of Australia where he had his birthday and received two birthday cakes. The band was cookin' with standards such as Killin' Floor and New Kid on the Block. Laurie Bell on guitar walked into the crowd and ended up coming in the back door, without missing a note! Billy wasn't to be outdone so he went in the crowd and started playing' some dirty harp to a very attractive woman. Just when we thought that it was just about to finish Billy invites on stage Valerie Wellington, who just happened to be in the crowd, and she is one hell of a singer. Valerie is a pocket size domino and she is still very young and is surely to become one of the great Blues singers. She sang the greatest version of Hoochie Coochie Woman I've ever heard, getting the crowd clapping, shouting and laughing. The lyrics were hot and raunchy with lines such as "They shot my man 'til they thought he was dead, but I raised my leg and he raised his head", and then she went on to sing about the bands sexual exploits and Billy who "had his head between her thighs, with his bare ass sticking way up high". I spoke to Valerie, who is a very beautiful woman, and she was just off to Japan and said she would love to come to Australia and if she does this dynamic performer will knock us dead!
September 21st
Library of Congress. Washington D.C.
The folklore room in the Library of Congress has an amazing collection of Blues materials ranging from 1000's of recordings by Lomax, to books on artist, lyrics, history and meaning of the Blues. It is even possible, for a fee, to get copies of some of the Lomax recordings and looking through the catalogue it's a who's who of Blues legends with the likes of Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Big Bill Broonzy etc, etc. We looked up Brownie's recordings that were carried out in the early 1940's with support by Sonny Terry and Leadbelly. To hear these recordings you need to be specific on the date, name and catalogue number, which are available in the library, unfortunately we didn't have time but it is well worth the visit, even if only for the free pamphlets.
September 24th
Wise Fools Club. Chicago, Illinois.
Well we had seen this man twice before but we hadn't seen him play, so it was great to finally see Lefty Dizz play. Wise Fools is also a small club and there was only a small crowd in attendance. We sat at the bar with Lefty Dizz for quite some time. He was born and bred in Chicago and remembers all the great Blues men who used to play in the clubs and on Maxwell St. Originally he wanted to play Jazz like Louis Jordan but his dad made him play piano which lead to guitar, well I suppose thanks should go to his dad because Lefty is now a great Blues player. He has a strange style of playing left handed on an upside down guitar, like Albert King does, it produces a strange raw sound that is most suited to the Blues. Lefty's band Shock Treatment are also hot, with good lead guitarist, keyboards, a laid back bass man and an energetic drummer who gets the guys going by shouting encouragement. Lefty has quite a good voice and his banter with the crowd was great, like getting the band to play soft whilst he sang without a mike, and Lefty did an unbelievable thing of holding the guitar by one hand and playing it at the same time, still bending notes! It's been about 10 years since lefty has been in Australia and when we saw him he was just about to head of to France, Germany and Switzerland. Well Lefty plays for quite some time and we had been on a train for 21 hours from Washington that day so we headed off during a break at 1.00am, but we had seen enough to verify that Lefty is a great Blues man.
September 25th
Legends. Chicago, Illinois.
US$8 gets you in to see Blues harp legend Snooky Pryor with Dave Spector & the Bluebirds. Again a smallish crowd, but this seems to be the case in all clubs. Spoke to Snooky prior to the show (no pun intended) he is a big man who looks, and is, a gentle giant and is another who would love to come down here. His band was good and his playing hasn't lost anything despite being 71 years old. Snooky was born and bred in Chicago and played with the greats such as Homesick James, and his highlight of the set was the old standard Bottle Up and Go which he used to play with Sonny Boy Williamson on Maxwell St. But not only did Snooky play numbers from the past he also played numbers off his new CD Too Cool To Move and he hasn't lost any of that Blues sound, singing and blowing mean but always with a hint of a smile.
September 26th
B.L.U.E.S Etc. Chicago, Illinois.
US$8 to see another legend Otis Rush. He also plays the guitar upside down and was happy to have a chat and sign a CD before he went on stage. His 4-piece band was cookin' before getting Otis up on stage. Otis is a great guitarist and singer but didn't seem to put in 100%, which I blame on the crowd. The crowd was very up market and to me didn't appreciate Blues music, with people yelling out, not after a solo or great line, but when they felt like it, which was most of the times inappropriate. Yelling after a solo is great, but its bloody annoying people yelling out all the time, especially at the wrong times. To disgust me even further some moron asked about three times for Otis to do a polka, he was finally told in no uncertain terms by the guitarist that they were a "Fuckin' Blues band!" What a total lack of respect this person had for such a great artist, no wonder Otis didn't pull out all the stops. At the break I spoke to the keyboard player who looked very familiar, it turns out he was with Buddy Guy in Australia about 4 years ago. He was very friendly and kindly introduced me to Otis's wife and manager, who would very much like for Otis to come down under, hopefully someone will take them up on the offer and we could show him some real appreciation which would bring out his best.
September 27th
B.L.U.E.S. Chicago, Illinois.
Well we really did feel guilty, we had free passes and Sunnyland Slim & the Big Four were due to play. Unfortunately Sunnyland was ill in hospital so a youngster by the name of Pinetop Perkins played instead, what a replacement! The Big Four have been together for ten years and it shows in the bands tightness. Lead by Andrew Covington on drums and vocals is great and backing with bass, sax and guitar this band is able to play just about any Blues. Pinetop comes out with the sailors cap on and plays what he knows best, Blues classics such as Caledonia and Baby What You Want Me To Do plus Muddy classics like Got My Mojo Workin'. His fingers may not be as fast or as nubile as they were in the 50's but this 79 year old can still boogie woogie with the best. His voice is somewhat strained but adds to his voice rather than detracts, he's lived these songs with the likes of Muddy, so who cares if his fingers and voice are not be those of a much younger man, it all adds to his magic. Pinetop remembers Melbourne after being there with Muddy in the 70's and he would love to return, the number of legends is decreasing each year, let's not miss this one.
September 28th
Buddy Guys Legends. Chicago, Illinois.
Well there were a few people at the hostel who didn't know what Blues music was, so we took them to probably one of the greatest nights of Blues I have seen, Koko Taylor's birthday party. Koko was turning 54, sorry 21 (She told me herself!) and everyone was invited including some of the true Blues greats. First highlight was being able to speak with Junior Wells, who was thoroughly enjoying himself, we talked about Australia and is hoping to return early this year, and even spoke of recording an album in Australia with some Aboriginal musicians, having a great love of the didgeridoo.
The band for the night consisted of a mix of Koko's family, with son Melvin Taylor on guitar and vocals and some of Buddy's band. They tried to get Big Daddy Kinsey on stage, with no luck, so they had a break only then to have him come on stage with no band! He said he was in the bathroom when they called his name and that he was drunk. It took ten minutes to get the band up and once they were there Big Daddy then told them that if they were up there with him they must be able to play the Blues, they all acknowledged that they could and straight into some real low down Blues. Kinsey has a great big gruff voice and belted out some great Blues to Koko, who was sitting at the front.
Next guest was BB's daughter Shirley King, who did a very raunchy, hip gyrating version of Got My Mojo Workin'. At one stage she wanted the drummer to beat every time she thrust her hips, he started of real slow and was told to "get it workin' baby" which he did. She then asked the crowd numerous times " Do you know what? " which we all answered numerous times "what?" she the told us that we were nosy! She then turned to the guitarist and told him to "leave it in their honey, I've got it workin' now".
Next on stage was drummer Buddy Myles who was then joined by Legends owner Buddy Guy, straight into Everyday I Have The Blues, what a sensational performance. Buddy then went into a medley of songs interspersed with birthday wishes to Koko. He unsuccessfully tried to get Junior Wells on stage, but was joined by his brother Phil Guy to do a great version of Five Long Years, which had the crowd going crazy, Buddy is a magnificent singer, a brilliant guitarist and a legend. Buddy then passed his guitar over to another great Lonnie Brooks, I'd never seen Lonnie play before and was surprised at how good a singer/guitarist he is, to follow Buddy is a hard task but Lonnie was fantastic with Sweet Little Angel. He then played for Koko, standing in front of her working his guitar to it's fullest and was then passed a Budweiser bottle from Big Daddy Kinsey to play slide with (better than drinkin' it eh?). Lonnie then passed the mike onto Barbara La Shore who did Further On Up The Road and Five Long Years before the band had a break. I spoke to Koko and she is hoping to get to Australia mid 1993. Then came the final jam, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Phil Guy, Buddy Myles, Buddy Guy, Valerie Wellington and the birthday girl all on stage to do Wang Dang Doodle, with Buddy, Valerie and Koko all taking turns with the vocals. The song went for 15 minutes and my excitement can't be put into words, our last night in Chicago spent with some truly great Blues men and women, Magic!
September 30th
The Blues Foundation. Memphis, Tennessee.
Met Kay Haselhoff of the Memphis Blues Foundation, spoke to her about Australia whilst we purchased our tickets to the Handy Awards. We were able to get a press pass, which was great, and Kay invited us out to a cocktail party at B.B.Kings Bar, free beer and food for two hours, she knows how to win an Aussie's heart!
October 2nd
Beale Street. Memphis, Tennessee.
Beale St. like many other old Blues venues has now become very tourist orientated. The bars are far from being the Blues joints that once stood here, even B.B.Kings Bar is a very big, classy establishment but maintains some Bluesiness with photos of Blues men and women on display. The Museums in and around Beale St. are very much worthwhile. The Centre of Southern Folklore had an exhibit on a radio station that was the first, in the south, to have a black radio announcer, it later became the first all black announcers radio station, which included Rufus Thomas and the Beale St. Blues Boy (B.B King). W.C. Handy Park is mainly concrete but has a statue of the man on Beale St. and his house has been moved from it's original site in the south of Memphis to the end of Beale St., there are a few photos and memorabilia in there but not much else, except for a very pretty and friendly hostess. By far the best museum in Memphis is the Music and Blues Museum, which has a write up on all the great Blues men and women, with examples of their talents on audio and video. We spent close to three hours here, it took this long to go through all the biographies, photographs and antique paraphernalia, which included heroin linctus bottles, razors, lotions and potions. The biographies are very detailed although I did find one error that I know Brownie McGhee would not be pleased with, The biography stated that he dropped out of school to become a musician, Brownie is very proud of his High School Diploma, which was a great feat considering the environment in those times, and he would be shocked to see this.
We then went to B.B.Kings bar for the pre Handy Awards cocktail party, free beer and food, great! The band playing was Sherman Robertson's in front of a white audience, a far cry from where B.B started. We went for a cruise down Beale and most bands were playing anything but Blues, until we came to the Heads Up bar, $2.50US got us in the door to see legend, Jimmy Rogers. Jimmy still plays rhythm guitar and has a good backing band with harp and piano added to a good rhythm section. Jimmy's vocals are not spectacular but you know he's been through what he's singing about Walkin' by Myself and the Muddy Waters classics I'm a Man and Mojo Workin', stand out and take you back to a time when Muddy was King, a pity there were only a handful of people left at the end of the show to experience it.
October 3rd
The Radisson Hotel. Memphis, Tennessee.
Four days prior to it's world premier saw a new film by Robert Mugge (Deep Blues) about Alligator Records, called "Pride and Joy" which features a main interview with Bruce Iglaur interspersed with concert footage of the Alligator Records 20th Anniversary featuring such artists as Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, Katie Webster, Elvin Bishop, Ronnie and Lonnie Brooks and Koko Taylor. A great documentary on the beginnings of Alligator and how it went from a one album per year production to a $4 Million earning company that it is today. The concert footage makes you want more, with Lonnie, Katie and Koko rippin' it up. A soundtrack CD should be out in mid 93.
October 4th
The Eighth Annual W.C. Handy Awards. Memphis, Tennessee.
Well the Handy Awards are quite a lavish affair with people from world wide in attendance all dressed up, except for two Aussies who attended with one wearing an MBAS T?Shirt and the other a Dutch Tilders and The Blues Club T?Shirt. Our tickets were $15US and got tables that were cramped and hard to get out of, but we couldn't complain as we did get to sit next to Mojo Buford, Big Jack Johnson and Sam Carr, all who have been to Australia and all can't wait to return as they had such a great time.
Well to the awards ? I felt there were some fantastic highlights, but also some little disappointments. First I must say that organising such an event, especially the guests, must be hard and it was done quite well. Awards are given via members of the Blues Foundation, so the awards are not due to any one person. The highlight was Buddy Guy accepting every one of his five awards, he hadn't put out an album for quite some time and Blues fans applauded him with all these awards. Johnny Shines, Willie Dixon and Champion Jack Dupree all received awards with perhaps people voting with their hearts, it was a pity though that no film or audio were produced for these artists for this night as a show of respect for their talents. Also it took the year that Shines died in to finally be placed in the Hall of Fame, of which such people as Johnny Winter are already in!
The performers were great although there were three very strange choices. First act was Just Cuz, who were second in the National Amateur Awards, they weren't bad, but I felt the winners would have sufficed, perhaps this time could have been used for the tribute to those mentioned before. Second act was Robert Lucas, playing some very tasty slide, a great performance. I spoke to Robert in the office (Toilet), he has a band also and has just released his fourth album Built For Comfort it was nice to see such a talent that I hadn't heard before. Third act was the Blue Tornadoes, who didn't even make it to the finals of the Amateur Awards and it showed, they were very much out of place, how did they get there is beyond me! Fourth act was 90-year-old Diamond Tooth Mary, who came out in a wheelchair and sang up a storm with Let The Good Times Roll and Stormy Monday backed up admirably by Fenton Robertson and his band. Fifth act was legend Johnny Johnson, very suave in his suit he boogied up a storm. Sixth act was William Clarke on a chromatic harp and he also rocked the joint with his own style of Blues. I managed to speak to him and will be coming over for the Byron Bay Blues Festival. Seventh were winners of the Amateur Contest, Bob and the Snowman, with Bob on piano and the Snowman on Guitar and vocals, quite good traditional Blues and probably worthy winners. Eighth act was harp legend Snooky Pryor, who at nearly 80 years of age can still rock the socks off an audience. Ninth was another Blues legend Jimmy Rogers who tried his hardest to get the crowd going with Mojo Workin' but the crowd didn't really participate. Act ten was probably the best of the day, the two fisted mama, Katie Webster took us all to the swamp and had us all doin' the boogie. Well the best act was followed with the Barkeys, an R&B, funk band, very out of place for a Blues night, but strangely received more attention from the audience than most of the Blues legends. This band also played in the final jam, being joined on vocals by Buddy Guy, Jimmy Rogers and Diamond Tooth Mary, the hosts the Memphis Horns, who did a fantastic job, also joined in the jam.
So that was the Handy's, overall a fantastic event, but there was even more in store, the post awards jam session was about to begin. Held at the Radisson Hotel the jam was one of the great highlights of our trip. There was only a small crowd in attendance, perhaps the extra $15US had something to do with it, but it was well worth it. Before the jam we met up with Alan Young from NZ, a guitarist who has played with Brownie McGhee and Dutch Tilders, he was there getting interviews in Mississippi from gospel singers for a book he is writing. Mojo Buford was the first highlight of the night, anyone who saw him in Australia with Hubert Sumlin will know his talent and was a great start to a great night. Next was the elusive Jessie Mae Hemphill who unfortunately didn't make it to Australia with the Jelly Roll Kings and it was unfortunate for Australia as she is a true Mississippi style singer/guitarist. Backed by only a drummer Jessie went through a short set of down home Blues, mostly about bein' done wrong by men! Well that's the Blues. Well it would have been wonderful if any of the following had have played solo, but to have Johnnie Johnson, Tinsley Ellis and Buddy Guy all jam together was outstanding. Buddy stole the show as he did with the awards with another blistering version of Five Long Years, going from very softly spoken vocals to a screaming guitar solo, you couldn't get any better. Tinsley and Johnnie didn't get much of a chance, but when they did they took full advantage, but Buddy was the main man. The Famous Unknowns had the dubious task of following such a great act and I must say they did a good job, some very talented guys, but we were spent and ended up leaving at some ungodly hour in the morning, getting a cab to the hostel. We were buggered but also excited, we had just witnessed a day full of Blues and we would be soon heading south, to the Mecca for all Blues fans, the Mississippi Delta.
October 7th
Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Clarksdale is a fairly small town, around 20,000 population, but its history of Blues is phenomenal. Our first visit was to the Delta Blues Museum, which is a small museum in the centre of the town. It contains photographs, books, magazines, instruments of famous Blues musicians plus a full size wax figure of Muddy Waters. There is also many biographies on famous Blues muso's and also many interesting articles for sale, such as calenders, badges and books. In the future they hope to transfer part of Muddy's house, which is situated in Stovall, into the museum for safe keeping, it may even be used as a stage, interesting concept! They had a great book in the museum on local Juke joints, some of which we hoped to see for ourselves. Further on down the road we visited Stackhouse Records, which is run by Jim O'Neil (Founder of Living Blues Magazine and Rooster records), Jim wasn't in but Julie Buchanan was. Julie had been to Australia recently with the Jelly Roll Kings, R.L.Burnside and Lonnie Pitchford. Got a map of Blues landmarks in the area and we hit the road.
First stop was Wade Walton's Barber Shop, Wade is a lovely man who has cut everyone's hair in the last 48 years, including Sonny Boy Williamson and Muddy Waters. Wade is also a Blues man and blows harp, plays guitar and the razor strap in his shop to his customers and anyone interested. Unfortunately Wades shop had been broken into twice before we got there and most of his harps had been stolen, but he had one left and was happy to play it for us. Next stop was the famous Stovall Plantation where Muddy Waters one room house is situated. It now has grates covering the doors and windows to stop any damage, so you can't go inside. It is an old big plank house right on the edge of a cotton field, apparently Muddy used to run corn liquor and a juke joint from here as well as living there, the atmosphere surrounding this place was wonderful, the home of a legend. We then ventured to Tutweiler where Alec Rice Miller aka Sonny Boy Williamson is buried. The grave is by an abandoned church out of town on a dirt road and until recently was overgrown with weeds, but local Blues buffs have now ensured that the site is now cared for. Harmonicas, bottles of beer, money and other items have been left on the gravesite as a sign of respect from Blues lovers, a MBAS badge is the latest edition. We continued on through Parchman Farm State Pen. where legends such as Bukka White had a vacation for a whilst. You can't actually stop within a mile either side of the prison, so it was a quick glimpse. From there we ventured to Dockery Farm (between Ruleville and Drew) where the great Charlie Patton worked and some believe begun Blues music. The farm is still operating and all the old buildings remain, a fantastic piece of Blues history. Our return to Clarksdale was eventful meeting up with Blues writer Jim O'Neil, Jim is a friendly bloke who talked Blues with us before we went home and crashed, a great day of Blues history.
October 8th
Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Cruised around Clarksdale where we visited Smitty's Red Top Lounge, a juke joint in Clarksdale. We met the owner out the front and apparently there hadn't been any music there for a whilst because the resident band had disbanded. Drove past the Riverside Inn Hotel that used to be a hospital where Bessie Smith died after a car accident, then as a hotel had such luminaries as Robert Nighthawk and Ike Turner staying there. We then ventured out bush in the hope of finding Mississippi John Hurt's grave near Avalon, but we weren't successful as it was in the middle of nowhere and we couldn't find where nowhere was. We did though find a memorial site to Robert Johnson and also a cemetery where he may be buried! The cemetery has a new tombstone, but the memorial is the real showpiece, a three-foot high rectangle with a pyramid top, which pays tribute to Johnson and the songs he played and wrote. We then followed the road on to Indianola, birthplace of BB and Albert King. We cruised past BB King Park, where BB visits once a year to play to his home crowd. Then onto Rolling Fork, where the road sign states Birthplace of McKinley Morganfield, Muddy Waters. A very small town bordered by cotton fields, a typical Mississippi town. Holy Ridge was the next stop where we managed to find Charley Patton's grave, which is appropriately situated behind a cotton gin. Overall another tiring day of Blues cruising.
October 9th
Greenville, Mississippi
King Biscuit Blues Festival. Helena, Arkansas.
Went to the very infamous Nelson St., home of many juke joints, with the best-known being Roosevelt Booba Barnes' Playboy Club. This street has its problems with crack, and even during the day was a bit hairy. We then moved onto Scott, birthplace of Big Bill Broonzy, another cotton clad township. Beulah is a small town of 400 or so where we stopped to get directions to the Crossroads that were featured in the film of the same name. The shopkeeper didn't know but was happy to take us to somebody who did know. The guys across the road were happy to tell us where to go, and we did go after a long chat about Australia. We were surprised to find the crossroad tree was on fire, it seems they were somewhat overzealous with their burning off. It is just another crossroad but it still has an amazing appeal.
Rosedale was a town that featured in a few Robert Johnson songs, again more cotton! We then crossed the mighty Mississippi River and into Helena, Arkansas. Helena was a boomtown during the riverboat period, but then fell on hard times when riverboats became scarce, but now there is a concerted effort in reviving this historic town. The riverside was apparently a very rough area but now is full of small businesses and murals of musicians. Some of the credit of reviving the town must go to the King Biscuit Blues Festival, a free yearly Blues festival where people from worldwide come to spend their money. The weather was clear and hot and the first person we bumped into was Kay Hasselhoff from the Memphis Blues Foundation who managed to get us press passes, which was greatly appreciated. The festival was in memory of Johnny Shines, who had played here quite a few times and I'm sure he would have liked what he saw.
First act was Brenda Smith who sang up a storm, next came the Sonny Boy Blues Society Jammer's with James Morgan, splendid in his bright red suit. The band covered a mixture of R&B and soul and kept the crowd entertained. A band consisting of two thirds of the Jelly Roll Kings were next on. Sam Carr on drums and Frank Frost showed true Mississippi style blue that was appreciated, especially by Big Jack Johnson, who watched but did not play. Anyone who saw the Jelly Roll Kings in Melbourne last year will know the talents of these guys and they got the crowd on its feet jivin' with their brand of down home Blues. John Weston another harp player had the dubious task of following the Jelly Rolls and did a commendable job. The next band we had seen at the Handy Jam in Memphis and the Famous Unknowns are a talented and impressive band, with a lot of versatility and Blues, an arse kickin' band that reminds me of some Aussie Blues bands. Next act was Handy Award winner Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets. Anson is a great guitarist and he has a tight band, but they really start cookin' when they are joined by Sam Myers, a blind harp player who recorded with the likes of Elmore James. Sam is a great singer/harpist and his explanations of the songs is a treat and gets instant rapport with the crowd. When Anson gets fired up he sure can play, but he was happy to let Sam take centre stage. Next act was Walter 'Wolfman" Washington who is very much R&B/Jazz orientated and really didn't do much for me after the big helping of Blues we had during the day. After the festival we visited ma local pub, Mikes, where harp player Chicago Charlie and band were joined by Sam Myers, a great blow out. We then went down the street to Frank Frost's juke joint. We had just missed seeing Frank but caught Sam Carr jammin', a great end to a day full of Blues.
October 10th
King Biscuit Blues Festival.
Helena, Arkansas.
Overnight rain threatened to spoil the outdoor festival, but it soon cleared to reveal clear blue skies once again. First up we saw Levon Holm and his band the Cate Brothers, very Steve Winwood sounding and no real Blues flavour. The Kentucky Head Hunters, who apparently play here free and felt themselves so important that they allowed no one backstage during their performance, perhaps they feel they are bigger than the Blues legends, but I can guarantee they're not, with heavy metal versions of Blues and rock classics. Memphis gal Ruby Wilson and the Bee Kings got back to the Blues and had the crowd shouting their approval. During this set we were invited to a cocktail party, come Blues society meeting, where many societies came together to discuss certain issues, such as the handy Awards etc. We got our fill and rejoined the festival, catching legend Pinetop Perkins who was joined by his band, which included Kim Wilson on harp. Pinetop opened up with Just a Little Bit and a couple of instrumentals before being joined by 90-year-old Diamond Tooth Mary. Mary is apparently Bessie Smiths stepdaughter and went straight into her standards Let The Good Times Roll with Pinetop doing some fine boogie woogie. Before they could get Mary off stage she went into another song Stormy Monday, cutting Pinetop's set even further, although he did play some fine slow Blues. They ended up dragging Mary off stage as she wouldn't go, which was a pity as it severely shortened Pinetop's set, but he managed to slip in a few more songs before he left, a truly great performer.
Pinetop was followed by another legend, Robert Jnr Lockwood who came on with his trusty twelve-string guitar and a band consisting of sax, bass and drums. Robert went through some of the classic Robert Johnson numbers and a few of his own more recent tunes. Robert used to play for the King Biscuit Time and was joined by the bassist from that time and these two oldies got it on, much to the crowds delight.
Well as if we hadn't had enough Blues already, next on stage was the great Albert King who is in great demand as a headlining act since coming from retirement and who I must say is improving every time I see him. Albert and his big band played for around an hour and fifteen minutes playing all his classics from Born Under a Bad Sign, Crosscut Saw to The Sky is Cryin'. Albert does though still have problems with tuning, this time not himself but his other guitarist who he made tune his guitar three times. Albert also felt the drums had to many microphones so he threw about three of them away and told the soundman If you don't do it the way I want it I won't play, the soundman then left! I'm sure the people at the back of the crowd couldn't hear any drums, but we were up front so it sounded okay. Well what an event great Blues legends and some very good up and coming Blues men, I think Johnny Shines would have loved it!
October 18th
Jeff Festival.
New Orleans, Louisiana.
This was a new two day festival that was mainly jazz, with sprinkles of zydeco, country and Blues, but the man we came to see was Dr John. He was an hour late getting started but when his band consisting of three horns, two percussionists, lead and bass guitar got started on Iko, Iko, the doctor was soon in the house. Dr John is known for his flamboyance and he didn't disappoint, with a suit and hat covered in sequined moons and stars. Dr John had just returned to his home New Orleans after a few years absence and by the crowds response he certainly is their favourite homeboy and he is looking healthier than I've ever seen him before. Dr John has always been one of my favourites with his raspy voice and piano playing that covers all fields of music. His song writing and composition really do make Dr John a class musician. He covered all the favourites, such as the much requested Such a Night, other classics Right Place, Wrong Time, and Stagerlee plus songs off his latest CD Goin' Back To New Orleans Dr John also showed off his skill on his first instrument, the guitar, with the Hendrix version of Let The Good Times Roll. The show went for over two hours and because it was in Jefferson, a suburb ten miles from the French Quarter, it was mainly locals and big Dr John fans, by the end of the show there were only a few hundred people left, a very personal performance.
November 6th
Oakland, California.
We couldn't go to San Francisco again without dropping in to see our patron Brownie McGhee. We had had such a great time the previous visit and we looked forward to hearing Brownie reminisce about the Blues. We weren't disappointed, Brownie filled us with Blues history and kept us laughing, what an experience to sit with a Blues legend whilst he reels of decades of Blues history, it really is a time when you pinch yourself to make sure you are awake and even then you can't believe you're there!
This diary is dedicated to Roamin' Ro, Noel & Shirl and to those lovely people whom we met,
some of whom have since passed on.
R.I.P.
Sir Walter Brown "Brownie" McGhee
Jimmy Rogers, Valerie Wellington, Albert King, Junior Wells, Lefty Dizz, Yank Rachel, Uncle Bill Crawford, Johnny Copeland, Roosevelt "Booba" Barnes, Big Bad Smitty, William Clarke, Little Hatch, Lowell Fulson, Big Daddy Kinsey, Frank Frost and Johnnie Johnson[E-MAIL ROOSTER][ROOSTER HOME]