Colwell-Winfield Blues Band -- How Blue Can You Get (live)

BLUES ON THURSDAY

Now, I've read a few critiques concerning the album from which today's track has been taken. Some of the negative evaluations claim that the live recordings are vastly inferior to the group's studio recordings. They also claim that the new lineup was not as good as the original one. I couldn't agree less.
Although only two (I think) original members featured on the 1968 Cold Wind Blues album are present at this live recording, I can't say I like the 1971 lineup less. Colwell plays a cool blues on his guitar, and the vocals are as blues-y as they come. The other original group member, Chuck Purro, works the drums to my fullest satisfaction. Add to this the tangible live atmosphere -- and you end up with a fine record.
The album Live Bust was recorded at the Phoenix Coffee House in Boston which was closed down by the police after the performance. The announcement that "the  police has just closed the club" can be heard on the last track ...
The Colwell-Winfield Blues Band has opened for Led Zeppelin and the group was "most of the band that played on [Led Zeppelin's] Moondance."

So, here we go!

LimeLinx

Matt "Guitar" Murphy -- Guitar Boogie (live)

"Probably best known for playing behind the Blues Brothers (and appearing prominently in their 1980 hit movie), Matt "Guitar" Murphydeserves enshrinement in the blues-guitar hall of fame anyway." (Bill Dahl, allmusic) The list of high-carat blues bands he played with is fascinating. Howlin' Wolf, Memphis Slim, Otis Rush, Ike Turner -- Matt Murphy played with all of these blues greats. 
The artist was born in Mississippi (of course) on December 29, 1929.  And he was busily touring the country until 2003 when he suffered a stroke during an appearance in Nashville, TN. 

And this is the maestro in 2010 with the James Cotton Blues Band at the Chicago Blues Fest

Enjoy!

LimeLinx

Albert King -- Match Box Blues

Two Blues greats in session: Albert Collins and Stevie Ray Vaughn -- Match Box Blues, live

Now, that's the kind of Blues on Thursday I love!

Listen

LimeLinx

Get the CD

Snooks Eaglin -Nine Pounds Steel

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Snooks Eaglin, born blind, learned his craft by listening to the radio. By the time (1950) he could be heard playing as a one-man-band in the streets of New Orleans, he had created and perfected his very own style, using his thumbnail.  

Renowned folklorist Harry Oster noticed Snooks' unique talent and recorded the album New Orleans Street Singer with the artist. Soon after that, Snooks founded his own band and from then on played the electric Blues. 

He played with such greats as Prof. Longhair and Allen Toussaint. Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt claim to have been inspired by him.

He was also known as the "Human Jukebox" because of the enormous repertoire of tunes from various genres he commanded. 

In February 2009, Snooks Eaglin, a true Blues legend, died of a heart attack at age 72.

May his soul rest in peace.

Bobby Blue Bland -- I Got The Same Old Blues

BLUES THURSDAY

From the Blues man's 1977 album Reflections in Blue  (MCA) is this track. I think it is a smash --  Bobby at his best.

Turn the volume up, and you'll be blues-happy for 5 minutes. Promised!

Larry Davis -- The Years Go Passing By

A little Blues on a Monday -- especially when it comes with a guitar like this -- cannot be wrong.
When I first heard this song, I wasn't quite sure whether to label it Deep Soul or Blues ... It doesn't really matter, I know. So I began digging around (as usual) and found out that Larry Davis is yet another bluesman I hadn't heard of up to now. (I also found another great blues blog to add to my blogroll.) I just can't believe how much music is out there, waiting for me to find it.

So, I am posting the only song I know by Larry Davis today, hoping that the rest of his music is as appealing as this song. I will definitely check his music out.

A short bio from allmusic.com

"Anyone who associates "Texas Flood" only with Stevie Ray Vaughan has never auditioned Larry Davis' version. Davis debuted on vinyl in 1958 with the song, his superlative Duke Records original remaining definitive to this day despite Vaughan's impassioned revival many years down the road.

 Davis grew up in Little Rock, AR, giving up the drums to play bass. Forging an intermittent partnership with guitarist Fenton Robinson during the mid-'50s, the pair signed with Don Robey's Duke label on the recommendation of Bobby Bland. Three Davis 45s resulted, including "Texas Flood" and "Angels in Houston," before Robey cut Davis loose. From there, Davis was forced to make the most of limited opportunities in the studio. He lived in St. Louis for a spell and took up the guitar under Albert King's tutelage while playing bass in King's band.

A handful of singles for Virgo and Kent and a serious 1972 motorcycle accident that temporarily paralyzed Davis' left side preceded an impressive 1982 album for Rooster Blues, Funny Stuff, produced by Gateway City mainstay Oliver Sain. But follow-up options remained hard to come by: few blues fans could find a copy of the guitarist's 1987 Pulsar LP I Ain't Beggin' Nobody.

Finally, in 1992, Ron Levy's Bulleye Blues logo issued a first-class Davis set, Sooner or Later, that skillfully showcased his rich, booming vocals and concise, Albert King-influenced guitar. Unfortunately, it came later rather than sooner: Davis died of cancer in the spring of 1994."  (allmusic.com)

Howlin' Wolf, Bobby Blue Bland, Little Walter, Muddy Waters

It's Thursday again. Is it possible that weeks are getting shorter? It feels like it ..

Since I am a little busy again (don't ask me why) I will post a bag o' favorites without many words.

Howlin' Wolf  -- Tail Dragger

Bobby Blue Bland --  Sweet Loving

Little Walter -- Sad Hours

Muddy Waters -- I Believe I'll Go Back Home

Blues Thursday with B. B. King and Jimi Hendrix

Can you believe it? It's already Thursday. That means the light at the end of the week is in sight! Of course, it's also the Blues day at SOTS. It's a bit difficult for me to get into the blue side of life today -- but I tried anyway. Up came Mr. B. B. King live at the Apollo, accompanied by the Harris/Morris/Philip Superband. All Over Again is a piece of "easy listening" Blues, imo, so it works for those who like their Blues not too gloomy.  

The second title is by the giant among guitarmen, Jimi Hendrix. Listening to Bleeding Heart is such a pleasure, one just forgets about the Blues ... 

B. B. King, All Over Again


Jimi Hendrix, Bleeding Heart

Johnny Copeland -- I Can Tell, Old Man Blues

Johnny Copeland

Here's a bio of the artist from all.about.jazz.

Johnny Copeland was one of the most celebrated Texas bluesman of his generation. His huge, soul-drenched voice and intense guitar made him instantly distinctive. After decades of struggling as a journeyman blues and R&B player in Houston and New York, cutting dozens of singles and receiving some radio play, he burst on the international blues scene with his 1981 album “Copeland Special.” From that point on, he never looked back, touring ceaselessly around the world until his death in July 1997.
Johnny Copeland was born March 27, 1937, in Haynesville, LA. The son of sharecroppers, his father died when he was very young, and Copeland was given his father's guitar. Moving to Houston, he first gained attention as a vocalist with his friend Joe “Guitar” Hughes. Unlike the dry, slightly urbane vocal style of the Texas guitar heroes T-Bone Walker and Gatemouth Brown, Johnny brought a gospel intensity and tough growl to his singing. His big voice could be heard over the horn-driven Houston bands. Copeland and Hughes formed a band called The Dukes of Rhythm, which became the house band at the Shady's Playhouse, one of Houston’s leading blues clubs.
Johnny’s early recording career embraced blues, soul and rock ‘n’ roll. He cut singles for Mercury, All Boy and Golden Eagle, among others. His first single was “Rock ‘n’ Roll Lily,” and he later cut regional successes like “Please Let Me Know” and “Down On Bending Knees.” For the most part, his singles featured Johnny as a vocalist more than as a guitar player.
Frustrated with the disco boom and the number of clubs replacing live bands with DJs, Johnny moved to Harlem in 1974, playing local clubs and house parties. He took a day job while continuing to play at night. But it was in New York that his break finally came. He was “discovered” by a pair of producers who took him into the studio, focusing on Johnny’s blues talents and teaming him with a horn section that included a number of famous jazz players. The album, entitled “Copeland Special,” released on Rounder, introduced Johnny to the white blues audience and created a small sensation in the blues world. He hit the road, playing blues and rock clubs nationally and across Europe. Johnny brought endless energy to his live shows, and proved to be a charismatic front man as well as an excellent songwriter.
Copeland recorded seven albums for Rounder Records, beginning in 1981, including “Texas Twister,” and one recorded during a tour of Africa, “Bringin' It All Back Home.” His appearance on Alligator’s “Showdown!” album, the classic recording that he made with his friends Albert Collins and Robert Cray, won Johnny a Grammy. His later albums on Polygram/Verve/Gitanes Blues continued his series of quality recordings.
Johnny was diagnosed with heart disease in 1994. A series of surgeries slowed his touring down considerably. In 1997, he was fitted with an experimental heart pump and was able to resume touring. He brought his teenage daughter Shemekia on the road with him to open his shows; it was the beginning of her climb to blues stardom.
After surviving much longer than predicted with the experimental pump, Johnny received his long-awaited heart transplant. However, the transplant was not a success, and Johnny died on July 3, 1997. He left behind a proud legacy of some of the hardest-edged Texas blues recorded in the ‘80s and ‘90s, hundreds of high-energy live shows and, with his daughter Shemekia, a musical force carrying on into the future.

I Can Tell

Old Man Blues

Contemporary Blues: Larry McCray

Was -- oder eher wen -- man nicht alles so auf den Musikblogs findet. Larry McCray ist eine solcher Entdeckungen. Sein Name fiel mir natuerlich auf, weil er mich an Robert Cray erinnerte. McCrays Stil ist aber ein bisschen rockiger als der von Robert Cray. Seine Version von Santanas Black Magic Woman gefaellt mir besonders gut.

Black Magic Woman

Soulshine ist ein schoener emotionaler Titel, der sehr gut zu Larrys vollem Bariton und kreischender Gitarre passt. Bei diesem Stueck war's Liebe auf den ersten Blick fuer mich ... So um 6:50 herum, war ich total hingerissen. Larry McCray gehoert ab sofort zu meinen Lieblingsgitarristen.


Als Zugabe gibt's noch eine live Aufnahme von Larry: Run


Larry McCray wurde am 5. April 1960 in Magnolia, AR geboren. Nach der high school arbeitete er fuer General Motors am Fliessband. In seiner Freizeit nahm er sein erstes Album, Ambition auf (1991). Seine Einfuehrung in die Bluesmusik erhielt Larry von seiner Schwester Clara. Clara hatte ihre eigene Bluesband, The Rockets, mit der sie innerhalb Arkansas tourte. Sie war es auch, die Larry auf die Three Kings (B. B., Freddie und Albert) sowie Albert Collins und Magic Sam einschwor. Larrys Stil vereinigt die verschiedenen Elemente dieser Kuenstler zu einem gelungenen Mix aus Blues und Rock. Dazugefuegt hat er ausserdem noch eine gute Portion Jimi Hendrix licks.
Mit seinen Bruedern Carl (bass) and Steve (drums) begann er schliesslich in oertlichen Clubs aufzutreten.
Larry McCray ist ausserdem der erste Kuenstler, den die Blues Abteilung von Virgin Records unter Vertrag nahm.

Seine Alben: Ambition( 1990), Delta Hurricane (1993), Meet Me at the Lake (1996), Born To Play The Blues (1998), Believe It (2001).

Stevie Ray Vaughn: "Texas Flood", "The Sky is Crying" feat. Albert King and B. B. King, "Voodoo Child"

2003 vergab das Rolling Stone Magazin Platz 7 der 100 besten Gitarristen an Stevie Ray Vaughn. Verdientermassen, wie man hoert. Gitarre lernte er von seinem aelteren Bruder Jimmy.
Stevie starb 1990, 35-jaehrig, bei einem Flugzeugabsturz.

Texas Flood (live)



Drei Bluesgroessen auf einer Buehne! Einfach toll. Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert King, B. B. King The Sky is Crying   (Die Mundharmonika wird von Paul Butterfly gespielt)


Voodoo Child  Wow! Wow! Hier geht die Post ab. Electric Blues vom Feinsten. Die Aufnahme von Jimi Hendrix hat mich von jeher fasziniert. Seit ich die Version von Stevie kenne, hat good ol' Jimi jedoch einen Konkurrenten bekommen.

Voodoo Child (live) Album: Soul To Soul

The Sky is Crying (mp3)  Album: The Sky Is Crying

Hound Dog Taylor:"She's Gone" und "Walking The Ceiling", "Wild About You Baby"

Ein Weltklasse Gitarrist.



Wild About You Baby (live)


Weil's einfach zu gut ist, um aufzuhoeren, gibt's noch einen Extratitel: Taylor's Rock

Variationen im Electric Blues: Buddy Guy und Robert Cray Band

Wie schon gesagt habe ich einen Hang zur elektrischen Gitarre, und deshalb gibt's jetzt einen Doppeldecker davon.
Zwischen Buddy Guy's Sweet Home Chicago und Robert Cray's Don't Be Afraid of the Dark liegen Welten. Der eine mag's rough und rockig, der andere eher soft und bluesig.

Buddy Guy, Sweet Home Chicago


Robert Cray Band, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Bonnie Raitt und John Lee Hooker: I'm In The Mood For Love

Zwei, die zusammenpassen: Das sind Bonnie Raitt und John Lee Hooker.
Hier der Beweis: I'm In The Mood For Love. Bonnie ist nicht von der zimperlichen Sorte und redet freizuegig ueber die erotisierende Wirkung des Stueckes ...  Eins ist aber klar, die Lady kann mehr als nur reden. Das Publikum  weiss das zu schaetzen, wie man hoert.