Month: February 2025

Roadhouse Album Review: Jimmy Vivino’s many talents shine in musical pleasures of “Gonna Be 2 of Those Days”

Jim WhiteLeave a comment

Jimmy Vivino — “Gonna Be 2 of Those Days — Gulf Coast Records

Multi-talented Jimmy Vivino is probably best known for his 30-year gig with The Basic Cable Band, as Conan O’Brien’s longtime musical director.

And he’s held down a few other jobs, too. He’s a member of the Beatles tribute group The Fab Faux and plays in the current lineup of Canned Heat. He’s in demand as a multi-faceted sideman. As Vivino puts it: “I’ve worked in every form of media in the business from movies and TV to Broadway, radio, recordings and concerts all the way down to funky little clubs. After all, I always say, ‘I’m just a bluesman with a job’.”

With that sterling resume in his pocket, he’s still only recorded a pair of albums on his own, the most recent being 2013’s live session with his band: “Jimmy Vivino and the Black Italians – 13 Live.”

Vivino’s latest, at age 70, the blues-hued “Gonna Be 2 of Those Days,” almost makes up for that lack of recording. It’s a gem of an album, filled with sturdy originals, sly lyrics and great blues licks. Plus Vivino’s vintage vocals.

The caustic opener, “Blues in the 21st,” finds Vivino paired with Joe Bonamassa in a fiery guitar-laden track bursting with powerful riffs and lyrical images of desperation in the 21st century. “Ruby Is Back,” is a little wordplay Kenny Rogers’ “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town,” with Vivino rolling out heavy B3 lines.

The title track is a whimsical exploration of some bad luck and trouble themes with a nice guitar break, then some tasty piano, and Vivino shouting the blues. “Beware the Wolf” features John Sebastian on a lively barrelhouse piano-forward shuffle, then “Ain’t Nuthin’s Gonna Be Alright” is another sturdy blues.

The mid-tempo “Better Days Past” gets it blues power from Healy’s piano, some tough guitar, Vivino’s crisp vocals, and sharp lyrics. “Fool’s Gold” is a slow blues scorcher with Vivino on a soulful B3. “Crossed My Mind” is a loping blues shuffle, leading into New Orleans-flavored “Goin’ Down Fast.” “Shady Side of the Street” eases along with a vocal flourish before John Sebastian’s lyrical harp work leads the acoustic closer, “Back Up the Country,” with a sly wink and a nod to Canned Heat’s classic “Goin’ Up the Country.”

“Gonna Be 2 of Those Days” is a smartly written, musically astute session, with Vivino’s vintage vocal style adding perfect notes of bluesy wit and wisdom. Give this one a spin.

Here’s a live version of “Blues in the 21st”

Tracklist:
1. Blues In The 21st (featuring Joe Bonamassa
2. Ruby Is Back
3. Gonna Be 2 of Those Days
4. Beware the Wolf (featuring John Sebastian)
5. Ain’t Nuthin’s Gonna Be Alright
6. Better Days Past
7. Fool’s Gold
8. Crossed My Mind
9. Goin’ Down Fast
10. Shady Side of the Street
11. Back Up the Country (featuring John Sebastian)
Musicians:
Jimmy Vivino: Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Hammond B3, Piano, Vocals
Jesse Williams: Upright and Electric Bass
Rich Pagano: Drums and Percussion
With:
Joe Bonamassa: Guitar (“Blues in the 21st”)
John Sebastian: Harmonica and Acoustic Guitar (“Beware the Wolf,” “Back Up the Country”)
Mark Teixeira: Percussion
Scott Healy: Accordion, Piano (Gonna Be 2 of Those Days, Beware the Wolf, Better Days Past)
Mark Teixeira: Percussion

Roadhouse Album Review: “Bluesland Theme Park” is a musical thrill ride from HeavyDrunk and Watermelon Slim

Jim WhiteLeave a comment

HeavyDrunk and Watermelon Slim — “Bluesland Theme Park” — HeavyDrunk Records

“Bluesland Theme Park” is an exotic blues album filled with music that reflects two different amusement park thrill rides: The roller coaster exhilaration of the band HeavyDrunk and the primal scream of Watermelon Slim’s wicked slide guitar.

Watermelon Slim is William P. Homans III, a multi-award-winning singer/songwriter whose raw intensity pours out through his razor-sharp slide, soulful harp and passionate vocals, and whose nickname comes from his work on a watermelon farm many years ago. HeavyDrunk is Rob Robinson’s gritty vocals leading a superb nine-piece band that effortlessly blends blues, soul and musical creativity. The band’s name is credited to the legendary Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, speaking about a musician who wanted to sit in on a song with Brown: “Man, he’s a no-playin’ so-and-so … and a heavy drunk!”

Slim has released 14 albums; Robinson 11, and this is Rob’s fourth with HeavyDrunk. They joined forces for this session of original songs after Robinson and Slim first met in Clarksdale, Miss. “Once I heard Slim play ‘Little Bighorn’ I was blown away,” Robinson says.

The raucous, horn-filled title track opens with an invitation to join the fun at Robinson’s original “Bluesland Theme Park,” looking through the glass darkly at what’s to come and what you never know you’ll find in this musical carnival: “Sneak down the alley with junky in the dark / at the bluesland theme park.”

“New Wine” adds a chorus behind a funky beat with lyrics that make a spiritual point: “In the winners circle, pointing up to god / on the mountain top, pointing up to heaven / must be something to it, pointing up to god.” Slim’s “Little Bighorn” features his slide and laconic vocals on a philosophical lament: “Well I’ve had some bottles / And I’ve had some women / But the bottles get empty / And the women drift away.” A handclapping chorus welcomes the gospel enthusiasm of “Church Bells (Little Zion)” by Robinson and Eddie Wilson: “Church bells ringing in the delta / Guiding lost souls through the night.”

The lilting melody of “Watermelon Girl” (no relation to Slim!), by Robinson and Tony Joe White, offers a fruitful observation: “Watermelon girls make the world go round.” Slim slides in again with his observations about life on the road in “Road Food & Cheap Motels” “I know them beds and I know them smells / Rolling down this highway while my song still sells.” The delicate balladry of “You Make Me Want To” offers a gentle take on unfulfilled desires: ‘You make me want to up and run astray / And leave the only one that was ever truly mine.”

The foreboding rhythms of “4 Better Worser 2” surround cryptic observations: “Voodoo woman and the preacher looked in his bible / “Shook their heads, looked down at me and you / “washed their hands in holy water / 4 better worser 2.” Slim reprises “Little Bighorn” with just his starkly eloquent acoustic guitar, then leads a chant-like “Australia” that is almost a capella, except for his mournful harp interlude, in an ode to the perils of the outback: “Now underneath the southern cross / Every man is his own boss / But you better take some water on the outback / Cause if you drink alkali know your gonna die….”

The closer, “Fresh,” with its chunky rhythms and backup singers, is a good old-fashioned R&B dance number with Motown overtones and a joyous message: “Hold steady baby, I’m focused and ready / Gonna lift you up and celebrate you.”

“Bluesland Theme Park” combines the inventive music of Rob Robinson and Watermelon Slim for a trip through a portal into another musical dimension, filled with imaginative lyrical adventures spun on ethereal slide guitar moans and floating on brassy big-band carousels. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Here’s the album title track

Tracklist:
01. Bluesland Theme Park – Rob Robinson 2:15
02. New Wine – Rob Robinson 2.54
03. Little Bighorn (feat. Watermelon Slim) – William B. Homans 3.26
04. Church Bells (Little Zion) – Rob Robinson & Eddie Wilson 3.58
05. Watermelon Girl – Rob Robinson & Tony Joe White 3.06
06. Road Food & Cheap Motels (feat. Watermelon Slim) – William B. Homans 2.48
07. You Make Me Want To – Rob Robinson 4.07
08. Better Worser Too – Rob Robinson 3.37
09. Little Bighorn Acoustic (feat. Watermelon Slim) – William B. Homans 3.29
10. Australia (feat. Watermelon Slim) – William B. Homans 2.57
11. Fresh – Rob Robinson 2.18

Roadhouse Album Review: “Sun Come And Shine Redux” is filled with the expressive musical creations of Jennifer Porter

Jim WhiteLeave a comment

Jennifer Porter — “Sun Come And Shine Redux” — Overton Music

The luminous voice of songstress Jennifer Porter shapes the elegant tapestry of her lyrics into a musical style that blends its worldliness into other-worldly dimensions. Her seductive vocals breathe intimate stories of love and loss against a backdrop of sublime instrumentation.

All of this imaginative and original magical music comes together again on “Sun Come and Shine Redux,” the remixed and remastered reprise of Porter’s impeccable 2021 release, “Sun Come and Shine.” The title song was then honored with the We Are The Music Makers award for Best Roots/Americana/Blues song.

The title song itself, “Sun Come and Shine,” which opens the album, features multi-instrumentalist Porter on the Hammond B-3, and a delicate harp and piano intro leading into the mystic of its lyrics: “Sun come and shine in my door / Let your light creep gently cross the floor / ‘Til my thoughts don’t scare me no more.” On Show Me Your Love,” Porter provides her own backing vocals as well as B3 and Fender Rhodes work, highlighting ethereal vocals in a tender love song: “In the tone of your voice and the words that you choose / In the moves and the grooves that you use / Won’t you show me your love.”

A lilting melody envelops the dreamy optimism of “When Its All Been Said And Done: “Let’s roll the rug back and we’ll have a dance / I’ll bring you violets and we’ll take a chance.” A gorgeous burst of horns slips into “Satin Shoes,” with its esoteric imagery: “We’ll feel sad when we sit very still / To ask for joy and pray for time / We can’t recall we ever knew / How desperately we need a happy ending.” The sultry-voiced, upbeat “Stop Your Talkin’” is an earthy warning framed in jazzy horns: “You better stop your talkin’ talkin’ / Or I’ll be going, going, gone.”

The bluesy “In and Out With You” is a rhythmic adventure of love featuring a razor-sharp guitar solo by George Naha punctuating delightful lyrics with and a joyous shout at the finish: “Cross the ocean dark on this night-light flight / Holding hands while cycling in the rain / Sleeping by your side on this midnight train.” Porter’s airy touch on the B3 encircling a sensuous sax leads into the lovely refrain of a “Bitter New York Night” warmed by luscious vocals: “And when we’re old and dance real slow / I will dream…”

The rousing accordion of C.J. Chenier and a taste of Porter’s honky-tonk piano introduce the New Orleans rhythms of “You’re So Easy To Be With” and its colorful vibrations: “You’re so easy to get lost in / I forget to find my way.” The only non-Porter song, “Something On Your Mind,” is a poignant ballad by Dino Valenti: “I have seen the writing on the wall / Who cannot maintain will always fall.” The haunting strains of Cindy Cashdollar’s pedal steel warm the finale, “I’ll Be Here,” with its gentle promise of everlasting love: “I’ll take your hand and I’ll walk without shame / For as you go, so will I / ‘Til the day that I die.”

“Sun Come and Shine Redux” is layered with the sophistication of Jennifer Porter’s smart, sensitive lyrics and the eloquence of her unique voice. It’s filled with expressive musical creations torn from Porter’s personal vision for you to experience with her. Let her explore your mind.

Here’s the title song, “Sun Come And Shine”

Roadhouse Album Review: “Closer to the Bone” is Tommy Castro at his “real blues” best

Jim WhiteLeave a comment

Tommy Castro — Closer to the Bone” — Alligator Records

Tommy Castro has been around the blues block a few times.

He’s been making his high energy brand of blues for four decades, covering 17 albums (including this one), thousands of gigs, and he’s won ten Blues Music awards, including the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award in 2023. And he and his band, the Painkillers, pretty much serve as the house band on the semi-annual Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.

The Painkillers are at full strength for this new, closer-to-the-blues-bone release, including guitarist Castro on vocals and resonator guitar, Mike Emerson on keyboards, Randy McDonald on bass and vocals, with Bowen Brown on drums. A few high-powered guests include Chris Cain on guitar, Rick Estrin and Billy Branch on harp, Deanna Bogart on sax and vocals, Jim Pugh on keyboards, and the criminally talented Christoffer “Kid” Andersen, on bass, piano, rhythm guitar, organ and upright bass as well as producer at his Greaseland Studios.

“This is a real blues record, the way they would have made them back in the day,” Castro says. Almost all the tracks were recorded live in the studio, filled with spontaneous performances that evoke a personal, down-home, juke-joint vibe.

Castro uses the session to pay tribute to some of his influences, including songs by contemporary California blues guitar greats like Johnny Nitro, Ron Thompson and Chris Cain. And he dips back into blues past for songs from Magic Slim, Eddie Taylor, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Jimmy Nolen and Wynonie Harris. It’s an impressive list.

The rollicking original opener, “Can’t Catch a Break,” is a traditionally themed blues shuffle with Castro full-throatedly bemoaning how “bad luck and trouble is the story of my life,” with a stinging guitar solo and fadeout. Nolan’s 1956 rocking blues “The Way You Do” follows with Estrin on harp, and Nitro’s loping blues, “One More Night” is next — Nitro was another California musician from ’70s and ’80s, who, like Castro and McDonald, was a member of The Dynatones.

The original “Crazy Woman Blues” is a slow-burning, churning urn of burning blues, with Castro’s pleading vocals about being “a fool for misery” are tangled up in fierce fretwork. A cover of Rick Cain’s “Woke Up and Smelled the Coffee” struts in with another crisp guitar solo (they’re becoming a feature throughout as Castro shines on every take). A sly cover of Gary Michael Duke and Joe New’s lively “Keep Your Dog Inside” features Deanna Bogart sharing the vocals. Emerson adds tasty barrelhouse piano.

Watson’s “She Moves Me” is the next cover, an upbeat R&B-flavored track with Bogart on tenor sax. The original “Ain’t Worth the Heartache” features Branch swinging hard on harp, leading into the sensuous strains of Ray Charles early hit, “A Fool for You,” with another scorching guitar solo. Castro’s steamy slide and tough vocals drive Thompson’s “Freight Train (Let Me Ride).”

Painkiller bass player McDonald rocks hard on his own composition, “Everywhere I Go,” followed by the classic, “Bloodshot Eyes,” a country song probably best known for the Wynonie Harris jump blues version. Estrin adds his harp to Taylor’s shuffling “Stroll Out West.” Everything wraps up with Jim Pugh’s organ licks kicking Hole in the Wall,” recorded by Magic Slim, and ridden hard by Castro’s vocals. It’s tough, swelling rhythms punctuate the climax to this terrific blues album.

“Closer to the Bone” is filled with Castro’s authentic vocals and steamy guitar licks. His backers are razor sharp and the arrangements are first class. It’s music blues that is exactly what it says it is — closer to the bone, but still meaty enough to satisfy the blusiest appetite. Don’t wait till the next blues ship gets into port — enjoy it now.

Here’s “Can’t Catch a Break” from the album:

Tracklist:
1. Can’t Catch A Break
2. One More Night
3. The Way You Do
4. Woke Up And Smelled The Coffee
5. Crazy Woman Blues
6. She Moves Me
7. Keep Your Dog Inside
8. A Fool For You
9. Ain’t Worth The Heartache
10. Bloodshot Eyes
11. Everywhere I Go
12. Freight Train (Let Me Ride)
13. Hole In The Wall
14. Stroll Out West

Roadhouse Blues News: Here’s the 2025 group of inductees into the Blues Hall of Fame

Jim WhiteLeave a comment

The Blues Foundation has announced its inductees for the 2025 class of the Blues Hall of Fame.

Bob Stroger

Since 1980, The Blues Foundation has inducted new members annually into its Blues Hall of Fame, based on their historical contribution, impact, and overall influence on the blues, or, as the Foundation states: “Those who have made the blues timeless.”

Members are inducted in five categories: Performers, Individuals, Classic of Blues Literature, Classic of Blues Recording (Song), and Classic of Blues Recording (Album). Since its founding, the Foundation has inducted over four hundred industry professionals, recordings, and literature into the Blues Hall of Fame. The Foundation has inducted over 400 industry professionals, recordings, and literature into the Hall of Fame.

The Blues Hall Of Fame Class Of 2025 inductees include Bob Stroger, William Bell, Blind Willie Johnson, Henry Townsend, and Jessie Mae Hemphill.

Entering the Hall for Classic of Blues Recording – Album is Lightnin’ Hopkins, for the Gold Star Sessions. Classic of Blues Recording – Singles recipients include Irma Thomas, Sylvester Weaver, Bessie Smith, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and B.B. King. For Classic of Blues Literature its Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues. Individuals – Business/Production/Media/Academic honors go to Bob Geddins.

The Blues Foundation honors The Blues Hall Of Fame Class Of 2025 (45th class) with an Induction Ceremony taking place May 7, 2025, at the Cannon Center For The Performing Arts, Memphis, the night before the annual Blues Music Awards.

This year the inductees include:

Landmark recordings by: 
Lightnin’ Hopkins, Irma Thomas, Sylvester Weaver, Bessie Smith, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and B.B. King
Individuals – Business, Production, Media, Academic:
Bob Geddins
Classic of Blues Literature:
Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues by Beth and Paul Garon (1992)
Classic of Blues Literature:
Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues by Beth and Paul Garon (1992)
Classic of Blues Recording – Album:
Lightnin’ Hopkins: Gold Star Sessions (Arhoolie CDs, 1990-91, originally released on Arhoolie LPs as Early Recordings, 1963, and Early Recordings Vol 2, 1971)
Classics of Blues Recording – Single or Album Track
Bessie Smith: “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” (Columbia, 1923)
Sylvester Weaver: “Guitar Rag” (OKeh, 1923)
Irma Thomas: “Don’t Mess With My Man” (Ron, 1959)
B.B. King: “Why I Sing The Blues” (ABC BluesWay, 1969)
Blind Lemon Jefferson: “See That My Grave’s Kept Clean” (Paramount, 1927)

More Information:

Bob Geddins:
Robert Lee Geddins was born on February 6, 1913, in Highbank, Texas, near Marlin (the onetime home of fellow 2025 Blues Hall of Fame inductee Blind Willie Johnson). He had heard the blues on records and at Saturday night suppers before he hopped a westbound train in the 1930s. He saw an opportunity to market music in the Bay Area after starting out in Los Angeles, where he worked at a drug store and for the city’s streets department before opening a record store.  

Bob Geddins produced a treasure trove of records that defined the down-home blues and gospel sounds of the San Francisco/Oakland area in the post-World War II years. While West Coast blues is often associated with smoother, polished urban styles, Geddins’ most memorable records often were raw excursions into desolation and gloom — “Tin Pan Alley” by Roy Hawkins being a prime example. His productions reflected the influences and tastes of many Black workers and musicians who migrated to the Bay Area for jobs during and after the war from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

Most of Lowell Fulson’s early records were cut for Geddins, who also recorded Jimmy McCracklin, Roy Hawkins, K.C. Douglas, Johnny Fuller, L.C. “Good Rockin’” Robinson, Mercy Dee Walton, Juke Boy Bonner, Saunders King, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Big Mama Thornton, and many gospel groups. The records often spotlighted the guitar exploits of Lafayette Thomas, Ulysses James, or Johnny Heartsman.


Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues by Beth and Paul Garon (1992)
Paul and Beth Garon saluted Memphis Minnie’s iconic status as a premier blues artist and symbolic feminist figure in the initial publication of “Woman With Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues” in 1992 by Da Capo Press. A revised edition from City Lights Books in 2014 added considerably to the chapters on her life and career that begin the book, with a foreword by Jim O’Neal and more detailed appendices and documentation based largely on various contributors’ online research into sources not available in 1992.

The biographical section brought research up to date on Lizzie Douglas, whose nom du disque became Memphis Minnie when she began recording in 1929. Often teamed with her first husband, Kansas Joe McCoy, or her second, Ernest “Little Son Joe” Lawlars, in Memphis and Chicago, she became one of the most prolific and accomplished blues artists of the 1930s and ‘40s. Famed both for her skills on guitar and her song lyrics, she was a tough, pugnacious, and independent force who held her own in the very male-dominated blues world of her time.

Lightnin’ Hopkins: Gold Star Sessions (Arhoolie CDs, 1990-91, originally released on Arhoolie LPs as Early Recordings, 1963, and Early Recordings Vol 2, 1971)
Lightnin’ Hopkins was recording at a furious pace for various companies in the early 1960s, utilizing his uncanny ability to improvise new songs and adapt old ones on the spot. He had no bigger fan than Chris Strachwitz, owner of Arhoolie Records, who joined the fray, not only recording Hopkins anew but reissuing classic sides recorded for Bill Quinn’s Gold Star label in Houston from 1947 to 1950.

Most of the sides, featuring Hopkins alone on guitar, were first issued on Gold Star 78s but several tracks on the 1963 “Early Recordings” LP and the second 1971 volume had never been released before. Hopkins also took a seat at the organ in one session. Each volume contained 16 tracks, expanded to 24 when later issued on CD (now available from Smithsonian Folkways). Strachwitz’s liner notes illuminated Hopkins’ music and his ways, which included going to Quinn’s studio to cut a few sides when he needed cash.
Bessie Smith: “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” (Columbia, 1923)
Blues empress Bessie Smith delivered one of her finest, most expressive performances on “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” a classic hard times blues recorded for Columbia in New York on May 15, 1929. Smith evocatively hummed some of the lines with a band including cornetist Ed Allen and pianist Clarence Williams. The song had been recorded earlier by Pine Top Smith and Bobby Leecan, but it was Smith’s rendition that became an influential classic.

Sylvester Weaver: “Guitar Rag” (OKeh, 1923)
Sylvester Weaver was the Louisville musician who introduced the guitar to blues recording in 1923, first accompanying singer Sara Martin and then on his own solo sides, promoted with a flurry of fanfare about his innovative technique from OKeh Records. He recorded “Guitar Rag” at his first session on November 2, 1923, and again on April 1, 1927, for OKeh in Chicago. Martin received a co-writer credit.
The smooth bottleneck/slide number has lived on as a Western swing and country music standard, “Steel Guitar Rag,” after Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys recorded it in 1936 with Leon McAuliffe on steel guitar.

Irma Thomas: “Don’t Mess With My Man” (Ron, 1959)
“Don’t Mess With My Man,” Irma Thomas’ first record, hit the “Billboard” R&B charts in 1960 and not only established her but also provided plenty of women singers with a song to spice up their repertoire in the years to come. Recorded in 1959 for Joe Ruffino and Ron Records in New Orleans, the song was written by Dorothy LaBostrie, who wrote “Tutti Frutti” for Little Richard. Crescent City stalwarts Justin Adams, Robert Parker, and Eddie Bo played in the session.  The song has been recorded also known by its opening line, “You Can Have My Husband.”

B.B. King: “Why I Sing The Blues” (ABC BluesWay, 1969)
Under the production of Bill Szymczyk, B.B. King updated his blues in both style and subject matter on his March 5, 1969, rendering of “Why I Sing the Blues.”  In the pulsating performance, propelled by Gerry Jemmott’s bass, King traced the blues and African-American life back to slave ships and up through ghetto conditions and welfare. Dave Clark, better known for his promotional work with Malaco and other labels but a veteran journalist and songwriter as well, contributed to the opus as co-writer. The New York session band consisted of Jemmott, Paul Harris (piano), Hugh McCracken (rhythm guitar), and Herbie Lovelle (drums). King had recorded an unreleased version in Chicago in 1968 and did a different song with the same title in Los Angeles in 1956. His ABC BluesWay single spent 14 weeks on the “Billboard” R&B charts (15 on “Cash Box”) and generated some crossover pop action as well. The version of King’s “Live & Well” was five minutes longer than the three-and-a-half-minute 45 and featured additional verses and guitar solos by an inspired king of the blues.

Blind Lemon Jefferson: “See That My Grave’s Kept Clean” (Paramount, 1927)
Blind Lemon Jefferson recorded  “See That My Grave’s Kept Clean” for Paramount in Chicago in 1928, following up an earlier version that was issued under a religious pseudonym, Deacon L.J. Bates, 1927 “See That My Grave’s Kept Clean.” His moving performances affected both the secular and the sacred worlds for generations to come. Adding to the lyrical imagery of two white horses, a silver spade, and a golden chain, on one take the Texas blues master plucked a guitar string in imitation of a church bell.

Sometimes titled “One Kind Favor,” the song drew from an old folk spiritual and has been recorded by Bob Dylan, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Furry Lewis, Hank Williams Jr., B.B. King, the Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, Mavis Staples (who won a GRAMMY for her rendition), and many more.

In keeping with the favor Jefferson asked in the song, his grave is kept clean in Wortham, Texas. The first verse is engraved on his headstone and the graveyard is now known as Blind Lemon Memorial Cemetery. B.B. King felt so connected to the song that, per his wishes, his casket was drawn by two white horses.
 

Roadhouse Ramblings: Tampa Red deserves your consideration as one of America’s great blues artists

Jim WhiteLeave a comment

Let’s talk about Tampa Red.

This prolific, innovative and influential bluesman had a career that began as a Chicago street musician around 1925 and lasted more than three decades.

Because he was so innovative and influential, Tampa Red deserves much more general recognition than he usually gets, even though his name might not be a household word, like some of his contemporaries.

Although Red is commonly referred to as Hudson Whittaker, he was born Hudson Woodbridge in Smithville, Ga., sometime between 1900 and 1908, according to his own conflicting claims, although the date of birth on his death certificate is Jan. 8, 1904. His parents, John and Elizabeth Woodbridge, died when he was a child, and he moved to Tampa, Fla., to be raised by his aunt and grandmother and where he adopted their family name, Whittaker. By the time he moved to Chicago, Tampa had become part of his name, as had Red, usually attributed to his light skin color.

And so, Tampa Red was born.

He is said to have taken after his older brother, Eddie, who played the guitar around the Tampa area, and he was especially taken with an old street musician called Piccolo Pete, who first taught him to play blues licks on the guitar. Red also picked up on early recordings of female blues singers. He told interviewer Martin Williams “That [1920] record of “Crazy Blues” by Mamie Smith, it was one of the first blues records ever made. I said to myself, ‘I don’t know any music, but I can play that’.”[

And play he did.

In 1928, Red became the first black musician to play a National steel-bodied resonator guitar, the loudest and showiest guitar available before amplification, acquiring one in the first year in which they were available. This allowed him to develop his proficiency on bottleneck style, playing single-string runs instead of block chords, the forerunner of later blues and rock guitar solo work.

While in Chicago, he met Thomas A. Dorsey, also known as Georgia Tom, who was an accomplished pianist, composer and arranger who got Red his first Paramount Records session in 1928. Dorsey recorded with Red for a few years, performing rollicking little tunes known as hokum music, sometimes called the dirty blues, which favored humorous and risqué tunes like “It’s Tight Like That,” recorded in 1928. Dorsey left secular music for the church in 1932 to become a legendary gospel composer and often was called the father of modern gospel music. But that’s another story.

Red soon became known as the “guitar wizard” — the title of a later package of recordings on the Bluebird label. Bluebird was a subsidiary of RCA Victor, known for its blues, jazz and swing in the 1930s and 1940s. Red formed the Chicago Five, a group of session musicians who created what became known as the Bluebird sound, a precursor of small-group jump blues, R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. But that’s also another story.

Red was a friend of many of his contemporaries, including Big Bill Broonzy and Big Maceo Merriweather, with whom he also recorded. His Chicago home was a center for the blues community, providing rehearsal space, bookings, and lodgings for musicians who arrived in Chicago from the Mississippi Delta.

By the 1940s, Red was playing an electric guitar. In 1942, his “Let Me Play with Your Poodle”, was a number 4 hit on Billboard’s new “Harlem Hit Parade”, a forerunner of the R&B chart. His 1949 recording “When Things Go Wrong with You (It Hurts Me Too)” which was really early R&B, was covered by Elmore James, among others.

Red was one of the most prolific blues recording artists of his era. It has been estimated that he recorded 335 songs, with 251 recorded between 1928 and 1942, making him the blues artist with the most recordings during that period. He had four singles that placed in the R&B top ten between 1942 and 1951. Among his best-known recordings are “Anna Lou Blues”, “Black Angel Blues”, “Crying Won’t Help You”, “It Hurts Me Too”, and “Love Her with a Feeling”.

Tampa Red’s influence extended beyond his lifetime. His innovative guitar playing and pioneering use of the electric guitar laid the groundwork for later blues artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Jimmy Reed. As one of the first blues musicians to incorporate jazz elements into his work, he also had a lasting impact on the crossover between blues and jazz, influencing musicians in both genres. In 1959, Tampa Red was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. If you listen to some of his later recordings, you can hear the beginnings of what would much later be called rock ‘n’ roll. For example, listen to the pounding rhythms of “Evalina,” with Big Walter Horton (see sample below).

Like many early bluesmen, Red’s later life was filled with loss and pain. His wife, Frances died in 1953, and the loss began his decline into alcoholism. When Jim O’Neal, co-founded of Living Blues Magazine, discovered him living in Chicago in 1974, Red was reportedly in a much worse shape than in his earlier years. By January 1975, he was at a state hospital in Chicago. Red lived out his final years in Central Nursing Home, where he died from a heart attack on March 19, 1981. Red was 77.

The next time you think of great early blues artists, remember Hudson “Tampa Red” Whittaker. His legacy deserves much wider appreciation.

Note: I’ve culled most of this post from a variety of what I believe are reliable internet sources, adding my own thoughts.

Here’s a very small selection of Tampa Red’s music. You can find much more on YouTube and streaming services. It’ll be worth your time.

Roadhouse Blues News: The 2025 Grammy winners in blues categories

Jim WhiteLeave a comment

Here are the 2025 Grammy nominees and winners in the two major blues categories, plus a pair of roots music awards that also consider blues recordings. The category definitions are taken from the Grammy descriptions. If you’re interested in all the Grammys, you can find them here.

Best Traditional Blues Album — For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental traditional blues recordings.

WINNER — Swingin’ Live at The Church in Tulsa — The Taj Mahal Sextet
Hill Country Love — Cedric Burnside
Struck Down — The Fabulous Thunderbirds
One Guitar Woman — Sue Foley
Sam’s Place — Little Feat

Best Contemporary Blues Album — For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental contemporary blues recordings.

 WINNER — Mileage — Ruthie Foster
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 — Joe Bonamassa
Blame It On Eve — Shemekia Copeland
Friendlytown — Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
The Fury — Antonio Vergara

Best American Roots Performance — For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots.

WINNER — “Lighthouse” — Sierra Ferrell  
“Blame It On Eve” — Shemekia Copeland
“Nothing In Rambling” — The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood
“The Ballad Of Sally Anne” — Rhiannon Giddens

Best American Roots Song — Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names in parentheses.) Singles or tracks only.

WINNER” — American Dreaming” — Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker, songwriters (Sierra Ferrell) 
“Ahead Of The Game” — Mark Knopfler, songwriter (Mark Knopfler)
“All In Good Time” — Sam Beam, songwriter (Iron & Wine Featuring Fiona Apple)
“All My Friends” — Aoife O’Donovan, songwriter (Aoife O’Donovan)
“Blame It On Eve” — John Hahn & Will Kimbrough, songwriters (Shemekia Copeland)