Jimmy Reed — “Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall” — Vee Jay Records/Craft Recordings

Jimmy Reed — born Mathis James Reed on Sept. 6, 1925, in
Dunleith, Miss. — has always been one of my favorite blues artists.

If the foggy mist of my memory is correct, I was first entranced by Reed’s distinctive vocals and the easy rhythms of his guitar on the radio — from the Bossman, the Daddio of the Raddio, DJ Porky Chedwick, back in 1950s Pittsburgh.

Fast forward to the mid-1960s, when I briefly shared an apartment with fellow aspiring newspaper reporter Don Wilder, who impressed me with two things:

• He had just returned from the Peace Corps somewhere in Asia — Katmandu, I think — and slept with a long-barreled revolver under his pillow.

• He could play Jimmy Reed songs on his guitar and one of his few possessions (besides the revolver) was a Jimmy Reed album. I don’t remember which one.

I borrowed the album, and I’m almost sorry to say, never returned it.

This is all a roundabout way of saying that this fine new remastered vinyl album, “Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall,” has been released by Craft Recordings and its Bluesville label, capturing the essence of Reed’s music that was both accessible and classic in its simplicity.

Spoiler Alert: Although Reed performed at Carnegie Hall on May 13, 1961, sharing the “Blues at Carnegie” bill with Muddy Waters, Big Maybelle, Jimmy Witherspoon and Oscar Brown Jr., the resulting album was not a live recording of that performance. According to the original Vee-Jay liner notes, contractual and technical difficulties prevented the label from recording Reed’s appearance. Vee-Jay subsequently recreated the material in studio sessions, and “Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall” arrived later in 1961 as a double LP. This pristine version is not a reissue of the complete original two-record set. Bluesville is reproducing the first LP only, containing the 11 tracks associated with Reed’s Carnegie Hall program.

So, this remastered version includes some studio recreations of the Carnegie Hall performance, along with additional recordings. That’s fine. It’s an excellent tribute to this prolific and influential bluesman, whose music stirred and was covered by artists including Hank Williams Jr., Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and the Rolling Stones. Elvis performed an upbeat version of “Baby What You Want Me To Do” as part of the blues-filled opening segment of his 1968 Comeback Special. And Etta James made a spine-chilling version of the same song part of her live shows. Dylan wrote “Goodbye Jimmy Reed” for his 2020 “Rough and Rowdy Ways” album, an obscure but meaningful tribute (videos below).

Reed’s music was deceptively simple. His churning guitar and high-pitched harp work created a swampy vehicle for his easy-riding vocals. Their power was in that effortless simplicity. He wasn’t a guitar wizard or a blues shouter. The music was — and is — just the pure deep groove of down-home blues.

The songs here are some that Reed made popular between 1956 & 1961, opening with “Bright Lights, Big City,” his most successful recordings on the R&B charts. Others are “I’m Mr. Luck,” “Baby What’s Wrong,” “Found Joy,” “Kind of Lonesome,” “Aw Shucks Hush Your Mouth,” “Tell Me You Love Me,” “Blue Carnegie,” “I’m a Love You,” “Hold Me Close,” and “Blue Blue Water.” His wife, Mary “Mama” Reed, sings delightful backup on “Baby What’s Wrong.” “Blue Blue Water” came as a bit of a surprise — Reed sings in a lower-pitched, more soulful voice than usual, at a slightly slower pace. It’s a gorgeous finale.

Reed’s life was plagued by excessive drinking and a long undiagnosed case of epilepsy, and he died of respiratory failure at the age of 50. He had placed 12 singles on the pop chart, as well as 18 in the R&B Top 20.

Jimmyy Reed left a historic legacy of memorable blues that fill numerous albums. “Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall,” in its remastered glory, is a fine update to that legacy.

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Here are the videos mentioned above, plus “Bright Lights” from the album:

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1. “Bright Lights Big City” — 2:48
2. “I’m Mr. Luck” — 3:34
3. “Baby What’s Wrong” — 3:22
4. “Found Joy” — 3:39
5. “Kind of Lonesome” — 2:51
6. “Aw Shucks Hush Your Mouth” — 2:31
7. “Tell Me You Love Me” — 2:53
8. “Blue Carnegie” — 2:51
9. “I’m a Love You” — 2:05
10. “Hold Me Close” — 2:37
11. “Blue Blue Water” — 2:41

Highlights – “Bright Lights, Big City,” “What’s Wrong Baby,” “Found Joy,” “Kind of Lonesome,” “Tell Me You Love Me,” “Blue Carnegie,” “I’m a Love You,” “Hold Me Close,” & “Blue Blue Water.”

Michael Rubin — “5 Minutes of Passion” — Many Hats Records

Michael Rubin has been playing the harp for 41 years – since he was 15 – expressing himself through his magical instrumental wizardry. He’s performed in genres from blues to opera, and his favorite harp players include the legendary likes of Paul Butterfield, Alex “Rice” Miller (Sonny Boy Williamson II) and James Cotton. “But I love them all,” Rubin says.

He’s played in the pit of the Tony-nominated Broadway show The Civil War and backed up luminaries such as Ruthie Foster and Cyril Neville. “I enjoy being a sideman to all types of singers,” Rubin says. “I play harp well, they sing well. It’s a good combination.”

In recent years, Rubin has revealed a new combination – singer and songwriter – on his solo albums. His latest creation is 5 Minutes of Passion, the follow to his well-received I’ll Worry If I Wanna, from 2022.

His droll storytelling is uniquely his own: “If you want another blues song explaining if you want a woman you need some cash, you’ve come to the wrong place,” Rubin says.

He describes his “non-traditional” vocals with the same whimsical irreverence: “No one owns their lack of chops like Michael Rubin.” He accompanies all this with pioneering harmonica work that raises the chromatic harp to the level of its smaller, full-throated cousin.

5 Minutes of Passion overflows with11 original songs, including one instrumental, ash Rubin’s instrumental passion flows through every track. The storytelling begins with Dirty Words, which struts out musically as a Dixieland romp with a brassy pledge that may be hard to keep: “I ain’t gonna sing no more double entendres …. When I said behind I’ll mean behind.”

Doo Doo Daa is an instrumental harp workout with a touch of the blues, setting the scene for the wordplay of Big If, with its dazzling harp solos: “If I were king I would rule the world / If I had hair I would get all the girls.” Alien in a Chair launches other-worldly blues guitar into worldly advice: “Some people like to watch, all they’re doin’ is viewin’ it / You ain’t movin’ forward until you start pursuin’ it.”

5 Minutes of Passion offers slyly salacious advice on pleasing a woman: “If you keep talking about the harmonica / She’ll think you’re odd / Her eyes will start to droop, her head will nod / Just give her five minutes of passion and then pull out.” Dig That Ditch romps with a swinging big-band vibe and another sharp harp solo, shoveling out pointed advice: “You can’t dig a ditch til you know how to do it / But if you don’t dig that ditch, that ditch don’t never get dug.”

A plaintive harp opens Little Circus Town, with its fateful warning: “You can leave the little circus town / But you can’t quit the freak show.” Gravity is sardonic political commentary: “I don’t need no vaccination, the whole story’s a fabrication / I never once got polio or measles.” Nap is an spirited defense of a time-honored tradition with a wakeup call from a stinging guitar solo: “I’m putting taking a nap at the top of the to do list / Doing less don’t make me less than.”

Propaganda, with Greg Izor adding a chromatic harp solo, is a haunting, almost-instrumental, harmonica montage with psychedelic roots, fuzzy-sounding old-timey vocals and not-so futuristic lyrics complete in two lines: “The propaganda is in the hands of the people / And the people are in the hands of the propaganda.” The confessional Grudge is a straight-ahead blues shuffle with its angry guitar and attitude: “When I hold a grudge, I hold it a long time / You may think we’re making love, I’m fighting you in my mind.”

Michael Rubin playfully calls the sophomore release of 5 Minutes of Passion his “sophomoric” effort, but the maturity of his prodigious harp talents plus his wily wordplay already have him graduating at the top of his class.

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Here’s a sample of Michael Rubin’s harmonica virtuosity:

Tracks and musicians:

Dirty Words – 3:44
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica Guy Forsyth – banjo, backing vocals The McMercy Family Band (Lindsey Verrill, Dan Grissom, Ted Hadji, Ryan Conlin, Wilson Marks) – opening vocals Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums Patrick Harwell – trumpet, trombone Paulo Santos – saxophone, clarinet
Doo Doo Daa – 3:12
Michael Rubin – harmonica Cesar Crespo – guitar Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums
Big If – 4:16
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica Josh Fulero – guitar Cesar Crespo – guitar Matt Smith – guitar Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums Paulo Santos – saxophone
Alien in a Chair – 3:32
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica Cesar Crespo – guitar Josh Fulero – guitar (lead) Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums
5 Minutes of Passion – 3:30
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica The McMercy Family Band (Lindsey Verrill, Dan Grissom, Ted Hadji, Ryan Conlin, Wilson Marks) – opening vocals Sweet Gary Newcomb – pedal steel guitar Emily Gimble – keyboards Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums
Dig That Ditch – 2:33
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica Cesar Crespo – guitar Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums|
Little Circus Town – 2:56
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica Josh Fulero – guitar Cesar Crespo – guitar Emily Gimble – keyboards Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums
Gravity – 4:16
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica Cesar Crespo – guitar Emily Gimble – keyboards Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums
Nap – 4:44
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica, bass harmonica Cesar Crespo – guitar (lead) Josh Fulero – guitar Emily Gimble – keyboards Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums
Propaganda (with Greg Izor) – 3:48
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonicas Greg Izor – chromatic harmonica (solo) Cesar Crespo – guitar Josh Fulero – guitar Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums
Grudge – 5:140
Michael Rubin – vocals, harmonica Cesar Crespo – guitar Josh Fulero – guitar (lead) Michael Archer – bass Jason Corbiere – drums

Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra with Willy Jordan — “What Can We Do?” — Nola Blue Records

There’s nothing quite as sweet as sweet soul music, especially when it’s played and sung like it was back in that golden era when soul music didn’t have to be called “retro.”

And that authentic soul music is exactly you’ll find on “What Can We Do?,” a high-spirited session by the marvelous Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra, featuring the soul-stirring vocals of Willie Jordan.

The San Francisco-based APSO was founded in 2007 by guitarist/songwriter Anthony Paule after a phone call requesting a backing band for Philadelphia soul and blues singer, Frank Bey, who was coming to the area to perform. Since then, the APSO has earned multiple nominations and widespread recognition as a respected musical powerhouse, inspired by the great soul and blues music of the 1960s and ’70s.

The band is known for the strength of its vocalists, having featured Wee Willie Walker, Frank Bey, and Terrie Odabi. Jordan now fronts the group, having worked with John Lee Hooker and Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio, which earned him two Grammy nominations.

This album follows the APSO’s first effort with Jordan, “What Are You Waiting For?” and it’s packed with 11 sparkling new originals and one gorgeous cover. The musical arrangements feature Paule’s outstanding guitar work and kick-ass horns, all powering Jordan’s massive vocals. The songs are magnificent creations, filled with the pain and pleasure that define their soulful essence, all drawn from cast of songwriters that include producer Larry Batiste, Christine Vitale, Marcel Smith, Paule and Jordan.

“Still Smellin’ Smoke” kicks everything open with a blast of horns, then Jordan rocks in with impressive pipes and their scorching regret: “I’m still smellin’ smoke from the bridges I’ve burned.” The soulful lament of “Too Late” is an achingly gorgeous ballad with Jordan’s soaring vocal. “Stranger” turns funky in its tale of love going wrong, then “You Lie Like a Rug” is a suspicious mind at work: “Every time you open your mouth, ain’t no tellin’ what’s comin’ out.,” with Larry Batiste sharing the lead vocals.

“Bigger Guitar” is a Paule instrumental, with his guitar swinging hard and a rollicking piano break from Tony Lufrano. The title track layers a Latin beat over its powerful message: “I hear the children murmuring / We’ve really made a mess of things / People are dying, Mother Earth she’s cryin’, …. What can we do? / It’s up to me and you,”

“The Heart Never Says Goodbye” is a gentle love ballad drenched in Jordan’s sweet vocal. “Secret” punches its message home with sassy horns: “I don’t wanna be your secret anymore / Sneaking in and out of your back door.” “If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Two” is rhythmic lament about troubles that double. Jordan brings a lovely falsetto to “Walkin’,” with his soles showing: “Times are uncertain, don’t know what to do / The world’s hurting, too much bad news …. I wish I could change it, but there’s nothing I can do / So I’m gonna put on my shoes.”

“You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” the 1960 Dean Martin hit, gets a tough, bluesy intro, then adds a backbeat, a sexy sax solo, and a slow-rocking Jordan vocal for this knockout update. The closer is the elegant instrumental “Blue Mood Indica,” by Paule and keyboardist Lufrano. It gets a “Blues in the Night” opening riff, with the band stretching out for an extended blues excursion fueled by Lufrano’s majestic B3.

The APSO and Willie Jordan, and everyone involved, sound like they had a great time creating this excellent soul music, conjured from the mists of its timeless originators. And it’s just as great to hear. Play it soon and often.

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There’s a quote in the liner notes that offers an eloquent answer to the question posed by the title, “What Can We Do?”
“Every single one of us makes an impact on this planet every single day, and we get to choose what kind of difference we make. Hold on to hope, never give up, and remember: you matter. Together, we can create a better future for all living things.”
– Jane Goodall

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Here’s “Lie Like a Rug” from the album:

Musicians:
Willy Jordan (lead vocals, congas, more cowbell), Anthony Paule (guitar), Tony Lufrano (Hammond B3, grand piano, Wurlitzer), Timm Walker (bass), Endre Tarczy (bass), Kevin Hayes (drums), Bowen Brown (drums), Derek James (trombone), Ethan Pires (trumpet), Charles McNeal (tenor sax), Johnnie Bamont (baritone sax, flute), Rob Sudduth (baritone sax), Larry Batiste (lead vocals, background vocals), Omega Rae (background vocals), Nona Brown (background vocals), The Sons of the Soul Revivers — Dwayne Morgan, Walter Morgan (RIP), and James Morgan (background vocals), Jon Otis (percussion).
Produced By: Larry Batiste, Co-Producers: Anthony Paule, Willy Jordan, Christine Vitale

Tracklist:
Still Smellin’ Smoke — 4:03,
Too Late — 4:32
Stranger — 3:45
You Lie Like a Rug — 3:06
Bigger Guitar — 3:56,
What Can We Do? — 4:30
The Heart Never Says Goodbye — 3:33
Secret — 3:56
If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Two — 3:09
Walkin’ — 3:38
You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You — 3:47
Blue Mood Indica — 5:05.

There’s been a long and constant relationship — it’s been called a secret handshake — between the blues, its many cousins, and gospel music.

Many blues and soul artists began their careers singing in church. The passion and power of gospel music often found new voice in artists who chose the Devil’s Music, as the blues was sometimes called, over their more sacred roots. Gospel music has often been the secret sauce that spices the sounds of jump blues, R&B, soul, and even rock and roll.

Nowhere has that handshake, and the resulting fervor, been stronger than in the music of the criminally under-appreciated “5” Royales, a 1950s group whose sound evolved from their early 1940s gospel roots as the Royal Sons Quintet.

The Royal Sons were brothers Lowman and Clarence Pauling, plus two cousins and a friend, Bill Samuels. Johnny Tanner joined in 1943 when one of the members was drafted and a year later Otto Jefferies and Jimmy Moore joined, when the now 18-year-old Tanner went into the military.

Clarence Pauling dropped out in 1948, and joined Motown in the 1960’s as the producer for Stevie Wonder under the name Clarence Paul. The Son’s early lineup included Tanner on lead, Moore and Samuels as tenors, Pauling as baritone, songwriter and guitarist and Jefferies singing bass. when they signed with Apollo Records in 1951 on the strength of a gospel demo. By 1950 Obediah Carter and Johnny Tanner had replaced William Samuels and Pauling.

However, Apollo was looking for a secular group that could compete with the Dominoes, the Orioles, and the Cardinals. The Sons were reluctant to change, fearing they would alienate the religious community. So, the Sons became the “5” Royales, with 5 in quotes, since there were often six members.

The Royales brought the jubilee quartet harmonies of their gospel roots, added the raw energy of rhythm and blues, and created what would become soul music before the genre had a name. According to the Acoustic Music organization, the “first clear evidence of soul music shows up with the “5” Royales.”

The first Apollo session in 1952 produced “Too Much Of a Little Bit” and “Courage Of Love.” 1953 saw their biggest hits “Baby Don’t Do It” and “Help Me Somebody,” both which topped the national rhythm and blues charts. Following this initial success, Jefferies decided to stop touring about 1954 when the Royales accepted a bigger offer to move from Apollo to King Records, and focus on being the group’s manager. Jefferies’ place was taken by Johnny Tanner’s brother Eugene, though he continued to record with the group when needed.

After recording five Top Ten hits in two years, the Royales were popular enough to force another act calling themselves The Royals to change their name. The Royals thus became The Midnighters, who, with Hank Ballard as their driving wheel, would take the Royales’ place as the biggest vocal group in rock over the next few years.

When the Royales followed Aollo label head Carl LeBow to King Records, the group entering its most productive years. At King they recorded “Think” (1957, No. 4 R&B) — later covered by James Brown as his breakthrough pop hit — and “Dedicated to the One I Love” (1957), co-written by Pauling, who wrote most of the Royales’ songs, with producer Ralph Bass, which became a Top 5 hit for The Shirelles in 1961 and a No. 2 hit for The Mamas & the Papas in 1967. “Tell the Truth” (1958) was covered by Ray Charles and Ike and Tina Turner.

In 1960, the Royales were involved in a lawsuit with fellow King artist Brown concerning the song “Think.” The lawsuit forced them to leave King, and for a time they recorded for Home of the Blues, which leased the masters to Vee-Jay and ABC Records. The Royales disbanded around 1965, having released 59 singles across their career.

The Royales were unique among the ’50s R&B groups. Their gospel-drenched sound, underscored by the primal pleading of Johnny Tanner’s fervent lead vocals and Eugene Tanner’s smoother sound, gave the group its electric vocal range. But Lowman Pauling’s guitar may have been their major legacy. He pioneered a call-and-response approach between guitar and vocals, weaving fills into the spaces left by the singers — a technique that Steve Cropper later identified as the foundation of the Stax guitar style. The Royales had limited commercial success, but their influences on this classical American music were immeasurable as early architects of soul music and rock and roll.

In his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame essay on the Royales’ 2015 induction, Joe McEwen wrote that Cropper said: “I know when I saw Lowman Pauling onstage it changed my style and my life. He was a one-man show who played rhythm and stinging riffs when necessary … I owe a lot to Lowman.”

Rock critic Dave Marsh credited Pauling with recording the first intentional use of guitar feedback on “The Slummer the Slum” (1958), predating The Beatles, The Yardbirds, and Jimi Hendrix by years. The Royales blending of styles and innovative techniques also influenced artists such as Clyde McPhatter of the Drifters, Hank Ballard of the Royals/Midnighters, and James Brown.

Lowman Pauling ended up working as a night watchman at a Manhattan church and died of an apparent seizure on Dec. 26, 1973; Otto Jefferies died on Aug. 8, 1975; Eugene Tanner was on disability benefits in the years before his death on Dec. 29, 1994; Johnny Tanner died of cancer on Nov. 8, 2005; Jimmy Moore died on Aug. 16, 2008, at the Cedar Manor Nursing Home in Ossining, New York, after a long illness.

Their music survives, an extraordinary testament to the men who created it, and their influence on what came next.

From their song, “Think”: “Think about the sacrifices that I made for you. Think of all the times that I spent with you. Think of all the good things that I done for you.”

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In 2011, Steve Cropper released “Dedicated: A Salute to the “5” Royales,” featuring Cropper on guitar and vocalists that include B.B. King, Shemia Copeland, Bettye LaVette, Sharon King, Dan Penn and Delbert McClinton.

It’s a great listen, and you can hear the echoes of the Royales on every track.

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A special thanks to the Rev. Billy C. Wirtz and Marvelous Marvin Boone, who host the Rhythm Revival radio show weekly on WMNF Tampa. Their airplay of the “5” Royales made me do this!

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Here are a few of “5” Royales greatest hits: