(This post has been republished to update now that the film is available again. It’s a timeless look at blues history.)
Most blues fans have probably heard about, and even heard, the primitive and powerful Mississippi Hill Country blues style. If you haven’t, you’re missing a primeval blues experience.
It’s a rhythmic, hypnotic, drum-and-guitar-heavy style that grew up in the Mississippi Hill Country and almost never left home. Most of its practitioners rarely or never left the areas where they were born and raised. A few were found and recorded by Fat Possum Records.
T-Model Ford at the 2008 Chicago Blues Festival (Jim White photo)
Some, like R.L. Burnside, recorded and toured and became, if not exactly household names, well-known to blues fans. In fact, Burnside’s 2009 album, “Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down” on Fat Possum, was named the second best blues album of the preceding decade by the old Blues Revue Magazine.
Mostly these bluesmen lived their hardscrabble lives in rural towns and played their blues in jukes and on front porches, where they made music for the simplest and best of reasons — for their own pleasure.
Davis, who suffered crippling polio, played his guitar with a butter knife as a kind of slide, Ford saying how he “can’t read, can’t write, can’t spell nothin’, but I can play this guitar when I have to.”
Fat Possum co-funder Matthew Johnson hovers around, trying to get gigs and record these men. “I don’t want my guys to die unknown,” he says near the end of the film. If you watch this film, he will have at least partly succeeded.
Cedric Burnside, grandson of R.L. Burnside, at the 2010 Wheeling, W.Va., blues festival. (Jim White photo)
The film was directed by filmmaking newcomer Mandy Stein, who described her work for the website Stay Thirsty:
“My first documentary was titled, You See Me Laughin’ (2002) where I followed the last of the Hill Country Bluesmen. The idea was sparked in early 1999, from a Mike Rubin article in Spin Magazine about the Bluesmen. So I went on and called Mississippi where the label (Fat Possum) was based. I had no education in the field and never attended film school. The funding came from borrowed money from my grandfather, and I just went down there, figured it out and created a documentary.”
It’s an excellent look at the music lives that these men lived, and how and why they made their music. There’s power and beauty in the music, but a poignant undercurrent throughout of struggles to survive, to live. And to create music.
The movie was unavailable for a time, but seems to be accessible again.
I’m a little behind on a few fine new releases from the last couple of months — no excuses, just late. Rest assured that those responsible have been placed on a severely reduced libation ration.
One of the best of those albums, reaching way back to its long-ago release date of Nov. 7, is “Arrival,” from the dynamic West Coast blues duo, The Lucky Losers.
The San Francisco-based Losers, a five-piece, six-time Independent Blues Award-winner, are more-than-lucky winners here, fronted by the soulful vocals of Cathy Lemons and the harmonica wizardry of Phil Berkowitz, who shares in their wide-ranging, always spot-on, vocal stylings. “Arrival” is the group’s sixth album, and their debut on the MoMojo label (a division of Nola Blue, Inc.), home to a growing collection of vital, independent roots artists.
Of these 11 original songs, five were written by Lemons (co-writers: Kid Andersen and Chris Burns) and five by Berkowitz (co-writers: Danny Caron and Chris Burns). The criminally talented Andersen also produced and engineered this sparkling session.
Adding to the musical magic are Doug James on tenor sax, Mike Rinta on trombone and John Halbieb on trumpet, Burns and Andersen on keys, Simon Govan Smith on guitars, Edgar San Gabriel on bass, and Jon Otis on drums.
Lemons says: “Arrival” is our breakthrough album, and the most personal music I’ve ever written. Out of the 11 tracks, I contributed five songs that pushed me to take real risks. For example, ‘I Believe Her (Because I Am Her)’ confronts childhood sexual abuse. The line, ‘I believe her, because I am her—who don’t believe me, my own mother,’ comes directly from my life. “Pig Iron Tough” reflects on the ‘made-of-steel’ resilience it takes to survive touring. That song is rooted in my childhood when I moved 15 times before the age of 17; ‘got no friends, always new in town, until you move again.’
Berkowitz adds: “Looking back, I wasn’t supposed to be a musician. I grew up in a not so typically dysfunctional 60s/70s suburban household in New Jersey. My mother died when I was ten years old. I was sent off to camp for nine consecutive summers, diagnosed with ADD HD, long before the term became a household word, and sent to therapists. I guess the song ‘Misfit Kids’ comes straight from my life. ‘Sunday Stroller’ is probably my best work because people instantly respond to it …. When I wrote these songs with Danny Caron and Chris Burns, these stories came so naturally. These songs are personal reflections and characters I created. “Arrival” has brought my songwriting full circle.”
All of that finely crafted personal songwriting sparks an album rich with human experience, enthusiastically delivered by Lemons and Berkowitz, flowing effortlessly through a variety of genres from folk to funk.
It all kicks off with some of that funky feeling from Lemons in “S-C-A-M,” a contemporary warning to the unsuspecting and a special shoutout to Elon Musk, all kicked along by a furious horn section. “Sunday Stroller” finds Berkowitz rocking a bluesy message about a “big high roller” with his vocals and sharp harp.
An album highlight is Lemons’ rich, soulful vocal on “Pull on The Rope,” with its deep gospel feel. “Play It From the Heart” is a sweet uptempo ballad with Berkowitz and Lemons blending vocals with love and a gently swinging vibe. The sultry blues of Lemons’ “I Believe Her (Because I Am Her)”-delivers her angry tale of the sexual abuse of young women, with mournful harp embellishment by Berkowitz. . “Sorry Brother” highlights Berkowitz on harp, and “My Father’s Son” is another thoughtful personal tale from Berkowitz.
“Pig Iron Tough” brings back a funky beat pairing Lemons’ soaring vocals with Berkowitz’s horn-like harp, weaving a message of personal toughness. “Don’t Let It Slip Away” is a horn-fueled R&B slow dancer with Lemons’ torchy vocal polishing this soulful gem of a song. Berkowitz’s autobiographical “Misfit Kids” is a bouncy tale of life emerging for just that — a misfit kid.
“Ain’t The Marrying Kind” is the whimsical countrified closer, a Berkowitz-Lemons penned duet with Andersen on acoustic guitar and Berkowitz on harp. It adds a sweet touch of front porch intimacy to this jaunty finale.
The Lucky Losers are indeed arriving as talented winners in “Arrival,” with their thoughtful personal songwriting, engaging vocals and infectious musicality. Put them on your list for the new year!
“Pull on the Rope” from the album:
Tracklist: 01. S-C-A-M 02. Sunday Stroller 03. Pull on The Rope 04. Play It From the Heart 05. I Believe Her 06. Sorry Brother 07. My Father’s Son 08. Pig Iron Tough 09. Don’t Let It Slip Away 10. Misfit Kids 11. Ain’t The Marrying Kind
Blues music has long thirsted after the pleasures and pains of love at the heart of its emotional essence.
Sometimes, though, love and the blues create a thirst for more – like the heady musical cocktail of Seven Deadly Gins, the sparkling new album served up by the Colorado band Reckless and Blue. The group’s searing blues style has made them winners of the Colorado Blues Society’s 2026 Blues Challenge, headed for January’s International Blues Challenge.
The seasoned veterans of Reckless and Blue were pulled together by George Williams in 2017, when he returned to the Denver area after three decades of travel, and sharpening his talents as a classical guitar student, band member, singer and songwriter. Seven Deadly Gins is a follow to the band’s debut album, Can’t Give Me the Blues, in 2021.
The Reckless quintet regulars include Williams on guitar and vocals, Allen Anderson on keyboards, Tom Dillard on bass, Steve Gaskin on drums, and sultry vocalist Shaunda Fry, notable as a latecomer to the group two years ago, and who didn’t begin her singing career until she turned 50. The ten songs here were written or co-written by Williams, who shares the vocals with Fry, often trading verses in the same song, adding a passionate he-said, she-said lovers’ interaction.
The opener, Come Back, cuts loose with a percussive intro and Williams on cigar box guitar, with co-writer Fry pleading for her lover’s return: “You know I miss you, baby, but now you’re gone / I know you love me, please just come back home.” Fry fuels her next plea for lost love with the libation of the title track, Seven Deadly Gins: “I’ve been drinking gin like never before / Since my baby walked out the door,” with rolling organ riffs from Anderson.
The torchy Triflin’ Blues features Williams and Fry trading soulful verses of mutual torment, mirroring each other’s pain: “Now baby stop – don’t you walk out that door / If you leave this time – I won’t be here when you get back home.” Williams’ vocals romp over the honky-tonk rhythms of Don’t Expect Me, as he warns his lover that he’s gone: “Seems like you got what you had comin’ / You ain’t getting no more of my lovin’.” Fry and Williams pair up again in the gently rocking Burnin’ Daylight, each driving hard to get together again: “I’m comin’ home baby, wait and see / I’m comin’ home, just you and me.”
Can’t Give Me The Blues is another slow-burning scorcher, with Williams and Fry exploring their mutual pain: “You can’t give me the blues / I’ve had the blues for a long long time.” Anderson cranks up the boogie-woogie piano on Shimmy Shakin’ Blues, a rollicking dance track that gives both singers a chance to kick up their vocal legs: “Woke up this morning with a beat in my shoes / Gonna shimmy shake away these shimmy shaking blues.”
The drinking lamp is lit again on the mournful duet If The Blues Was Whiskey (an original, not the 1935 Bumble Bee Slim version): “If the blues was whiskey, I’d stay drunk all the time.” A rocking organ intro from Anderson opens Williams’ solo turn and then follows him while he looks for love on Hey Pretty Baby: “Hey pretty baby, won’t you look my way / Talk to me woman, you will want to hear what I say.” The closer is the haunting, slow-rocking Stormy Night In Denver, with an aching, lovelorn vocal from Fry, with backup vocals from Annie Phillips and Ernie Martinez, plus a splash of horns from Jeff Miguel on sax and Derek Banach on trumpet: “In this rainy night, I’m lost in pain / Longing for my man, so so far away.”
Reckless and Blue’s spirited Seven Deadly Gins arrives as a welcome tonic for love and the blues – no matter how you pour it.
Here’s a live version of the song “Come Back” from the album:
Tracks: 01. Come Back 02. Seven Deadly Gins 03. Triflin’ Blues 04. Don’t Expect Me 05. Burnin’ Daylight 06. Can’t Give Me The Blues 07. Shimmy Shakin’ Blues 08. If The Blues Was Whiskey 09. Hey Pretty Baby 10. Stormy Night In Denver
For a half-century and change, Kim Wilson’s harp and vocals have led The Fabulous Thunderbirds, the rugged blues band he co-founded in Austin, Texas, in 1974 with Jimmie Vaughan, that supercharged blues music with Wilson’s soaring harp and Vaughan’s superb guitar prowess.
He’s the only original member of the T-Birds still with the band, with Wilson now sometimes stepping out on his own.
“Slow Burn” is his latest solo effort. The songs are taken from two earlier sessions in 2014 and 2020 that featured three outstanding musicians who have since died: drummer Richard Innes, piano player Barrelhouse Chuck, and bassist Larry Taylor.
Eight of the twelve tracks here are classic blues from legendary bluesmen, re-imagined and channeled through Wilson’s prodigious harp and vocals that are more than tuff-enuff for the task. The four originals, especially two instrumentals, show off Wilson’s own powerful classic stylings.
Everything begins with a romp through Little Milton’s “I’m Trying,” with a layer of horns endorsing Wilson’s ever-so-smooth vocal. Wilson’s “Leaving You on My Mind” adds gut-bucket attitude to a down-home trio of harp, guitar and drums.
Wilson gives B.B. King’s “Sweet Little Angel” a convincing vocal workout, with Bob Welsh adding just-right guitar, and Barrelhouse Chuck on piano. “Boogie in E” is Wilson’s first instrumental, a flashy bit of harmonica virtuosity. “Howlin’ For My Darlin’” is appropriately down and dirty Howlin’ Wolf (Chester Burnett), followed the harp wizardry and vocal richness of “Keep Our Business To Yourself” Alex Miller (who performed as Sonny Boy Williamson II).
Wilson reaches deep into the blues for the first of two songs from Robert Nighthawk, who doesn’t often get the recognition he deserves. The first is the swampy “The Time Has Come” that speaks eloquently of its deep blues roots. Wilson’s “Lowdown Woman” shuffles along before Magic Sam’s “Easy Baby” stirs its simmering blues into the mix. “Gotta Have A Horse” is the second Wilson instrumental, another relentless harmonica blowout. Wilson aces another Nighthawk gem, a rollicking “Kansas City” (from 1951, not the 1952 Leiber-Stoller creation).
The closer is nine-minute tour-de-force version of Otis Rush’s classic “So Many Roads,” with a gorgeous two-minute harp intro followed by Wilson’s aching vocal, and more harp woven elegantly throughout.
Wilson, talking about making this album, says: “The tracks on this album are very special because several of the songs include some of the last performances in the studio by three great blues giants, Richard Innes, Larry Taylor, and Barrelhouse Chuck. Basically, everything was recorded the same way they did it in the old days. Some great blues for you fans, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did making it.”
“Slow Burn” is a great title for this session of fiery blues, torrid harp work and soulful, torchy vocals. Kim Wilson has added this music to his tough, hard-working blues legacy that thankfully shows no sign of slowing down.
More Thunderbirds news:
If you’re a T-Birds fan, or if you just want a treasure trove of their musical history, a new box set of their music is now available.
It’s The Jimmie Vaughan Years: Complete Studio Recordings 1978-1989, a comprehensive four-CD box set available through The Last Music Co.
The Jimmie Vaughan Years captures Grammy-winning Vaughan’s blues journey after he cut his teeth in Austin’s late-60s blues scene, including an early recording produced by legendary American songwriter Doc Pomus and Joel Dorn.
“It begins with 13 super-rare unreleased cuts from sessions the T-Birds did for Doc Pomus in 1978 for the potential album that never saw daylight, until now,” says Last Music founder Malcolm Mills. “The five-hour music compilation then follows their career through all the subsequent releases they made on Takoma, Chrysalis, and Epic until Jimmie left the band to pursue his solo career in 1989 — a total of eight albums.”
The Jimmie Vaughan Years includes: The Doc Pomus Recordings 1978, The Fabulous Thunderbirds (Girls Go Wild), What’s The Word?, Butt Rockin’, T-Bird Rhythm, Tuff Enuff, Hot Number, and Powerful Stuff. The box set is packaged as a 12-inch hardback book written and annotated by Bill Bentley, who was an eyewitness to the band’s emergence and rise to fame. His notes, combined with pages full of never-before-seen photos and images, bring to life the story of this band in their heyday.
“This is the only collection of its kind of Vaughan’s years in the Fabulous Thunderbirds and begins with an album that never saw a release,” Bentley says. “In the late 1970s, celebrated songwriter Doc Pomus heard about the Austin band and brought them to New York to record. Pomus felt something important was there in their music and wanted to share it with the world. Noted producer Joel Dorn signed on to participate and they recorded a full album. Unfortunately, it was an incredible set of songs that never saw the light of day.”
Just for fun, here’s the Robert Nighthawk version of “Kansas City”:
Tracklist & credits: Track 1 – I’m Trying (Milton Campbell) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Billy Flynn Piano: Barrelhouse Chuck Drums: Marty Dodson Horns: Johnny Viau
Track 2 – Leaving You On My Mind (Kim Wilson) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Billy Flynn Drums: Malachi Johnson
Track 3 – Sweet Little Angel (B.B. King) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Bob Welsh Piano: Barrelhouse Chuck Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Marty Dodson
Track 4 – Boogie in E (Kim Wilson) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Billy Flynn Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Malachi Johnson
Track 5 – Howlin’ For My Darlin’ (Chester Burnett) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Bob Welsh Piano: Barrelhouse Chuck Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Marty Dodson
Track 6 – Keep Our Business To Yourself (Sonny Boy Williamson II/Rice Miller) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Billy Flynn Drums: Marty Dodson
Track 7 – The Time Has Come (Robert Nighthawk) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Bob Welsh Piano: Barrelhouse Chuck Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Marty Dodson
Track 8 – Lowdown Women (Kim Wilson) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Billy Flynn Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Malachi Johnson
Track 9 – Easy Baby (Samuel Maghett) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar & Piano: Barrelhouse Chuck Guitar: Billy Flynn Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Malachi Johnson
Track 10 – Gotta Have A Horse (Kim Wilson) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Billy Flynn Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Malachi Johnson
Track 11 – Kansas City (Robert Nighthawk) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Bob Welsh Piano: Barrelhouse Chuck Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Marty Dodson
Track 12 – So Many Roads (Otis Rush) Vocals/Harmonica: Kim Wilson Guitar: Billy Flynn Bass: Troy Sandow Drums: Malachi Johnson
Key contributors: Nathan James – mixing, mastering, production, and performance. Billy Flynn – guitar and bass on multiple tracks. Troy Sandow – bass on several tracks. Marty Dodson, Malachi Johnson, Richard Innes – drums across different sessions. Barrelhouse Chuck, Bob Welsh, Johnny Viau – piano, guitar, and horns. The Rhythm Scratchers (Wilson’s bandmates) are highlighted for their one-take quartet recordings.
Sean McDonald, just 23, is one of those young new artists, who, when you close your eyes, sounds like he’s been aging in a cask of blues for decades.
“Have Mercy” is McDonald’s first album, a modest collection of nine covers and originals that plays to his strengths as a singer, songwriter and guitarist.
But there’s nothing modest about his talents. A native of Augusta, Ga., McDonald sang in the church as a youngster and learned to play multiple instruments.
McDonald co-produced this sparkling session with Christoffer “Kid” Andersen at Andersen’s Greaseland U.S.A. Studio, with the outstanding studio musicians from the Little Village label who back McDonald with their usual excellence: Jim Pugh on keyboards, June Core on drums, bassist D’Quantae “Q” Johnson, saxmen Eric Spaulding and Jack Sanford, and trombonist Mike Rinta. The Morgan Brothers (formerly the Sons of the Soul Revivors) and Marcel Smith add eloquent backing vocals to the gospel tracks. Sometimes it just takes a Little Village to help make great music.
A rocking cover of Rudy Moore’s “My Soul” opens the album, with McDonald’s upbeat? ? vocal turn a spirited album preview. A pair of originals follows: The tastily R&B-flavored “Fakin’ It” features killer sax with a fierce guitar break; “Killing Me” finds McDonald reaching deep into a sexy slow blues, complete with sensuous sax.
“Rocking in the Same Old Boat” is a gorgeous slow blues recorded by Bobby “Blue” Bland in 1968, and McDonald’s smooth rendition dares to stand on its own. (The composer is credited as Deadric Malone, but that was the penname for influential Duke/Peacock records owner Don Deadric Robey, who often took the credit for songs written by his artists. The interwebs reveal that Vernon Elbert Morrison may have been a composer.)
“Shuffleboard Swing” is a rollicking instrumental that swings the blues behind McDonald’s blistering single-note guitar work. “Angel Baby” is McDonald’s fast and furious Little Richard-inspired rocker, complete with vocal scream and raunchy sax. McDonald testifies mightily with the gospel of “Don’t Let the Devil Ride,” an Oris Mays creation, with a fervent chorus from the Morgan Brothers and Marcel Smith.
The rousing “That’s All I Need” captures the rocking flavor of Ike Turner’s 1959 version complete with call-and-response backup singers. The closer is the elegant Henry Glover blues ballad, “Let’s Call It A Day,” with McDonald smooth as silk on the vocal, and tough as nails on his wicked guitar.
With “Have Mercy,” a youthful Sean McDonald emerges as a full-grown talent. His smart songwriting, rich vocals and stunning guitar all speak eloquently of his musical future, not to mention the future of the blues and our own listening pleasure.
Have mercy, indeed!
Here’s “Rocking in the Same Old Boat” from the album:
Tracklist:
My Soul 3:20 (Rudy Moore)
Fakin’ It 3:56 (S. McDonald)
Killing Me 5:06 (S. McDonald)
Rocking in the Same Old Boat 4:51 (Deadric Malone)
Shuffleboard Swing 4:05 (S. McDonald)
Angel Baby 3:00 (S. McDonald)
Don’t Let the Devil Ride 5:14 (Oris Mays)
That’s All I Need 3:10 (Ike Turner)
Let’s Call It A Day 3:58 (Henry Glover)
Sean “Mack” McDonald – Vocals, guitar The Morgan Brothers – Vocals Marcel Smith – Vocals Jim Pugh – Piano, organ D’Quantae “Q” Johnson – Bass June Core – Drums Eric Spaulding – Tenor Sax Jack Sanford – Bari Sax Mike Rinta – Trombone (4) Kid Andersen – Guitar (4) Lisa Leuschner Andersen – Vocal (2)
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters have always been one of my favorite groups, ever since they caught my teenage hormones’ attention, ‘way back in the middle of the 20th century — the 1950s, to be precise.
Their “Greatest Hits” album, released in 1956 on the Federal label, was my first album purchase. I was already hooked on classic doo-wop and early R&B, thanks to Pittsburgh DJ, the Daddio of the Raddio, The Bossman — Porky Chedwick.
But the Midnighters aroused my teen blue genes from their musical slumber. Their furiously styled music was great for dancing, their lyrics magnificently raunchy, giving hope to teens everywhere that there might be, according to one account, “life below the waist,” despite much of the soporific pop from earlier years.
Ballard augmented the horns of more traditional R&B with guitars, driving the music hard behind soaring vocals. The band played a pivotal role in bridging the gap between traditional rhythm and blues and early rock and roll, turning out a series of hits in 1954. Those early sides included a set of deliciously salacious and unabashedly sexual recordings built around the “Annie” songs: “Work With Me Annie” (It sold more than a million copies despite being banned from many radio stations) and “Annie Had a Baby.” But even without that notoriety, the Midnighters created cutting edge R&B that bled into rock ‘n’ roll. Even their more sensitive ballads (“Teardrops on Your Letter,” “Rain Down Tears”) churned with emotion. Ballard would write “The Twist” in 1959, which was turned into a Chubby Checker hit by Dick Clark, earning Ballard royalties, if not fame.
The Midnighters’ eventually faded into the 1960s, and even though they continued to record, their R&B stylings became less relevant. I hadn’t played any of their music for years, and they were unlikely to be found on many modern streaming playlists.
Radio.
Then a few years ago, radio came back into my life.
I discovered WMNF, a public radio station in Tampa, Fla., and its three weekly hours of music that I loved – The Rhythm Revival, hosted by the Rev. Billy C. Wirtz (William Wirths) and Marvelous Marvin Boone (Marvin Boone). They play great old post-war blues, R&B, country and gospel, and displaying their encyclopedic musical knowledge, connect the dots between all those genres.
The Revival claims several groundbreaking artists as its “patron saints,” including Patsy Cline, Wynonie Harris, and much to my delight, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters. The inspiration for this post comes from the Revival’s recent birthday tribute to Ballard (born John Henry Kendricks on Nov. 18, 1927, in Detroit).
The early years of Ballard and the Midnighters’ were filled with much of the shape-shifting, name and personnel changing common to much of the industry. Here are some details of their illustrious career, shamelessly copied from Wikipedia:
In 1953, Ballard joined doo-wop group the Royals, which had previously been discovered by Johnny Otis and signed to Federal Records (a division of King Records), in Cincinnati. Ballard joined Henry Booth, Charles Sutton, Sonny Woods and Alonzo Tucker in the group, replacing previous singer Lawson Smith, who went on service in the Army.
The Royals released “Get It” which Ballard wrote (1953), an R&B song with possibly sexually oriented lyrics, which some radio stations refused to play, although it still made it to number 6 on the US Billboard R&B chart.
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.
The group then changed its name to the Midnighters to avoid confusion with the “5” Royales. In 1954, Ballard wrote a song called “Work with Me, Annie” that was drawn from “Get It”. It became the Midnighters’ first major R&B hit, spending seven weeks at number 1 on the R&B chart and also selling well in mainstream markets, along with the answer songs “Annie Had a Baby” and “Annie’s Aunt Fannie”; all were banned by the FCC from radio airplay. Their third major hit was “Sexy Ways”, a song that cemented the band’s reputation as one of the most risqué groups of the time.
Between 1953 and 1962, the Midnighters had several hits on the U.S. pop and R&B charts. Their hits included the million-selling Billboard top 10 pop hits “Finger Poppin’ Time” (for which they received a 1961 Grammy Award nomination),[1] and “Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go”. The Midnighters also had 13 top 10 R&B hits, including three that reached number 1. Their top 10 R&B hits included “Work with Me, Annie”, “It’s Love Baby (24 Hours a Day)”, “Annie Had a Baby”, “The Hoochi Coochi Coo”, “Teardrops on Your Letter”, “Get It”, “The Float” and “Nothing but Good”.
They received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation’s prestigious Pioneer Award in 1992, and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. The Midnighters are also noted for achieving a music industry milestone in 1960, by becoming the first group in history to place 3 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. The group’s lead singer, Hank Ballard, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. The Midnighters as a group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012.
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters deserve a unique place in American musical history. They created a sound that would shake rhythm and blues, rattle its bones, and roll it into the primitive days of rock ‘n’ roll.
Best of all, the Midnighters still sound damn fine!
Here are three songs that helped define Hank Ballard and the Midnighters:
The music of Mississippi John Hurt has always been a favorite of mine. I first heard his music when I saw him perform a year or so before his 1966 death, still working blues magic with his gentle, finger-picking style.
The timeless, universal quality of Hurt’s blues gives it an air of effortless simplicity, but his syncopated rhythms and lyrical sophistication make it difficult to capture Hurt’s musical style.
At least until someone like Erin Harpe comes along.
Harpe and her husband and co-performer, bassist Jim Countryman, have pulled together a gorgeous tribute to Hurt’s music with Harpe channeling the Mississippi guitarist’s inventive essence into this elegant album.
The Boston-based Harpe has released “Mermaid” on her own label, Juicy Juju Records, her fifth release through the VizzTone group. It follows another acoustic album, “Meet Me in the Middle,” which won Album of the Year honors from the New England Music Awards. Of that effort, she says, “When I listen to the blues, it makes me want to cry — it’s a part of me. But before making this album, I felt I was neglecting the acoustic blueswoman in me.”
About “Mermaid,” Harpe says: “This album was a real labor of love. I’ve always loved Mississippi John Hurt’s music, since I was a little girl! Listening to my dad play his songs around the house. I learned several of Hurt’s songs as a teenager, and his guitar style has greatly influenced my playing, with its alternating bass thumb-picking and syncopated melodic runs.”
Harpe has picked nine of Hurt’s instantly recognizable songs for the session, and one lesser-known but no less impressive song, the eloquently fatalistic title track: “When my earthly trials are over / Cast my body out in the sea / Save the undertaker bills / Let the mermaids flirt with me.”
The opener is “Candy Man,” the slyly salacious song that may be Hurt’s most well-known effort, no doubt in large part to its whimsical eroticism: “His candy stick don’t melt away / It just gets better, so the ladies say.” Harpe’s tasty take is simply delicious.
The rest of the tracks flow effortlessly and gorgeously through Harpe’s finger-picking and vocal passion for her music. They come together like a miniature greatest hits album, which could easily be expanded to dozens more songs. The album was recorded live at Harpe’s home studio, giving it a casually intimate vibe.
The remaining classic Hurt songs here include “Casey Jones,” “I Got The Blues (Can’t Be Satisfied),” “Richland Woman,” “Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor,” “Frankie,” “Nobody’s Dirty Business,” “Stagolee” and “You Are My Sunshine.” Each one resonates with authenticity this music deserves.
With “Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me,” Erin Harpe reminds us of the timeless greatness of Mississippi John Hurt while simultaneously establishing herself on the top shelf of acoustic blues performers. Do yourself a favor and enjoy both of them in this marvelous recording.
Here’s “Candy Man” from the album:
Tracks: 01. Candy Man 02. Casey Jones 03. Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me 04. I Got The Blues (Can’t Be Satisfied) 05. Richland Woman 06. Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor 07. Frankie 08. Nobody’s Dirty Business 09. Stagolee 10. You Are My Sunshine
Robbin Kapsalis is new to me. “The Blues Is In The House,” her excellent debut album as a solo artist, is the first I’ve heard her. My loss, up until now.
Kapsalis was born in Chicago and raised in Atlanta, but her first recordings came as a vocalist with Vintage #18, a Washington, D.C., band, starting about 2013.
Now based in Europe, Kapsalis is married to UK harmonica wizard Giles Robson, who produced and plays magical harp on this session. It was recorded in Nantes, France, with a sharp all-French band: François Nicolleau and Nicolas Deshayes on guitar, Arnaud Gobin on bass and Cyril Durand on drums. The late, very great Joe Louis Walker plays lead guitar on the title track. Blues House Productions is John Primer’s record label. Primer often performs with Robson when touring Europe.
Kapsalis’ vocal style is a blend of classic Chicago blues with a side of soul, all in a sultry blues voice that’s filled with a smoky back-room vibe. These tracks include originals from Kapsalis and songwriting veterans Terry Abrahamson and Derrick Procell, plus a handful of covers that are much more than covers. Kapsalis has absorbed this music and reworked it through her own sharply honed sensibilities. Her selection is also a fascinating look into blues styles, ranging from Bobby “Blue” Bland to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
The title track opener is the first of two Abrahamson/Procell songs, a tough blues shuffle with Walker on guitar and Kapsalis driving hard with the message that the “blues is in the house” and ready to be heard. That’s followed by Little Walter’s “Up the Line,” wrapped in Robson’s tasty harp work. On Bland’s 1960 “Lead Me On,” Kapsalis delivers a torchy, late-night gem just right for a belt-buckle-polishing slow dance. Memphis Slim’s “The Comeback” gets an updated gently rolling treatment.
Kapsalis joyfully recreates The Memphis Sheiks’ “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” from 1930, with outstanding harp backing from Robson. Reaching back even further, Kapsalis rocks through the blues chestnut “Rollin’ And Tumblin’” recorded for the first of multitudinous times by Hambone Willie Newbern in 1929.
“Love Hangover (Redux),” returns from a Vintage #18 recording, a hard-driving original with stinging guitar fills; “I Wanna Know” is smoother, sexier version of a little-known song from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Next, Robson’s harp leads the charge into a rocking version of Slim Harpo’s swampy “Shake Your Hips.”
“Gotta Hear The Blues,” another Abrahamson/Procell song, closes the album in a gently swinging style, with nod to the album’s opening theme: If the blues is in the house, you gotta hear the blues.
“The Blues Is In The House” is a superb collection of songs and styles from Robbin Kapsalis, whose voice needs to be added to the premier ranks of contemporary blues singers. Everything here crackles with vitality and authenticity, from the razor-sharp backing band to Kapsalis’ honey-dripping vocals.
Enjoy this album soon and often.
Here’s a recording of the “The Blues Is In The House”:
Tracklist: 1) THE BLUES IS IN THE HOUSE 2) UP THE LINE 3) LEAD ME ON 4) THE COMEBACK 5) SITTIN’ ON TOP OF THE WORLD 6) ROLLIN’ & TUMBLIN’ 7) LOVE HANGOVER (Redux) 8) I WANNA KNOW 9) SHAKE YOUR HIPS 10) GOTTA HEAR THE BLUES
SONG LIST: 1) THE BLUES IS IN THE HOUSE 2) UP THE LINE 3) LEAD ME ON 4) THE COMEBACK 5) SITTIN’ ON TOP OF THE WORLD 6) ROLLIN’ & TUMBLIN’ 7) LOVE HANGOVER (Redux) 8) I WANNA KNOW 9) SHAKE YOUR HIPS 10) GOTTA HEAR THE BLUES
ARTISTS: ROBBIN KAPSALIS: Vocals, GILES ROBSON: Harmonica, FRANÇOIS NICOLLEAU: Guitar, NICOLAS DESHAYES: Guitar, ARNAUD GOBIN: Bass & CYRIL DURAND: Drums
SPECIAL GUEST: JOE LOUIS WALKER on The Blues is in the HOUSE
Joe Rosen has been making music come to life through his photojournalism for nearly half a century.
As the subtitle of his new book, “Inside the Moment” notes, that’s the music of blues, soul, jazz, rock, and R&B — and dozens of artists whose names are synonymous with those styles.
It’s also a book of Rosen’s vivid memories connected to those images, detailing his first-person experiences with the artists and adding historical context to the vitality of their music. The result is a fascinating journey through nearly 50 years of some of the greatest artists in their fields.
One very striking element of Rosen’s photography in “Moment” is that all the artists are presented in stark black and white imagery. It’s a magical choice, adding primeval power and vitality to his subjects. He says in the introduction that black-and-white photography was his first love, and the images here clearly are filled with that love — and much respect — for his subjects and their music.
Just a few of his subjects here include John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, and Buckwheat Zydeco. There are well-known stars and lesser-known artists, offering the reader a chance to revisit favorites and discover new faces and investigate their music. If you’ve seen any of them perform, Rosen’s photos offer a musical journey back into your own memories. These powerful, moving images represent Rosen’s life’s work capturing the spirit of music he loves.
Rosen continues to work as the photographer documenting performers on the annual Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruises, as well as at numerous music festivals and shows, capturing the essence that’s defined his career — the passion, energy, and storytelling power of live music.
This isn’t the New York City-based Rosen’s first publishing effort: “Blues Hands” was an impressive catalogue of close-ups of the hands of blues musicians working their instruments.
On a personal note, I’m honored to have known Joe Rosen since he set out on his photographic journey in Pittsburgh in the late 1970s, when we met at blues shows in local clubs. Our paths have since crossed on some of the blues cruises, and I’ve never failed to be impressed with his professionalism, his enthusiasm, and, of course, the wonderous quality of his work.
It’s easy to just take “pictures,” it’s difficult, and necessary, to get “Inside the Moment.” Joe Rosen does that magnificently. It’s easy to recommend this elegant work.
Blues Roadhouse 