The soulful, bluesy, harp-playing, singer/songwriter dynamo that is John Németh has been one of my favorite performers since I heard his first Blind Pig album, “Magic Touch,” in 2007, interviewed him, and enjoyed his show at the Thunderbird Cafe in Pittsburgh.
John Németh
I was immediately transfixed by the chops of this young blues dude out of Boise, Idaho, and his ability to sound as though he’d just walked out of a smoky Chicago blues joint.
He was a nice guy, too.
Since then, John has spent 15 years making fine music, award-winning music, spreading his talents beyond soulful blues to funkified greasy sounds, with side trips as a full-throated big-band singer.
But all that is now at risk.
John has been diagnosed with an ameloblastoma tumor in his jaw, threatening his health and his livelihood. When his health insurance denied him coverage to go out of network for the best possible treatment, John’s wife Jaki set up a GoFundMe account to help pay for this surgical treatment in June, and, as usual, the blues community has stepped up to help.
I thought I should pass this information along in the Roadhouse, just in case word has not gotten far enough around.
Here’s their GoFundMe page where you can contribute. In keeping with John’s wicked sense of humor, the page is titled Go Fund John’s Jaw.
John has devoted his life to making music that moves us, that provides profound moments of pleasure in our lives. We should be able to help repay him in this small way.
Here are a couple of samples of John’s great music:
John Nemeth from the ‘Stronger Than Strong’ Album Release Show:
“Blues in My Heart,” one of my favorite songs by John, from 2008:
This excellent album has been around for about six weeks now, but it’s too good to ignore, even if I am a little late to the party.
Mississippi Heat is a very unique blues band. It’s led by Pierre Lacocque, a blues harpmaster and songwriter with a truly international heritage — born in Israel, then living in Germany and France, then raised in Belgium. (Read more about his fascinating heritage.)
And so, for 30 years now, he has fronted a Chicago blues band (despite the band’s name!), and this is their 13th album.
Maybe it’s unfair to call this just a “band” — with guitarists Michael Dotson and Giles Corey, Chris Cameron on keys, Brian Quinn on bass, Terrence Williams on drums, a horn section with Mark Franklin on trumpet and Kirk Smothers on sax, plus full-throated harp stylings from Lacocque coupled with passionate vocals, the group can sound more orchestral than band-like.
And you can throw in some great guests — Johnny Iguana on keyboards, Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith on drums, Ruben Alvarez on percussion, Lurrie Bell and Carl Weathersby on guitar, and, icing on this tasty layer cake, splendid vocals from Inetta Visor, Daneshia Hamilton, Bell, Weathersby and Dotson.
Put all of that together with smart songwriting by Lacocque and Dotson, and you get what the band calls “traditional blues with a unique sound.”
For example, Weathersby takes the tough vocal on the opening track, “Silent Too Long,” while Corey rocks around him with a fiery guitar, Lacocque adds sparkling harp and Cameron scores a walk-off winner on the B-3.
Next, Daneshia Hamilton romps through the uptempo “Batty Crazy,” offering a harp showcase for Lacocque, followed by the Latinesque “Havana En Mi Alma” from Visor. Bell turns up next with piercing guitar runs around his down-home vocals on the Chicago-laced “Uninvited Guest.”
Similar blues times continue throughout, with a heady mix of all this fine talent. The title track is worth special mention — it’s Lacocque’s somber instrumental celebration of the life of his maternal grandmother, Emma Magdalena Van der Linden, a Belgian, for her work during World War II.
Taken altogether, “Madeleine” shines with the multiple personalities at its heart, pulled together by the talents of its multiple performers. Check it out. It’s one of the longest-running Chicago blues bands still cooking.
I couldn’t find a video from this album, but here’s a 2018 Chicago Blues Festival performance:
Track Listing
SILENT TOO LONG 4:45 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
BATTY CRAZY 4:35 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
HAVANA EN MI ALMA* 4:21 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
UNINVITED GUEST 4:53 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
NOTHIN’ I CAN DO 3:49 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
EMPTY NEST BLUES 4:03 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
RIDIN’ ON A HIT 4:06 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
EVERYBODY DO SOMETHIN’ 4:35 M. Dotson, Gritty City Music, ASCAP
MADELEINE** 5:24 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
AT THE LUCKY STAR 4:39 P. Lacocque, Ransart Music, BMI
TRUTH LIKE RAIN 5:34 M. Dotson, Gritty City Music, ASCAP
TROUBLE 4:49 DeeDee Shonnie Music, BMI Arrangement: M. Dangeroux, DM MUSIC LLC, ASCAP * For Victoria Quero Lacocque ** In Memory of Emma Magdalena Van der Linden
Musicians PIERRE LACOCQUE harmonica, band leader INETTA VISOR vocals (3,6,12) DANESHIA HAMILTON vocals (2,5,7,10) LURRIE BELL vocals (4), guitar (4,5,9) CARL WEATHERSBY vocals (1), lead guitar (3 intro,6,12) MICHAEL DOTSON vocals & lead guitar (8,11), except (1,5,7,9,12) GILES COREY rhythm guitar (all tracks, except 11). lead guitar (1,2) BRIAN QUINN acoustic and electric bass TERRENCE WILLIAMS drums (all tracks except 2,4,9) KENNY SMITH drums (2,4,9) CHRIS “HAMBONE” CAMERON organ (B-3), Wurlitzer, clavinet & piano (all tracks except 2,7,11 where JOHNNY IGUANA appears) MARC FRANKLIN trumpet, horn arrangements (3,6,7,10) KIRK SMOTHERS sax (3,6,7,10) NANETTE FRANK, DIANE MADISON & MAE KOEN (A.K.A.“NADIMA”) Background Vocals & Arrangements (3,6,7,10,12) RUBEN ALVAREZ percussion (3,10)
Delbert McClinton has always been one of my favorite musical artists. And not just because he once gave me a great, almost hour-long phone interview, talking about the music he loves. I’ve enjoyed his concerts, his albums, his style, and most of all, his almost indescribably eclectic music.
For example, he’s won four Grammy awards: One for a 1992 rock performance with Bonnie Raitt for “Good Man, Good Woman”; a 2002 Contemporary Blues Album for “Nothing Personal, a 2006 Best Contemporary Blues Album for “Cost of Living, and a 2020 Best Traditional Blues Album for “Tall Dark and Handsome.”
He’s recorded and performed those blues, all right, but he adds country, rock, soul, and rootsy roadhouse sounds from every musical corner, in a style that is uniquely smart enough to just be called “Delbert.”
Now he’s 81, has retired from the roadhouses and the road, and is content to deliver his music long-distance. And for his 27th studio album, “Outdated Emotion,” due May 13, he’s decided to pay tribute to the very roots of his rootsy music.
“I’ve wanted to do this album for a long time,” he writes in the album notes. “I wanted to sing all these songs. I wanted to honor these people who did these songs who made such a great impression on my life and my music.”
And then I ran across this quote from an informative interview that Delbert gave to Steven Ovadia in Blues Blast Magazine. It speaks to the idea that good songwriting requires good listeners:
“And in the world I came from, you’re gonna have songs that aren’t trash, that aren’t silly, that aren’t stupid, that actually say something, and go from one point to another with a legitimacy that’s obvious. But you’ve got to be able to know how to receive that music, and I don’t think a lot of people have been exposed enough to that kind of music. I think it’s going to be real interesting to see what younger people today think of our interpretation of this music. I’m excited about it. I think they’re gonna like it.”
Well, I like it. A lot. It’s extremely listenable, enjoyable music. It’s a great collection of his influences, plus five original creations. There’s pure country, unadulterated rock and roll, and some straight, no-chaser blues. Everyone from Hank Williams to Jimmy Reed to Little Richard. In other words, pure Delbert.
But mostly, it’s just damn fine music.
And now for something completely different.
I’m going to turn the rest of this post over to Delbert, and the excellent descriptions that he wrote for each of the 16 songs in an album booklet. It’s a shameless example of copy and paste, I know, but who better to describe what he felt about each song. And I also have to give a lot of respect to someone who can work in an admiring reference to that great old R&B group, a long-time personal favorite — Hank Ballard and the Midnighters.
Here’s Delbert on Delbert:
I’ve wanted to do this album for a long time. I wanted to sing all these songs. I wanted to honor these people who did these songs who made such a great impression on my life and my music. I never in my life ever thought about having a job for any other reason than a means to an end, which means I wasn’t educated enough to do much more than pour piss out of boots.
But I’d get these jobs where I was a hotshot driver for a brake and clutch warehouse, delivering stuff out to garages and spend my days driving around, listening to the radio, and making up songs. I just always knew that this was going to be what I would do, and I was going to do it well. Music has been there since day one, and it pulled me out of the fire, and saved me a million times.
There’s never been a doubt in my mind that I was going to play music. When I started doing it, I realized that nobody else was doing it the way I was doing it. I was influenced by Hank Williams, Jimmy Reed, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, those World War II songs. You can see their influence in the songs I’ve written and the music I play. I want to give credit, where credit’s due.
1. “Stagger Lee”: Lloyd Price and Harold Logan Every song on this album reminds me of everything good in life. In 1958, I was 18, and rock and roll was still brand new. It was magic. Stagger Lee was a major hit for Lloyd Price, and it was a major hit for me. Lloyd Price’s “Stagger Lee” hit me like a ton of bricks. It takes me back to a time when the hits came one right after another. And it honestly felt like it was never going to stop. The music was heartfelt and energetic. The future was endless.
2. “Setting the Woods on Fire”: Fred Rose and Ed Nelson (Hank Williams) “Setting the Woods on Fire” just lifts me up. It’s a celebration of life, plain and simple. All that music was so much fun All of these songs made my career what it is. I was 12 years old when “Setting the Woods on Fire” was a hit in 1952. I had so much fun making this record because I’ve wanted to do a Hank Williams record my whole life. I grew up with this music. Hank Williams was one of the songwriters who transformed me into who I am today. Hank Williams was The Guy. Everybody can find their story in a Hank Williams song. And those songs are as good today as they were when he recorded them. And, then rock and roll came along. I have lived through the best music in the world. The guys who played on these Hank songs were so great. When I was talking about recording some Hank Williams songs, everybody in town said you’ve got to get Chris Scruggs and his guys. I didn’t know who they were, but I said okay. I’ll get them. So, we had Chris on steel guitar and guitar, Mark Winchester on upright bass, Jimmy Stewart on flat top acoustic guitar, Wes Langlois on arch top acoustic guitar, and Stuart Duncan on fiddle. Chris asked, “What do you want to do first?” I said, “Setting the Woods on Fire,” and let’s try to do it just the way Hank did it. Bam 1-2-3-4. We had all of those songs down. We did all those Hank Williams songs in less than three hours. And I felt like I’d known those guys forever. I walked out of the studio that day thinking, “What the hell just happened?” And I still feel that way every time I listen to these songs. Because they did it exactly like Hank did. And I did my best to do Hank. I think we did a pretty good job. I love that music so much, I couldn’t lose.
3. “The Sun Is Shining”: Jimmy Reed, Calvin Carter, Abner Ewalt “The Sun is Shining” is a typical Jimmy Reed song. And typical for Jimmy Reed is the pocket that most people are looking for, his style of singing. And on those records, even if he’s not drinking, he slurs, but he slurs it’s all just right. Even when he comes in at the wrong place, it doesn’t matter. Because when they all finally get to the same spot, you can’t crack it. You just can’t crack it. I remember where I was the first time I heard “Honest, I Do” by Jimmie Reed. I was at a stoplight on the south side of Fort Worth on the way to rehearsal, and it blew me away. And that big cymbal just knocked me back in my shoes. That’s the day I quit playing “Dixie” on the harmonica and started learning to play blues harp. There was a big old club in Fort Worth called the Skyliner. It was built in the 20s or 30s as a big ballroom, and the roof rolled back, so it was like dancing under the stars. Me and my band were the only white band that got to play there. This was still during segregation, so Monday nights belonged to the Blacks. The first time I got to hear Jimmy Reed live was at one of those Monday night shows at the Skyliner. I was already a Jimmy Reed fan. There were several artists on the stage – Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, and some others. I heard that harmonica, and I knew he was there. I’m looking everywhere. Where is he? And he came out from behind the sheer curtain, His delivery of the music was genius. If you sit and listen to Jimmy Reed, if you can really understand his lyrics, they are brilliant. Sometimes it’s hard to understand, but I dug in because I wanted to know what he was saying. There was no shucking and jiving. It was no bullshit. Every line of every one of his songs tells the truth. Beginning in about 1952, the music was so phenomenal – and it has stood the test of time. The Midnighters, the Lamplighters, all those Black vocal groups were just outrageous. I can’t say enough about them to make you understand how important all of that was to me. Yesterday, I told my daughter to go listen to “Hound Dog” by Big Mama Thornton. And to listen to how raw the whole thing is. The guitar player never plays a chord in the song. He’s playing riffs all the time – and it works. It’s so basic and you can’t help but get it. That music changed everything. Sometimes it’s so wrong, it’s perfect. Well, not perfect, because anything that’s perfect is not good. Jimmy Reed is the best there ever will be. Nobody was doing what he was doing the way he was doing it.
4. “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer”: Rudy Toombs One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer is one of my favorite songs of my whole life. Amos Milburn had the first hit in 1953. Then John Lee Hooker brought it back in ’66. But the Milburn version – that is the one that has remained a mainstay in what I do. It has been a go-to song my whole life. I can hear that song and just skate my way through life. The whole song. And Kevin McKendree, who plays with me on the record, takes the song to a whole new place. When we went in to record it, and he started playing, I thought, “My God. That’s it.” Not the way Amos did it, or Hooker, but it’s just what I wanted. Kevin is phenomenal, anyway. And so is his son. Yates. We recorded a lot of the songs on this record, just the three of us. Bass, piano and vocal. And that’s all you need. Bass, vocal and piano. We had so much fun making that discovery. I’ve had total access to Kevin and Yates and Kevin’s studio all through COVID, and one day I said, “Let’s record some stuff.” That’s where it all started.
5. “Long Tall Sally”: Robert Blackwell, Enotris Johnson, Richard Penniman I was about 16 the year this song came out. It changed the course of music. Little Richard was crazy. He could do anything. We opened for him at a New Year’s Eve show in Fort Worth a few years later, and he was on fire. It’s fun to sing. Makes you feel like you’re 16 again. We were at a point in recording, and Kevin says, “What will we do next?” I said, “Let’s do ‘Long Tall Sally.’” Of course, I cannot come close to sounding like Little Richard, but I knew the song and I loved the song, and it’s been a part of my life ever since Little Richard came along. We were just laughing and having a good time. But when he and Yates started to play, it’s so real. You can’t get lost when they’re playing because they’re in the deepest old pocket of anybody I’ve ever worked with. You just can’t not be good when they’re playing behind you.
6. “Two Step Too”: Delbert McClinton I wrote this song at least twenty years ago. It’s about a guy trying to meet a woman, just trying to get in the door. I like blues and rock ‘n’ roll, but I like to “Two-Step Too.” I recorded it again for this record because I had all those great Hank Williams players in for the session, and they fit that song perfectly. I like this version a lot better than the original version I recorded (Cost of Living, 2005) It’s a clever song. “A glove box full of coupons good for a drink and a Krystal Cheese….” You have to know that Krystals are these little White Castle-like cheeseburgers. They have stores all over the South. Krystal’s drive-thru is open all night and a box full of Krystals is a good way to end the night after a gig. I’ve done it a million times.
7. “I Want a Little Girl”: Billy Moll, Murray Mencher This is another one of my favorite songs on this record. It’s almost an exact copy of Ray Charles’ version. When I brought that up, Kevin said, “Man, we’re never going to beat that. It’s Ray Charles.” And I said, ‘We won’t beat it, but we won’t embarrass it.” It’s just Kevin and me, and Yates playing bass. And we did a pretty good job of it.
8. “Ain’t That Loving You” – Jimmy Reed Once again, Jimmy Reed set my world on fire. He’s a hero of mine. And “Ain’t That Loving You” is one of my favorite songs. It’s got these cool dead stops in it, which we did on this record. And Yates played drums on it. That song is pumping full-time from the get-go. In the early 50s, you could hear Ernest Tubb and Muddy Waters in the same hour on the radio. It’s not that way anymore. Everything is formatted. Jimmy Reed and all those guys used to be Top 40 artists, Hit Parade people. Music has evolved, and it is more segregated now than it was back then. Sometimes I just need to go back and listen to good music in that mixed up order: Hank Williams, Jimmy Reed, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry.
9. “Jambalaya” – Hank Williams I played this song the way I learned it. And I did the verse that he left out on the record. I don’t even know where the hell I learned it. It’s a fun song. It’s a story about a big family party, a community feeling the same emotions, and everyone’s connected by a common thread. Anybody who was around when Jambalaya came out is still singing it today. It’s infectious. It’s relevant 79 years after it came out, and it’s just hard to beat. Hank’s voice was not loud or boisterous, but he had a way of connecting to people. It’s a big sing-along song. Anytime that song comes on anywhere, everybody sings along on the chorus. It’s all about community. Hank had a band that was incomparable. We did the Hank songs just like he did them. No drums. Just live people sitting there playing. These Hank Williams songs have lived with me since he recorded them. And they are as strong now as they were then. A lot of people say “Hank Williams, yeah, he was that guy…” But they are not familiar with his songs. A lot of people just know that he was a big deal in country music a long time ago. I wanted to play his songs for him again, and to let people hear them for the first time or listen to their old favorites. I just wanted to be a part of it. He had such a big effect on my life. I sang a Hank Williams song for my daughter when she was 30 minutes old. She took to Hank like a duck to water. She is as big a fan as I am now, and that’s a big deal for a young woman her age. We drive around in the car and sing at the top of our voices and have so much fun. When I get in the car, she has it set up and ready to go. Hank Williams’ music has been one of the brightest spots in my life since I can remember.
10. “Connecticut Blues”: Delbert McClinton, Kevin McKendree, Yates McKendree “Connecticut Blues” was just a fun song. The lyrics are so trippy. I was sitting at the piano one day and this line ran through my head. “I put some potatoes in and picked up a couple of real nice steaks, chilling her favorite Chilean wine, everything’s right on time… but she won’t be coming home tonight. They cancelled the flight…” That’s what happens when I get out at Kevin’s cabin. Just being in the room with those guys inspires me to write. We fooled around with what I had, and the last verse just came out: “I’ve got tears running down my face, I got blues all over the place. A good time just won’t let me in. I’ll try over and over again… I’ve got the low-down, snowbound Connecticut Blues,” and it was done.
11. “I Ain’t Got You”: Calvin Carter I did “I Ain’t Got You,” a song written by Calvin Carter and released in the summer of 1960 by Jimmy Reed. As you know I love everything by Jimmy Reed. The simplicity of this song–the whole primitive sound. It starts out and sounds like it’s going to be a train wreck, it starts on the wrong side of the time, and then Jimmy comes in on the vocals at sometimes the wrong place, and then it all jumps together, and it works. I’m going to tell you a story about Jimmy Reed but it’s not for printing. Just put down that I still have a microphone that he sang into when we backed him up at Jack’s Place (Fort Worth).
12. “Move It On Over”: Hank Williams “Move It On Over” was Hank Williams’ first big hit in 1947. I was seven years old when it came out. Every song he recorded is still a big hit with me. He was so good. “Move It On Over” is a rocker. It shows off the musicians well. Hank’s calling himself out on being in deep shit, and not taking anyone’s advice. I snuck a word in the song that’s not in his version. I put “Scooch” in there. “Move it on over, Scooch it on over. “The die-hard Hank fans will know that I added that. It’s just a little fun thing. There is a story that when Hank went to Acuff-Rose to try to get a job as a songwriter, it was lunchtime. Roy Acuff said, “Well, we’re going to lunch. You sit here in the office and write us a new s ong.”And when they got back, Hank had written “I Can’t Help It If I’m Still in Love With You. ”He got the job, and it’s still a great song.
13. “Hard Hearted Hannah”: Jack Yellen, Bob Bigelow, Charles Bates, Milton Age I leaned into the Ray Charles version of “Hard Hearted Hannah.” It’s always been one of my favorite Ray Charles songs, although just about anything he does is my favorite. It’s the bomb as far as I’m concerned. It doesn’t get any better than Ray Charles. It’s a playful song and I got to sing, “Brother, She’s the Polar Bear’s Pajamas,” and that was fun. There’s nothing rude about it. Nobody’s losing. It’s just about this devil woman that everybody loves.
14. “Sweet Talkin’ Man”: Delbert McClinton, Sharon Vaughn. Sharon Vaughn and I wrote this one day. She is so special, such a talented singer, writer, and person. Anyway, we wrote this about my best friend, Billy Sanders. He’s been gone for years, but we played together for a long time, and he was one of those guys that when he walked into a room, within five minutes, everybody else is around him listening to his bullshit. The best bullshitter of anybody I’ve ever known in my life. He could wrap a woman around his finger just like that. He played the shit out of a red 335 Gibson. We wrote this song about him and it’s mostly true. “Every time you see him, he’s got a longneck in his hand…wearing two-toned handmade boots, got a big tattoo that says, ‘I never lose,’ (which he didn’t have but it goes good in the song). He’s the number one, top of the line, sweet talking man. Every Daddy’s nightmare and every daughter’s dream…” It’s so easy to write with Sharon. I fell in love with the song – and with her. She sings so well, and so effortlessly. That kind of pisses me off. So effortlessly. And she’s won every kind of award anybody can win just for being so damned good. And she is so easy to write with. You know, they say the mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working before you’re born. It works constantly in your life until you sit down to write a song. She made it easy to write that song that day.
15. “Money Honey”: Delbert McClinton and Gary Nicholson Gary Nicholson is another of my good friends. “Money Honey” came right out of midair. It started out as a rock and roll song. I was going to put some originals on the album while I had those great guys in the studio for the Hank Williams songs. I said, “I think this will work in that Hank style, too.” So, Hank’s inspiration showed up again when we went to record it. That and “Two Step Too.
16. “Call Me A Cab”: Delbert McClinton, Kevin McKendree, Yates McKendree “Call Me A Cab.” A few years ago, we were down in Mexico writing songs, Bob Britt and Kevin McKendree and me. We’d been drinking whiskey and it was getting late at night. I had the whiskey voice going, and I was kind of testifying a little bit. And there was a quiet moment when I said. “Call me a cab, I got to go. I can’t sit and listen to this shit anymore. Call me a cab, hey girl, bring me a check – please.” It felt like a song. We were getting up to go, and while we were waiting on the curb, we recorded it on Kevin’s iPhone. Some years later, we took it into the studio and Yates added some magic to it. The way Yates ends it with that note after “please,” it’s almost like that beatnik thing from late ‘40s, early ‘50s. We didn’t re-record it – just added Yates on bass to the iPhone recording, and a little magic thing happened.
Delbert talks about Yates McKendree: Yates McKendree is a freak of nature. So is his daddy. Kevin. They are two of the most talented, innovative artists I’ve ever had the good fortune to make music with. I’ve got a picture of Yates when he was about three years old. We were all at a Christmas party at Gary Nicholson’s house. In the living room, Gary has an old upright piano. I looked over and saw Yates in there standing at that piano and he had one finger up. He was so short. The keyboard was at eye level. He was studying it. And then he started playing with one finger. Bin, bin, bin. Bom, bom, bom. Bin. Bom. I took a picture of him. And from the day of that picture, he just started learning everything so fast. He is talented beyond anything I will ever be able to fully comprehend. They’ve got it all in their heads, he, and his daddy both. Yates is somebody people are going to hear a lot more of. He’s 20, and right now and he can smoke anybody on the guitar, just blow them away. Bam. One thing that was so notable about Yates was that when he was still learning to play guitar, his hands weren’t big enough, so he was playing all this complicated stuff with his thumb. Just his thumb. Playing Freddie King instrumentals with just his thumb. Finally, he started using his whole hand. I have a video of him playing “Hideaway,” Freddie King’s big hit instrumental. Yates and Kevin are two of the most important people I’ve ever gotten to work with. They are both phenomenal. And they bring out the best in me just by being in the room. It’s some kind of magic. Yates was born in Nashville and raised in a recording studio. By age 8, he was sitting in with the Mike Henderson Band at the Bluebird Café on Monday nights. He played the International Blues Competition at age 11, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest at age 13, and as a supporting act at the Ryman auditorium at age 16. While in high school he played on and engineered many recording projects, most notably for Delbert McClinton and John Hiatt, who told Rolling Stone Magazine “Yates was our secret ingredient.” 2020 started with Yates winning a Grammy for engineering and playing on Delbert’s Tall, Dark & Handsome. He is currently finishing his first solo album.
Here are the nominees and winners of the 2022 Blues Music Awards, held at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis, May 5, sponsored by the Blues Foundation.
B.B. King Entertainer of the Year WINNER: Tommy Castro Eric Gales Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman) J.P. Soars Sugaray Rayford
Album of the Year Holler If You Hear Me, Altered Five Blues Band Not In My Lifetime, Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra Pinky’s Blues, Sue Foley Raisin’ Cain, Chris Cain WINNER: Tommy Castro Presents a Bluesman Came to Town, Tommy Castro
Band of the Year Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra J.P. Soars and the Red Hots Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials Sugaray Rayford Band WINNER: Tommy Castro & The Painkillers
Song of the Year “Fragile Peace and Certain War”, written by Dave Alvin (performed by Carolyn Wonderland) “Holler If You Hear Me”, written by Jeff Schroedl & Mark Solveson (performed by Altered Five Blues Band) WINNER: “I’d Climb Mountains,” written & performed by Selwyn Birchwood “Real Good Lie”, written by Christine Vitale, Larry Batiste, Anthony Paule (performed by Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra) “Somewhere”, written by Tommy Castro & Tom Hambridge (performed by Tommy Castro & The Painkillers)
Best Emerging Artist Album GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor: Try It… You Might Like It!, GA-20 Just Say The Word, Gabe Stillman WINNER: Live on Beale Street: A Tribute to Bobby “Blue” Bland, Rodd Bland and the Members Only Band Welcome To The Land, Memphissippi Sounds You Ain’t Unlucky, Veronica Lewis
Acoustic Blues Album WINNER: Dear America, Eric Bibb Land of the Sky, Catfish Keith Let’s Get Happy Together, Maria Muldaur Let Loose These Chains, Hector Anchondo The Trio Sessions, EG Kight
Blues Rock Album Alafia Moon, Damon Fowler Dance Songs For Hard Times, The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band WINNER: Resurrection, Mike Zito Tinfoil Hat, Popa Chubby Unemployed Highly Annoyed, Jeremiah Johnson
Contemporary Blues Album WINNER: 662, Kingfish Damage Control, Curtis Salgado Holler If You Hear Me, Altered Five Blues Band Raisin’ Cain, Chris Cain Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman Came To Town, Tommy Castro
Soul Blues Album Let’s Have A Party, Gerald McClendon WINNER: Long As I Got My Guitar, Zac Harmon Not In My Lifetime, Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra You Get What You Give: Duets, Dave Keller You Gotta Have It, Tia Carroll
Traditional Blues Album Be Ready When I Call You, Guy Davis Bob Corritore & Friends: Spider In My Stew, Bob Corritore Boogie w/ R.L. Boyce (Live), R.L. Boyce Little Black Flies, Eddie 9V WINNER: Pinky’s Blues, Sue Foley
Acoustic Blues Artist Eric Bibb Kevin Burt Guy Davis Doug MacLeod WINNER: Keb’ Mo’
Blues Rock Artist WINNER: Albert Castiglia Tommy Castro Tinsley Ellis Ana Popovic Joanne Shaw Taylor
Contemporary Blues Female Artist WINNER: Vanessa Collier Thornetta Davis Ruthie Foster Danielle Nicole Carolyn Wonderland
Contemporary Blues Male Artist Selwyn Birchwood Chris Cain WINNER: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram Kenny Neal Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)
Soul Blues Female Artist WINNER: Annika Chambers Trudy Lynn Terrie Odabi Kat Riggins Vaneese Thomas
Soul Blues Male Artist William Bell Don Bryant John Nemeth Johnny Rawls WINNER: Curtis Salgado
Traditional Blues Female Artist (Koko Taylor Award) Rory Block WINNER: Sue Foley Rhiannon Giddens Diunna Greenleaf EG Kight
Traditional Blues Male Artist Cedric Burnside Super Chikan WINNER: Taj Mahal Sugar Ray Norcia Jontavious Willis
Instrumentalist – Bass Willie J. Campbell Larry Fulcher Jerry Jemmott Scot Sutherland WINNER: Danielle Nicole
Instrumentalist – Drums Danny Banks June Core WINNER: Tom Hambridge Derrick D’Mar Martin Chris Peet
Instrumentalist – Guitar Christoffer “Kid” Andersen Chris Cain Laura Chavez Anson Funderburgh WINNER: Eric Gales J.P. Soars
Instrumentalist – Harmonica Billy Branch Bob Corritore WINNER: Jason Ricci Brandon Santini Kim Wilson
Instrumentalist – Horn Mindi Abair WINNER: Jimmy Carpenter Marc Franklin Regi Oliver Nancy Wright
Instrumentalist – Piano (Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award) Eden Brent WINNER: Mike Finnigan Dave Keyes Veronica Lewis Jim Pugh
Instrumentalist – Vocals Thornetta Davis Ruthie Foster WINNER: John Nemeth Sugaray Rayford Curtis Salgado
On his 28th album in his 45-year career, Ronnie Earl shows that his impeccable guitar talents only seem to have gotten better.
Earl’s touch and tone are minimalist but eloquent, each note virtually its own musical statement, combining for a magical depth of feeling and soulfulness
Earl also makes creative use of instrumentals — there are seven here. You don’t usually find that many on a single album, and you especially don’t find many as elegant as the second track, “Alabama,” Earl’s cover of and tribute to the legendary saxophonist/composer, John Coltrane.
The album opener, “Blow Wind Blow,” is exactly the opposite — a bluesy, rousing version of the Muddy Waters song, featuring the Broadcasters’ fine vocalist, Diane Blue. That’s the kind of mood shift that the Broadcasters handle with ease. The band sounds equally at home in a tough blues cover or a stylish interpretation of a great jazz tune.
There are also a couple more “tribute” songs, both instrumental originals by Earl: “Blues for Duke Robillard” and the acoustic departure of “Blues for Ruthie Foster,” a guitar duet with guest Peter Ward. Both are overflowing with Earl’s liquid guitar, taking its time to make certain that every note is the only one to express that feeling.
Another great cover is a beautifully extended 11-minute version of Percy Mayfield’s classic “Please Send Me Someone to Love,” with a sweet-toned guitar counterpoint for Diane Blue’s sultry vocals, and some tasty guitar, sax and B3 solos loitering in the background. It’s gorgeous.
“Coal Train Blues” is fine little blues instrumental; a Ronnie Earl master class in tasteful, understated blues that manages to speak volumes more than the sum of its notes, and shifts into an even lower, gear about halfway through.
Another favorite is “Only You Know and I Know,” the Dave Mason song that became a rocking staple for Delanie and Bonnie, again with Diane Blue bringing it home.
The album was titled “Mercy Me” “as I was thinking about all the things going on in the world,” Earl says about his inspiration. “We need to have more mercy for the world, for other people and for ourselves. I love playing the blues, and the session was so enjoyable. The band was focused, and we came together as one.” And Earl produced the effort himself.
So, mercy me, there’s a lot of excellent music here to absorb and enjoy.
Historical Note: The band was named after one of the first Fender guitars, distributed in 1950, which originally had been labeled The Broadcaster. The first group of Broadcasters included Darrell Nulisch (vocalist), Jerry Portnoy (harmonica), Steve Gomes (bass), and Per Hanson (drums).
Here’s some more music from the album:
Tracklist:
1. Blow Wind Blow, McKinley Morganfield, Diane Blue vocal 6:57 2. Alabama ,John Coltrane 5:08 3. Blues for Ruthie Foster, Ronnie Earl 5.23 4. Soul Searching Ronnie Earl, Kaz Kazanoff 4:35 5. Blues for Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl 7:41 6. Only You Know and I Know, Dave Mason, Diane Blue vocal 7:03 7. A Prayer for Tomorrow, Anthony Geraci, Ronnie Earl 6:00 8. Dave’s Groove, Ronnie Earl, Dave Limina, Forrest Padgett 6:51 9. Please Send Me Someone to Love, Percy Mayfield, Diane Blue vocal 10:46 10. Coal Train Blues, Ronnie Earl 5:02 11. The Sun Shines Brightly, Ronnie Earl & Diane Blue, Diane Blue vocal 8:33 12. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, Carl Smith, Gary Jackson; Diane Blue vocal 5:55
Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters
Ronnie Earl – Guitar, Dave Limina – Piano and Hammond B3, Diane Blue – Vocals, Forrest Padgett – Drums, Paul Kochanski – Electric and Upright Bass
Guest Musicians
Anthony Geraci – Piano Mark Earley – Baritone Sax Mario Perrett – Tenor Sax Peter Ward, Guitar Tess Ferraiolo – Vocals
Anthony Geraci 1, 7, 10, 11 Peter Ward 1, 3, 7, 10, 11 Mario Perrett 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12 Mark Earley 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12 Tess Ferraiolo 12 Paul Kochanski vocals and bass on 6
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If The Nighthawks don’t belong in the Roadhouse, I don’t know who does.
This Washington, D.C. band has been bringing its brand of hard-rocking blues and generally house-rocking music for 50 years, and they sound just as tough now as they did a half-century ago.
They’re well-known for their chops as a rugged bar band, with harp-master Mark Wenner up front since the beginning. But they’ve appeared with everyone from Carl Perkins to Muddy Waters, so their sound defies any label beyond great American roots music.
One of the band’s unique qualities is how well the quartet works together. Mark Stutso, drummer; Dan Hovey, guitar; and Paul Pisciotta, bass, all share vocals and kick in their share of words for songwriting on the 14 tracks. The result is a smoothness that comes from years of knowing exactly where each song is going.
This music draws inspiration from everywhere — and it’s always inspired. Hovey’s “Driving” is almost pure acoustic country, his “You Seem Distant” rocks with a message, a cover of Elvis Presley’s version of “Ain’t That Lovin’ You” is tough rockabilly, Stutso created the raucous “Gas Station Chicken,” “Take It Slow” has bluesy Jimmy Reed vibes — and so it goes, with the ‘Hawks soaring on their now almost-timeless tradition of just damn good music.
And they’re still running hard on the road, so if you’re somewhere on the East Coast trail they roam, don’t miss them. If you’re lucky, you might catch them in a sparkling two-fer show with Pittsburgh’s outstanding blue-eyed soul guy, Billy Price.
I’ve been a witness to a bunch of these shows, and I can testify to their unlimited fun power. Can we get some more witnesses?
I couldn’t find any video from this album, but here’s a concert video from 2018:
Album Tracklist: 01 – Nobody 02 – You Seem Distant 03 – I’ll Come Running Back To You 04 – Coming And Going 05 – Take It Slow 06 – Johnny Too Bad 07 – Ask Me Nice 08 – West Memphis 09 – Ain’t That Lovin You 10 – Gas Station Chicken 11 – Houseband 12 – Fuss And Fight 13 – Run Red Run 14 – Driving
The album cover of the new release, above, with the original from 1952, below. Note the different songs.
Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal have finally created their second album together. Their first was in 1968, when Cooder played on Mahal’s solo debut, “Taj Mahal.”
This time, it’s a joyous tribute to some of their roots, which are deeply embedded in Americana, world music, folk and blues. They’ve re-created (with a few changes) the 1952 “Get On Board” album by the legendary folk-blues duo of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, purveyors of the classic Piedmont blues style.
They’ve recorded a few of the original songs, but then they dip into the Terry-McGhee catalogue for a fresh selection. This album has more of a joyous house party vibe, with just Taj and Ry holding forth in Cooder’s son Joachim’s house (he added bass and drums.)
Mahal, nearly 80, and Cooder, 75, are seasoned veterans, and they show their age and experience in the best possible way — with a relaxed confidence and exuberance that makes for an album of pure musical enjoyment.
Cooder plays guitar, mandolin and banjo; Mahal plays harp, guitar and piano, while they share the vocals, trading leads and background encouragement. Their enjoyment is contagious. Aside from a few overdubs, each song was done in “just one take, with live vocals”, Cooder says. That live approach makes for great listening.
Their style here is a little tougher than the originals, but just as fine in their own way. And you get the advantage of more modern recording, which, coupled with the living room setting, adds an essential and rewarding spontaneity.
My favorite track is the opener, not on the original, the hard-driving “My Baby Done Changed the Lock on the Door.” But every cut is good old-fashioned blues at its best. Cooder and Mahal are definitely showing their age with the talents it takes to make this kind of exuberant music.
Here’s an interview on “The Making of ‘Get On Board'”
I’ve been a fan of Bonnie Raitt since I heard her first album, “Bonnie Raitt,” in 1971, a wonderful pastiche of blues, folk, rock and Raitt’s own musical persona, plus a bunch of her talented friends. (Her eclectic and talented supporting cast, for you blues fans, included A.C. Reed on sax and Junior Wells on harp on several songs.)
But just like that, just a tick over a half-century later, Raitt is still making magical music virtually undimmed by time with her 21st album, “Just Like That …” her first in six years.
This one is also eclectic, drawing strength from Raitt’s four original songs among the ten thoughtfully written and played compositions on this beautifully crafted, self-produced album. If anything, her vocals are stronger than ever, filled with passion and compassion for the subject at hand, whether it’s sweet love or sorrowful loss.
The haunting title track is one of those originals, the story of a woman comforted by the man who received her son’s transplanted heart. It’s a powerful acoustic gem.
The album is filled with songs of love, longing and loss, but it’s never trite or maudlin, thanks to skillful songwriting, and Raitt’s knowledge as a vocalist, finding hope and optimism in the humanity of her outlook. She’s also pulled together a group of her long-time bandmates, who contribute a spare but pulsive backdrop for every mood.
I don’t mean to make this sound like a dark and depressing album. Quite contrary. Raitt has taken thoughtful topics — losses to Covid, for example — and created joyful remembrances. In the hard-rocking “Livin’ for the Ones,” she sings: “I’m livin’ for the ones who didn’t make it, cut down through no fault of their own….” amid the punchy rhythms.
There are some more traditional touches of heartache and heartbreak in tracks like “”Here Comes Love,” “Something’s Got a Hold of My Heart, “the album opener “Made Up Mind,” and “Something’s Got Ahold of My Heart.”
Then there’s one of my favorites, the gorgeously torchy “Blame It on Me,” (“Truth is love’s first casualty….”) with what sounds like her signature slide work and one long, pure note she holds near the end that should make your heart ache with pain and pleasure.
This is an outstanding album, 50 years out, full of great songs, music and Raitt’s still compelling vocals.
Enjoy it soon and often.
Here’s a live performance of “Made Up Mind” on the Kelly Clarkson TV show:
Here’s an excellent interview. It’s worth watching.
One word comes to mind when I listen to Trudy Lynn burn her way through her delicious new album, “Golden Girl” — tough. In the best sense of the word.
The crackling band is tough, especially the lead guitar work; the songwriting is tough, and most of all, Lynn’s searing vocals are tough.
All that toughness has been honed by more than 55 years of performing blues and soul, and just possibly by growing through the Houston music scene, part of a larger, tougher, Texas music world.
Lynn’s first recording came in 1973 with Sinett Records single, “Long Live the Blues” and a soul ballad “What A Waste.” Since then, she’s been a thirteen-time Blues Music Award nominee, and received two career-defining awards in 2019: the Living Legend Blues Award from the Houston Blues Society and the Jus’ Blues Music Foundation’s Willie Mitchell Lifetime Artist Award.
She’s also been making a lot of terrific music.
Time and age — she’s coming up on 75 — seem to have made her vocals sound only more full and rich, lending an authenticity that’s better described as the “real deal.” Her name is on seven of the eleven songs here; her writing skills reflect her musical wisdom.
You can feel the “real” from the opening bars of “Tell Me,” the first track here: It’s a fiery intro from guitarist Yates McKendree that trades punches with Lynn’s tough vocals throughout. Then there’s the title track, sort of, “Golden Girl Blues,” with guest axman Anson Funderburgh joining McKendree on guitar and pushing the backers to keep up with Lynn’s vocals on how to “keep on livin'” with the golden girl blues.
The toughness continues with “If Your Phone Don’t Ring” and “I’m Just Saying,” then takes a break for the tender soulfulness of the lovely “Is It Cold In Here.”
Steve Krase’s soulful harp kicks open “Trouble In Love,” which brings back Funderburgh and McKendree, with some nice piano fills by Kevin McKendree, all rocking along into the next track, “Take Me Back,” in which I can hear a subtle reference to some great old R&B with a dollop of doo-wop. (Doo-wop, for you youngsters, was an R&B-related musical style from the late 1940s and ’50s, mostly four or five vocalists who gave the music its nickname by sing a lot of doo-wop, doo-wop, doo-wop rhythms in the background.)
Speaking of oldies, another track, “Heartache Is A One-Way Street,” updates what sounds an awful lot like the Bo Diddley beat. Much fun!
But the closer is my favorite song, musically and philosophically — “Life Goes On.” Funderburgh leans into it with a scorching blues solo, and Lynn puts the torch to it all with power and passion. A great song.
This is a very fine album, packed with good, old-fashioned blues and soul. The excellent musicians here provide a perfect backdrop for Lynn’s majestic vocals. Listen to it a lot. It’s worth every musical minute.
Trudy Lynn sings “Golden Girl Blues”
Tracklist and credits:
Just for fun: Even more toughness in “Tuff Enuff” from the Fabulous Thunderbirds, in 1986.
Blues Roadhouse 