1896 Gary Davis*
1917 Frankie Lee Sims*
1931 Jimmie Lee Robinson*
1954 Cadillac Pete*
1957 Uwe Thiem*
1970 Wayne Baker Brooks*
1983 Muddy Waters+
2015 Ben E. King+
Dov Hammer*
Lausitzblues (Mac BluesBulldog Zap)*
Happy Birthday
Frankie Lee Sims *30.04.1917
Frankie Lee Sims (April 30, 1917, New Orleans, Louisiana – May 10, 1970, Dallas, Texas)[1] was an American singer-songwriter and electric blues guitarist. He released nine singles during his career, one of which, "Lucy Mae Blues" (1953) was a regional hit. Two compilation albums of his work were released posthumously.
Sims was the cousin of another Texas blues musician, Lightnin' Hopkins, and he worked with several other prominent blues musicians, including Texas Alexander, T-Bone Walker, King Curtis and Albert Collins. Sims is regarded as one of the important figures in post-war Texas country blues.
Frankie Lee Sims was born on April 30, 1917 in New Orleans, Louisiana,[1] to Henry Sims and Virginia Summuel.[2] He claimed he was born on February 29, 1906,[3] but 1906 was not a leap year and April 30, 1917 is generally accepted as his birth date.[4] He was the nephew of Texas blues singer Texas Alexander,[5] and the cousin of Texan guitarist Lightnin' Hopkins.[1] Both Sims's parents were "accomplished guitarists".[4] His family moved to Marshall, Texas in the late 1920s, and at the age of 12 he learnt to play guitar from Texas blues musician Little Hat Jones[1][5] and ran away from home to work as a musician.[2] In the late 1930s Sims had a duel career of a teacher in Palestine, Texas on weekdays and a guitarist at local dances and parties on weekends. When the US entered the Second World War at the end of 1941, Sims enlisted, becoming a Marine for three years. After the war Sims made Dallas his home where he pursued a full-time career in music.[4]
In Dallas Sims encountered, and performed with, Texas blues guitarists T-Bone Walker and Smokey Hogg in local clubs. In 1948 Sims recorded two singles for Blue Bonnet Records, but his first success came in 1953 when he recorded his song, "Lucy Mae Blues" for Art Rupe's Specialty Records, which went on to become a regional hit.[1] The Encyclopedia of the Blues called "Lucy Mae Blues" a "masterpiece of rhythm and good humor".[5] Sims continued recording songs for Specialty through the mid-1950s, many of them not released at the time. In 1957 he moved to Johnny Vincent's Ace Records and recorded several songs, including "Walking with Frankie" and "She Likes to Boogie Real Low", which Allmusic called "mighty rockers".[1] Sims also recorded with other blues musicians, including his cousin Hopkins,[1] and appears on several of their records.[6] In the early 1960s Hopkins "cashed in" on the folk-blues revival,[1] but Sims faded into obscurity.[4]
In 1969 blues historian Chris Strachwitz tracked Sims down to record him on his Arhoolie label,[5] but Sims died soon after on May 10, 1970 in Dallas at the age of 53.[1] The cause of death was pneumonia brought on by his poor health.[4] At the time of his death he was reported to have had a drinking problem and was under investigation regarding a "shooting incident".[1] Soon after his death, Specialty Records released a compilation album of Sim's recordings with the label, Lucy Mae Blues.[7] In 1985 Krazy Kat released Walkin' With Frankie, an album of unreleased songs he had recorded for the label in 1960.[6]
Style and influence
Along with Lightnin' Hopkins and Lil' Son Jackson, Sims is regarded as "one of the great names in post-war Texas country blues".[5] According to the Encyclopedia of the Blues, his was a "considerable" influence on other musicians in Dallas.[5] T-Bone Walker acknowledged Sims's effect on his style of playing, and Hopkins got some of his ideas from him. Sims also guided several musicians at the start of their careers, including King Curtis and Albert Collins.[5]
Sims's style of guitar playing was to produce rhythmical patterns over and over, but with a slight change in each repetition, giving his music an "irresistible dance beat".[5] He produced a "twangy, ringing" sound on his electric guitar that was "irresistible on fast numbers and stung hard on the downbeat stuff".
Gary Davis *30.04.1896
Reverend Gary Davis (* 30. April 1896 in Laurens, South Carolina; † 5. Mai 1972 in Hammonton, New Jersey) war ein einflussreicher und technisch herausragender Blues-Gitarrist.
Gary Davis ist während seiner Kindheit vollständig erblindet. Er lernte autodidaktisch Gitarre, Banjo und Mundharmonika. Zunächst trat er bei Partys in seinem Heimatort auf, danach zog er nach Durham, North Carolina und lebte dort als Straßenmusiker. Um 1927 wurde er Baptistenprediger, daher der Titel Reverend (Pfarrer/Pastor).
Anfang der 30er Jahre lernte er Blind Boy Fuller kennen. Mit ihm machte er im Juli 1935 seine ersten Aufnahmen für AMC in New York.
1942 zog Gary Davis mit seiner zweiten Frau nach New York. Ab Mitte der 1950er nahm er für verschiedene Labels auf und hinterließ sein reichhaltiges Repertoire bestehend aus Blues und Gospelmusik.
Durch das Folk Revival wurde er "wiederentdeckt" und Musiker wie Stefan Grossman, Ry Cooder, Jerry García, Jorma Kaukonen und David Bromberg lernten von ihm. Coverversionen seiner Stücke nahmen u.A. auch Bob Dylan und Peter, Paul and Mary auf. Das Stück "Kokain" von Hannes Wader ist eine deutsche Adaption des "Cocaine Blues" von Davis.
Auf dem Weg zu einem Auftritt erlitt Gary Davis einen Herzinfarkt. Er starb darauf im William Kessler Memorial Hospital. Sein Grab ist im Rockville Cemetery, Lynbrook (NY). Posthum wurde er 2009 in die Blues Hall of Fame aufgenommen.
Im Gegensatz zu den meisten Fingerpickern spielte er nur mit dem Daumen und dem Zeigefinger der rechten Hand. Stilistisch zählt er zu den Ragtime-Gitarristen.
Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, (April 30, 1896 – May 5, 1972) was a blind African American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo guitar and harmonica. His finger-picking guitar style influenced many other artists and his students include Stefan Grossman, David Bromberg, Roy Book Binder, Larry Johnson, Nick Katzman, Dave Van Ronk, Rory Block, Ernie Hawkins, Larry Campbell, Bob Weir, Woody Mann, and Tom Winslow.[1]
He has influenced Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, Wizz Jones, Jorma Kaukonen, Keb' Mo', Ollabelle, Resurrection Band, and John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful.
Biography
Gary Davis was born in the Piedmont region of the country, in Laurens, South Carolina, and was the only one of eight children his mother bore who survived to adulthood. He became blind as an infant. Davis reported that his father was killed in Birmingham, Alabama, when Davis was ten, and Davis later said that he had been told that his father had been shot by the Birmingham High Sheriff. He recalled being poorly treated by his mother and that before his death his father had given him into the care of his paternal grandmother.[2]
He took to the guitar and assumed a unique multi-voice style produced solely with his thumb and index finger, playing not only gospel, ragtime and blues tunes, but also traditional and original tunes in four-part harmony.
In the mid-1920s, Davis migrated to Durham, North Carolina, a major center for black culture at the time. There he taught Blind Boy Fuller and collaborated with a number of other artists in the Piedmont blues scene including Bull City Red.[1] In 1935, J. B. Long, a store manager with a reputation for supporting local artists, introduced Davis, Fuller and Red to the American Record Company. The subsequent recording sessions marked the real beginning of Davis' career and are available in his Complete Early Recordings. During his time in Durham, Davis converted to Christianity; in 1937, he would be ordained as a Baptist minister.[1][3] Following his conversion and especially his ordination, Davis began to express a preference for inspirational gospel music.
In the 1940s, the blues scene in Durham began to decline and Davis migrated to New York.[1] In 1951, several years before his "rediscovery", Davis's oral history was recorded by Elizabeth Lyttleton Harold (the wife of Alan Lomax) who transcribed their conversations into a 300+-page typescript.
The folk revival of the 1960s re-invigorated Davis' career and included a performance at the Newport Folk Festival and having Peter, Paul and Mary record his version of "Samson and Delilah", also known as "If I Had My Way" which is originally a Blind Willie Johnson song that Davis had popularized. "Samson and Delilah" was also covered and credited to Davis on the Grateful Dead's "Terrapin Station" album. Eric Von Schmidt credits Rev. Davis with three-quarters of Schmidt's Baby, Let Me Follow You Down which Bob Dylan covered on his debut album for Columbia.[4] Blues Hall of Fame singer and harmonica player Darrell Mansfield has also recorded several of Rev. Davis' songs.
Davis died in May 1972, from a heart attack in Hammonton, New Jersey.[5] He is buried in plot 68 of Rockville Cemetery in Lynbrook, Long Island, New York.
Jimmie Lee Robinson *30.04.1931
Jimmie Lee Robinson (April 30, 1931 – July 6, 2002), also known as Lonesome Lee, was an American blues musician who was predominantly known for his involvement in the Chicago blues scene in the 1950s and 1960s. Robinson performed with other blues musicians of the period and worked as a session musician. Following a hiatus from music, Robinson returned to the profession in the 1990s to record his own material for full-length albums.[1]
Biography
Robinson was born on April 30, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. In his childhood, he lived with his grandparents, and Robinson was taught to play guitar by his neighbor and fellow blues musician, Blind Percy. Percy would later accompany Robinson in local concerts in the area. In 1942, Robinson began playing in the open market area, Maxwell Street, in which he also performed with local musicians. In 1948, Robinson met Eddie Taylor and the two worked the Chicago club scene together until 1952.[2] After the two split, Robinson formed a band with Freddie King, who he met outside a welfare center, called The Every Hour Blues Boys. The band lasted four years, and the time spent together had King later credit Robinson as one of his earliest and influential teachers. In 1955, Robinson joined a band led by Little Walter. The band became popular in Chicago, but in 1958 Walter was incapacitated by a shooting. Robinson became the vocalist of the group in Walter's absence; however, personnel issues resulted in him leaving later in the year.[3] Throughout the 1950s, Robinson became an in-demand session musician, playing bass guitar and rhythm guitar, for acts like Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Cooper, and Magic Sam. In between his session work, Robinson produced three singles on the Bandera label, including one of his signature songs, "All of My Life" in 1960.[4]
In 1965, Robinson toured in Europe alongside Buddy Guy, Big Mama Thornton, and John Lee Hooker as a part of Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau's American Folk Blues Festival. Robinson continued to tour and record in the US, but, with the combination of the death of his mother, and the fading popularity of the blues, his musical activity declined in the late 1960s. During this time, Robinson opened a candy store in Chicago and toured a few more times, often with long-time friend Little Willie Anderson, and recorded, but at an inconsistent rate. In the 1980s, however, Robinson completely abandoned his musical career, and was employed as a carpenter and later a cab driver for most of the decade.[5]
In the late 1980s, members of a local blues band called Ice Cream Men encouraged Robinson to make a comeback. Robinson returned to music, and recorded his first studio album in 1994 on the Delmark label entitled, Lonely Traveller, which included old and new tracks by Robinson. Three more albums, Guns, Gangs, and Drugs in 1996, Maxwell Street Blues in 1998, and All My Life in 2001, followed. Robinson's comeback was capped by his active protest to prevent the gentrification of Maxwell Street. He was a member of the Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition, and he wrote the group's theme song, "Maxwell Street Teardown Blues". The street was marked to have the majority of its buildings demolished so the University of Illinois could expand.[1][6] In protest, Robinson performed in 2000 on Maxwell Street, playing "Maxwell Street Teardown Blues", and fasted for 81 days. Later in the year, Robinson also changed his name to J. L. Latif Aliomar as a part of his religious conversion to Islam. Despite the protest of Robinson and others, the street was almost completely demolished by the end of the year.[7]
Early in 2002, Robinson was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his sinuses, which was removed in April of the same year. He began performing again four days later in celebration of his 71st birthday at the Deep Blue Club. However, the cancer had already spread to the rest of his body and his health deteriorated to the point of no recovery. On July 6, 2002, Robinson was found dead in his car in Chicago of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Robinson most likely committed suicide to avoid the suffering stemming from his failing health.
Unlike many of his Chicago blues contemporaries, Jimmie Lee Robinson wasn't a Mississippi Delta emigre. The guitarist was born and raised right in the Windy City -- not far from Maxwell Street, the fabled open-air market on the near West side where the blues veritably teemed during the 1940s and '50s.
Robinson learned his lessons well. He formed a partnership with guitarist Freddy King in 1952 for four years (they met outside the local welfare office), later doing sideman work with Elmore James and Little Walter and cutting sessions on guitar and bass behind Little Walter, Eddie Taylor, Shakey Jake, and St. Louis Jimmy Oden. Robinson cut three singles for the tiny Bandera label circa 1959-1960; the haunting "All My Life" packed enough power to be heard over in England, where John Mayall faithfully covered it. Another Bandera standout, "Lonely Traveller," was revived as the title track for Robinson's 1994 Delmark comeback album.
Europe enjoyed a glimpse of Robinson when he hit the continent as part of Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau's 1965 American Folk Blues Festival alongside John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, and Big Mama Thornton. After that, his mother died, and times grew tough. Robinson worked as a cabbie and security guard for the Board of Education for a quarter century or so until the members of the Ice Cream Men -- a young local band with an overriding passion for '50s blues -- convinced Robinson that he was much too young to be retired. His comeback was documented by his first full-length record, Lonely Traveller, being released on Delmark in 1994. In the mid-'90s he released Guns, Gangs and Drugs on his own Amina label. The beginning of 1998 found Robinson back in the studio working on a set of mostly original songs that became his second album, Remember Me, which was released in 2000 on the APO label. At the end of 1998, Robinson began what ended up to be a 91-day fast to protest the tearing down of the historic Maxwell Street area. He was a member of Maxwell Street Historic Preservation Coalition and wrote their theme song, "The Maxwell Street Tear Down Blues," but decided a more direct action needed to be taken. The fast brought attention to the cause, including a front-page story in The New York Times, but ultimately the area was almost completely demolished so that the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) campus could expand. In 1999, Robinson recorded All My Life which was released in 2001. On July 6, 2002, he took his own life following a long bout with stomach cancer.
Wayne Baker Brooks *30.04.1970
Wayne Baker Brooks (born April 30, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois, United States)[1] is an American blues and blues-rock guitarist and singer.
Biography
The son of the Chicago blues musician Lonnie Brooks, he joined his father's band as a roadie in 1988 and started playing guitar in the band in 1990. In 1997, he formed the Wayne Baker Brooks Band. In 1998 he spearheaded and co-authored the book, Blues for Dummies along with Cub Koda and Lonnie Brooks. It was published in August that year.[1] On October 27, 1998, he and his band performed for then-First Lady of the United States, Hillary Rodham Clinton (later Secretary of State) at Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation/Chess Records, in Chicago.
On July 15, 2003, Brooks performed at U.S. Cellular Field in front of 47,000 people at the Major League Baseball All Star Game.[1]
Brooks started his own record label in 2003, and officially released his debut Mystery on October 26, 2004, receiving numerous accolades, including four stars from Allmusic.
Wayne Baker Brooks - Hoochie Koochie Man {Part-1}
Homesick James *30.04.1910
Homesick
James (* James A. Williamson, 30. April 1910 in Somerville, Tennessee; †
13. Dezember 2006 in Springfield (Missouri)) war ein US-amerikanischer
Blues-Musiker.
Bereits im Kindesalter begann er Gitarre zu spielen
und entwickelte seinen Stil in den weit verbreiteten, kleinen,
armseligen Lokalen für die Schwarzen des Südens, in denen er seit seinem
14. Lebensjahr auftrat. In den folgenden Jahren spielte er u.a. mit
Sleepy John Estes, Sonny Boy Williamson II., Snooky Pryor, Muddy Waters,
Honeyboy Edwards, Blind Boy Fuller (der für Homesick zum „Mentor“ und
wichtigen Förderer wurde). Auch mit Robert Johnson trat er auf, ebenso
wie mit Son House, für den er große Verehrung empfand.
In seiner
eigenen Band, den „Dusters“, die er in den 1930er Jahren führte, spielte
unter anderem Albert King eine Zeitlang Schlagzeug. Gegen Ende des
Jahrzehnts begann Homesick James seine Karriere im Studio und nahm erste
Platten für RCA und Vocalion auf. In den 1940er Jahren zog er nach
Memphis (Tennessee), wo er regelmäßig mit Big Walter Horton auftrat,
einem der bedeutendsten Harmonikaspieler des Blues überhaupt. Anfang der
1950er Jahre zog er weiter nach Norden und ließ sich in Chicago nieder.
Hier
wurde er zu einem festen Bestandteil der Blues-Szene und prägte den
damaligen Sound der Maxwell Street entscheidend mit. Er trat mit Memphis
Minnie (Homesicks langjähriger Freundin), Big Bill Broonzy, Lonnie
Johnson, Tampa Red, Yank Rachell, Robert Lockwood Jr., Junior Wells,
Sunnyland Slim, Little Walter und Elmore James auf. Zwischen ihm und
Elmore James, den Homesick Jahrzehnte als seinen Cousin bezeichnete,
entwickelte sich eine besonders enge Freundschaft. Homesick soll Elmore
dessen erste Gitarre geschenkt haben und er hat ihm das Slide-Spiel
beigebracht. Er spielte in Elmores Band von 1955 bis zum Tod von Elmore
James 1963 und wirkte an zahlreichen Elmore-James-Hits wie etwa The Sky
Is Crying, Dust My Broom oder Roll and Tumble mit. Elmore James verstarb
1963 in Anwesenheit von Homesick in dessen Wohnung in Chicago.
Nach
dem Tod von Elmore James arbeitete Homesick hauptsächlich unter eigenem
Namen und nahm zahlreiche Alben für Delmark, Prestige/Fantasy,
Bluesville, Appaloosa, Stanhope, Trix, Black and Blue, Earwig und
Icehouse auf. Er trat bei praktisch allen größeren Blues-Festivals auf
und war alljährlich Gast der wohl bedeutendsten Blues-Festivals
überhaupt (Chicago Blues Festival, San Francisco Blues Festival und dem
St. Louis Blues Festival).
Das Living Blues Magazine sah in ihm
„eine der wunderbarsten Erscheinungen des Blues überhaupt“; das
Musik-Magazin Option stellte fest, ihn zu hören sei „ebenso fesselnd wie
Aufnahmen von Robert Johnson zum ersten Mal zu entdecken“ und weiter,
es sei „als fände man die Wurzeln aller Blues-Gitarristen, gebündelt in
einer einzigen Quelle“. Der Chicago Reader attestierte Homesick, dass er
„Jähzorn zu einer Kunstform erhoben hat. Er wirft Schnipsel von
Blues-Standards aus jüngster Zeit ebenso wie aus den Anfängen des Blues
zusammen, zieht und reißt die Saiten seiner Gitarre mit anarchischer
Wildheit, um im nächsten Moment in einen weichen Slide-Lauf zu wechseln.
Seinen expressiven Gesang durchsetzt er mit Anekdoten und Aphorismen
aus seinem langen Leben als ständiger Reisender.“
Williamson nahm
im Jahr 2004 seine letzte Platte auf. Homesick James verstarb am 13.
Dezember 2006 und ist in Covington, Tennessee, begraben.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homesick_James
I Got To Move - Homesick James
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl7d2bJU5nw
Homesick
James (April 30, 1910[1] - December 13, 2006)[2] was an American blues
musician known for his mastery of slide guitar. He recorded covers of
"Stones In My Passway" and "Homesick". James worked with his cousin,
Elmore James, and Sonny Boy Williamson II.[3]
Biography
He was born in Somerville, Tennessee, United States, the son of Cordellia Henderson and Plez Williamson Rivers, who were both musicians.[4] His year of birth is uncertain. He has stated that he was born in 1905,[2] 1910 or 1914,[5] while his union records give 1924.[2] He developed a self-taught style of slide guitar through playing at local dances in his teens. Little is known about his early life.[6] He claimed to have played with Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Blind Boy Fuller and Big Joe Williams, among others, and to have been acquainted with Robert Johnson. He also claimed to be the older cousin of Elmore James,[6] to have bought James his first guitar, and to have taught him how to play slide. However, some of these claims are unconfirmed.
By the mid-1930s he was based in Chicago, and working with Horace Henderson's band at the Circle Inn, and with pianist Jimmy Walker at the Square Deal Club.[7] He may have first recorded for RCA Victor in 1937, but this is also unconfirmed, and by 1938 may have begun playing electric guitar. His first known recordings were in 1952 for Chance Records, recording the tracks "Lonesome Ole Train" and "Homesick" which gave him his stage name.[6] During the late 1940s and 1950s he worked with both Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller), and with Elmore James, and in the early 1950s he worked in bands including Baby Face Leroy Foster, Snooky Pryor, Floyd Jones, and Lazy Bill Lucas.[8] He was a longtime member of Elmore James' band from 1955 to 1963, contributing to such tracks as "Dust My Broom," "The Sky Is Crying," and "Roll and Tumble." Elmore James is said to have died on Homesick's couch, while the latter frantically searched for the former's heart pills.[9]
As a solo performer, he recorded for the Colt and USA labels in 1962, including a cover version of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads". Homesick James's slide guitar style, not as refined as Elmore James', traces back to Johnson's. He also recorded a 1964 album for Prestige Records, Blues On the South Side (Prestige OBCCD 529-2), including another of his best-known covers, "Stones In My Passway", and some tracks for Vanguard that are available on the compilation album Chicago: The Blues Today.[10] One of his own songs, "Gotta Move" (also on Blues On the South Side) was covered (as "Got To Move") both by Elmore James and Fleetwood Mac.[citation needed] He is referenced by name in the 1989 song 'Fergus Sings The Blues' by Scottish band Deacon Blue with the line "Homesick James, my biggest influence".
Biography
He was born in Somerville, Tennessee, United States, the son of Cordellia Henderson and Plez Williamson Rivers, who were both musicians.[4] His year of birth is uncertain. He has stated that he was born in 1905,[2] 1910 or 1914,[5] while his union records give 1924.[2] He developed a self-taught style of slide guitar through playing at local dances in his teens. Little is known about his early life.[6] He claimed to have played with Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Blind Boy Fuller and Big Joe Williams, among others, and to have been acquainted with Robert Johnson. He also claimed to be the older cousin of Elmore James,[6] to have bought James his first guitar, and to have taught him how to play slide. However, some of these claims are unconfirmed.
By the mid-1930s he was based in Chicago, and working with Horace Henderson's band at the Circle Inn, and with pianist Jimmy Walker at the Square Deal Club.[7] He may have first recorded for RCA Victor in 1937, but this is also unconfirmed, and by 1938 may have begun playing electric guitar. His first known recordings were in 1952 for Chance Records, recording the tracks "Lonesome Ole Train" and "Homesick" which gave him his stage name.[6] During the late 1940s and 1950s he worked with both Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller), and with Elmore James, and in the early 1950s he worked in bands including Baby Face Leroy Foster, Snooky Pryor, Floyd Jones, and Lazy Bill Lucas.[8] He was a longtime member of Elmore James' band from 1955 to 1963, contributing to such tracks as "Dust My Broom," "The Sky Is Crying," and "Roll and Tumble." Elmore James is said to have died on Homesick's couch, while the latter frantically searched for the former's heart pills.[9]
As a solo performer, he recorded for the Colt and USA labels in 1962, including a cover version of Robert Johnson's "Crossroads". Homesick James's slide guitar style, not as refined as Elmore James', traces back to Johnson's. He also recorded a 1964 album for Prestige Records, Blues On the South Side (Prestige OBCCD 529-2), including another of his best-known covers, "Stones In My Passway", and some tracks for Vanguard that are available on the compilation album Chicago: The Blues Today.[10] One of his own songs, "Gotta Move" (also on Blues On the South Side) was covered (as "Got To Move") both by Elmore James and Fleetwood Mac.[citation needed] He is referenced by name in the 1989 song 'Fergus Sings The Blues' by Scottish band Deacon Blue with the line "Homesick James, my biggest influence".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl7d2bJU5nw
Dov Hammer *30.04.
https://www.facebook.com/dov.hammer?fref=ts
"Dov Hammer is an artist be seen and not just heard. Dov sings and plays aharmonica
with total body and soul. His love for the Blues is contagious, and his authentic performance immediately engages his audience in this passion.
Seeing and hearing Dov perform is a moving and highly enjoyable
experience "
Yehudit Vinegrad ,Manager and Producer of Jacob's Ladder Folk Festival.
For over two decades now,Dov Hammer has been Israel`s premier Blues artist. Singer , songwriter and harmonica player, his live performances and recordings embody the spirit of the Blues - intense and passionate, yet danceable and grooving, soulful and humorous, personal yet universal, deeply rooted in tradition while modern and up-to-date.
Originally from the USA, Dov Hammer currently lives in Tel Aviv , Israel, where he is lead singer and harmonica player of "The Blues Rebels" . Side projects include Dov Hammer & The Allstars - a 4-piece band that plays classic Chicago Blues, and he also plays acoustic Blues shows. As well as 7 albums of original Blues, his recording credits also include sessions with Israels top artists, TV commercials, film soundtracks, and many televised concerts.
with total body and soul. His love for the Blues is contagious, and his authentic performance immediately engages his audience in this passion.
Seeing and hearing Dov perform is a moving and highly enjoyable
experience "
Yehudit Vinegrad ,Manager and Producer of Jacob's Ladder Folk Festival.
For over two decades now,Dov Hammer has been Israel`s premier Blues artist. Singer , songwriter and harmonica player, his live performances and recordings embody the spirit of the Blues - intense and passionate, yet danceable and grooving, soulful and humorous, personal yet universal, deeply rooted in tradition while modern and up-to-date.
Originally from the USA, Dov Hammer currently lives in Tel Aviv , Israel, where he is lead singer and harmonica player of "The Blues Rebels" . Side projects include Dov Hammer & The Allstars - a 4-piece band that plays classic Chicago Blues, and he also plays acoustic Blues shows. As well as 7 albums of original Blues, his recording credits also include sessions with Israels top artists, TV commercials, film soundtracks, and many televised concerts.
http://www.dovhammer.com/bio.html
http://www.blues-rebels.com/
http://www.blues-rebels.com/
THRILL IS GONE - The Blues Rebels - Dov Hammer, Andy Watts& The Hillels
Cadillac Pete *30.04.1954
Let’s get right down to the point. One of the first questions people always ask is how Pete got to be known as Cadillac Pete. Here is the story. Pete was dubbed “Cadillac Pete” by his fellow musicians for one very good reason. He is the top of the line in his field. Cadillac is the symbol of American excellence at home and abroad, known for legendary performance, second to none. That description fits Pete to a tee; hence the name, Cadillac Pete. Once you hear him play his harp, you will understand completely. He has been playing professionally for over 20 years, and has been playing the blues exclusively for 17. He learned his craft from his father Walter so he has actually been playing the whistles since he was four, and it shows. Pete is an international recording artist, having recorded most recently with his own band, The Heat. Previous to that he recorded with Reverend Raven and the Chain Smoking Altar Boys here in Wisconsin. He was also a regular on Bourbon Street in New Orleans with the incomparable Bryan Lee, with whom he toured the U.S., Europe, South America, and Canada. He also recorded several CDs with Bryan, which include work with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Frank Marino and James Cotton.
Born in Winnepeg, Manitoba, Pete became a Wisconsin resident at the tender age of 2, and has since become one of Milwaukee’s favorite sons. However, technically he is actually a resident of West Allis, and if you meet any of his hometown fans they will be sure to make the distinction! He is a two-time WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) award winner for the best harmonica instrumentalist. You may have seen him at any one of your favorite clubs or festivals including, but not limited to the Montreal Jazz Fest, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Belgium Blues Fest, or our very own Summerfest, as well as Buddy Guys Legends and Luther’s in Madison, Absinthe Bar formerly on Bourbon Street, and locally at the Milwaukee Ale House or the Up and Under, to name a few!!
In addition to being a world-class musician, Pete is also a tool and die maker, as well as an inventor. Pete holds two patents. One patent is for a product called Tuff Scuff, which
Is a 2 in 1 joint protector and tip scuffer for pool cues. Pete is a bit of a pool shark himself. The second patent is for Cadillac Pete’s Harp Stand. You can see this product on stage every time you see Pete perform. It is a slotted tray to help organize harmonicas, with a universal mike stand adapter to fit both American and European stands. The harp stand is available in either molded plastic or solid ash. This product is fast becoming a favorite of professional harp players world wide. Tuff Scuff and the harp stand are marketed to distributors and individuals through Cadillac Pete Enterprises, Inc.
So come on out to hear him shake the shack, the one and only Cadillac Pete.
One of the first questions people ask Pete is how did you get your
name, Cadillac Pete? Pete was dubbed "Cadillac Pete" by his fellow
musicians. Cadillac is a symbol of excellence, known for legendary
performance which fits Pete to a tee; hence the name, "Cadillac Pete".
Pete was given a harmonica at the age of 4 and has been playing
ever since. He went to see an Allman Brothers concert one night
and Muddy Waters opened for them. It was Pete's first time hearing
the blues and he was blown away! He soon learned how to bend
notes and within a year he was in his first band travelling
around the Midwest. He's now been performing professionally
for over 30 years.
Pete is an international recording artist having recorded with
Kenny Wayne Sheppard, James Cotton, Frank Marino, Bryan Lee,
Reverend Raven and many more. Pete's toured the U.S., Europe,
South America, and Canada. He is a 2 time WAMI ( Wisconsin
Area Music Industry) winner for best harmonica instrumentalist
and has performed on stages like Milwaukee's Summer Fest,
Montreal Jazz Fest, Belgium Blues Fest, New Orleans Jazz Fest,
Buddy Guy's Legends and many more.
Born in Winnepeg, Manitoba, Pete became a Wisconsin resident at the tender age of 2, and has since become one of Milwaukee’s favorite sons. However, technically he is actually a resident of West Allis, and if you meet any of his hometown fans they will be sure to make the distinction! He is a two-time WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) award winner for the best harmonica instrumentalist. You may have seen him at any one of your favorite clubs or festivals including, but not limited to the Montreal Jazz Fest, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Belgium Blues Fest, or our very own Summerfest, as well as Buddy Guys Legends and Luther’s in Madison, Absinthe Bar formerly on Bourbon Street, and locally at the Milwaukee Ale House or the Up and Under, to name a few!!
In addition to being a world-class musician, Pete is also a tool and die maker, as well as an inventor. Pete holds two patents. One patent is for a product called Tuff Scuff, which
Is a 2 in 1 joint protector and tip scuffer for pool cues. Pete is a bit of a pool shark himself. The second patent is for Cadillac Pete’s Harp Stand. You can see this product on stage every time you see Pete perform. It is a slotted tray to help organize harmonicas, with a universal mike stand adapter to fit both American and European stands. The harp stand is available in either molded plastic or solid ash. This product is fast becoming a favorite of professional harp players world wide. Tuff Scuff and the harp stand are marketed to distributors and individuals through Cadillac Pete Enterprises, Inc.
So come on out to hear him shake the shack, the one and only Cadillac Pete.
One of the first questions people ask Pete is how did you get your
name, Cadillac Pete? Pete was dubbed "Cadillac Pete" by his fellow
musicians. Cadillac is a symbol of excellence, known for legendary
performance which fits Pete to a tee; hence the name, "Cadillac Pete".
Pete was given a harmonica at the age of 4 and has been playing
ever since. He went to see an Allman Brothers concert one night
and Muddy Waters opened for them. It was Pete's first time hearing
the blues and he was blown away! He soon learned how to bend
notes and within a year he was in his first band travelling
around the Midwest. He's now been performing professionally
for over 30 years.
Pete is an international recording artist having recorded with
Kenny Wayne Sheppard, James Cotton, Frank Marino, Bryan Lee,
Reverend Raven and many more. Pete's toured the U.S., Europe,
South America, and Canada. He is a 2 time WAMI ( Wisconsin
Area Music Industry) winner for best harmonica instrumentalist
and has performed on stages like Milwaukee's Summer Fest,
Montreal Jazz Fest, Belgium Blues Fest, New Orleans Jazz Fest,
Buddy Guy's Legends and many more.
Cadillac Pete and The Heat Featuring Adam Pryor
Uwe Thiem *30.04.1957
Uwe "Budde" Thiem
1957 geboren in Bochum
Ausbildung:
• 1964 - erster Klavierunterricht
• 1976 - Abitur
• Studium der Musikpädagogik
• 1983/86 1.+2. Staatsexamen
Musikpädagogik
Meine Instrumente:
Piano und Vibraphon
Seit 1977 Tätigkeit als Jazzpianist, Begleiter, Komponist, Arrangeur, Musiklehrer
1985 -1995 Musikalischer Leiter Czurda Tanztheater
und Schauspielhaus Nürnberg
Seit 1986 Lehrer an der Musikschule Fürth
Kompositionen für Jazzcombo, Gesang, Theater, Tanz, Musical, Kammermusik, Orchester, Rundfunk, Werbung und Unterricht (ca.500)
1991 Kulturförderpreis der Stadt Fürth
Sonstiges: Alt-Fussballer, Glücksspieler, Comiczeichner
und Textdichter
1957 geboren in Bochum
Ausbildung:
• 1964 - erster Klavierunterricht
• 1976 - Abitur
• Studium der Musikpädagogik
• 1983/86 1.+2. Staatsexamen
Musikpädagogik
Meine Instrumente:
Piano und Vibraphon
Seit 1977 Tätigkeit als Jazzpianist, Begleiter, Komponist, Arrangeur, Musiklehrer
1985 -1995 Musikalischer Leiter Czurda Tanztheater
und Schauspielhaus Nürnberg
Seit 1986 Lehrer an der Musikschule Fürth
Kompositionen für Jazzcombo, Gesang, Theater, Tanz, Musical, Kammermusik, Orchester, Rundfunk, Werbung und Unterricht (ca.500)
1991 Kulturförderpreis der Stadt Fürth
Sonstiges: Alt-Fussballer, Glücksspieler, Comiczeichner
und Textdichter
"Come together" - Budde Thiem und die "Rocky Horror Swing Show"
Sepp Maciuszczyk (30.04.1963 - 23.11.2015)
Lausitzblues
Trotz wechselnder Formationen und Besetzungen ist „Lausitzblues“ seit Jahren eine feste Größe in der ostdeutschen Blueslandschaft und hat sich längst weit über die Grenzen der Lausitz hinaus einen Namen gemacht. Möglicherweise ist die Wandelbarkeit der Band eben jener Region im Süden Brandenburgs geschuldet, deren Namen sie trägt. Wer die Lausitz kennt, weiß wie sehr diese Landschaft sich verändert hat und noch verändert. Industrie stirbt, besonders junge Leute verlassen ihre Heimat, manch einer sucht sein Heil im Alkohol, gewaltige Bagger fressen sich durch die Landschaft, ganze Dörfer, manchmal auch Teiche verschwinden, Halden bleiben zurück und riesige Seen entstehen. Und von dieser Region, den Menschen und ihren Geschichten erzählt der Blues aus der Lausitz, der teilweise auch autobiografische Züge trägt.
„Blues das ist Leben und muss nicht immer traurig sein“, meint Bandgründer Sepp Maciuszczyk.
Als im Jahre 2008 Freund und Musikerkollege Igor Flach (harp) unerwartet stirbt, beschließen Sepp und „Kulle“ – in Erinnerung an diesen Ausnahmemusiker - den Mitschnitt eines gemeinsamen Konzertes im „Real Music Club“ auf CD zu pressen. Die 2009 veröffentlichte Scheibe, wurde damals von der Fachwelt hoch gelobt.
Wer die Live-Auftritte von „Lausitzblues“ kennt, weiß, dass die Band seit Jahren anspruchsvolle Eigenkompositionen im Repertoire hat. Ein eigenes Studioalbum war also längst überfällig. Nun endlich ist es soweit.
Am 9. März 2012 erschien bei „JMG Records“ die CD „Mein bester Freund“. Elf der zwölf veröffentlichten Songs stammen aus der Feder von Bandchef Sepp Maciuszczyk (voc, acoustic & slide guitar). Nebenbei bemerkt, wer diesen raubeinigen „Muskelprotz“ mit dem weichen Herz und der warmen Stimme zu seinen besten Freunden zählen darf, kann sich glücklich schätzen. Die Scheibe bietet vierzig Minuten lang Musik, die aus dem Bauch kommt. Es ist eine eingängige Mischung aus Blues, Rock und Countrymusik, was uns da gleich ein ganzes Lausitzbluesorchestrion darbietet. Bei den Aufnahmen zu dieser CD, die neben älteren Stücken wie John „Barleycorn“ oder „Blues vom alten Freund“ auch brandneue Titel enthält, standen Sepp zur Seite: Ecki Lipske (Akustik-, E-, Pedal-Steel und Resonator Gitarre, AkustikBass), Falk Möckel (Schlagzeug), Lutz „Lou“ Schulz (Saxophon), Holger „Josa“ Sauerbrey und die Backgroundsängerinnen Katrin Lipske, Steffi Breiting und Gabriela Maciuszczyk. Jener zwölfte Song „Und musst du weinen“ stammt vom unvergessenen, singenden und rockenden Baggerführer Gerhard Gundermann, der ebenfalls in der Lausitz beheimatet war.
„Blues das ist Leben und muss nicht immer traurig sein“, meint Bandgründer Sepp Maciuszczyk.
Als im Jahre 2008 Freund und Musikerkollege Igor Flach (harp) unerwartet stirbt, beschließen Sepp und „Kulle“ – in Erinnerung an diesen Ausnahmemusiker - den Mitschnitt eines gemeinsamen Konzertes im „Real Music Club“ auf CD zu pressen. Die 2009 veröffentlichte Scheibe, wurde damals von der Fachwelt hoch gelobt.
Wer die Live-Auftritte von „Lausitzblues“ kennt, weiß, dass die Band seit Jahren anspruchsvolle Eigenkompositionen im Repertoire hat. Ein eigenes Studioalbum war also längst überfällig. Nun endlich ist es soweit.
Am 9. März 2012 erschien bei „JMG Records“ die CD „Mein bester Freund“. Elf der zwölf veröffentlichten Songs stammen aus der Feder von Bandchef Sepp Maciuszczyk (voc, acoustic & slide guitar). Nebenbei bemerkt, wer diesen raubeinigen „Muskelprotz“ mit dem weichen Herz und der warmen Stimme zu seinen besten Freunden zählen darf, kann sich glücklich schätzen. Die Scheibe bietet vierzig Minuten lang Musik, die aus dem Bauch kommt. Es ist eine eingängige Mischung aus Blues, Rock und Countrymusik, was uns da gleich ein ganzes Lausitzbluesorchestrion darbietet. Bei den Aufnahmen zu dieser CD, die neben älteren Stücken wie John „Barleycorn“ oder „Blues vom alten Freund“ auch brandneue Titel enthält, standen Sepp zur Seite: Ecki Lipske (Akustik-, E-, Pedal-Steel und Resonator Gitarre, AkustikBass), Falk Möckel (Schlagzeug), Lutz „Lou“ Schulz (Saxophon), Holger „Josa“ Sauerbrey und die Backgroundsängerinnen Katrin Lipske, Steffi Breiting und Gabriela Maciuszczyk. Jener zwölfte Song „Und musst du weinen“ stammt vom unvergessenen, singenden und rockenden Baggerführer Gerhard Gundermann, der ebenfalls in der Lausitz beheimatet war.
Lausitzblues beim "Louisiana Ball" 2015 bei Freiberg, mit Bernd Kleinow. "Wie die Großen".
Igor Flach & LausitzBlues "Rollin`and Tumblin`"
Igor Flach & LausitzBlues Live im Real-Music-Club Lauchhammer 2007.
Hier ein Ausschnitt aus der gleichnamigen CD mit dem Titel Rollin`and
Tumblin. Eine schöne und würdige Erinnerung an einen begnadeten Musiker,
die in Form dieser CD nicht nur den damals Anwesenden gefallen dürfte.
R.I.P.
Muddy Waters +30.04.1983
http://blueskalender.blogspot.de/p/muddy-waters-04.html
Muddy
Waters (* 4. April 1913 in Rolling Fork, Mississippi; † 30. April 1983
in Westmont, Illinois; eigentlich McKinley Morganfield) war einer der
einflussreichsten US-amerikanischen Bluesmusiker. Das Rolling Stone
Magazine setzt ihn auf Platz 17 der 100 besten Künstler aller Zeiten.Kindheit und Jugend
Muddy Waters wurde als McKinley Morganfield geboren. Da die Familie in der Nähe eines kleinen Nebenflusses des Mississippi namens Deer Creek wohnte und er oft in diesem spielte und dabei dreckig wurde, bekam er von seiner Großmutter den Spitznamen Muddy Waters („schlammiges Wasser“).
1918 starb seine Mutter, und er wuchs fortan bei seiner Großmutter in Clarksdale auf. Als Jugendlicher brachte er sich das Mundharmonikaspiel bei, und um 1930 trat er zusammen mit Scott Bowhandle (Gitarre), Son Simms (Fiddle) und Louis Ford (Mandoline) auf Partys und in Juke Joints auf. 1932 kaufte er sich seine erste Gitarre, und Scott Bowhandle brachte ihm die Grundkenntnisse auf dem Instrument bei. Beeinflusst von Son House und Robert Johnson, entwickelte Muddy Waters in den nächsten Jahren eine Bottleneck-Technik.
Beginn als Musiker
Während Waters als Traktorfahrer auf der Stovall-Plantage arbeitete, nahm er 1941 einige Songs für die Musikforscher Alan Lomax und John Work auf, die damals im Auftrag der US-amerikanischen Library of Congress die Volksmusik in den US-Südstaaten dokumentierten. Zwei dieser Aufnahmen (Country Blues/I Be's Troubled) erschienen auf einer Schellackplatte, die jedoch nicht zum Verkauf bestimmt war, sondern lediglich Dokumentationszwecken diente. Weitere Aufnahmen folgten 1942 und zeigten Muddy Waters auch im Zusammenspiel mit dem Gitarristen Charles Berry sowie als Mitglied der Son Simms Four. Diese Aufnahmen waren – genauso wie die restlichen Einspielungen von 1941 – für das Archiv der Nationalbibliothek bestimmt und wurden erst 1966 teilweise von Pete Welding auf Testament Records veröffentlicht. Eine Komplettedition (The Complete Plantation Recordings) der Aufnahmen wurde 1993 von MCA Records vorgelegt.
1943 zog Waters, wie viele andere Afro-Amerikaner in dieser Zeit, Richtung Norden nach Chicago. Dort wohnte er zunächst bei seiner Schwester und fand Arbeit in einer Papierfabrik. Nebenher spielte er weiter Gitarre und festigte seinen Ruf als Bluesmusiker. Um sich in den oft überfüllten und daher sehr lauten Clubs behaupten zu können, tauschte er bald seine akustische gegen eine elektrische Gitarre ein. Durch Big Bill Broonzy gelangte er in einen Blues-Club namens Sylvio's, wo auch Musiker wie Sonny Boy Williamson II., Doctor Clayton oder Tampa Red auftraten. 1946 erhielt er seine erste Chance, eine Platte für ein kommerzielles, wenn auch obskures Plattenlabel (20th Century) einzuspielen. Das Resultat Mean Red Spider, wurde lediglich als B-Seite auf einer Single des Sängers James „Sweet Lucy“ Carter veröffentlicht. Eine weitere Aufnahmesession im September 1946 für Columbia Records blieb bis 1973 unveröffentlicht. 1947 spielte Muddy mit dem Pianisten Sunnyland Slim für das kurzlebige Label Tempo-Tone zusammen. Als dieser einen Termin bei der Plattenfirma „Aristocrat“ hatte, ließ er Muddy Waters suchen, damit der ihn begleiten konnte. Am Ende der Aufnahmesession konnte Waters zwei eigene Kompositionen einspielen: Gypsy Woman/Little Annie Mae, die sich nicht zum Hit entwickelten. 1948 erhielt er eine weitere Chance bei Aristocrat Records und nahm seine beiden Stücke I Can't Be Satisfied und I Feel Like Going Home auf (welche er schon Alan Lomax vorgespielt hatte).
Obwohl diese beiden Stücke völlig anders klangen als die gängigen Bluesstücke jener Zeit (Louis Jordan, Nat King Cole usw.), wurden sie ein regionaler Erfolg. Deshalb spielte Muddy Waters auf Drängen seiner Plattenfirma zunächst weitere Stücke in einer recht kargen Besetzung mit alleine E-Gitarre und Kontrabass ein. Auf seinen Konzerten trat Muddy Waters jedoch längst mit einer eigenen Band auf, der unter anderem damals Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter und Leroy Foster (ersetzt durch Elgin Evans) angehörten. Mittlerweile hatte auch Aristocrat Records (später Chess Records) das Potential der Band erkannt und brachte Platten mit erweiterter Besetzung heraus, die an den Erfolg von I Can't Be Satisfied und I Feel Like Going Home anknüpfen konnten. Hits aus dieser Zeit waren unter anderem Louisiana Blues (1951), Long Distance Call (1951), Still A Fool (1951) und She Moves Me (1952).
König des Chicago Blues
1953 stieß der Pianist Otis Spann zur Band, und der Sound änderte sich abermals. Waters spielte damals weniger Gitarre und konzentrierte sich dafür stärker auf seinen Gesang. Bassist Willie Dixon schrieb einige Hits für Muddy Waters und war bei den meisten Studiosessions mit dabei.[2] Die Besetzung der Band wechselte in den folgenden Jahren mehrmals bei wachsendem Erfolg. Einspielungen aus dieser Zeit – wie etwa I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man (1954), Just Make Love To Me (1954), Mannish Boy (1955) oder Trouble No More (1956) – markierten einen Höhepunkt seiner Karriere und gelten heute als Klassiker des Chicago Blues. Waters galt als einer der erfolgreichsten Bluesmusiker und spielte auch außerhalb der USA. So tourte er 1958 mit Otis Spann und der Chris Barber Band durch England.
1960 trat Muddy Waters im Zuge des Folk-Revival auf dem Newport Jazz Festival auf. Für viele weiße Fans war es damals die erste Chance, eine Bluesband live zu erleben. Muddy selbst spielte auf dem Konzert ein wenig Slide-Gitarre, konzentrierte sich aber vor allem auf seinen immer expressiver werdenden Gesang. Die Band bestand damals aus James Cotton, Otis Spann, Pat Hare, Andrew Stephenson und Francis Clay. Der Live-Mitschnitt des Konzerts wurde als Album veröffentlicht und ermöglichte Waters, sich einem neuen Publikum – vor allem in Europa – zu präsentieren.
Weitere Karriere: Richtungssuche
Kommerziell und künstlerisch gesehen markierten die folgenden Jahre zunächst einen Tiefpunkt in Waters Karriere. Aufgrund des allgemein schwindenden Interesses an Blues-Musik in den USA, versuchte Chess Records neue Strategien zu finden, um Waters besser vermarkten zu können. Experimente mit modernen bläserorientierten Arrangements, Orgelbegleitung und Background-Sängerinnen blieben ebenso erfolglos, wie der Versuch, einen Twist-Song einzuspielen.
1963 wagte die Plattenfirma ein weiteres Experiment: Diesmal präsentierte sie Muddy Waters als Country Blues Musiker in einer rein akustischen Umgebung. Keine elektrisch verstärkten Instrumente mehr, lediglich akustische Gitarren, Kontrabass und ein kleines Schlagzeug bildeten das Rückgrat für Muddys intensiven Gesang. Musikalisch erwies sich dieses Experiment als erfolgreich und das daraus resultierende Album Folk Singer führte den Begriff unplugged ein, lange bevor dieser durch MTV Unplugged berühmt wurde.
Im Oktober 1963 tourte Muddy Waters mit dem American Folk Blues Festival durch Europa. Ausschnitte dieser Tournee wurden später in der von Joachim Ernst Berendt produzierten Fernsehsendung Jazz – gehört und gesehen gezeigt. 1964 folgte noch einmal eine Europatournee. Im Gegensatz zu den USA, wo das Interesse der jungen afro-amerikanischen Bevölkerung am Blues immer mehr nachließ, begann sich in Europa die Jugend für den Blues zu begeistern. Viele junge Musiker verehrten Muddy Waters als Vorbild und spielten seine Songs, beispielsweise die Rolling Stones, die auf ihren ersten Alben mehrere Muddy-Waters-Stücke coverten.
Das Publikum von Muddy Waters hatte sich mittlerweile völlig verändert. Seine neuen (weißen) Fans liebten und verlangten nunmehr den Sound der Muddy-Waters-Band der 1950er Jahre, der von den meisten Afro-Amerikanern in den 1960er Jahren als „alter Hut“ abgetan wurde. Chess Records – bislang nur darauf ausgerichtet, Blues für ein afro-amerikanisches Publikum zu produzieren – reagierte auf diesen Trend mit neuen Vermarktungs-Strategien. So erschien 1966 das Brass And The Blues Album, das ein „reifes“ Jazzpublikum ansprechen sollte. Das Album bestand aus Bluesstandards, die von Muddy Waters neu interpretiert wurden. Ein zugefügter Bläsersatz sollte das Produkt musikalisch aufwerten. Von den Fans wurde das Album jedoch größtenteils ignoriert. 1967 erschien dann das Super Blues-Album mit Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley und Little Walter. Dieses Album war als Jam-Session konzipiert und sollte ein Hippie-Publikum ansprechen. Obwohl das Ergebnis etwas chaotisch klang, war das Album erfolgreich genug, um einige Monate später das Super Super Blues-Projekt folgen zu lassen. Das Konzept war identisch; Little Walter wurde durch Howlin' Wolf ersetzt. 1968 bzw. 1969 folgten die vom Psychedelic Rock beeinflussten Konzept-Alben Electric Mud und After The Rain, die kontrovers diskutiert wurden.
Die Veröffentlichung von Fathers and Sons im September 1969 markierte Muddys Rückkehr zu einem traditionelleren musikalischen Konzept auch im Studio. Für dieses Album hatte man Muddy Waters (als „Vater“) mit jungen US-amerikanischen Musikern – Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield und Donald „Duck“ Dunn – zusammengebracht. Mit Unterstützung von Otis Spann am Klavier und Sam Lay am Schlagzeug entstanden hörenswerte Neuauflagen einiger seiner Klassiker. Die zweite LP des Doppelalbums war ein Mitschnitt eines Konzerts, das im Anschluss an die Studio-Sessions stattgefunden hatte. Im Oktober 1969 wurde Waters bei einem Autounfall schwer verletzt und war monatelang auf Krücken angewiesen. Ende 1970 konnte er jedoch schon wieder auf Europatournee gehen.
1970er Jahre
Da Muddy Waters seinen Ruf als mitreißender Live-Künstler weiterhin festigte, veröffentlichte seine Plattenfirma 1971 das Album Live At Mr. Kelly's. Es präsentierte Muddy live in einem Chicagoer Blues-Club. Zur Band gehörten damals Paul Oscher, Pinetop Perkins, Pee Wee Madison, Sammy Lawhorn, Calvin „Fuzz“ Jones und Willie „Big Eyes“ Smith. Obwohl Muddy Waters in den 1970er Jahren fast ständig auf Tournee war, widmete er sich weiteren Studioprojekten. 1972 erschien das Album London Sessions, das er zusammen mit britischen Musikern (Rory Gallagher, Steve Winwood, Georgie Fame und Mitch Mitchell) einspielte. Eine anschließende Europatournee führte auch auf das Montreux Jazz Festival. Der dortige Auftritt wurde teilweise auf der LP Blues Avalanche – Montreux 1972 veröffentlicht. Zwischendurch erschien das 1972 in Chicago eingespielte Album Can't Get No Grindin'. 1973 folgten Tourneen durch Australien und Neuseeland. Im Januar 1974 wurde ein weiteres Studioalbum in Chicago eingespielt – Unk In Funk. Im gleichen Jahr war er wieder in Europa unterwegs und trat bei den Jazzfestivals in Antibes sowie in Montreux auf. Sein letztes Album für Chess Records spielte er 1975 mit Mitgliedern von The Band ein. Das Jahr 1976 brachte eine weitere große Europatournee mit Stationen in Deutschland, Polen, Schweden, Italien und der Schweiz. Im gleichen Jahr unterzeichnete Waters einen Vertrag bei Blue Sky Records, einem Label, das Johnny Winters Manager Steve Paul gehörte.
Im Januar 1977 wurde das erste von Johnny Winter produzierte Album Hard Again für Blue Sky veröffentlicht. Das Album war im Oktober 1976 in lockerer Atmosphäre im Studio von Dan Hartman eingespielt worden und wurde ein großer Erfolg.[3] I’m Ready, Waters zweites Album für Blue Sky, wurde 1978 veröffentlicht. Von der Atmosphäre her ähnlich wie das Vorgängeralbum, konnten für diese Aufnahmesessions Jimmy Rogers und Big Walter Horton als Gastmusiker gewonnen werden, die bereits in den 1940er und 1950er Jahren in seiner Band gespielt hatten. Das dritte Blue Sky-Album Muddy „Mississippi“ Waters Live war ein Live-Album und bestand aus Titeln, die zum Teil bereits 1977 während einer Promotion-Tour für das Hard Again Album mitgeschnitten worden waren. Ergänzt wurden diese Aufnahmen durch Live-Mitschnitte von 1978. Die Aufnahmesessions für Muddys letztes Album King Bee im Mai 1980 standen unter keinem guten Stern. Es gab Spannungen zwischen Muddy, seiner Band und seinem Manager Scott Cameron wegen einer geschäftlichen Auseinandersetzung. Nach einer anschließenden zweiwöchigen Japantournee trennte sich die Band (Luther „Guitar Jr.“ Johnson, Bob Margolin, Jerry Portnoy, Calvin „Fuzz“ Jones, Pinetop Perkins, Willie „Big Eyes“ Smith) schließlich von Muddy. Alle Musiker hielten jedoch ihre persönliche Freundschaft zu Muddy bis zu seinem Tod 1983 aufrecht.
Die letzten Jahre
Mit einer neuen Band, die aus Lovie Lee, George „Mojo“ Buford, John Primer, Rick Kreher, Earnest Johnson und Ray Allison bestand, ging Muddy 1980 das letzte Mal auf Europatournee. Aufgrund seines schlechter werdenden Gesundheitszustandes mussten jedoch immer mehr Konzertauftritte abgesagt werden. 1981 spielte er zusammen mit den Rolling Stones in der Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago. Ein Videomitschnitt des Konzerts erschien zuerst auf einer Bootleg-LP und stellt das letzte bekannte Tondokument Muddy Waters' dar. Dieser Mitschnitt wurde später offiziell als DVD bzw. CD/DVD veröffentlicht.
Am 29. April 1983 feierte der Londoner Marquee Club sein 25-jähriges Jubiläum mit Künstlern wie Alexis Korner, Charlie Watts oder Bill Wyman von den Rolling Stones. Sie spielten an diesem Abend die Musik von Muddy Waters, ohne zu ahnen, dass dies bereits ein Nachruf auf ihn war. Am nächsten Tag wurde Muddy Waters’ Tod bekannt gegeben.
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muddy_Waters
http://mattizwoo.blogspot.de/2015/01/meilensteinalben-blues-in-dieser-reihe.html
Meilensteinalben Blues
Fathers and Sonshttp://mattizwoo.blogspot.de/2015/01/meilensteinalben-blues-in-dieser-reihe.html
McKinley
Morganfield (April 4, 1913[2] – April 30, 1983), known by his stage
name Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician. He is often
considered the "father of modern Chicago blues".[3]
Muddy Waters grew up on Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi and by age seventeen was playing the guitar at parties, emulating local blues artists Son House and Robert Johnson.[4] He was recorded by Alan Lomax there for the Library of Congress in 1941.[5][6] In 1943, he headed to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician, eventually recording, in 1946, for first Columbia and then Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess.
In the early 1950s, Muddy and his band, Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elgin Evans on drums and Otis Spann on piano, recorded a series of blues classics, some with bassist/songwriter Willie Dixon, including "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "I'm Ready". In 1958, Muddy headed to England, helping to lay the foundations of the subsequent blues boom there, and in 1960 performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960.
Muddy's influence is tremendous, not just on blues and rhythm and blues but on rock 'n' roll, hard rock, folk, jazz, and country; his use of amplification is often cited as the link between Delta blues and rock 'n' roll.[7][8]
Early life
Although in his later years Muddy usually said that he was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in 1915, he was most likely born at Jug's Corner in neighboring Issaquena County in 1913.[9] Recent research has uncovered documentation showing that in the 1930s and 1940s, before his rise to fame, he reported his birth year as 1913 on his marriage license, recording notes and musicians' union card. A 1955 interview in the Chicago Defender is the earliest claim of 1915 as his year of birth, which he continued to use in interviews from that point onward. The 1920 census lists him as five years old as of March 6, 1920, suggesting that his birth year may have been 1914. The Social Security Death Index, relying on the Social Security card application submitted after his move to Chicago in the mid-1940s, lists him as being born April 4, 1913. Muddy's gravestone gives his birth year as 1915.
Muddy's grandmother, Della Grant, raised him after his mother died shortly following his birth. Della gave the boy the nickname "Muddy" at an early age because he loved to play in the muddy water of nearby Deer Creek.[10] Muddy later changed it to "Muddy Water" and finally "Muddy Waters".
The shack where Muddy Waters lived in his youth on Stovall Plantation is now located at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He started out on harmonica, but by age seventeen he was playing the guitar at parties, emulating two blues artists in particular, Son House and Robert Johnson.
On November 20, 1932, Muddy married Mabel Berry. Guitarist Robert Nighthawk played at the wedding and the party reportedly got so wild the floor fell in.[11] Mabel left Muddy three years later when Muddy's first child was born; the child's mother was Leola Spain, 16 years old (Leola later used her maiden name, Brown), "married to a man named Steven" and "going with a guy named Tucker". Leola was the only one of his girlfriends with whom Muddy would stay in touch throughout his life; they never married. By the time he finally cut out for Chicago in 1943, there was another Mrs. Morganfield left behind, a girl called Sallie Ann.[12]
Early career
In August[6] of 1941, Alan Lomax went to Stovall, Mississippi on behalf of the Library of Congress to record various country blues musicians. "He brought his stuff down and recorded me right in my house," Muddy recalled in Rolling Stone, "and when he played back the first song I sounded just like anybody's records. Man, you don't know how I felt that Saturday afternoon when I heard that voice and it was my own voice. Later on he sent me two copies of the pressing and a check for twenty bucks, and I carried that record up to the corner and put it on the jukebox. Just played it and played it and said, 'I can do it, I can do it.'"[5] Lomax came back in July 1942 to record Muddy again. Both sessions were eventually released as Down On Stovall's Plantation on the Testament label.[13] The complete recordings were re-issued on CD as Muddy Waters: The Complete Plantation Recordings. The historic 1941-42 Library of Congress field recordings by Chess Records in 1993, and re-mastered in 1997.[14]
In 1943, Muddy headed to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician. He lived with a relative for a short period while driving a truck and working in a factory by day and performing at night. Big Bill Broonzy, then one of the leading blues-men in Chicago, helped Muddy break into the very competitive market by allowing him to open for his shows in the rowdy clubs.[15] In 1945, Muddy's uncle, Joe Grant, gave him his first electric guitar, which enabled him to be heard above the noisy crowds.[16]
In 1946, he recorded some tunes for Mayo Williams at Columbia but they were not released at the time. Later that year he began recording for Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by two brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess. In 1947, he played guitar with Sunnyland Slim on piano on the cuts "Gypsy Woman" and "Little Anna Mae." These were also shelved, but in 1948, "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "I Feel Like Going Home" became big hits and his popularity in clubs began to take off. Soon after, Aristocrat changed their label name to Chess Records and Muddy's signature tune "Rollin' Stone" also became a smash hit.
Commercial success
Initially, the Chess brothers would not allow Muddy to use his working band in the recording studio; instead he was provided with a backing bass by Ernest "Big" Crawford, or by musicians assembled specifically for the recording session, including "Baby Face" Leroy Foster and Johnny Jones. Gradually Chess relented, and by September 1953 he was recording with one of the most acclaimed blues groups in history: Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elga Edmonds (a.k.a. Elgin Evans) on drums and Otis Spann on piano. The band recorded a series of blues classics during the early 1950s, some with the help of bassist/songwriter Willie Dixon, including "Hoochie Coochie Man" (Number 8 on the R&B charts), "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (Number 4), and "I'm Ready". These three were "the most macho songs in his repertoire," wrote Robert Palmer in Rolling Stone. "Muddy would never have composed anything so unsubtle. But they gave him a succession of showstoppers and an image, which were important for a bluesman trying to break out of the grind of local gigs into national prominence."[citation needed] Along with his former harmonica player Little Walter Jacobs and recent southern transplant Howlin' Wolf, Muddy reigned over the early 1950s Chicago blues scene, his band becoming a proving ground for some of the city's best blues talent. While Little Walter continued a collaborative relationship long after he left Muddy's band in 1952, appearing on most of Muddy's classic recordings throughout the 1950s, Muddy developed a long-running, generally good-natured rivalry with Wolf... The success of Muddy's ensemble paved the way for others in his group to break away and enjoy their own solo careers. In 1952 Little Walter left when his single "Juke" became a hit, and in 1955 Rogers quit to work exclusively with his own band, which had been a sideline until that time. Although he continued working with Muddy's band, Otis Spann enjoyed a solo career and many releases under his own name beginning in the mid-1950s. Around that time, Muddy Waters scored hits with songs "Mannish Boy"[1] and "Sugar Sweet" in 1955, followed by the R&B hits "Trouble No More," "Forty Days & Forty Nights" and "Don't Go No Farther" in 1956.[17]
England and low profile
Muddy headed to England in 1958 and shocked audiences (whose only previous exposure to blues had come via the acoustic folk/blues sounds of acts such as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy) with his loud, amplified electric guitar and thunderous beat. His performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival, recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960, helped turn on a whole new generation to Muddy's sound. He expressed dismay when he realized that members of his own race were turning their backs on the genre while a white audience had shown increasing respect for the blues.
However, for the better part of twenty years (since his last big hit in 1956, "I'm Ready") Muddy was put on the back shelf by the Chess label and recorded albums with various "popular" themes: Brass And The Blues, Electric Mud, etc. In 1967, he joined forces with Bo Diddley, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf to record the Super Blues and The Super Super Blues Band pair of albums of Chess blues standards. In 1972 he went back to England to record The London Muddy Waters Sessions with Rory Gallagher, Steve Winwood, Rick Grech and Mitch Mitchell — but their playing was not up to his standards. "These boys are top musicians, they can play with me, put the book before 'em and play it, you know," he told Guralnick. "But that ain't what I need to sell my people, it ain't the Muddy Waters sound. An' if you change my sound, then you gonna change the whole man."
Muddy's sound was basically Delta blues electrified, but his use of microtones, in both his vocals and slide playing, made it extremely difficult to duplicate and follow correctly.[citation needed] "When I play on the stage with my band, I have to get in there with my guitar and try to bring the sound down to me. But no sooner than I quit playing, it goes back to another, different sound. My blues look so simple, so easy to do, but it's not. They say my blues is the hardest blues in the world to play."[18]
Comeback
Muddy's long-time wife Geneva died of cancer on March 15, 1973. A devastated Muddy was taken to a doctor and told to quit smoking, which he did. Gaining custody of some of his "outside kids", he moved them into his home, eventually buying a new house in Westmont, Illinois. Another teenage daughter turned up while Muddy was on tour in New Orleans; Big Bill Morganfield was introduced to his Dad after a gig in Florida. Florida was also where Muddy met his future wife, the 19-year-old Marva Jean Brooks whom he nicknamed "Sunshine".[19] Eric Clapton served as best man at their wedding in 1979.[20]
On November 25, 1976, Muddy Waters performed at The Band's farewell concert at Winterland in San Francisco. The concert was released as both a record and a film, The Last Waltz, featuring a performance of "Mannish Boy" with Paul Butterfield on harmonica.
In 1977 Johnny Winter convinced his label, Blue Sky, to sign Muddy, the beginning of a fruitful partnership. His "comeback" LP, Hard Again, was recorded in just two days and was a return to the original Chicago sound he had created 25 years earlier, thanks to Winter's production. Former sideman James Cotton contributed harmonica on the Grammy Award winning album and a brief tour followed.
The Muddy Waters Blues Band at the time included guitarists Sammy Lawhorn, Bob Margolin and Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson, pianist Pinetop Perkins, harmonica player Jerry Portnoy, bassist Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. On "Hard Again", Winter played guitar in addition to producing; Muddy asked James Cotton to play harp on the session, and Cotton brought his own bassist Charles Calmese. According to Margolin's liner notes, Muddy did not play guitar during these sessions. The album covers a broad spectrum of styles, from the opening of "Mannish Boy", with shouts and hollers throughout, to the old-style Delta blues of "I Can't Be Satisfied", with a National Steel solo by Winter, to Cotton's screeching intro to "The Blues Had a Baby", to the moaning closer "Little Girl". Its live feel harks back to the Chess Records days, and it evokes a feeling of intimacy and cooperative musicianship. The expanded reissue includes one bonus track, a remake of the 1950s single "Walking Through the Park". The other outtakes from the album sessions appear on King Bee. Margolin's notes state that the reissued album was remastered but that remixing was not considered to be necessary. Hard Again was the first studio collaboration between Muddy and Winter, who produced his final four albums, the others being I'm Ready, King Bee, and Muddy "Mississippi" Waters - Live, for Blue Sky, a Columbia Records subsidiary.
In 1978, Winter recruited two of Muddy's cohorts from the early 1950s, Big Walter Horton and Jimmy Rogers, and brought in the rest of his touring band at the time (harmonica player Jerry Portnoy, guitarist Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, and bassist Calvin "Fuzz" Jones) to record I'm Ready, which came close to the critical and commercial success of Hard Again.
The comeback continued in 1979 with the lauded LP Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live. "Muddy was loose for this one," wrote Jas Obrecht in Guitar Player, "and the result is the next best thing to being ringside at one of his foot-thumping, head-nodding, downhome blues shows." On the album, Muddy is accompanied by his touring band, augmented by Johnny Winter on guitar. The set list contains most of his biggest hits, and the album has an energetic feel. King Bee the following year concluded Waters' reign at Blue Sky, and these last four LPs turned out to be his biggest-selling albums ever. King Bee was the last album Muddy Waters recorded. Coming last in a trio of studio outings produced by Johnny Winter, it is also a mixed bag. During the sessions for King Bee, Muddy, his manager and his band were involved in a dispute over money. According to the liner notes by Bob Margolin, the conflict arose from Muddy's health being on the wane and consequently playing fewer engagements. The bandmembers wanted more money for each of the fewer gigs they did play in order to make ends meet. Ultimately a split occurred and the entire band quit. Because of the tensions in the studio preceding the split, Winter felt the sessions had not produced enough solid material to yield an entire album, and filled out King Bee with outtakes from earlier Blue Sky sessions. The cover photograph is by David Michael Kennedy. For the listener, King Bee is a leaner and meaner record. Less of the good-time exuberance present on the previous two outings is present here. The title track, "Mean Old Frisco", "Sad Sad Day", and "I Feel Like Going Home", are all blues with ensemble work. The Sony Legacy issue features completely remastered sound and Margolin's notes, and also hosts two bonus tracks from the King Bee sessions that Winter did not see fit to release the first time.
In 1981, Muddy Waters was invited to perform at ChicagoFest, the city's top outdoor music festival. He was joined onstage by Johnny Winter—who had successfully produced his most recent albums—and played classics like "Mannish Boy," "Trouble No More" and "Mojo Working" to a new generation of fans. This historic performance was made available on DVD in 2009 by Shout! Factory. Later that year, Waters performed live with the Rolling Stones at the Checkerboard Lounge, with a DVD version of the concert released in 2012.[21]
In 1982, declining health dramatically curtailed Muddy's performance schedule. His last public performance took place when he sat in with Eric Clapton's band at a Clapton concert in Florida in autumn of 1982.[22]
Death
On April 30, 1983, Muddy Waters died in his sleep from heart failure, at his home in Westmont, Illinois. At his funeral at Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, throngs of blues musicians and fans showed up to pay tribute to one of the true originals of the art form. "Muddy was a master of just the right notes," John P. Hammond, told Guitar World magazine. "It was profound guitar playing, deep and simple... more country blues transposed to the electric guitar, the kind of playing that enhanced the lyrics, gave profundity to the words themselves." Two years after his death, Chicago honored him by designating the one-block section between 900 and 1000 E. 43rd Street near his former home on the south side "Honorary Muddy Waters Drive".[23] The Chicago suburb of Westmont, where Muddy lived the last decade of his life, named a section of Cass Avenue near his home "Honorary Muddy Waters Way".[24] Following his death, fellow blues musician B.B. King told Guitar World, "It's going to be years and years before most people realize how greatly he contributed to American music". A Mississippi Blues Trail marker has been placed in Clarksdale, Mississippi, by the Mississippi Blues Commission designating the site of Muddy Waters' cabin.[25]
Influence
His influence is tremendous, over a variety of music genres: blues, rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, hard rock, folk, jazz, and country. He also helped Chuck Berry get his first record contract.
His 1958 tour of England marked possibly the first time amplified, modern urban blues was heard there, although on his first tour he was the only one amplified. His backing was provided by Englishman Chris Barber's trad jazz group.
His use of amplification is cited as "the technological missing link between Delta Blues and Rock 'N' Roll."[7] This is underlined in a 1968 article in Rolling Stone magazine: “There was a difference between Muddy’s instrumental work and that of House and Johnson, however, and the crucial difference was the result of Waters’ use of the electric guitar on his Aristocrat sides; he had taken up the instrument shortly after moving to Chicago in 1943.”[8]
The Rolling Stones named themselves after his 1950 song "Rollin' Stone" (also known as "Catfish Blues", which Jimi Hendrix covered as well). The magazine Rolling Stone also took its name from the same song. Hendrix recalled "the first guitar player I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I first heard him as a little boy and it scared me to death". Cream covered "Rollin' and Tumblin'" on their 1966 debut album Fresh Cream, as Eric Clapton was a big fan of Muddy Waters when he was growing up, and his music influenced Clapton's music career. The song was also covered by Canned Heat at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival and later adapted by Bob Dylan on the album Modern Times. One of Led Zeppelin's biggest hits, "Whole Lotta Love", is lyrically based upon the Muddy Waters hit "You Need Love", written by Willie Dixon. Dixon wrote some of Muddy Waters' most famous songs, including "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (a big radio hit for Etta James, as well as the 1970s rock band Foghat), "Hoochie Coochie Man", which The Allman Brothers Band famously covered (the song was also covered by Humble Pie and Steppenwolf), "Trouble No More" and "I'm Ready". In 1993, Paul Rodgers released the album Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters, on which he covered a number of Muddy Waters songs, including "Louisiana Blues", "Rollin' Stone", "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I'm Ready" (among others) in collaboration with a number of famous guitarists including Gary Moore, Brian May and Jeff Beck.
Angus Young of the rock group AC/DC has cited Muddy Waters as one of his influences. The AC/DC song title "You Shook Me All Night Long" came from lyrics of the Muddy Waters song "You Shook Me", written by Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir. Earl Hooker first recorded it as an instrumental, which was then overdubbed with vocals by Muddy Waters in 1962. Led Zeppelin also covered it on their debut album.
Muddy Waters' songs have been featured in long-time fan Martin Scorsese's movies, including The Color of Money, Goodfellas and Casino. Muddy Waters' 1970s recording of his mid-'50s hit "Mannish Boy" (a.k.a. "I'm A Man") was used in Goodfellas, Better Off Dead, and the hit film Risky Business, and also features in the rockumentary The Last Waltz.
The song "Come Together" by The Beatles references Muddy Waters: "He roller coaster/he got Muddy Waters."
Van Morrison lyrics include "Muddy Waters singin', "I'm a Rolling Stone" from his 1982 song "Cleaning Windows", on the album Beautiful Vision.
American Stoner Metal band Bongzilla covered Muddy Water's song Champagne and Reefer on their album Amerijuanican.
In 2008, Jeffrey Wright portrayed Muddy in the biopic Cadillac Records, a film about the rise and fall of Chess Records and the lives of its recording artists. A second 2008 film about Leonard Chess and Chess Records, Who Do You Love, also covers Muddy's time at Chess Records.
In the 2009 film The Boat that Rocked (retitled Pirate Radio in the U.S) about pirate radio in the UK, the cryptic message that late-night DJ Bob gives to Carl to give to Carl's mother is: "Muddy Waters Rocks."
In 1990, the television show Doogie Howser, M.D. featured an episode called "Doogie Sings the Blues" with the main character, Blind Otis Lemon, based on Muddy Waters, with references to his influence on the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, along with the performance of "Got My Mojo Working" by Blind Otis Lemon. He is also referred to as the original "Hoochie Coochie Man".
Muddy's son Larry "Mud" Morganfield is a professional blues singer and musician.
Muddy Waters grew up on Stovall Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi and by age seventeen was playing the guitar at parties, emulating local blues artists Son House and Robert Johnson.[4] He was recorded by Alan Lomax there for the Library of Congress in 1941.[5][6] In 1943, he headed to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician, eventually recording, in 1946, for first Columbia and then Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by brothers Leonard and Phil Chess.
In the early 1950s, Muddy and his band, Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elgin Evans on drums and Otis Spann on piano, recorded a series of blues classics, some with bassist/songwriter Willie Dixon, including "Hoochie Coochie Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "I'm Ready". In 1958, Muddy headed to England, helping to lay the foundations of the subsequent blues boom there, and in 1960 performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960.
Muddy's influence is tremendous, not just on blues and rhythm and blues but on rock 'n' roll, hard rock, folk, jazz, and country; his use of amplification is often cited as the link between Delta blues and rock 'n' roll.[7][8]
Early life
Although in his later years Muddy usually said that he was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in 1915, he was most likely born at Jug's Corner in neighboring Issaquena County in 1913.[9] Recent research has uncovered documentation showing that in the 1930s and 1940s, before his rise to fame, he reported his birth year as 1913 on his marriage license, recording notes and musicians' union card. A 1955 interview in the Chicago Defender is the earliest claim of 1915 as his year of birth, which he continued to use in interviews from that point onward. The 1920 census lists him as five years old as of March 6, 1920, suggesting that his birth year may have been 1914. The Social Security Death Index, relying on the Social Security card application submitted after his move to Chicago in the mid-1940s, lists him as being born April 4, 1913. Muddy's gravestone gives his birth year as 1915.
Muddy's grandmother, Della Grant, raised him after his mother died shortly following his birth. Della gave the boy the nickname "Muddy" at an early age because he loved to play in the muddy water of nearby Deer Creek.[10] Muddy later changed it to "Muddy Water" and finally "Muddy Waters".
The shack where Muddy Waters lived in his youth on Stovall Plantation is now located at the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He started out on harmonica, but by age seventeen he was playing the guitar at parties, emulating two blues artists in particular, Son House and Robert Johnson.
On November 20, 1932, Muddy married Mabel Berry. Guitarist Robert Nighthawk played at the wedding and the party reportedly got so wild the floor fell in.[11] Mabel left Muddy three years later when Muddy's first child was born; the child's mother was Leola Spain, 16 years old (Leola later used her maiden name, Brown), "married to a man named Steven" and "going with a guy named Tucker". Leola was the only one of his girlfriends with whom Muddy would stay in touch throughout his life; they never married. By the time he finally cut out for Chicago in 1943, there was another Mrs. Morganfield left behind, a girl called Sallie Ann.[12]
Early career
In August[6] of 1941, Alan Lomax went to Stovall, Mississippi on behalf of the Library of Congress to record various country blues musicians. "He brought his stuff down and recorded me right in my house," Muddy recalled in Rolling Stone, "and when he played back the first song I sounded just like anybody's records. Man, you don't know how I felt that Saturday afternoon when I heard that voice and it was my own voice. Later on he sent me two copies of the pressing and a check for twenty bucks, and I carried that record up to the corner and put it on the jukebox. Just played it and played it and said, 'I can do it, I can do it.'"[5] Lomax came back in July 1942 to record Muddy again. Both sessions were eventually released as Down On Stovall's Plantation on the Testament label.[13] The complete recordings were re-issued on CD as Muddy Waters: The Complete Plantation Recordings. The historic 1941-42 Library of Congress field recordings by Chess Records in 1993, and re-mastered in 1997.[14]
In 1943, Muddy headed to Chicago with the hope of becoming a full-time professional musician. He lived with a relative for a short period while driving a truck and working in a factory by day and performing at night. Big Bill Broonzy, then one of the leading blues-men in Chicago, helped Muddy break into the very competitive market by allowing him to open for his shows in the rowdy clubs.[15] In 1945, Muddy's uncle, Joe Grant, gave him his first electric guitar, which enabled him to be heard above the noisy crowds.[16]
In 1946, he recorded some tunes for Mayo Williams at Columbia but they were not released at the time. Later that year he began recording for Aristocrat Records, a newly formed label run by two brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess. In 1947, he played guitar with Sunnyland Slim on piano on the cuts "Gypsy Woman" and "Little Anna Mae." These were also shelved, but in 1948, "I Can't Be Satisfied" and "I Feel Like Going Home" became big hits and his popularity in clubs began to take off. Soon after, Aristocrat changed their label name to Chess Records and Muddy's signature tune "Rollin' Stone" also became a smash hit.
Commercial success
Initially, the Chess brothers would not allow Muddy to use his working band in the recording studio; instead he was provided with a backing bass by Ernest "Big" Crawford, or by musicians assembled specifically for the recording session, including "Baby Face" Leroy Foster and Johnny Jones. Gradually Chess relented, and by September 1953 he was recording with one of the most acclaimed blues groups in history: Little Walter Jacobs on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Elga Edmonds (a.k.a. Elgin Evans) on drums and Otis Spann on piano. The band recorded a series of blues classics during the early 1950s, some with the help of bassist/songwriter Willie Dixon, including "Hoochie Coochie Man" (Number 8 on the R&B charts), "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (Number 4), and "I'm Ready". These three were "the most macho songs in his repertoire," wrote Robert Palmer in Rolling Stone. "Muddy would never have composed anything so unsubtle. But they gave him a succession of showstoppers and an image, which were important for a bluesman trying to break out of the grind of local gigs into national prominence."[citation needed] Along with his former harmonica player Little Walter Jacobs and recent southern transplant Howlin' Wolf, Muddy reigned over the early 1950s Chicago blues scene, his band becoming a proving ground for some of the city's best blues talent. While Little Walter continued a collaborative relationship long after he left Muddy's band in 1952, appearing on most of Muddy's classic recordings throughout the 1950s, Muddy developed a long-running, generally good-natured rivalry with Wolf... The success of Muddy's ensemble paved the way for others in his group to break away and enjoy their own solo careers. In 1952 Little Walter left when his single "Juke" became a hit, and in 1955 Rogers quit to work exclusively with his own band, which had been a sideline until that time. Although he continued working with Muddy's band, Otis Spann enjoyed a solo career and many releases under his own name beginning in the mid-1950s. Around that time, Muddy Waters scored hits with songs "Mannish Boy"[1] and "Sugar Sweet" in 1955, followed by the R&B hits "Trouble No More," "Forty Days & Forty Nights" and "Don't Go No Farther" in 1956.[17]
England and low profile
Muddy headed to England in 1958 and shocked audiences (whose only previous exposure to blues had come via the acoustic folk/blues sounds of acts such as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee and Big Bill Broonzy) with his loud, amplified electric guitar and thunderous beat. His performance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival, recorded and released as his first live album, At Newport 1960, helped turn on a whole new generation to Muddy's sound. He expressed dismay when he realized that members of his own race were turning their backs on the genre while a white audience had shown increasing respect for the blues.
However, for the better part of twenty years (since his last big hit in 1956, "I'm Ready") Muddy was put on the back shelf by the Chess label and recorded albums with various "popular" themes: Brass And The Blues, Electric Mud, etc. In 1967, he joined forces with Bo Diddley, Little Walter and Howlin' Wolf to record the Super Blues and The Super Super Blues Band pair of albums of Chess blues standards. In 1972 he went back to England to record The London Muddy Waters Sessions with Rory Gallagher, Steve Winwood, Rick Grech and Mitch Mitchell — but their playing was not up to his standards. "These boys are top musicians, they can play with me, put the book before 'em and play it, you know," he told Guralnick. "But that ain't what I need to sell my people, it ain't the Muddy Waters sound. An' if you change my sound, then you gonna change the whole man."
Muddy's sound was basically Delta blues electrified, but his use of microtones, in both his vocals and slide playing, made it extremely difficult to duplicate and follow correctly.[citation needed] "When I play on the stage with my band, I have to get in there with my guitar and try to bring the sound down to me. But no sooner than I quit playing, it goes back to another, different sound. My blues look so simple, so easy to do, but it's not. They say my blues is the hardest blues in the world to play."[18]
Comeback
Muddy's long-time wife Geneva died of cancer on March 15, 1973. A devastated Muddy was taken to a doctor and told to quit smoking, which he did. Gaining custody of some of his "outside kids", he moved them into his home, eventually buying a new house in Westmont, Illinois. Another teenage daughter turned up while Muddy was on tour in New Orleans; Big Bill Morganfield was introduced to his Dad after a gig in Florida. Florida was also where Muddy met his future wife, the 19-year-old Marva Jean Brooks whom he nicknamed "Sunshine".[19] Eric Clapton served as best man at their wedding in 1979.[20]
On November 25, 1976, Muddy Waters performed at The Band's farewell concert at Winterland in San Francisco. The concert was released as both a record and a film, The Last Waltz, featuring a performance of "Mannish Boy" with Paul Butterfield on harmonica.
In 1977 Johnny Winter convinced his label, Blue Sky, to sign Muddy, the beginning of a fruitful partnership. His "comeback" LP, Hard Again, was recorded in just two days and was a return to the original Chicago sound he had created 25 years earlier, thanks to Winter's production. Former sideman James Cotton contributed harmonica on the Grammy Award winning album and a brief tour followed.
The Muddy Waters Blues Band at the time included guitarists Sammy Lawhorn, Bob Margolin and Luther "Snake Boy" Johnson, pianist Pinetop Perkins, harmonica player Jerry Portnoy, bassist Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. On "Hard Again", Winter played guitar in addition to producing; Muddy asked James Cotton to play harp on the session, and Cotton brought his own bassist Charles Calmese. According to Margolin's liner notes, Muddy did not play guitar during these sessions. The album covers a broad spectrum of styles, from the opening of "Mannish Boy", with shouts and hollers throughout, to the old-style Delta blues of "I Can't Be Satisfied", with a National Steel solo by Winter, to Cotton's screeching intro to "The Blues Had a Baby", to the moaning closer "Little Girl". Its live feel harks back to the Chess Records days, and it evokes a feeling of intimacy and cooperative musicianship. The expanded reissue includes one bonus track, a remake of the 1950s single "Walking Through the Park". The other outtakes from the album sessions appear on King Bee. Margolin's notes state that the reissued album was remastered but that remixing was not considered to be necessary. Hard Again was the first studio collaboration between Muddy and Winter, who produced his final four albums, the others being I'm Ready, King Bee, and Muddy "Mississippi" Waters - Live, for Blue Sky, a Columbia Records subsidiary.
In 1978, Winter recruited two of Muddy's cohorts from the early 1950s, Big Walter Horton and Jimmy Rogers, and brought in the rest of his touring band at the time (harmonica player Jerry Portnoy, guitarist Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, and bassist Calvin "Fuzz" Jones) to record I'm Ready, which came close to the critical and commercial success of Hard Again.
The comeback continued in 1979 with the lauded LP Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live. "Muddy was loose for this one," wrote Jas Obrecht in Guitar Player, "and the result is the next best thing to being ringside at one of his foot-thumping, head-nodding, downhome blues shows." On the album, Muddy is accompanied by his touring band, augmented by Johnny Winter on guitar. The set list contains most of his biggest hits, and the album has an energetic feel. King Bee the following year concluded Waters' reign at Blue Sky, and these last four LPs turned out to be his biggest-selling albums ever. King Bee was the last album Muddy Waters recorded. Coming last in a trio of studio outings produced by Johnny Winter, it is also a mixed bag. During the sessions for King Bee, Muddy, his manager and his band were involved in a dispute over money. According to the liner notes by Bob Margolin, the conflict arose from Muddy's health being on the wane and consequently playing fewer engagements. The bandmembers wanted more money for each of the fewer gigs they did play in order to make ends meet. Ultimately a split occurred and the entire band quit. Because of the tensions in the studio preceding the split, Winter felt the sessions had not produced enough solid material to yield an entire album, and filled out King Bee with outtakes from earlier Blue Sky sessions. The cover photograph is by David Michael Kennedy. For the listener, King Bee is a leaner and meaner record. Less of the good-time exuberance present on the previous two outings is present here. The title track, "Mean Old Frisco", "Sad Sad Day", and "I Feel Like Going Home", are all blues with ensemble work. The Sony Legacy issue features completely remastered sound and Margolin's notes, and also hosts two bonus tracks from the King Bee sessions that Winter did not see fit to release the first time.
In 1981, Muddy Waters was invited to perform at ChicagoFest, the city's top outdoor music festival. He was joined onstage by Johnny Winter—who had successfully produced his most recent albums—and played classics like "Mannish Boy," "Trouble No More" and "Mojo Working" to a new generation of fans. This historic performance was made available on DVD in 2009 by Shout! Factory. Later that year, Waters performed live with the Rolling Stones at the Checkerboard Lounge, with a DVD version of the concert released in 2012.[21]
In 1982, declining health dramatically curtailed Muddy's performance schedule. His last public performance took place when he sat in with Eric Clapton's band at a Clapton concert in Florida in autumn of 1982.[22]
Death
On April 30, 1983, Muddy Waters died in his sleep from heart failure, at his home in Westmont, Illinois. At his funeral at Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois, throngs of blues musicians and fans showed up to pay tribute to one of the true originals of the art form. "Muddy was a master of just the right notes," John P. Hammond, told Guitar World magazine. "It was profound guitar playing, deep and simple... more country blues transposed to the electric guitar, the kind of playing that enhanced the lyrics, gave profundity to the words themselves." Two years after his death, Chicago honored him by designating the one-block section between 900 and 1000 E. 43rd Street near his former home on the south side "Honorary Muddy Waters Drive".[23] The Chicago suburb of Westmont, where Muddy lived the last decade of his life, named a section of Cass Avenue near his home "Honorary Muddy Waters Way".[24] Following his death, fellow blues musician B.B. King told Guitar World, "It's going to be years and years before most people realize how greatly he contributed to American music". A Mississippi Blues Trail marker has been placed in Clarksdale, Mississippi, by the Mississippi Blues Commission designating the site of Muddy Waters' cabin.[25]
Influence
His influence is tremendous, over a variety of music genres: blues, rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, hard rock, folk, jazz, and country. He also helped Chuck Berry get his first record contract.
His 1958 tour of England marked possibly the first time amplified, modern urban blues was heard there, although on his first tour he was the only one amplified. His backing was provided by Englishman Chris Barber's trad jazz group.
His use of amplification is cited as "the technological missing link between Delta Blues and Rock 'N' Roll."[7] This is underlined in a 1968 article in Rolling Stone magazine: “There was a difference between Muddy’s instrumental work and that of House and Johnson, however, and the crucial difference was the result of Waters’ use of the electric guitar on his Aristocrat sides; he had taken up the instrument shortly after moving to Chicago in 1943.”[8]
The Rolling Stones named themselves after his 1950 song "Rollin' Stone" (also known as "Catfish Blues", which Jimi Hendrix covered as well). The magazine Rolling Stone also took its name from the same song. Hendrix recalled "the first guitar player I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I first heard him as a little boy and it scared me to death". Cream covered "Rollin' and Tumblin'" on their 1966 debut album Fresh Cream, as Eric Clapton was a big fan of Muddy Waters when he was growing up, and his music influenced Clapton's music career. The song was also covered by Canned Heat at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival and later adapted by Bob Dylan on the album Modern Times. One of Led Zeppelin's biggest hits, "Whole Lotta Love", is lyrically based upon the Muddy Waters hit "You Need Love", written by Willie Dixon. Dixon wrote some of Muddy Waters' most famous songs, including "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (a big radio hit for Etta James, as well as the 1970s rock band Foghat), "Hoochie Coochie Man", which The Allman Brothers Band famously covered (the song was also covered by Humble Pie and Steppenwolf), "Trouble No More" and "I'm Ready". In 1993, Paul Rodgers released the album Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters, on which he covered a number of Muddy Waters songs, including "Louisiana Blues", "Rollin' Stone", "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "I'm Ready" (among others) in collaboration with a number of famous guitarists including Gary Moore, Brian May and Jeff Beck.
Angus Young of the rock group AC/DC has cited Muddy Waters as one of his influences. The AC/DC song title "You Shook Me All Night Long" came from lyrics of the Muddy Waters song "You Shook Me", written by Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir. Earl Hooker first recorded it as an instrumental, which was then overdubbed with vocals by Muddy Waters in 1962. Led Zeppelin also covered it on their debut album.
Muddy Waters' songs have been featured in long-time fan Martin Scorsese's movies, including The Color of Money, Goodfellas and Casino. Muddy Waters' 1970s recording of his mid-'50s hit "Mannish Boy" (a.k.a. "I'm A Man") was used in Goodfellas, Better Off Dead, and the hit film Risky Business, and also features in the rockumentary The Last Waltz.
The song "Come Together" by The Beatles references Muddy Waters: "He roller coaster/he got Muddy Waters."
Van Morrison lyrics include "Muddy Waters singin', "I'm a Rolling Stone" from his 1982 song "Cleaning Windows", on the album Beautiful Vision.
American Stoner Metal band Bongzilla covered Muddy Water's song Champagne and Reefer on their album Amerijuanican.
In 2008, Jeffrey Wright portrayed Muddy in the biopic Cadillac Records, a film about the rise and fall of Chess Records and the lives of its recording artists. A second 2008 film about Leonard Chess and Chess Records, Who Do You Love, also covers Muddy's time at Chess Records.
In the 2009 film The Boat that Rocked (retitled Pirate Radio in the U.S) about pirate radio in the UK, the cryptic message that late-night DJ Bob gives to Carl to give to Carl's mother is: "Muddy Waters Rocks."
In 1990, the television show Doogie Howser, M.D. featured an episode called "Doogie Sings the Blues" with the main character, Blind Otis Lemon, based on Muddy Waters, with references to his influence on the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, along with the performance of "Got My Mojo Working" by Blind Otis Lemon. He is also referred to as the original "Hoochie Coochie Man".
Muddy's son Larry "Mud" Morganfield is a professional blues singer and musician.
Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones - Baby Please Don't Go - Live At Checkerboard Lounge
Ben E. King +30.04.2015
Ben E. King (* 28. September 1938 als Benjamin Earl Nelson in Henderson/North Carolina) ist ein US-amerikanischer Rhythm & Blues- und Soulsänger, der als Leadtenor der Vokalgruppe Drifters im Jahr 1959 bekannt wurde und danach seine Karriere als Solist fortsetzte.
Werdegang
Ben E. King begann als Sänger bei den Five Crowns Ende des Jahres 1955, als diese Vokalgruppe bereits seit Oktober 1952 Platten herausbrachte. Als King für James Clark zur Gruppe stieß, wurde Ende 1955 I Can’t Pretend aufgenommen. Zu hören ist Ben E. King auch bei der nächsten Single Kiss And Make Up (RnB #6901), die im Februar 1958 erschienen war und die Gruppe lediglich als Crowns aufführt. Das RnB-Label vom Erfolgskomponisten Doc Pomus hatte übrigens lediglich diese eine Single veröffentlicht, bevor es liquidiert wurde[1]. Diese solide Aufnahme aus der Feder von Pomus brachte den Crowns einen Auftritt im Apollo-Theater in New York ein, wo sie ab 30. Mai 1958 im Vorprogramm der Drifters auftreten durften. Deren Manager George Treadwell, unzufrieden über die abnehmende Erfolgskurve seiner Drifters, war derart begeistert vom Auftritt der Crowns, dass er seine Drifters kurzerhand feuerte. Da Treadwell der Name Drifters gehörte, wurden die Crowns in Drifters umbenannt und damit King der Leadsänger der Drifters.
Seine erste Aufnahmesession unter dem neuen Namen fand am 6. März 1959 statt, als There Goes My Baby / Oh My Love und zwei weitere Titel eingespielt wurden. Mit dem von Leiber/Stoller produzierten There Goes My Baby feierten die Drifters ein erfolgreiches Comeback mit einem ersten Rang in den R&B-Charts und einem zweiten Platz in der Pophitparade. Zusammen mit ihm sangen noch Charlie Thomas (Tenor), Doc Green (Bariton) und Elsbeary Hobbs (Bass), allesamt aus den Crowns hervorgegangen. In der zweiten Session vom 9. Juli 1959 entstanden die Titel Dance With Me / True Love, True Love, die mit einem Rang zwei in der R&B-Hitparade ebenfalls gut rezeptiert wurden.
Solokarriere
Nach weniger als einem Jahr verließ Ben E. King die Drifters zugunsten einer Solokarriere. Bereits am 17. Dezember 1959 stand er als Solist vor dem Mikrofon und sang die Otis Blackwell-Komposition Brace Yourself, die jedoch nach Veröffentlichung im Mai 1960 die Charts verfehlte. Kurz danach nahm er am 23. Dezember 1959 noch einmal drei Titel mit den Drifters auf, darunter This Magic Moment, das einen Rang vier in den R&B-Charts erreichte. Am 19. Mai 1960 war er mit den Drifters bei den Aufnahmen zu Save The Last Dance For Me / Nobody But Me am Mikrofon, mit jeweils dem ersten Platz in beiden Hitparaden dem größten Hit der Gruppe. Auch dieser Millionenseller konnte King nicht von seinen Soloplänen abbringen. Sein endgültige Trennung im September 1960 verschärfte die Besetzungsprobleme der ohnehin durch starke personelle Fluktuationen getroffenen Gruppe. Durch die kurze Verweildauer war King lediglich auf 11 der 124 Drifters-Titel als Leadsänger zu hören, das sind knapp 9 % der veröffentlichten Titel der Drifters[2].
Die für den 27. Oktober 1960 anberaumte Aufnahmesession listet Ben E. King nunmehr endgültig als Solisten, begleitet durch das Orchester des Atlantic-Arrangeurs Stan Applebaum. Es entstanden Spanish Harlem / First Taste of Love, der Young Boy Blues und Stand By Me. Zuerst wurde Spanish Harlem veröffentlicht, das in der Pophitparade einen Rang zehn belegte. Größter Hit für King als Solist war das aus der gleichen Session stammende Stand By Me, das in den R&B-Charts für vier Wochen den ersten Rang belegte. Bis zum Ende der 1960er Jahre feierte er etliche weitere Hits. Nach einer Hitpause von rund fünf Jahren gelang ihm 1975 mit Supernatural ein Comeback (USA Platz 5, R&B Platz 1). Bis 1980 folgten weitere kleinere Single-Erfolge in den R&B-Charts, doch Kings große Zeit war vorbei.[3]
Coverversionen
Der Song Stand by Me wurde in dem gleichnamigen Film Stand by Me 1986 benutzt und 25 Jahre nach der Erstveröffentlichung erneut ein Hit.
Von Stand by Me gibt es zahlreiche Coverversionen, darunter von 4 the Cause, dem deutschen Musikprojekt Lemon Ice (Geeno & JayLow), John Lennon, Otis Redding, Willy DeVille, der Punk-Rock-Band NOFX und Pennywise. Auch sein I (Who Have Nothing) wurde oft, u. a. von Tom Jones, John Lennon und Shirley Bassey gecovert.
Benjamin Earl King[1] (September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015), known as Ben E. King, was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He was perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later in 1986 (when it was used as the theme to the film of the same name), a number one hit in the UK in 1987, and no. 25 on the RIAA's list of Songs of the Century—and as one of the principal lead singers of the R&B vocal group the Drifters.[2]
Early life
King was born Benjamin Earl Nelson on September 28, 1938, in Henderson, North Carolina,[2] and moved to Harlem, New York, at the age of nine in 1947.[3] King began singing in church choirs, and in high school formed the Four B’s, a doo-wop group that occasionally performed at the Apollo.[4]
Career
The Drifters
In 1958, King (still using his birth name) joined a doo-wop group called the Five Crowns.[4] Later that year, the Drifters' manager George Treadwell fired the members of the original Drifters, and replaced them with the members of the Five Crowns.[5] King had a string of R&B hits with the group on Atlantic Records. He co-wrote and sang lead on the first Atlantic hit by the new version of the Drifters, "There Goes My Baby" (1959). He also sang lead on a succession of hits by the team of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, including "Save the Last Dance for Me", "This Magic Moment", and "I Count the Tears".[2] King only recorded thirteen songs with the Drifters—two backing other lead singers and eleven lead vocal performances—including a non-single called "Temptation" (later redone by Drifters vocalist Johnny Moore). The last of the King-led Drifters singles to be released was "Sometimes I Wonder", which was recorded May 19, 1960, but not issued until June 1962.[6]
Due to contract disputes with Treadwell in which King and his manager, Lover Patterson, demanded greater compensation, King rarely performed with the Drifters on tour or on television. On television, fellow Drifters member Charlie Thomas usually lip-synched the songs that King had recorded with the Drifters.[7]
Solo career
In May 1960, King left the Drifters,[2] assuming the stage name Ben E. King in preparation for a solo career. Remaining with Atlantic Records on its Atco imprint, King scored his first solo hit with the ballad "Spanish Harlem" (1961).[2] His next single, "Stand by Me", written with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, ultimately would be voted as one of the Songs of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America. King cited singers Brook Benton, Roy Hamilton and Sam Cooke as influences for his vocals of the song.[8] "Stand by Me", "There Goes My Baby", "Spanish Harlem", and "Save the Last Dance For Me" were all named in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll;[9] and each of those records has earned a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.[10] King's other well-known songs include "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)", "Amor", "Seven Letters", "How Can I Forget", "On the Horizon", "Young Boy Blues", "First Taste of Love", "Here Comes the Night", "Ecstasy", and "That's When It Hurts". In the summer of 1963, King had a Top 30 hit with "I (Who Have Nothing)", which reached the Top 10 on New York's radio station, WMCA.[11]
King's records continued to place well on the Billboard Hot 100 chart until 1965. British pop bands began to dominate the pop music scene, but King still continued to make R&B hits, including "What is Soul?" (1966), "Tears, Tears, Tears" (1967), and "Supernatural Thing" (1975).[4] A 1986 re-issue of "Stand by Me" followed the song's use as the theme song to the movie Stand By Me and re-entered the Billboard Top Ten after a 25-year absence.[4]
In 1990, King and Bo Diddley, along with Doug Lazy, recorded a revamped hip hop version of the Monotones' 1958 hit song "Book of Love" for the soundtrack of the movie Book of Love. He also recorded a children's album, I Have Songs In My Pocket, written and produced by children's music artist Bobby Susser in 1998, which won the Early Childhood News Directors' Choice Award and Dr. Toy's/the Institute for Childhood Resources Award. King performed "Stand by Me" on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2007. Ahmet Ertegun said, "King is one of the greatest singers in the history of rock and roll and rhythm and blues."[12]
As a Drifter and as a solo artist, King had achieved five number one hits: "There Goes My Baby", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Stand By Me", "Supernatural Thing", and the 1986 re-issue of "Stand By Me". He also earned 12 Top 10 hits and 26 Top 40 hits from 1959 to 1986. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a Drifter;[13] he was also nominated as a solo artist.[14]
King's "I (Who Have Nothing)" was selected for the Sopranos Peppers and Eggs Soundtrack CD (2001).[15]
King was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.[16]
On March 27, 2012, the Songwriters Hall of Fame announced that "Stand By Me" would receive its 2012 Towering Song Award and that King would be honored with the 2012 Towering Performance Award for his recording of the song.[17]
Later life
King was active in his charitable foundation, the Stand By Me Foundation, which helps to provide education to deserving youths.[8][18] He was a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey, from the late 1960s.[19]
King performed "Stand By Me" during a televised tribute to late comedian George Carlin, as he was one of Carlin's favorite artists.[20]
On November 11, 2010, he performed "Stand By Me" on the Latin Grammys with Prince Royce.[21]
King toured the United Kingdom in 2013 and played concerts in the United States as late as 2014, despite reported health problems.[22]
Death
It was announced on May 1, 2015, that King had died at the Hackensack University Medical Center on April 30, 2015, at the age of 76.[22][23] His agent said he had suffered from "coronary problems" at the time of his death.[3] King was survived by his wife of 51 years, Betty, three children and six grandchildren.[21]
Legacy
King has been covered by acts from several genres. "So Much Loved" was recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1969.[24] "I (Who Have Nothing)" was performed by Shirley Bassey in 1963 and also by Tom Jones in 1970, as well as a 1979 recording by Sylvester. "Till I Can't Get It Anymore" was revisited by peer Ray Charles in 1970 and "Spanish Harlem" was sung by Aretha Franklin in 1971. "Stand by Me" was covered by Otis Redding, John Lennon and Mickey Gilley. King also inspired several rock bands: Siouxsie and the Banshees recorded "Supernatural Thing" in 1981 and Led Zeppelin did a cover version of "Groovin'", more known under the title of "We're Gonna Groove".
Stand By Me- Ben E King, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass, Chuck Jackson, Brian McKnight
