1896 Rosa Henderson*
1938 Roosevelt Twitty*
1941 Donald Dunn*
1950 Jeff Chaz*
1964 Buster Pickens+
1969 J. T. Brown+
1985 Big Joe Turner+
1991 Brad Stivers*
1993 Albert Collins+
Cee Cee James*
Happy Birthday
Donald „Duck“ Dunn *24.11.1941
Donald „Duck“ Dunn (* 24. November 1941 in Memphis, Tennessee; † 13. Mai 2012 in Tokio, Japan[1]) war ein US-amerikanischer Bassist, Musikproduzent und Songwriter. Er war unter anderem Mitglied der Rhythm-and-Blues-Band The Blues Brothers und wurde dabei vor allem durch seine Auftritte in den Filmen Blues Brothers und Blues Brothers 2000 einem breiten Publikum bekannt.
In seiner Biographie[2] erzählt Dunn, dass der Spitzname "Duck" von seinem Vater stamme und dann an ihm einfach hängengeblieben sei. Seine Karriere begann er zusammen mit seinem Jugendfreund, dem Gitarristen Steve Cropper, in der Band The Royal Spades. Dann spielte er zunächst als Bassist bei Ben Branch, später bei den Stax Studios. Er erreichte in den 1960er und 1970er Jahren viele Chartplatzierungen mit den Bands Booker T. & the M.G.’s und den Mar-Keys. Nach seinem Ausstieg bei Stax spielte Dunn als Studio- und Livebassist für Musiker wie Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Albert King, Neil Young, Jerry Lee Lewis und Rod Stewart. Ebenfalls war er Bassist von Eric Clapton, unter anderem bei Live Aid.
Dunn wurde 1992 mit der Band Booker T. & the M.G.’s in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen und 2007 mit dem Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award ausgezeichnet.
Am Abend vor seinem Tod hatte er seinen letzten Auftritt mit Eddie Floyd und Steve Cropper, mit dem er sein Leben lang am engsten zusammenarbeitete. Dunn verstarb am 13. Mai 2012 in Tokio.
Equipment
Donald Dunns erster E-Bass war 1958 ein Modell der Firma Kay,[3] er erwarb später im selben Jahr seinen ersten Precision Bass (P-Bass) des Herstellers Fender[4] und spielte auch danach hauptsächlich Bässe vom P-Bass-Typ, unter anderem auch im Film Blues Brothers. 1998 erschien von Fender ein Signature-Modell in "Candy Apple Red", das technisch an die Precision-Bässe der späten 1950er Jahre angelehnt war.
1999 wechselte er zu P-Bässen des Herstellers Lakland, der ebenfalls ein Signature-Modell auf den Markt brachte. Eine Besonderheit des Lakland Duck Dunn Signature Bass liegt in dem schlankeren Hals, dessen Sattelbreite dem Fender-Jazz-Bass-Hals entspricht und auf einen klassischen Precision-Korpus geschraubt ist.[5][6]
Dunn war weiterhin Endorser bei der Firma Ampeg und spielte SVT-4PRO-Verstärker und SVT-810E-Boxen.
Donald "Duck" Dunn (November 24, 1941 – May 13, 2012)[1][2] was an American bass guitarist, session musician, record producer, and songwriter. Dunn was notable for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & the M.G.'s and as a session bassist for Stax Records. At Stax, Dunn played on thousands of records including hits by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Johnnie Taylor, Albert King, Elvis Presley and many others. In 1992, he was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Early life
Dunn was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His father nicknamed him "Duck" while watching Disney cartoons with him one day. Dunn grew up playing sports and riding his bike with fellow future professional musician Steve Cropper. After Cropper began playing guitar with mutual friend Charlie Freeman, Dunn decided to pick up the bass guitar. Eventually, along with drummer Terry Johnson, the four became "The Royal Spades". The Messick High School group picked up keyboardist Jerry "Smoochy" Smith, singer Ronnie Angel (also known as Stoots), and a budding young horn section in baritone saxophone player Don Nix, tenor saxophone player Charles "Packy" Axton, and trumpeter (and future co-founder of The Memphis Horns) Wayne Jackson.
Career
1960s: First bands
Cropper has noted how the self-taught Dunn started out playing along with records, filling in what he thought should be there. "That's why Duck Dunn's bass lines are very unique", Cropper said, "They're not locked into somebody's schoolbook somewhere". Axton's mother Estelle and her brother Jim Stewart owned Satellite Records and signed the band, who had a national hit with "Last Night" in 1961 under their new name "The Mar-Keys".[3] The bassist on "Last Night" was Donald "Duck" Dunn, but he left the Mar-Keys in 1962 to join Ben Branch's big band.
The Booker T and the M.G.s group was founded by Steve Cropper and Booker T. Jones in 1962; Al Jackson, Jr. served as the band's drummer.[4] The original bassist, on early hits such as "Green Onions", was Lewie Steinberg; Dunn replaced him in 1964.[5]
Late 1960s–1970s: Session musician
Stax became known for Jackson's drum sound, the sound of The Memphis Horns, and Duck Dunn's grooves. The MGs and Dunn's bass lines on songs like Otis Redding's "Respect" and "I Can't Turn You Loose", Sam & Dave's "Hold On, I'm Comin'", and Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign" influenced musicians everywhere.
As an instrumental group, they continued to experiment with McLemore Avenue (their reworking of The Beatles' Abbey Road) and on their final outing, 1971's Melting Pot, which featured basslines that to this day serve as a source of inspiration for hip-hop artists. In the 1970s, Jones and Cropper left Stax, but Dunn and Jackson stayed with the label. He worked with Elvis Presley on his 1973 RCA Album Raised On Rock.
In 1971, when rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty left Creedence Clearwater Revival, the remaining members discussed with Dunn the possibility of his joining the group, with current CCR bassist Stu Cook moving to guitar. However, it was ultimately decided by CCR to remain a trio from that point on. Booker T and the MGs had performed in concert and jammed in the studio with CCR in the past, and Dunn in particular had become good friends with the band members.
1980s–2000s
Dunn went on to play for Muddy Waters, Freddie King, and Jerry Lee Lewis, as well as Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart. He was the featured bass player for Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty's "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" single from Nicks' 1981 debut solo album Bella Donna, as well as other Petty tracks between 1976 and 1981. He reunited with Cropper as a member of Levon Helm's RCO All Stars and also displayed his quirky Southern humor making two movies with Cropper, former Stax drummer Willie Hall, and Dan Aykroyd, as a member of The Blues Brothers band. Dunn was the bassist in Eric Clapton's band for Clapton's appearance at Live Aid in 1985.
Dunn played himself in the 1980 feature The Blues Brothers, where he famously uttered the line, "We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline!" and was frequently shown smoking a pipe whilst playing. He appeared in the 1998 sequel Blues Brothers 2000, once again playing himself. Dunn & the MGs were the house band for Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary in the music business concert at Madison Square Garden playing behind Dylan, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder, Sinéad O'Connor, Eddie Vedder, and Neil Young who recruited the MGs to tour with him and recorded with Dunn several times since.
In the 2000s Dunn was in semi-retirement, although he still performed occasionally with Booker T & the MGs at clubs and music festivals.
In June 2004, Dunn, Cropper, and Jones served as the house band for Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival. The group backed such guitarists as Joe Walsh and David Hidalgo on the main stage at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas.[6]
In 2008, Dunn worked with Australian soul singer Guy Sebastian touring The Memphis Album. Dunn and Steve Cropper arrived in Australia on February 20, 2008, to be Sebastian's backing band for an 18-date concert tour, The Memphis Tour.[7]
Dunn is credited with performing on a version of the standard "I Ain't Got Nobody" alongside Booker T Jones, Steve Cropper and Michel Gondry in Michel Gondry's 2008 film Be Kind Rewind.
Death
On the morning of May 13, 2012, Dunn died in his sleep after finishing his fifth double show[8] at the Blue Note night club in Tokyo with Steve Cropper the night before. He had been in the country as part of an ongoing tour with Cropper and Eddie Floyd.[9] He is survived by his wife, June; a son, Jeff; and a grandson, Michael.[10]
Musical equipment
When he was 16, he acquired his first Fender Precision Bass, a 1958 model with sunburst body, 1-piece maple neck and gold anodized pickguard, an instrument he owned until his death.[11] During the 1960s, he used a 1959 model, which was identical to his 1958, but with a rosewood fretboard. He was an avid user of thick La Bella flatwound strings, as was James Jamerson.[12] While filming The Blues Brothers, Dunn used a sunburst mid-sixties Fender Precision bass with a rosewood fretboard and a tortoise pickguard. In 1998, Dunn collaborated with Fender to produce a signature Precision Bass, a candy apple red-colored model based on the late 1950s style, with a gold anodized pickguard, a split-coil humbucking pickup and vintage hardware. The Duck Dunn P-Bass became the basis for a Lakland Skyline Series signature bass made by Chicago bass company Lakland a few years later.[13]
Dunn used an Ampeg SVT-4PRO head and SVT-810E 8×10 cabinet through his endorsement deal with Ampeg.[13][14]
Jeff Chaz *24.11.1950
Jeff Chaz is an electrifying blues guitarist based in New Orleans. Ironically, at one time the guitar bored him and he turned to other instruments like the trombone. Before he discovered that his true talent lay in the blues, he even made an attempt to play country music and found the genre to be a challenge for him.
A native of Lake Charles, LA, Chaz was raised in Creole, LA. His father was a practicing physician who sometimes visited his patients by a type of canoe called a pirogue rather than by car, and they paid his fees with ducks and other foodstuffs. Despite this simple way of life, there was nothing provincial about the backwoods healer's taste in music. Thanks to him, Chaz grew up surrounded by the sounds of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Jack Teagarden, and Duke Ellington.
As a youngster, Chaz played the jazz trombone and later moved over to the trumpet. He also played in the school band and spent his high school years in California with his family. His grades suffered due to the extensive amount of time he devoted to playing local dances and weddings. Upon graduation, he played trombone with a traveling band and when the band's guitar-playing vocalist unexpectedly dropped out, the other group members tapped Chaz to take his place.
When he went home to California, he enrolled as a music student in San Bernardino College. After an attempt to play country music, he realized that his desire rested with the blues and he took off for Memphis. There he played back road blues joints and even played some gospel. Since then, he has played guitar with Cab Calloway, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Albert King. He has taken home a Beale Street Blues Award during the awards' inaugural year, and has sung at the National Civil Rights Museum. By 1996, he was back in New Orleans and working at the Famous Door on Bourbon Street.
A native of Lake Charles, LA, Chaz was raised in Creole, LA. His father was a practicing physician who sometimes visited his patients by a type of canoe called a pirogue rather than by car, and they paid his fees with ducks and other foodstuffs. Despite this simple way of life, there was nothing provincial about the backwoods healer's taste in music. Thanks to him, Chaz grew up surrounded by the sounds of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Jack Teagarden, and Duke Ellington.
As a youngster, Chaz played the jazz trombone and later moved over to the trumpet. He also played in the school band and spent his high school years in California with his family. His grades suffered due to the extensive amount of time he devoted to playing local dances and weddings. Upon graduation, he played trombone with a traveling band and when the band's guitar-playing vocalist unexpectedly dropped out, the other group members tapped Chaz to take his place.
When he went home to California, he enrolled as a music student in San Bernardino College. After an attempt to play country music, he realized that his desire rested with the blues and he took off for Memphis. There he played back road blues joints and even played some gospel. Since then, he has played guitar with Cab Calloway, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Albert King. He has taken home a Beale Street Blues Award during the awards' inaugural year, and has sung at the National Civil Rights Museum. By 1996, he was back in New Orleans and working at the Famous Door on Bourbon Street.
Die Band besteht aus Brad Stivers (g, voc), Alex Stivers (dr) und Nic
Clark (mharm), alles junge Kerle mit einer Menge Musiktalent und dem
Willen und der Energie, was draus zu machen. Bad Brad hat eine absolut
großartige Stimme, rauh und kantig wenn nötig, und immer entschieden
cool in seiner Phrasierung. Der Typ spielt außerdem eine heftige Gitarre
und hat auf dem Album eine Menge Möglichkeiten, uns zu beeindrucken:
Sei es mit den treibenden Riffs beim ersten Song, dem total coolen
Late-Night-Blues von „Lucky Man“ oder den energisch vorwärts drängenden
Tönen von „Train Down South“. Nic Clark ist ein außergewöhnlicher junger
Harmonikaspieler und treibt die Musik bei einigen Liedern voran, ohne
jemals zu dominant zu werden.
Alec Stivers, fachmännisch unterstützt von Lionel Young, Dwight
Carrier, Bill Shannon, Alissa Chesis und Greg MacKenzie liefert einen
Sound, der treffend und für jeden Song angepasst ist. Produktion und
Soundqualität des Albums sind durchweg exzellent.
Das ist einfach ein tolles Bluesalbum. Ein kleiner Makel für mich waren die Texte von „Leghound“ und „Lucky Man“. Klar weiß ich, dass sie spaßig gemeint sind. Ich aber finde sie ein wenig zu Macho für 2014. Wenn man das beiseite lässt: Das Album rockt. Und wir werden in den nächsten Jahren hoffentlich noch ne Menge mehr von Bad Brad & The Fat Cats hören.
Das ist einfach ein tolles Bluesalbum. Ein kleiner Makel für mich waren die Texte von „Leghound“ und „Lucky Man“. Klar weiß ich, dass sie spaßig gemeint sind. Ich aber finde sie ein wenig zu Macho für 2014. Wenn man das beiseite lässt: Das Album rockt. Und wir werden in den nächsten Jahren hoffentlich noch ne Menge mehr von Bad Brad & The Fat Cats hören.
http://www.rocktimes.de/gesamt/b/bad_brad_and_the_fat_cats/take_a_walk_with_me.html
Bad Brad & The Fat Cats are a team of energetic, raw, and fearless blues musicians that are creating a name for themselves in the music business through their dedication to serving the music. They have been recognized by many as a new force in the blues.
Rosa Henderson - Afternoon Blues (1923)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPd6Na4a_Jc
http://www.ceeceejames.com/epk
Cee Cee James & THE MISSION OF S.O.U.L.
Cee Cee James is a mix of Bette Midler, Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt!
Cee Cee James is an internationally known 'performance artist extraordinaire' in her well honed craft of giving the depth of ache and vulnerability in her original Contemporary Roots/Blues Musical Performances, Talks, One on One Sessions and Workshops. After 4 successful award winning CD's, two singles and touring
many places within the U.S. and Europe, she has discovered the essence of what her 'MISSION' has been about throughout the journey to 'now.'
Roosevelt Twitty *24.11.1938
Blues musician Roosevelt Twitty died of head injuries from a fall in his hometown of Paris. He was 74 years old.
Twitty got into music after listening to an old battery operated radio when he was eight years old. He said he heard gospel, country, jazz and rock. He quickly gravitated to the blues, which he said brought back memories of his parents, family, and working in the cotton fields.
In his prime, he played a hundred shows a year in all sorts of venues, from house parties to juke joints and honky-tonks.
“I play blues from the old school, music that is creative, having a story line and morals,” he said, saying he didn’t want to give up his roots for modern changes. “Most blues musicians have lived the blues, therefore they can make the music come to life with an intensity that can make one happy, carefree, or even sad and doleful.”
Twitty would also share lessons, including with young Honey Grove musician Tyler Dow Bryant, a sort of protégé who at age 22 was featured in the film “Rock Prophecies” with Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, and Slash. Bryant met Twitty when he was still in elementary school, and learned to play the blues. The two toured together for a while.
http://www.countylinemagazine.com/July-August-2013/Traditional-Blues-Musician-Dies-from-Head-Injuries/Twitty got into music after listening to an old battery operated radio when he was eight years old. He said he heard gospel, country, jazz and rock. He quickly gravitated to the blues, which he said brought back memories of his parents, family, and working in the cotton fields.
In his prime, he played a hundred shows a year in all sorts of venues, from house parties to juke joints and honky-tonks.
“I play blues from the old school, music that is creative, having a story line and morals,” he said, saying he didn’t want to give up his roots for modern changes. “Most blues musicians have lived the blues, therefore they can make the music come to life with an intensity that can make one happy, carefree, or even sad and doleful.”
Twitty would also share lessons, including with young Honey Grove musician Tyler Dow Bryant, a sort of protégé who at age 22 was featured in the film “Rock Prophecies” with Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, and Slash. Bryant met Twitty when he was still in elementary school, and learned to play the blues. The two toured together for a while.
Lonnie &Roosevelt Twitty
By: Paul G. Vickers
One of the most influential blues players in my life is someone most of you have probably never heard of. His fluid singing voice and ragged “Lightnin’ meets B.B.” style of playing moved me in directions I had never gone before musically. His gentle demeanor endears him to the hearts of all who meet him, and all are insured of a wonderful experience when it comes time for him to play and sing. To hear him sing “Sittin’ Here in My Dark Room” is like getting your own little piece of Blues heaven sliced off and handed to you on a silver plate. His sometimes smooth, and silky, sometimes stinging and slashing guitar lines are text book “old school”, simultaneously channeling Jimmy Rogers, and Little Milton. “Rosey” loves the blues, and you can hear it when he plays. He’s fond of saying things like “I’m just a common player”, when, in all reality, he’s far from common. His rare amalgam of diverse styles mixed so fluently is, in fact, very uncommon. Rosey goes passed just “Texas” Blues, his playing represents the full scope of Blues, in general. In his music, you hear the hardships he has undoubtedly suffered (but never speaks of openly), and the love and respect he holds for his mentors, Uncle Lonnie, and his dad. “Dad was kinda private,” he says, “he never played in front of people too much.” Uncle Lonnie, on the other hand, is a player who is not ashamed to play for anyone. Lonnie was heavily influenced by Lightnin’ Hopkins, but now lives in the small West Texas town of Littlefield and plays primarily in church. “I gave up that Blues stuff”, he says, but, even his “Church” music reflects the influence of Lightnin’ and Muddy. Uncle Lonnie was the most profound teacher Rosey had, and, in Rosey’s words, was the only one who really took the time to show the fledgling guitarist any licks, and now, Rosey carries on that tradition of teaching and sharing his gift with anyone willing to listen.
I met Roosevelt in April of 2002 at a Blues Jam he was participating in with his young apprentice, Tyler. I had just recently moved to Paris from Fort Worth, and a few of the locals, upon discovering my love of Blues, had urged me to seek out Mr. Twitty. Although I had been actively seeking him, it was quite by chance that I found him when I did. I had no idea that he and Tyler were calling themselves “the Blues Buddies”, and that was how they were billed for this show. When I arrived at the park, Rosey and the then 12 Tyler were just getting ready to take the stage. I had heard of Roosevelt’s tutelage of the child prodigy, but I had not heard either of them play before that day. As they played, I was aware that I had never heard any one who was so distinctly down home blues as Roosevelt was in person. Rosey squeezed some of the most gut wrenchingly beautiful and painful licks from the old modified Gibson Melody Maker he held on his lap that I had ever heard. As I watched their short set unfold, it began to dawn on me what I was witnessing. This was real. Every note that came from that Vintage Cherry Burst finished Melody Maker was authentic and from the heart. Equally at home on the original, Chuck Berry-esque rocker “Steppin’ Out”, to the slow grind of Elmore James’ “The Sky Is Cryin’”, Rosey was testifying the Blues. While every other eye was on the kid (who put on quite a display in his own right, with plenty of S.R.V. inspired pyrotechnics), I was watching the man do his thing, and loving every minute of it. When it was over, I had to go introduce myself (which is something I usually will not do), and, that first meeting was as pleasurable as the first listen! I had just introduced myself to the greatest friend and mentor I would ever have, and my life will always be better for that day. I walked away from that first meeting with a phone number and an open invitation to visit Rosey at his house to jam any time I wanted, which I followed through on.
Just a few short weeks after Roosevelt and I met each other, he invited me to go to Littlefield, TX with him to meet Uncle Lonnie. We carried guitars and amps, and headed out for West Texas. We drove all night long in pouring rain, talking music, and life, in general. It was a great experience just spending seven hours in a car with the man! When we arrived at Lonnie’s house, we unloaded the guitars and talked for a couple minutes, before long, Lonnie asked us to play a few licks. We obliged, and Lonnie was obliged to show us some of his old school chops. As Lonnie played, I was transported back to a Texas way before my birth. A time of dust bowls and Great Depressions, when men had character, and that character showed through in the music they made, and the work they did. I imagined, as I listened to Lonnie playing, Paris, Texas during the time he was there. It must have been a completely different place at that time. Lonnie reflected a time when people made music solely for their own satisfaction, and others’ entertainment was secondary to them. They learned to play what they heard in their hearts and minds, not what some book or teacher said was “right”. It was the Blues, and even when they played songs that weren’t necessarily “Blues”, it still sounded like Blues, because they played it with heart, and the Blues, after all, is just what’s in a man’s heart.
In the few years that have followed, I have grown to count these two stellar players not only at the top of my favorites list, but also at the top of my friends list. These two men have gifts beyond compare. The music they make may, to an “educated” musician, sound primitive and rough, and even so-called Blues players may listen to them and criticize their timing. But, they have an ability that is sadly absent in today’s music, the ability to play what’s in their hearts, and not sound contrived when they do it. The music these two men make is real, and no one deserves any higher accolades than they do when it comes to playing Blues and Rural Folk tunes, because they’re as good as it gets. The simple honesty, and sincerity they display is refreshing to me, and I find it regretful that most of the world may never hear Lonnie and Rosey, but, my life and playing have been enriched for knowing and understanding these players. Lonnie told me in a recent conversation about a guitarist from his youth who was the envy of Paris TX, and how, when pressed to teach someone anything, he always declined. Lonnie said he told himself then, “If I can ever learn how to play just one thing on that guitar, nobody’ll ever have to beg me to teach ‘em!” This shines through in Rosey, who took his first guitar lessons from Lonnie. Once, in a television interview for a local station that we did to promote the Blues Buddies, Rosey told the interviewer, “If I had just one wish, I’d teach the world how to play the Blues.” Never intent on elevating themselves or seeking praise, just wanting to share this gift they’ve been given, these two men are two of the greatest gifts I have ever received. Thank you, Lonnie and Rosey, for teaching me what the Blues are really all about.
http://juniorsblues.tripod.com/id5.html By: Paul G. Vickers
One of the most influential blues players in my life is someone most of you have probably never heard of. His fluid singing voice and ragged “Lightnin’ meets B.B.” style of playing moved me in directions I had never gone before musically. His gentle demeanor endears him to the hearts of all who meet him, and all are insured of a wonderful experience when it comes time for him to play and sing. To hear him sing “Sittin’ Here in My Dark Room” is like getting your own little piece of Blues heaven sliced off and handed to you on a silver plate. His sometimes smooth, and silky, sometimes stinging and slashing guitar lines are text book “old school”, simultaneously channeling Jimmy Rogers, and Little Milton. “Rosey” loves the blues, and you can hear it when he plays. He’s fond of saying things like “I’m just a common player”, when, in all reality, he’s far from common. His rare amalgam of diverse styles mixed so fluently is, in fact, very uncommon. Rosey goes passed just “Texas” Blues, his playing represents the full scope of Blues, in general. In his music, you hear the hardships he has undoubtedly suffered (but never speaks of openly), and the love and respect he holds for his mentors, Uncle Lonnie, and his dad. “Dad was kinda private,” he says, “he never played in front of people too much.” Uncle Lonnie, on the other hand, is a player who is not ashamed to play for anyone. Lonnie was heavily influenced by Lightnin’ Hopkins, but now lives in the small West Texas town of Littlefield and plays primarily in church. “I gave up that Blues stuff”, he says, but, even his “Church” music reflects the influence of Lightnin’ and Muddy. Uncle Lonnie was the most profound teacher Rosey had, and, in Rosey’s words, was the only one who really took the time to show the fledgling guitarist any licks, and now, Rosey carries on that tradition of teaching and sharing his gift with anyone willing to listen.
I met Roosevelt in April of 2002 at a Blues Jam he was participating in with his young apprentice, Tyler. I had just recently moved to Paris from Fort Worth, and a few of the locals, upon discovering my love of Blues, had urged me to seek out Mr. Twitty. Although I had been actively seeking him, it was quite by chance that I found him when I did. I had no idea that he and Tyler were calling themselves “the Blues Buddies”, and that was how they were billed for this show. When I arrived at the park, Rosey and the then 12 Tyler were just getting ready to take the stage. I had heard of Roosevelt’s tutelage of the child prodigy, but I had not heard either of them play before that day. As they played, I was aware that I had never heard any one who was so distinctly down home blues as Roosevelt was in person. Rosey squeezed some of the most gut wrenchingly beautiful and painful licks from the old modified Gibson Melody Maker he held on his lap that I had ever heard. As I watched their short set unfold, it began to dawn on me what I was witnessing. This was real. Every note that came from that Vintage Cherry Burst finished Melody Maker was authentic and from the heart. Equally at home on the original, Chuck Berry-esque rocker “Steppin’ Out”, to the slow grind of Elmore James’ “The Sky Is Cryin’”, Rosey was testifying the Blues. While every other eye was on the kid (who put on quite a display in his own right, with plenty of S.R.V. inspired pyrotechnics), I was watching the man do his thing, and loving every minute of it. When it was over, I had to go introduce myself (which is something I usually will not do), and, that first meeting was as pleasurable as the first listen! I had just introduced myself to the greatest friend and mentor I would ever have, and my life will always be better for that day. I walked away from that first meeting with a phone number and an open invitation to visit Rosey at his house to jam any time I wanted, which I followed through on.
Just a few short weeks after Roosevelt and I met each other, he invited me to go to Littlefield, TX with him to meet Uncle Lonnie. We carried guitars and amps, and headed out for West Texas. We drove all night long in pouring rain, talking music, and life, in general. It was a great experience just spending seven hours in a car with the man! When we arrived at Lonnie’s house, we unloaded the guitars and talked for a couple minutes, before long, Lonnie asked us to play a few licks. We obliged, and Lonnie was obliged to show us some of his old school chops. As Lonnie played, I was transported back to a Texas way before my birth. A time of dust bowls and Great Depressions, when men had character, and that character showed through in the music they made, and the work they did. I imagined, as I listened to Lonnie playing, Paris, Texas during the time he was there. It must have been a completely different place at that time. Lonnie reflected a time when people made music solely for their own satisfaction, and others’ entertainment was secondary to them. They learned to play what they heard in their hearts and minds, not what some book or teacher said was “right”. It was the Blues, and even when they played songs that weren’t necessarily “Blues”, it still sounded like Blues, because they played it with heart, and the Blues, after all, is just what’s in a man’s heart.
In the few years that have followed, I have grown to count these two stellar players not only at the top of my favorites list, but also at the top of my friends list. These two men have gifts beyond compare. The music they make may, to an “educated” musician, sound primitive and rough, and even so-called Blues players may listen to them and criticize their timing. But, they have an ability that is sadly absent in today’s music, the ability to play what’s in their hearts, and not sound contrived when they do it. The music these two men make is real, and no one deserves any higher accolades than they do when it comes to playing Blues and Rural Folk tunes, because they’re as good as it gets. The simple honesty, and sincerity they display is refreshing to me, and I find it regretful that most of the world may never hear Lonnie and Rosey, but, my life and playing have been enriched for knowing and understanding these players. Lonnie told me in a recent conversation about a guitarist from his youth who was the envy of Paris TX, and how, when pressed to teach someone anything, he always declined. Lonnie said he told himself then, “If I can ever learn how to play just one thing on that guitar, nobody’ll ever have to beg me to teach ‘em!” This shines through in Rosey, who took his first guitar lessons from Lonnie. Once, in a television interview for a local station that we did to promote the Blues Buddies, Rosey told the interviewer, “If I had just one wish, I’d teach the world how to play the Blues.” Never intent on elevating themselves or seeking praise, just wanting to share this gift they’ve been given, these two men are two of the greatest gifts I have ever received. Thank you, Lonnie and Rosey, for teaching me what the Blues are really all about.
Roosevelt Twitty and The 4 Real Blues Band wth Jonathan Ruckman
Cee Cee James *24.11.
http://www.ceeceejames.com/epk
Was für ein langer verrückter Trip war das für Sängerin/Texterin Cee Cee James, deren Album, Low Down Where The Snakes Crawl, gerammelt voll ist mit ihrer Lebensgeschichte die 2001 damit begann, daß sie mit ihrer erstarrten Existenz zu kämpfen hatte und plötzlich in den Strudel geriet der sieben Jahre anhielt.
Geboren als Christina James im sehr fruchtbaren Nordwesten von Portland/Oregon mitten unter den hohen Tannen, vielen Flüssen und der wunderbaren feucht grünen Landschaft, Cee Cee’s Mutter musste mit ihrer Familie nach Kalifornien ziehen als Cee Cee fünf Jahre alt war. Mit 12 Jahren hat sie ihre erste Band gegründet und spielte in einer Kirche in der Nachbarschaft, mit einer blonden Perücke auf und grell grünem Liedschatten. In den folgenden Jahren war sie immer wieder in Rock/Blues, Cover/Original Bands und gründete ihre erste richtige Blues Band, Stone Blue in San Diego so um 1995. Als die 90ger zu ende gingen hatte sie ihren Songschreiberkünsten den Feinschliff verpasst und nahm in San Diego und Los Angeles ihre ersten Demo’s auf. 1999 erschien ihre erste CD „Spiritually Wet“. Nach einer schmerzlichen Scheidung 2001 und dem Verlust ihres zweiten Partners, der 2004 an Krebs starb, sagte sie ihren alten Southern California Musikern Lebewohl, und im Dezember hatte sie ihr Haus verkauft und fuhr zurück nach Portland oder besser gesagt, sie wurde noch einmal geboren, betrat ihr neues Ich als selbstständige Frau und Mensch.
Sie fühlte den Druck ihrer Fans ein neues Album zu veröffentlichen und gleich nach dem sie sich ein neus zu hause geschaffen hatte began Cee Cee damit, neue Songs zu schreiben und auf zu nehmen. Im April 2005 hatte sie eine starke Band mit ausgezeichneten Portland Musikern zusammengestellt, mit denen sie sehr schnell in den besten Clubs von Portland auftraten.
Allerdings, die Studio Sessions für “LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL” waren für Cee Cee bis 2007 außer Reichweite, jedoch nach einem erneuten Umzug noch weiter nördlich, nach Washington, löste sich der alles umgarnende Strudel in dem sich ihr Leben befand endlich auf und „LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL“ begann konkrete Formen an zu nehmen.
Genau wie der grüne feuchte Nordwesten wo sie geboren wurde und jetzt wieder wohnt, ist LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL mächtig und voller die Seele ansprechender Lyrik, zeitgenössische Wurzeln finden genau so Einkass wie auf Blues basierende musikalische Landschaften inspiriert durch Rob Slideboy Andrews, ihrem Songschreiber und Ehemann.
Rob "Slideboy" Andrews hat seinen musikalischen Weg gemacht als Bassist in der Bay Gegend, über 35 Jahre war er u.a. der Bassist bei Filmore Slim, Luther Tucker und vielen anderen tief in der Tradition des Blues stehenden Line-ups. Er hing seinen Bass an den Haken als er Cee Cee heiratete und fing an Rhythmus-und Slidegitarre zu spielen und ganz nebenbei entdeckte er sein Talent für das Songschreiben.
Mit dem Album "SPIRITUALLY WET" gewann sie 2000 den Los Angeles R&B Independent Artist des Jahres Preis und ist voll von besinnlicher Lyrik bei der man sich Wohl fühlt, Ohrenschmaus Musik die Tief in die Seele von Cee Cee blicken lässt. Mit dieser unbezahlbaren Studio Erfahrung im Rücken schrieb Cee Cee die Titel für Low Down where the Snakes Crawl und produzierte und arrangierte gleichzeitig das gesamte Album. Don Wilcock, Herausgeber von Blues-Wax.com nannte das Album ein unentdecktes Juwel mit viel Crossover Potential, mit LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL beschreibt sie die sieben Jahre die ihr leben veränderten, es stellt einen gewaltigen Schritt dar, weg vom Pop und Funk der noch auf „SPIRITUALLY WET“ zu hören war.“ Als Cee Cee eines Tages im Frühjahr 2001 durch die Berge rund um San Diego wanderte, hörte sie wie Stevie Ray Vaughan vom Himmel in ihr Ohr flüsterte... "Geh zurück zu deinen wurzeln Mädchen... geh zu dem zurück was du am besten kannst," ich wusste intuitiv das es nur der Blues, Tief verwurzelt in den Anfängen und Soul sein kann.."
Am 8. Mai 2010, veröffentlichte Cee Cee "SERIOUSLY RAW - LIVE AT SUNBANKS," bei FWG Records, speziell für ihre treuen Fans. "es war ein wilder und unglaublich heißer und Schweiß treibender Tag, meine Band spielte wie aus einem Guss und die Fans waren außer Rand und Band! Als ich die Aufnahmen hörte wusste ich sofort, 'dass ist es!' 'Meine Fans hatten mich seit Jahren damit bedrängt ein Live Album auf zu nehmen! Ich war also begeistert davon, diese CD heraus zu bringen." Al Lundy von KZUM 89.3 - Nebraska sagte... "Cee Cee James und ihre Band haben das Album Live aufgenommen und der Titel des Albums ist drückt genau das aus was drauf ist: die 13 Titel der CD erfüllen genau diese Erwartungen, Pure Emotionen, mit der rohen Kraft eines Diesels der über den Snoqualme Pass stampft!"
2010 war sehr anstrengend für Cee Cee James, aber ihre Fans wissen, dass ihre reise gerade erst begonnen hat. Im Februar 2011 absolvierte sie ihre erste längere Tour durch Frankreich, Holland, belgien und Deutschlandand im Mai 2012 wird sie zurück kommen. Cee Cee und ihre Band werden in diesem Jahr zurück sein im Studio um ihr drittes Album auf zu nhemen. Es wird durch den GRAMMY Gewinner JIM GAINES produziert (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, The Neville Brothers u.v.a.) BLOOD RED BLUES wird es heißen und soll im Frühjahr erscheinen. Erwartet nichts als raue ungezwungene Menschlichkeit von dieser Frau. Erwartet furchtloses bescheidenes Draufgängertum in ihrer Bühnenshow. Erwartet CEE CEE JAMES sie wird euch noch lange im Ohr klingen.
Geboren als Christina James im sehr fruchtbaren Nordwesten von Portland/Oregon mitten unter den hohen Tannen, vielen Flüssen und der wunderbaren feucht grünen Landschaft, Cee Cee’s Mutter musste mit ihrer Familie nach Kalifornien ziehen als Cee Cee fünf Jahre alt war. Mit 12 Jahren hat sie ihre erste Band gegründet und spielte in einer Kirche in der Nachbarschaft, mit einer blonden Perücke auf und grell grünem Liedschatten. In den folgenden Jahren war sie immer wieder in Rock/Blues, Cover/Original Bands und gründete ihre erste richtige Blues Band, Stone Blue in San Diego so um 1995. Als die 90ger zu ende gingen hatte sie ihren Songschreiberkünsten den Feinschliff verpasst und nahm in San Diego und Los Angeles ihre ersten Demo’s auf. 1999 erschien ihre erste CD „Spiritually Wet“. Nach einer schmerzlichen Scheidung 2001 und dem Verlust ihres zweiten Partners, der 2004 an Krebs starb, sagte sie ihren alten Southern California Musikern Lebewohl, und im Dezember hatte sie ihr Haus verkauft und fuhr zurück nach Portland oder besser gesagt, sie wurde noch einmal geboren, betrat ihr neues Ich als selbstständige Frau und Mensch.
Sie fühlte den Druck ihrer Fans ein neues Album zu veröffentlichen und gleich nach dem sie sich ein neus zu hause geschaffen hatte began Cee Cee damit, neue Songs zu schreiben und auf zu nehmen. Im April 2005 hatte sie eine starke Band mit ausgezeichneten Portland Musikern zusammengestellt, mit denen sie sehr schnell in den besten Clubs von Portland auftraten.
Allerdings, die Studio Sessions für “LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL” waren für Cee Cee bis 2007 außer Reichweite, jedoch nach einem erneuten Umzug noch weiter nördlich, nach Washington, löste sich der alles umgarnende Strudel in dem sich ihr Leben befand endlich auf und „LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL“ begann konkrete Formen an zu nehmen.
Genau wie der grüne feuchte Nordwesten wo sie geboren wurde und jetzt wieder wohnt, ist LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL mächtig und voller die Seele ansprechender Lyrik, zeitgenössische Wurzeln finden genau so Einkass wie auf Blues basierende musikalische Landschaften inspiriert durch Rob Slideboy Andrews, ihrem Songschreiber und Ehemann.
Rob "Slideboy" Andrews hat seinen musikalischen Weg gemacht als Bassist in der Bay Gegend, über 35 Jahre war er u.a. der Bassist bei Filmore Slim, Luther Tucker und vielen anderen tief in der Tradition des Blues stehenden Line-ups. Er hing seinen Bass an den Haken als er Cee Cee heiratete und fing an Rhythmus-und Slidegitarre zu spielen und ganz nebenbei entdeckte er sein Talent für das Songschreiben.
Mit dem Album "SPIRITUALLY WET" gewann sie 2000 den Los Angeles R&B Independent Artist des Jahres Preis und ist voll von besinnlicher Lyrik bei der man sich Wohl fühlt, Ohrenschmaus Musik die Tief in die Seele von Cee Cee blicken lässt. Mit dieser unbezahlbaren Studio Erfahrung im Rücken schrieb Cee Cee die Titel für Low Down where the Snakes Crawl und produzierte und arrangierte gleichzeitig das gesamte Album. Don Wilcock, Herausgeber von Blues-Wax.com nannte das Album ein unentdecktes Juwel mit viel Crossover Potential, mit LOW DOWN WHERE THE SNAKES CRAWL beschreibt sie die sieben Jahre die ihr leben veränderten, es stellt einen gewaltigen Schritt dar, weg vom Pop und Funk der noch auf „SPIRITUALLY WET“ zu hören war.“ Als Cee Cee eines Tages im Frühjahr 2001 durch die Berge rund um San Diego wanderte, hörte sie wie Stevie Ray Vaughan vom Himmel in ihr Ohr flüsterte... "Geh zurück zu deinen wurzeln Mädchen... geh zu dem zurück was du am besten kannst," ich wusste intuitiv das es nur der Blues, Tief verwurzelt in den Anfängen und Soul sein kann.."
Am 8. Mai 2010, veröffentlichte Cee Cee "SERIOUSLY RAW - LIVE AT SUNBANKS," bei FWG Records, speziell für ihre treuen Fans. "es war ein wilder und unglaublich heißer und Schweiß treibender Tag, meine Band spielte wie aus einem Guss und die Fans waren außer Rand und Band! Als ich die Aufnahmen hörte wusste ich sofort, 'dass ist es!' 'Meine Fans hatten mich seit Jahren damit bedrängt ein Live Album auf zu nehmen! Ich war also begeistert davon, diese CD heraus zu bringen." Al Lundy von KZUM 89.3 - Nebraska sagte... "Cee Cee James und ihre Band haben das Album Live aufgenommen und der Titel des Albums ist drückt genau das aus was drauf ist: die 13 Titel der CD erfüllen genau diese Erwartungen, Pure Emotionen, mit der rohen Kraft eines Diesels der über den Snoqualme Pass stampft!"
2010 war sehr anstrengend für Cee Cee James, aber ihre Fans wissen, dass ihre reise gerade erst begonnen hat. Im Februar 2011 absolvierte sie ihre erste längere Tour durch Frankreich, Holland, belgien und Deutschlandand im Mai 2012 wird sie zurück kommen. Cee Cee und ihre Band werden in diesem Jahr zurück sein im Studio um ihr drittes Album auf zu nhemen. Es wird durch den GRAMMY Gewinner JIM GAINES produziert (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, The Neville Brothers u.v.a.) BLOOD RED BLUES wird es heißen und soll im Frühjahr erscheinen. Erwartet nichts als raue ungezwungene Menschlichkeit von dieser Frau. Erwartet furchtloses bescheidenes Draufgängertum in ihrer Bühnenshow. Erwartet CEE CEE JAMES sie wird euch noch lange im Ohr klingen.
Cee Cee James & THE MISSION OF S.O.U.L.
Cee Cee James is a mix of Bette Midler, Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt!
Cee Cee James is an internationally known 'performance artist extraordinaire' in her well honed craft of giving the depth of ache and vulnerability in her original Contemporary Roots/Blues Musical Performances, Talks, One on One Sessions and Workshops. After 4 successful award winning CD's, two singles and touring
many places within the U.S. and Europe, she has discovered the essence of what her 'MISSION' has been about throughout the journey to 'now.'
Cee Cee's performance 'claim to fame' with her Fans has been RAW & REAL which has been the key into every heart. There is no pretense. There is no posing. There is no perfection. What there is, is a bare aching human vulnerability and understanding of the 'journey' we are all on within the stories in the songs, within the understanding heart flowing through her voice whether in concert, giving a talk or workshop, or sitting in a personal on on one session.
Cee Cee's lyrics and performances all reflect this truth, this knowing, this reality, and in the core of it all is 'THE MISSION' of S.O.U.L.: 'Surrendering, Opening, Unblocking Love."
DRIVEN from birth to perform, sing, and give the fire in her soul... DRIVEN by self-seeking motives from wounds that produced deep insecurities, life never unfolded like Cee Cee thought it should! Awards, reviews, touring the U.S. and Europe, AND STILL no 'just rewards' so it seemed. Enveloped in a life of ignorant self-centered fear and unhappiness on all levels including infidelity and addiction,
Cee Cee was graced to FINALLY reach surrender and the 'truth.' Her songs and writings hold the stories, the keys, the lessons, the growth. Now the path has turned inward unleashing and exposing all as she shares the messages and lessons, working to ALLOW LOVE to guide her every move, her every thought, every word spoken. “A constant work in progress,” she exclaims! Ah but aren’t we all. We invite you to share in the journey, to hear your own story in Cee Cee’s giving. You’ll laugh, cry, sit silent, and most of all ‘ feel’ the love and raw vulnerability of a ‘FIRED HEART’ gushing out of this woman’s voice.
New CD Release coming Fall/Winter 2015!
If you've never heard of Cee Cee James, I promise that once you do, you won't soon forget her.
One of the most powerful vocalists you'll hear, she's also a gifted songwriter, using her life's experiences as a template for most of her songs....
http://www.ceeceejames.com/images/MOS_BIO.pdfCee Cee's lyrics and performances all reflect this truth, this knowing, this reality, and in the core of it all is 'THE MISSION' of S.O.U.L.: 'Surrendering, Opening, Unblocking Love."
DRIVEN from birth to perform, sing, and give the fire in her soul... DRIVEN by self-seeking motives from wounds that produced deep insecurities, life never unfolded like Cee Cee thought it should! Awards, reviews, touring the U.S. and Europe, AND STILL no 'just rewards' so it seemed. Enveloped in a life of ignorant self-centered fear and unhappiness on all levels including infidelity and addiction,
Cee Cee was graced to FINALLY reach surrender and the 'truth.' Her songs and writings hold the stories, the keys, the lessons, the growth. Now the path has turned inward unleashing and exposing all as she shares the messages and lessons, working to ALLOW LOVE to guide her every move, her every thought, every word spoken. “A constant work in progress,” she exclaims! Ah but aren’t we all. We invite you to share in the journey, to hear your own story in Cee Cee’s giving. You’ll laugh, cry, sit silent, and most of all ‘ feel’ the love and raw vulnerability of a ‘FIRED HEART’ gushing out of this woman’s voice.
New CD Release coming Fall/Winter 2015!
If you've never heard of Cee Cee James, I promise that once you do, you won't soon forget her.
One of the most powerful vocalists you'll hear, she's also a gifted songwriter, using her life's experiences as a template for most of her songs....
R.I.P.
Albert Collins +24.11.1993
Albert Collins (* 1. Oktober 1932 in Leona, Texas; † 24. November 1993 in Las Vegas) war ein US-amerikanischer Blues-Gitarrist und Sänger. Seine Fans gaben ihm etliche Spitznamen, wie zum Beispiel Ice Man oder Master of the Telecaster.
Collins war ein entfernter Verwandter von Lightnin’ Hopkins. Er lernte bereits früh Gitarre spielen. Während der 1940er- und 1950er-Jahre hörte er die Stile des Texas Blues, des Delta Blues und des Chicago Blues, woraus er seinen eigenen Stil entwickelte. Im Jahr 1952 gründete Collins seine erste Band und war bald die Zugnummer etlicher Blues-Clubs in Houston, Texas. 1960 machte er seine ersten Aufnahmen. Er veröffentlichte einige Singles, hauptsächlich Instrumentaltitel wie zum Beispiel Frosty. 1965 zog er nach Kansas City, wo er rasch bekannt wurde.
Um weitere Aufnahmen machen zu können, ging Collins 1967 nach San Francisco. Er trat mit Bands wie Canned Heat auf, und 1968 erschien sein erstes Album. Er gab vielbeachtete Konzerte im Fillmore und im Winterland. 1973 zog es Collins zurück nach Texas. Er unternahm erfolgreiche Tourneen in den USA, in Kanada, Europa und Japan. So bekannte Blues-Musiker wie Robert Cray, Debbie Davies, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jonny Lang, Susan Tedeschi und Kenny Wayne Shepherd wurden von ihm beeinflusst.
Collins spielte in der für Bluesmusiker unüblichen offenen Gitarrenstimmung f-moll (f-c-f-as-c-f). Zusätzlich dazu brachte er in Höhe des 7. Bundes seiner E-Gitarre einen Kapodaster an, so dass Collins auch beim Rhythmusspiel in relativ hohen Lagen, ausgehend von der Grundtonart C spielte. Er war weder Plektrum- noch Daumenpick-Benutzer, sondern zupfte mit Daumen und Zeigefinger der rechten Hand. Den Gitarrengurt trug Collins meist nicht wie üblich über Schulter und Rücken laufend, sondern schlüpfte nur mit dem rechten Arm durch den Gurt und trug die Gitarre am Gurt nur mit der Schulter. Außerdem benutzte er sehr lange Gitarrenkabel, die es ihm ermöglichten, sich E-Gitarre spielend unter das Publikum zu mischen oder bei kleinen Clubs die Lokalität zu verlassen, um von der Straße aus über seinen Gitarrenverstärker zu spielen.
Collins wirkte 1987 an dem Konzeptalbum Spillane des New Yorker Avantgardemusikers John Zorn mit; dessen Komposition Two Lane Highway war ein Feature für den Bluesgiarristen. Gary Moore spielte 1990 mit Albert Collins und Albert King als Gastmusiker das Album Still got the Blues ein, wobei „Ice Man“ Collins die anschließende Tour als Gastmusiker begleitete.
Albert Collins starb 1993 in Las Vegas an den Folgen von Leberkrebs.
Albert Collins (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993)[1] was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. Collins was noted for his powerful playing and his use of altered tunings and capo. His long association with the Fender Telecaster led to the title "The Master of the Telecaster".[2]
Early life
Albert Collins was born in Leona, Texas, on 1 October 1932.[3] He was introduced to the guitar at an early age through his cousin Lightnin' Hopkins, also a Leona resident, who frequently played at family associations (reunions). In 1938 his family relocated to Marquez, Texas, eventually settling in Houston, Texas, in 1941[4] where he later attended Jack Yates High School.[5] Collins initially took piano lessons when he was young but during periods when his piano tutor was unavailable his cousin Willow Young would loan him his guitar and taught Collins the altered tuning that he used throughout his career.[4] At the age of twelve, he made the decision to concentrate on learning the guitar after hearing "Boogie Chillen'" by John Lee Hooker. At eighteen Collins started his own group called the Rhythm Rockers in which he honed his craft while remaining in employment including four years working on a ranch in Normangee, Texas, followed by twelve years of driving a truck for various companies.[4][5] Collins initially played an Epiphone guitar during his first two years with the Rhythm Rockers but in 1952 after seeing Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown playing a Fender Esquire he decided to purchase a Fender. Collins had wanted to buy a Telecaster but due to their cost he opted instead to buy an Esquire which he then took to the Parker Music Company in Houston to have it fitted with a genuine Telecaster neck; this would remain his main guitar up until his move to California and the guitar that he used on his earliest recordings including his signature song "Frosty".[4] (For the rest of his career he played a Fender Telecaster with a "Humbucker" pickup retrofitted into the neck position.) In 1954 Collins, then aged 22 and still without a record release, was joined in the Rhythm Rockers by the 17 year old Johnny Copeland who had just left the Dukes of Rhythm (a band he had started with Houston blues musician Joe "Guitar" Hughes).[6]
Career
Collins started to play regularly in Houston, most notably at Shady's Playhouse, where James "Widemouth" Brown (brother of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown) and other well-known Houston blues musicians would meet for the Blue Monday jams.[7][8] By the mid 1950s he had established his reputation as a local guitarist of note and had started to appear regularly at a Fifth Ward club called Walter's Lounge with the group Big Tiny and the Thunderbirds.[9][10] The saxophonist and music teacher Henry Hayes had heard about Collins from Joe "Guitar" Hughes. After seeing him perform live, Hayes encouraged Collins to record a single for Kangaroo Records, a label he had started with his friend M. L. Young.[11] Collins recorded his debut single "The Freeze" b/w "Collins Shuffle" for Kangaroo Records at Gold Star Studios, Houston, in the spring of 1958, with Henry Hayes on saxophone.[12] Texas blues bands of this period incorporated a horn section, and Collins later credited Henry Hayes with teaching him how to arrange for horns.[4] In 1964 he recorded "Frosty" at Gulf Coast Recording Studio, Beaumont, Texas, for Hall Records, owned by Bill Hall, who had signed Collins on the recommendation of Cowboy Jack Clement, a songwriter and producer who had engineered sessions for Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash at Sun Records.[13] His debut album The Cool Sounds Of Albert Collins was released in 1965 on the TCF label and consisted of previously released instrumentals including "Thaw Out" and "Don't Lose Your Cool".[14]
On 19 June 1968 the group Canned Heat were playing at the Music Hall in Houston, and a friend of theirs mentioned that Collins was playing at the Ponderosa Club, which they duly attended.[15] After Collins had finished playing they introduced themselves and offered to help secure an agent for him as well as an introduction to Imperial Records in California.[16] With the offer of a record deal and regular live work Collins made the decision to move, relocating at first to Kansas City in July 1968, where he played in the organ trio of keyboardist Lawrence Wright, and then in November to Palo Alto, California.[4] Collins chose Love Can Be Found Anywhere (Even In A Guitar) from the lyrics of Canned Heat's "Fried Hockey Boogie" as the title for his 1968 Imperial album in honor of Canned Heat and their lead singer Bob Hite, who had also provided the liner notes for the album.[4] In the spring of 1969 he was hired by Bob Krasnow to play on the Ike and Tina Turner album The Hunter, which was released on Krasnow's Blue Thumb label.[17][18] The move to California was proving to be the right decision, with Collins establishing himself as a regular act on the West Coast circuit playing at the Fillmore West and Whisky a Go Go[4] as well as the "Newport 69" festival in Northridge, California, in June 1969 and the Gold Rush Festival at Lake Amador, California, in October.[19][20] In December 1970 his debut album The Cool Sounds Of Albert Collins was reissued as Truckin’ With Albert Collins by Blue Thumb Records.[21]
In November 1971 the Denver label Tumbleweed, which had been newly created by Larry Ray and Bill Szymczyk, released the Collins album There's Gotta Be A Change; it was the label's first official release.[22][23] The single "Get Your Business Straight" b/w "Frog Jumpin'" was released by Tumbleweed in February 1972.[24][25] In 1973 Tumbleweed closed due to financial problems, leaving Collins without a record label.[26] He was signed by Bruce Iglauer, owner of Alligator Records, in 1978 on the recommendation of Dick Shurman, whom Collins had met in Seattle.[5] His first release for the label was Ice Pickin' (1978), which was recorded at Curtom Studios, Chicago, and produced by Iglauer, Shurman and Richard McLeese. On 2 February 1978 Collins appeared in concert with the Dutch band Barrelhouse, which was his first live appearance outside of the United States. The concert was filmed for the Dutch TV show Tros Sesjun and was subsequently released on vinyl in 1979 by Munich Records as Albert Collins & Barrelhouse Live.[27] Collins won a W. C. Handy Award in the category Best Contemporary Blues Album in 1983 for his Alligator release Don't Lose Your Cool.[28]
On 13 July 1985 Collins performed with George Thorogood and the Destroyers at Live Aid, appearing as guest soloist on "Madison Blues"; the US part of the charity concert was held at the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and together with the simultaneously broadcast concerts from other countries was viewed by over 1.5 billion people.[29] In December 1986 Collins appeared in concert with Etta James and Joe Walsh at the Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, which was subsequently released on video under the title Jazzvisions: Jump The Blues Away.[30][31] The backing musicians for the concert were Rick Rosas (bass), Michael Huey (drums), Ed Sanford (Hammond B3), Kip Noble (piano) and Josh Sklar (guitar). In 1986 Collins won a Grammy Award with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland for their album Showdown!.[2] Collins had finished working on his seventh Alligator album Cold Snap by October 1986, which was released shortly afterwards to good reviews and received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Recording of 1987.[32][33] Collins cited the album as personally important to him due to the involvement of organist Jimmy McGriff, an early musical idol whom Collins had played with in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1966.[4] On 12 February 1987 he appeared as a musical guest on the NBC talk show Late Night with David Letterman.[34] Collins made a cameo appearance in the 1987 comedy film Adventures in Babysitting.[35] In 1987 the American composer John Zorn and Albert Collins collaborated on a suite entitled "Two-Lane Highway" which was subsequently released on the Zorn album Spillane. On 22 April 1988 Collins appeared at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in a group that consisted of B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan; the group played on the Riverboat President as it journeyed along the Mississippi River in recognition of the musical heritage of New Orleans and artists such as Fate Marable, Louis Armstrong and Henry Red Allen, who had entertained passengers on the fleet of riverboats owned by the Streckfus Brothers.[36][37][38]
Collins was signed to Pointblank Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records, in 1991.[39] Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records expressed his disappointment at the departure of Collins while acknowledging that he had signed Collins on a "record to record" basis.[40] On 15 November 1991 Collins performed with Robert Cray, Steve Cropper and Dave Edmunds at the Guitar Legends event in Seville; a series of five concerts to promote the upcoming Seville Expo '92.[41] On 28 October 1991 Collins was filmed in concert for the music show Austin City Limits which was broadcast on 21 February 1992; the concert was released on DVD in April 2008 as Albert Collins Live From Austin, TX.[42] In 1993 Collins played at the Pointblank Borderline Blues Festival in London, which ran from 17 March to 27 March; this would be his last appearance in the UK.[35] Collins was performing at the Paléo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, in July 1993 when he was taken ill.[43] He was diagnosed in mid August with lung cancer which had metastasized to his liver, with an expected survival time of four months. Tracks from his last album Live '92/'93 were recorded at shows that September. Albert Collins died on 24 November 1993 at the age of 61. He was interred at Davis Memorial Park, Las Vegas, Nevada.[44][45] There was a posthumous nomination for his final album Live '92/'93 at the 38th Grammy Awards of 1996 in the category of Best Blues Contemporary Album.[46]
Work outside of music
In the early days Collins worked as a paint mixer and truck driver to make ends meet.[47] In 1971, when he was 39 years old, Collins worked in construction, since he couldn't make a proper living from his music.[48] One of the construction jobs he worked on was a remodeling job for Neil Diamond.[49] This type of work carried on right up until the late 1970s.[50] It was his wife Gwen that talked him into returning to music.[51]
Death and legacy
After a three-month battle with cancer, Albert Collins died at his Las Vegas, Nevada home on November 24, 1993. He was 61. Surviving him were his wife, Gwendolyn, and his father, Andy Thomas.[52]
Albert Collins was an inspiration to a generation of Texas guitar players including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan. He was amongst a small group of Texas blues players, along with Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Johnny Copeland, who together shaped the legacy of T-Bone Walker into a modern blues template that was to have a major influence on many later players. From an interview with Robert Cray in Guitar World magazine:
...it was seeing Albert Collins at a rock festival in 1969 that really turned his head around. Two years later, Collins played at Cray's high school graduation party in Tacoma, Washington, and the ice-pick sound really sunk in deep.
"That was it,” Cray recalls. "That changed my whole life around. From that moment I started seriously studying the blues."[53]
Collins is remembered for his informal and audience-engaging live performances. He would frequently leave the stage whilst still playing to mingle with the audience.[54] The use of an extended guitar lead allowed Collins to go outside of clubs to the sidewalk; one anecdote stated that he left a club with the audience in tow to visit the store next door to buy a candy bar without once stopping his act.[55]
He is also remembered for his humorous stage presence, which is recounted in the documentary Antones: Austin's Home of the Blues: Collins was playing a lengthy solo one night at Antone's and left the building whilst still playing. Collins returned to the stage still playing the solo and resumed entertaining the audience in person. Shortly afterwards a man arrived at the club and gave Collins the pizza which he had just ordered.
Big Joe Turner +24.11.1985
Big Joe Turner (* 18. Mai 1911 in Kansas City, Missouri; † 24. November 1985 in Inglewood, Kalifornien; eigentlich Joseph Vernon Turner), war ein US-amerikanischer Boogie Woogie-, Blues- und Rock ’n’ Roll-Sänger.
Schon mit vierzehn Jahren nahm er mit seinem Gesang Einfluss auf die lokale Jazz-Szene in seinem Geburtsort. Mitte der 30er-Jahre lernte er den amerikanischen Boogie-Woogie Pianisten Pete Johnson kennen, mit dem er von da an gemeinsam auftrat. 1936 kam er erstmals nach New York, wo er Count Basie kennenlernte.
Am 23. Dezember 1938 entstanden zusammen mit Johnson seine ersten Songs in einem Swing-Konzert in der Carnegie Hall, nämlich Low Down Dog und It's All Right, Baby. Er wurde in jenem Jahr von John Hammond gefördert. Am 30. Dezember 1938 nahm er zusammen mit Pete Johnson dessen Komposition Roll 'em Pete auf (Vocalion #4607), es folgte am 30. Juni 1939 Cherry Red. Danach trat er mit verschiedenen Jazz-Größen wie Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington und Art Tatum auf. Im Jahr 1945 unterschrieb er einen Plattenvertrag bei National Records, wo er von Herb Abramson produziert wurde. 1951 wurde dann Ahmet Ertegün durch Abramson auf ihn aufmerksam und nahm ihn für Atlantic Records unter Vertrag. Als Folge davon entstand die Single Chains Of Love, die eine hohe Platzierung in den Rhythm-and-Blues-Charts erreichte und später von Pat Boone gecovert wurde. In den 50ern hatte er mehrere größere und kleinere Single-Hits, darunter Shake, Rattle and Roll, Flip, Flop & Fly und Corrine, Corrina, und spielte unter anderem mit Elmore James (TV Mama) und King Curtis. Insgesamt hielten sich die Erfolge zwar in Grenzen, doch sie reichten aus, um davon leben zu können.
In den 60er- und 70er-Jahren tourte Turner die meiste Zeit. Er nahm mit Jazz-Größen wie Dizzy Gillespie und Roy Eldridge Platten auf und spielte auch mit Axel Zwingenberger, mit dem er zudem zwei höchst erfolgreiche Alben aufnahm. Allerdings machten ihm Herzschwächen und Diabetes das Leben schwer. Seine letzten Aufnahmen entstanden zusammen mit Jimmy Witherspoon.
1983 wurde Big Joe in die Blues Hall of Fame aufgenommen.
Am 24. November 1985 starb Big Joe Turner in Kalifornien an Nierenversagen. Zwei Jahre später wurde er posthum in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen[1].
Zwei seiner bekanntesten Lieder waren:
Honey Hush (1953) - Piano auf der Originalaufnahme: Fats Domino
Shake, Rattle and Roll (1954), die Aufnahme wurde 2001 in die Blues Hall of Fame
aufgenommen.
Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr., May 18, 1911 – November 24, 1985)[1] was an American blues shouter from Kansas City, Missouri, United States.[2] According to the songwriter Doc Pomus, "Rock and roll would have never happened without him."[2] While he had his greatest fame during the 1950s with his rock and roll recordings, particularly "Shake, Rattle and Roll", Turner's career as a performer endured from the 1920s into the 1980s.[2] Turner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, with the Hall lauding him as "the brawny voiced 'Boss of the Blues'".[2]
Career
Early days
Known variously as The Boss of the Blues, and Big Joe Turner (due to his 6'2", 300+ lbs stature), Turner was born in Kansas City. His father was killed in a train accident when Joe was only four years old. He first discovered a love of music in his involvement at church. He began singing on street corners for money, quitting school at age fourteen to work in Kansas City's nightclubs, first as a cook, and later as a singing bartender. He became known eventually as The Singing Barman, and worked in such venues as The Kingfish Club and The Sunset, where he and his piano playing partner Pete Johnson became resident performers.[2] The Sunset was managed by Piney Brown. It featured "separate but equal" facilities for caucasian patrons. Turner wrote "Piney Brown Blues" in his honor and sang it throughout his entire career.
At that time Kansas City nightclubs were subject to frequent raids by the police, but as Turner recounts, "The Boss man would have his bondsmen down at the police station before we got there. We'd walk in, sign our names and walk right out. Then we would cabaret until morning".
His partnership with boogie-woogie pianist Pete Johnson proved fruitful.[2] Together they went to New York City in 1936, where they appeared on a playbill with Benny Goodman, but as Turner recounts, "After our show with Goodman, we auditioned at several places, but New York wasn't ready for us yet, so we headed back to K.C.". Eventually they were witnessed by the talent scout, John H. Hammond in 1938, who invited them back to New York to appear in one of his "From Spirituals to Swing" concerts at Carnegie Hall, which were instrumental in introducing jazz and blues to a wider American audience.[2]
Due in part to their appearance at Carnegie Hall, Turner and Johnson had a major success with the song "Roll 'Em Pete".[2] The track, basically a collection of traditional blues lyrics featured one of the earliest recorded examples of a back beat. It was a song that Turner recorded many times, with various combinations of musicians, over the ensuing years.
1939 to 1950
In 1939, along with boogie players Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis, they began a residency at Café Society, a nightclub in New York City, where they appeared on the same playbill as Billie Holiday and Frank Newton's band.[2] Besides "Roll 'Em, Pete", Turner's best-known recordings from this period are probably "Cherry Red", "I Want A Little Girl" and "Wee Baby Blues". "Cherry Red" was recorded in 1939 for the Vocalion label, with Hot Lips Page on trumpet and a full band in attendance.[3] The next year Turner contracted with Decca and recorded "Piney Brown Blues", with Johnson on piano.[3]
In 1941, he went to Los Angeles and performed in Duke Ellington's revue Jump for Joy in Hollywood. He appeared as a singing policeman in a comedy sketch called "He's on the Beat". Los Angeles was his home for a time, and during 1944 he worked in Meade Lux Lewis's Soundies musical movies. Although he sang on the soundtrack recordings, he was not present for filming, and his vocals were mouthed by comedian Dudley Dickerson for the camera. In 1945 Turner and Pete Johnson established their bar in Los Angeles, The Blue Moon Club.
That same year he contracted with National Records company, and recorded under Herb Abramson's supervision. His first hit single was a cover of Saunders King's "S.K. Blues" (1945).[4] He recorded the songs "My Gal's A Jockey" and the risqué "Around The Clock" the same year, and the Aladdin company released "Battle of the Blues", a duet with Wynonie Harris. Turner stayed with National until 1947, but none of his recordings were great sellers.[3] In 1950, he released the song "Still in the Dark" on Freedom Records.[4]
Turner made many albums with Johnson, Art Tatum, Sammy Price, and other jazz groups.[5] He recorded with several recording companies and also performed with the Count Basie Orchestra.[2] During his career, Turner was part of the transition from big bands to jump blues to rhythm and blues, and finally to rock and roll. Turner was a master of traditional blues verses and at Kansas City jam sessions he could swap choruses with instrumental soloists for hours.[citation needed]
Big Joe Turner performing on the Rock and Roll Revue (1955)
In 1951, while performing with the Count Basie Orchestra at Harlem's Apollo Theater as a replacement for Jimmy Rushing, he was spotted by Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegün, who contracted him to their new recording company, Atlantic Records.[2] Turner recorded a number of successes for them, including the blues standards, "Chains of Love"[6] and "Sweet Sixteen".[3] Many of his vocals are punctuated with shouts to the band members, as for the songs "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" ("That's a good rockin' band!", "Go ahead, man! Ow! That's just what I need!" ) and "Honey Hush" (he repeatedly sings "Hi-yo, Silver!", probably in reference to The Treniers singing the phrase for their Lone Ranger parody "Ride, Red, Ride"). Turner's records scored at the top of the rhythm-and-blues charts; although they were sometimes so risqué that some radio stations would not play them, the songs received much play on jukeboxes and records.
Turner had a great success during 1954 with "Shake, Rattle and Roll", which seriously enhanced his career, turning him into a teenage favorite, and also helped to transform popular music.[2] During the song, Turner yells at his woman to "get outa that bed, wash yo' face an' hands" and comments that she's "wearin' those dresses, the sun comes shinin' through!, I can't believe my eyes, all that mess belongs to you."[7] He sang the number on film for the 1955 theatrical feature Rhythm and Blues Revue.
Although the cover version of the song by Bill Haley & His Comets, with the risqué lyrics partially omitted, was a greater sales success, many listeners sought out Turner's version and were introduced thereby to rhythm and blues. Elvis Presley's version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll" combined Turner's lyrics with Haley's arrangement, but was not a successful single.
"The Chicken and the Hawk", "Flip, Flop and Fly",[6] "Hide and Seek," "Morning, Noon and Night," and "Well All Right" were successful recordings from this period.[3] He performed on the television program Showtime at the Apollo and in the movie Shake Rattle & Rock! (1956).[3]
The song "Corrine, Corrina" was another great seller during 1956.[3] In addition to the rock music songs, he released Boss of the Blues album in 1956.[5] "(I’m Gonna) Jump for Joy", his last hit, reached the US R&B record chart on May 26, 1958.[2]
Returning to the blues
After a number of successes in this vein, Turner quit popular music and resumed singing with small jazz combos, recording numerous albums in that style during the 1960s and 1970s.[2] During 1966, Bill Haley helped revive Turner's career by lending the Comets for a series of popular recordings in Mexico.[3] In 1977 he recorded a cover version of Guitar Slim's song, "The Things That I Used to Do".
During the 1960s and 1970s he resumed performing jazz and blues music, performing at many music festivals and recording for Norman Granz's company Pablo Records.[3][5] He also worked with Axel Zwingenberger.[5] Turner also participated in a 'Battle of the Blues' with Wynonie Harris and T-Bone Walker.[8]
During 1965 he toured in England with trumpeter Buck Clayton and trombonist Vic Dickenson, accompanied by Humphrey Lyttelton and his Band. Part of a studio concert was televised by the BBC and later issued on DVD. A sound recording of a club appearance made during this tour is not thought of sufficient sound quality to justify commercial issue. He also toured Europe with Count Basie and his Orchestra.
He won the Esquire magazine award for male vocalist in 1945, the Melody Maker award for best 'new' vocalist during 1956, and the British Jazz Journal award as top male singer during 1965. In 1977, Turner recorded "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" for Spivey Records, featuring Lloyd Glenn on piano. Turner's career endured from the bar rooms of Kansas City in the 1920s (when at the age of twelve he performed with a pencilled moustache and his father's hat), to European jazz music festivals of the 1980s.
In 1983, only two years before his death, Turner was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.[9] That same year, the album Blues Train was released by Mute Records company; the album had Turner paired with the team Roomful of Blues.[2] Turner received top billing with Count Basie in the Kansas City jazz reunion movie The Last of the Blue Devils (1979) featuring Jay McShann, Jimmy Forrest, and other players from the city.
Death
He died in Inglewood, California in November 1985, at the age of 74 of heart failure, having suffered the earlier effects of arthritis, a stroke and diabetes. Big Joe Turner was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.[10] He is buried at Roosevelt Memorial Park in Gardena, California.
Tributes
The New York Times music critic Robert Palmer said: "...his voice, pushing like a Count Basie solo, rich and grainy as a section of saxophones, which dominated the room with the sheer sumptuousness of its sound."
In announcing Turner's death in their December 1985 edition, the British music magazine, NME, described Turner as "the grandfather of rock and roll."[11]
Bob Dylan referenced Turner in the song "High Water (For Charley Patton)", from his 2001 album Love and Theft. Songwriter Dave Alvin wrote a song about an evening he spent with Turner titled "Boss Of The Blues". It was on his 2009 release, Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women. Alvin discussed the song in Issue 59[12] of The Blasters Newsletter.[13]
The biographical film The Buddy Holly Story refers to Turner as well as contemporaries Little Richard and Fats Domino as major influences on Buddy Holly, with Holly collecting their vinyls.
J. T. Brown +24.11.1969
:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/A-683547-1410723438-8169.jpeg.jpg)
J.
T. Brown (April 2, 1918 – November 24, 1969)[1] was an American tenor
saxophonist of the Chicago blues era. He was variously billed as Saxman
Brown, J.T. (Big Boy) Brown and Bep Brown.
Born John Thomas Brown, in Mississippi, United States, he was a member of a minstrel group before moving to Chicago.[2] He worked as a session musician for several artists and made some records on the Harlem record label in the 1950s.[1] "Round House Boogie" / "Kickin' the Blues Around", "Sax-ony Boogie", and "Dumb Wom issued under various band names by Meteor Records in this period as well.[1]
Brown later played and recorded with Elmore James. He also recorded as a leader for several independent record labels, including JOB and United. He appeared on one track of Fleetwood Mac's 1969 album Fleetwood Mac in Chicago/Blues Jam in Chicago, Vols. 1–2.[1]
He died in Chicago, Illinois, in November 1969, at the age of 51. He was interred at the Burr Oak Cemetery in Worth, Illinois.[1][2]
On May 14, 2011 the fourth annual White Lake Blues Festival took place at the Howmet Playhouse Theater in Whitehall, Michigan. The concert was organized by executive producer, Steve Salter, of the nonprofit organization Killer Blues in order to raise money to honor Brown's unmarked grave with a headstone. The event was a success, and a headstone was placed in June, 2011.
Born John Thomas Brown, in Mississippi, United States, he was a member of a minstrel group before moving to Chicago.[2] He worked as a session musician for several artists and made some records on the Harlem record label in the 1950s.[1] "Round House Boogie" / "Kickin' the Blues Around", "Sax-ony Boogie", and "Dumb Wom issued under various band names by Meteor Records in this period as well.[1]
Brown later played and recorded with Elmore James. He also recorded as a leader for several independent record labels, including JOB and United. He appeared on one track of Fleetwood Mac's 1969 album Fleetwood Mac in Chicago/Blues Jam in Chicago, Vols. 1–2.[1]
He died in Chicago, Illinois, in November 1969, at the age of 51. He was interred at the Burr Oak Cemetery in Worth, Illinois.[1][2]
On May 14, 2011 the fourth annual White Lake Blues Festival took place at the Howmet Playhouse Theater in Whitehall, Michigan. The concert was organized by executive producer, Steve Salter, of the nonprofit organization Killer Blues in order to raise money to honor Brown's unmarked grave with a headstone. The event was a success, and a headstone was placed in June, 2011.
Keine Kommentare:
Kommentar veröffentlichen