Blues News - April 1991

8/7/2019 Blues News - April 1991

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Blues Bash on Saturday, April 27 at theGrand Emporium with Chick Willis, LindaShell, the KC Bottoms Band, and JeanYancy.

Long time KC resident, Chick Willis,known for his big hit, "Stoop Down Baby,"will soon be moving to Atlanta, Ga. "TheStoop Down Man," Willis, was a smash atthe lOth Annual KCBS Blues Fest lastyear. He tore it up and got down in thealley. Come see Chick before he headssouth!

On April at the Grand Emporium,"Blues Alley" is being revisited. ChickWillis who once managed and performedat Chick's Blues Alley club on 39th andJackson, will be joined on this date byLinda Shell who is back from her Califor-nia hiatus.

Linda Shell performed for a numberof years at Blues Alley. Linda was KCBS'

ner to go to Memphis. Also, Linda Shellvolunteered for the first "Blues in School"program "at Van Horn High School. Wel-come back Linda Shell!

The KC Bottoms Band is one of Kan-sas City's hottest blues bands. They canbe seen weekly at the Tuba on SouthwestBlvd. More recently, Jean Yancy onvocalshas beenjammingwith the Bottoms Band.Jean recently performed with the "LadiesSings the Blues" show at the City LightJazz Club, where Billy Joel snuck in andenjoyed every minute. Jean will sing theblues for you.

The Annual Spring Blues Bash isanother opportunity to support your KCBlues Society. On April 27 at the GrandEmporium get down in the alley or wrap itup in the bottoms. It's the BLUES!

For more information, call 531-7557.

Blues in School

Little Hatch conducting an install-ment of ~Blues in School.~BY CAROLYN L. WICKER

February was Black History Month.Thanks to Little Hatch, the Kansas CityBlues Society was able to bring a littleBlack history to Central High School.

February 27, 1991, Little Hatch (vo-cals, harp) brought a trio which consistedof Paul Hartfield (bass) and Tim Osburn

(drums).The "Blues in School" program con-sists of a local or national act involvingthemselves with a local school. The pur-pose ofthe program is tohelp educate andexpose young people abou t and to the formof music we call the "blues."

The program works like this. In themorning the musicians meet with par-ticular classes, usually music students,and in this case one history class, to dis-cuss just what blues are, and where theycome from. Did it come from Africa? Or isit really from the fields, sang by slaves?Or is gospel music the real root? Theafternoon consists of a forty-five minuteconcert where the entire school is invitedto attend.

The kids at Central were real enthu-siastic and extremely well-mannered.Music Appreciation was the first class tomeet with the musicians. There were abouttwenty in attendance. The second sessionconsisted of band and history students.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Jam With the BluesKC'Slues Society wants you! We are

beginning to recruit vol~rs for theJuly 27 & 28 First

!'-===::::::;- Annual KC Blues &Jazz Fest. EnclosedIn your Blues NewsIs a volunteer festpostcard to be filledout and mailed atyourconvenience.All

Festival volunteers will receive a freefest t-shlrt plus be Invited to the afterthe fest bash. You can make a differ-ence. Get Involved and send In yourpostcard! Call Kenny Taylor at Nlght-moves, 452-4393 or Marcl Ryan, 361-8945 for more volunteer Information.April Is support your local blues band

month. Whether It's at a blues Jam ora club date, the blues scene Is happen-Ing here and needs your show of sup-port.On April 11th, 9:30pm, after the

Sparky Rucker Show at the GrandCONTINUED ON PAGE 7

NOT E 5

INS IDEBlues Notes 1Yesterday's Blues 2Performance Review 3Mattie & Mae 4Performance Review 8New Blues Releases 9Blues Clubs & Radio 10

BLUES NEWS t


2/8

Honey Dripper BluesSt. Louis had many first-rate bluespiano players in the 1920's and30's, but the best of all was the"Honey Dripper," Roosevelt Sykes. He wasa strong singer, a powerful piano player,and a gentle and noble man, who had aprofound influence on the bluesmen ofhisown and succeedinggenerations. The story

ofRoosevelt Sykes,unlike that ofmanyY E S T E R D A Y ' S other bluesmen, isnot one of boozing,fighting, chasingwomen, and serv-ing time injail, butone of quiet andsteadfast dedica-tion to this music.

Roosevelt wasborn inHelena, Ar-kansas, on January31, 1906. Threeyears later, hisfamily moved to St.

Louis. However, Roosevelt returned ev-ery summer to stay with his grandfatherwho had a farm outside of Helena. Itwasthere that young Roosevelt got his firsttaste of the blues. Whenever be got achance, he would sneak away from hisfarm chores tolisten to the bluesmen whocongregated at the Dixie Drugstore in He-lena. One in particular that Rooseveltlater recalled as having influenced hisplaying style was an old-time, stomp-downblues pianist called Jesse Bell.

Roosevelt learned to play hisgrandfa-ther's parlor organ and was often calledon to play for programs at church andschool. He said that he got the nickname"Honey Dripper" because, when a teacherwasn't around, he would start playing theblues, and the kids would gather aroundlike bees to honey. However, the morecommonly heard version is that he wascalled the "Honey Dripper" because, as ayoungman, he was a notorious lady killer.

Back in St. Louis, Roosevelt startedbanging around the piano players in "DeepMorgan," the red-ligh t district. Under thetutelage of Lee Green, a key figure in theSt. Louis blues scene, Roosevelt was ableto blend the country sounds of the Deltathat he had beard in Helena with themore sophisticated swinging ragtimerhythms of the St. Louis piano players tocreate a blues sound that has had animpact on pianists from Memphis Slim toFats Domino.

Not only was Roosevelt in demand asa solo performer, but he also gained therespect of other musicians for his sympa-thetic accompaniments. He never used

2 APRIL 1991

another -musiciari's performance to dis-play his own virtuosity, but instead wouldplay so as to support and complement theother artist. Because of this, he was fea-tured on hundreds ofrecordings by bluesartists in the 1930's and '40's.

Jesse Johnson, the owner of a musicstore that was a popular hangout forbluesmusicians and a talent scout for OkehRecords, arranged for Roosevelt's firstrecording session. In June of 1929, hewent to New York and recorded the "44Blues,"a versionofLittle BrotherMontgom-ery's "Vicksburg Blues." This was thestart of a long and productive recordingcareer that spanned the next five dec-ades. Using a variety of pseudonyms,Roosevelt recorded for several other la-bels while under contract to Okeh.

In 1933, he moved to Chicago to fur-ther his recording career. Lester Melrose,a music publisher, and maybe the fore-most blues promoter and enthusiast ofalltime, becamehis manager. In 1935,Roosev-elt signed a contract with Decca and, forthe next five years, one hit followed an-other. He was so popular that the WorldWar II shellac rationing, which was dev-astating to the careers of so many othersuccessful blues musicians, did not stopRoosevelt's string of releases. He touredthe country with a twelve-pieceband calledthe Honey Drippers. Only the retirementof Lester Melrose and the emergence ofthat obstreperous stepchild of the blues,"Rock and Roll," could put a damper onRoosevelt's career.

After the withdrawal ofmajor recordlabels from the blues field, Roosevelt wasable to record for smaller labels such asRegal and Imperial, but they didn't pro-mote him as Melrose had. He disbandedthe Honey Drippers, but continued toperform as a solo act. After an extensivetwo-year tour ofEngland and Europe from1964 through 1966 ("Yesterday's Blues"saw Roosevelt Sykes perform in Frank-furt, Germany, in 1966), Roosevelt leftChicago for New Orleans. He continued toperform in New Orleans' clubs as well asplay on the coffeehouse and folk festivalcircuit throughout the 1970's. Eventu-ally, he settled in Gulfport, Mississippi,where he did a lot of fishing until hisdeath in 1983. Primary Sources:1. William Barlow, Looking up at Down.

Philadelphia: Temple University Press.2. Giles Oakley, The Devil 's Music. Lon-

don: Ariel Books.3. Paul Oliver, Blues Off the Record.

Turnbridge Wells, Kent, England: TheBaton Press.

April 1991The Kansas City BLUES NEWS is published monthly by the Kansas City BlueSOCiety, Inc. Articles, reviews, band caendar dates, and items of interest must bsubmitted by the 20th of each month, andbecome the property of the SOCiety.Founding Editor Roger NabeEditor Shirley OwensContribut ing Writer/Photographer Larry SmithTypesetting/Layout Matt QuinnAdvertising inserts must be received bthe 15th of each month. For more information on advertising in the BLUESNEWScall 737-0713. FAX: (816) 246-6065.Advertising Rates::~~~:::::::::::::::::::::::::g

~ ~ ~ ~ : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : ' $ ~ ~

Board of Directors and Officers:President Roger NaberVice-President Jon LoweVice-President Kenny TaylorSecretary Suzanne ColbertTreasurer Bernie PopeDirector Patrick FlemingtonDirector Larry SmithDirector .. Provine HatchDirector Monica LarsonDirector John StuerkeDirector .. Peter HorakKCBS Chairperson Shirley Owens

Membership Chairperson Marcie RyanThe Kansas City Blues Society,

Missouri not-for-profit corporation wasformed for the sole purpose of promotingand preserving various styles of bluesmusic. Founded in December of 1980, theKansas City Blues Society presentsmonthly jam sessions, various local andnational groups in concert, and our mainpresentation The Kansas City Blues andHeritage Festival.Members receive the newsletter, discounts on SOCietyevents and discounts onpurchases at certain participating businesses. Annual dues are $ 1 per person o$15 per family and $50 per CorporateMembership. Tojoin the SOCietysend yourname, address, phone number and duesto: Kansas City Blues Society, P.O. Box321 31, Kansas City, Missouri 6411 1 .

For more information,call 5317557 or 7370713.


3/8

Living It Up With the LegendsBY TOM BAKERT: he Legendary Blues Band, byvirtue of two exciting performances March 1 & 2 at the GrandEmporium, has proven itself to be a vital

link in the continuum ofAmerican bluesmusic.

Since forming the band in 1980,drum-mer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and bassistCalvin Jones have consistently fieldedlineups that read like a "Who's Who" ofblues. Their initial album featured LouisMyers (fromthe Ares Little Walter's group),Pinetop Perkins, and Jerry Portnoy (pian-ist and harp man from the 1970s vintageMuddy Waters ensemble). Jimmy Rodg-ers (also a veteran guitarist with Muddy)has been known to appear in Louis Myers'absence,making the Legendary BluesBanda vital link in the continuing saga of Chi-cago Blues.

The Legendary Blues Band showedstrength and an amazing depth of mate-rial and personnel as an opening act forJohn Mayall. Mayall is a key figure inexposing blues to a wider audience, hav-ing nurtured and developed talented Brit-ish musicians like Eric Clapton, JohnMcVie, Kief Hartley and Mick Taylor.Later versions ofMayall's Bluesbreakersfeatured American Musical treasures suchas saxophonists Clifford Solomon and RedHolloway (a longtime associate ofBrotherJack McDufl), guitarist Freddie Robin-

son, drummer SokoRichardson (currentlywith Albert Collins), and trumpeter BlueMitchell. Mayall's current band featuresguitarist Coco Montoya, who has beenwith the group six years. The Bluesbreak-ers presented a solid show Friday eve-ning, moving a sold-out house with amusical spectrum varying from straightblues to rockabilly.

Saturday eveningbelonged exclusivelyto the Legendary Blues Band, and thegroup lost no time in capturing the heartsof the audience. Providing most of thefront work for LBB is veteran vocalist-harp virtuoso Madison Slim. He is a well-trained student ofthe South Side Chicagosound, as his delivery of Little Walter's"Just AFeelin'," "Off the Wall" and Howlin'Wolfs "Who's Been Talkin'," shown dra-matically.

However, The Legendary Blues Bandis anything but one-dimensional. "PianoWillie" Oshawny strutted his stuff, vary-ing from passages reminiscent of OtisSpann to swinging Kansas City style inthe mode of Jay McShann. Willie alsosang, further demonstrating the depth ofthe group. Bass man Calvin Jones alsofronted a fewnumbers, notably the classic"Everyday I Have the Blues" and LittleWalter's "You'reSo Fine."Willie "BigEyes"Smith proved that a drummer doesn'thave to "just shut up and play," offering

FESTIVAL VOLUNTEERS NEEDEDB Y M A RC IE RYAN , MEMBERSH I P CHAIRPERSON

Only three months remain before thefirst day of the Kansas City Blues & JazzFestival, July 27& 28, and more than 200hundred volunteers are needed to makethis event a success. With that in mind,we are officially starting our volunteerrecruitment campaign. Last year's 10thAnnual KC Blues Festival was a successas a direct result ofthe commitmen t ofourhardworking KCBS members who volun-teered their time. Weneed your help again!

As at last year's fest, wewill work two(2) shifts per day. The first shift will re-port to the fest grounds at 12 noon, thesecond shift will report at 4 p.m. Theconcessions will consist ofbeer, soft drinksand festival merchandise forboth the blues-stage area and the jazz stage area. If youhave a preference to which stage area(Blues orJazz) you work, we'll doour bestto accommodate you.

In addition to the concessions, crews

winbe needed toman the volunteer boothwith the coordinators, restocking theconcessions, parking, a water station andsecurity. Volunteers will receive theirassignments when they arrive for theirshifts.

A vital part ofthe festival plan is theset-up and tear-down of the park. Crewswill be needed the Friday before the festbegins and the Monday after the fest isover to set up and tear down the festivalsite (carpenters are helpful for this).

In addition to our thanks, volunteersfor the Kansas City Blues & Jazz Festivalwill receive a FREE festival volunteer T-shirt and recognition at a post-fest volun-teer party (date to be announced later).

Enclosed in this month's Blues Newsis a postcard to be used to volunteer forthe festival. Future issues of the BluesNews will provide updates on volunteermeetings and other festival/volunteerinformation. Remember, the festival needsyou to be a success!

blues nuggets such as B.B. King's "Cal-donia" and Muddy Waters' "King Bee"and "Hoochie Coochie Man." The crowd atthe G.K showed its enthusiasm by fillingthe dance floor and roaring it's approval.

For those who missed the show (tsk,tsk), there are two albums out by theLegendary Blues Band on Rounder Rec-ords, and two on Ichiban, including theirlatest, UB Da Judge. Ed. note: Lobbying is underway for themto appear at the 1991 Blues and JazzFestival. This group is keeping the spirit ofChicago blues healthy and alive.

MAY 4A N S O N F U N D E R B U R G H & T H E R O C K E T S

W I T H S A M M Y E R SS E R V I N G

A M A Z I N G G R A C E S B B O

~ o ~ ~M A I NBLUES NEWS 3


4/8

Big Fun in BluesCity with Mattie & Mae

Dear Readers - : FM.Well, dear readers, we made it back. Hear "Mattie &Mae's Blues Hour" ev-from Amsterdam after a trip that was too: ery :Wedn~~day fr~~ ~~ ~~~s)amecool for groovy, gravy school. You can. station, ca us at - ... .imaginewhatwedid!Wetookoffour~igh: Little Mike's Big Breakheels and put on wooden shoes and hitch-e Yes dear readers Little Mike had hish.ike~to the fes.t(It : v asn:t hard to ge.t a: big br~ak last month because he got toride in our SWImsUIts with our boxing j, talk to us during his short break betweenglove thumbs out ...M&M.) We were on: sets at Nightmoves!our way to fight for the Blues. We thought that guy would never make...April Fools from Two : it to town after two phone calls whileF If th BI III driving in from Daytona, Fla. (He should00 S or e ues... be like us and hitchhike with big

Seriously, back to the good old KC: thumbs ...M&M.)Blues scene. (We always make and cause. His new record Heart Attack on Blinda scene! Not us!. ..M&M.) Pig is bad. (But not as bad as Tad, Tad,Mattie & Mae March Mara- Tad ...M&M)The record features four cuts by Paul Butterfield which were recorded

. : in 1987 and Little Mike revealed, "TheseWe broke the records, dear readers!. were probably the last recordings he did

We did the longest blues radio show in. before his death."KC's recent history and it was all Women thon

4 APRIL 1991

of the Blues. (...includ-ing us...M&M).We brokerecords standing on ourheads, throwing themat drunks stragglinghome through Westportat 4:00 a.m., and justtrying to get them onthe turntable with box-ing gloves on.

Itwas five longhoursfrom midnight to 5:00a.m. fighting for theBlues. Attention: Oursecond all night bluesradio party -- "AfterMidnight with Mattieand Mae" -- is comingin May on KKFI 90.1

The picture of a dragon on the album (see advertisement) is actually Little Mike arm and shoulder. Yes, folks. It's a tattoo: We know because he took of f his shirt and

showed it to us. (We didn't take ofanything ...M&M.)Mike's hobby is ocean fishing and hibiggest catch to date (besides us ...M&Mwas five 70 pound tuna which he sold fotwo dollars a pound (Chickens of the seaHe really throws out the bait. Lured uin ...M&M)

On his good behavior (He got marriedlast November 26 and his new wife wa

with him ...M&M), he said, "This is thebest band I've ever had."

Itfeatures Steve Bigelow from SleepyLaBeef, Colin Cleveland formerly withAlbert Collins and Gatemouth Brown andRobert Piazzo who used to pitch againstLittle Mike in Little League baseball.(You're in the Big Leagues now...M&M.Steal Away, B.B."Big John" Amaro andJames Gilbert

stopped by our radio show last month(You can, too. Write to us at 900 1 1Westport Road, KC MO 64111...M&M) totell us some fiery hot news. (Burn mesoothe me...M&M)

BigJohn, James, and Thomas Walkerformerly with Mahoghany, have becomeB.B. Coleman's new band.

One gigthey did at the Mangy MooseinJackson Hole, Wyoming was very memorable.

"Everyone watching us had skiing injuries. There weren't very many dancers,"

James reported. (We still haven't recov: ered from the Black Diamonds ...M&M) Zephyr's in Salt Lake City was goo


5/8

" BLUES NOTES" FROM PJ'CE 1Emporium, 7-9 t""'"~~~&p.m., the freemonthly KCBSBlues Jam willbegin with Danger-field McNally.KCBS Is taking

It to the river onJune 5. It-sKCBS' first BluesCruise of '91.with luther GuitarJr. Johnson and the39th St. BluesBand. If you'rehooked on theBlues, you need tocruise. Luther Guitar Jr.Going to ChI- Johnson willcag07 The Baltl- perfonn for KCBSBlues Cruise.

more Blues Society and KCBS are begl~nlng to work on a Blues Brunch on Junes1.6th before the last day of the ChicagoBlues Fest (June 1.4, 1.5, & 1.6) at theEssex Inn from 1.0:30 a.m. to 1.:00 p.m.with other Blues Societies bluesln' Itup In Chicago. BBS (Baltimore Blues So-ciety) and KCBS thought this would bea perfect opportunity to meet and mingle.For more Info call 737-071.3.Remember to get out and Jam InApril

with your local Kansas City Blues bands.Keep on keeping the blues alive - Sup-port the Blues!!!

" BLUES IN SCHOOL" FROM PJ'CE 1Between those two classes there wereabout 50-60 students.

Paul Hartfield asked Little Hatchseveral questions and let him answer.The students seemed to get the idea andbegan asking their own questions, suchas, "How has blues music changed sincethe late 40s to 50s?" and "What do youthink ofrap?"

During the afternoon concert,the bandreceived a terrific response. Over 200students enjoyed the music, dancing inthe aisles. The Kansas City Blues Societyand this writer would like to extend ourthanks to Mr. Jimmie Buford, Little HatchPaul Hartfield, and Tim Osburn formakingit happen.

SRODT 7BE BLDES!

B L U EC O L -B L U E S"Good-timeyro ck 'n ' b lu es,

wickeds li de wo rk ,s cr eam in g s ol os

. .. hone st ,good-humored

music."- G uita r W orld

T o o rde r w ith your V isaor M a ste rC ard, call

T o ll F re e ' 8 0 0 34 4 5 6 09

T h e l ow d ow nl at es t f romb lu es g ui ta r m as te rE lv in B i shop ." D on 't L ett he B o ssmanGet Y o u Down! "on A l l ig a to rCDs , Ca s set te s& LPs

L ittle M ike an d the T ornad oes'''e art A H ac k" 8 p3 99 0

features 4 cuts by the late PaulButterfield. Other specialguests include Ronnie Earl,Big Daddy Kinsey, PinetopPerkins and Hubert Sumlin."It's hot, sweatyand soulful."

eo. BoxSan Francisco, CA 94126(415) 526-0373 FAX (415) 5236-9095BLUES NEWS 7


6/8

Performance DiaryBY l A R E B EA R

Feb. 22 - NightmoyesJoanna Connor

Itwas a good month for parties, be-ginning with my birthday. Or more pre-cisely, the Friday night closest to my birth-day.

That was the night that Joanna Con-nor returned to Nightmoves and leftme more convinced than ever thiswoman is going to be a star.

Every time some young hot-shot comes along they are , { itabbed the new somebody. 200 ~years ago Beethoven was thenew Mozart. I won't claim Joannais the new anybody, but it does seemto me that the spirit that animatedMike Bloomfield's playing has found a

Joanna Connor lit up the night at arecent performance at Nightmoves.

new home.Before the show Joanna said she was

due to start recording a new album, butshe is nowgoing through some legal head-aches with her label over royalties. "Itdidn't matter much on the first albumbecause Ionlywrote one-and-a-halftunes.But I've written seven for the new one," soshe wants everything straight before doingany recording.

She also expressed disappointmentshe wouldn't be going into the studio. "I'mkind oftired ofthe first album." Itshowedbecause the band only did three tunesfrom "Believe It!," "He's Mine," "Dr.

8 APRIL 1991

Feelgood" and, by special request, "WhenYou're Being Nice." Mostly the band didthe new material and some good covers.,including an outstanding version ofAWB's"Cut the Cake" and a version of "TheHouse is a Rockin'" that would have madeStevie Ray proud.

The rest of the band was as good asusual. In fact, if it was just the four ofthem, they would still be touring anddoing albums. Tony Palmer is a fine gui-

tarist and decent vocalist.Gary Riley (whokind oflooks likeJoanna's kid brother) is a good sax

player. Stan Mixon is a remark-able bassist, one of the best I'veever heard. Drummer B.J. Jones

uu~"IIIii"_"also does an occasional vocal aswell as providing the absolutely

foundation this band requires.It was a great show and a very

memorable birthday party.Feb. 28 -Grand EmporiumSmokin' Joe Kubek

Smokin' Joe and the boys are a tight,solid, Texas-style blues band. Joe is not aguitar innovator, but he knows all thelicks and is fluid and smooth. Bnois Kingalso does some guitar work and providesthe vocals.

King is a good vocalist, sort of likeRobert Cray a fourth higher. However,the primary weakness of the band is intheir vocals. King is a quality singer, buthe's the only one who does any singing.Someharmony vocals now and then wouldbe nice.

Still and all, this is a goodband. Goodbeat, easy to dance to, goodsinger. I'll givethem an 80.March 16 -NightmovesMain Street Rhythm Devils3rd Birthday Party

The Devils celebrated their 3rd anni-versary by hosting the Saturday after-noon jam at Nightmoves, and it was thebest I've ever heard them sound. Theyalso had a good turnout of players; somegood, some not sogood.For example, theywere joined in the second set by a trum-peter named Bill Woody. He displayedgood tone in the upper register but was alittle disoriented in trying to complete aline. He knew which notes to end on, butseemed confused onhow toget fromone toanother. Dana Smith, one of the originalmembers of the Devils, came up for sev-eral numbers through the afternoon. Danais a paragon of consistency. Put a saxo-phone in his hands and let him play andyou'll get good solos.

A number of other people joined inand made the jam a very fun afternoon.March 17 -NightmoyesEddie Shawand theWolfgang with Eddie"Vann" Shaw

It was a hard choice to make, sincethe Fair Bear and I both wanted to seeRoomful ofBlues as well as Eddie and theGang.But when it came down to it, facedwith an early Monday morning and Fairrecovering from a sprained ankle, weoptedfor the show closest to home.

I was expecting an outstanding band,but the Wolfgang went way beyond that.This is one playing band. Bassist ShortyGilbert and Eddie have been playing to-getherfor 17years while drummer RobertPlunkett and Eddie go back 25 years. Allthree are smooth and expert players-inthe traditional mode. But Eddie "Vann" isno traditionalist and adds a new dimen-sion to the band. If! were twice the playerI am, I'd still be less than half the guitar-ist Vann is. In fact, there are peoplemakinga living who are half the player Vann is.

He is an outstanding technician, rightup there with players like Jan Akkermanand Steve Morse. Extremely precise in hisplaying, he also has a great sense of line.A great ef-ing player.

This band is really at home on the uptempo numbers. They really know how todrive. Eddie does the vocals as well as thesax work and does a goodjob ofboth. Theband did a couple of instrumentals toopen the show, on one of which Vann didsome killer slide work. They closed theopening set with a presto allegro versionof"Thrill is Gone." (Presto Allegro ismusictalk for playas fast as you can play.) Thetempos really let Vann shine.

This is a great band and I'm reallylooking forward to seeing them again .

SAXOPHONISTA B B L O C K EBLUES JAMwith Leon Estelle & James Estelle

Every Friday & Saturday11 pm until?H &. M BAR-B-Q1715 N. 13th St. KANSAS CITY. KS

CA TERING B YAMAZING GRACE 371-8524


7/8

New Blues ReleasesPlentiful BluesF BY SHIRlEY OWENSrom Antone's, James Cotton's CDentitled Mighty Long Time, a songwritten by Cotton's mentor, SonnyBoyWilliamson, is part ofthe many facetsof a living bluesman's life and music.Cotton's new CDincludes songs, "HoldMe in Your Arms" and "StraightenUp Baby", which were both origi-nally recorded by Cotton in thenow historic Memphis Sun ..:':studios in the 50's. From the ~Delta to the Chicago West side,James Cotton's musical landmarksare immense. Catch CottononMightyLong Time.

Another new CD from Antone's is areissue oftwo live albums, Memphis Slimand Matt Murphy Together Again OneMore Time, and Eddie Taylor's, Still notReady for Eddie. Regrettably, both of theserecordings were their last live Antoneperformances. Not enough can be saidabout Memphis Slim a/kIa Peter Chat-man or Eddie Taylor's extensive bluesinfluence on the world today. MemphisSlim and the "Big Time Playboy" EddieTaylor are captured at their peaks and,luckily can be heard live from the bestblues joint in Texas - Antone's, Texas'blues capitol.

Live at Slims --Volume Iby Joe LouisWalker on Hightone captures Walker athis best. This West Coast bluesman is anincredible entertainer, guitarist, singer,songwriter, and producer. What I espe-

cially like about Live at Slims is its vari-ety and being in Boz Scaggs' San Fran-cisco club, Slims. Live is always better.This CD proves that once again.

Slims was turned on frombeing stirredup with hot numbers like the R&B clas-

sic, "Don't Mess Up a Good Thing,"when Walker is joined byAngela Strehli

on vocals. Then, there's his originalcompositions like "Ridin' High" to

a new twist ofClifton Chenier'sTamale Baby."Live at Slims

is another day ofblues businessforWalker. On this date, he's boss.

Buy it and you too can be live at

Joe Louis WalkerIceman is Albert Collins long overdue

new CDon Point Blank. Ever since Collins'last minute '90 KCBS Blues Fest cancel-lation, KC hasn't heard much from Al-bert. On Iceman, Collins kicks in. Itprovesagain that Collins' reputation is alive andbetter than ever as being the "Master of

B I B - B - Q

Shade. of I.er~ Carr fI Scrapper BJac.wcll* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *S h u f f l e b o a r d , t o a . . . p l u s C D J u k e 101 p a c k e d w i t h H a t R . D ' I* * * * * * * * * * . .C O M P L E T E B A R S E R V I C E * : * * * * * * * * * *B B E R B U C K E T S P E C I I L S . . . P B R a n d L a D a t t ' s

the Telecaster." Albert Collins' guitar de-livery isclean and cutting. Plus, his songsmatch his serious humor. Even thoughCollins is living in "Sin City" these days,his blues brings you back home to the"Windy City."

Another long awaited CD is CJ Che-nier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band'sHot Rod on Slash Records. For those notin the know, 34-year-old CJ (Clayton Jo-seph) iscarryingon hislate fa-ther'stradi-t ion.CliftonC h e -nier's iss til Iknown asthe Kingo fZydeco.

HotC.J. Chenier

Rod, a song written by Clifton, includesmostly original compositions by CJ. "Justthe Beginning" is a song CJ wrote with hisformer Port Arth ur high school buddy andcurrent sax/harp man, Wilbert Miller. It'san unforgettable instrumental. You'll findHot Rod hefty, fiery, and fast.

From Alligator Records is the 20thAnniversary Collection. It features a two-CD, 35-cut twenty year history compila-tion of Alligator recording artists. Alsoincluded is the Bruce Iglauer autobiogra-phy. Founder and president of AlligatorRecords, Iglauer's 35 faves give you plen-tiful blues. More New BluesUttle Charlie & the Nightcats,captured Live, Alligator 4794

Kenny Neal, Walking on Fire,Alligator 4795The Kinsey Report, Powerhouse,Charisma/Pointblank 2-91421Larry McCray, Ambition,Charisma/Pointblank 2-91 388Danny Gatton, 88 Elmira St.,Electra 961032-2Uttle Mike & the Tornadoes, Heart AttaCk,Blind Pig 73990

Walter -Wolfman" WaShington,Wolf at the Door, Rounder 2098Rod Piazzo & the Mighty Flyers,Blues in the Dark, Black Top 1062

Robert Ward & the Black Top All-Stars,Fear No Evil, Black Top 1063

Y' 'The B's Are Buzzin'At B.B.'sr'. ..Llndsay Shannon. ProprletorB A R B Q '"/ 120~~~ ll~kShs~s~tro~Idr,;) Mo. B L U E S Tues. - Sat. 11:00 am-IO:00 pmSun.-Noon-9 ~m* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ; ~ ; ~ : ; : * * * * B E E BTUESDAY APRIL 20DAN DORAN eBILL DYE

BLUES NEWS 9


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I(C BLUES JAMSSUNDAY JAMS JAMS- Bring your instruments Auditorium Bar & Gill, 217 W. 14th, 421-8483, featuring Rick Hendricks &

The Hit & Run Band Baxter's, 9617 W. 87th St., 642-7400, Little Hatch & the Houserockers Epicurean Lounge & Restaurant, 7502 Troost, 333-8383 The Roxy, 7230 W. 75th Street, 236-621 1, featuring

The Blues Notions, 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 p.m. (see advert.)MONDAY JAMS Blayney's, 415 Westport Road, 561-3747, 10 p.m. Hurricane, 4048 Broadway, 753-0884, KCBlues Band, 10 pm-2 amTUESDAY JAMS Blayney's, 415 Westport Road, 561-3747, The 39th St. Blues Band The Levee, 43rd &Main, 561-2821, Sonny Kenner Blues Band, 8:30-12:30 pm The Point, 917 West 44th, 531-9800, Lonnie Ray Blues Band,9 pm - 1:00

amWEDNESDAY JAMS The Levee, 43rd & Main, 561-2821, The 1234 Band, 8:30-12:30 pm Nightmoves, 5110 NE Vivion Rd, 452-4393, The 39th St. Blues Band, 8-12

pmTHURSDAY JAMS The Tuba, 333 Southwest Blvd at Broadway, 471.0510, Mo Paul, 7:30 pmSATURDAY JAMS Chateau Lounge, 5934 Prospect, 523-9333, The Freeze, 3 - 8 p.m. Grand Emporium (see aclvert.), 3832 Main, 531-7557, Gilbert'S Saturday Blues Party, 4-7 pm Harlings Upstairs, 3941 Main, 531-0303, Diana Ray & Rich Van Sant, 2-6 pm H & M Barbecue, 1715 N. 13th, Kansas City, Ks , Abb Locke, 10 pm MCs Lounge, 5709 Troost, 363-9376, Saturday & Sunday, The Goucho

Band, 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. Nightmoves, 3-7 p.m.FRIDAY JAMS English's, 1101 Walnut, 221-8870, Rockin' Rick's Blues Jam, 9 pm-I :30 amOTHER CLUBSo Birdland, 1600 E. 19th, 842-8463o City Light Jazz Club, 4749 Pennsylvania, Blue Monday jam 8 pm - midn.o Eblen's. 1601 E. 18th Street, 221.061 2o Grand Emporium,Fridays-Little Hatch's Houseparty, 6-8p.m.o Jimmy's Jigger 1823 W. 39th St, 753-2444o Kiki's Bonton Maison, 1515 Westport Road, 931-9417o The Phoenix, 302 W. 8th Street, 472-0001o Ouaff Buffet & Saloon, 1010 Broadway, 47 1-1918o Sidetracks, 1331 W. 40 Highway, 229-9455o Roxy, 7230 W. 75th St., Overland Park, Ks., 236-6211o Strouds Restaurant, 454-9600, 333-2132, featuring Roy Searcyo Uptown-Down & Dirty, 6508 Martway, Mission, Ks . 236-4300o Visitor's, 5541 Merriam Dr, Merriam, Ks.o The Fabulous Inferno Show Lounge, 4038 Troost Avenue, 931-4000,

Sonny Kenner's Blues Band

Kansas City Blues SocietyP.O. Box 32131, Kansas City, MO 64111

BLUES RADIOKANU-FM 91.5SaturdayKCUR-FM 89.3Friday

8 p.m. - "Blues in the Niqhtwith Kyle Neuer

8 p.m. -Blues Stage-9 p.m. -Friday Fish Fry- with Chuck Haddock8 p.m. "Saturday Night Fish Fry" Chuck Haddock12 Midnight "Lonesome Pine Special-

Saturday

KKFI-FM 90.1DailyTuesdayWednesdayThursdayKCFX-FM 101

4:00 p.m. -iraffic Jam- Blues Hour7:30 a.m. - "Breakfast Club" with Dave Creighton4:00 pm - "Mattie & Mae" Blues Hour7:30 a.m. - "Breakfast Club" with Dave CreightonSunday 7 p.m. - "Kansas City Blues Show"with Lindsay ShannonMonday-Fri. 12 noon "Lunch at the Oldies"Sat. - 3 p.m. "Blues for Two" with J.S. MarShallDaily

KPR5-FM 103.3KCXL-AMKIDZ-AM1510

7230 W . 75th St. Ov erla nd P ark , IS(9 1 3 ) 236 -6 211E ' - 'I ! N f 5,u,ulf - tft.e4. Pc- r- 12 ~~UII&. .,~ ~ '1htifllf4

Bulk RateU.S. Postage PaidPermit #3407KansasCity, MO

10 APRIL 1991

Do Not Forward Address Correction Requested Return Postage Guaranteed

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Blues News - April 1991