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| Matt Murphy |
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Thursday, February 25, 2016
Sunday, February 21, 2016
BB King in Dallas - Fairmont Hotel Venetian Room in May 1984 or 1985. The photos are very grainy but they're all I have!
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| BB King getting down.... |
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| Supper club setting, BB the master entertainer |
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| Detail from previous shot - humor, charisma, talent |
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| Always generous, BB watches a member of his band sing a number |
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| A master at work |
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| Detail from previous shot |
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Seeing Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf and others on September 25, 1974, Chicago
"Chicago, September 24th, Tuesday.
....To the "Attic" - blues band of Bob Reidy fronted tonight by
Johnny Littlejohn - he was great, like his record - I spoke to him for
30/40 minutes afterwards - a good man, appreciated my wanting to talk to him -
saw eye to eye on topical matters... Eddie Clearwater on-stage then.
Chicago, September 25th.... Got the El to Bruce Iglauer's -
Fenton Robinson with Bruce discussing order of tracks on his Alligator LP - got
very boring.....Bruce took me to club "Quiet Knight". After crappy harp & piano player, the Muddy Waters Blues Band got on….these guys
impressed me much: Pinetop
Perkins on piano, a fine bassman who resembles Johnny Littlejohn, (two)
guitarists, drummer and harp player. They played & sang some tasteful
music. Especially I enjoyed (Little Walter's) "Juke" - great accurate
Lockwood/Myers-type guitar.
Then
Muddy Waters was announced, he came up from behind us (where we who'd spied him
had been glancing) - much cheering by this audience. With his guitar on, he
went into "Can't Get No Grinding" with famous strong voice &
confident, unhurried phrasing. Beautiful "Blow Wind, Blow Wind",
ageless "Hoochie Coochie Man". Then he took out his metal slide and
rendered a controlled yet brilliant "Sail On, Honey Bee" - ah! We loved
the solo he did!
Majestic
Muddy, sitting with his large body on the stool, looking & sounding
sophisticated, his raised-eyebrow expression on face - yes, an event!
Next he
sang Reed's "You Don't Have To Go" and his own classic "Baby,
Please Don't Go". Turn your lamp down low....! Then the climax, my
favourite Morganfield song perhaps - "Howling Wolf" - such a sound -
and with his lead guitar slide used again here - ah, what a memory! Last of the
set was a melodiously sung "Corrina, Corrina, Where'd You Stay Last Night?"
Against
Steve's advice I went to speak to Muddy, he gave me his autograph - a brief
& friendly chat - I said how I loved his "Howling Wolf" - he
thanked me & said he was pleased I enjoyed him!
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| Muddy Waters, Hubert Sumlin |
Wes'd
arrived with Hound Dog; Steve rang Pepper's Lounge & confirmed that the
Wolf was in town! We took the notion to leave, paid, pooled our dimes to
discover we had enough for the $2.50 entrance cover charge plus could share one
cold beer!! After some trouble finding Pepper's on the South Side, we walked in
around 12:15.
And Chester
Burnett was standing tall at the bar! Talking to Little Milton! Steve & I
sat down near the stage and began to sip half a bottle of Champale each. Silly
DJ, and resident band with Scotty somebody, okay.
Saw
Hubert Sumlin - I went and introduced myself - he's about 5'8", really
friendly, young looking - I said he must've been really youthful when he played
in 1950's Wolf sides - he jokingly said he was 12 years old! Said I loved his
playing, and his record "American Blues" (Berlin 1964) - he told me
excitedly he's got a new one out next month! Put his autograph under Muddy's,
we shook hands again, and I went to get Burnett's. Wolf was rather austere, but
signed his name, said his health was okay now, and told Little Milton Campbell
that I was from Scotland, and he too gave me his autograph!
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| Howlin' Wolf, Little Milton |
A little
later Wes Race breezed in, with Hound Dog Taylor in high spirits, greeting
everyone, laughing & chatting with them and me, shaking hands - so funny,
he was wearing a WIG he seldom uses! His crucifix swinging, he excitedly leaned
over & stretched to talk to folk - true Hound Dog!
Wes was
very friendly, he kept saying what an incredible week I've experienced, must
tell Blues Unlimited why blues is not dead. Rick Kreher and another
friend came over to our table too. The sax player stopped singing, and Howlin'
Wolf got on stage!
He sat, relaxed, on his chair in front of Hubert, the sax player, bass & drums.
After the first number his excellent Wolf vocal rasped in a deep throated way,
accompanied by his low-down harp. He, the Big Bad Daddy in spectacles &
blue short-sleeved shirt, rocked in that chair, laying down mean blues, smiling
on occasion, totally in control (he stopped the band on his last number
"44" so he could do harmonica intro.!). He joked a little too.
Did excellent numbers, so ably assisted by Sumlin, including a Sunday Morning Blues, "Spoonful", and by request ended with "Forty Four".
But
Hubert was the man I looked at most - he played so inventively, in his unique
professional manner. He smiled at the band (and me) often,
he stepped to the beat, pursed his lips with concentration on his boyish face.
"Woowop" effect of sliding (no slide!) up & down strings on
occasion - Hound Dog loved it too! He made passionate love to his black and white Rickenbacker guitar. I shook his hand again after show. Steve & I
left at 2:15 - so much in one night!"
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Lightnin' Hopkins - second night in concert 1974
"Austin, September 14th, Saturday. ....we
then walked to the Castle Creek club, got the choice seats again. Lightnin' hit
the stage at the back of ten - he was amazing! In a bouncy mood, and everything
went right. He sat down on his stool, waiting for the loud clapping &
cheers to subside, said a couple of amusing things and, using his solid
electric Fender, broke into a brilliant instrumental boogie! He even stood up
& walked across the stage while playing a chorus - what a show!!!
Lightnin'
had the audience utterly in his power, admiring & loving him, clapping and
cheering him on. There he sat, wincing, frowning, laughing, occasionally
glancing at Carl on bass or Phil on drums, on either side of him. He puts on a
real show when he plays guitar, makes himself more dramatic even! He played
"My Starter Won't Start This Morning", "Mojo Hand", a slow
blues about <you know I love you, that's why you treat me like you
do...>. Carried on to do "Trouble in Mind" beautifully, "Ain't
It Crazy" - much of what he'd done last night. This set was possibly the
best real blues I'll ever get to hear live - my hero Lightnin' on top form! He
completed the set with a "Fishing Boogie", with the (sincere) intro.
that he came to Austin "to fish, but the water was a little too high"
- the words went <I got my hook in the water, and my cork bobbing on the top
(2x), When the fishes start biting, they ain't got sense enough to stop!>
Lightnin'
returned at about 12:20. The atmosphere was more severe, subdued & charged,
with Lightnin' feeling rather moody & looking sternly at Carl sometimes. He
still put on his act though, and joked some.
He
crashed into a raw slow blues instrumental, with biting & harsh blues
guitar (still using Fender, treble emphasized, so never mellow). Really mean
set! - so captivating and raucously evil! "What do you want with a woman,
won't do what she say....", "My Daddy was a preacher, my mother was
sanctified", "Shining Moon", the great "Mr. Charlie, do you
know, your rollin' mill is burning down?".
He played
solos much more often than sang, and seems to always do this - doesn't
improvise his words much at all except in studios now.... By the way he
recorded an LP for Sam Charters in June! Lightnin' was backed by Ron on
bass for last three numbers - "Good-bye Boogie", "Shake it
Baby" and "Back to Arkansas". He finally (he kept meaning to!)
ended on that, at 1:40.
The crowd
of us that know him took Lightnin' and the equipment back to the cars. Rusty,
Ann and Lightnin' took me to the Greyhound depot, I thanked them all, shook
hands after getting Lightnin's autograph (below), said good-bye to Po' Sam
Hopkins, and off they drove!
Got on
Northbound bus at 2:30" (for
Chicago).
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| To my friend from Lightnin' Hopkins |
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Personal accounts of blues shows and meeting blues singers
At many shows I had no camera. Instead I wrote down my impressions in a diary. Here are the best ones...
PASSAGE 1 - LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS SEPTEMBER 1974
Houston, September 7th, Saturday. I had met Lightnin' the day before. Got
Calhoun bus to Lightnin's home, sat outside his door until the
building manager drove me to the shops - there was Po' Sam leaning on
his car, in yesterday's clothes, talking to some guys - he said "What's
goin' on?" He
said he'd been up all night, and was about to go home to sleep - was in a
sombre mood today. Didn't want me to take a photo, as he sat on the hood of his
new Buick, ankles crossed & sipping a Pearl - said "take me when I'm
laughing, dressed up - I'm a happy man"! He grinned with gold front teeth. He
pointed out Hop Wilson (Hawaiian gtr on Jailhouse Blues he said) - I left
Lightnin' to meet Wilson.
Houston, September 10th. I spent an hour and a
half sitting with Antionette & Lightnin', watching TV, sipping Pearl and chatting.
He wore a thin black scarf on head, sunglasses, stockings on his thin shins &
feet; his deep voice told of times he flew in fear with Sonny Boy
Williamson, Willie Dixon, Big Joe Williams, Billy Bizor.... He described when
he saw biggest mule in world in Washington DC; was disgusted at President Ford's pardoning Nixon; he noticed my new shoes, admired them! We 3 laughed a lot. Lightnin' told me that
"Miss Loretta" was about a girl he knew who had 5 beautiful friends. Left them at six.
Houston, September 12th. Carl Myers' wife Ann told me more about
Lightnin' - that he "conks" his hair - straightens it - an old
fashioned custom.. She said he was once in jail, wrongly accused of
killing his good friend - pretty rough.
Houston, September 13th, Friday. LIGHTNIN' IN CONCERT..the skies have opened in Texas, and what
Lightnin' sang in '65 applies: "Rained five days and the clouds turned
dark as night...". In
pouring rain we got to 3124 Gray, sat down in the Hopkins apartment while Sam
sipped his soup and Antionette fussed over him.
We set off at 4 in pouring rain: Ann & I in back, Po' Lightnin' in the front passenger seat, and Carl driving
Lightnin's deluxe 74 Buick! This great 62 year old artist observed all around him
intently, staring at people in the street and peering round at drivers in cars,
frequently commenting on those he saw and making remarks of delight when he watched children. We cruised over the
Brazos River, and many other fast flowing streams... from high ground where the rain
had fallen to lower lying land, in floods.
Lightnin' pointed out old buzzards on trees, and talked about earlier
times in his life -- catching fish by imbibing them with walnut juice &
just reaching out; and of times such as when he went to Switzerland. He asked
me about the weather in Scotland. Then he sharply spotted and pointed out three
young deer, telling me "I wanted you to see some!" He said it's
raining so hard that if the fishes were wishing for water, now they'll be
happy!
Arriving in Austin Carl got Ann & me in the Castle Creek club, and then went off to the motel with L.
where they two were spending the night - Lightnin' wants the sole company of a
friend when he goes out of town for a couple of gigs like this - it's rare he
lets Ann (Carl/Rusty's wife) go along at all. We two got a choice table at the front, and waited.... The
supporting act was a pretty typical folk singer with acoustic guitar, helped by
congas.
At last
at ten Lightnin' Hopkins was announced & got on the stage; using a Yamaha
wooden amplified guitar and backed by Carl's electric bass & a good man on
drums. But Lightnin' was not at all happy in his first set - didn't like his
guitar (forced to use it because the other he has at home is stringless) - he
played mostly boogies, and flashed some forced smiles - but you could tell he
was upset by this guitar and the buzzing amp. One song he did was "Mojo
Hand", and he'd started off with an instrumental boogie. He said he felt
bad, all the drunkards laughed and thought he was "acting the blues".
He looked great as he winced & clowned; felt hat, his gold teeth &
white smile, his dark glasses with gold sides, his long darting speedy accurate
digits with rings on - one of diamonds - his white undershirt, yellow shirt, & dark green jacket, his brown
trousers on spindly legs and his black pointed shoes on madly tapping feet - he
perched on a stool, and he frowned, shook his head, joked and acted while he
played & sang. Other numbers beautifully done were "Trouble in
Mind" and "Automobile Blues".
After
half an hour he went off, and the first folk got on again. Rusty tapped me on
the shoulder & told me Lightnin' was asking me to come to the
performer's room! Was introduced to the drummer, a female friend and Ron a
young black guy who helps fix up his stage gear, an old friend. Sat
next to Po' Lightnin' on the couch, he made me say where I'd come all the way
from to see him - he loves being the celebrity! He had me brought a beer, said
I was a good person, who doesn't always ask him to do things (which I know he
hates) - and he said, "and I love him for it!".... He talked a bit to the others, girls came in for autographs, and then
when I mentioned that I didn't want to lose my good seat at the front, he
replied "you'll be sitting on my lap to see me play before you have to
fight for a place!" He then asked me what "hello" was in Dutch,
and he spoke French words (viens ici & comme ca va?) he'd learnt from
Antionette!
In the
second set he played his rarely used Fender solid electric guitar - God, it
sounded good! His mood was so different this time, he was happy playing. He
brilliantly did, after an anecdote about Antionette stealing his left shoe so
he couldn't run way, "Rock Me Baby", a slow leaving-mama blues,
"The Saints/Me and Ray Charles", "Shining Moon", "Come
and Go With Me", "The Crazy Song", "T Model Blues" and
finally "Katie Mae" - BRILLIANT!...I
carried his guitar to the car.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
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