New Blues Review 5-13-25
By Jack Roy
Buddy Guy – This Is Buddy Guy (Craft Records)
Bio – “George “Buddy” Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr. and John Mayer. In the 1960s, Guy played with Muddy Waters as a session guitarist at Chess Records and began a musical partnership with blues harp virtuoso Junior Wells. Guy has won eight Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts, and the Kennedy Center Honors. Guy was ranked 27th in Rolling Stone magazine’s 2023 list of greatest guitarists of all time. His song “Stone Crazy” was ranked 78th in the Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time”. Clapton once described him as “the best guitar player alive”. In 1999, Guy wrote the book Damn Right I’ve Got the Blues, with Donald Wilcock. His autobiography, When I Left Home: My Story, was published in 2012. In the mid-1950s, Guy began performing with bands in Baton Rouge, including with Big Papa Tilley and Raful Neal. While living there, he worked as a custodian at Louisiana State University. In 1957, he recorded two demos for a local DJ in Baton Rouge for Ace Records, but they were not issued at the time. Soon after moving to Chicago on September 25, 1957, Guy fell under the influence of Muddy Waters. In 1958, a competition with West Side guitarists Magic Sam and Otis Rush gave Guy a record contract. Soon afterwards he recorded for Cobra Records. During his Cobra sessions, he teamed up with Ike Turner who helped him make his second record, “You Sure Can’t Do” / “This Is The End”, by backing him on guitar and composing the latter. After two releases from Cobra’s subsidiary, Artistic, Guy signed with Chess Records. Guy’s early career was impeded by his record company, Chess Records, his label from 1959 to 1968, which refused to record Guy playing in the novel style of his live shows. Leonard Chess, Chess Records founder, denounced Guy’s playing as “just making noise”. In the early 1960s, Chess tried recording Guy as a solo artist with R&B ballads, jazz instrumentals, soul and novelty dance tunes, but none of these recordings was released as a single. Guy’s only Chess album, I Left My Blues in San Francisco, was released in 1967. Most of the songs were influenced by the era’s soul boom, with orchestrations by Gene Barge and Charlie Stepney. Chess used Guy mainly as a session guitarist to back Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Koko Taylor and others. As late as 1967, Guy worked as a tow truck driver while playing clubs at night. During his tenure with Chess, Guy recorded sessions with Junior Wells for Delmark Records under the pseudonym Friendly Chap in 1965 and 1966. In 1965, he participated in the European tour American Folk Blues Festival. He appeared onstage at the March 1969 “Supershow” in Staines, England, which also included Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Jack Bruce, Stephen Stills, Buddy Miles, Glenn Campbell, Roland Kirk, Jon Hiseman, and the Misunderstood. In 1972, he established The Checkerboard Lounge, with partner L.C. Thurman. He left it in 1985 and reported in a 2024 interview that it never made money. Guy’s career was revived during the blues revival of the late 1980s and early 1990s. His resurgence was sparked by Clapton’s request that Guy be part of the “24 Nights” all-star blues guitar lineup at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Guy subsequently signed with Silvertone Records and recorded his mainstream breakthrough album Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues in 1991. Guy had a small role in the 2009 crime film In the Electric Mist as Sam “Hogman” Patin. As of 2019, Guy still performs at least 130 nights a year, including a month of shows each January at his Chicago blues club, Buddy Guy’s Legends.”
Review – What can you say about Buddy Guy that you haven’t already heard, he is a legend and this album probably, arguably captures one of the best eras for Buddy, Raw and explosive. Man that guitar tone!! Allstar band consisting of Baritone Saxophone – Leslie Crawford, Bass – Jack Meyers, Drums – Glenway McTeer, Guitar – Tim Kaihatsu, Tenor Saxophone – A.C. Reed, Bobby Fields, Trumpet – George Alexander , and Norman Spiller. All the tunes are classic, with covers like “Knock On Wood” and Fever. The remastering is done so well as compared to the original pressing. I think my favorite is “Fever″, mainly because I never heard Buddy doing this tune, listen here. I will give this a 10++ on Blues Content and a 10++ on Music Content.
Scrapper Blackwell – Mr. Scrapper’s Blues (Craft Records)
Bio – “Scrapper Blackwell is one of the most stylish blues guitar players to come out of the classic period of the late 1920s and early ‘30s. Yet, few modern fans even know his name, despite its romantic swagger. He was a true lead guitarist and played on over a hundred sides with Leroy Carr, one of the most influential blues artists. Carr sang, played piano and wrote songs, and Blackwell provided stinging single-note licks and chordal textures. They held a rapt audience, most notably on their biggest hit, “How Long Blues.” There are many surprising facts in the Carr-Blackwell story, including that they met in Indianapolis, Indiana instead of Mississippi or Chicago. And although they may have cut their teeth in the wild scene that gave their music its bawdy house aura, they played formal concerts and cut many of their sides in studios in New York City. A rumor persists that Scrapper Blackwell and Leroy Carr met in the bootlegging business (they both worked as bootleggers!) but it’s also possible that they were introduced by their record company, Vocalion. Little is known about the duo with much of the detail we have coming from an interview of Scrapper Blackwell by Theodore F. Watts that was published in Jazz Monthly in 1960. Leroy Carr died of complications of alcoholism in 1935 and one can almost hear the glasses clinking as they play, even if the tune is not “Straight Alky Parts I and II.” Legend has it that Carr spent his last advance on a party the night he died, and Scrapper recalls rolling around drunk on the train tracks in the aftermath of Carr’s departure from this mortal coil. Scrapper survived Carr’s death and continued to record. He died tragically in a mugging in 1959, right before a last hurrah was well due in the sixties blues boom. The interview, given right before his death, is essential reading for any fan. The relative obscurity of Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell makes the study of their style, tunes and licks difficult but in ways, even more rewarding. The sound quality of their sides is relatively good, compared to say, Charlie Patton. I’ve transcribed a number of Scrapper’s licks for this article and made a video, below. The biggest challenge was deciding which licks to focus on. There are so many good ones!”
Review – Oh my goodness, what a nugget we have here! Thanks to Craft Records, we have another Remastered album from one of the greats. This one is originally from 1962, with just Scrapper playing his heart out and showing what Pre War Blues was all about. Scrapper even shares his talent on Piano with the tune, “Little Girl Blues”. Incredible tunes such as “Nobody Knows When Your Down and Out”, “Blues Before Sunrise” and “Shady Lane”. I think my favorite is “George Street Blues″, listen here. I will give this a 10++ on Blues Content and for a first time in my ranking, a 10+++ on Music Content.
Terry Hanck – Grease To Gravy (Little Village)
Bio – “Blues and soul music fans know that the soundtrack to early rock’ n’ roll ran on three-minute instrumentals with sax in the lead, and was directly related to 1950s and 1960s New Orleans R&B hits, along with that deep-fried wildness that came from Memphis. With this history lesson in mind, old school rock ‘n’ soul saxophonist and singer Terry Hanck makes perfect sense. Clearly, Hanck has worshipped at the right Southern altars– those of such iconic R&B brothers as Fats Domino, Ray Charles, B. B. King, Lee Allen and King Curtis. “I write songs that you think you’ve heard for years,” says the South Florida-based Hanck, who’s got suave movie-star looks and a good time presence that immutably anchors the old-style R&B he adores. As Living Blues writer Lee Hildebrand testified, “Hanck is one of the most formidable saxophonists in the blues and soul business. He has a virile tone and attack and an uncanny command of upper-register notes.” But, whether it is a joyous jump blues romp or a steamy slow dance of a stroll–this is the kind of music that has mattered to the tall tenor man all his life… It took one cross-country journey in the early 1960s for California to ensnare the Chicago-born Hanck. The sun-drenched lure of surfer life spoke oceans to the landlocked Windy City teen. “The whole California lifestyle thing–it just blew me away! There was never any doubt in my mind, once I got out of high school, where I was gonna end up.” Cut to Orange County, 1964: Surfing, diving, partying. And KBCA, one 24-hour AM jazz station in Los Angeles, that played everything from Muddy Waters to John Coltrane. For Hanck, that was it. As he slyly remembers: “All of a sudden, I needed something to do with my mind.” He picked up a sax. “The tenor was the voice.” Six years later, in 1970, Hanck moved north to the East Bay. His first band was called Grayson Street. “We played Bo Diddley, R&B, simple stuff,” he says. “We were too bluesy for the funk crowd, too funky for the rock ‘n’ roll crowd. They all hated us, except the musicians: That is always death, you know” Hanck says with a large twinkle in his eyes, “when you have real musicians coming to see you.” One real musician who did come to see Hanck was Elvin Bishop, an alumnus of seminal American blues-rock group the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. “He heard the band in 1972,” Hanck recalls, “and asked both the harmonica player and I to join, knowing he was only going to pick one guy. So I said no. And the harmonica player said yes.” In 1976, Bishop brought Hanck to Miami to play on what became his classic album, Struttin’ My Stuff, and which included his chart-topping smash hit “Fooled Around And Fell In Love.” Hanck was asked again to join the band, and as Hanck reveals “I said ‘no’ again, like an idiot. I had a single out with my band and I had a false sense of security. But in 1977 he asked one more time and I said ‘yes,’ finally. I joined when the band was on top. I went from riding around in a potato-chip truck to limousines.” For over a decade, Bishop provided Hanck a worldwide stage to growl, squonk, soar and soothe on his tenor. In 1987, Hanck bid adieu to his friend, and formed his own group.”Terry Hanck is a fine vocalist, an amazing showman and my favorite sax player,” asserts Bishop today. That fact was borne out on the 2011 Delta Groove live album, Elvin Bishop’s Raising Hell Revue, where Hanck re-joined his boss and friend on the 2010 Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise where the great vibin’ on the good ship was captured. Thank Hanck too, for also on that cruise and album was Chris “The Kid” Andersen. Around the turn of the millennium, Hanck was in Norway, saw the young and talented Norwegian guitarist, and brought him to America, when he held down the guitar chair in Hanck’s band for four years. The strongly developed bond between the two has lasted, as Andersen has appeared on and co-produced all Hanck’s releases (including this one), since 2002’s I Keep On Holdin’On. Andersen has also gone on to produce CDs by Grammy-winning legend Charlie Musselwhite and multiple Blues Music Awards– winners and nominated CDs by Terry, John Nemeth and Rick Estrin & the Nightcats. Many accolades are coming to guitarist Johnny Soubrand, who replaced Andersen back in 2004. Reflecting upon Johnny’s role in the band these past few years Hanck affirms, “Johnny really works best for me. He’s right there with the sound.” Rounding out the tough rhythm section is long time drummer Butch Cousins (younger brother to Richard Cousins (Robert Cray bassist), and newest member bassist Tim Wagar, a stalwart of the San Francisco blues scene and beyond ( Lavern Baker, James Cotton, Jimmy McCracklin, Lowell Fulson. Howard Tate).”
Review – This is an excellent CD, Terry’s vocals are so classic and his song writing is superb! Such a fun and upbeat album, Terry is a monster Sax player and he lets this rip though the whole album. The band is incredible with such guest stars as Kid Anderson, JP Soars and Johnny Cat Soubrand on Guitar. The famous Jim Pugh on B3 and other Keys, Jon Otis and Chris Peet on Drums. So the stand outs for me were “Run, Run Baby”, “Going Down Slow” and “Midnight On The Reef” but I think my favorite is “If A Politician Was A Doctor″, great lyrics, listen here. I will give this a 10 on Blues Content and a 10+ on Music Content.
Tim Gartland – Right Amount Of Funky (Taste Good Music)
Bio – “As an acclaimed contemporary blues artist, Tim has spent his life crafting his art. Inspired at age 13 at a Muddy Waters concert in his home state of Ohio, he began his musical journey learning the harmonica and the blues genre. Through his study and immersion in the genre, Tim realized that if roots/blues music was going to stay relevant in today’s world, the songs had to tackle contemporary subjects. “The blues is essentially a genre in which the singer is having a cathartic experience. If you write about themes that are meaningful to your experience, you will create something new,” says Gartland. He performed in local bands throughout college at Kent State. After a move to Chicago, he immersed himself into the Chicago root/blues scene, playing with the greats such a Bo Diddley, Carey Bell, and Pinetop Perkins. Tim has noted to be influenced by Little Walter for his harp playing, Ray Charles for his interpretation of a song, Willie Dixon for his songwriting. Tim’s journey led him to Boston where he became a key player in the blues circuit. He was a finalist in the Boston International Blues Challenge and made frequent appearances at regional and national blues festivals. He also was invited to make prestigious guest artist appearances with the top tier musicians in this talent-rich area. To date, Tim has released five critically acclaimed solo albums. His first two albums were recorded in Boston. The albums “Looking Into The Sun” and “Million Stars” prompted The Boston Globe to declare “the bluesman is a true triple-threat performer, equally accomplished as an emotive vocalist, eloquent harmonica player and evocative songwriter”. Relocating to Nashville in 2015, he became an active member of the Nashville Songwriters Association and was named to their “ones to watch” list. The Nashville Scene wrote “Gartland shows he is a clever and talented songwriter, a skilled harp player and a soulful vocalist. And that’s the truth”. He is a prolific songwriter and collaborates with other Music City artists. He also performs regionally and continues to be in demand for session work. Tim has released 3 solo albums in Nashville. “If You Want A Good Woman”, “Satisfied” and “Truth”. A review of “Satisfied” by Downbeat Magazine opined that his: “His Little Walter-inspired harmonica work can send shivers down your spine, and there is a much distinction in his vocals and songwriting too”. “Truth” reached #9 on the U.S. contemporary blues charts and #5 on Tennessee’s Root’s radio charts where it remained for over 4 months, one of the longest runs of any artist that year. In addition to his writing and performing pursuits, Tim is a teacher and author. He wrote an instructional manual “The Talking Harmonica” and teaches online all over the country.”
Review – Ok, a descent Blues album, not crazy about Terry’s voice but he plays a pretty good harmonica. Terry wrote all the songs on this album. Terry’s band consists of Robert Frahm on Guitar, Jack Bruno on Drums, Mike Joyce on Bass, Jody Nardone on Keys and Dennis Drummond on Acoustic Guitar. Music is actually pretty good, vocals are a little monotone and takes away from the music, but the band is super solid. Standouts for me were “Stop Working Me” and “Walk Away”. I think my favorite is “Alone Times″, kind of Caribbean tune, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and a 7 on Music Content.
Christopher Wyze & The Tellers – Live In Clarksdale (Big Radio Records)
Bio – “The band had been formed as a studio project, the 2022 brainchild of singer-songwriter Christopher Wyze and producer Ralph Carter – musicians who had met 10 years earlier in Clarksdale at a blues gathering. For years, the front man in blues cover bands, Wyze had yet to try his hand at writing songs. Oh, he had sung and performed on stage from a young age, even snagged a gold medal for a cappella singing in state-wide competition in Indiana. He sang. He performed. As for multi-instrumentalist, performer, songwriter, composer and producer Ralph Carter, his musical chops blanketed the entire spectrum. In the rock world, he hit the ground running and rose quickly. Ralph became co-writer, bass player and Tour Music Director for double-platinum recording artist Eddie Money. Later, he earned writing and producing credits with NBC, Showtime and multiple LA recording artists. More recently Carter made his mark in the blues world as co-writer, producer and bass-playing performer with 2020 B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Grammy-nominated bluesman Sugaray Rayford. Back to the story. Shortly after they met, Carter urged Wyze, “You need to start writing. We’re making an album of your songs, our songs, someday.” Contemplating the absurdity of Carter’s crystal-balling, Wyze let things simmer. For a year. OK, maybe several years. That is, until Wyze, out of the blue, fired off this text to Carter in late 2021: “OK. Let’s make the album.” Wyze says now that he assumed his pal Carter would view it as a joke. He did not. Ralph immediately replied. He agreed to the proposition. As they say, “A job begun is half-done!” But one notable hitch remained, a potential kill shot. In Wyze’s five-plus decades on planet Earth, he had yet to write even one complete song lyric. Not that he hadn’t given songwriting some thought. He had. In fact, from the moment Carter implored him to write songs, Wyze began conjuring and collecting blues song ideas – song titles, mostly, and story concepts – on cash register receipts, paper scraps, fast food wrappers, and in auto-type misspelled iPhone notes. Full lyrics? Maybe a few. OK, hardly any. More like none, to be exact. But ahhh…the blues story ideas… Despite all apparent hurdles, optimism reigned between the Wyze and Carter. So much so that the two hatched a plan for breathing life into the imagined album. They plotted out a team pow wow – a three-day, song-making shindig for the two of them, four months hence. In Clarksdale, Mississippi. Oh, and they booked a week of studio recording. In Muscle Shoals. What the hell were they thinking?! Still plan-hatching, Wyze promised that in the ensuing weeks, he would fashion his idea-scraps into lyrics. He’d write a bunch of them, he assured Ralph. And he’d do it fast. Wyze committed to bring a dozen or so lyric sets with him. And to pick up the California-based Carter at the Memphis airport. Together, they would pilgrim on down to Clarksdale. Carter? He ante’d up a pledge of his own. He would lead the confab. “Bring your lyrics,” he told Wyze. “We can…and we will …make them into songs for the album.”
Review – Another singer that I am not crazy over, but lyrics are catchy and tells a story. Music is pretty good with band consisting of John Boyle on Guitar, Gerry Murphy on Bass, Mark Yacovone on Keys, Douglas Banks on Drums and Ralph Carter and Irene Smits on backing vocals. A lot of money went into this project (DVD, CD, elaborate CD package and recorded live at the Chapel at the Shake Up Inn in Clarksdale), I would have hoped for a better result. I think the best of the CD were “Stuck In The Mud”, “How Long, How Long Blues” and “Cotton Ain’t King”. I think my favorite is “Three Hours From Memphis″, a descent song that could cross genres, listen here. I will give this a 9 on Blues Content and a 7 on Music Content.
