Week #11. ZZ Hill goes Downhome

"Downhome Blues" was the title track to a million selling album for the Malaco label in 1982. Arzell Hill [born 30th September 1935, Naples, Tx] was first a gospel singer in the vocal group the Spritual Five but he moved to California to record for his brother and then for the Duke label. His work was critically well received, however commercial success didn't follow until 1977 when signed to the Columbia label. By1980 he was at Malaco doing songs written by George Jackson. One was "Downhome Blues" that spwaned a new genre of soul blues and sparked renewed interest in the music for black America.

The track was taken from "Best of ZZ Hill" on Malaco, but neither it nor the eponymous album is currently in print.

Week #10. Willie Dixon's 29 Ways

Willie Dixon [born 1st July 1915, Vicksburg] refused to serve in the Second World War, he formed a vocal group called the Big Three in ironic tribute to Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill. "29 Ways" was a song in their early repertoire, though they never recorded it. The band broke up in 1952 and Dixon joined the Chess label full-time. He was so valuable as session leader, writer and bass-player that Leonard Chess didn't want to let Willie record under his own name (reasoning that any hit would need Willie to go out on tour). Toward the end of Dixon's first stint with Chess, on 27th July 1956, he was joined by Lafayette Leake on piano for a rare chance to record. They chose to cut a version of that early song: "29 Ways". It was released as a single:

"Twenty-Nine Ways" b/w "Pain In My Heart" [Checker 851]

Willie Dixon's next project was over at Cobra Records with a young left hand player that Chess didn't want: Otis Rush. But that's another story. STAR BLUES on 13th March 2011 selected the track from the MCA/Chess anthology "Chess Blues Classics: 1947-1956".

Week #9. Albert King's bad sign

After regional success for labels like Parrot and Bobbin, Albert King [rn: Albert Nelson (Born 25th April 1923)] was newly signed to the Stax label in 1966 when he put out a couple of singles. Those were the core of an album whose title track was written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones to match the vogue for astrology: "Born Under A Bad Sign". The unique combination of King with Booker T and the MGs with the Memphis Horns marked a change in direction for blues at a time the genre was in danger of being centred solely on the white-boy revival. It was also the last time Stax would issue a single with a generic staff production credit, thereafter the actual producer's name was used.

The piece was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985 and has inspired many cover versions. STAR BLUES on 6th March 2011 drew the track from "King of the Blues Guitar" (Rhino) - a survey of Albert King recordings made for Stax and distributed by Atlantic. The cd version of "Born Under A Bad Sign" is still available.

Week #8. Pat Hare sings first, shoots later

Pat Hare – "I'm Gonna Murder My Baby" [no release information]

Auburn Hare (born 20^th December 1930, Cherry Valley, Arkansas) was booked by Sam Phillips to play at a James Cotton session in Memphis on 14^th May 1954. His over-amplified guitar sounded aggressive and dangerous – a unique experience in those days before Presley got his start on Sun. Hare stayed on to cut a couple more songs with Billy Love on piano and Israel Franklin on bass. The two sides weren't issued for a couple of years.

He was an affable man, good company when sober; the opposite when not. His guitar skill got him a place in Muddy Waters' band but his temper lost it for him, In December 1963 in Minneapolis the combination of alcohol and a loaded pistol led him into an argument with a woman that ended with her being shot and killed and a policeman very seriously injured. Eeerily he had just fulfilled the prophesy of one of those Memphis sides: “I'm Gonna Murder My Baby”.

Our feature on STAR BLUES on 27^th February 2011 took the track from a 3cd anthology of Memphis music from Fantastic Voyage: “Let Me Tell You About Blues: Memphis”.

Week #7. Blind Willie McTell searching

Blind Willie McTell - "Searching The Desert For The Blues" [Victor 23353]

McTell was the stage name of William Samuel McTier (born 1903, Thomson, GA.). For his RCA session on 22nd February 1932 he turned up with Ruby Glaze who then gave vocal comfort during "Searching The Desert For The Blues". At one time, Glaze was thought to be a pseudonym for Willie's soon-to-be wife Kate; biographer Michael Gray makes a convincing case for the two women to be different people in his book "Hand Me My Traveling Shoes".

It is a charming piece that shows Willie's intricate finger picking of his twelve string guitar. That was his instrument of choice for the powerful sound it could make when needed. Bob Dylan is a huge fan, (there's a song about McTell that Bob wrote) and in Summer 2011 there are plans for a celebration called "Blind Willie: the Musical" down in Statesboro, GA.

I can't identify a current cd with the song, our STAR BLUES show on 20th February 2011 took the track from the Orbis collection series of magazines.

Week #6. Jerry McCain on Rex

"Steady" - Jerry McCain [Rex 1014]

Harp player Jerry McCain was born in Gadsden, Alabama in 1930 and was one of the first artists signed to Lillian McMurray's Trumpet label. From there he went to Excello and then to Johnny Vincent' Rex imprint.

In 1960 he cut a handful of sides in Birmingham Alabama with his brother Walter on drums. "Steady" b/w "She's Tough" was the first single from that date and influenced a number of harp players such as Kim Wilson. (His band the Fabulous Thunderbirds chose to cover "She's Tough" on their debut album).

Jerry's playing is sometimes compared to Little Walter's but he can add a raw passion at times for a rock'n'roll feel where Walter would use control and restraint for blues.

Our feature on the 13th February 2011 STAR BLUES show used both tracks from a deleted anthology compiled for the Westside label from the vaults of Johnny Vincent: "Tuff Enuff, Vol. 3: The Ace Blues Masters". I haven't found a compact disc currently available with these tracks.

Week #5. Guitar Slim on Specialty

"Things I Used To Do" - Guitar Slim [Specialty 482]

Ray Charles is thought to have played piano on this 1953 recording, when issued it reached number#1 on the R&B chart for 6 weeks in 1954. "Well I Done Got Over It" was on the b-side.

Eddie Jones was his given name at birth on 10th December 1926 near Greenwood, Mississippi. After his National service in the second World War he moved to New Orleans and got a deal with Imperial. Two years later, as "Guitar Slim", he was known for extrovert club gigs and signed to Art Rupe's Specialty label. This single was his debut for them and the song has been covered numerous times since by every blues player worth his salt. Jones died a few days after Buddy Holly in 1959.

On STAR BLUES on 6th February 2011 we took the track from the now deleted Blues Encore disc of the same name. The performance is currently on "Things I Used To Do" issued by Ace