February 2011

Here it is middle of winter, diggin’ out from another snowfall, dreading another temperature drop into the deep freeze of sub-zero nights in our corner of the world called Northwest Wisconsin. Someone who always lifts my spirits with his music is an artist that goes by the unlikely moniker of Taj Mahal. You probably have heard of him, he’s been recording and performing for over 40 years now. I can’t tell you how many Saturday mornings the first thing I’d do is put an LP on the turntable and wake the house with the strains of “Good morning Miss Brown! Good mornin’ how do you do?” and follow Taj as he was “Goin' up the country, gonna paint my mailbox blue!”

So here is the Bio from his website  http://www.tajblues.com   If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing this wonderful performer, visit the website and have your speakers turned on, it is a treat!

Taj Mahal is one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music. His artistic scope includes music representing virtually every corner of the world – west Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the Hawaiian islands and so much more. What ties it all together is his insatiable interest in musical discovery. His passion and curiosity have led him around the world, resulting in the global perspective reflected in his music. 

Born Henry St. Claire Fredericks in Harlem on May 17, 1942, Taj grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father was a jazz pianist, composer and arranger of Caribbean descent, and his mother was a gospel singing schoolteacher from South Carolina. Both parents encouraged their children to take pride in their diverse ethnic and cultural roots. His parents started him on classical piano, but after only two weeks, young Henry had other plans about what and how he wanted to play. In addition to piano, he learned to play the clarinet, trombone and harmonica, and he loved to sing. He discovered his stepfather's guitar when a guitarist from North Carolina moved in next door and taught him the various styles of Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed and other titans of Delta and Chicago blues. 

Henry studied agriculture at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in the early 1960s. Inspired by a dream, he adopted the musical alias of Taj Mahal and formed the popular U. Mass party band, the Elektras. After graduating, he headed west in 1964 to Los Angeles, where he formed the Rising Sons, a six-piece outfit that included guitarist Ry Cooder. The band opened for numerous high-profile touring artists of the ‘60s, including Otis Redding, the Temptations and Martha and the Vandellas. Around this same time, Taj also mingled with various blues legends, including Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Lightnin' Hopkins and Sleepy John Estes.

This diversity served as the bedrock for Taj's first three recordings: Taj Mahal (1967), The Natch'l Blues (1968) and Giant Step (1969). In the 1970s, Taj carved a musical niche with a string of adventurous recordings, including Happy To be Just Like I Am (1971), Recycling the Blues and Other Related Stuff (1972), the GRAMMY®-nominated soundtrack to the movie Sounder (1973), Mo' Roots (1974), Music Fuh Ya (Music Para Tu) (1977) and Evolution (The Most Recent) (1978).

Taj's recorded output slowed during the 1980s as he toured relentlessly and immersed himself in the music and culture of his new home in Hawaii. Still, that decade saw the release of Taj in 1987, and the first three of his celebrated children's albums on the Music For Little People label.

He returned to a full recording and touring schedule in the 1990s, including such projects as the musical scores for the Langston Hughes/Zora Neale Hurston play Mule Bone (1991) and the movie Zebrahead (1992). Later Dancing the Blues (1993), Phantom Blues (1996), An Evening of Acoustic Music (1996) and the GRAMMY®-winning Señor Blues (1997) were all commercial and critical successes.

Taj continued to explore world music, beginning with the aptly titled World Music in 1993. He joined Indian classical musicians on Mumtaz Mahal in 1995, and recorded Sacred Island, a blend of Hawaiian music and blues, with the Hula Blues in 1998. Kulanjan, released in 1999, was a collaborative project with Malian kora player Toumani Diabate (the kora is a 21-string west African harp).  In 2000, Taj released a second GRAMMY®-winning album, Shoutin' in Key, and recorded a second album with the Hula Blues, Hanapepe Dream, in 2003.

Taj joins the Heads Up International label in the fall of 2008 with the worldwide release of Maestro: Celebrating 40 Years. This twelve-track set mixes original material, chestnuts from classic sources, and songs written by a cadre of highly talented guest artists. This anniversary gala includes performances by Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Ziggy Marley, Angelique Kidjo, Los Lobos and others.

"The one thing I've always demanded of the records I've made is that they be danceable," he says. "This record is danceable, it's listenable, it has lots of different rhythms, it's accessible, it's all right in front of you. It's a lot of fun, and it represents where I am at this particular moment in my life. This record is just the beginning of another chapter, one that's going to be open to more music and more ideas. Even at the end of forty years, in many ways my music is just getting started."

Unfortunately, the closest Taj is playing to the Chippewa Valley soon is at The Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on Feb 1st.

 I’d like to announce the Chippewa Valley Blues Society will be hosting our Annual Meeting at Action City in the Metropolis Hotel complex (Eau Claire, WI) on Feb. 8th at 7 p.m. We will be providing a pizza buffet for all attendees with current membership. This is the most important meeting of the year so please plan on attending. There will be an election of officers and possibly changes to the by laws, as well as an introduction to our new website. Please go to cvblues.com for additional info.

Thanks for lending me an ear. See ya around

January 2011

Happy New Year all! I hope it has been safe and fun so far and wishes to you for the future to be happy, healthy and prosperous.

This month we’re featuring two artists that are highly regarded Chicago Bluesmen. Lonnie Brooks has been featured in Northwest Wisconsin several times and his son, Lonnie Baker Brooks, still comes to our area occasionally to bring us his brand of soulful joy.

Albert Collins Profile:

By Reverend Keith A. Gordon, About.com Guide

Born: October 1, 1932 in Leona TX

Died: November 24, 1993 in Las Vegas NV

Guitarist Albert Collins was a unique stylist and an incendiary live performer whose appeal jumped across the aisle from fans of houserockin' Texas blues to include many fans in the rock world. Influencing talents as diverse as Jimi Hendrix, Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Collins rode high during the 1980s blues revival, ensuring his place in music history.

The Iceman

Born in rural Texas, Collins' family moved to Houston when he was young, growing up in the city's notorious Third Ward with musicians Johnny Copeland and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Collins originally wanted to play keyboards, but by the age of 18 he had switched to guitar. Collins served his apprenticeship in Houston clubs with performers like Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, T-Bone Walker, and his cousin, Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins.

Collins developed his own original style of playing involving minor tunings and the frequent use of a capo on his trademark Fender Telecaster. Beginning in 1958, Collins recorded a number of singles for regional labels with titles like "The Freeze," "Sno-Cone," and "Defrost." In 1962, Collins enjoyed a national hit with his song "Frosty." These singles, along with his cold, crisp guitar technique, earned Collins his nickname, "The Iceman."

Adventures In Babysitting

Upon moving to California in the late-1960s, Collins became a hit with the growing blues-rock audience, performing with bands like Canned Heat and the Allman Brothers at San Francisco venues. After five years, Collins would move back to Texas and put together a new band.

While in Texas, Collins signed with Alligator Records, which released Ice Pickin', the guitarist's incredible 1977 album debut. Collins would record six more albums for the label before signing with Pointblank in 1989. The guitarist's spirited appearance in the 1987 movie Adventures In Babysitting, along with numerous TV performances, brought his music to an entirely new audience. Sadly, Collins succumbed to cancer at the young age of 61 before he could fully capitalize on his high profile.

Through the years, Collins also performed on albums by talents like David Bowie, John Mayall, B.B. King, Gary Moore, Jack Bruce, and Robert Cray.

Recommended Albums: Ice Pickin' is the quintessential Albert Collins album, but 1985's Showdown!, with guitarists Johnny Copeland and Robert Cray, provides more bang for your buck.

Lonnie Brooks Profile:

By Reverend Keith A. Gordon, About.com Guide

Born: December 18, 1933 in Dubuisson LA

Guitarist Lonnie Brooks forged a distinctive style that is often described as "voodoo blues," mixing elements of R&B, Chicago blues, Memphis soul, and Cajun music into an intoxicating brew. One of the most popular performers on the Chicago blues scene, Brooks also remains in demand on the festival circuit. Both of Brooks' sons - Wayne Baker Brooks and Ronnie Baker Brooks - are full-time musicians with their own blues bands, and they often appear onstage with their father. The three musicians also have performed together as The Brooks Family.

Guitar Junior

Born Lee Baker, Jr. in Louisiana, Brooks didn't begin playing guitar until he was in his twenties and living in Texas. His first professional gig was playing under the name "Guitar Junior" behind zydeco legend Clifton Chenier as part of his Red Hot Louisiana Band. Brooks began recording as Guitar Junior in 1957, releasing a number of regional singles, and scoring a minor hit with his song "The Crawl."

Brooks joined soul giant Sam Cooke's touring band in the late-1950s, but upon arriving in Chicago, he found another Guitar Junior already working in the city. Changing his name to Lonnie Brooks, the guitarist worked with Jimmy Reed for a while before setting out on his own. At first, Brooks' country-flavored songs fell upon indifferent ears, but as Brooks refined his sound, he grew in popularity on the Chicago blues scene.

Bayou Lightning

Brooks toured constantly throughout the 1970s and '80s, including appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival and as part of the Chicago Blues Festival. Alligator Records released Brooks' critically-acclaimed label debut, Bayou Lightning, in 1979. Brooks followed with Turn On The Night two years later; Alligator would subsequently release six more Brooks albums through the years.

A master showman and charismatic performer, Brooks has often branched out beyond records to take advantage of other mediums. The guitarist appeared in the movie Blues Brothers 2000 as well as various television shows, and co-wrote the book Blues For Dummies with his son Wayne and roots-rocker Cub Koda.

Recommended Albums: Brooks' Alligator label debut, Bayou Lightning, is considered his signature work, although 1999's Lone Star Shootout, with guitarists Long John Hunter and Phillip Walker, is an enduring fan favorite.

In future Blues Notes, I will bring you more histories and more info about performers, concerts in the region and other blues news from around the country.

On that note, I’d like to announce the Chippewa Valley Blues Society will be hosting our fourth spring fundraiser on March 13^th at Action City in the Metropolis Hotel complex. The schedule is still pending, but we can promise that it will deliver some excellent  rockin’ blues, funk, soul & more. So break out your boogie shoes and plan on joining us to shake off the winter blues!

Thanks for lending me an ear. See ya around.

December 2010

Here we go, again! The Holidays are here, and some of us are still recovering from those Thanksgiving food fests. Hope everybody got their deer if you were out in the woods and nobody tagged any with their car.

If any of you readers are on Facebook, a good source of excellent recordings and videos is the Delta Blues Museum-Clarksdale, and Blues-net posts some pretty fine recordings as well. Don’t forget Snapshot’s Blues show every Sunday morning on WHYS 96.3 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., WHYS does some other blues programming along with a lot of Indie and Bluegrass. Shari’s Chippewa Club in Durand books a lot of great local and regional bands and has the “Open Blues Jam” every last Sunday of the month.

This month’s feature is: Chicago Blues brought to us again by the Reverend Keith Gordon

When America became embroiled in World War II, it served to increase the exodus of African-Americans from the Southern states northward to cities like St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago. Former sharecroppers were moving out of the rural areas of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia to find jobs in the growing industrial sector and provide better opportunities for their families. Along with the many agricultural workers who came to Chicago in search of jobs, there were a number of blues musicians that made the trip as well. Arriving in Chicago, they began mixing with the first generation of immigrants, taking on an urban sophistication in place of their rural roots.

The blues music made by these newcomers took on a new sheen as well, as musicians replaced their acoustic instruments with amplified versions and the basic guitar/harmonica duo of Delta blues and Piedmont blues was expanded into a full band with bass guitar, drums, and sometimes saxophone. The Chicago blues sounded more full-bodied than its country cousin as well, the music pulling from broader musical possibilities, reaching beyond the standard six-note blues scale to incorporate major scale notes. While the "south side" blues sound was often more raw and raucous, the "west side" Chicago blues sound was characterized by a more fluid, jazz-influenced style of guitar playing and a full-blown horn section.

What we consider to be the "classic" Chicago blues sound today developed during the 1940s and '50s. Talents like Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, and Memphis Minnie were among the first generation of Chicago blues artists, and they paved the way (and often lent valuable support) for newcomers like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and Willie Dixon. During the decade of the 1950s, Chicago blues ruled the R&B charts, and the style has heavily influenced soul, rhythm & blues, and rock music to this day. Subsequent generations of Chicago blues artists like Buddy Guy, Son Seals, and Lonnie Brooks have incorporated significant influences from rock music, while other contemporary artists like Nick Moss and Carey Bell adhere to an older Chicago blues tradition.

Several record labels have specialized in the Chicago blues style. Chess Records, founded in 1950 by the brothers Phil and Leonard Chess, was the trailblazer, and could boast of artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Willie Dixon on its label. Checker Records, a subsidiary of Chess, released albums by artists like Sonny Boy Williamson and Bo Diddley. Today the Chess and Checkers imprints are owned by Universal Music subsidiary Geffen Records. Delmark Records was formed by Bob Koester in 1953 as Delmar, and today it stands as the oldest independent record label in the United States. Originally located in St. Louis, Koester moved his operation to Chicago in 1958. Koester is also the owner of the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago. Delmark specializes in jazz and blues music, and through the years has released essential, groundbreaking albums from artists like Junior Wells, Magic Sam, and Sleepy John Estes. Koester has also served as a mentor to several former employees that formed their own labels, such as Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records and Michael Frank of Earwig Records. Bruce Iglauer launched Alligator Records in 1971 at the urging of Delmark's Bob Koester to record and release an album by Chicago bluesman Hound Dog Taylor. Since that first album, Alligator has released nearly 300 titles by artists like Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Albert Collins, Koko Taylor, and many others. Today Alligator is considered to be the top blues music label, and Iglauer still discovers and supports new talent in the blues and blues-rock genres.

Recommended Albums:

Muddy Waters' At Newport 1960 provides a glimpse of the Chicago blues giant in his prime

Junior Wells' Hoodoo Man Blues offers up the sound and feel of a mid-60s Chicago blues club.

In future Blues Notes, I will bring you more histories and more info about performers, concerts in the region and other blues news from around the country.

Thanks for lending me an ear! See ya around!