Friday, May 10, 2019

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: New Blues Releases


A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican 
May 10, 2018


In the few short years it’s been around, Omnivore Recordings (founded in 2010) has become a major reissue/rarities label. Its catalogue includes old, out-of-print albums (and in some cases, new compilations) by some of the true greats in rock, jazz, and country. And don’t forget the blues. In recent months, Omnivore has released several worthy records by venerated bluesmen of yore. Here are some of them — and another one not from Omnivore but worth mentioning.

* Blues Piano and Guitar (Live) by Henry Townsend and Roosevelt Sykes. One of the biggest
compliments you can give to any live album is stating, upon listening to it, “I wish I could have been there.” Despite its lackluster title, that’s definitely the case with this 2-CD team-up of Townsend, who supplies the guitar, and Sykes, a renowned blues pianist as well as singer, known as the “Louisiana Honey Dripper.”

Recorded at a February 1973 show at Washington University’s Graham Chapel in Townsend’s adopted hometown of St. Louis (where Sykes lived for most of his early years), this was a reunion show for a couple of old friends — both well into their 60s at that point. They’d first met in the 1920s. Townsend sought out the older, more famous piano man in hopes of learning how to play the instrument. In that process, Townsend taught Sykes some basic guitar. They gigged together, and by the early ’30s, had recorded together.

Armed only with his guitar and voice, Townsend kicks off the show with a song called “Sloppy Drunk Again.” He goes on this way for several songs until he calls his wife, Vernell, onto the stage for a duet on a sweet bluesy “Why We Love Each Other So.” She returns later in the show to sing a tune called “Tears Come Rollin’ Down.”

After that, Sykes comes out for a long solo set, and from this point on he basically dominates the rest of the show. The bulk of his numbers here are nice and filthy, the funniest being “Dirty Mother for You (Don’t You Know).” Here the bawdy old bluesman suggests he’s about to use a dirty word but unexpectedly makes a sharp turn toward the wickedly innocuous.

Townsend and Sykes don’t actually perform any songs together except a couple at the beginning of the second disc. I would have loved to hear more cuts featuring both. Still, I wish I could have been there that night in 1973.

* Mule (Expanded Edition) by Henry Townsend. Originally released in 1980 by the Nighthawk
label, this recording shows Townsend still in fine form. Here he plays piano as well as guitar. This version has the entire original album plus eight previously unissued songs.

On several songs, he’s joined by the great country-blues picker who also started off in the 1920s, Tennessee-born mandolin player James “Yank” Rachell. There’s something about Yank’s mandolin that just makes a song seem spookier. This is especially apparent on “Things Have Changed.” Yank makes the song sound like it’s live from a haunted juke joint.

Vernell Townsend helps her husband sing on another favorite on this album, the ragged but righteous love song “Can’t You See.” She also does a studio version of “Tears Come Rollin’ Down” on Mule, which I like even better than the live version.

* The Blues Came Falling Down by Johnny Shines. Born in 1915, Shines was a contemporary of Robert Johnson, who he met in the 1930s. The two traveled and played together for a couple of years before Johnson died in 1938. Though long dead, Johnson’s ghost was well represented on this live album, which, like the Townsend/Sykes show, was recorded in 1973 at Graham Chapel. Four songs here are Johnson’s: “Kind Hearted Woman Blues,” “I’m a Steady Rollin’ Man,” the ubiquitous “Sweet Home Chicago” (honestly, I wouldn’t shed too many tears if there were federal legislation enacted that prohibited future covers of this overdone song), and “They’re Red Hot (Hot Tamales),” which is my favorite of these covers, not only because it’s one of Johnson’s least-covered songs, but also because of Shines’ semi-comical 90-mph vocal delivery on it.

This album is almost entirely Shines accompanied by himself on guitar, though Nighthawk Records honcho Leroy Jodie Pierson plays guitar on three songs. The strongest tunes are a potential stoner anthem, “Stay High All Day Long,” and a Blind Willie Johnson spiritual, which Shines said was a favorite of his mother’s, “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”

* The Angels in Heaven Done Signed My Name by Leo “Bud” Welch. No, this one didn’t come
from Omnivore. (It’s on a label called Easy Eye Sound.) And technically this isn’t a blues album, but a posthumous collection of gospel tunes from a Mississippi native known just as much, if not more, for his religious material as his blues. But who cares? This goes well with the albums reviewed above.

Welch didn’t release his first record until 2014, when he was in his 80s. His late-blossoming music career was cut short when he died in 2017 at 83. That was shortly after he recorded with Dan Auerbach, formerly of The Black Keys, now a hotshot Nashville producer. The Black Keys started out in the 1990s as a teenage duo that worshipped Fat Possum blues codgers like T-Model Ford.

As a producer, Auerbach mostly was respectful to Welch’s material, though he wasn’t afraid to juice it up to create a gospel-with-a-punch aura. It works best on rousing cuts like “I Come to Praise His Name” and “Don’t Let the Devil Ride.” However, Auerbach’s loud production basically overwhelms “Jesus on the Mainline,” making me long for Ry Cooder’s version of 40-some years ago.

Let there be videos:









Thursday, May 09, 2019

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Happy Birthday, Sonny Curtis

Buddy Holly with Sonny Curtis in the mid 1950s

Happy birthday to one of the finest songwriters ever to emerge from Lubbock, Texas, He's 82 years old today.

Happy birthday. Sonny!

From the bio on his website:

Sonny was born in a dugout about seven miles east of Meadow, Texas in 1937. He was the second youngest of six children born to struggling cotton farmers during the devastating Dust Bowl era.

In the Curtis family, music was a way of life. And in Meadow, it was the main source of entertainment. When he was a boy, Sonny and his family would gather with neighbors for "musical Saturday nights," where anyone who played an instrument could join in the fun. 

Sonny learned to play before his fingers could reach across the neck of the guitar; he just played on the four high strings. He joined his older brothers, Pete and Dean, to pick at local radio stations, jamborees, and other events.

When he reached his teens, Sonny"s friends and contemporaries were fellow musicians Buddy Holly, Waylon Jennings, and future Crickets (J. I. Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, and Glen D. Hardin.) While he was still in high school, Dave Stone, a local promoter, frequently used him on bills that included the young Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Hank Snow, and other stars of the day. 

Before Buddy Holly started The Crickets, his band was The Three Tunes, in which Sonny played lead guitar. In 1956, Sonny accompanied Holly and bassist Don Guess to Nashville for Holly's first recording sessions. (Petty Studios in Clovis, N.M. came later.) Sonny played lead guitar on several tunes including  "Blue Days, Black Nights," "Midnight Shift," and the first song Sonny wrote to ever be recorded, "Rock Around With Ollie Vee."

It indeed was a rocker:



Another early Sonny original was recorded by country star Webb Pierce. This almost sounds like hillbilly doo-wop.



Sonny had joined The Crickets shortly before Buddy died, The Crickets tried to go on with Sonny as singer. During that time, Sonny wrote this little outlaw tune which later would be a major hit for The Bobby Fuller Four (and years later, The Clash).



The post-Holly Crickets' time was cut short when Sonny got drafted. While serving in the Army he wrote this song which turned out to be a huge hit for The Everly Brothers. The version below features Sonny playing with fellow Texan Nanci Griffith.


In the early days of Beatlemania, old Cricket Sonny declared he wanted to be a Beatle in this forgotten novelty tune. (The irony here is that The Beatles have always said their name was inspired by The Crickets.)



And in the early '70s Sonny wrote and sang the theme song a popular TV sitcom. (But I like Husker Du's version the best)




Sunday, May 05, 2019

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST




Sunday, May 5, 2019
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM
Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org

Here's my playlist :

OPENING THEME: Let It Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Fiesta by The Pogues
Gutterboy Blues by Mean Motor Scooter
Traces by The Mystery Lights
Hanging Tree by Bob Mould
Pictures of Lily by Hickoids
Queen of the Pill by The Jackets
Dad or Dead by Dirk Geil
Contageous by Sleeve Cannon

The Art of Projection by Imperial Wax
I've Been Duped by The Fall
Mechanic Wanted by Mekons 77
St. Stephen by Ty Segall
Sucka Punch  (Get Back) by Dinola
Two Dollar Elvis by Left Lane Cruiser
When Fate Deals Its Mortal Blow by Meet Your Death
The Dozens by Eddie "One String" Jones
Hokomo Ju Ju Man by Little Howlin' Wolf

Monster Surf Party by The Barbarellatones
Don't Touch by Andre Williams
Snack Crack by Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians of the British Empire
X-Ray Glasses by The Scaners
Free Money by Patti Smith
Soy un Bruto by ET Explore Me
The Devil in the Dance Hall by Harvey McLaughlin
Devil's at Red's by Anthony Leon & The Chain
Hard Travelin' by Simon Stokes

No, I'm Iron Man by The Butthole Surfers
Batman Theme by Iggy Pop
This Wonderful Day by Kyra
Conway Twitty by Johnny Dowd
The Fruit Man by Ween
Springtime in nthe Rockies by Tiny Tim & Brave Combo
Boot That Thing by Roosevelt Sykes & Henry Townsend
The Good Old World (Waltz) by Tom Waits
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

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Go to The Big Enchilada Podcast which has hours and hours of music like this.

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FOLK REMEDY Playlist


Sunday, May 5, 2017
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
8 am to 10 am Sundays Mountain Time
Substitute Host: Steve Terrell 101.1 FM

Email me during the show! terrel(at)ksfr.org
Here's the playlist :
Thank You Jesus by The Gospel Songbirds
Bold Marauder by Richard & Mimi Farina
Uncle Ned Don't Lose Your Head by Lonnie Johnson
Norah's Dove by Richie Havens
Green Green Rock Road by Oscar Isaasc
Cocaine Blues by Dave Van Ronk
Geeshie by The Mekons
Skinny Leg Blues by Geeshie Wiley
Big Zombie by Chivalrous Amoekons
I Know You Rider by Linda Smith

Me and My Friend the Cat by Loudon Wainwright III
That's the Way Love Goes by The Harmony Sisters
Louise by Ramblin' Jack Elliott & Tom Waits
Baby Please Don't Go by Eddie "One String" Jones
Take This Hmmer by Jon Langford
Cat's Eye / Prairie Dog Town by Tom Adler
Jimbo Jambo Land by Shorty Godwin

Blind Willie McTell by The Band
Dyin' Crapshooter Blues by Blind Willie McTell
Find Blind Lemon (Parts 1 & 2) by Geoff Muldaur
See That My Grave is Kept Clean by  Blind Lemon Jefferson
Ode to Billy Joe by Bobby Gentry
Clothes Line Saga by Bob Dylan

Old Devil Time by Pete Seeger
I Got Mine by Frank Stokes
Minglewood Blues by Cannon's Jug Stompers
Shout You Cats by Hezekiah Jenkins
Pie in the Sky by Utah Phillips & Annie DiFranco
Tears Come Rollin' Down by Henry Townsend
Wildebeast by The Handsome Family

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Wednesday, May 01, 2019

WACKY WEDNESDAY: Super Songs

Are there any songs out there about MY favorite super hero?
OK, this Wacky Wednesday was inspired by a recent discussion on the Dr. Demento Show Facebook page. Someone asked for songs about super heroes and the response was colossal.

Some of the ones you'll see below were posted in that thread. Others are just old favorites of mine (because I'm a pretty super guy). Some were both.

Let's start with the old San Francisco hippie band Mother Earth and this song by member Powell St. John that talks about lots of superfolk. It's called "Marvel Group."




Lots of artist have covered Neal Hefti's theme from a very popular TV show in the '60s. But none did it better than Iggy.



Sun Ra must have been a big Batman fan. Not only did he do an entire album of instrumental songs inspired by the caped crusader with members of the Blues Project (under the name "The Sensational Guitars of Dan & Dale") he did this song with James Jacson on vocals:



In the '90s, The Ramones made the Spiderman theme their own. Joey was very sympathetic to Peter Parker, having once himself been bitten by a radioactive cockroach.



There have been many songs about, or at least inspired by Superman, not even counting that detestable one by the Crash Test Dummies.) But this one, which introduced the world to Laurie Amderson, is my surreal favorite.



Sweet Jayne celebrates the biggest female super-being



"Wait a second, I'm Iron Man. How come you always get to be Iron Man?"



And here's another TV show theme, which I first heard on one of those floppy vinyl discs when I joined The Merry Marvel Marching Society as a youngster.





TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

  Sunday, March 24, 2024 KSFR, Santa Fe, NM, 101.1 FM  Webcasting! 10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time Host: Steve Terrell E...