#528 : Dave Specter - Six String Soul : 30 Years on Delmark

 

2021 – Delmark Records

by Phillip Smith; Nov. 13, 2021

 

Dave Specter has appeared on over fifty albums and DVDs either as guitarist, bandleader, or producer, and was inducted into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame in 2018.  For an artist to have a three-decade-long career on one label is indeed a rarity.  Specter’s latest release celebrates that exact accomplishment with Six String Soul: 30 Years on Delmark.  This fabulous two-disc set covers his amazing career with 28 magnificent tracks representing fourteen albums.   The list of legendary blues artists appearing on this compilation album is a dazzling one to say the least.  It includes Barkin’ Bill Smith, Ronnie Earl, Jesse Fortune, Tad Robinson, Sharon Lewis, Barrelhouse Chuck, Floyd McDaniel, Lurrie Bell, Jimmy Johnson, Otis Clay, Brother John Kattke, and Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna).

“Wind Chill”, from the album Bluebird Blues he recorded with Barkin’ Bill Smith, and Ronnie Earl is a delectable jazz instrumental complete with a smooth walking bassline and coupled with organ, and horns.  Specter’s guitar performance is superb.  From the same album, a sweet cover of T-Bone Walker’s “Railroad Station Blues” immediately follows.  Barkin’ Bill takes on the lead vocals as Specter and Earl join on guitar.  From the album Kiss of Sweet Blues by Lurrie Bell with Dave Specter and the Bluebirds, “You’re Gonna Be Sorry” is an exquisite blast of Chicago Blues, with Bell on vocals and guitar.  A track that absolutely cooks is “Can’t Stay Here No More” off Wild Cards with Tad Robinson’s soulful vocals riding a wave of Stax-inspired rhythm, complete with horns.  I absolutely love this one.  W.C. Handy’s “St Louis Blues” from Floyd McDaniel’s West Side Baby album totally captivated me.  This is one of the first songs I learned how to play on organ back in the Seventies, and it will always be a special song to me.  Specter teams up with Otis Clay for a ripping good time in “Chicago Style”.  This homage to the Windy City and the blues artists who make their mark there is a swinging one.  Jorma Kaukonen and Brother John Kattke collaborate wonderfully with Specter on the album Blues From the Inside Out.  “The Blues Ain’t Nothin’”, a song from that album and co-written by Kaukonen and Specter is a wonderful jam loaded with smoldering riffs, and hot licks.

Six String Soul closes with Specter’s brand new single “The Ballad of George Floyd” which he recorded with Billy Branch.  Showcased now at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa as part of the Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom exhibit, the song’s hand-written lyrics are on display among Woody Guthrie’s tenor banjo, Steven Van Zandt’s guitar used for the “Sun City” recording, and Pete Seeger’s five-string banjo.

Six String Songs : 30 Years on Delmark is definitely an album blues fans will want to give a listen to.  This thirty year journey of Dave Specters musical career is highly recommended.

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 For more information about the artist, visit this website : davespecter.com

  

#511 : Prairie Dog Blues Festival - 2021

Prairie Dog Blues Festival - 2021

Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin

July 31, 2021

 

By Phillip Smith; Aug.2, 2021

 

Saturday, July 31, 2021, I landed in Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, just off the mighty Mississippi River, for the second day of the Prairie Dog Blues Festival, and had an enormously good time.  Soaking in the blues, while soaking up the sun is absolutely one of the best things life has to offer.  On the main stage, I caught Lurrie Bell with Jason Ricci, Amanda Fish, Tony Holiday, The Altered Five Blues Band, and made several visits to the beer tent to hear Avey Grouws Band. 

Lurrie Bell, son of famed bluesman Carey Bell was originally scheduled to appear with his brother Steve, and perform as the Bell Brothers.  Sadly, Steve could not make, but on the bright side, they couldn’t have picked a better replacement than Jason Ricci.  Lurrie and Jason were totally in sync, and this show was as real as the blues could get.  They sounded great together as they smoked though songs like “You Gotta Help Me” and “Sweet Home Chicago”.    

Amanda Fish took the main stage next, playing a mix of originals and covers.  Just as a drone was hovering over the stage and crowd, she went right to “Helicopters in the Sky”.  Other originals included “Friends” and “2020” from her Free Album.  She belted out a great cover of “Me and Bobby McGee” and steered off the blues highway with “Fortunate Son / Free Bird / Born this Way”, ending her set with her take on the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop”.

Tony Holiday came to play.  I’ve reviewed two of his albums, and he’s one of my favorites.  With Gordon Greenwood on guitar, they delivered wonderful covers of Otis Rush’s “Right Place, Wrong Time” and Sean Costello’s “Hard Luck Woman”.  I was pleased as hell to hear “Payin’ Rent on a Broken Home”, “Good Advice” and “The Hustle”, all off his Soul Service album released in 2020.  Those songs are absolute gems.  Holiday brought his set to its finish with another cut off that same record, “It’s Gonna Take Some Time”.  Tony’s soulful vocals and harmonica sounds so good paired with Greenwood on guitar.  I really hope I get a chance to hear these guys play again.        

I didn’t get to hang around for the entire set of the Altered Five Blues Band, but the portion of their show I did hear was phenomenal.  It was an absolute treat to see Jason Ricci on stage once more.  He was on fire playing harp.  The songs I did catch from them were “Great Minds Think Alike” and “Too Mad to Make Up”.  And they had the audience in the palms of their hands.  The performance was absolutely electric.

As tradition goes at the Prairie Dog Blues Festival, there is always a band in the Beer Tent to provide a series of smaller sets which take place between the sets on the main stage.  This year the Beer Tent stage was blessed to have Iowa’s own Avey Grouws Band.  They are quickly becoming one of my favorite bands.  With Chris Avey on lead guitar, Jeni Grouws on vocals and rhythm guitar, Bryan West on drums, Randy Leasman on bass guitar, and Nick Vasquez on keys, they literally rocked the tent.  Their enthusiasm and rapport with the audience is second to none.  A big smile was planted on my face as soon as I heard the opening sequence of “Two Days Off (and a Little Bit of Liquor)”.  When they broke into ZZ Top’s “La Grange”, everyone felt the love for Dusty Hill, who had just recently passed away.  It was a very welcome tribute, and they sounded so damn good too.

Until next time, thanks to all the volunteers who put this wonderful festival together each year.   It’s really one of the best.

 

 * all photos by Phillip Smith

Lurrie Bell and Jason Ricci

Amanda Fish

Tony Holiday

Altered Five Blues Band

Avey Grouws Band

#499 : Bob Corritore & Friends - Spider in My Stew

 

2021 – Vizztone

Release Date : May 14, 2021

By Phillip Smith; May 08, 2021

 

Taking into consideration all his own records in addition to all the others he’s played on, Bob Corritore has appeared on over a hundred albums in his career.  In that time, he’s acquired a hell of a lot of friends.  Thirty-eight of them appear on his new fourteen-track disc Spider in My Stew, making for one of the hottest straight-up blues albums this year.

The fabulous voice of Oscar Wilson (Cash Box Kings) takes command as he joins Tony Tomlinson (guitar), Patrick Skog (bass), and Alan West (drums) of the Fremonts to kick the album off with a swanky cover of Fenton Robinson’s 1957 single “Tennessee Woman”.   Shea Marshall’s contributions on piano and sax gives it the perfect finishing touch.  Sugarray Rayford, one of my favorite singers these past few years, belts out one of his own songs “Big Mama’s Soul Food, joined by Kid Ramos and Johnny Main on guitar.  This one has me jonesing for a meal at Miss Polly’s on Beale Street in Memphis.  The great Johnny Rawls lends himself and a song as well.  “Sleeping With the Blues” is smothered in his trademark style of soulful blues.  Bob Welsh on piano and John Primer on guitar and vocals rip it up on a splendid cover of the J.B. Lenoir song, “Mama Talk to Your Daughter”.  With Alabama Mike taking the mic, and Junior Watson (the Mighty Flyers, Canned Heat) on guitar, “Look Out” absolutely cooks.  I dig the groove.  The rhythm really takes a hold on this one.

I love the Willie Dixon tribute which packs three of his songs right in a row.  “Don’t Mess With the Messer” gets this batch started with Diunna Greenleaf on vocals and Jimi ‘Primetime’ Smith on guitar.  That is followed by title-track “Spider in My Stew” which hosts a dynamic duo of Lurrie Bell and Bob Margolin.  Corritore pours his soul into the song, as Bell and Margolin duke it out on guitar.  Bell takes the mic on this one, and it sounds great.  The Willie Dixon three-fer concludes with a rollicking standout recording of “Wang Dang Doodle” with Bill ‘Howl-N-MAdd’ Perry and his daughter Shy Perry.    

Blues fans will surely want to pick up this all-star blues record.  It’s fantastic!       

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For more information about the artist, visit this website : bobcorritore.com

 

Take a listen to the album on Apple Music.