Blues

August 22: Blues Legend John Lee Hooker was Born in 1917

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]I don’t think about time. You’re here when you’re here. I think about today, staying in tune.
~John Lee Hooker

I don’t play a lot of fancy guitar. I don’t want to play it. The kind of guitar I want to play is mean, mean licks.
~John Lee Hooker

When they say true blues, pure blues, John Lee Hooker is as close to it as anyone I’ve ever heard.
~B.B. King

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer
Hey mister bartender come here
I want another drink and I want it now
~John Lee Hooker (One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer)[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

JLH was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Here from the ceremony he performs “In The Mood” together with Bonnie Raitt:

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21 Great songs with “Memphis” in their lyrics

Posted on by Egil Mosbron

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]I’m goin’ to Memphis where the beat is tough
Memphis, I can’t get enough
It makes you tremble and it makes you weak
Gets in your blood, that Memphis Beat
~Jerry Lee Lewis – Memphis Beat[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

I love Memphis and there many great songs with “Memphis” in their lyrics.

Here are 21 wonderful songs… Memphis it is.

1. Bob Dylan – Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]Oh, Mama, can this really be the end
To be stuck inside of Mobile
With the Memphis blues again[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Classic Concert: Muddy Waters live in Molde, Norway 1977

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Muddy Waters concert at the Molde Jazz Festival in 1977 did not start well, Willy Lee Smith was missing the cymbals and hi-hat for his drum set. The atmosphere was intense and the chaos on stage delayed the concert (a little bit). This was the opening concert at the Molde Jazz Festival in 1977, it was the 1st of August and the venue was the local cinema, Molde Kino.

Muddy Waters was tired after the European tour (this was the last concert on the tour). He said to the people in the crew that he’d rather sleep than play, but he was going to do two concerts in Molde this night.

Muddy Waters played two wonderful shows and the Norwegian Broadcasting Company (NRK) taped the first concert and they aired about an hour from the show on 29th of August 1977. The video we are presenting here is about 40 minutes long. Maybe NRK have more Muddy Waters in their vaults?

Muddy Waters soon gets into the groove and he delivered a classic concert in Molde in 1977. Enjoy!

1 Rocket (not on the video and without Muddy Waters)
2 Honey Dripper (not on the video and without Muddy Waters)
3 Evan’s Shuffle
4 Prison Bound Blues
5 Blow Wind Blow
6 (I’m Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
7 Baby Please Don’t Go
8 Can’t Get No Grindin’
9 You Don’t Have To Go (Muddy Waters leaves the stage)
10 Got My Mojo Working (encore)

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Classic concert: Muddy Waters at Copenhagen Jazz festival in 1968 (video)

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who is often cited as the “father of modern Chicago blues”.

This short and sweet set from Denmark, 27th October 1968 is a great showcase of his electric blues. It is a blistering concert with a great band, especially the great Otis Spann on piano. The sound and picture are both high broadcasting quality.
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The Howlin’ Wolf Story – The Secret History of Rock & Roll (Documentary, 2003)

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Few if any figures in blues loom as large as Howlin’ Wolf, yet there’s been a sad lack of footage of this staggering man. This director’s cut from the When the Sun Goes Down-The Secret History of Rock & Roll series is packed with never-before-seen live footage, rare Shindig footage presented by Mick Jagger and Brian Jones, interviews with bandmates and family and more. An absolute must for music-history and blues fans.

Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910 – January 10, 1976), known as Howlin’ Wolf, was a Chicago blues singer, guitarist, and harmonica player, originally from Mississippi. With a booming voice and imposing physical presence, he is one of the best-known Chicago blues artists. The musician and critic Cub Koda noted, “no one could match Howlin’ Wolf for the singular ability to rock the house down to the foundation while simultaneously scaring its patrons out of its wits.” Producer Sam Phillips recalled, “When I heard Howlin’ Wolf, I said, ‘This is for me. This is where the soul of man never dies.'” Several of his songs, including “Smokestack Lightnin'”, “Killing Floor” and “Spoonful”, have become blues and blues rock standards. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 54 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.

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Great performance: Rolling Stones – Little Red Rooster, Knebworth 1976 (video)

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

The Stones were back on stage for what was their biggest show in the UK since the Hyde Park concert of 1969 in August 1976, and it was in front of their biggest paying crowd ever…somewhere between 150,000 and 200,000 people.

One of the highlights for me was the performance of Willie Dixon’s Little Red Rooster, Rolling Stones does a version that is very close to Howling Wolf’s interpretation of the song. Slow and heavy Chicago blues with a fantastic groove.

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