MIDWEST BLUES BEAT

MONTHLY COLUMN

 by Eric Steiner

MEMPHIS CELEBRATES THE BLUES

      Last month, the 23rd annual W.C. Handy Awards celebrated the blues’ best at the Orpheum Theatre in Memphis. This year’s celebration was especially good to Chicago-area blues folks. Find the complete list of winners online at: www.handyawards.com.        

This year’s W.C. Handy Award winners include the homegrown talents –– Willie Kent on bass, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith on drums, Buddy Guy on guitar, and La Porte’s own Pinetop Perkins behind the keyboards. This line up would be my “Chicago blues dream team,” once you put Alligator’s Queen Bee, Koko Taylor, up front with a microphone.  For good measure, I’d add Charlie Musselwhite on harmonica and Little Milton on vocals as each spent formative years here.   

      Willie Kent has a lock on “Instrumentalist of the Year – Bass” category as he’s taken home the Handy hardware six years in a row.  Just one listen to his excellent Blue Chicago release, Comin’ Alive, and you’ll be hooked.  Willie plays soul, gospel and traditional Chicago blues, and he provides the rock-solid foundation for his Westside band, The Gents.   

My “dream team” rhythm section includes Willie and this year’s winner in the “Instrumentalist of the Year – Drums” category, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith.  Smith is a long-time go-to blues drummer, having worked with Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, The Legendary Blues Band, and outstanding solo work on Blind Pig.  Willie’s son, Kenny “Beady Eyes” Smith, is a blues drummer in his own right.  Take a listen to Paul De Lay’s smokin’ release De Lay Does Chicago (Evidence) and you’ll hear “Beady Eyes” behind the drums.

     In addition to this “in-the-pocket” rhythm section, I’d add Buddy Guy on guitar and Pinetop Perkins on piano.  The Handy nominating committee felt the same way when they nominated Buddy Guy for his excellent Jive Records release, Sweet Tea, an album that’s a bit different from other BG releases.  This year, Buddy picked up his 20th, 21st and 22nd Handys in the following categories:  “Contemporary Album of the Year,” “Contemporary Male Artist of the Year,” and “Instrumentalist of the Year – Guitar.” 

       For me, the two words that define blues keyboard are Pinetop Perkins.  He’s brought home the “Instrumentalist of the Year – Keyboards” award for the past seven years, and he was also awarded the “Traditional Male Artist of the Year” award in 1995 and his Portrait of a Delta Bluesman (Omega) was “Acoustic Blues Album of the Year” in 1994.    

       I’m glad that La Porte, Indiana’s favorite keyboard player is again being honored.  To put Pinetop, his longevity and his legend into perspective, you must understand that Pinetop started playing piano when Duke Ellington and his band left the Cotton Club to promote such traditional jazz standards as “Black and Tan Fantasy” and “Creole Love Call” in segregated, whites-only night clubs. Talkies were all the rage on the big screen, President Herbert Hoover was in the White House, and the country was in the throes of a Great Depression. If you had connections, you went to the local speakeasy for a drink as Prohibition had stunted America’s beer, wine and spirits production.  

      All that history and Pinetop is still a vital force in the blues today.  If you missed Pinetop at this year’s Chicago Blues Festival, see him at the Madison Blues Festival in Wisconsin later this summer. 

      Fronting of my blues “dream band” would be this year’s “Traditional Female Artist of the Year”  –– Koko Taylor.  She’s won the Handy Award 23 times not only in this category, but also in the “Vocalist,” “Entertainer,” and “Contemporary Female Artist” categories.   

     What would this “dream band” sing?  Well, I’ve got a wish list for a set list that runs from “Mannish Boy” and “Dust My Broom” to “Little Red Rooster.”  For starters, I’d ask the band to try Charlie Musselwhite’s “Charlie’s Old 51 Highway Blues.”  There was strong competition in the “Song of the Year” category, but this one won for Charlie.  I’d keep him in my “dream band” to play harmonica as Charlie did win the “Instrumentalist of the Year – Harmonica” award, and invite Little Milton to help with vocals.  Little Milton, also no stranger to Chicago blues as he recorded extensively with Chess before moving on to Stax and Malaco, two other legendary soul imprints.   

This year, Little Milton won for “Soul Blues Album of the Year” for his Feel It  (Malaco), and the nominating committee obviously can recognize a true soul treasure as Milton also took home his sixth “Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year” award. 

BLUE LOU’S BUFFET IS BACK...

Louie “Blue Lou” Patrizi, a long time fixture on the South Side Chicago blues scene is puttin’ the feed bag on folks again at his newly resurrected “Blues Buffet” which takes place every Tuesday at T-Zer’s Sports Bar (79 Joe Orr Rd.) in Chicago Heights, IL. 

 Along with Lou’s tasty homemade food spread (put out FREE for all blues players and fans), T-Zer’s patrons are treated to the hottest blues jam night in the Midwest!  Stage host each week is Dave “Biscuit” Miller & The Mix.  Among those who have shown up to support the jam/buffet and play during its first four weeks have been Phil Guy, Stan Skibby, The Steepwater Band and so many other top Chicagoland names.  This is the place to Tuesday nights if you love the blues and love to eat!   Louie serves up the best in both areas!

HOT JUNE TICKETS...

    There’s a host of good blues this month. Studebaker John & The Hawks play Crawdaddy Bayou in Wheeling on June 7th and Buddy Guy’s Legends on June 27th.  Willie Kent grooves at the 736 North Clark haunt, Blue Chicago on June 6th, 7th, and 8th.  Tommy Castro brings his blistering blues to Buddy Guy’s Legends on June 14th. Chicago Rhythm & Blues Kings play Blues On Halstead June 27th.  Two of the hot Ravinia tickets are:  John Hiatt on July 10th and the festival’s closer, Keb’ Mo’ on August 17th.