March BEAT

MIDWEST BLUES BEAT

by Eric Steiner

MIND IF I GET HANDY WITH YOU?

        On May 24th, the center of the blues universe will be the Orpheum
Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee. On that night, The Blues Foundation will host
the 22nd Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards and the line-up of hosts and nominees
is first-class. Dr. John will be the Master of Ceremonies and he’ll help
celebrate the best that the blues has to offer. While I don’t have a crystal
ball, I’d like to give some props to a few bluesmen (and blueswomen) that, in
my opinion, deserve the Handy hardware and all the recognition that
represents.

     Here are a few Handy predictions that I’d like to offer. Keep in mind
that these are my opinions and not necessarily the views of others at The
Midwest BEAT. So, send your virtual tomatoes to me at: Ericrichd@aol.com .

     The “Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year” category has six of the
blues world’s best vying for this year’s trophy: R. L. Burnside, Big Jack
Johnson, James Cotton, Magic Slim, Robert Lockwood, Jr., and Snooky Pryor.
While each of them certainly deserves a place of honor for their own unique
contribution to the blues, my vote goes for Snooky Pryor. Snooky’s recent
work on Blind Pig and on Electro-Fi shows that, after nearly 50 years of
making music, Snooky is still at the top of his game. He was one of the
first bluesmen to play an amplified harp. When he plugs in, Snooky rocks the
house. He’s one of the best around.

     I’d like to stir it up by talking a little bit about my vote for “Blues
Entertainer of the Year.” There’s Little Milton, Rod Piazza, B.B. King,
Shemekia Copeland, Taj Mahal, and Bobby Rush. Quite accomplished company, in
any book. But, if I were a voting member of the Blues Foundation, I’d cast
my vote for Copeland. She’s one of the best blues shouters to ever hit the
stage, and she’s done a fine job of carrying on the tradition that the Queen
Bee herself, Koko Taylor, began in her work in South Side clubs like Harvey’s
Just Angels (anyone remember tipping ‘em back there?)

    Here’s a few more of my picks – “Traditional Blues Album of the Year”:
Double Shot by Snooky Pryor and Mel Brown (Electro-Fi). “Acoustic Blues
Album of the Year”: Butt Naked Free by Guy Davis (Red House Records).

“Historical Blues Album of the Year”: And This is Maxwell Street by various
artists (Rooster)

     My Handy 2001 award-winning blues band would consist of the following
sidemen: Keyboards – Pinetop Perkins; harmonica – Carey Bell; Bass – Calvin
“Fuzz” Jones; Guitar –   Duke Robillard; and on drums would be Willie “Big
Eyes” Smith. Under the “Instrumentalist” categories, I’d vote for Clarence
“Gatemouth” Brown on fiddle and The Memphis Horns for brass.

     For the “Blues Song of the Year,” my vote goes to Guy Davis’ “Waiting
for the Cards to Fall,” from his Butt Naked Free release on Red House. If
you’ve ever played blackjack waiting for an eight or a nine while the dealer
held with seven showing, you’ll get “Waiting for the Cards to Fall.”

     The 22nd Annual W.C. Handy Blues Awards are presented by Gibson Guitars.
Other sponsors include Tower Records, Amtrak, BMI, and Budweiser. The Blues
Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Blues
history, celebrating Blues excellence and supporting Blues education. It is
the umbrella organization for an international network of over 110 affiliated
organizations with members in 28 countries. For the latest info on the Handy
Awards and Handy Weekend, log online and point your browser to:
www.handyawards.com or www.blues.org.

DREAMING OF THE HANDYS...

     If Steepwater Band keeps on keepin’ on, they too will be recognized on
that Beale Street stage one day. Until that time comes, we’ve got Live! Half
in the Bag, the band’s first official live disc. This great set features
more than 70- minutes of Steepwater at their best – live. This summer,
they’ll return to the Chicago Blues Festival in June, just before they
release their first full-length studio CD. They are currently in
post-production at Frequency Recording Labs (formerly Hot Ham & Cheese
Recording Company). The self-produced record – engineered by Charlie Piper
and Chad “Chrome D” Moore – has 12 original tracks plus a classic blues
tune. The due date has been pushed back to July 2001. So keep checking the
website, www.steepwater.com for more details.

     I thought the Steepwater Band was one of the busiest bands around.
Little Johnny Moore’s schedule is pretty busy, too. If Martha Stewart sang
the blues, she’d say – “That’s a good thing.” Little Johnny hosts a blues
jam Wednesday nights at TK’s in Highland along with “Biscuit” Miller of the
Lonnie Brooks Band. Biscuit also sat in on Billy King’s Mean Woman Blues,
one of my favorite local CDs to come out in a long time. On Sundays, Little
Johnny hosts “Blue Sundays” at Widow McCleary’s in Thornton, IL, and on
“Blue Mondays,” he’s working his mojo at Bookies on Route 30 in Dyer, IN.
There’s no better way to support your local blues band than to catch ‘em
live and Steepwater Band and Little Johnny keep the blues alive on the South
Side.

     I just learned that Billy King is near completion on his sophomore CD
project. The as-yet-untitled set of songs will find King playing Delta-style
acoustic blues. “That’s the roots of the blues and you have to go back and
visit there to keep in real,” he said. “You can lose touch if you don’t go
back once in a while to the roots of the music. Renown region sax blower
Mike Haney guests on some of the songs.

   King now hosts an acoustic blues jam every other Sunday at ‘R House of
Brews (on the town square) in Crown Point, IN.

HOT TICKETS IN MAY...

     This month, there’s quite a few “must-see” shows... On May 4th, John
Mayall brings his blues employment agency, otherwise known as The
Bluesbreakers, to Buddy Guy’s Legends. Big Bill Morganfield plays at Budd
y’s place on May 5th, showcasing music from his new Blind Pig release,
Ramblin’ Mind. That same day, Perry Jordan and the re-energized Heartsfield
plays FitzGerald’s in Berwyn. One of my favorite songwriters and guitar
players, Mem Shannon, brings his Membership to Kingston Mines on May 17th.
Merrillville’s Star Plaza hosts a walk down memory lane in a pop-rock vein on
May19 with The Buckinghams, The Turtles (featuring Flo and Eddie), and Tommy
James & The Shondells. May’s a great month for music in the Chicagoland
area, so show support and catch a live show.

     Out here in the Pacific Northwest, we’re getting ready for a great
summer of live shows, including this year’s B.B. King Blues Festival, and a
special appearance by Handy-nominated bluesman Guy Davis at Fort Worden State
Park, where “An Officer and a Gentleman” was filmed..

     C’mon...let’s all get “handy” with the blues.