Guitarist Frank "Paris Slim" Goldwasser is no stranger to those who've been paying attention to the West Coast blues scene over the last two decades. Born in Paris, France in 1960, his initial blues inspiration came from Hound Dog Taylor's "NATURAL BOOGIE" LP. After working his first professional gig at age 21 supporting visiting U.S. bluesman Sonny Rhodes, Rhodes invited him to move to the San Francisco Bay Area. With the commitment of a true believer, Franck packed his bags and moved to the Bay Area within a year, whereupon he was immediately hired by Troyce Key (who gave him the stage name of Paris Slim) to play in the house band at Key's legendary Eli's Mile High Club in Oakland.
He eventually assumed leadership of the group while Key took a professional hiatus, and became deeply immersed in the area's then-vibrant blues scene. He racked up three years touring with Jimmy McCracklin, as well as positive reviews for appearances at most of the prominent local venues with a distinguished roster of blues talent including Lowell Fulson, Percy Mayfield and Charlie Musselwhite. Four years after his first single was issued in 1984 on San Francisco's Backtrack label, his CD debut "BLUES FOR ESTHER" appeared, a strong outing which received a nomination from the prestigious W.C. Handy Awards. Its follow-up, "BLEEDIN' HEART", was co-produced with Joe Louis Walker, who guested along with Sonny Rhodes. An ongoing list of other sessions and frequent European touring (most prolifically as part of the Fedora Records house band behind Clay Hammond, Jimmy Dawkins, Homesick James and others) followed. Relocating to Southern California in 1998, he became a fixture on the vibrant L.A. blues scene, and continued to absorb new influences and hone his art. His recent CD "BLUJU" was produced by Randy Chortkoff, and has garnered acclaim as one of the most progressive blues releases in years while still remaining firmly rooted in the blues tradition. His association with Chortkoff led to a spot as regularly featured guitarist in the rotating cast of The Mannish Boys both in the studio and on the road.
Peter Dammann is a man of extraordinary talents and abilities. Not only is he a freelance writer, a dedicated family man and a topnotch Blues guitarist with The Paul deLay Band, but he is also the Talent Coordinator for The Miller Genuine Draft Waterfront Blues Festival. And, on top of all that, he's also a cordial and friendly human being as well! Peter took time out of his busy schedule preparing for this year's Waterfront Festival to talk with BluesNotes about his exciting and interesting life in the world of music.
Peter is well-schooled in the music he loves, the Blues. He recalls, "I grew up around Chicago, that's where I really learned to play. I played in a garage band in high school. The keyboard player from that band, Jimmy Pugh, now plays with The Robert Cray Band. We were playing Kinks and Rolling Stones covers and later Hendrix, Cream. Then, one summer around 1967 or '68, we heard about the first Chicago Grant Park Festival which was the precursor of all the Chicago Blues festivals that have come since. Muddy Waters, Lucille Spann, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Jimmy Dawkins, Luther Allison, Koko Taylor; everybody was there! It was unbelievable. It was the first time I felt like I'd heard real music. After that festival we drove back to the suburbs and became a Blues band."
Peter spent some time jamming down at the infamous Maxwell Street Market and at the clubs on the Chicago's Southside. He continues, "I would go down to Maxwell street on Sundays. It was a thieves market. They would have barbecues going all over the place, sort of like Saturday Market here, but in a more ethnic part of town. On nearly every corner there would be a power cord hanging out of a window. At the bottom of the power cord there would be a small drum set and an amplifier or two and a guitar player and maybe a harmonica player. There would be little bands set up all over and they would all be competing for the crowds."
Write on our Facebook Wall or post your Photos of great blues events! - Here
