OOH-POO-PAH-DOO - Jessie Hill

Jessie Hill (December 9, 1932 — September 17, 1996) was an American R&B and Louisiana blues singer and songwriter, best remembered for the classic song, "Ooh Poo Pah Doo". Hill was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. By his teens Hill was playing drums in local bands, and in 1951 he formed his own group, the House Rockers. After periods performing as drummer with Professor Longhair and then Huey "Piano" Smith, he formed a new version of the House Rockers in 1958, which enabled him to focus on singing with the band. The origins of "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" were apparently created from a tune played by a local pianist, who was known only as Big Four. Hill wrote the lyrics and melody, later expanding the work with an intro taken from Dave Bartholomew. It was further honed on stage, before Hill recorded a demo that he shopped to local record labels, finally recording a session at Cosimo Matassa's studio produced by Allen Toussaint. Upon its early 1960 release, it emerged as a favourite at Mardi Gras, selling 800,000 copies and reaching the Top 5 in the US Billboard R&B chart and a Top 30 slot in the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. Further recordings in New Orleans were less successful, and he moved to California to work with fellow New Orleans musicians including Harold Battiste and Mac Rebennack. In this period, he wrote songs recorded by Ike and Tina Turner, Sonny and Cher, and Willie Nelson. A 1972 solo album was unsuccessful, and he began to suffer financial difficulties exacerbated by a drinking problem. These problems continued after his return to New Orleans in 1977, and several benefit gigs did little to revive his personal or professional fortunes. Hill died of heart and renal failure in New Orleans in September 1996, at the age of 63. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band! Two of his grandsons include James and Troy Andrews, also known by his nickname, Trombone Shorty. The pair performed "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" in Episode 7 of the HBO series Treme

Further On Up The Road - R L Griffin

R.L. Griffin (b Dec 9, 1939 Kilmore, Tx)is a major figure on the Dallas blues scene, doing much more than just bending notes to keep the genre of music vital and ensure that a forum exists for its appreciation. He runs his own nightclub, which he promises to be R.L. Griffin's Blues Palace. The man often called "the Right Reverend of the Blues" or "Ting-A-Ling" is also a classic blues and R&B disc jockey on KKDA, sometimes broadcasting directly from his club. Musicians who toil in the related careers of radio and venue management are naturally in the position to help other players, something Griffin seems to have excelled at, apparently at the expense of his own personal glory and fame. Griffin hails from Kilgore, TX, and remembers a contrasting scenario to the usual family full of blues, folk, and/or gospel enthusiasts. He was the only member of his family interested in playing music, beginning enthusiastically with school bands. He initially was a drummer and claims singing came about only in response to an off the cuff request for him to try a version of "Fever" by Little Willie John -- in terms of singing, the man seems not to have known his own strength. Once discovered, the talent led to an R&B combo, the Corvettes, eight pieces strong and attempting a James Brown sound. In 1965, Griffin hit Dallas for what turned into an eight-year stint at the Empire Room. During a period when the rock audience began discovering authentic blues, Griffin was handled by the same agency that booked guitar monster Freddie King, a favorite of Eric Clapton. Griffin, however, was not swept up in the kind of demand that allowed King -- any of them -- to tour auditorium-size venues throughout the world. Instead, Griffin's offices were Texas honky tonks: Louann's, Kenneth's Place, the Red Jacket, and the Climax Club, the latter owned by gunman Jack Ruby. As for managing his own enterprises of this nature, Griffin began with the Blues Alley in 1987, upgrading to a palace six years later. On record, the Griffin presence can be felt on the regional scene beginning with Robin Hood -- not the outlaw, but a bluesman who worked out of Tyler, TX. Griffin also cut sides with a group called the Sweet Sounds of Music, Big Bo Thomas, Al Braggs, and Earnest Davis. He has toured overseas with Charlie Musselwhite. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

I'll Be Rested - Blind Roosevelt Graves And Brother

Roosevelt Graves (December 9, 1909, Meridian, Mississippi – December 30, 1962, Gulfport, Mississippi) was an American blues guitarist and singer, who recorded both sacred and secular music in the 1920s and 1930s. On all his recordings, he played with his brother Uaroy Graves, who was also nearly blind and played the tambourine. They were credited as "Blind Roosevelt Graves and Brother". Their first recordings were made in 1929 for Paramount Records. Theirs is the earliest version recorded of "Guitar Boogie", and they exemplified the best in gospel singing with "I'll Be Rested". Blues researcher Gayle Dean Wardlow has suggested that their 1929 recording "Crazy About My Baby" "could be considered the first rock 'n' roll recording." In July 1936, they were located by the talent broker H. C. Speir, who arranged for them to record in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, according to some sources at the train station, although Speir later told Wardlow that the recordings took place in a temporary studio, in the Hotel Hattiesburg, at Mobile Street and Pine Street. For the session they were joined by the local piano player Cooney Vaughn, who performed weekly on radio station WCOC in Meridian prior to World War II. The trio were billed on record as the Mississippi Jook Band. In all, they recorded four tracks at Hattiesburg for the American Record Company - "Barbecue Bust", "Hittin' The Bottle Stomp", "Dangerous Woman" and "Skippy Whippy". According to the Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll, these "...featured fully formed rock & roll guitar riffs and a stomping rock & roll beat". The Graves Brothers did not record again. After the war, Roosevelt Graves is thought to have moved to Gulfport, Mississippi. For a number of years, the subject of Uaroy's identity was disputed. In several books, magazine articles, and album liner notes that mentioned the Graves brothers, the names "Aaron" or "Leroy" were substituted for Uaroy, on the assumption that the otherwise unknown name Uaroy must have arisen due to the poor penmanship of a recording company employee whose handwritten notes were misinterpreted. This controversy was put to rest in 2004, when photographic copies of the Paramount files were posted to the internet, and it could clearly be seen that the person who wrote up the recording session notes had written in a careful, almost printed hand, "Uaroy Graves." In October 2008, the recordings by the Graves brothers and the Mississippi Jook Band, and others who recorded in Hattiesburg, were commemorated by a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail, established to preserve the state's musical heritage If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Stage Fright - Rick Danko - The Band

Richard Clare "Rick" Danko (December 29, 1942 – December 10, 1999) was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band. The third of four sons, Danko was born in Green's Corners, Ontario, a farming community outside of the town of Simcoe, to a musical family of Ukrainian descent. Growing up in front of the family radio (as his future bandmates also did), he was exposed to country and R&B music at an early age. His musical heroes included Hank Williams and, later, Sam Cooke. He also drew inspiration from the music of his oldest brother, Maurice "Junior" Danko. Danko's younger brother, Terry, also became a musician. After entering the first grade in school, he performed on a 4 string tenor banjo. Danko formed the Rick Danko Band at the age of 12 or 13, and at 14, he left school to pursue music. At 17, already a five-year music veteran, he booked himself as the opening act for Ronnie Hawkins, an American rockabilly singer whose group, The Hawks, were considered to be one of the best in Canada. Danko also played solid, understated acoustic bass (along with Levon Helm on drums) on jazz guitar wizard, Lenny Breau's legendary The Hallmark Sessions Art of Life release in 1961. Hawkins invited Danko to join The Hawks as rhythm guitarist. Around this time, Hawks bassist Rebel Paine was fired by Hawkins, who, wasting no time, had Danko learn bass, given help by other members of the band. By September 1960, he was Hawkins's bassist, using the Fender VI six-string bass, then switching to a Fender Jazz Bass. Soon joined by pianist Richard Manuel and organist/reedsman Garth Hudson, The Hawks played with Hawkins through mid-1963. An altercation that year between Danko and Hawkins led Danko, Levon Helm, Robertson, Manuel, and Hudson to give two-weeks' notice in early 1964 and parted ways with Hawkins on reasonably amicable terms. The group had been planning to leave Hawkins and strike out together as a band without a frontman, as a team of equal members. Danko and the former Hawks initially performed as the Levon Helm Sextet, with saxophonist Jerry Penfound, later became The Canadian Squires, after Penfound left, and finally being called Levon and the Hawks. Playing a circuit that stretched in an arc from Ontario to Arkansas, they became known as "the best damn bar band in the land." By 1965, with two singles under their belt, recorded as the Canadian Squires, they met the legendary blues harmonicist and vocalist Sonny Boy Williamson and planned a collaboration with him as soon as he returned to Chicago. Unfortunately for the group (who went on to play a four-month stand of gigs in New Jersey immediately afterward), Williamson died two months after their meeting, and the collaboration never happened. Around that same time, Bob Dylan contacted them, and they became his backing group. The nature of Dylan's tour, however, became too much for Helm, who departed in November. Through May 1966, Dylan and the remaining foursome (together with pick-up drummers, including actor/musician Mickey Jones) traveled across America, Australia, and Europe, playing new versions of Dylan classics. After the final shows in England, Dylan retreated to his new home in Woodstock, New York, and the Hawks joined him shortly thereafter. It was Danko who had found the pink house on Parnassus Lane, just off Stoll Road, in Saugerties, New York, which became known as "Big Pink". Danko, Hudson, and Manuel moved in, with Robertson ensconcing himself nearby. The Band's musical sessions with Dylan took place in the basement of Big Pink, between June and October 1967, generating recordings that were officially released in 1975 as The Basement Tapes album. In October, The Hawks began their demo recordings for their first album, with Helm re-joining the group in that month. Their manager, Albert Grossman, secured them a recording deal with Capitol Records in late 1967. From January to March 1968, The Band recorded their debut album, Music From Big Pink, in recording studios in New York and Los Angeles. On this album, Danko sang lead vocal on three songs: "Caledonia Mission", "Long Black Veil" and "This Wheel's on Fire," which Danko had co-written with Dylan. Before The Band could promote the album by touring, Danko was severely injured in a car accident, breaking his neck and back in six places, which put him in traction for months. The Band finally made their concert debut at Bill Graham's Winterland in San Francisco April 1969. By this time, they were already hard at work on their eponymous second album. On that record, sometimes known as "The Brown Album," Danko sang what would become two of his signature songs—and two of the group's best-loved classics: the reflective yet whimsical story-song "When You Awake" and the achingly poignant "The Unfaithful Servant." Both songs exemplified Danko's talents as a lead singer and demonstrated his naturally plaintive voice. Rick Danko was also known to play concerts and hang around Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida. The Band's albums were defined by each member—Robertson's lyrics and guitar work, Helm's "bayou folk" drumming and Southern voice, Manuel's Ray Charles-like vocals and complex keyboard rhythms, and Hudson's arrangements on an assortment of instruments and Danko's iconic tenor, his on-top-of-the-melody harmonies, and his percussive, melodic bass-playing style were an integral part of the group's sound. In an interview with Guitar Player, Danko cited bassists James Jamerson, Ron Carter, Edgar Willis, and Chuck Rainey as his musical influences. He eventually moved from the Fender Jazz Bass to an Ampeg fretless model and later a Gibson Ripper for The Last Waltz. After The Band performed its farewell concert ("The Last Waltz") at Winterland in November 1976, Danko was offered a contract with Arista Records by Clive Davis, making him the first Band member to record a solo album. Issued in 1977, his self titled début featured each of his former bandmates in addition to Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton, Doug Sahm and Danko's brother, Terry. The album was primarily recorded at The Band's California Studio, Shangri-La. The poor sales of the album destined it for rarity status. After he recorded an unreleased follow-up album, Danko was dropped from Arista. The follow-up album was finally released as a part of 2005's Cryin' Heart Blues. Rick Danko with Paul Butterfield Woodstock Reunion, 1979 In early 1979 Danko opened shows for Boz Scaggs. Also in 1979, Danko and Paul Butterfield toured together as the Danko/Butterfield Band. Among the songs they covered was Sail On, Sailor, originally recorded by The Beach Boys, with Blondie Chaplin, who toured with Danko/Butterfield, on guitar and vocals. From 1983 to 1999, Danko alternated between a reformed version of The Band featuring Helm, Hudson, and guitarist Jim Weider (and, from 1983 to 1986, Manuel); a solo career; and collaborations including award-winning work with singer/songwriter Eric Andersen and Norway's Jonas Fjeld as Danko/Fjeld/Andersen. In 1984, Rick Danko joined members of the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers and others in a touring company called "The Byrds Twenty-Year Celebration." Several members of the band performed solo songs to start the show including Danko, who performed "Mystery Train". In 1989, he toured with Levon Helm and Garth Hudson as part of Ringo Starr's first All-Starr Band. Danko sang on the Pink Floyd songs "Comfortably Numb" and "Mother", the former with Van Morrison, Roger Waters, and Levon Helm, and the latter with Helm and Sinéad O'Connor on July 21, 1990, in Roger Waters' stage production of The Wall Concert in Berlin. He recorded demos and made a number of appearances on albums by other artists throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and, in 1997, released Rick Danko in Concert. Two years later, a third solo album (Live on Breeze Hill) was released, and Danko was at work on a fourth (Times Like These) at the time of his death. In the meantime, The Band, without Robertson, recorded three more albums, and Danko teamed with Fjeld and Andersen for two trio albums, Danko/Fjeld/Andersen in 1991 and Ridin' on the Blinds in 1994. In 1994, Rick Danko was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Band. By the late 1990s, alcoholism, prescribed opiates, including morphine, and rapid weight gain in the mid 1990s took its toll. Danko was found guilty of smuggling heroin into Japan. He told the presiding judge that he had begun using the drug (together with prescription morphine) to fight lifelong pain resulting from his 1968 auto accident. On December 10, 1999, days after the end of a brief tour of the Midwest that included two shows in the Chicago area and a final gig at The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Danko died in his sleep at his home in Marbletown, New York, near Woodstock. Following an autopsy, Danko's cause of death was determined to be drug-related heart failure. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth; son Justin (adopted stepson); and daughter, Lisa, by his first marriage. His son Eli, also from his first marriage, died in 1989 at the age of 18 from asphyxiation. Danko was buried in the Woodstock Cemetery in Woodstock, New York; his bandmate Levon Helm was buried near him following his death in April, 2012. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Ain't Broke, Ain't Hungry- Polka Dot Slim

Monroe “Polka Dot Slim” Vincent (December 9, 1926 to June 22, 1981) in Woodville, MS., and was influenced by the harmonica playing of Sonny Boy Williamson I. Vincent made his debut in 1956 recording a single for Excello in Crowley, LA. as Vince Monroe. In 1957 he recorded over two dozen sides for Zynn in Crowley, but at the time the label only released two recordings. Some of these recordings were later issued by Flyright Records in England with Vincent billed as "Mr. Calhoun". Vincent returned to recording in 1965 and the following year waxing two singles for Instant & Apollo, respectively. Even after his recording career stalled, he remained a fixture on the New Orleans performing scene up until about 1976. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

In The Valley - Willie Williams

Willie Williams (drums,) Hubert Sumlin (lead guitar), Willie "Pinetop" Perkins (piano), Eddie Taylor (g), Roy Lee Johnson (rhythm g), Odell, Joe Harper (bass), Carey Bell & Little Mack (harp) I can't find much about Willie Williams, a blues singer & drummer who recorded one album in the early 1970's. If anyone has anything on him please let me know. He's in good company! If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band! This is a pretty cool track but unfortunately the link is a bit messed up so please click video to hear the track. Video

JULIA'S BLUES - Julia Lee

Julia Lee (October 31, 1902 – December 8, 1958) was an American blues and dirty blues musician. Born in Boonville, Missouri, United States, Lee was raised in Kansas City, and began her musical career around 1920, singing and playing piano in her brother George Lee's band, which for a time also included Charlie Parker. She first recorded on the Merritt record label in 1927 with Jesse Stone as pianist and arranger, and launched a solo career in 1935. In 1944 she secured a recording contract with Capitol Records,[1] and a string of R&B hits followed, including "Gotta Gimme Whatcha Got" (#3 R&B, 1946), "Snatch and Grab It" (#1 R&B for 12 weeks, 1947, selling over 500,000 copies), "King Size Papa" (#1 R&B for 9 weeks, 1948), "I Didn't Like It The First Time (The Spinach Song)" (#4 R&B, 1949), and "My Man Stands Out". As these titles suggest, she became best known for her trademark double entendre songs, or, as she once said, "the songs my mother taught me not to sing". The records were credited to 'Julia Lee and Her Boy Friends', her session musicians including Jay McShann, Vic Dickenson, Benny Carter, Red Norvo, Nappy Lamare, and Red Nichols. She was married to Frank Duncan, a star catcher and manager of the Negro National League's Kansas City Monarchs. He, like Julia, was a native of Kansas City. Although her hits dried up after 1949, she continued as one of the most popular performers in Kansas City until her death in San Diego, California, at the age of 56, from a heart attack If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Trouble in Mind - Chippie Hill, Louis Armstrong, Richard M. Jones

Richard M. Jones, born Richard Marigny Jones, (13 June 1892 – 8 December 1945) was a jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and record producer. Numerous songs bear his name as author, including "Trouble in Mind". Jones grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jones suffered from a stiff leg and walked with a limp; fellow musicians gave him the nickname "Richard My Knee Jones" as a pun on his middle name. In his youth he played alto horn in brass bands. His main instrument, however, became the piano. By 1908 he was playing in Storyville, the red-light district of New Orleans. A few years later, he often led a small band which sometimes included Joe Oliver. Jones also worked in the bands of John Robichaux, Armand J. Piron, and Papa Celestin. In 1918 Jones moved to Chicago. He worked as Chicago manager for publisher Clarence Williams. Jones began recording in 1923, making gramophone records as a piano soloist, accompanist to vocalists, and with his bands The Jazz Wizards and The Chicago Cosmopolitans. He recorded for Gennett, OKeh, Victor, and Paramount Records in the 1920s. He also worked for OKeh Records as Chicago supervisor of the company's "Race" (African-American) Records for most of the decade. In the 1930s he played a similar role for Decca. Richard M. Jones worked for Mercury Records until his death. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Walter Horton Jamming with Johnny Shines and Honeyboy Edwards

Walter Horton, better known as Big Walter Horton or Walter "Shakey" Horton, (April 6, 1917 – December 8, 1981) was an American blues harmonica player. A quiet, unassuming and essentially shy man, Horton is remembered as one of the premier harmonica players in the history of blues.Willie Dixon once called Horton "the best harmonica player I ever heard. Born Walter Horton in Horn Lake, Mississippi, he was playing a harmonica by the time he was five years old.In his early teens, he lived in Memphis, Tennessee and claimed that his earliest recordings were done there in the late 1920s with the Memphis Jug Band, although there is no documentation of it, and some blues researchers have stated that this story was most likely fabricated by Horton. (He also claimed to have taught some harmonica to Little Walter and the original Sonny Boy Williamson, although these claims are unsubstantiated, and in the case of the older Williamson, somewhat suspect). As with many of his peers, he spent much of his career existing on a meager income and living with constant discrimination in a segregated United States of America. In the 1930s he played with various blues performers across the Mississippi delta region. It is generally accepted that his first recordings were made in Memphis backing guitarist Little Buddy Doyle on Doyle's recordings for the Okeh and Vocalion labels in 1939. These recordings were in the acoustic duo format popularized by Sleepy John Estes with his harmonicist Hammie Nixon, among others. On these recordings, Horton's style is not yet fully realized, but there are clear hints of what is to come. He eventually stopped playing the harp for a living due to poor health, and worked mainly outside of the music industry in the 1940s. By the early 1950s, he was playing music again, and was among the first to record for Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, who would later record Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash. The early Big Walter recordings from Sun include performances from a young Phineas Newborn, Jr. on piano, who later gained fame as a jazz pianist. His instrumental track recorded around this time, "Easy", was based on Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind". During the early 1950s he first appeared on the Chicago blues scene, where he frequently played with fellow Memphis and Delta musicians who had also moved north, including guitarists Eddie Taylor and Johnny Shines. When Junior Wells left the Muddy Waters band at the end of 1952, Horton replaced him for long enough to play on one session with Waters in January 1953. Horton's style had by then fully matured, and he was playing in the heavily amplified style that became one of the trademarks of the Chicago blues sound. He also made great use of techniques such as tongue-blocking. He made an outstanding single as a leader for States in 1954. Horton's solo on Jimmy Rogers' 1956 Chess recording "Walking By Myself" is considered by many to be one of the high points of his career, and of Chicago Blues of the 1950s. Also known as "Mumbles", and "Shakey" because of his head motion while playing the harmonica, Horton was active on the Chicago blues scene during the 1960s as blues music gained popularity with white audiences. From the early 1960s onward, he recorded and appeared frequently as a sideman with Eddie Taylor, Johnny Shines, Johnny Young, Sunnyland Slim, Willie Dixon and many others. He toured extensively, usually as a backing musician, and in the 1970s he performed at blues and folk music festivals in the U.S. and Europe, frequently with Willie Dixon's Chicago Blues All-Stars. He has also appeared as a guest on recordings by blues and rock stars such as Fleetwood Mac and Johnny Winter. In October 1968, while touring the United Kingdom, he recorded the album Southern Comfort with the former Savoy Brown and future Mighty Baby guitarist Martin Stone. In the late 1970s he toured the U.S. with Homesick James Williamson, Guido Sinclair, Eddie Taylor, Richard Molina, Bradley Pierce Smith and Paul Nebenzahl, and appeared on National Public Radio broadcasts. Two of the best compilation albums of his own work are Mouth-Harp Maestro and Fine Cuts. Also notable is the Big Walter Horton and Carey Bell album, released by Alligator Records in 1972. He became a mainstay on the festival circuit, and often played at the open-air market on Chicago's Maxwell Street. In 1977, he joined Johnny Winter and Muddy Waters on Winter's album I'm Ready, and during the same period recorded some material for Blind Pig Records. Horton appeared in the Maxwell Street scene in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers, accompanying John Lee Hooker. His final recordings were made in 1980. Horton died from heart failure in Chicago in 1981 at the age of 64, and was buried in Restvale Cemetery in Alsip, Illinois. He was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1982. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Hollywood Fats with The James Harman Band

Hollywood Fats (May 17, 1954 – December 8, 1986) was an American blues guitarist, active in Los Angeles, California.
Hollywood Fats was born Michael Leonard Mann in Los Angeles, and started playing guitar at the age of 10. While in his teens, his mother would drive him to various clubs in South Central Los Angeles to jam with well-known blues musicians when they came to town. Hollywood Fats' father was a doctor and his siblings went on to become doctors and lawyers. He met Buddy Guy and Junior Wells who gave him the nickname. Hollywood Fats toured with James Harman, Jimmy Witherspoon, J. B. Hutto, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Albert King.

During the 1970s and 1980s he worked with the blues harmonica player and singer James Harman. He played on a number of his records including Extra Napkin's, Mo' Na'Kins, Please and Live in '85. Other guitarists with whom he played included Junior Watson, Kid Ramos and Dave Alvin.

Hollywood Fats was invited to be a sideman to Muddy Waters and later met the harmonica player Al Blake. Blake had just moved to Los Angeles from Oklahoma. In 1974, Hollywood Fats and Blake formed a band consisting of pianist Fred Kaplan, Richard Innes on drums and Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor called the Hollywood Fats Band.

For a King Biscuit Flower Hour concert on September 7, 1979, which was later to be released on record, Hollywood Fats played the lead guitar in Canned Heat.

The Hollywood Fats Band released a self-titled album in 1979, the only album under their name. The band broke up not long after and Hollywood Fats continued to play with Harman's band, and The Blasters in 1986 replacing Dave Alvin.

Hollywood Fats also played with a non-blues band called Dino's Revenge from 1985 through 1986. He recorded three songs with Dino's Revenge as well as playing several live performances. The band consisted of Marshall Rohner of T.S.O.L. as well as Kevan Hill, Butch Azevedo and Steven Ameche all of The Twisters.

Hollywood Fats died of a heroin overdose in 1986 in Los Angeles at the age of 32. At the time of his death, he was playing with the James Harman Band, the Blasters and Dino's Revenge.
James Harman (born June 8, 1946, Anniston, Alabama, United States) is an American blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. Music journalist, Tony Russell, described Harman as an "amusing songwriter and an excellent, unfussy harp player"
At the age of four, Harman began lessons in piano playing, and also sang in his local church choir. Harmonicas owned by his father were stored in the piano bench, and James tried playing them after his piano lessons ended. In time, he became capable in several other musical instruments, including guitar, electric organ, and drums.

In 1962, he relocated to Panama City, Florida, where he played in many rhythm and blues bands, of which The Icehouse Blues Band was the last. Earl Caldwell, manager of The Swinging Medallions, signed Harman to a recording contract. In 1964, in Atlanta, Georgia, Harman recorded the first of nine early singles, which were variously released on five different record labels.

Harman performed as a blues harmonica player and singer in Chicago, New York, and elsewhere before he moved to Southern California in the 1970s. There, his Icehouse Blues Band played alongside Big Joe Turner, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Lowell Fulsom, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, and Albert Collins. In 1977 he formed the James Harman Band. Over the years their line-up has included Phil Alvin and Bill Bateman, who left in 1978 to form The Blasters; Gene Taylor, who departed in 1981, also to join the Blasters before moving on to The Fabulous Thunderbirds; and Kid Ramos. Alumni also included the late Hollywood Fats who, after leaving his own band in 1980, played alongside Harman for five years.

Harman became known as a skilled, reliable musician, whether for a backing band or leading his own ensemble. His band recorded several albums during the 1980s, before settling in 1990 at Black Top If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Recording of Wild Child - Jim Morrison and the Doors

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer-songwriter and poet, best remembered as the lead singer of Los Angeles rock band The Doors. Following The Doors' explosive rise to fame in 1967, Morrison developed a severe alcohol and drug dependency that culminated in his death at the age of 27 in Paris. He is alleged to have died of a heroin overdose, but as no autopsy was performed, the exact cause of his death is still disputed. Morrison was well known for often improvising spoken word poetry passages while the band played live. Due to his wild personality and performances, he is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history. Morrison was ranked number 47 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", and number 22 on Classic Rock Magazine's "50 Greatest Singers In Rock" James Douglas Morrison was born in Melbourne, Florida, to future Rear Admiral George Stephen Morrison and Clara Morrison. Morrison had a sister, Anne Robin, who was born in 1947 in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and a brother, Andrew Lee Morrison, who was born in 1948 in Los Altos, California. He was of Irish and Scottish descent. In 1947, Morrison, then four years old, allegedly witnessed a car accident in the desert, in which a family of Native Americans were injured and possibly killed. He referred to this incident in a spoken word performance on the song "Dawn's Highway" from the album An American Prayer, and again in the songs "Peace Frog" and "Ghost Song." Morrison believed this incident to be the most formative event of his life, and made repeated references to it in the imagery in his songs, poems, and interviews. His family does not recall this incident happening in the way he told it. According to the Morrison biography No One Here Gets Out Alive, Morrison's family did drive past a car accident on an Indian reservation when he was a child, and he was very upset by it. The book The Doors, written by the remaining members of The Doors, explains how different Morrison's account of the incident was from the account of his father. This book quotes his father as saying, "We went by several Indians. It did make an impression on him [the young James]. He always thought about that crying Indian." This is contrasted sharply with Morrison's tale of "Indians scattered all over the highway, bleeding to death." In the same book, his sister is quoted as saying, "He enjoyed telling that story and exaggerating it. He said he saw a dead Indian by the side of the road, and I don't even know if that's true." With his father in the United States Navy, Morrison's family moved often. He spent part of his childhood in San Diego. While his father was stationed at NAS Kingsville, he attended Flato Elementary in Kingsville, Texas. In 1958 Morrison attended Alameda High School in Alameda, California. He graduated from George Washington High School (now George Washington Middle School) in Alexandria, Virginia in June 1961. His father was also stationed at Mayport Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Florida[citation needed]. Morrison was inspired by the writings of philosophers and poets. He was influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche, whose views on aesthetics, morality, and the Apollonian and Dionysian duality would appear in his conversation, poetry and songs[citation needed]. He read Plutarch’s "Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans". He read the works of the French Symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud, whose style would later influence the form of Morrison’s short prose poems[citation needed]. He was influenced by Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Charles Baudelaire, Molière and Franz Kafka[citation needed]. Honoré de Balzac and Jean Cocteau, along with most of the French existentialist philosophers. His senior-year English teacher said that, "Jim read as much and probably more than any student in class, but everything he read was so offbeat I had another teacher, who was going to the Library of Congress, check to see if the books Jim was reporting on actually existed. I suspected he was making them up, as they were English books on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century demonology. I’d never heard of them, but they existed, and I’m convinced from the paper he wrote that he read them, and the Library of Congress would’ve been the only source." Morrison was arrested in Tallahassee after pulling a prank while drunk at a football game Morrison went to live with his paternal grandparents in Clearwater, Florida, where he attended classes at St. Petersburg College (then known as a junior college). In 1962, he transferred to Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, where he appeared in a school recruitment film. While attending FSU, Morrison was arrested for a prank, following a home football game. In January 1964, Morrison moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He enrolled in Jack Hirschman's class on Antonin Artaud in the Comparative Literature program within the UCLA English Department. Artaud's brand of surrealist theatre had a profound impact on Morrison's dark poetic sensibility of cinematic theatricality. Morrison completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA's film school within the Theater Arts department of the College of Fine Arts in 1965. He never went to the graduation ceremony, instead having his degree diploma mailed to him. He made several short films while attending UCLA. First Love, the first of these films, made with Morrison's classmate and roommate Max Schwartz, was released to the public when it appeared in a documentary about the film Obscura. During these years, while living in Venice Beach, he became friends with writers at the Los Angeles Free Press. Morrison was an advocate of the underground newspaper until his death in 1971. He later conducted a lengthy and in-depth interview with Bob Chorush and Andy Kent, both working for the Free Press at the time (January 1971), and was planning on visiting the headquarters of the busy newspaper shortly before leaving for Paris Morrison joined Pam in Paris in March 1971. They took up residence in the city in a rented apartment on the rue Beautreillis (in the 4th arrondissement of Paris on the Right Bank), and went for long walks throughout the city, admiring the city's architecture. During this time, Morrison shaved his beard and lost some of the weight he had gained in the previous months. His last studio recording was with two American street musicians—a session dismissed by Manzarek as "drunken gibberish". The session included a version of a song-in-progress, "Orange County Suite", which can be heard on the bootleg The Lost Paris Tapes. Morrison died on July 3, 1971 at age 27. In the official account of his death, he was found in a Paris apartment bathtub (at 17–19 rue Beautreillis, 4th arrondissement) by Courson. Pursuant to French law, no autopsy was performed because the medical examiner stated that there was no evidence of foul play. The absence of an official autopsy has left many questions regarding Morrison's cause of death. In Wonderland Avenue, Danny Sugerman discussed his encounter with Courson after she returned to the United States. According to Sugerman's account, Courson stated that Morrison had died of a heroin overdose, having insufflated what he believed to be cocaine. Sugerman added that Courson had given him numerous contradictory versions of Morrison's death, saying at times that she had killed Morrison, or that his death was her fault. Courson's story of Morrison's unintentional ingestion of heroin, followed by his accidental overdose, is supported by the confession of Alain Ronay, who has written that Morrison died of a hemorrhage after snorting Courson's heroin, and that Courson nodded off instead of phoning for medical help, leaving Morrison bleeding to death. Ronay confessed in an article in Paris that he then helped cover up the circumstances of Morrison's death. In the epilogue of No One Here Gets Out Alive, Hopkins and Sugerman write that Ronay and Agnès Varda say Courson lied to the police who responded to the death scene, and later in her deposition, telling them Morrison never took drugs. In the epilogue to No One Here Gets Out Alive, Hopkins says that 20 years after Morrison's death, Ronay and Varda broke their silence and gave this account: They arrived at the house shortly after Morrison's death and Courson said that she and Morrison had taken heroin after a night of drinking. Morrison had been coughing badly, had gone to take a bath, and vomited blood. Courson said that he appeared to recover and that she then went to sleep. When she awoke sometime later Morrison was unresponsive, so she called for medical assistance. Hopkins and Sugerman also claim that Morrison had asthma and was suffering from a respiratory condition involving a chronic cough and vomiting blood on the night of his death. This theory is partially supported in The Doors (written by the remaining members of the band) in which they claim Morrison had been coughing up blood for nearly two months in Paris, but none of the members of The Doors were in Paris with Morrison in the months prior to his death. According to a Madame Colinette, who was at the cemetery that day mourning the recent loss of her husband, she witnessed Morrison's funeral at Père Lachaise Cemetery. The ceremony was "pitiful", with several of the attendants muttering a few words, throwing flowers over the casket, then leaving quickly and hastily within minutes as if their lives depended upon it. Those who attended included Alain Ronay, Agnes Varda, Bill Siddons (manager), Courson, and Robin Wertle (Morrison's Canadian private secretary at the time for a few months). In the first version of No One Here Gets Out Alive published in 1980, Sugerman and Hopkins gave some credence to the rumor that Morrison may not have died at all, calling the fake death theory “not as far-fetched as it might seem”. This theory led to considerable distress for Morrison's loved ones over the years, notably when fans would stalk them, searching for evidence of Morrison's whereabouts. In 1995 a new epilogue was added to Sugerman's and Hopkins's book, giving new facts about Morrison's death and discounting the fake death theory, saying “As time passed, some of Jim and Pamela [Courson]'s friends began to talk about what they knew, and although everything they said pointed irrefutably to Jim's demise, there remained and probably always will be those who refuse to believe that Jim is dead and those who will not allow him to rest in peace.” Morrison's grave at Père Lachaise (August 2008) In July 2007, Sam Bernett, a former manager of the Rock 'n' Roll Circus nightclub, released a (French) book titled "The End: Jim Morrison". In it Bernett alleges that instead of dying of a heart attack in a bathtub (the official police version of his death) Morrison overdosed on heroin on a toilet seat in the nightclub. He claims that Morrison came to the club to buy heroin for Courson then did some himself and died in the bathroom. Morrison's body was then moved back to his rue Beautreillis apartment and dumped into the bathtub by the two drug dealers from whom Morrison had purchased the heroin. Bernett says those who saw Morrison that night were sworn to secrecy in order to prevent a scandal for the famous club, and that some of the witnesses immediately left the country. There have been many other conspiracy theories surrounding Morrison's death but are less supported by witnesses than are the accounts of Ronay and Courson. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Boogie, Baby - Henry "Rufe" Johnson

Henry Johnson (* 8th December, 1908 in the union county (South Carolina); † February, 1974 in union (South Carolina)) was an US-American Bluesmusiker (guitar, oral accordion, piano, song). Johnson learned early guitar; in 1933 he also turned to the piano. In the 1970s he was discovered by Pete Lowry, played in several albums and appeared as national, possibly with "Peg Leg Sam" Jackson as well as with Willie Moore and Guitar Shorty If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

The Stuff Is Here - Cleo Brown

Cleo Brown, later Cleo Patra Brown (December 8, 1909 – April 15, 1995) was an American blues and jazz vocalist and pianist. Brown was born in Meridian, Mississippi, and sang in church as a child. In 1919 her family moved to Chicago and she began studying piano; in the 1920s she began taking gigs in clubs and broadcast on radio. From the 1930s to the 1950s she toured the United States regularly, recording for Decca Records (among other labels) along the way and recording many humorous, ironic titles such as "Breakin' in a Pair of Shoes", "Mama Don't Want No Peas and Rice and Coconut Oil" and "The Stuff Is Here and it's Mellow". Her stride piano playing was often compared to Fats Waller. In the 1940s Brown began to shy from singing bawdy blues songs because of deepening religious beliefs, and in 1953 she retired and became a nurse. She was rediscovered in the 1980s after being tracked down by Marian McPartland; she returned to record again and performed on National Public Radio. She died on April 15, 1995 in Denver, Colorado, aged 85. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Come And Go Blues - Gregg Allman

Gregory LeNoir "Gregg" Allman (born December 8, 1947 in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2006. His distinctive voice placed him in 70th place in the Rolling Stone list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". At the beginning of the 1970s, The Allman Brothers Band enjoyed huge success and a number of their most characteristic songs were written by Allman. Unusual for the time, the band was based in the Southeastern United States and their music, which has been called ‘Southern Rock’, a term derided by Allman, incorporates an innovative fusion of rock, blues, and jazz. Following the death of his older brother, guitarist Duane Allman in 1971, and a year later, bass guitarist Berry Oakley, both in motorcycle accidents, the band struggled on and continued to perform and record. In addition, Allman developed a solo career and a band under his own name. Allman’s solo music has perhaps a greater resonance of soul music than his work with ABB, possibly because of the influence of artists such as Bobby Bland and Little Milton, singers who he has long admired. Despite recent health issues, Allman still tours. Allman's memoirs of his life in music, My Cross to Bear, was released on May 1, 2012 After the death of Duane Allman in 1971, Gregg Allman started out on a solo career. His first album, Laid Back, was released in 1973 to a positive critical reception. It included a couple of reworked Allman Brothers songs, such as a horn-infused version of "Midnight Rider" that made it to #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and originals like "Queen of Hearts", the other ABB members felt did not quite fit the Allman Brothers sound. Gregg also covered a traditional gospel song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?" and former California roommate Jackson Browne's song "These Days." Allman in 2006 His solo career has continued intermittently throughout the subsequent decades, sometimes touring when the Allman Brothers Band is off the road. Generally, these solo efforts - first with the Gregg Allman Band, and later with Gregg Allman & Friends - eschew lengthy guitar solos and cast Allman more in the mode of his favorite soul singers. The bands often include a horn section and are more groove-oriented, mixing original songs with reworked Allman Brothers songs and covers of blues, R&B, and soul songs. Allman's second chart single came in 1987 with the #49 peaking "I'm No Angel", from the album of the same name. The album went on to be certified Gold for 500,000 copies sold and led to a renewed interest in Allman and to a reformation of the Allman Brothers Band less than three years later. His solo album, Low Country Blues, was produced by T-Bone Burnett and issued in early 2011. It is a collection of eleven blues standards and one new song written by him. The album was nominated as the Best Blues Album for the 2011 Grammy Awards. He has also made guest appearances on albums and concert videos by a wide variety of other artists, including a concert DVD celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Radiators, playing Midnight Rider with that band. In addition to his musical career, Allman took acting roles in the films Rush Week (1989) and Rush (1991), and in episodes of the TV series Superboy. He also had a brief speaking cameo in the Family Guy episode "Let's Go to the Hop". If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

State Street Blues - Sam Theard

Lovin' Sam Theard served most of his lengthy professional existence as an actor and a comedian in theaters, movies, and television. Those who study and specialize in old-time hokum, dirty blues, and novelty swing records associate his name with delectable ditties like "She Skuffles That Ruff," "You Can't Get That Stuff No More," "Rubbin' on That Darned Old Thing," and "I Wonder Who's Boogiein' My Woogie Now." Here in the glorious information glut of the 21st century, Sam Theard is likely to be remembered and referenced now and then as the man who wrote "(I'll Be Glad When You're Dead) You Rascal You," a rambunctious number made famous by Louis Armstrong. Most importantly, any search engine armed with his name will uncover multiple references to his magnum opus, "Let the Good Times Roll," which was one of Louis Jordan's major hits as well as a primary staple of rhythm & blues and early rock & roll. Born in New Orleans, LA on October 10, 1904, he began working with a circus in 1923 and spent many years on the road, performing in theaters and nightclubs. Most of his recordings were made in or near Chicago. In 1929 and 1930 he recorded as Lovin' Sam from Down in 'Bam for the Brunswick record company under the supervision of A&R director Mayo Williams. Focusing almost exclusively upon human sexuality, Theard sang bawdily humorous songs backed by guitarist Tampa Red and pianists Cow Cow Davenport and H. Benton Overstreet. After a brief dalliance with the Gennett label in 1930 using the name Sam Tarpley, Theard engaged in a bit of label hopping. He cut records for Decca in 1934 (backed by pianist Albert Ammons), for Vocalion in 1937 and Victor's budget line Bluebird series in 1938. His voice can also be heard on records issued under the names of pianist Tiny Parham and trumpeter Hot Lips Page. Theard was busy as a comedian in Harlem during the 1930s and '40s, regularly treading the boards at the Apollo Theater alongside Dusty Fletcher, Pigmeat Markham, and Jackie "Moms" Mabley. It was during this period that he began calling himself Spo-Dee-O-Dee. While gigging in Chicago in 1942 he and one Fleecie Moore came up with a ditty called "Let the Good Times Roll" and shared it with singing saxophonist Louis Jordan who scored a massive hit with his Tympany Five recording of it in 1946. Theard, who can also be seen in Jordan's film Caldonia, had a bit of a minor comeback towards the end of his life after landing in Hollywood in 1976, sometimes reverting to his old stage name Spo-Dee-O-Dee. He goofed with Redd Fox on the set of Sanford & Son, teamed up with Foxx and Pearl Bailey in Norman, Is That You?, and appeared in Little House on the Prairie. Theard's face became marginally familiar to audiences who had no idea who he was or what his past accomplishments amounted to. He appeared as Cripple in Richard Pryor's Which Way is Up? and as the Wino in an all-black remake of Cinderella called Cindy; as Old Second with Jackie Gleason and Karl Malden in The Sting II and as the Left Hand of God in Motown's biographical salute to Scott Joplin. Accomplished, versatile, and influential but never accorded the kind of recognition that he deserved, Sam Theard passed away at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA on December 7, 1982. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Doorsteps To Sorrow - Rudolph Taylor , Tommy Cogbill

Thomas Clark Cogbill, (b. April 8, 1932 - December 7, 1982) and known as Tommy Cogbill was an American bassist, guitarist and record producer. Tommy Cogbill was born in Johnson Grove, Tennessee. He was a highly sought-after session and studio musician who appeared on many now-classic recordings of the 1960s and 1970s, especially those recorded in Nashville, Memphis and Muscle Shoals. He has been credited as an influence by bass guitarists, including Jaco Pastorius. In the later 1960s and early 1970s, Cogbill worked extensively at Memphis's American Sound Studio as a producer and as part of the studio's house rhythm section, known as The Memphis Boys. One of the best known recordings featuring his bassline was Dusty Springfield’s 1969 hit "Son of a Preacher Man", produced by Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd. Other major artists he recorded with include Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Kris Kristofferson, J. J. Cale, Wilson Pickett (including the memorable bassline on Funky Broadway), Chuck Berry, Dolly Parton, Bob Seger, and Neil Diamond. Cogbill died on December 7, 1982 in Nashville, Tennessee. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Hey Little Girl - Dee Clark

Dee Clark (November 7, 1938 – December 7, 1990) was an African-American soul singer best known for a string of R&B and pop hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including the ballad "Raindrops," which became a million-seller in the United States in 1961 He was born Delectus Clark in Blytheville, Arkansas, and moved to Chicago in 1941. His mother, Delecta Clark, was a gospel singer and encouraged her son to pursue his love of music. Clark made his first recording in 1952 as a member of the Hambone Kids, who enjoyed some success with a recording of "Hambone" on the OKeh label. In 1953, he joined an R&B group called the Goldentones, who later became the Kool Gents and were discovered by Chicago radio DJ Herb Kent upon winning a talent competition. Kent got the Kool Gents signed to Vee-Jay label's subsidiary Falcon/Abner. The group recorded for Falcon/Abner in 1956, and also recorded a novelty record as "The Delegates". Clark embarked on a solo career in 1957, initially following the styles of Clyde McPhatter and Little Richard. When Little Richard temporarily abandoned his music career to study the Bible, Clark fulfilled Richard's remaining live dates and also recorded with his backing band, the Upsetters.[3] Over the next four years he landed several moderate hits, two of which ("Just Keep It Up" and "Hey Little Girl") reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100). His records for Abner and Vee-Jay were orchestrated by Riley Hampton. His biggest single, "Raindrops," a power ballad augmented by heavy rain and thunder sound effects and Clark's swooping falsetto, was released in the spring of 1961 and became his biggest hit, soaring to number two on the pop chart and number three on the R&B charts. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. "Raindrops" was also an international success, reaching number one in New Zealand and reaching the top ten in South Africa and Belgium, and selling well in Japan. "Raindrops" remains a staple on oldies and adult standards radio station playlists to this day, and has also been covered by several other artists in the years since, including David Cassidy, Tony Orlando and Dawn, and most notably Narvel Felts, who took the song to number 30 on the country chart in 1974. Clark himself recorded an updated version of "Raindrops" in 1973. However, Clark's biggest hit was also his last. The follow-up to "Raindrops," "Don't Walk Away From Me," was a flop, and he made the pop charts in America only twice more, with "I'm Going Back to School" (1962) and "Crossfire Time" (1963). By the time "Crossfire Time" came out, Clark had moved from Vee-Jay to the Constellation label. Though he continued to record for Constellation through 1966, none of his records charted nationally. He had considerable local success in Chicago with such standout recordings as "Come Closer" (1964), the double-sided hit of "Warm Summer Breezes" and "Heartbreak"(1964), and "TCB" (1965). He later recorded for the Columbia, Wand, Liberty and Rocky labels, without success.Clark had a brief revival in 1975 when his song "Ride a Wild Horse" became a surprise Top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart, becoming his first chart hit in the UK since "Just Keep It Up." Afterward, Clark performed mostly on the oldies circuit. By the late 1980s, he was in dire straits financially, living in a welfare hotel in Toccoa, Georgia. Despite suffering a stroke in 1987 that left him partially paralyzed and with a mild speech impediment, he continued to perform until his death on December 7, 1990, in Smyrna, Georgia, from a heart attack at the age of 52. His last concert was with the Jimmy Gilstrap Band at the Portman Lounge in Anderson, South Carolina. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

CUT IT OUT, YOU'RE ALWAYS RUNNING YOUR MOUTH - Bobby Hebb

Bobby Hebb (July 26, 1938 – August 3, 2010) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his writing and recording of "Sunny". He was born Robert Von Hebb in Nashville, Tennessee. Hebb's parents, William and Ovalla Hebb, were both blind musicians. Hebb and his older brother Harold performed as a song-and-dance team in Nashville, beginning when Bobby was three and Harold was nine. Hebb performed on a TV show hosted by country music record producer Owen Bradley, which earned him a place with Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff. Hebb played spoons and other instruments in Acuff's band. Harold later became a member of Johnny Bragg and the Marigolds. Bobby Hebb sang backup on Bo Diddley's "Diddley Daddy". Hebb played "West-coast-style" trumpet in a United States Navy jazz band, and replaced Mickey Baker in Mickey and Sylvia. On November 23, 1963, the day after John F. Kennedy's assassination, Harold Hebb was killed in a knife fight outside a Nashville nightclub. Hebb was devastated by both events and sought comfort in songwriting. Though many claim that the song he wrote after both tragedies was the optimistic "Sunny", Hebb himself stated otherwise. He immersed himself in the Gerald Wilson album, You Better Believe It!, for comfort. "All my intentions were just to think of happier times – basically looking for a brighter day – because times were at a low tide. After I wrote it, I thought "Sunny" just might be a different approach to what Johnny Bragg was talking about in "Just Walkin' in the Rain".[citation needed] "Sunny" was recorded in New York City, after demos were made with the record producer Jerry Ross. Released as a single, it reached #3 on the R&B charts, # 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, # 12 in the UK, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. When Hebb toured with The Beatles in 1966 his "Sunny" was as well received as any Beatles tune, as evidenced by tapes of the concerts. BMI rated "Sunny" number 25 in its "Top 100 songs of the century". "Sunny" has been recorded by, among others Jamiroquai, Cher, Boney M, Georgie Fame, Johnny Rivers, Oscar Peterson, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Electric Flag, The Four Seasons, Leonard Nimoy, two different versions from Frankie Valli, the Four Tops, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Les McCann, Wes Montgomery, Dusty Springfield, and Classics IV.[2] One re-recording, a disco version called "Sunny '76" was a minor hit for Hebb in that year hitting #94 on the R&B chart. In 2000, Musiq did an updated dance version retitled "Just Friends (Sunny)," which went to #31 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Hebb also had lesser hits with his "A Satisfied Mind" in 1966 (#39 on the Billboard chart and #40 on the R&B chart) and "Love Me" in 1967 (# 84),[3] and wrote many other songs, including Lou Rawls' 1971 hit "A Natural Man" (co-written with comedian Sandy Baron). Six years prior to "Sunny", Hebb reached the New York Top 50 with a remake of Roy Acuff's "Night Train to Memphis". In 1972, his single "Love Love Love" reached #32 in the UK charts. After a recording gap of thirty five years, Hebb recorded That's All I Wanna Know, his first commercial release since Love Games for Epic Records in 1970. It was released in Europe in late 2005 by Tuition, a pop indie label. New versions of "Sunny" were also issued (two duets: one with Astrid North, and one with Pat Appleton). In October 2008 he toured and played in Osaka and Tokyo in Japan. Ipanema Films of Germany was involved in a biographical film which included Hebb, his biographer Joseph Tortelli and Billy Cox. Hebb continued to live in his hometown of Nashville until his death from lung cancer, at the Centennial Medical Center on August 3, 2010 If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Going Back To The Cuntry / Just Like This - LITTLE WILLIE BROWN

The birthplace of Andrew Brown is unknown, but it believed that he was born in 1921. He adopted the stage and recording name of "Little Willie Brown". He made his debut recordings cutting four sides for the Suntan label in Houston in 1956. It's possible that he relocated to Nashville, TN. since that was where he made the rest of his recordings in his career. His first stop was in 1961 at the Do-Re-Me label owned by Murray Nash. (Nash produced his recordings and he also owned other labels that released recordings by blues, doo-wop, R&B, country, gospel and rockabilly artists). Brown later moved on to smaller Nashville labels recording 45's for Chart, Topic and Great between 1962 and 1968. He passed away in East St. Louis, IL. on December 2, 1981. This recording reaches a fine-line between blues & doo-wop. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Itching Heel - Irene Scruggs

Irene Scruggs (December 7, 1901 – probably July 20, 1981) was an American Piedmont blues and country blues singer, who was also billed as Chocolate Brown and Dixie Nolan. She recorded songs such as "My Back to the Wall" and "Good Grindin", and variously worked alongside Clarence Williams, Joe "King" Oliver, Lonnie Johnson, Little Brother Montgomery, Albert Nicholas, and Kid Ory. Scruggs achieved some success but today remains largely forgotten Scruggs originated in rural Mississippi, but it is believed that she was raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Mary Lou Williams recalled Scruggs being a singer of some standing when Williams travelled to St. Louis in vaudeville. Scruggs was hired by the revue company, and her career there sometimes outshone her work as a recording artist and nightclub singer. Nevertheless, Scruggs got to sing with a number of Joe "King" Oliver's bands that played in St. Louis in the mid 1920s. Scruggs was later accompanied by Blind Blake. In her live shows her song, "Itching Heel", provided the platform for interplay between the Scruggs' singing and Blake's guitar work. "He don't do nothing but play on his old guitar," Scruggs sangs, "While I'm busting suds out in the white folks' yard." She first recorded in 1924, utilising Clarence Williams as her pianist on Okeh Records. In 1926 she reignited her working association with Oliver. Two of the songs that Scruggs wrote, "Home Town Blues" and "Sorrow Valley Blues", were both recorded by Oliver. She recorded again for Okeh in 1927, this time with Lonnie Johnson. Scruggs formed her own band in the late 1920s, and appeared regularly performing around the St. Louis area. Using the pseudonym, Chocolate Brown, she recorded further tracks with Blind Blake, and to avoid contractual problems also appeared billed as Dixie Nolan. By the early 1930s, Little Brother Montgomery took over as her accompanist on both recordings and touring work. Scruggs also sang and recorded more sexually explicit material. "Good Grindin'" and "Must Get Mine in Front" (1930) were the better known examples of her dirty blues, and some of her work appeared in The Nasty Blues, published by the Hal Leonard Corporation. Scruggs only recorded a small batch of songs, and her recording career finished around 1935. In the 1940s, Scruggs left the United States for Europe, first settling in Paris, and later relocating to Germany. In the 1950s, Scruggs undertook a number of BBC Radio broadcasts. It is thought that she died in Germany, although no definitive information has been unearthed. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Johnny Dyer / Hash Brown

Johnny Dyer (born December 7, 1938, Rolling Fork, Mississippi) is an American electric blues harmonicist and singer. He has received a nomination for a Blues Music Award, and been involved in a number of recordings in the last three decades, both as a solo performer and with other musicians. Dyer grew up on the Stovall Plantation in Rolling Fork, and learnt to play the harmonica from the age of seven. His initial inspiration came from hearing Little Walter on a Nashville, Tennessee, based radio station, and by his teenage years Dyer was playing acoustic harmonica and had formed his own band. He started playing amplified harmonica in the early 1950s, when he first performed alongside Smokey Wilson. Dyer relocated to Los Angeles, California in January 1958, where he met George "Harmonica" Smith. Together they played concerts with a "father and son" billing. Dyer commented on that time stating, "Smith was the hottest thing around and the blues was really swinging! He taught me a lot. Everybody loved George." Following this Dyer set up his own combo, Johnny Dyer and the Blue Notes, and played with Jimmy Reed, J.B. Hutto, and Jimmy Rogers. Times took a downturn for Dyer in the 1960s, and he stepped away from the music industry for some time. Finally appearing again in the 1980s, Dyer found work with other harmonica players, such as Shakey Jake Harris, Harmonica Fats (pseudonym for Harvey Blackston; 1927–2000), and Rod Piazza. Dyer released a couple of singles including "Overdose of Love" and, in 1983, issued the Johnny Dyer and the LA Jukes album. The Scandinavian record label, Black Magic featured Dyer on their Hard Times: L.A. Blues Anthology compilation album. Dyer later collaborated with guitarist Rick Holmstrom, and together they issued two albums on Black Top Records: Listen Up (1994) and Shake It! (1995). Listen Up included Dyer's cover version of the blues standard, "Driftin' Blues". The album, Jukin', also released in 1995, was a re-issue of Dyer's debut LP with additional tracks. It contained Dyer's version of "Baby What You Want Me to Do". Dyer appeared on the bill at the Long Beach Blues Festival in 2000, where he sang alongside James Cotton. Over the years he has also been a featured performer on Mark Hummel's annual Blues Harmonica Blowout tours. Dyer received a Blues Music Award nomination in 2004, in the 'Blues Song Of The Year' category, for the track "Hard Times Won." He has also spent time in recent years playing with The Mannish Boys, and has appeared on a number of their album releases. Dyer's most recent album was Rolling Fork Revisited (2004), recorded with Mark Hummel. The album contained reworkings of songs by another Rolling Fork native, Muddy Waters If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Down Home Blues - Bryce Janey

Bryce Janey began his career at the age of 13 in his hometown of Marion, IA in a blues-rock trio called The Janey’s. With his mother on drums and his father BillyLee on guitar, The Janey’s played regionally and nationally from Chicago to Los Angeles. They shared the stage with over 50 national acts, including Buddy Guy, Delbert McClinton, Blues Traveler, Johnny Winter, Elvin Bishop and the late great "Queen of the blues" Koko Taylor!! While still in The Janey’s, Bryce began a solo career and released his first CD, Practice What You Preach in 1995. Since then, he has released 7 more CDs. These early CD's have gained national attention, five stars from Blues Access magazine and great reviews from Blues Revue and Living Blues, among others. Bryce's new Electric CD's "Blues In My Soul" and "Game of Life"(8th solo disc) by this outstanding blues/rock axe slinger from Iowa feature his phenomenal, top-shelf, world-class, soul-powered, retro-70s bluesy heavy guitar "six string mojo" that truly delivers on all levels of greatness."Blues In My Soul"and "Game Of Life" is Bryce Janey's finest hour and stands tall in the supreme blues/rock guitar world. Highly recommended to fans of Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, Billy Gibbons & ZZ Top, Johnny Winter, SRV & Doyle Bramhall II. In 2007 Bryce was Inducted into the Iowa Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame with the BlueBand, and was the Iowa Blues Challenge Winner 2011. And in 2012 was an IBC Semi-Finalist in Memphis,TN. Bryce has performed at many Major Festivals including Kansas City Jazz & Blues Festival, Buddy Guy's Blues Fest(Chicago Blues Fest 1990) and Most Recently in 2012 at "Ribfest" in Fort Wayne, IN and The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival Davenport, IA. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, -  ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!

Smokin' Hot! - Gene Phipps

The Phipps Family has enjoyed a long, prosperous and well-documented jazz legacy both in the USA and abroad. Ernie Phipps, Gene Phipps, Sr. (her father), Nat Phipps, Harold Phipps, Billy Phipps, and Gene Phipps, Jr. have all helped to pave the way for Laranah (as well as countless other jazz artists) to step out onto the jazz stage with confidence and competence. Lady Laranah Phipps brings to the table, her own distinctive sound, sense of phasing, timing, story telling, and a volcanic grasp of groove, which she sometimes tends to color with humor, sensuousness, heart wrenching pain, and/or soul stirring joy. Her straight-ahead approach combines tried and tested jazz improvisation with new and innovative ideas. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

sure 'nuff, sure 'nuff - Sonny Phillips

Sonny Phillips (b. December 7, 1936, Mobile, Alabama) is an American jazz keyboardist. His primary instrument is electric organ but he often played piano. Phillips began playing jazz organ after hearing Jimmy Smith in his twenties. He studied under Ahmad Jamal, and played in the 1960s and 1970s with Lou Donaldson, Nicky Hill, Eddie Harris, Houston Person, and Gene Ammons. His debut album was released in 1969, and he released several further records as a leader before suffering a long illness in 1980. He went into semi-retirement after this and moved to Los Angeles; since then he has performed and taught occasionally. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

Can You Hear Me? - Johnny Mars

Johnny Mars (born December 7, 1942) is an American electric blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. Over a long career, Mars has worked with Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, B.B. King, Jesse Fuller, Spencer Davis, Ian Gillan, Do-Re-Mi, Bananarama and Michael Roach. Mars was born in Laurens, South Carolina, United States to sharecropping parents. His family regularly moved house when Mars was a youngster, but at the age of nine, he was presented with his first harmonica. When he was aged fourteen, and on the death of his mother, Mars and his younger siblings moved to New Paltz, New York, and having left high school, Mars began playing in various clubs in New York. He signed a recording contract with Mercury Records whilst a member of a band named Burning Bush, and they recorded several sides with the label. By the mid 1960s, Mars had moved to California and formed the Johnny Mars Band, who found work but no recognition beyond their North California base. However, they toured with Magic Sam, and played on the same bill as Earl Hooker, B.B. King and Jesse Fuller.After advice from Rick Estrin (Little Charlie & the Nightcats), Mars toured the United Kingdom in 1972, and subsequently recorded two albums there before fully relocating to London in 1978. Mars worked with the record producer, Ray Fenwick, plus Spencer Davis and Ian Gillan. His 1984 album, Life on Mars, received critical acclaim. In 1988, Mars was a guest musician on the Do-Re-Mi album, The Happiest Place in Town. Mars later worked with Bananarama on "Preacher Man" (1990) and their 1991 cover of "Long Train Running", appearing in the group's music video for the former track. Mars also taught for 15 years in primary schools in England, and worked with teenagers in music projects. Mars continued touring across the UK and Europe where he had a strong fan base. In 1992, Mars played at the San Francisco Blues Festival. In 1999, Mars released Stateside, and On My Mind followed in 2003. In 2003 and 2004, Mars played with the The Barrelhouse Blues Orchestra. More recently, Mars teamed up with the blues guitarist, Michael Roach, and appeared at the Bath Music Festival (2008, UK), Pocono Blues Festival (US) and the Kastav Blues Festival (Croatia). In January 2010, the pair toured the Middle East If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”