Here's an amazing video of Hubert Sumlin talking and demoing the guitar parts he played with Howlin' Wolf. He's in some sort of guitar workshop setting. It's great stuff. I'm amazed it exists:
If your wife is not a blues lover...bring her to see a TRUE "black" BLUES MASTER that still has the CHOPS > (Hubert is gone now)died last year "who's left" and she will understand the MAGIC of the MUSIC...My wife can give two shits about the blues - brought her to see Little Hubert, he was probably 75 years old in a very small intimate bar and his guitar playing was still absolutely fiery and fascinating...her comment, I enjoyed that very much, I loved his personality and presence and the way he played the guitar is amazing!
I saw him many times over the years and he was always at his best behind Howlin' Wolf tho the time I saw him on tour with Junior Wells is right up there. Very humble guy, great musician, and one of the nicest people in the business that I've ever met. When he sat in with my band, we actually had to turn the amp he was using (my guitar player's amp) louder, as he played with a very light touch with just his fingers. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I'm a huge fan of Hubert's. He was an amazing player. I am glad that I saw him every chance that I got. I wish I had gotten hooped to him at a younger age. He was very distinctive and unique. He was a huge influence on guitarists who came after him. I miss him.
I saw Hubert a couple of times, back in the late 1990s. To be honest, I was unimpressed. He was usually pretty drunk, his guitar playing was a shadow of what he does here--just a few jagged licks--and he spent most of his time giggling and grimacing like a fool. He was a terrible frontman. Basically he just basked in the adulation of the audience and the musicians who were backing him up. He struck me a a good example of a great sideman--no exaggeration there!--who never should have tried to become a frontman.
But this video clip makes clear why all the adulation was there. He knew exactly who he was as a key part of Wolf's sound. His only mistake was in thinking that he could expand the "I was Wolf, Wolf was me" spiritual kinship into an actual frontman role once Wolf was gone. It just didn't work--at least on the two occasions when I wasted good money to see him.
@kudzurunner -- If you only got to see him when I did with Wolf or the time I saw him still part of Wolf's band, which became Eddie Shaw and The Wolf Gang after Wolf passed away backing Junior Wells and that was the REAL Hubert and then some. The night with Junior was also one of the best nights I ever saw of Junior ever. Some people just aren't cut out to be front people just as much as there are some that are great up front but suck as a sideman. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
@kudzurunner - It's too bad that your experiences with Hubert weren't good.
My experiences with him were almost the exact opposite. I always enjoyed the times that I saw Hubert. He wasn't the greatest singer. He certainly wasn't Howlin' Wolf, but I thought he could deliver the tunes that he did and evoke the emotional spirit of the tune. He wasn't a flashy showman kind of guy.
He must have been doing something right, because he was able to make a living for decades playing thousands of gigs after Wolf had passed.
I saw what might have been his last gig in Oakland. He was very weak and frail. He was on an oxygen machine. He needed to be led to the stage. He only played a couple of tunes. He wasn't supposed to be singing, but he did it anyway. He didn't phone in the performance. He almost passed out. He had to be assisted off stage.
It wasn't the best performance that I have ever seen. He was real. He loved the music. He passed a month or so later.
There are a lot of people from that generation left. See them while you can.
I caught one of Sumlin's later shows, at Terra Blues. He was great! The real deal, beautiful, blues man..... was an honor to see and hear him play. ---------- Sun, sun, sun Burn, burn, burn Soon, soon, soon Moon, moon, moon
I guess my love for Hubert comes from the fact that I am young and Howlin' Wolf is my favorite blues musician of all time. Hubert tells so much about Wolf that maybe I just like that aspect rather than him. The guy shakes too damn much, what's with all the shaking? I still respect the guy though. ---------- Hunger is the best spice.
We were blessed to see a GREAT performance by Hubert that night...My Wife is not easily impressed by musicians, she is one and in another life she played fulltime, singing and playing bass…I was pleasantly surprised when she gave me the 2 thumbs up sign for that show and am really happy I got to see Hubert do his thing up close… HONEST to God – the way he played the guitar that night was freakishly amazing!!!
