Great groove on this puppy. That's Willie Big Eyes Smith's son on drums, if I'm not wrong. The drummer makes all the difference, but so do the other players. Please notice how low they're all keeping the volume--and how sweet it sounds. Then compare with your local blues jam. If your local blues jam sounds like this, you've got it made in the shade:
Billy Flynn (guitar), Kenny Smith (drums), Johnny Iguana (piano) and Felton Crews (bass). If you like this kind of stuff, check out the Chicago Blues: A Living History CD set. It's great stuff. This recording is likely from a tour from that CD.
Depending on which jam I attend, we can do stuff like this including Tampa Red tunes.
Now THAT is super music. (I been trying to tell these kids that stuff about the volume for years). I saw Billy Boy here in Atlanta maybe 20 years ago and the thing I remember most was it was hot as the blazes and the deal was outside. But, Billy Boy went into the performer's tent before his turn and changed from shorts and t-shirt into a suit and dress shoes...looking like a real genuine professional. Then he came out and blew everyone's mind. That's major league...all the way. selah Me
What do you mean? Like how he met and was a student of John Lee Williamson or how Little Walter walked up to him and said, we don't play like that anymore or how he and Bo Diddley originated the Bo Diddley beat or how he was one of the youngest artists to record for Vee Jay.
He's got an instructional video out, too. Its pretty good.
Billy Boy has a super rich Blues history. He's worth researching and learning more about. He's an important part of American musical history. He's not fast or flashy, he's just great!
He also released a CD called Billy Boy Sings Sonny Boy a couple of years ago.
I got to see Billy live for the first time at Amandas Rollercoaster-I hear he is hard to work with-volume being his main concern. Most of todays musicians just play too loud,and he has a distinct way of dealing with it-
@bonedog Regarding drummers with brushes. YOU ARE SO RIGHT! When I got my present drummer I ran an ad that read: "Drummer needed for blues group. I have 172 gigs on the books for the upcoming year...no FREEBIES, no "benfit shows" and few long road trips either. Cash paid on the spot to you from me. No "waiting until Monday" stuff. That's over $12,000 to you for part time work playing music. You get paid a flat fee..I keep all of the tip jar money for myself. If you cannot or will not play with brushes, study the material, and do as I ask, then do NOT show up for the audition. Otherwise show up with one snare, brushes, a high hat, one small cymbal, and a bass drum with your pedal. Anything else and there is no need in you even getting out of your car." And I ended up with some great ones from which to make a decision.
Finding drummers than can play with brushes is a huge challenge as well as one who truly understands dynamics, playing behind the beat and keeping the volume down as well. Since I tend to gig using stand up bass far mre often than electric, my overall band volume is far lower than the SRV-wanna be types and allows me to gig in places that none of them can't (and do gigs using just an unmiked Pro Junior), having that for a drummer is crucial.
That's one helluva band behind Billy Boy. Billy Flynn is also a good harp player as well. Having the right rhythm section alone as well as sympthetic backing that KNOWS what should and should NOT be done, which is TOTALLY unlike the crap you often find at the vast majority of open jams, (and most of the guitar players tend to be HORRIBLE rhythm players and I'm being way too polite about it) makes life a lot easier for harp playing as well as for the vocalist (and of course, my hearing). ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Billy Boy's tribute album to Sonny boy 1 was the best blues album for years, hands down.If it aint got that groove, taint no room to move! Hey, Larry Taylor on bass in the vid!
He has that reputation because he didn't have to count on music as a full time gig. He can afford to pick and choose what he wants to do and he gets to do it on his terms.
Man, how do you guys convince your drummers to use proper sound dynamics? When I make the hopefully tactful(?)suggestion, my drummers have always listened, then immediately returned to banging the crap out of the skins - which as BBQB suggests - really sucks the life out of a blues band. ---------- ~Banned in Boston!
You find drummers that love playing blues. They are few and far between. It's like finding guitar players that cam play in the Robert Lockwood Jr style. Not many, but the ones that do exist are in high demand.
Years ago I opened for Billy Boy. I explained that when I first started buying blues records I was intrigued and made afraid by the cover art of Checkin' It Out which has a huge harmonica and man with a chicken head, a woman with curlers in her hair in a bar, a very small picture of two silhouettes doin' the nasty, and a huge harmonica. I was so freaked out that at 16 years old I never bought it. He said he had a copy and would mail it to me, He said there was no way he would remember, so he asked me to put the info on a napkin. 6 months later I come home to a phone message, "Uh, Michael Rubin, this is Billy Boy Arnold. I do have a copy of that record, I will mail it out Monday. There will be no charge." It's on my wall today.
The first"Shes Love Crazy" clip is from a DVD I own called "Chicago Blues-A Living History-Blues Cazorla 2009". It features John Primer,Billy Branch,Lurrie Bell, and Billy Boy Arnold. Backing band includes Billy Flynn and Kenny Smith.
Last Edited by on Dec 12, 2010 5:54 PM
BBQ: I'm wondering if you know of a drummer from NYC named Danny Speduto. I'm not sure how the last name is spelled, but he was a REAL blues drummer, like Ola Dixon. He did a pronounced double shuffle, hitting 2 and 3 of every triplet on the snare, with a sort of exaggerated lift OFF the snare head.
Popsy Dixon of the Holmes Brothers is another real blues drummer. I was lucky to see a few in New York.
Last Edited by on Dec 12, 2010 5:59 PM
I only own the Chicago Blues part of the DVD-there were mnay players there-Susan Tedeschi,James Hunter,Robben Ford and 30 bands.
Blues Cazorla Festival Plaza de Toros, Escenario Cruzcampo Cazorla, Jaén, Spain July 25th, 2009
The band:
Billy Boy Arnold, harmonica, vocals Billy Branch, harmonica, vocals Matthew Skoller, harmonica John Primer, guitar, vocals Lurrie Bell, guitar, vocals Billy Flynn, guitar Felton Crews, bass Johnny Iguana, keyboards Kenny "Beedy-Eyes" Smith, drums
Lista de canciones:
01. Header/Intro 02. Chicago Breakdown 03. My Little Machine 04. She's Love Crazy 05. I Wish You Would 06. They Call Me Johnny Primer 07. Sugar Sweet 08. Hoodoo Man Blues 09. One More Mile 10. Hate To See You Go 11. Intro/Lurrie Bell 12. My Love Will Never Die 13. I Believe 14. Damn Right, I've Got The Blues 15. Band Introduction/Outro
DVDRIP 1 LINK - RECOMENDADO!!
Last Edited by on Dec 13, 2010 5:50 AM
@Kudzurunner --- I can't recall ever meeting Danny but I sure do know and have worked with Ola Dixon on one of the Jimmy Rogers tours I had done.
@Barry C --- One of the classic, stereotypical reasons why that drummer listened, but obviously, didn't pay one bit of attention, is that for many people who play other instruments, harp players tend to get ignored because too often, they fulfill the negative stereotype of being the dumbest musician on the bandstand and so they get no respect and from watching the way many harp players are in many open jams, unfortunately, too often they fall right into that stereotype.
Anyway, that's a guy I'd fire faster than a NY minute. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Last Edited by on Dec 13, 2010 7:58 AM
