Post War Blues, Soul & Rock. 1945 - 1975

[Peacoat]

The video you posted may well be the only video of Little Walter available to the public. I have searched in the past for other performances, but have had no success.

Unfortunately, this is an acoustic performance with Walter blowing through the PA. He does't get the full bodied tone he is known for. Evidently TPTB wanted to keep the amount of equipment taken across to the bare minimum, so Walter's amp was left behind. Oh well, at least we have this.

Does anyone know who the bass player and the drummer are? I don't recognize them, but of course they were very young back then.

 

[majormajor]

Hi PC.

Here is another clip from the same session. The wonderful Koko Taylor on vocals, and Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee doing nothing.

My understanding is that the bass was played by Dillard Crume, and Odie Payne was on drums.

Listen to the lyrics of "Wang, Dang, Doodle". Easy to understand why it didn't get so many Radio plays back then....


[video=youtube;oxCa16-nxtM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxCa16-nxtM[/video]

 

[Peacoat]

I think if I were Sonny Terry on the same stage as Little Walter, I would tend to do nothing also. Brownie probably is doing nothing because it isn't his musical style.

 

[majormajor]

I think if I were Sonny Terry on the same stage as Little Walter, I would tend to do nothing also. Brownie probably is doing nothing because it isn't his musical style.

The way the thing was filmed, lots of different acts on the same set. So I guess Sonny & Brownie were just waiting their turn

 

[majormajor]

Big band soul blues from 1965. Always a toss up between Bobby Bland and Little Milton......

[video=youtube;i8TOgTekN2I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8TOgTekN2I&playnext=1&list=PL6D011990D90FA9E4&feature=results_main[/video]

 

[Peacoat]

Mr. Ballad Bobby Blue Bland was from Rosemark, TN and moved to Memphis as a child, where he met up with B.B. King. Later became B.B.'s chauffeur before he started his own career as a singer. Back in the 70s they did a live album together, and during one of the songs, B.B. says, "A long way from Rosemark, Bobby." Indicating Bobby had come a long way from his roots.

Bobby and Little Milton did the big band blues as well or better than any of their contemporaries. Little Milton may have had a wider range of styles, however.

 

[majormajor]

Here's my fave Bobby Bland. A b-side from '67. Love the throwaway delivery.......

[video=youtube;gE95ubNc6hY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE95ubNc6hY[/video]

 

[majormajor]

And another....

[video=youtube;JT8tnKk35ho]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT8tnKk35ho[/video]

 

[majormajor]

And yet another....[video=youtube;Qd__L_qM0K0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd__L_qM0K0[/video]

 

[majormajor]

A rare classic from 1960....

[video=youtube;KG_zPiX1sTg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG_zPiX1sTg[/video]

 

[majormajor]

From 1958, by Jimmy McCracklin, who died just before Christmas, age 91. RIP Jimmy...

[video=youtube;fjhOyYT0yTQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjhOyYT0yTQ[/video]

 

[Worf]

Ohh Ooh can I play??? Sorry I'm late to the party folks. See, my folks were both from the south, Dad was from rural Georgia, mom was from rural North Carolina. One thing about Dad was he loved his music, mostly Gut Bucket Blues on 78's that sounded more like bacon than music but through him and these records I learned about Louis Jordan and his Tympani 5, Big Maybelle, Sun House and strangely enough Carl Perkins. He loved to listen to Carl's version of "Blue Suede Shoes" on an old Atlantic lable 78. etc.... Mom was about 18 years his Junior from her I learned about "Big" Joe Turner, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and a very young Harry Bellafonte (Matilda she take me money and run Venezuela). So as a result I came to the music of my own era kind of late. I've always been kind of dawdling in the past. I love road house and gut bucket up tempo blues, I like a Texas two step and some Texas Swing. I thank god for Achmed Ertegun every day and when I'm laid to rest I want the Church dancin' to Tommy Ridgely's "Jam Up". This thread is a wonderful waste (not really) of time during the work day. Thanks for starting it.

Worf

 

[nick123]

This band did it for me.




[video=youtube;jWDv5RCDcs4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWDv5RCDcs4[/video]

[video=youtube;l2u5xQ3-81c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2u5xQ3-81c[/video]

Sorry about the ad:
[video=youtube;P-W5crYm7Gc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-W5crYm7Gc&playnext=1&list=PL6DBE99A6B8A7614A&feature=results_video[/video]

 

[majormajor]

Ohh Ooh can I play??? Sorry I'm late to the party folks. See, my folks were both from the south, Dad was from rural Georgia, mom was from rural North Carolina. One thing about Dad was he loved his music, mostly Gut Bucket Blues on 78's that sounded more like bacon than music but through him and these records I learned about Louis Jordan and his Tympani 5, Big Maybelle, Sun House and strangely enough Carl Perkins. He loved to listen to Carl's version of "Blue Suede Shoes" on an old Atlantic lable 78. etc.... Mom was about 18 years his Junior from her I learned about "Big" Joe Turner, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and a very young Harry Bellafonte (Matilda she take me money and run Venezuela). So as a result I came to the music of my own era kind of late. I've always been kind of dawdling in the past. I love road house and gut bucket up tempo blues, I like a Texas two step and some Texas Swing. I thank god for Achmed Ertegun every day and when I'm laid to rest I want the Church dancin' to Tommy Ridgely's "Jam Up". This thread is a wonderful waste (not really) of time during the work day. Thanks for starting it.

Worf

Hey Worf

Glad you are liking this stuff.

Ahmet Ertegun has ALWAYS been one of my heroes. Yes!!

Just for you, my friend....

[video=youtube;ltlYx9279S8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltlYx9279S8[/video]

 

[Rudie]

Big Walter Horton, an underrated giant of the amplified harp, known for his fat tone. Willie Dixon once said Horton was the best harmonica player he ever heard.

[video=youtube;IIud1F7Yu3M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIud1F7Yu3M[/video]

 

[majormajor]

Good one, Rudie

 

[Peacoat]

Walter Horton (Shaky Horton, or Big Walter Horton) had that high compression harmonica sound. Probably the best tone of all the great harp players in the 50s and 60s.

Now, Little Walter had great tone as well, but in my opinion he was better at finding the note, and Big Walter was better at getting the tone.

Knowing more than just a little bit about blues harp players, and with all due respect to Willie Dixon, I would have to say that Big Walter was one of the best harp players ever. He was one of the four true geniuses of blues harmonica, along with Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee from Tennessee), Sonny Boy II (Rice Miller) and, of course, Little Walter--born Marion Walter Jacobs in Marksville, LA. in 1930.

Muddy Waters told me (Little) Walter was the best harmonica player he had ever heard (and he has heard them all). When he said that, there was heartfelt emotion in his voice. I think he truly loved Little Walter, in spite of his multitude of faults.

Unfortunately, I never got to meet Big Walter. He was the only one of the four still alive when I was old enough to know what was going on. I tried to get him booked into the Exit In in Nashville, but by that time--about 1976--he was no longer actively doing out of town gigs, that I could determine. He died in 1981 before I could meet him.

Before Walter died, I was a law clerk for a State Supreme Court Justice. I was assigned an intellectual property case to draft a decision for my Justice. At some point in the decision, there came a place for an analogy. Many of the prior decisions had used very similar language: "For instance the music of a Caruso can be . . . ." While I liked the music of Caruso, I felt he had enough mention in the law books and elsewhere; it was time for a fresh name to get some of the mention. So, when it came time for an analogy, I wrote, "For instance the music of Walter Horton . . . ." I had the secretary type the decision and send it to the Justice for edit. I knew Big Walter would be proud to see his name in a Supreme Court decision, and I was proud for having thought of it.

A day or so later I got a call from the secretary telling me the Justice was ready to discuss the draft of the intellectual property case. I knew my plan was going up in smoke when he said that he thought the draft was very good, but (and then he shuffled through the 30 or so pages of the draft and said, "Who is this . . . this, Walter Horton?" I told him that Walter was a singer, musician and sort of a folk hero in Chicago. He just looked at me for a few seconds. He then said that he thought it would be better if we used a more well known artist such as Caruso. Somehow I just knew he was going to say that. I explained about Caruso and his constant mention in the intellectual property cases--he had become a cliche. His response was what he thought was a good compromise: "Well why don't you use Perry Como instead; he is a very good singer." I took the draft, said Yes Sir and left his office. When I got back to my office, I struck through Big Walter's name, and wrote, "Caruso . . . ."

Sorry Walter; I tried.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

[video=youtube;HZoFy1CCgAY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZoFy1CCgAY[/video]

 

[HoosierDaddy]

[video=youtube;AyTtFNGzFsE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyTtFNGzFsE[/video]

 

[majormajor]

My fave Walter Horton, from 1956. Keep listening til the sax comes in. Well worth it....

[video=youtube;d2w70X2vWuU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2w70X2vWuU[/video]