Big Road Blues

Just a quick note to mention that my Robert Nighthawk website has been relocated and can be found at: http://nighthawk.sundayblues.org. The website is a compendium of just about all the available information regarding this legendary bluesman. The site includes detailed biographical information, audio clips, rare photos and more. There area few links that do not work but this should be fixed within a few days.

I just got the sad news that the great soul and blues artist Robert Ward passed away on Christmas day after a long struggle with health issues. Here’s the press release:

Black Top and Delmark recording artist Robert Ward passed away Christmas Day at about 3:30 PM.

He had been ill with kidney and other problems recently, and had been in failing health
since a couple of minor strokes over this past decade.

He was watching a video of a European concert appearance he had made back in the 90’s with his wife, Roberta, and she stepped into the kitchen just a few feet away to grab a snack for them. When she returned minutes later, he was gone.

Roberta said he hadn’t made a sound and passed in peace.

The Wards have 68 grandchildren and live in Dry Branch GA, about 6 miles from Macon. Funeral arrangements are being made. Robert was a veteran of the US Army. Donations are being accepted to assist with interment costs, they can be sent to:

Roberta Ward
Post Office Box 217
Dry Branch GA 31020

Like many, I first heard Robert Ward when his magnificent Fear No Evil debuted on Black Top in 1990 and was unaware of his earlier recordings. In fact I remember distinctly when that record came out because I was received a copy in college for my blues show. The record blew me away and became a staple of my program. Nearly twenty years since its release I think its safe to say this is a modern classic. His subsequent Black Top follow-ups, Rhythm Of The People (1993) and Black Bottom (1995), were less inspired with the latter definitely the better of the two. After a five year absence he returned to form with his marvelous Delmark debut New Role Soul (2001). I also got a chance to interview Ward in 2001 although for the life of me I can’t find the tape of that conversation!

It wasn’t until the Black Top records that I became aware of Ward’s 1960’s recordings which were thankfully collected on the album Hot Stuff (1995) on Relic. These sides spotlighted the recordings Ward cut as leader of the Ohio Untouchables (who later morphed into the Ohio Players long after Ward’s departure) for tiny labels like LuPine, Thelma, and Groove City. These are fiery and soulful sides featuring Ward’s trademark watery guitar playing and passionate vocals on numbers like “I’m Tired”, “Your Love Is Real”, “Something For Nothing” and “Fear No Evil.” Also included are four classic cuts by the Falcons from 1962 sporting lead vocals by Wilson Pickett with the Untouchables in support on the soaring smash hit “I Found A Love” and “Let’s Kiss and Make Up” with some sizzling guitar from Ward. Ward’s trademark vibrato-soaked guitar sound was said to be the direct result of acquiring a Magnatone amplifier. Lonnie Mack was so entranced by the watery sound of Ward’s amp that he bought a Magnatone as well.

During the early 1970’s Ward worked as a session guitarist at Motown, playing behind the Temptations and the Undisputed Truth. When his wife died in 1977 Ward hit hard times, even spending a year in jail. Ward’s resurrection began with a chance encounter with guitar-shop owner Dave Hussong in Dayton, OH, which set off a chain of events resulting in Ward’s signing to Black Top and a long overdue return to the limelight.

Your Love Is Real [1964] (MP3)

Something For Nothing [1964] (MP3)

I Found A Love w/ The Falcons [1962] (MP3)

Let’s Kiss And Make Up w/ The Falcons [1963] (MP3)

Fear No Evil [1967] (MP3)

Pete Mayes in 1996 (Photo by Jeff Dunas)

More sad news in the blues world as The Houston Chronicle reports that Pete Mayes, a staple of the Houston scene for the past 50 years, died December 16th at the age of 70. Mayes played guitar with greats like Junior Parker and Bill Doggett.  He has fronted his own band, the Houserockers, for 40 years.  Mayes owned and maintained the historic Double Bayou Dancehall, which once served as a regular venue for Amos Milburn, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Big Joe Turner, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and scores of others.  It was there that Mayes, then just 16 years old, first heard T-Bone Walker who became a major influence. According to his own story, by the age of 14 he had already worked with Lester Williams, although he did not meet T-Bone Walker until 1954. During the next 20 years, he often worked with Walker and made the acquaintance of many other bluesmen who would later come to fame, most prominently Joe Hughes. Mayes and the Double Bayou Dancehall were profiled in Roger’s Wood’s Down In Houston - Bayou City Blues published in 2003. Mayes’ discography is slim with just three full length albums;  Pete’s Sake (Antone’s, 1998), I’m Ready (Double Trouble, 1986) and Live! At Double Bayou Dance Hall (GoldRhyme Music, 2005). According to The Blues Discography 1943-1970 he cut the following singles: “The Things I Used To Do” (Home Cooking, 1965), “Crazy Woman” (Ovide, 1969) and “Movin’ Out” (Ovide, 1969). The LP Houston Shuffle (Krazy Kat, 1984) includes “Crazy Woman” plus “Lowdown Feeling” both of which are listed in the notes to have been cut circa 1965-1966. According to the notes: “One time resident of Beaumont, Texas, Pete Mayes was a member of Gatemouth Brown’s band where he would stage local guitar battles with Curley Mays; no relation despite their name. He had a long stint with Junior Parker and been on European tours, recording with Bill Doggett’s Orchestra in Paris for Black & Blue. He still plays around Texas and was instrumental in relocating Houston guitarist Goree Carter.”

Battle Of The Guitars Play Real-Surestream Film - 16:51 Play MPEG-4 Film - 16:51 This is one of three short films in the Living Texas Blues series. Battle of the Guitars shows the ranging influence of Aaron “T-Bone” Walker throught the performance of Pete Mayes and Joe Hughes at the Doll House Club in Houston.

Crazy Woman (MP3)

Lowdown Feeling (MP3)

Gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe has finally received a headstone after 35 years. From the press release: Philadelphia, PA – Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the pioneering gospel musician and instrumentalist, finally has a gravestone marking her resting place at Northwood Cemetery in Philadelphia. Since her passing in 1973, the gravesite of Sister Rosetta had been a barren plot lacking any memorial. Today, a beautiful, rose-colored monument bears respect to one of America’s most influential artists of the 20th Century. Sister Rosetta’s monument was partially funded by a benefit concert at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA on January 11, 2008, that featured performances by gospel and spiritual music legends—The Dixie Hummingbirds, Odetta, Marie Knight, Willa Ward, The Johnny Thompson Singers, and The Huff Singers. Additional financial contributions were provided by Philadelphia’s Rhythm & Blues Foundation, and the Blues Foundation in Memphis. Red the entire press release.

By now you’ve probably heard about the passing of oral historian, radio host and writer Studs Terkel. It’s a shame he didn’t hang on long enough to see Barack Obama win the presidency. Studs was a champion of the underdog, the “non-celebrated” and had plenty to say on racial issues. I don’t claim to be an expert on Studs and in fact feel a bit guilty that I didn’t read more by him. As I write this I glance over to my book shelf to see Studs’ Hard Times looking back at me guiltily and unread. What I did know about Studs was his connection with the blues; in particular the two wonderful albums of interviews and music that were issued on the Folkways label: Big Bill Broonzy: His Story (1956) and Blues With Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee (1958). These were from Studs’ radio program which he began In 1953 on WFMT, Chicago and ran until 1998. There was also another album with Pete Seeger, which I don’t own, called Studs Terkel’s Weekly Almanac: Radio Programme, No. 4: Folk Music and Blues. Oh, and like myself, Studs was born in the Bronx which is always a plus in my book.

I won’t rehash Studs’ background as the internet is loaded with obituaries but I thought I would share the above mentioned Folkways albums. I should mention that these albums can be purchased at the Smithsonian Global Sound website. The tracks from Blues With Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee come from my own LP  that I digitized while the tracks from Big Bill Broonzy: His Story I downloaded from the Smithsonian website because my LP is too battered.

Key To The Highway (MP3)

What Are The Blues (MP3)

Blood River Blues (Brownie’s Blues) (MP3)

Crow Jane Blues (MP3)

Willie May (MP3)

Daisy (MP3)

Louise / Shuffle Rag (medley) (MP3)

The Blues (MP3)

Talk on the Blues (MP3)

Talk on the Spirituals (MP3)

Oh, What a Beautiful City (MP3)

I’m Going To Tell God How You Treat Me (MP3)

Hush, Somebody Is Calling Me (MP3)

When the Saints Go Marching In (MP3)

Early Days: Plough Hand Blues / C.C. Rider (MP3)

Blues: Bill Bailey (MP3)

Willie Mae Blues (MP3)

Experiences: This Train / Mule Ridin’ / Talking Blues (MP3)

Travelling: Keys to the Highway / Black, Brown and White (MP3)

Joe Turner Blues No. 1 (MP3)

I recently wrote an article on the reissue of Mike Shea’s legendary film on Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market, And This Is Free. Barry Mazor wrote an excellent piece on the release for the online version of the Wall Street Journal.

The Spiders

I got word recently that fine the R&B singer Chuck Carbo passed away on July 11th after a lengthy battle with cancer. I first became acquainted with Carbo with the two excellent comeback records he cut for Rounder: Drawers Trouble (1993) and The Barber’s Blues (1996). I recall these records getting quite a bit of play on my radio program at the time. I soon tracked down his early recordings with the Spiders, a fabulous New Orleans vocal group who had a string of R&B hits in the 1950’s, led by Carbo and his brother Chick. Just about all these sides can be found on Bear Family’s 2-CD The Imperial Sessions. After the Spiders Carbo cut a number of 45’s, only a few that I’m familiar with, and returned to music after a long absence. Carbo’s passing has been well covered and below are links to some of the obituaries.

offBeat Obituary

The Times Picayune Obituary

WWOZ Obituary

I Didn’t Want To Do It [Spiders] (MP3)

Love’s All I’m Puttin’ Down [Spiders] (MP3)

I’m Slipping In [Spiders] (MP3)

21 (3×7=21) [Spiders] (MP3)

Stompin’ Everywhere [Chuck Carbo And The Clowns] (MP3)

I Shouldn’t But I Do [Chuck Carbo] (MP3)

I received the following note from Rev. Gary Lucas: “I wish to inform you that one of the great Georgia Blues artists John Lee Ziegler recently passed (May 2008) in Kathleen, Georgia after declining health issues. I performed his Eulogy among family and friends. Truly he was unique with his God given musical talents.”

I suspect most have never heard of Ziegler who’s legacy rests on just a handful of recordings made by George Mitchell in the late 1970’s and some sides made in the 1990’s for the Music Maker organization. The recordings, those by Mitchell in particular, present a musician of singular and immense talent, a musician who fashioned the simple rural blues into something totally unique and utterly moving. Zielgler developed a gorgeous, fluid slide technique balanced by his delicate high falsetto, a style that is completely captivating. Ziegler’s recordings appear on the following collections: Georgia Blues Today (issued by Flyright in 1981 and reissued by Fat Possum), John Lee Ziegler: The George Mitchell Collection Vol. 6 (the same tracks appear on The George Mitchell Collection 7-CD box set) plus Expressin’ The Blues, Blues Sweet Blues, Georgia Blues Today and Cames So Far all on the Music Maker label.

There’s not much information available on Ziegler so I’ve extracted the following section from The George Mitchell Collection 7-CD box set with notes written by Sam Sweet and an addendum by George Mitchell:

Part of John Lee Ziegler’s unorthodox style comes from the fact that he was a left-handed guitarist who played a right-handed guitar upside-down, with the bass strings at the bottom. Born in 1929 in Houston County, Ziegler started playing guitar at age 15 as a fluke: when his parents couldn’t find him the bicycle he requested as a gift, they returned from Macon with a guitar instead. It didn’t take Ziegler long to get good enough to play local clubs and house parties; he even spent some time in New York playing with a band. He also told Mitchell he’d spent some time with John Lee Hooker in Hawkinsville, Georgia. When Mitchell came across him in the late 1970s, Ziegler was still residing in Houston County, working as a plumber and playing at his house for any neighbors interested in stopping by to hear. He had one of the most diverse repertories of any Chattahoochee performer Mitchell encountered, playing John Lee Hooker songs, Sam Cooke’s pop hits, and traditional Chattahoochee songs like “If I Lose Let Me Lose” all in his distinctive style. Ziegler could sing some gospel, but while a lot of the musicians Mitchell recorded had given up blues for the church, Ziegler was content in his choice to stick with secular music.

George Mitchell: John Lee had a spoons player named Rufus and people would gather out in the front yard and listen to them play as we’d be recording. And kids would be dancin’ all over the yard. We recorded a version of John Lee doing “John Henry” where he shouts in the middle, “Look at that little kid dancin’, there!” It was some scene. John Lee wanted his own record, which was fine by me, but I told him, “John Lee you got to come up with some more songs of your own. You can’t just come record all this Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker shit.” And be did eventually come up with a bunch of new songs. He was a nice, gentle guy, but he was hard to deal with - he thought I was ripping him off, and wanted to get lawyers involved and all this shit - and the record never happened. But he was something else.

There’s also an excellent piece on Ziegler written by Peter Watrous titled Time, Loss and the Blues.

Who’s Gonna Be Your Man (MP3)

If I Lose Let Me Lose (MP3)

Poor Boy (MP3)

Used to Be Mine, But Look Who Got Her Now (MP3)

Having A Party (MP3)

If You Ever Change Your Mind (MP3)

4 Women In My Life (MP3)

2 Trains Running (MP3)

A couple of interesting items from the New York Times in the past couple of days:

After Years of Neglect, Rebirth for a Blues Singer’s House

She danced the black bottom, doled out world-weary advice and claimed to be ready with a butcher knife if she caught her lover straying. She was a whiskey-slugging contralto with raunchy songs, a sound business sense and bisexual tastes. So a visitor to the newly opened home of Gertrude Rainey, who as Ma Rainey was the embodiment of the “big mama” blues singers of the 1920s, might be a tad disappointed to find nothing more titillating than painstakingly restored bedroom furniture and prim period wallpaper. “She had kind of calmed down by the time she moved back here,” said Fred C. Fussell, the curator of the Ma Rainey House, which opened four months ago as a small museum in this city on the Chattahoochee River. “She wasn’t living that kind of life.” Besides, said Mr. Fussell and Florene Dawkins, the chairwoman of the Friends of Ma Rainey, what is remarkable is not so much what the Ma Rainey House has on display (in fairness, there are also photos, minstrel show memorabilia, original recordings and theater invoices) but that the house is still standing.

The next item doesn’t have any blues content but it’s fascinating none the less.

Researchers Play Tune Recorded Before Edison

For more than a century, since he captured the spoken words “Mary had a little lamb” on a sheet of tinfoil, Thomas Edison has been considered the father of recorded sound. But researchers say they have unearthed a recording of the human voice, made by a little-known Frenchman, that predates Edison’s invention of the phonograph by nearly two decades. The 10-second recording of a singer crooning the folk song “Au Clair de la Lune” was discovered earlier this month in an archive in Paris by a group of American audio historians. It was made, the researchers say, on April 9, 1860, on a phonautograph, a machine designed to record sounds visually, not to play them back. But the phonautograph recording, or phonautogram, was made playable — converted from squiggles on paper to sound — by scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif.

This mini documentary was used as the introduction for Ernest Lane
when he played at the Soul Serenade, January 17th, 2008

Here’s a question: what does Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker, Canned Heat and the Monkees have in common? The answer is pianist Ernest Lane who’s played with them all in a long and varied music career. It would be some fifty years after playing on his first record that Lane cut 2004’s “The Blues Is Back!”, his first full length record.

Growing up in Clarksdale Lane had the right background for a bluesman; his father was a barrelhouse pianist, his boyhood friend was Ike Turner and Pinetop Perkins was a friend of the family who showed the youngster a thing or two. Ike fell in love with the piano when he peered in at The King Biscuit Boys, featuring boogie pianist Joe Willie “Pinetop” Perkins, rehearsing in the basement of his buddy Ernest Lane’s house. As he recalled: “Man, I never seen nobody’s fingers move that fast on a piano,” he said. “I didn’t even know what a piano was then, and I saw that dude, man. He was playing piano, and they was rehearsin’ at John Lane’s house. Ernest Lane and I was the same age, and we was comin’ home from school and we heard this noise. And we went over there, and boy, these guys-this guy was playing piano so fast, man, I couldn’t hardly see his fingers! And I said, ‘Damn, man! I wanna do that!’ Lane said, ‘Me too!’ Anyway, we started talkin’ to Pinetop, and he started teaching us different little boogie-woogie things.” When he was just a teenager Lane hooked up with legendary slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk. Nighthawk eventually took him to Chicago where his solid piano work graced a number of sides cut for the Chess label in 1948-49 including the blues classic “Sweet Black Angel.” After Nighthawk he played with Earl Hooker, Houston Stackhouse and others before heading to the California in 1956. There he worked with Jimmy Nolen, George “Harmonica” Smith and was recruited by old buddy Ike Turner to be a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. After leaving Ike he joined a group called the Goodtimers who eventually wound up backing the Monkees for about a year on tour. Through the late 60’s/early 70’s he played and recorded for Canned Heat before giving up music altogether. Recently Lane has been featured on a 2000 release by Eddie C. Campbell, played on Ike Turner’s comeback record and toured the US and Europe with Ike’s band.

I first spoke to Ernest several years before he issued his comeback record when I was doing some research into Robert Nighthawk. When he issued his record I interviewed him on my Bad Dog Blues radio show. Here’s a link to that interview that starts off with some music from the record:

Ernest Lane Interview 7/25/04 (mp3)

While doing research into Robert Nighthawk several years ago, I became friendly with Nighthawk’s daughter who I eventually met in Chicago. Her mother was still living in Chicago as well but didn’t want to talk about “that man” as she conveyed to me through her daughter. She finally did talk to me on the phone years later and I believe I was the only who she ever talked to about her years with Nighthawk. When I was in Chicago the daughter showed me a glossy photo of her mother, Ernest and Nighthawk which as far as I know has never been published before. In looking at the above documentary I see a similar (it may be the same - my memory’s a bit foggy) photo used which I thought I would reproduce.

Ernest Lane, Robert Nighthawk and Nighthawk’s wife Hazel McCollum circa late 1940’s

One of two missing Blind Blake 78’s (Paramount 13123) has been discovered. “Night And Day Blues” b/w “Sun To Sun” was discovered in 2007 when it was retrieved from an old steamer trunk in a trailer park in Raleigh, NC, and acquired by Old Hat Records. As Drew Kent wrote in the notes to Blind Blake: All The Published Sides: “In either May or October 1931, Paramount cut four Blake sides which have vanished: Dissatisfied Blues/Miss Emma Liza and Night And Day Blues/Sun To Sun. Any record collector sharp eyed enough to uncover these is guranteed fame, but probably not fortune.”

Some have commented that Blake’s considerable talents went in decline by 1930. There may be some truth to this although “Righteous Blues” cut circa December, 1930 finds Blake in peak form. Thankfully Old Hat has provided sound samples of the newly discovered sides and they find Blake in fine form. Both are straight ahead mid-tempo blues numbers with “Night And Day Blues” finding Blake in particularly good voice and laying down a fine solo. After this session Blake simply vanished without a trace. Several years ago I talked with blues researcher Gayle Dean Wardlow who hinted that he had solved the mystery of Blake’s disappearance - of course he didn’t tell me! Perhaps one day all will be revealed.

There have been some great blues discoveries in recent years including a lost Blind Willie McTell record issued this year plus records by Son House, Blind Joe Reynolds and King Solomon Hill. There are still records to be found, most famously a pair of lost Willie Brown 78’s.

The Blake records were acquired by Old Hat along with records by Charley Jordan, Buddy Moss, Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie, Bessie Jackson, Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell, Casey Bill, Georgia Tom, and the duo of Daddy Stovepipe & Mississippi Sarah, to name just a few. I’m happy to hear Old Hat now owns the records as the company has issued some terrific collections featuring great sound and incredibly researched booklets. Make sure to visit the Old Hat Website for more details.

An ad for the missing Blake record “Miss Emma Liza.”
Image from the 2006 Classic Blues Artwork Calendar.

I’ve had a long running interest in Robert Nighthawk and am always pleased when he gets some recognition. I recently received an email from somebody involved with the Mississippi Blues Commission. The commission are the folks behind the Mississippi Blues Trail which when completed will be composed of more than 100 historical markers and interpretive sites located throughout the state. From the press release: “On Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 2:00 PM, MDA Tourism Heritage Trails Program, the Mississippi Blues Commission and the Clarksdale/Coahoma Tourism Commission will honor blues legend, Robert Lee “Nighthawk” McCollum. The ceremony will take place at the Hirsberg Drug Store located at 649 2nd Street in Friars Point, MS.” Nighthawk spent his entire life rambling around the country but Helena and Friars Point were places close to his heart. He lived and married in Friars Point as well as cutting the magnificent “Friars Point Blues” for Decca in 1940.

Nighthawk stayed in Chicago periodically but he related the following to writer Don Kent: “He told me he frankly preferred the South. It was cheaper, apt to be less violent than the City, and he was better known.” When he was in Chicago he was a regular on Maxwell Street, Chicago’s bustling open-air market. The market was a magnet for musicians just arriving to Chicago as well as those already established on the local blues scene.

We are extremely fortunate that filmaker Mike Shea was on the scene back then. In 1964 Shea was filming a documentary about the Maxwell Street market. The filming took place every Sunday capturing the vibrant sounds of the market including sidewalk merchants, street preachers, gospel singers and blues musicians. Disappointed by the film’s reception, Shea let the tapes languish in a warehouse for years until they were finally thrown away in the 70’s. Fortunately the audio tapes had been stored separately so all the original music has been preserved. In 2000 Rooster issued the 3-CD set And This Is Free containing all the recordings, the bulk of which feature Robert Nighthawk. Apparently much of the video has been lost although at one point it was available on VHS but is now out of print and difficult to find. Studio IT is currently soliciting a distribution deal to put out the original video. Below is a clip from the documentary I stumbled upon on the web. The song was listed as Going Down to Eli which was the title given to the song on the Rounder album Live On Maxwel Street 1964 but is actually a cover of Doctor Clayton’s “Cheating And Lying Blues” and correctly titled on the Rooster release.