Good, Gone, & Gun Lovers

Sometimes when you hear a song, it gives you a geographic idea of where it was recorded. It just has that sound or feel. In this case it’s New Orleans and the song is called “Real Gone Lover” by Smiley Lewis.

(Lewis is best known for recording “I Hear You Knocking” later popularized by Dave Edmunds.) The songwriting credits I’ve found indicate “Real Gone Lover” was written by Dave Bartholomew, Joseph Robicheaux, and Ruth Durand. It’s a pretty straightforward song about a “nervous fella” and his abilities as a lover. Another version I found by Kid Ramos features Kim Wilson (Fabulous Thunderbirds) on vocals and harmonica.

The first version I heard of the tune was by Van Morrison and Linda Gail Lewis. It got me thinking about a couple of other songs with similar titles. For example, there is 1962’s “Good Lover” by Jimmy Reed. This song was apparently written by his wife Mary Lee Reed.

Fast forward to 1992 when ZZ Top released their Greatest Hits. One of the trends at the time was to not only release the “hits”, but also new stuff for die-hard fans. This album included a new one called “Gun Love.”

Are these songs all the result of the Smiley Lewis recording? It’s hard to know. Also, just to truly beat a dead horse, Van Morrison recorded a song called “Real Real Gone” in addition to “Real Gone Lover.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Hypno-Pretty-Diddley-Thing

Bo Diddley: the dude who had his own beat named after him. Willie Dixon: perhaps the greatest blues songwriter of all time (in my humble opinion). In the mid-fifties, these two teamed up to write a song called “Pretty Thing” which has been playing on repeat in my car for weeks now. The version that I’ve been digging is by John Hammond Jr. and The Nighthawks.

I’m not exactly stumped as to why I love this version, but it’s easier said than explained. Obviously, the Bo Diddley Beat is a big part of this song. Somewhere along the way, I learned that I like songs with good percussion in them and this has to qualify as one of them. I saw an interview where Bo Diddley’s guitar style was described as “percussive.” He approaches it more like a drummer might, but I think there are also some surf elements to his playing.

Diddley’s original version also features maracas (played by his right hand man Jerome Green) and harmonica as well. Apparently, Pretty Thing was the “A” side of the original Bo Diddley single with “Road Runner” on the “B” side. A few other versions I’ve encountered include ones by Social Distortion and The Steve Miller Band. There’s also a British group who named themselves (The Pretty Things) after this song.

On an unrelated note, perhaps the greatest high school black comedy of all time “Heathers” features this quote: “Who does that guy in the coat think he is, anyways, Bo Diddley?”

Till next time keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Thin Twin Blues

When most people think of an electric guitar, they get a specific image of a Gibson Les Paul ( a sunburst most likely) or a Fender Stratocaster (Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” for example). There’s also Keith Richard’s Butterscotch Blonde Telecaster and Eddie Van Halen’s Frankenstrat. You get the idea, right?

One electric guitar which may be a little under the radar to the general public is the Kay Thin Twin, which is associated with the often-underrated Jimmy Reed. (Some even call the K-161 “The Jimmy Reed Guitar.“) When I think of Reed, the image I get is the black and white publicity photo of him holding this particular guitar with his harmonica in a neck rack and huge smile on his face. You can easily recognize the formula of Reed’s songs like “Caress Me Baby.”

Reed, however, wasn’t the only one to play this particular model. I recently saw a documentary on Howlin’ Wolf (Chester Burnett) and they showed a similar P.R. photo of a young, clean-cut looking Wolf holding a Thin Twin model guitar as well. (By the way, other guitarists associated with Reed and Wolf include Eddie Taylor and Hubert Sumlin — both are underrated in my book.)

So why is it called the Thin Twin? The thin part refers to the guitar’s thin body and the twin part refers to its two pickups. Pretty catchy name…I wonder who coined the phrase? Apparently, they were only in production for about 3-4 years. I don’t recall ever seeing one of these guitars (or reissues) in the real world, but I would welcome the opportunity to play one. They don’t come cheap.

Has it reached iconic status? For me, it definitely has. Not only is it associated with some great music and the musicians who made it, but it’s pretty easy on the eyes. Some recent players include T-Bone Burnett, Jimmy Vivino, and even Bob Dylan.

Reed played the “blonde” model with tortoise shell pickguard as opposed a black and white version. Yes, it has a vintage vibe to it and I’m good with that.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Some Girls

Where were you in 1978? That was the year The Rolling Stones released their “Some Girls” album. You can make the argument some of the songs on the album are in the “overplayed” classic rock radio category — “Beast of Burden” and “Miss You” come to mind. (Depending on where you live, “Shattered” might also fall into that category. ) However, there are some other gems on the record. It would be hard for me to pick one favorite cut, but the Keith Richards-penned “Before They Make Me Run” is a safe choice for me.

https://youtu.be/mYXLJ-Z1lhg

For me, the crunchy guitar and the harmony vocal really grabbed me the first time I heard it. It’s definitely not the only Stones song to mention drugs, but “booze and pills and powders – you have to choose your medicine” is pretty clear to me. Another song on the album makes reference to “heroin with the president”. That one, called “Respectable”, is an underrated Chuck Berry styled rocker.

This song might be a little too straightforward to some, but to my ears, this song has some great raggedy vibes to it. Somewhere along the way, there was a re-release of the album with unreleased cuts. About the only one of those I remember liking was their cover of “Tallahassee Lassie.”

Mick’s tongue-in-cheek country song “Faraway Eyes” and “When the Whip Comes Down” round out the album. Did I miss any? There’s a Temptations cover “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” and a couple of others.

What else can you say about this late 70s Stones effort? Well, Ron Wood played on the record as the band’s newest band member. You can also hear the harmonica playing of Sugar Blue. “Some Girls” is not my favorite Stones album, but there is some great rock n roll on it. I always thought the album cover was kind of lame, but the Stones can always blame it on sex, drugs, and rock n roll.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Blues Kids: Messin’ & Confessin’

It’s amazing how certain songs find their way to us. You can look at it any number of different ways. You like this style of music, these bands, but it still seems pretty random to me. The first song I’ll mention is called “Messin’ with the Kid.” I’ll give some credit to The Blues Brothers for recording this one and helping to keep it alive and well over the years. It was originally recorded by Junior Wells in 1960, and was produced and written by Mel London. I came across a version by Junior Wells and Buddy Guy about ten years ago from a friend who’s into the blues.

It’s a got a funky feel to it, some great harmonica, and that guitar riff really hooks me into it — especially, the way Wells drops the lyrics out. “Messin’ with the…(insert 8 note guitar riff)”. It’s been recorded by lots of blues bands/artitsts: Rory Gallagher, Johnny Winter, Sugar Blue, and more. While researching this blog entry, I found a version featuring Buddy Guy and Kid Rock. There’s even a rehearsal version by AC/DC out there. (It sounds like singer Brian Johnson smoked a case of Marlboro, then gargled with a pint of Jack Daniels for good measure. Give him credit, that’s his sound.)

The second song, ironically, came my way via The Rolling Stones’ second American album called “12 x 5.” Honestly, I’ve never owned this album so I probably heard it on public radio or found it on YouTube. “Confessin’ the Blues” is another great blues song which often features the harmonica.

I’m assuming the Stones were inspired by harmonica great Little Walter’s version. Someone in the band does a good job of duplicating one of the guitar riffs note for note. Little Walter (Jacobs) didn’t write the tune ( but his version is worth a listen). That credit goes to bandleader Jay McShann and singer Walter Brown. The original is a lot jazzier and mellower to my ears.

https://youtu.be/eNKavSl2HG4

Other artists to record this song include Wynonie Harris, Chuck Berry, and B.B. King, It’s hard to believe this song was originally released in 1941, but there it is. I wonder how it will find its way to others in the future?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Mean Old World

Some people don’t really enjoy or “get” blues music. They think it’s slow, sad, and depressing. Repetitive or simple, too. (Some say the same about country music.) While opinions vary, and I would disagree with that, this song makes a strong argument for those things. “Mean Old World” was first recorded by blues guitarist/musician/songwriter T-Bone Walker, but harmonica phenom Little Walter had a hit with the song in the R & B charts.

If you like the Little Walter version, there are several others in that vein. Artists who followed in his footsteps include Canned Heat, Van Morrison, and Chicken Shack (featuring Christine Perfect on lead vocals).

Christine Perfect would later be part of Fleetwood Mac and marry John McVie to provide her with the better known moniker of Christine McVie. Incidentally, there’s also a live Fleetwood Mac version of the song with Peter Green on guitar.

“Mean Old World” was also recorded with a completely different feeel/arrangement by blues guitarists Eric Clapton and Duane Allman. Their version apparently inspired North Mississippi Allstars to record it as well.

Duane Betts — the son of Allman Brothers’ guitarist Dickie Betts — plays on this track along with Jason Isbell.

Somehow this blog entry unintentionally turned into a Who’s on First -who’s related to who type of thing, but it’s still about the song. If you don’t like any of these versions, check out one by B.B. King or the original by T-Bone Walker. As great as Little Walter was on harmonica, I love his vocals on this one. Ike and Tina Turner have a straight blues of this one with killer vocals, too.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon.

Brody Buster’s One Man Apocalypse

I was cruising around in my car on a Saturday when I heard a catchy tune with great harmonica on it. I was listening to Kansas City Public Radio KKFI. Turns out it was a local guy named Brody Buster. I was pleasantly surprised to find his latest album Brody Buster’s One Man Band available on iTunes so I immediately bought the song “2029.”

Just because it’s about the end of the world, doesn’t mean it has to be gloomy, right? The same album also has some covers on it including The Beatles’ “Get Back” (which I also bought) and a Grateful Dead tune.

Perhaps Brody Buster’s biggest claim to fame is he was labelled a “harmonica prodigy” as a kid. He has played with some well known musicians. I even found a YouTube video of him playing Montreux with Quincy Jones. With a little more searching, I found this interview he did with Crystle Lampitt on 38 The Spot. They talk about his background and plans for the future.

Interviewing isn’t something everyone can do well. Kudos, Crystle Lampitt!

When you get down to it, radio and television are pretty amazing things. The audio and video go out into the universe and you never know who it’s going to impact and in what way. I’m glad I heard “2029” and look forward to hearing more from Brody Buster. Hopefully, it doesn’t all end there for all of us.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

It’s all about Jimmy Who?

Elvis, ZZ Top, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, John Hammond, The Steve Miller Band, Neil Young, Van Halen.

Q: Which musician had a big enough impact on these artists THEY ALL recorded his music?

A: Jimmy Reed.

Reed is remembered for his recording of the song “Big Boss Man” (songwriting credits to Luther Dixon and Al Smith), but also for his laid back, if not lazy, sound. For a beginning guitarist, he was total inspiration – and he still is to so many. Learning the rhythm to a Jimmy Reed song not only sounded like something, but it felt like it, too. It’s one thing to see/hear someone like Bob Dylan or Neil Young play guitar and then top it off with a harmonica in a neck rack, but they don’t compare to the feeling of Jimmy Reed.

Reed’s music has been covered by famous rock n rollers, country stars, blues artists, bar bands, and everything in between. One of my favorite YouTube videos is this version of Jimmy Reed’s somewhat obscure song called “Mr. Luck”.

(The song can be found on the confusingly-titled album Jimmy Reed at Carnegie Hall. It doesn’t sound like a live recording because it’s not a live recording.)

Going back to the mainstream, Reed’s song “Bright Lights, Big City” has also been recorded dozens of times and appears in pop culture from time to time. I remember the song (written by Reed) appeared in the film Backbeat about The Beatles’ early days in Hamburg. More recently, guitarist Jimmie Vaughan (The Fabulous Thunderbirds/Stevie Ray’s older brother) partnered with Omar Kent Dykes (Omar & The Howlers) for a tribute album called On the Jimmy Reed Highway.

(This will not be my last article about the great, yet still underrated, Jimmy Reed. )

Keep your Mojo on the Horizon!