A great acoustic blues song written and performed in 1953 by Frankie Lee Sims was brought back to life a few years back by Buddy Guy in this incredible performance…
There’s no denying Buddy’s influence on electric blues but I personally find this finesse performance of a blues classic refreshing. It made me wonder why Guy doesn’t do more of these numbers these days (either live or similar classics on his albums).
In any case – here is a link to an audio version of Frankie Lee Sims original version…you hear the same signature guitar riff, but the tempo and the words are changed for the Guy version…
What’s your impression of Buddy’s playing on this one?
Filed under blues guitar, Blues Legends, buddy guy by on Sep 15th, 2019. Comment. 
Stevie Ray Vaughan was a massive influence on my early twenties, helped me take my own guitar playing to places I never thought possible and even taught me a number of life lessons along the way…this interview came to my attention recently that quickly became my favorite…both because of its lucidity (he was sober), honesty and frankness and useful information…about music and life.
Well worth the watch if you are an SRV fan, but even if you’re not, you’ll find value
Watch it and let me know what you think.
Filed under blues guitar, Blues Legends, stevie ray vaughan by on Jul 24th, 2019. Comment.
If you you are a fan of blues music, stevie ray vuaghan, jimmie vaughan, texas blues or pretty much a music fan of ANY kind…you are going to enjoy this new release from Reese Wynans that stays true to its name – Sweet Release!
Reese spent the last 5-years tickling the ivories and hammering the Hammond B3 with Stevie Ray Vaughan’s band Double Trouble…since then he’s been supporting (with great style and feeling I might add) everyone from Kenny Wayne Shepherd to guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamasa with MANY stops along the way. Suffice it to say, Reese has earned his rightful spot as one of the legends supporting roots and blues music these days.
Sweet Release includes about half of the songs an ode to the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble days (with guests on the releases including Double Trouble themselves – Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon as well as some help from the GREAT Sam Moore on Crossfire (below) and half roots songs that just make you feel GOOD! Kenny Wayne Shepherd includes some amazing guitar work as well.
I couldn’t find a song I didn’t like…a rarity these days. Pick up a copy or stream it on your favorite platform – you won’t be sorry.
In the meantime, here’s the title track and video release – a remake of the SRV Crossfire with the great Sam Moore filling in nicely on vocals (Stevie would have been PROUD!)
Filed under blues guitar, Blues Legends, stevie ray vaughan by on Jun 19th, 2019. Comment.
Love it when I get surprised by another past blues music guitar great like I was this past week hearing “Woman Don’t Lie” from “Snake Boy” Johnson.
Born in Georgia, relocating to Chicago IL after the war, had direct experience with Muddy Waters and followed Elmore James closely. While his birth date is not entirely certain, many peg him as being born in the Fall of 1941 having passed on in 1976 from brain cancer…what a joy he left us with his self-taught guitar playing and soulful voice.
Give this a listen, oh ya – and that Gibson SG looks SO COOL in black and white
Filed under blues guitar, Blues Legends by on Apr 18th, 2019. Comment.
More than ever we need to be reminded what BLUES is really like.
As we continue to lose the legends, Albert King, BB King, Stevie Ray, Albert Collins…it seems more amazing than ever when you go back and discover the true great blues guitar legends and how in-tune they were to the feeling in a song.
Today’s generation of lip-synch, electronically created music, at its best, takes creativity – we have to give kudos for that…but not for a minute does anyone believe there is the degree of feeling, emotion and GUTS in just 60-seconds of a song like this one from Albert King.
Filed under blues guitar, Blues Legends by on Sep 11th, 2016. Comment.
Lonnie Mack never seemed to really get his due overshadowed by more mainstream blues guitar legends (the King’s, Eric Clapton) and later people like Buddy Guy and Stevie Ray Vaughan in the great blues rebound of the 1980’s and 90’s…Stevie Ray Vaughan indeed brought attention back to Mack citing the influence of Wham! on Stevie’s own playing.
We lost Mack earlier this year in April, he had stoppped playing in the early 2000’s – but as with all great music legends, his influence remains.
Equally as influential was Mack on the Southern Rock of bands like Lynrd Skynrd and the Allman’s in the 70’s and 80’s – in his playing you can hear a passionate mix of major penatonic as well as straight ahead blues scales so it is no wonder that Mack influenced the likes of Dicky Betts and Gary Rossington
Take a look at one of the finder performances Lonnie has of Stop…notice how he ramps up the energy in this song through both his playing and under-appreciated singing
Indeed Stevie Ray Vuaghan and Lonnie had a special relationship as Stevie idolized Lonnie as he did so many other great blues legends that came before him…here is Stevie Ray and Lonnie performing WHAM – great stuff!!
Filed under blues guitar, Blues Legends by on Aug 3rd, 2016. Comment.
80-years ago today the legendary Buddy Guy was born in Lettsworth, Louisiana but came to rule the early blues explosion of Chicago – a powerful blues guitar great who influenced the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Stevie Ray Vaughan – he was truly the bridge from the early Southern Blues into modern Chicago blues and all points in between.
In his early twenties Guy moved to Chicago and was fascinated with Muddy Waters. He soon linked up with Junior Wells where they collaborated on early blues work. As his sound evolved, Guy found himself as a critical bridge between traditional blues and rock & roll – electric with a showmanship that appealed to rock stars from Led Zepplin to Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones
As many early blues musicians, financial reward and anything approach mainstream success eluded them.
In the blues revival years of 1980 both Stevie Ray Vuaghan and Eric Clapton championed the skill and influence Guy had on their careers revitalizing a career that had largely gone unnoticed.
With Buddy Guy’s Legends blues club in Chicago and a solid legacy of critically acclaimed blues music, Buddy now is one of the elder statesman of the blues. Since the death of blues legend BB King, guy has come under new focus as one of the last remaining links between the old blues and the newer blues artists including Gary Clark Jr and Kenny Wayne Shephard.
Here is a terrific performance at Red Rocks – watch as guy dominates the stage with his guitar, his voice and his personality. It is this domination that rock musicians took on their climb to rock and roll hall of fame…
Filed under Blues Legends, buddy guy, rock and roll by on Jul 31st, 2016. Comment.
It always seemed to me that BB King was larger than life itself.
That perfect note, that deep felt solo, that big smile and that deep growl followed by perfect vibrato in his gifted voice.
The definition of a great musician is when you instantly recognize them no matter what they play – more than anyone else that was true of BB King
He not only set the bar for multiple generations of blues guitar players and blues musicians, but held everyone to a human standard that we need so much in today’s world.
An unconditional love, optimistic view that sets expectations for those who may have been down or trodden to rise up and be the best they can be…and we get that through his music too. Just because he played blues didn’t mean it gave us the blues. In fact, he gave us an outlet through which to FEEL real emotion, to stop and think about things and get back in tune with our heart instead of our head.
Here is one of my favorite BB King tunes…I can’t believe an entire year has gone by since the King of the Blues was silenced – maybe that’s because he still sings and plays on in my head as if he were just around the corner at his favorite juke joint or concert hall.
That sound will carry me through the next year, until we stop and remember the King of the Blues once again…until then, let’s continue to listen and learn from the vast material BB King left us with.
This is “How Blue Can You Get” performed live at Sing Sing Prison in 1972 – all I can say is WOW!
Filed under bb king, Blues Legends by on May 15th, 2016. Comment.
Love this interview with blues legend Jimmie Vaughan, has so many great stories – music or otherwise.
How one of his guitars is now for sale in LA for $1M, why he chose to play Fender guitars and how he learned to stop imitating his heroes instead choosing to find his own voice.
Such great advice…think of yourself sitting with all of your greats and it comes to your turn, what would you play?
You can’t imitate them…you’re screwed unless you have something original that sounds like you to play…such great advice.
Filed under Blues Legends, jimmie vaughan by on May 9th, 2016. Comment.
Happened to be down in the music Capital of The World…Austin TX last week and was happy to catch Tommy Shannon (Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Arc Angels, and the list goes on), David Holt (long time axe man including Storyville with Double Trouble) and Tommy Taylor (drummer Christopher Cross, Eric Johnson) at Anotone’s
They played the early show and the crowd was thin (Wed night at 6:30 is not exactly prime blues concert time), but the music was SWEET!
Here’s a little clip, guys sounded great…couldn’t help think that they were a little miffed at the poor turnout, maybe doing a better job at engaging the people who WERE there would have been a good second option as Antone’s builds it’s clientele once again after moving to a 6th location on East 5’th street across from the tall Hilton Hotel (a little off the East 6th street music row, but easily walkable from most locations downtown)
Get out and support Antone’s, get out to see Tommy and the boys – they really are super talented…lots of fun!
Filed under blues guitar, Blues Legends by on May 1st, 2016. Comment.
