Three Good Blues Singers
We were leaving Pier 39 on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf when we heard the faint sounds of a guitar and harp playing Little Walter. We had visited the wharf to see the sea lions, who resemble either my family after Thanksgiving dinner or the bar at Moondogs around 1 AM after a show. The music was a surprise, since we found that blues music was not big in SF. There were few bars or clubs booking even the national acts, and, like Pittsburgh, the local acts apparently have a difficult time getting stage time. In fact we were heading for Lou’s Restaurant and Blues Club.com to see what was on that evening when we encountered Dave Earl, a well known SF bluesman and very talented multi-instrumentalist playing on the sidewalk. Dave was using a rack mounted harp, a National guitar and some electronic backing tracks to entertain, collect tips, and sell his CDs and generally showoff his songwriting and playing skills.
I talked with Mr. Earl for a while and bought 2 CDs: Blues Instrumentals and Sidewalk Boogie. His CDs are available from www.davearl.com. Although I did buy 2 CDs and am recommending him to the BSWPA members, our usual disclaimer applies: No money or gifts changed hands in connection with this review.
Blues Instrumentals: 17 songs, with an array of sidemen: Pinetop Perkins, Mark Hummel, Steve Freund among others on lead guitar, 3 sax players and Francis Clay on drums. Earl plays guitar, harp and bass guitar. The songs are high quality blues instrumentals that will remind you of a range of sounds you’ve heard: any of the Kings playing guitar, Walter Horton, Little Walter Jacobs on harp with a solid bass section keeping the beat. I strongly recommend that BSWPA members visit Earl’s website and listen to the samples from his 8 CDs, go to the YouTube videos to see him playing on the wharf (you have to see the National O guitar—beautiful!) and do some business with this throwback musician who makes his entire living this way.
Sidewalk Boogie was produced at backtrack Record studios in California. Dave earl’s co-players include some of the musicians mentioned above. Two thirds of the songs are Earl composed; covers of Jimmy Reed (Big Boss Man) and Louis Jordan (Let the Good Times Roll) with Earl on harp and guitar. Very enjoyable mix of songs, with a truly distinctive version of Amazing Grace, in fact, the only version of this clichéd song I’d even consider for my own funeral.
Funerals is a rough transition to the second blues player I want to call to your attention. Jo Ann Kelly died aged 46 in October 1990 of malignant brain cancer. I recommend if you have never heard of her or heard her play that you do a Google search on “Jo Ann Kelly.”You will given sites such as http://www.wirz.de/music/kellyfrm.htm where you can read about her career. Amazon has some of her CDs available. It was said of Kelly that it was amazing that there would be any British women noted as great blues artists (name another). She was recommended by Frank Scott in his Roots and Rhythm newsletter and turned out to be the revitalized spirit of Memphis Minnie, one of my favorite classic blues guitarists. Kelly sounds like Minnie or Dinah Washington, with a deepness and range that makes her version of Minnie’s Black Rat Swing really fun. Her guitar playing is exceptional, as is Minnie's.
In her “Key to the Highway” CD Kelly is accompanied by a wonderful piano player named Bob Hall, who played for Savoy Brown for a long time. Hall has CDs of his own. "Don’t Play Boogie and At the Window" are in my collection. He is the perfect accompanist for Kelly, with Otis Spann-like fills and even some retro sounds that Walter Roland might have used. There are 23 songs in “Key’—very listenable.
Finally, I want to call your attention to a musicologist who sings old style country blues. Dr. David Evans is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Memphis. The University pays him money to explore American roots music, write books and articles, do presentations and teach it to others. In addition to this grueling work Dr. Evans plays guitar and sings and makes CDs. A flattering resume is available on The Country Blues website, which lists and provides biographies for dozens of country blues artists. My blues library includes his Big Road Blues and the NPR Guide to the Blues. Evan’s CDs are available from Amazon. His songs range from traditional hymns, hokum songs, country blues and even modern jug band sounds. One of my favorite CDs is Evans and friends playing as The Last Chance Jug Band with their “Shake That Thing” CD. In the song “Last Chance Blues” Evans sings: “Baby-This is your last chance, you used to wear dresses, now you want to wear my pants!” The politically correct 21st century doesn’t sing those lines anymore, except in rap, and especially accompanied by a jug. Although Evans does not have a classic blues voice, he carries the songs well and provides a living bridge to a time and music not played much anymore.
~ V. Robert Agostino
