STAR BLUES on 3rd March 2013 at 22:00

Five years since Jeff Healey died and there's a 3-cd set of previously unreleased live recordings that showcases his unique playing style. The new triple set we played is approved by Jeff's family and estate and you should perhaps know that other albums bearing his name may not be. He was a skilled musician in both jazz and blues and used his extensive personal collection of 78's to host a very popular radio show. He was supposed to play live seated with the guitar across his lap but he refused to sit still and he put on some energetic performances (the deluxe package has the matching three concerts).


Gary Clark Jr. was in my living room this morning (albeit on the tube and Auntie Beeb). Gary at 29 has had a busy ol' time with appearances for Barack Obama, with Clapton at the Crossroads festival, on the soundtrack to Max Payne 3 video game and as an actor in "Honeydripper" with Danny Glover. The current issue of Living Blues magazine has him on the cover and the producers of Sunday breakfast tv for BBC1 have played fast and loose with the booking policy to get him on screen yesterday (3rd March). A big label like Warner Bros will be a help of-course and there is substance to the man to back up the hype. To my ears he ploughs the same furrow as Ben Harper, Prince and Lenny Kravitz with a brief detour to blues every now and again. Just one of the baker's dozen tracks on "Blak and Blu" fits our format on STAR BLUES so you'll need to keep an ear out to check if he's the real deal or just the King's New Clothes...



Teeny Tucker has flirted around the edge of a breakthrough for a while now (her dad is Tommy Tucker), she works with the very gifted guitarist (and photographer extraordinaire) Robert Hughes - so this new album may well do it for her. At times she reminds me of Koko Taylor at her best - but that ain't no bad thing and she has the beginnings of a graininess in the texture of her voice that will only improve with age. Mark Robinson stared the show with a cut from the brand new project called "Have Axe, Will Groove" and we returned to the new ones from Corey Harris and Bobby Rush. Neither man is easily pigeon-holed and Rush's 77 years fall away with pep and brio in his writing singing and playing.



If our first hour could be done fast and loud, our vinyl hour knocked it into a cocked hat for sheer class. Just imagine the youthful Ian Kilminster lying in bed listening to Young John Watson's 1951 single for Federal and all of a sudden "Motorhead Baby" takes on a new meaning. Jimmy Rogers classic side from the same year had Little Walter on guitar (which was his first instrument) - the session players all went on to be part of Muddy Waters band. Lil Johnson and Tommy Ridgely brought piano dexterity on their vinyl outings to go with Henry Butler's electric piano rendition of "Great Balls Of Fire".



I've just bought "Blue Smoke: The Recorded Journey of Big Bill Broonzy" and felt we don't get enough of one of the biggest influences in Twentieth century music. His "House Rent Stomp" was cut in Paris in September 1950 as part of a two day session which created almost two dozen titles for Vogue. The picking is nimble and it was such a pity the promoters wanted him to look like he'd come straight from the cotton fields. After all this was the first authentic African-American blues man to tour Europe? Truth is Bill was a smart-dressed educated man more used to wearing suits. I knew of the depth of Broonzy's own recorded canon, but the discography in the back of this lovely book shows how many other sides he did with his contemporaries. Genius is too light a word here.



Next Sunday is our chance to mark the 50th anniversary of the first English language blues magazine: "Blues Unlimited", we'll have quite a number of tracks from the albums and singles, features and discographies that could be found within those 18 typed and duplicated pages. Be really neat if you could save me a spot round your place next Sunday at 10pm - until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you

Track.Title	Track.ArtistSort	Index	Album.Title	Album.ArtistSort	Label
Cool Rockin' Daddy	Mark Robinson	4	Have Axe - Will Groove	Mark Robinson	blind chihuahua
Money's Gettin' Cheaper	Duke Robillard	12	Stomp! The Blues Tonight	Duke Robillard	Stony Plain Music
From The Start	Jesse Dee	6	On My Mind / In My Heart	Jesse Dee	Alligator Records & Artist Management, Inc.
Going Up The Country	Canned Heat	2	The Very Best Of Canned Heat	Canned Heat	EMI
i'm tore up - live	Jeff Healey Band, The	1-1	as the years go passing by	Jeff Healey Band, The	iankustic
Down in Louisiana	Bobby Rush	1	Down in Louisiana	Bobby Rush	DEEP Rush
i do	eddie c. campbell	1	spider eatinmg stew	eddie c. campbell	delmark
Death Don't Have No Mercy	Teeny Tucker	12	Voodoo To Do You	Teeny Tucker	N/A
Next Door Neighbor Blues	Gary Clark Jr.	13	Blak And Blu	Gary Clark Jr.	WARNER BROTHERS
Maggie Walker Blues	Corey Harris	13	Fulton Blues	Corey Harris
Lonesome Road	Sister Rosetta Tharpe	18	As Good As It Gets	Various Artists	DISKY
jesus hits like an atom bomb	pilgrim travellers	2-3	as good as it gets	various artists	disky
great balls of fire	Henry Butler	7	The Game Has Just Begun	Henry Butler	BASIN STREET RECORDS
Money, Marbles And Chalk	Jimmy Rogers	8	Complete Chess Recordings	Jimmy Rogers	MCA/CHESS
Motorhead Baby	Young John Watson	13	Let Me Tell You About The Blues: West Coast	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
Jay Walking	Upsetters feat. Grady Gaines	50	The Fire And Fury Story	Various Artists	CHARLY
When It Rains It Pours	Billy 'The Kid' Emerson	22	Let Me Tell You About The Blues: Memphis	Various Artists	Fantastic Voyage
When I'm Gone (She Treats Me Mean and Evil)	Joe Hill Louis	12	Rockin' Memphis	Various Artists	Proper Box
Cool Kind Lover	Jesse Thomas	22	Complete Recorded Works 1948-1958	Jesse Thomas	DOCUMENT
House Rent Stomp	Big Bill Broonzy	8	House Rent Stomp	Big Bill Broonzy	BLUES ENCORE
Lonesome Shack Blues	Memphis Minnie	39	Me And My Chauffeur	Memphis Minnie	PROPER
Confessin' The Blues	Jay McShann	23	Highlights From: The History Of Rhythm And Blues 1925-1942	Various Artists	RHYTHM & BLUES
In The Same Old Way	Tommy Ridgley	14	Jockomo Jockomo	Various Artists	MUSIC CLUB
House Rent Scuffle	Lil Johnson	13	Roll 'Em Pete : 25 Years Of Piano Blues And Boogie	Various Artists	INDIGO
Cornbread Row	Big Al Downing	1	Southern Soul Shake!: Sss Soul Survey & Music City Soul	Various Artists	CHARLY
Family Rules	Guitar Jr.	7	On Bended Knee - The Birth Of Swamp Pop	Various Artists	GREAT Voices Of The Century
11:45 swing	howard mcghee orchestra	22	modern - the first year	various artists	ace
love is my business	bobby woods	10	ace story vol 5	various artists	ace

Created: 03/03/2013 23:54:13