Answer to the February 2018 Blues Question: The bluesman we were looking for is Billy "The Kid" Emerson, born William Robert Emerson, on December 21, 1925, in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Having learned piano, in his teen years he performed with local bands. When he was 18 he joined the U.S. Navy, in 1943. After W.W.II and his discharge, he performed around Florida. In one of the bands in which he played, the band members dressed as outlaws, which is when and where he got his "Billy the Kid" nickname. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1952. After his discharge in 1954, while he was in Memphis, he was "recruited" by Ike Turner and joined the "Kings of Rhythm". Since Ike was also a talent scout for Sun Records, that's where Billy did his first recordings. He left Ike's band and joined another, led by Phineas Newborn, though he did continue to write songs and record vocals for Sun. In 1955 he joined Vee-Jay Records in Chicago, did some writing and recording for that label, but left shortly thereafter to join Chess Records. After recording for several small "indie" labels, he started his own -- Tarpon Records, in 1966. From what I can find, at least currently, there are seven 45's that were released on the Tarpon label, 5 recorded by Billy, 1 by Matt "Guitar" Murphy (12/29/1929), and 1, which was the debut recording, by Denise LaSalle (7/16/1939-1/8/2018). The Murphy and LaSalle recordings were shown to have been done in 1967. According to statements by Billy, there were/are more recordings that were done, but, as of this date, no more have been found. In the interim, from that time up into the mid-'80's, Billy toured with many other "big name" artists, performing at shows and festivals. In the early '80's he quit performing secular music and, instead, became choir director at the Christ Temple Apostolic Faith Church, at least, part-time. But before he became a full-time minister, he went on tour in Europe with several other blues artists, a tour that was quite successful. While he was in Europe, he and several of the other bluesmen on the tour did some recording for Big Bear Records. (We stock a compilation of those sessions, by Big Bear Records, titled "Don't Worry 'Bout the Bear".) When he began his full-time work as a minister, it was as The Reverend William R. "The Kishi" Emerson, in Chicago. He then moved back to his hometown of Tarpon Springs, where he started the Holy Praise Apostolic Church of Jesus, and also the Good Spirit Music Ministry. He continues to preach the Gospel today. Here's the odd part of all this-- most records indicate that he first recorded at Sun, in 1955, when he actually recorded 3 tracks in January 1954, backed by Ike Turner and The Rhythm Kings. In April 1954, he recorded with Raymond Hill, 2 songs by Hill, with Billy on piano, and 2 songs by Billy, with Hill on sax. At this session, however, there was a third song done by Billy: "When My Baby Quit Me", in 2 different versions. Version 1 is the one in which I'm interested. It's done in the true blues style, while version 2 is done in an R & B/soul style. Neither was released at that time because Sam Phillips was concentrating Suns' money and efforts on promoting another of his artists-- one Elvis Presley. None of these songs put Billy's name on the charts, but one recorded in May of 1955, did. It was based on a high school cheerleaders' chant, and wasn't blues. If you want to know what it was, you'll have to look it up (or call me). Oh, by the way, Billy was inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Blues Question for March 2018: This bluesman came from good stock-- his grandfather was a preacher and his father was a harmonica player. He started his musical career with gospel groups, as a vocalist. Though not very well known, he recorded on seven different labels and, as far as I know, is only credited with writing one song, but I believe he probably did more. Any idea who this bluesman might be ??

Blues Song(s) and Artist(s) For March 2018: The song is "Gravy Child" and the artist is George "Wild Child" Butler, on harp and vocals. The other artists on this recording make it noteworthy, as they are: Aron Burton on bass, Sam Lay on drums, Joe Kelly on rhythm guitar, Jimmy Rogers on lead guitar, and Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins on piano and organ. I picked this song because it's about this time of year-- high taxes and rent. There are many more blues songs that cover those topics, but this one is by a bluesman not as well-known as some of the others, and it's actually blues.

Blues Trivia for March 2018: Some time ago, my wife, Lee, asked me how many types or styles of blues there are. When I got to somewhere between 15 and 20, she stopped me and said "I didn't realize there were that many different ones". Well, when you get into tracking the history of this music, you'll find that there are many more than that. If you look it up on the web, you'll find that it shows there are many more. The problem with that listing is that they have separated some that are actually the same, but they've been classified by the city in which they were/are played. Unfortunately, what was overlooked is all the variations, by geographic region, that developed over many years. The common terms you hear most blues fans using today when talking about blues is electric (usually meaning Chicago style), acoustic (usually meaning Delta style), and rock blues (which started out in England and has since moved here). Those are all valid, but in each of those lie many others, maybe not so well known. If you are truly a blues fan, you need to at least look into some of those variances. If you don't, you're going to miss out on hearing what real blues is about!

Answer to the January 2018 Blues Question: I indicated that this gospel/bluesman was "obscure", when I should have said that he was/is obscure only to the average blues fan and well-known to the majority of blues musicians. He was/is "Blind" Willie Johnson, born January 22nd.,1897, in Independence, Texas. Willie's mother, Mary Fields, died when he was four years old. At the age of five his father gave him his first instrument: a cigar-box guitar. He wasn't born blind and most of his biographers agree that, at the age of seven, he was blinded by a solution of lye water splashed on him by his stepmother, who was being violently confronted by his father, about her "infidelity". Other theories have been offered, but this one seems to be the most likely to be correct. Not much else is known about his childhood years. In 1926 or early 1927 Blind Willie entered into an unregistered marriage with Willie B. Harris, who would sometimes perform with him on the streets and other gatherings. She was the one who recorded with him on vocals and/or piano at some of his recording sessions. He only did five sessions total, recording 30 songs, all of them released in his own name. They were released on the Columbia Records label, with two of those also released under the name "The Blind Pilgrim", on the Anchor label, a subsidiary of Columbia. There were also two songs recorded by him, under the name "Blind Texas Marlin", but they were never titled or released by Columbia, and the masters of them have yet to be found. In the early 1930's, Johnson is said to have married Angeline Robinson, sister of Louis Charles "L.C."/ "Good Rockin' Charles" Robinson. As of this time, no marriage certificates have been found for either marriage. At some point, probably sometime in the '20's, Blind Willie had become a minister and was an evangelist preacher, which is shown in his recordings. He travelled and performed with Evangeline (Anne) from the early '30's into the early '40's, in various towns in Texas. They ended up in Beaumont, where he opened a church, the House of Prayer. In 1945 his home burned to the ground and he had nowhere else to go and no money, so he continued to live in the remains of his house. There, exposed to the heat and humidity, he contracted malarial fever. Angeline stated in a later interview, that no hospital would admit him, either because he was blind, or because he was black. As near as I can find, that fire was early in 1945, and, over the course of the year he grew weaker from his illness. He finally passed away on September 18, 1945. His death certificate states that the factors contributing to his death were syphilis and blindness. If you are truly a blues fan, you MUST listen to his recording "Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground". This is THE prime example of an acoustic guitar "weeping"(the slide sound). If you want to hear his gravelly voice, you have to listen to his recording of "John The Revelator". That one will surprise you as well. A couple of other points: in 1977 Carl Sagan was directed to compile a group of songs, to be recorded on a gold disc, and placed on the Voyager space probe, to be sent into space so if found by other life forms, they might have a point of reference about the human race. "Dark Was The Night" is one of those 27 songs (another artist included was Chuck Berry). In 2010, the Library of Congress added that song to it's list of songs it deems to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Blues Question for February 2018: This "bluesman" is listed as an R & B and/or Rock and Roll singer and songwriter, but his career also shows him to be in the blues vein. He was most active in music from the mid-1940's up into the late '70's. He has the distinction of never having a hit, but some of his recorded songs have been hits for others. Any idea who this "bluesman" might be ??

Blues Song(s) and Artist(s) for February 2018: Let's be a little adventurous here! The song is "Devil Woman", by Bruce Willis and the Bruce Willis Blues Band-- a live recording. Who knew?

Blues Trivia for February 2018: You're probably familiar with "fife and drum" music, such as that by Otha (Othar) Turner, but how about a flute on a blues song? One of the bluesmen to use the flute is/was Johnny Heartsman. He also played bass, piano, electronic organ, guitar, and did vocals as well. He is listed as a singer, songwriter, musician, and arranger. Some of the songs he wrote were: "Are You Gonna' Leave Me?", for Jesse James, "Goose Grease", for Roy Buchanan, "Got To Find My Baby", for John Hammond Jr., "Move On Down The Line", for Amos Garrett, along with several others for Joe Simon, with whom he toured, playing as an organist. His first all blues album was "Sacramento", in 1987. His second one was "The Touch", on Alligator Records in 1991. On that second album, he shows his versatility by playing different instruments and doing vocals. The song "Tongue" is an instrumental featuring the flute up front, with other instruments there, but subdued. The song "Walkin' Blues" features the organ, and the song "Let Me Love You Baby" features the guitar, both along with vocals. Sadly, he passed away in 1996, of a stroke, in Sacramento, California.