Some October Blues Births:
- October 3rd.,1985-- Layla McCalla
- October 18th.,1941-- William "Billy" Cox
- October 29th.,1946-- Peter Green, born Peter Allen Greenbaum
Answer To The September Blues Question: The bluesman we were looking for was/is David Maxwell,aka "Mad Dog" Maxwell, born March 10, 1943, in Waltham, Massachusetts ( where the Waltham Watch Co. started out). I've got nothing on his earliest years, but when in high school, he was friends with Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (later, one of the two founders of "Canned Heat"), and they performed locally at/for several different venues. He attended the University of Rochester, and then the Eastman School of Music, which was a private, exclusive branch school of the main, University of Rochester, both, of course, were/ are in Rochester, New York. By the late 1960's, he was into the blues scene in Boston (home of the original House of Blues, which really was a house!). His piano playing style was influenced by all the great blues piano players of that era and earlier times. He became friends with Otis Spann, who was one of his influencers. In the early '70's, he was spotted and recruited by Freddie King, who he accompanied and performed with. In '74 & '75, he did the same with Bonnie Raitt. From '77 into '79, he did the same with James Cotton. Early '80's, he returned to Boston and formed a band -- "David Maxwell and the Blues Wizards". The performers in the band were: David on piano, Paul Richel on guitar, Ed Friedland on bass, Chuck Lair on drums, and "Weepin' Willie" Robinson on vocals. He toured and recorded with Otis Rush in the '90's. Also in '91, he performed on the soundtrack of the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes". He played on James Cotton's 1997 album "Deep In The Blues". He collaborated with Louisiana Red (Iverson Minter) and Otis Spann on the albums "You Got To Move" in 2009, and "Conversations In Blue" in 2010. His final album, recorded in 2012, was "Blues In Other Colors", done with non-Western instruments; in it he fused blues with "world musics". Over the years, he both recorded and performed with so many other musicians, it would be hard to put that list in the Blog-- there's only so much room for that type of info here. Sadly, he passed away in Massachusetts General Hospital, of prostate cancer, on February 13,2005.
Blues Question For October 2022: This bluesman influenced no one, and is, himself, barely known.This Piedmont- style artist was good at his craft, and he had two brothers who were also musicians. He performed in the U.S. and in the U.K.. He only recorded one album, and today, a copy of that album is a bit "pricey", but he did record with others on their recordings. Any thoughts on who this bluesman might be??
Blues Song(s) And Artist(s) For October 2022: The song is "Black Cat Bone", and the artist is Johnny Winter. This one I took from the "Johnny Winter Live Bootleg Series, Vol.2"; Friday Music Studios label, # FRM-1083, released in 2008. The same song is on other releases in this series on Johnny Winter, and there are 14 releases in his series, from 2007 through 2017. This version is supposed to have Johnny on guitar and vocals, Jon P (Paris) on bass and harmonica, Bobby T (Torello) on drums. Other versions have Jon P on them, but may feature others on bass, drums, or guitar. Pat Rush is on guitar on some versions of this. Picked this song 'cause it's October--the month of Halloween, so just enjoy the cut, and hand out goodies for the neighborhood kids !
Blues Trivia For October 2022: Since this is the month in which we find Halloween, I'd just like to note that there are many songs about it, or are related to it. Some go back in time to the earliest jazz and blues recordings, usually referencing hoodoo or voodoo, in both of those genres. You'll also find these same types of songs in the Chicago - style, both early, later, and current styles. They can also be found in the rock, garage band, rap, hip- hop, R & B, soul, metal, and pretty much any type of music genre. It's definitely not limited in it's acceptance. Whatever genre or type of music you like, just listen to and enjoy it, as some of it can be interesting, funny, true to life, or sometimes, just garbage. There are hundreds from which to choose !
Some October Blues Passings:
- October 6th.,2020-- Reverend John Wilkins
- October 12th.,1972-- Walter Roland
- October 28th.,1983-- O.Z. "Ozzie" "Dee Dee" Saxton
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