Some August Blues Births:
- August 3rd.,1934 -- Alex "Easy Baby" Randle
- August 16th.,1951 -- Eric Charles Bibb
- August 26th.,1954 -- Scott Henderson
Answer To The July 2019 Blues Question: The bluesman we were looking for is/was William Lloyd "Bill" Johnson, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, birth date unknown. When he was 2, the family moved to Ottawa, Ontario. Artistic family? -- yes; his mother, Dorothy Oxborough, is a recognized painter. While he was growing up he listened to his brother's blues records collection (his brother plays blues harmonica). At the age of 9, his family moved to Victoria, British Columbia. That was the year he started playing the guitar, as with the move, he, as yet, had no new friends. He excelled in his music classes and was playing professionally by the age of 15. He spent his teen years playing local gigs and studying guitar. He has said that his desire to play guitar was most influenced by his listening to recordings done by Chuck Berry. He now plays acoustic, electric, and lap slide guitars, and also the flute and harmonica. He performed with different bands through the '70's and '80's, all in varying genres of music. That's probably why he now fuses many styles into his playing (rock, country, jazz, and blues). In the mid - '80's he started to really concentrate on the blues area. Between 2005 and 2016 he has released 5 albums. In his career he has worked as a sideman for people such as Hubert Sumlin, Son Seals, and Otis Rush. He and his band were often the opening act for Otis Rush. He has been nominated, in different categories, by the Maple Blues Awards, The Blues Underground Network, and by both the Western Canada and Juno Awards. He won both best song, "Half the Man", and the best album (cd) "Still Blue", from which that song was taken. I picked this artist to show that the blues is not exclusive to our South, or Chicago, or anywhere else that lays claim to it -- it's recognized and appreciated world-wide. Two very good publications about the blues come from Europe -- 1 in England, and 1 in Italy. Why do you think so many blues and jazz musicians moved to Europe, in particular, France ? One of those who did that, because he felt he wasn't appreciated here, was Luther Allison, though some years later, after he had developed a following, a fan base, he moved back to the U.S.
Blues Question For August 2019: This bluesman was known as a "blues shouter", a name given to jump blues singers. He also played piano, which allowed him, in the mid -'50's to be a "pioneer" in the beginning of the Rock & Roll era. Late in his career he lived in Cincinnati. His recordings are sometimes found in the R & B section, as he contributed to that genre, as well. Any idea who this bluesman might be ??
Blues Song(s) and Artist(s) for August 2019: The song is "I'm In A Phone Booth, Baby", and the artist is Albert King. You might be more familiar with Robert Cray's version, recorded at a later date. King's original was recorded in 1984, on his last studio album, "Phone Booth". First, I picked this one because of the guitar work, for the guitar players out there, and secondly, because the sounds you hear are the product of King's fingers -- there were no effects machines or pedals, or any other "artificial" sounds -- it was all Albert's talented playing. By the way, how long since you've seen a phone booth, and what are Clark Kent and Dr. Who going to use in the future?
Blues Trivia For August 2019: This one is about The Sound of Blue and remembering Deborah Coleman. In 1996, before we actually opened the store, we wanted to see if and how it would be received. We spent that Summer and Fall working manufacturer and craft shows where we would be inside or under a large tent, with many other assorted businesses, as well as some school festivals and sales where we'd be inside. At that time we had roughly 150 to 200 cd's and cassettes that we'd display and, hopefully, sell. The response was good. It showed us that it would probably work, but that it was going to take both a considerable amount of work, and a substantial investment in merchandise expansion. In the Winter/Spring of '96 and '97, we did just that. By the beginning of Summer, we had roughly 1,100 cd's, 400 cassettes, and 100 or so l.p.'s and 45's, along with various tee-shirts, ball caps, most of the blues magazines of the day, and some books. Now, we'd best get serious about moving some "product", and along came our first big debut, our Grand Opening, in May, featuring Crazy Marvin and The Blues Express, for entertainment. After that, we signed up to have a booth at The Cleveland Blues Festival, which was to take place August 15, 16, and 17, at the Berea Fairgrounds. The booth we took was inside a building, in what was billed as "The Blues Barn", to make sure that, in the case of bad weather, our merchandise was safe and dry, since it had a concrete floor. Spotty showers Friday turned into a mild storm on Saturday. Since fairgrounds aren't paved, they turn into mud city when there's a prolonged rain, and that one was. That's when we learned that the only floor drain in the "Blues Barn" was dead square in the center of our booth's area. We all worked that day in ankle - deep muddy water, and still had a good time with the die - hard blues fans. The last day at most blues festivals is when the "headliners" perform, which was the case here, as well. The day was over, the performers, bands, and acts were all done. That's when things wind down and things are being closed up, in some cases, loaded up, and people head for home. We backed our van in and were preparing to take the booth apart, and load up, when a young lady came up to me and asked if we had a cd that had "44 Blues" on it. She then introduced herself -- Deborah Coleman. She had performed a set at this festival to show her ability and to promote her newly released album on Blind Pig Records. Having heard the album, and hearing her play at this venue, I knew she probably didn't want the original of this, as it was done by Roosevelt Sykes, and featured his piano work. I suggested she get the Howlin' Wolf version, which featured Hubert Sumlin on guitar. She agreed and took that one. From that time on, anytime we worked a festival where she was playing, she'd come by the booth to say Hi, and chat for a bit. Seems she never forgot us or our help, way back when. A neat lady, a good guitarist, who'll be missed by her family, friends, and fans. R.I.P., Deborah!
Some August Blues Passings:
- August 2nd.,1963 -- William "Will" Ezell
- August 16th.,1967 -- Dan Pickett, born James Fouty
- August 29th.,1976 -- Mathis James "Jimmy" Reed
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