First, Some Info On Where We've Been: Due to some family health issues, which caused some nasty financial issues, we were forced to shut down the parent company, Balista & Associates, which, by law, had to also first shut down any & all susidiary companies, one of which was The Sound of Blue. Well, I'm still here, but with a new name: Blues Hipp-O. To reach me you'll have to go through NEOBA, who will get in touch with me, to answer questions, or whatever. The Hipp-O thing was chosen because the Blues is a lot like the animal: most times peaceful and quiet, other times, up to 8,000 pounds of bad attitude, with no sense of humor when tampered with. I'll try to get the Blog written each month, as time and health permits.
Some February Blues Births:
- February 8th.,1889-- Alonzo "Lonnie" Johnson, aka Jimmy Jordan,Tommy Jordan
- February 17th.,1911-- John Tyler "J.T." Adams
- February 24th.,1952-- Bob Carter
Answer To The September 2021 Blues Question: (yes, I know I'm late) The bluesman we were looking for was/is Johnny Mars, born December 7, 1942, in Laurent, South Carolina. In his early years, his family moved frequently, as they were sharecroppers. At the age of 9, he got his first harmonica. When he was 14, after the death of his mother, Mars and his younger siblings moved to Paltz, New York. Having left high school, he began performing in various clubs in New York City. He signed a recording contract with Mercury Records in the early '60's, with the band "Burning Bush". By the mid-'60's he'd moved to California and started a band, got lots of gigs, but no recognition, other than in Northern California. He got some advice from Rick Estrin, of "Little Charlie and The Night Cats", to tour the U.K. (England). While there, he did some recording for/ with Big Bear Records, then re-located to Somerset, England. He taught for 15 years, at / for primay schools in England. He is still touring and performing in such places as The Bath Music Fest (in England), The Pocono Blues Festival (in the U.S.A.), and the Kastav Blues Festival (in Croatia), with Michael Roach, with whom he had partnered up with in 2008.
Blues Question For February 2022: This blues artist started out, as have many, singing in a church choir, eventually progressing to performing the blues, after listening to it for many years. She has a great blues voice, and is well- known in her native area. Any idea who this performer might be ???
Blues Song(s) And Artist(s) For February 2022: The song is "(It) Wuden't Me" (sometimes shown as Wudn't Me), and the Artist is Chuck Berry. I know it's not strictly a blues song, but it's descriptive of how, years ago, a young Black man, might have been treated in Alabama. It was done on the ATCO label (a susidiary of Atlantic Records), on the L.P. # SD-38-118, in 1979. The other players on this record were Bob Wray and Jim Marsala on bass, Johnnie Johnson on piano, Kenneth Buttrey on drums, and, of course, Chuck Berry on guitar and vocals. It became available on c.d. in 2017, on the Varese Sarabande label. It's under the original album's name: "Rockit", with the same picture as the original L.P. cover.
Blues Trivia For February 2022: Back in the early '70's, some musicians in the U.K. got together and formed a company called Magnum Music Corp.. Some sources list this company as the one that recorded & released that recording of Chuck Berry's Rockit L.P. in 1988. You ever heard backround music in an elevator, in a retail store, in a restaurant, in a doctor's office, or any other place ? Well, that's what was started by Magnum Music back then, re-releasing some of those old albums and/ or recording for the "backround" music that you hear today. The original of "Rockit" was, of course, on ATCO, which was released in 1979. Listen to the song "Wuden't Me"'s lyrics and pay attention. In it, you'll hear Chuck mention the "Delford County Jail". Nowhere could I find a Delford County itself, or an associated jail. What I did find was that in Chuck's hometown, St. Louis, there is an 8 block long area called the "Delmar Loop". On it there are are over 150 specialty shops/ businesses. It is located on the border of St. Louis (the city) and St.Louis County. It got that name because over a hundred years ago, it's where the streetcars "looped around" for their return runs. Some of the current notables are "Salt and Smoke", at 6525 Delmar Blvd., an "everything made from scratch" barbeque joint. Another is called "Blueberry Hill", at 6504 Delmar Blvd., founded in 1972, now known as an entertainment venue, with a restaurant. It has one area known as "The Duck Room", as Chuck played there for many years. Imagine going there and seeing/ hearing him live, while you're eating. By the way that album, "Rockit", was released on c.d. in 2017, on the Varese Sarabande label, featuring the artwork from the original L.P.. Little hard to find, but it is available. If you can't clearly hear the lyrics to the song, get on your computer, and type into your search browser: "Wudn't Me lyrics", and you'll get multiple choices to look at/ see them. There are quite a few other "artists" listed, but just disregard them. It also will bring up another similar song by Chuck:"It Wasn't Me", but that's from 1965(?), and is totally different.
Here's a little info for you: if you like Southern blues- rock, you'll like the January 21st. release from Alligator Records,: Tinsley Ellis-- "Devil May Care". If you like some good fret work and string- bending, and active vocals, have a listen !!
Some February Blues Passings:
- February 7th.,2013-- Roscoe Chenier
- February 12th.,1978-- Robert "Bob" Edward "Cyclone McCoy
- February 22nd.,2003-- Earl Lacy Forest
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