Allow me a brief change of gears--great BBQ!!

I know, this is a blues blog, with well over a hundred posts pointing you in the direction of the good blues cds as they come out. Well, this time out I want to say a few things in praise of a couple of great BBQ places. Thanks to my son Chris & his fiance Erin, I recently was able to eat dinner at Oklahoma Joe's BBQ in Kansas City, Kansas. Now I knew it was a Saturday night, and I knew Oklahoma Joe's was famous for their BBQ and they drew crowds that meant everybody has to wait to get in. It was 9 degrees out there with a strong wind! But God smiled on us, and we were seated in less than 20 minutes! And OMG, the BBQ was superlative. I had a plate of ribs with BBQ beans and spicy cole slaw on the side, and wow, for nearly an hour I was absolutely transported to BBQ nirvana. On the way home I proclaimed it one of the top 3 BBQ experiences I have ever had.

Now, this is not my first rodeo. I was raised in Missouri, and I've been eating BBQ and loving it for over 30 years. I am a certified BBQ judge (in KCBS, MBN, GBA, NBBQA) in four different associations for over 5 years. I have eaten some extraordinary BBQ in my life. And Oklahoma Joe's was truly that--extraordinary. Extraordinary that they could pump out the BBQ this good for this many people every day for month after month. I've always believed that excellence should be rewarded, in blues or in BBQ, and the guys at Oklahoma Joe's do a VERY excellent BBQ. If you are ever within 100 miles of Kansas City you really ought to get there around mealtime.

I came back from Kansas City and settled back into Decatur Georgia, and thought "Ok, that was great. I won't get to eat BBQ that good again anytime soon." Well, within 10 days I was able to go to the Big Shanty in Kennesaw, Georgia. Guess what? I was treated to another great plate of great BBQ!! (The websites for both these places are at the end of the review) I met my friend Jarrod at the Big Shanty and I was loaded down with another plate of ribs. This time the sides were Brunswick stew and green beans. And wow, those ribs were really good!! I had been to the Big Shanty once before, with the Atlanta BBQ Club, and I thought it was pretty good, but that day it was so much better than i remembered it! Those ribs were cooked perfectly, the sauce was awesome--every part of being great was there in these ribs. Like Oklahoma Joe's the Big Shanty makes great food every day. The Brunswick stew might have been the best I ever had anywhere. And the ribs were nearly as good as Oklahoma Joe's.

A couple of fantastic meals. Check them out if you are ever in the neighborhood--you will not be disappointed.

(Oh, and for those of you who might be keeping track--the other 2 Top BBQ Experiences I ever had were at Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous in Memphis, Tennessee and at Craig's in DuVall's Bluff, Arkansas. Most marvelous meals.)

http://bigshantybbq.com/
http://www.oklahomajoesbbq.com/

Mac Arnold's Blues Revival -- "Live at the Grey Eagle"

Here's a great blast from the past, AND a great blast of the present. Mac Arnold has a great career. Starting out in South Carolina in a band that sometimes included James Brown, he made his mark in the 1960’s as a Chicago Bluesman, playing and recording with giants like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Otis Spann, James Cotton, Tyrone Davis, Otis Redding and B.B. King. In 1969 he moved to Los Angeles where he worked with his friend Don Cornelius on Soul Train, played bass on the Sanford & Son TV show, and branched out to do production, camera and editing work at major studios. In 1990 he moved back to South Carolina, where he took up organic farming and eventually hooked up with the musicians who would become Plate Full O’Blues.

In April, 2010, Mac and Plate Full O’ Blues kicked off their fourth annual Collard Greens and Cornbread Blues Festival to benefit their ICanDoAnything.org Foundation, which supports music and art in the schools. LIVE AT THE GREY EAGLE is a record of that magic night.

The first half of the show is Mac with Plate Full O' Blues, Mac's regular touring band, and it is terrific. The guys completely live up to the potential they hinted at on their last disc, 2009's "Country Man." Then comes the second half of the show, and it is a BIG treat--Mac Arnold on bass, Bob Margolin on guitar, & Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on the drums, all from Muddy Waters band in the late 60s, along with the great harmonica ace Kim Wilson. Hearing these guys ride that old school Muddy Waters groove on "Screamin' An' Cryin'" alone is worth the price of the cd. These guys are in for some deep, classic blues. The crowd was exuberant, the musicians were having a ball, and the spirit of the Blues was a palpable presence in the room.

Mac Arnold is one of the signs that God wants us to learn the blues right--his love for this music pours out every time he sings a line with that raspy voice, every time he picks up a bass or a guitar and shows how it's supposed to be done. The blues here are presented in all their raw, urgent glory.

You can buy this cd at http://www.vizztone.com


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The following written by Bob Corritore:

RIP Iverson Minter AKA Louisiana Red March 23rd, 1932- to February 25, 2012. It is with a heavy heart that we report the passing of one of the greatest and most beloved traditional blues artists. Louisiana Red died this afternoon at a hospital in Germany (Note Europe is 9 hours ahead) after a few days in a coma brought on by thyroid imbalance. He was 79. Louisiana Red was a powerful downhome blues artist who could channel his teachers (among them Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Robert Nighthawk, Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker) into his own heartfelt musical conversation, delivered with such moving passion and honesty that it would leave his audiences indelibly touched. He was fine singer with a distinctive voice, and an amazing guitarist who could play all of the traditional blues styles and excelled as one of the world's greatest slide guitarists. He could create moods and textures, both musically and spiritually, and had the ability of falling so deep into his own songs that he would go to tears, making his audience cry with him. That was the gift of this great artist.

Wikipedia lists Louisiana Red as being born in Bessemer, Alabama but his own reports have fluctuated from various Southern towns and cities. Red lost his mother at birth and his father was killed in a Ku Klux Klan lynching when Red was just 5 years old. He lived in an orphanage in New Orleans for a few a his childhood years until his grandmother took him to Pittsburgh to live. A few years later she bought him his first guitar, a $12 Kay. Red would play along with records and the radio and begged some guitar lessons from his first mentor, Crit Walters. It was early in life that Red made the decision to become a blues musician. In the late 1940s Red would follow his passion to Detroit where he would become friends with Eddie Burns and John Lee Hooker. He would make his first recordings in Detroit for producer Joe Von Battle under the moniker of Rocky Fuller, a pair of these recordings were leased to Chess records. He would accompany John Lee Hooker on a session forModern Records and you can hear Red shouting "Lord Have Mercy" in the middle of JLH's "Down Child". Red would also land a 1953 recording session in Chicago for Chess in which he is accompanied by Little Walter on the brilliant "Funeral Hearse At My Door" which remained in the vaults unreleased for decades. Red's next stop would be New York where he would record for producer Bobby Robinson and for Atlas Records. But it was Louisiana Red's 1962 Roulette label recordings that garnered him national recognition as a bluesman. His single "Red's Dream" with its humorous political commentary became a major hit and was followed by the Roulette album The Lowdown Back Porch Blues. This was followed by the 1965 release of Louisiana Red Sings The Blues on Atco. In the mid 70s he became the cornerstone of the Blue Labor label cutting two excellent solo acoustic albums; Sweet Blood Call and Dead Stray Dog and also appearing on that label as a featured sideman on albums by Johnny Shines, Roosevelt Sykes, Brownie McGhee, and Peg Leg Sam. He was romantically involved with folk legend Odetta for a small period of time in the 1970s. European promoters and booking agents took an interest, and Red found a new audience with his annual overseas tours. Labels such as L+R from Germany and JSP from England began recording Red, the latter debuting their catalog with Red, Funk and Blue, a duet album with Sugar Blue. Red appeared as himself in the movie Come Back featuring Eric Burdon of Animals fame. Red lived in Chicago for awhile in the early 1980s where he worked at the Delta Fish Market. He would then move to Phoenix in late 1981 where he lived and played with Bob Corritore for about a year.

Red left Phoenix for a European tour in late 1982, and it was then and there that he met his true love, Dora, who he married and spent the rest of his life with. Dora gave Red an uncompromised love and the constant companionship and protective looking-out-for that Red needed. Dora also provided the family situation that Red yearned for in his life as Red took great pride in his love and adoption of Dora's sons. The positive impact and dedication that Dora provided Red was simply amazing. Red would live in Hanover Germany for the rest of his life with Dora and each year in January, the two would vacation in Ghana, Africa, Dora's country of origin. He found work so plentiful in Europe that for a period of time he rarely would come to the USA. In 1995 Earwig Records would releaseSittin' Here Wondering. which had been recorded by Bob Corritore in 1982 and sat on the shelf for over a decade. This CD created a relationship between Red and Earwig label chief Michael Frankwho would record 2 more records by Red and book annual US tours. Releases followed on High Tone and Severn as well as a documentary DVD released only in Europe. In 2009 Little Victor struck gold with his production of Red's Back To The Black Bayou CD released first on the Bluestown Label and then picked up by Ruf Records. Victor had idolized and studied under Red for years and lovingly coaxed this brilliant album from his mentor. Back To The Black Bayou swept Europe and the US with awards and nominations. Simultaneously, Red's collaboration with pianist David Maxwellproduced You Got To Move, and in 2010 Red would go to the Blues Music Awards with 5 nominations and receive 2 wins! Little Victor also produced Red's final critically acclaimed CD Memphis Mojo.

It is sad to say goodbye to the loving persona of this great bluesman who's music warmed our hearts Louisiana Red's vulnerability became his strength and he filled his heart with an unstoppable passion for music and acceptance. His legacy is great and his friendships are many. He can now rest in peace after a lifetime of giving us everything he had through his amazing blues. God bless you Red.

Roy Trevino -- Self Titled

Roy Trevino's self-titled debut disc is a knockout. It came out last November 29 on Troubadour Records, and just in case it slipped your mind during the holidays, I thought I should write it up. Roy is based in south Texas, and he has been playing guitar and loving the blues since he was young. Early on, Roy was studying guitar with Ronnie Earl. This disc is produced by Jim Gaines. All the guitars and lead vocals here are by Roy. The rest of the band is JJ Johnson on drums (all but one track), Chris Maresh on bass, David Boyle on keyboards, Kyle Thompson on drums, (on the track "Little Girl,") Ed Hobizal on piano on two tracks ("La Luna" and "Little Girl."), John Nelson on percussion, and Robert Bailey and Vicki Hampton on background vocals. With the exception of Bob Marley's "Lively Up Yourself," all the songs were written by Roy.

The other nine songs all have some autobiographical background to Trevino's upbringing in South Texas. The bluesy, gospel opener "Gloria" is not the 60's rock song--this "Gloria" was the result of Roy wanting to write a blues mass. On "The Boy Can Play" he name-checks a host of his guitar influences, including Robert Johnson, Son House, through the three "Kings" and British guitarists Clapton, Beck Page and Green, and Texas homeboys Billy Gibbons, Johnny Winter and the Vaughan brothers Jimmie and Stevie Ray. Throughout, Trevino also showcases his Mexican and Latin influences, especially on the songs "Sin Ella," "Trinidad," and "La Luna." In fact, the middle of the disc, from "Sin Ella" thru "La Luna" works as the emotional center of the disc, and these four songs show off Trevino's blues chops and his South Texas/Latin heritage big time. But the best blues guitar playing, I think, is on "Hurricanes" and "Going Away." The playing on "Hurricanes" reminds me a lot of early Johnny Winter, and I hope you know that is high praise. And "Going Away" is a powerhouse song--great lyrics and singing, and the guitar reminds me of Stevie Ray Vaughan. It is beautiful, lyrical and rooted in the South Texas blues.

This cd is on Troubadour Records. You can buy it at I-tunes, cdbaby and many other outlets. For more info on Roy Trevino, go to http://www.roy-trevino.com

Bert Deivert -- "Kid Man Blues"

Bert Deivert is a blues mandolin player. If you have never heard of him, or his great music, "Kid Man Blues" is your invitation. Deivert is an international musician, born in Boston, now living in Sweden and recording this cd in the USA, Sweden and Thailand. He plays on this, his tenth cd, with great fire and passion and taste. Deivert shares these songs with some great guests, including Bill Abel from Mississippi, Memphis Gold from Washington, DC, the great Delta drummer Sam Carr, (RIP Sam) Tom Paley, from the New Lost City Ramblers, the great pianist Willie Saloman, Janne Zander, the great slide guitarist Brian Kramer, Mats Qwarfordt, Sven Zetterberg, guitarist Dulyasit "Pong" Srabua from Bangkok, and many other great Thai and Swedish musicians.

But enough about all that--how does it sound? In a word, delightful. If you are a fan of the early Grateful Dead, or those Old & In The Way-era David Grisman/Jerry Garcia collaborations, or those great old acoustic country blues of Mississippi John Hurt then you will love this cd. Deivert has created a big-hearted embrace of the joys and glory of real music played and sung, worthy to be compared to the music of John Hartford, Woody Guthrie, Rev Gary Davis. Timeless music. Deivert's singing is just wonderful, and his work on the mandolin is terrific. You could just as easily call this country music, or blues, or americana--labels don't matter. There's a great version of "Keep On Truckin'," and an equally great take of the traditional "Diddie Wah Diddie," a fine cover of R L Burnside's Goin' Down South," and deeply soulful readings of "Cypress Grove" and Walter Davis's "Come Back Baby" that brought tears to my eyes it made me miss Dave Van Ronk so much. Earlier today I played several songs from this disc for a friend. He listened, and then he looked at me and said "That's good stuff." Jim, you're right--this is good stuff.

You can buy this cd at http://www.cdbaby.com

James Armstrong -- "Blues at the Border"

James Armstrong has been called 'The Ambassador of the Blues.' He has been playing guitar and singing the blues since he was eight years old, and by the time he was 17 he was touring across the country. "Blues at the Border" is his first release in 11 years, and his first release on Catfood Records after three cds on Hightone Records. This cd was recorded in two sessions, one set in New York with Armstrong's vocals and guitar backed by Michael Ross on guitar, George Papageorge on organ, Malcolm Gold on bass, and Warren Grant on drums, with Madonna Hamel on background vocals and Bennet Paster on piano and clavinet, Rich Zukor on tambourine and Sam 'Bluzman' Taylor's voice is sampled on one track. The other set was recorded in Texas, with Armstrong's vocals and guitar backed by top session musicians Dan Ferguson on keyboard, Richy Puga on drums, and Bob Trenchard on bass. Jessica Ivey and Jillian Ivey bring the backing vocals. Armstrong wrote 4 songs, Bob Trenchard wrote three.

The sound is urban, smooth blues--Armstrong sounds similar to Buddy Guy when he sings, and his guitar sound is similar to Robert Cray--but all this is hinting towards what you can expect. Armstrong is really good. He has his own style, a warm solid 'in the pocket' sense of how to put a song across honed by years on the road. Reminds me of Johnny Rawls, and I mean that in a good way. My favorite songs here are "Young Man With The Blues," in which Armstrong reflects back on all those miles and tells a familiar story, and the title song, in which Armstrong reflects on how difficult it is, post 9-11, to get from place to place. "Reflects" may be a key word here. This is a good cd in part because the writing is top-notch. A lot of thought has taken place before these these great musicians committed these songs to posterity.

You can buy this cd at http://www.cdbaby.com James Armstrong's website is at http://www.jarmblues.com

Added Friday January 27--I just found out that James Armstrong is scheduled to play here tonight! He will be at Blind Willie's. I'm going to go!

Reverend Raven & the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys -- Shake Your Boogie

The first time I heard this disc it blew me away--an almost perfect slice of party blues, similar in feel to those great cds by The Bel Airs or Omar & the Howlers. These guys can all play great, and they've been playing together forever. Well, since 1966, anyway. "Shake Your Boogie" is their fourth release dating back to 1998--I recommend all of them. This time out they do exactly what they've done on all those previous discs, and what they do every night on the upper mid-western blues circuit--they play that good time blues music, lifting spirits and kickin' ass. The band is Reverend Raven on guitar and vocals, P T Pedersen on bass, Bobby Lee Sellers Jr on drums and vocals, Danny Moore on piano/organ, and sometimes the great Big Al Groth on sax. Madison Slim provides harp and vocals on four tracks, where an alternative rhythm section of Andre Maritato on bass and Spencer Panosh on drums sit in and the sax is absent. Piano and organ are provided by either Mickey Larson or Danny Moore on most tracks. Reverend Raven wrote three of the songs, and PT Pedersen wrote one song, the sole instrumental here. Gerry Hundt, former member of Nick Moss’ Fliptops is the author of two tracks. The covers this time out come from Hound Dog Taylor, Slim Harpo, Little Milton, St Louis Jimmy Oden, Robert Nighthawk and Sonny Boy Williamson. The album was recorded live on stage in Milwaukee, but from the absence of any crowd noise I assume that it was ‘live’ without an audience. Too bad. It would have been a lot of fun to watch these songs come to life in the hands of this great band.

It's hard to pick favorites. The opener, "Looking For Love," sets the table. By the time we're on the 4th track, the traditional "Just Count The Days that I'm Gone," I'm hooked, looking forward to "She's Murder," "Bricks In My Pillow" and "Like Wolf" and all the rest. I especially like "I Can Do You Right," which features a big slice of Big Al Groth on sax, driving through a great song with taste and tone. Big Al is the reason why I think all blues shouters really MUST have a great sax player in the band. Another standout song is "PTs Home Cooking," an instrumental with a lot of great cool bass and piano work.

I love the whole cd--the variety and the drive, the upbeat groove. Buy this one for the infectious joy they offer--the Reverend Raven and the Chain Smokin' Altar Boys are hot and tight and fun. This release came out in 2010. You can buy this cd at http://www.reverendraven.com/

Bruce's Top Ten from 2011

Every year I post a Top Ten, normally in December. This year it's a few days late. Anyway, a lot of great music was released in 2011, and I want to thank the artists and the labels and everybody who helped make it such a good year to enjoy the blues. The following ten cds are the best of what I heard last year--these are the ones I enjoyed listening to the most. They were all released in 2011. Anyway, here goes, in no particular order!

Gregg Allman -- "Low Country Blues" (Rounder)
This should be in my top ten if all it did was get us a new batch of songs sung by Gregg Allman. But it did a lot more than that. The songs and the singing are all uniformly excellent, and it is an opportunity to hear/discover that Gregg is much more than the keyboard player and singer in the Allman Brothers. The man is a great singer, and here he is singing great songs, and the production by T Bone Burnett just burnishes the disc. This was ranked # 1 on the Roots Radio Airplay Chart for 2011. Music-making of the highest order.

Tom Hambridge -- "Boom!" (Superstar Records)
See my review on September 16.

Sean Costello -- "At His Best - Live" (Landslide)
Another reminder of the promise lost when Sean passed away in April 2008. This is a follow-up to the 2009 "Sean's Blues: A Memorial Retrospective." Both are really good discs, but I'd still rather have Sean with us and playing live. I love all of Sean's discs, and in my opinion he did the best Bob Dylan covers since Jimi.

The F & G Band (featuring Edlene Hart) -- "Grease Up Yo' Strutt" (indy)
See my review July 11.

D'Mar & Gill -- "Real Good Friend" (Airtight Productions)
See my review September 19.

The Cash Box Kings -- "Holler and Stomp" (Blind Pig)
See my review December 24.

Moreland and Arbuckle -- "Just A Dream" (Telarc)
See my review December 26.

The Duke Robillard Band -- "Low Down and Tore Up" (Stony Plain)
See my review November 14.

Davina & The Vagabonds -- "Black Cloud" (Roustabout Records)
See my review June 20.

Hadden Sayers -- "Hard Dollar" (Blue Corn Music)
See my review May 31.

It is difficult to pick my top ten releases, but it is even more difficult to pick one song of the year. Bruce's Blues Grammy. I listened this year to nearly 400 songs, and there were some songs that just stuck with me, songs with the whole package--great playing, great singing, and great songwriting. Songs such as Grady Champion's "Same Train," E. G. Kight's "Somewhere Down Deep," Lisa Mills' "Tennessee Tears," Joel DaSilva's "Every Night" and Tom Hambridge's "Never Gonna Change."

But after a lot of deliberation my favorite song of 2011 is "I Can't Wait" on Diunna Greenleaf's cd "Trying To Hold On."