BEN HARPER has collaborated with blues heavyweight CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE on a new track; I Don’t Believe A Word You Say. The song will appear on Harper’s new album Get Up, which comes out on Stax in February. Listen below.

It’s been kicked to the curb, beaten while it’s down, and completely ignored. No one has even bothered to mention it, to ask where it’s gone, to inquire about the musical selections that used to warm everyone’s hearts every Wednesday.

I think it’s feeling a little shy these days, worried that if it sticks its head out into the public masses it’s going to be greeted with jeers and rotten tomatoes.

To assuage these fears, let’s give a warm round of applause and welcome back to Mid-Week Musical Marvelousness!

Here are your five picks for this week:

1. I Don’t Believe a Word You Say – Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite

Why I like it: Are you kidding me? Did you see who has created this song? Look again. Just read those names. If you’re wondering who either of them are, look them up. No need to thank me. This song is so groovy. Really, it is. Gritty, rocking blues, it’s worth listening to again and again. I know I have. How excited are you for this album now?! (Also, I couldn’t find this song on YouTube yet so this is going to be a link to The Rolling Stone page where you can listen to it!)

My favourite lyric: The entire middle solo part. That’s my favourite lyric.

What else you should listen to: Finger Lickin’ Good, Steal My Kisses

I Don’t Believe A Word You Say

2. The World Spins Madly On – The Weepies

Why I like it: I mentioned this song in my blog post on Monday and said I had been listening to it on repeat. It’s comforting to me, I couldn’t really tell you why. Just the way it shows you how you can miss someone, you can think of someone, or something could be happening in your brain that you might not want, it doesn’t really matter: life goes on. It puts things in perspective.

My favourite lyric: I watch the stars from my windowsill. The whole world is moving, I’m standing still.

What else you should listen to: Gotta Have You, Living in Twilight

3. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues – The Gaslight Anthem

Why I like it: I really like this band. I really, really do. They’re a great mix of punk, rockabilly, and modern rock music. I can’t actually remember if I’ve posted something by them on a Wednesday up til now, I don’t think I have. Their new album is fantastic but I decided to throw out this one from an older record. The title of this song is what got me first and the song follows suit. Excellent.

My favourite lyric: I still love Tom Petty songs and driving old men crazy.

What else you should listen to: Old White Lincoln, 45, Here Comes My Man

4. What Could Have Been Love – Aerosmith

Why I like it: It’s so bad. What would happen if all of their schmultzy songs and Velvet Revolver had babies? This song. This song would happen. BUT… It’s so bad it’s good. I actually cannot stop listening to it and I love how it’s supposed to be so sad but makes me so happy. This is like when Bon Jovi stopped making rock anthems and started singing confusing country songs. This is like when Tommy Lee tried to do solo shit. This is like when you forget something in the oven and it’s slightly overbaked. It’s not at all what you wanted, but you’ll still take it. Add to all of that, that the video is some sort of hipster love story made with Instagram and you’ve got yourself a Wednesday afternoon treat!

My favourite lyric: All of the ones that I can lipsync to in a dramatic, arm-waving fashion. The chorus works especially well for this. Try it.

What else you should listen to: I’m not even going to suggest anything. Are you kidding? I can’t suggest other Aerosmith songs after this just happened.

5. Any Other Name – Thomas Newman

Why I like it: Admittedly, this one is a little weird. This was a piece written specifically for the American Beauty soundtrack. It is slow and haunting, it is creepy and weird. I am in awe of composers and how they can so (seemingly) effortlessly capture the mood of a movie in four minutes. This song is perfect. Just sit and listen to it. I know it might bore you, but give it a go. If it helps: imagine yourself listening to this in your iPod while you’re trying to find the perfect bag of chips in a grocery store. Tell me that doesn’t add suspense and excitement to a mundane task.

My favourite lyric: There aren’t any, silly.

What else you should listen to: Dead Already (Seriously listen to this one as well. Not that I’m not serious about the other suggestions in here, but I actually had to do eenie meenie to decide which one out of the two I was going to select as the main one)

Aaaaaand I’m out!

Director Matt Goff on location as a gaffer for “California Tango” from La Honda Films.

Matt Goff

- Filmmaker

Tin Can Films

I met Matt Goff at Dana Street Roasting Company in Mountain View, CA back when it was Jumpin’ Java. A short while into our acquaintance, Matt joined forces with Michael Afendakis and Glenn Artero to launch the independent film company Tin Can Films in 2000 with the short film “The Connie Letters“.
Artero moved on and in 2007 Goff and Afendakis began working on a documentary about Bay Area bluesman Chris Cotton.

The film evolved to become “Delta Rising: A Blues Documentary”, which encompasses the whole of the Mississippi River delta region blues scene, centered around Clarksdale, MS, and features folks you may know like Morgan Freeman, Willie Nelson, and Jimbo Mathus, as well as legends from the world of the Blues James “Super Chikan” Johnson, Pinetop Perkins, Ruby Wilson, “Sunshine” Sunny Payne, and the list of cameos goes on and on. And of course, Chris Cotton.

The film, now in post-production, has been doing well at various film festivals.

As luck would have it, just as I contacted Matt about this DIY article, he happens to be working on a documentary about the challenges and DIY spirit persons with disabilities, like his friend Wacky, face on a daily basis. Unlike “Murderball”, a documentary about people in wheelchairs that play basketball, his new project seeks “to find the inspiration in the everyday things not the extraordinary.”

“What is independence?” the Tin Can Films website reads. “For us it is the desire and ability to freely create, not without input, not without teamwork, but with the freedom to tell a story the way we think it is meant to be told.” But when asked about Do It Yourself as a label, Matt responds similarly to Hush. “I fucking hate the term ‘DIY’. DIY is a label put on the concept of making due with what (we) have so that companies can more easily try to sell us shit we don’t really need to get a particular job done.” Like many of my DIY Heroes, Doing It Yourself was simply a matter of necessity. “When I was younger we were very poor and everything was ‘DIY’ because we couldn’t afford to have someone else do it for us.”

Goff is in the running for James Brown’s old moniker “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” picking up work for gaffer, production assistant and other miscellaneous industry work for film companies and working regularly for a couple of years with Ad-Venture Video Production on commercial spots, while constantly hustling his Tin Can films. I went with him to Half Moon Bay once be an extra in the film “California Tango“, where he was working as gaffer, and he was one of the first on the set and last to leave. “It’s called ‘Show Business’ not ‘Show Art’, right?” he asks rhetorically. “That doesn’t mean every film or project has to be designed as a money making venture. It just means you need to develop a way to have a JOB that supports THE WORK.”

He quickly comes around to the virtues of DIY, though, going so far as to suggest it’s “the world’s best kept secret – It feels fucking fantastic to re-invent the wheel all on your own like it’s never been seen or done before. Life is short and you can spend it helping others fulfill their goals/aspirations, or you can chase your own. You can buy into other people’s vision(s) or you can try to get them to believe your own.” He sees the option between working for someone else and doing it yourself as “the difference between following a road or blazing a trail. It can be the difference between a life of comfort and a life that fulfills you in more existential ways.” And it’s this existentialist viewpoint that drives him most, even recommending to newcomers to “read a good translation of the Tao.”

The question “evolves into a discussion not about DIY, but about a man’s philosophy about how to properly live life – which for me is the higher priority,” Goff explains. “Our purpose is to enjoy life until we die. Creating or enjoying art, helping others, business ventures, sex, are a means to that end, and too often we mistake those ways of finding fulfillment for ‘purpose’. Hubris, fear, and desire… I would try to explore those ideas more, because they are the ones that can have detrimental effects on decision making when they gain control of the process. It takes calm and silence to be moved forward by internal motivations rather than external stimuli, so that’s why I stay out of the rat race where possible.”

tombopoedia 4.2

Tin Can Films – We had been in discussion about them producing “Hope and Mercy”, but alas…

Check it out! – “Tom Boyle’s Name Dropping with Tom Boyle, by Tom Boyle” article “My DIY Heroes: Part 1: Hush“.

Dana Street Roasting Company – Best coffee in the Bay Area, hand selected in Costa Rica, Hawaii and other growing locations, roasted in-house by brew-master Aaron Bratton (pictured above). I spent a lot of time there – met many great friends, connected with many great design clients and creative collaborators, have many great memories! Kudos to proprietor Nick Chaput!

Mountain View, CA – My hometown when I first moved to California, nestled at the bottom of the Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area near San Jose. Other great artists to come from or pass through the Mountain View area include Brianna Wanlass (check out her latest video) and her old band Atomic Mint, Letters Make Words and Trash Pop Icons, the project that lead singing sisters Naomi and Nadia Zep work on now, Dickin’ Jane, My Monster, Won’t Belong, Jason Fitzgerald and Aaron Bratton (who collaborated on Pistol Packin’ Monkey).

Michael Afendakis – The link from his name leads to his bio at Tin Can Films’ site. Click here for his IMDB information – very impressive.

The Connie Letters – This short which Matt directed was a Finalist at the Upward Rising Film Festival.

Chris Cotton – When people ask me what the best show I’ve ever seen, I always recount the time that Chris and Brandon (a band-mate from his former group “The Blue Eyed Devils“) showed up at a house party and started playing impromptu on the huge deck which was filled with friends, as other friends spun flaming swords and bollos. Click here for pics from The Big Sea.

Delta Rising: A Blues Documentary – I’m proud to say that I’m on the list of contributors.

Clarksdale, MS – Mystical shangra la of the Blues.

Morgan Freeman – Co-owns Ground Zero Blues Club, in Clarksdale with gubernatorial candidate Bill Luckett.

Willie Nelson – Pot smoking, tax dodging country music star.

Jimbo Mathus – Best known for his band Squirrel Nut Zippers, who are best known for “Hell“. The D to the A to the M to the N to the A to the T to the I-O-N!

James “Super Chikan” Johnson – He makes guitars out of cigar boxes!

Pinetop Perkins – Just turned 97 and still going!

Ruby Wilson – Here the Queen of Beale Street performs “The Thrill is Gone“.

“Sunshine” Sonny Payne – Long time host of the “King Bisquit Time” Blues radio show.

The list – (Not all made the final cut, some have since passed away.) James “Honeyboy” Edwards, James Montgomery, Charlie Musselwhite, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Jerry Ricks, Wild Bill (in his last recorded interview), Wesley Jefferson, Philip Walker, Russell George (jazz musician), Grace Kelly (the sax player not the dead film star), Bill Luckett, Scott Bomar (Black Snake Moan soundtrack composer), Dick Waterman (writer, promoter, photographer), and believe it or not, there are more!

Film festivals – “Delta Rising” won Best Producers at the Beverly Hills Film Festival and has shown to great reception at the New Hampshire, Victoria, Newport, Bahamas International, Big Muddy, on Location: Memphis, and Big Sky Documentary Film Festivals.

Murderball – Documentary about brutal wheelchair basketball. You can check out the trailer here.

Tin Can Films Mission Statement – The complete Mission Statement is available on the Tin Can Films website.

Hush – Check out the article “My DIY Heroes: Part 1: Hush“.

Aurora Meneghello Productions – Originally from Vincenza, Italy, she now works in San Francisco as a professional photographer.

James Brown – Ow! Hit me! Yow! Stop hittin’ me! As a Bowie fan, I find this bit of history interesting: “His 1976 single “Hot” (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)” borrowed the main riff from “Fame” by David Bowie, not the other way around as was often believed. The riff was provided to “Fame” co-writers John Lennon and Bowie by guitarist Carlos Alomar, who had briefly been a member of Brown’s band in the late 1960s.”

The Hardest Working Man in Show Business – Brown would lose weight every tour and kept his furious show schedule even as he battled the prostate cancer that eventually took his life. Many others have tried to lay claim to the moniker, though, including Marc Summers of Nickelodeon‘s Double Dare, Tom Joyner and most humorously, Ron Jeremy, whose book with that as its title puts (Working) in parenthesis. …I get it!

Ad-Venture Video Production – Even former Governator Arnold Schwartzenegger has used this Fresno, CA production company. The redundant gov.ca.gov website crashed my browser.

Half Moon Bay – Such a beautiful town!

Gaffer – The chief electrician on a movie set. Matt strung a lot of lights and sound wires.

California Tango – Released in April 2010 from La Honda Films. I was originally just an extra, one of many dancers, but thanks to my spiffy nehru style jacket (the one I was married in) I got a few lines as Cornelius. Most notably, “Shut up, Prissy (played by the lovely Catherine Kim Poon – pictured left), you know America has been a blessing!” Check out the clip – Matt can be seen (for some reason) 3:06 into it, and I can be vaguely seen at 4:07 and more clearly, dancing poorly at 5:41.

Existentialism – A philosophy attributed to Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, (“Nietzsche has an S!” “He must be a philosopher!” – Monty Python mocking American tourists in “The Meaning of Life”.) which emphasizes our individual freedom, rights and responsibilities. Worldly desire is negative, society is unnatural, and our choices and actions determine our being. Essentially, high fallutin’ DIY.

Tao – Which means both “the path” and “doctrine”, or to put in another way “Gospel” or “Bible“, except that it’s Eastern philosophy. I suggest the book “The Tao of Pooh“, but just because I’m purile. There are also The Tao of Bruce Lee and Muhammad Ali, which is odd, since Ali is Muslim.

Sex – Nothing. I just wanted to underline the word.

Tavius Aiton – Check out his site Tavius.org for tee shirt designs (some of which I designed), his writings, music and more! And Follow this blog as Tavius is the next in the line of My DIY Heroes.

Tune in next time when “My DIY Heroes” spotlights Tavius Dyer,
Writer, Musician, Record Producer, Event Organizer and Vetted Word Columnist.

Come back for the continuing series for features on Artist Carina Lomeli, Comic Book Publishers Hidden Agenda Press, Cartoonist / Rapper Keith Knight, Zine Publishers Kill Zinesters, and more!

copyright ©  Tom Boyle

Our harp guru, Adam Gussow, stated his criteria for great blues harp players..so let me re-state:

ORIGINALITY.  I call this the three-second test.  If you turned on the radio and heard this player, could you tell within three seconds that it was them–assuming you knew their music to begin with?   Lurking within what harp players call “tone” is the absolutely individuated voice, if you’re lucky enough to develop one.

INFLUENCE.  Are the players in question central to the tradition of blues harmonica as it has emerged over the past 100+ years?  Are they foundational in some way?  Do they help modernize, consolidate, or conserve the tradition?  Have they spawned imitators, including very good players who never escape their orbit?   If you leave them off the list, has an injustice plainly been done?  (John Lee Williamson changed the way everybody who came after him played harp.  Billy Branch and Sugar Blue are, in very different ways, both the inheritors and modernizers of the Chicago blues harmonica tradition.)

TECHNICAL MASTERY.  Does this player make music at a speed or with a complexity that sets him or her above the rest?  (Little Walter in “Back Track” and “Roller Coaster,” James Cotton in “Creeper Creeps Again,” and Paul Butterfield in “Goin’ to Main Street” set a standard here, and Sonny Terry wins admission on the basis of pretty much any thing he’s every recorded.  Sugar Blue raises the bar yet again.  And please don’t forget DeFord Bailey.)  Or, alternately, does this player have an extraordinary ability to hit the deep blues pitches, especially the so-called “blue third” that I discuss in many of my videos?  (Junior Wells exhibits this sort of  mastery.)

SOULFULNESS.  In some ways, this criterion should lead things off.  We’re talking about blues harmonica, after all, not basket weaving.  We’re talking about an extraordinarily expressive instrument.  The thing it seeks to express is a range of passions and moods, many of them very powerful and a few of them downright ugly.  Does this player attack his or her instrument with ferocity that makes you shiver, or jump?  Or with a late-night hoodoo-spookiness that makes you feel your own loneliness?  Or with some magical combination of all those things that makes you cry?  (Howlin’ Wolf makes the Top-10 list for obvious reasons; so does Rice Miller, a.k.a. “Sonny Boy Williamson II.”  Rev. Dan Smith, who may be less familiar to you, is the definition of soulful)

RECORDED EVIDENCE.  In order to earn a spot on one of the lists below, a player (or the partisans of a player) must be able to convince with the help of recorded evidence.  Buddy Bolden was the greatest trumpet player ever to come out of New Orleans, many say, but he never made a recording.  Obviously the best and most influential players can’t be fully summarized by 10 minutes’ worth of vinylized or digitized performances, and some players–John Lee Williamson in particular–don’t benefit from this exercise.  Still, it has its virtues as a teaching tool and a way of guiding the conversation.

Thank you Adam.

I think technical mastery is a good starting point, but without soul or feeling the harp player would not be my sort of player and without  creative and innovative playing -which often comes out of technical mastery plus ‘feel’ for the song, then they also would not appear in my list.

So let’s start and see if you agree with some on my list. I will mainly let them play and see what you think. Of course there is a great spawning ground for harp players in the States, but I have to include some European players as they are also influential.

In some ways we are in a transition -some of those who played with the likes of Muddy Waters are now getting on ,such as the great James Cotton, so while placing them still towards the top of any list we can start to introduce some of the younger players who maintain the tradition, while exploring styles and crossovers for themselves.

Let’s be traditional and begin with those who experienced their formative years with Muddy Waters who always ensured he had a good harp player.

Three harp players who played with Muddy Waters are James Cotton, Paul Oscher and Jerry Portnoy – a good place to start.

James Cotton 

James Cotton (called Cotton by his friends) was born  on the first day of July,1935, in Tunica, Mississippi. He was the  youngest of eight brothers and sisters who grew up in the cotton fields working beside their mother, Hattie, and father, Mose. On Sundays Mose was the preacher in the area’s Baptist church. Cotton’s earliest memories include his mother playing chicken and train sounds on her harmonica and for a few years he thought those were the only two sounds the little instrument made. His Christmas present one year was a harmonica, it cost 15 cents, and it wasn’t long before he mastered the chicken and the train. King Biscuit Time, a 15-minute radio show, began broadcasting live on KFFA, a station just across the Mississippi River in Helena, Arkansas. The star of the show was the harmonica legend, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller).

The young Cotton pressed his little ear to the old radio speaker. He recognized the harmonica sound AND discovered something – the harp did more! Realizing this, a profound change came over him, and since that moment, Cotton and his harp have been inseparable – the love affair had begun. Soon he was able to play Sonny Boy’s theme song from the radio show and, as he grew so did his repertoire of Sonny Boy’s other songs. Mississippi summers are ghastly, the heat is unrelenting. He was too young to actually work in the cotton fields, so little Cotton would bring water to those who did. When it was time for him to take a break from his job, he would sit in the shadow of the plantation foreman’s horse and play his harp. His music became a source of joy for his first audience. James Cotton’s star began to shine brightly at a very early age.

By his ninth year both of his parents had passed away and Cotton was taken to Sonny Boy Williamson by his uncle. When they met, the young fellow wasted no time – he began playing Sonny Boy’s theme song on his treasured harp. Cotton remembers that first meeting well and says, “I walked up and played it for him. And I played it note for note. And he looked at that. He had to pay attention.” The two harp players were like father and son from then on. “I just watched the things he’d do, because I wanted to be just like him. Anything he played, I played it,” he remembers. (Jacklyn Hairston)

After that illustrious start, he never looked back, working with Muddy Waters for 12 years before cutting out on his own -his awards and many recordings provide the evidence for a great and influential harp player.

Got my Mojo Working -with Muddy Waters

Dealing with the Devil -1995 -nice acoustic track

James Cotton and Sax Gordon 1992

Slow Blues:

Cotton won a Grammy Award in 1996 for the Traditional Blues Album ”Deep in the Blues”

Paul Oscher

Born in New York  Paul Oscher’s  career as a musician began at the age of fifteen when he played for the musician, Little Jimmy Mae.

Later Oscher was a member of the Muddy Waters Blues Band from 1967-1972.He also plays guitar and piano and sings.

Here he is reminiscing about Little Walter (and playing of course)

Here he is playing with James Cotton

and playing for Woodsongs radio!

“The first guy that I ever met who could really play the harp, he used tongue  blocking before any of his contemporaries.” Magic Dick

Jerry Portnoy

Jerry Portnoy was born in 1943 and grew up in the blues-drenched atmosphere of Chicago’s famous Maxwell Street Market during the golden age of Chicago Blues.

1976

Here he is talking about his music (and playing)

Live at Muddy Waters

With Otis Grand -Scratch my Back

Eric Clapton and Jerry Portnoy -Holy Mother 1996

Kim Wilson 

Wilson was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1951, but he grew up in Goleta, California, where he sometimes went by the stage name of “Goleta Slim.” He started with the blues in the late 1960s and was tutored by people likeMuddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Albert Collins, George “Harmonica” Smith, Luther Tucker and Pee Wee Crayton and was influenced by harmonica players like Little Walter, James Cotton, Big Walter Horton, Slim Harpo and Lazy Lester.

He now plays with the fabulous Thunderbirds

slow blues

Not a bad accolade to be called by Muddy Waters - “The greatest harmonica player since Little Walter”

Sugar Blue

Blue began his career as a street musician and made his first recordings in 1975 with legendary blues figuresBrownie McGhee and Roosevelt Sykes . The following year, he contributed to recordings by Victoria Spivey and Johnny Shines before pulling up stakes and moving to Paris on the advice of pioneer blues pianist Memphis Slim .

sugar blue,muddy,BB and Taj

Hoochie Coochie Man -Switzerland 1995

SB and Willie Dixon

Interview with Romanian Television

SB and Sunnyland Slim

He  won a Grammy in 1985 for  his work on the Atlantic album, Blues Explosion, recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Rod Piazza

Was born in 1947 . He has been playing with his band The Mighty Flyers since 1980 which he formed with his pianist wifeHoney Piazza.Their boogie sound combines the styles of jump blues, West Coast blues and Chicago blues. A great chromatic player.

At the Sierra Nevada Brewery:

Rod Piazza,George Smith and Charlie Musselwhite

Cover of Sad Hours by Little Walter

Jason Ricci

Compared to the musicians above, Jason is the ‘New kid on the Block’ but certainly is accomplished.

In 1999, Ricci won the Mars National Harmonica Contest, and began playing with Keith Brown, later recording with him as well.

South Florida Blues Festival 2008

Quite a solo!

and another in Dubuque , the same year

Chicago 2009 showing his dexterity and improv skills

and with his band New Blood

Paul Lamb

Being British,  I have to add at least one player from these islands  -Paul Lamb , who was first influenced by Sonny Terry, who he had the pleasure to work with.

“The only difference between Paul Lamb and the great harmonica players from the States is that Paul doesn’t have a U.S. passport.”
- The Great British R & B Festival , Colne , U.K.

He has played with the likes of   Buddy Guy and Junior Wells and was inducted into British Blues Awards Hall Of Fame

Here he is chatting and playing:

Playing in Denmark

Playing in the style of Big Walter Horton

and back again with his band, the Kingsnakes

This is the  end of part 1 with part 2 coming soon where we shall look at players such as Mark Hummel, Rick Estrin, Steve Baker and Eddy Martin just to name a few.

Who would you put in your top 20 living blues harp players?

I did not forget Charlie Musselwhite, who I admire, but I have highlighted his playing in earlier blogs…but just to finish, enjoy one of his great songs -Christo Redemtptor

It started Friday night when after work I went down to Living Traditions in downtown Salt Lake City. It is this huge, 3-day festival to celebrate the diversity in the city. Now, I know diversity and Salt Lake City is not something that usually goes hand in hand, but the amount of different cultures represented is incredible. Different food, crafts, and music/dance from the different cultures. Once a year I indulge in a Chorizo sausage sandwich from the Basque region of Spain. The taste is something I really enjoy!

Saturday after work, it was time for the Festival of Roses. This is a fund raiser for the local Catholic Church. Again, the food was incredible! The Knights of Columbus, which my grandfather once led, cooked up a great steak sandwich that was covered in onions and peppers. It was huge and incredible! But the real reason for my participation at the time I went, was to see a great local band, Urban Bleu. Now I have written about them before but never had the chance to see them and speak with them until that day. What a fun time! I am including a video from a previous performance for you to enjoy. If you get the chance, please go see them, you won’t be disappointed!

Now Sunday, it was time to go back to Living Traditions to see the legendary blues harmonica player and singer Charlie Musselwhite. I have enjoyed his music for years. He is a member of the Blues Hall of Fame and has been recording since 1960. He has played with almost all of the legendary blues performers of his time. He also was in the movie “Blues Brothers 2000″ as part of the all-star band at the end of the movie. What a thrill it was to see him live!

After the concert, it was time to head to the Gateway Mall to see the solar eclipse. What a spectacular show that mother nature put on. And it was the perfect end to a great weekend!

Blues legend Charlie Musselwhite performing at the FedEx Blues Tent at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, 5/6/12

This was taken at the State Theatre in Modesto on January 26th, 2012. This is a jam on Little Walter’s “My Babe” featuring Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, and Curtis Salgado. Little Charlie from Charlie and the Nightcats is on guitar.

This was taken at the State Theatre in Modesto on January 26th, 2012. This is a jam on Little Walter’s “My Babe” featuring Mark Hummel, Sugar Ray Norcia, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Boy Arnold, and Curtis Salgado. Little Charlie from Charlie and the Nightcats is on guitar.

Arhoolie Records CD 303

Tracklist:

01 It Ain’t Right
02 Finger Lickin’ Good
03 Up and Down the Avenue
04 Highway Blues
05 Wild, Wild Woman
06 Takin’ My Time
07 Crazy for My Baby
08 Blue Steel
09 Take Me Back
10 This Old Nightlife
11 Taylor’s, Arkansas
12 Cut You Loose
13 If Trouble Was Money
14 On the Spot Boogie

We’ve acquired them for various reasons over the years. Some just looked good at a poster store; others we obtained though mail order.

I’ve done most of my work on this blog while sitting on the couch in the rec room. I’m facing the east wall, so those posters are what I see when I look up. I’ll start there and go around the room.

East Wall

(1) The Doors, Lavender Hill Mob, Joint Effort and Captain Speed. August 5 1967 at Earl Warren Showgrounds, Santa Barbara, California. A dance concert presented by Kacy and Jim Salzer. Tickets $2.50 in advance, $3.00 at the door. Light show by Family Cat.

(2) Little Feat and Robben Ford. Thursday, September 1 1988 at the Fillmore, San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham.

(3) Youngbloods and Ace of Cups. January 5-6-7, 1968 at Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco. Presented by Family Dog.

(4) Iron Butterfly, Indian Head Band, The Collectors and The Electroluminescence. July 4-5-6-7, 1968 at Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco. Presented by Family Dog. Alice in Wonderland characters on the poster.

(5) Sheet of blotter acid autographed by Timothy Leary. Obtained in 1995 from Artrock as part of their Blotter Acid Art show. Has images of Felix the Cat (and no LSD).

(6) We’re All Mad. Found this poster back in the mid-1980s in North Beach, San Francisco. It seemed appropriate.

(7) Timothy Leary in Wonderland. An Exhibition of Blotter Acid Art. August 10 – October 10, 1995 at Artrock Gallery in San Francisco. Dr. Timothy Leary hosts a reception 5 – 9 pm 10 August.

(8) Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage and Blues Brothers. December 31, 1978 at Winterland, San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham. Breakfast served at dawn. This was the final show at Winterland, and is available on DVD as The Closing of Winterland. I included some notes about the show in my post about the Grateful Dead — click here. I’ve used the blue rose from this poster as a gravatar on WordPress and as an avatar elsewhere.

(9) Spirit, Piewacket and Stillborn Time.  July 4-5-6, 1968 at Sound Factory, Sacramento.  Show on the 6th is a special dance concert.  Tickets $3.00.

(10) A Wonderful Invention. Poster for the Library of Congress exhibit A Brief History of the Phonograph from Tinfoil to the LP, July 19 – October 30, 1977.

(11) Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela. September 9, 1988 at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham.

(12) Dinosaurs, Commander Cody and New Riders of the Purple Sage.  September 10, 1988 at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham.

Included the above photo to provide a closer look at these two posters near the top.

(13) Little Charlie and the Nightcats, The Paladins and Ruth Webster. July 15, 1988 at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham.

(14) Robin Hitchcock and the Egyptians, Game Theory and Monks of Doom. September 8, 1988 at the Fillmore, San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham.

(15) Days of Sounds, December 26 – New Years Eve, 1967 at the Fillmore, San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham. December 26-27-28 — The Doors, Chuck Berry and Salvation, lights by Holy See. December 29-30 — Chuck Berry, Big Brother and the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service, lights by Glenn McKay’s Headlights. New Years Eve (9 pm – 9 am) — Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Freedom Highway.

(16) Buffalo Springfield and Eighth Penny Matter. October 6-7, 1967 at the Family Dog, Denver. Presented by the Family Dog.

(17) Grateful Dead. Fall Tour 1995 — Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Toronto. Tour didn’t take place because of the death of Jerry Garcia on August 9, 1995.

(18) Big Brother and the Holding Company, Iron Butterfly and Booker T. and the M.G.’s. April 11, 1968 at the Fillmore, San Francisco, and April 12-13, 1968 at Winterland, San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham.

(19) Bryan Ferry. September 8, 1988 at Sacramento Community Theatre, Sacramento, and September 9, 1988 at the Greek Theatre, U.C. Berkeley. Presented by Bill Graham.

North Wall

(1) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. October 31, 1975 at Paramount Theatre, Oakland. Presented by Bill Graham.

(2) Canned Heat, Lothar and the Hand People, Allman Joy and Super Ball. November 3-4-5, 1967 at Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco. Presented by Family Dog. Note: the Allman Joys were an early band fronted by Duane and Gregg Allman, before the Allman Brothers Band.

(3) Bill Haley and the Comets, the Drifters and the Flaming Groovies. August 16-17-18, 1968 at Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco. Presented by Family Dog.

(4) On Halloween, the Dead Rise Again. Promotional poster from Arista Records for the release of the Grateful Dead’s CD Built to Last on October 31, 1989.

(5) Jefferson Airplane, Charlie Musselwhite, the Ceyleib People and Clear Light. February 23-24, 1968 at Pinnacle Shrine Exposition Hall, Los Angeles.

West Wall

(1) California Music Fair. August 18 through August 25, 1972 at the Fox, Long Beach. 80 bands including Wishbone Ash, El Chicano, Spirit, John Stewart and Ballin Jack, plus old flicks and stage comedies.

(2) Art of the Dead, a 30-year Retrospective. November 14, 1996 – January, 1997 at the Artrock Gallery in San Francisco.

(3) Grateful Dead. August 17, 1986 at Boreal Ridge, Donner Summit, California (ski resort near Lake Tahoe). The highest Grateful Dead concert in the world — elevation 7200 feet (2200 meters). Good Food, Cold Drinks, Tall Pines, Cool Breeze, Trip & Slide.

(4) Hole, Veruca Salt and Star 69. November 11, 1994 at the Fillmore, San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham.

(5) Led Zeppelin, Bonzo Dog Band and Roland Kirk. November 6-7-8, 1968 at Winterland, San Francisco. Lights by Brotherhood of Light. Tickets $4.00.

(6) The Beatles, the Caravelles, Tommy Roe and the Chiffons. February 11, 1964 at Washington (DC) Sports Arena. Tickets $5.00. This was the Beatles’ first concert in the US. Their first performance in the US was on the Ed Sullivan TV show on February 9. My wife saw them later that year (September 2) in Philadelphia — it was her first concert. Tickets for the Philadelphia show, with no opening acts, were $3.50.

(7) Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Charlatans and Blue Cheer. March 31 – April 1, 1967 at Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco. Presented by Family Dog.

(8) Patti Smith and Alan Ginsburg poetry reading. April 5, 1996 at Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Poster is signed by both of them. Presented by Jewel Heart, which is “dedicated to the preservation of the endangered Tibetan culture, and to Tibetan Buddhist studies and the practice of this rich tradition within the context of contemporary life”.

(9) R.E.M. Green World Tour 1989. Poster is for the tour (after release of the album Green) rather than for a single show.

(10) Captain Trips Festival. The Dead Heads, Grateful Dead Music, Eyes of the World Light Show and Surprise Guests. A Gathering of the Tribes — En Hommage à Jerry Garcia. January 14, 1996 at Parc de la Villette in Paris.

(11) Bo Diddley, Lightnin’ Hopkins, New York Rock Ensemble and Beefy Red. October 22-23-24-25, 1970 at Fillmore West, San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham. Also mentions special Wednesday shows for $3.00 — October 21 Pink Floyd and October 28 Small Faces with Rod Stewart.

(12) Woodstock Festival poster autographed by Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane. August 15-16-17, 1969 at Max Yasgur’s farm near White Lake, New York. Three days of peace and music. My wife, who was a college student in Pennsylvania at the time, was going to go with some friends, but couldn’t because her father was in the hospital.

(13) Watkins Glen Summer Jam — Allman Brothers Band, Grateful Dead and The Band. July 28, 1973 at Watkins Glen speedway, Watkins Glen, New York. Noon Till ?. $10 includes concert, parking and camping. Drew a larger crowd than Woodstock — estimated at 600,000. For what it’s worth, my spot on the couch for working on the computer is right under this poster.

(14) Grateful Dead, Miles Davis Quintet and Stone the Crows. April 9-10-11-12, 1970 at Fillmore West, San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham.

South Wall

(1) Furthur Festival. Ratdog (Bob Weir, Rob Wasserman, Matthew Kelly, Jay Lane, Joanne Johnson), Bruce Hornsby, (Electric) Hot Tuna, Mickey Hart’s Mystery Box, Los Lobos, Flying Karamazov Brothers, John Wesley Harding, Chalo Eduardo and Alvin Youngblood Hart, June 20 – August 4, 1996 at many US locations. Saw the Sacramento show of this tour on July 29 at Cal Expo along with my wife and daughter, who was 9 at the time and for whom it was her first rock concert.

(2) The Other Ones (Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bruce Hornsby). June 25 – July 23, 1998 at many US locations.

(3) Hot Tuna. November 26, 1977 at the Palladium, New York City. Signed by band members Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen, plus artist Kenny Pisani, #293 of 400. Top part was also the cover art for their 1985 album Historic Hot Tuna (album contains performances from 1971). According to the artist on his page on the site b-uncut: I airbrushed this album/CD cover for the band “Hot Tuna” when I was still in jr. high school, earning the gig when I got hold of some “bad acid” backstage and the guys in the band wanted to make it up to me. I was like the kid in “Almost Famous” but a lot less lucid.

In Conclusion

I’ve enjoyed putting this together. I found out quite a few things about images I’ve been looking at for years. I would love to hear from readers who have more information about any of these shows.

I should add that as I looked over the pictures it occurred to me that maybe I should have straightened the posters up before getting the camera out. Then the perfect excuse came to me — Hey, it’s California, the ground shakes here sometimes.

This week we’re taking a look at some of the true masters of the blues harp – from Little Walter to Charlie Musselwhite.

1. Little Walter – Blue Light
2. Charlie Musselwhite – Blues Why do you Worry Me?
3. Slim Harpo -I Got Love If You Want It
4. Big Walter Horton – Now Tell Me Baby
5. Sonny Boy Williamson – Don’t Start Me To Talkin’

Charlie Musselwhite, 1964

For fans of rock and roll, Charlie Musselwhite should need no introduction. From his years running moonshine in a ’51 Lincoln to his days during the 60s when he was mentioned in the same breath as the legendary [mp3com-artist]Paul Butterfield[/mp3com-artist] to his work on [mp3com-artist]Tom Waits[/mp3com-artist]‘ Mule Variations, Charlie Musselwhite has been synonymous with the blues (and the de facto king of the blues harp). This one’s from his most recent set released in 2010 called The Well.

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[mp3com-download url="http://freedownloads.last.fm/download/432816212/The%2BWell.mp3" artist="Charlie Musselwhite" song="The Well" email="none" year="2010" label="Alligator"/]

Duke Robillard

Seven times a nominee and four times a winner of the Blues Music Awards’ Best Blues Guitarist honor, Duke Robillard is the connection between the legendary [mp3com-artist]T-Bone Walker[/mp3com-artist] and the next up-and-comer. Awards and plaudits don’t change Robillard’s day-to-day activity, though: it’s still all about playing live, something he does 250 nights a year.

This one, “Workin’ Hard For My Uncle,” is from his album Passport to the Blues.

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[mp3com-download url="http://freedownloads.last.fm/download/435235211/Workin%2527%2BHard%2BFor%2BMy%2BUncle.mp3" artist="Duke Robillard" song="Workin' Hard" email="none" year="2010" label="Stony Plain"/]

Marcia Ball

From the same neighborhood that gave us [mp3com-artist]Lonnie Brooks[/mp3com-artist] and [mp3com-artist]Janis Joplin[/mp3com-artist], Marcia Ball is a Texas-born, Louisiana-raised blues singer and piano player who’s been dropping records since 1970.

Touted by the Boston Globe for her “”an irresistible celebratory blend of rollicking, two-fisted New Orleans piano, Louisiana swamp-rock and smoldering Texas blues,” Ball counts a dozen and a half albums in her catalog. This one is the title cut from Roadside Attraction, her most recent work and Grammy nominee for this year’s Best Blues Album award.

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[mp3com-download url="http://freedownloads.last.fm/download/491544669/Roadside%2BAttractions.mp3" artist="Marcia Ball" song="Roadside Attractions" email="none" year="2011" label="Alligator"/]