Author: Alex Greene

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Music Music Blog

SONG PREMIERE: John Paul Keith sings “Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache”

John Paul Keith

Knoxville native John Paul Keith is unique on the Memphis scene, a classicist who avoids nostalgia, a roots aficionado who writes his own material, a rock ‘n’ roller with one foot in old school soul. Don Bryant, the local R&B legend staging somewhat of a comeback, recently included  “One Ain’t Enough (And Two’s Too Many)”, written by Keith and Scott Bomar, on his latest release. As a songwriter, Keith knows a good tune when he hears one. Here’s his take on a choice cut originally recorded by Warren Smith, “Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache,” the lead track on Red Hot: A Memphis Celebration of Sun Records, to be released nationally June 16th on the Americana Music Society label.  All revenues from the release will benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

SONG PREMIERE: John Paul Keith sings ‘Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache’

The album’s house band consists of Luther Dickinson (guitar), Cody Dickinson (drums), Rick Steff (piano), Amy LaVere (bass), and Keith (guitar). This track also has a cameo from Jim Spake on baritone sax. (See the accompanying article below for more on this release). Keith’s voice, familiar to Memphians for a number of years, has taken on a more resonant quality of late, with hints of the young Roy Orbison, a change Keith attributes to one specific change of habit. “You know, I quit smoking a few years ago, and it really did make a difference. I smoked for twenty years and never did get a cool rasp. I just was short winded and couldn’t hit the high notes!”

As for this particular title, Keith notes, “That tune is really melodic. A lot of the Sun stuff is obviously rhythm-oriented and blues based. And I love that, but with ‘Red Cadillac’ it was more of a pop thing: a little lighter, and it had this swinging feel to it. And I love Warren Smith, I think he’s really underrated.”

It’s telling that this was the song Bob Dylan chose to interpret for 2001’s Good Rockin’ Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records (with cover art by Memphis’ own Lamar Sorrento).

SONG PREMIERE: John Paul Keith sings ‘Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache’ (3)

And finally, here’s the original, performed by Louise, Mississippi’s own Warren Smith. Never released in Sun’s heyday, it surfaced later in retrospectives of the label’s history:

SONG PREMIERE: John Paul Keith sings ‘Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache’ (2)

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Music Music Features

Red Hot! A homegrown tribute to Sun Records

Sun Records’ legacy has been on the rise. Occasionally eclipsed by other luminaries of rock-and-roll, these days it would seem to be at high noon. The Country Music Hall of Fame recently hosted a special exhibit on Sam Phillips, Sun’s visionary founder. Meanwhile, Peter Guralnick recently published the definitive biography of Phillips. And then we have the CMT series, Sun Records, which was well-received despite not being renewed for a second season.

But the most telling sign of a rejuvenated Sun has been the revival of the studios that originally captured the music. Engineer/producer Matt Ross-Spang began his career at Sun Studio, helping to stock its recording facility with vintage gear, and more recently moved to Sam Phillips Recording, helping to renovate it. Fittingly, the first project done in the newly reorganized space was the tribute Feel Like Going Home: The Songs of Charlie Rich. Now, recorded jointly at Phillips and Sun, we have another tribute album about to drop nationally, Red Hot: A Memphis Celebration of Sun Records, with all sales revenue benefiting the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

This album, already available in Memphis, is notable for relying only on local talent. Originating well before the television series, it leapt from the imaginations of Bryan Hayes and Steve Dunavant, of the local Americana Music Society. They contacted co-producer Tamara Saviano. “Steve and I first reached out to Tamara,” says Hayes. “She had done several of these tribute albums. She won a Grammy for Beautiful Dreamer: The songs of Stephen Foster. And when we reached out to her, she said she wanted to work with Luther [Dickinson].” As it turned out, Dickinson would become both co-producer and band leader. This was especially fitting given that his father, the late Jim Dickinson, cut the “Cadillac Man” single for Sun in 1966.

A crack team of Memphis players steeped in the Sun tradition was recruited: Luther Dickinson on guitar, his brother Cody on drums, John Paul Keith on guitar, Amy LaVere on bass, and Rick Steff on piano. This house band drew on the vocal talents of the players for some numbers. “We knew everybody was going to honor the original compositions and recordings, but we wanted to have a little bit of leeway for our players to put their stamp on it,” says Hayes.

John Paul Keith, whose voice (since he quit smoking) conjures up the young Roy Orbison, kicks things off, with a sax cameo from Jim Spake. Amy LaVere offers a smooth version of “Ten Cats Down” by the Miller Sisters. And Luther Dickinson offers a two-part workout of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Moanin’ at Midnight.” But the band also backs notable guest vocalists, including Jimbo Mathus, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Shawn Camp, and Bryan Hayes himself. The most vintage sounds blossom in Valerie June’s “Sure to Fall (In Love with You).” Chuck Mead, musical director for the CMT series, also leads several Sun Records cast members and the house band through an impromptu version of “Red Hot.”

I asked John Paul Keith if there were any rehearsals. “Oh no!” he said. “We just showed up. They didn’t rehearse when they made the records. Why should we? We even had the advantage of hearing it all our lives.” Simply being in the old studios put the band in the right frame of mind as they cut most of the album live. “In some cases, we were using the exact same microphones used in the original sessions,” notes Hayes. “Rick Steff was playing the same piano that Charlie Rich recorded on. The band would do a run-through, Matt would set the mics up, and we were rolling tape. There were a couple of them that were one-takers.”

Staying true to the spirit of Sun also informed the song selection. Keith notes, “I was really pleased when I saw the final track listing. There was some really well-known stuff, but there were some deep cuts as well.” The only deviation from this was the album’s one original song, “Tough Titty” by Bobby Rush. His contribution highlights Sun’s blues legacy, which is often overlooked. Says Keith, “You could argue that Sun was one of the most important blues labels ever.” In view of Phillips’ quest for the unique, Rush’s tune may conjure the label’s original spirit best of all. Though there was never a Sun version of the song, as Keith notes, “Bobby recorded it there, so there is one now.”

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Music Music Blog

Respect for An Unsung Hero of Jazz: Jimmie Lunceford

In 1927, a young athletic director and English teacher at Manassas High School volunteered to teach music to interested students in addition to his regular duties, thus becoming the city’s first public high school band director. The teacher, a Mississippi native, had studied several instruments in Denver with the father of the great Paul Whiteman. Perhaps this inspired him to think big for his kids, whom he dubbed the “Chickasaw Syncopators”. Or perhaps his students were already accomplished, having grown up playing in local churches. For whatever reason, this high school band began performing professionally by 1929. The following year, they made their first recording. By then, of course, they had ditched their original stage name, taking instead the name of their teacher and director: the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra.

After some years of touring, they took up residence at The Cotton Club in Harlem, where Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway were already featured. They soon became recognized for their tight ensemble playing and humorous theatrics, with songs like “I’m Nuts about Screwy Music”. This was when they really hit their stride, beginning a long run of vinyl releases on Decca through the rest of the 1930s. Then, in 1947, it all ended suddenly with Lunceford’s sudden heart failure before a show in Oregon.

The tradition he began at Manassas persisted though, with that high school spawning some of the greatest jazz players the city has seen, including Phineas Newborn, Jr., Booker Little, George Porter, Harold Mabern, Charles Lloyd, and Frank Strozier. As Miles Davis wrote in his autobiography, “Before I left for New York, I had had tryouts for the band and that’s where I got all those Memphis musicians — Coleman, Strozier, and Mabern. (They had gone to school with the great young trumpet player Booker Little, who soon after this died of leukemia, and the pianist Phineas Newborn. I wonder what they were doing down there when all them guys came through that one school?)”.

Local musician and activist Ron Herd II, aka R2C2H2, has personally taken on the mission of remembering the great Jimmie Lunceford here in the city where he was laid to rest. Tuesday, June 6, Lunceford’s birthday, will mark the first annual Jimmie Lunceford Wreath Laying Ceremony at his graveside in Elmwood Cemetery. A free, family-friendly event with cake and other refreshments, it could prove especially lively if guests accept Herd’s invitation to bring instruments and pay honor to Lunceford with an impromptu open-mic jam.

Jimmie Lunceford & His Dance Orchestra, ca. 1936:

Respect for An Unsung Hero of Jazz: Jimmie Lunceford (2)

When: Tuesday June 6, 2017

Where: Elmwood Cemetery (The Lord’s Chapel & graveside)
824 S. Dudley Street. • Memphis, TN 38104

Time: 10:30am-1pm Central
(Wreath Laying Ceremony begins at graveside, located at South Grove 10, Lot 437. The rest of program will be conducted at The Lord’s Chapel, located across from the administrative building near the front entrance of Elmwood Cemetery).

For inquiries, call Ron Herd II at (901)299-4355.
http://www.jimmielunceford.com/

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Music Music Blog

Believe Me: A Benefit Concert For Alyssa Moore

Nearly three weeks have passed since the traumatic events at Murphy’s Bar which ended in the suicide of Jared McLemore. His primary target was audio engineer Alyssa Moore, and her recovery has been of great concern to most of the Memphis music community. This Saturday, June 3rd, local bands and comedians will join together in a show of support for her, hosted by the Memphis Made Brewery.

Although the show is free, donations to the Alyssa Moore Recovery Fund will be accepted. Recently, the fund has announced that it will provide support to others who were scarred by that night’s horrific events or other domestic violence incidents.

The line up will be:

2pm- 2:45: Linda Heck
https://soundcloud.com/linda-heck

3pm- 3:45: Mystic Light Casino
https://mysticlightcasino.bandcamp.com/album/7-20-2016?t=5

4pm- 4:45: The Rough Hearts
https://www.reverbnation.com/theroughhearts

5pm- 5:45: The Margins
https://themarginstn.bandcamp.com/releases

6pm- 6:45: Static Bombs
https://www.facebook.com/Staticbombs/

7pm- 7:45: Los Psychosis
https://soundcloud.com/los-psychosis

8pm- 8:45: Crockett Hall
https://soundcloud.com/crockett-hall

9pm- 9:45: The Incredible Hook
https://www.reverbnation.com/theincrediblehook

Some Memphis comedians will be filling in between sets:

Will Loden
Angela Garrone
Tommy Oler
Katrina Coleman
Jason Pulley
Benny Elbows
Hunter Sandlin

831 South Cooper Studios will live stream the show. http://831southcooper.com/

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Music Music Blog

Levitt Shell 2017 Summer Concert Series Begins

CREDIT: I Love Memphis Blog

Few things epitomize the beauty of Memphis in summer as much as an evening of music at the Levitt Shell in Overton Park. Having endured another sweltering day, Memphians from all walks of life emerge from their air conditioned (or not) workplaces and homes to soak in the real air, sit on the grass with drinks, and let acclaimed performers usher in the cool of the night. Most locals can readily tick off their favorite experiences at the shell, some deeply moved by the memories.

I Love Memphis Blog

Built in 1936, the band shell was a notable local achievement of the Works Progress Administration, which built twenty-seven such bandstands around the country at the time. Only a few of these remain standing. The shell in Memphis was endangered at various times in its history, and for a brief period in the 1980s it featured no performances. Soon after, Save Our Shell, Inc., inspired by the activism of John Hanrahan, successfully raised funds to perserve the shell. In 2005, the city partnered with the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation to sponsor renovations and a yearly concert series.

Since then, each year has brought new improvements to the free concert experience. As explained by Abbey Judd, Strategic Partnerships Coordinator for the Levitt Shell, there will be new amenities and services this year, and a return of other features that have proven popular.

  • Bike valet: like a coat check, there will be an area reserved for bikes to be left without locks. An attendant will issue a wristband for reclaiming your wheels after the show.
  • Interns from the Memphis Music Initiative: Students from the MMI will be assisting with various facets of each show, as they apprentice with video, audio, and lighting professionals.
  • Arts Advocacy every Friday: ArtsMemphis will host a table to enable anyone who wants to speak out in favor of supporting the arts, including postcards for sending to representatives.
  • Community Partners: Through its Amplify Memphis program, worthy nonprofits and other community organizations will have tables to promote their efforts each week. This week’s partner will be the Family Safety Center.
  • Food vendors: Mempops will have their locally made popsicles at every show. Look for other vendors as well.

Tonight (Thursday) marks the beginning of the Orion Free Music Concert Series, with Memphis native Gedeon Luke & the People kicking off with their unique soul sounds at 7:30. A full slate of eclectic talent will be featured every Thursday-Sunday through July 16 (See link below for the schedule. Full disclosure: I’ll be performing in one of the bands). Don’t forget to take camp chairs or blankets, and mosquito repellent!
http://www.levittshell.org/summer-2017/

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Music Music Features

Bobby Whitlock talks Memphis, Stax, “Layla,” and more.

Talking to Bobby Whitlock, best known as a keyboardist for Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and others, it’s easy to summon up that era when Memphis was seemingly the biggest small town on Earth.

“Dewey Phillips used to come over to my grandmother’s house when I was a little fella. You know, I’ve always sang, and he’d say, ‘You need to get that boy to Nashville!’ So, when I was 12, I did a studio recording of a song called ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ for Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour. I won, and the grand prize was a Brownie Instamatic camera and a six-pack of chicken legs.”

When I note that it sounds like he still had one foot in the country back then, he tells me, “I had both feet in the country when I was a kid! We chopped cotton and did all of that hard work.”

But for a nervy country boy in that looser, less wary time, there were more adventures to come. As a teenager playing with the Counts, he visited another recording studio, this one on McLemore Avenue. Asked to join in on some clapping, he found his way onto a hit piece of vinyl titled “I Thank You” by Sam and Dave. His fellow hand clappers were Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

“I was privileged to be one of the few people to walk into Stax when they were recording. I watched Booker play that organ many, many times.” As it happened, he wound up being a Stax artist himself. “I was the first white act signed to Stax’ newly formed Hip label. They have my 45 hanging on the wall at the Stax Museum now.”

From there, the chicken legs just kept coming. Stax brought a talented California couple known as Delaney & Bonnie to Memphis. Upon hearing Whitlock’s group play, they asked him to join them, and Whitlock left for Los Angeles the next day. Delaney & Bonnie & Friends soon caught the attention of George Harrison, who tried to sign them to Apple Records. They went on to join Clapton’s Blind Faith on a world tour, eventually incorporating both Clapton and Harrison into their group of performing “friends.” And this was just two years after Whitlock had first lent a hand for “some of that old soul clapping” on a Stax track.

That loose group of players was recruited by Harrison to record his first solo album in 1970. “The first piano playing I ever did was on All Things Must Pass. I played organ and pump organ on almost all of that record. But the B3 was taken one day, and Eric said ‘Why don’t you just play piano on this one?’ So I started playing, and it sounded like Jerry Lee or Memphis Slim or my mom or something.”

Out of this time, Clapton’s Derek and the Dominos was born, as was their career-defining album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Whitlock wrote and played through the 1970s, first with Clapton and then as a solo artist. Any fan of music from the era knows Whitlock’s playing, if not his name.

Not long after, Whitlock retired from the music industry. “I didn’t drop out of music; I just dropped out of the public scene. I didn’t have anything to offer the disco era or the ’80s. I wouldn’t compromise my art, my craft, my integrity for the sake of being a rock star. I was already that.”

Whitlock lived on his Mississippi farm for much of that time, doing occasional session work. He now lives near Austin with his wife, CoCo Carmel. The couple now tours together. In Carmel, a saxophonist, audio engineer, and producer, Whitlock has found a sympathetic musical colleague. “She puts a foundation down for me, real support. That’s the role I played in Derek and the Dominos.”

The duet plays new originals and revisits the classics that Whitlock is famous for. With their upcoming Memphis show a homecoming of sorts, Whitlock clearly enjoyed walking through his many memories of the Bluff City.

Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel play The Warehouse on June 2nd.

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Music Music Features

Black Magic

CREDIT: Stacie Huckeba

The Hi Rhythm Section conjures up 50 years of Memphis history with every groove they lay down. Perhaps it’s the drive — elemental, relentless — at times honing in on a single note, bearing down like box cars slow-rolling through the city. Or it could come down to a telepathic connection between players like Howard Grimes, Charles Hodges, and Leroy Hodges, as nuances of dynamics and polyrhythms gel into a fluid, soulful whole. Whatever makes the magic, these players have gained international fame, and in recent years, artists like Chan Marshall (Cat Power) and Frazey Ford have come to Memphis just to work with them. Now we can add Amy Black to that list, who’s penned a new album of songs, Memphis, scheduled for a June 2nd release.

Recorded at Scott Bomar’s Electra-phonic Recording, the album earns its title with compositions perfectly suited to the Hi Rhythm Section sound. Black, who spent her childhood years in Alabama, and recently relocated to Nashville, started out mining the Americana vein when she began singing professionally 10 years ago in Boston. In 2015, she made a marked turn to soul with The Muscle Shoals Sessions, which featured legendary keyboardist Spooner Oldham. The sessions introduced her to embellishing songs with horns, to which, as she confesses, “I’m addicted.”

The horns on Memphis are pitch-perfect. Arranged by trumpeter Marc Franklin, they evoke the classic blasts you know from old records, even while remaining focused on the needs of the song at hand. Franklin is joined by Kirk Smothers and Art Edmaiston on reeds; the trio is well-versed in the horn fills that define the Stax and Hi sounds. Locally, they can be heard with the new Love Light Orchestra, or in Bomar’s group The Bo-Keys. Franklin also arranged the strings for Black’s album, adding a dark resonance to “Nineteen” and lyrical swells to Black’s cover of Otis Clay’s “If I Could Reach Out (and Help Somebody).”

Of course, taking center stage are the Hodges brothers — Charles on organ and piano, Leroy on bass — and drummer Howard Grimes. Beyond the deep pocket, flashes of virtuosity are tempered with the restraint of seasoned players who know how to let a song breathe. Brother Mabon Lewis “Teenie” Hodges passed away three years ago — hard shoes to fill for a guitarist. But local journeyman Joe Restivo has come to master such soul stylings. On a few tracks, he is joined by fellow City Champs members Al Gamble (organ) and George Sluppick (drums). The Champs have a long history of emulating the Hi sound in their instrumental forays, and it shows here. Finally, where Restivo is absent, we hear former Stax guitarist Bobby Manuel on the axe. The result is a classic Memphis soul stew.

Surprisingly, these legends were a new discovery for Black. “The Hi Rhythm Section and the folks who recorded with Willie Mitchell are now favorites of mine, but a year ago, I didn’t know about them.” Working with them brought out new qualities in her music. “It’s definitely a little bit dirtier, more from your gut. I am so drawn to that feel and sound. I didn’t know that I could sing this music, and now it’s what I do.”

Having written or co-written most of the album’s material, Black has clearly internalized the soul sounds she’s only recently discovered. “What Makes a Man?,” arguably the heaviest groove of the set, would stand alongside many a classic single of the 1970s, equal parts desire and dark, brooding reflection. Other numbers confidently break out a gritty blues shuffle or the upbeat soul of Wendy Rene. And there is a healthy dose of soul’s most direct influence, gospel music. Both the cover of Otis Clay’s song and Black’s original “Let the Light In” stand as spiritual exhortations to aspire to our better angels.

As Black notes of the latter tune, “I had no idea how much we, as a country, would need this song. I wrote it for myself, to make sure that I’m letting light into my own darkness. But with events being what they are, it’s a good time to sing it. I always dedicate it to Mavis [Staples]. Her spirit and music inspire and educate me. They represent the fight against darker forces and the need to persevere.”

Amy Black will play at Lafayette’s Music Room on July 6th.

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News News Blog

Fiery Suicide Galvanizes Midtown Music Community

CREDIT: Alyssa Moore

Everyone knew something was up with Alyssa Moore last Friday, according to Kim Koehler. Koehler was playing at Murphy’s that night, and as they spoke, Moore, who runs sound at the bar, was constantly interrupted with texts. “I think some of the texts were from him,” said Koehler. “He was letting her know something was going to happen.”  Alyssa Moore

By now, most of us have heard or seen the horrific events that took place at Murphy’s that night. Jared McLemore, local audio engineer and musician, committed suicide by self-immolation, attempting to harm and terrorize others as he did so. His troubled psyche was not a secret to most of the community in recent months.

Moore, his estranged girlfriend, had reported him to the Memphis Police Department multiple times, starting when he first threatened to kill her last September. She had a restraining order placed on him. After that, he was institutionalized for a time, only to gain release and make his way back to Memphis. Only days before, he sent Moore an image of himself with a gun to his head, then broke into her home and threatened her again. He was clearly more disturbed than ever. A concerned roommate called the Memphis Police Department well before the incident at Murphy’s, but to no avail. Moore, who also engineers and manages the rechristened Move the Air Studio next door, was at her usual job at the Murphy’s mixing board that night.

The best account of what happened next comes from the GoFundMe site (www.gofundme.com/alyssa-moores-recovery-fund) where Jessie Anäis Honoré initiated a campaign to raise money in support of her friend:

“[McLemore] walked through the crowded bar, making his presence known to all of the patrons. He crossed the street, and when he saw Alyssa had walked outside, he quickly doused his body with more kerosene and lit himself on fire, streaming on Facebook Live, in full view of onlookers concerned for Alyssa’s safety.

Murphy’s patron Paul Garner tried to stop Jared and ended up hospitalized with second degree burns. Jared ran for Alyssa, in his final attempt to take what he was supposedly denied, by trying to catch her on fire too. Jared underestimated Alyssa though, because she didn’t freeze in fear. She held the door to Murphy’s open for everyone running from him inside to safety. When Jared finally reached the door, Alyssa held it closed trying to lock it to keep him from her and anyone else. He pushed his body against the door and the heat from the flames finally became too much for Alyssa to stand. She made a fast decision and screamed at everyone to ‘RUN!’ and then she ran too.”

To some, this highlights how determined, resourceful, and strong a woman must be in the face of terror, even if she has done everything right. Koehler faced a similar situation in Knoxville over a decade ago, yet could not get the local mental health professionals to respond. It too culminated with her ex trying to burn her alive – she was saved by a thunderstorm – and then killing himself. The memories were overwhelming as Koehler joined other patrons’ efforts to extinguish McLemore.

Like Koehler, Moore had been compassionate in the months leading up to the incident. As her family wrote, “We want to make clear that this happened because of a perfect storm of domestic abuse, the stigma around it, and the visceral reality of mental illness. Alyssa tried to help Jared, and she also had to keep herself safe from him.”

Garner feels the incident could have been avoided if the police had responded more quickly. Some point to the under-staffing of the MPD as the problem. Therapeutic care has also received short shrift since Ronald Reagan slashed federal funding of mental health programs in the 1980s. While progress has been made in recognizing domestic violence and its links to mental health, last weekend’s events underscore how far we have to go.

“Many situations like this just fester in darkness,” says Koehler. “There are still men and women out there who are suffering silently and alone and who have done all the right things, and are still having the person come and mess with them. And now were are left to deal with the effects. But this violent act does not need to define us, or defile us. We are beyond what the perpetrator did. ”

Those needing support for domestic violence issues or mental health assistance can contact the Memphis Family Shelter at 901-278-2728.

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Music Music Blog

The Blues Music Awards: A Funky Family Reunion

William Bell and Bobby Rush

The Blues Foundation’s 38th Annual Blues Music Awards (BMA’s) were held Thursday night at a packed Cook Convention Center, and for those few hours, a kind of blues utopia materialized in downtown Memphis. First and foremost, it was a utopia for blues fans of all stripes, with performances by luminaries old and new keeping everyone moving and “rattling their jewelry” at the gala event. But it was a utopia as well for the performers and others in this niche of the music industry, coming together to renew old friendships, forge new ones, and see the once-humble world of blues entertainment exploding before their eyes. Paradoxically, and perhaps due to the blues’ homespun values, the community has lost none of its personal quality even as the industry of the blues has grown.

“It’s the biggest night in blues. We have two Grammy award winners, Fantastic Negrito and Bobby Rush, and they presented together,” explained Blues Foundation president Barbara Newman, who noted that the personal quality of the gathering remained intact. “It’s all about relationship-building. It’s a big reunion. And everybody’s looking out for everybody else. All the nominees want to win, but they’re really happy for their friends if they don’t.” Having headed the organization for less than two years, she’s made it her goal to reach beyond the established community. “The blues world knew about the Blues Foundation, but people that love the blues, but aren’t necessarily entrenched in the blues, didn’t know us, and we’re working to get them to know who we are. We’re seeing a lot more excitement and energy. Our social media has popped. There’s been huge growth there.”

Highlights of the night included a soulful set by Betty Lavette, who fondly recalled recording one of her hits here in Memphis forty-eight years ago, and a bristling performance by longtime Muddy Waters sidekick John Primer. Primer delivered the most gripping solos of the night, playing bottleneck slide in frenzied, coruscating sheets of sound, invoking the early Chicago scene one minute, quoting the Star Spangled Banner in the next. Pausing between numbers, he noted, “You know, I won one of these trophies last year. But I’ll be so happy when someone else wins. I don’t need five or six trophies. Let these young people win some and keep the blues alive.”

And while many young talents were recognized last night, the royalty of the evening was clearly Bobby Rush, fresh off his recent Grammy win for Best Traditional Blues Album. At the BMA’s, not only did his Porcupine Meat win Album of the Year, his fifty-year career retrospective on Omnivore Recordings, Chicken Heads, won Historical Album of the Year. “It makes me feel old!” quipped Rush. “But it’s a blessing to get old. You put your mark on a wheel and you roll it down a hill, and your mark come back to you.”

Musing on the four disc set, Rush noted, “to have a CD out with this many records, you have to be blessed enough to have that many masters. Because the masters that I have, I own. Not many artists, especially black artists, own their own masters.” Was this due to his business smarts at the time? “Now I think it’s smart. But I was blessed, because I think what happened was, they counted me out, ‘cos I was just a little blues guy, would never amount to anything. ‘Let him have it, he’s not gonna do anything with it.’ And all of a sudden I get 80 years old, and I have a valuable piece of property.” Rush hinted at more retrospectives to come. “That’s not even about half of it. I probably have another 120 songs in the can,” he said before adding, with his eye on the future, “My motto is, ‘I must do all I can while I can.’ The best song never been sung yet.”

For a complete list of winners and other information, go to https://blues.org/blues-music-awards/

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Music Music Blog

Cait Brennan: Transforming Glam

Cait Brennan

When someone has suffered violence simply for being who they are, there’s an urgency to the lyrics “Kinda tried to hide it, but I never denied it.” Cait Brennan sings these words, and everything else on her new album, Third, as if her life depended on it. Not that she can’t reveal a light touch, as when she sings, “he knows too much, I think we’ll have to kill him.” If the latter is built on a bedrock of T. Rex hand claps and chugging electric guitars, mixing the lighthearted with the murderous, that just comes with the territory in Trans Glam Soul. You can hear it for yourself Tuesday night at Bar DKDC.

Forget the “trans” for a minute, though, unless you mean that her music transcends such labels. A heady stew of early 70’s influences, Third avoids sounding retro or dated because Brennan’s musical heroes were known for their inventiveness, and that too is the chief quality of her songs. Yes, there is an element of comfort food to the lush E.L.O.-like harmonies, but mixed with a perfect Marc Bolan-esque guitar, and Brennan’s sharp lyrics, it becomes its own creature entirely. Whatever you call the music, it’s brimming over with soul.

There are overt nods to that genre on the new record as well, especially in “Stack Overflow”, which blends a classic STAX stomp and testifying vocals with edgy synth-noise breakdowns. Due to Brennan’s chance meeting with Jody Stephens last year, the album has a lot of Memphis in it. It was tracked and mixed at Ardent Studios, with much of its vintage equipment coloring the sound, including Chris Bell’s Gibson 330 and the Mellotron heard on classic Big Star tracks. Another number was co-written with local songwriting luminary Van Duren, and New Orleans transplant Robert Maché guests on guitar. And throughout the record, Brennan’s musical partner and co-producer Fernando Perdomo adds his multi-instrumental talents.

After starting to perform decades ago – about the time she came out as transgender – Brennan took an extended hiatus due to the violent ostracism she faced. She emerged onstage again in 2012, and last year’s debut, Debutante, made many best-of lists in the music press. Her powerful voice and well-crafted songs turned heads, and this year’s release will surely cinch her reputation as a creator of timeless records.

Expect cameos from the local talents who contributed to the record at tomorrow’s show, including Van Duren, Vicki Loveland, Adam Hill, Candace Maché, and Jody Stephens. Starts at 9:00 p.m. at Bar DKDC.