Mike Bloomfield: If You love These Blues
By Jan Wolkin & Bill Keenom (Miller freeman)

 It's 1960, the number one artist on the Billboards Top 100 chart is Elvis Presley, the Beatles are just forming, the British Invasion is a couple years away, and Michael Bloomfield has already shared the stage with blues luminaries that were rarely known outside the black chitlin' circuit. Before the Stones, Fleetwood Mac or John Mayall were touting and covering the greats like Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Otis Spann or Magic Sam, Michael was catching their shows at Peppers Show Lounge, Theresa's or Silvo's Lounge.

 Born into a wealthy Chicago family in 1943 Michael early musical influences included various powerful AM radio stations and the local black radio station from Chicago (WVON, Voice of the Negro) that the household maids would listen to. He picked up a guitar after watching his cousin play and was a natural player. His love of the blues and his natural gifted musicianship soon led to gigs with the first wave of white blues players such as Paul Butterfield, Nick Gravenites, Charlie Musslewhite and Elvin Bishop. Ultimately this young guitar slinger became a member of one the first racially mixed bands the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. He soon was a cult hero and quickly established his musical legacy. He accompanied Bob Dylan (including the infamous 1965 Newport Folk Festival when Dylan "went electric"), established his own band The Electric Flag and appeared on countless albums as a session player including the immensely popular album Super Session, which also included Al Kooper and Stephen Stills.

 The stories from Michael Bloomfield (If You Love These Blues) are told to use in the voices of Paul's mother, his ex-wife, Kooper, Bishop, Mark Naftalin, Bill Graham and many others - plus Bloomfield himself. They recount the early gigs at the Fickle Pickle and Big Johns. We are also reminded that Michael's brilliance was never really captured on vinyl and as his career progressed, his recordings and concert performances were greatly lacking in artistic quality. Some of the best tales are those that revolve around road trips with blues legend Big Joe Williams. One of crazier stories revolves around a drunken trip with Big Joe, George Mitchell and Michael as they drive to St Louis looking for blues legends Walter Davis and Henry Townsend.

 As quick as the ride was up the ladder of fame and success the slide down is documented just as brutally. Michael's addiction to various substances is well documented. Unfortunately these stories seem to dominate the second half of the book.

 Like way to many before him and way too many more to come, the waste of talent to some to type addiction is truly sad. Only for the diehard fan or for those who like to read about a falling star.

(Dave Moskal)

Josh White: Society Blues By Elijah Wald
(University Of Massachusetts Press)

 In blues circles Josh White is often dismissingly written off as too slick or too commercial sounding. In Josh White: Society Blues, Elijah Wald goes a long way in dispelling this one sided view which in one sense is accurate but also ignores White's formidable musical talent, his unrelenting stand on racial issues and his enormous influence on folk and blues.

 The arc of White's career from the hardships of his childhood to New York cabaret star and sex symbol is a compelling story written eloquently in this well rounded and researched book. While Wald is certainly a huge admirer of his subject he pulls few punches in his portrait of a complex and often misunderstood artist.

 Born in heavily segregated Greenville, North Carolina in 1914, White was immediately thrust into a dangerous and confusing world. Still compared to most his home life was very stable and benefited from the patronage of a white family that went a long way to ease some of the burden. This safety was shattered early on when Josh's father threw a disrespectful white bill collector out of his home. The effect was quick and brutal- without the benefit of a trial Josh watched as the policeman had "...beaten my daddy to a pulp." His father was put in an asylum and forced Josh to start earning money for the family. Through a chance encounter with a blind bluesman, Josh began earning money by being the "lead boy" for a series of such musicians that traveled all over the South. He was often treated harshly and witnessed the worst forms of racism including a double lynching.

 If there was a benefit to this harsh life it was the fact that Josh became a very accomplished guitar player (better than most of the bluesman he lead). In 1932 he began recording for the American Record Association cutting some fine country blues sides and launching a successful career as a race recording artist.

 In 1933 Josh, following the lead of many Southern blacks, moved North ending up in Harlem. Unlike many Southern newcomers Josh was very adaptable to his new life. He couldn't have picked a better time to hit New York and he fell right into the burgeoning folk movement along with such now famous names as Leadbelly, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Josh knew the sting of racism more than most of the folk crowd and he found a receptive audience for his songs of racial protest among the New York liberals.

 Life was good for Josh particularly in the 40's with steady gigs all over town and later all over the country. Unfortunately looming on the horizon was the "red scare" and anti-Communist backlash that would claim Josh as one of it's first victims. Never overly political, Josh nevertheless played at many left leaning benefits and the consequences virtually destroyed Josh's career forcing him to go abroad for a good deal of the 50's. Still his star began to rise again with a new folk boom emerging in the late 50's and Josh was seen as the grand old man of folk. As the 60's dawned this became a double edged sword and Josh's commercial success and professionalism were seen as something phony while the real thing was being rediscovered. In the 60's Son House, Bukka White, Skip James and others were being rediscovered by a young white audience who hailed them as the "real thing" while Josh, they decided, was most certainly not.

 That was pretty much where Josh's legacy has stayed and what makes this new biography so important. Josh White: Society Blues sets the record straight on this supremely talented and influential musician who paved the way for so many others only to be discarded when his music was deemed no longer fashionable.

[For more details on the book and author visit http://www.elijahwald.com. Also listen to an interview with the author we aired recently: go to our archived shows and select the 1/21/01 show.]

(Jeff Harris)

Various Artists: Superharps II (Telarc)

 On the heels of last year's successful Superharps we're treated once again to another helping of fine harmonica blues on the sequel, Superharps II. You couldn't ask for a more experienced line up then this one which features four bonafide legends: Carey Bell, Lazy Lester, Raful Neal and Snooky Pryor.

 All four of these guys have some serious history behind them and have been blowing the blues for a long time- Carey Bell, Lazy Lester, Raful Neal were all born in the 30's while Snooky Pryor has at least ten years on all of them. The bottom line is that all of them still have some serious chops and have cut some exceptional records in the past few years. Snooky's been the most active laying down three great records since 1999, both Lester and Neal had fine releases in 1998 and Bell has put out some a number of good records in the 90's with some particularly good ones on the Alligator label.

 More often that not these all-star sessions usually never live up to the hype and while the previous volume (featuring Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, Billy Branch and Sugar Ray Norcia) was solid it never really rose to the level it should have. Superharps II, on the other hand, definitely delivers the goods.

 This is not really a jam session as we get different pairings of artists on different tracks and it's only on the last song, Harp to Harp, that they all get together. The backing band is superb featuring Thunderbirds guitarist Kid Bangham plus veterans Anthony Geraci on piano, Michael "Mudcat" Ward on upright bass and Per Hanson on drums. Everyone plays well but 80 year old Snooky Pryor nearly steals the show. Pryor's harp playing bores right through you on the romping "Keyhole In Your Door", which also features Carey Bell, "Let Your Hair Down" and the soulful "Shake My Hand" with Lazy Lester helping out. Lazy Lester's brand of swamp blues sounds as good as ever particularly on "I Made Up My Mind" with Raful Neal and the classic "I Hear You Knockin'." Raful Neal gets solo duties on the low down "I Miss You Baby" and Carey Bell swaggers on a fine cover of Muddy's "Walking Thru The Park."

 Superharps II is a fine display of blues harp power that should bring a smile to all fans of harmonica blues. Let's hope next year brings us another chapter in this well done series.

(Jeff Harris)

O.V. Wright: God Blessed Our Love (Suzie Q)

  O.V. Wright was certainly in the upper echelon when it comes to deep Southern soul singers. Wright sang his soul songs with spine-tingling power with always one foot firmly planted in the church. God Blessed Our Love focuses on Wright's mid to late 70's period, a few years before he passed away, and find his power undiminished.

 Wright honed his talent on the gospel circuit with the Sunset Travelers before venturing into secular music in 1964 with the Memphis based Goldwax label. For the rest of the 60's and early 70's Wright was under contract to Don Robey who ran the Duke/Peacock label. Wright's music was released on Robey's Back Beat subsidiary and he cut some incendiary soul including classics like "Nickel And A Nail", "You're Gonna Make Me Cry", "Ace Of Spades" and many others. God Blessed Our Love comes from the mid to late 70's when Wright hooked up with Willie Mitchell and his Hi Record label. Backed by the vaunted Hi rhythm section the results rank as some of the best Southern soul of the era.

 Emphasizing Wright's blend of the gospel and secular is the nearly thirteen minute opener, "God Blessed Our love", a simmering display of soul power that builds steam as he segues effortlessly from the original number into "When A Man Loves A Woman" and then into "That's How Strong My Love Is." Wright tackles some fine ballads including "Precious, Precious", "Baby, Baby" as well as up-tempo numbers like the infectious "I Don't Do Windows" and the throbbing power of "Trying To Live My Life Without You." The disc wraps up with the stunning gospel tinged "Into Something (Can't Shake Loose)" with an opening that will leave chills down your spine. The music is all the more remarkable because we know that Wright was struggling with drug addiction during this time. Sadly he lost the battle in 1980, dying when he was only 41 years old.

 God Blessed Our Love is an essential purchase for fans of real soul music. There's a lot of stuff passing itself off as soul music these days but none with the sheer emotional power of these hard hitting sides.

(Jeff Harris)

 Big Boss Lady is a charming, intimate blues record from a true Chicago blues veteran. It would be easy for this record to get lost in the shuffle but this little gem is well worth seeking out.

[Big Boss Lady can be ordered through the Bogfire website]

(Jeff Harris)