Goin' Back To Sweet Memphis Edited By Fred J. Hay & Illustrated By George D. Davidson
(University Of Georgia Press)

 For music fans the mere mention of Memphis conjures up a stream of vivid musical images. Memphis owes much of it's unique sound to it's central location. The combination of the railroads, which networked almost the entire South through Memphis, in addition to the river traffic which carried the music of New Orleans and St. Louis made it "a hotbed and crossroads of the blues." Goin' Back To Sweet Memphis is a nostalgic and perceptive look at what made Memphis so special. The story is told through interviews conducted in the early 70's by Fred J. Hay, Bill Lyons and others, focusing on well know artists such as Furry Lewis and Bukka White to lesser known figures like Tommy Gary. Despite the level of fame the artists achieved, and the often rambling nature of their narratives, they weave a compelling, interrelated story that tells the story of the Memphis blues better than any standard history could hope to achieve.

 The book begins with an insightful introduction from Fred J. Hay which delivers a concise history of the influences that created the "savory pot of gumbo" that gave birth to the Memphis blues with emphasis on Beale Street, the heart of Memphis' black community. Hay also vividly describes his personal recollections from his arrival in Memphis as an incoming freshman in 1971 to a return to Beale Street in 1999. By the time of his arrival he found that the world famous Beale Street was already a thing of the past. Urban Renewal or more accurately "urban removal", had destroyed this once thriving heart of black culture. On Hay's return in 1999 the transformation of Beale Street was complete- it had been rebuilt as a tourist attraction. Hay is particularly perceptive on the larger meanings of this transformation: "Beale Street is not a shrine to the blues but, like most popular American attractions, is a shrine to consumer culture. It flattens that which is layered, conceals that which is distinctive, dulls which is brilliant, and glitters which is subdued." Beale Street and the blues which it nurtured had been stripped of its social context and meaning, in essence it was a "violation of the spirit of the blues."

  The interviews that form the heart of this book were conducted when Fred J. Hay and Bill Lyons were freshman in conjunction with a folklore class the two were taking. The speakers were essentially given "free rein" to speak about their experiences. Each interview is framed with a simple device for clarity- three typefaces are used: one for the interviewer, one for the interviewee and a third for annotations where the author provides background on songs or artists mentioned during the interview. Each chapter begins with a well written biographical sketch of the artist before preceding the interview. The artists interviewed include: Bukka White, Furry Lewis, Memphis Ma Rainey, Ernest "Boost" Taylor, Little Laura Dukes, Big Amos Patton and a combined interview with Joe Willie Wilkins, Houston Stackhouse and Willis "Hillbilly" Kenibrew. The book is illustrated by George D. Davidson who provides gorgeous black and white woodcuts of each of the artists as well as writing the book's preface.

 Furry Lewis and Bukka White were internationally known blues artists during this period and were two of the more satisfying bluesman working the blues revival circuit. Both come across as seasoned interview subjects. Like many bluesman you need to take White's story with a grain of salt. As he says himself he lies "some of the times but not all of the times." Furry's memory may also be a bit spotty but he comes across as charming and often very funny. Take for instance this line when asked where he was raised: "Well, they started raise me in Mississippi...But the reason why they didn't raise me in Mississippi, the rope broke!" Furry talks about his background working with medicine shows, carnivals and jug bands which is a life echoed nearly exactly by in later pages by lesser known artists like Memphis Ma Rainey and Laura Dukes. Lillie Mae Glover was known as "Baby Ma Rainey" by the 20's because of the similarity of her singing to the legendary Ma Rainey. She remained a Beale Street institution until her death in 1985 and this interview poignantly captures an artist still proud of her accomplishments but also acutely aware that time is passing her by. Laura Dukes was another Beale Street institution who was born in Memphis and died in Memphis. She comes across as a charming, polite woman, recounting her life working in jug bands, medicine shows, carnivals and traveling the South with Robert McCollum (Robert Nighthawk) in the early 30's. Chapters on lesser known artists such as harp blower Tommy Gary (who played with Sleepy John Estes and Son Bonds), fiddler Ernest "Boost" Taylor (who played with Fred McDowell and Junior Kimborough) and Big Amos Patton are equally illuminating. The final interview chapter is subtitled "Beer Party at Joe Willie Wilkin's House" and finds Wilkins along with Houston Stackhouse and Willis "Hillbilly" Kenibrew all recovering form a night of serious drinking. The interview slowly revs up and becomes more animated as more beer is supplied.

 Blues history comes to us as an oral tradition and can be best understood when spoken directly from those who lived the blues life. For the artists in Goin' Back To Sweet Memphis it was the only life they ever knew which makes these previously unpublished oral histories all the more valuable. Those who are interested in the culture of the blues and in the development of the "Memphis sound" will find this an invaluable document.

(Jeff Harris)

Ricky Allen: Live (Jefferson)

 Despite a number of good sized hits in the 60's Chicago singer Ricky Allen has remained an almost totally neglected figure. Almost as strange as this total neglect is the story behind this fine live recording cut at the 2001 Monsteras Blues festival in Sweden.

 Allen's latest comeback (he attempted comebacks in the early 80's and 90's) was engineered by the Scandinavian Blues Society after some of the members came across Allen's old singles. They found Allen living in Chicago in early 2001 and by May this live set was recorded. It was Allen's first time outside of the USA besides a few dates in Canada. It's certainly odd that it took a bunch of Swedish blues fans to jump-start Allen's comeback. Allen was quite popular through the early to mid-60's cutting several local and national hits like "You Better Be Sure", "Ouch!" and "Cut You A Loose" which hit #20 on the R&B charts and #126 on the pop charts. After disbanding his band in the early 70's he drifted off into blues obscurity. Live proves that Allen still has some gas left in his tank and is a surprising and welcome recording.

 Allen is backed by by a surprisingly good Swedish band formed around the same instrumentation found on Allen's classic recordings. Allen runs through a program of covers and his own classics in front of a very enthusiastic crowd. Vocally Allen has has lost some of the range of those early recordings but is still in good voice. This is a very solid set of blues making it all the more inexplicable why Allen hasn't been able to sustain a comeback career. The set opens with a fine version of the crowd pleasing "Everyday I Have The Blues" before dipping into his own material like the bouncy "Help Me Mama", the shuffling "I Can't Stand No Signifying", a tough version of "Little By Little" and of course "Cut You A-Loose." Allen and the band sound like they've been playing together for years. It's obvious Allen is very much enjoying himself and he definitely has the crowd in the palm of his hands. The record is rounded out with a well written set of liner notes documenting Allen's career and some nice photos.

 It's seems to a sad fact that many older bluesman are much better received overseas than they are in their own country. Whether or not this live recording will usher in a full fledged comeback for Allen it's great to have him back in the spotlight no matter how long it lasts.

-Check out this related link:
www.jeffersonbluesmag.com

From Chicago To Shreveport: Deep Soul Vol. 1 (Fuel 2000)
Ernie K-Doe: Absolutely The Best (Fuel 2000)

 The Fuel 2000 label has the rights to a seemingly inexhaustible supply of prime blues, soul and R&B and have been issuing some first class collections in the last couple of years. From Chicago To Shreveport: Deep Soul Vol. 1 collects 22 hard soul gems while Absolutely The Best draws on the fine body of work the irrepressible Ernie K-Doe cut for the Minit label in the late 50's and early 60's.

 From Chicago To Shreveport: Deep Soul Vol. 1 packages some stellar deep soul material from the 60's and 70's drawn from Stan Lewis' Jewel/Paula/Ronn family of labels. Deep Soul is characterized by it's sheer gospel soaked intensity usually tackling more downbeat tempos. Where labels like Mowtown incorporated a pop sensibility into their records you'll find a harder soul approach on this collection. The 22 tracks showcase a diverse amount of talent from well known popular artists to more obscure names only known among deep soul aficionados. Perhaps the best know track is Toussaint McCall's magnificent "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" an intense, dramatic ballad that entered the R&B top 5 in 1967. Other well know names include a pair of cuts by Little Johnny Taylor including the bluesy "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing", a pair by soaring, high pitched vocalist Ted Taylor including one of his best known numbers, the funky "Something Strange Is Going On In My House" and the beautiful Percy Sledge remake "Cover Me." Other highlights include Ricky Allen's blues/soul approach on "Messed Around And Fell In Love", Jesse Anderson's throbbing "Help Wanted", Bobby Powell's storming "There Is Something In A Man", the marvelous soul harmonies of The Objectives on "The Same Old Way" and Albert Washington's remarkable gospel soaked pipes on "Loosen These Pains And Let Me Go." Overall an excellently compiled collection that will make you eager for volume 2.

 The outrageously larger than life Ernie K-Doe sadly left this planet July 5, 2001. Ernie K-Doe's discography isn't all that large and his recording career largely dried up in the 70's but he remained one of those out size characters that seem to only sprout up in New Orleans. He remained a much loved figure in his hometown until the end and with his wife ran the Mother-In-Law Lounge in New Orleans for the past few years. His claim to fame was the humorous "Mother-in-law" whose universal appeal blasted it to number one on the pop and R&B charts in 1961. Absolutely The Best draws on the fine material he cut for the Minit label between 1959-1963 teamed with legendary producer and pianist Allen Toussaint. While there's no session details, K-Doe was backed by a crack New Orleans band with Toussaint handling the piano chores. The 18 cuts are prime R&B with a distinctly New Orleans beat showcasing K-Doe's smooth, bluesy vocals and his gospel roots never far from the surface. Highlights include the horn blasted rocker "Make You Love Me", soul drenched numbers like "There's A Will There's A Way" and the soaring "Waiting At The Station", the slinky burner "T'Aint It The Truth", the bouncy "Wanted $10,000 Reward" and his second most well known tune "A Certain Girl." Nothing ever reached the lofty heights of "Mother-in-law" but the rest of the material is uniformly excellent. It's no wonder his loyal fans used to shout "Burn, K-Doe, burn!."

 Fuel 2000 does a nice job with their reissues providing detailed notes by Bill Dahl, fine sound and period photos. The only knock is the lack of session details but that's a minor complaint compared to the great music.

(Jeff Harris)