Forgotten Blues Heroes: Cal Green, Jimmy Nolen & Pete "Guitar" Lewis

 West Coast blues (California blues specifically) has never gotten anywhere near the attention of Chicago blues or say Delta blues, but has been home to many leading blues performers. While the West Coast still has a thriving blues scene the scene was in it's heyday in the 1940's and 50's with most of the activity centering around the Los Angeles, Richmond, Oakland and San Francisco Bay areas. There's not much of a prewar Californian blues tradition, which is likely due to the fact that the African-American communities weren't very large in the beginning of the 20th century. The Black population swelled in the 1940s, due to large manpower needs to work in the U.S. defense industry during World War II. These new arrivals needed entertainment, of course, and the local jazz and blues club scene heated up quickly.

 Much of the blues played and recorded in California stemmed from Texas and Louisiana artists who headed to the golden state for it's clubs and recording opportunities. There was a host of labels recording blues and R&B in Los Angeles in the 1940s including Specialty, Imperial, Aladdin, and the umbrella of labels run by the Bihari brothers RPM/Modern/Kent/Flair/Crown were the most notable. Bob Geddins was a key player who operated numerous small labels (Down Town, Big Town, Irma, and others) in the Oakland area recording early sides by Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin, Jimmy Wilson, Sugar Pi DeSanto and many others. May of these sides were leased to larger outfits like Chess, Specialty, Modern and others.

 The towering figure of West Coast blues may be Texas born guitarist T-Bone Walker. Walker was a key figure in the electrification and urbanization of the blues, probably doing more to popularize the use of electric guitar in the form than anyone else. Much of his material had a distinct jazzy jump blues feel, an influence that would characterize much of the blues to emerge from California in the 1940s and 1950s. Among those who were influenced by Walker were B.B. King, Gatemouth Brown, Pee Wee Crayton, Goree Carter, Johnny "Guitar" Watson and West Coast guitar hero Lafayette Thomas who we profiled a couple of months back. Add the that list Louisiana born Pete "Guitar" Lewis, Oklahoma born Jimmy Nolen and to a lesser extent Texas bred Cal Green.

 One of the hottest guitarists working on the coast during the 40s and 50s was Carl Pete Lewis. He was discovered by Johnny Otis in 1948 who signed him on the spot after he won a talent contest at his Barrelhouse Club at the Thursday Night Talent Hour. Johnny Otis was already making a name for himself but his influence on L.A.'s R&B scene soared when he and partner Bardu Ali opened the Barrelhouse Club in Watts. Otis began to focus more on R&B and in addition to Lewis discovered young talent such as the Robins, vocalists Mel Walker and Little Esther Phillips that would serve him well in years to come.

 Otis quickly spotlighted his new discovery on the guitar workout "Midnight In The Barrelhouse" issued on Excelsior in 1948 selling well enough to be picked up by Savoy and cut a similarly themed "Thursday Night Blues" for Modern. Lewis went on to be a permanent member of Otis' band and is featured on most of Otis' sides for Modern, Savoy, Mercury, Peacock and Aladdin. He stellar fret work was showcased on Savoy sides such as "Boogie Shuffle", "Hangover Blues", "New Orleans Shuffle" and continued when Otis jumped to Mercury cutting the rocking "Goomp Blues" among others. Lewis also cut a batch of fine solo sides for Federal and Peacock which also showcased his considerable singing and harmonica abilities. Among the notable numbers from this period include "Louisiana Hop", "Raggedy Blues", "Goofy Dust Blues" and "Chocolate Pork Chop Man." For Peacock he backed Johnny Ace (most notably "Pledging My Love"), Big Mama Thornton (most notably "Hound Dog") plus others. Lewis stuck with Otis throughout the 50's cutting some sides for Otis' Dig label during this period. He was eventually replaced by Jimmy Nolen in 1957. Lewis went on to play with George "Harmonica" Smith with whom he recorded for Sotoplay. He died of alcohol related problems in the early 60's.

 Jimmy Nolen took up guitar after hearing T-Bone Walker on the radio at the age of 14 in 1948. He was soon proficient enough on his instrument to get his first electric guitar and join J.D. Nicholson & His Jivin' Five, receiving his first exposure to a recording studio in 1952. In 1955, Jimmy Wilson heard Jimmy playing at a club in Tulsa and hired him to go on the road with him and his band. Tired of the grind in Oklahoma for little pay, he jumped at the chance and packed his bags. When Wilson's band broke up in Los Angeles and Nolen decided to stay. He played a short time with trumpeter Monte Easter's band recording with him for Aladdin and singing on "Blues In The Evening." Possibly on recommendation from Easter or Wilson, Nolen began recording for J.R. Fullbright's Elko label in 1954 providing support for Ray Agee, J.D. Nicholson and Jimmy Wilson. In 1954 he joined Chuck Higgins band and was featured prominently on recordings for the Dootone label such as "Wetback Hop", "Looking For My Baby" and "Don' You Know I Love You" among others.

 It was during this time that he contracted with Federal Records, a subsidiary of the King label and recorded his first sides under his own name. using a number of Higgins band members and other LA session men. In addition to his fine guitar work he proved himself an able singer on terrific sides such as "Wipe Your Tears", "How Fine Can You Be" an intense version of Tampa Red's "It Hurts Me Too" and instrumentals like "After Hours" and "Strollin' With Nolen." Jimmy replaced the ailing Pete "Guitar" Lewis in the Johnny Otis Band around 1957 and became very busy as a recording session guitarist, resulting in Otis's big hit, "Willie And The Hand Jive" and other Capitol successes such as "Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me" and "In The Dark." Striking out on his own in 1960, he formed his own band and was sought after by many of the major blues stars that came into L.A. for backing when they were without their own bands. B.B. King and T-Bone Walker would always use Jimmy and his band when they were in town without their sidemen. Jimmy played throughout California and Arizona working steadily until he decided to accept James Brown's offer to join his band in 1965. His patented funky chicken scratch style can be heard on hits like "Papa' Got A Brand New Bag" and many more hits between 1965 to 1983, except for the two years he left the band to go with Brown sidemen, Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley as "All the Kings Men". He was with the band in Atlanta, GA when he suffered a fatal heart attack on December 16, 1983 at the age of 48.

 Younger brother of guitarist Clarence Green, Cal came to prominence in 1954 when he replaced Arthur Porter as guitarist with The Midnighters. Green received plenty of solo space during his Midnighters stint. His ringing guitar provided a sturdy hook for the group's rocker "Don't Change Your Pretty Ways" and figured prominently on "Tore Up Over You", "Look At Little Sister" (revived later by Stevie Ray Vaughn) and "Open Up the Back Door." The Midnighters' label, Cincinnati-based Federal Records, thought enough of Green's slashing Texas licks to cut a couple of 45's on him in 1958: the double-sided instrumental "The Big Push"/"Green's Blues" and a pair of vocals, "I Can Hear My Baby Calling"/"The Search Is All Over." During his King/Federal stint he also backed Bill Doggett and Little Willie John.

 A 1959 marijuana bust sent Green to a Texas slammer for 21 months, rejoining the Midnighters briefly in 1962. After that, jazz became Green's music of choice. He gigged with organists Brother Jack McDuff and Charles Kynard and then singer Lou Rawls, eventually settling in L.A. He recorded several singles and eventually an album, "Trippin'" for the Los Angeles based Mutt & Jeff label in the late '60s. In 1988 he cut the excellent "White Pearl" album for the Double Trouble label. On July 6, 2004, Cal Green passed away at his California home. He was 69.

Essential Listening

Various Artists: Scratchin' (Charly): An excellent compilation that gathers up 22 prime sides by Nolen, Lewis and Green cut for the Federal label between 1952-56.

Cal Green: White Pearl (Double Trouble): Green's terrific 1988 comeback record. Includes covers of Midnighter gems like "24 Hours A Day" plus fine originals.

Various Artists: Midnight At The Barrelhouse (JSP): A killer 5-CD, 125 cuts, budget priced set that collects everything Johnny Otis and his Orchestra cut between 1947-51. Features plenty of prime guitar work from Pete "Guitar" Lewis plus some sides under his own name.