Derek Trucks
Buddy Guy
He's Chicago's blues king today, ruling his domain just as his idol and mentor Muddy Waters did before him. Yet there was a time, and not all that long ago either, when Buddy Guy couldn't even negotiate a decent record deal. Times sure have changed for the better -- Guy's first three albums for Silvertone in the '90s all earned Grammys. Eric Clapton unabashedly calls Buddy Guy his favorite blues axeman, and so do a great many adoring fans worldwide.
High-energy guitar histrionics and boundless on-stage energy have always been Guy trademarks, along with a tortured vocal style that's nearly as distinctive as his incendiary rapid-fire fretwork. He's come a long way from his beginnings on the 1950s Baton Rouge blues scene -- at his first gigs with bandleader "Big Poppa" John Tilley, the young guitarist had to chug a stomach-jolting concoction of Dr. Tichenor's antiseptic and wine to ward off an advanced case of stage fright. But by the time he joined harpist Raful Neal's band, Guy had conquered his nervousness.
Guy journeyed to Chicago in 1957, ready to take the town by storm. But times were tough initially, until he turned up the juice as a showman (much as another of his early idols, Guitar Slim, had back home). It didn't take long after that for the new kid in town to establish himself. He hung with the city's blues elite: Freddy King, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, and Magic Sam, who introduced Buddy Guy to Cobra Records boss Eli Toscano. Two searing 1958 singles for Cobra's Artistic subsidiary were the result: "This Is the End" and "Try to Quit You Baby" exhibited more than a trace of B.B. King influence, while "You Sure Can't Do" was an unabashed homage to Guitar Slim. Willie Dixon produced the sides.
When Cobra folded, Guy wisely followed Rush over to Chess. With the issue of his first Chess single in 1960, Guy was no longer aurally indebted to anybody. "First Time I Met the Blues" and its follow-up, "Broken Hearted Blues," were fiery, tortured slow blues brilliantly showcasing Guy's whammy-bar-enriched guitar and shrieking, hellhound-on-his-trail vocals.
Although he's often complained that Leonard Chess wouldn't allow him to turn up his guitar loud enough, the claim doesn't wash: Guy's 1960-1967 Chess catalog remains his most satisfying body of work. A shuffling "Let Me Love You Baby," the impassioned downbeat items "Ten Years Ago," "Stone Crazy," "My Time After Awhile," and "Leave My Girl Alone," and a bouncy "No Lie" rate with the hottest blues waxings of the '60s. While at Chess, Guy worked long and hard as a session guitarist, getting his licks in on sides by Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Koko Taylor (on her hit "Wang Dang Doodle").
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Upon leaving Chess in 1967, Guy went to Vanguard. His first LP for the firm, A Man and the Blues, followed in the same immaculate vein as his Chess work and contained the rocking "Mary Had a Little Lamb," but This Is Buddy Guy and Hold That Plane! proved somewhat less consistent. Guy and harpist Junior Wells had long been friends and played around Chicago together (Guy supplied the guitar work on Wells' seminal 1965 Delmark set Hoodoo Man Blues, initially billed as "Friendly Chap" because of his Chess contract); they recorded together for Blue Thumb in 1969 as Buddy and the Juniors (pianist Junior Mance being the other Junior) and Atlantic in 1970 (sessions co-produced by Eric Clapton and Tom Dowd), and 1972 for the solid album Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play the Blues. Buddy and Junior toured together throughout the '70s, their playful repartee immortalized on Drinkin' TNT 'n' Smokin' Dynamite, a live set cut at the 1974 Montreux Jazz Festival.
Guy's reputation among rock guitar gods such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan was unsurpassed, but prior to his Grammy-winning 1991 Silvertone disc Damn Right, I've Got the Blues, he amazingly hadn't issued a domestic album in a decade. That's when the Buddy Guy bandwagon really picked up steam -- he began selling out auditoriums and turning up on network television (David Letterman, Jay Leno, etc.). Feels Like Rain, his 1993 encore, was a huge letdown artistically, unless one enjoys the twisted concept of having one of the world's top bluesmen duet with country hat act Travis Tritt and hopelessly overwrought rock singer Paul Rodgers. By comparison, 1994's Slippin' In, produced by Eddie Kramer, was a major step back in the right direction, with no hideous duets and a preponderance of genuine blues excursions. Last Time Around: Live at Legends, an acoustic outing with longtime partner Junior Wells followed in 1998. In 2001, Guy switched gears and went to Mississippi for a recording of the type of modal juke-joint blues favored by Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, and the Fat Possum crew. The result was Sweet Tea: arguably one of his finest albums and yet a complete anomaly in his catalog. Oddly enough, he chose to follow that up with Blues Singer in 2003, another completely acoustic effort that won a Grammy. For 2005's Bring 'Em In, it was back to the same template as his first albums for Silvertone, with polished production and a handful of guest stars. Skin Deep appeared in 2008 and featured guest spots by Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Eric Clapton, and Robert Randolph.
A Buddy Guy concert can sometimes be a frustrating experience. He'll be in the middle of something downright hair-raising, only to break it off abruptly in midsong, or he'll ignore his own massive songbook in order to offer imitations of Clapton, Vaughan, and Hendrix. But Guy, whose club remains the most successful blues joint in Chicago (you'll likely find him sitting at the bar whenever he's in town), is without a doubt the Windy City's reigning blues artist -- and he rules benevolently.
- All Music Guide
Sources: Bill Dahl
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THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
The southern American mega-group, The Allman Brothers boast over 40 years in the music industry and are considered a classic rock staple with a mix of blues, rock and a unique approach to jamming.
The founding members were Gregg Allman and Duane Allman with original supporting members in the form of Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny Johanson. The band has been awarded eleven gold and 5 platinum albums between the years of 1971 and 2005.
The band’s first self-titled album was a critical success but with the southern rock genre being such an underground phenomenon, it didn’t reach mainstream attention. The opposite was true for its second album Idlewild South in 1970 which produced an Allman Brother’s classic, Midnight Rider which was more radio-friendly and remains so to this day.
In 1971, the band released the recording of its performance at the Fillmore East. It highlighted the bands’ finesse at improvisation and Gregg’s coarse vocals on songs like the 23 minute version of Whipping Post and 13 minute In the Memory of Elizabeth Reed. It was a massive success.
Tragedy struck the band when Duane was killed in a motorcycle accident shortly after this legendary Fillmore performance. The group decided to carry on and Betts filled Duane’s role while recording their third album, Eat a Peach.
Ironically, another member, Oakley, died due to injuries sustained in a motorcycle injury. This happened shortly before the band finished its fourth album, Brothers and Sisters. This became another one of must-have Allman Brothers albums with tracks, Ramblin’ Man and Jessica.
By 1973, The Allman Brothers could claim to be one of the best loved festival and concert acts. Their success led to other southern acts, like Lynyrd Skynrd, rising through the charts.
Like many successful rock acts, drug use, personal conflicts and differing musical directions produced cracks in the group. 1975’s album, Win, Lose or Draw didn’t feature all the members of the band.
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By 1979, The Allman Brothers were all but non-existent in the charts but still had a committed following. The band officially broke up in 1982 when Gregg formed the uniquely titled Gregg Allman Band. Other dominant member, Betts joined forces with Trucks and other latter Allman additions David Goldflies and Chuck Leavell to form the short-lived and equally novel band named, Betts, Hall, Leavell and Trucks. Both fledging bands toured small venues.
During the next few years, Gregg and Betts moved in a parallel fashion, releasing solo material and performing one-off reunions. Gregg’s solo success prompted an official reunion with Betts, Jaimoe and Trucks. They added Warren Haynes, Johnny Neel and Allen Woody to the line up.
The band was signed to Epic Records and released three new albums. In 1995, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the cusp of the new century, more line up transformations ensued including the addition of the young but insanely talented guitar player, Derek Trucks (the nephew of Butch Trucks). Betts was painfully forced out of the band for “personal and professional reasons”. This was indicative of the tenuous relationship that Betts and Gregg experienced in the past. The Allman Brothers continue to perform live.
Group has included Howard Duane Allman, born November 20,1946, Nashville, TN, died in a motorcycle accident October 29, 1971; Gregg Allman, born December 8, 1947, Nashville; Duane and Gregg's mother's name was Géraldine Allman; Dicky Betts (guitar); Warren Heynes (guitar); Jai Johanny Johanson (drums); Chuck Leavell (piano); Johnny Neel (harmonica and keyboards); Berry Oakley (bass), deceased, 1972; Dan Toller (guitar); Butch Trucks (drums); Lamar Williams (bass); Allen Woody (bass).
Band formed c. 1968.
Addresses: Record company—Epic (Sony Music Distribution), Sony Music Entertainment, P.O. Box 4450, New York, NY 10101.
"Duane was the father of the band," said Gregg in Guitar Player. "He had a lot to do with the spontaneity of the whole thing. He was like the mother ship. Somehow he had this real magic about him that would lock us all in, and we'd take off." Although he is hardly ever mentioned in the same breath as his contemporaries, Duane was as equally inventive and skillful as Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, or Jimmy Page. His work on Clapton's Layla LP prodded the Englishman to new heights and created one of the finest rock albums of all time.
The Allman Brothers band took a devastating blow on October 29,1971 when Duane was killed in a motorcycle crash at the age of 24. A tight-knit family, the Allman Brothers band continued on without replacing Duane and issued Eat a Peach in 1972. One half of the LP consisted of live cuts from their Fillmore dates and the studio side included the hit "Melissa." Betts took control of the band's direction and continued in his instrumental vein with "Jessica" on their next album, Brothers and Sisters. They had their biggest hit, "Ramblin' Man," but were also struck again by tragedy when Berry Oakley died just 13 months after Duane in an eerily similar accident.
Albums:
The Allman Brothers Band, Atco, 1969.
Idlewild South, Atco, 1970.
Live at the Fillmore East, Capricorn, 1971.
Eat a Peach, Capricorn, 1972.
Brothers and Sisters, Capricorn, 1973.
Win, Lose or Draw, Capricorn, 1975.
The Road Goes on Forever, Capricorn, 1975.
Wipe The Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas, Capricorn, 1976.
Enlightened Rogues, Capricorn, 1979.
Reach for the Sky, Arista, 1980.
Brothers of the Road.
Dreams (retrospective box set), Polydor, 1989.
Seven Turns, Epic, 1990.
Live At Ludlow Garage, Polygram, 1990.
Shades of Two Worlds, Epic, 1991.
An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set, Epic, 1992.
Where It All Begins, Sony, 1994.
An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set, Epic, 1995.
Peakin' at the Beacon, Epic, 2000.
Hittin' the Note, Sanctuary, 2003.
Sources: Juanita Appleby; Calen D. Stone
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This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
