Page 36 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2022

Living Legend:

BiLLy

Branch

Photo by
Ÿ Marilyn Stringer

By Bill Dahl “To be honest, I pushed back against it, because I was
Once the new kid on the Chicago blues block, Billy Branch like, ‘Do you know how many Little Walter tribute albums
is now revered as the city’s premier harmonica master. there have been?’” says Branch, who ultimately listened to
encouragement from his wife Rosa and Marion Diaz, Little
“In the blink of an eye, I went from the new generation
to the elder statesman, and I almost have to pinch myself,” Walter’s daughter. “As we started rehearsing with my band,
who by the way I thought did a stellar job on that album,
says Branch, who manages to embrace traditional electric the songs started morphing and taking on a life of their own
Chicago blues while also pushing the stylistic envelope with and then we were able to interject some of our own ideas
his advanced mouth organ mastery. and concepts.”
“That’s how I came up, the Chicago blues tradition,” he If ever someone was born to play a harmonica, it was
says. “But at the same time, you want to make it fresh. So it is Branch. “I just walked into a Woolworth department store,
kind of challenging.” and I saw one in the glass case, and it was shiny, and it’s
That dichotomy was never more apparent than on Billy like it called out to me,” he says. “I’d never seen anyone
and his Sons of Blues’ 2014 Blind Pig CD Blues Shock. Its play one live in person before. But a little voice said, ‘I can
supremely varied song list ranged from a hard-driving revival play that!’ And I asked the clerk the price. It was a dollar. I
of Little Walter’s straight-ahead shuffle “Crazy Mixed Up had a dollar. I was about 10 or 11. And as soon as I put it
World” to the deeply moving, finely textured original “Going in my mouth, I could play any folk melody or Christmas carol
To See Miss Gerri One More Time,” paying loving tribute to I could think of.”
his late friend Gerri Oliver, proprietor of the South Side jazz Branch’s introduction to the blues was momentous. “That
landmark Gerri’s Palm Tavern. was that pivotal date of August 30, 1969. I was born here (in
The album ended a domestic recording hiatus for Branch Chicago) but grew up in Los Angeles, and I came back here
as a leader that stretched back nearly two decades. “I think I to go to the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Campus,”
was just kind of musically soul searching, and didn’t want to said Billy. “Before I started my classes, I had heard that there
do what everybody else was doing, which was kind of self- was a free festival in Grant Park. At that time, the band shell
defeating because it would have been better to do something was on Roosevelt Road. And I hopped the #3 King Drive bus
than nothing. But I didn’t want to just do what was repetitive,” and went down there, and witnessed arguably the greatest
he says. “I did a lot of work as a sideman, as a session man, blues festival ever produced in history, other than perhaps the
but I never did put anything out myself.” Ann Arbor."
Roots and Branches: The Songs of Little Walter, Branch and “Some of the featured performers – you had Big Walter
the Sons of Blues’ 2019 release on Alligator, paid tribute to the Horton, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, Betty Everett, Bo Diddley,
Windy City’s late harmonica genius. Even on such hallowed John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters. Willie Dixon provided
musical ground, Billy did things his way. the backing band. And there were about 30 more historic

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