Page 47 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2025 Digital Edition

James Brown, sold me cherry bombs, and Fahey. This is a tragic story, but his music
handed me a copy of the Paul Butterfield is unparalleled. ‘Dark Was the Night,
album on Elektra Records. The first 12 Cold Was the Ground’ is his slide guitar
bars of ‘Born in Chicago’ exploded like masterpiece that was sent into space on
an auditory cherry bomb. Butterfield’s the Voyager Golden Record in 1977.”
vocals, his searing harmonica, Mike Hau Chen Pan: “Robert Johnson
Bloomfield’s slashing guitar – the effect on public radio. I had a blind best
was immediate and devastating. I played it over and over friend; I was his seeing-eye kid and he had an awesome
and over. I started buying blues records the next week and record collection.”
never stopped.” Mike Dew (music programmer): “As far as records or
hearing on the radio, Albert King’s Born Under a Bad Sign,
The Facebook Response Johnny Winter’s Second Winter, and the vibe with those opening
I decided to post the same question notes of ‘The Thrill Is Gone.’ It goes straight into your soul.”
on Facebook. I guess folks are truly tired Gary Anton (former owner of the Bradfordville Blues Club):
of politics and Lume ads, because my “Blues from ‘Big Bill’s’ Copa Cabana, Recorded Live (Chess LPS
comment page blew up (once again) 1533). Recorded mid-‘60s, released and purchased in 1969,
like a Mike Summerville cherry bomb. at the ripe old age of 18. A transformative album for me, it
Within an hour, there were a dozen introduced me to Chicago blues at its absolute best, as well
responses. Over the next 24 hours, the as the blues masters after discovering that the British Invasion
number increased to 30 posts, and five days later, the count was covering the music of these icons. This album defines the
stood at 234 responses and still growing. blues for me and significantly influenced my bookings at the
Matt Thompson: “It was a House of Blues collection that Bradfordville Blues Club 30 years later. I recently found the
ruined me. It had obvious folks like Muddy and B.B. King, but album in a stash I hadn’t revisited in decades. It doesn’t get
I also discovered Hound Dog Taylor, Junior Wells and Sonny no better than this.”
Boy Williamson II.” Jerry Zolten (musician, writer, archivist): “You said it in
Peg Parham (music agent): “Mississippi John Hurt. I was your request. A 45 record of Bobby Bland doing ´Turn On
17 and had never heard anything like it. It reached into my Your Love Light.´ Not pure blues I suppose, but once I heard
soul and I knew it was important music. I wore it out.” that, I couldn’t get it out of my head and was driven to hear
Freddie Vanderford (musician, professional wrestling more, which led me to additional Bobby Bland, Little Junior
promoter): “Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and and onward and downward from there.”
Junior Mance, and the way they talked Russell Hibbard: “Taj Mahal’s Giant
about their women.” Step. Even younger than 14, I had
Gabriele-Maag-Bristol (music writer): listened to Memphis Minnie and Skip
“Big Mama Thornton’s ‘Hound Dog’ James, but this album connected the folk
was played on a specialty radio show music dots for me.”
in Germany in the mid-‘80s, and I was Mark Hummel (musician): “Brownie
blown away by her incredibly powerful vocal performance. and Sonny’s World Pacific album, Blues
The hard-hitting hypnotic groove stirred my teenage blood. I is a Story. Elmore James. And John Brim’s Whose Muddy
taped the song and played it over and over, dancing in my Shoes?, Vanguard Records’ Best of Chicago Blues and Jimmy
room. Been exploring the blues and related music ever since.” Rogers´ Chicago Bound.”
Craig Pittman (Florida writer): “I don’t know the exact
year, but it would have been sometime in the 1980s when I Muddy Waters and the musicians that played in his
first heard Elmore James playing ‘Dust My Broom.’” band left an unforgettable legacy:
Ronn Gilbert (musician): “The first I recall is an album on Peter Cowley (music writer, producer, punk historian): “I was
the EmArcy label that came out in 1958 by Big Bill Broonzy age 15. The original Best of Muddy Waters on Chess Records.”
simply called The Blues. I heard it as a freshman in high Bob Margolin (former guitarist with Muddy Waters and
school in 1968.” band leader): “I was already deeply in love with blues when
Mark Hodgson (harmonica, legendary Florida musician): I heard ´Rolling and Tumbling Part 2´ by Baby Face Leroy
“‘Boogie with Canned Heat/On the Road Again.’ Al Wilson with Muddy and Walter. The one with moaning for a vocal. It
on harmonica, I was 14 when I heard it.” changed my life completely.”
Judith Coughlin (singer): “The Bessie Smith Story. Golden Derik Vanderford (pro wrestler,
Era series. Volumes 1 & 4 in 1963. I was 16 years old. I’ve musician): “Not the first, but the light
never been the same.” switch moment – Muddy Waters’ Fathers
Anne van Atta (musician): “I learned about 1920s Texas and Sons Live. ‘Long Distance Call’ had a
sacred performer Blind Willie Johnson via guitarist John long finish like an Eddie Graham finish.“
(Translation: Eddie Graham was a

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