|
In 1933, at the behest of the Library of Congress, Texas-raised folklorist John Lomax and his son Alan set out on a ten-year odyssey through America’s back roads. Armed with a bulky portable recording device, the father and son duo toured the country collecting what have now become legendary recordings by rural blues and folk artists, including the very first sessions ever waxed with legendary bluesman McKinley Morganfield, better known around the world as Muddy Waters.
Right here in Austin, Texas, Eddie Stout continues in the spirit of the Lomax’s by archiving the unsung blues heroes of the Lone Star State. An accomplished bassist and veteran of the record industry (Stout used to head up international distribution for Antone’s Records before Clifford passed), Stout started up the indie label Dialtone Records ten years ago, and has since dedicated himself to preserving the sounds of old-school Texas blues, gospel and jazz.
Run entirely out of his house in Austin, Stout has overseen the release of important comeback recordings by the Original Bells of Joy, a Texas gospel outfit who had a Top Ten hit with “Let’s Talk About Jesus” back in the 1950s, Lil’ Joe Washington, a legendary veteran blues and R&B guitarist/vocalist from Houston’s Third Ward, and more recently Joe Doucet, another guitarist and singer from the Third Ward of Houston who used to back Freddie King. Another popular series in his catalogue has toured the various geographical regions of the state. Releases by the Texas Eastside Kings, the West Side Horns, and the Texas Southside Kings all received excellent reviews in the national blues press and here in Austin. Now Stout has brought us full circle with the much-anticipated debut by the Texas Northside Kings (DT0017).
On this newest (and most ambitious) effort, Stout has gathered six of Austin’s most promising younger blues guitarists, including Johnny Moeller, Shawn Pittman, Mike Keller, Nick Curran, Eve Monsees, and Seth Walker. And in classic Dialtone fashion, he’s paired them with a backing band of veteran Texas blues artists, including the rhythm section of bassist Jeffery Jean and Willie Sampson, one of the country’s premier blues shuffle drummers, San Antonio sax legend Spot Barnett, and famed piano/organ player Earl Gilliam, who at one time was one of the most in-demand blues pianists in Texas. This all-star ensemble cast romps through fourteen tracks of honest, soulful, first-rate Texas B-L-U-E-S.
Eve Monsees, of Eve Monsees and the Exiles, opens the record with a fine cover of Magic Sam’s “You Belong to Me,” and also contributes one of the best cuts on the album with an original instrumental titled “Hawaiian Hound.” Mike Buck, current Exiles drummer and the original drummer for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, plays drums on that track. Johnny Moeller offers a pair of nice cuts, including his first-ever recorded vocal performance on “I’m a Samplin’ Man.” Moeller has recorded with Texas greats like Gary Primich and Darrell Nulisch, and can be seen regularly on the Antone’s and Continental Club stages here in town.
Mike Keller, currently touring with veteran pianist Marcia Ball, delivers some mighty fine Elmore James-style slide guitar on “Red Hot Mama,” further bolstered by his raw, scratchy vocals and impeccable sense of timing. This dude can play. Austin favorite Shawn Pittman surprises on two originals and the album’s closer, “Reap What You Sow.” A personal favorite is his performance on “I Call’em How I See Them,” a classic 12-bar blues shuffle where Pittman tells it like it is. Seth Walker, one of Austin’s best kept secrets (not for long, considering all the national touring he’s been doing recently), offers two stunning vocal performances on “I Hear You Knocking” and “Since I Fell For You.” On the latter track Walker’s vocals and guitar pair perfectly with Barnett’s reserved sax work, and the cuts offer a nice companion to Walker’s 2006 self-titled debut on the Pacific Blues label.
While it’s tough (nay, impossible) to pick favorites with performers of this caliber, W.C. Handy winner and current Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist Nick Curran deserves special mention. His three cuts on the album are among the most raw and gritty, driven by his inimitable vocals and guitar. “Slippin’ and Slidin’” is an old-school 1950s rocker (and evokes comparisons to Little Richard), while “I’ll Be Around” and “Oh Baby” are two classic electric Chicago blues numbers.
There is much to love on this new Dialtone release - six guitarists and fourteen tracks, to be exact - and the album has already created a buzz in Austin. It is available at Amazon.com and will soon be coming to the iTunes music store, or you can purchase it from Dialtone directly at www.dialtonerecords.com.
Roger Gatchet, aka DJ Smokehouse Brown, is a contributor to Austin Sound and Living Blues magazine. You can hear classic Dialtone Records releases on his radio program “Blues at Sunrise,” which airs on KVRX 91.7 FM and online at www.kvrx.org every Wednesday 7-9 AM.
