zzub | Blues music Spots (5): The Strolls

In this column: blues spots, the strolls, Maxwell Street (Market), Chicago, Indiana Avenue, Indianapolis, Avenue D, Forth Pierce, U Street Black Broadway, Washington, Beale Street, Memphis, Bourbon Street, New Orleans, French Quarter, Broadway Nashville, Honky Tonk Highway, Stacy Mitchhart Band, Blues Outlaws, Sixth Street (Dirty Sixth), Austin, Rainey Street, 18th and Vine, Kansas City, Muddy Waters.

Introduction

Many strolls that were important in the past have now disappeared; the population declined or municipalities had other plans for the city's development, buildings became empty and the street became impoverished.
In cities where organizations strive to preserve cultural heritage, streets have been renovated and are part of tourist attractions such as The Mississippi Blues Trail.

Maxwell Street
Maxwell Street in Chicago was a place where businesses grew selling anything from shoestrings to expensive clothes.
Its immigrants arrived from several continents and many countries shortly before the turn of the century. In the 1940s, Southern blacks worked in Maxwell Street's stores and entertained its crowds with Delta-style blues.
Goods on card tables and blankets competed with goods in sidewalk kiosks and stores.
The Maxwell Street Market is a Chicago tradition with an eclectic mix of handmade crafts, resale housewares and clothing, live music, family fun and some of the best street food in Chicago.
The Original Maxwell Street Market is centered at Maxwell and Halsted Streets and stretching from Roosevelt Road to 16th Street.

Blues musicians on Maxwell Street, 1950-51, Photo Jerome Joseph

Indiana Avenue
The story of Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis, the historic district that was once full of Black-owned entertainment businesses.

Honoring Black History in Indianapolis: What happened to Indiana Avenue?

Avenue D
During its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, Avenue D in Forth Pierce was the main corridor in the Village of Lincoln Park – it was St. Lucie County’s bustling center for African American-owned shops, restaurants, businesses and a theater.

New push to revitalize Lincoln Park neighborhood in Fort Pierce

U Street, Black Broadway
Washington D.C.’s historically black neighborhood of U Street is a treasure trove of African-American history hiding in plain sight. Once known as “Black Broadway,” U Street was a thriving center of African-American culture and social change, an oasis of innovation in a city scarred by Jim Crow laws throughout the late-19th and early-20th centuries. Iconic figures like Zora Neale Hurston and Mary McLeod Bethune found refuge in Black Broadway, and performers such as Louis Armstrong and Billie Holliday made regular appearances there.

But when the city became desegregated and black families began to patronize venues that had formerly been off-limits, U Street’s economy collapsed. White-owned businesses descended upon the neighborhood, and Black Broadway was slowly erased from history, preserved only by the stories and memories of its former residents. According to Deuces Live executive director, “It was once said that one could live their whole life on the Deuces."

The Story of D.C.’s Black Broadway on U before Harlem

Take a tour of DC’s Black Broadway

Beale Street, Memphis

Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately 1.8 miles (2.9 km). It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, the blues clubs and restaurants that line Beale Street are major tourist attractions in Memphis. Festivals and outdoor concerts frequently bring large crowds to the street and its surrounding areas.

In 2020, in Memphis, the Beale Street Historic District and the WDIA radio station were added to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.

Beale Street, Memphis Keeps Blues Music Alive

Memphis: The Sounds of Beale Street

Bourbon Street
Bourbon Street is a historic street in the heart of the French Quarter of New Orleans. Extending twelve blocks from Canal Street to Esplanade Avenue, Bourbon Street is famous for its many bars and strip clubs.
The streets were named after French royal houses and Catholic saints. Bourbon Street was named after the House of Bourbon.
By the 1940s and 1950s, nightclubs lined Bourbon Street; there were over 50 different burlesque and striptease shows and venues with exotic dancers. The French Quarter is also known for its numerous festivals, including the annual Mardi Gras.
The most-visited section of Bourbon Street is "upper Bourbon Street" toward Canal Street, an eight-block section of visitor attractions including bars, restaurants, souvenir shops and strip clubs.

History of New Orleans French Quarter | Almost Demolished

Cheap and Fun Things to do in New Orleans

Live Music in New Orleans French Quarter! | New Orleans, LA

Broadway Nashville (Honky Tonk Highway)
Starting in the 1930s, Jimmy Rodgers began singing in the honky tonks on Lower Broadway. As his fame grew, other aspiring singers and songwriters were drawn to the area. The heart of the country music scene, the four-block stretch of Broadway earned the nickname Honky Tonk Highway, a moniker akin to Bourbon Street in New Orleans and Beale Street in Memphis.
The bars and music venues launched the careers of many legendary performers. lining the street now house a variety of country western-themed shops and restaurants as well as honky tonks. These establishments have at least one stage where artists perform all day. The music starts in the early afternoon and carries on into the evening. Stroll down the road or sit at a street-side table and enjoy the music and the atmosphere.

Grown Ass Man – Stacy Mitchhart Band – LIVE!! in Nashville – Blues Outlaws

Sixth Street (Dirty Sixth)
Sixth Street is distinctly Austin. With its colorful and bustling array of bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. Sixth Street has a personality all its own. Closed to through traffic Thursday through Saturday nights, expect this area to become wall-to-wall people in search of great live music and cheap drinks.

A walking tour of Austin’s 6th Street (live music)

Rainey Street
Rainey is one of Austin's premier nightlife and live music destinations with its many unique bungalow bars and food trailers.

Austin, Texas Walking: Rainey Street

18th and Vine
Kansas City’s historic jazz district is home to legendary smoked meats, the stellar Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and celebrated live music clubs. It’s this combination of barbecue, baseball and bebop jam sessions that melds together for one sweet melody.
Beyond 18th and Vine, Kansas City has a diversity of musical venues.
Sample KC’s signature sound at the district’s acclaimed Jammin’ at The Gem series or inside the museum’s working jazz club, The Blue Room. Night owls are in for a real treat at the Mutual Musicians Foundation, where the late-night sounds bebop until 5 a.m. Have an instrument of your own? You’re welcome to join—this is where the jam session was invented after all.

Place To Place – 18th and Vine, Kansas City (A news item from the mid 1960s)

The Historic 18th and Vine District of Kansas City is a must visit!

Muddy Waters in 1976: Kansas City

zzuc | Blues music spots (4): the Chitlin Circuit (continuation of locations)

In this column: blues spots, chitlin circuit, Baker's Flamingo, Bradfordville Blues Club, Damon Fowler Group, Club Eaton, Deep Water City Lodge, The Elks, Evans Rendezvous, American Beach in Nassau County, Lyric Theatre, Manhattan Casino, The Blue Notes, Ritz Theatre, Jazz Discovery Series, Douglass Theatre, Macon Music, Minnehaha Nickelodeon Theatre, Ben's Chili Bowl, the Lincoln Theatre, Ballroom and Walker Theatre, Dreamland Ballroom, 100 Men Hall, John Corbett

Introduction

This column highlights and describes a number of locations

Baker’s Flamingo Bar & Grill
900 13th Street, Fort Pierce

Baker’s Flamingo Bar & Grill was the primary chitlin circuit venue (during the 1950s and 1960s, established by Levie Baker) in Lincoln Park. During its heyday, the property included a rooming house allowing bands not allowed in local white-owned hotels to stay overnight. Despite legalized segregation, performers such as James Brown and the Famous Flames and Billie Holiday still attracted integrated crowds.

Bradfordville Blues Club
7152 Moses Ln, Tallahassee

The Bradfordville Blues Club was located off a rural dirt road where occasionally after closing time, musicians playing in Tallahassee would then head to this one-room juke joint and keep the party going until sunrise.
A place where the likes of B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Son Seals, Little Milton, Jimmy Rogers, Bobby Rush, and Sandra Hall.

Damon Fowler Grp at Bradfordville Blues Club w/ Frank Jones & Clyde Ramsey

Club Eaton
426 E. Kennedy Blvd., Eatonville

Popular among Chitlin Circuit musicians for having rooms upstairs where they could stay overnight, national acts associated with the club include Sam Cooke, Chuck Willis, Tina Turner, Etta James, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, the Drifters and the Platters.
For several years, the club was owned by E.L. Bing, a family neighbor and principal of the all-black high school my parents attended in Plant City. Bing’s son Harry, eventually served as mayor of Eatonville. One of the nation’s first incorporated African-American towns, Eatonville is the newest Florida Main Street community. However, the historic venue closed its doors for good in 2008.

Deep Water City Lodge 751 (The Elks)
304 North Coyle Street, Pensacola

The Elks, a lounge in Belmont-DeVilliers, the historic center of Pensacola’s black community.
The Elks is a historic venue still in operation. Built in 1937, The Elks was one of the few places people of color could congregate in a social setting. Famed Chitlin Circuit musicians that have performed at The Elks include Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, and Roy Brown.

Evans Rendezvous
5512 Gregg Street, American Beach

In 1948 William Evans built an oceanfront club providing entertainment, food, and liquor called Evans Rendezvous. During its heyday, it hosted famed musicians such as Louis Armstrong and Ray Charles.
In operation until 1980, the property was acquired by the Trust for Public Land with the intention for restoration as a cultural and community center.

The history behind American Beach in Nassau County

Lyric Theatre
819 Northwest Second Avenue, Miami

The Lyric Theatre opened its doors in 1913. The 400-seat theater was once described as “possibly the most beautiful and costly playhouse owned by Colored people in all the Southland.”
Operating as a theater until 1959. Added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on January 4, 1989 and houses the Black Archives Historic Lyric Theater Cultural Arts Complex, and African-American research and welcome center.

1913 Historic Lyric Theatre Stage & Auditorium Restoration Walkthrough

Manhattan Casino
642 22nd St S, St. Petersburg

Nicknamed “The Home of Happy Feet,” the Manhattan Casino was the heart and soul of the Deuces (St. Petersburg historic 22nd Street Corridor). Developed by local black entrepreneur Elder Jordan, the Manhattan operated from 1925 until 1968. Both white and black music lovers went to the Manhattan to see the likes of Fats Waller, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughn, Fats Domino, and the Ink Spots.
Recently restored by the City of St. Petersburg, the venue lives on as a mixed-use facility anchored by a jazz restaurant and special event space.

Remembering the historic Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg

The Blue Notes at Manhattan Casino in St. Petersburg

Ritz Theatre
829 North Davis Street, Jacksonville

Jacksonville emerged as Florida’s premier Chitlin’ Circuit destination during the formative years of vaudeville, ragtime, jazz, and blues. In September of 1929, Neil Witschen opened the Ritz Theater. Designed in the Art Deco style the 970-seat theatre quickly became LaVilla’s primary Chitlin Circuit performance venue.
After the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, the Ritz declined along with the community around it and closed. In 1999 the theatre was partially razed and rebuilt into a new theatre and black history museum.

Tour the Ritz Theatre and Museum in Jacksonville

Ritz Theatre and Museum presents the Jazz Discovery Series

Douglass Theatre
355 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Macon, Georgia

Charles Douglass opened the Douglass Theatre in 1921. Douglass sat on the board of T.O.B.A., and through the circuit, he brought Black performers to his Macon theater. In 1958, the Douglass Theatre began having live talent shows that helped launch the career of singer-songwriter Otis Redding. It also hosted Georgia music icons James Brown and Little Richard in the early 1960s.
The theater still hosts musical performances today.

Macon Music at The Douglass Theatre

Minnehaha Nickelodeon Theater / Ben’s Chili Bowl
1213 U St NW, Washington DC

Minnehaha Nickelodeon Theater opened in 1910. Three years later Sherman Dudley, who created the Dudley circuit, bought and managed the theater. In 1958, the building was converted into the popular D.C. restaurant Ben’s Chili Bowl, and it is one of the oldest continuously open businesses on U Street’s old Black Broadway.

The Lincoln Theatre
1215 U St. NW, Washington DC

The Lincoln Theatre is located next to Minnehaha Nickelodon. The Theatre opened in 1922. Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne all performed at Lincoln Theatre, along with many other prominent African American musicians.
In 1983, the theatre closed, but it to reopened in 1994. Now the venue hosts contemporary artists and has taped specials with legendary artists such as Gladys Knight and Smokey Robinson.

Washington D.C.’s historic Lincoln Theatre marks 100 years

Ballroom and Walker Theatre
617 Indiana Ave, Indianapolis

Entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker originally built her Walker building in 1927 to be a manufacturing hub for her hair products. The building’s use expanded to much more: a beauty salon and school, a ballroom and a Walker theatre.
The entire building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Today, the building preserves the legacy of Walker and the story Indiana Avenue. Information inside the building also aims to tell the story of Indiana Avenue, the historic district that was once full of Black-owned entertainment businesses.

Photo Gabrielle Minion

Tour guide, 92, passes heritage of Madame Walker Theatre onto next generation

Dreamland Ballroom,
800 W. 9th St., Little Rock, Arkansas

The story of Dreamland Ballroom is a three-story, red brick building called Taborian Hall. It was the most expensive construction project in Little Rock at the time. An African American organization called the Knights and Daughters of Tabor finished constructing the building in 1918.
The building served as a service hub for African American soldiers during both world wars, but afterward it turned into a regular stop on the chitlin’ circuit.
Jazz greats including Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Count Basie all performed at Dreamland. Today, the theatre has been renovated into an event venue, but the owners offer tours of the theatre.

Photo Matthew McCoy

100 Men Hall
303 Union St., Bay St. Louis, Mississippi

The 100 Men Hall building was constructed in 1922 by a local African American civic group called the Hundred Members Debating Benevolent Association. The group originally organized to help community members, but their building quickly turned into a music venue for the chitlin’ circuit.
Blues legend BB King, rock ’n’ roll pioneer Fats Domino and singer Etta James all performed here. The small venue on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast was almost lost to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but a family bought and restored the building the following year.
100 Men Hall celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022 and still hosts musical acts to this day. The venue is listed on the Mississippi Blues Trail.

Photo Ellis Anderson

New owner of historic 100 Men Hall calls rebirth help ‘incredible’

John Corbett at 100 Men Hall 2014

zzud | Blues music spots (3): the Chitlin Circuit

In this column: Blues spots, chitlin circuit, victoria grill, chitlins, soul food, chitterlings, Bobby Rush, 100 Men D.B.A. Hall, Little Milton Campbell, Jim Crow Segregation, Sherman Dudley, Theater Owners’ Booking Association, Manhattan Casino, Denver and Sea Ferguson, Sunset Terrace, Walter Barnes, map Chitlin Circuit, Apollo, Royal Peacock, Royal Theatre, Regal Theater, Paradise and Fox Theater, Cotton Club, D.C.’s Howard, Lincoln Theaters, Ritz Theatre, Crystal Palace, Harlem Duke Social Club, Carver Theatre, Dew Drop Inn, Dreamland Ballroom, Hippodrome Theater, Ennis Davis, Ed ward, Sheeka Sanahori, Adrian Miller, Kim Sloan.

Introduction

The “Chitlin’ Circuit” was the collective name given to a series of black-owned nightclubs, dance halls, juke joints and theaters that were safe and acceptable for African American entertainers to perform in during segregation.
Typically found on the outskirts of towns, in houses or assumed abandoned buildings, jukes were known for their soul food, barbecue, fish fries, gambling, drinks, sexual liaisons, dancing, and live music.
Some say, that the juke was the most important place in America for its contributions to the birth of blues and jazz.

The Victoria Grill, Austin, Texas

Explanation of name 'Chitlin Circuit'

“Chitlins” are a dish made from pig intestines (for the dish, see the 'soul food' page) that date back to slavery, when the enslaved were forced to nurture themselves with the less desirable parts of animals provided by the planter class.
During antebellum hog killings were held when the weather cooled, hundreds of hogs could be killed, and that work was usually and forcibly tasked to enslaved African Americans.

Chitlins

After all that hard work, it was time to celebrate. The slaveholder marked the occasion with a feast, and everything that couldn’t be preserved was cooked and consumed.
What was provided in a demeaning manner was turned into soul food delicacy that remains popular in African American communities throughout the country today.
In the African American context, chitterlings now became chitlins, and like chitlins, the circuit was established to nurture African-American performers during a time when they were not allowed in most white-owned venues.

“Sometimes you play for the chitlins, that’s what you would get,” said Bobby Rush, a blues musician and self-proclaimed “King of the Chitlin Circuit.

Bobby Rush – Chicken Heads (Extended Version) – Live at Ground Zero

Another view and understanding of the meaning of the "Chitlin Circuit" is the comparison with the hard work that goes into the preparation of chitterlings and the efforts that musicians have to make to earn a living through music.

Photo: The art on the 100 Men D.B.A. Hall in in Bay St Louis, Mississippi, reflects its history on the circuit. BHammond

Little Milton: “Some of us are still grinding. I’ve been able to work whether I’ve had records, hot or not. To be truthful to you, I owe everything that I have, popularity and everything, to the chitlin circuit.”

Little Milton – My Dog and Me – (1995)

History

African American performers had to work in an industry controlled by white booking agents. Jim Crow  segregation limited their options for where they could perform and travel safely.

Note
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, "Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American.

In 1911, Sherman Dudley created his own theatrical touring company, purchased numerous entertainment venues. Dudley’s circuit thrived for several years until the white-owned-and-operated Theater Owners’ Booking Association (TOBA) was formed in 1921. TOBA dominated the southern states market and squeezed out competition from Dudley.
Dudley merged his circuit into TOBA and eventually managed the company’s Washington, D.C. office. TOBA dissolved in the 1930s, primarily because of the Great Depression and alleged mismanagement by the main principals.

Sherman Dudley, circa 1900, whose touring company and venues were a precursor to the circuit
Louis Armstrong at The Manhattan Casino St. Petersburg, Florida

After TOBA’s demise, Denver and Sea Ferguson, two African American siblings based in Indianapolis, Indiana, formed the Ferguson Brothers Agency, whose national network of venues directly booked performers. This was the origin of the Chitlin Circuit.
After the Fergusons’ agency shut down in the late 1940s, other circuits evolved, sometimes relying on the longstanding and personal relationships that Black entertainers had with Black-owned venues.

Denver Ferguson
Sea Ferguson (1954)
Ferguson Brothers Sunset Terrace

The “Chitlin Circuit” went mainstream in the late 1960s thanks to syndicated newspaper interviews with Black artists such as B.B. King, Lou Rawls, and Ike and Tina Turner.

Rawls: “I started talking, before singing a song, because it was the only way to get people’s attention. For years I played night clubs, working the chitlin circuit. These clubs were very small, very tight, very crowded, and very loud. The only way to establish communication was by telling a story to lead into a song.”

“Little” Milton Campbell, Jr. in 1974: “The kind of places that will keep you eating, will keep you making a decent buck, if you’ve got something on the ball, whether you’ve got hit records or not. If you’re hot—if you got hot records, you’re going to work. And if it gets big enough, you’re able to work anywhere. And in this business, if you know the right people, you can be promoted into the upper-class and the better joints.”

The Rhytmn Night Club, Natchez, Mississippi
The Lyric Theater, Lexington, Kentucky

 

Walter Barnes, a pre-war star on the circuit

Due to his short stature Barnes picked up the moniker the “Midget Maestro”. Barnes was a student of promotion and he used his position as a columnist on the “Chicago Defender” to not only promote his band, but to provide detailed information on the towns, venues and black-owned businesses throughout the South, enabling other black entertainers to learn where the safe opportunities were for performing.
Barnes was extremely popular and the black community wherever his band would appear, would flock in large numbers to enjoy the music and dancing. He insisted on affordable entry prices to his appearances (Kim Sloan).
He was also a demanding boss, who did not indulge with alcohol and who expected his band to dress immaculately and and adhere to his set of rules – with the penalty of fines for not doing so..

Walter Barnes & His Royal Creolians – It’s Tight Like That (1928)

Venues

The venues were located in the black part of town and had a Stroll; the street where the bars were, the chicken-and-waffles or barbecue restaurants, the barber shops.
Traveling musicians could come, play, make money and go to the next town, where they could make audiences happy.
Its geography is not limited to the American South and the Northeast, but now includes the entire country.

Entertainers felt they had “made it” if they performed at one of the highly coveted venues: Atlanta’s Royal Peacock, Baltimore’s Royal Theatre, Chicago’s Regal Theatre, Detroit’s Paradise Theatre and the Fox Theatre, Harlem’s Apollo Theatre and Cotton Club, and Washington, D.C.’s Howard and Lincoln Theaters.

Royal Peacock Club, Atlanta, Georgia
The Regal Theater, Chicago, Illinois
The Ritz Theatre, Jacksonville, Florida
Crystal Palace, Jackson, Mississippi
The Harlem Duke Social Club, Mobile, Alabama
The Carver Theatre, Birmingham, Alabama
The Dew Drop Inn, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Dreamland Ballroom, Little Rock, Arkansas
The Hippodrome Theater, Richmond, Virginia

Note
More venues on the Chitlin circuit in the next episode.

I gratefully made use of articles by Ennis Davis (Jackson Mag), Ed Ward (NPR), Sheeka Sanahori (AARP), Adrian Miller (AtlasObscura) and Kim Sloan (WordPress).

Venues use the spelling theatre and theater. When addressing American English-speaking people, theater is written unless theater is used explicitly in the name.

zzug | Blues music spots (2): juke joints and blues clubs

In this column: music blues spots, juke joints, Journey Proud , Alabama, Henry “Gip” Gipson, GIP Documentary, Patrick Sheehan, Melanie Jeffcoat, Mississippi Jukes, Robert Mugge, Chicago, Buddy Guy’s Legends, Buddy Guy, Bobby Rush, Kinston Mines, Rico McFarland, Toronzo Cannon, Rosa’s Lounge, Billy Branch, Sons of Blues, Antone’s Nightclub, Austin, Jimmie Vaughan, B.B. Kings Blues Club, Memphis, Alfred’s On Beale, Sean “Mack” McDonald, The Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club, Houston, Steve Gilbert, Bethesda Blues and Jazz club, Bethesda, Big Tony and Trouble Funk, Downtown Tavern, Jackson, Rye baby, Terra Blues, New York, David “Doc” French and T Blues Band, Biscuits and Blues, San Fransisco, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, BB’s Jazz, Blues and soups, St. Louis.

Introduction

The second episode continues the story of the juke joints and blues clubs with three documentaries and the description of a number of contemporary American blues clubs.

Journey Proud | Juke Joints in Alabama
The juke joint, its Blues music, culture, and history harken back to a by-gone era. Yet, the music of the Blues is still deeply rooted in tradition and is alive and well in Alabama today; especially in urban areas where it now attracts a broader audience.
Guests: SharBaby, Roger Stephenson, Henry “Gip” Gipson and others. Hosted by Joey Brackner.

Journey Proud is a proud partnership of Alabama Public Television and the Alabama State Council on the Arts.

Last Of The Mississippi Jukes
In Robert Mugge's 2003 music documentary, he delves into the vanishing heritage of juke joints, the birthplace of the blues a century ago. These venues remain vital for regional musicians to hone their craft and delight their audiences. The film spotlights iconic establishments like Jimmy King's Subway Lounge in Jackson, MS, and Morgan Freeman's and Bill Luckett's Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, MS.

Last Of The Mississippi Jukes | Blues Unearthed: Exploring Juke Joint Legends | Amplified

GIP's Place; documentary 
There are four juke joints left in the United States. On May 4, 2013, the last one in Alabama was raided and shut down. Too many people visited the juke joint and caused too much nuisance in the residential area. But Henry "Gip" Gipson, proprietor of Gip's Place, a gravedigger by day and hard drinking bluesman by night, had no intention of going down without a fight. The film also provides a glimpse into the everyday life of a juke joint owner.

Henry “Gip” Gipson passed away on October 8th, 2019 (99!!).

Henry “Gip” Gipson passed away on October 8th, 2019 (99!!), photo Len Garrison

GIP Documentary; directed by Patrick Sheehan and produced by Melanie Jeffcoat

Buddy Guy’s Legends
A leading name in the Chicago blues scene, Buddy Guy is one of the most celebrated guitarists of all time. Inside Buddy Guy’s Legends, great Cajun and Southern food and an amazing musical lineup. At Blue Chicago in the River North district, bands perform on a platform the size of an area rug. It’s a welcoming, down-home atmosphere with no extravagance, just great music – the late greats Koko Taylor and Magic Slim performed here – seven nights a week.
Buddy Guy’s Legends, 700 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, Illinois.

Kingston Mines
Kingston Mines is a blues nightclub in Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois. It is the oldest, continuously operating blues club in Chicago.
Kingston Mines showcases blues music ranging from delta blues to Chicago blues.
Blues legends such as Koko Taylor, Carl Weathersby, and Magic Slim have played there. The Kingston Mines has two alternating "headline" performances on its two stages into the early morning. Joanna Connor has played at the club regularly since 2005.
Kingston Mines, 2548 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL.

Rosa’s Lounge
This intimate bar features a few tables and a bar whose bartenders make some killer drinks. No food is served here but you have the option to bring food in, so have food delivered or bring in your own take-out to enjoy during the show. The Blues performers are loved here, and many of them bring high energy to every act.
Rosa’s Lounge, 3420 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, Illinois.

Buddy Guy Bobby Rush Jan 12 2024 Legends Chicago

Rico McFarland Band live at Kingston Mines, Chicago, Friday December 29 2023

Toronzo Cannon – Walk It Off – Kingston Mines, Chicago, Illinois (4/6/2024, second set)

Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues – Live at Rosa’s Lounge – Chicago live stream on 11/09/2024 (compl. show)

Antone’s Nightclub
Clifford Antone was credited with bringing worldwide recognition to Austin’s live music scene as well as helping launch the career of Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Although the nightclub moved from its original location and is now co-owned by rock and blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr., Antone’s is still an Austin institution.
Antone’s Nightclub, 305 E 5th St., Austin, Texas.

Jimmie Vaughan – Roll, Roll, Roll | Antone’s Nightclub (July 17, 2021)

B.B. King’s Blues Club
Home of the blues and world-famous Beale Street. In the B.B. King’s Blues Club you are treated to some of the greatest blues, rock and soul music around – the Southern food and Memphis barbecue is tasty, too.
B.B. King’s Blues Club, 143 Beale St, Memphis, Tennessee.

Alfred's On Beale
Memphis is the “Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock N Roll” and Alfred's keeps that tradition alive by featuring a variety of music including dance bands, acoustic bands, solo artists, and even karaoke. Alfred's is also the proud home of the Memphis Jazz Orchestra, a 17 piece big band which is featured every Sunday night.
Alfred's On Beale, 197 Beale St, Memphis, Tennessee

Live Music at BB Kings Blues Club in Memphis

After-hours Jam at Alfred’s on Beale during the IBCs in Memphis, featuring Sean “Mack” McDonald on guitar

The Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club
The Big Easy keeps Houston's blues and zydeco scene vibrant and fertile. The focus here is on local artists, living legends who routinely draw capacity crowds. The club's intimacy offer patrons the chance to get up close and personal with the artists.
The Big Easy Social and Pleasure Club, 5731 Kirby Dr, Houston, Texas.

Steve Gilbert – “Overnight Bag” – Big Easy Social & Pleasure Club – Houston TX – March 1, 2024

Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club
The Supper Club serves Creole and American dishes in the ambiance of a historic art deco theater and surprises you with top-class blues and jazz music.
Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club, 7719 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, Maryland.

Big Tony & Trouble Funk @ Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club

Downtown Tavern
In Jackson, home of the Shannon Street Blues & Heritage Festival, Sonny Boy Williamson, Carl Perkins and Big Maybell and other blues greats, check out grunge blues band Ruacamole and others at the Downtown Tavern. Then stop by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame for a lesson on music fusion.
Downtown Tavern, 208 N Liberty St.,  Jackson, Tennessee

Rye Baby at the Downtown Tavern (6/1/18)

Terra Blues
An authentic Blues club in New York. Terra Blues has a laid-back atmosphere that draws blues fans in nightly. The saloon has a second floor with view of Bleecker Street in the heart of Greenwich Village. For 30 years, the saloon has welcomed many performers from New York and abroad. Hubert Sumlin, Little Milton, Magic Slim, James Carr, the Holmes Brothers, Phillip Walker, and Johnny Clyde Copeland are among the many who have graced the stage at Terra Blues.
Terra Blues, 149 Bleecker St, New York, NY.

Terra Blues, New York City – Thursday Night Blues: David “Doc” French and T Blues Band (Oct. 21, 2022)

Biscuits and Blues
Biscuits and Blues has always committed to providing blues fans of all ages with a comfortable, intimate and exciting venue to enjoy fantastic live blues music in tandem with outstanding Southern Cuisine. They are one of the top blues clubs in the nation. We offer San Francisco’s best in national and regional blues acts while showcasing award winning Southern cuisine.
Biscuits and Blues, 401 Mason St, San Francisco, California.

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – ‘Catfish Blues” Jan 16th, 2016 at Biscuits and Blues

BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups (temporarily closed; 2024)
This venue is a popular hangout for musicians after their own gigs. So you never know who might show up for an informal jam session. You'll hear anything from a solo acoustic performance to a full-on electric band. The great in-house video system lets you see what's going on onstage, no matter where you're sitting.
BB's Jazz, Blues and Soups, 700 S Broadway, St. Louis, Missouri

Note

When checking the addresses, I was repeatedly confronted with the fact that the club in question was closed. I have left out those clubs, even though they are still mentioned on the internet.

zzuh | Blues music spots (1): Juke Joints

In this column: blues music spots, juke joints, barrelhouses, music blues spots, juke joints, barrelhouse, Marion Post Wolcott, Belle Glade, Crossroads Store, Blue Front Cafe, fam. Holmes, Bentonia, Junior Kimbrough`s juke joint, Chulahoma, Blind Willie’s, Atlanta, Atlanta Has Soul, Virginia Highlands, Red’s Lounge, Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale, Mississippi Blues Project, Po' Monkey's Lounge, the Slippery Noodle Inn, Indianapolis, Underground Railway, Teddy’s Juke Joint, Zachary, Bradfordville Blues Club (BBC at the Legion), Tallahassee, Mr. Handy's Blues Hall, Memphis

Introduction

In the next episodes I will take you to places where blues music was played. In the past up to the present.
The first episode will focus on the past of the Juke Joints.

Juke Joints

According to WikiPedia a Juke Joint (also jukejoint, jook house, jook, or juke) is an informal establishment featuring music, dancing, gambling, and drinking, primarily operated by African Americans in the southeastern United States. A juke joint may also be called a "barrelhouse". The Jook was the first secular cultural arena to emerge among African-American freedmen.
While local musicians played all types of music in juke joints the Blues was the stock-in-trade of many.

Juke Joint The Pines in Florida, 1941

Juke Joint is an African-American vernacular term.
The word juke comes from the Southern United States Creole known as Gullah — in which juke or joog means "wicked" or "disorderly." Others believe "juke" comes from juice, or to "dance or change directions demonstrating agility", and is also derived from the word "jukebox".

Juke Joint, Tennessee, Marion Post Wolcott (photo), The Jitterbug dance, 1939

History

The origins of juke joints were most likely the 'community rooms' set up on many Southern plantations as 'hangouts' for slaves who weren't able to leave the premises to socialize elsewhere.
Similar spaces were often provided at places like work camps including lumber, levee and turpentine camps. They were a way for the 'bosses' to keep an eye on workers and keep them pacified.

Crossroads store, bar, jook joint,  Louisiana, 1940, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

The stereotype juke joint would be a shack at a rural intersection with no electricity or running water. They became commonplace between the World Wars and, while few remain today, they do still exist.
These clubs were a necessity in less populated locations where they provided drinking, gambling and socializing for working class people.

Exterior of a juke joint in Belle Glade, Florida, photographed by Marion Post Wolcott in 1941

After emancipation, gathering places were still needed. As the plantation system broke down small time entrepreneurs stepped in and filled the need. In the span between the World Wars juke joints provided a place for people like Tommy Johnson, Son House, Robert Johnson and many others to sharpen the focus off Blues and grow it into a vibrant cultural icon.

Blue Front Cafe, Bentonia, Mississippi.
The Blue Front Café opened in 1948 under the ownership of Carey and Mary Holmes. In its heyday the Blue Front was famed for its buffalo fish, blues, and moonshine whiskey. One of the couple’s sons, Jimmy Holmes, took over the café in 1970 and continued to operate it as an informal, down-home blues venue.
Nehemiah “Skip” James was Bentonia’s most renowned blues singer. He played guitar and piano at the Blue Front during one of his periodic stays in Bentonia (1948-53). Bentonia guitarist Jack Owens was part of the filming of a 1995 commercial for Levi’s ‘501 Blues shot at the Blue Front.

R.L. Boyce – I DONT NEED A WOMAN – Bentonia Blues Festival at Blue Front Cafe

At Junior Kimbrough`s juke joint (1991), Holly Springs, Mississippi

Junior's Juke Joint, located in a cotton field outside Chulahoma Mississippi, became world-renowned thanks to visits from the likes of Iggy Pop and members of the Stones, U2, and others. Mr. Kimbrough passed on in 1998 and his juke joint burned to the ground in 2000.

Junior Kimbrough's Juke Joint, exterior
Junior's interior, photo Robert Kimbrough

 

Juke Joints and Blues-bars with blues music with roots in the past

Blind Willie’s
Blind Willie’s is named after Georgia-native Blind Willie McTell (there’s an annual blues festival in his honor in nearby Thomson, Georgia). It is located in the vibrant neighborhood Virginia-Highland, a few minutes outside of downtown Atlanta.
Live music seven nights a week with many local acts and the occasional touring band.
828 North Highland Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia.

Atlanta Has Soul – Blind Willie’s Blues Club in Virginia Highlands

Red's Lounge

Red’s Lounge and Ground Zero Blues Club
Experience at Red’s Lounge the closest thing you’ll find to an original juke joint.
Award-winning actor and part-time Mississippi resident Morgan Freeman co-owns the Ground Zero Blues Club, with great food, a full bar and nightly blues.
Red's Lounge (Mr. Red Paden passed away Dec 2023, but Red’s is still open), 398 Sunflower Avenue, Clarksdale.
Ground Zero Blues Club, 387 Delta Ave., Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Ground Zero
Red's Lounge inside
Ground Zero inside
Ground Zero stage

Mississippi Blues Project: A Visit to Red’s Lounge in Clarksdale, Mississippi (a performance from Robert “Bilbo” Walker)

Cedric Burnside “Mellow Peaches” Live from Ground Zero Blues Club, Clarksdale

Po' Monkey's Lounge
Located down a dirt road, just a few miles outside of Clarksdale, this place is a must-visit destination for blues fans. The place has a ton of character. It's only open on Thursday nights. Willie, the owner, welcomes you, and since it gets crowded and sweaty - fast - you're bound to make a few friends among fans of authentic blues, too.
Po's Monkey's, Merigold Ms.

Po Monkey’s Lounge circa 2010 (interview with owner Willie Sedberry)

Slippery Noodle Inn
The oldest pub in Indiana, the Slippery Noodle Inn in Indianapolis, was founded in 1850 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s housed a bordello, a stop on the Underground Railroad, a slaughterhouse, a brewery and distillery.
Now, the Slippery Noodle is a downtown Indianapolis hotspot to hear blues music. Enjoy live music nightly; it’s open microphone night on Wednesday.
Slippery Noodle Inn, 372 South Meridian Street, Indianapolis, Indiana.

Tour of Slippery Noodle Blues Bar; includes an interesting look into the two basements that were once part of the Underground Railroad.

Messin With The Kid”, Slippery Noodle Inn Blues Jam, August 15, 2012 (Blues jam featuring WT Feaster, Biscuit Miller, Gene Deer, Erik Johnson, and Harvey Cook)

Teddy’s Juke Joint
Most nights, the bar’s namesake, Lloyd “Teddy” Johnson, spins soul and blues tunes while his wife serves Southern food like giant turkey wings and red beans and rice. On nights with live music, listen to local artists or an occasional touring act.
Zachary, 16999 Old Scenic Highway, Zachary, Louisiana

Teddy’s Juke Joint; an interview with Teddy Johnson

Benny Turner and Larry Garner at Teddy’s Juke Joint

Bradfordville Blues Club
On Friday and Saturday nights lighted up with live music in an authentic juke-joint atmosphere – a concrete-block house off a dirt road, surrounded by live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. Each table was topped with an autographed painting of previous performers, including Bobby Rush, Percy Sledge, Big Jack Johnson and Eddie Kirkland. In the Florida Panhandle, the club was on the historic Chitlin’ Circuit, a collection of entertainment venues that catered exclusively to African-Americans during the first half of the 20th century.
Bradfordville Blues Club,7152 Moses Ln, Tallahassee, FL, United States, Florida (old address.

Bradfordville Blues Club; an interview with former owner Gary Anton who ran the club until 2023

JW Gilmore and the band at Bradford Blues Club

BBC (Bradville Blues Club) at the Legion
A group of about 10 people who call themselves Mac Daddy Blues Production are fighting to keep the iconic venue open by bringing its magic to a new location. The American Legion Sauls-Bridges Post 13 at 229 Lake Ella Drive now hosts the Bradfordville Blues Club performances.
BBC at the Legion (the temporary home of BBC), The American Legion Hall, Lake Ella Drive, Tallahassee, Florida.

Mr. Handy's Blues Hall
It's the excellent music that keeps people returning to this tiny, soulful club. There's live music seven nights a week. Seating is limited, but there's plenty of standing room. Locals consider this the last authentic "juke joint" on the overly commercialized Beale Street.
Mr. Handy's Blues Hall, Memphis, Tennessee.

Gary Clark Jr. joined Brandon Santini on stage at Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall on Beale Street in Memphis in June 2012 playing Brandon’s song “Late In The Evening.”

Recorded at Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall and Juke Joint in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 2013. The Best of Chicago style Blues was on display when The Nick Moss Band hit the stage.

zzui | W.C. Handy; Father of The Blues

In this column: William Christopher Handy, father of the blues, Memphis Blues, St. Louis Blues, Charles Barnard Handy, Elizabeth Handy - Price, Clarksdale, Make Me a Pallet on The Floor, Memphis, sheet musics, James Reese, The Fox Trot, Hellzapoppin', Harry Pace, Pace & Handy Music Compagny, A Good Man is Hard to Find, Yellow Dog Blues, Blues; An Anthology, Bessie Smith, Brenda Lee, New York, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, W.C. Handy Stamp, Velma Middleton, Mary Jane Hancock · Handy Church

Introduction

William Christopher Handy (1873-1958)
The Father of the Blues earned that title in 1912 by writing and publishing the first commercially successful blues song, “Memphis Blues.” In 1914, he made his fame — and fortune — writing and publishing “The St. Louis Blues”, which, in the days before hit records, became a million-selling sheet music phenomenon.

The young William

Born in Florence Alabama, Handy was the son of former slaves. His father Charles Barnard Handy was a preacher. He learned to play the organ at a young age so that he could accompany the choir during church services. By 19, William learned to play cornet, taught music, and leaded bands. He toured with Mahara’s Minstrels and performed at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, where the ragtime craze started, and toured all the way to Cuba, learning the Latin rhythms used in the tango section of “St. Louis Blues.”

19 years; AI Colorized by Bill Edwards

Towards a life with music

In 1896, while performing at a barbecue in Henderson, Kentucky, Handy met Elizabeth Price. They married on July 19, 1896. She gave birth to Lucille, the first of their six children.
By 1902, Handy settled in Clarksdale, Mississippi. It was simply a wealthy cotton town, Clarksdale society requiring orchestras for cotillions and other festivities.

In a railroad station in nearby Tutwiler he heard man playing a blues song; “a lean, loose-jointed negro... plunking a guitar beside me... As he played he pressed a knife on the strings of the guitar in the manner popularized by Hawaiian guitarists who used steel bars. The weirdest music I had ever heard. The tune did stay in my mind.”

Elizabeth Virginia Handy - Price, William's first wife untill her death in 1937 (61)

At a dance, during his orchestra’s break, Handy heard a Mississippi stringband play a mix of country, ragtime and blues, making more from the crowd’s tossed coins than Handy’s group’s contract. Handy was soon arranging these tunes for his group, including “Make Me a Pallet on the Floor,” known among modern country blues fans through Mississippi John Hurt's version.

Note; Sam Chatmon: Make Me A Pallet On the Floor (live recording by Alan Lomax in 1978). Scroll down on the page.

W.C. Handy and band in 1918 in Memphis; W. C. Handy fourth from left, with trumpet (University of Memphis Libraries, Special Collections Department, Robert R. Church Family Papers)

Sheet music

A few years later, Handy moved to Memphis’ Greasy Plank section, and started playing at Beale Street. In 1912, he published "Memphis Blues", and because no music publisher wanted to publish his sheet music, he took the initiative to do so (Memphis Blues was more ragtime than blues). Later the printer of the sheet music added lyrics, and the song became a huge hit.

W.C. Handy – Memphis Blues 1912 (instrumental)

Memphis Blues feat. Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald

The foxtrot

Bandleader James Reese Europe adopted "Memphis Blues" to accompany headlining dance team Vernon and Irene Castle, who were inspired to invent the Fox Trot. They credited Handy; “The Fox Trot was created by a young negro from Memphis, Tenn., Mr. W.C. Handy.”

The Fox Trot in the Jazz Age (An overview of the Foxtrot in the Jazz Age (1920s-1930s) showing its infinite adaptability)

Hellzapoppin’ in full color | Colorized with DeOldify (Black Pepper Swing); The Lindy Hop scene in Hellzapoppin’ (1941)

First big hit

In 1914, Handy with business partner Harry Pace published “The St. Louis Blues.” The song became an even bigger hit. A quarter century later, Handy said it was still bringing him $25,000 in annual royalties.
That began the Handy-Pace firm’s (Pace & Handy Music Company) string of hit blues, including “Hesitation Blues,” “Joe Turner’s Blues,” “Yellow Dog Blues,” “Careless Love” and more.

Sheet music Saint Louis Blues (1914, photo; New York, Public Library Digital Collections Music Division)

Louis Armstrong with Velma Middleton & His All Stars – Saint Louis Blues (1954)

The Yellow Dog Blues feat. Bessie Smith (1925)

Handy Music Compagny

Handy had learned how profitable buying songs could be and purchased material from other writers, like “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Eddie Green. By that time he was living in New York. Handy and Pace split up the partnership in 1921; Pace forming Black Swan record company.
In 1926, Handy published his classic songbook, Blues; An Anthology.
By then, Handy’s songs had helped create an entire blues industry. Every label was recording blues songs, not just by white vaudevillians like Al Jolson, Emmet Miller and Sophie Tucker, but by such African-American icons as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Papa Charlie Jackson, Blind Blake and more.

Bessie Smith – A Good Man is Hard to Find (1927)

Brenda Lee – A Good Man Is Hard To Find (1959)

The Father of the Blues

He died on March 28, 1958, and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, not far from his home (Duke Ellington is also buried there). That same year saw the release of St. Louis Blues, a highly fictionalized Handy film biography starring Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and other greats.

In his publishing office in New York in 1949

St Louis Blues 1958 (Full Movie) Nat King Cole – Eartha Kitt

Description of the film
Will Handy grows up in Memphis with his preacher father and his Aunt Hagar. His father intends for him to use his musical gifts only in church, but he can't stay away from the music of the streets and workers. After he writes a theme song for a local politician, Gogo, a speakeasy singer, convinces Will to be her accompanist. Will is estranged from his father for many years while he writes and publishes many blues songs. At last the family is reunited when Gogo brings them to New York to see Will's music played by a symphony orchestra.

A quote

“If anyone owned a dozen cans and piled them on a couple of shelves behind a printed sign, he was a grocer and a businessman,” Handy wrote in Father of the Blues. “But anyone who contracted for musicians and played for parties over a dozen states was a good-timer and a rounder, if not worse.”

76 year old W.C. Handy plays “St. Louis Blues” on The Ed Sullivan Show, December 18, 1949.

Note on the above video
He lost the sight in his eyes at the age of 30, after which his vision partially returned. In 1943 he lost his balance on the New York subway and fell from the platform. The concussion he suffered caused total blindness.

Action New, 5 star Story; The legacy of W.C. Handy

W.C. Handy - Blues: an anthology (1926, 1949)

W.C. Handy collection - 1942 - 1957 (The New York Public Library; Archives and Manuscripts)
Extensive catalog includes "St. Louis Blues," "Yellow Dog Blues," "Beale Street Blues," "Muscle Shoals Blues," "Livery Stable Blues," "Harlem Blues." Copyright on more than 150 pieces of music, both secular and religious.

We’ll Go on and Serve the Lord · W.C. Handy · Mary Jane Hancock · Handy Church -Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church

W.C. Handy Stamp
In 1960, Memphis, still a segregated city, erected a statue in Handy Park in honor of its favorite African-American son. The Handy statue became the template for the Blues Foundation’s early W.C. Handy Blues Awards. In 1969, the US Post Office issued a W.C. Handy stamp.

zzue | Mail JAN / FEB 2025

A-Z PressCom | Euro Blues Challenge

The European Blues Union organize every year a Blues Challenge. Reflecting the requests from several countries for the rotation of these important events and to discover other environments and new opportunities, each year we visit a different place, and in 2025 we will be in Split, Croatia!

The Zac Schulze Gang – I Won’t Do This Anymore | NoblePR CO UK > June 9 on Delta Stage Ribs and Blues Festival Raalte

Noble PR

Joe Bonamassa and Sammy Hagar Unleash A Fiery New Collaboration "Fortune Teller Blues"

JOE SATRIANI, ERIC JOHNSON AND STEVE VAI
“G3 Reunion Live”
OUT NOW on earMUSIC

ALLY VENABLE
NEW ALBUM – “MONEY & POWER”
RELEASED FRIDAY 18 APRIL 2025

THE DAMN TRUTH
SELF-TITLED ALBUM "THE DAMN TRUTH"
RELEASED FRIDAY 14 MARCH 2025

ERJA LYYTINEN SPRINGS INTO ACTION WITH
NEW STUDIO ALBUM AND TITLE TRACK SINGLE
"SMELL THE ROSES" (+video)

ERJA LYYTINEN – “SMELL THE ROSES”

JohTheMa PROMOTIONS

LIVE at DJINGEL DJANGEL Antwerp
Op 9 februari aanstaande presenteert de Belgische singer-songwriter DRIES BONGAERTS de LP “LIVE at DJINGEL DJANGEL Antwerp” in Djingel Djangel in Antwerpen.
JohTheMa PROMOTIONS voor boekings

Gitarist Feb 2025

H.E.A.T new album

H.E.A.T ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
‘WELCOME TO THE FUTURE’

NEW TRACK & VIDEO ‘DISASTER’ OUT NOW

Joanne Shaw Taylor New Album

Joanne Shaw Taylor Announces New Album "Black & Gold

" Featuring a Poignant New Single "Grayer Shade Of Blue"

Dion - "New York Minute" Video

Dion - "New York Minute" - Official Music Video

Dion – “New York Minute” – Official Music Video

Gitarist (NL) Jan 2025

Erja Lyytinen 2025 UK Spring Tour

25 jaar Podium Café 't Keerpunt - Nu te bestellen rijk geïllustreerd boek "Ik von't niks" op stichtingmoor.nl

Robert Jon and The Wreck UK Spring Tour 2025

zzuj | MAIL NOV / DEC 2024

Joanne Shaw Taylor new single I gotta stop letting you let me down * Joe Satriani and Steve Vai UK Tour July 2025

Eric Johnson new single Desert Rose + video audio * HEAT UK Tour Jan 2025 * Erja Lyytinen new single Hallelujah + video audio * Blues Challenge Split Croatia 3-5 april 2025

 

Robert Jon and The Wreck new single "Point of view" + video * The Zac Schulze Gang UK Tour 2025 + video

Bonamassa Xmas song * Beth Hart UK Tour with Wille and the Bandits * Orianthi new single Some kind of feeling

a

Highlights Gitarist (NL) November 2024

New single Joanne Shaw Taylor 'Who's gonna love me now'

Erja Lyytinen 2025 UK Spring Tour

25 jaar Podium Café 't Keerpunt - Nu te bestellen rijk geïllustreerd boek "Ik von't niks" op stichtingmoor.nl

Zwolle Blues Festival 1st Edition at HEDON on sunday 3 November

Robert Jon and The Wreck UK Spring Tour 2025

Robert Jon and The Wreck new single Boss man and a Deluxe Edition

Philip Sayce new single Hole in your soul

The Chris Zek Band new album Agathi

Joe Satrinani, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai Live Album

Iadora's Journey new album Journey 1

Eddie 9V new single Halo

Marcus Trummer new single Holding out for you

zvuj | New Blues Festival Assen 2024

As zaterdag is het New Blues Festival Assen.

Het festival waar wij ongelooflijk trots op zijn en al 8 jaar samen met De Bonte Wever Assen organiseren. Het kost veel bloed. zweet en tranen maar ook dit jaar is het ons weer gelukt.

We proberen een zo goed en mooi mogelijke mix van artiesten op het festival te laten optreden.

Dit jaar met King of the World, Marlon Pichel, Bywater Call en Albert Cummings.

Een te gekke line up volgens ons. Dus wees erbij en geniet ervan net zoals wij dat gaan doen.

Als je nog geen kaart hebt bestel deze dan online (  https://www.debontewever.nl/evenementen/new-blues-festival-assen/ )  of koop het zaterdag aan de deur.

ZATERDAG 12 OKTOBER 2024 NEW BLUES FESTIVAL ASSEN

- Deuren open: Onze Plaza De Bonte Wever Stadsbroek 17 Assen opent zaterdag om 18:30 uur en om 19.00 uur trapt King of the World ons festival af!🎉

- Tickets: Zorg ervoor dat je je ticket (geprint of op je telefoon) klaar hebt bij aankomst. Dit zorgt voor een snelle doorstroom bij de ingang.🎟️

- Garderobe: Er is een (betaalde) garderobe beschikbaar.🧥

- Consumptiemunten: Tijdens het evenement werken we met consumptiemunten. Deze kun je kopen bij de automaten in de Bonte Brink (centrale hal) of bij het verkooppunt in de zaal.🍹

- Recycle je beker: Help ons om het evenement duurzaam te houden door gebruik te maken van ons recyclesysteem. Zie de website voor meer info. ♻️

- Parkeren: Parkeren bij De Bonte Wever is gratis! Als de parkeerplaats bij Stadsbroek vol is, kun je gebruikmaken van onze extra parkeerplaats bij de Kortbossen. Volg hiervoor de borden 'P-Kortbossen'.🅿️

- Eten en drinken: Geniet van een maaltijd à la carte bij Bistro Dapper of van een buffet bij restaurant Flinck. Tijdens het concert zijn er ook heerlijke snacks en drankjes beschikbaar bij verschillende bars.🍽️

- Extra tickets: Er zijn nog een paar tickets beschikbaar. Neem dus gerust je vrienden, familie of collega's mee voor een fantastische avond!🎫

zzuk | Attachment Blues Enthusiasts: American artists performing in the Northern Netherlands

In this column: blues enthusiasts, American guests, Northern Netherlands, Eb Davis, Spoulgroovers, Superband, Midzomer BluesFestival Wijchen, Henry Gray, Martin van der Velde, Juke Joint Blues band, Greyhound Blues Band, Leo Bruin, Helma Vogels, Rolf Schubert, Chicago Bob Nelson, Gary Erwin, Walter Rhodes, Louisiana Red, Aron Burton, Café De Amer, Jake Dawson, Michael Dotson, James Harman, Tineke Wiggers, Gene Taylor, Crossroads Sessions, Café 't Keerpunt, Willem Dijkema, BLues Festival Hoogeveen De tamboer, 't Swolsch Café, Café De Waagschaal, Café Carambole, Café Jaap Geerts/Ongeregeld, Café De Dependance, Café Vancouver, Curtis Knight, Ron Nagtzaam, Ben Sims, Ric Stokes, Steve Wilkinson, Wilson Blount, Lewis Glover, Tino Gonzales, Willie Pollock, Doug Jay, Jim Kahr, Guitar Crusher Selby, Adrian Burns, Boney Fields, Tony Bullock, Phil Speat, Juwana Jenkins, Khalif Wailin' Walter, Alex Rossi, Jetse Driesten, Richard Koster, Roelof Meijeringh, Artur Ebeling, Dale King, Larry watkins, Tommie Harris, Piano Pete Budden, Michiel Mens, Archie Lee Hooker, Peter Stuijk, Martin Hartsteen, Jon Meyerjon, George Snijder

Introduction

The attachment gives an insight into how American artists came to the Netherlands to perform, supplemented with my own experiences.

In the late 60's/early 70's, American blues musicians came to Europe for concerts. Some lived for shorter or longer periods of time in cities such as Amsterdam, London, Copenhagen and Paris. Others permanently settled in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and England.

Eb Davis (2008, Blues festival Hoogeveen NL); The young Eb Davis left the countryside behind and settled in Memphis, where he saw the big blues stars perform on weekends and learned from them. Eugene Goldston of the 512 Club in Brooklyn, New York, offered him the opportunity to perform with a band (The Soulgroovers) in the 1960s. After the band broke up, he was part of The Drifters. During a European trip he was asked to join The Bayou Blues Band in Germany, after which he founded his own Superband in 1984. This band is still active and based in Berlin.
In 2008, Eb was inducted into The Blues Hall of Fame as an official blues ambassador for the state of Arkansas (his native state).

Some boards of blues foundations even made trips to the United States to track down musicians who could be invited to their annual event. In this way, our band had the opportunity to meet and accompany the legendary barrelhouse pianist Henry Gray through the "Midzomer Bluesfestival Wijchen (Arnhem, NL).

Henry Grey (1993, Blues Night Garmerwolde, Groningen NL)

Martin van der Velde

The band Greyhound Blues Band, of which I was the singer/guitarist from 1990 to 2019, had as an important side activity the task of performing as a backing band for numerous blues musicians. Over time, this number increased to 122, including 72 from the United States.
In a previous band (Juke Joint Blues Band), bassist Martin van der Velde had already made contact with people who were looking for employment for the musicians they had hired.
Via Leo Bruin (Swingmaster), R.L. Burnside, Richard 'Big Boy' Henry, Robert T. 'Piano Slim' Smith and Walter 'Lightnin Bug' Rhodes. Through booking agency Helma Vogels (NL) Benjamin Harrison 'Uncle Ben' Perry, through Rolf Schubert (DE) Louisiana Red. Through Gary Erwin (Erwin Music, USA), Gary himself and Chicago Bob Nelson came to Europe in 1992, in 1994 Chicago Bob came for a six-week tour, booking agency Jan Mittendorp arranged this tour for us.

Walter "Lightnin' Bug" Rhodes
Iverson "Lousiana Red" Minter and Martin van der Velde (1996, Blues Night Assen NL)
Robert Lee "chicago Bob" Nelson (1996, Blues Café Wilhelmina, Eindhoven NL; still from a VHS tape)

In 1989, Martin had formed the new band Greyhound Blues Band and continued this activity. Blues festivals and blues nights wanted an American blues musician on the bill and in this way 72 American musicians were accompanied in almost 30 years.
Most lived in Europe and their travel to the locations was less expensive, others were specially flown in.

Aron Burton (2002, on the bill)
2007, Greyhound Blues Band (l>r Martin Hartsteen, George Snijder, Martin van der Veld, Jon Meyerjon); Café De Amer, a small cultural theater in an old farmhouse, in the living area there is a taproom where performances have been held since the 1990s, also one of the locations that provided a stage for American blues musicians, the barn was later converted into a theater.

Below some musicians of American origin and the country they live in, with extra info

United States

Aron Burton (former bassist of Albert Collin's Icebreakers), during the blues night in Deventer, Aron stayed nearby for a few months so that we could arrange several stages for him
Jake Dawson during a Crossroads Session at Café 't Keerpunt in Spijkerboor
Jake Dawson, Willem Dijkema, B.J. Hegen
Michael Dotson during a performance in the Esserheem Veenhuizen penitentiary
James Harmon during IJsseljazz festival in Gorssel (it was organized in such a way that James was picked up from Schiphol Amsterdam airport, he was on time for a performance with us, Marble Amps had brought him two amplifiers from which he could choose)
Chicago Bob Nelson during the European tour, after a performance and overnight stay in Germany, we traveled modestly, staying overnight in bed and breakfests, motels and hotels (when the festival organization had arranged the rooms), a van belonging to a friend who thought it was an adventure to come along
The artists often came over for a weekend and accommodation was sought for them. Fortunately, we knew Tineke Wiggers, a woman who, with her "House of Blues", provided a place to stay for them. This was an important part for us because it significantly reduced the budget we had available, making it possible to hire the artists anyway (photo Chicago Bob)
Bob with Guitar Shorty during Nuit du Blues, Sarreguemines, France
Gene Taylor during a Crossroads Session Café 't Keerpunt (Gene was booked through his Belgian booking agent)
Gene with Greyhound Blues Band and the cafe owner Willem Dijkema (in the center)
That same weekend, Gene recorded 5 songs on my album Blues, Rhythm 'n Love

Netherlands

Curtis Knight during Muziek Totaal Deventer at Café De Waagschaal (with Ron Nagtzaam who played some songs on harmonica)
Ben Sims during Oldambt Blues Festival at Café Carambole in Winschoten (photo Herman Buisman)
Ric Stokes during Blues Night Zwolle at 't Swolsch Café
Steve Wilkinson during Blues Festival Hoogeveen

Germany

Wilson Blount during a Crossroads Session Café 't Keerpunt
Lewis Glover during Blues Night Assen at Café De Dependance
Tino Gonzales during Bluesfestival Hoogeveen at Theater De Tamboer
Eb Davis during Music Totaal Deventer with saxophonist Willie Pollock at Café Persee
Doug Jay during Blues Night Assen at Café Jaap Geerts
Jim Kahr during Blues Night Assen at Café De Dependance (photo Lammert Aling)
Guitar Crusher Selby with GBB: George Snijder (left), Martin van der Velde, Jon Meyerjon, Martin Hartsteen
Guitar Crusher during a Crossroads Session at Café 't Keerpunt

France

Adrian Burns during a Crossroads Session at Café 't Keerpunt (to the left Cafe owner Willem Dijkema)
Boney Fields during Blues Night Assen (and Tineke Wiggers, who is mentioned below the photo of Chicago Bob above, photo Lammert Aling)

England:

Tony Bullock during Bluesfestival Hoogeveen, Theater De Tamboer

Czech Republic

Phil "Big Daddy" Speat during Bluesfestiva Hoogeveen (with Richard Koster harmonica)
Phil Speat and Juwana Jenkins during Bluesfestival Hoogeveen

 

The grand finale at the Blues Festival Hoogeveen; Khalif "Wailin' Walter", Ric Stokes, Martin van de Velde, Alex Rossi (Brasil) and Roelof Meijeringh (in the backgound Jon and George)

Locations

We had several locations where the artists could perform: the annual blues night in Assen (more than 30 years), in connection with Assen on Sunday a performance in the Crossroads Sessions at Café 't Keerpunt in Spijkerboor (2000 - ...), occasionally on Fridays at Café Vancouver in Coevorden and the Blues Festival at Theater De Tamboer in Hoogeveen (three sets with three guests in the foyer, 2005 - 2016).

Café 't Keerpunt in Spijkerboor, with a beating heart for blues, Americana, literature and theater
In the center Jan Postma, chairman of the Asser Blues Foundation, on the right Jaap Geerts, nestor of the blues in Assen
Jaap Geerts regularly offered blues music a stage in his café in the 1980s, the photo from 2016 was taken in Café De Dependance where monthly blues jams took place and which participated in the Asser Blues Night after 2012.
B.J. Hegen in the background, bluesman from the very beginning, who continues to deliver traditional blues to this day.
Programmer of Theater De Tamboer Rudie Reinders, responsible for the Blues Festival Hoogeveen from 2005 - 2016 (photo 2024)

Course of events

Most came by train and were picked up either by one of us or by the organizing festival. We met the artist on location and after getting acquainted we drew up two set lists together. The songs were known or we could refer to songs that were similar. If an artist had special wishes, we would have received a CD in advance, which everyone would listen to. During the performance we communicated with signals to indicate tempos, keys, breaks, chord progressions, intros and outros. The performer assigned a soloist for 24 bars of solo.

A set penned by Curtis Knight

After the performance, the artist was taken to his accommodation and picked up by one of us the next day. In a larger city with a larger festival, the artists were accommodated in a hotel.
As a small band, everyone provided their own equipment and transportation; no roadies, no PA system (unless provided by the organization). It was tough, long hours, for little money. But a fantastic musical adventure.

And now looking back, it was quite normal at the time, but in retrospect it is quite special.

Dale King & The Greyhound Blues Band- full concert Larwin Music Video

Larry “Doc” Watkins and Greyhound Blues Band feat. Jetse Driesten (phone edition)

Tommie Harris & Greyhound Blues Band feat. Peter “Piano Peter” Budden – Blues Festival Hoogeveen 2013

Boney Fields with Arthur Ebeling and Greyhound Blues Band 27-0-2013 recorded by Larwin Music Video at cafe ’t Keerpunt Spijkerboor (NL)

Archie Lee Hooker – feat. The Greyhound Bluesband feat. Peter Struijk – Welcome to the Church

zvui | 25 Jaar Podium t Keerpunt 1999 – 2024; Jubileumfestival 4-5-6 oktober

25 jaar Podium Keerpunt 

Op 7 maart 1999 vond in café ’t Keerpunt in Spijkerboor het eerste concert plaats. De Fiebeldekwinten hadden die eer. Nu, 25 jaar later, is ’t Keerpunt nog steeds een levendig cultureel podium en dat wordt gevierd met een driedaags festival vol kleinkunst, klassieke muziek, streektaal, Americana en natuurlijk een stevige portie Blues.

’t Keerpunt en Stichting Moor organiseren op 4, 5 en 6 oktober een driedaags festival.
Entree €10 (voor 1 - 3 dagen), voor Vrienden van Moor die voor 4 oktober hun bijdrage overmaken is het gratis.

Hieronder het jubileumprogramma (klik voor PDF).

zzuj | Mail SEP/OCT 24

Troy Redfern UK Tour 2025 + guest Red Giant

Steve Vai new single Zeus in Chains from upcoming G3Reunion Live (+video)

Gitarist (NL) december en november 2024

Zwolle Blues Festival 1st Edition at HEDON on sunday 3 November

Robert Jon and The Wreck UK Spring Tour 2025

Robert Jon and The Wreck new single Boss man and a Deluxe Edition

Philip Sayce new single Hole in your soul

The Chris Zek Band new album Agathi

Joe Satrinani, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai Live Album

Iadora's Journey new album Journey 1

Eddie 9V new single Halo

Marcus Trummer new single Holding out for you

Joe Bonomassa RORY GALLAGHER CELEBRATION STARRING JOE BONAMASSA

RED GIANT NEW SINGLE - "FRIENDS" RELEASED Fri 18 OCTOBER FROM THE EPONYMOUS DEBUT ALBUM RELEASED Fri 18 OCTOBER

RED GIANT

NEW SINGLE - "FRIENDS"
RELEASED Fri 18 OCTOBER
FROM THE EPONYMOUS DEBUT ALBUM
RELEASED Fri 18 OCTOBER

Ted Russell Kamp Second 2024 European Band Tour

Tour dates
Fri, Nov 01, Stockholm | Gamla Enskede Bryggeri | SE
Sat, Nov 02, Uddevalla | Folkets Huus | SE
Tue, Nov 05, Malmö | Medley | SE
Wed, Nov 06, Sandvik | Samlingslokalen| SE
Thu, Nov 07, Albertslund | Garage Rock’n’Roots | DE
Fri, Nov 08, Hamburg | Soundyard | DE
Sat, Nov 09, Lauchhammer | Real Music Club | DE
Sun, Nov 10, Altlandsberg | Buchholz Saloon | DE
Tue, Nov 12, Krefeld | Kulturrampe | DE
Wed, Nov 13, Bennekom | Live Stage Marnix | NL
Thu, Nov 14, Aarschot | CC Het Gasthuis | BE
Fri, Nov 15, Amsterdam | Private Show | NL
Sat, Nov 16, Meppel | Clouso | NL
Mon, Nov 18, Helsinki | Juttutupa | FIN
Wed, Nov 20, Tampere | Bistro Vilja | FIN
Thu, Nov 21, Helsinki | Kauppahalli Itis | FIN
Fri, Nov 22, Helsinki | Storyville | FIN

25 jaar Podium Café 't Keerpunt - Nu te bestellen rijk geïllustreerd boek "Ik von't niks" op stichtingmoor.nl

25 JAAR PODIUM CAFE t KEERPUNT in SPIJKERBOOR FESTIVAL 4-5-6 OKT 2024

Jeffrey Halford and The Healers TOUR DATES (+video)

KIKO & THE BLUES REFUGEES THE NEW ALBUM ‘GHOSTS’ (+video)

Highlights Gitarist (NL) Oktober 2024

The Commoners Tour Dates Nov/Dec

Lions In The Street - new single Shangri-La

THE DAMN TRUTH NEW SINGLE – “LOVE OUTTA LUCK”

STEVE LOUW new single - "CRUEL HAND OF FATE" feat. JOE BONAMASSA

STEVE HILL- new single "WORLD GONE INSANE" from new album "HANGING ON A STRING"

Gitarist (NL) - highlights September

Tas Cru Band new album LIVE to be released on 2024 Sep 27 + tour dates + video

New album Robbert Cotton The Blue Room Sessions released July 2024

In 2023, Greyhound Blues Band accompanied Robert Cotton on his album “The Blue Room Sessions”.
Released on V-Tone Records.
Other contributors to the album are: Liesbeth Hofste (vocals), Albert Koch and Sebastian Schneider (harmonica) and Jeffrey Revet (keyboards).

zzul | Dutch blues enthusiasts (8)

In this column: dutch blues enthusiasts, musicologists, Dutch blues bands, Cuby and The Blizzards, Dutch records labels, Oldie Blues, Agram, Sundown, Black Cat, Swingmaster, Black Magic, Double Trouble, magazines, Mr. Blues, Wim Verbei, Max Vreede, Block Magazine, Rien and Marion Wisse, Back to the Roots, Franky Bruneel, North Sea Jazz Festival, NBBO, Blues Estafette Vredenburg Utrecht, Jaap Hindriks, Martin van Olderen, Rolf Schubert, Martin van der Velde, Blues Magazine, Marco van Rooijen, Doggone Blues, Blues Town Music, Harry Radstake, Bert Reinders, Wil Wijnhoven, Oldie Blues Discography, Thomas Shaw, Guido van Rijn, Alex van der Tuuk, Sem van Gelder, Swingmaster record store, Swingmaster records/LP's, Maarten de Boer, Holland Cut, The Foddrell Brothers, Max Bolleman, Johnny Woods, R.L. Burnside, Fred "Lefthand Freddy" Reining, Joe Guitar Hughes

Introduction

The latest episode tells the story of Dutch enthusiasts, who were very interested in blues music, which was performed in a traditional manner. It was a small group of people who, following the example of American musicologists and English and German TV programs and music magazines, contributed to making this music and their performers known to the public.

This "movement" was also the basis for the experience that I gained in accompanying many blues musicians.

The Dutch blues scene in the 60s, 70s and 80s

In the sixties, blues bands emerged in the Netherlands, which were mainly inspired by the British blues bands. These bands were successful too. To mention a few: Cuby and The Blizzards, Living Blues, Flavium, Bintangs, The Rob Hoeke Boogie Woogie Quartet and Barrelhouse. Bands that focused on Chicago Blues included: B.J. Hegen Blues Band, Shakey Jake, Juke Joints and The Juke Joint Blues Band.

Cuby (left) and The Blizzards

The Dutch Record Labels, which produced and re-produced blues albums were:

1974, Oldie Blues (piano-blues, boogiewoogie, Delta Blues, Martin van Olderen)

1979, Agram (pre-1943 blues, Guido van Rijn)

1979, Sundown (postwar blues, Gerard Robs, Kees van Wijngaarden, and Marcel Vos)

1981, Black Cat (new name for Sundown)

1980, Swingmaster (Leo Bruin and Sem van Gelder)

1982, Black Magic (new name for Black Cat)

1985, Double Trouble (Marcel Vos)

Blues Record Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in the early 1980’s, owner Paul Duvivié (L) and Martin A. van Olderen (Blues Promoter)

Dutch magazines that focused on blues:
1970, Mr. Blues (Leo Bruin and Wim Verbei, merged into music magazine Oor, they also wrote extensive liner notes for LP sleeves for Dutch independent record publishers)

1971, Discography of Paramount Records 12000 to 13000 series (Max Vreede)

1975-2013, Block Magazine (founded by Rien en Marion Wisse); with Wim Verbei's columns "De Blues Bibliotheek (The Blues Library)"

1995, Back To The Roots (Dutch-language Belgian magazine, has become an online platform since 2009, Editor in Chief Franky Bruneel)

Rien and Marion Wisse, 1968

Black performers continued to come to Dutch festivals and concerts in the 1970s.
1971 (November), Freddie King (as a supporting act of Leon Russell’s “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”)
Note
"This concert was also shown in my hometown, so that I could be present. I saw Freddie King, unknown to me at the time, in a denim suit with his name in tacks on the back, shining in an energetic performance."

1971 (December), B.B. King (Concertgebouw)

1976, Paul Acket started North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, in 2006 the festival moved to Rotterdam

1979, the NBBO (Nederlandse Blues en Boogie Woogie Organisatie, founded in 1969 together with Guido van Rijn) organizes “Blues Estafette” in Vredenburg Utrecht, each year dozens of American blues artists were flown to Holland for the occasion. It evolved into one of the most important blues festivals in the world. The festival ceased to exist in 2006 due to a lack of sponsorship
Note
The first programmer was Martin van Olderen, who started his own "Amsterdam Blues Festival" in 1983 (existed until 2001). After him, Jaap Hindriks took over the programming.

1986, Midsummer Blues Festival, Wijchen

Personal note

Annual festivals were able to attract important American blues musicians with financial support. This also offered the opportunity to the independent record companies to record an album with them. To balance the finances and for additional income, performances with local bands were arranged for the musicians. This is also how I came into contact with these authentic musicians.
The bassist Martin van der Velde in our band had contacts with Leo Bruin, Martin van Olderen, Jaap Hindriks, Rolf Schubert (DE), and a network with blues clubs and cafés.
After these contacts after 1990, organizations, blues clubs/cafes, festivals and theater programmers also used Martin's experience and the experience of the band to guide these people without rehearsals.

The appendix page shows more about these musicians and the accompanying bands.

Nowadays information is distributed via the Internet, and the Dutch Blues Foundation plays a major role in this.
In 2008, Marco van Rooijen founded the online platform BluesMagazine, to which several volunteers continue to contribute every week

2016, Doggone Blues (Jon Meyerjon, a blog with a blog with columns that highlight history, backgrounds, meanings, and on which he shares personal experiences)

2019, Blues Town Music (Harry Radstake, Blues Town Music also can be listened to every week on Arrow Classic Rock)

After 2000, photographers set up online platforms where they reported on their weekly concert visits. They also provided others with the opportunity to share their experiences and photos. I mention two: TheBluesman by Bert Reinders (unfortunately passed away too early in 2019) and BluesBreeker by Wil Wijnhoven.

What we mustn't forget is that it is all maintained by volunteers, who with great dedication keep the blues alive.

Dutch enthusiasts who listen to blues also really love the music, even say it is a way of life. They are part of a subculture and remain loyal for the rest of their lives. Where many older people no longer go out for a concert, they continue to come. Even though the historical past has been pushed into the background, the music still finds its way into emotion and the power to move to the rhythm of the music.

2009, Bluesfestival De Tamboer, Hoogeveen, Greyhound Blues Band feat. Adrian Burns (photo Bert Reinders)

Martin van Olderen
Oldie Blues was a Dutch record label that focused on releasing piano blues, boogie woogie and Delta blues. The label was founded around 1974 by Martin van Olderen and has released 46 LPs and thirteen CDs. The label was distributed through Munich Records.
Van Olderen was also the founder of the Dutch Boogie & Blues Organization and the Amsterdam Blues Festival.

Martin van Olderen

Musicians released on the label included Rob Hoeke, Martijn Schok, Rob Agerbeek, Big Joe Williams, Jimmy Yancey, Meade Lux lewis, Albert Ammons, Cow Cow Davenport, Little Willie Littlefield, Blind John Davis, Lonnie Johnson and Roosevelt Sykes.

Some concerts resulted in LPs:
1972, Thomas Shaw - “Do Lord Remember Me”,
1972, Little Brother Montgomery - “Bajes Copper Station”,
1973, Big Joe Williams - “Malvina My Sweet Woman” (the album was issued in 1975 with a book by Leo Bruin on Big Joe, Malvina My Sweet Woman),
1974, Blind John Davis - “The Incomparable Blind John Davis”.

Oldie Blues Discography on Wirz' American Music.

Thomas Shaw – Do Lord Remember Me (1972)

Guido van Rijn
Van Rijn obtained his PhD in Leiden in 1995 with a dissertation on Roosevelt's Blues: African-American Blues and Gospel Songs on FDR. Two years later, his dissertation was published by The University Press of Mississippi. In 2004, Continuum published The Truman and Eisenhower Blues: African-American Blues and Gospel Songs, 1945-1960. The third volume of his research into the response of blues and gospel singers to American politics was published as Kennedy's Blues: African-American Blues and Gospel Songs on JFK by The University Press of Mississippi in 2007.

Guido van Rijn

In 1970, Guido van Rijn co-founded the Dutch Blues and Boogie Organization (NBBO). In the 1970s he organized a long series of concerts by American blues artists in the Netherlands, initially in Amstelveen, then in Amsterdam and Groningen, finally culminating in the renowned Utrecht Blues Estafette.

Together with Alex van der Tuuk, Van Rijn wrote a richly illustrated, five-part discography of the renowned Paramount blues label for Agram Blues Books.

Van Rijn received ARSC awards (Association for Recorded Sound Collections) in the United States for Roosevelt's Blues (1997) and The Texas Blues of Smokey Hogg (2021). In 2015 he received a lifetime achievement KBA award (Keeping the Blues Alive) in Memphis, Tennessee in the category "historical preservation".

Leo Bruin
In 1980 Leo Bruin with Sem van Gelder started the Swingmaster label (Leo focused on blues and Sem on jazz). Bruin was also involved in the Dutch blues magazine Mr. Blues (which later merged into the music magazine "Oor"). Swingmaster issued mostly recent material by R.L. Burnside, The Foddrell Brothers, George & Ethel McCoy, James ‘Son” Thomas, Henry Townsend, Johnny Woods, Big Boy Henry and others. Recordings were made in Groningen, the Netherlands and some by Bruin on trips to the States in 1981 and 1983.

Leo Bruin
Sem van Gelder

Swingmaster record store

Before Swingmaster was a record store, it was a tobacco and candy store
The photo of the record store, which I found on the internet, was on the record cover of a band from Groningen

Swingmaster records

Leo Bruin made recordings and wrote the liner notes, sometimes in collaboration with others, Maarten de Boer from Holland Cut mastered and mixed most of them, Sem van Gelder took photos for the cover, the recordings were mixed at Studio Spitsbergen, production Swingmaster.

Maarten De Boer; Dutch sound engineer, started as a recording engineer but became a dedicated disc mastering engineer, setting up his own company Holland Cutting in 1982 (the name was changed to The Masters in 1988 and lasted until 2012)

 

1981, Marvin and Turner Foddrell - The Original Blues Brothers
The Foddrell Brother's album  was recorded on November 8 and 9, 1981, in Groningen, the Netherlands. It was released in 1984.
They were recorded in association with Kip Lornell.

 

The Foddrell Brothers About Bluegrass Music And There Father (talking to Kip Lornell, 1970s)

CD cover

1981, R.L. Burnside – Plays And Sings The Mississippi Delta Blues
Recorded on 5/6 March 1980 in Groningen, Netherlands.
Programmer of the Utrecht Blues Relay Jaap Hindriks brought Burnside into contact with Leo, which resulted in an audio recording on which Fred Reining (Lefthand Freddy) accompanied him.

1986, R.L. Burnside – Hill Country Blues
A1 to A6 recorded October 1982 in Groningen, Netherlands
B3 to B6 recorded November 1984 in Groningen, Netherlands
A7, B1, B2 recorded by George Mitchell in 1967 near Coldwater in Mississippi, USA

CD (1995) with a compilation of previously released vinyl songs

1981, Albert Macon and Robert Thomas – Blues And Boogie From Alabama
Tracks A1, B5 and B6 recorded by George Mitchell in 1980 and 1981 at Albert Macon's house near Society Hill, Alabama; all other tracks recorded at the same place on August 28, 1981 by Leo Bruin.

 

1981, John Tinsley – Sunrise Blues (Blues From Virginia)
Recorded on 15 and 16 June 1981 at Groningen, Netherlands

1981, James Son Thomas – Plays And Sings Delta Blues Classics
Recorded May 1981 in Groningen

1981 - Robert T. 'Piano Slim' Smith – Mean Woman Blues
Guitar, Amos Sanford, track B5
Recorded on August 12/13, 1981 at BB's, St. Louis, USA

 

1982 - George And Ethel McCoy  – At Home With The Blues
Recorded by Leo Bruin on August 14 and 15, 1981 at East St. Louis, USA

 

1982, Henry Townsend – Hard Luck Stories
Recorded on August 11, 12 & 15, 1981 at St. Louis, USA

1985, James Crutchfield – Original Barrelhouse Blues

1985, Piano 'Robert T. Smith' Slim And The St. Louis Blues Machine – Gateway To The Blues
1987, St. Louis Kings Of Rhythm – St. Louis Kings Of Rhythm Timeless Records
Recorded by Max Bolleman
Production Swingmaster

Max Bolleman has had the biggest names in the jazz world in his studio, including Art Blakey, Chet Baker, Archie Shepp and Dizzy Gillespie, he is also a respected jazz drummer

1987, J.W. Warren – Bad Luck Bound
Recorded by George Mitchell

1988, Jimmy Lee Williams – Blues By Jimmy Lee Williams: Rock On Away From Here
A1 and A3 recorded in 1977 at "Porlan" (actually Poulan), Georgia
All other tracks recorded on December 11 and 12, 1982, at "Porlan", Georgia.
Recorded by George Mitchell

1988 - Big Boy Henry – I'm Not Lying This Time (His First Recordings 1947-1952)
Side A and B, track 1 and 2 recorded in 1947 at New Bern, North Carolina by Big Boy Henry
Side B, track 3 and 4 recorded in 1952 at New Bern, North Carolina by Big Boy Henry
Recorded by Big Boy Henry
Special thanks to Gary Erwin of the Lowcountry Blues Society and Erwin Music

1989 - Big Boy Henry – Strut His Stuff (His New Recordings 1987-1989)
Recorded by Big Boy Henry, Leo Bruin and Sonny Daye
A3, B1 recorded on September 5, 1987 at Groningen, Holland, Netherlands
A2, A5, B2 recorded November 1987 at Greenville, North Carolina, USA
B5 recorded on January 18, 1988 at Beaufort, North Carolina, USA
B6 recorded on November 17, 1988 at Beaufort, North Carolina, USA
A4, B3 recorded January 1989 at Beaufort, North Carolina, USA
A1, B4 recorded on January 16, 1989 at Greenville, North Carolina, USA

Guitar – Richard Leslie "Big Boy" Henry  (tracks: A2, A4 to A6, B2, B3, B4 to B6), Fred Reining (tracks: A3, B1), Lightnin' Wells (tracks: A1, A4, B3, B4)
Produced by Swingmaster and Lightnin' Wells

1988, Johnny Woods – So Many Cold Mornings
A1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 recorded on August 19, 1981 at R.L. Burnside's house near Coldwater, Mississippi, USA
A4 recorded on August 22, 1981 at Senatobia, Mississippi, USA
Side B recorded in November,1984 at Groningen, Holland
Vocals and harmonica, Johnny Woods, guitar R.L. Burnside, harmonica Abe "Keg" Young (track A4)

Johnny Woods – So Many Cold Mornings

Johnny Woods & R. L. Burnside – Telephone Blues (Part 2)

1989, Walter "Lightnin' Bug" Rhodes – Giving You The Blues
Recorded in October 1988 at Groningen, expect B5 was recorded by Walter Rhodes in 1986 at Hamlett, North Carolina

 

2001, Walter "Lightnin' Bug" Rhodes – Now Hear This
Recorded in 1988 and 1989
Vocals and acoustic Guitar, Walter Rhodes and acoustic guitar, Fred Reining

Fred "Lefthand Freddy" Reining (80s, photo Jan Warntjes)

 

2012, Ranie Burnette – Ranie Burnette's Hill Country Blues
Tracks A5 and B6 recorded on August 22, 1981 at Senatobia, Mississippi. All other tracks recorded November 1980, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Recorded by Leo Bruin, mastered by Jason Ward Chicago Mastering Service, produced for Big Legal Mess Records (distribution Fat Possum Records).
With Ranie Burnette - guitar and vocals, Abe Young - harmonica

Maurice "Joe Guitar" Hughes

2006, Joe Guitar Hughes – Texas Bluesman (DVD)
Swingmaster Tapes - Joe Guitar Hughes: Texas Blues Man
Recorded at The Oosterpoort, Groningen (The Netherlands) in 1988

Video notes
Joe ''Guitar'' Hughes - Blues Man's Guitar (Live 1993 at BluesEstafette Vredenburg Utrecht)
Joe Guitar Hughes - guitar and vocals, Sonny Boy Terry - harmonica, Tanya Richardson - bass, David Lartique - drums

Joe ”Guitar” Hughes – Blues Man’s Guitar (Live 1993)

zzum | Blues enthusiasts and their sound recordings and record productions (7)

In this column: blues enthusiasts, folklorists, musicologists, Lawrence Gellert, the lomaxes, John Avery Lomax, Edison Cylinder Phonograph, Presto Recorders, Robert Gordon, Ruby Terrill Lomax, Alan Lomax,  balladhunter, Library of Congress, Virginia Lebermann, the Songhunter Documentary, Michael Taft, Cat Iron, Sam Chatmon, Magnecord, Ampex, Kudelski Nagra, RCA D77, Altec Lipstick, Jean Ritchie, George Mitchell, Wollensak recorder, Tary Owens, Reverve recorder, Roberts 129F, Axel Küstner, Bengt Olsson, Uher portable recorder, Sennheiser microphone, Big Joe Williams, Peter Bartók, Paul Samler, Béla Bartók, Ditta Pásztory, Moses Asch, Bartók, Electra and Folkways Records, New Loast City Ramblers, Ampex model 300, Williamson Amplifiers, The Musician Amplifier (Sarser/Sprinkle), RCA 44-BX ribbon, Altec studio mic, Wharfdale speakers, Music and field recordings by Béla Bartók

Introduction

This episode focuses on the conditions and equipment used in field recording and record production.

Edison wax-cylinder machine

Lawrence Gellert (link) used first a makeshift, wind-up recording machine and paper-backed zinc discs. After 1930 a Presto (more about this machine later).

Lawrence Gellert and his Presto recording machine

John Lomax (link) recorded the first songs with a primitive Edison wax-cylinder machine.
"He was lugging an old-fashioned Edison recording machine about the size of a hay wagon" (Virginia Lebermann)

Edison Cylinder Phonograph
Edison Wax Cylinder Phonograph

Presto recorders

It was a hell of a job to lug those things around. The sound wasn't great and you couldn't listen back on the spot. Writing down the lyrics and musical notes later was also quite a task.
Therefore, an alternative was sought.

Robert W. Gordon at the Library of Congress, ca. 1930. From left to right: storage of manuscripts and recorded wax cylinders, early microphone on floor stand, magnetic wire recorder on table at left rear, rotary converter ("telephone" with dial) to change the Library's DC current to AC for recording, dictaphone cylinder recording machine (Gordon operating) and, on the floor, a variety of cylinder machines and other paraphernalia.

Robert Winslow Gordon had experimented in the field with a portable disc recorder, but had had neither time nor resources to do significant fieldwork.
Lomax made an arrangement with the Library whereby it would provide recording equipment, obtained for it by Lomax through private grants, in exchange for which he would travel the country making field recordings.
In July 1933, he acquired, 315 pounds (143 kg) phonograph uncoated-aluminum disk recorder; a series of Presto recorders and blank discs.
The machine cut grooves into an aluminum or acetate disk. The new system enabled him to play back his recordings on-site.
Although the Presto recorder came in a case with a handle, it was hardly "portable" in any real sense.

Presto recorder

From that time on, his then 18-year-old son Alan helped with the recordings.
They installed the system in the trunk of their Ford sedan and started to record, at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. During the next year and a half, father and son continued to make disc recordings of musicians throughout the South.

Recording system in the trunk of their Ford sedan
Ruby Terrill Lomax records the square dance music of fiddler Al Brite, guitarist John Heathcock, and dance caller J. M. Mills in San Antonio, San Antonio 1941

Michael Taft shows Alan Lomaxes old field recorders, footage of field Recording on location (Archive of Library of Congress, scene from The Songhunter)

Field recording

The trunk of Lomaxes car

Like other folklorists in the 1930s and 1940s, Alan traveled with the machine in the back of his car. Some folklorists used a converted ambulance for the equipment. In order to record in places where there was no electricity, they used the car battery, which was attached to a transformer, which was attached to an amplifier, which was attached to the Presto machine.
Instead of a horn, Alan ran a cable from the machine to a microphone. In this respect, the way he recorded was much more modern, and of higher fidelity, than the cylinder recordings that his father made.

William "Cat Iron" Carradine (photo Fred Ramsey)

Sam Chatmon: Make Me A Pallet On the Floor (1978)

Magnecord, Ampex, Kudelski Nagra

By the late 1940s, folklorists began to use a new type of machine, the tape recorder. While tape recorders had been around for many years, the first portable machines became available only around 1947.
When Alan Lomax began his European fieldwork in the early 1950s, he used a Magnecord tape recorder, which was the state-of-the-art machine for field use. It was not as bulky as the disc recorder, but still required two cases, one for the recorder and one for the amplifier. As with the disc recorder, where there was no local electricity, the machine needed power from batteries.

Magnecord Tape Recorder and amplifier (1952)

For his southern trip, Alan made a list of items and equipment he needed and what it would cost.

Some of the equipment:
RCA D77 Mikes or 44 range
Most of the times one microphone, with a group two mics
Altec lipstick mic and three RCA DCA 77 mics.
Lomax also used Capps microphones (according to Arhoolie)
Ampex 601-2 recorder

RCA D77 mic 1950
Altec Lipstick Condenser mic
Ampex 601 2 Channel tape recorder
1959; musician Wade Ward and Alan Lomax sitting in front of the Ampex

In the 1960s, Alan took with him a very portable Kudelski Nagra model 3 reel-to-reel recorder. These are top models from the Swiss Stefan Kudelski (Introduced in 1957).

On his trip to The Caribbean Alan brought a Kudelski Nagra portable recorder
Kudelski Nagra III model NP which was introduced in 1963
Following Alan Lomax Jean Ritchie and George Pickow used a Magnecord.

Wollensak, Roberts, Reverve, Uher recorders

In 1967, George Mitchell travelled with his wife Cathy and a Wollensak tape recorder to Mississippi to document blues legends.

Wollensak reel-to-reel tape recorders were prized for their robust construction and value. In the 1960s, Wollensak was the choice tape recorder for amateur home, school, and office uses. They were produced in both stereo and mono designs

Tary Owens armed with a Roberts reel-to-reel tape recorder, microphone, and stand, roamed around Texas in search of roots music.

Tary records Shaw on what looks like a Reverve Recorder
Roberts reel-to-reel 192F 1963
Reverve Recorder, Reverve also manufactured cameras

Axel Küstner (and Bengt Olsson) started with a portable Uher 15 inch reel tape recorder and a Sennheiser microphone (we called this microphone "The Shaver").

Uher portable reel-to-reel recorder
Sennheiser MD421
Big Joe Williams during a recording in his hotel room in Germany (photo Axel Küstner)

Peter Bartók

Peter Bartók; engineer, one of the first to convert music vibrations to engrave them in a copper plate, with which an LP is pressed, here Peter is standing at the cutting table

This column was written following an interview (link) by Paul Samler with Peter Bartók for AudioXpress in 2006.

Peter Bartók was a pioneering recording engineer and one of the best of the early LP-era engineers, involved in remarkable recordings with his New York City label Bartók Records, and working with Moses Asch’s Folkways Records, as well as disk-cutting for early-era Elektra Records and other small NYC area labels.
Peter was the son of composer Béla Bartók, and pianist Ditta Pásztory. Peter himself was a meritorious piano player. He founded Bartók Records in New York in 1949. He moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, where he contributed to improving the sound of LPs for, among others, Electra Records. In 1980 he moved to Homosassa, Florida.

Peter Bartók (2006)

Peter Bartók cut records and made tape recordings; much of his work was done using equipment he designed himself. In that respect, he qualifies as one of the pioneering audio engineers of the LP era.
Peter Bartók’s greatest public impact came from his involvement with Folkways Records; an entire generation grew up learning about American and world traditions from those records with double-pocketed jackets containing extensively-notated booklets. Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, the New Lost City Ramblers, ethnographic tapes from every corner of the earth — even the first recordings of avant-garde composer John Cage.


Folkways (Moses Asch) was one of his earliest customers for cutting long-playing masters. They brought the tapes, and Bartók Records transferred them on long-playing lacquer discs, which then went to the factory and were plated.
Peter:
"The Folkways tapes were of different quality and often recorded under less than ideal conditions. That is why we first made a master tape of it, which was especially well equalized to get a natural sound. There has to be always enough balance between the highs and the lows, and the middles—not enough to have just the highs and the lows, the middles are very important too—and one has to use one’s ear. Of course, there are limitations, but some of the records could become quite good, even though they came on primitive tapes."

Ampex model 300; Bartók build a machine into a desk and with spare parts/replacements an extra turntable for reels, so that they could switch from one reel to the other at any time without having to remove reels from the turntable

"For tape recording we used an Ampex 300, which made everything very easy. Let us say there was a set of 78 records that we had to copy on an LP; it was easier to put it first on tape than to keep changing the original source.
The recording stage, the power stage, of the recording amplifier was a single tube, and I preferred push-pull (just as it happens in a loudspeaker), an amplifier which uses two tubes in a symmetrical arrangement. All my electronic equipment was home-designed and built."


"I still use a monitor amplifier built in 1950; a Sarser-Sprinkle “Musician’s Amplifier,” an American version of D.T.N. Williamson’s pioneering amp2. Peter Bartók’s amplifier was built for him by David Sarser."
For mics we used a ribbon microphone, the RCA 44-BX and an Altec, a decapitated Altec. For the guitars we might have used the 44-B. About the decapitated Altec I have to say that it was stainless steel, and we had to take it to some shop where they had the necessary equipment to cut it precisely, so they don’t cut into the working part of the microphone. The whole thing was tiny." (Remark; the Altec was closed at the top and only had openings on the side to allow sound to pass through, Bartók also wanted to let sound through at the top.)

RCA Ribbon BX-44
Bartók's Altec studio mic

"For monitoring our cutting and recording we used Wharfedale (UK) speakers."
"When recording, we followed two simple principles; if you are too far from the musicians, then they will sound in the background with a lot of room sound, whereas if you go too close, then you lose the room sound, and all you hear is the musicians. You want to have some of both; you want to have the reverberation of the room as well as the original sound, from the proper distance."

Video notes

Mitismondjak:
"Bela Bartók's original field recordings for the Romanian Folk Dances. I just did my Master Research on the piece and it was hard to find them. I thought it might be useful for others to have access to them. The sound quality is very bad but come on, these are more than 100 year old recordings, made with Edison's phonograph. The audio is from the Institute for Musicology of the Research Centre for the Humanities of the Hungarian Academy of Science."

Originally released in 1950 on Bartók Records.
Fuffy (Remark form the person, who put it on YouTube):
"This is highly likely one of the recordings made in Peter Bartók's 2-room New York studio with a loudspeaker in a bathtub to give an illusion of space/depth to the recording. A brilliant and creative bit of engineering of Peter's part and for 1950 this sounds GREAT.
A lot of tapes popped up for auction and the seller claimed they came from the Peter Bartók estate. So I bought them, after sorting and looking over the batch it's going to be about 80% good. Almost everything here is masters/submasters of the '50s Bartok Records private. All of the recordings are mono. These sort of tapes don't usually get out in the wild."

Béla Bartók – Tibor Serly and his String Orchestra – Divertimento For Strings 1950 from master reel Bartok Records

Bela Bartók’s original field recordings for the Romanian Folk Dances