If you’re anything like me, then your Wednesdays seem like they never end. Here are a few gems from the archives to help you get through the rest of the week and get rid of those hump day blues.
MP3s:
Bobby “Blue” Bland - I’ve Just Got to Forget YouLowell Fulson - Worry Worry
Magic Sam - I Need Your Love So Bad
Freddie King - It’s Too Bad Things Are Going So Tough
Little Walker - Tell Me Mama
Otis Rush - Groaning the Blues
P.S. : While looking for a pic for this post, I came across this video of the one and only, Magic Sam. The footage is from a German documentary from the mid 1960s and showcases one of the most unique talents in all of blues music. While not as well known as BB, Buddy Guy, or Muddy Waters, “Magic” Sam Maghett is and always will be one of my favorite guitar players. His feel and groove is impeccable and the attack is razor sharp.
Magic Sam - “All your Love” & “Magic Sam’s Boogie”
Couple of interesting things to note:
Fingerpicking Style: Sam came from a fraternity of no-frills Chicago blues players who learned their trade by association and had to make due with whatever instruments were accessible at the time. Most of these players ignored guitar picks and instead used their fingertips or nails to pluck the strings. The result is a style and a subtlety that you don’t find in most players these days - in fact, most of the players featured above (Rush, King, etc) were all finger-style players.
Earl Hooker’s Guitar: Another example of the “anything goes” attitude is the fact that Sam is playing Earl Hooker’s guitar in the video. Sam usually played a Fender Stratocaster with single-coil pickups to achieve his trademark biting tone. He’s playing a Gibson-style axe with hotter, humbucking pickups, yet he still sounds exactly like Magic Sam. You couldn’t pay Kenny Wayne Shepherd or Eric Johnson enough to play someone else’s guitar on stage today but back then it’s how it worked; your tone was in your fingers, not your stompbox…
Related posts:
- Wednesday Blues: Mixed Bag Blues
- RIP: Bo Diddley Dead at 79
- Everlast Covers Johnny Cash [The Unfortunate Cover Blues]
- Man Man on Pitchfork.tv [Hipster Heaven]
