Until Berry Gordy founded Motown in 1960, Don Robey's Duke-Peacock, and its several subsidiary labels, was the largest black-owned record company inAmerica. Sonically, it was a diverse outfit. Robey never confined his roster to regional artists, and he released all styles of blues, soul, R&B and gospel, and even dabbled in jazz and white rock 'n' roll. As with other black-oriented indies, the emphasis was on singles, and the label produced its fair share… more »
In the 19th century, the most popular instruments played by black musicians in America were the banjo and the fiddle, and black and white string bands had virtually indistinguishable sounds. By the early days of the recording industry, though, both were on the way out. Yet the fiddle in particular was still prevalent enough that a fair number of black players were recorded, particularly in blues and jazz, and that's a good thing. With its… more »
Postwar, electric blues guitar in Texas all derives from T-Bone Walker, says conventional wisdom, and when you hear a great stylist like Pee Wee Crayton soloing in that jazzy, single-string tradition, it seems like an immutable law. But there were Texas guitarists who weren't influenced by Walker, and most who were brought enough of their own thing to T-Bone's to keep it interesting. Even today, the tradition not only lives on, but continues to evolve.… more »
They grew up together in Houston's rough-and-tumble Third Ward, played in bands together as teenagers. Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland and Joe Hughes were all devotees of the classic Texas electric guitar sound of T-Bone Walker and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. But all three absorbed their primary influences early on, and took the sound to three strikingly different places.
Collins was the first to emerge nationally. In the late '50s and early '60s, he cut a string of… more »
When Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown walked into the studio in the early ’80s to record Alright Again!, he had already had an illustrious career by most standards. Yet, much of Gate’s best output had been behind him by more than two decades; with Alright Again!, he set out to prove he was still a relevant artist. The album won Brown a Grammy, and its follow-up, One More Mile, was a Grammy-nominated record as well. Texas Swing combines the two records, culling 17 tracks from the sessions. Listening to this album, it is easy to see why the songs had such impact. Never one to be pigeonholed, Brown and his backup band move from slick blues on “Frosty” and “One More Mile” to breezy swing reminiscent of the best big bands on Roy Milton’s “Information Blues” and Brown’s own “Dollar Got the Blues.” As a listener, it is fascinating to hear Brown pull the tiny nuances out of his guitar, giving the instrumentals and solos previously unheard depth and confirming his position as a master musician. – Steve Kurutz
