Maple Blues Online - Loose Blues News

Overqualified For The Blues, the "long-awaited", "much-anticipated" sophomore release from Brian "Colorblind" Blain will finally see the light of day on the NorthernBlues label and the celebrations begin September 30th with a launch party at the Silver Dollar. The Hi-Tech Blues Revue will feature Brian backed by Victor Bateman, Michelle Josef and Rod Phillips (all featured prominently on the disc) and special guests Pat Carey and John Dickie. Photo by Sally Raintree

Brian "Colorblind" Blain has been a stalwart of the Toronto Blues scene for over a decade, and while he's a visible figure about town, few appreciate the vital contributions he's played in a host of roles that have rebounded to the benefit of the entire Blues, Jazz, and Folk communities. Self-effacing, soft-spoken, and eloquent, Brian isn't the boastful type. However, the record speaks volumes, and it shows that his involvement in a plethora of behind-the-scenes activities involving various organizational, publishing, and writing responsibilities have been sweeping, even obscuring his performance skills.

His intriguing CD Overqualified For The Blues on NorthernBlues Music will soon rectify that deficiency, by focusing attention on the validity of Brian's musical talents. Blain has been paying those all-important dues going back to the sixties. Like so many other fine musicians, he's suffered from being woefully under-recorded - at least until the last couple years. Now, Blain is on the verge of receiving the attention and recognition he so richly deserves. A reel-to-reel tape of Rev. Gary Davis and an instructional mail order LP called "The Art Of The Folk Blues Guitar" were his first introductions to the Blues. After playing with high-school rock bands and folk groups, Blain would go on to spend many years touring with and producing records for two pioneering groups that blossomed from the hills of Quebec's Eastern Townships: Fraser & DeBolt, and Oliver Klaus.

As a soloist, Blain would record a single in 1973 with GoodNoise/Polydor, and began performing with his backup group the Blainettes that opened concerts for the likes of Lou Reed and Seals & Crofts. They were also participants at the famous James Bay Concert that featured such acts as Loudon Wainwright, Joni Mitchell, and many of Quebec's biggest stars. When not performing, Brian has a hearty resume in publishing, going back to the days of "hot type" at the Sherbrooke Daily Record in 1963.

Over the next 40 years, he's been responsible for the publication of numerous music industry directories, websites, and newsletters, including MapleBlues, Crescendo, Downtown Jazz, MapleRoots and FolkPrints. Fifteen years since permanently settling in Toronto in 1990, Brian Blain has become a fixture on the local Blues, Jazz, and Roots scene, playing with a wide variety of artists including Blue Willow, with whom he performed for five years. He's also performed in duos with pianists like "Professor Piano" Scott Cushnie, and Gene Taylor (now with the Fabulous Thunderbirds). Blain also fronted an organ trio with Rod Phillips (of the Pie Guys) and Mike Fitzpatrick (of Downchild Blues Band).

The Oakville Jazz Festival in the summer of 2002 would see the emergence of Blain's big band, backed by the sweet harmonies of the New Blainettes (Carrie Chesnutt, Lily Sazz, and Suzie Vinnick). Brian's list of admirers include a contingent of guest collaborators on his highly anticipated new release which contains thirteen literate, thought-provoking, and musically versatile numbers.

Brian Blain is a singer/songwriter who always speaks precisely what's on his mind, and he presents it through some highly affecting tunes, like the baker's dozen delivered on Overqualified For The Blues. His engaging stage personality reflects his wide-ranging interests. The unifying themes throughout much of OFTB are the small challenges posed by ordinary life. They are given wonderful life by his wry, perceptive, and gentle observations. There's an army of collaborators too, most having played with Blain at one time or other over his lengthy career - Rod Phillips, Roots revivalist Michael Jerome Browne, piano guru Richard Bell, harpmeister Paul Reddick, keyboard great Michael Fonfara and many other Blues/Roots luminaries. The overriding impression remains that this is a winning combination: a warm, minimalist sound in unison with Brian Blain's low-key, innovative muse that affords everything an intimacy that will tug at those all-important heartstrings.

It's a good bet that when Brian isn't gracing a stage somewhere, his fingers will be tapping a beat on a computer keyboard, providing the necessary copy to ensure the information wheels of our local music scene are comprehensive, interesting, and timely.

Brian may be a low-key type of guy, but the music scene in this country would be a far poorer place without his rock-steady dedication. So stay informed about Brian's intriguing insights into his musical journey and the fascinating people he gets to meet along the way, by reading his blog at www.brian.blain.com or viewing his Electronic Press Kit at www.brianblain.ca. Even though he's been building websites since the days when they were text-only, he never seems to have time to work on his own - but promises to have a new site in time for the CD launch, September 30 at the Silver Dollar Room. The "Hi-Tech Blues Revue" (a nod to all the time Brian spends working with or fixing computers) is being presented by Mory "the Sockman", and is also featuring special guests John Dickie of the soul-infused Mississippi Hippies and Downchild hornman, Pat Carey, and promises to be a rockin good time, even if Brian is a low-key, laid-back kind of guy.

Maria Muldaur (left) threw a great party last time she came through Toronto and September 13 is bound to be a night to remember for those lucky enough to be part of her "soiree" at Hugh's Room. Reservations are a must and go early for dinner - the food at Hugh's is first class.

"Toasted Benefit": Local blues musician Damian Arokium lost all his gear and possessions in Toronto's recent Robert Street fire. A benefit took place on August 19, at Grossman's Tavern, featuring lots of great music by Damian's friends and supporters.

The original Blues Brother: Donnie Walsh, for 36 years the leader of the Downchild Blues Band, and the inspiration for the Blues Brothers, was a special guest with the Blues Brothers in concert at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario, in July. It's the first time that Walsh has played with the world famous group originated by Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi on the television show, Saturday Night Live. The Blues Brothers' self-titled 1978 recording included two Downchild songs, "Shotgun Blues" and "(I've Got Everything I Need) Almost", as well as a near-identical arrangement of Downchild's biggest hit, "Flip Flop and Fly." The friendship between Walsh and Dan Ackroyd goes back to the mid-'70s, when the band played at an after-hours club in Toronto run by the then out-of-work actor. Back then, Downchild was a band fronted by Walsh and his late brother Rick "Hock" Walsh. Walsh has also recently played at two private parties in Toronto with Ackroyd, who tells audiences that Walsh is "the inspiration for everything that's happened to my career." Despite their long friendship, Walsh has never played with the Blues Brothers band - Jim Belushi now takes the vocal role HIS brother played. "I play on the tunes that Dan and John learned from Downchild way back," says Walsh. "I think I still know the parts."

5th Anniversary of bluz.fm: Danny Marks's blues radio show on jazz.fm in Toronto, Saturdays 8 pm to midnight, is celebrating its 5th anniversary this month. Danny continues to attract listeners locally and world wide on the net and his record breaking fundraising efforts continue to prove to the jazz crowd that blues fans support their own.

More honours for the The Pappy Johns Band with Murray Porter: They've been nominated for Best Blues Album, for "Full Circle", in the 2005 Indian Summer Music Awards, to be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday, September 10. Other nominees in the Blues category include Billy Joe Green, Wade Fernandez, and Mitch Walking Elk (www.indiansummer.org/musicawards). The band will also be included on a CD compilation for the Blues sur Seine Festival in France, which will be provided to European print and radio stations.

Kim Wilson with Jeff Healey: At Healey's in Toronto, on September 8, Jeff Healey with the Dave Murphy band welcome very special guest Kim Wilson, harmonica legend from The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Tickets are on sale now. Doors at 8 pm, Music at 9 pm. www.jeffhealeys.com.

More reasons to join the TBS!: Massey Hall will be offering a 10% discount to Toronto Blues Society members for the following presentations at Massey Hall - Colin James & Cowboy Junkies, February 4, 2006; Blind Boys of Alabama, March 3, 2006; Buddy Guy, March 24, 2006. The discount is only available in person by showing the membership card. For more information, 416-593-4822, www.masseyhall.com, www.roythomson.com. Don't forget that Women's Blues Revue tickets are also on sale - call early for the best reserved seats.

St. Lawrence Blues Workshops: St. Lawrence Blues College, in conjunction with Festivals on the St. Lawrence, and the Limestone City Blues Festival, present Blues College 2005 on August 26 and 27. Blues College offers intensive one-day workshops with including vocals with Georgette Fry, guitar with Pete Schmidt, and harmonica with Little Bobby Chorney, 11am to 4pm both Friday and Saturday. www.stlawrencefestivals.com

Barrellhouse piano man Julian Fauth (right) celebrates the release of his Electro-Fi CD, Songs of Vice and Sorrow, with an appearance at Healey's on September 23 and the folowing day at the Boathouse in Kitchener. His special guest at Healey's will be harpmeister Paul Reddick. It's a busy month for CD releases with12 year old sensation Elyssa Mahoney releasing her new CD Try To See Me Like That on September 25th at Roc'n Doc's (4:30 - 8:30 pm) , Brian Blain's release at the Dollar Sept 30 (see elsewhere in this issue for details), and just in case you're reading this in time, TBS Talent Search Winners Wickens*Knight launch their new CD at Chicago's on Saturday, August 27 . photo by Eddy B

Blues Singing Retreat: This fall, a 3-day blues singing retreat in Picton, Ontario provides intensive instruction on blues styles, proper technique, and repertoire. Transportation to and from Toronto and Picton, accommodations, and all classes and workshops is $325 inclusive, with group discounts are available. Maximum class size is 4, to ensure individual attention. www.webspawner.com/users/harbourbreeze.

Website updates: Madagascar Slim and Donné Robert now have a joint web site featuring their collaborative work in the Slim et Donné project at www.slimetdonne.ca. The site is also home to Ndidi Onukwulu, who sings with the quartet. Upcoming releases are being finalized for release this fall. The new website for Raoul and the Big Time features sound clips, interviews and reviews, a photo gallery, and Quicktime web videos of the band in action, including their two network videos for COOL TV and BRAVO. www.raoulandthebigtime.com, is designed by Anile Prakash of Girl Friday Creative in Montreal (www.girlfridaycreative.ca). Robbie Lane and the Disciples have a new website at www.robbielane.com. Bill King's updated Photo Gallery is at www.allaboutjazz.com. Go to Centers / Visual Arts / Bill King Gallery And there's lots of blues stuff at the Real Blues Magazine website, www.realbluesmagazine.com

DVD Release: A DVD Release Party is scheduled to place at the Starlight Lounge in Waterloo on Saturday October 1st. The DVD of the Blues On The East Side 2004 concert will be premiered that evening as well as many other goodies. Featured on the DVD are performances by Hubert Sumlin and friends, Mel Brown and the Homewreckers, Alvin Youngblood Hart's Muscle Theory, CJ Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band and the Douglas Watson Band. The DVD Release party will include live performances on Oct. 1/05 by: Mel Brown, Miss Angel, Douglas Watson, Shawn Kellerman, Max Bent and more. Hors D'oeuvres will be served as well as the give away of door prizes. All attendees will be given their own DVD copy when they leave. Not bad for a price of $25 for the evening. Doors will open at 8pm and show gets under way at 8:30pm. For more information or tickets, call (519)623-7490. Proceeds in support of Community Living Cambridge.

Raoul and the Big Time take over the Silver Dollar on September 24th for a very special event. Raoul (pictured at left) has invited two of the best harmonica players east of Toronto to join him in his first "Harmonica Stand-Off," TBS Talent Search winner Bharath from Montreal and Ottawa-based Southside Steve Mariner (inset right).

Halloween Blues: Mory "The Sockman" is presenting a mammoth Trick Or Treat R&B Ball on October 29th at the Woodbine Banquet & Convention Hall - a Rockin' Rhythm & Blues Revival featuring The Mississippi Hippies and Canadian soul legends Jay Jackson and Roy Kenner. Sockman's Beach `n' Blues Luv-In last month lived up to its billing, as a boisterous cavalcade of blues-drenched soul anthems from the Mississippi Hippies. Gary Tate writes, "A chorus of cheers greeted their opening signature tune 96 Miles (it's a classic!), and it announced a grand evening of non-stop, soul-saturated, rock `em sock-em vibes, jam-packed into a celebration of timeless music. If you thought it's an over-exaggeration to anoint Dickie as the white James Brown, well you should have heard his tumultuous covers of I Feel Good and Sex Machine--not to mention Junior Walker's Shoot Your Shot. Down and dirty funk! Breathtaking saxophone from the legendary Pat Carey lent everything an extra-soulful dimension. Cool keyboard work as always from Norm Brown, plus a rhythm section of Hughie Leggat and Mike Sloski that's flat-out brilliant. I wish I had the space to heap kudos on so many other many exceptional performances on songs done during those 2 sweat-drenched sets they did that remarkable night. All folks lucky enough to hop aboard the groove train known as the amazing Mississippi Hippies will soon be uttering those raves." The Hippies play the Trick Or Treat R&B Ball on October 29th at the Woodbine Banquet & Convention Hall, 30 Vice Regent Blvd, Rexdale. As a tribute to the late Gordon James Brown, a donation will be made to the TBS Blues in The Schools program in Gord's name. For reservations, corporate tables or any other information call the Sockman at 416-241-2345 or 1-800-561-2353.

"Higher Ground": The opening track from Ellen McIlwaine's album "The Real Ellen McIlwaine" is being released in both the US and the UK on a compilation due from Ubiquity Records. It is the guitar solo from this track that was sampled extensively on UK dj Fat Boy Slim's hit recording.

Duke Robillard Live Concert DVD: "A Special Evening with Duke Robillard and Friends" is the title of a new DVD on Stony Plain, being released September 13. The concert, recorded at the Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland, Rhode Island, features guest appearances by Jerry Portnoy (harmonica), Billy Novick (clarinet and alto sax), Al Basile (cornet), and Paul Kolesnikow (guitar). Duke's regular road band of Matt McCabe (piano), Marty Ballou (bass), Mark Teixeira (drums) and baritone sax man Doug James are on hand to give the leader their usual solid support.

Swiss Laws and the Blues: Bassist Alec Fraser reports that, while performing with Jeff Healey in Switzerland, the band discovered a local law - if the soundman produces volume above a 98 decibel average, then he gets fined, as does the band, and, after two fines, you are no longer allowed in the country.

Handys No More: The Blues Foundation announces that its annual recognition of the finest in blues performances and recordings will be re-named "The Blues Music Awards". The 27th annual celebration of blues excellence, now known as 'The Blues Music Awards', will be held at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis on Thursday, May 11, 2006. Since the early '90s, the genre's highest honors have been officially known as the W.C. Handy Blues Awards, in recognition of the man commonly referred to as "The Father of the Blues" because of his role in popularizing the music. The Blues Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Blues history, celebrating
Blues excellence and supporting Blues education. It is the umbrella organization for a worldwide network of 150 affiliated blues societies, of which the Toronto Blues Society is a member, and has individual members around the globe. In addition to the producing the Blues Music Awards, the Foundation annual inducts individuals and recordings into the Blues Hall of Fame, sponsors the International Blues Challenge and presents the "Keeping the Blues Alive" Awards. www.blues.org.

September appears to be a great month for fans of the blues harmonica in Toronto, but there is one man who can make sounds with a ten-hole diatonic harmonica that no-one else has been able to duplicate. On Saturday, September17, NorthernBlues recording artist Carlos del Junco and the Blues Mongrels return to the Silver Dollar where they raised the roof a couple of months ago.

Medical Updates: Johnny V reports tha Otis Rush suffered a stroke recently and is no longer performing. "The news is, his rehabilitation is going well, and he can almost talk without a problem. My pal Hiroshi "Edogawa Slim" Takahashi built an Otis Rush webpage called "WELOVEOTIS" and asked me to ask you all to please write a short message to Otis in the Guestbook.: http://blueslim.m78.com/weloveotis/". It has also been reported that Johnny Winter is suffering from some nerve damage in his arm and is finding it difficult to play, though he is otherwise in fine shape. Here's hoping both these guitar giants will be back on the circuit soon and make their way to our town.

Long John Baldry, 1941 to 2005: Vancouver-based blues legend Long John Baldry, died on July 21 after a four-month battle with a chest infection. The 64-year-old musical giant was admitted to the intensive-care unit in April after returning from a trip to his native Britain with respiratory problems. John William Baldry was surrounded by friends and loved ones when he passed away at the Vancouver General Hospital. He left behind two siblings Margaret and Roger, as well as long-time friend and partner Felix ("Oz") Rexach. Having begun his career playing folk and jazz in the late 50s, Baldry was one of the founding fathers of British Rock 'n' Roll in the 60s. British guitarist Eric Clapton has stated many times that he was inspired to pick up the guitar after seeing Baldry perform in the early 60s. While appearing at the Cavern in Liverpool in the early '60s, Baldry became friends with Paul McCartney. For their internationally televised special "Around the Beatles" for Rediffusion in 1964, the Beatles invited Baldry to perform along with P.J. Proby, and Cilla Black. Baldry performed with the influential British R&B bands Blues Incorporated, and Cyril Davies' R & B All Stars in the 60s. He later fronted the Hoochie Coochie Men, which included Rod Stewart, who later joined Baldry in Steam Packet (also featuring keyboardist Brian Auger and singer Julie Driscoll). After a brief period with Bluesology (with Elton John on keyboards), Baldry went solo and had a no. 1 UK hit with the fine ballad "Let The Heartaches Begin" in 1967. With production assistance from Rod Stewart and Elton John, Baldry recorded the album, 'It Ain't Easy' for Warner Bros. featuring his signature song "Don't try to Lay no Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock n' Roll." After emigrating to Canada in the early 80s, Baldry recorded for EMI Music Canada, and since 1991 recorded five albums for Stony Plain Records. Stony Plain is slated to re-release Baldry's Warner Bros. albums, 'It Ain't Easy' and 'Everything Stops for Tea' this fall. Since the early 90s, Baldry also was known in Canada for his extensive voice work in commercials. As well, he was used as the voice of Robotnik on the "Sonic The Hedgehog" computer game, and as narrator for Winnie the Pooh recordings for Walt Disney Records for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1998.

Baldry, credited as one of the main forces in British blues, rock and pop music, had been living in Canada for most of the past 25 years. Nicknamed Long John because of his six-foot-seven-inch height, he has released over 40 albums, and performed and recorded with such top rock 'n' rollers as Rod Stewart, Elton John, Charlie Watts and Mick Jagger. The Rolling Stones even opened for Baldry in London during an early performance in the 1960s, before the band became a household name. The British press reported that Stewart considered Baldry a mentor, and was at his bedside when he was first admitted to hospital after he fell ill in March. There were reports that Stewart even helped to pay his ailing friend's medical bills. Baldry claimed blues legends like Big Joe Turner, Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry as his earliest musical influences.

Holger Petersen of Stony Plain Records adds that John was a funny, wise, gentle and kind man, who was well aware of his role in musical history but seemingly amused by it. Everything he did served the music he made. Over the years, John made five records for us; the last, 2001's "Remembering Leadbelly" was one of the very best records of a 45-year career that seemed, until his illness, to have such a strong future. It was John's wishes to be cremated; there will be no formal funeral - just a small gathering for his family. There was a celebration of John's life in Vancouver last month and a special event is being planned for November 12 at Hugh's Room in Toronto. We can't wait to hear the stories! Finally, the response to John's passing has been especially touching. The obituaries - from the British press to the New York Times to the Canadian newspapers - have been sympathetic and accurate. But the response that has flooded the Stony Plain offices, from John's friends and associates around the world, has been particularly touching. We've all lost a friend, and a unique musical voice has been stilled. www.stonyplainrecords.com www.johnbaldry.com

Martin Fisher, RIP: Toronto keyboard player Martin Fisher died last month from a massive heart attack. Marty's history begins at least as early the great first lineups of Robbie Lane and the Disciples, with Robbie, Sonny Milne, the late Bert Hermiston, the late Domenic Troiano, and others. When the Disciples signed on as Ronnie Hawkins backup group, Ronnie decided Marty was too much of a blues player, and replaced him with Stan Szelest. Fisher then joined Bobby Kris and the Imperials, appearing on two 45s, then a late version of the Mynah Birds with Rick James and Neil Merryweather (no records), then Flying Circus with Merryweather and Bruce Cockburn (no records), and then Mapleoak with Stan Endersby and Pete Quaife from the Kinks (LP and 45). Since the mid-'70s, he has been a regular sideman in town.

Karl Mullings, RIP: In late July, Karl Mullings passed away in Toronto. Karl was neither a musician nor well-known, but he was one of those incredibly important behind-the-scene guys. In his case, the scene was the vibrant but largely ignored Caribbean sub-corner of the Toronto R&B world of the 1960s. Karl came to Toronto in the early '60s as manager of a large Jamaican show group, the Sheiks, who settled in Toronto en masse and quickly became part of the local scene. Bassist George Phillips joined Frank Motley and the Motley Crew, singer Eddie Spencer recorded a handful of 45s and was the front man for a series of busy local groups (the Power, the Mission, Papa Grey), and guitarist Roland Prince played with Salome Bey. Karl and a partner started up the seminal WIF Club near Bloor and Bathurst, and assembled the long-running Cougars from among the former Sheiks and other local players. Most, if not all, were from Jamaica at first - such as Jay Douglas and Jo-Jo Bennett - but Jackie Richardson sang with them too. Karl even played a central role in organising the first Caribana festival in '67, which was intended as the Caribbean community's Centennial gift to their new home. Karl also brought Jackie Mittoo to Toronto. Karl was still very active, shuttling between Toronto and Jamaica, issuing records by artists based in both countries, and promoting singers and shows, among other ongoing activities.

Paul Hoeffler, RIP: Toronto Music Photography Great Paul Hoeffler passed last month at age 67. Paul had been battling cancer for the past year. Hoeffler's images of the fifties and sixties are some of the most remarkable documents of the era. Paul always reflected back to the time when managers and stage hands were mostly absent, and photographers had a free hand, capturing intimate moments. Paul's career peaked with the Ken Burns Jazz series of which he had some 200 images. His Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and young Sarah Vaughan prints endure. Last month, the fine British photography magazine Black and White Photography ran a cover story featuring on the cover his exquisite Jimmy Smith image shot from underneath the organ bench. Photographing legends such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday, Paul not only captured the key figures of the jazz scene in the 1950s, but, unlike other photographers in the pantheon of jazz photography, he was equally interested in the scene - the audience, the ambience, the dance halls, and the live performances of the up and coming stars that would grow to dominate the later jazz era. Hoeffler documented the fabled 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. He captured the atmosphere and the scene that became the stuff of legend. Paul remained faithful to the music scene. He lived in Toronto with his wife Claire, and was involved in music every day, all day. Claire teaches classical piano, secretly regretting that she did not take up the offer to study with Oscar Peterson back in the 60s. Hoeffler continued to produce album covers and shoot today's music scene, just like he had been doing for more than 45 years. Paul Hoeffler has a long list of solo and group shows and is represented in numerous museum and private collections in Europe and North America, including the White House and the Elton John collection. His work is sold through galleries in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Harry "Big Daddy" Hypolite, 1937-2005: Harry Hypolite, the natural-born entertainer who in the last several years had finally tasted life as an in-demand bandleader, died June 22, the result of a car crash near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was 68. The guitarist nicknamed "Big Daddy" had worked as a sideman for more than 40 years, most notably in the bands of the Zydeco great Clifton Chenier and later Chenier's son C.J. He moved to the front of the stage around the time that his debut CD, Louisiana Country Boy, was released on APO Records in 2001. The record was nominated for a Handy Award in the category of "Best New Artist Debut" and propelled Hypolite to international acclaim. He performed at some of the most respected blues venues, including the Monterey Bay Blues Festival, Lucerne Blues Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Hypolite gained a reputation as a showstopper, using his huge smile and raw, autobiographical blues (some sung in Creole French) to regularly win fans and repeat bookings. Hypolite, born April 19, 1937, had said in interviews and song that his blues inspiration came starting at about age 12 when he cut sugar cane for $1 a ton around his native St. Martinville, Louisiana. He dropped out of school to work after the fourth grade and didn't learn English until about age 14, speaking until then Creole French. Still in his teens, Hypolite one night climbed atop stacked wooden soda crates and peered through a window of the Dew Drop Inn in St. Martinville to see Guitar Slim onstage. "He'd been drinking some liquor, and he got drunk and couldn't pick his guitar," Hypolite said in a 2000 interview. "Didn't nobody know who I was, and I snuck around to the side. I went into the dressing room, and I saw that guitar and I played it. Didn't nobody know I knew how to play guitar." Hypolite recalled how taken he was by the colorful suits that he used to see Guitar Slim wear. When his time came, Hypolite always dressed sharp onstage, usually in bright and bold colors. He relished the part of showman and used it to great effect. Hypolite worked part-time as a musician until the early 1980s when Clifton Chenier hired him fulltime for his Red Hot Louisiana Band. Hypolite played all over the world behind the most famous Zydeco artist there's ever been until Chenier's death in 1987. Son C.J. Chenier then took the band's reins, and Hypolite stayed on with the unit until 1999, when he left to join his nephew Nathan Williams of Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas. Though Hypolite's vocals were featured on several recordings with the Red Hot Louisiana Band, his lone recording as a leader was a long-out-of-print single for the La Louisianne label, until 2001's Louisiana Country Boy. "This is like a dream to me," Hypolite said around the time his star was rising. "It really is."

Little Milton, RIP: Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist "Little" Milton Campbell, whose gritty vocals and songwriting recalled B.B. King's rough-edged style, died on August 4, 2005. The 71-year-old Grammy-nominated guitarist and singer, known for writing and recording the blues anthem "The Blues Is Alright", never awoke from a coma following a stroke he suffered on July 27 in Memphis. Born to sharecropping farmers near the Mississippi Delta town of Inverness -- his father, "Big" Milton Campbell, was a local blues musician -- "Little" Milton picked up a guitar at age 12 and recorded his first hit for Sam Phillips' Sun Records at age 18. It was the same year the Memphis label recorded Elvis Presley for the first time. Discovered by blues-rock pioneer Ike Turner, Campbell went on to score dozens of rhythm and blues hits, and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1988. Though acclaimed in blues circles, Campbell never achieved the fame of King and some other American bluesmen. Nevertheless, his nearly constant touring took him all over the world. After signing with Bobbin Records in East St. Louis, Illinois, Campbell recorded "I'm a Lonely Man" and "That Will Never Do." A long association with Chicago's Chess Records produced the 1965 hit "We're Gonna Make It," which coincided with the civil rights movement. Other hits included "Baby I Love You," "If Walls Could Talk," "Feel So Bad," "Who's Cheating Who?" and "Grits Ain't Groceries." "Annie Mae's Cafe" and "Little Bluebird" were hits he recorded with Memphis' Stax Records, which he joined in 1971 before the label's demise. Most recently, he recorded for The Malaco Music Group in Jackson, Mississippi, for whom he produced albums entitled "Your Wife is Cheating on Us" and "A Nickel and a Nail." He received 21 Handy nominations and 6 Handy awards, in addition to his induction into the Blues Hall of Fame. The memorial service for Little Milton was held on August 10. A march down Beale was followed by a motorcade to Southhaven MS. Among others, Bobby Rush, Jimmy Vaughan, Issac Hayes, Marvin Sease and Denise LaSalle were present.

Detroit Junior, October 26, 1931 to August 9, 2005: Legendary and beloved blues pianist, vocalist and songwriter Emery "Detroit Junior" Williams, Jr., died at his Chicago home on August 9, 2005 of heart failure. He was 73. Over the course of his 50-plus year career, Detroit Junior led his own bands and appeared as a solo performer, in addition to playing in bands with Howlin' Wolf and Eddie Shaw. He wrote hundreds of songs, had numerous local successful 45s, as well as writing hits recorded by Albert King and Koko Taylor. He was a wildly entertaining performer in his own right as well, gigging constantly and recording on scores of other artists' albums, as well as four full albums under his own name. Two of his songs have become blues standards: "Call My Job," which was a hit for Albert King, and the perennial favorite, "Money Tree." Koko Taylor has recorded three of his tunes: "Tired Of That," "Thanks, But No Thanks," and "Never Trust A Man." His rambunctious personality, raspy voice and untamed stage antics (including playing the piano standing up, on his knees and from underneath) earned him many fans and friends around the world. Emery Williams, Jr. was already an experienced entertainer and piano player when he came to Chicago in 1956 from Detroit. He was originally from Haynes, Arkansas where he was born on October 26, 1931, and spent his childhood in southern Illinois. He had led his own band, the Blues Chaps, since he was 19, playing clubs in Pontiac and Flint, Michigan. For three years they were the house band at The Circle Club in Detroit, backing touring stars like Roscoe Gordon, Eddie Boyd, John Lee Hooker and Amos Milburn. Milburn was Junior's idol, and his humorous blues about the evils of alcohol inspired some of Junior's best songwriting. Blues musician Eddie Boyd first brought Junior to Chicago in the early 1950s, hoping to line up a contract for him with Chess Records. The Chess deal didn't work out at first, but Junior fell in with J.T Brown, the city's leading blues sax man. They landed a gig at Club 99, then at the legendary Squeeze Club. Junior quickly won a following with his percussive piano and energetic stage show. He paired up with harp man Little Mack Simmons, and they settled into a steady gig as house band at Cadillac Baby's South Side club. He recorded his first single, "Money Tree" backed with "So Unhappy" in 1960 for the Bea & Baby label. That record marked the first appearance of "Detroit Junior;" before that time he had been known as Little Junior Williams, and when the record became a local hit, the nickname stuck. Chess Records, sensing they had missed something, signed Junior, but subsequent singles didn't sell, and he cut for Foxy, CL and Palos before waxing his next hit, the original "Call My Job," on U.S.A., in 1965. The flipside, "The Way I Feel," a spontaneous and sensitive piano solo, proved that Junior had talent for deep blues as well as novelty tunes. During the '60s, Junior gigged with Mack Simmons, Eddie Taylor, Sam Lay and Johnny Twist. From 1968 on, he toured and recorded with the late Howlin' Wolf, playing everywhere from college auditoriums to Big Duke's Flamingo. When Wolf died in 1976, Junior stuck with the band, The Wolf Gang, under the leadership of sax man Eddie Shaw for a number of years. Detroit Junior's first full album under his own name, "Chicago Urban Blues" (on the Blues On Blues label) came out in the early 1970s. Alligator Records included four of his songs on the "Living Chicago Blues, Volume 6" anthology in 1980. From 1995 through 2004, Detroit Junior released four CDs under his own name, three for Blue Suit Records: "Turn Up The Heat" (1995), "Take Out The Time" (1997), and "Live At The Toledo Museum Of Modern Art" (2004). His most recent CD was 2004's "Blues On The Internet" on Delmark. In the last few years, Junior often appeared on the Chicago's North Side at clubs like Kingston Mines, even after losing a leg to diabetes. He was filmed for Martin Scorsese's PBS series, "The Blues," and kept on writing and performing up until his death.

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