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It has now been almost fifty years since established Chicago guitarist Little Smokey Smothers began mentoring and befriending the young Elvin Bishop, who came to Chicago from Tulsa in 1960 looking for the blues.

Those years have brought at least life’s share of twists and turns for each. Smothers maintained a steady but generally low profile on the windy city blues scene while Bishop gained renown with the Butterfield Blues Band and then struck out on his own noteworthy foray through blues and southern rock and, like many of his Chicago blues cohorts, relocated to the Bay Area in the late ’60s. Superb musical jamming and down home eating courtesy of Smokey’s kitchen chops have marked Elvin and his band’s Chicago visits, and Elvin and Smokey have helped each other through hard times and tough losses. Smokey’s health has been in decline in recent years, and Elvin has seized the moment to compile (with generous assistance from a number of labels and individuals) Chicago Blues Buddies, a musical monument to his friendship and musical teamwork with Smokey while all involved can savor the highly enjoyable results.

Bishop first heard and met Smothers at the legendary Blue Flame on the south side (where Smothers also gave Paul Butterfield early band experience). Smokey took note of the guitar Elvin was carrying during that first encounter, and accepted Elvin’s request for tutelage. It was soon obvious that Smokey was an exacting teacher with some definite and effective methods. “He was serious about it, you know. Well, I was too, because I wanted to learn, but he would make me get that stuff right... He would teach me the rhythm part to the tune, and he didn’t care if it took two or three days, he was going to get it through my hard head. And when I finally got it, he’d call in all the neighbors and he’d play the lead and I’d play the rhythm part... Smokey’d get mad if I didn’t get it right. He wasn’t gonna let me slide. I’d learn it halfway, I’d want to go home, he’d say ‘Naw!’ He’d take me over and have them neck bones and beans goin’ on on the stove, he said ‘come here,’ he’d lift up that lid and say ‘smell this!’ and I’d say ‘oh, that smells good!’ And he’d say ‘when you get this part, you can have some.’”

Elvin eventually more than got it right, he turned it into something of his own. His style is more jagged and raw than Smokey’s, he features his slide work, and he doesn’t invoke the jazz flavoring that gives Smokey’s playing a liquid smoothness at times, but Smokey gave him encouragement, knowledge and a level of accomplishment to which he could aspire, not to mention a strong shot of wry humor they share in their presentation. The friendship remained undiminished even while Smothers lay low musically and raised his family, and Elvin instigated and participated in Smothers’ award winning debut CD Bossman! which appeared in 1993. The two marked its release with a set together at the 1993 Chicago Blues Festival which, as one major publication put it, “tore the roof off.” In January 2000, they recorded the Alligator CD That’s My Partner live in San Francisco. In 2006 they reprised their Chicago Blues Festival collaboration, and not long afterward they teamed up again for a video and audio recording at Ground Zero in Clarksdale, MS. The bond still endures. During a June, 2009 visit to Smokey, Elvin told him “man, I love your blues. I ain’t heard nobody beat you yet. I should be able to play better, as much as you tried to teach me,” to which Smokey replied rightly, “naw, man, you playin’ your ass off!’

Their comfort level together is evident on Chicago Blues Buddies. The first two tracks come from Smokey’s Bossman! CD, with the two reminiscing, clowning and slamming out some powerhouse guitar. Smokey is up front for their Chicago Blues Festival dust-up on May 30, 1993 (Elvin had opened with a few songs of his own), but makes sure Elvin gets his slice of the musical pie, while Elvin’s band drives the proceedings in high gear, probably mindful that messing up behind Elvin’s main man and their ace local band chef and host would be a capital offense. During a post-set backstage interview, the two old and good friends bask in the glow of nostalgia and another shared musical and personal highlight. Two excerpts from That’s My Partner show how well the two complement each other stylistically while sharing basic common ground and deep empathy, and Smokey’s personality shines through “Little Red Rooster.” A pair of songs from Ground Zero give the listener a rousing musical sendoff.

It’s straight from the heart when Smokey says of Elvin “he’s a helluva guitar player now. He really came through for me!” Now, as he has so many times over half a century, Elvin has come through once again for Smokey with Chicago Blues Buddies, a portrait of music and friendship of rare and lasting quality.

Miss the show? Hear Elvin on Prairie Home Companion here! http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2008/10/25/index.shtml

Elvin Bishop Elvin Bishop Elvin on Prairie Home Companion this weekend with Garrison Keillor! Visit http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/ for times in your area.

Category 66:
Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

The Blues Rolls On
Elvin Bishop
[Delta Groove Music, Inc.]

Complete List on Grammy.com

Elvin Bishop's new CD, "The Blues Rolls On" hits stores and online retail outlets today!

 

Download it from iTunes

or get it from Amazon.com

You can still get a free download of the track "Struttin' My Stuff" featuring Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes. Just visit his iLike page and click on 'Free Mp3' and it's yours –free!

(Note: Please be aware that all the links above will direct you away from MySpace)

Elvin Bishop is also currently on tour so be sure to check his profile for updated tour information about a show near you! http://www.myspace.com/elvinbishopmusic

As always, thanks for the continued support!

"The Blues Rolls On" is about what a beautiful thing it is how the blues continues to flow from one generation to the next. It's some tunes from guys who helped me early in my career – Junior Wells, Hound Dog Taylor, Paul Butterfield and others, sung by some dynamite guys coming up now. Some of these fellas are fairly unknown now, but won't be long. I also asked some really famous guys like B.B. King, James Cotton, Kim Wilson, George Thorogood, Tommy Castro, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks to participate. "

Elvin Bishop's recordings have always been extra full of a blues-drenched, rocking, good -timing vibe that's called many a listener to "party 'til the cows come home!" over the last four-plus decades and carved himself and his signature songs a beloved place in the music scene. But "The Blues Rolls On" is different, and special. It's Elvin's celebration of both his inspirations and the ongoing bearers of the blues torch. Elvin has gathered a dizzying guest roster aged 9 through 82, and applied them and his songwriter's and musician's skills to a cohesive, well-rounded and personally meaningful repertoire, recorded in settings ranging from Jacksonville, Florida through Clarksdale, Mississippi all the way to a cruise ship off the Mexican coast. He harkens back to his youth in Tulsa and the blues radio that caught his ear, through his years in Chicago where he attended the University Of Chicago and got his serious blues education in the city's ghetto streets, bars and the homes of some generous mentors like Little Smokey Smothers and Sammy Lawhorn, through the Paul Butterfield Blues Band epoch to his solo career as a master of blues and a hero to southern rockers. THE BLUES ROLLS ON makes it as easy to be excited about the future of the blues as it is to appreciate its past and what the blues have meant to Elvin Bishop.

The Blues Rolls On: Kim Wilson and Warren Haynes help Elvin set the theme. "Everybody knows and loves Kim Wilson from his work with the Fabulous Thunderbirds. That's the best third position harp playing I ever heard on 'The Blues Rolls On.'" Warren and Elvin each add some dynamic slide guitar.

Night Time: Vocalists John Nemeth and Angela Strehli join Elvin to evoke Ray Charles, whom he vividly remembers seeing during his Tulsa youth. "I went to see Ray Charles at the Big Ten Ballroom in 1958. They would stretch a rope from the front to the back and white people had to stand on the left of the rope, black people on the right. He had his great band with all the fantastic horn players and the Raelettes and put on a show I'll never forget. I wouldn't have had the nerve to record a Ray Charles song if I hadn't had the help of two of my favorite singers in the world – John is originally from Boise, Idaho, has three albums out, sings and plays harmonica, everything he does is just right and he tears this song up royally. Angela Strehli from Texas, whose latest album is BLUE HIGHWAY, is a very nice person and her singing has that soulful ring of truth."

Yonders Wall: Over four decades after Elvin recorded this with Paul Butterfield, he collaborated with longtime good friend guitarist/vocalist Ronnie Baker Brooks and the Tommy Castro Band on the October 2007 Legendary R & B Cruise off the Pacific coast of Mexico. The genesis of this song really reflects the way the blues does roll on, from Big Boy Crudup via Elmore James to Paul Butterfield to Tommy and Ronnie. "When they sing the line 'your man went to the war,' I think they all could have been talking about different wars – World War II, Korea, Vietnam and now Iraq."

Struttin' My Stuff: With members of his '70s band and special guests, Elvin pulls "Struttin'" into the 21st century! "I jammed with the Allman Brothers Band at the Beacon Theater in 2007, for the first time since the days of Duane and Dickie. It was with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Wow – unbelievable musicians. When Warren told me he used to play Struttin' My Stuff as a sixteen-year-old in a bar band, I said 'we gotta do it.' It's not exactly blues, but it's a good example of how the music flows from one generation to the next, and boy did they tear it up."

Keep A Dollar In Your Pocket: Elvin got this one from drummer-vocalist-bandleader Roy Milton, who shares an Oklahoma connection – Roy was born on an Indian reservation there in 1907. B.B. King collaborates and reminisces; the relaxed swing but deep overall feel of the song and the clear, genuine rapport between Elvin and B.B. make this a highlight. "B.B.'s the most important guy in the blues. I've been listening to him since the fifties and have known him since we played together at the old Fillmore in the mid sixties. He was nice enough to invite me to his room at the Fairmont Hotel, where I found him on his bed surrounded by sheet music, working away on scales and exercises. After we had a long talk, he called up a barbeque place in Oakland and had two orders of 'dry-fried' ribs delivered. Oh yeah! B.B. provided a great example for a young musician like myself – he taught me a lot about developing a habit of self-improvement and valuing the music over some of the BS aspects of the music business."

Who's The Fool: Elvin's slide guitar playing is supplemented by John Nemeth's vocals, and fast-rising Norwegian-turned-Californian Kid Andersen (taking the first solo) and Mighty Mike Schermer (handling the other solo duties) on guitar. "Who's The Fool by Singin' Sammy Ward was a hit in Chicago, and probably not much of anywhere else. Butterfield used to sing it a lot, but never recorded it."

Black Gal: "I loved zydeco blues, especially Clifton Chenier's music. He was a good hangin'-out buddy, and I got to play on one of his albums in the early 1970s. Black Gal is one of Clifton's best blues, sung by R.C. Carrier, who played rub-board for Clifton, with accordion by Andre Thierry, the hottest young zydeco player on the west coast."

Oklahoma: This typically wry autobiographical tale of his roots and journey features just "me and my foot."

Come On In This House: This Junior Wells song is a Clarksdale recording with a band from Tupelo, Mississippi, Homemade Jamz. "They're a young group. [At the time of the session, guitarist/vocalist Ryan Perry was fourteen, bassist Kyle Perry was eleven, and their drummer sister Taya was all of nine years old.] The kids, their mom and dad, they're the nicest family in the world, and on their way to success."

I Found Out: James Cotton, saxophonist Terry Hanck and John Nemeth are part of this version of a little-known but locally popular 1966 45 by Junior Wells. "I got with Junior through Sammy Lawhorn, a sweet guy with a sweet guitar style. We used to practice together and hang out. Sammy was playing with Junior, but Muddy Waters called him to do a tour down south. He told me Junior wanted me to play with him for two weeks and he showed me the songs. So I tried my best to learn them and the next Tuesday I went down to the Blue Flame Club. I introduced myself to Junior and it was plain that this was the first he had heard about it – Sammy was scared to tell him. He took me in the back, pulled out his harmonica, and checked me out to see if I knew the tunes. He was really nice. He let me do the gig. I was pretty green, but it worked out okay... I met James Cotton, one of the greatest harmonica players in the history of blues, when he was with the Muddy Waters Band in 1960 and we're still good friends. This is the first recording we've made together since 1963. Terry Hanck is a great tenor sax man, bandleader, songwriter and singer who deserves to be a lot better known."

Send You Back To Georgia: Hound Dog Taylor made this Timmy Shaw record his own; here Elvin and George Thorogood honor the colorful Chicago slide master who was another early bandleader for Elvin. "Hound Dog played in small clubs with no stages, and set up the instruments right down on the floor with the people, just like the juke joints down south. Hound Dog would be hollerin' and sweatin' and really jammin' with the people. George Thorogood told me he used to open for Hound Dog a lot when he started out, and I can see a lot of Hound Dog in him, the way he just goes for it, and he can hit notes on the guitar that are musically 'wrong' and make people love it."

Honest I Do: Elvin goes back to the beginnings of his Blues Awareness in Tulsa for this nod to Jimmy Reed, in the company of John Nemeth on harmonica and ex-John Lee Hooker guitarist and Chicago-to-California transplant Rich Kirch playing the answer figures. "The one thing they couldn't segregate was the airwaves, and I still remember some of the first blues I ever heard, on WLAC in Nashville late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping. Jimmy Reed's high wailing harmonica cutting through the static to the orange glow of the radio's tubes in the dark." As usual on this song, Elvin lets his slide guitar handle the "singing."

In Elvin's words, "I've been at it for over 45 years – I'm amazingly lucky to have met so many great musicians and beautiful people in the blues. I bet I'm the only guy in the world who has played with Big Joe Williams, Little Walter, Jimi Hendrix and Derek Trucks. Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma when I did, the odds were low I'd ever grow up to be a blues musician. When I heard blues, I said this is where the good part of rock and roll is coming from! It was like a billion volts shooting through my body – and I went after it like a dog on a bone." Elvin sees "The Blues Rolls On" as "a chance to pass along to the younger generation some of what the older guys gave me." But he's due some thanks too, for pulling together a project where greatness and love are on equal and obvious display. With all the distinguished artists involved, numerous touches like B.B. King's easy geniality and Elvin's own substantial musical foundation and sure guiding hand remind the listener that only Elvin Bishop could have made this package of delights what it is: a joy to hear, an invitation to a lot of smiling, foot tapping and dancing, and a cornerstone of his legacy. – Dick Shurman (blues producer and historian)