August 2013 - MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES “Support, Promote and Preserve the Blues!” - 1
MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES The Newsletter of the MO Blues Association August 2013
to host August Jam at Mojo’s Aug 15, 2013, 8:00 p.m, at Mojo’s, Columbia MO
MO Blues fans and players, mark your calendars for August
15. Dig Nitty, a brand new band full of veteran Mid-MO
players, hosts our next jam in Columbia at Mojo’s, one of
our super-cool MO Blues member venues. Dig Nitty’s
tunes get underway at 8:00, and as usual our guest jammers
start stepping up at about 9:00. Show up at 7:00pm for the
new members’ “Meet and Greet.”
I'd like to say something to make some noise for Dig Nitty, hosting
the MO Blues Jam on Thursday, Aug 15 at Mojo's (Columbia, MO). But
the band is so new, I don't know much about us and we don't even
have a picture of us. Jerry Russo (drummer) and I first crossed
paths maybe 3 years ago and did a brief stint together in The Serious
Blues Band, during what I call "the experimental phase." John
Ashton (guitar player/vocals) is most recently from St. Louis but
spent time in other numerous places east and west, actually making a
living as a musician, impossible as that sounds. Dave West
(keyboards/vocals) is most recently from Kansas City, but like Mr.
Ashton spent some years doing nothing but playing music before he
spent time with some NGO's in Africa. And I (Dave Raithel- bass)
have been trolling bands you've seen somewhere sometime over about
20 years now, but you'd be surprised how few bar-tenders recognize
me even if I walk straight from my rig to the bar for a beer. Together,
we perform a kind of Rhythm & Blues. Hope some players and
spectators can make it out. There will be a special “Meet and Greet”
starting at 7:00pm. Hor d’oeuvres provided by MOBlues for members.
Tunes start at 8:00pm, and the jamming kicks off at 9:00pm.
WORD OUT.
- DAVE RAITHEL
MO Blues Jam
Aug 15, 2013
8:00 p.m.
at
Mojo’s
1013 Park Ave., in
Columbia MO
Hosted by
August 2013 - MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES “Support, Promote and Preserve the Blues!” - 2
MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES The Newsletter of the MO Blues Association August 2013
Typically, when one thinks about blues
music, the words "country club" are not the
first to come to mind. However, this is not the
case with the Country Club Hotel and Spa in
Lake Ozark. In the past the hotel hosted annual
jazz festivals and offered weekly Sunday Blues
Brunches. This summer the Country Club is
once again "all about the blues" as they host the
first ever Country Club Blues Bash, August 16-
17, 2013.
The Blues Bash gets off to a rollicking start
on Friday, Aug. 16 at 5 p.m. with Atlanta
bluesman Little "G" Weevil, the winner of
the solo artist category at the 2013
International Blues Challenge in
Memphis, Tenn., and is followed at
7 p.m. by Chicago's Steepwater
Band, which has shared the stage
with some of rock and roll's biggest
names, including ZZ Top, Cheap
Trick, Bad Company and Heart, to
name a few. Finishing out the evening is the
nationally celebrated Dana Fuchs Band from
Florida, which will begin at 9 p.m.
The party continues Saturday, Aug. 17 at 1
p.m. with local favorites Penny Lower and
Backbone, followed by the classic sounds of
Sugar Alley from St. Louis, Mo. at 3 p.m. The
Bel Airs, a danceable rhythm and blues outfit
out of Columbia, Mo. will take the stage at 5
p.m. and acclaimed British chanteuse Bex
Marshall, nominated for best female vocalist
for the 2013 British Blues Awards, will whip
the crowd into a frenzy at 7 p.m. Florida's
dynamic and charismatic Selwyn Birchwood
Band, this year's overall winner of the
International Blues Challenge and winner of
the Albert King award for best guitarist, will
bring the weekend to a climax with an
exuberant, high energy closing set that will
begin at 9 p.m.
Local blues heavyweight and past participant
in the International Blues Challenge, John
Gibble, better known around the Lake area as
"Johnny G" of Johnny G and the Allstars,
lent a helping hand in securing some of today's
best blues talents. "Johny G has been
instrumental in booking these great artists,”
says the hotel's general manager Ron Schlicht.
“We would not be able to have this
fantastic lineup without his
assistance."
One- and two-day Blues Bash
passes are available for purchase: a
one-day pass sells for $25 and a two-
day pass is $40. Also available are
two-day VIP passes for $100, which
include up-close seating, cocktail service and
meet-and-greets with the artists. Lodging
packages also are available for the event.
Proceeds from the event go to the Lake of the
Ozarks Blues Society scholarship fund, which
supports local Lake-area students interested in
pursuing music and other fine arts.
For more information on the Blues Bash and
the bands, visit the event's Facebook page at
www.Facebook.com/CountryClubBluesBash.
To reserve passes or lodging for the Bash, or for
information on the Country Club Hotel and
Spa, visit www.CountryClubHotel.com, or call
800-964-6698.
August 2013 - MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES “Support, Promote and Preserve the Blues!” - 3
MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES The Newsletter of the MO Blues Association August 2013
August Jam Notes - Chuck Renn
MOBLUES & Blue Max @ “The
Bridge”
The MOBlues jam headed north in June and
gathered at Wes Wingate’s place. The Bridge,
located on Walnut Street in Columbia, MO, is a
unique venue. To quote the promotional
information, “The Bridge… strives to provide
quality events and superior sound in a relaxed, yet
upscale environment.” The venue certainly lives
up to its claim. It was a great venue for MOBlues’
first Columbia jam of the season; and the local
blues crowd turned out in good numbers.
MOBlues was especially pleased to have the Blue
Max Band host the debut Columbia jam. The Blue
Max Band is fronted by John Coy, a journeyman
guitar player and singer. John is backed up by
Cody Pursifull on guitar. This combination has
really taken the Blue Max in a great direction. The
leads were tasteful and clean and the rhythm was
always spot-on. It was a truly fine combination of
guitar playing styles. The foundation was solid
behind the two guitars. Tim Shields on bass and
Don Atchley on the drums are also a couple of well
know musicians in the area. Their experience was
obvious as they worked on keeping those clock-like
groves right on time.
After Blue Max set the tone, the crowd was treated
to a bit of a different twist from a young talent.
Kicking off the jam was Colin Guill. Colin gave the
crowd a couple of standards on the harmonica.
Usually, you’ll find Colin behind the guitar but
tonight he showed another side of his musical
abilities by doing some fine work on the harp.
Then, with Dave Summer (a perennial favorite on
the harp) and Dave Raithel on bass, the jam kept
rolling down the Blues Highway. The new group
belted out some standards and the jam moved
along in that down home blues direction. Slipping
in beside Dave to do some guitar work was Dayne
Hudek. Dayne did some great work on that Fender
Strat.
Following the performance by this group, a local
favorite joined the stage. Trevor Judkin brought
out that sweet Les Paul and gave the crowd some
outstanding guitar work. The sound conjures up
the bends and tremolo of BB King, Peter Green and
Gary Moore. It was a perfect direction for the
music to take as the night rolled along.
It was getting late and there were still jammers
waiting to take a turn. Next on stage was Dave
Raye. Dave is probably most easily recognized for
his Hill Country Style guitar playing. However,
tonight was a special evening all around as Dave
also settled on the harp and few vocals to please
everyone. He did an excellent job delivering some
tunes that were pure proof that he had his mojo
working.
The hour was upon us, but the Blue Max was joined
by the last jammer. A special shout out to Scott
McCollough. Scott ended the evening with some
very fine harmonica playing behind his excellent
vocals. It was a perfect end to a great evening.
MOBlues had a great time at The Bridge and look
forward to a return visit. There were several
winners of the evening’s raffles; a special
congratulation to the winner of the tickets for The
Greatest Slide Show on Earth, featuring Iron Mike
Norton. This show is at The Bridge on August 28th.
– John Coy kicks it with Blue Max
August 2013 - MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES “Support, Promote and Preserve the Blues!” - 4
MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES The Newsletter of the MO Blues Association August 2013
The Duck Tapes by Robert Duckworth
First, a preamble: I was trying to decide who
I was going to write about this month, and I
have been torn between the great Jimmy
Bryant and James Burton. Both are extremely
important guitar players and each deserves
their own column, so these last few weeks have
been a struggle as to who gets the ink first. I
have come to realize writing a monthly article
is a lot like planning a guitar solo. You know it’s
coming up and you want to start off with a
good solid hook in the first paragraph. I read
how guitar players have their intros planned
out and start improvising from there. On the
other hand there are other players that just
breathe for a bit and sneak in. Some jazz
players do this and it gives you time to think
instead of coming in the same way all the time.
However, in an interview years ago, a certain
veteran bassist said something that has always
stuck with me. The player was John Entwistle,
and when asked his philosophy on approaching
a solo, John said he plans exactly how he will
intro and mentally construct the flow. Right
before he is given “the big nod”, he scraps the
idea and goes for broke in uncharted territory.
So, after hem-hawing the last few weeks
choosing between Bryant and Burton the
choice became clear….Mississippi Fred
McDowell. Fred is important to me for several
reasons, and I’ll go into those later, but for now
let’s just have a look at this man.
Fred was born in either 1903 or 1904 in
Rossville, Tennessee. Nobody is sure because
when you were born on a plantation, nobody
kept very accurate records. Fred would laugh at
his name, “Mississippi” Fred McDowell
because if it were to be an accurate name, he
would have been “Tennessee” Fred McDowell.
Hey… Tennessee Williams, Tennessee Ernie
Ford….it could have worked.
Fred’s earliest exposure to blues music was
Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “Black Snake Moan”,
and in his early teens, Fred decided to learn to
play guitar. His first teacher was an uncle by
the name of Gene Shields who lead a trio and
Gene played standard and slide guitar. Gene
used a smoothed
out rib bone as a
slide. (Players,
take this to heart.
You don’t need to
go to the music
store for
everything. Look
around the house
and garage first.
You never know
what you will find.) The first song Fred ever
learned was Tommy Johnson’s “Big Fat Mama
(With the Meat Shakin’ on Your Bones). He
learned it on the first string, then on two
strings, note by note. “I about worried that first
string to death, learning that song”, Fred said.
This ”note by note” style was what became
Fred’s style of playing; a very precise,
concentrated effort to have the individual notes
speak clearly, instead of blurring them
together” en mass”, like other players might.
Fred lived in Memphis in the thirties as a
laborer, and tried to master the guitar, but
didn’t own one yet.
Mississippi Fred McDowell
August 2013 - MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES “Support, Promote and Preserve the Blues!” - 5
MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES The Newsletter of the MO Blues Association August 2013
(Duck Tapes -continued from previous page)
A white man from Texas named Mr. Taylor,
whom Fred remembered as a very nice man,
gave Fred his first guitar. This was in 1941, and
Fred soon moved to Mississippi to settle down
near his sister. While living in Como, Fred
worked on that “note by note” style….worked a
LOT. In 1959, Alan Lomax came to Como,
asking if there were any local blues musicians
he should hear. Fred’s name came up pretty
fast and Alan found Fred at his home. Alan
asked if he could record him and after setting
up the recording equipment, Fred recorded
from 8pm to 7am. After they were done, Alan
said the recordings would bring Fred “fame
and fortune”.
Well, the fortune was NOT a fortune, but as
far as fame, Fred was adored in the growing
blues and jazz circles of young, white bohemian
music lovers, and at the tender age of 55, hailed
as one of the great new discoveries in the blues
world. Arhoolie and Testament issued solo
records and Fred played the 1964 Newport Folk
Festival and went over well. He toured Europe
in 1965 and again in 1969, doing especially well
in Germany and Great Britain. Keith Richards
heard Fred’s version of “You Got to Move”, and
rearranged it for the Rolling Stones album
“Sticky Fingers”.
In 1969, Fred recorded a solo record using an
electric guitar, and the reaction was mixed.
Purists didn’t want Fred to change. The record,
“I Do Not Play No Rock and Roll”, was greeted
by snobby critics claiming Fred’s charm and
subtlety were lost on such a rowdy, uncouth
instrument. Fortunately, the kids disagreed
and it became one of Fred’s bestselling records.
The tone deaf critics didn’t realize the electric
guitar “heard” Fred a lot clearer, so you
actually heard more of Fred’s “note by note”
interpretations of “Shake ‘em on Down” and
“Drop Down Mama”. Let’s face it. In the sixties,
the electric guitar got you heard by a lot more
people. I have some of Fred’s older material
and I noticed some Blind Willie Johnson style
in his work.
I first heard of Mississippi Fred from my
oldest brother’s record collection that stayed
home when he went to college in 1970 or so. It
was the record “I Do Not Play No Rock and
Roll”, and it had the song “Red Cross” on it.
Just a simple little riff in “E”, I copied it and
played the heck out of it when I was 14 years
old. I’ve said before, John Lee Hooker was the
first blues I heard. Well, Mississippi Fred was
the first blues I ever tried to PLAY. I had
bought a used Ventura 12 string for seventy
dollars from Georges Music in North Kansas
City in 1975. I had a cheap bass but wanted to
play like Jimi Hendrix when he did that 12
string acoustic version of “Hear My Train a
Coming” on the “Soundtrack from the Film,
Jimi Hendrix” album. Well, playing like Jimi
Hendrix didn’t magically appear so I focused
on Fred for a while. Remember when I said you
don’t need to always go to a music store for
everything? Well, in order to play like Fred, I
needed to get a slide. 15 year olds aren’t known
for having a lot of cash so I went into the
garage and found a set of Suzuki motorcycle
handle bars from a bike my brother kind of
wrecked. Took a pipe cutter to an end and in a
few minutes I had my first slide. I learned on
August 2013 - MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES “Support, Promote and Preserve the Blues!” - 6
MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES The Newsletter of the MO Blues Association August 2013
MO Blues – August 15 jam
8 p.m. at Mojo’s (1013 Park Ave., in Columbia)
The band Dig Nitty will host the jam.
The Raffle Prizes are going to phenomenal!
You’ve gotta come out WITH US !
(Duck Tapes -continued from previous page)
that slide, and had it probably 10 years until I lost it in a bar. That was a serious bummer, let me tell
you. As long as we are mentioning equipment, Fred’s acoustic was a wood bodied National and later
an old Hofner. His electrics were first a cheap Italian 335 style then Fred got a Gibson Trini Lopez
Standard with a Bigsby vibrato. I have one of these (sans Bigsby) and younger players say “Hey, a
guitar like Dave Grohl’s….cool”. Well, to me it’s a Fred McDowell guitar. As far as amps, Fred had a
cheap student amp for home practice but always borrowed an amp at gigs. Watching YouTube, Fred
used a thumb pick and a finger pick on his index finger. Fred’s slide was the neck from a Gordon’s Gin
bottle. He was very attached to this slide and once at a gig, Fred was frantically searching thru his
guitar case looking for his trusty gin bottle slide. His manager asked Fred what was wrong and Fred
said he couldn’t find his slide. The manager (they must have been GOOD friends) pulled the slide
from his pocket and gave it to Fred. A relieved Fred McDowell said “You know if I didn’t have that
slide we may as well have packed up and gone
home”.
I never heard Fred in much of a band setting.
The players on “I Do Not Play No Rock and Roll”
are a pickup group for the recording, so I’m
assuming Fred was pretty much a solo act.
Fred died of cancer in 1972 and when he was
buried, his name was spelled wrong and over the
years his headstone was damaged. In 1993, a new memorial was placed where the old one was and
Bonnie Raitt paid for it. There is an excellent likeness of Fred that is on the stone. Bonnie did this
because she had Fred teach her how to play slide when she was 18 years old. The old headstone was
donated to a blues museum.
In a nutshell, Fred took certain delta styles, in this case Charley Patton’s and Blind Willie
Johnson’s, and updated it with an electric guitar, giving it more presence and clarity. Give him a look
and an ear. I only have the mid-sixties Fred and the expanded version of “I Do Not Play No Rock and
Roll” on CD. There is a good amount of Fred on Youtube. Now go make a slide and for God’s sake
don’t lose it in a bar! I still miss that slide.
SIGNING OFF,
- THE DUCK.
P.S. - I burned a copy of “I Do Not Play No Rock and Roll” for my nephew about 3 years ago. I
said “Leave your door open and play it loud enough that your dad can hear it and see how fast he
comes up the stairs”. I don’t think my brother had heard that record since the mid- seventies. He
came up pretty fast.
August 2013 - MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES “Support, Promote and Preserve the Blues!” - 7
MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES The Newsletter of the MO Blues Association August 2013
“Every bad
situation is a blues
song waiting to happen.”
Amy Winehouse
MO Blues Jam Thursday, Aug. 15,
Meet and Greet 7:00 Hor d’oeuvres provided by MOBlues
Music starts 8 p.m. at
Mojo’s 1013 Park Ave., Columbia
Month Full of Blues
August 2013 Editor- Kerry Cordray
***
MO Blues Association
Board & Officers Chuck Renn –President
Bruce Edwards – Vice President Herb Kuschel – Treasurer
Sherry Hoskins – Secretary Deb Brown – Chair - Membership
Wayne Johnson – Chair - Jams Sue Barnes
Josh Bowles Bill Burnham Kerry Cordray Joyce Harkins
Julie Pappenfort Larry Zulauf
Contact Us
MO Blues Association, Inc P.O. 105758 Jefferson City, MO 65101
Web: www.MoBlues.org
Facebook and Twitter:
www.facebook.com/mobluesmissouri
Coming soon:
“The Greatest Slide Show on Earth”
Demian Band &
Iron Mike Norton
Missouri tour dates:
Aug 28 - The Bridge, Columbia
Sept. 11 - B.B.'S Jazz, Blues and
Soups, St. Louis, MO
Sept. 12 - Knuckleheads Saloon,
Kansas City, MO
August 2013 - MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES “Support, Promote and Preserve the Blues!” - 8
MONTH FULL OF THE BLUES The Newsletter of the MO Blues Association August 2013
MO Blues Association, Inc - Membership Please complete all that apply so our database stays current & helpful!
Date ___/___/___ New ___ Renewal___ Referred by: ______________________
Annual Dues by Membership Category -- Please check one:
_____ Student $15.00 _____ Band $30.00
_____ Individual $20.00 _____ Business $75.00
_____ Family $30.00 _____ Non-Profit $30.00
Name __________________________________________________________________________________________
Business, Band, Organization, Individual, Student OR List all names for family membership
Mailing Address ______________________________________________________________________________
City _______________________________________________________________State ____ Zip _______
Home Phone ___________________________________ Work Phone _______________________
Cell/Other Phone ____________________________ Fax _______________________________
Email Address (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY)
Business/Band/Non-Profit Only
Primary Contact: ______________________________ Phone: __________________________________
Website: ______________________________________ Email: ___________________________________
BANDS: Please list members’ names and email addresses on additional sheet for newsletter, jam & other
notices.
Please return with your membership fee to:
MO BLUES ASSOCIATION, INC. PO BOX 105758
JEFFERSON CITY, MO 65110 FOR BOARD USE ONLY
PAID $ __________________ (circle method of payment) Check - Cash - Online Expiration month/year _________/___________
Added to: Mailing Labels Database Email List Website (Business, Non-
Profit, Bands)
Welcome Call Welcome Letter Membership Card