Hank Williams for Mother's Best Flour

Hank in the Slammer, 1951.

Hank in a good mood.

Hank Williams & the Drifting Cowboys Hank Williams: The Ole Sorry Ass, Himself. Hank on TV, except the camera doesn't seem to be plugged in. Hank Williams with the Drifting Cowboys in a peculiar pose.

Where the lost highway ended, Hank in his casket, 1953.

You're not really dead unless you have the paperwork to prove it, Hank's death certificate.

Dorks like Bruce Springsteen make a big deal about not taking advertising money, but that's because they don't need the money. I hate that holier than thou shit. Radio never played the Stooges, so if people hear 'em on TV commercials, good for the Stooges, who deserve a pay day.

Ray Charles (Pepsi), Jimmy Reed (Gypsy Rose Wine), Little Richard (Royal Crown hair dressing), Sonny Boy Williamson (King Biscuit Flour), the Rolling Stones (Rice Krispies), Dave Bartholomew (Jax beer) , and Howlin' Wolf (C.V. Wine), all did commercials, and it didn't hurt their music one bit. For several years Hank Williams did a morning radio show (this one, aimed at the rural farm crowd was 7:00-7:15 AM, ouch!) for various sponsors, the ones presented here were for Mother's Best Flour. Here are five airchecks, they're fifteen minutes each, and are presented exactly they way they were heard back in 1949-50 when they were aired. There are some songs he never recorded commercially as well as some of his hits. Even his wisecracks are sometimes pretty funny, and he's singing his ass off on most of these tunes. Hell, even tin-eared wife Audrey doesn't sound so bad. Enjoy: Hank Williams' Mother's Best Show: #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5.

Some fun facts about Hank Williams:

*His favorite song was Death Is A Dream, here's the best version (by Rev. Edward Clayborn "the Guitar Evangelist").

*His favorite saying was "Don't worry, nuthin's goin' be alright anyhow".

*He died from a combination of alcohol, morphine and chloral hydrate.

*Had he lived, he might have invented rockabilly, since in his final years he had chronic hiccups (the day before he died his doctor gave him two morphine shots for the hiccups).

*His real name was Hiriam, he named himself Hank as a kid.

* He charged admission to his second marriage (to Billy Jean Jones), and sold out four shows, so he married her four times (if they got divorced would he have had to pay four alimonies?).

* He's playing the guitar solo on his version of My Bucket's Got A Hole In It. He's pretty good too.

* For a really great look at Hank's final days, check out John Gilmore's Laid Bare.

Doctor Ross

Doctor Ross holding his weapon at parade rest.

Waving goodbye, the last photo taken of Dr. Ross, 1993 (photo by Dan Rose)

Playing left handed and upside down.

Some European TV Show, mid-60's.

In his final months, still rockin'....

Charles Isaiah Ross was born in Tunica, Mississippi on October 21, 1925. That's on Highway 61, about 40 miles south of Memphis, a few miles east of the Mississippi river. He wasn't a real doctor, the title added to front of his name was a nickname said to come from his habit of carrying his harmonicas and a bottle of booze in a black, doctor's bag. He was one of eleven children who grew up on a plantation, working the fields. His father Jake taught him to play harmonica. He did two stints in the army and by 1951 was back in Mississippi trying to make a living with his harmonica. Soon he was appearing on various radio stations including KFFA in Helena, Arkansas (where Sonny Boy Williamson hosted the King Biscuit Flour Hour), KLCN in Blyetheville, Arkansas, WROX in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and WDIA in Memphis where he was billed as "Medical Director of the Royal Amalgamated Association of Chitlin' Eaters of America". In 1951 he was one of the first musicians to be recorded by Sam Phillips at his newly christened Memphis Recording Service, and on November 21st of that year recorded several songs, two of which Phillips would send north to brothers Leonard and Phil Chess in Chicago who released them on their Chess label-- Doctor Ross Boogie b/w Country Clown (Chess 1504), on which Ross was accompanied by only guitarist Wiley Galatin (although the label credited "his Jump and Jive Boys", only Ross and Galatin can be heard on the record). It was a good a start in show biz, although not a hit, it was certainly a unique sounding record. Although quite rare today in its original Chess pressing, someone must have bought it because Phillips called Ross back for another session in early '52, this time Ross was playing guitar himself, upside down since he was left handed, and brought along pianist Henry Hill and the clattering washboard playing of Reuben Martin. Five or more songs were recorded that day, none of which saw release until the 70's when they'd show up on various Arhoolie and Charley albums, the best of which was a version of Polly Put The Kettle On, a song much older than the blues. A year later Phillips had Ross back in the studio again, this time without the piano player, and among the tunes he waxed were his first Sun release-- Chicago Breakdown b/w Texas Hop (Sun 193), a clattering, rocking, boogie on both sides of the shellac. Another year passed, by now Ross was mastering his one man band approach to music, playing guitar, harmonica and drums simultaneously. But when Phillips recorded him in July of '54 (only weeks before Elvis' first session) he used Tom "Slam Hammer" Troy on second guitar and drummer Bobby Parker, although I can't hear a second guitar, perhaps one of them was unplugged. The disc issued from that session-- Boogie Disease b/w Jukebox Boogie (Sun 212) was an absolute classic, and perhaps the finest song ever written about the clap (the Flamin' Groovies would re-arrange it and record it as Dr. Boogie on their 1971 classic Teenage Head, giving themselves writing credit). "I may get better, but I'll never get well...gimme one of them penicillin shots"! shouts the good Doctor over a distorted blues shuffle. Phillips would record Ross only one more time in a solo session from which no discs would be issued until the titles showed up on an Arhoolie LP (and later extended CD) in the 70's and the Charley Sun Blues Box in the 80's.

Meanwhile, Ike Ross as his friends knew him packed up and headed north looking for work, landing in Flint, Michigan (later home to ? & the Mysterians, the greatest and longest running American rock'n'roll band ever, and Terry Knight & the Pack who would morph into Shea Stadium packing Grand Funk Railroad). Ross got a job on the G.M. assembly line, which he would hold down for the next thirty years, from here on music would be a sideline.

On the music front, in 1958, Doctor Ross tried his hand at the record biz, releasing his next disc on his own DIR (guess what that stand for?) label-- Industrial Boogie b/w 32-20 (DIR 101). Although recorded with just an acoustic guitar, Industrial Boogie showed the change in his music working on the assembly line brought. His sound now had the churning, propulsive rhythm of an automobile plant. But running your own label after eight hours on the line is hard work, and he would release no more discs on DIR. In 1959 he was recording for Jack and Devora Brown's Fortune label, and backed by a group called the Orbits, about which we know nothing other than their name, he cut his greatest masterpiece-- Cat's Squirrel b/w The Sunnyland (Fortune 857), it's thundering beat takes the normal blues/boogie shuffle and turns it into a supercharged throb. The tune would be covered by U.K. rock bores Cream in '68, I hope Ross got a big check out of that deal.

Doctor Ross was back in Fortune's back room studio in 1961 where he recorded with Little Joe's Band, a double sided winner-- Cannonball b/w Number's Blues issued on Fortune's HiQ subsidiary (HiQ 5027), and again in '63 recording as a one man band on Call The Doctor b/w New York Breakdown (HiQ 5033). His fourth session (date unknown) saw him backed by a group called the Disciples of Soul and the single issued as Fortune 538-- Sugar Mama b/w I'd Rather Be An Old Woman's Baby Than An Young Girl's Slave was released. Fortune had amassed enough tunes to issue an LP, bearing the same unweildly title as his last b-side, it featured such classics as I Am Not Dead and My Black Name Ringing as well as the best of his Fortune 45's.

By 1965 the white blues audience had "rediscovered" (as if he'd been lost) Doctor Ross, who was recorded solo at the University of Chicago and then again for the Testement label. He began doing package tours of Europe were he entertained other blues singers on the tour bus by dancing something called "The Flying Eagle". He cut an LP on Blue Horizon called The Flying Eagle, so rare only a handful of copies have ever been seen. He also cut live LP's in Germany, Switzerland and maybe a few others I missed out on. He even had a track on the Grammy winning LP Rare Blues in 1981. In Japan, P-Vine issued a now rare LP of his best Sun recordings. Despite all this activity he still worked at G.M. to pay the rent and it's unlikely he ever saw any royalties other than some songwriting mechanicals for Cream's version of Cat Squirrel. He finally retired from G.M. in 1992. A year later, a day before he was to begin filming his first film role, in Dan Rose's Wayne County Ramblin' (an indie feature starring Iggy Pop along with appearances by Jeff "Mono Man" Connelly, the late Bill Pietsch, the Dirtbombs' Mick Collins, Nathaniel Mayer (the narrator), Tav Falco, Lorette Velvette, and Otha Turner amongst others), he died of a heart attack. I was supposed to have him on my radio show a few days later. Doctor Ross was as great and unique an artist as had ever been heard in American music, and one of only two to have cut sides for both Sun and Fortune Records, perhaps the two greatest and strangest labels ever (the other was Johnny Powers). An illustrated discography can be found here. Doctor Ross, they sure don't make 'em like that anymore. Come to think of it, they only made one of 'em like that back then.

Gillian's Found Photo #40

"A few lives were taken in defense of life, home or property but most occurred in what Kentucky law terms "sudden heat of passion". Such cases arise in "sudden affray", when the killer is aroused by such provocation on the part of the person slain as "is reasonably calculated to arouse the passions of an ordinarily prudent person beyond his control". When such a killing occurs, Kentucky law permits the jury to reduce the homicide from murder to manslaughter and to impose a relatively lenient prison sentence. This is precisely what occurred in most cases." --from Night Comes To The Cumberlands by Harry M. Caudill (Jesse Stuart Foundation, 2001)

Gene Vincent & the Bluecaps

Gene Vincent in a typically tortured pose.

With the Blue Caps and white Stratocaster, where's that Strat today?

Clapper boys Paul Peek and Tommy Facenda in green jackets.

More pix from the same photo shoot.

Johnny Meeks, second from right replaced Cliff Gallup in early '57.

The Blue Caps were colorful even in black and white. Cliff Gallup on the left.

From the TV show Town Hall Party, 1958.

From the movie Hot Rod Gang. 1965, already looking old.

Gene Vincent. He sure was photogenic. I thought I'd share these photos, outtakes from photo sessions of which you've probably seen the more common shots. Gene had a short and sad life. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Feb. 11, 1935, Vincent Eugene Craddock joined the Navy at age sixteen and was discharged after a motorcycle accident shattered his leg. While recuperating, he wrote the song Be-Bop-A-Lula which came to the attention of Sheriff Tex Davis who became Gene's manager. After cutting a demo at a local radio station, Davis took it to Capitol Records' A&R man/producer Ken Nelson who brought Gene and his newly assembled band-- the Blue Caps to Owen Bradley's Nashville studio to cut it with three other tunes in May of '56. Capitol issued it in June with the incredible Woman Love on the flip side (kicking off years of debate as to if Gene is saying "huggin'" or "fuckin'" underneath all that echo). Be-Bop-A-Lula shot to #1, most people thought it was the new Elvis record (including Elvis' mom who sent Elvis a post card to congratulate him on his latest smash). Gene never could follow up the incredible sucess of Be-Bop-A-Lula but he cut five great albums for Capitol-- Bluejean Bop, Gene Vincent & the Blue Caps, Gene Vincent Rocks...and the Bluecaps Roll, A Gene Vincent Record Date and Sounds Like Gene Vincent (a sixth album Crazy Beat was issued in the UK), as well as a couple of dozen great singles, many of which aren't on the albums. The Blue Caps were an incredible band, their first lead guitarist-- Cliff Gallup a rather anti-social genius who played with a flat pick and two finger picks, quit the band in early '57 and was replaced by Johnny Meeks who was nearly as good. The other original members- Willie Williams- guitar, Jack Neal- upright bass and Dickie Harrel (who cut a solo LP for Capitol of all drum solos)- drums stayed together until late '57 until drifting off one by one. The ever changing line up included two "clapper boys" who basically jumped around the stage since Gene, with his bum leg, was basically immobile. One of these guys was Paul Peek who was responsible for Gene seeing Esquerita who he brought to Capitol in 1958. Peek also cut a couple of excellent singles for NRC including The Rock A-Round with Esquerita on piano. The other, Tommy Facenda is best remembered for the single High School USA which was issued in fifty different versions with local high schools named for each region. By 1958 Bobby Jones who had replaced Jack Neal was playing electric bass and the sound of the Blue Caps was never quite the same, although they still made some great records including Get It with Eddie Cochran's voice quite audible singing back up. Here's a few more favorite tunes that never made it to 45-- Flea Brain, Cruisin', Rollin' Danny, Brand New Beat, and Time Will Bring You Everything (Gene really excelled at ballads).

When Gene's raw style of rock'n'roll went out of style in the U.S. he headed for the U.K. where promoter Jack Good dressed him up in a leather sweat suit. The Teddy Boys loved Gene and he was always a good draw in England. He married Mickie Most's sister Shelia and cut some sub-par discs over there. In the U.K. he was in a car accident that killed his best pal Eddie Cochran, and aggravated his already painful leg injury. When he parted ways with Capitol he cut some good, almost garage band style sides for Challenge (the best being Bird Doggin') and two mediocre LP's for Dandelion.

Gene was a bad alcoholic who blew through his money in record time, he had plenty of problems with the IRS, alimony, and his own self destructive behavior. He drank himself to death, his liver finally packing it in in October of '71. He was only 36 when he died. He was drunk, bloated, paranoid, and broke. Gene's final days are as sad as it gets. But these photos remind us of Gene Vincent, when he really was Gene Vincent. A photogenic little greaseball if there ever was one.

The Stooges- Raw Power for ever....

Iggy Pop & the Stooges Hari Krishna Hippie Music Fest 1970
Uploaded by super8monsters. - See the latest featured music videos. Goose Creek Festival, Zander's last stand. The Stooges upstairs at Max's, Aug. 73 (photo by Danny Fields) copyright C Danny Fields

The Stooges 1971 (photo by Peter Hujar)

The late Ron Asheton after hearing his bass mixed out of Raw Power. (photo by Jenny Lens).

The Stooges in San Francisco, 1970 (the Flamin' Groovies were on the same bill). Photographer unknown.

I've been living with and playing Iggy and the Stooges' Raw Power since I was thirteen, thirty eight years ago. Every nuance is seared onto my hardrive. I've heard every outtake, alternate mix, live tape, and rehearal that's ever made it to tape, wax or cd. At age fourteen I ran away from home and hitchhiked over six hundred miles to see them play at Richard's in Atlanta. I still get excited when I hear it, even if it's on a TV commercial.

So here I sit, with an advanced copy of Sony's latest attempt to pry every last buck out of the mighty Stooges moniker, a three CD + one "The Making Of Raw Power" DVD (which isn't in my package as it's not done yet) Raw Power: Deluxe Edition. It has no cover or artwork yet, just three CD's with the track listings on stickers on the back and a bunch of press releases.

I have no idea what Sony plans to charge for such an item, but here's what you get. One disc of the original "David Bowie"mix of Raw Power. On live disc recorded at Richard's in Atlanta in the fall of '73, probably the best sounding live Stooges recordings to surface. A slew of "bonus studio tracks", some of which have been out before, and a few that will be new to everyone. The three tunes never heard before are-- Doojiman, I'm Hungry, and Hey Peter. There's also an alternate take of I Got A Right, different from the old Siamese 45, I'm Sick Of You (same as the Bomp EP), alternate mixes of Shake Appeal and Death trip (from "recently discovered alternate mix reels"), and the Japanese 45 mixes of Raw Power and Search & Destroy, oh yeah, there's two tracks from Iggy's godawful 1997 re-mix. Shall I go into more detail? Either you could care less and have already stopped reading this, or you need to know exactly what this stuff is, so here goes.

A few things I should get out of the way first. I'm not one to argue Funhouse versus Raw Power, Ron Asheton versus James Williamson. I love 'em both, they're very different records, and they were very different guitar players. Anyone who has made it through the entire Funhouse Sessions box (which means mentally you're as far gone as me, perhaps you should seek professional help) has to admit, that on Funhouse, the Stooges picked the best of what they had, the takes they used were pretty much the peak of their abilities at the time. It's fun to hear all the outtakes and variations, but they knew when they had nailed a tune. Oddly enough, on the box you never get to hear the final versions that were on the LP with Ron's rhythm guitar overdubs.

Raw Power has always been problematic as a production since half the band-- drummer Scott Asheton and bass player (who had been the guitarist on the Stooges first album and Funhhouse, do I have to explain all this?) Ron Asheton were basically mixed off the record, they're barely audible. Either they were mixed off, or their parts never made it to tape. Accusations have flown for years as to who is to blame. One version says that they recorded on a sixteen track machine and left thirteen tracks empty, I find this hard to believe, no engineer would make such a bonehead error.

When it came time to re-mix the thing in 1996, Iggy Pop simply made his vocals louder, took the effects off the guitar parts and pushed the nobs into the red creating an ugly digital distortion, very different from analog distortion, since digital doesn't decay when the signal returns. Personally, I think the vocals and guitars were fine on the original Bowie mix, all that it needed was for the drums and bass to re-appear. I hated Iggy's re-mix, and when I spoke to Ron Asheton about it in 2001 he agreed it was awful and the Bowie mix sounded brilliant in comparison. Is anyone still reading?

I'm resigned to the fact that we'll never hear the bass and drums on Raw Power. I've given up hope. I have pledged to simply enjoy it for what it is, one of the greatest rock'n'roll albums ever made. So as far as the three cd's worth of music here's what you get for your money:

One CD of the Bowie mix of Raw Power, re-mastered, it sounds as good as it's going to sound. The belch before the song Raw Power which was edited out of the first CD version has been restored. Gotta have the belch. One live CD recorded at Richard's in Atlanta, the fall of '73. It's the best sounding live document of the (pre-reformation) Stooges I've heard and captures them on a white hot night. I was there. The set list from '73 was four tunes from Raw Power-- Raw Power, Gimme Danger, Search & Destroy, and I Need Somebody, along with newer tunes-- Head On, Heavy Liquid, Cock In My Pocket, and Open Up and Bleed. If you're a fan you've heard these tunes on various bootlegs. There's plenty of Iggy's bizarre between song patter, some of it confrontational, but the audience this time is on Iggy's side, unlike the other (sort of) official released live album Metallic K.O. where the audience is there for a fight. Keep in mind this post-Raw Power tour was the begining of Iggy's season in hell. He'd end up a year or so later, homeless, wandering the streets of Hollywood, strung out and near total collapse before checking himself into a mental hospital, the first step in an amazing story of survival and eventually triumph.

Now what about those outtakes on disc three? None of them sound like finished tunes. Doojiman is a wordless jam, Iggy making jungle noises while James Williamson and Scott Asheton jam on simple riff. I'm Hungry is an early version of Penetration, different lyrics, it's obvious the song has yet to jell, but the Stooges hammer out the riff for nearly four minutes as Iggy improvises over it. Hey Peter is another loose jam, a riff and some off the cuff banter suffice as lyrics, it's unlike anything else they recorded at this period. In fact, it's the closest they come to sounding like a "normal" rock band. Nitebob who worked for the Stooges during that time said it reminded him of early Aerosmith, I have to agree. The Japanese 45 rpm versions of Raw Power and Search and Destroy, which are on the CD's I have but will only appear on a bonus 45 on the final package are cool to have, but I don't hear a whole lot of difference. In fact, the Japanese 45 sounds pretty much just like the American 45 (the b-side of which was an edited version of Penetration, not included here*). Which doesn't sound all that different from the album. Maybe it's my tinnitus, but the differences are fairly negligible. There's two songs from Iggy's re-mix-- Gimme Danger and You're Pretty Face Is Going To Hell, I'm not sure why they're here. As mentioned earlier, I Got A Right is an earlier sounding version that the old Siamese 45, and a great, primitive version at that. I'm Sick Of You is the same take used on the old Bomp EP. Shake Appeal and Death Trip are "alternate mix versions from recently discovered alternate mix reels". Yet more mixes and still not much bass guitar or drums, but still fun to hear. Since these advanced CD's are digitally watermarked I can't post any tunes for you without getting somebody in trouble, sorry, you'll just have to wait to hear 'em. The final package will also have the documentary DVD, I can't tell you much about it, but there's not a lot of footage of the Stooges, I hope they use as much as they can find.

So there you go, you either love the Stooges and are going to buy this sucker (I know I will, even though I have the advanced promo package), or you don't care and have stopped reading in the first paragraph. As Easter approaches, the thought in my mind is that Jesus loves the Stooges, and all they stand for. RIP: Ron Asheton, Dave Alexander, Tommy "Zeke" Zettner, and

Bill Cheetam.

Addendum: The Stooges will be playing at this year's Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Seymour Stein and Jaan Wenner's Buttplugs where they will also receive their bowling trophies. The other inductees include Genesis (and I don't mean P Orridge) and Abba. What do you think Rock Action has to say to Phil Collins? Well, now they're officially as "important" as Art Garfunkel and Stephen Stills. Anyway, the line up will be Iggy, Scott Asheton, James Williamson, Mike Watt, Scotty Mackay and Scott Thurston, or so the rumor mill has it. Six Stooges onstage--that'll be a first.

* Sundazed has re-issued the 45 versions of Search & Destroy b/w Penetration, as well as a high quality pressing of the Bowie mix of Raw Power on nice, thick vinyl. The 45 is virtually the same as my stock copy of the American 45, with a nice picture sleeve. Sundazed does really quality work. A totally class label.

Gillian's Found Photo #39

This week the Fang's phound foto comes with no information as to where and when it was taken, but judging by the hair do's and clothes I'd put it around '66. My guess is the two brunettes are in a band together, the two blondes their fans and/or groupies. There were plenty of girl groups back then-- the Liverbirds, Goldie & the Gingerbreads, the Belles, etc. who played their own instruments. Check out this website for the Lady Birds who played topless!

Of course, these could just be college students who sang folk songs on the Quad between classes, but somehow I don't think so. What do you think?

Ike Turner- Talent Scout 1951-52

An early Ike Turner production.

Ike recorded this Elmore James disc in an empty nightclub in Canton, Mississippi.

Me and Ike, 1991 with the Crown LP and a bad hangover (worst photo of me ever).

Ike's response to Tina in autograph form, notice the spelling error.

Ike Turner, 1974, dressed to audition for The Band?

Howlin' Wolf, Ike produced some of his best sides.

Elmore James and friend, Ike recorded him in a club in Canton, Mississippi.

Blues singers waiting to audition for Ike Turner, Mississippi, 1951.

In the years 1951-52 Ike Turner was employed by the Bihari brothers-- Joe, Jules and Saul who owned the Modern/RPM/Blues & Rhythm/Kent family of labels in Hollywood, California.

The Bihari's seen their sales in the "race" market skyrocket when they acquired the services of such downhome blues singers as John Lee Hooker (whose Boogie Chillen went to #1 R&B), Lightnin' Hopkins and Smokey Hogg. These artists had all been with smaller labels and the Bihari's bought out their contracts. They had set up a deal to buy blues masters recorded in Memphis from Sam C. Phillips who had just opened his own recording studio. Phillips began sending them masters of Joe Hill Louis, Rosco Gordon, Howlin' Wolf, and B.B. King before they had a falling out over Phillips' similar arrangement with the Chess brothers in Chicago. When Phillips sent Chess top ten hits by Howlin' Wolf (Moanin' At Midnight) and Jackie Breston (Rocket 88), the Bihari's stopped dealing with him, and started suing the Chess brothers (they would win the services of Rosco Gordon, Chess got Howlin' Wolf).

Ike had been recording for Sam Phillips and was pissed off at him when Rocket 88 came out credited not to Ike Turner & his Kings of Rhythm but under the name of saxophonist/vocalist Jackie Breston & his Delta Cats. Breston immediately quit Turner's band and hit the road to capitalize on his hit. He'd be back in a few years, but meanwhile Turner had worked out a deal with the Bihari's where he'd record his own band as well as producing sessions for other artists.

The complete Ike Turner output for the Bihari's can be found on the Japanese P-Vine double CD Ike Rocks The Blues (with the same goofy Fazio painting on the cover as the old Crown album seen above). Ike took to producing sessions around Memphis and when he sent the Bihari's a hit by B.B. King they put him on salary as a talent scout and soon Turner, sometimes with Jules Bihari in tow, was driving around the south accumulating masters. He recorded some fine sides with Howlin' Wolf (including one of my all time favorites House Rockin' Boogie) and Elmore James (whom the Bihari's had lured away from Lillian McMurray's Trumpet label and gave to their older brother Lester for his Flair/Meteor imprint), whom Ike tracked down and recorded at an empty nightclub in Canton, Mississippi. Among the highlights are Hawaiian Boogie where Ike can be heard playing second guitar and Canton, Mississippi Breakdown with Ike at the piano. One, however doesn't find a Howlin' Wolf or an Elmore James everyday, even back then when the pickings were far more fertile, and on these road trips Ike recorded many second string bluesman, and made some excellent sides with them.

At a session held in Greenville, Mississippi in January of '52 Ike recorded guitarist Boyd Gilmore at the empty Club Casablanca with himself playing the piano.

Gilmore was said to be a cousin of Elmore James', and recorded Ramblin' On My Mind b/w Just An Army Boy (Modern) and All In My Dreams b/w Take A Little Walk With Me (Modern)--crude, juke joint blues sides in a solid Elmore James mold. In fact, to spice up All In My Dreams, back in Hollywood, the Bihari's had an engineer take a piece of tape from an Elmore James session with Elmore playing his signature riff, and spliced it into the Gilmore master!

Charley Booker, who himself had recorded for Sam Phillips (the great, but not issued for four decades I Walked All Night), also recorded that day and his sides-- Rabbit Blues b/w No Ridin' Blues (Blues & Rhythm) and Moonrise Blues b/w Charley's Boogie Woogie (Modern), are more of the same, the sound of a Mississippi juke joint on any Saturday night. Primitive, distorted, loose, and wild. Nothing sounds like this anymore.

In the spring of '52 Ike Turner and Jules Bihari hit Little Rock, Arkansas with their portable recording machine and set up shop in a music store, recording a bunch of musicians that revolved around Sonny Boy Williamson influenced drummer/harmonica player Drifting Slim (Elmore Mickle) and killer guitarist Baby Face Turner, who would be murdered in the mid 60's. Among the highlights of those sides cut that day are Drifting Slim's Down South Blues b/w My Little Machine (Modern), as well as Baby Face Turner's fantastic Blue Serenade b/w Gonna Let You Go (Modern). They also cut harmonica player Sunny Blair's rocker Step Back Baby (issued on brother Lester's Meteor label) and 5 Foot Three Blues b/w Glad To Be Back Home (RPM).

Not an Ike Turner recording, but worth posting for sure is this live recording that sat in the Modern/RPM vaults for fifty years before it was issued, probably recorded by one of the Bihari's live in a club in Detroit in 1955, Washboard Willie and Calvin Frazier's Rock House

captures the late night feel of a juke joint so well you practically smell the pig snouts.

Ike Turner left Memphis for St. Louis in 1954 (although not after cutting one last un-issued session for Sam Phillips) where he'd be based out of until the mid-sixties. He also left the Bihari brothers, although he did sell them a live Ike & Tina Turner LP issued on Kent in '69. The Bihari's re-issued most of these sides (and their outtakes) on a series of very cheesy budget LP's on their Kent label in the seventies, so cheap they didn't even have inner sleeves, these LP's- Blues From Mississippi, Blues From The Deep South, Blues From Arkansas, etc. introduced me and an entire generation to some great music for a mere .89 cents a pop. Today these sides can be heard in incredible sound quality on Ace's Downhome Blues Sessions series

and also The Travelling Record Man CD. I think of these as sort of Nuggets albums for the blues. If Sunny Blair and Charley Booker are not "where the soul of a man never dies" as Sam Phillips once said of Howlin' Wolf, they are surely where the soul of a man gets shit faced drunk, plugs in an electric guitar and has a great time on a Saturday night. He might've even gotten some pussy or made five bucks in the deal. And that's good enough for me.