Cameron K's Blog (Free subscription) | 01/30/2010
"Little Red Rooster," (or "The Red Rooster") was written by Willie Dixon (1915 - 1992) and first recorded by Howlin' Wolf in 1961. The song is a slow blues which features distinctive slide guitar accompaniment. In the Howlin' Wolf recording Wolf took lead vocal and played guitar accompanied by Hubert Sumlin (guitar), Johnny Jones (piano), Willie Dixon (bass), and Sam Lay (drums)....
Featured Blog Posts - Americana and roots music - No... (Free subscription) | 01/27/2010
Downtown Church (Credential Records) Patty Griffin never expected to make a gospel record. In fact, she figured that “Wiggley Fingers” from her 1998 release Flaming Red effectively ruined any chance she might have had; after all she is a self-described “lapsed Catholic.”…
Bold As Love (Free subscription) | 01/25/2010
And a big bow wow to you, too. Additional links: Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton on Wikipedia Buddy Guy official site Do you like what you've seen on this blog over the last three years? If so, consider making a...
Notes From The UndergroundBastard (Free subscription) | 01/24/2010
With Buddy Guy on guitar no less:
I Am Fuel, You Are Friends (Free subscription) | 01/21/2010
I spent most of this afternoon streaming the full new album from Patty Griffin, one I’ve been waiting to hear since I sat in the very sanctuary where she recorded the album. Downtown Church was recorded in one of the oldest churches in Nashville that once housed wounded Civil War soldiers amidst its Egyptian-themed murals [...]
Electric Roulette (Free subscription) | 01/15/2010
We've probably mentioned it some time back on account of it looking pretty tasty, but now you can win Lost & Found; Real R'N'B & Soul by Paul Weller and Keb Darge, which is released on the BBE label on...
Deadspin (Free subscription) | 01/10/2010
The allegedly humorous Charles Barkley will host the allegedly humorous Saturday Night Live tonight. With, it would appear, musical guest Big Mama Thornton. Reader Jason wrote in earlier today with...
Britannica Blog (Free subscription) | 01/08/2010
Had Elvis Presley lived to today, he would be celebrating his 75th birthday. In honor of that event, here are 75 Elvis-related moments, including 10 video clips. Long live the King!
Line Out (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009
Today marks the birthday of R&B singer Big Mama Thornton. Nee Willie May Thornton in 1926— (so that's where the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls in Brooklyn scrounged their name!)— Big Mama got her start singing in the Baptist Church and left home to begin touring on the rhythm and blues circuit at the haggard old age of 14. If you listen to Koko Taylor, Bessie Smith or hell, even Janis...
SqueezeMyLemon (Free subscription) | 12/11/2009
Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton was born on December 11, 1926 and she passed away on July 25, 1984. I've always thought of her as one of the great ladies of blues shouting, and she also was a wonderful harmonica player. According to Wikipedia; Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton (December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984) was an American rhythm and blues singer and songwriter. She was the...
Space Invader (Free subscription) | 12/06/2009
Join me for an evening of Tom Waits to celebrate his 60th birthday. Tales of circus folk, pyromaniac husbands and an assortment of other odd characters. What better way to spend a dark, winter's evening. Tracklist Lie To Me - Tom Waits I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You - Tom Waits Harlem Shuffle - Bob & Earl Step Right Up - Tom Waits Hound Dog - Big Mama Thornton Heartattack And Vine - Tom Waits...
The Liberal Curmudgeon (Free subscription) | 11/29/2009
Despite the fact that "Hound Dog" is usually solely associated with Elvis Presley's mega hit in 1956, Big Mama Thornton also had success with this Lieber and Stoller tune three years earlier. Her she does a rousing rendition in 1965, with a young Buddy Guy, recently showcased here , by her side on guitar. Thornton also had a 1961 hit with her original composition "Ball and Chain,"...
The Music Digest (Free subscription) | 11/13/2009
In his Ash Grove recording, guitarist Dave Alvin laments the loss of a favorite Los Angeles club, a venue that should be on the National Register of Historic Places. It would have to be in an urn, however, the club burned not once, but three times. Ed Pearl (an uncle of Spirit's Randy California) founded the 250-seat Ash Grove in 1958.
post-gazette.com (Free subscription) | 11/04/2009
Here's a great video clip from the American Folk Blues Festival in Germany in 1965. It came my way in a newsletter from Bob Corritore , a Phoenix blues harp player, who's obviously a fan of harp players. This clip shows Big Mama Thornton , Big Walter Horton , J.B. Lenoir , Dr. Ross , and John Lee Hooker , taking turns on harp at the festival. Maybe you've seen this. I hadn't, and it's a lot of fun...
Jack Bog's Blog (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
Last night I was grooving along to one of the many blues CDs that I picked up in a big eBay purchase over the summer. It was Jail by Big Mama Thornton -- a splendid collection of songs recorded live...
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