Windy City Blues (feat. Lurrie Bell)

This being the final release of 2022 and #134 in the Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumental Series, we're going to pull the tether back in to feature one of the Sons of the Blues, guitarist Lurrie Bell, reminding us how it's done on the Windy City Blues. The son of legendary Chicago harp player and frontman Carey Bell, Lurrie started out in the 1970s playing with Eddy Clearwater, Big Walter Horton, Eddie Taylor, and Koko Taylor's Blues Machine. In the late 70s, Lurrie formed The Sons Of The Blues with Billy Branch (NTK#81) and Freddie Dixon leading to a deal with Alligator Records. Lurrie also began recording with his Dad, releasing 10 albums over 20 years before his Dad's passing in 2007. A highly accomplished artist in his own right, Lurrie is an international ambassador of the Blues, he's released twelve solo albums, and has won several Blues Music Awards and a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. It was an absolute blast and a thrill to have Lurrie sitting two feet away from me playing the hell out of this track back in 2017. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Deszon Claiborne (Robben Ford) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixed by the Grammy winning Godfather of Grunge, Jack Endino (Nirvana, Nando Reis), and is often the case, masterfully mastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.

Times Square 42nd Street Station (feat. Dave Liebman)

#133 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Times Square 42nd Street Station features one of the most unapologetically daring saxophonists ever, Dave Liebman. What more do you need to know, other than Liebman played in both the Elvin Jones and Miles Davis Groups in the early 70's, including on Miles', groundbreaking On The Corner. That is definitely enough for me but, there's another half-century of composing and teaching and recording and touring to add to the legacy of "Lieb" as he is often called. Dave is an NEA and a Canadian Arts Council scholar, a teacher at the Manhattan School of Music and the Berklee College of Music in Boston, he has consistently been rated in the top three soprano saxophonists in Down Beat Magazines reader's poll since 1973, he has recorded more than 500 albums including 200 as a band leader, and his list of collaborators is a who's who of jazz. Dave is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the Sibelius Academy (Helsinki, Finland); the Order of Arts and Letters (France); and the NEA Jazz Master award which is the highest accolade granted by the U.S. government in the jazz field. A little story I will share with you about this track; we invited Dave to guest on this track and he generously accepted. My only instructions were for him to "do his thing" so when I got his tracks back it was 4 complete passes of well, this. My immediate reaction was uh oh, this is pretty out stuff and is our audience going to dig it? So I called Dave and explained that although I thought it was awesome I thought it might be too challenging for the average listener and could he just start with something a little more simple and then build from there, to which Dave with his most classic and wonderful native Brooklyn attitude replied..."Frank, you wanted Liebman, you got Liebman". He went on to say that I probably had hundreds of guest soloists playing pentatonic blues and if I wanted more of that I wouldn't have contacted him and he was absolutely right! I shared Dave's tracks with some of my more sophisticated musician friends to confirm that Dave was actually not punking me and the general consensus was that Dave Liebman is a genius and as I stated earlier, unapologetically daring. So here's what I came up with, I used all four of Dave's tracks at once because to me it actually makes more sense this way. Ultimately, whether it makes sense or not, I hope you enjoy the result.

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Laura De Rover's place in NYC. Mixing and Mastering duties were handled by the infamous F-Bomb. And a special shout out to Liebman's manager, Dave Love for facilitating.

Good Intentions (feat. Joe V. McMahan)

#132 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Good Intentions, features one of Nashville's most toneful guitarists, Joe V. McMahan. Raised on a horse farm in rural Missouri and then schooled in Rock and Soul music in Shreveport, Louisiana under the tutelage of Dave Egan and Jo-El Sonnier, Joe landed in Nashville in his early twenties. He's produced more than fifty albums and played with a whole bunch of great artists such as; Lee Ann Womack, K.D. Lang, Allison Moorer, Shelby Lynne, Mike Farris, Webb Wilder, Sarah Siskind, Radney Foster, Shannon McNally, Kevin Gordon, Justin Townes Earle, and more. The first time I heard and met Joe was on a Patrick Sweeney gig at the 5 Spot in East Nashville. I was immediately taken with Joe's Hubert Sumlin-esque reverb drenched tone. After that gig, I heard Luella and The Sun, a short-lived super vibey project that Joe had with singer Melissa Mathes and again, the Tone! Since leaving Nashville I've watched as Joe just keeps cranking out quality music from his studio and cool projects like Thrift Wig with my old bandmates JD Simo and Adam Abrashoff. I hope you all enjoy this exhibit of the aforementioned vibeyness and tone...I most certainly do!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Joe's Studio in East Nashville, TN. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Ode to Lynn Taitt (feat. Cindy Cashdollar)

#131 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Ode To Lynn Taitt, features one of the steel guitar greats, Cindy Cashdollar. A Woodstock NY native, Cindy came on the scene early and strong, playing with Rick Danko and Levon Helm from The Band and Chicago Blues legend Paul Butterfield. Following the music, she did what any self-respecting, hungry, badass would do, she moved to Nashville where she promptly joined Asleep At The Wheel resulting in seven albums, five Grammys, and another move, this time to Austin TX. As a side person, Cindy has recorded with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Dave Alvin, Rod Stewart, Albert Lee, Marcia Ball, Rory Block, Jorma Kaukonen, Leon Redbone, BeauSoleil, Peter Rowan, Sonny Landreth, Amy Helm…and more! She has also released two solo albums and a series of instructional videos. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Texas Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2011, as well, as being inducted into The Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2012. After 23 years in Austin, she moved back to Woodstock where she continues to do her thing, including playing on this track, a tribute to one of the founding fathers of Rock Steady, Lynn Taitt. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is my Bay Area neighbor, Scott Amendola, (Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter) bangin' on the drums and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Bop-A-While (feat. Joe Louis Walker)

#130 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bop-A-While, features San Francisco Blues legend, Joe Louis Walker. This track was cut several years ago and we were absolutely stoked to get Joe, as he is not only a true badass, but he is part of the history of Electric Blues and we felt that he brought some serious "cred" to our humble little project. By the time Joe was twenty, he had already played with John Lee Hooker, Buddy Miles, Otis Rush, Thelonious Monk, The Soul Stirrers, Willie Dixon, Charlie Musselwhite, Steve Miller, John Mayall, Earl Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix! Joe was roommates with Mike Bloomfield until Mike's tragic and untimely death. Mike's passing caused Joe to reevaluate everything and he left the Blues world to attend San Francisco State University achieving degrees in both Music and English. But the call of the Blues was too strong and by the mid '80's Joe had begun what is now an almost forty year, twenty five album solo career, including collaborations with BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, James Cotton, Branford Marsalis, Scotty Moore, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Steve Cropper, Tower of Power, and Ike Turner. Joe has won multiple Grammys, Blues Music Awards and is a Blues Hall of Fame inductee. All of these tracks are my "babies" and I know you're not supposed to have favorites but...this is definitely one of my favorites. (shhhhh, don't tell the others) Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass and rhythm guitar. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Joe's tracks were recorded by Scott Petito at NRS Recording in upstate New York. Mixing and mastering duties were performed by the Supreme Ruler of Greaseland, Christoffer "Kid" Andersen. 

Bangers & Mash (feat. Johnny Baab)

#129 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bangers & Mash, features the highly adept guitarisms of Ghost Hounds' guitarist, Johnny Baab. Johnny caught my ear while scrolling Instagram one night. I saw that his band, The Ghost Hounds, had opened for the Stones recently as well as Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, and Bob Seger, and suspected that he'd be a worthy participant. This track, an homage to the British Blues of days gone by, Clapton, Beck, Humble Pie, and even a little Sgt. Peppers (reprise), had been waiting a few years for just the right player to come along and Johnny proved to be the right man for the job. Not to get too tweaky here but, listen to the note at 01:15, I LOVE THAT! That's the wonderful sound of a Gibson cs356 being expertly manipulated. It is worth noting that Johnny is also an adjunct instructor at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, PA, where he splits his time between his native Brooklyn NY when not on the road with the Ghost Hounds. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass and additional guitar. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Johnny's tracks were recorded at Maple House Studios in Pittsburgh PA. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

733 Boylston (feat. James Montgomery)

#128 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, 733 Boylston, features the harp playing of Boston music legend, James Montgomery. In 1973 James' track Train was played every day at lunchtime on WBCN for more than a year. I remember riding my bike down Commonwealth Avenue and seeing The James Montgomery Band playing the quadrangle at James' alma mater Boston University. (I would also get to see Aerosmith and George Thorogood in that same quad) Upon graduating, James was offered a $15,000 a year job at BU but turned it down for a $250,000 contract with Capricorn Records and an opportunity to go on the road opening for the Allman Brothers Band. James had already had a taste of the road fronting the Colwell-Winfield Blues Band on a tour supporting Janis Joplin. The adventures haven't stopped since; James has played with B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Bonnie Raitt, Steven Tyler just to name a few. As a band leader, he's been a sort of John Mayall of the Boston Blues Scene, having had a bunch of great musicians "graduate" and go on to successful careers, including Billy Squier, Wayne Kramer (MC-5) Jim McCarty (Mitch Ryder), Jeff Golub (Rod Stewart), Nunzio Signore (Bo Diddley), Jeff Pevar (Ray Charles, CS&N), and my favorite, bassist David Hull (Buddy Miles, Aerosmith). I hope you'll enjoy this childhood fantasy of mine having James guest on this tribute to the legendary Paul's Mall/Jazz Workshop located at 733 Boylston St. Boston MA. I think it's wicked pissah!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass and additional guitar. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. James' session was engineered by Jack Gauthier at Lake West Studios in Rhode Island. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Valentine (feat. Robbie McIntosh)

#127 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Valentine, features one of the best guitarists I have ever encountered, Robbie McIntosh. Robbie's resume speaks for itself...five years touring and two albums with Sir Paul McCartney, three albums with The Pretenders including Learning To Crawl (that's Robbie's soloing on Middle Of The Road!), records with Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Joe Cocker, The Bee Gees, Mark Knopfler, Norah Jones and John Mayer and it just keeps on going. When not enjoying his life by the English seaside in semi-retirement you can still hear and see Robbie with The Robbie McIntosh Band. Robbie was so enthusiastic and generous with his gift that he actually played on two tracks...so, enjoy this one and know that there's another one coming down the road. Cheers!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Robbie's place in the UK. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Song For Mongo (feat. Idris Ackamoor)

#126 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Song for Mongo, features Afrofuturist & Shaman, Idris Ackamoor, on tenor saxophone. A couple of years ago I was hipped via Malcolm Catto's Instagram to a "new" artist, Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids. I became somewhat obsessed and really dug into their catalog. Turns out they are located here in the Bay Area and have a history going back some fifty years. Being someone who is never afraid to ask, I reached out to Malcolm, who had masterfully produced their two most recent albums, and asked him for Idris' contact info. Idris generously agreed to play on this track and it is everything I had hoped for. Fast forward to the present; I've now been lucky enough to have been Idris' US co-producer (Malcolm and Quentin Scott are the UK producers) on his forthcoming masterpiece, Afro Futuristic Dreams. It's been an absolute joy and honor working with Idris and I hope more music will flow from this new friendship. If you want to know more about Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids check out this recent New York Times article maybe while you're listening to this track. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky AF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, San Francisco's own and one of the Pyramids, Tony Price on Percussion, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, South San Francisco, and The Phamily Room, Nashville TN. Prodigiously mixed and mastered by the Grammy-winning and extremely good-humored, Matt Winegar (Primus, Fantastic Negrito).

Bat Shit Crazy (feat. Buzz Campbell)

#125 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bat Shit Crazy is a master class in Rockabilly guitar playing featuring the great Buzz Campbell. Born in Dallas, Texas, of course, because that's where great guitarists grow like weeds. Buzz was inducted into Doo-Wop and early Rock & Roll by his father and uncle and although quite good at it, he was content with guitar being a hobby. Then on his twenty first birthday he saw the Stray Cats at the Bacchanal in San Diego, California and life would never be the same. Buzz quit college and yes, dedicated himself to Rock & Roll. In no time Buzz was gaining attention and momentum and while playing with The Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash he was approached by Jocko Marcellino, one of the founding members of the revivalist Doo-Wop group, Sha Na Na. The gig with Sha Na Na led to Buzz meeting Lee Rocker, bassist for the Stray Cats, which began a lifelong friendship and collaboration. And just like in the storybook, in 2008, The Buzz Campbell Band opened for the Stray Cats European Farwell Tour. That tour established Buzz internationally and he has since been tearing it up around the world and on this track! Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is my Bay Area neighbor, Scott Amendola, (Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter) rocking the shit out of the drums and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Johnny On The Nod, Pt. 2 (feat. John Medeski)

#124 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Johnny On The Nod, Pt. 2, features the ubiquitous and brilliant, John Medeski on the Hammond B3. When we originally sent this track to John it was over six minutes long and being the badasss and generous musician that he is, he sent us back multiple great takes varying from inside to outside. So, when it came time to comp something together the tape fairies guided me to creating a Part 1, being what we previously released (NTK-19) and Part 2 which appears before you presently. Maybe someday down the line, we'll release the full 6:36 minute dance mix!. For those of you three people that are not hip to Medeski, John was a founding member of the pioneering acid jazz trio Medeski, Martin & Wood and now plays with EVERYBODY; Jack DeJohnette, John Scofield, George Porter Jr., Phil Lesh, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Youssou N'Dour, John Zorn, Iggy Pop...you get the idea. John and I met and played together twenty-something years ago in Porter Square, Cambridge, at the memorial service for our fallen comrade Mark Sandman. Another of our friends and Sandman alumni, Mike Rivard of Club D'elf, was kind enough to reconnect us. Medeski is definitely in my fantasy band and this track is a little taste of how it might sound. (Anybody out there know Jeff Beck??? : )))). Well, until then...ENJOY!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Marcus David (Nick Gravenites) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with overdubs at Medeski's place. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Zero To Sixty (feat. Mason Ruffner)

#123 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Zero To Sixty, features legendary blues rocker, Mason Ruffner. #5 in Captain Beefheart’s 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing goes something like this: 

"#5. If you’re guilty of thinking, you’re out.
If your brain is part of the process, you’re missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing."

I believe Mason is a "fur bearing" MF'r. And everybody from Dylan to Jimmy Page to Ringo Starr to Santana to John Lee Hooker (I could go on) all seem to agree. When we send a cat a track, this is our spiel: "Please play, whatever and however you feel it. You are the guest soloist and will be the last and only other element to be added to the track. So, do your thing all over the track!" Well, Mason let this track have it! I'm not gonna go all bio/blurb on you guys for this one...here's Mason's wiki and more importantly his YouTube rabbit hole. Hopefully, you'll have a chance to be driving when listening to this track really loud....be careful and enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass. The basics were recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mason's session was engineered by Tom Goren at Sonika Studios in Stockholm Sweden. The Grammy winning and extremely personable, Matt Winegar (Primus, Fantastic Negrito), mixed and mastered this one! 

BUENOS AIRES BLUES (feat. JIMMY RIP)

#122 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Buenos Aires Blues, features the rock star's guitarist, Jimmy Rip. Born in New York City and raised on rock and roll radio, by the early 1980's Jimmy was one of the East Coast A-listers. At one point he had to choose between Kid Creole and the Coconuts, Television and Peter Frampton in the same week! By the 1990's Jimmy had racked up gigs with Rod Stewart, Debbie Harry, Willie Nelson, Jack Bruce, Mariah Carey, and more. He was also the co-writer and guitarist for Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit album and producer and guitarist for Jerry Lee Lewis' Last Man Standing album. After the success of his collaboration with Jagger and a couple of years on the road with Hall and Oates Jimmy decided to move to Buenos Aires. Where Jimmy says, "every kid still has a guitar over his shoulder. They’re still learning how to play, and there’s still real arguments over Page, Beck, or Hendrix. Genuine arguments. It’s a rock 'n' roll heaven!" Jimmy remains incredibly busy producing some of Argentina's top Rock acts and fronting his own band Jimmy Rip and The Trip. Speaking of trips, I really love where Jimmy takes this track, and I'm pretty sure you will too. Enjoy!

 

The backing band on this track is my Bay Area neighbor, Scott Amendola, (Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter) rocking the shit out of the drums and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Hit Me, Fred! (feat. Fred Wesley)

#121 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Hit Me, Fred!, features a J.B., a P-Funk Allstar, and one funky MF, trombonist Fred Wesley!. I'm so excited about this that it's hard for me to just write a little bio/blurb as I usually do. If you haven't read Fred's book, Hit Me, Fred: Recollections of a Sideman, yet, I highly recommend you do. My musical brother, David DR Robbins, sent me a signed copy of the book as a gift a while back which lead to me reaching out to Fred directly, the results of which are this collaboration here before your ears. Born in Columbus GA, Fred is the son of an educator and big band leader. He started out on piano and trumpet and by 12 had switched permanently to trombone. By the 1960's he was playing in James Brown's band (he had been on tour with Ike & Tina Turner previously) and it's been non-stop funkin' ever since. Fred is on Say It Loud I'm Black and I'm Proud, Sex Machine, Funky Drummer, and is the co-writer of Hot Pants and Doin' It To Death. As a member of Parliament-Funkadelic, you can hear Fred on Flashlight, Chocolate City, and Tear The Roof Off The Sucker to name just a few. He's also on all those great 80's George Clinton records, including Atomic Dog! You really gotta read his book and check out his Wiki. Seriously!!! Okay, I'll spare you the fanboy gushing and let you get to it...Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is the Grammy winning and super groovin', Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, the great Christian Pepin (2x Grammy winner) on percussion, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass (where's my Grammy???). The track was recorded at NTA, San Bruno, CA, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and VicWes Productions in Manning, South Carolina. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

[No Use Crying Over] Spilt Milk (feat. Lucious Spiller)

#120 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, (No Use Crying Over) Spilt Milk, features the very real guitar playing of, Lucious Spiller. A resident of Clarksdale Mississippi, nephew of Magic Sam, and mentor to Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Lucious is about as real deal as one can be. His father, also a Bluesman, taught Lucious his first chord at 4 years old, and by the time he was a teenager, Lucious was playing bass for Larry Davis (writer of the 1958 song Texas Flood later immortalized by Stevie Ray Vaughan). Lucious also played bass for Albert King, Fenton Robinson, and Calvin Levy before even finishing college. Finding it easier to sing and play, Lucious switched to guitar when starting to front his own band and has since performed with Bo Diddly, James Brown, Big Jack Johnson, T-Model Ford, Bobby Rush, Luther Allison, and more. He has also been featured on the series Moonshine, and Mojo Hands, the documentary, True Delta: Keeping the Blues Alive, and was the subject of the 2020 documentary entitled Walk with Me: Lucious Spiller, Called to Sing the Blues. His friend Charlie Musselwhite is talking about making a new Lucious Spiller album but until then, turn this one up!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with overdubs recorded by Gary Vincent in Clarksdale MS. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb. 

Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys (feat. Quique Gomez)

#119 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Not My Circus, Not My Monkeys, features the Spanish harmonicist, Quique Gomez. Born in Madrid, Quique's first band, Juan Bourbon, Juan Scotch & Juan Beer, was cleverly named after the Rudy Toombs song popularized by John Lee Hooker in 1966. The band achieved enough notoriety in Spain to inspire Quique to travel to the US and specifically Chicago, where he met and formed lifelong friendships with some of the last of the original greats, including John Primer, Eddie C. Campbell, Bob Stroger, Jimmy Burns, Tail Dragger, Kenny Blues Boss Wayne, and others. Quique has since recorded 13 records and toured from Brazil to The Congo. He also finds time to satisfy his inner crooner by singing with the Bob Sands Big Band, a Thad Jones/Count Basie tribute band. And if that isn't enough, Quique teaches at the “Escuela de Blues de Madrid” (Madrid Blues School) and is the director of the Intensive Blues Course in Béjar, Spain. Quique is a disarmingly positive and funny human being, which I believe translates quite well into this track. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with overdubs at NTA, San Bruno CA. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb. And an extra special thank you to Kid Andersen for introducing us to his friend and for delivering him to the session.

Lower Broad Blues (feat. Johnny Hiland)

#118 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Lower Broad Blues, features the legendary Nashville picker, Johnny Hiland. Johnny grew up in Maine, with an eye disease called nystagmus (he's legally blind). He started playing guitar at age 2, played his first talent show at age 5, performed on Dick Stacey's Jamboree on local TV at age 7, and won Talent America at age 10, with sister Jodi and brother Jerry, "The 3 J's," playing bluegrass country. The 3 J's broke up when Johnny turned 15, due to his voice changing. Having picked up the electric guitar at the age of 12, Johnny left bluegrass and started playing country, rock, and blues. In 1996, Hiland moved to Nashville and worked as a session musician for country artists including Toby Keith, Ricky Skaggs, Janie Fricke, and Hank Williams III. Meanwhile, he played with the Don Kelley Band at Robert's Western World. Hiland signed with Steve Vai's Favored Nations label as a solo artist. After reaching the top of the heap, Johnny left Nashville for Chatham Virginia where he lives a simpler but no less musical life. He's released two records over the COVID "break" and also offers telecommuting session work (that's how we did this) and private instruction via Skype. Pretty cool to be able to study with a cat that was named one of the “Top 5 Best Chicken Pickers” by Gibson.com, one of the “50 Fastest Guitarists of All Time” by Guitar World Magazine, and, one of the “Top 3 Country Guitarists” in the 2017 Vintage Guitar Magazine Readers Poll. None of which is hyperbole. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky MF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, San Bruno, CA, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and Johnny's place in Chatham VA. Expertly mixed and mastered by the super bad, F. Reid Shippen.

Bottleneck Stomp (feat. Johnny Stachela)

#117 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Bottleneck Stomp, features the tone-filled slide guitar playing of Johnny Stachela. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Johnny was already in the right place and right time and had the goods when opportunity knocked. Originally cutting his teeth on the gods of Hard Rock like Zep, Sabbath, and AC/DC, Johnny, like a lot of us white boys of a certain age, eventually found his way back to the roots. And there he found the three Kings (Albert, Freddie, and B.B.) and of course the Holy trinity of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James. Johnny cut a couple of solo records with Govt. Mule bassist, Jorgen Carlsson, producing and at the same time began a year-long residency at the Santa Monica blues club, Harvelles, where he would share sets with his longtime friend, guitarist/singer Duane Betts. In 2017, Duane and Johnny formed Duane Betts and the Pistoleers and in 2018 they began collaborating with Devon Allman, ultimately leading to The Allman Betts Band and the Allman Family Revival. Johnny has been enjoying favorable comparisons to the celebrated legacies of Duane Allman, Warren Haynes, and Derek Trucks, which he takes in humble stride. Johnny's a good sport, he didn't even flinch when I sent him this track in 5/4 and I love where he takes it. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA, Johnny's place in L.A., and diabolically mixed and mastered by the Supreme Ruler of Greaseland, Christoffer "Kid" Andersen.

Saturday Morning (feat. David D.R. Robbins)

#116 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Saturday Morning, features a great musician and very dear friend, David D.R. Robbins. D.R. and I go way back, he was the Baritone Sax player in the instrumental funk groups Junk and post junk trio. D.R. grew up on the East Coast, playing in big bands with a lot of the present-day jazz notables which opened up his ears and eyes to what good musicianship was all about. Searching for funkier and warmer surroundings brought him to Oakland, where he toured, recorded, and played extensively on the West Coast Acid Jazz scene, sharing stages with The P-Funk Allstars, George Porter & Zigaboo Modeliste, Charlie Hunter, Ledisi, The Broun Fellinis, etc...Since moving back East more than 15 years ago, he's been woodshedding and playing in NYC with all the usual suspects. D.R. literally phoned in his performances on flute and bari on this track! That's to say that despite not being able to access any "professional" recording gear, he found a way to record his parts in his apartment using only his cellphone! It's been over fifteen years since the last time D.R. and I played music together. It was definitely worth the wait, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the results.

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky MF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, San Bruno, CA, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and D.R.'s pad in Brooklyn NY . Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Next Stop Everywhere (feat. Howard Levy)

#115 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Next Stop Everywhere, features the mind-boggling, virtuosic, harmonica playing of Howard Levy. Born and raised in Brooklyn NY, Howard attended the Manhattan School of Music where his musical giftedness was apparent from a very young age. Howard's first instruments were the piano and pipe organ. While attending college, Howard developed a new approach to the diatonic harmonica enabling him to play it chromatically. For the non-musicians out there, this means he was able to play notes that were previously believed to be unavailable on the instrument. In 1995, Howard composed and performed the Harmonia Mundi, Suite for Harmonica and Chamber Ensemble with the Chicago Sinfonietta. A few years later Howard co-founded the now legendary (and multiple Grammy-winning) Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Howard has also toured and/or recorded with John Prine, Bobby McFerrin, Kenny Loggins, Chuck Mangione, David Bromberg, Dolly Parton, Donald Fagen, Jerry Butler, Chris Siebold, Trio Globo, and Pete Seeger to name just a few. It was an absolute pleasure working with Howard and as you will hear he may have telecommuted from his home in Chicago but he definitely ain't phoning it in. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Oakland Born/Nashville residing, funky MF, Derrek Phillips, (Gloria Gaynor, Robben Ford, Charlie Hunter) on drums, and myself on rhythm guitar and bass. The track was recorded at NTA, San Bruno, CA, The Phamily Room, Nashville TN, and the House of Howard in Chicago, IL. Mellifluously mixed and mastered by the infamous F-Bomb.

Nothing Left (feat. Will Kimbrough)

#114 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Nothing Left, features the beautifully lyrical guitar playing of Will Kimbrough. Born in Mobile Alabama, Will gained entry into the "club" early on in his career with his band Will and the Bushmen and then the Bisquits who were signed to John Prine's Oh Boy Records. He's an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist, writer, producer, and performer. His list of collaborations is a who's who of Americana and Roots music, including; Rodney Crowell, Todd Snider, Kim Richey, Garrison Starr, Matthew Ryan, Josh Rouse, Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat, Jack Ingram, Rosanne Cash, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, The Jayhawks, Mark Knopfler, Buddy Miller, Billy Joe Shaver, Mavis Staples, and a whole lot more. Will won the 2004 Americana Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year Award. The previous year it had gone to Jerry Douglas and the following year to Sonny Landreth. Will replaced Audley Freed in Joan Osborne's Trigger Hippy and is a member of Emmylou Harris' Red Dirt Boys. He's made ten albums as a solo artist and continues to be the envy of mere mortals. You can find out more about Will and join his Patreon campaign here. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Will's place in Nashville TN. Mixing and Mastering duties were handled by the infamous F-Bomb. 

Mephistopheles' Blues (feat. Jerry Goodman)

#113 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Mephistopheles' Blues, features the instantly identifiable electric violin of Jerry Goodman. Yes!, The Mahavishnu Orchestra's Jerry Goodman! Okay, I'm a little excited. Fusion, in my opinion, had a very small window of cool, and Jerry and The Mahavishnu's were at the absolute epicenter of that moment. That was 50 years ago and Jerry has kept very busy since. He has played with a myriad of legendary acts including; Toots Thielman, Hall & Oates, Derek Sherinian, Dixie Dregs, and Dream Theater. He has done soundtracks including Billy Crystal's Mr. Saturday Night and Steve Martin's Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He was also a member of Billy Cobham's Spectrum 40 Band. Musical virtuosity is somewhat of the Goodman family business, Jerry's parents were both string players in the Chicago Symphony and his uncle was the noted composer and jazz musician Marty Rubenstein. Having Jerry play on this track is a thrill and honor, (maybe he can get his old buddies John and Jan to join us). Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixing and Mastering duties were handled by the infamous F-Bomb. 

Must Be Jam (feat. Scott Sharrard)

#112 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Must Be Jam, features a real modern-day soul rocker, Scott Sharrard. A second-generation professional guitarist (his Dad was also a guitarist) out of Michigan, Scott cut his teeth playing with the "local" (Milwaukee and Chicago) cats like Clyde Stubblefield, Buddy Miles, Luther Allison, and Hubert Sumlin. Then in the mid '90s, he headed to New York City with his band the Chesterfields, and quickly caught the attention and tutelage of Ahmet Ertegun. The Chesterfields cut three albums and Scott followed with another three solo albums. In 2008 Greg Allman recruited Scott into the Greg Allman Band after Scott had unknowingly auditioned by sitting in with the Allman Brothers. That relationship lasted until Allman's passing in 2017 and included several albums, co-writes, and a Grammy nomination. Scott is currently writing, performing, and producing as well as taking over guitar duties for the late Paul Barrere in Little Feat. This one's a quick little joy ride, enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Marcus David (Nick Gravenites, Clover) on drums, and myself on bass. It was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixed by the Godfather of Grunge, Jack Endino (Soundgarden, Nando Reis), and as almost always, masterfully mastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.

The Big Sleep (feat. Nguyên Lê)

#111 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, The Big Sleep, features the no net, high wire guitar playing of Nguyên Lê. Born in Paris in the late 1950's, Nguyên is of Vietnamese descent and has maintained a deep connection to that ancestry. All About Jazz magazine eloquently and accurately states: "few musicians embody the word "fusion" more than Parisian-born guitarist Nguyên Lê. For the past 25 years he's been mining a combination of fusion by the more conventional definition—the infusion of rock energy into the jazz sphere—with fusion in a broader sense, the seamless integration of music from cultures around the world." Nguyên has made seventeen albums as a leader and as even more as a sideman or producer. The list of his collaborators is incredibly diverse and impressive, including; Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Johnny  Griffin, Toots Thielemans, Gil Evans, Me'shell Ndegeocello, John McLaughlin, and Ornette Coleman. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA with additional tracking at Big Rock Studio, Lyon, France. Mixing and Mastering duties were handled by the infamous F-Bomb.

Blues In The Key Of Dog (feat. Harpdog Brown)

We lost two great Need To Know artists recently. The great Sonny Rhodes left us on December 14th at the age of 81 and the Canadian bluesman Harpdog Brown departed this plain on January 7th at only 59 years old. We are sending our deepest condolences to both of their families. They will be missed but certainly not forgotten. Sonny was our first Need To Know release with his career retrospective; The Essential Sonny Rhodes - Songs and Stories and what an honor and pleasure it was to get to make that record with him.

We tracked this Harpdog track back in December of 2019 while he was touring through the Bay Area. I'm not a whiskey drinker but, when Harpdog brought his own and insisted I join him, I of course obliged. We had a lot of laughs hanging out recording this number and had already decided we would call it Blues in the Key of Dog, I only wish we had gotten around to releasing it while Harpdog was still with us. I had come up with an idea for the cover art and sent it to Harpdog, but in true Harpdog fashion, he wanted to use a dog he knew so, he sent me a picture of his friend Alex Golota owner of Ottawa's Irene's Pub's dog, aptly named Blue. We were waiting for the "right time" to release the track, coinciding with a tour perhaps, but COVID wasn't having it. And so, this now becomes a loving tribute and farewell to a great musician and human being, Harpdog Brown.

Thank you Sonny, thank you Harpdog, we'll see you again on the great gig in the sky.

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Willy Jordan (Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio) on drums and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and wickedly mixed and mastered by the Supreme Ruler of Greaseland, Christoffer "Kid" Andersen.

Barcelona Boogie (feat. Twanguero)

#109 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Barcelona Boogie, features the masterful and entertaining guitar playing of Diego García, aka, Twanguero. At 6 years old Diego entered the Valencia Conservatory to study Flamenco guitar with Lázaro Villena, a student of Andrés Segovia. By fifteen Diego was on top of the heap on the fertile Valencia music scene and by twenty, he moved to Madrid, quickly gaining recognition as one of Spain's best guitarists. Tours and sessions abound, taking Diego around the world many times over. All the while working on the recipe that is now known as Twanguero; a little bit of Jimmy Bryant, Chet Atkins, Paco de Lucia, and a whole lot of Diego Garcia. For the last twenty years Twanguero has had an illustrious solo career, receiving a Goya, a Latin Grammy, and the praise of the late great writer, Gabriel García Márquez calling Twanguero "un maestro de la guitarra". We completely agree! Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Alvino Bennett (Dave Mason, Stevie Wonder) on drums and myself on bass and rhythm guitar. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA and Twanguero's studio in LA. The multi Grammy winning and extremely personable, Matt Winegar (Primus, Fantastic Negrito), mixed and mastered this baby.

Theresa's Lounge (feat. John Primer)

Happy New Year, Friends, Family, Associates, Acquaintances, Comrades, Accomplices & Total Strangers,

 

As you all know by now our idea of blues is as an idiom not a dogma, so we stray pretty far from the traditional at times. That's why we like to start every year off with an artist and or piece of music that connects us back to the original spirit of the blues. And so, in that spirit we present #108 in The Need To Know Badass Blues Instrumentals Series, Theresa's Lounge, featuring the deep and powerful guitar playing of the legendary Chicago bluesman, John Primer. Born into a sharecropping family in Camden, Mississippi in the 1940's, raised on blues and field hollers, John built a diddly bow out of sticks and wire and began singing and playing the blues as a child. After his father's tragic and untimely death at only twenty two, John's mother left her children with family and headed to Chicago to hopefully build a better life for her family, promising to send for John as soon as he turned 18. Keeping that promise, John turned 18 and headed to Chicago where he immediately began playing amongst his soon to be peers at the legendary Maxwell Street Market. By the mid 70's John was playing 7 nights a week in the house band at legendary Theresa's Lounge backing the likes of; Little Milton, James Cotton, Magic Sam, Magic Slim, Junior Wells, etc. While playing at Theresa's, Willie Dixon heard John and invited him to join his Chicago Blues All-Stars. Which he did until in 1980, John's childhood dream of playing with the great Muddy Waters came true. John joined and remained in Muddy's band until his passing in 1983 eventually becoming Muddy's band leader and opening act. John appears on the famous Checkerboard Lounge gig with Muddy and The Rolling Stones. After Muddy's passing John, joined Magic Slim's band and was also the bandleader at the Checkerboard's Monday Night Blues Jam where he mentored many of the next generation of Chicago Blues musicians. By the 1990's John had begun his solo career, which he continues today. John is a Chicago Blues Hall Of Fame inductee as well as Blues Music, WC Handy, and Grammy award-winning artist. Most importantly John is an incredibly gracious and generous human being as exhibited by his willingness to participate in this series. Enjoy!

The backing band on this track is Rich Kirch (John Lee Hooker 1984-2001) on rhythm guitar, Andrew "the kid" Guterman (Rick Estrin) on drums, and myself on bass. The track was recorded at Skunkworks in Capitola CA. Mixed by the Grammy-winning Godfather of Grunge, Jack Endino (Nirvana, Nando Reis) and masterfully mastered by Alex McCollough at True East Mastering.