Hey there. So the average couple spends around 4 non-sleeping hours a day together (pre-pandemic).
But the Mrs. and I have been spending 16 hours together each day. (In a 24 x 7 world.)
That means we’ve actually just celebrated our 4-year anniversary in Quarantine Land. (That’s 4 years in couple-time.)
And, since I have no broken bones or contusions, I’m pretty sure that means she still loves me.
Hoping this finds you in similar shape!
This week: The Spotlight’s shining on a giant of a Bluesman who literally wrote the Blues songbook.
And then in Short Licks I’m gonna predict an alligator’s future, show you where you can get some Blues Schoolin’, and at the end, let you peek in on some nerds.
Spotlight – Willie Dixon
Photo by Brianmcmillen, CC BY-SA 3.0
The Heavyweight From Mississippi
Music wasn’t Willie Dixon’s dream.
When he came to Chicago as a 6 foot, 6 inch teenager, he dreamed of being a boxer. He was good too. Good enough to become the Illinois Golden Gloves Heavyweight Champion in 1937.
But his pro career didn’t really take off so he needed a Plan B.
Fortunately, Willie’s childhood in Vicksburg had exposed him to a wealth of Gospel and Blues influences. And, though he probably didn’t know it at the time, music was going to be his first, best destiny.
Musical Jack Of All Trades
After boxing, Willie sang bass in groups and arranged harmonies. Studying the upright bass was a natural next step. And the guitar soon followed.
These skills made him a regular go-to Chicago session musician. But songwriting was probably his true gift.
As the story goes, his mother often liked to rhyme words as a game. So that probably seemed perfectly normal to him as a child. But as an adult songwriter, it gave him an unfair advantage over his competition.
By the early 1950’s he was a staff songwriter at Chess records. That’s when the hits started. And they just kept on coming.
The Soundtrack Of Chicago Blues
In the 1950’s and 1960’s anyone who was anyone, sang a Willie Dixon tune.
Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, to name a few, were all laying down Willie’s tracks.
And the tunes they recorded read out like an all-star lineup of Blues anthems. Tunes like “Hoochie Coochie Man”, “Spoonful”, and “Little Red Rooster” are on every Blues band’s set list.
You can’t really call yourself a Blues band if you don’t know at least a dozen Willie Dixon tunes by heart.
The Outro
Willie’s songs have crossed generations. The Rolling Stones introduced Willie’s work to a younger audience in the 1960’s. And every Blues artist has kept that torch alive since then.
Even Led Zeppelin kept the ball rolling in their own way when they were “inspired” by some of Willie’s songs. That “inspiration” led to a couple of out-of-court settlements for Willie – but that’s another story.
The bottom line here is that Willie casts a long shadow in the Blues world. And he didn’t have to be six and a half feet tall to do it. His music did that all by itself.
List Of Songs Written By Willie Dixon
Short Licks
Photo by dimitri.photography on Unsplash
Blues Final Exam
“We are gonna have ourselves a little guitar battle.” That’s what Buddy Guy announced one night on stage in 1984 at the Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago. And just like that, a young Joanna Connor’s official Blues trial-by-fire began. Hear her tell it in her own words, in a great piece in Rock & Blues Muse. (Spoiler Alert: she passed with flying colors.)
My Blues University With Buddy Guy
What’s The Life Expectancy Of An Alligator?
It turns out it’s about 50 years. Coincidentally, that’s how old the indie Blues label Alligator Records is. I bring this up because Exceleration Music has entered into a “partnership” with Alligator which will allow it to control the operational, financial, and admin sides of Alligator. Leaving the creative stuff to Alligator’s founder, Bruce Iglauer. (I’m sensing the ending of an era here.)
Indie Label Vets Launch New Venture
Home Schooling The Blues
I know you’re stuck at home. But that doesn’t mean you can’t learn some new Blues licks. The Chicago Blues Network is offering online lessons covering their own Blues Fakebook. You can Zoom your way into learning the actual tips and tricks some of the Chicago-area Blues musicians use when they’re out gigging.A portion of the revenue goes to a Blues Musicians Emergency Fund too (Win win!)
How ‘Bout Some At Home Chicago Blues?
Canada For The Win
I was enamored with this Canadian gal’s voice the first time I heard her sing. She mixes together a little bit of Janis Joplin and a whole lot of “been there, done that baby.” Just tailor-made for the Blues. See what I mean; here’s a video from her new album “Nowhere Left To Go” (What can I say, I’m a fanboy.)
Layla Zoe – “Nowhere Left To Go”
Nerds Nerding In Nerdville
Joe Bonamassa’s has a great conversation with Joanne Shaw Taylor on his Live From Nerdville podcast from January 15th. Joe bills these podcasts as “non-interviews” orsometimes “good banter among artists.” This one’s just two music nerd friends catching up. (Near the end they nerd out on their own great guitar influences.)
Live From Nerdville With Joanne Shaw Taylor
I’ll Leave You With…
“My Babe” by Little Walter
(His 1955 R&B #1 – written by Willie Dixon)
Thanks for reading,
Jon
Jon Beres
I’m one part Blues Fan and one part Digital Native (with a dash of Curmudgeon.) I’m also the publisher of AlltheWayBlue.com. If you love the Blues, I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine - cheers!
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