The Bottleneck Cafe

This morning as I was writing a post to pay tribute to the life of the great Johnny Otis, who passed away yesterday, I learned of the passing of one of the greatest artists Johnny ever discovered, Ms. Etta James. While Etta James is a house-hold name (and rightfully so) the name Johnny Otis is sadly becoming less and less known by today’s music fans. Besides giving Etta James her first big break, Mr. Otis also helped start the careers of many top R&B performers. When not performing with his own band he was in the studio recording and producing sides for many of the best R&B performers. It was Johnny Otis who produced and performed on the original 1952 recording of Hound Dog featuring Big Mama Thornton. Two years later in 1954 Otis found himself in the studio again with another young blues singer, a woman by the name of Jamesetta Hawkins. Like Big Mama Thornton, Jamesetta started out performing with The Johnny Otis Band. She then moved to Los Angeles and entered the studio with the band to record what would be her break out song “The Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry)”. Written by Johnny Otis “The Wallflower” was an answer song to the Hank Ballard tune “Work With Me Annie”. Shortly after the release of the song Jamesetta (now going by the stage name Etta James) started off on a solo career that would last over 50 years. She recorded many smash hits for a number of different labels and released albums up until 2011. In addition to being successful in the recording studio James was also successful on the stage and would continue to be an in-demand performer until 2009 when she was unable to perform due to health issues.
As for Johnny Otis, discovering Etta James was just one of the many highlights in a career that lasted well into his eighties. A true renaissance man, Otis was a songwriter, performer, producer, author, store and bar owner, and painter. He even got involved in politics in his home state of California during the 1960′s. However, with all these accomplishments Johnny Otis is probably best know for writing the hit song “Willie and The Hand Jive” which would sell over 1.5 million copies and be covered by Eric Clapton for his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard.
During the their lifetimes both Etta James and Johnny Otis brought to joy to millions of fans all over the world, they are both members of multiple halls of fame, and their influence can be heard in the music of artists in every genre of music. They will both be dearly missed.

It’s not a surprise that many of the best  Rhythm & Blues compilation albums come from the United Kingdom.  Blues greats like John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Howlin’ Wolf were welcomed with open arms when they journeyed across the Atlantic to perform and record.  The first songs musicians like Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, and Eric Clapton learned to play were Rhythm & Blues songs. Many of the songs on the first great Rock N’ Roll albums were covers of classic Rhythm & Blues songs.  You get the point.  So it only makes sense that one of the best Rhythm & Blues Box Sets to be released in the the last 15 years was released out of the U.K. by Rhythm And Blues Records (http://www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk/index.html)

The History of Rhythm An Blues 1942-52 is a well documented collection of classic R&B songs, mixed with a few deep album cuts, neatly compacted into four Compact discs.  The music sounds great and the booklet is well-researched.  Disc One is titled “Jumpin’ From Harlem To The West Coast” and focuses on the Jump Blues and Boogie sound of the East and West Coast by shining a light on some of R&B’s lesser know stars like Miltone Records owner Roy Milton and band leader Joe Liggins.  Disc Two is titled “Guitar Boogie, Sax Screamers and Gospel Roads“.  Here we get a good sampling of the music that would get the fingers moving of millions of guitar players on both sides of the Atlantic.  Songs like John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillen” and Big Joe Williams “Baby Please Don’t Go” are highlighted along with deeper cuts by artists like Willie Dixon’s Big Three Trio and Jay McShann.  There is also a tip of the hat to one of the kings of Country music, Mr. Hank Williams!  Disc Three is titled “Have You Heard The News, There’s Good Rockin’ Tonight!”.  On this disc we get a pile of Risque’ Blues and Bandleaders. This is your party disc. Songs like Wynonie Harris’ “Good Morning Judge” and Bullmoose Jackson’s “Big Ten Inch” are essential to any R&B collection and a good reminder that music should be fun.  Disc Four is titled ” Soul Train Mambo, Destination New Orleans” and gives us a good in-depth look at some artists that started incorporating a number of different styles and rhythms into traditional R&B.  Songs like the Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Jordan version of “Stone Cold Dead In The Market” and Professor Longhair’s classic “Mardi Gras In New Orleans” sound right at home next to R&B standers such as Percy Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone To Love”.  I highly recommend this Box Set for anyone who is interested in learning not just about the History of Classic R&B but the History of popular music in general.

Influenced by musicians such as Robert Johnson and Tampa Red, Elmore James changed the way musicians approached the guitar. Born January 27th 1918 in Richland, Mississippi. Elmore’s first instrument was a Diddley Bow (a single string attached to the wall).  He then picked up the guitar as a teenager and started playing juke joints and barn dances. After a stint in the U.S. Army Elmore returned to the States and continued to work as a professional musician.  He had his first hit with his rendition of Robert Johnson’s “I Believe I’ll Dust My Broom”.  After the success of “Dust My Broom” Elmore moved to Chicago and started to record for a number of different labels. He would continue to record and perform until his death in 1963.  Many guitarists were inspired to try their hand at playing slide guitar after hearing Elmore’s playing on songs like “One Way Out”, “The Sky Is Crying”, “Madison Blues”, and “Done Somebody Wrong”.  Guitar royalty such has Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Duane Allman, and Bonnie Raitt all have cited Elmore James as a major influence. If Elmore were alive today he would have been celebrating his 93rd birthday.  Happy Birthday Mr. James. Thank you for the great music!