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Friday Morning 2:00 AM 60 miles from the Blues Capital Chicago
I just got in from a jam session at the Cool River Club. I played three songs with Billy King. BK (here we go with the initials again) is a local blues man that I have had the pleasure of knowin
g for about 15 years. Mr. King's trademark is his bald head, sunglasses and he always wears black. Looks like a blues man, plays like a blues man, must be a blues man and a very good, oh I’ll say it, excellent guitarist. This guy has got it going on. Not only is he a great blues man, he is also very friendly and a truly humble guy. He could also be a stand up comedian if he wanted. He is that funny and when he is on stage the audience knows too. One of his favorite opening lines is, “Ladies and gentlemen I would like to play a song by one of my favorite songwriters (pause) Me. Billy does compose some memorable great tunes. "Big Man" is a song that could be a hit if it got into the right hands. His style of music is akin to what the real deal, old school artists call lumpty lump. If you don’t know what lumpty lump is listen to "Down in Mississippi" By Jimmy Reed. When yours truly plays with those old school blues men and they call out Lumpty Lump, I always inquire, "Do you want one lump or two?"
Billy and I were talking about our favorite blues artists. We share quite a few, Muddy, John Lee, Jimmy Reed and the list goes on. He asked me what the weirdest blues act was that I have heard of or have seen. I replied, "That's easy. Just this afternoon I was sent an email about this band called "Pipapelli." I then pulled a hunk of paper out of my shirt pocket and read the following;
"Pipapelli plays Rockin' Blues....with a Celtic-knotted Twist! Many of the tunes are driven by the Great Highland Bagpipes run through a guitar wah peddle, creating the original "Western Carolina Wah-pyps". ...kinda like a saxophone on acid! We play
primarily at blues festivals, bbq's festivals, highland games, state and county fairs, and we just performed at the House of Blues in N.Myrtle Beach. We play tunes from Koko Taylor to the Blues Bros,Led Zeppelin with many eclectic journeys in between. We also incorporate electric & acoustic guitars and Native American Love Flutes. Please check out www.myspace.com/pipapelliI just discovered ya'll's site and will be keeping up with it."
Billy said really sounds interesting. What do they sound like? I said you gotta hear it to believe it.
Blues Me Or Lose Me
Terry "Gatorman" Lape
Chicago Blues music Society
