USA: Happy Halloween! by Monica Yasher

Would you sale your soul this Halloween?
Enjoy a video I found of the 1986 movie Crossroads.



Wasn't that a great movie? I guess I was liking the blues before I knew the blues even existed!

American Blues News has an exciting announcement this October. We have a marketing director, Maureen Ciedro, to add to our roster. The first thing on Maureen's todo list is a logo. I personally think it is pretty cool, and can't wait to unveil it!

I would like to thank all the artists and record labels who are sending us emails and letting us know what is going on in with their artists and work! From those emails, I have determined that some of those events need to be covered! Keep them coming. I can't answer them all, but some of you know that you have gotten a review or an interview from your efforts! If you have any artists coming to the following areas: New York, Memphis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, or Dallas, please be sure to let us know you will be in town. If schedules permit, you could see American Blues News covering your event!

November is the time to give thanks. I will offer my tribute for giving thanks for the great blues artists from across the Atlantic, Great Britian. Look for two interviews of Robin Trower. One on his guitar work. The second on his new CD. I also talked to Roger Earl of Foghat. I hear he is a great cook, so I wonder what he will be cooking for Thanksgiving? And, lastly, I will share a great conversation I had with Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown. Figures my husband found a record of his weeks after I met him! I wish I would have had him sign it!

Next month look for a review of the very talented Zac Harmon, who has been traveling around with Bluzapalooza. We will also be talking to Michael Frank of:

SIX GENERATIONS OF THE BLUES FROM MISSISSIPPI TO CHICAGO
ONE NIGHT - ONE STAGE
CELEBRATING THE 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF EARWIG MUSIC

Last month our guest writers were from all over the world. We went to Australia, India, and California. This month, I have a guest writer a little closer to my home, Pittsburgh. You have to catch Izzy and Chris! They are ranking on the blues charts, and Chris has an endorsement on harmonicas, being the great player he is!

This November I am thankful for all the people in my life. Be sure to tell those that you love that you are thankful for them. Logoff and do it right NOW! Life is too short. Until next month....

Monica


If you liked this summary, you may wish to read the September summary.

Thank you for reading American Blues News!

Copyright © 2009 Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.

USA: How Blue Are We in September? by Monica Yasher

Everyone,

September holds the first day of Autumn, and the blues have fallen on American Blues News for another month! We have enjoyed photographing, interviewing, reviewing and visiting all the great blues places, things and people! We know the blues are the best in the heat of the final days of summer, and we have been out and about just taking it all in. And, are you enjoying the new format we created for the site in September? We sure hope so! We are working hard at American Blues News to stay Number One as your blues source! In case you missed some of our articles, here you go. And, Wow! Nothing to be scared about in October. We will keep those blues news coming in our effort to stay number one! And, we know the importance of our fans. Thanks for reading and don't forget to bookmark us. We'd love for you to visit with us again and again!

Once again Nelson has done a great job of photos! He even fed our appetite over the Labor Day Holiday with a special edition of his visit at the Hudson River Park’s annual Blues BBQ Festival which included Diunna Greenleaf, Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Eden Brent and we had to continue with a part 2 of the festival with pictures of Eddy 'The Chief' Clearwater and Michael Burks. Blues and BBQ. Doesn't get any better than that Nelson! Or does it? Nouveaux Honkies, Larry McCray and the very big name Guitar Shorty! Thanks Nelson for another great month of photos!




We had a lot of reviews. We reviewed performances. Some were good...and, some sadly weren't viewed so well. I'm not going to tell you which ones were good or bad. You'll have to go read for yourself! Here they are:



Review of Electric Chubbyland, Johnny Winter, and Derek Trucks. We listened to a lot of CD's, Tommy Castro's Hard Believer, CD Review for Blue Again by Mick Fleetwood, Muddy Waters Authorized Bootleg, and lastly, LV Banks Ruby CD. And, on a rainy day we still had to watch the blues! So we caught a DVD entitled, Full Moon Lightnin', and shared if it was a looker or not. And, we took a look at the the state of the blues in the 21st century. There seemed to be a lot to take a look at or listen to this month.

We packed our bags and went out to live the life of a bluesman. We crossed over water, and climbed mountains for you this past month to share with you festival life. Take a read and let us know if you are a person who likes mountains or water as your vacation destination! We flew to Denver, Colorado, home of the Mile High Blues Festival. We went to The Greater Ozark Blues Festival, We continued to climb to The Snowy Range Music Festival. It was tough to figure out if the Ozarks or the Colorado mountains were better! And, for those people who like to spend their time down by the waterside, we ventured to KenLake Kentucky. Go ahead, take a read and travel with us!

And, yes! We are your source for those interviews! We cover so many sub-genres of the blues. Why not read about these artists and let us know if we have expanded your taste of the blues? We talked to the icons of the blues such as Watermelon Slim. We had acoustic blues with Chris Smither. We had electric blues with Shannon Curfman. And, we spiced it up a bit with Candye Kane.

Then we had a jewel of an interview on the final tour of Saffire with Gaye Adegbola. And, of course the great harpsman, JT Ross. And, we don't want you to think that American Blues News doesn't welcome our blues world from down under. We had a great conversation with Fiona Boyes direct from Australia!

We did have the company of one guest writer this month, Bob Corritore. Thanks for stopping in a while, Bob!

Whew! So, what do we have to say for October? As I said, don't be scared! We have a lot to share with you. We have more guest writers coming up in October, which is a treat! We have my friend, Don Vecchio of the Western Pennsylvania Blues Society, sharing his interview with Robert Cray. I also met up with the World's Fastest Bass Player and he will be stopping by-all the way from India! I also have a few more surprises for you! Can't tell them all!

We can't wait to tell you about Ana Popovich's new CD, Blind for Love.

And, yes, there will be more interviews! We have the second of a three part interview, which is Andra from Saffire. We met up with Moreland and Arbuckle, who will be opening for Buddy Guy next month! And, at least three more tucked in our back pocket to share. We can't tell you everything! Some things just need to stay a mystery!

We will be traveling to the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival. If you see Nighthawk, ask him to snap a picture of you! You may get posted! We will also share our visit at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Club and the Sonny Boy Blues Society Fundraiser.

We will have pictures of Walter Trout and a few other surprises, I'm sure, from Nelson. Also, Maureen does some great shots in my interviews! We love pictures here at American Blues News! They're always a treat. Stop in often next month. I haven't told you all our tricks yet! And, if you see J, Blake, Gatorman or Jerry out and about, ask them if they will have more tricks or treats in their writing next month! Maybe only their mummy knows!

You may also enjoy reading the August Summary.


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Copyright © 2009 Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2009 Maureen Ceidro. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2009 Nelson Onofre. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2009 J. Blake. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2009 Robert Tooms. All Rights Reserved.

To purchase the rights to reprint this article, please email info@americanbluesnews.com.

Blues Cruise by Monica Yasher in Pittsburgh, PA

Imagine a place where you could drink under the sun and listen to blues music all day. A blues festival day after day after day with the likes of Susan Tedeschi, Buckwheat Zydeco, Tommy Castro, and Coco Montoya. A place where you wouldn’t have to worry about driving back home ‘cause all you would have to do is stagger back to your bed; and, that feelin’ you get when you drink too much would truly be due to….Ah-it’s a blues cruise!

I talked to my psychic just last week and she told me that I would be going on a cruise. I laughed. I mean, I really don't believe these things! Then I started looking at cruises and I found the one just for moi! Could she really be right? And, just about now, all of you are asking, is Monica really all right? She talks to a psychic! I think I’m supposed to write a number one country song done by Alan Jackson too! (Ladies, remember that black and white video he had a long time ago? Wasn't he absolutely dreamy?) I better start pitching that song I have for him!

I mean, I’m trying to understand my purpose in life and live it. When you get down to it, aren’t we all? So you have to start somewhere. So why not with a cruise suggested by someone who thinks they can see into the future! Is that my purpose? To cruise through life? And, better yet, a blues cruise! Now, do you think I'm crazy? Psychics, purpose of life, blues cruise. It's amazing how life just connects the dots.

Reality sets in about here. Sadly, it looks like I’m not going anywhere this year. The 2009 cruise is booked….and the 2010 cruise is booked. So, I will head out to my backyard with my strawberry margarita and put my painted red toes in the kid’s wading pool this hot July weekend. I’ll have WYEP 91.3 on in Pittsburgh starting at 5 pm and listen to BumbleBee Slim’s blues program all night long. BTW-internet accessible!

Then, I’ll close my eyes and pretend. Pretend I never talked to a physic. Pretend that I’m on a big cruise ship. I’ll pretend that I am part of the pro jam bands. I’ll pretend that I got really excited when the secret guests were announced. I’ll pretend that I am there to see the artist spotlights. I’ll pretend that I am at Mardi gras on pretend night! I think pretend night could get me in trouble…but.... I won’t go there.

You know maybe it is a good thing both of these cruises are booked solid. Maybe I’m meant to get a whole bunch more interviews under my belt and be invited as an industry panel member discussing all the neat blues people I have met-next year. I love pretending! (Really guys-I've interviewed NRPS and Jace Everett! I have commitments for interviews from GE Smith, Shannon Curfman, and Chris Smither in the next month! Not bad for doing this for only 3 months!)

And, the sites on a blues cruise. The islands. The shopping. I went to the Caribbean on my honeymoon, which was 22 years ago. I can tell you that the water is really blue. It isn’t like the Atlantic here in the North-brown or gray. It is a beautiful blue. I hope I get to see that again in my life. Blue water with blues music. It just sounds sooooo right, huh?

Surely physics are correct, right? Can someone make this happen? Do you think I could really go? Do you know my birthday is in January? That January 2010 trip would be a great present! So, as Susan Tedeschi says, somebody, anybody pleeeeassssse Wait for Me! I have to go now. The kids are screamin’ they want the pool. Or, should I pretend that I just don’t hear them and crank up the volume on my radio dial! Oh, Wait for Me!




Copyright © 2009 Copyright Monica L. Yasher. All Rights Reserved.

CHICAGO: Music will set the people free,,,,,,,,, eventually.

Let’s face it Chicago is one of the top cities in the country, if not the world to hear the blues. People come here from all over the world because of it. I kept my eyes and ears open at the Chicago Blues Festival this year and to my surprise I met people from, Denmark, Italy, Austria, Belgium, France, Japan and China and the list goes on. Blues music has reached the far corners of the globe. The blues can be heard in some of the most unlikely places such as New Zealand and Saudi Arabia. I recently received an email from a young man in Saudi Arabia.

I have established a very nice presence on Facebook,Twitter, MySpace and Live Blues World. American Blues Blog's Live Blues World site is here. I use them primarily to keep in touch with not only USA blues artists, but artists throughout the world. I post on Twitter using text messaging sent from my cell phone. Most of the time the text messages read something like "The Joint is rocking" or "This group is hot." Short messages are the norm, because Twitter only allows 164 character posts. Two weeks ago I put a post up on all the networks. I was struggling with a storyline for a blog post and I needed to think of something fast, so I asked if anyone had any stories or ideas. This Saudi Arabian guy emailed me with about fifteen different ideas and some of them were and still are very interesting.

I was working on a reply email when suddenly an idea popped into my head. I wrote, thank you for your nice suggestions, but I am very interested in what the blues scene is like over there. Two days later I received this email. It is quite insightful.
____________________________________________________________________

The Blues Scene in SA (Saudi Arabia)

Most western music that's played here is Hip Hop and R&B, and heavy metal.
Hip Hop looks like it gonna stay for a while. Heavy Metal looks like it’s on its way out. There's a considerable amount of people playing that kind of music, but they are their own audience.

Now, something interesting seems to be taking place with the blues here. Whenever I have played, be it at a gig or just gathering, people have responded to it very strongly. This is obviously because of the familiarity that comes with the Blues, and also, cuz the music itself sounds good. So things are looking somewhat promising.

The festival (Saudi Arabian Cultural Festival) is to promote tourism in SA. All in all 700 invited attendees, mostly from Europe and the States, between ages 25 to 55. Going to last all the way from Aug. 1st to Sep. 30th. Three days a week on Wed., Thu. and Fri. Thursdays and Fridays are the official weekend. Local and international press coverage, or so I've been told by the production agency. But the blues performance itself will be by just me and the boys.

Apparently, it’s being organized by some real big shots, which is what it takes for a gig to occur, without getting raided by the religious police.

Musicians,

So far limited in number, but devout and growing. I myself play rhythm and lead guitar and the harmonica. Just found a Canadian guy who knows all Muddy Waters numbers by heart! The two of us are jamming tonight.

My manager,XXXXX and I have taken it upon ourselves to locate all Blues lovers in SA and create some kind of platform. In doing so, we formed this group on face book, and the results so far have been very impressive:

Also, my ad on a XXXXXXXXXXX .Com has helped. Quite a few people have responded, and I don't mean to sound like a p***k, but I had to kind of separate the wannabees from the real deals and so far have ended up with two very good blues musicians, which is relatively good progress.

As you probably already know, getting a gig going here is like is a real PIA. Music is considered forbidden by the conservatives, a lot of whom throw a lotta weight around, to say the least. But then you've got the liberals who are trying to get things going. We're counting on them.

I'm just in it for the music. I used to be into rock, wrote 6 songs in that genre that were about to get recorded, but then I just converted. I don't even know how it happened. It's like it was always in me, and just came out when I was ready.

Anyhow, I gotta run. Hope the above helps. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help. its mutual interest for the two of us I guess, for you it’s a potential story, for me it's a chance to promote the local Blues scene.”
____________________________________________________________________

I did not reveal the man’s name and x ed out identification areas for obvious reasons. In some areas of the world music is not allowed or deeply frowned upon. I visited the middle east while serving in the US Navy. The country I went to was Pakistan. I know from experience how some regimes control and suppress its populace. The Saudi Arabian blues artist is most assuredly paying his blues dues.

“Music will set the people free,,,,,,,,, eventually.”

"Blues Me Or Lose ME"

TERRANCE "GATORMAN" LAPE

PS. Any body in unusual places of the blues world please let me know where. I would be very interested in your story. Your town and or village may show up in my book.

Chicago: Music is The Universal Language

While in the US Navy I visited many different cities.

Yokohama and Yokosuka , Japan, Karachi, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mombasa, Kenya, Port Lewis Mauritius, Rodriguez Island, Manila, Philippines, Guam and too many to list here.

The guys I hung out with knew that I was a guitar player. At each port and bar my steaming (drinking) buddies coerced me to play. I had to sit in with the band. I was one of about half a dozen guitar players on that ship and I was one of the few that had an instrument on board. There were a little over a thousand men on that ship. There was a gunners mate from Seattle that we called Fly, because he was a little guy. He and I were jamming ship mates while at sea. He also had a guitar and many times we would go up to the gun mount to play. One of the songs on my CD called gator smoke was developed during those gun mount jams. Fly could not hold his liquor. Most of the time if he went with us, we ended up carrying him back to the ship. One late night I saw him in a port town leaning against a post. He was obviously out of it. He did not recognize me so I let him be.

In Japan the band members did not speak English, but they sure spoke the blues. I would motion that I wanted to play guitar and invariably I was handed a guitar. I had counted 1,2,3,4 and my version of Johnny B. Good filled the room. They knew exactly what I was doing and where I was going. It was crazy, but fun.

In the Philippines (PI) the port of call was Olongapo. Those of you who have been there know what kind of port it was. Let me just say it was a sailors dream. Whatever you wanted was there and many a sailor availed themselves of its resources. PI was what we called a working port that had a large US Naval contingency. Every day, one sixth of the crew had to remain on that ship for 24 hours. Most of the time that sixth day was a respite from the other five. Olongapo was party town. The beers cost around 14 cents. I would hit the front gate of the base at about four fifteen and stop at the very first club. I believe it was called the California club. Right inside the front entryway was an ice cooler loaded with San Miguel beer. First order of business was to flip a quarter to the attendant, grab a beer, chip off the ice and guzzle it down. PI was HOT and humid just like Chicago in August.

While we were on temporary duty in PI Marshall Law was in place. Marshall Law affected sailors in one area and one area only; we could not be on the streets between the hours of 12am and 6 am. No problem we had plenty of time to get back to the ship if we wanted or stay the night at some locals house. The bars closed at 11:30 each night.

Every club had a band and the club I frequented was called the Inn Motion. That club was located on the second floor and the stairs were situated right in the middle of the room. I remember the stairs were extremely wide. The Inn Motion was about ten thousand square feet and accommodated quite a large number of military personal, a varied amount of rival military personal. When military guys drink, they start bragging about their unit and how much better it is than that unit and so on and so on. I’ve seen fights break out over the color of a shirt a guy was wearing.

One night some Marines made the mistake of calling a couple of Navy Seals wimps. I have never seen anybody go down as fast as those marines did. They were carried out on stretchers and the Seals were arrested by the shore patrol. I never found out what happened to those Seals, but I would venture to guess nothing. The navy has too much tied up in training Seals to kick any one Seal member out. They are the baddest of the bad, very skilled warriors.

The Inn Motion had a band called Friction*. This band was very good. They had the steady gig there for two years. Two years of 7 night weeks. I asked the leader what happens if anyone of them took a day off, his reply was you lose the job. They had a waiting list of players trying to get into that group. The band learned how to play from dropping a needle or spinning records. The thing with PI bands was they could mimic right down to the beat, but they did not have much soul. They were so good that sometimes you could not tell the difference between the band or the juke box. When I look back on those PI nights I realize that 90% of the military didn’t care what the bar band sounded like. They were there for the “booze and the broads”. Do not criticize, go to sea for thirty days without touching land and then let me know what you would do. The last place I would visit would be the library.

It was weird, the Friction Band could technically play, but they did not know what they were playing. They all played by ear. I shared my limited knowledge of guitar with Frictions guitar player. He would give a big smile when I walked in the club. First thing he would ask is, "Anything new?" I learned that the guitarist had a very difficult time getting guitar strings so I wrote home and asked if my brother could get some. He sent about two dozen sets. Those strings ended up getting more free drinks then I could handle.

Most times I would jam with these port bands to tunes like “Mojo”, “Who do you Love”, “Sunshine of Your Love” and general I- IV-Vs. like “Red house” or “Little Red Rooster”. They loved it and so did I.

While visiting Mombasa, Kenya I played “Who Do You Love” in an out of the way bar down a side alley. Once I got the band on target they would not stop. After about 20 minutes I put the guitar down and walked out. I staggered down that alley to the sound of the monster I had created.
I swear when I hit the beach (Off Duty, liberty) the next evening, I could still hear them in the distance. What a time that was. By the way that band, like so many others, did not speak English.

It goes to show you that music is the universal language. Language uses vowels as its roots, and Rock music uses the blues.




Terrance "Gatorman" Lape
Mark of The Gator CD at
Amazon .com
* Friction band name is stilled used in PI.

CHICAGO: Dudes My Blues Dues Account is Paid in Full

For two years I chopped away on an Red Ibanez Roadster guitar. My amplifier was a Galien-Kruger 250 ML. It was quite a nice little amp that was rated at 100 watts. I think the thing weighed in at about 15 pounds. I mounted it on an old tripod that folded up. The whole rig was great for quick getaways. I could grab the guitar and amp and be out the door in about 60 seconds. It came in handy on a couple of occasions. The first was at a club on 53rd and Ashland in Chicago. I think the name of the joint was “People’s Choice”. I remember the incident very well.

The place was really a very nice middle of the block shotgun bar. We called it a shotgun bar, because if you fired a shotgun through the front door the buckshot would go out the back door. I could have used that shotgun, this one particular night.

It was late summer 1980. I was now playing off and on with Smiling Bobby on a regular basis. I would call Bob ahead of time to find out if it was safe to play at the club he was performing at. Back in the day there were areas of the city that I just could not go into. Today is very different and that’s for the better. Bob knew the good clubs and the bad ones. This particular night Bob told me it was a pretty cool club and he would make sure to save me a parking spot right in front of the front door. I was driving a 1979(?) Chevette. That car was great. Good gas mileage and if I put the back of the back seat down I could fit my upright bass in it perfectly. When I arrived Bob and Kenny (Bass Player) were standing outside the front door. Kenny pulled his car forward and Bob drove his car backwards to open up a spot. I slipped in and parked. I retrieved my amp and guitar and walked into the club. Once again I was the only white person in the place. No matter, I was there to play the blues and nothing else. Anytime I could play the blues was time well spent.

Kenny, the bass player, had an Uncle who shall remain unnamed by me. This uncle was and still is a very famous comedian. Kenny had a tendency to drink too much and so did I. I cannot tell you how many times I drove home from gigs drunk. I really do not know how I got through that period in my life, but here I am. DO NOT drink and drive. The preceding has been a public service announcement.

The beers in the club were $2 each and Kenny had bought at the corner liquor store a six-pack for $3. I gave him$ 2 and he chipped in the rest. We sat in my car and started drinking that six-pack. We each had two beers. I noticed a shady looking character lurking about 200 feet away from the front of the car. He kept looking at us. Kenny said to pay no attention to him, because he looked like a local guy that was drunk. Kenny exited the car and went back into the club. I finished what was left in my second beer can and exited also.

By that time, the shady guy was standing right next to my car. I thought nothing of it and walked towards the front door. The guy pulled out a 38 pistol and shouted up against the wall. I backed into the wall right on the side of the front door. My back was against the wall and my hands were up.

I said, “Man I’m just here to play the blues and I just spent my last two dollars on a six pack of beer. I’ll have some more money after the gig.”

He shoved the gun into my right lower ribcage and said, “I don’t want no money! I want to know whats you doing my neighborhood. This GD territory.”

I knew immediately that he was a member of one of the most notorious street gangs in Chicago namely Gangsters Disciples. When I realized who this guy was I started to think about what the hell they were going to put on my tombstone. Right then Bobby walked around the corner and saw what was going on.

He said, “Hey you leave my brother alone. He’s with the band.”

The guy yells back at him, “I don’t care who he’s with. He’s a dead man.”

When Smiling Bobby saw the gun he froze for half a second and then calmly walked into the club. I knew at that moment I was on my own. The guy intimidated and taunted me for a couple of more minutes. Those minutes seemed like hours.

Then, from about a block away, I guy yelled, “Hey Tyrone get over here, man.”

Tyrone turned to look at the guy and when he did he took the gun out of my ribs and pointed it towards the yeller. I took advantage of the situation and just rolled along the wall and into the club. I knew that the owner would not allow those guys in.

Jeff the drummer said, “Hey we gotta get you out of here”.

I replied, “How?”

The owner and ten guys walked towards me and then out the door. The owner, after a beat, came back in. He looked at me and told me to get my stuff and follow him. I grabbed my guitar and amp and towards the door we went. He stopped me at the front of the door, walked out and then motioned for me to get in the car and go. I stepped out the door to be met by ten guys who formed a line from the door of the club to the door of my car. Five men on a side and each one was my personal bullet blocker. I opened the door waved thank you and off I went.

The next Monday I asked Bob what happened. Bob said the same old same old. What about the gun guy? Bob asked me what gun guy? That’s when it dawned on me that he drank just as much as Kenny and I.

I drove by that club last week after almost thirty years. The area has not changed that much, but the club is long gone and all that’s left is a vacant lot. The building right next door to it is a store front church. I wonder if the congregation knows about that club and the people who used to hang out in it. I wonder if they know about the shake dancer that frequented that club. I wonder if they know that right next door the devil's music played.

Gatorman

© Copyright Terrance B. Lape all rights reserved. Reproduction of this website, in whole or in part, in any form or medium without express written permission from American Blues Blog is prohibited. All use is subject to our Terms of Use

CHICAGO: Blues Here Today and Gone Tomorrow

Recently I received an email from a photographer that I have not seen in years. His name is Jim Quattrocki. He sent me a couple of photos of Smiling Bobby holding different style guitars. One was a Gibson ES335 pale blue Guitar. He said he only had that in black and white. The other is a picture of Bob holding a yellow Ibanez.
I know the Es335 guitar is blue, because I sold it to Bob about 25years ago. Here is how the story goes.

Bob picked up Ladybird, his main girlfriend, and drove out to my house. It was winter, late November or early December. Chicago's weather is very unpredictable. We have a saying here “If you don’t like the weather stick around it will change.” How true that is. Yesterday June 28^th the temperature was hovering around 90. Right now (5:00Pm) it is in the low 70’s and tonight it will be about 58.

Bobby came to Chicago from Helena Arkansans in 1950. He was 11. His mother and father, like so many other poor Americans, came to Chicago seeking a better life for themselves and their family. Bob’s dad found a decent paying job in a packing house. Chicago had one of the largest meat packing industries in the nation that employed 25,000. They worked in the Stock yards and lived in an area they called “Back of the yards.” Chicago is situated just about halfway from the east and half way from the west coasts. This made it an ideal place to ship livestock, process them and reship them to each coast. This industry was a main economic engine in Chicago. Wilson and Company, a major meatpacking organization, stopped operations in the summer of 1955. Twenty years later the Chicago's Union Stock Yards were no more.

1955 was also the year that Bob picked up a guitar. He was greatly influenced by his uncle who was a blues harmonica player. The first time Bob heard him play, he knew had to play “The Blues”. His first guitar was purchased at a pawn shop right out of the back property room for $8.00. All blues artists got their first guitar at the same pawn shop and it is the one at the crossroads of 54th and Vine.

According to Bob, his uncle could wail on harp. That uncle helped Bob get his first professional gig at “When’s Lounge”. Bob was 19 and he earned a whopping $12.00. Back then that was big money. A 1960 census shows the average annual salary $5,600. That breaks down to$2.74 an hour. He made $4.00 an hour. Not bad for a kid right out of the backwoods of Helena Arkansas.

Over the past 50 some odd years Bob has played with some of the greats including; Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Tail Dragger, Bobby Rush, Carey Bell, Steve Bell, Buddy Guy, Jr. Wells, Magic Sam, Magic Slim, Little Walter and it goes on and on. He has played just about every club in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis. Bob has gone overseas half a dozen times to Paris, Stockholm, Venice, Madrid, Italy and Holland. He told me that Holland had the biggest blues fans and that the crowds were huge. The largest crowd he ever played for contained an estimated 20-30,000 screaming Dutch blues fans. He said it was crazy, but he loved it.

Bob told me that there is no other high like the high you get on stage. He loves the fact that people love his guitar playing. What he can't understand is the adoration that fans have for him. "I'm just a regular guy that loves what I does." said Bob.

Bob’s favorite kind of blues is Chicago Blues, particularly Chicago West Side Blues. Chicago’s west side pickers have a tendency to play very little notes. They do not “shred” as a lot of the young guys do today, but rather utilize a bending technique that makes the guitar talk. These west side men manipulate six steel strings across pieces of wire hammered into a plank of wood. These manipulations create vibrations that are picked up by a couple of hunks of steel wound with a bunch of wires and they are then sent to an amplifier. It is Bob’s guitar manipulations and fluid artistry that has landed him a recording contract with Wolf Records. Watch for the release of “I’ve Gotta Leave That Woman” in late July or early August. Keep up with my posts. I will announce the exact date here first.

Bob was supposed to come about six that blustery, pitch dark, winter evening. I live out in the country and we do not have street lights. As a matter of fact we are lucky to have electricity. If it rains, snows, fogs, hails or a coyote howls, out go the lights. When it’s dark, it is dark as the Mississippi black backwaters at 2:00 AM in the middle of a hurricane dark. You cannot see your hand in front of your face kind of dark. You really have to know your way around in these parts. The roads are exactly one mile long and they intersect at, where else, but the crossroad.

When we give directions it’s something like this. Take the first right then the next left. At the second stop sign turn left than look for the first driveway facing the east, it’s in the southwest spot of the crossroad.

Bobby followed my directions to the letter and called me from some farm stand 5 miles away. That’s Anker’s farm and I knew it well. They have a ship’s anchor in the front yard. I hopped in my truck and floored it over. I thanked Mike Anker for Bob's use of his phone. His phone was in the kitchen and it was the, hanging on the wall, stands up while you are talking, type phone.

I escorted Bob and Mattie back to my house. We pulled in the driveway turned out the lights and bingo pitch black. I had to illuminate the driveway so Mattie could make her way to the front door. The first thing Mattie said to me was, “Terry I don’t like it out here. It’s too dark and quiet.”

Bobby liked the guitar and I sold it to him for $500. He had it for less than a year. He finished a gig in a dubious part of Chicago, packed up his gear and left. Someone tailed him after that gig. Bob had a green van that worked out perfectly for hauling gear and other undercover operations.

He stopped at a stoplight and before he knew what was happening, someone broke the glass on the rear van window. They reached in and snatched the guitar, gone in less than sixty seconds.

Bob now uses a yellow Ibanez guitar style strat.That van is long gone and he now puts his guitar in the trunk of his Black Cadillac.

Writers Note- I go on record here and state that if I had not met Bob when I did I would have put the guitar away a long time ago. Bob is my blues mentor and my blues brother. Thank you Bobby.

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Vacation Time - dateline Chicago - Blues Capital

It’s that time of year again vacation time. I love going on vacation and this year I thought it would be fun to take a trip based on the blues. Every time I go my wife says baby please don't go. She is a hard loving woman.

I always leave early Sunday morning because if you’re going to sweet home Chicago that’s the official time to leave. Come to think of it, if you go on any blues trip, it’s a rule; you must leave early Sunday morning. I don’t like driving during those Stormy Mondays.

I do not like going to a big city too many heartaches. The road to the big city is bad you’re going up, You’re going down, down up what am I supposed to do. Besides that road being bad there are way too many crossroads for me. I might just stop on the outskirts of town

A farm would be nice to visit. The last one I went to was fun. I never could find that little red rooster though. We stayed in the farmhouse. It was painted a bright red. The only problem with that red house, I had one hell of a time with the lock on the front door. The key never seemed to fit right.

I have to go out into that abyss of blues, that home of the hoodoo man and find out where the little red rooster has gone. I think he’s hiding in that red house over wander or maybe he’s on that parchment farm. You know the one further on down the road. It’s around the corner from that restaurant whose chef tells everyone to come into his kitchen and only when it’s raining outside. When you’re outside that place you better look out for them Hellhounds. I hear they bite. When you leave that red house you of course always have to exit through the back door, man. Behind the red house is a river of whiskey and in that river is a diving duck. It seems that duck is drunk as a skunk because he keeps diving to the bottom of that river and drinks himself back up. Somehow I think the duck is in cahoots with the red rooster. I really can’t prove it though.

I do have to travel further on down the road so the dark don’t catch me here.

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Blues USS Chicago Style

Blues in the US Navy USS Chicago Style

Modern day Chicago blues artists have a backup band and these sidemen are the time keepers. Any major Blues artist will tell you that without a great rhythm section the show “just don’t cut it”. Whether on the stage, or in the studio, side men have to lay down a solid groove for whoever that artist is. A side man can make or break an artist and it is essential that all work as team. How does a rhythm section keep time? It comes from an inner clock inherent in everyone.

I thought long and hard about this question; how does one develop their clock? I came to the conclusion that mine was developed or wound during Boot Camp in the US Navy.

I enlisted in the navy on July 20^th 1972. I thrust my right hand up in the air and stated the following;

“I, Terrance B. Lape due solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic. That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, and that I will obey the orders of the president of the United States and the officers appointed over me according to the regulations, and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me god.”

I reported to Great Lakes Naval Base September of that year. I had a full 12 weeks ahead of basic training AKA “Boot Camp”. Talk about culture shock, the very first morning I was awaken by the sound of two metal garbage cans. The company commander had his billy club and was rotating it inside those cans. It was 5:00 am. You gotta be kidding me, I muttered under my breath. The company commander heard me and rushed over to me, pulled myself and the mattress out of the rack (bed). I tumbled onto the floor (deck) and then he tossed the scratchy wool blanket over me. “Sailor you better be on that grinder (asphalt parking lot) in 15 minutes or your gonna be in a world of hurt.” I was there in ten. That grinder was the place where the company learned how to march. Why in the world did sailors have to march? Swim yes, march no. It was, at the time, beyond my comprehension. I learned anyway.

Those twelve weeks in boot camp were focused on team work. If one team member screwed up the whole team suffered. The way we suffered was with the dreaded grinder. I swear I wore out my freshly issued boondockers (black boots) with all that marching. If the company (team) went to another building like the mess hall or sickbay or a classroom we marched and it was double time, a running march. When we marched someone called the cadence. A form of answer and call work song like this;

Caller : Let me hear the sound of yo' left (company stomps)
Caller : sound of yo' right (company stomps)

Caller : Let me hear the sound of yo' left (company stomps)
Caller : sound of yo' right (company stomps)

Caller : Double it up (stomps twice)
Caller : double it up (stomps twice)

Caller : Now stomp your left and drag yo' right
Platoon : boots cost money you big dummy

caller : Now stomp your left and drag yo' right
Platoon : boots cost money you big dummy

Come to think of it the marching cadences were a form of blues. They were song to keep time, to sync the company, to tap a sort of timing in your head that has to be tapped into. We got to be pretty good at marching and did some very fancy footwork. We could fold a column of men back through another column without hitting each other. We were very adept at side marching, 45 degree turns and similar maneuvers.

I served and lived on a guided missile cruiser oddly enough it was the USS Chicago Cg-11. I was assigned to the weapons department and the subdivision 6th Division. That division operated and maintained two 5” gun mounts. It took a coordinated effort to shoot those guns. One of the gun mounts was manned by sailors and the other was manned by marines. It was essential for the survival of all the crew that the gun personnel worked together as a team. That crew had to get the timing just right, after all lives were at stake.

There was certain horror firing that gun, but there was a certain beauty to it also. The gun crews worked like a precision clock movement. Load the gun, close the breech, and pull the trigger. When that gun fired there was no mistaking it. BOOM; wait 33 seconds, BOOM and over and over again. The marines were always much faster than the sailors. The last part of the firing sequence was mine, pull the trigger. If I pulled it at the wrong time, the bullet would fire prematurely with tragic consequences. My timing had to be just right. No second chances. It was not an assignment I took lightly.

Timing is a big issue in our everyday lives. Look at a car engine, construction of a steel skyscraper, people walking down the street. Everything has timing. A blues musician has to follow that inner clock and in order to follow that clock he has to focus. I have always said that all successful people have one thing in common and that one thing is focus. It does not matter if that person is an athlete, entertainer, politician, business CEO or numerous other occupations. When the focus is adjusted and operating correctly they enter a place called the zone. Those of you who have hit that zone know what I am referring to. It is the ultimate high without any form of chemicals. Some musicians call it; the groove, playing in the pocket, synched up, kicking it, rocking the house.

In that zone moment an artist knows that something magical is happening and in that moment he knows his purpose, the true meaning of his very existence. All that marching taught me this; a group of individuals with a singular purpose can accomplish anything.

If any veteran out there is a blues lover let me know.

If you have spent time in the "Zone" tell me about it.

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