Cornell Dupree - RIP

Just heard that Cornell Dupree passed a couple of days ago. This man was one of my earliest guitar heroes. That lick he lays down in King Curtis' Memphis Soul Stew is a classic funky, soulful statement - I listened to that tune over and over, just to hear that Cornell Dupree guitar break. "Four level tablespoons of boilin' Memphis guitar" is how King Curtis introduces Cornell's contribution to the tune. Wonderful.

Cornell played with everyone from Aretha Franklin to Paul Simon. His work was on over 2,500 tunes. He was a formidable guitar monster, but humble. He didn't over-play or grandstand. He was the ultimate session guitarist. Some of his licks are deeply imprinted in the national musical consciousness, but most folks never heard his name. Listen to his work on "Rainy Night in Georgia." Fantastic stuff.

Cornell was totally cool but not flashy. He was deeply talented and tasteful, but he was a committed sideman. His mission was to make the best music possible and he didn't care if he got little credit. He was in the public ear, but not the public eye.

Gonna miss that guy. Here is a MP3 of Memphis Soul Stew from YouTube. This is from the King Curtis "Live from Fillmore West" that I wore out when I was in high school. Enjoy it, and reflect on guitar greatness and the importance of sidemen.

L.V. Banks, Bluesman - Rest in Peace

I heard that L.V. Banks passed away over the weekend. Tom Holland, one of the young guitarists L.V. nurtured, shared the sad news. I knew Mr. Banks and sat in with him a few times - he was very open to harmonica players, unlike many blues guitarists. L.V. was an old-school bluesman, and he almost made it to 80 years of age (a very long run for a blues dude). He came up with the "second generation" of Chicago blues artists - Buddy Guy, Eddie Clearwater, et al are part of L.V.'s generation. He had an eye for young talent - in addition to Tom Holland, L.V. brought Marty Sammon, Buddy Guy's keyboardist, into his circle. He also advised and guided Toronzo Cannon, a terrific "next generation" blues guitarist. L.V. never got rich and famous, but he laid down the straight-up blues for many decades. He was the real deal.

I wrote about L.V. Banks back in December 2008. Here is a link to that entry.

I have some L.V. Banks tracks buried on my iPod somewhere. I will listen to them tonight, and drink a toast to one to the great, underappreciated South Side Chicago blues guitar slingers, Mr. L.V. Banks.

L.V. Banks in the Suburbs

A This picture of L.V. Banks by Joe of Joe's Corner (http://www.joes-corner.de/)

Bill Gilmore, proprietor of Bill's Blues Bar in Evanston, IL, is fond of guitarist/vocalist L.V. Banks. The South Side bluesman hits Bill's Blues every 6 weeks or so. He was holding down the middle of the evening on this past Saturday (between the indie rock group and the reggae D.J. that came on after midnight). If you like your blues raw, unpolished, gritty and loose, L.V. is your guy. By the way, Mr. L.V. Banks is not related to the late, great Chico Banks (I checked with L.V. last night).

He is no youngster - he celebrated his 76th birthday this year. L.V. arrived in Chicago in the 1960's from Greenville, Mississippi - he is in the second generation of Delta blues artists that came to Chicago to try to make a living; about the same age as Buddy Guy and Eddy Clearwater. In L.V.'s case, stardom didn't come knocking. He has played the clubs in Chicago for over 40 years; he finally got his first record out in 1995. The second disc was released in 2000 (both were issued by Wolf Records, a European label). That is the sum total of his recorded output over four decades as far as I know. L.V.'s son, Tre' Hardiman, is one of the "young gun" blues guitarists in town - yeah, the apple don't fall far from the tree.

L.V. Banks and the Swingin' Blues Band is a casual group. They kick off their songs in a relaxed fashion and build the groove around L.V.'s stinging guitar tone and effective vocal style. Banks likes to banter with the crowd ("So what y'all want to hear next? Fast or slow blues?"). The band stuck to the Chicago blues repetoire - "Hoochie Coochie Man" was covered; so was "Rock Me Baby." An attempt to fulfill a request for an Al Green tune ("Love and Happiness) ended badly. But the band's blues was as real as it gets.

L.V. and I know each other, a little, so he called me up and I played harp and sang a couple of tunes. Mr. Banks is a gentleman and it was a joy to play with him - a very comfortable experience on a very cold night.

Anyone in Chicago that loves pure blues needs to see L.V. Banks. His music used to be played in every other tavern on the South Side in the 1950's and 1960's. Catch him before he is gone...

Services for Chico Banks (RIP)

OSee Anderson just sent me information regarding Chico Banks' services coming up on Tuesday December 9 and Wednesday, December 10.


Visitation Tuesday, December 9, 2008 4-9pm Smith & Thompson Funeral Home 5708 W. Madison, Chicago, IL 60644

December 10: 4242 W.Roosevelt Rd. United Missionary Baptist Church.
Wake: 7:00pm-8:00pm; Funeral 8:00 - 9:00pm.

It will be sad to say good bye to such a talented young man.

Two Great Guitarists Cross Over - Too Soon

Obsessive obituary readers (like me) often notice that some deaths seem connected. Of course, this isn't true - unless your talking about folks who die with a bunch of people in an auto wreck or something. But the news today was quite eerie - Hiram Bullock and Joe Beck both died in the past week.

Hiram Bullock was an amazing player and a flamboyant individual. He was a very adaptable musician, but his music came from the pop/rock/funk side. He was best known for playing in the original band for "Late Night with David Letterman" (On Monday night, Letterman did a special tribute to Hiram). It is a shame that he is gone -- Hiram was only 52. Here is a link to his obituary in the New York Times.

Last week, Joe Beck died. He was almost 63 years old - still young . Like Hiram, Joe could play with everyone, but his music came from the jazz side. He collaborated with a wide range of artists - from Miles Davis to Frank Sinatra to James Brown. Here is a link to Joe's obituary from his hometown newspaper.

Hiram and Joe both played with David Sanborn (the great jazz fusion alto saxophonist). They also both collaborated with Gil Evans, the great jazz composer and arranger. These two fanatastic guitarists moved in the same circles, and left the scene together.

Yeah, its a coincidence, but still eerie.