Jimmy Hendrix: All Along The Watchtower

Hendrix singing a Bob Dylan song. Jimi was a big Dylan fan and his lyrics really reflect that. This is a more laid back version of the song from the Ise of Wright concert with the Band Of Gypsys. At this point in his career Hendrix was getting tired of playing behind his back and with his teeth. He was playing more blues and playing them straight. Needless to say the audience was disappointed with him and later in the concert they boo him.

Alex "Easy Baby" Randle RIP

From Bob Corritore

RIP Alex "Easy Baby" Randle 8/3/1934 - 9/25/2009 : This sad news from Chicago area bassist and record producer Karl Meyer about the passing of Chicago blues harmonica great Easy Baby: Alex Randle, known to the world as "Easy Baby", passed away Friday, September 25, 2009 after suffering from pneumonia. He was 75 years old. Alex "Easy Baby" Randle was born 1934 in Memphis, Tennessee. For the first seven years of his life, he lived in Michigan City, Mississippi, with his grandmother and uncle, before moving back to Memphis to attend school. His grandmother and uncle were harmonica players; so, it was natural for Easy Baby to pick up the harmonica. In the early 1950's, when Easy Baby was still a teenager, he began playing professionally around Memphis while working a variety of odd jobs, including installing floors and shining shoes. While playing in the juke joints and gambling houses in Memphis, he befriended Howlin' Wolf, James Cotton, and Joe Hill Louis, among others. In 1956, Easy Baby moved to Chicago. Throughout the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's Easy Baby sang and played all over Chicago, while working as a mechanic. He worked a long stint at the Rat Trap Inn in Chicago during the 1970s and made appearances at the Chicago Blues Festival in 1998, 2000, and 2003. Easy Baby released 2 records under his own name: Sweet Home Chicago Blues on the Barrelhouse label and If It Aint One Thing It's Another on the Wolf record label. Additionally he had cuts on 3 harmonica anthologies: Bring Me Another Half-A-Pint on Barrelhouse, Low Blows on Rooster, and Blues Harmonica Orgy on Random Chance. Unreleased sides exist recorded for Steve Wisner during the 1970s which will someday see the light of day. Easy Baby had a beautiful high register voice and a sparse harmonica style (specializing in Chromatic and third position). He was a kind and gentle man and was one of a dwindling number of the old school Chicago blues harmonica masters. Click here to see Karl Meyer's tribute page to Easy Baby.

Andy Coats Update King Biscuit Blues Festival!!!

Hey folks,

I just got back from a lovely experience at the Carolina Downhome Blues Festival, where John Dee, Melvin, and I had a great couple of shows. Thanks to all the good folks in Camden for having us! We look forward to coming back soon.

Now, another big week has arrived: I will be going down to the Delta to do my solo set at one of the largest and most prestigious blues festivals in the country.

It’s a huge honor to be able to participate, and share the bill with all these blues legends!

Friday, Oct. 9
Lockwood-Stackhouse Stage, 4 pm
Andy Coats, solo
Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival (aka "King Biscuit Blues Festival")
Helena, AR
www.bluesandheritagefest.com

I’ll be attending all 3 days of the festival, so if you’re planning to go, let me know; and we can plan to meet up sometime during the festival.

All the best,

Andy

www.andycoats.com
www.myspace.com/andycoats
www.myspace.com/andycoatsandthebankwalkers

Blues Historian Reviews

I saw something coming up though our friendly federal government in regards to promotions on the internet. As you know there are a lot of unfriendly blogs that are purely set up to promote products. They try to convince you that they are ordinary people who have stumbled on to these great products. They are easy to spot, I call them spam blogs. The only thing that the blogger writes about is how great this wonderful product is that they are using. So the feds are wanting people to be honest that they are getting free product and not paying for it, so their endorsement is honest.
I am not sure how that effects me, but just so you know. I do get CDs, and DVDs to review from different record companies, and promotion staffs. Those of you who have read my reviews know that I am honest. I love music, and I love the variety of CDs that come my way. However, from now on I will let you know if I bought the CD, or it was sent to me for review. Hopefully this will meet whatever requirements that are coming down the line from the government.

Andy Coats Update

Hey everyone,

Lots of cool stuff coming up this week!

I hope I can see many of you while I’m on the road:

**With John Dee Holeman and Melvin Alston
Carolina Downhome Blues Festival
Camden, SC
http://www.bluesbash.com/camden
Oct 1 -- 12. Sam Kendall's, 1043 Broad Street, 424-2005
Oct 2 -- . Indigo Jones, 511 Rutledge St., 432-1616

**Bank Walkers with the Fustics
Mansion 462
Oct. 3, 9 pm

462 West Franklin Street (directions)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27516
tel: (919) 967-7913
http://mansion462.com

As always, I appreciate your ongoing support!

Andy

www.andycoats.com
www.myspace.com/andycoats
www.myspace.com/andycoatsandthebankwalkers

Bob Dorr And The Blue Band Update

This will hafta be a quickie, I'm scheduled to be part of a music panel discussing favorite CDs of the summer (I'm the Blues category) in a few hours (10am) on Iowa Public Radio's talk show The Exchange. Find the frequency in your location, or listen on line, at www.iowapublicradio.org Remember the days when we'd just say "oh what the hell, let's just stay up all night..." But, I digress...

I am REALLY looking forward to kicking off a new season of First Fridays at The Hub (4th & Main, right here in Sparkle City USA) We've only played once since Sept. 10 and I am jonesin' on playin' the songs. Al is off being a state marching band judge (what?) so Doug Huey, the fellow who played a few songs with us in Clear Lake in July will be the trumpet guy and Bunky will be the saxman/horn section leader (what?) This should be "unique" and loads of fun. The 6-9pm time slot allows for a couple of pops, a slice of pizza (OP pizza by the slice, served hot) 8 or 9 dances with a couple more pops (the drunker you get, the better we sound) and still home, passed out in front of the TV, before the 10 O'clock news gets on. See ya Friday night after work...

Saturday afternoon is just flat out one of the most fun annual events that we get the chance to be part of. The Tabor Family Winery in Baldwin (just a little west of Maquoketa) celebrates another anniversary and the harvesting of the grapes, Saturday afternoon 1-6pm, we play 2-5:30, on the vineyard grounds. (www.taborhomewinery.com) Al will be done marching (what?) and he'll join Bunky in the horn section. We've been part of this celebration for over a decade, it has a multigenerational reunion kind of vibe, and there is lots of wining (but no whining). Bring a picnic basket (sorry, no outside alcohol can be brought on the grounds) or enjoy the sandwiches available on sight. This is a rain or shine event, see ya at the Tabor's!...

The Tabor celebration is always a bitter sweet thing for me. I love doing the date, but it usually marks the end of the outdoor festival season. Damn. Coffee break over, back on our heads. We are not scheduled for another public appearance until 10/31, Halloween Night, when we've been invited to the state of Iowa's #1 blues club, Blues On Grand in Des Moines for their version of the Freaker's Ball! (scary) Be a cool ghoul and join us...

So obviously we're finding it difficult to find acceptable work (OK, I admit it, we're not the cheapest band you can find) Please keep us in mind for any last minute holiday parties, anniversary celebrations, corporate functions, or to play at your local watering hole. We love to play. So step right up, bargains galore, don't be fooled by cheap imitations, it's the year end clearance sale, it's the only band you'll ever need, don't settle for less, never needs ironing and no assembly required!! No serious offer refused, try it today! Do I sound like an agent now??? www.theblueband.com/contactBob.htm (I obviously picked a hell of a time to "retire" from my UNI radio job!) (12 weeks to go before I don't have a regular paycheck anymore) (but who's counting?) What, me worry?...

The one good aspect of not having any Blue Band work was that it offered an opportunity for Carolyn and me to go to Chicago to visit my last living aunts and uncles. My mother's sister Dolores and her brother Donald were twins. They're 82 years old now. They and their spouses still live in the same houses that they lived in when I was growing up in the NW suburbs. I took a giant box of family pictures, many of which I had no clue as to who was pictured, and we spent a Saturday afternoon hearing stories of growing up in a family of ten kids on a 12 acre farm that is now part of one of the runways at O'Hare airport! What a fabulous afternoon! There were quite a few pics of my mother that I did not even recognize her and my dad with jet black wavy hair! Whoa, they were a much better lookin' couple than I ever gave them credit for! (more guilt I've got to carry around! oy vey!)...

I've got to get a few hours of sleep before the radio show in the morning. There probably won't be another Blue Note for a few weeks, unless there's breaking news, like you hired the band to play at your end of summer bash on your deck at your mansion on the outskirts of town. See ya on the Blue Highway, you might have to wear your Blue Band sweatshirt and rub yer washboard tie extra fast to stay warm this weekend, (or just have another bottle of wine) stop texting while your driving, (and don't even get me started about Facebook again) CAKE is a perfect way to celebrate the end of another fantastic summer season, and always remember we love you. Bob Dorr & The Blue Band