The Delmark 55th Anniversary Show

Hi folks;

In March of this year Beth and I had the great fortune to visit the Windy City in time to catch the Delmark Records 55th anniversary bash at Buddy Guys Legends Club. Chicago as usual was freaking cold:

Not exactly the tropics

I had just finished a few days in Austin Tx at an image processing workshop and had one day off before I had to be back to work so we winged it up to Chicago and got a room at the Hilton next to Legends (1 block away, just perfect). It was a most excellent evening where we started it with some of Legends’ fine cooking (the tobasco chicken sandwich is to die for) and were entertained by Fernando Jones.

After meeting BBFers DianneD, Scott Cable and Nap, we settled into front-row seats for a very special occasion. Many cool things about the evening were:

• It was like having a whole blues fest come to you. That night there were are at least the following performers: TailDragger, Little Arthur Duncan, Dave Specter, Nick Moss, Jimmy Johnson, Lurrie Bell, The Big DooWhopper, Zora Young, Shirley Johnson, Eddie Shaw, Aaron Moore, Billy Branch, Johnny B. Moore and more. I know I am missing a bunch because in addition to these folks, a lot of very cool folks just “dropped by”. As a friend on the BBF says, you know a show is going to be good when Lonnie Brooks comes to just watch. As it happened, he watched from the table next to mine!
• Buddy Guy was on hand that night too to accept a Grammy for his work with Junior Wells on Hoodooman Blues which was inducted into the hall of fame. What did BG have to say about working with Junior? “We were drunk as a motherfucker when making that album.”
• The show was started by and MCed by my guitar teacher, Dave Specter!
• In addition to the above, meeting Blues Princess aka Brat and Dick Shurman from the BBF.
• Meeting Bruce Iglauer who was my first introduction to many of the greatest acts in blues as owner of Alligator Records. Specifically he believed in and promoted the great Hound Dog Taylor and for that Bruce will always have my deepest respect.
• Widening my horizons. I have never been one for either divas or harmonica work but that night Shirley Johnson made me sit up and notice how cool a female blues singer could be and Little Arthur Duncan made me go out and buy his DVD. Cannot wait for it to arrive. Update: I just learned that Little Arthur Duncan underwent emergency brain surgery last night to remove a growth the size of a golf ball. As of this moment he has not regained a wakeful state. You are in my prayers, Arthur.

So my booty from that night looks like this:

CDs

• Jimmy Johnson: Johnsons Whacks
• Jimmy Johnson: Peppers Hangout
• Jimmy Dawkins: Fast Fingers
• Shirley Johnson: Killer Diller
• Otis Rush: Live at the Wise Fools Pub
• Fernando Jones: Whodoyuvoodoo

A poster from the evening and…..if you have ever been to Legends, you know they will sell you a Buddy Guy strat right at the door so we got the idea to buy one and get as many of the axemen to sign it as we could get or fit. In the end we got Buddy Guy, Dave Specter, Lurrie Bell, Lonnie Brooks, Jimmy Johnson and Fernando Jones:

Very Cool. In the good news bad news category, it is both a guitar I can never play at the same time a guitar I would never want to. It’s a little on the cheap side and well, my Les Paul Standard LE is and feels much nicer but this is still one killer momento of the evening.

I am off to practice….

JeffC

Update :  As of today, September, 21, 2008, we have sad news.  Little Arthur Duncan passed away after weeks of going in and out of a coma.  There was a memorial held on September 19, 2008 at Rosa’s Lounge in Chicago.  End Update.