May 2008
Submitted by blue barry
Smoky mtn. blues society
“Pinetop Perkins and
Friends” is set for release on June 3rd, which is just a few weeks
before his 95th birthday.
What an Icon of the blues. Here
is a man who played with Muddy Water for years, and is one of the last links to
the blues Gods we all would have loved to seen. I mean played with Sonny Boy Williamson, friends with Robert
Lockwood, played with Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, B. B. King, Earl Hooker,
Robert Nighthawk, and knew all of the greats on a first name basis. Well respected, and playing his ass
off. This is a really good CD with
loads of luminaries sitting in. I will
get to that list in a minute, but first, let me say, this is a classic, and
there won’t be a whole lot more of them.
This is fresh off of The Pinetop Perkins Story on DVD that is up for a
2008 Blues Music Award. I mean Pinetop
has played for over 70 years! Come on
now. Where you going to hear something
like this from a man who has lived and played the blues longer than most people
are alive? Now for that list of people
sitting in: Eric Clapton, B.B. King,
Willie Kent, Jimmie Vaughan, Nora Jean Brusco, Paul Diethelm, “Little Frank”
Krakowski, Eric Sardinas, Kenny Smith, Lester Smith, Leon Smith, and Willie
“Big Eyes” Smith. And let’s not forget
Bill Willis and Bob Stroger. Every song
is worth the money. Pinetop plays piano
and does lead vocals while the rest of the boys just groove it to pieces. Yea, it’s all here. From “Take It Easy Baby,” one of Pinetops’s
best tunes, to “Hoochie Coochie Man’ to “Sweet Home Chicago”. There are 10 cuts in all. Clapton plays on “How Long Blues/Come Back
Baby,” and Nora Jean Brusco sings a duet that is outta’ sight. The last cut is a slow blues that is just
wonderful and over 5 minutes long featuring Willie Kent and drummer Leon Smith.