Episode 7 Elmore James

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 EPISODE 7 ELMORE JAMES

 Episode 7 is about the life and musical career of Blues Master Elmore James. 

 The titles of releases on my label Big Guitar Music the songs are taken from in this episode include Blues Bag and Swing Land.

 A music track playlist for this podcast is available on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple, and YouTube for your listening pleasure.

 The musicians featured in the tracks on this episode are Bruce Jones, Cindy Cashdollar, David “Fathead” Newman, Derek O’Brien, Gary Primich, Gary Slechta, Gene Brandon, George Rains, Greg “Fingers” Taylor, Mark “Kaz” Kazanoff, Nick Connolly, and Paul Jr.

 Omar’s Picks for further study of copyrighted music not used in Episode 7 are “Done Somebody  Wrong,” “The Sky is Crying,” and “Standing at the Crossroads.”  These songs can be found on         digital music sites and on numerous compilation albums.

Visit my website for more info  www.omarandthehowlers.com

Thank you to Matthew Garza (Upwork.com) for his work mastering this podcast.

Transcript

EPISODE 7 ELMORE JAMES   

Hello, friends. Thank you for tuning in today. This episode's a good one about Elmore James. Elmore's style was a loud, high-register, emotionally-charged, anguished vocals, backed up with electrified buzzsaw metallic slide guitar. His sound was instantly recognizable and had a presence that couldn't be denied. With some of his songs later in his career, such as "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and "Shake Your Moneymaker", you can hear the Chicago blues style starting to turn into rock and roll. Yes, Elmore James could rock with the best of them.

Elmore James was born on January the 17th, 1918 in Richland, Mississippi. He spent his youth sharecropping with his family and eventually taught himself to play the guitar. James started his music career at 12 years old playing an instrument of West African origin called a diddleybow. A diddleybow or sometimes called a jitterbug, was a homemade one-string instrument that simulated a guitar. I saw several diddleybows when I was growing up in Mississippi, but I was too young to know what they were and grasp the concept. The primitive instrument was made by nailing or screwing a wire, usually to the side of a house or porch. Using a rock placed under the wire to serve as a bridge like on a guitar, the player would use a glass bottle, a piece of pipe, or a metal can as a slider. 

A well-known diddleybow advocate was Lonnie Pitchford who played and recorded music to promote his valuable historic instrument. Later on, the diddleybows were made on two by fours, and some players even added electric guitar pickups that amplified the sound. You had to get your little amplifier and play through it, but it worked.  Today, you can buy kits on the internet to build your own diddleybow. When I was young, I considered it to be a toy, but I've come to find out that the diddleybow is a real instrument and is something very important to music history. It was basically the start of what became the slide guitar. Think Elmore James.

In his early teens, he started to perform in clubs and juke joints around Belzona, Mississippi, where his family had relocated to farm. Now, I played in Belzona a lot when I lived in Mississippi when I was young, and I had no idea I was in the Delta. I didn't know until 20 years later, we talked about the Mississippi Delta and musicians, and I played in Belzona. Well, you played in the Delta, son. My favorite memory about playing in the Delta was seeing Greenwood, Mississippi. I knew the Gants were from there. The Gants! They're from Greenwood! And that's as much as I knew about the Delta area. 

While in the Delta area, he started to play with Sonny Boy Williamson, Robert Jr. Lockwood, and other Delta musicians. Elmore and these other musicians also backed Sonny Boy on his King Biscuit Boy radio broadcast out of Helena, Arkansas. Around 1937, Elmore met Robert Johnson, who had a tremendous impact on his career. Elmore loved the way Johnson played and adapted his acoustic guitar style on "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom", and turned it into an electric guitar masterpiece, shortening the song title to "Dust My Broom".

In 1943, Elmore joined the Navy and served in the U.S. Military for two years. After being discharged from the Navy in 1945, James returned to the Delta and resumed playing with Sonny Boy and other area musicians, but he had to return to the Richland area because of his declining health.

He found a job at a radio repair shop in Canton, Mississippi. During the day, he worked at the radio repair shop and at night he played at the clubs in Jackson, Canton, and Madison, Mississippi. He did that at night. He was making the rounds in the juke joints. In 1951, at the end of a Sonny Boy recording session for Trumpet Records, Elmore recorded his souped-up electric version of "Dust My Broom", and it was a surprise hit on the Rhythm and Blues charts, reaching number nine.

Here is a live version of "Dust My Broom" with Bruce Jones, Gene Brandon, and me on vocals and slide guitar. 

In the early to mid-80s, Omar and the Howlers used to visit Miss Lillian McMurry and her husband Willard at their home in Jackson, Mississippi. We tried to go by for a visit every time we were in Jackson because we knew we would be in for a treat. Miss Lillian was a natural born storyteller and entertainer of the highest caliber. We had been introduced to the McMurrys by brothers Brent and Fingers Taylor, two of my best friends from Jackson. They said we would benefit from Miss Lillian's knowledge of the blues, and we would have the time of our life. They were absolutely right.

Miss Lillian had been the owner of Trumpet Records, and a mover and shaker [00:06:00] in the Mississippi recording world since the early 50s. She had released 78 records by Sonny Boy Williamson, Rice Miller. She did a Sonny Boy song called "Mighty Long Time". She did "Eyesight to the Blind" and "Nine Below Zero", all really famous songs by him. She also recorded blues artists Willie Love and Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup. She recorded the original "Dust My Broom" by Elmore James that became a surprise hit in 1951. 

Miss Lillian had a tape she recorded off the phone when Elmore called her from California after he breached his contract with Trumpet Records to sign a contract with the Bihari Brothers at Modern Records. The tape was hilarious and had Elmore stuttering and giving Miss Lillian every excuse in the world why he left Trumpet. He assured Miss Lillian he hadn't done anything wrong, and she called him on it. She said, "Elmo, that's what you did, and you treated me wrong." He said, "No Miss Lillian, you know I wouldn't do that. Her reply, "Oh, yes, Elmore, that's exactly what you did." We were laughing uncontrollably and begging her to play the tape again. 

Miss Lillian had a grand piano in her living room. She would play and sing songs by Willie Love, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Elmore in a loud forceful voice, not even offering a hint of the blues. We loved her dearly, and it was a treat to be in her presence. I really liked her husband Willard a lot, too. He was very quiet, and you knew if he said something, you had better listen up because it was important.

I liked to drink back in the day, and Miss Lillian was always saying, “Willard, I believe Omar needs another highball.” This went on all afternoon, and by the time we left their house, I was ready to play my gig at Hal and Mal's. Sometimes, Willard and Miss Lillian would come with us, and I would put chairs on the stage for them, as honored guests. I considered them to be blues royalty. These are tremendous memories, and I will think of Miss McMurry for the rest of my days. 

On another note about the McMurrys, I would like to mention that their nephew, John McMurry, professionally known as Webb Wilder, is a great friend of mine. He has lived outside of Nashville for many years, but I met him when I moved to Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1972. We had a lot of good times together, and we are friends to this day. 

After Elmore cut "Dust My Broom", Joe Bihari, one of the Bihari brothers who owned Modern, Meteor, Flair, and Kent record companies, had traveled from Los Angeles to the Mississippi Delta to locate and record blues talent from the area. Joe Bihari really wanted to record Sonny Boy, but Sonny Boy declined the offer. He told Joe where he could find Elmore James. Joe and his assistant talent scout Ike Turner headed to Canton, Mississippi, in Joe's Cadillac to find Elmore. They found him in the radio repair shop and explained what they wanted to do. Elmore agreed to perform and record with them and over the course of the next several nights, Joe recorded James in the clubs where he was playing. Using portable recording equipment, Bihari captured some songs every night. A few of the master recordings were "Hand in Hand", "Hawaiian Boogie", and "Rock My Baby Right".

Joe decided to use the recordings of "Lost Woman Blues" for the A side, and "Long Tall Woman" for the B side of a 78 inch record. RPM record to be made. These songs were immediately sent to Los Angeles to be released on Modern Records, but the process was stopped dead in his tracks when Miss Lillian McMurry of Trumpet Records threatened legal action. The Bihari brothers withdrew the record and settled with McMurry. The brothers were not that. bothered by the situation because they knew that James's recording contract would soon run out, and Joe had recorded enough material by several other artists to keep them busy until then.

In 1952, James moved to Chicago and started recording with Flair, Meteor, and Checker Record Labels. At about the same time, Elmore and his cousin, Homesick James, formed their band, The Broomdusters. This outfit included Elmore on slide guitar, Homesick playing boogie bass parts on his guitar, Johnny Jones on piano, J. T. Brown on sax, and Odie Payne on drums. This band caused quite a stir on the Chicago blues scene, even rivaling the premier bands of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. It didn't take long before they became one of the most popular bands in the live venues of Chicago. That's saying something. You got some competition when you're in Chicago at that time. 

Their recording opportunities increased dramatically. In November of 1952, Joe Bihari went to Chicago to record Elmore James. He booked James into the Universal Studio and recorded four sides including "I Believe", "Sinful Woman", and two instrumentals. Elmore was under contract with Joe Bihari on Modern Records, but Joe allowed his brother Lester Bihari to release the first 78 RPM on the Meteor imprint out of Memphis, Tennessee. When "I Believe" was released, it shot up the charts and by February of 1952, was number nine on the National Rhythm and Blues Charts. In June of 1953, Joe Bihari left Modern Records to become president of Flair Records, taking Elmore James with him. To make a long story short, Elmore continued to record one 78 RPM after another for the Flair label. The hits kept coming, including "Sho' Nuff I Do", "1839 Blues", and "Canton, Mississippi Breakdown". I used to play "Canton, Mississippi Breakdown" in Omar and the Howlers. I love it. 

I have always been suspicious of names added to songwriters' credits, even when I was young. A dead giveaway are the names Sam Ling, Joe Jose, and Taub on various Mississippi Blues artists such as B. B. King, John Lee Hooker, and Elmore James. In doing research for this episode, I have discovered that the Bihari Brothers, who own Modern, RPM, Meteor, Kent, and Flair record labels, added their names under pseudonyms, specifically Sam Ling, Joe Jose, and Taub. They did this, which was a common practice, without the knowledge of the artist, in order to take credit for the songs and collect all the money when they had absolutely nothing to do with writing the lyrics or the compositions of these songs.

In the Howlin' Wolf episode, my opinion was that Ike Turner was changing the names of Howlin' Wolf songs to sell them to multiple labels. I know now that Ike Turner did work with the Bihari Brothers as a talent scout, session musician, and a production assistant. However, it seems much more evident that the Bihari brothers were the ones who masterminded the plot to control the royalties and rights of these artists. This is well documented on the internet. Sorry, Ike. I was barking up the wrong tree. I've done that before. I am a huge fan of Ike Turner's guitar playing. 

In January 1954, Elmore recorded with the Broomdusters and did "Wild About You", and they re-recorded "Long Tall Woman" for the B Side. In February of 1956, they recorded "So Mean to Me" and "Elmo's Shuffle". This 1956 session marked the end of Elmore's association with Joe Bihari, and his contract was not renewed because of Rock and Roll taking over the charts. After his contract was not renewed, the Modern Label released a lot of their artists on a new budget label named Crown Records that only released LPs and not singles. Elmore was one of the artists with an LP released on Crown. The LP sold for 99 cents, and artists like B. B. King and Howlin' Wolf were not pleased with this situation.

That was "So Mean to Me" from my release SwingLand featuring David 'Fathead' Newman and Cindy Cashdollar.

After his affiliation with Joe Bihari and his labels was terminated, James continued on his way, doing what he knew best. He played live shows in Chicago and continued to tour in the Southern States, especially in Mississippi. He was staying busy, but his recording career wasn't over by a long shot. In 1960, Elmore did a session with Chess Records, and they issued the album, Who's Muddy Shoes, that was split down the middle with James and blues man, John Brim. Elmore then broke his contract with Chess and signed on with Bobby Robinson, the owner and producer of the Fire, Fury, and Enjoy labels out of New York City.

After cutting great energetic songs like "Madison Blues", "Bobby's Rock", "Shake Your Money Maker", and "Rollin' and Tumblin'", Bobby Robinson noticed what Joe Bihari missed at Modern Records. He knew that Elmore James IS rock and roll. He continued on with Robinson until his death from a heart attack in Chicago on May the 24th, 1963. He was 45 years old. James was buried in Ebenezer, Mississippi, in the Newport Baptist Church Cemetery. Capricorn Records raised money for a headstone for his grave. The headstone reads 'King of the Slide Guitar', and it depicts Elmore James playing a guitar. The grave marker was dedicated to James in a ceremony in 1992 by the Mount Zion Memorial Fund.

Just as Elmore James died, he was scheduled to tour Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival, robbing him of ever getting to tour overseas. His untimely death eliminated the possibility of him recording a London Sessions like Howlin' Wolf and Muddy had done. Elmore James was gone but not forgotten. His influence was great and included the Blues slide players of Chicago. These are some of my favorites: Hound Dog Taylor, JB Hutto, Joe Carter, Homesick James, and JohnnyLittlejohn. His impact on rock slide players was phenomenal and included Taj Mahal, Ry Cooder, Jesse Ed Davis, George Thorogood, Duane Allman, Johnny Winter, and Jimi Hendrix. Tell me that ain't a lineup! That's just to name a few. Once again, I'm back to the British guitarists that reads like a Who's Who of important players: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, the Groundhogs, the Pretty Things, the Yardbirds, and many others.

These were all people who were influenced by the signature lick that Elmore played in "Dust My Broom". It was highly electrified but was borrowed from the acoustic guitar riff played by the great Robert Johnson. I, too, have fell under the spell of this lick and have used it many times in my slide playing. Besides Elmore slide guitar licks, he influenced Chuck Berry, BB King, and others with his single string picking technique. Not only could he slide, but he could pick. 

Another thing I want to mention is that Elmore recorded with Big Joe Turner in Chicago playing slide guitar on his "TV Mama" released by Atlantic Records in 1954. This record became a Top Ten R& B hit for Big Joe Turner. While I'm throwing it all out there, I would like to say not only was Elmore James a big influence on a lot of people, but he was influenced by a lot of important players himself. I have already discussed the influence of Robert Johnson, but Elmore was moved by the playing of Robert Nighthawk and Muddy Waters. Their playing inspired Elmore's slow song single string style on the slide, such as, "The Sky is Crying". 

That was "Blues in a Bottle" with Fingers Taylor on harmonica from my release on Blues Bag

Tampa Red is another slide player holding a special place in Elmore's style. James paid great attention to Tampa's playing and even had a big hit when he cut "It Hurts Me Too". That song by Tampa Red was an influence on Chicago blues and became a staple in the set list of many local and national artists included Junior Wells, J. B. Hutto, and Hound Dog Taylor. Elmore James was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. James was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in 2012. There is no doubt Elmore James is the King of the Slide Guitar. He will be remembered every time someone puts a slide on their finger and plays his signature lick. Rock on Elmo. 

 I want to tell a couple of personal stories about some musician friends who played with Elmore James. The closest I can ever come to knowing Elmore James is through Grady 'Fats' Jackson and Robert Jr. Lockwood, who I did play with. In 1978, not long after forming Omar and the Howlers, we embarked on our first really long tour that sent us to the South and up the Eastern seaboard. We played in Houston, Lafayette, Louisiana, New Orleans, Jackson, Mississippi, and Birmingham, Alabama.

We were on our way to Atlanta, Georgia for a three-night engagement at a large club on Peachtree Street called the Rising Star. It was previously known as Rosas. The club was considered an institution in Atlanta for quite some time. After the three night job in Atlanta, we were going to Charleston, South Carolina, and then play all the way up the East coast, ending at the Lone Star Cafe in New York City. This kind of tour was new to me, and I was excited about playing Atlanta for the first time. Another thing that attracted me to the Rising Star run of dates was the fact that we were to alternate sets with Robert Jr. Lockwood and his band each night. Robert Jr. was a big guitar hero of mine, and I couldn't wait to hear him play. He was the stepson of Robert Johnson and played guitar on countless Chess record sessions with all the artists I knew and loved. I'm talking about Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, and plenty more of my musical heroes. For me to play with Robert Jr. Lockwood, it was the treat of a lifetime.

We arrived in Atlanta the night before we had to play, so we were able to go to the Rising Star to hear NRBQ, another band I really like. The next afternoon we went to the club for a sound check, and when we got there, I got to shake hands with Robert Jr. I looked over by the stage and saw a man I was certain was the biggest human I had ever seen. He had some cases in his hand and proceeded to get on stage. He unzipped the cases and took out two horns that looked like Cracker Jack box surprises in his hands. I thought, 'Oh, he plays the saxophone'. Little did I know what I was in for the next three nights.

I sat through Robert Junior's band soundcheck that might as well been my own private concert. I could already tell that Fats defied description. At one point he put a saxophone on each knee and played them both at the same time, creating his own horn section. Wow. After the sound check, Robert Jr. introduced me to Fats. I said, "It's great to meet you, Mr. Jackson." He said, "Oh, you must have me mixed up with my dad. You can just call me Fats if you would." I knew from that moment we would become friends. Robert Jr. explained to me that Fats was from Atlanta and had been in the band with Elmore James, Sonny Boy, Little Walter, Odie Payne, and him back in Chicago 30 years earlier. Fats laughed and said, "Yes, this is old homecoming week." He and Robert Jr. would be playing and reminiscing for the next three days. That night, the Robert Jr. Lockwood band blew me away. They were having a ball, and it showed. 

This is "Can't Hold Out" with Gary Primich, Nick Connolly, Kaz Kazanoff, Paul Jr., Derek O'Brien, George Rains and me.

At the end of the night, when all the patrons were gone, Robert Jr. got up on stage, pulled a chair up to the microphone, and started playing Robert Johnson songs which he never did. In fact, it was well documented for people not to ask for Robert Jr. to play Robert Johnson songs. He told the club workers to make sure the doors were locked, then he called for all the members of both bands to get up on stage and jam. The jam session lasted almost two hours, and I was in heaven. We did this every night after the show. I couldn't believe it was happening. A dream come true. Robert Jr. had a reputation of being a grumpy old man, but he was nothing but nice and a joy to be around. Maybe it's because he was so glad to see Fats. Whatever it was, I loved it.

 After being around Fats for a couple of days, he was more relaxed and started to tell stories backstage. He told us a story about Elmore James and himself staying in a mansion in the suburbs of Chicago. Fats and Elmore had been staying there for a couple of weeks, but Elmore had to leave for a long tour down south. Fats said he would find another place to stay, but Elmore said, "No, I insist you stay here. It's fine." Fats said that a couple of days after Elmore left, he was laying in the bed watching TV and eating bonbons when the door flew open, and a lady came in and started screaming. She ran out of the room, and Fats said he was scared to death. 

He wrapped himself in a sheet just before the woman ran back in and started beating Fats with a broom. Fats started yelling, "It's alright! It's alright! I know Elmo! I know Elmo!" The lady hollered back, "Who the hell is Elmo?" Come to find out Elmore and the housekeeper were special friends. The housekeeper let them stay there while the owners were on extended vacation in Europe. They returned home early and found Fats in their bed. We all belly laughed and doubled over, and Fats laughed as hard as the rest of us. This was the beginning of a long and wonderful friendship between Fats Jackson and Omar and the Howlers. Rest in peace, Grady 'Fats' Jackson.

Omar's picks for Elmore James further listening are "Done Somebody Wrong", "The Sky is Crying", and "Standing at the Crossroads". These songs can be found on a number of Elmore's albums and collections, as well as on digital music sites. 

Thank you for joining me. I appreciate it. Tune in next time for my next episode.