Tag Archives: Big mama Thornton

Blues, Classic Concert, Concert films, Muddy Waters

Classic Concert: Gunsmoke Blues

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Gunsmoke blues 1

Classic Concert: Gunsmoke Blues with Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thornton and Big Joe Turner

By day, Link Wyler was a character actor who often appeared on TV Westerns, most notably Gunsmoke. By night, Wyler was a passionate blues fan, and in 1971, when he discovered that Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner, Big Mama Thornton, and George “Harmonica” Smith would be making their way up the West Coast as part of a package tour, he persuaded several cameramen from Gunsmoke to pack up their camera equipment and sound gear and follow the tour for the weekend, catching up with them at a college gig in Oregon.

Gunsmoke Blues is the result, which features the long-lost footage from this weekend adventure, capturing these master blues artists in fine and funky form. Selections include “Got My Mojo Working,” “Long Distance Call,” and “Mannish Boy” Muddy Waters, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” Big Joe Turner, “Ball and Chain” Big Mama Thornton, and “Leaving Chicago” George “Harmonica” Smith.

This is a “must-see”! Just incredible all through.

Gunsmoke Blues (full concert):

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Country, Jazz, Memphis, Music Calendar

Today: Charlie Rich passed away in 1995 – 17 years ago

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From Wikipedia:

Charles (Charlie) Rich (December 14, 1932 – July 25, 1995) was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.

In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver Fox. He is perhaps best remembered for a pair of 1973 hits, “Behind Closed Doors” and “The Most Beautiful Girl“. “The Most Beautiful Girl” topped the U.S. country singles charts, as well as the pop singles charts.

From Allmusic (Stephen Thoma Erlewine):

Charlie Rich was simultaneously one of the most critically acclaimed and most erratic country singers of post-World War II era. Rich had all the elements of being one of the great country stars of the ’60s and ’70s, but his popularity never matched his critical notices. What made him a critical favorite also kept him from mass success. Throughout his career, Rich willfully bended genres, fusing country, jazz, blues, gospel, rockabilly, and soul. Though he had 45 country hits in a career that spanned nearly four decades, he became best-known for his lush, Billy Sherrill-produced countrypolitan records of the early ’70s. Instead of embracing the stardom those records brought him, Rich shunned it, retreating into semiretirement by the ’80s.

Behind closed doors:

Album of the day:

 

Other July-25:

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