Just how many great blues players are there in Chicago? We've all heard of the Buddy Guys, the Albert Collinses, the various Kings, Walkers, and Williamses. But unless you’re a real aficionado that's about as far as it goes. But if you were to stop there you'd only have scratched the surface of what's out there.
I've been fortunate to have the recent opportunity to be introduced to a bunch of players — I can't understand why these people aren't household names. Piano players whose fingers dance across keys, guitar players who make you realize Eric Clapton is limited, drummers who have the beat so ingrained that it's the sound of their blood coursing through their veins, bassists who tap into the pulse of the world, and harmonica players who wail the sorrow of every broken heart the world has seen.
Does that sound like hyperbole? Well it isn't as far as I'm concerned and each new disc I hear only confirms that feeling. Delmark Records has released a new DVD, Gettin' Up Live featuring the father-son duo of Carey and Lurrie Bell, recorded live on two separate occasions in clubs, and in the private setting of son Lurrie's house. After watching this DVD I can say here are two more players who can be added to that list of folk whose names should be known the world over, but somehow most of us have remained oblivious to their existence.
In late June of 2006, 70-year-old Carey had a stroke, fell, and broke his hip, but four weeks later he was on stage at Rosa's Lounge in Chicago blowing his harmonica and singing like nothing had happened. The only sign of anything untoward was the fact he remained seated throughout the night, and his casual mention of having been sick and his legs were "broken", as in not working.
Just showing up was amazing enough as it was but he wasn't going be satisfied with that. The second song on the disc, the title track "Gettin' Up" was written only the night before by Carey in his hotel room in honour of the occasion of his being able to get up on stage with his son. "I'm down but I'm going to get up again" he sings in one of those passionate deep south blues voices we've come to expect from a certain generation of blues men.
It's one of the great mysteries of the world that a singing voice can rasp like sandpaper and sound as mellow as aged whisky straight from the cask all in one breath. Carey Bell's voice is one of those wonders; deceptively soft, yet so potent that it cuts through the noise of a Chicago bar and reaches all those who want to hear. Carey Bell doesn't need to shout to make himself heard, and he has the confidence to just put it out there as is without ornamentation.
Article comments