|
 
Studebaker John's Old School Rockin' “On my last CD, Maxwell Street Kings, I wanted to capture the raw, less-is-more sound that I first heard on Chicago’s Maxwell St. My new CD, Old School Rockin’, is rockin’ blues that helps people to forget their troubles. I’ve tried to incorporate the raw blues sound into songs that strive to be more contemporary and without musical boundaries. It’s what that sound turned into in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, when the raw blues heavily influenced many contemporary artists, and changed the course of popular music. Old School Rockin’ is for all the people, from the rocking blues crowd to the purists, and from the young folks just getting into it to those who’ve been listening all along.” Studebaker John was born in Chicago in 1952, and has lived his whole life there. An avid music fan as a youngster, he learned to play several instruments, including first the harmonica, then the drums, and in his late teens, the guitar. He came of age in the ‘60s, so was part of the rock ‘n’ roll/rock generation. It was a time when musical boundaries and barriers were being broken down, and elements of different styles were combined into something new and vibrant that filled the airwaves of AM radio. John liked a lot of different music, but as a young teenager he’d occasionally hear songs that especially captured his attention and imagination. “At the time, I had no idea that this music was called blues, but listening to the radio, you’d hear Jimmy Reed, Freddy King, Slim Harpo, and things like that, all mixed in with other music I listened to.” A few years later, that included the music of the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones, and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac in England, and in the USA, Bob Dylan, Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Johnny Winter, the Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, and countless others, all of whom took their inspiration from Chicago’s electric blues, and added a hard rocking edge to it.
Also during the ‘60s, John was traveling the city; working in his family’s plumbing business, which sometimes took him to the Maxwell Street open air market, where he heard street musicians playing a raw electrified blues for tips. “I got to see Big John Wrencher, the one-armed harp player who was a Maxwell Street regular and played with just a guitarist and drummer. I was spellbound. His music was simple yet so powerful.” The music he heard on Maxwell Street drew him in, and he started hanging out at clubs on the South and West Side to catch live acts. One memorable night he saw a performance by Hound Dog Taylor that resulted in a personal epiphany: “I had to play slide guitar.”
Over the next couple of decades, John played every chance he got, sometimes sitting in with the cream of Chicago blues players, such as Big Walter, Jimmy Johnson, Buddy and Phil Guy, James Cotton, Jr. Wells and Hound Dog Taylor. He built a reputation as a performer with an exciting, propulsive guitar style, and also developed into a fine blues harpist and vocalist. He became a sought-after sideman and session musician. For example, when the remnants of The Yardbirds and the Pretty Things came to Chicago in the early ‘90s looking to make a blues album, they tapped John to provide guitar and harp backing. Shortly thereafter, he was asked to join the reformed Yardbirds, an offer John tuned down in order to record his own music. He realized that he wanted to stop playing cover versions of others’ music, and to develop his own voice as a songwriter. “Writing songs is the most satisfying part of my job. I write a song to make myself feel better, and I hope it makes others feel better, too.” Since then he has put out more than a dozen albums of all original music, recording on the Blind Pig, Evidence, and his own Avanti labels. It is fitting that Studebaker John is now with Delmark, the oldest existing Chicago-based blues label. He is a Chicago blues original, who plays from the heart and always takes his own distinctive approach to contemporary blues.
“On my last CD, Maxwell Street Kings, I wanted to capture the raw, less-is-more sound that I first heard on Chicago’s Maxwell St. My new CD, Old School Rockin’, is rockin’ blues that helps people to forget their troubles. I’ve tried to incorporate the raw blues sound into songs that strive to be more contemporary and without musical boundaries. It’s what that sound turned into in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, when the raw blues heavily influenced many contemporary artists, and changed the course of popular music. Old School Rockin’ is for all the people, from the rocking blues crowd to the purists, and from the young folks just getting into it to those who’ve been listening all along.”
Old School Rockin’ presents Studebaker John at the top of his game on 14 original compositions, and is a satisfying listen from beginning to end. Recorded with a minimum of overdubs and a “live-in-the studio” feel, it’s taut and driving. Highlights include the Latin groove of “Mesmerized;” the swampy, gut-bucket rhythms of “A Disease Called Love;” the wages of sin rocker, “Fire Down Below;” with its very fine harmonica break; the hill-countrified “Tumblin’ Down The Road;” and the live show favorites, “Rockin’ Hot,” “She Got It Right (Dress So Tight),” and “Fine Little Machine.”
Dixon is the former Director of Blues and Roots Music for WRBC, Bates College, and a contributor to blues guides and publications.
Available at studebakerjohn.com Press Release for Waiting on the Sun CD
Maxwell Street Kings, That's the Way You Do was number 23 on the top 100 blues albums of 2011 according to Roots Music Radio. Fri Feb18, 2011. Studebaker’s Maxwell Street Kings at Fitzgerald’s in Berwyn, IL. Show to be broadcast LIVE on the internet at 9pm: www.livestream.com/globalrealtime
STUDEBAKER JOHN RELEASES ALBUM # 11: WAITING ON THE SUN Waiting on the Sun contains nearly 80 minutes of all original, highly accessible guitar and harmonica blues and rock. Simply not content to make the same album over and over again, Studebaker John's Waiting on the Sun is a breathtaking sunrise of different musical elements. Combining, for the first time, slide guitar with Latin rhythms, raw blues grooves, rock and roll, and improvised jams with a touch of jazz that mix together perfectly to give the listener a CD of artistic integrity...in other words, "fun". What they say about Studebaker John: Studebaker John has never simply wanted to rehash blues classics. Throughout his career, he has striven to capture the creativity and emotional power of the genre's masters by writing his own original blues. Dedicated to the vintage sounds of Chi-town in the golden age of the '50's on guitar and harp, he is no retro man recycling worn out standards. He makes original music that is both timeless and relevant. "It's rare to hear a blues artist perform three sets of irresistible originals, and it's even rarer for that artist to stay 'in the zone' from first song to last." -- Thomas J. Cullen, III (Blues Revue Magazine)
His raw amplified canonical work recalls past masters like Little Walter and Big Walter Horton, while his slide guitar style is descended from the styles of Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor. On top of that Studebaker John is a powerful vocalist and talented songwriter. -- Chicago Tribune
WHERE TO BUY WAITING ON THE SUN:
The album is available at record stores, at the official Studebaker John website www.studebakerjohn.com, or e-tailers such as www.amazon.com. Better yet, go see Studebaker John when he performs near you, and pick up an autographed copy. Check out the Studebaker John tour schedule at www.studebakerjohn.com/calendar. For booking information please visit www.studebakerjohn.com/booking STUDEBAKER JOHN SOON TO RELEASE ALBUM # 10: SELF-MADE MAN Self-Made Man contains nearly 80 minutes of all original steamy blues and smokin' blues-rock, incorporating Chicago, boogie, swamp, swing, and harmonica blues, all recorded with a live-in-the-studio sound that is true to Studebaker John's stage performances. Look for the full press release soon.
Studebaker John is returning to the UK for a series of club dates & festivals. John is especially excited to be reuniting with the Yardbirds on 2 fests-- at the Maryport and Stanley Blues Fests
Studebaker John and Lazy Lester. Photographer: Pat Douglass from Gregson Center on March 23rd.
Visit the Moondogs Studebaker photo gallery - photos from Moondogs, Dec 5, 2004.
CHICAGO BLUES ORIGINAL STUDEBAKER JOHN Master slide guitarist and blues harpist Studebaker John is back with a brand new album of all original music. Between Life & Death features the power trio format that Studebaker John has used in his live performances for the last few years, and was recorded with two of Chicago’s best rhythm players, bassist Felton Crews (Miles Davis, Charlie Musselwhite, Johnny Drummer) and drummer Earl Howell (Magic Slim, John Primer, Big Jack Johnson). Studebaker John started his own label, Avanti Records – aptly named after a popular model in the Studebaker automobile line – in order to make Between Life & Death available to his many fans everywhere
The story of Between Life & Death in Studebaker John’s own words:
“Destiny cannot be denied. The plans to make this recording began more than 2 years ago but weren't completed due to personal setbacks and difficulties in the music industry. Remarkably, the recording session for Between Life & Death came about by accident.
“Shortly after returning from a two-week tour of the UK, I was called into a recording session, along with drummer Earl Howell & bassist Felton Crews, by a well-known blues artist who shall remain nameless. We arrived at the session to find that it was canceled because this artist had over-indulged at a local pub and was in no shape to work. We seized the opportunity handed to us to record these songs, which we had been playing daily while on the road. After two years of planning and frustration, the record was completed in one marathon live-in-the-studio session that felt "just right" to everyone involved.
“I hope you enjoy listening to these songs as much I did writing and recording them.”
The music on Between Life & Death: What they say about Studebaker John:
"Dedicated to the vintage sounds of Chi-town in the golden age of the '50's on guitar and harp, he is no retro man recyling worn out standards. He makes original music that is both timeless and relevant." -- David Rubin (Guitar One Magazine)
His raw amplified canonical work recalls past masters like Little Walter and Big Walter Horton, while his slide guitar style is descended from the styles of Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor. On top of that Studebaker John is a powerful vocalist and talented songwriter. -- Chicago Tribune
"Studebaker John is a gem! His new CD, Between Life & Death, is chock full of good new songs - "I Deceive Myself, ""Cold Chills," "If I Had A Nickel," "That's Why I'm Living," to mention just a few. See him live if you can." -- Michael Dixon (Contributor, MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide; former Blues Director, WRBC)
Where to buy Between Life & Death:
Booking Studebaker John:
For more information, contact: |
|
|
Webmaster: mnblues@aol.com |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Between Life & Death shows Studebaker John at the top of his lyrical and musical powers. The album incorporates many styles and influences – blues-rock, improvisational jam and groove, New Orleans R&B, West Coast swing, and, of course, Chicago Blues – and has a stripped down live-in-the studio feel that is true to Studebaker John’s stage performances. The track listing includes: