My last lesson described how exciting it was when Eddie C Campbell came back to Chicago and started to play gigs. The other big 'comeback' in Chicago during that time was when Dave Myers, of the Aces, who'd backed Junior Wells and Little Walter on some of their greatest recordings and then became of Chicago's first electric bass players, decided to play guitar publicly again. He played an after-work set at The Checkerboard on the South Side (the band was Harmonica Hinds on harp/vc, Paul Kaye on guitar, no bass which was very cool and appropriate for his guitar style, and future bandmate Rob Lorenz on drums). Dave's playing vividly and effortlessly brought back to life the greatest Chicago blues era-- the first generation of postwar blues which mixed small-combo swing with straight-from-Mississippi blues chords and themes. Best of all, you could hear it and see it in the forefront-- it was like somebody turned on the light! Dave seemed to delight in rediscovering the guitar, and the true core of his own style, after years of playing the bass-- which since Aces drummer Fred Below's death in 1988 was often in less than ideal settings for his bouyant, swinging style.
Dave was sometimes known as a tough taskmaster, but to me and my little gang, he was generous, encouraging and seemed to really enjoy the new-found attention he was receiving. After his Monday set, he'd often come to my Smoke Daddy residency-- we'd save him a booth and he'd hold court as a member of blues royalty to us star-struck kids.
For more Louis and Dave on guitar together, check out Junior Well's "Blues Hit Big Town" (also w Elmore James!) on Delmark records. For a great look at Dave Myer's guitar style, check him out on Dave's one solo record, "You Can't Do That" on Black Top, on Rusty Zinn's "Last Train to Bluesville" on Bluebeat Music, and "Harmonica Blues Orgy" on Random Chance records (w Martin Lang and myself). Folks: please comment with any additional Dave/Louis guitar pairings (not w Dave on bass-- that's another subject!) or Dave guitar recordings I may have missed. And please share any Myers bros anecdotes would be very welcome in the comments. Dave and Louis are very much missed by all those who knew them.
Chicago Blues Network is a great place to learn Chicago blues and I am proud to be on the faculty. Sign up for weekly zoom classes with Chicago blues pros. If you enjoy these lessons, which I post on Mondays and which will always be free, do connect however is best for you: my website at www.johnnyburgin.com, like my FB fan page Johnny Burgin Live, follow on instagram at @johnnyburgin, twitter at @burginjohnny, and on Spotify. PM me at rjohnnyband@gmail.com for private skype, zoom, or googlemeet lessons to build your confidence as a player, become better at improvising, and grow your blues vocabulary. Stay safe and thanks.
15 фев 2021
