Biography

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J.B. Hutto
Stompin’ At Mother Blues
Delmark DE 778 (1966/1972)

Master of the slide guitar, J.B. Hutto, recorded in 1966 and the 1972 session where Hutto's 2nd Delmark album came from, Slidewinder (Delmark 636). The ’66 session was recorded at Mother Blues, a defunct blues club in Chicago's Old Town section, though not in front of a live audience. All performances previously unissued except "Hip Shakin'" from Hawk Squat (Delmark 617) and "Love Retirement (Want Ad)" from Delmark Records • 50 Years of Jazz And Blues (Delmark 905).Adding three previously unissued songs and two alternate takes from the ’72 session makes Stompin' At Mother Blues a full hour of stinging Chicago blues!

1. Evening Train 2:42
2. Ain’t It A Cryin’ Shame 3:04
3. When I Get Drunk 3:01
4. My Soul 3:17
5. Hawk's Rock 2:18
6. If You Change Your Mind 3:28
7. Hip Shakin' 2:18
8. Turner's Rock 2:55
9. Married Woman Blues 3:17
10. Alcohol Blues 2:36
11. Sorry 3:22
12. Stompin’ At Mother Blues 1:57
13. Lonely Heartaches 4:00
14. Love Retirement (Want Ad) 4:36
15. Studio Chatter 0:45
16. Precious Stone (alternate) 3:52
17. Dandruff 4:27
18. Guilty Heart 3:41
19. Young Hawk's Crawl (alternate) 3:15

All performances previously unissued except "Hip Shakin'" from Hawk Squat (Delmark 617) and "Love Retirement (Want Ad)" from Delmark Records • 50 Years of Jazz And Blues (Delmark 905).

1-12
J. B. Hutto, vocal, guitar
Herman Hassell, bass
Frank Kirkland, drums
December 17, 1966 at Mother Blues, 1305 N. Wells

13-19
J. B. Hutto, vocal, guitar
Lee Jackson, guitar
Elbert Buckner, bass
Bombay Carter, drums
December 19 & 20, 1972


1. Evening Train 2:42
2. Ain’t It A Cryin’ Shame 3:04
3. When I Get Drunk 3:01
4. My Soul 3:17
5. Hawk's Rock 2:18
6. If You Change Your Mind 3:28
7. Hip Shakin' 2:18 (J.B. Hutto, Foggy Day Music/Slideslinger Publ., BMI)
8. Turner's Rock 2:55
9. Married Woman Blues 3:17 (J.B. Hutto, Universal Songs of Polygram Inc., BMI)
10. Alcohol Blues 2:36 (John Lee Williamson, P.D.)
11. Sorry 3:22
12. Stompin’ At Mother Blues 1:57
13. Lonely Heartaches 4:00
14. Love Retirement (Want Ad) 4:36 (J.B. Hutto, Foggy Day Music/Slideslinger Publ., BMI)
15. Studio Chatter 0:45
16. Precious Stone (alternate) 3:52
17. Dandruff 4:27
18. Guilty Heart 3:41
19. Young Hawk's Crawl (alternate) 3:15

Tracks 1 to 12 recorded live, though not in front of a live audience, at Mother Blues, Chicago, a defunct blues club in Chicago's Old Town section at 1305 N. Wells, on December 17, 1966. Only one track, "Hip Shakin'", previously issued, on J.B. Hutto & The Hawks With Sunnyland Slim - Hawk Squat (Delmark 617).

Tracks 13 to 19, including three previously unissued songs and two alternate takes, recorded December 19-20, 1972, at the sessions from which Hutto's second Delmark album J.B. Hutto & The Hawks - Slidewinder (Delmark 636) was produced.

Album Production and Supervision: Robert G. Koester
CD Production: Steve Wagner
Mother Blues recording: Leon Kelert (1-12)
Sound Studios recording: Stu Black (13-19)
Mastering: Steve Wagner
Design: Kate Moss, Moonshine Design

Other Delmark Albums Of Interest:
J.B. Hutto, Hawk Squat (617) with Sunnyland Slim
Slidewinder (636)
South Side Chicago Blues (912) with J.B. Hutto, Junior Wells, Little Walter...
Blues Guitar Greats (697) with J.B. Hutto, Magic Sam, Luther Allsion...
Magic Sam, West Side Soul (615) Black Magic (620) Live (645)
Magic Sam Legacy (651) Give Me Time (654) Rockin’ Wild In Chicago
(765)
Luther Allison, Love Me Mama (625)
Junior Wells, Hoodoo Man Blues (612) with Buddy Guy
Southside Blues Jam (628) with Buddy Guy, Otis Spann
On Tap (635) with Sammy Lawhorn, Phil Guy
Blues Hit Big Town (640) with Elmore James, Muddy Waters
Otis Rush, Cold Day In Hell (638)
So Many Roads, Live In Japan (643)


Delmark Records • 4121 N. Rockwell, Chicago, IL 60618 www.delmark.com
CP 2004 Delmark Records


When I first got interested in jazz and blues, I felt I had really missed the boat because I didn't live in Chicago in the early ’20s when King Oliver, Johnny Dodds, Louis Armstong and others played in legendary southside clubs such as the Royal Garden, Sunset, and Grand Terrace.
By the late ’50s I had moved to Chicago, having already discovered the delights of blues clubs in St.Louis. I soon realized that I was going to blues clubs in the same neighborhood where my New Orleans heroes had played. In fact, one of them, Smitty's Corner, where Muddy Waters was featured, was the same joint where Bix Beiderbecke had once dumped his paycheck as a tip to Bessie Smith.
As I listen to the tracks of this CD, my mind is flooded with memories of those exciting days when it seemed like any excursion to the south or west side of Chicago's blues bars would turn up another great blues talent... and when you couldn't hear the blues north of Madison.
I knew J.B. Hutto's music from his Chance records but didn't realize that Charlie Musselwhite had learned of J.B.Hutto's gig at Turner's down the street from Big Walter Horton's home. That was a week or so before I heard music emanating from the little bar snuggled-in under the 39th St El. It was the perfect image of a blues bar, though the brilliant neon sign did seem a bit out-of-place.
There was a door charge of 50 cents and you got a ticket good for a beer, which sold for 35 cents, so it amounted to a one-beer minimum and a 15 cent admission that kept the rougher element away as did Turner, always at the door -- a muscular guy who kept the peace.
The band I heard that night (Herman Hassell, bass; Frank Kirkland drums, perfect accompanists for J.B.'s "country-time" playing and singing, is the band heard on most of this album. Sitters-in might include Big Walter Horton, Hound Dog Taylor (who used to cross-fret and cross-pick with Hutto -- talk about communication!) and, until the piano finally broke down Curtis Jones, Eddie Boyd or John Regulus. The first band at Turner's had been led by Bo Diddley.
One night Turner had to subdue an unruly customer. All I remember is Turner, on the bottom of the brawl, reaching for his pistol from his back pocket. Chuck Nessa says I jumped into the fray and J.B. told him "I ain't recording for this guy! He's crazy!"
J.B. played Blue Monday sessions at Rose & Kelly's on 39th Street. Kelly was a retired cop and his place was devoid of hassles. He usually served a plate of food and I don't recall a cover charge. J.B. was filmed there by Harley Cokless for his wonderful film Chicago Blues one night when Little Walter and John Brim were among the sitters-in. My wife, Sue, remembers it because the unborn Bob, Jr. was keeping time to the bass drum in her belly.
One of Hutto's early northside gigs was at Ray Townley's non-alcoholic club, Alice's Revisited. It was a battle of slide guitars with J.B. and Hound Dog. I remember one of Taylor's supporters getting frantic at how well Hutto was going over while the Dog calmly played a cardgame in the basement of the club. Both artists knew that the winner in these battles was always the audience.
Eventually the first session took place at in a much more sedate club, Mother Blues on Wells Street, near Goethe (pronounced Go-thee in Chicago) where the nightclub scene had moved from mob-dominated Rush Street. Mother Blues originally presented folk music by the Rising Moon Singers but had switched to blues and jazz (Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Roland Kirk...) under the guidance of Bob Wettlauffer who had managed Big John's down the street where the Paul Butterfield Band and others emerged. Leon Kelert who had the trad jazz label, Blackbird, agreed to tape the session on a Sunday afternoon when the club was closed. He thought he had over-recorded the voice - doubtless due to the difficulty we all had understanding J.B.'s Alabama accent, so we only used one instrumental on his first album, Hawk Squat (Delmark 617).
By the time we called another session, at Sound Studios this time, Herman was no longer in the band. A larger group was on hand, all blues vets except Kalaparush (Maurice McIntyre) who worked at the Jazz Record Mart. J.B. liked Kalaparush's playing enough to invite him to work with the band at the University of Chicago's Folk Festival.
When the album was released, Bernie Pearl booked the band into his Ash Grove in Los Angeles. When J.B. returned, Turner told me that "J.B.'s California trip cost me money! I used to pay them $5 a night (each) and now I have to pay them $8!" (It's of some interest that J.B. went to this gig on public transit from his home in the far-south suburb, Harvey.)
Before long, thanks largely to Dick Waterman's bookings, J.B. virtually moved to Boston and Washington DC. for much of the rest of his life, recording for a local label whose masters we'd love to reissue. We rarely got a chance to see and hear him. But his music and his style is remarkably preserved by his nephew, Little Ed and his Imperials. So J.B. lives!

-Bob Koester, October, 2004