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Little Arthur Duncan
Singin’ With The Sun
Delmark DE-733

Little Arthur Duncan was a powerful blues singer who pounded away at you with his voice, reminiscent of the heavy, unpolished blues singers like Floyd Jones. Arthur was surrounded by the classic postwar sounds almost all of his life, whether it was Magic Sam, Jimmy Reed, Eddie Taylor or Floyd Jones. At sixty five, he’s part of the second generation of Chicago bluesmen, just behind Muddy, Wolf, Sonny Boy #2 and Elmore James. Singin’ With The Sun showcases Little Arthur's talents as dynamic performer, distinctive songwriter and singer of unique urgency.

1. Pretty Thing 4:34
2. Knockin’ On Your Door 4:53
3. No Place To Go 4:00
4. Sugar Bee 5:07
5. Mattie Mae 3:37
6. Itchin’ Back 3:46
7. Singin’ With The Sun 6:52
8. Tribute To Jimmy Reed 4:03
9. Bad Reputation 3:09
10. Trackmarks 5:38
11. Leaving Mississippi 4:07
12. Blues After Hours 5:07
13. My Baby Left Me Out On The Road 3:42
14. Singin’ With The Sun (remix) 5:34

Little Arthur Duncan, vocals, harmonica
Rockin' Johnny, guitar (left channel)
Billy Flynn, guitar (right channel)
Sho Komiya, bass
Kenny Smith, drums

Eddie Taylor Jr. replaces Flynn on 3 and Johnny on 8
Martin Lang, harmonica on 3, 4, 6, 8


_____________________________

1. Pretty Thing
(Jimmy Reed, Conrad Music/Seeds Of Reed Music, BMI) 4:34
2. Knockin’ On Your Door (Arthur Duncan) 4:53
3. No Place To Go (Chester Burnett, Arc Music, BMI) 4:00
4. Sugar Bee (Arthur Duncan) 5:07
5. Mattie Mae (Arthur Duncan) 3:37
6. Itchin’ Back (James H. Moore, Embassy Music Corp.,
BMI/arr. Duncan) 3:46
7. Singin’ With The Sun (Arthur Duncan) 6:52
8. Tribute To Jimmy Reed (Jimmy Reed, Conrad Music/Seeds of
Reed Music, BMI/arr. Duncan) 4:03
9. Bad Reputation (Arthur Duncan) 3:09
10. Trackmarks (Arthur Duncan) 5:38
11. Leaving Mississippi (Arthur Duncan) 4:07
12. Blues After Hours (Crayton/Taub, Powerforce Music, BMI)
5:07
13. My Baby Left Me Out On The Road (Arthur Duncan) 3:42
14. Singin’ With The Sun (remix) 5:34

Produced by Steve Wagner and Rockin' Johnny
Album Production and Supervision: Robert G. Koester
Recorded on February 16-18, 1999 at Riverside Studio, Chicago by John "Bugs" Parkinson.
Mixed by Steve Wagner and Blaise Barton.
Photography: Susan Greenberg Design: Al Brandtner

Special thanks to Emmanuela Alifa Tao


Little Arthur is a powerful blues singer who pounds away at you with his voice, reminiscent of the heavy, unpolished blues singers like Floyd Jones. Arthur has been surrounded by the classic postwar sounds almost all of his life, whether it was Magic Sam, Jimmy Reed, Eddie Taylor or Floyd Jones. At sixty five, he’s part of the second generation of Chicago bluesmen, just behind Muddy, Wolf, Sonny Boy #2 and Elmore James. Singin’ With The Sun showcases Little Arthur's talents as dynamic performer, distinctive songwriter and singer of unique urgency.
Prior to this CD, the only recording Arthur had done was an excellent cassette, Bad Reputation (Blues King BK-1002) from which four songs were reissued on the ’97 anthology Blues Across America - The Chicago Scene (Cannonball 29204). A few articles have been written about him in some blues magazines, and a few lucky souls saw him perform on a West Side blues bus tour or a couple of blues festivals in California and South Carolina. This is a fairly low profile for a performer of his ability. Born in Indianola, Mississippi, he moved to Chicago when he was sixteen, met Little Walter and promptly took up harmonica. He worked construction and began to play music, mostly with his own band but also with John Brim, Floyd Jones and Hip Linkchain. He owned and operated a bar on the West Side for quite a while, called Artesia’s on Lake St., which was later renamed the Backscratcher’s Social Club and moved to the 4900 block of W. Madison (only three or four doors east from labelmate Jimmy Burns’ barbeque joint called Uncle Mickey’s Barbeque). He also raised a family and had several business ventures that prevented music from being much more than a weekend thing.
However, his modest gigs produced great music with excellent blues players such as the late brilliant guitarists Eddie Taylor and Willie James Lyons (who recorded with Willie Kent and Big Moose Walker), James Scott (who recorded for Sun in the ’50s), guitarist Dave Clark (he now plays horn with the Blues Swingers, the old Floyd McDaniel band), Mojo Mark, the sadly underrecorded Prez Kenneth on bass, and Mott Dutko, Twist Turner or Marvin Jackson on drums. Arthur was always a congenial entertainer who let all his inhibitions fall away as he sang tirelessly at the top of his lungs. His harp playing was never spectacular or dazzling, like Little or Big Walter, but was closer to the simple, earthy styles of Jimmy Reed and Howlin’ Wolf. However, his third position playing and chromatic playing is so simple, direct, and gutsy that the effect is devastating.
Some of the most fun I had on the West Side was just hanging out at Arthur’s club with Martin Lang and Sho Komiya, listening to his stories of a drunken Jimmy Reed, or of a twelve hour gig he played for a biker party on the South Side. He’d been called in for relief by Eddie Taylor, who’d played the previous twelve hours. He regaled us with blues tales of the ’50s because he was stuck at the bar (he worked there every night and lived in a back room). He liked the company and he made sure we got good and drunk, anything less would have be inhospitable.
The band on Singin’ With The Sun performed fabulously; Kenny
Smith has been dazzling everyone for the last few years and is on several recent Delmark CDs by Jimmy Burns, The Rockin' Johnny Band and Lurrie Bell. Check out the driving brushes on "Leavin’ Mississippi". Billy Flynn has inspired me ever since I first heard him with Pinetop Perkins and Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Kenny’s father and longtime Muddy Waters drummer. I’m especially fond of the driving rhythms of "Left Out On The Road" and "Tribute To Jimmy Reed", plus his solo in "Blues After Hours". Sho and Martin form the core of the Rockin’ Johnny Band and have both developed into tremendous session players. Martin has mastered the Jimmy Reed style and he trades dexterity for a blunt, raw attack in "Wreckin’ Lives" and gets a truly explosive tone. As Arthur says, "The boy got a lot of wind." Eddie Taylor Jr. was kind enough to guest and displays a great touch on "Tribute To Jimmy Reed". His playing is already tough but sweet and very personal. What a pleasure it was to work with such an excellent band.
Arthur is certainly in the dwindling numbers of a dying breed of the ’50s-’60s Chicago blues singer/harpman. It was the time of Good Rockin’ Charles, Big Mojo, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Big Walter and the Myers brothers. But Arthur doesn’t have to save the world. He’s just an old-time houserocker, rockin’ the blues his own way. The band digs that. Arthur can dig that. And now you’re diggin' it too.

-Johnny Burgin
leader of The Rockin' Johnny Band


Other Delmark Albums Of Interest:
The Rockin’ Johnny Band, Man's Temptation (732)
Straight Out Of Chicago (720) with Tail Dragger, Sam Lay
Tail Dragger, American People (728) with Rockin’ Johnny, Billy Branch,
Johnny B. Moore, Jimmy Dawkins, Eddie Shaw, Aron Burton
Jimmy Burns, Night Time Again (730)
Leaving Here Walking (694) with Rockin’ Johnny
Golden "Big" Wheeler, Jump In (709) with James Wheeler
Bone Orchard (661) with Rockin’ Johnny
Blues Before Sunrise, Volume One (699) with Billy Boy Arnold, John Brim,
Golden "Big" Wheeler and Jimmy Burns
Jimmie Lee Robinson, Lonely Traveller (665) with Rockin’ Johnny
Junior Wells, Hoodoo Man Blues (612) with Budy Guy
Southside Blues Jam (628) with Buddy Guy, Otis Spann
On Tap (635) with Phil Guy, Sammy Lawhorn
Blues Hit Big Town (640) with Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Willie Dixon, Louis and Dave Myers, Otis Spann
Carey Bell, Blues Harp (622) with Jimmy Dawkins, Eddie Taylor
Heartaches And Pain (666) with Lurrie Bell

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Chicago, IL 60618
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