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Tail Dragger
Live at Rooster's Lounge
Delmark DE 803

Chicago blues vocalist Tail Dragger is back with his second live CD on Delmark. The first My Head Is Bald, Live at Vern's Friendly Tavern was also Delmark's first DVD and was chosen by Living Blues magazine as the Blues DVD of the Year 2005! "It oozes ambience, the atmosphere tangible" - Juke Blues Currently Tail Dragger is playing every Saturday night at Rooster's located on Chicago's West Side. Delmark captured this exciting performance on March 21, 2009. "unforgettably raw, authentic and fun" - complete notes enclosed by Rockin' Johnny Burgin.

1. Louise 7:34
2. Talk 0:55
3. Baby Please Don’t Go 5:03
4. Talk 0:52
5. She’s Worryin’ Me 8:02
6. Talk 0:53
7. Stop Lying 4:29
8. Talk 0:17
9. Keep It To Yourself 4:05
10. Talk 0:44
11. Wander 3:45
12. Talk 0:59
13. Bought Me A New Home 6:11
14. Ooh Baby Hold Me 3:09
15. I’m In The Mood 6:16
16. Everything Gonna Be Alright 6:17
17. Talk 0:06
18. Blues With A Feeling 5:51

Tail Dragger, vocals
Rockin' Johnny Burgin, Kevin Shanahan, guitar
Martin Lang, harmonica
Todd Fackler, bass
Rob Lorenz, drums
Special Guest Jimmy Dawkins, guitar on Wander

Recorded live on March 21, 2009
Also available on DVD (Delmark DVD 1803)


Delmark Records, 4121 N. Rockwell, Chicago, IL 60618 • www.delmark.com
CP 2009 Delmark Records


1. Louise 7:34 (Chester Burnett, Arc Music Corp., BMI)
2. Talk 0:55
3. Baby Please Don’t Go 5:03 (Big Joe Williams, P.D.)
4. Talk 0:52
5. She’s Worryin’ Me 8:02 (James Y. Jones, Leric Music, BMI)
6. Talk 0:53
7. Stop Lying 4:29 (James Y. Jones, Leric Music, BMI)
8. Talk 0:17
9. Keep It To Yourself 4:05 (Sonny Boy Williamson, Arc Music Corp., BMI)
10. Talk 0:44
11. Wander 3:45 (James Y. Jones, Leric Music, BMI)
12. Talk 0:59
13. Bought Me A New Home 6:11 (James Y. Jones, Leric Music, BMI)
14. Ooh Baby Hold Me 3:09 (Chester Burnett, Arc Music Corp., BMI)
15. I’m In The Mood 6:16 (Hooker/Bessman, Universal Music Careers, BMI)
16. Everything Gonna Be Alright 6:17 (Walter Jacobs, Arc Music Corp, BMI)
17. Talk 0:06
18. Blues With A Feeling 5:51 (Walter Jacobs, Arc Music Corp, BMI)


Blues artist Tail Dragger has been a mainstay on the Chicago blues scene since moving here in '66 (from Arkansas via Texas), and getting his start from blues great Howlin' Wolf. When blues fans experience Tail Dragger, they are treated to the rare sight of someone unforgettably raw, authentic and fun-- serious one moment, humorous the next. One moment he’s seated, the next moment stalking the audience, then, in the next moment he might walk outside the bar with his cordless microphone and improvise a verse to a hapless lady waiting at a bus stop. No one who watches him perform can deny that he’s a natural, charismatic entertainer, and no one who listens to him can deny that Tail Dragger's a real blues purist. His repertoire, band and style is fiercely loyal to the most traditional bedrock Chicago blues-- Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, and Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller). At a Tail Dragger gig, you will hear no rehashed “Cissy Struts”, no hackneyed “Meet Me with your Black Drawers On”, no interminable “Stormy Monday”, etc. His set list (not that there has ever been an actual set list—he goes with the mood of the moment) is largely original, peppered with humorous monologues that highlight the point of the song, and interspersed with songs that are classics of the 1950s Chicago Blues canon—“How Many More Years”, “Long Distance Call”, “40 Days and 40 Nights”, “Don’t Start Me to Talkin”, “That’s Alright”, “Highway 49”, and so on. And Tail Dragger does these songs right; like so many of the great Chicago blues songs from that era, he insists on two guitars and a harmonica working together to create that classic, full sound.
The last fifteen years or so have brought a lot of belated recognition to Tail Dragger, including 2007 Male Blues Vocalist of the Year from the Bay Area Blues Society, numerous European tours, trips to Moscow and Argentina, a spot at New Orlean’s Ponderosa Stomp Music Festival, and even starring and co-starring roles in independent films (“Two Rivers” and the short film “Death and Taxis”, viewable on YouTube). “Live at Rooster’s” is a sequel to 2005’s “My Head is Bald”, which is Delmark’s best selling DVD to date. “Live at Rooster’s” is a special recording because it brings to you what I think Tail Dragger has valued the most out of performing music--more than the recognition, the high profile gigs and the awards: having a good time with musicians and fans old and new, and experiencing the feeling of being, in the words I’ve often heard him say,”together like family”. Like family, I have stuck with Tail Dragger through a lot, and he has stuck with me. When he was in prison, I went down there with the band and we played a gig inside the cafeteria, and he never forgot that. (True to form, he wrote a humorous song about life in the Lincoln, IL facility for the occasion.) Like family, the trust and good feelings are there—for example, in over twenty years of playing together, we have hardly ever discussed money-- if I got a gig it was OK with him and if he got a gig it was OK with me. If the money wasn’t great in years past, Tail Dragger always had an unshakeable optimism that better times would come, because he had something precious—he was singing the real blues.
The band has all known each other for a good fifteen years, and in terms of Tail Dragger's ideals of sticking together, has been more successful than many. This very strong and seasoned group has been doing Rooster’s since February of ’09-- and I’m proud to say the grooves and ensemble work show this. Bassist Todd Fackler has done roadwork with Eddie Clearwater and the late Eddie Burks, while rhythm guitarist Kevin Shanahan has done roadwork with Eddie Burks and AC Reed. Both men have been steady parts of Tail Dragger’s working band for the last seven or eight years. Kevin steps out more in this recording than in “My Head Is Bald” DVD, contributing a lot of exciting fills and solos (check out “Stop Lying”). Drummer Rob Lorenz made an auspicious debut behind Harmonica Hinds and Dave Meyers at the Checkerboard in the mid 90s, and went on to work with Little Mack Simmons, The Rockin' Johnny Band, and others, and joined forces with Tail Dragger in 1998. Harmonica player Martin Lang has a tremendously full tone and a great conception of the 50s Chicago blues—check him out on “Keep Our Business to Yourself”. He and I have known each other since our college days and have played together off and on behind Tail Dragger since the mid 1990s. We have recorded together as The Rockin’ Johnny Band, behind Little Arthur Duncan, Tail Dragger and Jimmy Burns. As for me, I met Tail Dragger when I was playing at Lilly’s with The Ice Cream Men, when I was about twenty. After I badgered him relentlessly, Tail Dragger must have felt sorry for me so he gave me my start playing rhythm guitar on the West Side at Stella’s Lounge at Pulaski and Van Buren. Within a few years I was Tail Dragger’s main lead guitarist during his stints at The Delta Fish Market, the 5105 Club, etc. Since those days, I developed as a sideman with many other artists and led The Rockin’ Johnny Band, but I have always maintained a connection to Tail Dragger and work with him as much as I can. I feel his singing and try to put that in my playing. When we recorded this, in March of this year, I had just come back to the music scene after a long absence, so I was still savoring the reunion and feeling every second. I hope that you feel it too... Special guest guitarist Jimmy Dawkins needs no introduction and has known and been fond of Tail Dragger since the late 60s. His jagged, always forward looking playing adds an interesting twist to Tail Dragger’s rough vocal style on “Wonder”.
What a fun night it was, with a lot of long time friends and fans present to be part of it. When you listen to this CD I think you’ll feel the love.
-Johnny Burgin, August 2009



Produced by Steve Wagner
Album Production and Supervision: Robert G. Koester and Steve Wagner
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Steve Wagner and Eric Butkus
Mix assistant: Dave Katzman
Mixed and Mastered at Riverside Studio, Chicago
Tray Photo: Jennifer Wheeler
Design: Kate Moss, Moonshine Design

Other Delmark albums of interest:
Tail Dragger, My Head Is Bald, Live at Vern's Friendly Tavern (782, DVD 1782)
with Lurrie Bell, Billy Branch, Jimmy Dawkins
American People (728) with Billy Branch, Johnny B. Moore,
Jimmy Dawkins, Eddie Shaw, Aron Burton
It Ain't Over, Delmark Celebrates 55 Years Of Blues Live at Buddy Guy's Legends (800,
DVD1800) with Tail Dragger, Jimmy Johnson, Eddie Shaw, Zora Young...
West Side Blues (906) with Tail Dragger, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Luther Allison…
Jimmy Dawkins, Blisterstring (641)
All For Business (634) with Otis Rush, Voice Odom
Fast Fingers (623)
Rockin' Johnny, Straight Out Of Chicago (720) with Tail Dragger, Sam Lay
Man's Temptation (732)
Magic Sam, West Side Soul (615)
Otis Rush, All Your Love I Miss Loving (781)
Luther Allison, Love Me Mama (625)

Delmark Records 4121 N. Rockwell, Chicago, IL 60618 www.delmark.com
CP 2009 Delmark Records