Song: Blues-type Situation With Relative Roots: Johnny Guitar Watson
Viewed: 70 - Published at: a year ago
Artist: Cliff White
Year: 2013Viewed: 70 - Published at: a year ago
"I'M SO excited man, I don't know, Jesus Christ, everything is really so grand, the company seems to be so together and I think I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire career."
No two ways about it, there speaks a man on cloud nine. Understandable, considering that his latest DJM releases are up with the top-selling American soul albums and singles; that he's just had three different singles on three different labels in the British soul chart; that ‘I Need It’ has just crossed over to the British pop Top 50; and that all this happening after 23 years of recording with hardly a sniff of success.
Johnny Guitar Watson has played footsie with Lady Luck several times in his career but until now she's never actually laid any favours on him.
Back in the 50's he wrote and recorded a bunch of R&B goodies (including ‘Gangster Of Love’ and ‘Looking Back’) that gave him West Coast recognition without stirring the rest of America, leaving The Steve Miller Band and John Mayall to reap the biggest action with the songs a decade later.
In the 60's he struck further afield scoring modest national hits with blues (‘Cuttin' In’, 1962) and soul (‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’, ‘Nobody’, 1967, both with Larry Williams), between which he visited Britain and recorded many less fortunate sides.
Then in the last couple of years he created three successive soul hits and a couple of choice albums that didn't boost his career the way they should've, largely because the record company, Fantasy, didn't have the facilities and/or inclination to capitalize on their hot property.
However, his is not the usual tale of starving in obscurity. Although he's been excluded from the bigtime round of grand gigs and mass attention all these years, Johnny's been jogging along quite nicely thank you, blessed with a talent that guarantees steady work, and a home and family that he wouldn't want to sacrifice for fame and fortune.
Last year's conversation had been across a bockwurst or two in Berlin, where Johnny was appearing on a blues festival to such good effect that I wrote in these very pages: "If crowd reaction is anything to go by, it won't be long before his day will come."
Well excuse me for saying I told you so, but I told you so. Less than a year later it's all happening for him, thanks to the ‘I Need It’ single, his new album Ain't That A Bitch, and DJM Records, who are understandably proud of their first major American artist.
The DJM album is an extension of his Fantasy recording. A mixture of brisk discobeat (‘I Need It’), funky wit (the title track and ‘Superman Lover’), written, arranged, produced, performed and accompanied by the man himself with a little help from the drummer and three horn players of his road band.
The overall effect is quite unique. Very clean and very tight, with just a hint of influence from other soul acts, but essentially as much an expression of Johnny's own personality as any of his earlier recordings. For this man stays young and moves with the times.
Last year he was unable to bring his band to Europe, and anyway he wasn't expected to perform new material on a blues show. But now they're on the road as a unit and if advance reports are anything to by, the 'new' Johnny Guitar Watson is even more spectacular that the old. He's certainly mighty chuffed at the way things are working out.
"You know that I played keyboards and most of the rhythm parts on the album, but now we've got a keyboard player and bassist so I have no problems duplicating the sound on stage. The other musicians I'm using have been with me for little better than a year.
"The snap is extremely tight. We have a lot of love going on in our group. No ego trips or nothing, it's really just a beautiful situation. When we go to work man, it's sounding just like the record you won't believe it."
And are they hip to your old material as well?
"Well, on some of the old things they are – like 'Gangster Of Love'. But you know how it is over here man, we don't have to do the old things on stage, not like it was in Europe."
True. But that raises a very good point. Johnny and his band are likely to be touring Britain before the end of the year, and although there'll be a whole new troop of fans wanting to hear his recent material, there'll also be two other factions to satisfy.
There's a sizeable clique of R&B enthusiasts around who'll doubtless be shouting for ‘Lonely, Lonely Nights’, ‘Three Hours Past Midnight’, and the other great blues from his early days, while up in the northern cities he'll have to perform at least a couple of the stomping sides he made with Larry Williams or else he might as well not bother to appear at all. For in the land of the chip butty Johnny Guitar Watson is synonymous with the Okeh label; forget about the rest of his career.
Fear not though, you divided fans, for the man is aware of the situation and plans to vary his show according to who he's playing to.
Even so, he wasn't prepared for the news that after my last article about him I'd received a letter from a northern fan enquiring whether the 7 pounds he'd just been offered for a Johnny Watson Okeh 45 was a fair price.
"WHAT!!! Shut up man. You're kidding. Fourteen dollars? Seriously Jesus Christ, I better see if I can't bring a bunch of those over with me."
I guess it's too late now, what with British CBS finally waking up to the fact that they've got a money-spinner in their archives.
Meanwhile, I've got to declare an interest right about here. Yes I think his Okeh sides are quite a groove; and yes I think his new recordings are pretty ace and indefinitely superior many competitors; but, having seen him live'n'cooking I guarantee that Johnny Watson is an exceptional bluesman – combining dynamic showmanship with roots feeling and some of the tastiest guitar works it's been my privilege to sweat to.
Which is why the new DJM album is a cut above the Fantasy material; he's dumped the strings and plugged in Freddie, his obedient Gibson. And which is also why I'm still impatiently waiting for the modern blues album that he promised last time we spoke.
"The blues is sick" he said. "It needs a little first aid" he said. Right on, right on. So what happened? Has he dropped the idea?
"Not entirely. I has a lot of thought about it until I spoke with (who shall remain nameless, but if a certain paper doesn't straighten her out they'll soon be looking for a new 'scoop' reporter). She came over here and changed my whole trend of thought as to what I was really thinking about the blues situation."
"I had planned to do it like I was, a roots treatment, but now I'm gonna give it a tomorrow's blues type situation with relative roots man. You know, things that you can relate to as far as the actual blues structure is concerned. I think that would be the best way to do it. However man, Bland and B.B. got a new thing going on now. They're still doing the blues but it's got a new face, just a little difference in the rhythm."
Ah yes. Or on the other hand what? Where does that leave us? Oh to hell with it. You go ahead and do your thing Johnny. It's almost bound to come out sounding great.
No two ways about it, there speaks a man on cloud nine. Understandable, considering that his latest DJM releases are up with the top-selling American soul albums and singles; that he's just had three different singles on three different labels in the British soul chart; that ‘I Need It’ has just crossed over to the British pop Top 50; and that all this happening after 23 years of recording with hardly a sniff of success.
Johnny Guitar Watson has played footsie with Lady Luck several times in his career but until now she's never actually laid any favours on him.
Back in the 50's he wrote and recorded a bunch of R&B goodies (including ‘Gangster Of Love’ and ‘Looking Back’) that gave him West Coast recognition without stirring the rest of America, leaving The Steve Miller Band and John Mayall to reap the biggest action with the songs a decade later.
In the 60's he struck further afield scoring modest national hits with blues (‘Cuttin' In’, 1962) and soul (‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’, ‘Nobody’, 1967, both with Larry Williams), between which he visited Britain and recorded many less fortunate sides.
Then in the last couple of years he created three successive soul hits and a couple of choice albums that didn't boost his career the way they should've, largely because the record company, Fantasy, didn't have the facilities and/or inclination to capitalize on their hot property.
However, his is not the usual tale of starving in obscurity. Although he's been excluded from the bigtime round of grand gigs and mass attention all these years, Johnny's been jogging along quite nicely thank you, blessed with a talent that guarantees steady work, and a home and family that he wouldn't want to sacrifice for fame and fortune.
Last year's conversation had been across a bockwurst or two in Berlin, where Johnny was appearing on a blues festival to such good effect that I wrote in these very pages: "If crowd reaction is anything to go by, it won't be long before his day will come."
Well excuse me for saying I told you so, but I told you so. Less than a year later it's all happening for him, thanks to the ‘I Need It’ single, his new album Ain't That A Bitch, and DJM Records, who are understandably proud of their first major American artist.
The DJM album is an extension of his Fantasy recording. A mixture of brisk discobeat (‘I Need It’), funky wit (the title track and ‘Superman Lover’), written, arranged, produced, performed and accompanied by the man himself with a little help from the drummer and three horn players of his road band.
The overall effect is quite unique. Very clean and very tight, with just a hint of influence from other soul acts, but essentially as much an expression of Johnny's own personality as any of his earlier recordings. For this man stays young and moves with the times.
Last year he was unable to bring his band to Europe, and anyway he wasn't expected to perform new material on a blues show. But now they're on the road as a unit and if advance reports are anything to by, the 'new' Johnny Guitar Watson is even more spectacular that the old. He's certainly mighty chuffed at the way things are working out.
"You know that I played keyboards and most of the rhythm parts on the album, but now we've got a keyboard player and bassist so I have no problems duplicating the sound on stage. The other musicians I'm using have been with me for little better than a year.
"The snap is extremely tight. We have a lot of love going on in our group. No ego trips or nothing, it's really just a beautiful situation. When we go to work man, it's sounding just like the record you won't believe it."
And are they hip to your old material as well?
"Well, on some of the old things they are – like 'Gangster Of Love'. But you know how it is over here man, we don't have to do the old things on stage, not like it was in Europe."
True. But that raises a very good point. Johnny and his band are likely to be touring Britain before the end of the year, and although there'll be a whole new troop of fans wanting to hear his recent material, there'll also be two other factions to satisfy.
There's a sizeable clique of R&B enthusiasts around who'll doubtless be shouting for ‘Lonely, Lonely Nights’, ‘Three Hours Past Midnight’, and the other great blues from his early days, while up in the northern cities he'll have to perform at least a couple of the stomping sides he made with Larry Williams or else he might as well not bother to appear at all. For in the land of the chip butty Johnny Guitar Watson is synonymous with the Okeh label; forget about the rest of his career.
Fear not though, you divided fans, for the man is aware of the situation and plans to vary his show according to who he's playing to.
Even so, he wasn't prepared for the news that after my last article about him I'd received a letter from a northern fan enquiring whether the 7 pounds he'd just been offered for a Johnny Watson Okeh 45 was a fair price.
"WHAT!!! Shut up man. You're kidding. Fourteen dollars? Seriously Jesus Christ, I better see if I can't bring a bunch of those over with me."
I guess it's too late now, what with British CBS finally waking up to the fact that they've got a money-spinner in their archives.
Meanwhile, I've got to declare an interest right about here. Yes I think his Okeh sides are quite a groove; and yes I think his new recordings are pretty ace and indefinitely superior many competitors; but, having seen him live'n'cooking I guarantee that Johnny Watson is an exceptional bluesman – combining dynamic showmanship with roots feeling and some of the tastiest guitar works it's been my privilege to sweat to.
Which is why the new DJM album is a cut above the Fantasy material; he's dumped the strings and plugged in Freddie, his obedient Gibson. And which is also why I'm still impatiently waiting for the modern blues album that he promised last time we spoke.
"The blues is sick" he said. "It needs a little first aid" he said. Right on, right on. So what happened? Has he dropped the idea?
"Not entirely. I has a lot of thought about it until I spoke with (who shall remain nameless, but if a certain paper doesn't straighten her out they'll soon be looking for a new 'scoop' reporter). She came over here and changed my whole trend of thought as to what I was really thinking about the blues situation."
"I had planned to do it like I was, a roots treatment, but now I'm gonna give it a tomorrow's blues type situation with relative roots man. You know, things that you can relate to as far as the actual blues structure is concerned. I think that would be the best way to do it. However man, Bland and B.B. got a new thing going on now. They're still doing the blues but it's got a new face, just a little difference in the rhythm."
Ah yes. Or on the other hand what? Where does that leave us? Oh to hell with it. You go ahead and do your thing Johnny. It's almost bound to come out sounding great.
( Cliff White )
www.ChordsAZ.com