Blues For Life Your place for blues reviews and news.

Okay so I’m writing this while listing to a cat called James Booker and drinking a brew. I was browsing a site that will remain unnamed because it’s kid of the restroom of the internet, the kind were everyone had the special and it didn’t agree with them. Let’s just say the place is full of shit. Anyways, I decided to check out the music section and I created a topic about how I liked the blues. It so happens that I said the only song I can play that people know is Strange Brew. To my surprise I was immediately attacked because they said I wasn’t blues enough! Me, of all people?

My displeasure was quickly brushed aside by me reiterating that Strange Brew was the only song people knew. In the interest of moving on I started talking about how my current obsession is with Son House. What had been my crucifixion turned into rather interesting conversation about all sorts of blues players, many I hadn’t heard of. One that I picked to look up was a guy called James Booker. [Click for more]

First James Booker is a piano player from the big easy and he is really not a blues player. Now my knowledge of piano players is woefully poor, Professor Longhair, Dr. John and Henry Butler are the New Orleans players I know. Other then Pinetop Perkins I don’t know any blues pianists. First James Booker was a one eyed, sequined eye patch wearin’ drug addict but I love him. Man he can play them keys, but the way he sings kills me. I swear Robert Cray sounds just like him.

So now I’ve got Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah which is a fantastic series of live recordings. You owe it to yourself to go get this album or at least listen to his versions of St. James Infirmary and Goodnight Irene both are some of the best songs I’ve ever heard.

Henry Butler is the heir to the New Orleans piano heritage but believe it or not Booker had a student, Harry Connick Jr.