Beginning with his work as the guitarist for Koko Taylor’s Blues Machine and the Willie Dixon All-Stars, Johnny B. Moore has become an institution on the Chicago blues scene. Johnny B. and his band held down a regular gig at Blue Chicago on Clark in Chicago, Illinois until recently, interrupted by recent health problems that have prevent him from performing. The Clarksdale, Mississippi native has almost a dozen albums to his credit and has been one of the finest living blues guitarists in the Chicago area and throughout the world.
As part of Delmark Records 50th Anniversary, Johnny B Moore released his latest recording, Rockin’ In The Same Old Boat, in 2003. This recording is filled with Moore’s great guitar and distinctive vocals, a fitting follow-up to his 2001 Wolf Records release, Born In Clarksdale, Mississippi. On Rockin’ In the Same Old Boat, Johnny B. hits on a number of musical styles, including blues, soul and rhythm & blues with excellent covers of songs by Magic Sam, Jimmy Reed, Buster Benton and even Blind Lemon Jefferson, to name a few. Although the CD contains only one original number, “Broke Man”, Moore personalizes each of the other twelve songs with a style that has been best experienced at one of his live performances at Blue Chicago on Clark.
Moore’s performance includes some great straight ahead blues on classics like Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man” and Magic Sam’s “Lookin’ Good”, featuring some classic West Side style guitar. Johnny B. explores his more soulful side on a couple of tunes from Bobby Bland’s songbook, namely That’s The Way Love Is” and the title track of the recording, “Rockin’ In The Same Old Boat.” Moore’s strained, emotion-filled vocals, though not anything like the smooth-voiced Bland, are still able to capture the emotions of both songs. Likewise, Moore’s renditions of “Matchbox Blues,” the Blind Lemon Jefferson nugget made famous by Albert King and Slim Harpo’s “I’m A King Bee,” are given stellar treatment by Mr. Moore and company.
The one original on Rockin’ In The Same Old Boat is “Broke Man”, which tells the story of a man who has nothing to his name, but who is able to sleep at night knowing that he also has nothing to lose. With his backing band including Hirotaka Konishi (guitar), Robert “Bass Playin’ Pete” Peterson (bass) and Cordell Teague (drums), this great song becomes one of the showpieces of the recording. Interestingly, the song also appears on Delmark’s 50th Anniversary compilation CD, Delmark Records, 50 Years of Jazz and Blues, which also includes songs by Luther Allison, Big Joe Williams and Junior Wells, among others.
As a long time fan of Johnny B. Moore, I can strongly recommend Rockin’ In The Same Old Boat, as an addition to anyone’s collection of Chicago blues artists. As indicated earlier, this CD is one of several released in 2003 as part of Delmark Records 50th Anniversary celebration. Hopefully, Johnny B. Moore will overcome his recent health tribulations and will be returning to a Chicago stage in the near future. Until then, Rockin’ In The Same Old Boat will fill the bill for a recent dose of Johnny B’s musical prowess. To learn more about this and other Delmark recordings, visit the Delmark website at www.delmark.com.
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