Louisiana Red
Saturday night at Famous Dave’s was a night of firsts for the club in Uptown Minneapolis. Besides the fact that the evening was spent “lounging” in front row seats for the blues shows that evening, September 18 marked my first opportunity to have a conversation with blues legend Louisiana Red; Red’s reported first appearance in Minnesota since 1976 (or ever according to him) and W. C. Clark’s first visit as a performer at Famous Dave’s. What wasn’t a first for Dave’s was the fact that the music that evening was all great, with as much variety as any Twin Cities blues fan could ever want. Louisiana Red brought his unique personal style of solo acoustic and electrified blues into the club for an early starting show, followed by the soulful Texas guitar of Austin legend, W. C. Clark for two fabulous sets later in the evening.
Opening at 8:30 p.m. on Famous Dave’s stage was blues legend Louisiana Red. Born in Bessema, Alabama as Iverson Minter in 1932, Red has lived the blues life since his first hours on this earth with his mother dying in childbirth and his father murdered when he was only nine years old by the Klu Klux Klan. The young Louisiana Red left home as a pre-teen, heading north to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he first took up the blues. Red’s traveling bone took him to places like Detroit and Chicago where he was befriended by the likes of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Of Hooker, Red said that the great John Lee was like a father to him as a young man, opening up his home to the young musician.
Over the years, Red has played with a virtual encyclopedia of famous bluesmen including B. B. King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Son House, Robert Nighthawk, Homesick James and others too numerous to mention. Many of the bluesmen Red has performed with have made their way into his songs, particularly “Red’s Dream” where several blues greats were mentioned during his performance of the song on Saturday evening.
As he described during our pre-show conversation, Red’s music is very personal and represents his blues roots and influences. Red brings a variety of feelings to his music ranging from the mystical dreams of the past and future, socially conscious comments regarding the environment, war, space exploration, etc. and even the sexual overtones that characterize the music in many cases.
Performing a range of his own compositions, Red opened on an acoustic guitar with Red’s Dream, his mystic look at the past, present and future; “I Had A Dream” with its repeating “I’m A Man” style riff; and a gospel tinged “I’m Treated So Bad,” a song that Red dedicated to the Staples Singers. In an abrupt shift, Red, followed his gospel tune with a bawdy, “Let Me Be Your Electrician,” where Red claimed, “I will turn all your circuits on…”. Later, Red broke out his metal slide for “Sleep On Muddy Waters” and “Boy From The Black Bayou,” completing the acoustic portion of his set with the county/gospel flavored “Driftin’” including excerpts from the hymn, “He Walks With Me.”
For the remainder of the set, Red pulled out his electric guitar, A Fender Telecaster colored a unique shade of red (very appropriate) for some electrified blues including “Last Night I Had A Dream”; “Valerie,” a song written when Red was in Korea; and “Chicken Lickin’” a song that really got the crowd going, especially when Red starting picking notes with the guitar behind his head. The set ended with an encore, a requested number called “Sweet Blood Call,” that had everyone on their feet at the end of the set giving this blues master a standing ovation. Whether it was Louisiana Red’s first performance in 28 years or his first ever, it was still a memorable show for everyone in attendance.
W. C. Clark’s Blues Revue
After a short break, Austin guitarist W. C. Clark and the W. C. Clark Blues Revue took their place on stage. Unlike Louisiana Red, W. C. Clark has been a regular visitor to the Twin Cities. However, this happened to be his first ever appearance in the Twin Cities at Famous Dave’s.
W.C. and his tight, talented band took the stage for a great mixture of upbeat Texas blues, soul, and a healthy dose of Al Green, driven by W.C.'s crisp, tasty guitar licks and his smooth, incredible vocals. With his decades of experience, W.C. always makes his guitar work and vocals seem effortless. W.C. served up some tasteful covers in addition to his great original songs. On "The Thrill is Gone" his soulful vocals and crisp, ringing guitar riffs perfectly captured this B.B. King classic. W.C. joked that his band was so tight because he had put "250,000 miles on my guys." Singing and playing "Change in My Life" W.C. showed off his incredible vocal range; able to sing low down below his smooth, rich tenor, and at the same time able to hit Al Green like falsettos that seemed easy for one of the best male vocalists performing blues and soul today. W.C.'s guitar playing was impressive as usual with its sharp, crisp and warm tone, constantly upbeat. This is a player who needs no special effects, because he the great talent to make his guitar do anything he wants with his “magic” fingers.
Most of Clark’s songs concern love and lost love, yet even his mournful laments to lost love, like "I Wonder Why" have a positive, upbeat quality that come straight from W.C.'s optimistic view of life. W.C. sang wonderfully on the Al Green classic "Love and Happiness," hitting those high, held notes that a man his age has no business being able to attain. In addition to Texas soul, W.C.'s music often places an old school R&B edge to his style of blues, as on "Got to Find a Lover." His solid backing band of Pete on bass, Vito on drums, and Mr. Slick on saxophone provided a solid foundation for his hypnotic guitar riffs at Famous Dave’s. W.C.'s smooth, soulful vocals conveyed the pain and suffering of a man searching for things that he cannot find. W.C. served up great, classic Texas Blues guitar on Freddie King's "Hideaway," demonstrating what a great guitar player he is. On "Cold Shot," a W. C. Clark original that former band mate, Stevie Ray Vaughn made famous, his guitar and great vocals painted a powerful picture of a person mistreated by a lover. W.C. closed out a night of great blues with a medley of songs, including a second helping of "Heart of Gold," "My Girl," and "Hey Rocky Way." While the clock on the wall said it was time to leave, the enthusiastic crowd of blues fans and dancers cheered loud and long for more from the Texas blues legend.
Given the stark intensity of Louisiana Red, combined with the mellow golden soul/blues of W. C. Clark it was hardly possible to assemble a better blues show with such a range of styles and moods. It was a night of firsts that are sure to stick firmly in the minds of everyone who spent the evening at Famous Dave’s.
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