Hubert SUMLIN with David JOHANSEN - Howlin' for Hubert (Live) 2004

Hubert SUMLIN with David JOHANSEN - Howlin' for Hubert (Live) 2004
Live, Chicago Blues Festival June 10,2004

Blues

Hubert Sumlin, now 78, is used to playing concerts like “Howlin’ for Hubert,” at the Jazz Standard through this weekend. He was the guitarist who played the silvery leads on Howlin’ Wolf’s great Chicago blues records of the 1950s and ’60s. On Thursday every tune was from Howlin’ Wolf’s songbook, and Wolf’s name scarcely needed to be mentioned. It’s a Hubert Sumlin gig now.
It helps if Wolf’s voice can be invoked, though, and that explained the presence of David Johansen. Mr. Johansen, who has worked with Mr. Sumlin before, is naturally comical with his baritone. His version of Howlin’ Wolf got at the broad humor that was always there, no matter how many times Wolf has been compounded into a feral myth.
Mr. Johansen also has a healthy sense of shtick: In songs like “Three Hundred Pounds of Joy” and “Who’s Been Talkin’,” he was full of eager petulance, a skinny man trying to fill out an extra-large suit.
But the real action arrived a little later. The guitarist James Blood Ulmer joined the band halfway through the set, and now there were three guitars, including that of Jimmy Vivino, of late-night television’s Max Weinberg 7, who acted as the evening’s musical director. And at the luckiest moments, there were triple-deckered guitar solos through slow music, showing completely different approaches to the instrument.
Mr. Sumlin — who sang, in a thin voice, on one song, “Sitting on Top of the World” — plucked his leads with his fingers, mostly restricting himself to the three higher strings. He was playing a Fender Stratocaster, and he made the most of that guitar’s vocal-sounding tones, with glottal stops and throaty cries.
**
Hubert Sumlin- Guitar
David Johansen- Vocals & Harmonica
LeVon Helm- Drums
Jimmy Vivino- Piano
Mike Merritt- Bass
**
01. Built for Comfort
02. Little Red Rooster
03. Evil
04. Backdoor Man
05. Spoonful
06. 300 Pounds of Joy
07. Tail Dragger
08. Sittin' On Top of the World
09. Where Did My Baby Go
10. Who's Been Talking
12. Killing Floor


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Hubert SUMLIN - Blues Guitar Boss 1994

Hubert SUMLIN - Blues Guitar Boss 1994

Blues

The man who gave the guitar bite to Howlin' Wolf classics like "Wang Dang Doodle" and "Killing Floor" put together a set of originals almost as solid as his past work.
By Keith Farley.
**
Although they had a somewhat tempestuous relationship, Sumlin remained loyal to Wolf until the big man's 1976 death. But there were a handful of solo sessions for Sumlin before that, beginning with a most unusual 1964 date in East Berlin that was produced by Horst Lippmann during a European tour under the auspices of the American Folk Blues Festival (the behind-the-Iron Curtain session also featured pianist Sunnyland Slim and bassist Willie Dixon).

Only in the last few years has Sumlin allowed his vocal talents to shine. He's recorded solo sets for Black Top and Blind Pig that show him to be an understated but effective singer -- and his guitar continues to communicate most forcefully.
By Bill Dahl, All Music Guide.
**
Hubert Sumlin- (Vocals, Guitar);
Richard Studholme- (Guitar, Upright Bass, Bass Guitar, Background Vocals);
Jack Hill- (piano, Hammond B-3 Organ);
Steve Thorneycroft- (Drums).
**
01. All I Can Do Sumlin 5:15
02. You Got to Help Me Sumlin 5:32
03. Blues Is Here to Stay Studholme 3:14
04. Sometimes I'm Right Sumlin 7:09
05. Spanish Greens Sumlin 4:19
06. Still Playing the Blues Studholme 4:26
07. I Could Be You Sumlin 3:43
08. Pickin' Sumlin 3:01
09. Look Don't Touch Sumlin 3:43
10. I've Stopped Crying Studholme 3:49
**
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Hubert SUMLIN - About Them Shoes 2003

Hubert SUMLIN - About Them Shoes 2003
Label: Tone Cool

Blues

Hubert Sumlin's About Them Shoes is a refreshingly pure blues recording which comes at a time when others are distorting the genre with various "contemporary" elements. The songs are from the repertoire of Muddy Waters -- seven tunes written by Waters (McKinley Morganfield), four by Willie Dixon, one from Carl C. Wright, and a beauty by Sumlin to close things out. Dixon's "I'm Ready" starts things off with Eric Clapton on lead guitar and vocals, the drums of Levon Helm, and Paul Oscher's oozing harmonica filling in nicely with David Maxwell's piano. It's bouncy and shows a side of Clapton not often present on his own albums. Sumlin's lead is tasty, giving way to Oscher's equally gritty wail. Waters' own "Still a Fool" has Keith Richards on lead vocals and sharing the guitar chores with Sumlin. It's got that Rolling Stones-ish ragged edge that producer Rob Fraboni knows so well; Fraboni's guiding hand never gets in the way of the musical process that flows across the CD. James Cotton's harp comes in to spice up "She's Into Something," which features percussionist George Recile on lead vocals and Helm back on the skins. Helm plays drums on eight of the 13 tracks, Recile on four, with the final number, Hubert Sumlin's only original, "Little Girl, This Is the End," closing the set without percussion. "Little Girl" features a charming interplay between Keith Richards and Sumlin's guitars, while Paul Nowinski adds a full-bottom bass to round things out. It's Sumlin's only

vocal contribution to the disc, and that voice swims in Fraboni's mix of upfront guitars. This particular song was premiered on Holly Harris' Blues on Sunday program on December 15, 2002, a few months before the album's release, and played next to the remastered "Love in Vain" from Let It Bleed, one could see why the distinctive Richards style is such an important component of the Rolling Stones' success. The two Keith Richards tracks as well as the two contributions from Clapton will get immediate attention, and they do not disappoint, but Blondie Chaplin's vocal on "Look What You've Done" as well as Paul Oscher's on "Come Home Baby" deserve to not get lost in the shuffle. Nathaniel Peterson and George Recile also get to take the mic (with David Johansen about to add some vocals at press time), but none of the changing voices disrupt the vibe or take away from the fun. These blues aren't sad, they are charging, energetic performances from musicians who catch the groove and drive it for all it's worth. Maxwell's piano on Waters' "Come Home Baby" adds frills behind the guitars of Sumlin and Bob Margolin, while Oscher's harmonica just screams. It's a stunning blend of tension and dynamite, and one of the disc's highlights. About Them Shoes could have taken the marquee talent and gone for a glitzy platform to bring Hubert Sumlin into the mainstream. Instead, they dive headfirst into what this music is all about, and in doing so have come up with a mini-masterpiece. It's one of those records that can run endlessly in the CD player and keep entertaining. Hopefully it will expand the audience of this deserving virtuoso.
By Joe Viglione.
**
James Cotton- (Harmonica),
Hubert Sumlin- (Guitar),(Vocals)
David Johansen- (Vocals)
Blondie Chaplin- (Bass), (Percussion), (Vocals), (Vocals (Background)),
Paul Oscher- (Harmonica), (Vocals), (Slide Guitar),
Bob Margolin- (Guitar),
Eric Clapton- (Guitar), (Vocals),
Levon Helm- (Drums),
David Maxwell- (Piano),
Keith Richards- (Guitar), (Vocals),
Paul Nowinski- (Bass),
Mudcat Ward- (Bass),
Nathaniel Peterson, Jr.- (Vocals),
George Receli (Percussion),(Drums), (Vocals).
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01.I'm Ready (featuring Eric Clapton)
02.Still A Fool (featuring Keith Richards)
03.She's Into Something
04.Iodine In My Coffee
05.Look What You've Done
06.Come Home Baby
07.Evil
08.Long Distance Call (featuring Eric Clapton)
09.The Same Thing (featuring David Johansen)
10.Don't Go Further
11.I Love The Life I Live, I Live The Life I Love
12.Walkin' Through The Park (featuring David Johansen)
13.Little Girl, This Is The End (featuring Keith Richards)
**
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Hubert SUMLIN - Healing Feeling 1990

Hubert SUMLIN - Healing Feeling 1990
Label: Black Top / Shout Factory
Audio CD (September 13, 2005)

Blues

Black Top Records has a string of top quality recordings that have gone out of print including recordings by Chris Thomas King, Earl King, Henry Butler, Guitar Shorty and this one by Hubert Sumlin. "Healing Feeling" features Sumlin and Ronnie Earl on guitar, Darrell Nulisch on vocals and harmonica, Dickie Reed on Organ, Per Hanson on drums and James Davis on vocals. The songs are mostly originals with a couple of covers sprinkled about for a little added flavor. With the sax of Kaz Kazanoff backing up Nulish's vocals and Earl's guitar, the band has an unmistakable "Roomful of Blues" feeling and tightness. There is some really good music on this disc and it is worth seeking out. Stand out tracks include Freddy King's "Play It Cool" and Ronnie Earl's "Healing Feeling".
**
Hubert Sumlin arguably did his best work during the 23 years he was Howlin' Wolf's guitar player, and his ragged, angular guitar style was a big part of Wolf's rough-and-ready sound. The perfect sideman, Sumlin was by all accounts somewhat shy and reticent about taking center stage, and Healing Feeling, his second album for Black Top Records, much like his first, Hubert Sumlin's Blues Party, is really more of an all-star blues jam than it is a fully realized project. Recorded May 5 and 6, 1989, at Southlake Recording Studios in Louisiana, with two additional tracks coming from a live show at Tipitina's in New Orleans earlier in the day on May 5, the sessions were once again organized by guitarist Ronnie Earl, whose band the Broadcasters is used on most of the cuts. The vocal duties were shared by James "Thunderbird" Davis and Darrell Nulisch, with Sumlin singing on "Come Back Little Girl," "Honey Dumplins," and the set closer, "Blues for Henry," all of which gain poignancy because of Sumlin's somewhat fragile, whispered vocal approach. A clear highlight is Sumlin's solo electric guitar version of "Down the Dusty Road," which is focused, clear, and intimate. The sound of the album is a little thicker and punchier than Blues Party, but once again Sumlin pulls off the difficult task of sounding like a sideman on his own album project, which is a shame, since when he does step forward, things really start to take on a distinct character. The two Black Top albums (this one was originally released in 1990) are really like blues jam holding patterns recorded when Sumlin was still trying to figure out how to make the transition from ace sideman to revered bandleader. Both suffer a bit from not having a truly assertive Sumlin on board. By Steve Leggett, All Music Guide.
**
Hubert Sumlin- Guitar, Vocals
Darrell Nulisch- Harmonica, Vocals,
T-Bird- Vocals
Richard "Dickie" Reed- Organ, Piano,
Steve Gomes- Bass,
Per Hanson- Drums,
Mark "Kaz" Kazanoff- Sax (Tenor),
James "Thunderbird" Davis- Vocals,´
Ronnie Earl- Guitar.
**
01. I Don't Want to Hear About Yours 3:28
02. Healing Feeling  2:36
03. Just Like I Treat You  3:56
04. Come Back Little Girl  4:34
05. Play It Cool  5:15
06. Without a Friend Like You  3:23
07. I Don't Want No Woman  3:25
08. Blue Shadows  4:31
09. Down the Dusty Road  2:52
10. Honey Dumplins  5:29
11. Blues for Henry  4:10
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