Swamp Blues Vol.6

Baton Rouge Blues
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Vol. 6

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Titles 1-8, 11-15 produced by Julian Piper, recorded at Chimes Street Studios, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, April 1988, Titles 9, 10 produced by Andrea & Hannes Fofterbauer, recorded at Techno Sound,Baton Rouge, Louisiana, April 1990. Edited by Alex Munkas, Sonic West Studio. Photos by Tabby Thomas, Andrea & Hannes Folterbauer. Liner notes by Julian Piper. Layout by K. H. Rosenzopf. Websites: www.wolfrec.com www.onstaae.at/wolfree

SILAS HOGAN
1. Dark Clouds Rollin' (Silas Hogan) 2.56
2. I'm A Free Hearted Man (Silas Hogan) 2.47
3. You're Too Late Baby (Silas Hogan) 2.57
4. Hoo-Doo Blues (Silas Hogan) 3.08
5. Ain't It A Shame (Silas Hogan) 2.53
6. Mr. Charlie (Trad. arr. Silas Hogan) 3.08
7. Lonesome La La (Silas Hogan) 3.09
8. My Starter Won't Start (Silas Hogan) 3.06
9. Rats And Roaches In My Kitchen (Silas Hogan) 2.49
10. Bad Little Puppy (Silas Hogan) 3.09
11. Airport Blues (Silas Hogan) 2.34
ARTHUR "GUITAR" KELLEY
12. Kelley's Boogie (Arthur Kelley) 3.03
I 3. Good Morning Heartache (Trad. arr. Arthur Kelley) 2.51
14. I Got A Funny Feeling. (Arthur Kelley) 5.53
15. Poor Man (Arthur Kelley) 4.27

PERSONNEL:
Silas Hagan, vcl on 1-11/gtr on 4, 6, 8, 9-11 Oscar 'Harpo' Davis, harmonica on 1-8
Bruce Lamb, guitar on 1-5
Julian Piper, guitar on 1-5, 7
David Carroll, bass on 1-7
Sam Hogan, drums on 1-7; guitar on 9, 10
David Hill, bass on 9, 10
Jess Kenchin, drums on 9, 10
Arthur Guitar Kelley, vcl/gtr on 12-15

Around Baton Rouge these days they call Silas Hogan 'The Godfather'. He's the undisputed head of the Baton Rouge blues family and one of the last exponents of what Robert Palmer once described as 'Deep Blues' but Silas prefers to call 'them low down blues'. Now 78 years old - although you'd swear he was twenty years younger - Silas is among the last living bluesrnen with the kind of history that really does go 'way back'. When Howling Wolf was out on Dockery's plantation learning to play guitar from Charley Patton and Robert Johnson was playing on the streets of Clarksdale, Silas was already out, there doing it. 'I used to Play them old house parties. A dollar and a half was all you got. Start early and play all night. Course it wasn't electric then - but you could hear it!

I used to use a jazz horn; trumpet mouth- piece with a piece of cigarette paper stretched across it - believe sometimes they call it a kazoo. I started playing because my daddy used to play. He used to play in different guitar tunings - Cross note and Spanish - Played with a knife too. Nobody could play much like that around here except the man that taught my father - Frank Metty. I've seen him when he broke a string - get a woman's hairpin and together because he didn't have no spare string...'
When Silas was a young man he played at parties with people like James 'Butch' Cage, Willie Thomas and Robert Pete Williams. It was raw exciting country dance music but a long way removed from the blues that Silas has played for the last thirty years. Silas moved to Baton Rouge in 1939 to work at the Standard Oil Refinery. He ended up living in Scotlandville - a leafy suburb about six or seven miles from the center of town. When Silas first moved there it was far more 'country' that it is today and, for himself, Lazy Lester, Robert Pete Williams, Henry Gray, Guitar Kelley and many others, it was a convenient half way house between the city life of Baton Rouge and the laid back country lifestyle they were used to.

Although there are no blues clubs there now, during the nineteen fifties, Scotlandville must have resounded to the sound of Louisiana 'Swamp' blue. Silas remembers countless clubs and jukes in the area now all sadly closed down. Silas was one of the last of the Baton Rouge bluesmen to begin recording for Excello at J. D. Miller's Crowley studio. He, made a series of eight records for Excello which, although they never made Silas a rich man, established his role for all time as one of the finest bluesmen in Louisiana style - a potent amalgam of classic Jimmy Reed and Lightning Hopkins. If your're lucky enough to catch Silas playing these days it will probably be in Tabby Thomas's Blues Box on North Boulevarde. For a long time Silas played every Saturday night and to see him hunched up over his guitar, rocking gently with the beat and clearly loving every minute of it, it's sometimes difficult to come to terms with the idea that he's been doing it for so long. But then to Silas his unique form of blues is all he needs When the idea of making album was suggested, Silas started buzzing with excitement. Since the sixties his only studio recording has been a version of 'Hairy Leg Woman' for Tabby's Bluebeat label and an appearance on a Excello 'live' album. In putting together a band for the session I was anxious to have musicians that basically wouldn't overplay, and would feel as keen as myself to try and recreate Silas' old sound. After one false start we finally hit the note with the guys on the album.

On drums is Silas's son Sam - a fine guitar player but as hot a backbeat player as any around. Harmonica is handled by Oscar 'Harpo' Davis - a living incarnation of Slim Harpo. To hear Oscar play 'Baby scratch my back' can be uncanny. The best harp player in town and an obvious choice. Completing the lineup are Bruce Lamb on guitar and David Carroll on bass. Bruce and David play in local blues- blasters the 'Circuit Breakers' and though gigging regularly with Silas know his changes just about as well as anyone else around. The numbers are very representative of Silas's current repertoire. Included are several of his classic recordings 'Lonesome La La', 'Dark Clouds Rolling', 'Ain't It a shame' - together with the perhaps lesser known but extremely fine 'Free hearted man' and a tribute to Silas's old pal Lightning Slim - 'My starter won't start'.
On two tracks-'Mr.Charlie' and Doo Blues' - Silas plays guitar, on 'My starter won't start' once again Silas plays guitar accompanied by Oscar on harmonica, and on 'Airport Blues' he can be heard on acoustic guitar. Here then you have some fine examples of the 'low down' blues as only Silas Hogan knows how to play them; a rare treat for all lovers of Louisiana blues.- Julian Piper, March 1989

Arthur Lee 'Guitar' Kelley: Born 14 November 1924 in Clinton, Louisiana. Like many blues singers Kelley learned to play religious songs first but his main interest was in the blues. In the 40s, he was living near Baton Rouge and beginning to develop his own guitar style, under the influence of local artist Lightning Slim, as well as copying records by artists such as Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins. Although the boom in Baton Rouge blues in the 50s, he never made any records during this time. In the 60s, he formed a small group along with Silas Hogan and at last in 1970, he appeared on a couple of albums of Louisiana blues artists, as well as a single on Excello. He continued his partnership with Hogan for many years, and joined that artist in his residency at Tabby Thomas's Blues Box club, but he has also toured widely, including visits to Europe. (Sheldon Harris, Blues Who's Who)