Big Jack Johnson
You should know that Congress has declared 2003 as The Year of The Blues. Fans should also know that they have not fulfilled their yearly blues quota just by going to see B.B. King last month at the State Theatre. Last Friday, just a few blocks away at Easton’s Bluetone Café, Big Jack Johnson showed how great the blues can be in a club, in the type of atmosphere where the music grew up.
A big surprise that Valentine’s Day was the unadvertised addition of Lonnie Shields. Shields, a blues headliner in his own right, joined Johnson for the evening on guitar and vocals. The first set was a session of standards that included “Big Boss Man,” “Kansas City”, “My Babe”, and an instrumental version of Bill Withers’s “Ain’t No Sunshine”. It lasted for an incredible two hours. As guitarist Billy Baltera was overheard saying, “Once these guys get going, there’s no way you can stop them.”
Johnson sang and played lead on most of the songs, and Shields played rhythm and vocalized on a few tunes. Due to Shields’ status and his friendship with The Oil Man, his rhythm guitar was as loud as Johnson’s, instead of being in the background. The sound worked well, particularly on the many boogies and shuffles.
Although they were billed as The Oilers, the backup band had worked with both Johnson and Shields as headliners. Baltera, unfortunately, only had room to do a few tasty leads as the third guitar player, while bassist Jimmy Pritchard and drummer Chris Sherlock kept a rock-solid rhythm throughout the night.
Shields acknowledged Johnson to be the star, often asking the crowd to applaud for him. However, Shields was at the front of the performing area while Johnson played at the side, almost in the corner.
The Oil Man was still the center of attention, though, with smooth, high octave guitar leads and note bends and sustains that rivaled those of B.B. King.
The second set, lasting about an hour, was even more fun. Johnson did many genre-bending tunes unexpected in a blues show, including “The Twist”, “Rockin’ Robin’”, “Tequila”, and a version of “Baby, Please Don’t Go” that segued into “You Are My Sunshine” and “Comin’ Round The Mountain”.
Johnson ended with a wonderful tongue-in-cheek instrumental of “Sweet Home Chicago”, played on electric mandolin with a slide.
This show, along with a great dinner buffet, made for a perfect Valentine’s treat for couples, even those who could only get dates with their spouses.
--Dave Howell, 2/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)
A big surprise that Valentine’s Day was the unadvertised addition of Lonnie Shields. Shields, a blues headliner in his own right, joined Johnson for the evening on guitar and vocals. The first set was a session of standards that included “Big Boss Man,” “Kansas City”, “My Babe”, and an instrumental version of Bill Withers’s “Ain’t No Sunshine”. It lasted for an incredible two hours. As guitarist Billy Baltera was overheard saying, “Once these guys get going, there’s no way you can stop them.”
Johnson sang and played lead on most of the songs, and Shields played rhythm and vocalized on a few tunes. Due to Shields’ status and his friendship with The Oil Man, his rhythm guitar was as loud as Johnson’s, instead of being in the background. The sound worked well, particularly on the many boogies and shuffles.
Although they were billed as The Oilers, the backup band had worked with both Johnson and Shields as headliners. Baltera, unfortunately, only had room to do a few tasty leads as the third guitar player, while bassist Jimmy Pritchard and drummer Chris Sherlock kept a rock-solid rhythm throughout the night.
Shields acknowledged Johnson to be the star, often asking the crowd to applaud for him. However, Shields was at the front of the performing area while Johnson played at the side, almost in the corner.
The Oil Man was still the center of attention, though, with smooth, high octave guitar leads and note bends and sustains that rivaled those of B.B. King.
The second set, lasting about an hour, was even more fun. Johnson did many genre-bending tunes unexpected in a blues show, including “The Twist”, “Rockin’ Robin’”, “Tequila”, and a version of “Baby, Please Don’t Go” that segued into “You Are My Sunshine” and “Comin’ Round The Mountain”.
Johnson ended with a wonderful tongue-in-cheek instrumental of “Sweet Home Chicago”, played on electric mandolin with a slide.
This show, along with a great dinner buffet, made for a perfect Valentine’s treat for couples, even those who could only get dates with their spouses.
--Dave Howell, 2/03
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)