Otis Rush died a few days ago. Confession: It never occurred to me that he was still alive. Does that make me a bad person? Well, shit, I can barely keep track of birthdays, so how would I be expected to remember who's alive and who isn't. Particularly because I don't really follow current blues. I mean, yeah, old rockers I keep track of to a certain extent (Little Richard? Still kickin'. Jerry Lee Lewis? Check. Dick Dale? Hell, he's coming to town soon so I know he's still up and around). But for some reason I still feel bad that I hadn't been appreciative enough while Rush was still alive.
Like a lot of blues lifers, most of his best stuff was recorded decades ago. Shit, "I Can't Quit You Baby" was his first single and probably his best known song (it reached #6 on the r&b charts in 1956). "All Your Love"? Late fifties. "Homework"? 1962. And with those three, I'm tapped out of song titles I actually remember.
One part of one song you should check: Little Walter's "Goin' Down Slow", with Rush on guitar. At :27, listen to the way he hammers the strings. Remind you of any other left handed guitarists?
One part of one song you should check: Little Walter's "Goin' Down Slow", with Rush on guitar. At :27, listen to the way he hammers the strings. Remind you of any other left handed guitarists?
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:Otis Rush - Homework mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Otis Rush - All My Love (I Miss Loving) (streaming) at YouTube
Little Walter with Otis Rush - Goin' Down Slow mp3 at Internet Archive
No comments:
Post a Comment