Dear Friends,
As I write this, I just learned of the death of Johnny Otis, one of the most important producers, talent scouts, musicians, DJs and songwriters in the history of post-World War II blues and R&B. I assume you all know his story; if not, you should. I had the immense pleasure of working with Johnny back in 1981, when he produced The New Johnny Otis Show with Shuggie Otis for us in Los Angeles. I learned so much from watching him in rehearsal and in the studio, guiding a large cast of players and singers, cutting everything from down-home blues to gospel-tinged, uptempo R&B. Johnny was a master at honing arrangements, urging artists to memorable performances, restructuring songs on the fly, and keeping it fun but focused in the studio. At one point he turned to me and asked my opinion of a take, and I nervously said, “Um…well, it felt good.” He replied, “If it feels good, it is good. We’ll keep it.” He wasn’t worried about the precision of the performance; he knew the overall vibe and emotional impact were the important things. Besides recording and gigging, every Sunday Johnny conducted church services in his big, ramshackle house. His congregation included nice neighborhood folks alongside pimps, prostitutes and junkies (and a great choir). His approach was simple — “I don’t care what you were doing with your life last night or last week; I only care about what you’re doing with your life from this moment onward.” I’m not religious, but when Johnny Otis preached, even I got the spirit. He was a charismatic giant, musically and personally, and gave us all a huge gift. Thanks, Johnny.
It’s thrilling to see the great initial response to Joe Louis Walker’s Alligator debut, Hellfire. I’m writing this before the official release date, and it’s already been declared to be “the first great blues album of 2012” by Rev. Keith Gordon at About.com Blues. Joe has recorded major interviews for XM/Sirius Radio’s B.B. King’s Bluesville (thank you, Bill Wax), Elwood’s Bluesmobile (formerly House of Blues Radio Hour, to air at the end of February) and will soon do a live recording for World Café, heard on hundreds of public radio stations around the U.S.A. This should be the album that finally brings Joe the worldwide recognition he deserves as one of the most groundbreaking and exciting bluesmen of his generation. Samples are on our jukebox at www.alligator.com.
We’re also preparing the March release of Janiva Magness’ third Alligator album, Stronger For It. It’s Janiva’s most rawly emotional, adventurous and personal record. She’s been known for years as one of the blues world’s best song interpreters, but with this new album, Janiva steps out as a composer, co-writing three powerful new tunes that are so good we’re putting them all at the front of the album. Stronger For It is a huge triumph for Janiva, a self-confident statement of survival in the face of a series of very difficult events in her life. It’s uplifting, soul-infused and fearless. I’m very proud to be releasing it on Alligator.
Meanwhile, I’ve been in the studio working on new albums with my friends Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials and Michael “Iron Man” Burks. As we always do with Ed, we cut way more songs than we needed (22 in all) and we’re still choosing which ones will make the final list. Just like their wonderfully rambunctious live performances, Ed and the band cut their records fast and furious. We try not to do more than a couple of takes of each song, because we want that fun and spontaneity that has become their trademark. As with most Alligator sessions (at least the ones I produce), we set up in the studio so that everyone can see everyone else, and they can exchange the visual cues just like a live show. That way, the band isn’t just playing their rehearsed parts, they’re following the emotions and dynamics of the song, bearing down or lightening up as a group, and feeding off of each other. We don’t have a title for the new album yet, but it will be out later in the spring, following our new releases by Curtis Salgado and Anders Osborne. I’ll tell you more about Michael’s album next time. I’ll also continue with the story of recording Koko Taylor’s only live Alligator album, Live From Chicago—An Audience With The Queen.
More next time.
Bruce Iglauer