Hubert Sumlin • Blues Guitar Boss

 

Biography
by Bill Dahl

Quiet and extremely unassuming off the bandstand, Hubert Sumlin played a style of guitar incendiary enough to stand tall beside the immortal Howlin' Wolf. The Wolf was Sumlin's imposing mentor for more than two decades, and it proved a mutually beneficial relationship; Sumlin's twisting, darting, unpredictable lead guitar constantly energized the Wolf's 1960s Chess sides, even when the songs themselves (check out "Do the Do" or "Mama's Baby" for conclusive proof) were less than stellar. Sumlin started out twanging the proverbial broom wire nailed to the wall before he got his mitts on a real guitar. He grew up near West Memphis, Arkansas, briefly hooking up with another Young Lion with a rosy future, harpist James Cotton, before receiving a summons from the mighty Wolf to join him in Chicago in 1954. Sumlin learned his craft nightly on the bandstand behind Wolf, his confidence growing as he graduated from rhythm guitar duties to lead. By the dawn of the '60s, Sumlin's slashing axe was a prominent component on the great majority of Wolf's waxings, including "Wang Dang Doodle," "Shake for Me," "Hidden Charms" (boasting perhaps Sumlin's greatest recorded solo), "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy," and "Killing Floor."

Although they had a somewhat tempestuous relationship, Sumlin remained loyal to Wolf until the big man's 1976 death. But Sumlin cut a handful of solo sessions 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). In subsequent years Sumlin allowed his vocal talents to shine, recording solo sets that revealed him to be an understated but effective singer -- while his guitar continued to communicate most forcefully. The esteem with which he was held by musicians of a later generation was ably demonstrated by the guest list on Sumlin's 2004 album About Them Shoes, including Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Levon Helm, and David Johansen, not to mention a noted bluesman from Sumlin's own past, harmonica player James Cotton, the old friend and bandmate who first played with Sumlin in West Memphis back in their teenage years of the early '50s, before Cotton joined up with Muddy Waters and moved to Chicago, paralleling Sumlin's own journey to the Windy City around the same time. He followed up About Them Shoes with Treblemaker in 2007. Hubert Sumlin died of heart failure in Wayne, New Jersey on December 4, 2011; he was 80 years old. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards paid for the bluesman's funeral expenses.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hubert-sumlin-mn0000829643/biography

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Biografía
por Bill Dahl

Silencioso y extremadamente discreto fuera del escenario, Hubert Sumlin tocaba un estilo de guitarra lo suficientemente incendiario como para estar al lado del inmortal Howlin' Wolf. El Lobo fue el imponente mentor de Sumlin durante más de dos décadas, y resultó ser una relación mutuamente beneficiosa; la guitarra solista de Sumlin, retorcida, escurridiza e imprevisible, dinamizaba constantemente las bandas de Chess de los años sesenta del Lobo, incluso cuando las propias canciones (véase "Do the Do" o "Mama's Baby" para una prueba concluyente) eran menos que estelares. Sumlin empezó tocando el proverbial cable de la escoba clavado en la pared antes de poner sus manos en una guitarra de verdad. Creció cerca de West Memphis, Arkansas, y se relacionó brevemente con otro Young Lion con un futuro prometedor, el arpista James Cotton, antes de recibir una llamada del poderoso Wolf para unirse a él en Chicago en 1954. Sumlin aprendió su oficio todas las noches en el escenario de Wolf, y su confianza fue creciendo a medida que pasaba de la guitarra rítmica a la principal. En los albores de los años 60, el hacha cortante de Sumlin era un componente prominente en la gran mayoría de los enceres de Wolf, incluyendo "Wang Dang Doodle", "Shake for Me", "Hidden Charms" (con quizás el mejor solo grabado de Sumlin), "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy" y "Killing Floor".

Aunque tuvieron una relación un tanto tempestuosa, Sumlin se mantuvo fiel a Wolf hasta la muerte del gran hombre en 1976. Pero Sumlin grabó un puñado de sesiones en solitario antes de eso, comenzando con una fecha muy inusual en 1964 en Berlín Oriental que fue producida por Horst Lippmann durante una gira europea bajo los auspicios del American Folk Blues Festival (la sesión "detrás del telón de acero" también contó con el pianista Sunnyland Slim y el bajista Willie Dixon). En los años siguientes, Sumlin dejó que sus talentos vocales brillaran, grabando sets en solitario que le revelaban como un cantante discreto pero eficaz, mientras que su guitarra seguía comunicando con fuerza. La estima que le profesaban los músicos de una generación posterior quedó demostrada por la lista de invitados del álbum About Them Shoes de Sumlin de 2004, entre los que se encontraban Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Levon Helm y David Johansen, por no mencionar a un destacado bluesman del propio Sumlin, El armonicista James Cotton, viejo amigo y compañero de banda que tocó por primera vez con Sumlin en West Memphis en sus años de adolescencia a principios de los 50, antes de que Cotton se uniera a Muddy Waters y se trasladara a Chicago, paralelamente al viaje del propio Sumlin a la Ciudad de los Vientos por la misma época. En 2007 publicó About Them Shoes y Treblemaker. Hubert Sumlin murió de un fallo cardíaco en Wayne, Nueva Jersey, el 4 de diciembre de 2011; tenía 80 años. Mick Jagger y Keith Richards pagaron los gastos del funeral del bluesman.

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/hubert-sumlin-mn0000829643/biography

Tracklist:
1 All I Can Do Sumlin 5:15
2 You Got to Help Me Sumlin 5:32
3 Blues Is Here to Stay Studholme 3:14
4 Sometimes I'm Right Sumlin 7:09
5 Spanish Greens Sumlin 4:19
6 Still Playing the Blues Studholme 4:26
7 I Could Be You Sumlin 3:43
8 Pickin' Sumlin 3:01
9 Look Don't Touch Sumlin 3:43
10 I've Stopped Crying Studholme 3:49

Hubert Sumlin (vocals, guitar);
Richard Studholme (vocals, guitar, acoustic bass);
Jack Hill (piano);
Steve Thorneycroft (drums).

1994

 

 

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