John Littlejohn • Dream

 

Biography by Bill Dahl
John Littlejohn's stunning mastery of the slide guitar somehow never launched him into the major leagues of bluesdom. Only on a handful of occasions was the Chicago veteran's vicious bottleneck attack captured effectively on wax, but anyone who experienced one of his late-night sessions as a special musical guest on the Windy City circuit will never forget the crashing passion in his delivery. Delta-bred John Funchess first heard the blues just before he reached his teens at a fish fry where a friend of his father's named Henry Martin was playing guitar. He left home in 1946, pausing in Jackson, Mississippi; Arkansas; and Rochester, New York before winding up in Gary, Indiana. In 1951, he began inching his way into the Gary blues scene, his Elmore James-influenced slide style making him a favorite around Chicago's south suburbs in addition to steel mill-fired Gary.

Littlejohn waited an unconscionably long time to wax his debut singles for Margaret (his trademark treatment of Brook Benton's "Kiddio"), T-D-S, and Weis in 1968. But before the year was out, Littlejohn had also cut his debut album, Chicago Blues Stars, for Chris Strachwitz's Arhoolie logo. It was a magnificent debut, the guitarist blasting out a savage Chicago/Delta hybrid rooted in the early '50s rather than its actual timeframe. Unfortunately, a four-song 1969 Chess date remained in the can. After that, another long dry spell preceded Littlejohn's 1985 album So-Called Friends for Rooster Blues, an ambitious but not altogether convincing collaboration between the guitarist and a humongous horn section that sometimes grew to eight pieces. The guitarist had been in poor health for some time prior to his 1994 passing.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-littlejohn-mn0000239876/biography

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Biografía de Bill Dahl

El asombroso dominio de la guitarra slide de John Littlejohn nunca le llevó a las grandes ligas del blues. Sólo en un puñado de ocasiones se plasmó en cera el despiadado ataque de cuello de botella del veterano de Chicago, pero cualquiera que haya vivido una de sus sesiones nocturnas como invitado musical especial en el circuito de la Ciudad del Viento nunca olvidará la pasión desbordante de su entrega. John Funchess, criado en el Delta, escuchó por primera vez el blues justo antes de llegar a la adolescencia, en una fritura de pescado en la que tocaba la guitarra un amigo de su padre llamado Henry Martin. Se marchó de casa en 1946, pasando por Jackson (Mississippi), Arkansas y Rochester (Nueva York) antes de acabar en Gary (Indiana). En 1951, comenzó a abrirse camino en la escena del blues de Gary, y su estilo de slide influenciado por Elmore James le convirtió en uno de los favoritos de los suburbios del sur de Chicago, además de la fábrica de acero de Gary.

Littlejohn esperó un tiempo desmesurado para encerar sus singles de debut para Margaret (su característico tratamiento de "Kiddio" de Brook Benton), T-D-S y Weis en 1968. Pero antes de que terminara el año, Littlejohn también había grabado su álbum de debut, Chicago Blues Stars, para el sello Arhoolie de Chris Strachwitz. Fue un magnífico debut, en el que el guitarrista desgranó un salvaje híbrido Chicago/Delta arraigado en los primeros años de la década de los 50 más que en su marco temporal real. Desgraciadamente, una fecha de cuatro canciones en Chess en 1969 se quedó en la lata. Después de eso, otro largo periodo de sequía precedió al álbum de 1985 de Littlejohn So-Called Friends for Rooster Blues, una ambiciosa pero no del todo convincente colaboración entre el guitarrista y una gigantesca sección de vientos que a veces llegaba a las ocho piezas. El guitarrista llevaba un tiempo con problemas de salud antes de su fallecimiento en 1994.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-littlejohn-mn0000239876/biography

1 - Rob And Steal 3:41
2 - Five Long Years 3:23
3 - Reconsider Baby 3:42
4 - Twelve Years Old Boy 5:59
5 - Kiddeo 2:43
6 - Dream 7:14
7 - That's All Right 7:21
8 - I Can't Stay Here 5:12
9 - Bobby's Rock 3:46
10 - Dust My Broom 4:35
11 - Twenty Nine Ways 6:15
12 - I Don't Know Why I Love You 2:34
13 - I Play The Blues For You 3:58
14 - Maybe I Don't Know 2:47


Credits:
    Bass – Andrew "Blueblood" McMahon* (tracks: 8), Aaron Burton* (tracks: 1 to 7, 9 to 14)
    Drums – Candy Utah
    Guitar – John Littlejohn, Larry Burton
    Layout – Chris Olesen
    Liner Notes – Marcelle Morgantini
    Photography By [Photos] – Luc Nicolas-Morgantini
    Recorded By [Recording] – Luc Nicolas Morgantini*
    Recorded By [Recording], Producer [Produced By] – Marcelle Morgantini
    Vocals – Aaron Burton* (tracks: 13, 14), John Littlejohn (tracks: 1 to 8, 10 to 12)

Recorded live at "Ma Bea's", 3001 W. Madison, on November 8, 1976.
Tracks 9 - 14 previously unissued.

Label:    Storyville – STCD 8034
Series:    The Blues Recorded Live In Chicago
Country:    Denmark
Released:    1995
Genre:    Blues
Style:    Chicago Blues
https://www.discogs.com/release/7009006-John-Littlejohn-Dream

 

 

 

 

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