Remembering Back Alley John Wilson
By Lindsay Wilson
It’s been four years this month since the Calgary blues community lost one of its founding fathers. To this day, the very mention of Back Alley John Wilson’s name among his extensive circle of family, friends, musicians and fans stirs a myriad of emotions – be it tears, a smile, or a laugh.
It’s a fair statement that Back Alley, as he was fondly known, touched more people’s lives than he probably ever knew. Known on an international level for his dedication to the blues, through vocals, guitar, harmonica and songwriting, Back Alley lived by the title of his 1995 album, More A Feeling Than A Living.
Born in Ottawa, Back Alley ran away from his strict military family by the age of 14, making his way to Venice Beach, California in a stolen truck. With little means for survival, Back Alley got by as a busking harmonica player. It was here that he earned himself the name “Back Alley John” because he began to busk in back alleys, under the supervision of the street people there, in order to avoid being arrested.
In 1971, Back Alley was deported back to Canada, where he continued to work on harp and vocals until co-founding the group the Back Alley John Revue with guitarist Drew Nelson. Together, the duo busked and played in clubs throughout Ottawa, taking the then 16-year-old Sue Foley under their wings, who was playing with the group by 1984. The group toured across Canada for a number of years.
By 1988, Back Alley fell ill, which led him to relocate to Calgary in order to be closer to his brother, Peter Wilson. For the next 17 years, until his passing in 2006, Back Alley released four independent albums and built himself a reputation as being one of the most underrated blues artists in the country. Awards were won, and significant praise was bestowed upon him.
Back Alley John’s four independent albums, produced by Tim Williams, were: Out On The Highway (1993), More A Feeling Than A Living (1995), One-Way Ticket to Palookaville (1997) and Live At The Duke (2005) (with the Tra La Las).
Killfloor Records also released a compilation album of Back Alley’s work after his passing, in 2008, which was the year he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame of the Calgary Blues Music Association.
Most notably, however, was Back Alley’s ability to touch people’s lives. He mentored a host of blues musicians in Calgary, including harmonica players Dylan MacDonald, Black Cherry Perry and Christine Davis, as well as drummers “Rimshot” Ricky Valleau and Richard Heidt, among many others.
The long-term respiratory illness that eventually ended Back Alley’s life prematurely was symbolic of what made the bluesman “the real deal.”
“On the day he was buried, I came back to the site and buried seven of my sticks, all of which I had used while playing with John, to give him a little luck because God knows he sure lacked luck on a regular basis during his precious time on this earth,” reflects drummer Richard Heidt, who fondly remembers his friend Back Alley as a major influence on his own musicianship. It was John who taught Heidt the little nuances and dynamics that make the blues the soulful style of music for which it’s known.
Howard “Schmenge” Chapman, who was Back Alley’s mainstay band member (accordionist) from 1991 up until his last gig at the Ambassador Motor Inn a mere couple of months prior to his departure from this world, knows that four years later, he’ll never forget his dear friend as he sadly remembers the last words Back Alley ever spoke to him.
“I’ll certainly never forget him. His last words to me were, ‘Howard, I sure went down fast’ – and he sure did,” says Chapman of Back Alley’s final days of illness.
For harmonica heavy, Dylan MacDonald, Back Alley’s affinity for “real blues” – raw vocals, Delta-style playing and being a walking, living educational source of blues history – was what drew MacDonald to Back Alley’s style of harmonica playing.
“He was a wealth of knowledge on the history of the blues, from the experience he gained by hanging and playing with the masters. I felt he was playing the real blues, not show or pop-styled blues, but the old stuff. Musically, what set John apart was his passion for the country blues style, and not glossing over the in-depth melodies and rhythms of this period of music,” explains MacDonald of the purist bluesman Back Alley really was.
Drummer “Rimshot” Ricky Valleau, who was given his handle by the late Back Alley, remembers how the bluesman would hit the stage and give each performance as though it were his last one, night after night.
“John would play harmonica, using a shelf/holder, and play guitar at the same time, picking the same notes as he was blowing, all the while breathing through oxygen hoses and smoking. Amazing to hear and see,” says Valleau.
Back Alley impressed people not only through his captivating performances, intricate songwriting and skillful playing, but also through his lack of ego – he’d rather give it up for someone else to be in the spotlight than have anything to do with self-promotion. All he ever wanted to do was play.
Back Alley shared the stage with everyone from the local Calgary striving musician to the legends – blues originators like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. His stories were endless and his impact on lives clearly continues beyond the constraints of his own time on this planet.
A walking, talking embodiment of the blues, give it up for the “real deal.” Gone but not forgotten, Calgary blues remembers “Back Alley” John Wilson this month.
Posted by Lindsay Wilson on Jun 16, 2010
Leah Marie King: breaking off into her own groove
By Lindsay Wilson
It was no small step for edgy blues-rock guitarist and singer/songwriter Leah Marie King to part ways from the touring cover band circuit to venture down the sometimes uncertain and altogether overwhelming path of an original artist carving out a name for herself amidst the masses of contemporary singer/songwriters.
But she’s really getting out there and giving it everything she’s got, and has made leaps and bounds on her solo journey since the release of her debut album, Raven Child (2008) and the immediate following of her second album, Back to the Bridge (2009).
While King remains a hired gun when she’s not busy with her own band, she has made the conscious decision to put her own music first, and is feeling the personal satisfaction of laying down her original hard-hitting rockin’ blues sound for audiences across North America.
“She’s got an incredible rhythmic sense – one of the best rhythm players I’ve heard. I also really like her lead playing, which is very blues-influenced,” says John Gray, who has played with some of the best in the business, including Stevie Ray Vaughn and Ray Charles, and is enjoying being the bass player in King’s band these days.
To hear King’s guitar playing, it’s evident that many hours were spent on the edge of the bed practicing the licks of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Buddy Guy; her vocals and songwriting are reminiscent of the likes of Neil Young and Ian Tyson, and it’s no surprise that King has a soft spot for bands like Fleetwood Mac and the Guess Who.
One of the most common remarks about King’s musicianship is her solid songwriting. Her compositions are heavy in weight and her playing is fierce: a key combination for onstage performance.
Some may attribute King’s rising success in the blues circuit to her hard work and natural abilities, but King knew back in 2002 – when she officially launched her music career through joining the guitar duo Blue Shift – that she had to throw herself into the music full-fledged if she wanted to make it her mainstay career.
“At 22, I stated playing electric guitar. I just thought without question this is what I was meant to do,” reflects King, who remembers eyeing up a Stratocaster leaning against the wall in the laboratory she was working in while finishing her degree in psychology and philosophy at the University of Lethbridge.
It was shortly after this revelation that King took up with Blue Shift, with whom she toured across the country, returning to Lethbridge in 2003 to join the highly regarded blues-rock band, Texas Flood, with whom she toured across Western Canada for six years.
Breaking her chops on guitar and vocals fast-tracked King through the festival and club circuits and her abilities onstage won audiences over – enough to convince King that a solo break would be a smart move for her.
Since the release of her two albums, King has spent a great deal of time touring the U.S., learning up close and personal from her heroes such as Buddy Guy and Jimmie Vaughan from time spent in music centres like Chicago, Nashville and Austin. For Leah, life on the road was a natural fit – and an opportunity not to be passed up.
“As far as I’m concerned, I could live on a tour bus,” laughs King.
Despite her love for the States, King felt uncertain about remaining south of the border after the recession hit and decided to move back to Alberta – back to her roots – to base herself as a musician in the heart of the Rockies.
And back to her roots she went. With a heavy background in the horse business as a trainer of cutting horses, King combines her Western groove with her extensive experiences of life on the road as a touring musician to produce music that contains strong lyrics and bold arrangements.
“It’s folk-rock with a blues guitar flavour,” explains King of her music, who admits her full obsession with the guitar, as well as the intimidation of breaking onto the scene with original music after building her reputation with such a well-known band like Texas Flood over the last several years.
Even though the music industry is clearly in a time of transition, King is hopeful that live music will always be a part of North American (and global) cultures and has full intentions of trucking onwards as a full-time artist.
“Music is such a pure art form, and I don’t think that’s going to change,” nutshells King. “There’s not a time in my life when I feel better than being in the moment up on stage. I want my music to be about the music and that’s it.”
Posted by Lindsay Wilson on Jun 16, 2010
John Rutherford: Beatroute’s A Player of the Month
By Lindsay Wilson
Twenty-five years of hard work as a radio host, blues writer, “King Eddy brat,” founding member of the eventual house band at the King Eddy (the Hoodoo Sons), founder and director of the blues series for 17 years at the EPCOR Centre, concert promoter and playing sideman and frontman in numerous bands have finally come full circle for the innovative Calgary bluesman, John Rutherford, with the release of his debut solo album, Echo Broadcast.
“This is my first time standing out alone. It’s sticking my neck out a lot more – so it’s become a bigger project than I originally thought,” explains Rutherford.
Rutherford approached the production of “Echo Broadcast” from a thoughtful and open-minded standpoint – meaning that he wanted the album to sound different from his previous projects, such as his days with the Hoodoo Sons, the recording and touring with the No Guff acoustic duo project with guitarist Dan Tapanila, the collective force of the highly regarded Highwater Jug Band (which boasted blues heavies Tim Williams, Suitcase James, Mark Sadlier-Brown and Cedric Blary) and his extensive recording and touring history with upright bassist and singer/songwriter Ronnie Hayward.
This time, standing out alone, Rutherford wanted to produce a great singer/songwriter, roots-based compilation of original music, while paying homage to the romanticism of the King Eddy and his blues soul.
Echo Broadcast, which was produced by fellow Calgary musician and record producer Lorrie Matheson, features a tight rhythm section with Chris Dadge on drums and Scott Munro on bass, as well as the appearance of Matheson on piano and organ and Cedric Blary on clarinet.
Since its early 2010 release, Echo Broadcast has quickly climbed music charts on CKUA and is receiving international recognition to boot.
Although Rutherford has been, without question, a devotee to the blues community in Calgary, as well as to the genre himself as a player, he decided against pigeon-holing himself with Echo Broadcast by offering up a wide range of tones, guitar styles, percussive effects, instrumentation and song arrangements.
The overall sound of Rutherford’s CD lends itself more to Americana, or roots music, with singer/songwriter and blues elements.
“I think it’s a record about the blues – it goes beyond 12-bar, 3-chord structure,” says Rutherford, who was particular about using several guitars on this record for a variable tonal range.
The album sports bold electrified sounds to intricate finger-picking to gritty Delta blues. Most notable, however, is Rutherford’s highly advanced level of storytelling-style songwriting, an aspect of his musicianship to which the guitarist has devoted much of the last decade.
“I tried to break down any kind of pattern or consistent guitar sound. I’m a blues guy, but in the last ten years I’ve become much more appreciative of singer/songwriters,” says Rutherford.
Due to Rutherford’s strong connection with the legendary days of the King Eddy, his experiences of sharing the stage with the touring Chicago greats – artists like Paul Butterfield, Junior Wells, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Eddie Shaw – and his experiences interviewing the best of the best on his various blues radio shows (from CJSW to CBC to KickFM to CKUA), there is an underlying level of homage paid in the ten out of eleven songs Rutherford wrote for Echo Broadcast.
Despite being a native of Toronto, Rutherford has proudly made Calgary his home for the last 25 years. There are references in Rutherford’s songs to the King Eddy and other identifiable Calgary landmarks, as well as the general spirit of the blues.
As for the now six-year parting of the King Eddy and the fight to bring it back to life under the wing of the Cantos Music Foundation? Well, Rutherford chooses to accept the passing of an era and the lessons learned through the blues giants that walked through those doors and will support any efforts to resurrect the historical landmark.
“What comes to mind are the great legends who walked those halls, some of whom became lifelong friends – that and the characters who lived there were stories unto themselves… It can’t ever be the same, but that’s okay. It has to be acknowledged that it’s okay for it to be that way. It’s a generation that’s a bygone era,” states Rutherford, who always presents his ideas and notions with clarity and ease, true to the nature of any experienced radio host who has interviewed the Buddy Guys and beyond of the blues world.
Maybe Rutherford’s rising success as a solo artist can be attributed to his deep roots in the blues scene, or his experiences of sharing the stage with the best in the business, perhaps his dual perspective as a music media master and as a musician, or maybe simply his natural talent and true-blue dedication to the music. Whatever the reason may be, the doors have opened up and are allowing Rutherford to focus on his music full time.
And there’s no better feeling for a bluesman than to get up night after night and bare his soul to his audience.
Posted by Lindsay Wilson on Jun 16, 2010