Being a weeklie podcaste from Madison, Wisconsin featuring several remarkable curiosities therein occurring being a compendium of live music from divers artistes
Show #82: Alvin Youngblood Hart
August 21st, 2006
This week I’m going with some blues by Alvin Youngblood Hart.
I first encountered him on a Hound Dog Taylor tribute album doing an acoustic version of “It’s Alright” with Vernon Reid of Living Colour. With this example and his debut album, Big Mama’s Door, one might think that Hart is content to play old-time country blues but this isn’t the whole story. The bio at his official website describes Hart as the “Cosmic American Love Child Of Howlin Wolf and Link Wray” and this is pretty apt. The show this week features Hart with his electric guitar so things are more about that cosmic love child than Charley Patton.
I honestly don’t know much about Hart so I’ll quote the aforementioned bio:
he Cosmic American Love Child Of Howlin Wolf and Link Wray!!! Known as a “musician’s musician”, his praises have been sung by everyone from Ben Harper to Brit guitar gods Eric Clapton & Mick Taylor. Since his 1996 debut recording, the all-acoustic BIG MAMA’S DOOR, Alvin Youngblood Hart has carried his musical message the world over. A devout follower of the “no barriers” approach laid by veteran performers like Gatemouth Brown and the late great Doug Sahm, Alvin continues to defy the so- called purists. After receiving the 1997 W.C Handy Award for Best New Artist, as well as 2 Living Blues Awards, Hart’s 1998 release, TERRITORY, a rousing tribute to all forms of American music, received the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll Award for Best Blues Album (and it wasn’t even a Blues album). In the summer of ’99 Hart teamed up with producer Jim Dickinson to begin recording START WITH THE SOUL. This record would be hailed as a new breed Southern Rock classic & Alvin’s return to the “sacred garage” where many a guitar player’s life began. ”SOUL”, Alvin’s best selling record to date, was chosen in the New York Times top 10 releases of 2000 as well as the BBC’s Blues record of the year. He also shared Living Blues Magazine’s best guitarist honors with fellow road dog Big Jack Johnson in 2001. 2003 was a busy year. Not only was there a GRAMMY nomination, Hart also toured the world as a member of Job Cain, a hard rocking side project he put together with Cry Of Love/Black Crowes guitarist Audley Freed. In August of ’03 Alvin was invited to fill in for Taj Mahal for five nights in Tokyo as a member of Kip Hanrahan’s Conjure, the worlds longest running jazz poetry ensemble. Assembled to lend musical support to the words of Bay Area poet Ishmael Reed, Conjure featured the talents of tenor sax giant David Murray and also Meters guitarist Leo Nocentelli. Hart continues to tour the globe as a solo artist and with his Mighty Muscle Theory band.
(Image found here.)
Today’s performance is a bit more than half of a show recorded on 12 February 2001 at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta, Georgia. It’s a wonderful soundboard recording.
Setlist:
Big Mama’s Door
Nobody’s Fault But Mine
Just About To Go
Lawd I’m Just A Country Boy In This Great Big Freaky City
Manos Arriba
The Hustler
Once Again
Back To Memphis
Cryin’ Shame
Porch Monkey’s Theme
Sway
If Blues Was Money
Motherless Children
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Great show, nice to hear some Doug Sahm on there.
Glad you liked it. I wish I had more shows by AYH.