Another old review (way back in 2003 originally), but like the Bishopstock reviews a while back, I decided they might be of interest to both the R&B Primer aficionados and the Musings crowd, so they appear in both areas. In addition, the DVDs are still available and are definitely worth the entrance fee. This music doesn’t go out of fashion for authentic blues lovers and, surprisingly, there are still enough young fans coming through to make both the past and present viable music destinations – even if with this type of series retrospective (the first two are also worth owning), there is a temptation to wallow in the past and reminisce extensively about the good old days. But short of being there at the time, it genuinely doesn’t get any better than this.
The American Folk Blues Festival tours were promoted by Horst Lippman and Fritz Rau, two German guys in their early thirties with a love for the blues. Willie Dixon acted as their right hand man in Chicago, securing many of the acts who came across for the festivals. Whilst this approach provided the tours with some great quality, it did eventually lead to a bit of a fixation with Chicago / Chess artists that led to a little criticism from the blues press. A little rich given that these guys were doing more to promote the blues than most, the criticism had some validity and the tours were beginning to look a little tired in both format and repertoire. So, on this DVD, the extras include a performance from Earl Hooker and there’s also a broader scope of artist to be found in the general running order.
This third volume in the “American Folk Blues Festival” DVD series also includes a few more acoustic numbers than the two previous issues, and these tracks provide a nice counterpoint to the more high octane stuff to be found on the rest of the DVD. So, country blues fans will especially be pleased to see Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee get an entire little three-song set ; Skip James gets two songs, Bukka White growls his way through a five-minute ‘Got Sick And Tired‘, and, best of all, the great Son House does a fine, slow rendition of his ‘Death Letter‘. Of the more up-tempo stuff, Big Mama Thornton (in plaid shirt and ‘interesting’ matching hat) delivers a sterling ‘Hound Dog‘, accompanied by a very young looking Buddy Guy. She cuts a hell of an imposing figure, quite scary to a winsome lad from South Yorkshire! Buddy Guy also contributes as band leader with ‘Out Of Sight‘, a soulful number which seemingly divided the audience (a bit too modern for the blues puritans?).
The DVD also includes what I believe is the only known footage of Little Walter performing. Blowing the harp behind the towering “Hound Dog” Taylor on the boogie ‘Wild About You‘ and also featuring on Koko Taylor’s ‘Wang Dang Doodle‘. One of the more interesting aspects of the DVD (and the tours themselves) was the quality of the so called sidemen supporting the lead artists. Unsurprisingly, Willie Dixon was often to be found on bass, but you also had the great Otis Spann with Muddy Waters, Eddie Boyd with Mama Thornton, and Otis Rush with Joe Turner. And the last track on the DVD’s main running order (also its earliest, dating from 1962) is Helen Humes singing ‘The Blues Ain’t Nothin’ But A Woman‘, accompanied by T-Bone Walker, Sonny Terry, Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim and Brownie McGhee. I think you’ll agree that’s a hell of a backing band! Muddy Waters is here as well (as part of the bonus tracks), doing the slow ‘Long Distance Call‘ and the tougher ‘Got My Mojo Working‘, and a real Primer favourite, Big Joe Turner , provides a great rendition of his R&B classic ‘Flip, Flop And Fly‘. The backgrounds are all a little bit staid, with some quite amusing set pieces (it’s all a little European middle class and the audiences are very polite) but the performances are just about always spot on.
Ultimately, the chance to see these pioneers at the height of their powers is too good to miss. If you are perchance not a fan of Blues from the 40s / 50s period there might be less of interest and you may find yourself once again climbing up the side of Everest with nothing but your flippers for company. But anyone who liked the first two volumes should love this third outing just as much. Anyone new to the series can actually start here, but I’d recommend getting the other two as well. An excellent, informative booklet is also included. Still available to buy in 2025 is a quality endorsement in itself.