| Thank you to the PR Lady, for setting up the Bernie Interview. |
Read by thousands of discerning blues enthusiasts worldwide. More - - - > MySpace Music: www.myspace.com/bluesguitarnews POB 2077, Benton, AR 72018. Email: mike@bluesguitarnews.com |
| Blues Guitar NEWS December 2007 |
| Since 1988 Journalizing on Blues |
Mouse click each & every photo, and you will travel to another blues site.
| New Blues Friends - December 2007 Click all the photos, and journey to another blues site. This could take you days, so pack a lunch. All past issues, on the bullets to your left. For blues networking, this is the place to be . . . . |
We can't shout out enough about Liz Lottmann, who has dedicated a lifetime to performing,
promoting and encouraging others to keep on jammin' the blues. A key player in the Ozark Blues
Society, and first to shout out about others. Click all three photos to discover 'Lectric Liz
promoting and encouraging others to keep on jammin' the blues. A key player in the Ozark Blues
Society, and first to shout out about others. Click all three photos to discover 'Lectric Liz
| by Mike Dollins www.mikedollins.biz |
Caught Sharing The Hog: Joe Pitts & Mark Valentine
Our sharing the hog feature goes out to Joe Pitts, of Little Rock, Arkansas. I met Joe Pitts three years
ago in the Guitar Center, Acoustic Room. We had a nice little jam, and he asked me what I was doing.
Well, you know how Guitar Center musician's flirtation goes, we never tagged up. Three years later, I
rediscover Joe at a Blues Society Jam. We were the last to go up, and oh my gosh, I could have played
all night, in fact we closed the joint down. After the show we exchanged cards, and he stated, "Anything
I can do for you in any capacity, just let me know." The next time Joe is in town he asks Arkansas Blues
Legend Mike Burks, and also the old man here to come up and jam the final set. Joe can play Arkansas
Delta blues on a resonator, Beale Street Blues on his 59' Les Paul, our turn it up on eleven and flash you
back to Jim Hendrik, Cream, ZZ Top, Duane Allman and Dicky Betts in a heartbeat. His power trio of
solid Nashville Studio players is gearing up for their 2008 European Tour. Joe encourages all other blues
players, and always shows up at everyone's gig when he is not playing, and stays the whole night in
support of others. Now here is a guy that can walk the talk with the best of them, but is first and
foremost in sharing the hog in any capacity that he can. Check out his grooves on his site. If you like
blazing, fast riff smokin' tube amp boogie, then you need to hear this. 59' Les Paul Blues at it's best.
ago in the Guitar Center, Acoustic Room. We had a nice little jam, and he asked me what I was doing.
Well, you know how Guitar Center musician's flirtation goes, we never tagged up. Three years later, I
rediscover Joe at a Blues Society Jam. We were the last to go up, and oh my gosh, I could have played
all night, in fact we closed the joint down. After the show we exchanged cards, and he stated, "Anything
I can do for you in any capacity, just let me know." The next time Joe is in town he asks Arkansas Blues
Legend Mike Burks, and also the old man here to come up and jam the final set. Joe can play Arkansas
Delta blues on a resonator, Beale Street Blues on his 59' Les Paul, our turn it up on eleven and flash you
back to Jim Hendrik, Cream, ZZ Top, Duane Allman and Dicky Betts in a heartbeat. His power trio of
solid Nashville Studio players is gearing up for their 2008 European Tour. Joe encourages all other blues
players, and always shows up at everyone's gig when he is not playing, and stays the whole night in
support of others. Now here is a guy that can walk the talk with the best of them, but is first and
foremost in sharing the hog in any capacity that he can. Check out his grooves on his site. If you like
blazing, fast riff smokin' tube amp boogie, then you need to hear this. 59' Les Paul Blues at it's best.
All blues roads in Los Angeles, California USA, lead back to Bernie
Pearl. In fact if you live in LA, and don't know Bernie means you just
drove up. It would take a book to journalize all that Bernie is to LA
blues, and blues in all aspects. DJ, Band Leader, Promoter, Musician,
Teacher, and Blues Encourager. Mr. Pearl, transcends the LA "West
Coast Jazz" as it was known, blues scene where notables like Ray
Charles, BB King, T Bone Walker, Lowell Fulsom, Pee Wee Crayton,
George Harmonica Smith, Ike Turner etc., were main stayers in LA
blues land called Central Avenue, in lower old downtown Los Angeles.
Johnny Otis was the main man behind the LA Blues Scene, and after
the golden blues age of the fifties in the Southland, Johnny moved
back to the Bay Area. That is where Bernie Picked up the LA blues
wagon, and from his years of hard toil in the blues trenches, he has
emerged as the God Father of Los Angeles Blues. Any arguments, I
won't hear it, as anyone that knows Bernie will agree with me. So,
take a blues history tour, and listen to Bernie's Interview
Pearl. In fact if you live in LA, and don't know Bernie means you just
drove up. It would take a book to journalize all that Bernie is to LA
blues, and blues in all aspects. DJ, Band Leader, Promoter, Musician,
Teacher, and Blues Encourager. Mr. Pearl, transcends the LA "West
Coast Jazz" as it was known, blues scene where notables like Ray
Charles, BB King, T Bone Walker, Lowell Fulsom, Pee Wee Crayton,
George Harmonica Smith, Ike Turner etc., were main stayers in LA
blues land called Central Avenue, in lower old downtown Los Angeles.
Johnny Otis was the main man behind the LA Blues Scene, and after
the golden blues age of the fifties in the Southland, Johnny moved
back to the Bay Area. That is where Bernie Picked up the LA blues
wagon, and from his years of hard toil in the blues trenches, he has
emerged as the God Father of Los Angeles Blues. Any arguments, I
won't hear it, as anyone that knows Bernie will agree with me. So,
take a blues history tour, and listen to Bernie's Interview
Ange King, all in French, but speaks the
international language of BLUES for sure.
international language of BLUES for sure.
| Wayne Baker Brooks - Chicago Blues Guitar Left of Elvin Bishop, on the Gibson Blue Night Hawk. |
| Ivy, Netherlands Blues |
| Check out Arkansas River Blues Society's New MySpace Site - Join Up |
Johnny Mannion Interview
Johnny Mannion, Southern California Blues Guitarist, Gospel and pure smokin' 6L6's in grease.
BGN: What influenced you to pick up the guitar. Johnny: Well, my brother played guitar.... I can think of one moment where I heard a guitar and it just
struck me, and I was just thinkin' "Well, What have we got here?" That was "Jelly Jelly" from the Allman Brothers, Brothers and Sisters album. The part in
the song where Dickey Betts is soloing and the band breaks and Dickey does this very cool guitar break... still gives me pause when I hear it... That made me
want to play guitar.
BGN: What year and how old were you? Johnny: That was 1974, I was about 14... yeah I hadn't turned 15 yet... I still remember where I was and
everything when I heard that. Out in my brothers backyard at the swimming pool, he had the reel to reel going and that solo just jumped out at me... still one
of my favorite things Dikey Betts ever played.
BGN: Who were your earliest guitar heroes, 1st ever? Johnny: Roy Buchanan was the first guy I listened to that just took my breath away. I had been
listening to Cream and Mountain and as heavy on the guitar as they were, I listened to them for the songs, they just had great songs... but when I first heard
Roy Buchanan play "The Messiah Will Come Again" and all that incredible guitar stuff on the song I was floored... for the entire duration of the 70's and into
the 80's I sounded like a really bad Roy Buchanan clone.. At that same time I heard Phil Keaggy, and he was just doing things I had never even imagined... he
was a big part of my growing up and playing guitar. Actually both of those guys where huge influences.
BGN: How old were you when you started a band, or playing with others? It was 1976. Johnny: I started a band with my brother Tommy and my old
friend John Hutter. I still have tapes of that band, there was some stuff that wasn't too bad. But I was sounding like a cross between Roy Buchanan and Neil
Young.. (Laughs)
BGN: Do you remember your first gig, and how did it go? Johnny: First gig I did with Tommy and Hutter, I was so scared my hands were literally
shaking, my hand and forearm muscles just kinda locked up and I couldn't really play what I would have liked to play... took about a half hour to get the
nerves in check so I could play... other than that I think it went ok... First paying gig was with Tom Cat Courtney, he asked me to sit in one night, and after
the show asked me to join his band... the next week I was a member of Tom Cat Courtney and the Blues Dusters... playing blues with a real blues man... that
was some fun!
BGN: What was your favorite guitar when you started, and what kind of guitar did you actually start on? Johnny: I remember it being January of 1980, I
bought a 1978 Les Paul Gold Top.... I had a Fender Duosonic before that and I started on a Les Paul Copy that my brother Tommy gave me. I was so proud
of that Gold Top... just like Dickey had! I payed 400.00 for it. It was a really great player too as I recall. I had a severe love for my '63 Strat, that was my
main guitar for many years and it played like a dream for me, others didn't like that I had the action so high, but it played flawlessly for me.
BGN: What was your best rig over the years, before the great rig you currently play? Johnny: Well the rig I use now is somethin special... Trimmed and
Burnin guitars and amps have been very, very good to me. They have shown a great deal of faith and loyalty to me and my Belly Boy Tele and my 59er amp
are without a doubt the finest guitar and amp I have ever owned! Before that I would say my 1963 sunburst Strat thru my Jim Kelley FACS amp was the
killer blues tone, and then the Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 thru my Mesa Boogie mark III had a great tone as well... but neither sounded as good as my
current rig.
BGN: What attracted you to blues guitar? Johnny: I was watching a movie with my brother Tommy called the Water Melon Man with Godfrey
Cambridge... and during this movie I heard this music that just bore a hole into my soul.... I had never heard anything like it, I turned to my brother and said
"WHAT kind of music is THAT!!" he said 'It's the Blues" I asked who played blues and he said "Clapton"... well I had been listening to Cream and Derek and
the Dominos and I had never heard anything this raw and emotional... it just bored into me and I couldn't let it go. Tommy came home the next day with a
T-Bone Walker album, a double album of his Imperial sides and that was it... I was lost forever to the blues!
BGN: Who are some of your current blues guitar icons? Johnny: Man there are so many great players out there now.. Derek Trucks is from another planet,
that guy is just in a class all by himself... he is the guy who just blows my mind with his prowess on guitar. I also really like Joe Bonamassa, he is a killer.
Albert Cummings is another guy who is just a hard working guitar ripper. Anthony Gomes was a huge favorite of mine. He had 3 great albums, but his latest
album was a bit too much rock for my taste... great singer too....
BGN: Do you have a favorite song, ever? Johnny: You know stuck on an island with one CD, who would that be? That would depend on the mood I am
in. I love to play "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" by Freddie King fun to listen too as well... My tastes in music run all over the place... right now I have
been listening to Brad Paisley the country guy...heck of a player! I would think if I could only have one song for the rest of my life... hmmm maybe "Souled
Out And Sanctified" by Danny Brooks. That very well may be the best song I have ever heard.
BGN: What was your favorite good blues gig, where and who with? Johnny: It was with my current band, Greg, Kevin and Keithan up in Canada July
2006... best gig I have ever played for so many reasons... it was our first gig together, everything went smooth and we just rocked! Great venue, great group
of folks runnin the festival, the promoter was just the sweetest guy you could ever want to meet and honest as the day is long... great bands on the bill, that
all makes for a good gig.
BGN: Name your top ten-guitar player heroes today? Johnny: My top ten all time, or that are playing right now? My all time list would be.. Duane Allman,
Eric Clapton, Freddie King, Albert King, Peter Green, Derek Trucks, Roy Buchanan, Larry Carlton, Mike Dollins. My favorites right now are Derek Trucks,
Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Whittington, Albert Cummings, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Phil Keaggy, Warren Haynes, Larry Carlton, and Glenn Kaiser.
BGN: How did you get into Gospel Blues? Johnny: Quite by the hand of God! I had become a christian back in 2003 and in 2005 I decided to break up my
band and move to North Carolina, well the band played their last gig and then my mother in law became ill and we decided to stay in San Diego with her... I
wasn't playing at all. I had been talking with Shannon Coberly of Trimmed and Burnin Amps and we struck up a friendship on the internet.... he is a very
strong christian and we talked about alot of that... he heard some of my tunes from my former band and passed them onto the Back To The Blues Fest
promoter.... next thing I knew I had an offer to play the festival, a Gospel Blues Fest... I didn't even have a band at the time... I started praying about it and at
the same time I had started to play at my church and met 3 great blues players and we formed the band to go play at this festival...
BGN: Gospel Blues is growing rapidly, and can you expound on this new wave? Johnny: I think blues music as a form of music is very much a part of the
heart. It comes from the soul and the emotions of living. Be it sadness, joy, elation, love, pain, suffering... it comes from the soul. People who are Christ
believers feel all these same feelings just like everyone else. Anyone who tells you that if you accept Jesus into your life everything will be great and you will
never feel depressed or sad, is pullin your leg... you need to steer clear of these folks... just read the book of Psalms... it a good percentage of laments...
David was the first Blues man... he sang to God with his pains and sufferings his doubts, his questions... it's all there.. it is the blues. The church has long
steered clear of music with emotion, favoring the stuff they call hymns.. I think now the church (the followers of Jesus) are becoming more in touch with
the realities of life, it's not like the TV evangelists portray life. This is real life, life is gonna hurt, it's gonna bring joy... The blues is exactly that... life. Blues
has always had it's components of God, religion and spiritual topics. Rev Gary Davis is a prime example. I think there is a group of people for whom the blues
is the perfect medium for the message to be delivered. Ex- Bikers are big into the Gospel Blues scene... these big ol' burly guys with their eyes shut praising
God while listening to the blues. It's pretty cool to see!
BGN: What was your greatest live blues show that you attended? Johnny: Two come to mind, Albert King, man he was just mindblowing! I still get
goosebumps when I think of that concert. His power and tone never came across on his albums. You had to see him live. He came out and hit that first note
and the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I got all chicken skinned... Wow! Also Eric Clapton on his 1994 Cradle to the Grave tour... all blues... He
actually brought me to tears on "Someday After Awhile" I was weeping. I had never heard anything so emotional in my life. He played one note for 12 bars
just bending and bending that note with so much emotion.. it was the perfect solo and it was one perfectly bent note!
16. What would you recommend a young blues guitar student to listen to? Muddy Waters, Albert King, Freddie King are great starting points, then move in
both directions, go back to the 30"s and forward to the 2000's There are so many great players to learn from, Chris Cain, Albert Cummings, Joe Bonamassa,
Buddy Whittington, Derek Trucks, Mike Dollins, Collin James, Hollywood Fats, Buddy Guy, Mark Kerr, Robert Randolph and Shane Theriot are all great
players.
BGN: What influenced you to pick up the guitar. Johnny: Well, my brother played guitar.... I can think of one moment where I heard a guitar and it just
struck me, and I was just thinkin' "Well, What have we got here?" That was "Jelly Jelly" from the Allman Brothers, Brothers and Sisters album. The part in
the song where Dickey Betts is soloing and the band breaks and Dickey does this very cool guitar break... still gives me pause when I hear it... That made me
want to play guitar.
BGN: What year and how old were you? Johnny: That was 1974, I was about 14... yeah I hadn't turned 15 yet... I still remember where I was and
everything when I heard that. Out in my brothers backyard at the swimming pool, he had the reel to reel going and that solo just jumped out at me... still one
of my favorite things Dikey Betts ever played.
BGN: Who were your earliest guitar heroes, 1st ever? Johnny: Roy Buchanan was the first guy I listened to that just took my breath away. I had been
listening to Cream and Mountain and as heavy on the guitar as they were, I listened to them for the songs, they just had great songs... but when I first heard
Roy Buchanan play "The Messiah Will Come Again" and all that incredible guitar stuff on the song I was floored... for the entire duration of the 70's and into
the 80's I sounded like a really bad Roy Buchanan clone.. At that same time I heard Phil Keaggy, and he was just doing things I had never even imagined... he
was a big part of my growing up and playing guitar. Actually both of those guys where huge influences.
BGN: How old were you when you started a band, or playing with others? It was 1976. Johnny: I started a band with my brother Tommy and my old
friend John Hutter. I still have tapes of that band, there was some stuff that wasn't too bad. But I was sounding like a cross between Roy Buchanan and Neil
Young.. (Laughs)
BGN: Do you remember your first gig, and how did it go? Johnny: First gig I did with Tommy and Hutter, I was so scared my hands were literally
shaking, my hand and forearm muscles just kinda locked up and I couldn't really play what I would have liked to play... took about a half hour to get the
nerves in check so I could play... other than that I think it went ok... First paying gig was with Tom Cat Courtney, he asked me to sit in one night, and after
the show asked me to join his band... the next week I was a member of Tom Cat Courtney and the Blues Dusters... playing blues with a real blues man... that
was some fun!
BGN: What was your favorite guitar when you started, and what kind of guitar did you actually start on? Johnny: I remember it being January of 1980, I
bought a 1978 Les Paul Gold Top.... I had a Fender Duosonic before that and I started on a Les Paul Copy that my brother Tommy gave me. I was so proud
of that Gold Top... just like Dickey had! I payed 400.00 for it. It was a really great player too as I recall. I had a severe love for my '63 Strat, that was my
main guitar for many years and it played like a dream for me, others didn't like that I had the action so high, but it played flawlessly for me.
BGN: What was your best rig over the years, before the great rig you currently play? Johnny: Well the rig I use now is somethin special... Trimmed and
Burnin guitars and amps have been very, very good to me. They have shown a great deal of faith and loyalty to me and my Belly Boy Tele and my 59er amp
are without a doubt the finest guitar and amp I have ever owned! Before that I would say my 1963 sunburst Strat thru my Jim Kelley FACS amp was the
killer blues tone, and then the Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 thru my Mesa Boogie mark III had a great tone as well... but neither sounded as good as my
current rig.
BGN: What attracted you to blues guitar? Johnny: I was watching a movie with my brother Tommy called the Water Melon Man with Godfrey
Cambridge... and during this movie I heard this music that just bore a hole into my soul.... I had never heard anything like it, I turned to my brother and said
"WHAT kind of music is THAT!!" he said 'It's the Blues" I asked who played blues and he said "Clapton"... well I had been listening to Cream and Derek and
the Dominos and I had never heard anything this raw and emotional... it just bored into me and I couldn't let it go. Tommy came home the next day with a
T-Bone Walker album, a double album of his Imperial sides and that was it... I was lost forever to the blues!
BGN: Who are some of your current blues guitar icons? Johnny: Man there are so many great players out there now.. Derek Trucks is from another planet,
that guy is just in a class all by himself... he is the guy who just blows my mind with his prowess on guitar. I also really like Joe Bonamassa, he is a killer.
Albert Cummings is another guy who is just a hard working guitar ripper. Anthony Gomes was a huge favorite of mine. He had 3 great albums, but his latest
album was a bit too much rock for my taste... great singer too....
BGN: Do you have a favorite song, ever? Johnny: You know stuck on an island with one CD, who would that be? That would depend on the mood I am
in. I love to play "Have You Ever Loved A Woman" by Freddie King fun to listen too as well... My tastes in music run all over the place... right now I have
been listening to Brad Paisley the country guy...heck of a player! I would think if I could only have one song for the rest of my life... hmmm maybe "Souled
Out And Sanctified" by Danny Brooks. That very well may be the best song I have ever heard.
BGN: What was your favorite good blues gig, where and who with? Johnny: It was with my current band, Greg, Kevin and Keithan up in Canada July
2006... best gig I have ever played for so many reasons... it was our first gig together, everything went smooth and we just rocked! Great venue, great group
of folks runnin the festival, the promoter was just the sweetest guy you could ever want to meet and honest as the day is long... great bands on the bill, that
all makes for a good gig.
BGN: Name your top ten-guitar player heroes today? Johnny: My top ten all time, or that are playing right now? My all time list would be.. Duane Allman,
Eric Clapton, Freddie King, Albert King, Peter Green, Derek Trucks, Roy Buchanan, Larry Carlton, Mike Dollins. My favorites right now are Derek Trucks,
Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Whittington, Albert Cummings, Vince Gill, Brad Paisley, Phil Keaggy, Warren Haynes, Larry Carlton, and Glenn Kaiser.
BGN: How did you get into Gospel Blues? Johnny: Quite by the hand of God! I had become a christian back in 2003 and in 2005 I decided to break up my
band and move to North Carolina, well the band played their last gig and then my mother in law became ill and we decided to stay in San Diego with her... I
wasn't playing at all. I had been talking with Shannon Coberly of Trimmed and Burnin Amps and we struck up a friendship on the internet.... he is a very
strong christian and we talked about alot of that... he heard some of my tunes from my former band and passed them onto the Back To The Blues Fest
promoter.... next thing I knew I had an offer to play the festival, a Gospel Blues Fest... I didn't even have a band at the time... I started praying about it and at
the same time I had started to play at my church and met 3 great blues players and we formed the band to go play at this festival...
BGN: Gospel Blues is growing rapidly, and can you expound on this new wave? Johnny: I think blues music as a form of music is very much a part of the
heart. It comes from the soul and the emotions of living. Be it sadness, joy, elation, love, pain, suffering... it comes from the soul. People who are Christ
believers feel all these same feelings just like everyone else. Anyone who tells you that if you accept Jesus into your life everything will be great and you will
never feel depressed or sad, is pullin your leg... you need to steer clear of these folks... just read the book of Psalms... it a good percentage of laments...
David was the first Blues man... he sang to God with his pains and sufferings his doubts, his questions... it's all there.. it is the blues. The church has long
steered clear of music with emotion, favoring the stuff they call hymns.. I think now the church (the followers of Jesus) are becoming more in touch with
the realities of life, it's not like the TV evangelists portray life. This is real life, life is gonna hurt, it's gonna bring joy... The blues is exactly that... life. Blues
has always had it's components of God, religion and spiritual topics. Rev Gary Davis is a prime example. I think there is a group of people for whom the blues
is the perfect medium for the message to be delivered. Ex- Bikers are big into the Gospel Blues scene... these big ol' burly guys with their eyes shut praising
God while listening to the blues. It's pretty cool to see!
BGN: What was your greatest live blues show that you attended? Johnny: Two come to mind, Albert King, man he was just mindblowing! I still get
goosebumps when I think of that concert. His power and tone never came across on his albums. You had to see him live. He came out and hit that first note
and the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I got all chicken skinned... Wow! Also Eric Clapton on his 1994 Cradle to the Grave tour... all blues... He
actually brought me to tears on "Someday After Awhile" I was weeping. I had never heard anything so emotional in my life. He played one note for 12 bars
just bending and bending that note with so much emotion.. it was the perfect solo and it was one perfectly bent note!
16. What would you recommend a young blues guitar student to listen to? Muddy Waters, Albert King, Freddie King are great starting points, then move in
both directions, go back to the 30"s and forward to the 2000's There are so many great players to learn from, Chris Cain, Albert Cummings, Joe Bonamassa,
Buddy Whittington, Derek Trucks, Mike Dollins, Collin James, Hollywood Fats, Buddy Guy, Mark Kerr, Robert Randolph and Shane Theriot are all great
players.
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Bernie Pearl Interview on player above
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