by Larry Benicewicz
eventual relocation in Charm City in 1900. First, there was a
romantic interest, a woman who worked at the bar/restaurant, John
Steven Ltd, in Fells Point which allowed him the luxury of
becoming well acquainted with its cozy confines, but, perhaps,
more compelling was his eviction from his Takoma Park residence.
"Yuppies took over and in the spirit of gentrifying the building,
kicked out the tenants, me included. But, in retrospect, it was a
blessing in disguise, because, by that time, I was sick of
Washington with its high rents. And with no neighborhoods to
speak of, it was a mean, inhospitable environment," said Glenn,
who was then pursuing an MFA degree at the University of
Maryland.
It was Terence McArdle who was instrumental in reacquainting
Glenn with Steve Kramer, who, since 1984, had become an
institution on Sunday afternoons at the Cat's Eye Pub. Kramer,
over that span of years, had literally put this snug, intimate,
and unpretentious club on the map, earning it a special
commendation in the 1991 tourist handbook, Jazz and Blues Lover's
Guide to the U.S.
Born in New England in January, 1956, Steve Kraemer(the
original spelling) was introduced to the blues through older
brother, Pete, also a musician, who lived through the folk
revival movement of the early 60s, which included the rediscovery
of bluesmen Mississippi John Hurt and Son House, as well as the
flowering of latter day disciples of bluesmen, like Tony "Little
Son" Glover, John "Spider" Koerner, Geoff Muldaur, and Jim
Kweskin with his jug band. First taking up the harmonica(and
playing a little guitar as well) in coffee houses in Stanford,
CT, he was further inspired in that endeavor after seeing the
late Bill Dicey in New York, who was then helping to establish
the blues scene at the venerable Dan Lynch's on the Lower East
Side, a club wherein both guitarist Bobby Radcliff and
saxophonist Roger Eckstine first cut their blues teeth. Another
New York City concert, this time at Hunter College, presenting
local Larry Johnson opening up for a battle of the bands between
the late John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf, also served
to cement his affection for the blues. In the 70s, he devoted
more of his attention to the piano and while attending college in
Boston, he particularly welcomed the invitation to sit in
regularly with famed guitarist, Luther "Georgia Boy" Johnson, who
had recorded for Checker, Douglas, and the Spivey labels and had
played a prominent role in the 60s incarnation of the Muddy
Waters Blues Band.
In 1978, Steve Kramer came to Maryland to pursue a graduate
degree in astronomy (he's a Ph.D., now) and assumed by default the
keyboard chores for the aforementioned Tuesday night blues jam at
Childe Harold which enabled him to rub elbows with blues
celebrities like Sunnyland Slim(Albert Luandrew) and Lousiana
Red(Iverson Minter), or anyone else that owner Bill Heard could
entice to play there after they first fulfilled their commitments
at the Smithsonian Folklife Festivals on the Mall. From the
vantage point of the Childe Harold, Steve was soon able to form
alliances with regional bluesmen such as "Steady Rollin'" Bob
Margolin, erstwhile member of Muddy Waters' Blues Band, and the
late gifted but troubled Root Boy Slim. But, best of all, he
could utilize the jam as an audition and then select an all-star
cast as sidemen for his own blues band, the Wild Cards.
The Wild Cards, which included Mark Korpi on guitar, Gary
Breezee on drums, Winston Roland on bass, Alex Coke on tenor, Tim
Chambers on baritone, and either Richard (Dr. Harp) Lowenstein,
Lenny Rabenovets, or Larry Wise on harmonica, soon became fan
favorites in the Mid-Atlantic region, appearing at the Wax
Museum, the Psyche Delly, and Desperado's. In Richmond, there was
the Hard Times Lounge and in Front Royal the rough and tumble
Hideaway. Some of the more memorable engagements were of the
biker bar and strip joint variety of Prince George's County,
including Nick and Fred's and Kim's Hideaway, gigs that were
invariably marked by PCP-induced altercations. But a freak car
accident after one late-night exodus from the Brick House bar in
Pasadena resulted in the loss of nearly all the equipment, a loss
which would signal the band's ultimate demise in November, 1983.
As its legacy, the Wild Cards would leave for posterity only a
solitary single, "Hey Now"/ bw "Baby Come Back," on the Moonlyte
lable (2183) which was recorded at Bias studio in Springfield, VA,
in 1981.
Not long after the dissolution of the Wild Cards,
Steve, after a rather drunken excursion to Fells Point on
Preakness Saturday in 1984, stumbled upon an old upright sitting
upon the bandstand at the Cat's Eye. With Lenny on harp, he
decided to serenade the late afternoon revelers with an impromptu
blues concert. Demonstrating a strong left-hand technique(his
trademark), this old school barrelhouse pianist created such a
sensation, holding the audience captive, that the late Kenny
Orye, the proprietor, decided to hire them on the spot to fill
his vacant Sunday slot.
BOB MARGOLIN, 1993,
Photo Larry B.
Photo Larry B.
GLENN MOOMAU,
Photo Larry B.
Photo Larry B.
TERENCE McARDLE, Photo: Larry B.
MEL MELTON, Photo: Larry B.
DAVID EARL, Photo: Larry B.
GLENN MOOMAU,
Photo Larry B.
Photo Larry B.