Part III: The Making Of A Legend

by Larry Benicewicz

Eddie Clearwater had indeed endured the worst of times, weathering the disco storm that was sweeping the nation. But, then again, according to the timeworn expression, what goes round comes around. And just as suddenly as blues was “out” at the dawn of the 60s, by the advent of the 80s, it had come full circle and was in vogue again, gaining a new generation of converts.

Sensing these winds of change, blues producers were again willing to take the risks to record this uniquely American genre of music and test the waters; that is this new market. Among them was Jim O’Neal, who with wife Amy and Bruce Iglauer (now head honcho at Alligator) had founded Living Blues magazine in 1970. O’Neal, like Eddy, was also a survivor of the disco age and had managed to keep his Chicago-based publication afloat against similar odds. By the end of the decade, Jim O’Neal had the confidence to begin releasing singles on his own new label, Rooster/Rooster Blues. Proceeding cautiously, he first issued previously recorded material by established artists such as guitarist Hound Dog Taylor (his 1960 “My Baby’s Coming Home” for Cadillac Baby’s Bea & Baby logo) and pianist Little Johnny Jones ( his “Prison Bound Blues” from a long forgotten 1964 session with bassist Lee Jackson). Perhaps buoyed by the sales of these reissues, which attracted much interest among collectors (including myself) because of their decorative sleeves and colored vinyl, O’Neal soon was ready for grander schemes - making his own recordings.

Jim O’Neal was no stranger to the Windy City blues beat and had covered the South and West Sides like a virtual blanket during his then ten-year tenure at the helm of his brainchild. He knew every dive, every hole in the wall and all the artists who toiled in this domain, including Eddy, whose extensive biography appeared in the Summer,1972,edition of Living Blues. But still I was mildly surprised when Eddy told me that Jim insisted upon making him a charter member of the Rooster album club, in fact the first. Although there had been an exodus of sorts of blues giants to Europe during those trying 70s when urban clubs vanished by the score, there were more than enough household names still remaining in the neighborhood, for example Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Hound Dog Taylor, to ensure the commercial viability of this initial offering of Jim’s.

“I’ve always admired Eddy and thought that he had been too long neglected as both a writer and a musician, especially for his not having a home grown release in all the time he had been out there. And I also wanted to correct the common assumption that he was merely a Chuck Berry imitator and not a great individual bluesman in his own right,” said Jim in a recent phone interview from his new home in Kansas City.

So, to present Eddy in the proper light, Jim went about assembling the supporting personnel, including Mac Johnson (Thompson) on bass, Lurrie Bell on guitar, Carey Bell on harmonica, Lafayette Leake on piano, and Casey Jones on drums. To say the least, it was a veritable all-star cast of characters and arguably the best local aggregate that anyone could have mustered at that point and time.

The Chief (Rooster R-2601) was immediately hailed by the critics as a masterpiece of Chicago blues. Noted reviewer, Bill Dahl, in the current AMG All Music Guide to Blues writes that “this was the charismatic southpaw’s debut album back in 1980 and remains his best to date. He rocks like Chuck Berry used to [but no longer can] on ‘I Wouldn’t Lay My Guitar Down,’ tears up the West Side-based ‘Bad Dream’ and ‘Blues For A Living,’ imparts a hard-driving Chi-town shuffle to ‘Find You A Job’ and ‘I’m Tore Up,’ and gives ‘Lazy Woman’ a decidedly un-lazy Latin tempo. One of the best Chicago blues LPs of the 1980s.” As usual, Eddy brought a lot musical acumen to the table, drawing from his huge bag of stylistic tricks, and this, his first domestic release was no exception.

Apparently the critics were correct in their evaluation of the merits of The Chief because Jim O’Neal never felt compelled to release a single promoting the project, a practice which was considered de rigueur in the industry at the time. However, a 45rpm disk by Mac Johnson from did emerge from the same session, “Gobblin’”/”Something’s Wrong” (R 45).

After this album was issued, Eddy became “The Chief” and I asked him how he acquired this colorful nickname. According to Eddy, Jim O’Neal had him pose for the cover in such regalia and the image stuck. On the front of the LP he’s actually on horseback wearing a full headdress with his guitar thrust into the air like the torch on the Statue of Liberty. “I thought it was a good idea, too, since my paternal grandparents were of American Indian stock,” said Eddy, whose assumed surname - Clearwater - also suggests Native American origins.

With the acclaim brought by this undertaking, Eddy received a new lease on his professional life, eventually paving the way to U.S government-sponsored tours to six African countries later in 1987 and even a trip to Mexico. This LP marked just the beginning of what would prove to be a most active and productive recording career. “Better late than never,” Eddy said, reflecting on his “discovery” well into middle age.

In the early 80s, Peter Shertser of Red Lightnin’ Records, a UK concern with quite a huge blues inventory, managed to get a hold of some leftover tracks from the aforementioned Ralph Bass’s (as yet unreleased) 1977 session in Chicago for Delmark as well as some Jimmy Johnson cuts from the same period and created a split album entitled I Didn’t Give A Damn If Whites Bought It (Bass’s irreverent appellation). But to everyone’s surprise, not only was it a candidate for the W.C. Handy award for “Best Import Blues Album,” but it also claimed the prize in 1984. It would mark the first of Eddy’s many Handy nominations. And although he had been long appreciated abroad, to which this LP can attest, stateside he was still trying to establish himself. By the way the ever helpful Peter thinks this project has been released as a CD in Japan on Blues Interactions, the parent corporation of P-Vine records.

On the home front, Jim O’Neal was eager to follow up on this acclaimed winner, The Chief, but couldn’t quite pull the trigger until 1986 when Flim Doozie appeared. In talking with Jim, it seemed that, in the span of time between the two releases, he had a lot on his plate, so to speak, not only signing new artists for his fledging label like Big Daddy Kinsey, Larry Davis, Smokey Smothers, and Ernest Lane, but also dealing with a London distributor whose address appears on the Rooster label just beneath his own at 2615 N. Wilton in Chicago. Moreover, during this time frame, he was trying to divest himself of Living Blues, but only to a responsible party or institution which could nurture it as he had done and thought that the University Of Mississippi in Oxford in 1984 (after which he moved the label) might prove to be the ideal solution. In short, however, he was not pleased with the results of the relocation (where the magazine’s style improved at the expense of substance), although he for a spell did retain editorship of the magazine. Nevertheless, one benefit of visiting the Ole Miss campus so frequently was falling in love with the Delta region and Jim eventually in the late 80s commenced operations in cozy Clarksdale, MS, at 232 Sunflower Ave, focusing on a wealth of indigenous acts like Little Jeno Tucker, Roosevelt “Booba” Barnes, Lonnie Shields, and Big Jack Johnson. So, it wasn’t as if Jim O’Neal deliberately ignored Eddy during this period. Lacking broad experience in the business, coupled with this constant North-South commuting, he may have bitten off more than he could chew.

Distributed by Flying Fish records, Flim Doozie (R 2622)produced by Jim O’Neal and taped at PS Recording Studios in Chicago reunited Eddy with ole time West Side mentor and collaborator, Otis Rush. And the harmonica duties were ably executed by Sugar Blue, who assisted in the same capacity for the Rolling Stones’ undertakings of that vintage - Some Girls, Emotional Rescue, and Tattoo You. Although the critics generally assigned it mixed reviews, all praised the viscerally excruciating rendering of Charles Brown’s “Black Night” as a blues medley as well as its emotional opposite, the upbeat 50s jump blues of “Do This Town Tonight.” After going out of print for several years, this album is back in circulation as of 2001 on the A&N label and can be ordered on the internet.

Eddy’s third and last LP on Rooster Blues (1990) with Jim O’Neal was Real Good Time: Live, and as the title indicates, it captures the excitement and spontaneity of a public performance, here at a couple of Indiana nightspots. Catering to the tastes of the audience, his crowd-pleasing Chuck Berry roots abound throughout and there are also a few covers included, like the Sons of the Pioneers’ classic “Cool Water.” But mingled in all this merriment are songs that reveal Eddy’s social consciousness and serious side, like “Tear Down The Wall of Hate.” It’s a typical Eddy Clearwater performance - something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

Perhaps to capitalize on Eddy’s newfound renown, the powers that be at Evidence (see internet) records, a mainly reissue, and by the way, a great bargain label of over three hundred titles founded in 1991 and headquartered in Conshohocken, PA (Frank Frost, Lowell Fulson, Otis Rush, Luther Allison, Hubert Sumlin, etc.) decided to reprise Eddy’s 1989 LP for the French Disques Black and Blue logo. Recorded in Paris, it showcases Eddy’s band of that era, including Herman Applewhite on bass, Tim Austin on drums, and Will Crosby on guitar. Although the CD, formally released in 1992, does not cover new ground, and in fact, contains his old standbys like “I Came Up The Hard Way,” “Lay My Guitar Down,” and B.B.King’s “You Upset Me Baby,” as well as the standard “Stormy Monday,” the album is worth a listen if for no other reasons than to hear the intricate guitar interchanges between Eddy and Will and three vocal cameos by South Side diva and Delmark records blues belter, “Big Time” Sarah Streeter, who was on the same bill.

1992 indeed proved to be a momentous year in Eddy Clearwater’s career. Not only was the Evidence CD on the shelves, but the major San Francisco-based blues label, Blind Pig came calling. Founded in 1977, this company can boast of a huge roster of blues luminaries, including John Mooney, Popa Chubby, Otis Clay, Chris Cain, Mitch Woods, Snooky Pryor, Jimmy Thackery, Chubby Carrier, Omar (Dykes)and the Howlers, Otis Rush, James Cotton, and Pinetop Perkins. In fact, its catalogue of top notch artists seems endless. With his induction into this blues pantheon, Eddy Clearwater had finally arrived.

As far as Eddy’s resume went, Help Yourself (BP-4792), was a substantial leap forward. Formerly known as a cover artist (and to be honest there are a few oldies here, including the title cut by Jimmy Reed, Willie Mabon’s “Poison Ivy,” and Otis Rush’s “All Your Love”), he more than amply displays his songwriting abilities on the remaining tracks, all brand new numbers, which puts him head and shoulders above your average bluesman, even some of the more celebrated ones, who are content to rehash the standards ad nauseam. And also it certainly didn’t hurt that he had cousin, Carey Bell, handle the harp chores. Let’s say that with such a fresh breeze in the blues market, other producers and artists were then beginning to remark on his progress. This project no doubt precipitated the release in 1995 of the aforementioned Ralph Bass produced Delmark CD, Boogie My Blues Away, the masters of which had lain in the can for nearly two decades.

But by this time, even overseas outfits were seemingly coming out of the woodwork to get a little piece of this action. One such label was the aforementioned French New Rose label which in 1992 not only released Live At the Kingston Mines: Chicago, 1978 [Live] but also reissued the 1981 vinyl Two Times Nine. Founded in 1981 by Patrick Mathe at 7 rue Pierre Sarazzin in Paris’s fashionable 6th Arrondissement, the eclectic and prolific New Rose was sold in 1994 to video, books, music, and photo conglomerate FNAC in 1994. Unfortunately, FNAC, known for its mega-stores, shortly after purchasing New Rose, in a business decision, discontinued the label and the fate of these CDs is still in limbo. Mathe is now back in the recording industry with a similar Last Call label.

In 1995, the venerable jazz/blues label Storyville founded in Sweden in 1950 by the late Karl Emil Knudsen but now based in Copenhagen, Denmark, after its split from equally encyclopedic and exhaustive Sonet records, issued Black Night (STCD 8036), presenting a live performance of Eddy’s from Ma Bea’s lounge in Chicago on November 5, 1976. Although Eddy offers his rendition of a lot of blues chestnuts like the Charles Brown title track, Little Walter’s “My Babe,” Muddy’s “Hoochie Coochie Man,” Guitar Slim’s “The Things That I Used To Do,” and Willie Mabon’s “Poison Ivy,” etc., the CD reveals him in top show time form, surrounded by a formidable gaggle of Windy City sidemen, including Jimmy “Fast Fingers” Dawkins on guitar, Sylvester Boines on bass, and the redoubtable Fred Below on drums. Undoubtedly derived from another live engagement in Chicago from this same time frame, the 1997 CD, Chicago Blues Night Vol. 2, contains several selections of Eddy’s with the backing of the above mentioned figures and with the addition of ex-Jimmy Reed guitarist Eddie Taylor, Hayes Ware, and Delmark label-mate Lacy Gibson, filling out the album. Both of these items are currently available by mail order from Storyville via the internet.

Stateside, Eddy over the years continued to maintain his own Cleartone label and in 1996 released Mean Case of the Blues, which also ascribed to Eddy’s formula of success - a few classics redone with a new flavor - Magic Sam’s “Look Whatcha Done,” Nat King Cole’s “Send For Me,” and Gene Allison’s “You Can Make It If You Try,” - and a whole new batch of his own memorable creations, including “Party At My House,” “Don’t Take My Blues,” “Hard Way To Make A Living,” “Love Being Loved By You,” as well as the title track. Produced by Eddy, using his own band, it also was enhanced by the presence of guest harp player, Billy Branch.

Again, seeking a leasing arrangement in order to better distribute his label, he proffered this CD to major blues player, Rounder records at One Camp St. in Cambridge, MA, which has over the years been able to corral some of the best talent available in this field, including Wilson “Boozoo” Chavis, Johnny Adams, Beau Jocque, George Thorogood, and the Rebirth Jazz Band. According to John Cain the current product manager of Rounder, Eddy didn’t have to twist too many elbows in order to gain acceptance at the company. In fact, he was welcomed. “I can’t tell you the number of artists that come knocking here, expecting us to release an album full of warmed over oldies. Eddy’s a genius at writing. Not only does he compose most of his material, what he writes are killer tunes. He’s an original and what we’re looking for,” said John, who actually visited Eddy [who now lives north of Chicago in nearby Skokie]and witnessed that his host would often sneak away to noodle on the piano or guitar when an inspiration for a new song would suddenly occur.

Mean Case Of The Blues was assigned to Rounder subsidiary Bullseye Blues & Jazz and released as BB-9584 in 1997 and it marked the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship between this label and Eddy Clearwater. And Eddy rewarded Rounder’s faith in him with a Blues Foundation sponsored W.C. Handy award nomination in 1998 for his “Don’t Take My Blues,” in the category of “Blues Song of the Year.” Indeed, each subsequent attempt on this logo would earn him greater recognition in the blues community.

Eddy’s next two projects for Bullseye Blues were supervised by none other than stellar guitarist Duke Robillard, the erstwhile founder of Roomful of Blues and who later replaced Jimmie Vaughan in the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Duke, who would play rhythm in these undertakings, certainly knew his way around both Rounder, having both recorded for this label, as well as its auxiliary, Bullseye Blues. And, to say the least, it was a most successful partnership.

Despite the fact that Eddy during this time frame (1998) had some serious health issues which necessitated his undergoing a triple bypass surgery, he still managed to produce some of his best efforts. In fact, Cool Blues Walk (BB 9614)resulted in two separate 1999 W.C. Handy awards - “Blues Song of the Year” again for the title track and “Blues Artist Most Deserving of Recognition.” Eddy as usual tips his hat in tribute to a fellow fallen West Sider, this time not Magic Sam but Freddie King, who recorded “Sen-Say-Shun” for Eddy’s old label, Federal. But Eddy, expertly accompanied by both Robillard and ex-Muddy Waters’s sideman, Jerry Portnoy on harp, contributes eight new tunes of the eleven selections.

Nonetheless, Eddy’s next oeuvre for Bullseye Blues in 2000 would be a real feather in his cap (no pun intended). Like its predecessor, Reservation Blues (BB 9636) was recorded at Lakewest Studio in West Greenwich, RI, and collected no less than a total of four distinct Handy nominations - “Contemporary Blues-Male Artist of the Year” (he won), “Blues Album of the Year,” “Contemporary Blues Album of the Year,” and “Blues Song of the Year,” “Winds of Change,” written by Karen Leipziger, Eddy’s publicist. Eddy proudly performed this number before a wildly enthusiastic audience at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Memphis, the site of the Handys, on May, 22, 2001.

Perhaps owing to the triumph of Reservation Blues, Eddy on Sunday, April 21, 2001 fulfilled a life-long dream and inaugurated his own blues club and restaurant with the eponymous name in Chicago at 1566 N. Milwaukee Ave at North, just a few miles north of the Loop and a short EL ride on the O’Hare Line. This upscale eatery is decorated in a Native American and Southwestern theme and features Mexican and Southwest cuisine. Light fare is offered late and there are many import beers on the menu. Local bands perform five nights a week but blues greats such as Lonnie Brooks and Robert Junior Lockwood have appeared from time to time. During the grand opening night festivities, many of Eddy’s longtime blues comrades attended to demonstrate their support of his new venture, including Carey Bell (who, by the way, put in a cameo on Reservation Blues), Son Seals, Casey Jones, Dave Myers (of the legendary Aces), Willie Kent, Muddy Waters’s drummer, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, Billy Branch, and Pinetop Perkins. Eddy, who recently celebrated the lounge’s third anniversary is a fixture there, when not on the road of course. “I try to get down there every day and greet my customers. It’s only 20 minutes from my home [in Skokie] and all express way. No excuses,” said Eddie, explaining the prudent business practice of mingling with the clientele.

As the new millennium dawned, it would be safe to say that Eddie was on a personal roll. Not only was he acknowledged for his accomplishments, such as being the honoree at the 2003 Chicago Music Awards, but also by then music entrepreneurs of all varieties were reaching deep into his past, making sure there were no secret recordings there that might be worthy of exposure. In fact, Redita Records unearthed his whole Atomic H body of work of the 50s, releasing in 2000 Hillbilly Blues (RED-CD 145), which is currently in print and which can be ordered through Raucous Records of England (see internet), a specialist record company and mail order service whose strong suit is rockabilly - Brian Setzer, the Cramps, the Polecats, and Reverend Horton Heat.

Yes, Eddy by that point, already anticipating his forth Bullseye Blues CD, was probably thinking to himself just how he could possibly top the four Handy nominations garnered by his third. But even he couldn’t envision a Grammy nomination and an all expenses paid trip to the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, February 9 of this year, to ascertain if he won this prestigious national award for “Best Traditional Blues Album,” especially since he was aided in this endeavor by a most untraditional band, the Los Straightjackets, a hard-edged, neo-surf outfit based in Nashville. But that’s precisely what eventually transpired.

“I was listening to an old Jerry ‘Boogie’ McCain song from his Excello days, ‘Ding Dong Daddy From a Rock and Roll City,’ and it sort of struck me that maybe Eddy might be able to do justice to it. So, I called producer Jake Guralnick [who would supervise the session] to get some input. Anyway, he was talking to Eddie Angel [Los Straightjackets guitarist] at the time and one thing led to another,” said John Cain of Rounder in a recent interview. Indeed, as bizarre as the concept at first seemed, it all came together as, the chemistry was immediately apparent between the Los Straightjackets (Danny Amis, guitar, Pete Curry, bass, and Jimmy Lester, drums) and Eddy. Strong bonds were forged in the studio and from the outset, it was also evident that a mutual admiration society had quickly developed.

Rock & Roll City on Bullseye Blues & Jazz (11661-9614-20), expertly engineered by George Bradfute at Tone Chaparral in Madison, TN, like Eddy’s former efforts for the label, follows a similar pattern of success. There are some old nuggets present, but only a few and obscure enough to make the listener believe that he’s hearing them for the first time, including Jerry McCain’s “Ding Dong Daddy,” Rocket Morgan’s “You’re Humbuggin’ Me,” and Roy Brown’s rollicking “Let The Four Winds Blow (penned by Fats Domino).” As usual Eddy, as writer, is credited for no less than nine of the thirteen cuts, including his own classic, “Hillbilly Blues.” Even Eddie Angel gets into the composing act with his “Lonesome Town.” Overall the tone is generally upbeat, “spirited,” to borrow a critic’s term, and as much a blues party as a recording session. Undoubtedly, the playful interactions of musicians just having fun recording contributed mightily to the prosperity of the project. It was a special moment in time, and it seemingly caught everyone’s attention.

Unfortunately, Eddy came up short with regard to the 46th Annual Grammies, losing out to the ever popular Buddy Guy, but, nevertheless, he still remained optimistic, without a hint of retiring. I reminded him that he’s been around certainly as long as a Buddy Guy and with well over a half-century immersed in the blues and with damn near as many singles and albums under his belt. I told him that in all honesty, he should have been more of a household name by now in blues circles and that frankly I was disappointed that more blues fans didn’t turn up at Fletcher’s in Baltimore to see a living legend, even if it were a week night. I could sense that he half agreed with me, that his lifelong mission wasn’t quite complete.

“Well, Larry, I guess were going to have to fix that, won’t we?” said Eddy, who through it all has remained one of blues’ truly nice guys. And with all the politics (and thus money) involved in the bestowing of these national honors over network TV, his immense talent aside, I wonder if he’ll ever be able to ever grab that elusive brass ring, being in the possession of such a refreshing and uncommon “character flaw” in this often rotten business. “I suppose I’ll just have to keep keepin’ on ‘til someone notices,” he added emphatically. And Eddy, if you knew him, makes no idle promises. Larry Benicewicz
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