Big Jack Johnson - Daddy, When Is Mama Coming Home ? (1989) / Juke Joint Saturday Night (2008) / Big Jack Johnson & The Cornlickers - Katrina (2009)

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Juke-joint Johnson

Johnson was officially born in 1940 (actually in 1939), some 15 miles east of Clarksdale in Lambert, in a farming family. His father was playing fiddle, banjo and guitar in country and blues styles at occasional gatherings, and Johnson started to play with his dad in his teens, later following B.B. King's example and adopting the electric guitar.
In 1962, with harmonicist Frank Frost and drummer Sam Carr, they formed an informal on-and-off band called the Hawks later re-baptized the Jelly Roll Kings who recorded a few occasional albums over several decades.

In 1987, the barrel-chested Johnson, dubbed "The Oil Man" because of his day job as a truck driver for the Rutledge Oil Co., released his first album under his name, with his band the Oilers. In the mid-2000s he started to play with a new band, The Cornlickers, with whom he recorded the last two albums reviewed here.

Super Chikan

To close this short portrait, let's mention that Johnson was a cousin of bluesman James Coleman Johnson better known as “Super Chikan”, that he is featured in the 1992 documentary film "Deep Blues" about the Mississippi blues, and that he participated to the rich soundtrack of the cult 2006 movie "Black Snake Moan"  for which he wrote and played "Jack's Blues", and led the backing band for Samuel L Jackson on "The Catfish Medley".

Johnson died in 2011 at 70 after struggling during his last years against health problems. ■

Daddy, When Is Mama Coming Home ? : The "Oil Man" shakes up Chicago
To record this highly exhilarating second album, Big Jack left his native Delta and his oil truck to go up to Chicago, following a way that many of his elders took several decades before. The difference is that BJJ didn't settle there like they did.

He came with a bag of powerful self-written songs probably intending to shake up the Chicago blues scene. He picked up local musicians to back him up : Larry Burton (guitar) and his brother Aron (bass), Earl Howell (drums), Vincent Willis (keyboards).

On a couple of songs (#10 & 11), recorded in New York this time, he's playing with his longtime accomplices from the Jelly Roll Kings, keyboardist Frank Frost and drummer Sam Carr, and with John Primer as a bonus on second guitar.

Most of the songs are built on muscular tempos and Johnson got the brilliant idea to enhance them with a horn section : the Chicago Horns. They bring a very special groove to the revisit of his raw Delta blues in an often funky R'n'B flavored style that wouldn't have been despised by James Brown (from whom BJJ borrows a short part of “I Got You (I Feel Good)” included in “Crawdad Hole”).

This added to Johnson cutting guitar (this guy plays with a knife or what ?!), hilarious vocals and no-nonsense but exuberant social commentary lyrics makes this album a great moment of pure jubilation. Big Jack crying on “Daddy, When Is Mama Coming Home ?” is guaranteed to trigger a fit of laughter !

What do you do when you have 13 children and your wife is in the hospital ? An overwhelmed Big Jack answers on the worried heavy pounding “Thirteen Chillun”.

Want to listen to one of the hottest boogies you've heard in a long time ? That's on the second track “I'm A Big Boy Now” with Big Jack's humorous yodeling (Magic Slim used to do that too) while he draws incredible sounds from his six-string !

The following “Oh Darling” is a more classic blues, but “Doodley Squat” is much more inventive, turning to a hot Latin-flavored groove mixed with BJJ's nasty raw guitar greasy tone.

And then, there's the irresistible funky groove of “Crawdad Hole” : six minutes of foot stomping (your feet), exhilarating hot horn riffs, and tribute to James Brown. Outstanding !

The next “Chinese Blues”, based on a rhythm close to Muddy Waters' “I'm A Man”, is probably the most hilarious title of the album not only because of the delirious lyrics (kung fu, Shaolin !), but of Big Jack vocals monkeying Chinese accent and his guitar pranks.

“Daddy, When Is Mama Coming Home?” is a superb dramatic song though BJJ can't help clowning around, imitating a crying man as I mentioned earlier. The song really catches you with its melancholic Caribbean calypso steel drum-like melody making it a highlight of the album.

“I Slapped My Wife In The Face”, another dramatic number, is a soulful low tempo pure blues on which Big Jack delivers a heartfelt guitar solo in a B.B. King style. Next, he plays with his voice at the beginning of the humorous classic blues “Northwest Airlines Blues”.

The nostalgic “Goin' Back To Mississippi” and “Mr. U.S.A.I.D.S.” throw the listener back to BJJ's Jelly Roll Kings period (listen to the implacable drumming of Sam Carr !) Finally the album closes with the political protest “United States Got Us In A Bad Shape”, a pure piece of vintage funk enhanced by the horn section's riffs again and BJJ's amazing cutting guitar tone.

It's not totally Delta, it's not really Chicago either, it's the inimitable Big Jack Johnson ! To the critics who said his use of a horn section was a betrayal of his raw electric Delta style, I 'll just say : you got it all wrong guys, it was a hell of an excellent idea ! ■

■ Who wrote this ?
“RIP Big Jack Johnson – July 30, 1940 to March 14, 2011. Sad news came in from Dave Riley and Amy Brat that legendary Mississippi guitarist/mandolinist/vocalist Big Jack Johnson has passed away this morning at 6 a.m. in his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi after a long battle with health issues. He was 70 years old. (Note that there were some disturbing premature false announcements of Big Jack’s passing 3 days before his actual passing.)

“Big Jack’s inventive, energetic, Delta-rooted guitar, rich confident vocals, down home songwriting, and larger than life stage presence made him one of the most celebrated bluesmen of Mississippi. His long music career included much national and international touring, many amazing record releases, and a huge amount of praise and respect.
“Big Jack was born in Lambert, Mississippi in the summer of 1940, and learned guitar from his father at age 13. He rose to prominence in the early 1960s working as a key member of the legendary Jelly Roll Kings, a champion blues band which also included Frank Frost and Sam Carr. Big Jack first appeared on record in the 1960s as the guitarist on two famous Frank Frost albums : “Hey Boss Man” on the Phillips International label (an offshoot of Sun Records) from 1962, and “My Back Scratcher” on Jewel from 1966.

“In the late 1970s, Michael Frank debuted his Earwig Music label with The Jelly Roll Kings / “Rockin’ The Juke Joint Down” which also was a recording debut for Big Jack’s great vocals. Soon afterward, Big Jack Johnson would start a solo career for himself, independent of the Jelly Roll Kings.
“His solo debut album, “Oil Man” (Big Jack used to hold down a day gig delivering oil barrels in Mississippi) on the Earwig label was released in 1987. This led to additional CDs for Earwig, a nice run with M.C.Records, and additional recordings for Rooster Blues, P-Vine Records, Right Coast Recording, and Big Jack Music. There was also a nice Jelly Roll Kings reunion album called “Off Yonder Wall” that came out in 1997 on the Fat Possum Records. Additionally, Big Jack appeared in the influential 1992 documentary movie “Deep Blues”.

“He was a popular festival and club entertainer, a warm and hospitable person, and an amazing musician. Big Jack Johnson was the last original member of the Jelly Roll Kings. His passing leaves a gap in the blues that will never again be filled. [...] Thanks for all the great music Big Jack. You are loved!”

These lines were published by no other than famous harmonicist, club owner, record producer, radio show host, arts foundation founder, and active blues writer Bob Corritore in his weekly e-newsletter !
→ https://bobcorritore.com/news/newsletter-archive/2011-archives/

 

Juke Joint Saturday Night : raw and sweaty

Raw electric Delta blues, cutting guitar sound, square 12-bar beat, laid-back low-down vocals, here comes "The Oil Man" aka Big Jack Johnson live in one of the most famous juke joints in the emblematic town of Clarksdale : Red's. Just a precision though : it's impossible to know this is a live recording since one doesn't hear one single sound from the audience, which indicates that the sound was caught directly from the soundboard.

This album is exactly what its title says : powerful electric Delta blues as it's played on Saturday nights in local juke-joints. This style made of rough energy and plain "dirty" sound straight from the amps with minimal effects puts the guitar up-front while the vocals stay on the second line, when the songs are not just instrumental.

The old Red's juke-joint in Clarksdale before its relooking

It's obviously blues to be danced. Occasionally a slow soulful number allows the dancers to catch their breath back, like "You Told Me", one of the highlights of the album along with "Jack's Guitar Groove" where Johnson shows what an inventive guitarist he is, and the final "Mississippi Blues", a typical Hill Country hypnotic blues.

It smells bourbon and beer, fried chicken and roast pork, tobacco and sweat… It smells the dust of the Delta and the pine trees in the hills… It's Big Jack's unfiltered juke-joint blues. ■ 

Katrina : sorrow and jubilation

Johnson raw Hill Country-influenced boogie doesn't basically change on "Katrina", recorded a year after the live "Juke Joint Saturday Night" (2008), but probably because it is a studio album, it is musically richer and more varied : Johnson is on mandolin on "Po' Cow Boogie" and "It's All Gone", and Lee Carroll’s organ and accordian (sic !) adds a welcome counter-balance to the usual guitars. Johnson is also exploiting more clearly his vocal resources.

Marked by higher social concerns, particularly about the after-effects of hurricane Katrina (2005) on society, emphasized by the symbolic front cover picture, with songs like "Fourth Of July", "Katrina", "Miss Statue Of Liberty" and "It's All Gone", this album also shines with a high level of humorous jubilation reflected by Johnson's irresistible vocal performances : he would have deserved a comedy award for the frankly hilarious pair of songs "Laughin' Blues"/"Cryin' Blues".

"Goin' Down To Big Red's" is a good-humored hymn to Johnson's favorite juke-joint, but he takes care not to forget the other famous Clarksdale blues club, Ground Zero, where he played many times too. The mandolin gives the funny "Po' Cow Boogie" a special rural mood, while on the funny "Ain't Gonna Do It No More" and on "Gettin' Old Mister Ellis" Johnson, who was about 68 years old then, philosophizes humorously about the effects of age and Mr Ellis is certainly a kind of avatar of Johnson himself and maybe of his cousin "Super Chikan" whose name is mischievously shouted a couple of times in the latter song. The closing track "It's All Gone" (a premonitory title ?) is a sorrowful number, underlined by the melancholic sound of the mandolin.

This was Johnson's last album before his passing two years after its release. Probably his best one too. A masterly way to say goodbye ! ■

Documentary
● Robert Palmer's 1992 film "Deep Blues" : https://youtu.be/QLt1efalsWQ

Live videos

● Playing slide with… his fingers ! https://youtu.be/J8-v1D-j5Ro
● With Mississippi Spoonman, Big Jack's front porch, 2010 : https://youtu.be/hbDZ6-pjFAM
● Chicago Blues Festival, 2009 :
→  https://youtu.be/dzo8K2iBBYE
→  https://youtu.be/FLpWyzaVdjc
→  https://youtu.be/A8HpxMHj-AA
● Helena, Arkansas, 2009 :
→  "Sweet Little Angel" : https://youtu.be/RSNiAKIXiz0
→  "Shuffle" : https://youtu.be/PzOejyGweA8
● With his “disciple” “Big T” Williams on bass, Red's Juke Joint, Clarksdale, MS, 2009 : https://youtu.be/jv2Vgc6q8Ls
● With the Cornlickers, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, 2008 :
→  #1 : https://youtu.be/oN3LuVjUuA0
→  #2: https://youtu.be/zIVqsXH4iJk
→  #3: https://youtu.be/PZeLQjWGK_M
● With his son on vocals, Blues & Wine Festival, Harrisburg, PA, 2008 : https://youtu.be/A8CnZ8Za_jw
● Key West, Florida, circa 2000 : https://youtu.be/sG--aKOlpBs
● "Dust My Broom", 2000 : https://youtu.be/QsmR-WtCpCA
● Venice, FL, 1999 :
→ https://youtu.be/CnjVJyvVpHU
→ https://youtu.be/oGNhlX_rPs4
● With the Oilers, Italy, 1999 : https://youtu.be/p0EsIdO6c1o
● "That's Alright", Briggs Farm Blues Fest., 1998 : https://youtu.be/v7BcQeur6uY
● With The Oilers, Youngstown, Ohio, 1998 : https://youtu.be/eABoo3hIak0
● Torrita Blues Festival, Italy, 1998 : https://youtu.be/0CzMcac3tD4
● Baltimore, 1997 : https://youtu.be/v8V1cM7PV8w
● Legend's, Chicago, 1997 : https://youtu.be/7wuwEMhMtAI
● With the Oilers, Massachusetts, 1997 : https://youtu.be/TcLPrHenWG8
● "That's All Right" (Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup), Rosedale, MD, 1997 : https://youtu.be/08ar29636jA
● "That's All Right" with the Oilers, Maryland, 1997 : https://youtu.be/08ar29636jA
● "Since I Met You Baby", The Cellar, 1996 : https://youtu.be/VTg71uiLE1I
● Pocono Blues Festival, PA, 1993 : https://youtu.be/EMTKh32nUCE
● With Richard Ray Farrell, Italy 1991 (sorry… very hazy video)  : https://youtu.be/oJhiHKJMbyQ
● Italy, 1991 : https://youtu.be/GvEKpvhKsCc
● "Daddy, When is Mama Comin' Home" : https://youtu.be/23JfvNrAGK0
● "Catfish Blues" : https://youtu.be/Hp0el4AjQro
● With The Jelly Roll Kings : https://youtu.be/h1zntKvIR-w

Big Jack Johnson, 1939-2011