How To Play Upright Bass by Willie Dixon - The Steel Guitar Forum

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How To Play Upright Bass by Willie Dixon

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Author	Topic: How To Play Upright Bass by Willie Dixon
Jussi Huhtakangas Member From: Helsinki, Finland	posted 01 December 2006 12:32 AM profile After watching this, who cares about electric bass anymore http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBusyR1ot7I
David Doggett Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA	posted 01 December 2006 09:27 AM profile And one of the greatest song writers of all time. [This message was edited by David Doggett on 01 December 2006 at 11:25 AM.]
Andy Sandoval Member From: Bakersfield, California, USA	posted 01 December 2006 12:13 PM profile Truely amazing!
Glenn Suchan Member From: Austin, Texas	posted 01 December 2006 12:13 PM profile Thanks for posting this one, Jussi. Back when I was a kid, most kids my age were listening to The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Monkees, etc. I was, instead, listening to Chicago's blues greats and Willie Dixon has long been an idol of mine. It's looks and sounds like Johnnie Johnson (of Johnny B. Goode fame) on the piano. Another Chicago blues stalwart. I'd date the vid to the late 50's or early 60's. Great stuff! Thanks again. Keep on pickin'! Glenn [This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 01 December 2006 at 12:15 PM.]
Kevin Hatton Member From: Amherst, N.Y.	posted 01 December 2006 02:05 PM profile Quite a difference between real live musicians playing acoustic instruments vs. the digital computerized electric recordings on the radio today, eh? These are real soulful musicians, not digitally enhanced or corrected. This is why when I go to Nashville I purposefully seek out the stand up bass players. I love stand up bass better than electric. This man is outstanding. [This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 01 December 2006 at 02:07 PM.]
Stephen Gambrell Member From: Ware Shoals, South Carolina, USA	posted 01 December 2006 02:08 PM profile First time I've seen Willie without that hat! GOOOOOD stuff!
Jussi Huhtakangas Member From: Helsinki, Finland	posted 02 December 2006 01:37 AM profile The clip is from a 60's tv-show, a Canadian one if I remember correct. We had the whole show in our national tv a few years back. It's like who's who of the Chicago blues, check out the other clips on you tube, there's lot more. I think the piano player was Otis Spann, and Muddy Waters was on the show too.
Glenn Suchan Member From: Austin, Texas	posted 04 December 2006 11:24 AM profile Otis Spann, hmmm? Originally, I thought it was Jimmy Yancey, because of the playing style and the way the player looked. Since I figured the performance to be from the late 50's -early 60's, I discounted that notion as Jimmy Yancey died in 1951. Then, I too, thought it was Otis Spann, but it doesn't look like him. So, after a couple more listenings I came to the conclusion it was Johnnie Johnson because the style fits some of the playing Johnnie did. Also, both were under contract to Chess Records at that time. So, it's fairly likely the two could/would perform together in such a setting. But your guess of Otis Spann might, very well, be correct. Thanks again for postng the clip. BTW: All Chess recording artists, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, etc. were, essentially, under contract to record for Chess as session musicians for studio dates. That was, pretty much their main/only income while under contract. The trade-off was: be a studio musician for Chess and Chess would make you a "recording star" (with an overwelming majority of the financial return going to Chess, of course). A sad legacy, really, because Chess was to blues or "race" music what Sun Records was to early rock 'N' roll. Keep on pickin'! Glenn [This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 04 December 2006 at 11:32 AM.] [This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 04 December 2006 at 11:33 AM.] [This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 04 December 2006 at 11:39 AM.]
Glenn Suchan Member From: Austin, Texas	posted 04 December 2006 01:00 PM profile Here's a cool Otis Spann vid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EntzrecAf8 Keep on pickin'! Glenn
Mitch Drumm Member From: santa rosa, ca	posted 04 December 2006 08:55 PM profile I think the piano player may be Sunnyland Slim. Too old to be Johnny Johnson; he looks at least 10 years older than Willie. Certainly isn't Otis.
Jussi Huhtakangas Member From: Helsinki, Finland	posted 04 December 2006 10:36 PM profile Otis Spann was on that same show, that's why I suggested it might be him, here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKf0-Kiqiw0&mode=related&search=
Glenn Suchan Member From: Austin, Texas	posted 05 December 2006 04:18 AM profile Sunnyland Slim! You could be right, Mitch. I was trying to think of all the "barrelhouse" pianists from Chicago at that time (Eddie Boyd, Roosevelt Sykes, and others) and I completely forgot about Sunnyland Slim. I have a friend who ocassionally played guitar with Sunnyland Slim. I don't know how I could have overlooked him. Jussi, if your second YouTube post is from the same show, you'll notice Otis Spann has hair where as the other player was bald or had really short hair. Also, Otis Spann had a more robust build than the first piano player. Here's a link to info about Sunnyland Slim: http://triviana.com/BLUES/Jose/Slim.htm Keep on pickin'! Glenn
Jussi Huhtakangas Member From: Helsinki, Finland	posted 05 December 2006 05:33 AM profile Glenn, yes, I know that now. Originally when I posted the link, I didn't pay any attention to the piano player, I just remembered Spann was on the same show.
Mike Perlowin Member From: Los Angeles CA	posted 05 December 2006 08:56 AM profile I think the piano player was Memphis Slim. He and Willie Dixon played a lot as a duo in the early 60's folk music circuit. ------------------ Warning: I have a telecaster and I'm not afraid to use it. ----------- My web site
Jussi Huhtakangas Member From: Helsinki, Finland	posted 05 December 2006 10:02 AM profile No, it's not Memphis Slim on that particular clip. There is a clip on you tube with Willie Dixon singing "Nervous" with Memphis Slim, a very cool clip I might add. Oh and Glenn, since you mentioned Eddie Boyd; for the last twenty or so years of his life he lived here in Helsinki, about two blocks from me. I saw him sitting in a street cafe only about two weeks before he passed away. [This message was edited by Jussi Huhtakangas on 05 December 2006 at 10:08 AM.]
Glenn Suchan Member From: Austin, Texas	posted 05 December 2006 10:29 AM profile Yeah Jussi, Willie Dixon's ph ph ph phrasing on N N Nervous is g g g great!. At the risk of straying too far from the Willie Dixon subject matter, here's a vid featuring Sunnyland Slim and Howlin' Wolf's guitarist, Hubert Sumlin. BTW the introduction is by the incomparable, Sonny Boy Williamson. Sunnyland looks alot like the pianist in the first Willie Dixon vid Jussi posted. Also, the little "Count Basieque" flurishes Sunnyland does with his right hand also appear in the playing in the Willie Dixon vid. Here's the Sunnyland vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNk3KPfop3c Keep on pickin'! Glenn [This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 05 December 2006 at 10:44 AM.]
Glenn Suchan Member From: Austin, Texas	posted 05 December 2006 10:50 AM profile Jussi, here's a great vid of Eddie Boyd doing his most popular song "Five Long Years". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRYn0zeCZdQ Somewhere at home, I have an Eddie Boyd LP on Blue Horizon with the original Fleetwood Mac as his band. I believe it's titled "Five Long Years". I played that record so much the phonograph needle wore the grooves clean through the disc. I wish that one was on CD. Keep on pickin'! Glenn
David L. Donald Member From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand	posted 11 December 2006 05:07 AM profile If you see Cab Caloway's band in the WC Fields movie 'International House' you can see the bass player do the same thing, vs a big band in "That Funny Funny Funny Reefer Man" 25 plus years earlier. Pretty standard Harlem style bass playing, A few tricky hand twists for personal style. It's nice playing, but if you can't do it, in NYC you ain't working I will say that much slapping needs working up to, to get the calusses worked in good. Always liked Willie's song writing, but at this time period Slam Stewart was much better. And that's not including the bop players.

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