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You Can’t Keep a
Big Man Down
reunites
veteran blues
singer/drummer
Big Joe Maher
with Severn
Records, which
released both
his 1998 album,
I’m Still
Swingin’
(winning a
Washington Area
Music
Association
award for “Best
Blues
Recording”), and
his 2000
release,
All Night Long.
The new CD was
produced by
Kevin McKendree,
a long-time
keyboard player
for Delbert
McClinton’s
band, who also
contributed
piano and organ
on the sessions.
The rest of the
players on the
album include
Texas blues
great Bill
Campbell on
bass, as well as
guitarist Rob
McNelley and sax
player Dennis
Taylor. McNelley
is also a
regular in
McClinton’s
band, as was
Taylor, who
sadly passed
after this
recording.
You Can’t Keep a
Big Down
showcases Big
Joe’s bluesy,
swinging vocal
style and
rock-solid
drumming on a
dozen tracks,
evenly split
between
originals and
covers,
including his
unique take of
songs from B.B.
King (“Bad Case
of Love”), Billy
Wright (“The
Question –
Whatcha Gonna
Do”), Johnny
Green
(“Someday”), Jay
McShann (“Confessin’
the Blues”),
Jimmy McCracklin
(“I’m to Blame”)
and the album’s
closer, “What
the Hell Were
You Thinkin’?,
written by
Delbert
McClinton, Kevin
McKendree and
Tom Hambridge.
Whether it’s the
rollicking
Chicago blues of
the title track,
the New Orleans
influenced
“Evangeline,”
the Texas blues
sound of “Bad
Case of Love,”
or the Kansas
City jump style
of “Confessin’
the Blues,” Big
Joe always
delivers the
goods in spades
on arguably his
strongest album
ever in a
critically-acclaimed
career.
“It was a real
pleasure to make
this disc at
Kevin’s studio,”
says Big Joe.
“And it was a
joy to make
working with my
late, good
friend Jeff
Sarli’s son,
Evan, who was
the engineer on
the sessions.”
Speaking about
the original
songs on the new
CD, Maher says
the title track
has its basis in
fact. “ ‘You
Can't Keep a Big
Man Down’ was
written after I
had my fall in
2001, which
severely injured
my back and
almost took me
out of
commission for
good, … but hey,
here I am,” says
Big Joe. “‘Evangeline’
is named
for my cousin’s
two-and-a
half-year-old
daughter, who I
promised to
write a song
about when she
was born. The
track, ‘Property
Line,’ has an
Albert Collins
feel. It’s a
true story about
our moving out
to the country
and finding
things still can
be not so good
when you are
dealing with
neighbors. The
instrumental, ‘Supercharger,’
is my little
tribute to the
late,
great guitar
wizard
Earl Hooker,
often underrated
in the blues
world as one of
the best at
playing all
types of music.
And ‘Nothin’ But
Trouble’ is a
pretty straight
forward song
about economic
times that we
are currently in
and not seeing
any future for
any of us to
pull free.”
Based in the
Washington, DC
area, Big Joe
Maher has been
performing blues
and jazz for
over 40 years.
In his high
school jazz
band, he was
able to play
with such jazz
greats as Clark
Terry, Urbie
Green, Mundell
Lowe and James
Moody, which
helped develop
his innate style
of swing playing
that permeates
his music to
this day. Over
time, he’s
shared the stage
and backed up a
diverse group of
blues, R&B and
soul performers
such as Jimmy
Witherspoon,
Bullmoose
Jackson, James
“Thunderbird”
Davis, Nappy
Brown, Otis Rush
and Earl King,
among others. In
the late ‘80s,
after performing
(and managing) a
nine-piece DC
swing band, The
Uptown Rhythm
Kings, as well
as several years
as the drummer
in the Tom
Principato Band,
Joe formed his
own five-piece
jump-blues
group, Big Joe &
the Dynaflows.
In between
touring and
recording
sessions, Joe
was musical
coordinator for
Mick Fleetwood’s
club in
Alexandria,
Virginia, in the
mid-90s. His
knowledge of
local and
national blues
and jazz
performers made
him a natural
for that gig,
and the club was
booked with
top-notch talent
during his
tenure. Joe’s
also produced a
number of blues,
jazz and R&B
albums,
including one by
local DC
saxophone legend
Joe Stanley.
In addition to
his previous
releases on
Severn, Big Joe
recorded for
Black Top
Records out of
New Orleans (his
Layin’ in
the Alley
album won
the 1994 WAMA
award for “Best
blues
Recording”), as
well as the
DC-based
Powerhouse
label, which
released his
Good Rockin’
Daddy
CD.
For more
information,
visit
www.severnrecords.com
and
www.bigjoem.com
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