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Bill Lupkin
doesn’t like to
brag about it,
but he was
something of a
lone cat in the
1960s when he
came to Chicago
from Ft. Wayne,
Indiana to see
if he could make
it playing blues
harp. With
little or no
introduction, he
had to go to
some of the
roughest clubs
in the grittiest
neighborhoods to
find several of
the biggest
icons of Chicago
blues on their
home turf—and
then just get up
and play. Piece
of cake.
But in short
order he was
performing at
Pepper’s, Ma
Bea’s and even
sitting in at
the Blue Flame
with the mighty
Howlin’ Wolf. In
fact, his very
first Chicago
gig, obtained
through an
audition
arranged by
blues impresario
Bob Reidy, was
with guitarist/mandolinist
Johnny Young
backed by Dave
and Louis Myers
and Fred
Below—the core
of Little
Walter’s crack
unit of about a
dozen years
earlier.
“So here I am,
just out of Corn
Husk, U.S.A.,”
says Lupkin,
“and I’m gonna
audition for
Walter’s band.
That was the
first [Chicago]
band that I was
in—The Aces with
Johnny Young and
Bob Reidy. You
talk about
pressure. I
think that fear
of God really
got to me right
away. I knew I
was in real deep
and I knew I had
to do whatever I
could to
survive. I mean,
they were the
guys.”
Survive he did,
and then served
residencies at
Ma Bea’s on the
West Side and
Wise Fools on
the North Side.
Before too long
he was playing
regularly with
Chicago blues
legend Jimmy
Rogers,
traveling with
him to
California in
1972 where they
recorded Gold
Tailed Bird on
Shelter Records,
produced by
Freddie King.
The promise of a
subsequent
recording with
Canned Heat went
up in smoke and
stranded him in
California. But
he salvaged the
experience by
putting together
a band that
backed T-Bone
Walker, Pee Wee
Crayton, Lowell
Fulson, George
Smith, Roy
Milton and
others, before
that played
itself out and
he returned to
Indiana for a
more domestic
agenda of work
and family.
His six kids are
growing up now
and he’s been
out there
testing the
waters again for
the last few
years. This is
his third
release since
1999 and he’s
finding a fresh
interest in his
music and a
newer audience
that’s eager to
hear his
all-original,
straight-ahead
Chicago blues.
As on his
previous Blue
Bella release,
Where I
Come From,
Lupkin is backed
on Hard
Pill To Swallow
by a solid team
of like-minded
musicians led by
guitarist and
producer Nick
Moss with
Tim Wire on
keyboards,
Mark Fornek
on drums and his
brother Steve
Lupkin on
bass.
The indelible
influence of
Jimmy Rogers is
strong
throughout, but
perhaps most
evident on “Fine
Little
Thing,”
the title track,
“Hard Pill to
Swallow,” and
the
pull-out-the-stops
rockin’ boogie,
“Think it Over
Baby.” And
although Lupkin
has a unique
harmonica sound
with a muscular
throat vibrato
that doesn’t
mimic anybody,
Little Walter’s
playing
obviously left a
firm impression.
“Remember that
when I was with
Jimmy Rogers, I
was just a kid,”
says Lupkin. “I
was tryin’ to
play Little
Walter—like
every other
person that was
tryin’ to back
in the late ’60s
and ’70s—and
[Jimmy] said,
‘No baby, you
just got to try
to be yourself.
Try to say what
you want to
say.’ And in the
last four or
five years it’s
really started
to sink in.”
While there are
musical shades
of Little
Walter’s classic
“You Better
Watch Yourself,”
for example, on
Lupkin’s “Fine
Little Thing,”
there’s also a
wonderful quote
from Big Walter
Horton’s “Hard
Hearted
Woman” at the
top of his
“Where You Goin’.”
As for
additional
influences,
Lupkin cites
Amos Milburn as
an inspiration
for the number,
“Bad Luck.”
“That’s one of
my favorite
tunes on the
CD...I’ve been
wanting to try
to change the
vocal approach
to a couple
things...It’s
just a little
bit different
with the
chromatic.”
Lupkin credits
the dual
influence of
Elmore James and
Freddie King on
“I’ll Be Over
You Someday,” a
lovely song that
features
Lupkin’s
urgent-yet-mellow
vocals, as does
the laid-back,
Jimmy
Reed-tinged
“You’re Gonna Be
Sorry.” “Blues
Again Today” is
a masterful
ensemble
performance that
showcases Nick
Moss and the
band’s fantastic
support and
takes us back to
Ma Bea’s or
Theresa’s on a
Saturday night
circa 1969.
All in all,
Hard Pill To
Swallow
contains 14
tracks, all
solid blues, all
in the mold of
the masters, and
all original
Lupkin
compositions.
Bill Lupkin’s
found a joy in
playing and
creating again,
but nothing can
replicate his
early
experiences on
the Chicago
scene.
“A lot of people
say, ‘Oh man,
you were so
lucky.’ But, you
know, you also
have to put
yourself out
[there]... I
feel I was very,
very fortunate,
because I got to
play with
Sunnyland and
Willie
Dixon...with
Homesick James
and Eddie
Taylor, and all
of ’em! It was
just a wonderful
experience. Like
I say, it was a
college
education.”
An education,
however, that
has thus far not
paid a lot of
dividends.
“Sometimes I get
really
frustrated. I
talk to a lot of
musicians who
say, ‘Yeah, we
went to Spain,
we went to
Portugal...’ You
know, I went to
Gary...Joliet...I
did the chitlin
circuit down
South where I
damn near got
killed. It kind
of makes you
wonder.”
But he did the
real tour and
had experiences
that many from
outside the
culture could
never have. And
that’s a
privilege in
itself.
“Yeah, that’s
true...I’m very
proud of that.
And I think it
was very
influential on
the way I
respect the
music and the
way I interpret
the music. I’m
just trying to
do the best I
can with what I
know and not
make it cheap.
You know what
I’m saying?
Because I owe
that to the guys
who gave me a
chance. I really
do believe that.
They didn’t
really have to
treat me like
that. I’ll never
forget some of
their
kindnesses.
That’s a very
special thing.”
—Justin O’Brien |
