BLUES JUNCTION Productions - Lurrie Bell at the Chaparral Live Room

BLUES JUNCTION Productions
7343 El Camino Real
Suite 327
Atascadero, CA 93422-4697
info@bluesjunctionproductions.com

Lurrie Bell at the Chaparral Live Room

On Saturday, April 20^th, a night of straight up blues took place in San Dimas, California. Art Martel’s Straight Up Blues Productions, in association with BLUES JUNCTION Productions, brought to The Chaparral Live Room in the Chaparral Lanes Bowling Alley, the modern kingpin of Chicago blues, Lurrie Bell.

Born on December 13, 1958, Lurrie Bell is the son of famed Chicago harmonica player Carrie Bell. Young Lurrie however pursued a career as a guitarist. He first picked up the instrument and began playing at the age of six. Before long he was playing with other Chicago blues veterans many years his senior. Soon after he began recording for JSP, Delmark and other blues labels all the while establishing himself as an exciting live performer. His trademark growling vocals and manic attack on the guitar have become staples of the Chicago blues scene and international festival circuit for years.

On this spring evening, Bell was backed by a group of California blues all stars, including guitarist and blues impresario, Cadillac Zack, as well as Lil “A” & the Allnighters’ six stringer, Bill Bates. Harmonica player Chef Denis, bassist Rick Reed and drummer Craig Kimbrough rounded out the lineup. They would eventually be joined on stage by vocalist, harmonica player and, as it turns out, a pretty damn good bowler, Kim Wilson.

Opening the show was the back porch tandem of guitarist Tommy Harkenrider who along with vocalist, harmonica player and raconteur San Pedro Slim got the evening off to an entertaining start.

After a short intermission Bell’s backup band hit the stage for a couple of numbers. Cadillac Zack got things started with a nice reading of the Freddie King instrumental, Heads Up before visiting familiar turf with Crosscut Saw, complete with some tasty Albert King style licks. Then it was star time as Lurrie Bell and the band settled in for mostly mid to late 50’s Chicago blues standards.

Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery was known as the “Golden Thumb” as that digit was used exclusively to caress the strings, creating a smooth and gentle sound. Bell could be known as the “Sledge Hammer Thumb”. He uses his right thumb to pound out notes as part of a frenetic attack on his instrument that is all his own.

About half way through his first set he called Kim Wilson to the stage. The Southern California based leader of the Fabulous Thunderbirds had a rare Saturday night off. He couldn’t, however, resist knocking over a few pins before knocking out the crowd with his singing and harmonica playing. He opened his surprise guest appearance with his own Wait on Time. He followed that with Eddie Taylor’s Bad Boy and Jimmy Rogers’ Every Thing is Going to be All Right before wrapping his four song trip to the bandstand with Eddie Boyd’s Five Long Years.

Bell continued to abuse his guitar late into the evening. Enjoy a photo essay by Alex Gardner and Mike Lovato on a night when Lurrie Bell brought a big slab of the plank spankin’ sounds of Chicago to the Chaparral.