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THE
MANNISH BOYS "LIVE & IN DEMAND"
Source: Real Blues
Magazine
Date: 07/2006
Writer: A. Grigg |
Hey,
10 years ago everybody in this band probably would’ve
been leading their own bands but, this is 2006
and times have gotten tougher-than-tuff regarding
making-a-living. So, you have artists pooling
their talents, some are only working overseas
where the money (and respect) is still plentiful,
and then we get a pseudo-Revue that comes in the
form of The Mannish Boys. Randy Chortkoff is exactly
the man for the task at hand; if anybody is going
to ‘see-the-Blues-through’ this current
state of madness, it’s Chortkoff. Totally
dedicated, hard-working, focused and goal-oriented,
Chortkoff is a rare breed (who also created the
Delta Groove label). He wears many hats –
a throw-back to the era of R&B multi-taskers
such as Johnny Otis, Fats Washington and Jump
Jackson a.o., Randy is a fine Bluesman in his
own right, yet his ‘Crusade’ is more
focused on the Blues Genre in general than any
self-serving direction. By assembling, recording
and promoting The Mannish Boys, Randy has (a)
created a super Blues Band guaranteed to produce
stellar sounds/product, (b) ensured that all the
magnificent talents that play with the band get
some notoriety after (in many cases) years of
being unheralded ‘legends’ that only
the hippest fans/musicians knew about, (c) sets
a ‘blueprint’ for how recording, promoting
and running an Independent record label should
be done. Randy Chortkoff gives 110 % effort (and
his heart) and he expects the same in return and
you can bet that Leon Blue, Finis Tasby, Johnny
Dyer and every other Mannish Boy is grateful as
Hell. 2004 saw the release of their debut CD “That
Represents Man” and critics everywhere did
cartwheels in response, all hailing it as a masterpiece
of West Coast Urban Blues. This follow-up disc
recorded live at Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival
in Washington State (July 2005) shows the World
what kind of magic happens when these guys let
loose (every Festival they played had a mesmerized
and knocked-out audience). With an on-stage line-up
of Kid Ramos (guitar), Johnny Dyer (vocals), Leon
Blue (piano & vocals), Tom Leavy (bass), Richard
Innes (drums), Frank Goldwasser (guitar), Finis
Tasby (vocals) and Randy Chortkoff (vocals &
harmonica) you can bet the Blues-savvy audience
at Winthrop were full of anticipation and ready
to boogie their Blues away. They’re soon
rewarded by Kid Ramos’ “Kid’s
Jump”, a tasty little thumper with The Kid
flexing his chops in what could be called a tribute
to Texas Guitar thanks to snippets of Albert Collins,
Johnny Watson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, T-Bone
Walker and Joe Hughes guitar technique. Kid was
just getting ‘warmed-up’. Next we
get a unique version of Muddy’s “I’m
Ready” (dedicated to the late Lester Butler)
that features an Excello Records rhythm behind
the lyrics and it works beautifully with Chortkoff’s
acoustic harp solo, the ‘chicken-reverb’
guitar by Ramos giving plenty of Mojo. Next up
is the ‘Greatest Unknown Blues Pianist in
The World’, Leon Blue, with “She Wants
To Sell My Monkey” a song about cute, little
furry things. Leon belts out the lyrics and pounds
on those keys in fine fashion. How did a Blues
Pianist of this calibre stay hidden for so long?
L.A.’s secret weapon, the Great Johnny Dyer
comes along to take us down-in-the-alley with
a real nasty “Mannish Boy”. Goldwasser
and Ramos get really dirty on guitar and Mr. Dyer
shows that he’s got plenty of Mississippi
in his blood. Audience response to this superlative
version of this overdone classic (only versions
of this calibre should be allowed!) is raucous
and rabid while the band grinds and bumps this
Anthem the Right Way! Chortkoff’s harp is
totally Chicago 1958 and Goldwasser ‘stings
it’ on slide. Johnny never sounded better.
On “You’re Sweet” Johnny blows
harp and that’s a Big Treat! (When I first
heard Johnny Dyer on “Overdose Of Love”
back in 1978, he blew my mind. How could a Bluesman
this fantastic not be a star!?) Leon lays down
excellent Blues piano and Ramos and Goldwasser’s
guitar interplay is perfect. More heavy Chicago
Blues on “Howlin’ Wolf” with
Frank G. playing beautiful slide behind Johnny’s
vocals. Tom Leavy and Richard Innes are the perfect
rhythm section: solid as a rock yet unobtrusive.
Frank G. loves The Blues and his guitar work emotes
that Joy. “Goin’ Crazy Over T.V.”
brings Finis Tasby, arguably the Top Blues vocalist
on the circuit today, up to the microphone and
Finis excels at Excello Blues! He’s made
this old Jimmy Anderson tune his own and Randy’s
acoustic harp is right on-the-mark. “Mystery
Train” is next and as expected it’s
a great opportunity for the 2 guitarists to lay-down
a Blues-a-billy groove. But, Finis gives his best
on Jimmy Wilson’s “Strangest Blues”,
a tune perfectly suited for him. Kid Ramos really
burns-out a solo on this one and it gets even
better on Larry Davis’ “As The Years
Go Passing By”, a number always able to
invoke heart palpitations/goosebumps. It sounds
as though Kid has a full reverb effect on his
guitar and it reminds me of Robert Ward’s
1960s stuff. Very spooky and incredibly effective.
I believe Finis worked with Larry Davis so this
song is Personal. Kid’s solo at the end
of the tune is one you’ll remember. “Walkin’
and Talkin’” is a jaunty number with
more heavy guitar from Kid and perfect vocals
from Finis. It’s easy to see/hear why The
Mannish Boys were the highlight and audience favorite
at the 19th Annual Winthrop Rhythm & Blues
Festival and we can hope this great Revue gets
around to every Festival/Town in North America.
After all, Finis Tasby, Johnny Dyer and Leon Blue
should be better known than U2, right? 5 Bottles
of Ripple for Travelling Blues Purity in a Package.
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