It transpires that it is not only lovers who are star crossed, but musicians too. When Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee first met in New York City circa 1941 they created a fruitful union that would continue until Sonny’s death in 1986. Theirs was a partnership characterised by feuds and estrangements, yet such tensions can be the spur towards creativity, and while their association wasn’t always harmonious, their music was, and if proof were ever required then it can be found on Live From The Ash Grove.
By the time the majority of this disc was recorded at the legendary Los Angeles venue on 21st February 1973, Sonny (born Saunders Terrell in 1911) and Brownie (born Walter Brown McGhee) were both elder statesmen of piedmont blues, yet there was no sign they were settling into a comfort zone and opening track ‘Trouble In Mind’ sounds as fresh as the day it was caught on tape. The chemistry they shared is immediately obvious, and like all good musicians they understand that sometimes it is not what you play, but what you don’t. There’s plenty of room here, each musician creating room for the other to display their wares, but it is also space for the listener to infer their own meaning and it’s precisely this space that creates an interactive experience; it’s something that Terry & McGhee understood very well and it’s what made them such a hot live ticket.
It is no secret that bands such as Led Zeppelin plundered the American blues to create their sound, and listening to cuts such as ‘Blowin’ The Fuses’ it is obvious that Terry & Brownie were a direct influence and you can here them all over the Zepp’s first four albums. Yet it runs far deeper; you can see their fingerprints all over the British blues boom of the late 1960’s; the Stones, Yardbirds, Fleetwood Mac, and the Bluesbreakers all owe a debt (and some royalties) to Terry & McGhee.
It wasn’t so much the combination of Terry’s harmonica and Brownie’s guitar that was revolutionary, but the way they interacted. Their stage communion was indicative of their relationship at large; when they lock in on ‘Life’s A Gamble’, there’s nothing in the world sounds as tight but, paradoxically, there are times when, on the aforementioned ‘Blowin’ The Fuses’, they sound slightly disjointed and the harmonica runs counter to the guitar. But, this tension was always something in the background which added a touch of spice, on stage they displayed a unified front and they put their own stamp on ‘Midnight Special’ and claim ownership of this traditional standard. Such is the veracity with which it was played that is sounds as if it was recorded yesterday and not 50 years ago.
Bolstering the running time of the original 35-minute set are two recordings from 1965. Captured at the same venue, they amply prove that Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee had a winning formula, and one that’s stood the test of time.
- Live From The Ash Grove is released via Liberation Hall on 21st June 2024 (available here).
Track List:
- Trouble In Mind *
- Intro to Hootin’ The Blues *
- Hootin’ The Blues *
- Blowin’ The Fuse *
- Life’s A Gamble *
- (I Gotta Look) Up Under Your Hood *
- My Father’s Words *
- Midnight Special *
- Packin’ Up Gettin’ Ready To Go *
- Baby I Got My Mind Off You **
- C’mon If You’re Comin’ **
* Live From The Ash Grove, 21st February 1973
** Live From The Ash Grove, 29th October 1965
