Editor’s Note: The International Blues Challenge (IBC) is hosted in Memphis, TN each year by the Blues Foundation, the same organization that hosts the Blues Music Awards (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards). Blues societies from around the world send their area’s best blues band to compete for major prizes at the IBC. Blues jams and special showcase events are abundant all over town to supplement the formal competitions.

Bob Margolin's All-Star Jam

 at Rum Boogie

Memphis, TN

by Liz Mandeville

Dateline Memphis: Feb. 5, 2011

 Closing night of the IBC

Saturday Night, The Rum Boogie, one of Beale Street’s last remaining dedicated Blues clubs, featured an all-star jam hosted by Muddy Waters vet and blues champion guitarist Bob Margolin. We were lucky enough to have a ringside seat as Lon Mickelson (Twin City’s Blues Society) and I had literally run from the Orpheum Theatre lobby to the Boogie to catch the early band Trampled Underfoot, a family trio from Kansas City. Fortunately, our friend, singer Nora Jean Wallace (formerly from Chicago, now a Hoosier), was saving a table along with her manager Lois, and fellow blues enthusiast Blue Susan.

As we arrived mid-set, Trampled Underfoot, winners of the 2008 International Blues Challenge, were giving us some spirited blues. Danielle, a fine singer and strong bassist, stood on stage wailing and laying a deep groove despite the fact that she was quite pregnant! (That’s going to be a blues baby, for sure!) Along with her brothers Kris (drums/vocals) and Nick Schnebelen, a strong singer and an accomplished guitarist, (2008 IBC Albert King Award winner) the band played host to a number of special guests including yours truly. Together we rolled through a Kansas City swing version of Louis Jordan’s classic “Let the Good Times Roll,” got the audience stomping, clapping and singing along with some fine vocal assists from Danielle, Kris and Nick -- a truly generous and talented family. BTW, they’re about to come out with a new CD, you’ll read about it here in the CBG first!

After a short transition guitarist Bob Margolin took the stage, opening his show with a salute to Muddy Waters by doing a medley of his great songs. Bob then introduced drummer Chuck Cotton who sang one. Chuck’s drumming, with the perfect amount of slop in his shuffle, was greasy and right like a plate of mom’s fried chicken; it was the tasty complement to Margolin’s traditional Chicago Blues covers.

Next, Margolin introduced guitarist/singer Matt Hill saying “You’ll say you saw him here in a small club. This boy is destined for greatness.” Matt proceeded to do a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Howlin For My Baby” that had women screaming all over the room. From the first verse, where he punctuated a line by shimmying his entire body like vintage Elvis, to him laying down his guitar, taking off his belt and whipping the floor with it and then getting down on all fours and crawling around howling, this was the finest tribute to Wolf I’ve seen since a young Tail Dragger did the crawl at the old Checkerboard 20 years ago! After his show-stopping song, Matt went back to quietly playing guitar with Bob as a cavalcade of stars paraded their talents across the stage.

Next up was Danish harp maker and War alumnus, Lee Oskar playing one of his own brand of blues harps on a mellow 12-bar instrumental. Lee favored the high end as he and Bob did juicy versions of “My Babe” and “Boom Boom, Out Go The Lights.”

It was chestnut time again for Margolin singing “Baby, I Want to be Loved” and “Killin’ Floor” accompanied this time by East Coaster Rosie Rosenblatt on harp.

Liz Mandeville in Memphis, taking notes at the Rum Boogie show / photo: Raybo

The excitement was palpable as newly-minted, first-place 2011 IBC winners, the Lionel Young Band from Louisville, Colorado took the stage and funked out a high energy cover of Magic Sam’s “You Were Wrong.” Then Lionel strummed chords and played lines on his electric violin; guitarist Ricardo Pena, bassist Kim Stone and their sweet-toned sax man contributed harmonies, and the drummer sang “Something ‘Bout A Rumba” and got the whole room up dancing. The LYB has a raw, trashy, jamming sound with overtones of New Orleans and a Rocky Mountain swagger. You know this band will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Next, Trampled Under Foot’s Nick Schnebelen came on to sing Wolf’s “Evil.” Nick, who had donned a wonderful, embroidered, white silk show jacket, slicked up his wavy black hair and donned his IBC Albert King Award -- an American flag/semi-hollow body Guild Guitar.  He sang in unison along with his guitar solo, ala George Benson, delighting his fans.

Erin Harpe is a female band leader who plays guitar in the Memphis Minnie tradition. She and her Delta Swingers came onboard to play some “Virtual Boogie Blues” with Erin finger–pickin’ her acoustic parlor guitar. She spun around to demonstrate the “shaky shake,” wiggled her tiny bottom, and broke the pick-up off her guitar. Not to worry, Bob Margolin was there to lend her a Les Paul Gold Top. Without missing a beat, Rosie Rosenblatt stepped back up to blow some harp and add a harmony to “shake your virtual booties.”

Singer/harpist/bandleader, Diane Blues, representing the Massachusetts Blues Society, stepped to the mic to lay down a medium tempo shuffle and belt out “I Don’t Want No Man Telling Me What To Do!” Diane blew hard with her clean, singular sound, followed by Andy Tee with a strong guitar solo; then he and Diane traded fours for a satisfying conclusion to her feminist statement.

Bob Margolin reclaimed his stage. This time he had BMA award winners, guitarist Chris James and bassist Patrick Rynn, as his rhythm section. Bob invited Nora Jean Wallace to the stage, introducing her as “…the greatest living blues singer.” Nora Jean strutted to the stage quipping, “You know he talkin’ ‘ bout me, don’t you? He BE talkin’ ‘bout me!” In her sequined, tiger-striped jacket, with her mane of dark curls, Nora Jean growled out a rasping, raging “Hoochie Coochie Woman,” bringing to mind classic Etta James. Midway through the song, Bob Margolin fell on his knees at her feet; as if on cue the rest of the band followed suit. Nora tried to leave the stage, but Bob called her back for an encore. She did a tribute to Luther Allison’s “Watching You.” During the song she put the mic down and walked the club declaring to the crowd “I’m WATCHING you,” over and over, in a big barrelhouse voice that would not be denied!

Chris James and Patrick Rynn remained on stage with Chuck Cotton on drums, while Margolin had Chicago Tail Dragger alumnus Scott Dirks play harp and Blue Bella Records President Kate Moss came up to play that Gold Top. They did a Texas shuffle, and a more subdued Matt Hill joined in the mix.

Closing the show, Margolin invited Jada, the front-woman from the Randy Oxford Band (Seattle’s entrants in this year’s IBC who had made it to the finals) to come up and sing a number. With a Billie Holiday-esque flower pinned behind her left ear, a pork-pie hat cocked at a jaunty angle on her head, her body swathed in a form-fitting full length gown and her throat accentuated with a giant, diamond-studded microphone pendant, Jada purred out a seductive 12-bar declaring she was our “Dog Catcher, Baby.” I swear Margolin was blushing as she undulated through his solo, running her hands along her flanks and twitching her bottom in a sassy k-nine, tail-wagging fashion.

All too soon it was, “Thank you very much until next year, don’t forget your bartender” time. We bid a fond farewell to Beale Street as the police cars pulled up and the street became the province of the Hip-Hop nation. It was time to pack it up and go.