BYTHER SMITH

Blues On The Moon

Delmark DE 796 and DVD 1796

By Tim Holek

Byther Smith’s life has left him with many scars. He lost both his parents while still a child in Monticello, Mississippi. As a young man, surviving family members shipped him off to Arizona. There, he took up boxing in part to deal with the pain. By the early ’60s he had moved to Chicago and was playing Theresa's Lounge, where he backed Junior Wells. Via songs that contain pain and torment, he puts his scars on display. There is a peculiar attraction to the unattractiveness of Smith’s rugged music on his first live recording. It was recorded at the small South Side Chicago club, the Natural Rhythm Forty And Over Social Club. First-rate support is provided by Jimmy Burns’ regular band of Anthony Palmer (rhythm guitar), Greg McDaniel (bass), James Carter (drums), and Daryl Coutts (keyboards). Together, the Smith originals naturally flow out of these guys. Coutts roams the most, but his breathtaking improvisations are a bit self-fulfilling.   

            Easily the best song is Judge Of Honor. It has a catchy wall of sound that’s rich in time-tested, electric, Chicago blues. On it, Smith’s rusty and weathered vocals attest to years of living the real deal blues lifestyle. Smith maintains a certain pride especially when singing the words to the title track, (“I’m so proud of America, I’ll play the blues standing’ on the moon.”) However, the song’s repetitive rhythm is too monotonous. Repetition will practically hypnotize you during Give Up My Life For You which reminds us (“Baby Jesus died/He died for this world.”) It’s a slow-paced, gritty groove, where the band comes together as a tight and cohesive unit. It’s simply one of the heaviest cuts on the recording. Classic ’50s-style Chicago blues appears on If I Misused Someone. Minor key Monticello is autobiographical in nature. When Smith frantically sings (“Monticello so lonely”), you sense the anguish and torture produced from being left alone. He strays from the usual arrangement of Don’t Start Me Talkin’ however; it features some of his best guitar work.    

            Delmark’s core business is not cinematography so this DVD doesn’t rate the same as a Live At Montreux DVD. The club’s shoebox layout was not an ideal setting to film a band. There is no stage (a pool table normally occupies the spot where the band set up) and the lighting is poor. The band has to cram into a compressed area. Little space is left to set up the cameras. As a result, the camera views, especially from the mobile camera, are too close. Smith looks as mean as his tough blues sound. Yet, extreme close-ups of his face, which fill the entire screen, are not needed. The DVD includes one bonus track and a running commentary where Smith is interviewed by co-producer Steve Wagner. By means of the commentary and David Whiteis’ liner notes, you learn more about Smith than any biography written about him.

            There are several shining moments, but overall these mostly original songs aren’t very memorable and neither are the vocals. However, the band is confident and the guitar solos are slashing. Some songs kick and bite, e.g., Hard Times while others e.g., Rock Me Baby are in need of an energy boost. Blues is best experienced live. The DVD fails to capture what emanates off the CD.

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