Pinetop Perkins & Willie “Big Eyes” Smith

Joined At The Hip

Telarc

By Dawn O’Keefe Williams

Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith’s collaborative CD, Joined At The Hip is a magnificent gem that is sure to be a collector’s item.  Blues fans will fall in love with this CD and blues purists will be thrilled with the traditional sounds of Chicago and Delta blues.  What makes this disc unique is that every inch was created by what has become Chicago’s royalty in today’s music industry.  Not only are the artists Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith living legends, but each member of the band has a rich history in the blues as well.  Muddy Waters/Magic Slim alumni John Primer, a recording artist and guitarist, is quickly becoming a Chicago blues legend in his own right; Frank Krakowski is the long time guitarist for Willie; Bob Stroger on bass has worked alongside Pinetop and other blues giants for many years, and Willie’s son Kenny Smith on drums is in high demand and works with numerous artists.  The other half of the “royalty” that brought the nuts and bolts of this CD to fruition is Grammy ® nominated producer Michael Freeman, along with Blaise Barton who is one of Chicago’s finest recording engineers.  Also included in this line up is Chicago journalist and author (Motown: The Golden Years) Bill Dahl who wrote the liner notes.

 Joined At The Hip is a tastefully done CD featuring a collection of a variety of shuffles, jazz swing, slow blues and even a little gospel.  Most of the songs were written by Willie and his son Kenny (K. Dwayne Smith) and also feature another local blues artist, Billy Flynn, who penned “I Would Like To Have A Girl Like You” along with some wonderfully covered songs written by old time greats.  Each band member complemented one another with their style and allowed Michael Freeman and Blaise Barton to skillfully mix each cut so that Willie and Pinetop would shine, whether they were singing or playing their instruments.   All throughout the CD you hear Pinetop Perkins performing leads and playing the chords, but not all at once; he lets his fingers fall individually into the keys giving it a distinctive sound while hitting full chords as he keeps the rhythm.  At times Pinetop plays melodic fills to complement Willie or the other guitars as they play their solos.  One of the Pinetop highlights on this CD is his song “Grindin’ Man,” a ladies’ man song phrased in that old time way that is suggestive without being risqué. 

Similar to that aspect, but a little more forward in its lyrics, is an easy shuffle, “Eyesight To The Blind,” written by Sonny Boy Williamson II (aka Rice Miller). Willie’s vocal timing is perfect as he sings “when she gets to lovin’, she gives eyesight to the blind”.   These are the phrases that brought notoriety to the blues years ago, back when you didn’t hear those kind of lyrics on America’s radio stations.  Clever, double-entendre filled songs still draw people into the clubs today as they cheer, laugh and enjoy the earthiness of the blues.    

The CD opens with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith’s up-tempo song “Grown To Be A Man” that he co-wrote with his son Kenny.  The clever lyrics and the catchy rhythm immediately make your body move with the steady downbeat. It makes you feel like you’re right there in Chicago listening to him play and sing.  Bob Stroger on bass is strong and solid, locking with Kenny’s drums as Willie sings with his Delta inflected vocals and plays melodic tones on his harp.

Smith delivers vocals that are fun, such as in the jazz swing “Cut That Out” by John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson, with Pinetop answering ‘cut that out’ to Willie’s phrase. The bass impressively walks up and down the fret board as Pinetop plays a boogie woogie in the background behind Willie’s singing and harp solo. Willie is skillful as he sings and plays some licks on his harp between phrases.  The harmonica has that slightly distorted sound that the blues is known for.

The CD is kept interesting by introducing different sounds such as “Take Your Eyes Off My Woman” that is reminiscent of a “Got My Mojo Working” feel.  Willie displays his diversity by playing the harmonica in clear and precise notes as opposed to the slightly distorted, gritty sounds he performed in “Grown To Be A Man”.

The slow blues “Walkin’ Down The Highway” is accented by the guitar as the piano and harmonica open the tune by showing a different style and keeping interest by changing the pace of the CD.

“Gamblin’ Blues” by Melvin Lil’ Son Jackson, has a haunting arrangement to it with the unusual guitar lick in the background that almost mimics the bass line.  This song showcases Willie’s voice as he sings with a little vibrato.  Here his harp intro calls out, drawing you in.  This is one of those numbers that makes you want to find a partner to dance close with. 

Pinetop Perkins sings his own arrangement to the Thomas A. Dorsey “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” as a slow blues based gospel song.  He and Willie play the intro and then take turns playing rhythm behind the other’s solo.  Pinetop ends the song with a sense of humor, playing a short ditty of “Jingle Bells” and then a soft giggle.  You can’t help but smile when you hear that. 

“You’d Better Slow Down” is an up-tempo, bass walking, boogie woogie with the whole band participating in a call and answer with Willie’s singing.  It’s definitely a fun song that makes you want to move.

A highlight of Willie’s savvy harmonica performance is “Minor Blues” a delight that shows his ability to be creative.  He plays an impressively full sound that counterpoints the guitar and bass which catches your ear.

“Lord, Lord, Lord” is a slow blues that has the bass in the forefront almost as if it was playing a guitar lead.  Willie’s vocals are raspy, making you feel his pain as he sings “I can’t find my baby, what in the world have I done wrong.”

“Feel So Good,” a Big Bill Broonzy song  that showcases Smith’s vocals, allows him to sing softer than in the other songs.  His traditional sounding harmonica is the blues at its best. This is a masterpiece that has the CD ending up full circle with “Eyesight ToThe Blind” an up-tempo yet easy Chicago style shuffle.

Pinetop, a nonagenarian, had received acknowledgement and awards such as the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts and was given a “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2005 at the Grammys ®. He was also featured in Clint Eastwood’s documentary Piano Blues for the Martin Scorsese PBS series The Blues.

When Willie was 17 he saw Muddy Waters in Chicago.  That’s all it took for him to love the blues and make Chicago his home.  The harmonica was his first love, but he later switched to drums.  On occasion he would sit in with Muddy Waters’ band after gigs.  Muddy then asked him to play drums for a recording session in 1959.  By 1961 Willie became Muddy Waters’ full-time drummer. In ’69 he and Pinetop met and became great friends.  They co-founded the “Legendary Blues Band” that included Louis Myers, Jerry Portnoy and Calvin “Fuzz” Jones and received several nominations for the Grammy Awards.  

With Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith together on this CD, a musical piece of history has been created that reflects musicianship at its pinnacle as they collaborated literally on their feet with some songs.  They were able to record this way because they know each other so well and because they know music even better.  This is a CD that is not to be missed. It is the “living blues” and is highly recommended.

Blues woman Dawn O'Keefe Williams is a singer/songwriter and bandleader from the Chicago area. She is best known for her song “Stone Cold Fool” which won a Billboard award.

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