When I lived in Kentucky in the 1980s, I had several opportunities to hear the Metropolitan Blues All Stars perform. The group members were from Eastern Kentucky; they came to Lexington for concert performances (or to Louisville for Lonesome Pine Specials as in the 1987 one embedded above).
I particularly remember Rodney Hatfield's prolonged harmonica riffs, and I have an old VCR tape with Caroline Dahl really rocking the keyboard; I understand she later moved on to San Francisco for a successful career there. Here's her Boogie Woogie Piano with the Metropolitan Blues All Stars, recorded in 2007 (here's another boogie woogie performance, with Tom Rigney and Flambeau in 2007). Is boogie woogie still popular? (I don't know - don't get out much)
I wonder if any other readers here remember the group. Miss C?
After some internet searching, I discovered Rodney Hatfield playing with a group called Tin Can Buddha (profiled in this KET recording).
Addendum: adding "Caledonia" to the text here. The YouTube video is labeled "Caldonia" which is obviously a misspelling of the word for northern Scotland. Now this will show up better on searches.
Reposted from 2017 to embed the harmonica riff linked above:
They were awesome, my Uncle David played drums
ReplyDeleteYour uncle David spent some time in Danville, played drums for Fly and Dave Robertson and a couple other fellas, most covers of old rock and roll. Traded albums with your uncle, we each had a different album by Goose Creek Symphony, so we swapped.
DeleteHeard them at the Black Mountain Folk Festival (I think) in the early 90's and wish I still had the cassette I bought. They were great!
ReplyDeleteRIP NIck Stump
ReplyDeleteUse to see them at Down Home in J.C. Tennessee. Never missed them when
ReplyDeletethey were in town. I play the harp ever since the first time I saw them.
Saw them several times in the 80’s in a downtown club in Lexington. Always a good show. Hard to believe it’s been 35 yrs
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I remember them, but I never saw them live.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if boogie woogie is popular per se, but it is definitely alive :-)
ReplyDeleteHere are some recent examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epeo9N6Ht1A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2xrLoBwk0E
Enjoy :-)
Listening to my autographed LP of Life of the Party right now! Hell Yes I remember them. I think I got the album (and autographs) at the Water Tower in Louisville. It was summertime cause David White write “it’s too damn hot”
ReplyDeleteYes. I remember Rodney Hatfield could make his harmonica sound like a woman complaining and in another song a chicken clucking and that's just the beginning of his Musical talent.
ReplyDeleteWe used to see the MBAs playing at O’Keefe’s then Lynagh’s and JDI in Lexington in the ‘80s, and they were fantastic! So much fun! I recall Rodney jumping from the stage onto one of the tables while playing the harmonica and Nick wearing a white sport coat singing his New Woman Blues and Frank sometimes coming up with a Patsy Cline tune. I think it was Stuart Miller on the stand-up bass, who sang Cross-Cut Saw. Miss Wanda Thompson always made a dramatic entrance and sang her heart out. I loved Little Red Rooster, Hit the Road Jack, Too Much Weekend and so many others, but my favorite was She Caught the Katy. Best live music I’ve ever heard!
ReplyDeleteWe use to listen to them at The Fish Net in Lexington in the 70’s.
ReplyDelete