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Eddy Clearwater
Boogie My Blues Away, Delmark Records CD DD-678 (40:08)
Chuck Berry meets Muddy Waters
Perhaps the Windy City's most celebrated cultural contribution of the
twentieth century will be the blues. Sonny Boy Williamson, Koko Taylor,
Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, and Muddy Waters are just a few who found success
in Chicago. Blues lyrics historically described tough times and lost
loves, but from Chicago came the addition of cars, guns, and other
trappings of big city life. With an especially upbeat tempo, Eddy
Clearwater's Boogie My Blues Away is a fine contribution to the Chicago
blues tradition.
From the first cut, "Muddy Waters Goin' to Run Clear," it's evident that
Eddy was out to show he's a unique bluesman all his own. He wrote all of
the compositions and this first one is a clever pun. (Eddy's real name
is Eddy Harrington, but drummer Jump Jackson dubbed him "Clear Waters"
in a takeoff on his better known predecessor.) It's a slow blues number
that is especially optimistic. "I believe, I believe this year is gonna
be my good luck year/I got a feelin' deep down inside, muddy waters
goin' to run clear." Most of the other cuts are just as optimistic and
you get the impression Eddy was feeling especially good about his future
in 1977.
Some considered Eddy a Chuck Berry imitator and it's easy to see why
after listening to the title track "Boogie My Blues Away" as well as on
his solos in "Real Fine Woman." But while Berry's influence is certainly
there, this southpaw has guitar licks closer to Otis Rush, and he
plainly distinguishes himself from any further comparison throughout the
rest of the CD. All of the songs are up tempo and there's a spirited
feel to Eddy's singing. He's backed by a competent band that never
outperforms him. "Came Up The Hard Way" is a slow blues number with Mack
Simmons' whining harmonica shadowing Eddy's scathing vocals. This is the
strongest cut on the CD and one that Eddy recorded again a few years
later.
According to the informative liner notes, Eddy was born in Macon,
Mississippi on January 10, 1935. He moved to Chicago in 1950 after a
brief stint in Birmingham, Alabama and began performing three years
later. His uncle, who ran a tiny local record label called Atomic-H that
specialized in gospel, handed Eddy his first shot on vinyl in 1958 with
the rocking "Hillbilly Blues." Berry's influence was apparently very
evident on this first recording. Other recordings noted are The Chief
from Rooster Blues in 1980 (Clearwater often dons Native American garb
onstage), and Help Yourself under the Blind Pig label, released in 1992.
Originally recorded in a single day back in March 1977, Boogie My Blues
Away wasn't released domestically. The CD sounds somewhat dated today,
with President Jimmy Carter referred to in both the first and last cuts.
The final cut "Mayor Daley's Blues" is somewhat ironic given that the
late Boss of Chicago's son is now the current mayor of Chicago. -- Mark Craemer
production notes & song titles
Eddy Clearwater, vocals, guitar; Mack Simmons, harmonica; Thomas Eckert,
guitar; Bob Riedy, piano; Aron Burton, bass; Sam Lay, drums.
Produced by Ralph Bass, recorded on March 14, 1977.
Muddy Waters Goin' to Run Clear | Boogie My Blues Away | Came Up the
Hard Way | Blues at Theresa's | I Don't Know Why | Tore Up All The Time
| Real Fine Woman | Mayor Daley's Blues
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