Roy Gaines
I Got The T-Bone Walker Blues
(Groove Note GRV2002-2)
Roy Gaines is a Texas Blues guitar legend
who played in the bands of Bobby "Blue" Bland and Junior Parker during the
heyday of Don Robey's Duke record label based in Houston. After years of obscurity, Gaines
is attempting to return to the blues spotlight. In 1998, he released one of the years best
CD's on the JSP label and has now released his follow up on the small Groove Note label
out of Los Angeles. Roy recorded this album as a tribute to his biggest musical
inspiration and mentor T-Bone Walker. Roy began playing with T-Bone at fourteen years of
age and the two remained very close until Walker's death in 1975. The material contained
on the CD includes classic Walker tunes such as "Stormy Monday," "T-Bone
Shuffle" and "The Hustle Is On" which illustrate the impact that Walker had
not only on Gaines' guitar work but also on his vocals.
Although Gaines has avoided
copying Walker's solos and arrangements too literally, he is able to capture the feel and
the spirit of Walker's music. Gaines has also included a few surprises on this CD. He
includes a second version of "Stormy Monday Blues" where by recasting it as a
solo acoustic piece, Gaines summons the spirit of Lighting Hopkins. He also mixes country
and the blues together in a rendition of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues"
complete with steel guitar and fiddle accompaniment. Throughout the recording Gaines is
backed by a strong group of musicians which include Clifford Soloman on tenor saxophone
and the rhythm section from Rod Piazza's Mighty Flyers. Gaines' vocals throughout the
album are strong and his understated guitar work will appeal to those who enjoy listening
to a guitar being played rather than assaulted. Hopefully, a major blues label will record
Roy and get his recordings nationwide distribution so that he can achieve the long overdue
success that contemporaries such as Long John Hunter and Johnnie Bassett are enjoying. He
deserves it.
- Barry T. Gober -
Southwest Blues CD Review - June 1999
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