Shot
through with attitude, the songs on DELTA HARDWARE feel rough-hewn and
tough, just as they should for a guy "born in Mississippi [and]
raised up in Tennessee." Charlie cuts loose a good time in
Clarksdale, pipes up for the downtrodden, and gives a lover the ol'
heave-ho. This is raw, passionate music from a howlin' blues legend who's
still invigorated by a youthful spirit.
It's Charlie's mix of wild country abandon seasoned by years of playing urban electric blues in Chicago that spurs the likes of Ben Harper, Tom Waits and Gov't Mule to welcome Musselwhite onto their stages and records. That same brash, blues/rock rebel vibe was Dan Aykroyd's inspiration for his Elwood Blues persona, and it's what has won Musselwhite a pile of blues awards and earned the admiration and respect of his own heroes: Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters. John Lee was even the best man at Charlie's wedding.
Pulled, like the albums of R.L. Burnside and the North Mississippi Allstars, out of the storied Mississippi Delta and Hill Country, DELTA HARDWARE is a mixture of songs written over the past few years and ideas fleshed out in the studio, and includes a new twist on the longtime live staple, Clarksdale Boogie. True to the blues as an expression of a range of honest emotions and stories, DELTA HARDWARE ranges from upbeat jewels like the party track Church Is Out to more socially conscious songs like Black Water and The Invisible Ones. With the latter two tracks, inspired by the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, Charlie paints a stark, honest tribute to those suffering in and around New Orleans and in his home state: "Old black water lappin' at your back door/Hello America, better get ready for more/Trouble, trouble all around here/ just too tired to shed one tear/ Black Water/ It's a sign of our times."
"Things just seem to be falling apart," Musselwhite says. "And I think people are waking up to that. I think people are starting to see that there's something really rotten going on." Admittedly, the political arena is an odd and uncomfortable arena for him to step into. "I don't want to be offensive to anybody. I respect everybody and their opinion, and I hope they respect mine."
Backed by his touring band, Musselwhite, now based in Sonoma County, California, lends his guitar skills to one track on DELTA HARDWARE and otherwise just goes stompin, blowin' and shouting his way through the album's 10 tracks. The album walks the line between rock and electric country blues, sometimes playing it straight, sometimes taking new turns. On Clarksdale Boogie, he offers up a virtual mantra for his life behind his first-ever use of a drum and bass loop: "Meet me where they play good blues." The crowd noise in this track is sampled from a night at Red's juke joint in Clarksdale.
Over the years, Musselwhite has released dozens of albums and has contributed to countless others including guesting on Bonnie Raitt's Grammy® award-winning Longing In Their Hearts, The Blind Boys of Alabama's Grammy-winning SPIRIT OF THE CENTURY, Tom Waits' MULE VARIATIONS and even playing the driving harmonica on INXS' SUICIDE BLONDE. He was the longtime compadre and musical partner to his friend John Lee Hooker. His recent tour and recording sessions with Ben Harper have led to live and studio tracks featuring Charlie on the limited edition bonus disc of Ben's soon-to-be released BOTH SIDES OF THE GUN. Musical institutions have honored Musselwhite, too. With 18 W.C. Handy awards to his credit and 6 Grammy nominations, he is firmly entrenched in musical history. Musselwhite has also been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Monterey Blues Festival and the San Javier Jazz Festival in Spain and the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. Perhaps most meaningful to him personally, in 1987, he conquered a long-running battle with alcoholism.
Musselwhite's version of the blues ventures far beyond conventional honky-tonk — though the Harley Davidsons lined up outside Musselwhite's gigs testify that Musselwhite has what it takes to rock the house. Musselwhite himself is simply interested in music with feeling — as he puts it, "music from the heart": "For me, it's about the feeling, and connecting with people. And blues, if it's real blues, is loaded with feeling. And it ain't about technique either, it's about truth, connecting to the truth and communicating with people."
That connection has been particularly strong with his fans from the start. "I've had Vietnam vets tell me that my music was important to them while they were in Vietnam. I've had people who've had problems with alcohol talk to me about quitting, and tell me that I inspired them to quit, I've had couples tell me that they met at one of my shows and got married years after."
With DELTA HARDWARE, Musselwhite says simply, "I'm keepin' it real. For the listener, I hope it's like a journey, I hope each tune takes 'em to another little place, and I hope at the end they're glad they went."
Over the years, Musselwhite has released dozens of albums and has contributed to countless others including guesting on Bonnie Raitt's Grammy® award-winning Longing In Their Hearts, The Blind Boys of Alabama's Grammy-winning SPIRIT OF THE CENTURY, Tom Waits' MULE VARIATIONS and even playing the driving harmonica on INXS' SUICIDE BLONDE. He was the longtime compadre and musical partner to his friend John Lee Hooker. His recent tour and recording sessions with Ben Harper have led to live and studio tracks featuring Charlie on the limited edition bonus disc of Ben's soon-to-be released BOTH SIDES OF THE GUN. Musical institutions have honored Musselwhite, too. With 18 W.C. Handy awards to his credit and 6 Grammy nominations, he is firmly entrenched in musical history. Musselwhite has also been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Monterey Blues Festival and the San Javier Jazz Festival in Spain and the Mississippi Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. Perhaps most meaningful to him personally, in 1987, he conquered a long-running battle with alcoholism.Musselwhite's version of the blues ventures far beyond conventional honky-tonk — though the Harley Davidsons lined up outside Musselwhite's gigs testify that Musselwhite has what it takes to rock the house. Musselwhite himself is simply interested in music with feeling — as he puts it, "music from the heart": "For me, it's about the feeling, and connecting with people. And blues, if it's real blues, is loaded with feeling. And it ain't about technique either, it's about truth, connecting to the truth and communicating with people."
That connection has been particularly strong with his fans from the start. "I've had Vietnam vets tell me that my music was important to them while they were in Vietnam. I've had people who've had problems with alcohol talk to me about quitting, and tell me that I inspired them to quit, I've had couples tell me that they met at one of my shows and got married years after."
With DELTA HARDWARE, Musselwhite says simply, "I'm keepin' it real. For the listener, I hope it's like a journey, I hope each tune takes 'em to another little place, and I hope at the end they're glad they went."
ALBUMS
1967 Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's South Side Band (Vanguard) 1968 Louisiana Fog (Cherry Red Records) 1968 Stone Blues (Vanguard) 1969 Tennessee Woman (Vanguard) 1969 Memphis Charlie (Arhoolie) 1970 Memphis, Tennessee (MCA) 1974 Takin' My Time (Arhoolie) 1975 Goin' Back Down South (Arhoolie) 1975 Leave the Blues to Us (Capitol) 1978 Times Gettin' Tougher Than Tough (Crystal Clear) 1978 Harmonica According to Charlie Musselwhite (Kicking Mule) 1984 Tell Me Where Have All the Good Times Gone? (Blue Rock'It) 1986 Mellow-Dee (CrossCut) 1990 Ace of Harps (Alligator) 1991 Signature (Alligator) 1993 In My Time (Alligator) 1997 Rough News (Virgin) 1999 Continental Drifter (Virgin) 2000 Up & Down the Highway Live: 1986 (Indigo) 2002 One Night in America (Telarc) 2003 Darkest Hour (Henrietta) 2004 Sanctuary (Real World) 2006 Delta Hardware (Narada) 2007 Black Snake Moan Original Soundtrack (New West) 2008 Rough Dried - Live at the Triple Door (Henrietta)
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