The 1980s, for the Blues, it was definitely a case of are you tough enough? Just as the Blues looked to have run out of steam across North America the Vaughn Brothers appeared out of Texas. In 1979 guitar slinger Jimmy Vaughn, Kim Wilson and the rest of the Fabulous Thunderbirds released Girls Go Wild and in 1980 What’s The Word and began getting a new generation ready for the Blues. But their mix of Texas and Swamp Blues styles didn’t achieve national exposure until 1982’s Butt Rockin’. And after playing lead guitar on David Bowie’s Let’s Dance album in 1983, Jimmie’s younger brother Stevie Ray doin’ his guitar thang in a power trio set up, released his album Texas Flood with two great dance-floor tunes, Love Struck and Pride and Joy. That’s right, the Blues is dance music, it’s not all hard times and bad luck in love and other woeful laments. The album is a hit and even more so is his 1984 album Couldn’t Stand the Weather.
The Blues are back in demand again as long as it fits the new demo-graph bywhich I mean Stevie Ray style, three-man power trio Blues. And about that time Ontario loosened the drinking laws opening the way for neighbourhood bars. That meant new places to gig!
When Michael McMillan aka Guitar Mikey looked me up in early 1985 to join his band The Real Thing I jumped at the chance. He talked about the style of Blues he wanted to present as a Power Trio. Awesome! Life as a Blues bass player is so much more interesting and creative in a trio. On drums was Claude Desroches formerly of Hamilton’s early proto-punk band The Shakers.
Things worked out and I was back in the Blues. It was an awesome run right up the 1990. We played Blues oriented clubs from Ottawa to London including several gigs in Toronto and a couple of turns on the daily music segment of Global News At Noon.
Once in a while for a series of gigs Michael would bring in a Blues harp. First up was Billy Crompton out of Buffalo NY as seen playing on 2 and 3 and 4 and later for awhile we had Jeff Baker out of Toronto but originally from the East Coast seen playing on Hootchie Kootchie Man in the above video.
Blues Rockin' Hamilton 