Friday 24 October 2014

the magic of samuel gene maghett

Thanks to Dereks Daily 45 for digging this one out, here's a classic piece of blues archive. Magic Sam filmed on a European tour possibly in the mid 1960's. There's short and priceless clip of him talking on the tour bus about how he began his music "when I was a kid a lot of kids around there played guitar and I loved it.. that old rap, rap stuff" , for those that thought "rap" was a relatively modern expression and then 2 clips of him and the band live. "All Your Love" which was his first record in 1957 and by the sounds of this song was vocally no small influence on John Mayall and particularly in his 1967 'Crusade' album. And then at 3.57 an absolute eye watering guitar work out on 'Lookin' Good'.

    "Magic Sam had a different guitar sound," said his record producer, Willie Dixon. "Most of the guys were playing the straight 12-bar blues thing, but the harmonies that he carried with the chords was a different thing altogether. This tune "All Your Love", he expressed with such an inspirational feeling with his high voice. You could always tell him, even from his introduction to the music." WIKI ARTICLE

Samuel "Magic Sam" Gene Maghett, one of the finest Chicago bluesmen died of a heart attack just 32 years old in 1969.