Barrellhouse Chuck And The All Star Blues Band
The Sirens Records SR-5104
By Steve Jones
sub_insignia@yahoo.com © 2006
There is a piano player in Chicago who has a wealth of experience, talent,
and just enough moxie to be one of the top blues keyboardists in the country.
Charles Goering, a.k.a. Barrelhouse Chuck, is that man. His two latest CDS,
released in 2005 and 2006, are superb testaments to his skills, experience
and the artists he has learned from and even on occasion lived with. Born in
Columbus, Ohio in 1958, Chuck was taught by the likes of Sunnyland Slim and
Little Brother Montgomery; he actually lived with these guys for several
years!
Chuck and I met at a party in July along with our club President Mark
Thompson. I had heard Chuck play on a CD I picked up from Ann Rabson- The Fifth Annual
Blues and Boogie Piano Summit, featuring Ann, Barrelhouse Chuck and two
other pianists. I was impressed with Chuck's portion of the album and had tried
to see him in Chicago one Wednesday night at Rosa's back in June, but plans got
changed and I never made it to see him.I fully intended to try again on
another Wednesday evening, but when I walked into the birthday bash there he
was. I'd rather be lucky like that rather than good any day of the week.
The evening of music was a bit subdued.Chuck did not want to take away from
the event, especially since it was a 50th birthday party. He played (and
sang) in a polite, respectful and somewhat reserved manner since he felt it was
inappropriate to tear up a birthday party. He is the ultimate gentleman and
a fine and sensitive human being. Trust me, Chuck can tear up even larger
venues as if they are paper if he wanted to. Between his sets and after the event,
we sat and chatted for a long time; I also picked up a few of his CD's to add
to my collection. He mentioned that he had a new CD coming out in August, so I
promised to pick it up, too. He is a charming man with a wealth of contacts,
experience and mementos from the entirety of the Chicago Blues scene.
Last years self-produced CD, Slowdown Sun-down, features Chuck and a
plethora of blues greats. Six of the songs are originals and the other
nine are superb renditions of some classics and near classics. Billy Flynn's
Whats Wrong,featuring Flynn on guitar, Silas McClatcher on vocals,
Calvin Jones on bass and Willie Smith on drums, is just one of the great
ensembles Chuck has put together to turn out a wonderful CD. Four of the
songs are solo pieces that aptly showcase Chucks enormous talent. The other eleven
have some truly fine bluesmen performing with Chuck. Willie Kent sings and
plays bass on his great You Told Me Baby a piece, with Johnny B. Moore and
Willie Davis on guitar and Tim Taylor on drums. Phenomenal is an
understatement.
The CD starts off with Chuck tinkling nimbly on Montgomery's I Keep on
Drinking and singing out this slow blues tune as if he's been there and
done that. If he hasn't, he's spent a lot of time with a bunch of men who
have. It's a great intro to the CD, but it is only a precursor to bigger
and better things to come.
Robert Hunter next barks out the vocals on a tune by Chuck and Leslie Milton
called Mt. St. Helens Blues. He, Hunter and Milton (drums) are joined by
John Tanner on harp, Glen Lucks on harp, and Frank Reich on bass. The song
builds and builds to eruption just like the volcano the song is named for
and describes.
Another featured guest Smokey Smothers sings and plays guitar on his
Searching For My Baby. Rich Yescalis on bass and Steve Cushing on drums
form a solid backdrop for Chuck's stratospheric piano work, and Smothers
growls out his tune in traditional fashion. Depression Blues #2 has
Chuck singing and playing organ and backed up by Harmonica Todd Levine,
guitar by Hashbrown, Rick Homes on bass and S.P. Leary on drums.
Chucks solos are interspersed between the songs with larger bands, giving
you an even greater appreciation for his boogie woogie and barrelhouse piano
skills. I can't mention every song and everyone who is on this album for space
sake, but trust me that there are no bad tracks on this album. This is a
wonderful CD produced by a wonderfully talented man.
That brings us to the new album, which features Chuck and what he calls his
All Star Blues Band. I guess that is not an overstatement since it
features Kim Wilson, Willie Smith, Calvin Jones, Eddie Taylor Jr. and Joel
Foy. Not a bad set of players to back him up, and again Chuck delivers a superb
CD. The sound of the CD emulates a small club setting, with small amps and a
very tight acoustic ambience. He pays tribute to Sunnyland and Little
Brother,Memphis Slim,Detroit Junior, covering their tunes and those of others who have influenced his music. His
Slow Down to Sundown album was exceptional and this one is even better!
Kim Wilson wails on harp in the opening song by Jones called Floyd's
Blues. Kim's even sharper and more right on in Cleoa's Mood. Â Songs
like Call My Job (Perkins & Williams), Sunnyland's It's You
Baby,and Mama You Don't Mean Me No Good (Little Brother Montgomery)
bring us to a time when the Chicago blues were king. Foy and Wilson give us
efforts rivaling Muddy and Little Walter, while Chuck supplements the
swinging
sound with a keyboard effort that even his mentors would envy.
I could go on and on; every track is truly a gem on this one. Many albums
have no clinkers on them, but here we have 13 really mean and nasty tracks that
just make you want to play them over and over again. If you have to buy one of
Chuck's CDs, this may be the best. Siren Records has strived to keep the
blues alive with their efforts, and I'd have to say they are alive and
kicking based on this one! Buy it and I guarantee that you will play it over and
over again.
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