From the onset of forming a musical partnership in the early ’40s to their breakup about 40 years later, when they were among the first class to receive honors from the National Endowment for the Arts, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee were true superstars in the world of Piedmont blues.
Harp player Sonny and guitarist Brownie rarely spoke to one another in real life in the second half of their careers, feuded frequently and broke up temporarily on occasion over some long-forgotten falling-out, but they were at the absolute height of their when most of this set was captured at the legendary Ash Grove music club in Los Angeles. And even though strained, their relationship on stage was as intimate and loving as any successful longtime union can be.
Born in Durham, N.C., where he learned how to play from his father as a child, Sonny was completely blind for most of his life after separate accidents at age five and 16 that caused permanent damage to each eye. No longer able to work the family farm, he turned to music, eventually forming a partnership with guitarist Blind Boy Fuller and played at Carnegie Hall in 1938 at the first From Spirituals to Swing concert, which introduced the blues to a white world. He also appeared on Broadway in 1947 as part of the original cast of Finian’s Rainbow.
Raised in Kingsport, Tenn., where he contracted polio at age four, which incapacitated his right leg, Brownie spent most of his youth in the Golden Voices Gospel Quartet and eventually learned how to walk again after an operation funded by the March of Dimes. He eventually moved on to the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, also befriended Fuller and formed a partnership in New York with Terry about a year after Blind Boy died.
The relationship endured until 1980, six years prior to Sonny’s passing. And when asked if he’d attend the funeral, Brownie – who remained active until his demise in 1996 — said he’d go only to “make sure that he’s dead.” Despite their animosity, there’s no doubt that the 11 tracks here – the first nine of which were recorded in 1973 and never previously released — will leave you smiling.
The set’s chockful of Sonny’s powerful, trademark whoops and runs on the reeds and Brownie’s tasty fretwork. Already elder statesmen in the blues world, they trade vocal leads and chatter warmly with each other and the enthusiastic audience throughout as they deliver some of the most enduring tunes in blues history.
First recorded in 1924 and one of the earliest of azure hits, “Trouble in Mind” opens the action with Sonny and Brownie sharing the mic as they optimistically state that they’re going to walk their blues away. Terry’s lilting harp runs power the action throughout. A minute-long spoken-word track follows Terry jovially recounts his time on the Great White Way prior to the duo cover his original, “Hootin’ the Blues,” a number he played nightly in the play for two-and-a-half years. McGhee’s propulsive fretwork shines beneath the vocals and his partner’s whoops are the star of the show.
The action flows effortlessly into “Blowin’ the Fuses,” a sweet original that gives both stars space to work out. Brownie’s powerful baritone commands the room as he delivers the self-penned “Life’s a Gamble” while Sonny provides honeyed support throughout. The highlight is a cautionary spoken-word memory mid-tune. And he uses the same technique as the opener for the sexually charged “(I Gotta Look) Up Under Your Hood,” which follows. After repairing the lady’s car, he insists she’s got other problems that have to be satisfied.
The music lightens as the duo launch into “My Father’s Words,” which finds Brownie finally understanding the mysterious meanings about life that his dad relayed to him in his youth. First recorded in 1905, the traditional – and sprightly — “Midnight Special” finds Terry taking the lead with McGhee adding call-and-response. The message about traveling continues in the medium-fast “Packin’ Up Gettin’ Ready to Go” to conclude the 1973 portion of the set.
“Baby, I Got My Mind Off You” and “C’mon If You’re Comin’,” which bring the disc to a close, are songs born at the dawn of the blues era and were recorded eight years earlier. They receive more formal treatment from the duo, but they’re welcome additions nonetheless.
Want a taste of what the REAL blues is? As someone who saw Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in person, I can firmly state: You’ll never hear anything more REAL than this. It’s great!
