Terry Blade’s new homage album narrates American injustice through the decades; with no better expression of blues rhythm, spirit and purpose in modern day music
EXTENDED ALBUM REVIEW: Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues by Terry Blade
It could be argued that almost all the contemporary music of today originally stems from one of two (or both) early twentieth century genres, jazz and blues. With Chicago being an epicenter of blues culture in the midwest, if not the entire US, award winning singer-songwriter Terry Blade releases his new album to honor and celebrate Chicago blues musicians and culture – even including a couple original versions of his 2023 singles.
There’s no Chicago blues pioneer left out of Terry’s latest album Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues, with the opening track Nothin’ But the Blues featuring an excerpt from an old 1977 interview with the very ‘Godmother of Chicago Blues’ Theresa McLaurin Needham.
What better way to open this remembrance album than a chat with the owner of perhaps the most famous blues club in Chicago, Theresa’s Tavern (also known as Therasa’s Lounge). There’s few more respected in traditional blues culture than Theresa, who when asked in her interview how she threw men twice her size out of her tavern when working the doors of her own club, she simply replied “Because they respect me.” This track serves as an appropriate harmonica ladened opener, including the original of Kevin Maclead’s Porch Blues produced and arranged by Terry for this album.
The next track Gettin’ Tired of You takes us on a quick excursion to New York – inspired by Harlem crime boss Madame Stephanie St. Clair. She drew a lot of attention in the Chicago Defender during the 1920s and 30s due to her infamy. Terry has used this infamy as inspiration for this classic blues growler, with the original instrumental Acoustic Blues by Jason Shaw.
The next, perhaps standout track of the album is the seminal single Tell ‘Em, a perfect raw encapsulation of everything the blues stands for – with vocals by Terry and instrumental music performed by Neil Cross.
This song was inspired by three specific people that have faced extreme hardship at the hands of an oppressive US judicial system – namely Cyntoia Brown who was trafficked, sold into sexual slavery, and then wrongly sentenced to life imprisonment for murder; Marc Wilson who was wrongly imprisoned for involuntary manslaughter due to a corrupt criminal trial in Georgia; and Isaiah Brown, an unarmed man who was shot 8 times by police eventually filing a $26 million lawsuit.
Another particularly captivating song is Be Around No More – the original version of Terry’s 2023 single Won’t Be Around. This original version is faster in tempo and much shorter in duration, as it was intended as a demo. It’s another raw example of blues defiance in the face of persecution and adversity, being about leaving abusive relationships and never returning to them again. The lyrics were written and performed by Terry and instrumental music was performed by Bobby Cole.
Many of the tracks on this album are excerpts from old interviews with Chicago blues figureheads, with the most notable being The Blues is Pressure, which is taken from an interview with famous blues pianist Jimmy Walker in 1977 – perhaps most significant because it’s the very track that helped Terry to coin the term “kinfolk” in the album’s title. Terry speaks of how the sound of Jimmy’s voice and laughter gave him a feeling of deep “familial familiarity”, with “kinfolk” being a perfect word to describe that feeling…
“In listening to many audio recordings of Mr. Walker, I found myself endeared by the sound of his laughter, as it bore an uncanny resemblance to that of my late grandfather who passed away in 2013. In listening to his voice, I felt an almost familial familiarity with his disposition, knack for observation, commonsensical reasoning, and infectious storytelling–all qualities my late grandfather possessed. It was this very sense of familial familiarity that gave rise to the term “Chicago Kinfolk” in the album’s title.”
Nearing the end of the album is Terry’s cover of That’s All Right by Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup – That’s Alright being Terry’s parallel version for this album. To many, this would sound like just another classic blues song, but there is much more significance to this original track than meets the eye (or ear). Arthur Crudup is widely considered the father of rock ‘n’ roll, and for good reason due to the following fact. With Crudup recording the song in Chicago in 1946, none other than the late and great Elvis Presley recorded and released it as his debut single ten years later in 1956. Crudup was credited as the composer of Elvis’ debut, but unfairly never received any royalties.
Perhaps Terry wanted to cover this single to honour the late Arthur Crudup, and pay his respects through a tributary adaptation fully credited and filled with likeness.
The album closes with somber and emotional number Fallen Sons – the unreleased version of Terry’s 2023 single Black Cowboys. The ominous tone and captivating backing harmonies are a poignant dedication to the relatively unknown history of black American cowboys, as well as a compelling remembrance of the many lives lost to gun violence in the Southside of Chicago to this day.
“The song is also a dedication to the lesser-known history of Black American cowboys. I use fast draw duels as a metaphor for modern-day gun violence in Chicago.”
Fallen Sons is a perfectly encapsulating summary of the theme, spirit and purpose of the album as a whole – to tell stories of hardship that are so often ignored, and to highlight the many injustices that exist in American society through recent history. If there’s any modern day album that has the rhythms, tales and tribulations of blues music running so intrinsically throughout it, it’s Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues, out everywhere now.
