As I have previously written about, I came to the blues, I believe, in a way that many fans of the music have, by means of having their ears tuned into a melancholy passage of music by their favorite rock-n-roll musicians.  For me, it occurred during a set by Blue Oyster Cult at the Fort Wayne War Memorial Coliseum in 1980 when the group was opening the show for Black Sabbath.  I can still distinctly remember the group’s keyboardist, Allen Lanier, playing this funky, soulful passage, and how I was moved by it.  It was different sounding in that it was so unlike rock-n-roll as I knew it; it was deep, and it touched something way down deep within me.  It was the beginning of my blues journey.

Later, after attending a Stevie Ray Vaughan show at South Bend, IN’s Morris Civic Auditorium in the mid-1980s, I was further moved by the interpersonal expressions that were at the root of his music.  Now, I was completely hooked, and I began, in earnest, to learn about this mysterious music called the blues.

So, I began to learn as much as I could about the blues, but like many aspiring blues fans, my most introductory moments with the music were with post-war electric blues artists, bluesmen like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Luther Allison, Freddie King, and on and on and on.  My insertion into the blues always had a cord attached.

But eventually, like anyone who falls down into the rabbit hole of the blues, as I rabidly studied about the music, I came to the place where both pre-war and acoustic blues held a new cached treasure trove of blues attraction, one that demanded an equal amount of my attention and studious effort.

The first acoustic blues collection I acquired was Arhoolie Records’ release, Mississippi Delta Blues by Fred McDowell.  Form the opening ringing notes of McDowell’s “Write Me A Few Lines”, I was mesmerized.  What was this jangly, resonating, echoing guitar sound?  What was McDowell doing to make his guitar seem to effortlessly glide between notes?  This was not the blues guitar picking I knew; rather, it was a magical swirling, yet rough, expressions of guitar reverberations the likes of which confounded me.

Recorded in 1964 and 1965 during the peak of the blues revival, these vital cuts were recorded by Chris Strachwitz, owner of Arhoolie Records, during a field trip to McDowell’s home area of Como, Mississippi.  The result was to catch a throwback to the old Delta style of rough-hewn, declamatory vocals and bottleneck slide guitar at the peak of his powers.  McDowell seemed to convey the weight of his world via his vocals.  He chugged and moaned like a runaway train, and whatever he sang, I fervently believed his wistful story.  There is an unbelievable level of intensity and emotion captured here.  His raw vocals served as an ideal counterpoint to his dynamic acoustic slide guitar efforts.

In summation, McDowell securely bolted me to his brand of acoustic blues, and acoustic blues in general, and through him, I was launched into the sphere of unplugged blues, a necessary development to continue my understanding of the history of the music.

Hailing from Rossville, Tennessee in 1906, McDowell’s folks were farmers, both of whom he lost at a young age.  It is generally accepted that McDowell started playing guitar at the age of 14, and it was not long before he was playing for tips at various social functions.  He came to his slide guitar style after witnessing his father’s relative playing the guitar using a steak bone to achieve his slide sounds.  A long-time neighbor, Eli Green, is thought to have instructed McDowell on guitar, and combined with the blues guitar and vocal work he heard from other local Tennessee musicians, his path into the blues was set.

At the age of 22, McDowell moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and two years later, he again moved, this time to Mississippi to work in the cotton fields.  Finally, in 1940 or 1941 (this point remains vague), McDowell established roots in Como, Mississippi.  He worked as a sharecropping farmer, while also playing music at dances and picnics on the weekends.

Many blues fans think of only blues when reflecting upon McDowell’s musical abilities, but his catalog of music also included spirituals, songs he often performed and recorded with his wife.  In fact, a song that McDowell recorded in 1965, “You Got to Move,” received broad recognition through having The Rolling Stones record it on their renowned 1971 album entitled Sticky Fingers.

But overall, McDowell’s brand of blues was a thrilling intermingling of the songs he caught from local Tennessee guitarists combined with the throbbing juke joint rhythms of the North Mississippi hills and the tough blues tunes he acquired in the South.

1959 was a turning point musically for McDowell.  While esteemed traveling musicologists Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins were in the South seeking musicians to record on their field recording excursion, McDowell was recorded.  This was idyllic in its timing, as awareness of the blues and folk music was on the upswing in the U.S.  These in-the-field recordings of McDowell’s were an exciting development for blues fans and other record makers.  It was within a couple of years that McDowell was able to convert to being a confirmed musical professional.

McDowell’s blues came to be known as something of a rhythmic force, displaying amazing feats of pulsating ingenuity, particularly through one of his best-known recordings, a blues entitled “Shake ‘Em On Down”, a crude in nature outing, but one that was highly effective in action of setting a mood of hard-hitting, pulsing blues excitement.  It must be emphasized, that McDowell did also in due time deploy his brand of blues through use of an electric guitar, after initially recording solely using an acoustic guitar. 

Many blues artists who have used or do employ similar rough, driving, thumping frameworks within their blues owe McDowell a deep well of gratitude, probably no one mor so than the Mississippi bluesman R.L. Burnside, a bluesman who used this style to great effect throughout his career.

McDowell’s recording career extended until 1971, with his music being released on 25 albums on labels including Arhoolie, International Polydor Production, Testament Records, Milestone, Transatlantic Records, Capitol Records, Biograph, Revival Records, Oblivion Records, Just Sunshine Records, Original Jazz Library, Heritage, Red Lightnin’, K.C. Records, Fat Possum Records, Devil Down Records, Doxy, Mississippi Records, Domino Sound, and RockBeat Records.  He also appeared on many compilations across another swath of record labels.

McDowell, by the way, had an immense influence on rock groups like the aforesaid Rolling Stones, and individual artists such as Bonnie Raitt.

Due to his newfound popularity, McDowell was able to traverse the U.S. to perform at various blues and folk clubs and festivals, but he always kept a side job, particularly one late in his life at a Stuckey’s gas station, though he was said to be able to fully support him and his family via his music success.  It was understood that McDowell used the gas station as his promotional outpost, a place where he received calls from both blues promoters and record company people seeking his talents.

McDowell passed away from cancer in 1972.

In 1999, McDowell was inducted into The Blues Hall Of Fame.

For those unaware of Fred McDowell’s blues, an awe-inspiring voyage begins when first acquiring one of his recordings.  I hope it is as exciting for you as it was for me.