I was recently greatly enjoying Texas Doghouse Blues, the 15-cut CD by Earl Gilliam that was released back in 2004 on the Dialtone Records label (DT0011).  This was Gilliam’s first outing as a bandleader, and the results more than justify the terrible miscarriage of waiting so long to have a collection available by this terrifically talented bluesman.

The secret sauce, if you will, of the whole session was Gilliam’s alignment on the recordings with the famed Duke/ Peacock Records guitar session player I.J. Gosey.  Across the expanse of this delightful CD, the smart, jazzy blues shuffles seem so relaxed and free-flowing that it sounds as if they were recorded at some easy-going social event. 

Now, Gilliam’s voice would never be described as authoritative or strong, but here his rather delicate singing is always quite moving.  His tunes tend to fall on topics related to the good times in life, but one doesn’t turn to Gilliam’s blues first and foremost for his singing and songwriting.

No, Gilliam’s astounding proficiencies on the organ are the reason.  His high keyboard attributes could easily be branded as certain of the best ever.  And before I go any further, that lofty praise surely can be heaped upon Gilliam’s piano playing, as well, a feature of his arsenal that is robust and dynamic. 

Very much like the soulful jazz organ forays of the great Jimmy Smith, Gilliam’s merits are many.  He was certainly capable of bringing the beauty of the melding of blues and jazz keyboard sensibilities, yet his playing could also bring the greasiness when required, along with funk excursions, when warranted. 

The groove was everything with Gilliam, and when surrounded by sturdy rhythm sections, ideally phrasing guitarists, and low-end bass framers, Gilliam’s music achieved those delicious midpoints where firm party blues and those bluesy-jazz shuffles shine.  It all just seemed so effortless with Gilliam.

Gilliam obviously found great delight in his music, and his long, storied lineage of being a constant on the Texas blues landscape for many years no doubt afforded him the framework for his ever-pleasing blues.

As Gilliam is top-of-mind, I’d like to offer a brief overview of his life and career.

Earl Gilliam came into the world in mid-January, 1930 to Willie Marion Gilliam and Rose Cain Gilliam in New Waverly, Texas, a town in Walker County, a region in the Mideastern portion of the state.  Now, this initial detail of the place of Gilliam’s birth arises as an issue, as in a 2009 interview Gilliam himself indicates that he was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, though many more available and reliable resources indicate that he was born in New Waverly. Admittedly, at the time of the 2009 interview, Gilliam was becoming hazy on certain of his life’s details.  At the time, he had taken sick and had been hospitalized with a serious lung issue.

Regardless, Gilliam’s maternal side of the family was from Lafayette, and his paternal side was from New Waverly.  As a young boy, Gilliam had a terrible accident involving a lawn implement that essentially severed a portion of one of his fingers.  His mother did not believe in doctors and hospitals, and reattached the digit via a homespun method that resulted in the finger forever having a right-angle designation at the tip.  Looking forward, that would seem to be a detail that could definitely hinder a future keyboard artist.

Gilliam was one of ten children.  The exact time when he started becoming interested in the piano and learning to play it is unclear, but what is known is that at the age of 13 Gilliam began to look at the instrument in a more serious fashion.  He has stated that the entire family, all 12 of them, played the piano that was a part of the family’s home.

The other luxury, if you will, that the Gilliam family had was a radio, and on the device he heard a lot of country and western music, which makes sense given that the family’s home was in Texas.  By his own admission, Gilliam had no schooling whatsoever, yet through hearing songs on the radio only a time or two he discovered he had the capability to then replicate them on the piano.  It was an innate gift.

Like so many blues keyboard artists before him, Gilliam played piano and organ at the family’s church.  As he further developed his skill sets into his teen years, Gilliam played in a country and western band with his male siblings.  But a big impact was about to occur that forever shifted Gilliam’s musical focus.

By this time, he was living in Conroe, Texas in Montgomery County, a city a mere 17 miles south of New Waverly.  It was there that Gilliam first heard the blues, and by his own profession it changed his musical mindset.

In Houston, Texas, The Eldorado Ballroom was a grand palace of music.  At the age of 17, none other than the Texas blues giant, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown,” heard Gilliam play, and he was immediately taken by Gilliam’s powerful left hand bass excursions.  Brown wanted Gilliam to accompany him to Houston to play a show at The Eldorado Ballroom.  So, after obtaining permission from Gilliam’s parents for their son to travel the 41 miles south to play the show, Gilliam realized a goal of performing on his first professional show.

It was inevitable that Gilliam would embrace the blues, and he found himself ensconced in the city’s vibrant blues realm.  He eventually took up residence is Tomball, Texas, a Houston metropolitan area, and early in his time in the locale he continued to further perfect his keyboard and vocal skills, and then backed some of the state’s blues giants, including Ivory Lee Semien and Albert Collins.  When he was performing on his own, Gilliam would frequently play at the noted Hamilton Inn in Houston’s celebrated Fifth Ward, a musically rich area east of downtown Houston.

In the Third Ward in southeast Houston, one of the places to see and be heard for the city’s blues artists was at the renowned Shady’s Playhouse, a neighborhood blues joint that enjoys the long-standing reputation of having nurtured the careers of many of Houston’s blues talent during the 1950s and 1960s.  Traveling musicians would take up residence in the shotgun-style living quarters that were also on the property, in essence providing a huge melting pot of the blues where artists would interact and learn from one another.

In 1956 and 1957, Gilliam saw the release of four songs on the Sarg Records label (he was one of only two Black artists to record for the label), an imprint located in Luling, Texas.  Those songs were “Wrong Doing Woman,” “Petite Baby,” “Don’t Make Me Late, Baby,” and “Nobody’s Blues.”  Interestingly, Sarg Records was where country music giant Willie Nelson recorded and saw the release of first solo record.

Gilliam did see a release on the Houston, Texas-based Ivory Records label in 1972 with “Funky Twist” and “Going Back Home.”

But as Gilliam forged forward in his blues career, he saw himself, and performed almost exclusively, as a sideman to other blues greats like Joe “Guitar” Hughes, with whom he played with in the 1980s, and was present on three of Hughes’ CDs.  Gilliam did have a family, with his wife being named Carrie Jean.  Together they had ten children.  Interestingly, none of Gilliam’s children play music.

Once Hughes passed away in 2003, and still residing in Tomball, Gilliam chose to invite musicians to his home’s garage for informal jam sessions that became something of highly anticipated, big events.  His garage was affectionately known as “the doghouse,” and playing there was a celebrated experience.  It was around this time that Gilliam met the aforementioned Gosey.

The garage sessions were all-encompassing community celebrations, with Gilliam’s wife having cooked all sorts of food, with the Gilliam’s asking for donations to cover expenses.  It was a place that brought everyone living in the area closer together.

There were many other Texas bluesmen Gilliam played with including Lightnin’ Hopkins, a man who Gilliam found as a challenge to perform with due to Hopkins’ propensity to change time and keys frequently.  He also performed with Johnny “Clyde” Copeland and others from Texas, in addition to blues titan Albert King.  Giliam found King too rough on his bandmates, and left his band over his coarse treatment of his sidemen.

In his later years, a much frailer looking Gilliam still pounded out booming piano chords, while that ever-nimble right hand of his would curlicue among runs that suited whatever genre of music he and his various bands would tackle; blues, jazz, pop, funk, or whatever else was in-the-moment.  And remember, Gilliam was a giant on the organ, and his work on that instrument was also a key part of the proceedings.  But above all, a resonant depth of soul remained at the heart of his music.  The “feeling” was always the thing.

Probably his later-period band with Gosey, Fred Arceneaux on bass, and Jackie Gray on drums was his best, one that conveyed the whole of his musical inspirations and experiences.  There was a very deep chemistry amongst the four. 

Gilliam’s later-life lung issues forced him to stop smoking and performing anywhere smoking was allowed.  Even at his home garage events, smoking was not permitted.  But it really didn’t slow him down. 

Gilliam died peaceably at his Tomball home in late October, 2011.

For those interested in Gilliam’s work, below are recordings that should be of interest.

• Earl Gilliam – Texas Doghouse Blues – Dialtone Records DT0011
• Various Artists – Blues & Rhythm – The Sarg Records Story (1950-1970) – Collectables COL-CD-5260
• Various Artists – Houston Shuffle (Texas R&B 1955-1966) – Krazy Kat LP 7425