Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell – Alligator ALCD 4702 

Imagine a Mount Rushmore memorial of blues harmonica, one based upon the individual and shared genius four bluesmen brought to the instrument, and the blues overall.  For any foreign reader, the Mount Rushmore National Memorial is in the U.S. state of South Dakota and depicts four U.S. presidents via a massive sculpture carved into the granite face of the Black Hills location.  These presidents, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Thomas Jefferson, individually and collectively represent especially important events in the history of the U.S.

Now, again considering the Mount Rushmore of blues harmonica geniuses.  Certainly, John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson belongs in that group due to his prolific blues recording career, and his vast inspiration on many aspiring blues harmonica artists.  Secondly, blues harmonica titan, Little Walter, is a definite inhabitant of the memorial, given his revolutionary utilization of amplification in his harmonica excursions, his command of the chromatic harmonica, and his catalog of blues hits.  Thirdly, no memorial of blues harmonica masters would be complete without representation of Rice Miller aka “Sonny Boy Williamson II” due to his proficiency of extracting all manner of sounds from his harmonica effort, his wry singing style, and his bigger-than-life personality that complemented his creativity.  Finally, Big Walter Horton would provide the fourth and final presence to the envisioned blues commemoration, necessarily so due to the profound emphasis he gave to tone, structure, and touch via his astounding utilization of the humble blues harmonica.

A full background on Horton is not the purpose of this writing, as there are so many aspects of his life that contributed to the eventual harmonica intellect he became, the scope of which will be addressed in a full artist profile in the future.  For now, the focus is on this rightfully-heralded 1972 recording.

Fresh off of the inaugural 1971 Alligator Records release by Hound Dog Taylor And The HouseRockers, company founder, Bruce Iglauer, made a brilliant decision to present Horton with Carey Bell, 12 years Horton’s junior, in a collaboration meant to showcase the master and the protégé plying their individual and collective blues energies and talents.  This was only the second full album by Horton, with the first being an Argo label release, that while chocked-full of Horton’s sincere efforts, it didn’t capture the extent of his wide-ranging blues capabilities, both vocally and on harmonica.  Also, this Alligator Records opportunity was one where Horton was given free reign to select the backing musicians on his outing.  As such, Horton chose acclaimed Chicago blues guitarist, Eddie Taylor, a long-time associate and playing partner from his Memphis days, as the session’s guitar player, along with Joe Harper on bass, and Frank Swan on drums, the last two gentlemen being Carey Bell’s bass player and Willie Dixon’s percussionist, respectively.

Labeling Carey Bell strictly as a protégé of Horton is perhaps somewhat of a stretch, as Bell was a fairly well-developed blues harmonica player and vocalist by the time of this recording.  However, when Bell and his band would play the southside Chicago blues joints, Horton would often stop-by to sit-in with the band, engaging in what were said to be phenomenal harmonica jam workouts with Bell.  But, it would be an inaccuracy to indicate that Bell was not constantly learning from the elder Horton, and that the lessons learned from him during these sessions were invaluable in continuing to craft Bell’s blues harmonica character. 

Depending on which of Horton’s purported years of birth is used, it is safe to say that he was 50 years of age, give or take a year or two, at the time of this recording.  Horton is in fine voice over the duration of this collection.  There are carefree vocal excursions such as that found on “Have A Good Time”, sincere deliveries from the heart, like those found on “Christine” (which is an ode to his daughter of the same name), and searing lamentations that come from some deep well of emotions as heard on “Trouble In Mind”.  Blues fans often cite Horton as the blues harmonica virtuoso that he was at the expense of really listening to his unfaltering vocal aptitudes.

Horton’s harmonica playing here is a textbook of tone and touch.  Of course, there’s power and self-assuredness, and feeling by-the-pound, but as a whole, an overall texture of gentleness pervades Horton’s harmonica labors.  To be sure, such as on “Have A Good Time”, Horton can play in a bouncing, lively cadence, sure to provoke the listener to tap their feet.  But the layers of subdued warbles, trills, extended notes, and flowing single notes, combined with the integrated spacing of his notes and runs, is proof positive of Horton’s brilliant capacity to truly understand melodic dynamics.  His utilization of the required perfect volume is also a grand study of how to not overplay.  Sheer genius on all counts.

Carey Bell finds this opportunity to record with Horton the ideal framework for his unique blues harmonica style.  Before those are addressed, it is important to note that Bell plays bass on “Have A Good Time” and “Christine”, and does so with fine aplomb.  Listening to Bell’s bass line burble and bounce on “Have A Good Time” indicates that he was more than serviceable on the instrument.  But Bell’s harmonica is in focus over the course of this collection, and whether he is offering counter-point to Horton’s harmonica solos, or taking the solos, his playing displays the unique ringing and vibrating standards the world came to know him for during the course of his hallowed career.  There is an emphasis on dynamics, allowing the two blues harmonicists to create a wall of blues sound.

Both harmonica aces, as would be accurately anticipated, advance solos of taste and distinction.

What is highly-apparent as a result of listening to the entirety of this album is that both Horton and Bell obviously had great reverence for one another, and as blues musicians, exhibited a thoughtfulness and communicative spirit that ultimately served this project well.

Eddie Taylor’s guitar work is at one time economical, always restrained yet lurking, but not so far away as to disappear totally into the background.  An already-idolized Chicago blues great in his own right, Taylor’s history of backing other blues musicians served him well here, notwithstanding that by the time of this collection, he had played with Horton on-and-off for roughly 30 years.  Taylor provides sinewy lines that weave the idyllic backing into every blues here.

Harper’s bass undertones complement on all fronts, and Swan’s drumming is assured and steady.  The meld of the two provides a bottom end that structurally supports each blues to a high degree.

Among the many blues show posters I have in my blues room, two stand out.  Both are for shows that featured Big Walter Horton that took place in my hometown area.  I pass by them daily, and I am constantly reminded of his genius and influence.  Certainly, Horton recorded for many labels over his lengthy blues career, either solo or in support of others.  His classic Sun label “Easy”, with Jimmy DeBerry, rightfully stands as one of the masterpieces of blues.  His Blind Pig label output was nothing short of extraordinary, and who can forget his harmonica solo on Jimmy Rogers’ “Walking By Myself”?

For my money, however, Big Walter Horton And Carey Bell belongs in every blues collection.  It represents the work of a blues harmonica titan at the top of his game, and shed light on what was to come from Carey Bell.  Highly-recommended!