Johnny B. Moore – 911 Blues – Wolf Records 120.873 CD 

Back when I was toiling over my Master of Liberal Studies Degree thesis while at Indiana University, an endeavor that dealt with the notion of travel in blues lyrics, I knew that I also wanted to include an appendix to my work that would be a recommended blues discography of 50 essential blues recordings that I believed would form the base of a solid blues collection.  This, like the work attached to my thesis proper, would be labor intensive, as how does someone like me, a rabid blues fan with both a discerning ear and a voluminous collection, even begin to identify those blues recordings deemed as essential?  In the end, I decided to follow my best instincts, and the discography I created, now some 22 plus years later, still stands tall upon its envisioned intentions.

The peril in attempting such a task is that inevitably one’s own biases will rise to the surface, and I agree that mine are evident.  But overall, I feel that the discography quite capably fulfilled the goals of assisting a burgeoning blues fan to begin assembling their blues recording cache.

One of the blues recordings I recommend as essential at the time was Johnny B. Moore’s 911 Blues, and pulling it from my CD racks and listening to it today, it still elicits a profound sense of blues excitement for me, and even now supremely exemplifies those blues sounds I was hearing in the Chicago blues venues of the 1980s and 1990s.  In short, it holds-up exceptionally well. 

Moore, a west side Chicago blues guitarist and singer, most notably came from the ranks of one of bluesman Willie Kent’s best band assemblages.  Early in his development, Moore was mentored by blues titan Jimmy Reed, and played in the bands of blues giant Willie Dixon, and that of Chicago’s “Queen Of The Blues” Koko Taylor.  By the time of these recordings, Moore had firmly established himself as a modern blues master.  Moore’s guitar style owes deep debts of gratitude to Magic Sam and Muddy Waters.  He was never one to overplay the instrument; rather, he relied upon subtle shades of texturing and volume to present his work.  Additionally, Moore had always been truly dedicated to making acoustic guitar work parts of both his live shows and studio work, paying homage to blues pioneers like Robert Wilkins, Lightning Hopkins, and Fred McDowell.  This versatility and humility toward the roots of the blues made Moore a favorite around the world, recognizing him as a true student of the blues. 

His vocals were laced with a world-weary quality that made their authenticity not open to suspicion.  He learned his vocal lessons early in gospel music as a child, and his ability to reach back for the necessary emotive level allowed him to be sincerely received during performance and on recording. 

Moore was an energetic performer who worked countless club dates at the time of these recordings, and that schedule allowed him to refine and tighten his art to a fine quality.  Like the younger Chicago bluesman Vance Kelly, at the time, Moore too was a young lion of the blues with the potential to be a torchbearer who could carry the music well into the new millennium.

Unfortunately, a 2008 stroke incapacitated Moore, and he fell, for the most part, off the blues scene.  He did reemerge on a Saturday at Bob Koester’s Bob’ Blues & Jazz Mart a few years back during an in-house performance, but now is no longer active.

Nonetheless, as a portrayal of Chicago blues of the 1980s and 1990s, this blues collection stands the test of time for its relevance for the period represented.  With special guests Chicago harmonica great Billy Branch, Muddy Waters band alum and blues star in his own right guitarist John Primer, blues saxophone master Eddie Shaw, the aforementioned blues bassist and bandleader Willie Kent, and a whole host of others, this blues excursion by Johnny B. Moore drips with classic Chicago blues. 

Moore was on the cusp of greatness, and was really, at the time of these recordings, still something of a well-kept blues secret in Chicago.  His medical issues silenced a top-tier Chicago bluesman on the way up.  Thankfully, this musical document of his brand of vibrant blues endures.

This is highly-essential blues, indeed!