BLUES MAN :: LITTLE JOE WASHINGTON

Its been a while since I've been to a blues show. Growing up in New Orleans, we took the blues for granted.  It was everywhere.  Literally everywhere.  There was always a horn player on a street corner in the French Quarter or Irma Thomas or Rebirth Brass Band or Kermit Ruffin or one of the Marseilles brothers playing somewhere.  Or some kids on the way home from school tapping on a snare drum, blowing a tuba, or a trombone, or shaking a tambourine playing little bits of old time brass blues songs while their friends second line behind them.  It wasn't until I became a grown up and moved away from New Orleans that I realized all this just didn't go on in other cities.  I didn't know legendary jazz and blues musicians didn't play in the neighborhood bar and I certainly wasn't going to hear live music flowing out to the streets every time I turned the corner. And, its been a long time since those days I lived in New Orleans.

Last night, I went to Boondocks to check out Little Joe Washington, a legendary Houston blues man.  My neighbor Chrystene told me about Little Joe, about his legendary playing, often rolling up to the club on a bike.  Curiosity got the better of me so I had to go see for myself.  

Little Joe Washington plays at Boondocks on Tuesdays.  Nothing could prepare me for this experience.  I heard Little Joe plays by his own rules.  He plays for about 20 or 25 minutes.  He's often late for his own shows.  I heard that Little Joe can play the guitar with his teeth.  I heard he's damn near a musical genius.  All of these rumors are 100% true.

I got there at nine pm, the time the show was supposed to start.  Little Joe appeared from the shadows and began to play around eleven.  He actually did play the guitar with his teeth.  And his leg, his behind, and the back of his leg.  He laid the guitar on the ground and picked the strings into pure blues.  He went from rollicking good time blues songs such as 'Sweet Home Chicago' and switched the entire arrangement to a down tempo version of oldie but goodie 'Down Home Blues,' and took it back up to rock infused blues  - and this is just one song!  He definitely looks like a blues man with a beat up guitar and long well worn trench coat.  And Little Joe is old.  I mean way up there - and he didn't miss a beat to talk major ish in the middle of quite a few songs.

Little Joe Washington made me remember the blues of my youth, the blues rooted deep in the heart of American music.  Without the blues, there would be no rock and roll, rhythm and blues, hip hop or country - all of our innovative music is built on the foundation of the blues.

I had a great time and as they say in New Orleans, Little Joe Washington knows how to le bon temps roulette!

To learn more about Little Joe Washington, go here:  http://www.littlejoewashington.com/

or here:http://newsfixnow.com/2012/10/26/blues-legend-little-joe-washington/


https://www.facebook.com/boondocks.houston?fref=ts


A good time was had by all.