Night of Champions
Posted on March 22, 2010 with 0 commentsFriday march 12 was truly a Night of Champions, Pilgrims.
Dougie and Tom scraped some dough from The Fez Monkey Records Fund and visited Larry Holmes’ Ringside Lounge and Restaurant for the big David “Honeyboy” Edwards show. It was a knockout!
At the ripe young age of 94, Honeyboy is one of the last surviving original links to the real lineage of Delta Blues: he listened to Charlie Patton play, and Robert Johnson was one of his pals. Alan Lomax recorded Honeyboy in Clarksdale in 1942; he traveled for years with Big Joe Williams and was in Chicago in the 1950’s with all the usual suspects: Muddy, Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Sunnyland Slim, Big Walter, Johnny Shines, etc. He is truly an American Treasure. He still records and gigs on occasion, and as he remarked to Dougie when we thanked him for playing out, “I just keep winnin’, don’t I?”
It is very rare to hear this sort of unfiltered blues anymore…Honeyboy’s style is fierce and direct, and does not stick to standard 12-bar blues forms—it’s all based on feel and being “in the moment”— and his friend, manager and touring partner for over 30 years, Michael Frank, played some excellent backup harp behind him. Honeyboy’s vocals kicked ass, and after a few songs he really warmed up.
He was also accompanied on guitar by NYC veteran Michael Packer of The Michael Packer Blues Band, who were a solid opening act (they had a good harp player). Packer had a few rough moments trying to follow Honeyboy’s style, but he clearly was living a dream and probably crapping himself somewhat, being on stage with a master, and he kept his volume fairly low.
We chatted with Honeyboy backstage during the break, and he was clearly more lucid than we have ever been.
We also got to hang a bit with The Easton Assassin himself, Larry Holmes, a cool guy workin’ an awesome suit and rock n' roll shoes, who was obviously enjoying his hometown club and the appreciative crowd.
Larry was Heavyweight Champion of the World when that actually meant something , and his Hall of Fame fight career is well documented on the walls of the club with magazine covers, plaques and trophies. No split decision on this one, Pilgrims…it was a GREAT night!
http://www.davidhoneyboyedwards.com/
