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James Cotton

Midnight Creeper - The Complete 1967 Live Montreal Sessions

Label: Just A Memory | Blues | September 24, 2002

Format

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Credits

Bobby Anderson
bass

Francis Clay
drums

James Cotton
harmonica and voice

Albert Gianquinto
piano

Luther Tucker
guitar

Production Credits

Tracks

No
Title
Duration
Excerpts
1-01
Intro
00:00:22
1-02
Honky Tonk
00:04:17
1-03
Woke Up This Morning
00:04:03
1-04
Black Night
00:03:44
1-05
Feelin' Good
00:04:54
1-06
Mean Old World
00:05:21
1-07
Mother In Law Blues
00:02:54
1-08
Every Day I Have The Blues
00:03:26
1-09
Tramp
00:04:59
1-10
Nine Below Zero
00:03:47
1-11
That's Alright
00:03:45
1-12
Rock Me Baby
00:03:53
1-13
Rocket 88
00:02:46
1-14
I Got You
00:02:33
1-15
There Is Something On Your Mind
00:05:36
1-16
Money Honey
00:02:57
1-17
I Dont Know
00:03:00
1-18
Good Time Charlie
00:03:48
1-19
It Ain't Right
00:04:06
1-20
Knock On Wood
00:02:40
2-01
It Was A Very Good Year
00:03:54
2-02
Mystery Train
00:04:26
2-03
She's My Baby
00:02:35
2-04
One More Mile
00:03:13
2-05
How Sweet It Is
00:03:42
2-06
I Can't Quit You Baby
00:03:39
2-07
Sweet Sixteen
00:07:16
2-08
Midnight Creeper
00:08:03
2-09
Hoochie Coochie Man
00:04:09
2-10
Stormy Monday
00:06:09
2-11
Work Song
00:06:09
2-12
Dealing With The Devil
00:04:04
2-13
Turn On Your Love Light / Please, Please, Please
00:10:24
2-14
Youre So Fine
00:05:49

Liner Notes

Back some fifty years or so, at a Memphis shoeshine stand across the street from the W.C. Handy Bar, a nine-year old kid was earning his Iiving snapping leather. Already a veteran of his trade in three states by then, he understood the importance of playing to the people. Between shines, his back flips and somersaults drew the crowds that provided his bread and butter. And, maybe, they were also for the joy of knowing he was now going to be honing his harmonica skills under the legendary Sonny Boy Williamson II. Within three years, Jimmy Cotton (as he was then known) would be performing at local clubs, his reputation eventually landing him a stint with Howlin Wolf. This was followed by twelve more, replacing his mentor Sonny Boy in Muddy Waters band. During this time, he recorded several albums with Muddy, and even one of his own (with Otis Spann) as the Jimmy Cotton Quartet. But despite having the greatest respect for the band and their music, James was now feeling the confidence and need to showcase his own evolving sound. Accordingly, he passed up the prospect of steady work with Muddy, and struck out on his own. His many years on tour gave him the contacts he needed to form a rocking band of his own. Freed from constraints as Sonny Boys replacement, James steered his own group to a jumpier, more danceable music than most blues bands of that day were putting down. The emphasis was on the Memphis Sound then dominating the airwaves, but with Jamess now distinctive stamp on the material. The repertoire drew on a wide cross-section of Black music. What distinguished this bands versions was the Cotton imprimatur - a blues twist that emphasized the common roots of widely differing often-commercial genres. James had, after all, played with and known many of the artists associated with these songs, and was in an excellent position to interpret them faithfully. A typical performance in those days would have James mixing offbeat humor with lively vocals and extended solo flights on the harp, saving some of his now-patented acrobatics for a grande finale. Wooing audiences more accustomed to sitting in quiet reverence for their blues heroes, James would soon have them dancing in what limited space was available.

September, l967. The wee small hours in partytown, Montreal. Young James Cotton is stepping onto the stage to join his sidemen for the nights last set. The band is now barely a month old, and first-timer Francis Clay is replacing the ailing regular drummer Sam Lay. So far, the youngbloods have danced their way through the first part of the night with a mix of blues, R & B and soul standards, and the early-nighters are greatly pleased. But the band knows that at this hour they are playing to their toughest critics - hard-core bluesophiles - who wake to their music at midnight. Theyve come to hear some classics, played by the man who for all those years blew with The Man - Muddy himself -before forming this group. The smoke thickened, the crowd swelled, and noise levels abated. This audience was here to give serious ear. As if in response, on-stage acrobatics were toned down. The group, which had grown so close while crashing at James place in Chicago until ready to hit the road, centered their collective energies more on the notes and less on the stage. The result is an impeccably chosen set, highly charged and deeply bluesy. James leads the way himself, the tunes showcasing the varied harp styles he had by now mastered.

That these CDs exists at all is a happy tribute to both modern technology and good old-fashioned perseverance. When we originally reviewed these tapes we were somewhat hobbled by the recording quality of the originals, especially by todays standards. As well, a certain inevitable deterioration - thirty some-odd years since their making, added to the daunting nature of the task. Despite our best efforts and enthusiasm, this material has had to languish in obscurity awaiting technical solutions. Fortunately, generational leaps in audio technology in recent years permitted a re-evaluation of the remaining material. New restoration technology renewed our optimism as we once more delved through the tapes. That optimism has not been without foundation. The results are all we had hoped for.

I might personally add my own tribute by mentioning that in all these years of following his long and varied career, I have never seen James deliver less than his all, to audiences large or small, good or bad. They were all James friends. Each night he would bring them a fresh show, no small feat when considering the six weeks of dates the band played in Montreal that year of years for us all. Ironically, that same total devotion to his fans has, with the passage of time, cost James dearly. His vocals are now severely curtailed, and he can no longer perform much of this material. Fortunately, his own eclectic nature has helped him bend like the very reeds he blows, and his constantly evolving style continues to garner award after award, as well as new friends and fans everywhere. For them, and for us older fans, his young voice has once again been resurrected here, and these tunes added to the Cotton legacy. That is one of this series happiest achievements.

Michael Nerenberg (excerpts from the original liner notes)

Montreal back then? That was a great town - a great town! I remember that rooming house where we all stayed did a lot of our own cooking and those clubs wed go over to between sets. While I was touring with my new band, I got to listening to these tapes, and they sounded so good brought back so many memories - I couldnt stop play ing them. After a long while, the guys would come in and lower the volume, but Id soon have it up again, getting back into it. You know, that group was more than just a back-up band-they were my real good friends. Other than Francis (Clay) theyre all gone now. I like to think that these albums are a tribute to their memories and those times.

James Cotton