It’s long been said that you have to live the blues in order to play them. Whether you believe in this notion or not, it would be difficult to argue that anyone performing on the blues scene today has felt the blues more than Louisiana Red. Born Iverson Minter in Bessemer, Alabama on June 23, 1932, Red has overcome adversity at virtually every step of his life. His songs are powerful and passionate and reflect both his tragic childhood and life struggles.
His life sadly began with the death of his mother to pneumonia when Red was only seven days old. When he was five years old the KKK murdered his Father. At that point he was shuffled between family members where he was abused physically and psychologically. He also spent two years in an orphanage, where he suffered further abuse. His solace throughout these difficult times was music. Making his first instrument at age nine out of an old cigar box and rubber bands, he was encouraged greatly by his grandfather, a self-taught bottleneck guitarist who gave Red his first real guitar – an old Kay acoustic that he still has in his possession. While living in Pittsburgh he became a protégé of local legend Crit Walters, and even received encouragement from John Lee “Sonny Boy†Williamson, who gave Red a Hohner Old Standby harmonica.
At the age of sixteen, he lied about his age and joined the army, serving in Korea. After his honorable discharge, and a brief stint in New Jersey, he found himself in Chicago where he recorded a handful of tracks for the Checker label, a subsidiary of Chess Records, featuring Little Walter on harmonica and Muddy Waters assisting on guitar. This allowed him to hit the thriving Southside blues joints where he wound up playing with Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, and Baby Face Leroy, learning from them, and helping to develop their styles. Perhaps his greatest inspiration, however, came when he moved to Detroit and found himself playing with John Lee Hooker, the final piece of the puzzle that would make up Red’s style.
In recent years Red has found himself incredibly busy. Now residing in Hanover, Germany, Red spends a couple of months every year touring the United States. He also spends a great deal of time touring throughout Europe and other countries. He now has over a dozen albums under his belt, and still continues to record and write new material. He plays both traditional acoustic and urban electric styles, with lyrics both honest and often remarkably personal. He continues to connect with audiences throughout the world and, as he puts it, “Plays the blues… hard.â€
Quotes
“…the blues don’t get any better than this.†–Jazz & Blues Report
“From stone Delta blues to Funk, this guitarist can play it all†–Living Blues
“…few can match his fusion of musical precision and uncompromising honesty.†–Chicago Reader
“…the crowd knew they’d stumbled onto something really special.†–Blues Access
On Driftin', red is reunited with the tight band that helped make his Millennium Blues album such a success ... This set is once again characterized by Red's musically eclectic and lyrically introspective approach to the blues ... The set list also includes several solo efforts ... Longtime fans will find this a welcome addition to his recent catalog, while newcomers will do well to start here." - Peter R. Aschoff, Living Blues Magazine
"The intimacy created just draws the listener in. Half the CD is down home, acoustic country blues. Red plays music so raw and personal you'd swear you were walking through some slapboard shantytown in the Deep South listening to Red playing on his porch. The remainer of the cuts which use a band and it's sound is best described by the term popularized by John Fogerty, chooglin' blues. It seems to be a loose amalgam of players obviously having a lot of fun. This recording ... fells organic ... Louisiana Red with this album solidifies his reputation as a consummate storyteller in song ... a conveyor of intensely emotion material ..." - Brian Augustine, Blues Connection
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.earwigmusic.com
Track List:
1. Driftin'
2. Hard Hard Time
3. Bring Me Some Water
4. Leaving Grandma
5. In The Garden
6. The Day I Met B.B. King
7. Keep Your Hands On the Plow
8. Teddy Bear/Cootie In the Gump Stump
9. Getting Weaker Day By Day
10. I Met Lightnin' Hopkins
11. Chankity Chank Chank
12. Baby, You Gonna Miss Me
13. Powder Room Blues
14. Train Station Blues
15. He Will See You Through
Suggested CDs:
His life sadly began with the death of his mother to pneumonia when Red was only seven days old. When he was five years old the KKK murdered his Father. At that point he was shuffled between family members where he was abused physically and psychologically. He also spent two years in an orphanage, where he suffered further abuse. His solace throughout these difficult times was music. Making his first instrument at age nine out of an old cigar box and rubber bands, he was encouraged greatly by his grandfather, a self-taught bottleneck guitarist who gave Red his first real guitar – an old Kay acoustic that he still has in his possession. While living in Pittsburgh he became a protégé of local legend Crit Walters, and even received encouragement from John Lee “Sonny Boy†Williamson, who gave Red a Hohner Old Standby harmonica.
At the age of sixteen, he lied about his age and joined the army, serving in Korea. After his honorable discharge, and a brief stint in New Jersey, he found himself in Chicago where he recorded a handful of tracks for the Checker label, a subsidiary of Chess Records, featuring Little Walter on harmonica and Muddy Waters assisting on guitar. This allowed him to hit the thriving Southside blues joints where he wound up playing with Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, and Baby Face Leroy, learning from them, and helping to develop their styles. Perhaps his greatest inspiration, however, came when he moved to Detroit and found himself playing with John Lee Hooker, the final piece of the puzzle that would make up Red’s style.
In recent years Red has found himself incredibly busy. Now residing in Hanover, Germany, Red spends a couple of months every year touring the United States. He also spends a great deal of time touring throughout Europe and other countries. He now has over a dozen albums under his belt, and still continues to record and write new material. He plays both traditional acoustic and urban electric styles, with lyrics both honest and often remarkably personal. He continues to connect with audiences throughout the world and, as he puts it, “Plays the blues… hard.â€
Quotes
“…the blues don’t get any better than this.†–Jazz & Blues Report
“From stone Delta blues to Funk, this guitarist can play it all†–Living Blues
“…few can match his fusion of musical precision and uncompromising honesty.†–Chicago Reader
“…the crowd knew they’d stumbled onto something really special.†–Blues Access
On Driftin', red is reunited with the tight band that helped make his Millennium Blues album such a success ... This set is once again characterized by Red's musically eclectic and lyrically introspective approach to the blues ... The set list also includes several solo efforts ... Longtime fans will find this a welcome addition to his recent catalog, while newcomers will do well to start here." - Peter R. Aschoff, Living Blues Magazine
"The intimacy created just draws the listener in. Half the CD is down home, acoustic country blues. Red plays music so raw and personal you'd swear you were walking through some slapboard shantytown in the Deep South listening to Red playing on his porch. The remainer of the cuts which use a band and it's sound is best described by the term popularized by John Fogerty, chooglin' blues. It seems to be a loose amalgam of players obviously having a lot of fun. This recording ... fells organic ... Louisiana Red with this album solidifies his reputation as a consummate storyteller in song ... a conveyor of intensely emotion material ..." - Brian Augustine, Blues Connection
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.earwigmusic.com
Track List:
1. Driftin'
2. Hard Hard Time
3. Bring Me Some Water
4. Leaving Grandma
5. In The Garden
6. The Day I Met B.B. King
7. Keep Your Hands On the Plow
8. Teddy Bear/Cootie In the Gump Stump
9. Getting Weaker Day By Day
10. I Met Lightnin' Hopkins
11. Chankity Chank Chank
12. Baby, You Gonna Miss Me
13. Powder Room Blues
14. Train Station Blues
15. He Will See You Through
Suggested CDs:
- Liz Mandville Greeson
- Johnny Yard Dog Jones
- Johnny Drummer
- Big Jack Johnson
- Lil Ed and Dave Weld
- H-Bomb Ferguson
- Jimmy Dawkins
- BLUES: Chicago Style
- BLUES: Guitar Blues
- FEATURING GUITAR