Elmore James w/ Sam Myers On Drums
c.n.
this track. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZ9eXuBSFlE
chuck
Blues-L web site: http://www.netspace.org/~blues-l/
Archives & web interface: http://lists.netspace.org/archives/blues-l.html
NetSpace LISTSERV(R) software donated by L-Soft, Inc. http://www.lsoft.com
To unsubscribe from BLUES-L, send an email with the message UNSUBSCRIBE BLUES-L to: list...@lists.netspace.org
c. n.
chuck
> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:24:50 -0500
> From: check...@YAHOO.COM
> Subject: Re: Elmore James w/ Sam Myers On Drums
> To: BLU...@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG; cne...@HOTMAIL.COM
> CC: check...@YAHOO.COM
>
> I never saw Sam play drums live, which may have something to do with why I
> DO doubt that it's him on "Knocking At Your Door". Also, that's a track
> that was recorded for Chief in Chicago in 1957, which I think was before
> Sam was associated with Elmore. When I asked Sam about his drumming once,
> he said he'd played drums on an Elmore session for Bobby Robinson's Fire
> label; the most likely candidate for that session would have to be
> Elmore's 1961 session in New Orleans, where he's backed by King Mose and
> The Royal Rockers, the band Sam was in at the time. Sam definitely plays
> harp on one song, "Look On Yonder Wall", and may have taken over the drums
> from King Mose on one of the other three tracks cut that day. My money is
> on "Sunnyland Train", the last track recorded at the session, which has
> some very basic, unadorned drumming on it - it's good, solid drumming, but
> it's the least fancy performance from that session, and something that IMO
> would more likely be played by someone who isn't a full-time drummer.
>
> Scott
>
> PS - the standard discographies credit Odie Payne as the drummer
> on "Knocking At Your Door", which given the relative sophistication of the
> drumming and Payne's already-long history with Elmore, *I believe* (pun
> intended.)
c. n.
Go to http://koti.mbnet.fi/wdd/sammyers.htm and scroll down to Chief 7020.
chuck
has...@aol.com
and he always stated that he had known and played with
Elmore James since the early 50's until his death in 63'.
He knew Lillian McMurray, Sonnyboy and Elmore from
Jackson, Mississippi where they all resided. Sam told me that he
and Elmore used to run together, and they made moonshine together
in the woods down near the old reservoir, over near where the airport
is now located. Sam did tell me he would play drums with Elmore off
and on throught the years. It is possible that he would play with Elmore
on frequent visits to Jackson from Chicago, I am not certain.
I do feel there was a time in the 50's where he was primarily a drummer.
Does that mean that he did a major amount of recording with him?
Probably not. The sessions that Scott mentions done in New Orleans
at Cossimo Matissa's studio he definitely did. He also told me he did
a session with Elmore in New York in 63' for Bobby Robinson
(Elmore's last Sessions).
Actually hearing the drumming on this Elmore cut, it does sound like
Sam's drumming. Through the years here in Dallas i got to play with
Sam on the drums a number of times. The quality i would say about his
drumming that stood out the most to me was a huge use of circus style
rolls even in a shuffle beat, similar to SP Leary's drumming, very old timey.
HB
P.W. Fenton
> The quality i would say about his
> drumming that stood out the most to me was a huge use of circus style
> rolls even in a shuffle beat, similar to SP Leary's drumming, very old timey.
When you say "circus style" do you mean like "marching band" type cadences?
P.W. Fenton
Hudson, Florida
has...@aol.com
I mean that there we're a bunch of rolls in his
fills in between the beat, similar to SP Leary's drumming style.
-----Original Message-----
From: P.W. Fenton <pwfe...@radiofreeradio.org>
To: has...@aol.com
Cc: BLU...@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG
Sent: Thu, Nov 19, 2009 2:44 pm
Subject: Re: Elmore James w/ Sam Myers On Drums
On Nov 19, 2009, at 14:36 , has...@aol.com wrote:
> The quality i would say about his
> drumming that stood out the most to me was a huge use of circus style
> rolls even in a shuffle beat, similar to SP Leary's drumming, very old timey.
When you say "circus style" do you mean like "marching band" type cadences?
P.W. Fenton
Hudson, Florida=
gtrmac
with Elmore Before he played Harmonica.. Sammy played with Elmore James
from 1952 to 1963.Until Elmore Death.. Here is a link you can Check Out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Myers
Guitar Mac.
http://www.guitarmac.com
http://www.songcastmusic.com/profiles/GuitarMac
http://www.myspace.com/guitarmac
http://www.myspace.com/guitarmac1
http://www.youtube.com/guitarmac555
http://www/soundclick.com/gtrmac
has...@aol.com
The only thing I would is that Sam did spend
a few years in Chicago in the mid 50's.
I am not certain of the time line, but I do know that
he was very friendly with both Jimmie Rogers
and Robert Junior Lockwood. He was a junior
member, he told me they called him 'schoolboy',
and I think he would mainly do chores and be a gopher
for them.
HB
-----Original Message-----
From: Scott <check...@YAHOO.COM>
To: BLU...@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG; has...@AOL.COM
Cc: Scott Dirks <check...@YAHOO.COM>
Sent: Fri, Nov 20, 2009 12:30 pm
Subject: Re: Elmore James w/ Sam Myers On Drums
Hash knew Sam a lot better than I did, and as I mentioned before, I never
heard Sam play drums live, so Hash's knowledge and opinion carries a lot of
weight. And I do agree with him completely about Sam's presence on the New
Orleans and New York sessions.
But I'm not convinced it's Sam on drums on the Chief session. Here are a
few reasons why:
It may be a faulty assumption on my part, but I've always gotten the
impression that Elmore had a "Chicago band" and a "Mississipi band". In
other words, during the periods when he lived in the south, he played with
guys he knew down there, and when he lived in Chicago, he played with
Chicago guys. This is evidenced on his Chicago recording sessions - he had
a pretty steady line up on records from his first Chicago session c. 1952
up until he signed with New York-based Fire c. 1959. That line up included
Odie Payne on drums on virtually every Chicago session except for one
(which featured Chicago's OTHER top blues drummer, Fred Below.) The
assumption being, when he decided to move to Chicago (which he did a few
times) he didn't bring musicians with him, and when he moved back down
south, he didn't take his Chicago guys with him. Since Sam was one of
Elmore's southern guys - and as far as I know, didn't spend much time if
any living in Chicago - it doesn't make much sense that Sam would have come
here for just this one session in 1957.
Related to the above, Chief was a local, low-budget label. It seems very
unlikely they would have brought in a drummer from out of town to play on
this session, when Elmore's regular drummer from both his recording and
performing band was already here.
If Sam was drumming on the "Knocking At My Door" session, that means that
Odie Payne wasn't. But the other songs from that session - 12 Year Old
Boy, Coming Home, It Hurts Me Too, Elmore's Contribution To Jazz - all
sound like Odie Payne's drumming to me. None of this is in any way meant
to disparage Sam (whom I am a big fan of, and who seemed like a really
decent guy), but if he could play drums like Odie Payne, why didn't he do
more sessions or get more recognition as a drummer?
The Chicago recording studios and labels at the time adhered pretty
strictly to the musicians union regulations - violation could mean that
their "recording license" (yes, there was such a thing at one time) could
be revoked, effectively putting them out of business. Sam would have had
to be in Chicago Local 208, but his name never came up in any of the
searches I did of the Local 208 records. As far as I know this is the only
Chicago session from that era that Sam was ever credited as being on, but
it wouldn't have made much sense for Sam to go to the trouble and expense
of joining the union for just this one session.
Of course most of the above is strictly my own observations and opinion.
I've been wrong before, and I'll certainly be wrong again. So I'm not
saying it's impossible, but based on what I know, it does seem very
unlikely that it's Sam on drums on "Knocking At Your Door".
Scott
On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:36:51 -0500, has...@aol.com wrote:
> I interviewed Sam a number of times,
>and he always stated that he had known and played with
>Elmore James since the early 50's until his death in 63'.
>He knew Lillian McMurray, Sonnyboy and Elmore from
>Jackson, Mississippi where they all resided. Sam told me that he
>and Elmore used to run together, and they made moonshine together
>in the woods down near the old reservoir, over near where the airport
>is now located. Sam did tell me he would play drums with Elmore off
>and on throught the years. It is possible that he would play with Elmore
>on frequent visits to Jackson from Chicago, I am not certain.
>I do feel there was a time in the 50's where he was primarily a drummer.
>Does that mean that he did a major amount of recording with him?
>Probably not. The sessions that Scott mentions done in New Orleans
>at Cossimo Matissa's studio he definitely did. He also told me he did
>a session with Elmore in New York in 63' for Bobby Robinson
>(Elmore's last Sessions).
>Actually hearing the drumming on this Elmore cut, it does sound like
>Sam's drumming. Through the years here in Dallas i got to play with
>Sam on the drums a number of times. The quality i would say about his
>drumming that stood out the most to me was a huge use of circus style
>rolls even in a shuffle beat, similar to SP Leary's drumming, very old
timey.
>HB
>
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: c. n. <cne...@hotmail.com>
>To: BLU...@LISTS.NETSPACE.ORG
>Sent: Thu, Nov 19, 2009 10:12 am
>Subject: Re: Elmore James w/ Sam Myers On Drums
>
>
>Scott, and any other interested parties...this sheds some additional light
(or
>questions) to this discussion.
>
>Go to http://koti.mbnet.fi/wdd/sammyers.htm and scroll down to Chief 7020.
>chuck
>
>
>> From: cne...@hotmail.com
>> Subject: Re: Elmore James w/ Sam Myers On Drums
>
>>
>> You may very well be right Scott, you usually are (and I mean that as a
>compliment, not as a smarmy aside) when it comes to the historical
aspects. But
>to my ears, it sure does sound like him. Maybe Hash Brown can weigh in on
this
>one, since Sam set in on drums numerous times. Perhaps, when the wood
meets the
>skin, it is nothing more than similar styles that led me to my conclusion.
>> chuck
>>
>> > Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:24:50 -0500
>> > From: check...@YAHOO.COM
>> > Subject: Re: Elmore James w/ Sam Myers On Drums
>Blues-L web site: http://www.netspace.org/~blues-l/
>Archives & web interface: http://lists.netspace.org/archives/blues-l.html
>NetSpace LISTSERV(R) software donated by L-Soft, Inc.
http://www.lsoft.com
>To unsubscribe from BLUES-L, send an email with the message UNSUBSCRIBE
BLUES-L
>to: list...@lists.netspace.org
>
>
>
>Blues-L web site: http://www.netspace.org/~blues-l/
>Archives & web interface: http://lists.netspace.org/archives/blues-l.html
>NetSpace LISTSERV(R) software donated by L-Soft, Inc.
http://www.lsoft.com
>To unsubscribe from BLUES-L, send an email with the message UNSUBSCRIBE
BLUES-L to: list...@lists.netspace.org
>========================================================================
pat boyack
Pat B
On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:36:51 -0500, has...@aol.com wrote:
The quality i would say about his
>drumming that stood out the most to me was a huge use of circus style
>rolls even in a shuffle beat, similar to SP Leary's drumming, very old
timey.
>HB
Blues-L web site: http://www.netspace.org/~blues-l/
Scott
Scott
On Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:36:51 -0500, has...@aol.com wrote:
> I interviewed Sam a number of times,
>and he always stated that he had known and played with
>Elmore James since the early 50's until his death in 63'.
>He knew Lillian McMurray, Sonnyboy and Elmore from
>Jackson, Mississippi where they all resided. Sam told me that he
>and Elmore used to run together, and they made moonshine together
>in the woods down near the old reservoir, over near where the airport
>is now located. Sam did tell me he would play drums with Elmore off
>and on throught the years. It is possible that he would play with Elmore
>on frequent visits to Jackson from Chicago, I am not certain.
>I do feel there was a time in the 50's where he was primarily a drummer.
>Does that mean that he did a major amount of recording with him?
>Probably not. The sessions that Scott mentions done in New Orleans
>at Cossimo Matissa's studio he definitely did. He also told me he did
>a session with Elmore in New York in 63' for Bobby Robinson
>(Elmore's last Sessions).
>Actually hearing the drumming on this Elmore cut, it does sound like
>Sam's drumming. Through the years here in Dallas i got to play with
>Sam on the drums a number of times. The quality i would say about his
>drumming that stood out the most to me was a huge use of circus style
>rolls even in a shuffle beat, similar to SP Leary's drumming, very old
timey.
>HB
>
>
>
>
>
>Blues-L web site: http://www.netspace.org/~blues-l/
>Archives & web interface: http://lists.netspace.org/archives/blues-l.html
>NetSpace LISTSERV(R) software donated by L-Soft, Inc.
http://www.lsoft.com
>To unsubscribe from BLUES-L, send an email with the message UNSUBSCRIBE
BLUES-L
>to: list...@lists.netspace.org
>
>
>
>Blues-L web site: http://www.netspace.org/~blues-l/
>Archives & web interface: http://lists.netspace.org/archives/blues-l.html
>NetSpace LISTSERV(R) software donated by L-Soft, Inc.
http://www.lsoft.com
>To unsubscribe from BLUES-L, send an email with the message UNSUBSCRIBE
BLUES-L to: list...@lists.netspace.org
>========================================================================