december 2006 issue 289 free jazz now in our 32nd year &blues report www.jazz-blues.com INSIDE: Robert Lockwood Jr. Remembered Cleveland Fats speaks with Ron Weinstock CDs & DVDs CLEVELAND FATS Holiday Gift Guide PLUS: Part 4 Cleveland Fats Carrying on the Musical Legacy Published by Martin Wahl of Robert Lockwood Jr. Communications Editor & Founder Bill Wahl By Ron Weinstock Layout & Design Bill Wahl tion of our chat would have been on the late legend in any event. Operations Jim Martin Mark was born in Ravenna, Ohio Pilar Martin on February 10, 1956 and grew up near Contributors Kent. As a youngster he messed with Michael Braxton, Mark Cole, a guitar but was not really into music at Dewey Forward, Chris Hovan, the time. He recalls seeing B.B. King Nancy Ann Lee, Peanuts, Wanda on a Saturday night TV show when he Simpson, Mark Smith, Dave was 12. He had seen nothing like it, but Sunde, Duane Verh Dave Wahl, the blues hook was in and the next day Emily Wahl and Ron Weinstock. he attempted to buy a B.B. King album, Check out our costantly updated but the store was out of B.B.’s albums website. Now you can search for CD so he purchased one by Albert King Reviews by artists, Titles, Record instead. This began a period of learn- Labels, keyword or JBR Writers. 15 ing and listening as he purchased years of reviews are up and we’ll be records and started playing along. going all the way back to 1974. He met Lee Eddie Clark and Clark’s Address all Correspondence to.... family when he was 14. Clark was from Jazz & Blues Report Mississippi and his sons played in the 19885 Detroit Road # 320 family band and were in mark’s age Rocky River, Ohio 44116 group. They wanted a guitarist to play Main Office ...... 216.651.0626 blues, as their guitarist did not like Editor's Desk ... 440.331.1930 blues. So at the age of 14, mark started [email protected] first met Mark Hahn, who per working in bars two nights a week and Web .................. www.jazz-blues.com forms as Cleveland Fats, in got turned on to Little Milton, Junior Copyright © 2006 Martin-Wahl Communications Inc. Buffalo in the mid-1970s Parker, Earl Hooker and Little Johnny No portion of this publication may be when he had traveled there as Taylor among others. The vocalist with I the band was a cousin of Eddie, Otis reproduced without written permission part of Robert Lockwood’s band to from the publisher. All rights Reserved. perform at the University of Buffalo Trotter who was also operating a shoe Jazz Report was founded in Buffalo New Folk Festival. I had the pleasure of shine parlor. York in March of 1974 and began in Cleve- seeing him a number of times over In 1974, a Kent State University land in April of 1978. We are subsidized the years with Robert Lockwood Jr. dee-jay, Chuck Ruby, took Mark to solely through advertisement and ask that until Robert’s performance at the1992 Cleveland to see and meet Robert you support our advertisers. Blue Bayou Festival which was Lockwood at The Grapes of Wraith, Hahn’s last performance with Robert across from the bus station, with band a W division of artin-Wahl as he then set out for a solo career. A that included Gene Schwartz and Ham- c o m m u n i c a t i o n s couple years later his first CD mering Hank Cockran on drums. Rob- appeared,’The Other Side of Mid- ert was playing with a twelve-string at night, which was picked up by the time and Chuck got Mark to sit in. "Buffalonious" Ichiban. With his most recent disc The Robert had Mark come back the follow- Way Things Go helping launch the ing week and started to show him how Our original mascot Honeybee label, I had the chance to to play behind him with Lockwood’s from the early speak with Mark as part of the pub- unique style. Robert continued show- Buffalo Jazz Report licity for this excellent CD. This was ing mark things at the bars, what to do, days – mid '70s about a week after Robert Lockwood how to act. Mark started going to gigs He is older now, Jr. had suffered his stroke, so some and became part of the Robert but Still Cool! of our conversation centered on Lockwood Band, a lengthy musical as- Created by Lockwood’s condition. But given the sociation that lasted until the summer Christine Engla Eber central role that Lockwood played in of 1992. Mark’s career and life, a good por- During part of the seventies, PAGE TWO December 2006 • Issue 289 Lockwood’s band also included vocal- laughed that he stole that from Rob- ist Otis Trotter, who Mark brought to a ert. Robert Lockwood Jr. gig and at first sat in. The band in- After leaving Lockwood he put out cluded Gene Schwartz, Maurice The Other Side of Midnight which Reedus on tenor sax and either Ham- Ichiban made generally available in mering Hank Cockran or George Cook 1997 and had Norm Tischler on saxo- on drums. Cook was a blind drummer phone and Gene Schwartz on bass for who had played with organist Eddie several tracks. He was playing 7 or 8 Baccus and Roland Kirk as the Three nights a week and also worked in Blind Mice and played many gigs with heavy construction, which he had Baccus around Cleveland until the lat- started when he was 18. He started ter drummer was on Lockwood’s Con- taking his pension in 2004, which gave trasts album and became full-time him more time and autonomy to play with Lockwood when Cochran got music. Of course, working a day job sick. is no unusual thing for musicians. In With Lockwood Mark toured quite fact, Lockwood was delivering pre- a bit, including traveling to Japan in scriptions for Sherwood Drugs when I 1978, his first trip outside the United met him in 1970 and later was paint- States. By this time he had been in ing houses. the studio on Lockwood’s excellent Fats has seen the ups and downs Does 12 album, also on Trix. It was a of being a musician. A marriage ended good, steady gig, although there was in divorce as his ex did not want a a period in 1983-84 where it started musician husband, and he states he getting slow, and when it was real slow should never have been married. in 1986 he wintered south in Florida. The new CD, The Way Things Robert encouraged Mark to sing. Go, was recorded over two days in March 27-1915-November 21, 2006 Once he had laryngitis and told Mark January 2006 with Earwig’s Michael Robert Lockwood, legendary and “I know you can bring us through the Franks producing. The selections on highly influential bluesman, passed away gig.” After it went well Robert told which Robert Lockwood play had him Monday November 21 at the age of 91. him,”“You did good and do more of overdub his parts the following month Born in Turkey Scratch, Arkansas, near it…good for you when you have your in Cleveland with the exception of one Marvell, Lockwood started playing a pump organ when at the age of 11 a trav- own band… you play behind yourself. track with just him, Billy Branch and eling blues performer named Robert That way you won’t have to hire a gui- Lockwood. It was mixed in May, was Johnson started a dalliance with tar player.” When mark left Robert and officially released in October and cur- Lockwood’s mother. Johnson showed started his career as Cleveland Fats, rently getting a lot of radio play. He Lockwood some stuff on the guitar and he had learned his on-stage lessons also had a 2000 CD, Pretty Poison while still a teenager started playing well. and did a live CD, Its Bluestime. around the Delta region with Johnson, Robert remained one of the for- He moved back to Ravenna back Aleck Rice Miller (better known as Sonny mative persons in his life. “If I had in 1996-1997, which is where he is Boy Williamson), Johnny Shines, Elmore never been a musician, I would have based now as he starts touring and James and others. For a period he lived wanted to get to know him. He has doing radio gigs to support the new in St. Louis where along with blues good core values, a decent guy. album. With Robert Lockwood no singer, Dr. Clayton, traveled to Chicago {There is} not an insincere bone in his longer with us, Cleveland Fats is one where he backed Doctor Clayton and also made his initial recordings for Blue- body. He is a heckuva good guy…I’ve of a number of musicians that will con- bird including songs that became blues never seen a guy who truly loved to tinue his musical legacy forward in the standards including “Little Boy Blue,” play guitar like him. He really loved it.” years to come. “Take a Little Walk With Me” and “Mean While Lockwood was the biggest mu- Black Spider.” That latter number, retitled sical influence as well as personal in- “Mean Red Spider,” was the first com- fluence, others he cites as shaping his Thousands of mercial recording of one Muddy Waters. music include Earl Hooker, Albert CD & DVD Reviews He returned to the Delta region and King, Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, T- At Your Fingertips joined up with Miller for a new radio show, Bone Walker, Otis Rush and Blind King Biscuit Time, that was broadcast at Lemon Jefferson.