Cat. No. DVD 1386: JAMES HARMAN / HOWARD & THE WHITE BOYS ~ CHICAGO BLUES JAM. CSI DVD-1006. (IMPORT).

COLOUR                   RUNNING TIME: 50 MINS.

REVIEW: Buddy Guy’s Legends is one of the few blues clubs left in Chicago. It was opened in 1989 and over the years it has become has become as celebrated as it’s namesake for providing Chicago with the highest quality blues talent to be seen anywhere. From the Monday jam sessions to the constant flow of world-class talent on weekends, Legends is a required stop for the soul-stirring blues and barbeque. The performances featured here were recorded in 1994.

JAMES HARMAN: Is an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter and has been described as an “amusing songwriter and an excellent unfussy blues harp player”. He took up piano lessons at the tender age of four but later took an interest in playing harmonicas owned by his father and later still learned to play several other instruments including guitar, electronic organ and drums. In his early days he played in several rhythm and blues bands the last of which was the Icehouse Blues Band. In 1977 he formed the James Harman Band which over the years has featured many prominent blues musicians in it’s line-up including Hollywood Fats who left his own band to play with Harman. Over the years Harman has obtained a reputation of being a skilled, reliable musician. Harman has always remained true to his credo: strictly blues.

HOWARD AND THE WHITE BOYS: Is an unusual band in that it features features Afro-American Howard McCullum as it’s lead vocalist and bass player along with (as the band title states) three white musicians as the remaining members of the band but I guess in the field of blues music such affiliations is probably not quite so unusual. The band formed in 1988 and began jamming just for fun but their popularity grew so much that they soon realized they could make a career of it. Within months they opened for B.B. King. Over the years they have released many acclaimed albums.

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