That Old Time Music

This whole thing with Bill Graham and Wolfgang's Vault started me thinking about all the great music that came out of the 60s and 70s. Wolfgang's Vault has a audio stream of concert recordings from some of the great bands that played in Graham's concert. So I have been listening to some tunes from the greats. The thing that really impressed me was the vast array of concert posters and memorabilia they have for sale on the site. If my kids read this they would make me a happy man if they bought me a poster from one of the Siegel-Schwall gigs that are for sale! Just like this one!

So I started thinking about the concerts that I went to as a kid. I was remembering the teen club that was in my home town, Arlington Hts. Il. It was called the Cellar and some amazing music happened there. Read the article. It gives some sense of all that was going on there. Listening to Joe Kelley's Blues Band was the best education a white kid could get. So I Google Joe Kelley and find Teardrop Records and who else records for them but J. B. Ritchie. I sat next to him in Mr. Turock's History class! The biggest mistake I made was skipping the Muddy Waters concert at the Cellar! J. B. went and told me all about it the next Monday. I still regret that. But I did go to hear Howling Wolf, and Albert Collins, and the Siegel-Schwall Band. It has been great to stroll down memory lane. Now Sam Lay, the best drummer in the world is playing with Siegel-Schwall when they play their fantastic reunion concerts. Corky played in the atrium of O'Keefe Library at St. Ambrose University when I was library director there. And my old friend J. B. Ritchie is recording for the same label as Joe Kelley! Life goes round and round.