Harmonica Shah If All You Have is a Hammer(blues)(flac)[rogercc]

HARMONICA SHAH
IF ALL YOU HAVE IS A HAMMER EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE A NAIL
Audio CD: 18 Aug 2009
Label: Electro-Fi
Format:Flac

Harmonica ShahΓΓé¼Γäós roots are planted firmly in three pivotal blues regions. The West Coast, where he was born in Oakland, CA. on March 31, 1946. The Texas badlands, where he spent time in his youth with his grandfather, guitarist/harpist Sam Dawson (whom Alan Lomax recorded) and his equally beloved and despised adopted hometown of the Motor City, deep in the industrial heartland. His beautician mother, set him up as a JET magazine salesman in the late 1950ΓΓé¼Γäós, which opened up both the doors of OaklandΓΓé¼Γäós bars and clubs and the enterpising young ShahΓΓé¼Γäós ears to the music of Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin, Juke Boy Bonner and Big Mama Thornton, all of whom he found behind those doors.
Shah credits his love of hard blues to his grandfather who farmed his own land with a mule named Stonewall, as he recalled to Scott Barretta in Living Blues ΓΓé¼┼ôWell see I picked it up from him, heΓΓé¼Γäód be out in the fields singinΓΓé¼Γäó all that (Sings in a slow moan) ΓΓé¼┼ôTell me how long, whoa, tell me how long itΓΓé¼Γäós been since youΓΓé¼Γäóve been away from homeΓΓé¼┬¥ Well, thatΓΓé¼Γäós raw! ThatΓΓé¼Γäós a big damn difference from ΓΓé¼┼ôGood Golly Miss MollyΓΓé¼┬¥. At 17, given the choice between time inside and the Job Corps, Shah signed on the dotted line and was soon stationed in Battle Creek, Michigan. For the first time Shah could take in the sights and sounds of traveling Chicago Blues bands like J.B. Hutto and Buddy Guy. A permanent move to Detroit led to a 10 year stretch as a shop rat at Ford Motors, where Shah wracked up an impressive 150 medical leaves of absence before a parting of ways with the automaker. Now celebrating the bicentennial amongst the unemployed, Shah was inspired by a street musician named Little Bobby to purchase a pawn shop harp and begin a serious study of the Blues. His timing couldnΓΓé¼Γäót have been better as Detroit was then as now a city rich in blues talent. Bobo Jenkins, Eddie Burns, Robert Richard, Little Sonny, the Butler Twins and Little Junior Cannaday all plied their trade in the Motor City. While driving for Checker Cab, Shah was introduced to guitarist Peter Rabbitt, who brought him to the legendary jam sessions held at Uncle Jesse WhiteΓΓé¼Γäós house. ΓΓé¼┼ôHell, that was it, no turning back thenΓΓé¼┬¥ Shah recalls.

Recording information: Studio 92, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (03/02/2009/03/03/2009).

Tracklist:
1. Out on the Highway 3:16
2. I Wonder Why? 4:53
3. Bumble Bee Man 3:38
4. Nasty Brown Rat 4:53
5. I've Got a Woman Black As Midnight Cold 4:50
6. Stranded In Detroit 4:52
7. Every Goodbye Ain't Gone 4:30
8. If You Don't Leave, I'll Get Somebody Who Will 4:08
9. Blues for Ford, Chrysler and G.M. 3:57
10. Don't You Feel LIke a Dog Covered In Fleas? 5:13
11. Boom Boom 4:03
12. Duke and Queen Blues 4:28
13. Cryin' Won't Help Me Now 8:42

Personnel: Harmonica Shah (vocals, harmonica); Jack de Keyzer (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Julian Fauth (piano); Al Cross (drums).