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Episode 3 - Lone Star Legends
Legendary Texas guitarists Long John Hunter and Joe "Guitar" Hughes join host Roy Gaines. The life of Lightnin' Hopkins is also featured.
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While Roy Gaines isn't exactly a household name yet, he's had an incredible musical career that has placed him among some of the great giants in American music. Roy Gaines started his career at the age of 14, sharing the stage with T-Bone Walker with the moniker of "T-Bone Jr." At the age of 16, he was touring with Roy Milton, and by the age of 18, he was the band leader for Chuck Willis. He's worked with Albert King, Billie Holiday, Jr. Parker, Bobby Bland, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, and Harry Belafonte, among others. As one of the original members of the Jazz Crusaders, he was one of the pioneers in the burgeoning fusion movement of the early 1960's. He's written songs for Ray Charles, and collaborated on various motion picture soundtracks with Quincy Jones, including the award-winning Stephen Spielberg production "The Color Purple." Roy Gaines was the first musician on Blues Express® to ever perform at Carnegie Hall, and we're very honored to have him appear on our show. He's an extremely versatile musician that's comfortable in jazz, soul, country, calypso and gospel, but he's returned to the most honest music that he knows - the blues!
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He's been a major inspiration to both Buddy Holly and Bobby Fuller, and he's only recently been recognized as one of the great talents in American blues music. Long John Hunter had been called a "border town legend" for many years around the outskirts of Texas and Mexico, and the world is finally catching up to his notoriety. A master showman in every sense of the word, Long John Hunter fine-tuned his chops when he reigned supreme at the infamous Lobby Club in Juarez, Mexico from 1957 until 1970. With a musical path unlike any of his contemporaries, the transformation of Long John Hunter is a colorful story worthy of any cinematic interpretation.
Mesmerized by a B.B. King concert in 1953 at the age of 22, musical novice John Hunter bought a guitar the very next day, and taught himself how to play. A year later, he was headlining at the very club he saw B.B. perform in Beaumont, Texas. His debut single "She Used To Be My Woman" / "Crazy Girl" was released by the largest record label in Texas, Don Robey's Duke/ Peacock Records in 1954, followed by a variety of singles on smaller Yucca record label. Inspired by the prospects of playing before bigger audiences, Long John moved to El Paso, Texas, where he was able to fine-tune his crafts in nearby Juarez, Mexico. Performing for the constant influx of rowdy tourists in a border town, Long John developed his unique brand of blues playing, combining tasty guitar licks, tongue-in-cheek lyrics, and outrageous theatrics. Still going strong at an age when others might consider retirement, Long John Hunter refuses to stay still, performing all over the world with an assortment of new recordings.
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At different times of his life, Joe "Guitar" Hughes has been called "Houston's Secret Weapon," "The Texas Guitar Master Craftsman," and "the Black Elvis." Texas has always been known as a hotbed for some of the finest blues guitarists, and Joe "Guitar" Hughes has been a shining example of such a legacy. Among his peers in Houston, Joe Hughes was the one to watch.
In 1953, a teenaged Joe Hughes created a combo called The Dukes of Rhythm, sharing vocals and guitar licks with his good friend, Johnny Copeland. From 1958 until 1963, Joe was the bandleader at Shady's Playhouse, a local jook joint in Houston that gained a certain degree of notoriety within the American blues circuit. In 1963, he linked up with The Upsetters, Little Richard's original road band, and toured America, as a powerful unit in it's own right, often backing up such artists as Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, and Jackie Wilson, among others. A few years later, he worked full-time with Bobby Bland, performing onstage, and in the recording studio, which lasted until 1967. Over the years, Joe worked with Al "TNT" Braggs, Nappy Brown, Roscoe Gordon, and many others before retiring from the road. Choosing family life over the sometimes chaotic path of a traveling musician, Joe concentrated on his craft in within the confines of Houston for the next two decades. In the late 1980's, international interest picked in Joe's career escalated, resulting in two separate documentaries on his career, and four critically acclaimed albums. We honored to provide a showcase for this very humble and talented man, Mr. Joe "Guitar" Hughes.
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