Little Joe Washington and the Houston Blues


hunter60
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Joined: 06/12/05
Posts: 1,579
hunter60
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Joined: 06/12/05
Posts: 1,579
12/12/2012 6:54 pm

For cash, Joe would start playing some gigs at the local joints. But rather than hooking up with a band, Joe would go into places, talk to the house band and finagle his way into playing a 15-20 minute set, some times using their gear, and then passing the hat for tips before hitting the road to the next club. He managed to exist this way for several years.
The abandoned home he was holed up in burned down in 1997. Once the lot was cleared by the city, Joe rolled an abandoned compact car onto the lot and began living out of it.
Little Joe still plays in and around the Third Ward. Some of his musician friends will take him home when the weather gets too cold for him to be outdoors. Others though have grown tired of his act. They consider him a clown and worse. Some of the younger bands see Joe taking paying gigs from them or siphoning tips that they think belong to them. Where you stand on that particular issue depends on your perspective.
But those thoughts all get put aside when Joe starts to play. For about 30 minutes, we sat and watched a man of the streets play blues, real raw blues, with a reckless abandon that cuts deep. At times he would change the tune mid-stream much to the chagrin of his bass player and drummer. He would stop in the middle of a screaming riff to address the audience with a hoot and holler. He played the guitar with his groin, with his feet, behind his back and with his few remaining teeth. To say the least, it was a show. A gut busting, bluesy good time.
When Joe ends his set, he leaps from the stage, yanks the hat from his head and approaches each table for his ‘tip’. He grins from ear to ear as he shakes the hat in front of you and it’s too difficult not to dip into your pocket and drop several bills in and thank him for the show. He mumbles something akin to ‘You’re welcome’ and moves on down the line.
If you’ve ever in Houston and have the chance to catch Little Joe at the Continental, go. You’ll get to see something rare. Blues at it’s most primordial being played by a man who always plays to entertain.
[FONT=Tahoma]"All I can do is be me ... whoever that is". Bob Dylan [/FONT]
# 1
john of MT
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john of MT
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Joined: 10/08/09
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12/13/2012 3:48 am
hunter60 -

Wow! A nice piece of writing!!

I called Texas home for a third of a century but never saw much of, or spent any time in, Houston. Now I think I should go back for a visit...

john
"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to. I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time."
-- Chet Atkins
# 2
hunter60
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Joined: 06/12/05
Posts: 1,579
hunter60
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Joined: 06/12/05
Posts: 1,579
12/15/2012 2:59 pm
Thanks John. I appreciate the kind words. Although I haven't lived in Texas since my days in the service, it will always be one of my favorite places.
[FONT=Tahoma]"All I can do is be me ... whoever that is". Bob Dylan [/FONT]
# 3

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