MUSIC

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DROP THE HAMMER by Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith and the House Bumpers

DROP THE HAMMER
by Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith and the House Bumpers

Music is about chasing a feeling- happiness, excitement, anger, sadness. Blues is the most intense combination of music and feeling. The power and emotion of the music transcend time and can be felt by people of all ages and ethnicities- the sole reason why the blues will survive and thrive for generations to come.

The blues, like all elements of life, is meant to grow, change and progress while retaining its essence. Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith and the House Bumpers accomplish just this with their latest album, “Drop the Hammer.”

Kenny honored the blues legends he admired by laying down a few traditional tracks. Much of his playing was molded by the teaching of his late father, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, who was the drummer for Muddy Waters for over 18 years, and it was important to give this nod of respect. To know who you are and where you are going, one must always honor and acknowledge from where you came.

This album focuses on the contemporary subject matter while using modern and innovative sounds. As much as Kenny loves and respects traditional blues, he was compelled to take his blues to a new realm and dimension. Kenny didn’t live and experience picking cotton in the fields. He is a native Chicagoan and inspiration for this album was drawn from the rhythm of footsteps on the jagged pavement, the soulful, shadowy noise of the city at night, and the soundtrack from the eras in which he grew up to be the man and musician he is today. This music is transgenerational. It is raw. It will grab you by your core and will feel familiar yet foreign at the same time.

KEEPIN’ IT TOGETHER by Bob Stroger & Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith

KEEPIN’ IT TOGETHER by Bob Stroger & Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith

The Legendary Bob Stroger and Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith have been connected for decades- both on a personal and musical level. Their newly released album, Keepin’ It Together, is truly a family affair with one of the best blues bands in Chicago. Their special bond, sprung from their relationships with the beloved and late Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, who was Kenny’s father and the drummer for Muddy Waters for over 20 years. Willie and Bob spent endless hours together, on and off stage. For Kenny and Bob, completing Keepin’ It Together allowed them to do what they do best- pay tribute to their style of blues and honor the great musicians that came before them. The spirit of those late greats comes through loud and clear.

Bob and Kenny have been recognized by many as being at the top of their musical game and their lists of individual and joint accomplishments are impressive. Both Kenny and Bob contributed to Joined At The Hip, a collaboration between Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Pinetop Perkins, which won a Grammy in 2011. For Kenny and Bob, this would have marked the last time they joined forces with Willie and Pinetop for a project of its kind. Bob and Kenny were driven to create Keepin’ It Together as a way to carry on their blues traditions.

Bob and Kenny were thrilled with the idea of creating an album so that they could share their unique gift with the world and produce a project that would forever be a part of blues history. Keepin’ It Together is a family recording. It flows from the lifeline of their musical heritage. It is their oral tradition that can be passed down from generation to generation.

BORN IN ARKANSAS by Willie “BIG Eyes” Smith

BORN IN ARKANSAS by Willie “BIG Eyes” Smith

If you are looking for traditional Blues with lots of feeling then this CD is for you. What would 10-year-old Willie Smith have said back in 1946 if asked what he wanted to be when he grew up? The Legendary Bluesman would have had the same answer as most any other boy his age in Arkansas: a train conductor, better yet, a freight train conductor. In that Mississippi Delta River town of Helena, Arkansas where he was born, Willie knew only what surrounded him, and to Willie, that meant the farming life. He knew how to “pick cotton, pull cotton, and bail cotton” and he knew that for every hundred pounds he bagged he made $2 in cash. Willie knew he loved the blue river, the flatlands, and most of all, he knew he loved The Music.