A reader, Aerosol, mentioned Alexis Korner when I posted about John Mayall. I want to thank him for that. Much like Mayall, I’ve read about Korner many times over the years, but I never really listened to him like I should have. Once I started looking into him again, I realized just how many roads in British rock lead back to this guy.
Korner and Cyril Davies formed Blues Incorporated in the early sixties. The lineup changed constantly, but some of the names that passed through their world are incredible. Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Long John Baldry all played with the group at different times. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart and John Mayall were also part of the larger circle around Korner. Mayall later credited Blues Incorporated with inspiring him to form the Bluesbreakers.
The song that caught my attention was “Rain Is Such A Lonesome Sound.” First of all, how could you not listen to a song with a title like that? It was written by American bluesman Jimmy Witherspoon and appeared on the 1962 Blues Incorporated album R&B from the Marquee. Despite the album’s title, it was actually recorded at Decca Studios in London.
Long John Baldry handled the lead vocal on this song, and there is another connection buried in there. Baldry was filling in for an ill Mick Jagger. Jagger was one of the young musicians hanging around Korner’s circle at the time, along with Keith Richards and Brian Jones. Brian Jones actually played with Blues Incorporated before forming the Rolling Stones.
The recording is wonderfully simple. Baldry has that deep voice that sounds like it was made for this kind of music. Korner and the band don’t crowd him. There is plenty of room in the arrangement, and the whole thing sounds more like musicians playing blues together than musicians trying to make a record.
That may be the thing I’m starting to understand about Alexis Korner. His greatest contribution wasn’t necessarily having the biggest records himself. He gave musicians a place to play, learn and meet other musicians. Some of those musicians eventually became much more famous than he
Here is a bonus track, Gotta Move, and it comes from the same R&B from the Marquee album and is another one I’ve been listening to. It has more drive than Rain Is Such A Lonesome Sound, which makes the two songs work well together.
The more I read about Alexis Korner, the more familiar names keep appearing.
Charlie Watts. Jack Bruce. Ginger Baker. Brian Jones. Mick Jagger. Keith Richards. Jimmy Page. Rod Stewart. John Mayall. I knew the name Alexis Korner. I didn’t realize quite how much music was standing behind it.
So thank you, Aerosol!
Rain Is Such A Lonesome Sound
The Sun should be shinin’
But the rain keeps on fallin’ down
When you’re lookin’ for your woman
The rain is such a lonesome sound
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While the name Blues Incorporated is familiar to me, this guy is not. Wow that’s some sweet sound right there. I know a few Jimmy Witherspoon songs but this one is new to me. Thanks for the introduction to you and Aerosol!
I was wondering if you heard of them… so important to the UK.
I’m glad you covered him. As you say, he and Mayall were instrumental as bandleaders, encouraging young players, keeping the Blues alive in the UK, and (oddly enough) introducing a lot of young white people in the US to the Blues.
Thanks…He is another name that I’ve heard all of my reading life…but never explored him…besides the real artists (Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, etc), in America I guess we had Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield around the same time? I’m guessing here…trying to reintroduce blues…like the Blues Brother’s package would do later on….although in a different way.
Absolutely – Butterfield and Bloomfield (who played with Butterfield) were among the white folks in the US who contributed to the popularity of Blues among white folks – along with the Blues Project, Charlie Musselwhite, and the Steve Miller Blues Band (before they dropped “Blues” from the name).
Being old and not far from Chicago, I was lucky enough to see Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Albert Collins, Pinetop Perkins, Brownie McGee & Sonny Terry, B.B. King, Luther Allison, and others.
I’m glad you brought Miller up…he sometimes gets forgotten with blues because of the pop hits in the 70s. Well I envy you getting to see those legends…that roster is an all star linuep….
I never heard of Charlie Musselwhite…I’ll check him out.
Great stuff! Yes, I knew Korner’s name and influence, but I’m glad to hear some of the music.
That was me as well! I haven’t heard much from the guy…I’ve read about him in Stones and Beatles bios but never really explored him.
If Long John Baldry is singing, you have my attention. A name I’ve heard (Korner) but knew nothing about. Good point on him & Mayall, both kind of colleges for artists to learn to play better and ‘network’, often resulting in greater bands down the road
Yes! Baldry worked on this one with him. I first heard about Korner when I was reading about Brian Jones…he was a huge fan…they did school a lot of musicians no doubt…
I’m happy that I helped get some fine music enter your radar -and I’m honored by your shoutout! My personal favorite from Alexis Korner’s countless collaborations might be “Operator”, an acoustic blues number where Robert Plant belts his soul out. I think you’ll love it.
And I, too, am a fan of the US equivalents, meaning white folks who entered the blues world with love, respect and talent, and helped them crossover to white audiences: Butterfield, Bloomfield, Gravenites etc.
Thanks man I really appreicate it!
I’ll look that song up (I’m listening to it now)…but I could not resist the title of this song and working with Long John Baldry. I will get Operator next in a month or two.
I know about Butterfield and Bloomfield a little…I’ll look Gravenites up.
Glad to see you and I hope you drop by more often! Thank you for the great reccommendation!
Great post! I feel like Alexis Korner is an artist whose name you often hear in connection with British blues, but unlike John Mayall, it seems to me Korner doesn’t always get the degree of attention he should.
I’m guilty as charged here! Even though I know Korner played with incredible other musicians, I can’t name one song the man recorded!
Thank you Christian! That first sentence says alot! Mayall doesn’t get what he deserves…but this guy gets completely lost!
I didn’t know much about him either…he is worth exploring Christian…he is right up your alley!
I circled back to Alex after finding Bruce/Baker. He is another torch bearer. People like Alex loved the music and spread it around plus the guys that came through got to learn music from the roots and then expand on it
I never knew much about the guy…except when he worked with musicians I knew…yea I love this stuff…him and Mayall really helped this music a lot over there…and reintroducing people to it.
He was the keystone- no pun intended- to the Brit Blues scene. My brother used to get Fabulous magazine- aimed squarely at the teenage female pop/pop star fan- but they had a section for a few years featuring Alexis and what and who were in his orbit. NOT the usual point of interest for the vast majority of the mags readership, so I can only assume someone with a bit of clout at the mag was a British Blues fan.
(Amongst all the welter of wall posters featuring male pop stars- big faves for the magazine were the ‘cute’ kind like Davy Jones and Jack Wild- there were a few featuring the gals, like Lulu, Jackie De Shannon, Nancy Sinatra and so on which wound up plastered all over his bedroom walls. As a short-arsed short-pantsed kid still buying The Eagle and The Beano I only discovered the beauty of his wall art a little later in my journey out of boyhood.)
He really was…a lot of similiar ground with him and Mayall. Yea that is the only thing that makes sense. That would be like 16 magazine having a blues section!
My sister had Donny posters galore…you couldn’t see the paneling of the wall! I did the same thing although NOT with Donny boy…but with Beatles and others. I also had a life size Marilyn Monroe and James Dean!
Donny, wall to wall… ‘My eyes, my eyes- Sis, it burns, it burns!!!!’
In the end Dad just put up some soft pin-friendly board over the walls, my bro and I painted the board a dark teal colour- Dad said a hard ‘no’ to my bro wanting to paint ’em black- and he got on with putting up the wallpaper/posters again.
My bro also had one of those iconic posters, but his was the wild furry bikini Raquel Welch one as featured in ‘The Shawshank Redemption.’
You really were born in the wrong decade weren’t you? I mean that in the best way!
Oh yes…thank God for the Beatles and even the Monkees! They got me out of that teen hell.
That is great…no damage to the walls and everyone including pop was happy…except with the black paint lol.
Well I was…I should have been born 10 years earlier…in 1957 or 55 instead of 67!
Max, thanks for the education on who Alexis was on where his place is in the blues scene in England. Another piece of the picture has been filled in. Lovin the straight up blues sound. Long John’s vocals are just right for the rain song, as you said.
I like how you keep your radar scanning for gems like this.
You are welcome! Him and John Mayall were so important to everything blues…except the recognition and the charts! His bands were full of future stars!
What a roll-call of names! Sadly the one I’d never heard of was Alexis Korner.
That is sad…I guess John Mayall was on the same line as him but more popular.