Blues Beat

Hubert Sumlin's
76^th Birthday Party

Westchester Bar & Grill, Yonkers, New York

By Bob Putignano

(L to R) Jimmy Vivino, Blondie Chaplin, Big Nancy,
and Hubert Sumlin

Photo by Joseph A. Rosen

www.josepharosen.com

The great Hubert Sumlin certainly needs no introduction, having spent the early part of his career with Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, plus recent lofty appearances with the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton's Crossroads Fesitval (twice), Derek Trucks, and Elvis Costello. The list continues to grow at the age of seventy-six, as Sumlin is getting appropriate accolades from his peers from both the Blues and Rock worlds. So on the night of his birthday, Sumlin's manager pulled out all the stops by assembling an all-star band that included Levon Helm, David Johansen, Jimmy Vivino, Mike Merritt (bass), Brian Mitchell (keyboards), and special guests Blondie Chaplin, Buddy Flett, and Anton Fig. 

David Johansen, Blondie Chaplin, and Hubert Sumlin

Photo by Joseph A. Rosen

www.josepharosen.com

What a night it was! The band was firing on all cylinders, aided by the fact that Jimmy Vivino and Mike Merritt had some downtime due to the ensuing writers strike, meaning that they were not performing on the Conan O'Brien show, so these guys were dying to get some playing time. As you would expect, Sumlin and the band roared through classic Howlin' Wolf tunes and other Blues classics. Johansen's vocals were right-on; Vivino's guitar growled and fueled Sumlin who was particularly strong. Blondie Chaplin played guitar and sang and the rhythm section of drummers Levon Helm and Anton Fig (also on writers strike hiatus) worked in perfect tandem while Mike Merritt's bass boomed and Brian Mitchell sparkled on keyboards. Buddy Flett opened the festivities with a stirring solo set that laid the foundation for what was to follow from the birthday boy's top-shelf band. 

Jimmy Vivino and Hubert Sumlin

Photo by Joseph A. Rosen

www.josepharosen.com

Also special was the fact that everyone involved with making this event a success won.  The "W" venue had a packed house of nearly five hundred people and was open to having more Blues events. The Peak radio station offered their 100,000+ listeners an outstanding event, which should add new listeners to their rapidly expanded fan base. The Guitar Center gained additional exposure, as did the New York Blues and Jazz Society with the incredible amount of on-air ads from The Peak. Plus the generous booth space provided by The Peak, allowed the Society to sign many new members, offered raffles for CDs, and to sell T-shirts.

Levon Helm

Photo by Joseph A. Rosen

www.josepharosen.com

Oh, did I mention all the smiling faces in the crowd? Yes sir, the crowd definitely was grooving and moving to the sounds of Sumlin and his red-hot band and it was great to see a more youthful assembly of patrons gathered on this momentous occasion.

Photo by Joseph A. Rosen

www.josepharosen.com

Bob Putignano is a contributing editor at BluesWax. You may contact Bob at: bob8003@yahoo.com web site: www.SoundsofBlue.com