In the Chicago blues harp club, Bill Lupkin has the chops, the tone, the attitude and the dues paid in full for Real Deal status.
Fort Wayne, Indiana product Lupkin made his way to Chicago at the end of the 1960s in quest of the blues scene, which was then most often found in unpretentious south and west side clubs. There he fell in with the Aces, and when the legendary Jimmy Rogers emerged from retirement and teamed up with Johnny Littlejohn, Lupkin took the harp chair, finding himself on the bandstand backing his idols like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Junior Wells, often at Ma Bea’s at Madison and Sacramento. After recording on Rogers’ Gold Tailed Bird album (produced by Freddie King), Bill and his bassist brother Steve organized a band called Slamhammer and made an ill-fated move to Los Angeles. Though Bill’s influence during his stay on then-fledgling harp player Mark Hummel is detailed in Hummel’s liner notes to Where I Come From, the time out west ended badly and Bill returned to Fort Wayne to run his stained glass business and raise a large family. Happily for blues lovers, he never lost his fiery, fat-toned, vibrato-laden harp style or his passion for Chicago blues. Eventually he become more active again, recording his own debut CD Live at the Hot Spot in Fort Wayne, and crossed paths with Nick Moss during the recording in 2000 of Big Bill Morganfield’s Ramblin’ Mind CD. Now he and Moss have joined forces with an album which is a credit to both.
For the all-original program on his 2006 Blue Bella release, Where I Come From, Lupkin says “the whole idea was writing songs that I relate to certain artists. It was done with the intent to pay tribute and thanks to people like Junior [Wells], Wolf, Jimmy [Rogers], Johnny Littlejohn, who didn’t have to treat me like they did. It was very easy, it felt good as compared to just doing cover songs or something slicker and more unique. Sometimes on a project the comfort zone goes away and I can tell which songs it was there for, but on this one I like ‘em all!” Thus we can recognize the essence of Howlin’ Wolf and Hubert Sumlin in “Move Out To The Country,” Jimmy Rogers in “Bad Feelin’,” Johnny Young in “What You Gonna Do,” Junior Wells in “What’s With That?” and onward through the song list.
The welcome the Chicago blues community extended to Bill Lupkin when he arrived is understandable. No doubt Bill’s elders (and employers) recognized what is still paramount in his music: not just the honorable motivations of sincerity, genuineness and respect, but a talent and feel for the idiom well worth their time and trust. Those assets make Where I Come From a joy thirty-five years later.
Album:
The Bill Lupkin Blues Band Live Vol 1
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 71:42
Size: 164.1 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2013
Art: Front
[6:10] 1. Think It Over Baby
[6:20] 2. What's With That
[4:41] 3. Fine Little Thing
[9:57] 4. Bad Luck
[6:16] 5. Cell Phone Blues
[6:40] 6. I'll Be Over You Someday
[7:29] 7. Hole In My Heart
[4:27] 8. Juke
[4:00] 9. Walking By Myself
[8:18] 10. Blues Again Today
[7:17] 11. Hard Pill To Swallow
The Bill Lupkin Blues Band Live Vol 1 mc
The Bill Lupkin Blues Band Live Vol 1 zippy
Album:
Where I Come From
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 58:12
Size: 133.2 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Harmonica blues
Year: 2006
Art: Front
[3:40] 1. What's With That
[4:24] 2. The Sun Is Shinin'
[3:41] 3. All Last Night
[5:04] 4. Move Out To The Country
[5:21] 5. Bad Feelin'
[2:03] 6. Madison& Sacramento
[4:15] 7. You Got Me Nervous
[2:55] 8. Can't Hide A Lie
[3:09] 9. I Want To Love You
[6:55] 10. Chasin' A Dream
[3:46] 11. What You Gonna Do
[4:56] 12. Early Hours Of The Mornin'
[4:07] 13. Poor Man's Treasure (Woman I Love)
[3:50] 14. Move Out To The Country ( Alternate)
Where I Come From mc
Where I Come From zippy
Album:
Hard Pill To Swallow
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 63:26
Size: 145.2 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2007
Art: Front
[3:17] 1. Think It Over Baby
[4:03] 2. Funny Way To Show You Love Me
[4:33] 3. Bad Luck
[3:04] 4. Fine Little Thing
[4:40] 5. I'll Be Over You Someday
[4:17] 6. Elgin Bounce
[3:53] 7. Cell Phone Blues
[4:39] 8. See That Little Girl
[4:35] 9. Hole In My Heart
[4:28] 10. Blues Again Today
[3:58] 11. You're Gonna Be Sorry
[4:48] 12. Hook, Line And Sinker
[7:17] 13. Where You Goin'
[5:47] 14. Hard Pill To Swallow
Hard Pill To Swallow mc
Hard Pill To Swallow zippy