SONNY RHODES: BLUES ROAD WARRIOR

Then it was time to bring up Sonny Rhodes, clad in black suit, red shoes, and red hat – not his famous “turban” or “peach”, (one of which is on display at Buddy Guy’s Legends), and more about that below. Sonny sat on a chair in front of the band to play his six-string, lap steel guitar. Songs in his opening set included “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water”, “Shame on You”, “Black Cat Bone”, and “Since I Met You Baby”. Lap steel guitar is a singular BLUES experience, and Sonny coaxed a keening sound from the instrument, as well as a Hawaiian sound at times. The steel guitar may be a more emotive instrument than a conventional guitar, and there was a wonderful synergy between the guitar and Sonny’s deep, chocolate-textured, blues-drenched voice. On stage there was a conventional guitar for Sonny, a 1950s Epiphone-Gibson that he did not get around to playing.

Sonny was born Clarence Smith in Smithfield, Texas in 1940. His early musical influences include T-Bone Walker, Mance Lipscomb, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. In the late fifties and early sixties Sonny played bass behind Freddie King and Albert Collins, and became based in California around this time. He went to Europe for the first time in 1976 and has been back each year since then. Sonny enjoys touring in Europe saying that the BLUES are revered over there, and the financial rewards are good too. Sonny has recorded several albums over the years. Recently he recorded the theme song for the Fox TV series “Firefly”, a Sci-Fi -Western set 300 years in the future, which is probably a good omen for the long-term prospects of the BLUES! Sonny is based in Florida, where he lives with his wife of 40 years Annie, who is also his booking agent.

Sonny Rhodes is a serious contender for the “hardest working man in the BLUES” title, doing 250-300 shows per year. Starting on March 24th he was going to Springfield, IL, Rochester, MN for two nights, Lake Crystal, MN, Austin, MN, before ending up at Legends in Chicago on the 29th. One of Sonny’s best known songs is “Living Too Close To The Edge”. With all that time on the road it seems inevitable that one will come close to the edge at times. Sonny no longer wears the peach/turban regularly because post 9/11 an intoxicated patron stuck a gun in his face and accused him of being a terrorist. However, pre- and post- sets Sonny was clearly enjoying hanging out with Rick’s patrons.

In addition to the first class rhythm section I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to listen to a lot of guitarist Billy Baltera, who hails from Philly. Billy played immaculately tasteful BLUES guitar, and he and the band were obviously having the times of their lives playing for the crowd. Billy appears on at least one of Sonny’s earlier CDs, and has recently appeared on the CDs of Philadelphia BLUES artists Georgie Bonds and Deb Callahan. A Gibson Les Paul, a 1 of 50 model, is Billy’s guitar of choice. He particularly likes the tone and versatility of the guitar. Billy said that he is often the second or rhythm guitar in the bands he plays in and the Les Paul allows him to switch between lead and rhythm guitar particularly well. Some of Billy’s influences/favorite guitarists are Albert Collins, Albert King, and Earl Hooker.

No one would describe Slick Rick’s as a yuppie fern bar, but I felt it was a great venue with an intimate atmosphere. The band played close to the tables, separated from them only by a small area for dancing. What a treat to hear a straight-ahead BLUES band in just the right setting.

Brian J. Wilkinson is a freelance writer based in Bloomington, Illinois.

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