Joe Beard

Joe Beard - Dealin' - 2000 - Audioquest Records

In the blues world it's OK to be a late bloomer, and when it came to recording, Joe Beard was exactly that. The charismatic singer/guitarist, whose influences range from Jimmy Reed to Lightnin' Hopkins, worked "day gigs" when his kids were growing up and didn't start to build a catalog until he was in his fifties. Blues lovers who heard Beard's AudioQuest dates of the '90s found themselves saying, "Hey, this guy is very talented; why haven't I heard of him until now?" And, of course, the answer to that question is that his nine-to-fives and family life had kept him from being a full-time bluesman. But when his kids reached adulthood, the Mississippi native turned Rochester, NY, resident had more time to devote to music. Recorded in April 2000 (when he was 62), Dealin' is Beard's third CD for AudioQuest and underscores his ability to handle a variety of electric blues styles. Beard's appreciation of Reed and the Chicago blues is evident on gutsy, rough-and-tumble tracks like "Give Me Up and Let Me Go," "My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble," and "The Bitter Seed," a Jimmy Reed classic. Like Reed, Beard favors a gentle and laid-back style of singing but still has plenty of grit and doesn't mind having a tough, hard-driving band behind him. Meanwhile, "Holding a Losing Hand" and "If I Get Lucky" (both Beard originals) go for the sort of moody, shadowy, haunting ambiance that often worked so well for Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. This isn't to say that Beard is going out of his way to emulate Reed, Hopkins, Hooker, or anyone else. Dealin' shows who some of his influences are, but it also reminds you that Beard is an appealing bluesman in his own right. © Alex Henderson © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wjfexqwkldje

Fundamentally this is a Mississippi blues roots style album with many electric blues styles. Joe Beard may not be a great vocalist, but his voice is full of soul. Joe's Delta-style guitar turns are impressive, and his great backing band includes Duke Robillard, Bruce Katz, and Jerry Portnoy. Listen to Joe Beard's "Blues Union" with Ronnie Earl and his Broadcasters
TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 The Bitter Seed - Jimmy Reed 3:00
2 You Don't Love Me Anymore - Willie Cobbs 4:51
3 Just Like a Fish - Pearl Woods 3:07
4 Life Without Parole - Joe Beard 7:40
5 My Eyes (Keep Me in Trouble) - Walter Hap 2:55
6 Holding a Losing Hand - Joe Beard 3:06
7 Give up and Let Me Go - Al Smith 5:12
8 Three Day Love Affair - Joe Beard 5:00
9 Making a Fool Out of Me - Joe Beard 2:40
10 Long Tall Shorty - Herb Abramson, Don Covay 3:05
11 That "So-Called" Friend of Mine - Joe Beard 6:45
12 You'd Better Be Sure - Ricky Allen 2:51
13 If I Get Lucky - Joe Beard 4:09

MUSICIANS

Joe Beard - Guitar, Vocals
Duke Robillard - Guitar
Rod Carey - Bass
Bruce Katz - Piano, B-3
Per Hanson - Drums
Jerry Portnoy - Harp

BIO

Born and raised in Ashland, Mississippi, guitarist Joe Beard grew up with the Murphy brothers, one of whom later found an international following as Matt "Guitar" Murphy. Guitarist Nathan Beauregard lived with Beard's cousin, so he was surrounded by aspiring and veteran blues musicians while growing up, and he began singing at an early age. Beard became interested in playing guitar via the Murphy brothers, who sat in with a young B.B. King when he played at the Roosevelt Lake Club. Beard began to learn guitar at age 17 from Ernest Scruggs, a neighbor, before heading to Chicago. Beard moved to Rochester, N.Y., and from time to time would visit one of his brothers in Chicago. He quickly became enamored of the blues being played in clubs there by people like Jimmy Reed and Sonny Boy Williamson. Beard sat in with John Lee Hooker one night and received encouraging words from Hooker, and also later sat in with his idol, Muddy Waters. While in Rochester, he formed the Soul Brothers Six, playing bass and singing, but he didn't perform in public on guitar until 1965. Beard befriended classic blues guitarist Son House, who was a neighbor in Rochester, and played a concert for students at the University of Rochester in 1968. Beard worked as an electrician by day and would occasionally play out at night and on weekends for most of the 1960s on through to the '80s. He has a reputation as one of the best local players around Rochester, and though he may not be a household name in other parts of the U.S., he toured Europe in 1983 and did studio and stage work that same year with Buster Benton, Lafayette Leake and Memphis Slim. At the famed BK Lounge, Beard and his backing bands opened for Bobby Bland, Albert King and others. More recently, Beard performed at President George H.W. Bush's inaugural gala. In 1990, he recorded an album for Kingsnake Records, No More Cherry Rose, which was well received by the blues radio community. Beard recorded an album with Ronnie Earl's band for the California-based AudioQuest label, Blues Union (1996). Accompanying him are Hammond B-3 organist Bruce Katz and tenor saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman. The album was a critical success, winning Offbeat Magazine's Blues Album of the Year award. He followed it up with 1998's For Real and 2000's Dealin', both records featuring Duke Robilard. © Richard Skelly © 2010 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fpfrxqy5ldde~T1