Detroit Blues
The Detroit blues sound is not an indigenous one. Like the Chicago blues, it is the result of what had been called "the great migration." Between 1935 and 1970, millions of African American from states like Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama came to Detroit in search of better jobs. They brought their music with them. It was this movement that brought Curtis andClarence Butler to Detroit. "The Twins," as they are affectionately known around Detroit, were born on January 21, 1942, near the town of Florence, Alabama, the birthplace of W. C. Handy. The biggest influence on their music was that of their father Willie "Butch" Butler and his harmonica-playing partner, Raymond Edwards. While neither of their parents wanted the boys to pursue a career in blues music, the twins could not be dissuaded. By the time they were 16, they were touring southern towns. The pay was poor and travel through stretches of all-white territory dangerous. After several years, the twins decided to put their musical ambitions on hold. They moved to Detroit in the early 60s, just before a vibrant blues scene which included John Lee Hooker, Bo "Mr. Bo" Collins, Little Sonny, Little Eddie Burns, Bobo Jenkins, Washboard Willie and others went into decline. The Twins worked, listened and continued to play, sometimesworking as sidemen, but for the most part, they were anonymous. By the 70s a new blues scene was emerging in Detroit and so did the Butler Twins - as one of Detroit's best blues bands. Their sound reflects the Delta blues oftheir childhood in Alabama as well as their urban Detroit experience. Curtis Butler backs up the band with a clean and crisp, yet warm rhythm guitar. Clarence Butler sings and blows rhythmic melodies on his harmonica. Their band includes Kenny Parker on lead guitar, Ray Rogers on bass and Bullet Bob on drums. They've recorded four CDs; their latest, entitled "The Butler's Boogie" on the Back Porch Blues Project record label, was released in the spring of 2000.
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Music Sampler : Goin' Down to the Juke Joint