Tune into Hell's Kitchen Radio, with John Hell, every Monday night 8-10PM (Pacific), on Radio Valencia (https://radiovalencia.fm) in San Francisco. You can find my playlists and links to the podcasts right here.
Monday night I'm paying tribute to my dad, Harvey, who passed away on December 26th following years suffering with Parkinson's Disease. My dad played a huge role in my life from an early age, and my love of music comes from him.
Some of the earliest music I can recall my dad playing was electric Blues, something that I still love to this day. My dad brought home the first Blues Brothers record "Briefcase Full of Blues" shortly after it was released in 1978, and we played that thing to death! I memorized every word, every lick, every drum break, every horn part, and eventually every pop and scratch! I eventually had to purchase a second copy.
My dad loved that record because he grew up knowing most of the originals, especially "Messin' with the Kid" by the artists I'm playing tonight: Buddy Guy and Junior Wells.
My dad spent a lot of time in the Blues and Jazz clubs of Detroit in the early to mid-1960s seeing some really great acts, including Guy and Wells. My dad could spin a tall tale now and then, so I could not say for certain which shows were true and which were some he just wished he saw, but I am certain of his love for the Blues, and Rock and Roll.
This show tonight is a features Guy and Wells in a small club in Cotati, California, September 20, 1984, just ten days before my 14th birthday. Ironically we didn't live that far from Cotati, and this show was shortly after my parents split up. If my dad knew this show was happening he would have made his way there for sure. Little Charlie and the Nightcats are the backing band for this show.
Lineage: Soundboard (no knowledge of the generation)
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Support these bands. Buy their officially released music and merch, and never ever sell live bootlegs. These are for trade only.
Stick around Monday 8-10PM Pacific for a two hour tribute to my dad, which I'll be playing a bunch of his favorite music, and telling stories about a one-of-a-kind soul. I hope you tune in.
I was raised on the Blues. My dad had it playing in the garage in our house in Toledo, working on old Chevy's and Oldsmobiles from the 1950s. This was in the 70's mind you, but it was the blues of the 50s and 60s that raised me.
One holiday season my dad was late coming home from work. Turns out he was wishing Happy New Year to the owner of the store down the street from his own, who sold pool tables and jukeboxes. My dad knew he was late, and that my mom was waiting for him so they could head out to a holiday party thrown by who-knows-who? I was young, like five.
The story goes that my dad knew he was late, and he couldn't come home late empty-handed, so he purchased a jukebox, had it loaded up with 50 blues and R&B 45s and brought it home, so my mom wouldn't be as angry as she was absolutely going to be anyway. And yes, she was, thank you for asking.
Anyway, my dad comes home stinking drunk, or so my five year self, and 50 year old memory wants to believe, come stumbling up the driveway, sees my mom standing at the door, hand on hip, glaring at him for being two hours late (you can see that I have no real reason to believe this happened any other way), and my dad looks at her throw beer bottle goggles and proclaims in a beautiful drunken stupor "I bought a big record player" and then hit the floor.
God, how I want this story to be exactly how it has been colored to me over the years.
That jukebox was in our family room in one house, the rumpus room of another. What the hell is a rumpus room? Is that a thing still? Was it a thing, ever? It ended up in my bedroom by the time I was 8. That thing scared the hell out of me when I would see it in the dark of my bedroom. I thought it was the robot of Lost in Space. It looked nothing like it, but I was 8, with a vivid imagination, which I still have, thankfully.
It was the music in that machine that made the biggest impact on my young life. If I were to host a full time daily Blues radio show, that would make my life complete.
Tonight's show is all about the Blues. This first hour features the fire and brimstone of Big Mama Mae Thornton in all her 300 pound glory. This is a great soundboard recorded live in Berkeley, CA in 1970, possibly at the Berkeley Folk Festival at the Greek Theater.
The second hour features what might be my all-time favorite John Lee Hooker show. This is recorded live for WXRT at Wise Fools Club in Chicago, IL.
Here's John Lee Hooker laying down some nasty blues/boogie in front of a very enthusiastic Chicago audience. Hooker and his band are clearly feeding off the energy in the room and turn in a blazing performance in return. It's obvious from listening that the room is quite small and one can imagine how exciting it must have been watching a blues legend work his magic in such an intimate setting.
It all about the Blues on this edition of my Live Bootleg Bonanza, ONLY on RadioValencia.fm
Enjoy.
jh
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What will you do now that the orange cheeto has fallen from grace? I wouldn't bet him out. He loves a good comeback. Will the next season be worth watching? Stay tuned.
In the meantime, take a look at this juicy set I have just for you and yours. There's something here for just about every member of the family. You got your blues for the teens. Stoner metal for grandma. Sexy vocal stylings for your overweight stinky uncle who's missing teeth and hair. There's funk for white neighbor who swears he was Black in a previous life. And anything else that dad enjoys. For mom there's plenty of polyester dance hits to cover the couch.
We all need a creative outlet to get us through these tough times. What's yours? Need one? Just look at the contest I'm throwing and participate. Deadline is Friday, February 12th.
RUN FOR THE LILLIES 2021
The rules are simple:
You choose ten celebrities (from any industry) you believe will meet their demise by December 31, 2021.
The only rule: you may NOT contribute to their passing.
Email the list by January 31st (no one on your list may have passed before you get me your list) to mrjohnhell@gmail.com
I know this is morbid; my name is HELL
There will be a prize for the most names "collected", announced January 2022
Enjoy.
jh
Hell's Kitchen Radio with John Hell Mondays 8-10PM Radio Valencia in SF http://radiovalencia.fm
Stream the Blues, HERE! Download the road to the Blues, HERE! Listen into all my shows here, or just scroll down
Sometime during the week leading up to my show, I must have heard some seriously good Blues playing. Maybe. It's hard to say. Maybe I was realizing that I just don't play enough blues, and was feeling guilty, like I wasn't including one of my beloved children in the fun? It's not like little Bluesy did anything wrong. On the contrary, where would I be today without Blues? It was Blues that taught me how to get over heartbreak. It was Blues that showed me that it was OK to be alone. It was Blues that allowed me to heal, following all my many dark and lonely nights.
Maybe I had too much Blues in my life? Perhaps I needed a break, to recognize just how much I love the Blues? Tonight is full of the Blues. And that's a good thing. Blues can also bring you up. Once you hear a line like "I've been down so long, it looks like up to me", and you know that the singer has it so much harder than you, then you know that you're life just isn't that bad. It's similar to watching a Soap Opera. Their lives are much, much worse than yours.
In the second hour I have brand new music from FUZZ and WAND (who are playing Thursday night at Brick and Mortar, btw!!!)!!!!! Are you KIDDING ME?!?!?!?
This Friday I'm hosting the live Ask Dr. Hal at XOXO in Jack London Square from 10-midnight. It's only $5 and it's totally worth your spooky-weekend time.
Smokestack Lightning: Howlin' Wolf
Rollin' and Tumblin': Baby Face Leroy Trio
Two Trains Running: Butterfield Blues Band
Boom Boom Out Go The Lights: Little Walter
Done Somebody Wrong: Elmore James
Backdoor Medley: ZZ Top (Live in Texas)
I Don't Know: Blues Brothers (Hollywood Bowl, 1978)
Try: Janis Joplin (April 01, 1969 Stockholm, Sweden)
Dirt: Iggy and the Stooges (November 03, 2003 City Park, New Orleans, LA)
***Best of Set***
Grave Robbers: WAND
Say Hello: FUZZ
Foxy Lady: Jimi Hendrix (Hawaii 1970)
Cosmic Slop: George Clinton Parliament-Funkadelic (July 8, 2006 Lugano, Switzerland)
War/No More Trouble: Bob Marley and The Wailers (August 5, 1978 Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, FL)
Good Morning Little Schoolgirl: Grateful Dead (February 28, 1969 Fillmore West, SF, CA)
Brown Sugar: Rolling Stones (March 13, 1971 Leeds U, Leeds UK)
Enjoy this full performance from the original Iggy and the Stooges with Mike Watt on bass, from Detroit, Michigan in 2003. What a brilliant performance.
Once again it's time to put everything down, set six hours aside, and listen to John Hell and Ron Donovan butcher each other in a knock down, drag out bootleg battle, of epic proportions!
John and Ron have quite possibly the LARGEST live bootleg collection in the known world (source unknown and possibly nonexistent), and twice a year they share it with you, dear listeners. Why? They don't have to tell you!
The best part of this show besides the music, has to be the "witty" "conversation" between Ron and John. Yes, they know what they're (why am I talking in the third person? Oh well, I've already gone this far...) talking about. The two of them have been collecting live music for over 25 years (cassette, vinyl, CD, Flac), and understand the "OTHER" music industry better than most. Lots of discussion ensues.
In the fifth hour, guitar slinger Eric McFadden calls in following his show in Chicago, to share some road stories with us. He has made a number of live appearances in studio for Rock Fight's past. It's too kind of him to phone it in this time out.
About 99% are high quality soundboard recordings. Only one Zep tune is from an audience source, but what a show it was!
Who won you ask? It's possible that for the first time in over six years, it was a draw. We'll fight it out again in December.
Enjoy.
jh
You can download all the rock goodness here.
Feel free to stream this straight into your brain stem here.
You can check out all of my shows by going here, or just scroll down.
Rock Fight: Cheech and Chong
I Want to Rock: Twisted Sister (Santiago, Chile 04/19/13) -Ron Donovan (RD)
Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen (Buenos Aires 02/28/81) - John Hell (JH)
Fight to the Finish: Gamma (NYC 1980) - RD
Sinner: Judas Priest (The Palladium, NYC 11/4/79) - JH
History of Tenacious D (Higher Ground, Winooski, VT 09/28/01) - JH
Revolve: King Buzzo (Zanzabar, Louisville, Kentucky 03/20/14) JH
Hotter Than Hell: Kiss (Richfield Stadium, Richfield, OH 09/03/76) - JH
Magic Man: Heart (Shoreline, WA 1976) - RD
I Hate Myself for Loving You: Joan Jett (2013) - RD
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Metallica (Zwolle "Ijsellhall", Holland on 02-08-87) - RD
Ride the Lightning: Metallica (Zwolle "Ijsellhall", Holland on 02-08-87) - RD
British Invasion Set:
Maxwell's Silver Hammer (John singing): Beatles 1969 - JH
Piggies: Beatles (White Album Demos) 1968 - JH
Teddy Boy: Beatles (Get Back Sessions) 1968 - JH
5:15: The Who (Spectrum, Philly, PA (1973) - RD
Young Man Blues: The Who (Hull University, Hull, England 02-15-70) - JH
Gimme Shelter: Rolling Stones (Cricket Ground, Perth, AU 02/24/73) - JH
Midnight Rambler: Rolling Stones (LA Forum June 1975) - RD
You Really Got Me: The Kinks (Cobo Hall, Detroit, MI 08/10/79) - JH
Apeman: The Kinks (BBC 12/13/70) - JH
Got To Get Better in a Little While: Derek and the Domino's (Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN 11/05/70) - RD
Tell the Truth: Derek and the Domino's (Fillmore East, NYC 10-24-70) - JH
Blues Set:
Baby Please Don't Go: Muddy Waters (Antives, France 1974) - RD
Got My Mojo Working: Muddy Waters (Blues & Jazz Festival, Geneva, Switzerland 11/04/76) - JH
Forecast Calls for Pain: Robert Cray (Redrocks 1992) - RD
Summertime: Janis Joplin (Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands 04/11/69) - JH
Trouble No More: Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Eric Clapton (Dingwalls, London, England 12/03/85) - JH
Mercury Blues: Steve Miller Band (Matrix, SF 1967) - RD
Boom Boom: John Lee Hooker (The Stone, SF, CA 03/30/85) - JH
Damn Right I Got the Blues: Buddy Guy (Legends, Chicago 2012) - RD
Howlin' For My Baby: Howlin' Wolf 1952 - JH
Stormy Monday: Buddy Guy and Junior Wells (Willmantic, CT 1973) RD
I Can't Quit You, Babe: Led Zeppelin (Fillmore West, SF, CA 01/11/69)
What Is And What Should Never Be: Led Zeppelin (Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, CN 09/04/71)
Celebration Day: Led Zeppelin (Chicago, IL 07/06/73)
Schoolday/Nadine/Around and Around: Led Zeppelin (Tribute To Johnny Kidd And The Pirates Metropolitan Sports Center, Minneapolis 1/17/75)
The Song Remains the Same/Rain Song: Led Zeppelin (Earl's Court, London, UK 05-24-75)
In My Time of Dying: Led Zeppelin (The Forum, LA, CA 06/22/77)
Achilles Last Stand: Led Zeppelin (Kingdome, Seattle, WA 07/17/77)
Electric Chair: Prince (Saturday Night Live 1989)
Let's Go Crazy: Prince (Orange Bowl, Miami, FL 04/07/85)
Cold Sweat: James Brown (Dallas, TX 08/26/68)
Let's Work: Prince (DNA Lounge, SF, CA 04/24/13)
Let Yourself Go/There Was A Time/I Feel Alright: James Brown (Apollo Theater 1966)
Get On The Good Foot: James Brown (Lucerne, Switzerland 1973)
Living in America: James Brown (SF Hilton Ballroom, San Francisco, CA 10/12/92)
It was such a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, it's daylight savings time, so it's staying lighter later, and love is in the air. I can't think of a better time to play two hours of the Blues.
Oh, don't get me wrong, the Blues is not about feeling bad. The Blues is about taking all those feelings you have down in your soul and shouting it out to the world! I was born in a blues town, Toledo, Ohio. How, you ask, is Toledo, Ohio a blues town? During the Great Depression Toledo, Ohio has the "Great" distinction of having the highest unemployment rate for an urban area; over 85%. Talk about the blues!
I haven't lived there since 1981, but don't let that stop me. Oh no, no, no. I now live in the most expensive city in the US, San Francisco, and I make it on a teacher's salary, no less. I'm no martyr.
For a long time, when I've gone record shopping (yes, I said record shopping, as I still purchase vinyl, and I always will, thank you very much), I've made it a point, if I'm buying more than two items, to make certain that at least one is either international, country, or blues. Because of this I have a rather vast international, country and blues library. I buy a lot of records. That's one vice I'm proud to call my own.
I remember in 1978 when my dad brought home the Blues Brothers' "Briefcase Full of Blues" LP. I loved it from the start. I memorize every nuance of that record, and easily wore out that first copy. It was from that record that I was able to set out on an adventure through the history of not only the Blues, but the history of American music, going back to slave songs and gospels, as well as the history of Rock 'n' Roll. It's safe to say that my musical knowledge was birthed from the Blues.
So tonight it's all Blues. How happy I will be! You should recognize many of the names on the list, but perhaps not all of the songs. And vice-verse.
This show is a great history lesson. Get a pencil, write it down, and feel some love for the Blues.
If you're feeling way down low, then download this show.
If you're feeling mellow, stream this fellow.
If you feel like a low down dirty dog, then listen to all of my shows by going here, or just scroll down.
Enjoy.
jh
Hey Bartender: Floyd Dixon
It Must Have Been the Devil: Otis Spann
I Don't Know: The Blues Brothers
Rollin' and Tumblin': Elmore James
I'm Bad Like Jesse James: John Lee Hooker
My Last Affair: Howlin' Wolf
I Ain't Got You: Jimmy Reed
Cocaine and Whiskey: Eugene Huggins
Bring It On Home: Sonny Boy Williamson
The rain has finally arrived in the Bay Area, and with it the loss of the 49ers. Dang. I could go on and on about the 2nd year Williams, and his two errors, but he has enough to deal with without me harassing him. Poor kid. The Niners got farther than any of us fans expected they would this year, so for that I salute you.
It still sucks though.
And therefore I bring you tonight's show: Stormy Monday.
I was raised by a father well versed in the genre of Blues. It was often playing in the garage when my dad was working on his old cars. We even had a jukebox, packed with 45s, many of which featured old blues. I've MCd the Northern California Blues Festival a few times, and have quite a large collection of great blues musicians, past and present.
Tune in Monday's, 8-10PM (PST) for A Season in Hell, with John Hell
You can download the show here. You can stream the show here. You can listen live to our shows on our popup player here.
Stormy Weather: Etta James Got My Mojo Working: Ann Cole Flip, Flop and Fly: Big Joe Turner
"B" Movie Boxcar Blues: Delbert McClinton Bottle Up & Go: Hooker and Heat Shake Your Moneymaker: Elmore James I Got My Eye You: Buddy Guy
Come On In My Kitchen: Eugene Huggins Messin' With The Kid: Junior Wells Bulldoze Blues: Henry Thomas Suzie Q: Dale Hawkins Tollin' Bells: Lowell Folsom
Stormy Monday: Allman Brothers Band (02/1970 - Fillmore East) How Blue Can You Get: B.B. King
Ball and Chain: Janis Joplin and the Kozmic Blues Band (04-01-69) Trouble No More: Muddy Waters
Two Trains Running: Butterfield Blues Band Got to get Better in a Little While: Derek and the Dominos Hear My Train A Comin': Jimi Hendrix
I Ain't Superstitious: Howlin' Wolf I'm A King Bee: Slim Harpo Shotgun Blues: Blues Brothers (12-31-78)
Bringin' it all Back Home: Sonny Boy Williamson I Left My Heart in San Francisco: Tony Bennett (50th anniversary of this fine release) Cold, Rain and Snow: Dillard Chandler
This was a fun night. For the first time my daughter of seven years finally heard my show. I guess she was so excited that she was holding her face in her hands and crying. Wait...
A Quick One (While He's Away): The Who Celebrity Compass: Bongwater Jesus Was Way Cool: King Missile Devil's Rodeo: Diamanda Galas with John Paul Jones
Hey Bartender: The Blues Brothers Mannish Boy: Muddy Waters Rock Steady: John Lee Hooker
Hour two: God's Away on Business: Tom Waits Me and My Friends: Red Hot Chili Peppers (04-28-89) My Ding a ling: Chuck Berry (06-20-94)
Toussaint L'Overture: Santana (05-02-71) Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys: Traffic (??-1971) Love Me: Elvis Presley (10-06-74)
Motorbike: Wooden Shjips (11-10-11) James Bond Covers: Sex Mob (11-10-11)
