There are three videos on YouTube from this show, which features Zach Zunis on guitar and Lee Campbell (who I met when he was James Harman, and is a nice guy for sure) on drums. It’s all good stuff (although not the best sound or vision) but the shuffle which plays for 6.53 is utterly astonishing. Lester is inspired and then some, taking his time and doing it right!

I have no idea what the song is called but it doesn’t matter…

Any of you who haven’t seen this check it out right now! (I apologise if it’s already old news and is mentioned here somewhere)

Firstly, I admire Dave Lee Bartel for helping Paul Size during the robbery – that was courageous.

Secondly, I realise now why I never pursued my initial interest in Lester Butler & The Red Devils. At the time – times have changed now and so have I – it all seemed too dark to me. I couldn’t see or hear the light of Lester’s healing intentions within his music or persona; the artwork on the cover of the ’13′ CD was another indicator (to me) that this was not for me…I bought it, listened to it (not closely enough) – and sold it.

Even the names ‘Thirteen’ and ‘The Red Devils’ put me off.
Bizarrely to me now, I was actually very worried about Alex Schultz (whom I knew a little back then) being involved with this stuff…Now I envy him!

Since (and way before) the downfall of Peter Green and Jaco Pastorious as the result of drug abuse, I’ve avoided that culture in a big way. And I stand by that: ultimately, it’s never helped anyone; Peter is still living with the consequences.

I’m attempting to make up for lost time now (there’s no such thing really but I won’t get into that) by turning all of my friends onto this music. I’ve been pretty successful! I sent ‘She’s Dynamite’ via YouTube to a friend with the note: “You’ll like this” and he replied: “Damn right I like it!”

Once again, I thank you posting ‘She’s Dynamite’, which was the catalyst for my deep interest in, and love of, this great music.

I enjoyed hearing Paul Size’s somewhat bittersweet reminiscences…and yes, I would like to see a release for the music that Mick Jagger and The Red Devils recorded.

My friends and I talk about what we’d do if we had a ‘time machine’, and my contribution is always the same: I’d want to be in the Universal Studio in Chicago, c 1953-55, observing a Little Walter, Muddy Waters or Howlin’ Wolf recording session; however, now I would add that i’d like to go back to the Red Devils’ heyday and catch a few gigs, as I missed them completely. I don’t know how or why, but I did. That’s the blues.

And then Lester plays a typically GREAT solo. I’m finding it hard to listen to other players at the moment – If they don’t GET IT like this, then I don’t want to know.

NOTE: I found this by way of searching for a video of ‘She’s Dangerous’, as I just now found two YouTube videos of that song. There’s one that was posted by REDHOUSEGEERT that you all have to see if you haven’t already…Butler seems to channel Butterfield at one point – and that’s the blues for sure. I saw Butter in London in 1984 (??) and he almost blew me out of the room with the intensity of his vocal and harp.

Rave on, people!

Lester Butler is an inspiration to me, as indeed the whole band and its approach is. I recently found a couple of memorable quotes, one on YouTube (there are some – it’s not all an insult and hatred-fest…) which decribed The Red Devils as being “like The Fabulous Thunderbirds on steroids”.

The second one I like better, part of an Amazon.com review of King King: “It’s like Little Walter meets The Ramones!”

I note that Amazon.com are advertising a reissue of the King King CD at the end of January. Have you heard about this? I certainly hope that it’s true!

Best wishes

I interviewed James for the now defunct Blueprint magazine (U.K.) back in 1993.To James, singing the blues is storytelling – he’s more into that, being a band-leader and a fine singer than being a harp master – and he is gracious in his praise for fellow musicians. However, I didn’t ask him about Lester because as I have said elsewhere, I wasn’t really tuned in and turned on to Lester at that time. James made a fine statement regarding Kim Wilson. We were talking about of James’ ex-guitarist Kid Ramos having recently joined the Thunderbirds and he then spoke of Kim in passing, using a rather poetic phrase. James: “Kim sings as well as he plays and that’s a rare thing; It’s cut out of one cloth, rather than two separate pieces. That’s also how I think of Sonny Boy Williamson” (Rice MIller)

And that’s how I think of James Harman – and Lester Butler.

I just listened to the Hollywood Fats recording and as you know, it is their version of the Tampa Red song, which I first heard by B.B.King. I prefer it the way that B.B. plays it – as a boogie.

The Red Devils’ She’s Dynamite is presumably a Lester Butler song as he sings and plays it as if he’s telling his story and loving every second of doing so! I love it just as much but the Hollywood Fats record – as much as I respect him, his memory and legacy – does not make me feel the same way. As the guys in my band, Borderline (we’re based on the Isle of Man right in the middle of the Irish Sea between England and ireland) know, I am very hard to please and equally hard on my own performance.

Take care: I’m going to play Time To Cry and She’s Dynamite one more time then I’m going back to my Little Walter CD session…