Author Archives: J.J. Perry

Lester Butler & 13 reviews, collected

Reviews for 1997’s “13 featuring Lester Butler” were collected at the time by Jasper Heikens for the Lester Butler Tribute Site. These long-lost reviews provide a snapshot of a moment in time when Butler was still breaking ground, “the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion meets Little Walter.”

Intveld on Butler: ‘Taking something beyond where it’s been before’

Lester Butler and 13 were supposed to play their first gig at the Dixie Belle Restaurant in Downey on June 27, 1998. Butler never made it, but a tribute show was held for him that night. (An article that day noted Smokey Hormel, Steven Hodges and John Bazz all playing.) The man who promoted the show, EdContinue reading “Intveld on Butler: ‘Taking something beyond where it’s been before’”

The two surprising early Memphis heroes behind “King King” openers

Joe Hill Louis and Willie Nix may not be famous pillars of Sun Records, but their songs were proto-versions of “Automatic” and “Goin’ to the Church,” respectively, some 40 years earlier. A deep dive into the Memphis influence on “King King.” #KingKingXXX

Canned Heat’s Larry ‘The Mole’ Taylor fills in on bass for Red Devils, 1992

The Red Devils’ Dec. 31, 1992, show at Jack’s Sugar Shack in Los Angeles boasted a surprising, one-time lineup with Canned Heat’s legendary Larry “The Mole” Taylor on bass.