Steve Cheseborough

Willie “Big Eyes” Smith (L) and Steve Cheseborough at Mississippi Studios, Portland, April 30, 2009. Photo by Greg Johnson.

I was the opening act for Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and his band April 30 at Mississippi Studios in Portland. Unfortunately it was also the night of the Portland Trail Blazers’ final playoff game, so many Portlanders stayed home to watch the game and that hurt our attendance at the show.

That’s a shame! Smith, born in Helena, Ark., in 1936, is a terrific Chicago-style singer-harmonica player who travels with a crack band including Bob Stroger on bass and Little Frank Krakowski on guitar.  This band regularly backs pianist Pinetop Perkins, but they sound just fine without him too. Stroger, the senior member of the group at 78, sings and fronts the group for much of the show. An interesting thing about Smith is that he first became famous as a drummer, playing for Muddy Waters among other acts, and only switched to vocals and harmonica in the past few years. He had played harp as a kid, but gave it up for decades before his recent switchback. And the change is working well!  This year Smith is nominated for Blues Music Awards both for his drumming and his harp playing.

My 1920s-30s-style blues followed by their electric sound made for a full and fine evening. Blues party beats basketball party! Sorry if you missed it.

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