Yes please, I’ll have a big portion of R&B
- cphilpott480
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
PREVIEW: Mike Sanchez – Huntingdon Hall, Worcester (Thursday, July 3 for one night only).
WHEN you’re infected with the rhythm and blues bug, it’s a bit like Long Covid… except that it’s a much more pleasant experience.
Nevertheless, the blues virus does stay in your system, as I know only too well, for I contracted the contagion back in 1964, aged 15.
I caught it from a geek schoolmate who insisted – probably on pain of having my English exercise book covered in ink splodges – that I listen to all the originals on the Rolling Stones’ first album.
Those of a certain age will recall that this was the chunk of vinyl which had taken the adolescent world by storm during the spring of that momentous year. This long-playing record was mainly covers and here are just a few.
Route 66 by Bobby Troup. Chuck Berry’s Carol. Jimmy Reed… Honest I Do. And I Just Wanna Make Love to You, performed much faster than the Muddy Waters version, and this time powered along by a frantic Bo Diddley beat.
I faithfully and meticulously followed orders - and was very glad that I did. Here’s a taste of what emerged during my voyage of discovery…
Soon, my old 5b buddy and I were wearing identical anoraks of the finest quilt. In fact, I’ve never taken mine off since that day, because R&B is still a vital part of my life, just as it was back in the days of a full head of Beatle hair and enough sebaceous gland activity to rival a Saudi oil kingdom’s annual output.
Thanks for bearing with me so far, dear reader, because this is my lead-in to a piece about a musician who’s been at the top of his tree for years, having played with some of the legends of British classic rock and R&B.
So, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please give a big, warm welcome to Mike Sanchez, the uncrowned king of jump blues, early rock ‘n’ roll, and who back in his rockabilly era sported the most gloriously teased and titivated coiffure, an amazing pile which towered so high it’s a wonder it didn’t have a topping of snow.
Right, do you want the bad or the good news first? Yup, I’ll decide. The bad news is that Mike hasn’t played Huntingdon Hall for five years, but the good news is that he is returning with his band The Portions on Thursday, July 3.
Right, let’s take a bit of a musical break at this point and listen to the man in action, testifying, rocking and rolling…
Lord have mercy – no, make that a double mercy, to be on the safe side – for yes indeed, the Big Boss Man’s most surely back with a bang. His mission? To rock this joint.
Mike hails from Bewdley, a Severn Delta town that nestles next to our very own Big Muddy. Not as big or wide as the other one in the American South, but I nevertheless grant you all permission to climb aboard this fantasy train and head off down the tracks with me as your engine driver.
Since the early 1980s, Mike has been gigging like there’s no tomorrow, first finding national fame with The Big Town Playboys, and then with several other incarnations that have all had that unmistakable Sanchez sound.
No surprise then that Mike has always been in big demand as a boogie woogie-inspired player, for down the years he has played with some of the top names in the world of blues-rooted rock.
Top players such as Imelda May, Robert Plant, Albert Lee, ex-Dr Feelgood axeman Steve Walwyn and Georgie Fame are just a few of the artists whose music has been enlivened and enriched by the fast-fingered Mike Sanchez.
He was also a mainstay in Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, the former Rolling Stone finding a kindred spirit and a perfect fit for his band.
If you want to get some idea of what the Sanchez powerhouse approach sounds and looks like, you would do well to visit YouTube and listen to the Rhythm Kings’ version of Chicken Shack Boogie.
Drat – and drat again! For some reason, the link won’t allow me to cut and paste. Technology, huh? Don’t you just love it. Never mind, here’s Amos Milburn’s 1948 version, which Mike does full justice to, and then some. Consider it as a sort of aperitif.
Another factor that makes Mike one of the finest living British exponents of classic R&B is his uncanny ability to mimic the early pioneers, because whatever the number on the set list, he sounds just like the original artist.
At any time during a performance, he can be Roy Brown one moment, Brook Benton the next. Then this chameleon of sound and mimicry might morph into Howling Wolf or Little Richard, moving on to Louis Jordan or Jerry Lee Lewis.
One of my favourite renditions is Slim Harpo’s I’m A King Bee, in which Mike gets every nasal inflection down to the last vowel.
It’s pure Harpo, with the late swamp blues legend coming back to life via the Sanchez vocal cords. Here’s the original by Slim Harpo…
Today’s world is saturated with sound, coming at you 24/7 via TV, radio and the internet. For me, it’s travelled a long way since two R&B-mad schoolboys hung out in record shop listening booths the moment school was over for the day.
Fittingly, this daily ritual was the very personification of a certain Chuck Berry song of the period. Remember this one? Those of a certain age will, for sure. Chuck’s School Days wasn’t just a record to us, it was the soundtrack of our young lives. Ring-ring goes the bell…
One of the reasons why that initial excitement never waned is down to players like Mike Sanchez. He carries the torch passed to him by those great artists who went before, breathing fresh life into the numbers that have continued to weave their magic into the lives of successive generations of music fans.
And that’s why you can rest assured that Mike Sanchez and the Portions will undoubtedly raise the heat even more on what promises to be a hot summer’s night of classic R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and vintage tunes.
Make no mistake, this will be one hell of a show that should not be missed. So, fasten your seat belts, Worcester, and get ready to rock!
PS: For further information, please click this link to the Mike Sanchez website. And if you scroll down a bit, you will also see a review written by me from 2002. https://www.mikesanchez.com/mike-sanchez-and-his-band
Comments