Jay Willie, from Newtown, Connecticut started playing guitar at age 12. His uncle gave him some blues records to listen to. That introduction to the blues included albums from Muddy Waters, Roy Buchanon, Ry Cooder, B.B. King and particularly Johnny Winter.
Jay became particularly enamored with Johnny’s style but also for his commitment and understanding of the blues. Still Raisin’ Cain is Jay’s tribute to Johnny Winter. But he did not want the album to just be him emulating Johnny.
Only one song is from Johnny. the other songs include only one original and seven other covers that he selected that serves as a tribute to Johnny and other performers that have an influence in his career. The album title came as a continuation of Johnny’s 1980 album, Raisin’ Cane, released on Blue Sky Records.
On the album cover for that record, Johnny and each of the other two musicians are holding canes. Jay managed to obtain canes from that album shoot and on the cover of this album, Jay and drummer Bobby T. Torello are each holding one of those original canes. Jay plays guitar and slide guitar and provides vocals on the album.
The Johnny Winter connection continues with the addition of Bobby T. Torello, who is also lives in Connecticut, on drums and vocals. In 1975, Bobby was the drummer for a group called Thunderhead. The group released an album that was produced by Johnny Winter.
Johnny then invited Bobby to tour and record with him resulting in his performance on two of Johnny’s albums, White Hot & Blue, and the previously mentioned Raisin Cane. Bobby also played drums with Black Oak Arkansas and recorded with Grace Slick on her solo album Welcome to the Wrecking Ball. He is currently the drummer and vocalist for The Namedroppers in addition to playing with Jay Willie.
The remaining members of the band include Paul Opalach on bass, lap steel, keyboards and is the owner and engineer of the Connecticut studio where the album was recorded. Doug Bernstein on sax has shared stages with BB King, Gatemouth Brown, Charlie Musselwhite and others.
The album opens with the title song, the sole original song on the album. Jay’s guitar rolls out the music with slightly gruff vocals citing Johnny, “was rollin’ and tumblin’ just like a rolling stone”. Freddy Fender’s “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights” has smoother vocals and Jay’s guitar tastefully maintaining a country influence. Paul McGhee’s 1959 instrumental “Boogie for Drums and Guitar” features both instruments plus a run on sax in a rousing romp.
“Much Too Late” shifts totally into blues. The song written by Alden “Tarheel Slim” Bunn and his wife Little Ann in 1958 features guest lead vocals by Karen Johnstone as she begs “I will do anything for you” with Jay’s slide guitar paving the way. Jay declares she is the “Sugar in My Tea (Cream in My Coffee)” as he states “I traveled this word for many miles, and I hope to travel more. But I never had a woman in my life could make love like you before”.
This is a song by from Piney Brown and His Blues Toppers from 1959. The band really get things rocking with this one. Bob Dylan’s 1965 hit “Positively Fourth Street” gets a recognizable treatment with Jay even emulating some of Bob’s whine in his rendition. He then asks “What did I do wrong? To cause you to leave me.
Since you been gone, I’ve done nothing but grieved. What you want me to do?” “I’m Lost Without You”. The song was written in 1963 by Memphis Slim. Johnny Winter’s “Stranger” released on his 1975 album John Dawson Winter is the sole song from Johnny on the album.
He closes the album with Tom Wait’s 1992 “Jesus Gonna be Here” as he proclaims “got to keep myself faithful and you know I’ve been so good, yeah, except for drinking, but he knew that I would, yeah. Well, I’m gonna leave this place better than the way I found it was. And Jesus gonna be here, gonna be here soon, yeah.” Certainly, a profound way to end an album.
Jay states in his liner notes that “This album is a labor of love, a tribute to musical influences, and a celebration of the enduring power of rhythm and blues.” The album is a cross section of the influences that have directed Jay and his music.
Still Raisin’ Cane is a heartfelt tribute to my musical hero, Johnny Winter, and the incredible musicians who contributed to his legendary sound. Johnny’s 1980 album Raisin’ Cain on Blue Sky Records, featuring Jon Paris on bass and harmonica and Bobby T Torello on drums, was a pivotal record for me. I was fortunate enough to jam with both Jon and Bobby at BB Kings in NYC during Jon’s Monday night open mic sessions, experiences that remain vivid memories. Bobby T’s distinctive drumming style, so integral to Johnny’s music, has graced all seven of our ZOHO releases. This album, in many ways, is a continuation of that powerful rhythmic legacy. We’ve always admired Johnny’s ability to take classic Texas and New Orleans R&B from the pre-rock and roll era and make it his own. Bobby and I wanted to honor that spirit and the energy of albums like Raisin’ Cain and White Hot and Blue, which Bobby so powerfully defined with his drumming. Rather than simply re-recording tracks from those iconic albums, we chose a different path. We sought out songs that resonated with the style and form of Johnny’s repertoire, songs that we felt he, and his fans, would recognize and appreciate in our interpretations. Just as Johnny produced Muddy Waters’ Grammy-winning Hard Again in 1977, a title with such clever double meaning, we wanted a title that spoke to Bobby’s enduring talent and energy. The album tracks, carefully selected, include gems from Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Freddy Fender, and other early R&B artists whose music paved the way for rock and roll,- an interview with us said Jay Willie.
We recommend that you definitely own this CD and enjoy it!
