Ladies Man

Performer: Pinetop Perkins
Artist: Susan Tedeschi; Ruth Brown; Marcia Ball; Madeleine Peyroux; Odetta
Engineer: Fred Guarino
Producer: Mark Carpentieri; Mark Carpentieri
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Personnel: Pinetop Perkins (vocals, piano); Pinetop Perkins; Miss Carmen Getit (guitar, background vocals); Jimmy Vivino (guitar); Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (harmonica, drums, background vocals); Jerry Vivino (saxophone); Lisa Otey (piano); Bob Stroger (bass guitar, background vocals); Kenny Smith , Mark Carpentieri, Willie Smith (drums); Deborah Coleman, Madeleine Peyroux, Susan Tedeschi (vocals, guitar); Odetta, Angela Strehli, Ruth Brown (vocals); Elvin Bishop (slide guitar); Marcia Ball, Ann Rabson (piano). Audio Mixer: Fred Guarino. Liner Note Author: Mark Carpentieri. Recording information: Memphis Soundworks, Memphis, TN (05/2003-03/2004); New Calcutta Studios, New York, NY (05/2003-03/2004); Rancho Nicasio, Nicasio, CA (05/2003-03/2004); Raven Street Studios, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (05/2003-03/2004); Tiki Studios, Glen Cove, NY (05/2003-03/2004). Photographers: Daniel Fitzpatrick; Peter DiStefano. Unknown Contributor Roles: Marcia Ball; Ann Rabson. By 2004, Pinetop Perkins may have entered his twilight years, and the fiery action he brought to the 88s in Muddy Waters's band in the 1960s may have mellowed to a smoother blues, but LADIES MAN proves he's still got the juice. The idea behind the album was to pair Perkins with an assortment of female musicians, all of whom have cited the elder statesman as an influence. The guest stars, including Ruth Brown, Marcia Ball, and Susan Tedeschi, add texture and flavor to Pinetop's well-worn vocals and still vital boogie-woogie stylings. The tunes Pinetop sings on, from the laid-back "Chicken Shack" to the rollicking "Big Fat Mama," sound as warm and familiar as old friends. But when Madeleine Peyroux takes the mic on "He's Got Me Goin'," unleashing a butter-smooth croon, or when Odetta lays down her deep alto on "Trouble in Mind," the session takes off. Brown's sassy turn on "Chains of Love," one of the album's highlights, recalls the gutsy punch of the Chicago-blues heyday, amid more updated sounds and boogie throwbacks. Perkins's fine backing musicians (including Elvin Bishop, whose slide guitar graces "How Long") keep things simmering throughout this legendary pianist's late-period date.

Living Blues (pp.50-1) - "[H]is sense of humor and his boogie-woogie chops are still intact....Perkins serves 'em up in an infectiously good mood....LADIES MAN was clearly a labor of love."

A journeyman blues pianist who was prominent in the development of a modern boogie woogie style, Pinetop Perkins accompanied the likes of Big Joe Williams, Robert Nighthawk, and the original Sonny Boy Williamson (I) early in his career. He also recorded a celebrated version of Pinetop Smith's "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" for Sun Records in 1953, leading many fans to mistakenly attribute the original composition to him (Perkins acquired his nickname from the tune). Eventually settling in Chicago, he took over the piano chair from Otis Spann in Muddy Water's band in 1969 and continued touring with Waters till the latter's death. Perkins himself continued to release contemporary blues albums all the way into the 2000s, collaborating with the likes of Susan Tedeschi and Marcia Ball on 2004's LADIES MAN.

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