University of Virginia Library

The Big Weekend

James Gang, Butterfield, Share Openings

By Charles Grymes

When The James Gang plays at
the Openings concert Friday night,
don't expect their visual excitement
to overwhelm their sound. Unlike
many musical groups today, they
are more interested in their music
than a flashy show on stage.

The music is funky blues with a
trace of strident animal. It comes
across as fresh and clean; it is not
insistent or pressing but easy and
relaxed.

The James Gang's original lyrics
and material is as good as their
performance of it. The strong
influence of the Buffalo Springfield
can be seen in their blend of rock,
country, and Memphis.

Trio

The trio of Jimmy Fox, Dale
Peters, and Joe Walsh forms a tight
group musically without inhibiting
their individual performances.
Walsh's guitar work drew high
praise from Peter Townshend of the
Who — "He really is one of those
guys I kind of go nuts —rapturous—

about." His ten minute solo during
"Stop" on their first album ("Yer
Album", Blues way) shows why.

Dale Peters on bass is the newest
member of The James Gang. Jim
Fox on drums is the leader and
meshes with Walsh's guitar work
impressively. Fox is the most
versatile member musically; his
range includes not only percussion
instruments (drums, piano) but
string (violin, cello, guitar) and
wind (trumpet, trombone, oboe).

Headliners

The James Gang is headlining
the Openings concert despite its
limited recognition. They have only
two albums out, and most of their
engagements have been in the Ohio
area. The group almost disbanded
in 1968 when the rhythm guitarist
was drafted and lead guitarist Glenn
Swartz switched to Pacific Gas &
Electric (who appeared here in the
Homecoming concert).

In contrast, the group getting
second billing is well known and
quickly recognized here. Shouting,
stomping Chicago blues music is
available on the six Elektra Albums
of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
Since 1965 the group has
constantly performed nationally,
including at the Newport Festival.
Locally, they played at the Cellar
Door in Washington in August and
at William and Mary's Homecoming
in October.

Butterfield

Paul Butterfield reached the
blues scene in Chicago when he was
16. The same year President
Eisenhower sent troops into Little
Rock he first heard Muddy Waters
and Magic Sam in honky-tonks on
the Black South Side. The
razor-pure sound of the black blues
belt engulfed him despite the fact
that he was white.

Today Butterfield's sound is
essentially Chicago blues with jazz,
folk, and rock united and welded
with it. In 1965 he adopted
electronic instruments and began to
popularize the "smoky Chicago
Blues sinkhole songs." He
pioneered the way for Blood,
Sweat, and Tears while retaining
that magic suffering syndrome
inherent in all great blues.

Butterfield has been called "the
one white of his generation who
could really play the blues" (New
York Magazine). Right now three
of the nine band members are
black. When asked how he felt
about race and his music,
Butterfield said, "It's all music . . . it
may come from European or
African culture but it's all music. It
doesn't need a label . . . it entails a
lot of individual things. You know,
different strokes for different
folks."

The play of the band itself is
tight, while the arrangements are

loose and casual. "They come on
like a gang of Mexican bandits
taking over a village in a cloud of
victory dust, their instruments
swinging jauntily in the style of
trigger-happy badmen," described
The New York Times.

The members past experience
with soul groups is evident in their
music. Ted Harris (piano), Rod
Hicks (bass), and George Davidson
(drummer) all once played with the
Four Tops. Charles Dinwiddie, who
learned to play tenor sax because
he won his instrument in a crap
game, contributes some of the best
solos aside from Paul Butterfield.

The weakest part of the group is
Butterfield's vocals. His voice just
does not have the guts of a good
soul singer. However, this weakness
is far offset by his great skill with
the harp and the harmonica; he is
generally regarded as the best blues
harmonica player today.