With “The Blues Is Back”, fans of piano blues have the opportunity to get to know a very special musician who enjoys the highest acclaim in the scene. Ernest Lane is one of the last surviving veterans of the original Mississippi blues, an artist who easily compares with the likes of Otis Spann and Little Johnny Jones. The remarkable story of his musical career does a great deal to elucidate the man we hear on this album: His father was a barrelhouse pianist, Pinetop Perkins was a friend of the family, he went to school with Ike Turner, his first performances were in Robert Nighthawk’s band. In the early 1960s he was a sideman for Ike & Tina Turner, he played back-up for the Monkees, took part in recordings by Canned Heat (1969, 1971, 1972) and can now be heard on the latest CDs of Ike Turner and Eddie C. Campbell. In 2004 Lane has released a CD under his own name and reveals himself to be both traditional and timeless in the best sense of these words. He is compelling as a pianist with powerful play; as a singer he is rough and ready. No doubt, the blues is back indeed!
Additional product information
recorded:
2004
time:
43:24
Musicians:
Ernest Lane: piano Mack Johnson: trumpet Derrick B. Edmondson: sax Leo Dombecki: sax Wali Ali: guitar Steve Gannon: guitar Rick Jones: bass James Gadson: drums