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"...Levee Camp Holler..."
"Key To The Highway" by JO ANN KELLY is a straightforward October 2011 reissue of a CD compilation first UK-released on Mooncrest CRESTCD 037 Z in March 1999. The key element here is the missing secondary title – "Rare & Unissued Recordings 1968-1974" – hence the reason why you won’t find 'any' of these 23-tracks on her 8 officially released albums. With that original CD comp now pushing £90 or more on auction sites – this 2011 reissue by SuperBird (Part of Cherry Red’s set of labels) is a smart and timely move.
For decades now - Jo Ann Kelly’s cool finger picking guitar style and her extraordinary voice has been something of a well-kept secret. A sort of British response to Janis Joplin - in fact Columbia who put out her self-titled "Jo Ann Kelly" debut album on CBS Records in the UK in 1969 asked her to live and play in the USA hoping to pass her off as just that – a British JJ – but she again refused. A woman steeped in old Blues, R&B and Ragtime folklore and tunes – she possessed a growler of a larynx (name-checked by Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan) and was once feted by both Canned Heat and Johnny Winter to join their American bands – but she instead chose to work the burgeoning Blues circuit in her native Blighty. So what do you get? Well - although the ragbag nature of "Key To The Highway" throws you with its varied audio sources and dates - there's much to love on this CD. Here are the moaning levees and catfish blues...
UK released October 2011 – "Key To The Highway" by JO ANN KELLY on SuperBird SBIRD 0051 CD (Barcode 5013929885127) is a 23-track CD compilation of entirely unreleased material recorded between 1969 and 1975 (final two tracks are 1988 interviews) and plays out as follows (69:43 minutes):
1. Keep Your Hand Out Of My Pocket [Live] (Otis Spann cover)
2. No Chance With You [Live] (Jo Ann Kelly song)
Recorded 1968
Jo Ann Kelly – Vocals, Tony McPhee – Guitar, Bob Hall – Piano and Paul Rowan – Harp
3. You Win Again (Hank Williams cover)
4. I've Been Scorned (Roebuck Staples song - of The Staple Singers)
5. Can I Get A Witness (HDH song, Marvin Gaye cover)
6. Rolling Log Blues (Lottie Kimborough song)
7. Louisiana Blues (Version 1) (Muddy Waters cover)
8. I Can't Be Satisfied (Muddy Waters cover)
Recorded 1971
Jo Ann Kelly – Vocals and Guitar and Bob Hall – Piano and Mandolin
9. Levee Camp Holler
Recorded 1969 – Jo Ann Kelly – Unaccompanied Vocal
10. Two Nineteen Blues (Mamie Desdunes song)
11. Make Me A Pallet (Traditional)
12. Key To The Highway (Big Bill Broonzy cover)
13. You've Got To Move (Mississippi Fred McDowell cover)
14. Black Rat Swing (Ernest Lawler song)
15. Baby What You Want Me To Do (Jimmy Reed cover)
Recorded 1975
Jo Ann Kelly – Vocals, Dick Wellstood – Piano, Lucas Lindholm – String Bass and Rolf Ahrens – Drums
16. Louisiana Blues (Version 2) (Muddy Waters cover)
17. Boyfriend Blues (Memphis Minnie cover)
18. Catfish Blues (Robert Petway cover)
19. Walking The Dog (Rufus Thomas cover)
Recorded 1970
Jo Ann Kelly – Vocals and Guitar and Bob Hall – Piano and Mandolin
20. Jump Steady Daddy (Lucille Bogan [aka Bessie Jackson] cover)
Recorded 1974
Jo Ann Kelly on Vocals and Bob Hall on Piano
21. Put A Record On (Bob Hall, Dennis Colton and Dave Kelly song)
Recorded 1974
Jo Ann Kelly – Vocals, Bob Hall – Piano, Pete Emery – Guitar, Bob Brunning – Electric Bass and Pete Miles on Drums
22. Guitars, Stars And Early Repertoire (Interview)
23. The Bridge House Days (Interview)
Both tracks 22 and 23 recorded 1988 in conversation - Mitcham, Surrey, UK)
As you can see from the indepth track-listings I've provided above – the emphasis here is mostly Acoustic Blues with some Piano and Mandolin accompaniment. And fans of The Groundhogs and The Brunning Hall Sunflower Band will notice TONY McPHEE, BOB BRUNNING and PETE EMERY on Electric Guitars on the initial tracks - while Harp Player PAUL ROWAN did many albums with guitar-virtuoso Stefan Grossman. The 8-page inlay has decent liner notes from JERRY EWING as well as the session details I've reproduced above and some photos. It's been mastered by ROGER LOMAS at Ro-Lo Studios but doesn't provide sources. These are essentially 'demo recordings' and the audio varies as you can imagine – but all are more than acceptable and don't ever feel 'bootleg' poor.
The opening duo of tunes turn out to be 'live' at some undisclosed location – but the Audio is fabulous with Paul Rowan shining on a heavy chromatic harmonica while Kelly wails with her fabulous Bluesy voice and McPhee strums and chugs on the guitar. McPhee takes a tasty solo while Bob Hall plinks away on the old Joanna like he’s in New Orleans on a hot sweaty night. The audio takes a dip somewhat on the honky-tonk session from 1971 that opens with Hank's "You Win Again" – both her and Hall playing a blinder on Acoustic Guitar and upright piano. The cool duo of players beautifully compliment "I've Been Scorned" by The Staple Singers while they boogie some on a Blues version of "Can I Get A Witness" that's good but doesn't quite work. Better is the more traditional picking of "Rolling Log Blues" – a very short burst that has Bob Hall playing that Mandolin with feeling and finesse while Jo Ann sings about "...looking for room and board...so hungry..." The first version of Muddy Waters "Louisiana Blues" takes a dip on the audio too which is a damn shame because it’s the best on here – their combined playing sounding like a band of four rather than two. Another winner comes in the shape of Kelly playing some amazing slide on an instrumental of Muddy's "I Can't Be Satisfied".
The Acapella "Levee Camp Holler" is probably the roughest track on here – in direct contrast to the professionally recorded piano-driven 6-track batch from 1975 that sounds glorious – the upright bass of Lucas Lindholm standing out. Equally tasty is the compilation title track "Key To The Highway" – Kelly's "...worried mind..." lyrics complimented perfectly by Dick Wellstood on Piano. Back to another rough and ready version of Muddy's "Louisiana Blues" which despite its recorded-in-a-bucket vibe sounds utterly amazing. Of the other three – not surprisingly the wicked hook of “Catfish Blues” comes off best.
In-between all the covers - you find great unspoken players of British Blues. "Put A Record On" is written by Dave Kelly (Jo Ann's brother) – a Blues Guitarist who played with Fleetwood Mac, The John Dummer Band, Tramp and fronted England's The Blues Band. The other two writers are Bob Hall – a Boogie Woogie pianist who played with The Groundhogs, The De Luxe Blues Band and Tramp to name but a few – and Dennis Cotton – who also played with Tramp and many other Blues orientated artists. The two interviews discuss her first twelve-string guitar – what she was listening to in 'swing shops' like Watkins in Balham – musical influences – Leadbelly, Jesse Fuller, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters – gigs at Falafel in Swiss Cottage and Scots House at Cambridge Circus and her residency at The Bridge House Club where she played with John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Williams and Jesse Fuller.
Jo Ann Kelly sadly passed away in October 1990 from a brain tumour aged only 46 – a truly criminal loss to Britain and the world of Blues. At least this very cool CD compilation of unreleased tunes and jam sessions reminds us of why she was feted by so many luminaries of the day. God bless you kid...
