PIGBOY CRABSHAW RETURNS WITH NEW ALBUM ON ALLIGATOR

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Michael Hepworth

PIGBOY CRABSHAW RETURNS WITH NEW ALBUM ON ALLIGATOR

Chicago (Perfect Music Toda) 12/28/16/–Yes of course we are talking about the great Elvin Bishop who has a new release out in early 2017 on Alligator Records called ‘Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio.’ It is his first release for three years following the mercurial ‘Can’t Even Do Wrong Right’ which was nominated for a Grammy. Since then he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and he won the Living Blues Award for best blues album of 2014 along with three other awards from the organization.

imgres-22 — Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio (w/ Bob Welsh & Willy Jordan)

He is also prominently featured in a seldom seen film about The Chicago blues scene in the sixties, and I was lucky enough to see him perform live at the Grammy Museum in Hollywood in 2015 along with Butterfield band member Sam Lay. It was the first time I had seen him live since a magical night in 1966 at a small club in England for the Butterfield Blues Band ‘East West’ tour, Of course Bishop will always be remembered for his hit 1975 record ‘Fooled Around And Fell in Love’ with the vocals performed by Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship fame.

imgres-21 — Elvin Bishop Fooled Around and Fell In Love with the Blues

Now we move forward to 2017 and the new release which also features Bob Welsh and Willie Jordan. Bishop is known for his stinging guitar Style, and on this album there are four originals, three co-writes and five covers. Session musicians brought in to round out the sound are Kim Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite and Rick Estrin. Bishop got his first paying gig in 1962 as a member of the Junior Wells Band in Southside Chicago before joining the Butterfield Blues Band in 1965 as joint lead guitarist with the amazing Michael Bloomfield. He stayed for three wonderful albums including ‘The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw’ when he was lead guitarist following the departure of Bloomfield. He joined Alligator Records in 1988 and recorded five albums in twelve years, and returned to them in 2014 after stints at Blind Pig and Delta Groove Records. He performs regularly in the San Francisco and Northern California circuit, and is a hot ticket because of his good time style and stellar background on the blues festival circuit.

url-7 — Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio (w/ Bob Welsh & Willy Jordan)

Although he was born in California, he grow up mainly on farms in Iowa and Oklahoma. This almost certainly accounts for his hillbilly country yokel appearance and image, but he is always dead serious about his music.