Chicago Blues Archives Volume 4 Rare Recordings Featuring Big Smokey Smothers 1981

#chicagoblues #stevearveymusic #blues #bigsmokeysmothers Steve Arvey on tour! Dates And Tickets https://www.stevearveymusic.com/gigs This was recorded sometime between 1979-1981 at B.L.U.E.S on Halsted in Chicago. Between 5:30-8:30 pm on Sunday Nights Big Smokey Smothers and The Ice Cream Men would take the stage. This configuration features Big Smokey Smothers and Illinois Slim On Guitars, Mad Dog Lester Davenport On Harmonica, Steve Arvey Bass and Steve Cushing on Drums. We kick off this set with a version of Muddy Waters version of Rock Me. Not sure why we started the set without Harmonica. Maybe Illinois Slim can remember. After the first song you hear Big Smokey call Mad Dog Lester Davenport to the stage. Smokey breaks in to his classic song “Give It Back” which was a 45 Smokey released in 1962. This is a interesting rendition with Steve Cushing pushing the song with a great shuffle on drums. 1. Rock Me Baby 2. Give It Back 3. Ain’t Gonna Be Your Monkey Man No More 4. Blow Wind 5. Crazy About You Special Note. This session should be called tuning up. Lots of trying to tune the instruments. I did have problems with the second part of this recording. For some reason the second part of the WAV files taken off the cassette are corrupt. I will do my best to restore them and release them in future archives. Special thanks to Alan Harper for using photos from his book waiting for Buddy Guy. This is a great book about the Chicago Blues Scene in the Late 70’s-80’s www. waitingforbuddyguy.com Also thanks To Bob Corritore And Illinois Slim for photos. This is a note from Illinois Slim who commented about Volume 1 of this video series. Well this made my day!! When these recordings were made, Floyd Jones was younger than I am now, and Big Smokey was only in his early 50's. These were from the Sunday Matinee shows at B.L.U.E.S. On Halsted. Both Kansas City Red and Big Smokey Smothers had Sunday gigs there and I worked with both of them every Sunday from 1979 to 1986. Kansas City Red started the matinee shows. I had worked with Red with Big Moose Walker and we started playing the matinee shows sometime in 1979. The first gig I did with Big Smokey at that club was on a weeknight. I came up with the name "The Ice Cream Men", because Smokey had a day job of selling ice cream on the south side. The first Smokey gig we did, the band was me and Smokey on guitar, Dave Waldman on harp and Jimmy Moorlander (?) on drums. During that gig Jimmy had some kind of a seizure. Both Twist Turner and Steve Cushing were in the house that night, and they both finished up the gig with us. At one point Kansas City Red had to serve time for a shooting. While he was in jail, Smokey took over the matinee. When Red got out (he told the crowd...."I was on vacation in California......26th and California..."), he wanted his old gig back, so the owner Bill Gilmore decided to have Red and Smokey alternate Sunday's. Until Dec of 1981 when he passed, Big Walter Horton with Floyd Jones worked after us every Sunday. They would sometimes show up early and sit in with us. Thanks a million to Steve Arvey was getting this on tape and putting it on YT. This brings back a lot of memories. Although I was drinking very heavily in those days, I don't sound too bad on Hideway and Just Pickin'. Those Sundays were great, cause a lot of musicians would show up and sit in with us. On one of the Sunday Kansas City Red gigs, Junior Wells and Eddie King came in and sat in with the band. By that time Sunnyland Slim was working the later gig after us, and Junior showed up to say hello to Sunnyland. Thanks again Steve!!

Added 22 May 2026