Ronnie Baker

The title of Ronnie Baker Brooks' Times Have Changed may refer to the decade gap between this 2017 album and its 2006 predecessor, The Torch. A lot has happened during those ten years, including the deaths of Bobby "Blue" Bland and Lonnie Brooks, artists who make cameos on this 11-track album, but that's not the only way the past is present on Times Have Changed. With the assistance of producer Steve Jordan, Ronnie Baker Brooks has created a tribute to the Southern soul of the '60s and the smooth funk of the '70s. Guests abound – apart from the dearly departed, Steve Cropper, "Big Head" Todd Mohr, Angie Stone, Felix Cavaliere, Lee Roy Parnell, Eddie Willis, and Al Kapone all make appearances – and a few familiar old tunes, like Joe Tex's Texas soul classic "Show Me" and Eric Clapton's slow-burning "Old Love," sit alongside some fine new originals.

B-H-Y - Baker-Harris-Young (1979) {2013 Remastered & Expanded Reissue - Big Break Records CDBBR0233}
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© 1979, 2013 Salsoul / Verse Music / Big Break Records / Cherry Red Records | CDBBR 0233
Disco / Soul / Philly Soul / R&B / Funk

At first glance the letters B-H-Y may not seem like much, but a little scratch at the surface would reveal three names of some of the most forward thinking, innovative and talented musicians of their time and beyond – Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris and Earl Young. Baker-Harris-Young, these three names are synonymous with Philly Soul and Disco and with good reason for no three people have had more input into shaping and defining disco as Baker, Harris and Young.

Chet Baker featuring Van Morrison - Live at Ronnie Scott's (1986) {Apollon Japan, BY32-5010, Early Press}
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© 1987 Apollon Music Japan | BY32-5010 | Jazz Road Series
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Trumpet

This 1986 release finds the legendary trumpeter/singer at the end of his career. However, his inimitable style remains lucid and expressive. On this date, Baker plays a varied program, including uptempo Baker favorites "But Not for Me" and "If I Should Lose You." Baker was also one of the great balladeers of his generation, and even here, at the end of his life, his trumpet playing is unmistakably lyrical and "cool" on the soft-spoken and plaintive version of "You Can't Go Home Again." His mournful phrasing on the bossa nova-tinged "Arboway," highlights the trumpeter's fondness for breathy playing in the lower register of the instrument.

The Chief Eddy Clearwater's West Side Strut is his first release for the Alligator label, and while nothing here is a surprise, Clearwater's Chicago blues/Chuck Berry hybrid remains evident as he works his way through a mix of rock & roll, country, soul, and gospel. Along with Clearwater is a stellar group of fellow Windy City musicians led by second guitarist (and producer) Ronnie Baker Brooks and his band, a horn section, and appearances by Billy Branch on harp, guitarist Lonnie Brooks, and backup vocals by Otis Clay and Jimmy Johnson. Spirited cover versions of Muddy Waters' "Walking Through the Park" and Lowell Fulson's "Trouble, Trouble" are highlights, as are the gutbucket blues "A Good Leavin' Alone," "Blue Over You," and the autobiographical "They Call Me the Chief." West Side Strut is another solid effort for the Chief and Alligator, as well.

After 26 years, 11 albums and an unimaginable number of blistering shows, the Juke Joints, masters of rock rollin' blues, have succeeded in stretching their limits with undoubtedly their best and most diverse album so far. A highly diverse album it has become indeed, which is to be released worldwide and which should win The Juke Joints global recognition as one of the most energetic rock rollin' blues bands around. Special Guests: Eddy 'The Chief' Clearwater, Ronnie Baker Brooks & Ana Popovic.

This compilation unites great artists like Ronnie Laws, Wilton Felder, Wayne Henderson and Chet Baker.