| Bio |
Though Cleveland Fats
wasn’t entirely surprised to find that the lone record store
in his hometown of Ravenna, Ohio didn’t have a single B.B.
King record, he wasn’t entirely disappointed when he took
home an Albert King album instead. The eleven-year old budding
guitarist had just been bitten by the blues in the form of a national
television appearance by B.B., and he couldn’t get the joy
and excitement he felt out of his system. A life-long love affair had
begun, one that continues with the Honeybee Entertainment release of
Fats’ fourth record, The Way Things Go. “Seeing
B.B. on TV changed my life completely,” he recalls.
“After that I jumped into the blues feet first.”
Fats bought records by Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Muddy
Waters and dozens of others, and he taught himself to play by listening
relentlessly to the masters who inspired him.
Though Northeast Ohio was anything but a hotbed for the blues when Fats
(aka Mark Hahn) was growing up, his insatiable thirst for the music
constantly propelled him to seek it out. He unsuccessfully auditioned
for Lee Eddie Clark’s family band as a thirteen year old, but
after a year of diligent application and practicing to the records of
B.B., Albert, and Freddie King, as well as Magic Sam, Earl Hooker and
T-Bone Walker, he returned and not only got the gig, he became a house
party fixture in the rural corridor between Ravenna and Kent.
Clark’s cousin, Otis Trotter, hailed from the Memphis area
and Fats played regularly with him on Thursday and Saturday nights at
the Royal Peacock near Kent State University.
Fats was a fan of DJ Chuck Ruby and he invited Ruby to come down to the
club and hear his work with Trotter. Ruby was so impressed that he
taped one the band’s performances and played it on his show.
Ruby appreciated Fats’ reverence for traditional blues guitar
and its roots, as well as his individual flair for the instrument and
made a connection for the young musician that would alter his
life—he introduced him to Robert Lockwood, Jr. Lockwood
occupies an almost mythic place in blues history. His mother had a
romantic relationship with Robert Johnson and young Robert grew up with
Johnson as his musical role model and friend. Johnson taught Lockwood
his style and technique and the unassuming teenager learned its every
nuance, later becoming arguably the first bluesman to play electric
guitar before he eventually moved from Helena, Arkansas to Chicago
after Johnson died tragically in 1938.
Fats fondly recalls his first exposure to the man who would become his
mentor and best friend. “Robert had been living in the
Cleveland area for some time before I first met him in the early 70s.
He and Sonny Boy Williamson had played at Gleason’s, a place
that’s been closed for decades, but I went to see him at this
funky little club near the bus station. He was playing electric 6 and
12 string guitars. I had the same reaction watching Robert play as I
did seeing B.B. on TV—I was knocked on my ass. It was magic.
I had my guitar with me the night Chuck Ruby introduced me to Robert.
He let me sit in and afterward, during a break he said, ’You
play pretty damn good.’ Well I went back every week to see
him play. He had moved to the area to settle down and raise a family
and gradually we got to know each other.” Lockwood invited
Fats to his home one night and taught him some priceless lessons. By
1974 Cleveland Fats was a working member of the Robert Lockwood, Jr.
Band.
The nearly eighteen years Fats spent playing with and touring with
Lockwood provided him with considerable notoriety, and helped instill
in him an unflagging self-confidence. The experience of sharing the
stage with his mentor, as well as with the likes of Albert and Freddie
King, Jimmy Rogers, and James Cotton, was a dream come true. Lockwood
often told Fats, “You’re a natural band
leader,” and so, in 1992, Fats left the nest and began a solo
career. Like his heroes, Fats has spent a good portion of his life on
the road, taking his music to an ever-growing number of fans who share
his passion for the blues. Whether playing in England, or right in his
own back yard, he employs the blues as a common denominator bonding him
to his audiences. Fats has come full circle with the release of The Way
Things Go--an uncompromising album that reunites Fats with the ageless
Lockwood. It pays respect to the roots and tradition of the blues, but
infuses it with a contemporary spark evident in its wry sense of humor
as well as its seamless musical presentation.
WITR’s Jeff Harris, who co-hosts the colorful Bad Dog Blues
show for the station observes, “While Lockwood’s
influence looms large (on the record), Fats’ style bears the
strong mark of several early idols, notably the three
kings—B.B., Albert and Freddie…Like all great
bluesmen, Fats combines the best of those giants into a distinctive
sound all his own. Fats’ guitar prowess speaks for itself,
but, like his idols, he’s a well-rounded blues musician (and)
an equally talented songwriter and vocalist.”
It’s not surprising that Fats has chosen to surround himself
with some extraordinary musicians on The Way Things Go. Lockwood, now a
spry 91, contributes his signature 12 string guitar on four tracks,
including his own “Dead or Alive” which Fats first
recorded with him in 1990, singing lead. Versatile veteran harmonica
virtuoso, Billy Branch, one of the most prolific Chicago bluesman ever,
adds his formidable presence to a group that also includes bassist Aron
Burton (charter member of Albert Collins’ Ice Breakers),
pianists Aaron Moore (40 years backing greats like Little Walter,
Howlin Wolf and Muddy Waters) and Ariyo (a member of Branch’s
Sons of Blues), drummer Dave Jefferson (Albert King alumnus),
saxophonist Doc Thomas (who’s appeared on Fats’
last two records) and organist Vince Willis (Big Jack Johnson, Bonnie
Lee). Michael Frank produced The Way Things Go for Honeybee
Entertainment.
Cleveland Fats makes no apologies for his straight-ahead,
uncompromising approach to the music he loves. Though he puts his
unmistakable stamp on it, the blues is still a sacred vessel that he
treats like the Holy Grail.
|
| Quotes |
“This is
Cleveland Fats at his best, from the fantastic guitar playing to his
rough vocals, all the way to his superb songwriting. I give this one
the thumbs up!” -Gene
Fontana (Diamond State Blues Society)
"he
does stay true to the blues and the album sounds great" -Drew
Palmer (The Rosebud Agency)
"I
love it!" -Rob Bishton
(Mohawk Valley Blues Society)
"He
is an exceptional guitarist with great tone and skill…" -Real
Blues
"I
was awed by his forceful solos and jazzy lines…” -Vintage Jazz Guitar
“Simply stated, he is a splendid singer, guitarist, and
songwriter…” -Jazz
& Blues Report
“From the traditional strains of the
Robert Lockwood, Jr. penned Dead or Alive to the Fats tune Stay Away
Baby, the focus here is on the rich stinging guitar work of
Fats…Many thanks Fats for your splendid efforts!” – Tim Richards, Blues
Source
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