Steve Howell and the Mighty Men

99 1/2 Won’t Do

Steve Howell is from the greater Texarkana area. The music there is steeped in tradition and Howell finger picks the guitar in a style we attribute to traditional country blues. Howell often covers time honored pop tunes reintroducing them as tradition. Smithsonian Folkways would define Howell as a songster as both a “keeper of tradition…and tradition’s worst enemy contaminating local tradition with modern popular music”. It sounds like a bad thing but it’s not. Howell possesses a warm voice and his albums are collections of tunes almost forgotten. Howell recognizes the emotions within the songs.

The opening track “I’m A Little Mixed Up” was first recorded by Betty James and later by Koko Taylor on Chess Records. The title track “99 1/2” is not to be confused with a song by Wilson Pickett as this one is from Rosetta Tharpe.

“If you’re going to San Francisco be sure to wear some flowers in your hair” and “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” are two beautifully done instrumentals.

“Talk To Me, Talk To Me” the Willie John classic is really nailed by Howell as one can feel the emotion. I had never before heard “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” but it’s another winner.

Howell was thirteen when he first heard Mississippi John Hurt fingerpicking country blues. It was 1965 and the experience opened the door to a musical universe. Howell progressed and learned from Leadbelly, Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, the Reverend Gary Davis, and a host of other black acoustic guitar players and vocalists. Howell’s musical Odyssey also included the music of Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, and many other great jazz artists. A collection of Howell’s finger style arrangements have been published by Hal Lenard as “Fingerpicking Early Jazz Standards”. In 2011 Howell received the Academy of Texas Music’s Historical Significance Award.

The Mighty Men also includes Chris Michaels electric guitar, Jason Weinheimer, bass and keyboards, and Dave Hoffpauir, drums. Howell has approximately ten albums overall. This is his fifth with The Mighty Men.

“Who Will The Next Fool Be?” is from Country Western singer Charlie Rich. The “Stone Pony Blues” is from Blues icon Charlie Patton. “Walk Away Renee” is the pop classic, while the closer is the instrumental Apache originally performed by The Ventures.

This is another great album from Howell who seems to get better and better with age.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene

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