Willie Buck And The Delmark All-Stars

Live At Buddy Guy’s Legends

Delmark Records

William Crawford a.k.a. Willie Buck was born in Houston, Mississippi. Buck relocated to Chicago in 1953. Though just a teenager an older relative snuck him in to see Muddy Waters when Muddy was still in his prime. The sound of that classic band had such an impact on Buck that he still performs in the style he heard that day. In fact, Buck is considered the standard bearer of the old school Blues.

Buck’s self-produced debut “It’s Alright” was released in 1982. The band at the time included the Meyers Brothers, bassist Dave Meyers, and his brother lead guitarist Lewis Meyers, and a young rhythm guitarist by the name of John Primer. That album was later re-released as “The Life I Love” on Delmark in 2010, with five additional live tracks recorded at Robert’s 500 Room on Chicago’s 63rd St. The following year Buck released the import album “Songs For Muddy, The Madrid Session” with Venezuelan guitarist Jose Luis Pardo and harp player Quique Gomez. In 2012 Buck released Delmark’s “Cell Phone Man” and it received accolades “his vocals are sinewy and expressive and he demonstrates a powerful upper range”.

Buck has also been featured in the 2011 comic strip “The Secret History of Chicago Music” by the illustrator Steve Krakow a.k.a. Pastic Crimewave”. There is also a Chicago Street “Willie Buck Way” named in his honor. The band on his 2019 album “Honorary Blues Legend Willie Buck Way” also included lead guitarist Billy Flynn (also with The Cash Box Kings), 2nd guitarist Thaddeus Krolicki, pianist Johnny “Fingers” Iguana (also played with Junior Wells) and harp ace Scott Dirks.

The new album kicks off with an instrumental blues jam with Dirks, harmonica; Billy Flynn lead guitar; Thaddeus Krolicki 2nd guitar; Johnny Iguana, piano; and Melvin Smith, bass. This was also the last recording from the late drummer Willie “The Touch” Hayes.

“Kansas City” is the classic written by Leiber and Stoller as Buck is introduced to the audience. It was recorded live by Connor Korte, “goin’ to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come, they got some crazy looking women there and I’m gonna’ get me one”. The album is mixed by Julia A. Miller and Elbio Barilari, and mastered by Miller. On “What We Were Talking About” Buck sings “I wonder what we were talking about, what did I do that made you mad…what can I do to make it right”. “Let’s See If We Can Come Together” is a lowdown blues with Dirks’ on harp.

On “Snow”, Buck sings “when I got home I looked out my window and all I could see was a lot of snow”, with solos from Dirks, Flynn, and Iguana. “Willie Buck Talking” is another short introduction and narrative from Buck. “Rock Me” is the Muddy Waters’ classic “I want you to rock me, all night long”. “Walking And Swimming”, “when I see a pretty woman I will do anything to get next to her”. The closer is Willie Dixon’s classic “Hoochie Coochie Man”, “when I was a young boy at the age of five…now I’m a man, age 21, I’m a man, a mannish boy, a hoochie coochie man”.

This ensemble referred to as “The Delmark All-Stars” shines throughout this new recording. Hopefully Willie Buck will receive the additional recognition that he deserves.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene

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