It was during the 1992 Chicago Blues Fest on Friday night after the fest.
Time to decide which blues club to visit. Peggy & I opted for Magic
Slim at River West because the (late) Professor Eddie Lusk's Blues Revue
played after Slim. The Professor had told us about his favorite night club
as well as his newest discovery from Vancouver, Nigel Mack. There are few
ensembles that could hold the crowd after Magic Slim & the Teardrops
had finished. That night was the exception. The energy & enthusiasm
were contagious. The Professor's ambassador-ship was on full display as
Nigel Mack sat in with the Professor's Blues Revue. Nigel proceeded to treat
us to his searing slide guitar along with his high energy harp attack. The
last thing the Professor told Nigel that weekend was, "Chicago is your
town."
Nigel tours the states annually and always includes a stop in Champaign.
They opened on October 14 by hosting the blues jam at the Blind Pig. On
Thursday night, The Hideaway was the place to be. Merle Perkins drove down
from Chicago to sit in on the drums. On Friday, Nigel & the lads played
a short set at Ernie's Club Twang in Periscope Records to promote the release
of Nigel's absolutely fabulous new CD, "High Price to Play." Then
it was off to the City Of New Orleans for their final C-U appearance. What
a great offering of international blues! "100% Live"(Nigel's previous
recording available on cassette) describes all the shows, lots of energy
and really fresh. There were also two appearances on WEFT 90.1 community
radio to do a few tunes on the dobro & harp. Then a stop next door to
WEBX 93.5 for an interview and a few more tunes heard around the world via
cyber-space and the world wide web.
The '96 tour was named "the Apollo 13 tour" (without Houston)
after entering the states. When the band arrive at the border our US customs
agent asked each member if they had ever been arrested. "Unlike the
president, our drummer inhaled so they wouldn't let him into the country,"
Nigel explained over the phone. Brian Jones drove down from Chicago (BJ
is James Cotton's drummer) for the City gig. BJ joined the band again for
two nights on the Lady Luck Casino in Rock Island. Sam Johnson, Jr. from
KC signed on for their gigs at the Grand Emporium in Kansas City along with
other regional dates. Just as the tour was starting, a new guitarist was
needed. Nigel called his mentor, Big Dave McClain in Winnipeg. Big Dave
recommended "J", founding member of the Blues Puppies. "J"
had just sub-leased his apartment in preparation for heading to Chicago
to find Magic Slim when the call came.
The new CD "High Price to Play" has all original tunes, so Nigel
was a little apprehensive but it has climbed right to the top of the WEFT
air-play charts. The CD is dedicated to the memory of Professor Eddie Lusk.
One possible break-through cut, "Letter from the Birmingham Jail,"
is dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. There is some great Hammond organ
by Dave Webb on the CD too. If you are a fan of blistering slide guitar,
you will love Nigel on "High Price to Play." How about some killer
harp? Nigel can do both at the same time. He's a damn good singer/songwriter
too.
p.s You can find Nigel's CD at Periscope Records.