Goin Down Slow – A tribute to #HenryGray. A man who lived the blues. Please read on. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #HowlinWolf #JimmyOden #JimmyRogers #BobCorritore #LightninHopkins #ArethaFranklin #DuaneAllman #JeffBeck #TomJones

This is a blues classic by Howlin’ Wolf from 1961, but Wolf’s recording can be traced back to 1941. It was written by St. Louis Jimmy Oden and originally recorded under the name St. Louis Jimmy with Roosevelt Sykes on piano and Alfred Elkins on ‘imitation’ bass. Here is that recording that goes back 79 years.

When you listen to the blues, you just need to peel back the layers. The more you peel, the more you enjoy.

In this case you get the story. This is a narration, depicting the story of a dying man. He lived life hard and fast and although he regrets the fact, he is dying slowly…going down slow, he makes no apologies for living life to its fullest.

You get the honest instrumentation. In the case of the original version by Oden, the partnership between St. Louis Jimmy and Roosevelt Sykes existed from the early ‘40s through the late ‘60s. Through the years they recorded several versions of ‘Goin’ Down Slow’. When Howlin’ Wolf recorded the song in 1961 for Chess Records his supporting cast was very familiar. Hubert Sumlin and Jimmy Rogers played guitars, Sam Lay was on drums, the legendary Willie Dixon was on bass and the captivating piano you here is by a blues master named Henry Gray.

Before I move on to some of the amazing acts that have recorded this blues standard through the years, I want to dedicate this post to Mr. Gray. He was quite a character. Please read on.

So, who is Henry Gray?

Let’s lead in with one of the finest compliments bestowed upon him. He is credited with being the father of the Chicago blues piano sound. That distinction alone is pretty special. If you listen to artists like Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters (Otis Spann) and Howlin’ Wolf, chances are the distinctive piano sound you hear is Henry Gray. The thing about Henry Gray is, he had no issue with being a supporting player. That suited him just fine. He let the piano do the talking. He was the consummate sideman.

Henry Gray was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1925, and he grew up in a small rural community called Alsen. At the age of ten he began to play piano and he was a natural. He says he had a teacher; a neighborhood lady named Mrs. White, for about a month but one day she told him there was no point in coming back.

You don’t need me, you ought to be teaching me how to play.”

Mrs. White

Like so many in the deep south, the Gray’s were a churchgoing family. At home, Henry was expected to play spiritual songs. This is where Henry got his beginnings, but he wanted more. At the age of 14, Henry Gray took a trip that would change his life. He visited his aunt in Chicago. Here, he discovered a wider range of the music he was playing. The blues music was telling a story; a true life story, and he was captivated. When Henry was 16, he was offered an opportunity to play with a band in a club. His hardworking father was a little dubious, but he relented when it was clear Henry would bring home some cash. While playing in a band by night he enrolled in Leland College and learned mechanics and heavy equipment. As his academics concluded, Henry Gray enacted his patriotic duty and enrolled to serve in the South Pacific toward the end of World War II. His service concluded with an honorable discharge. He returned to Alsen in 1946 where he managed to stay for about a week.

I don’t pick no cotton, I don’t grow no corn, I don’t plow no mule. My daddy put me out there, wanted me to chop corn. I cut my own good foot. I did it on purpose! I picked 60 pounds of cotton in my life, that was it.”

Henry Gray

He had seen the wider world and in his mind all roads lead to one place…Chicago.

That’s where the music was, and I wanted to be a musician. I worked in a steel mill for a year, but went to clubs at night. When I first got there, I played with Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red, and the first Sonny Boy Williamson.”

Henry Gray

This is where the essence of the story begins. The student meets the teacher. Imagine this? Henry Gray met two important people in his development. The first was his friend, Otis Spann, and the second was their mentor, Maceo Merriweather. The elder piano player had suffered a stroke and his health was declining, but even under these challenging circumstances he was able to instill a style that became the hallmark of their playing for decades. Henry Gray tells the story in this passage.

Me and Spann both learned from Maceo. That’s why our styles were so similar. I knew how to play when I met Maceo, but I didn’t know how to play the real hard blues. Maceo showed me that. After he had his stroke, he could only play with one hand. I’d sit with him and play what he showed me on my left hand, and he’d cover the right hand.”

Henry Gray

As his playing developed, gigs began to come fast in this blues mecca. He played with Little Walter and Jimmy Rogers and developed a relationship with Leonard Chess of Chess Records. Through his Chess association Henry Gray’s reputation flourished. Here is his first known recording, with Jimmy Rogers; ‘The Last Time’ from 1952. This began a 65 year career.

He recorded with Howlin’ Wolf, Billy Boy Arnold, Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley and Junior Wells. While recording kept him busy by day, it was the live gigs that kept him feeling alive. He loved the spontaneity and the raw energy. He added names like Elmore James, Freddy King and Buddy Guy to the list of artists to whom he developed a musical kinship. All of these players were within the Chess Records circle so when a pianist was needed it was often any of Henry Gray, Otis Spann, Little Johnnie Jones, Eddie Boyd, Sunnyland Slim or Roosevelt Sykes who got the call. When Willie Dixon left Chess, Henry Clay was also among the first on his list when a player was needed for recording, playing a live gig or touring.

Me, Spann and Little Johnnie Jones could work seven nights a week if we wanted to. The nights I’d be off, I’d go see one of them play and they’d come see me when they took a night off. Chicago was a piano player’s town. Besides us three, you had Eddie Boyd, Roosevelt Sykes, Willie Mabon and Sunnyland Slim. Leonard Chess was pretty sharp, he recorded most of the great piano players in the city.”

Henry Gray

By 1956, it was firmly established that Henry Gray was Howlin’ Wolf’s piano player. Wolf essentially outbid Little Walter. This established a twelve year relationship for Gray and the blues legend. While enjoying that relationship, Henry Gray was able to evolve his playing to a large degree. A major transition in his playing stemmed from solving a bit of a problem.

I got tired of playing out-of-tune, torn-up pianos and having to try to play around the bad notes. The worst was when we played clubs right after Muddy Waters. Spann just destroyed pianos because he played so hard. He used to split the hammers on the piano. Some nights, they’d be all over the floor.”

Henry Gray

Here, Henry Gray is referring to his decision to buy a Wurlitzer electric piano for his live performances. At the time, it was only he and Ray Charles that employed this distinctive sound, but it revolutionized the scene. Soon after, Muddy Waters bought one for Otis Spann.

In 1968, Gray and Wolf had a falling out over a woman and Henry left his band on the spot. With just the clothes on his back he took the train back to Louisiana. He never looked back. He was only 43 years old. He had a brilliant future ahead and a litany of what would become legendary recordings on his resume. None of that mattered. Henry Gray lived in the moment.

Back in Louisiana, Henry Gray still played with a lot of great musicians, but the scene was not the same as Chicago. You would think that would have bothered him, but he was content.

…that was okay with me. I loved to go fishing when I’m not playing music and there’s lots of places to fish here. I also worked as a roofer for the school board and drove a bulldozer. In Chicago you had to pay rent. I paid cash for this house, those three cars outside, and I own two boats.”

Henry Gray

Don’t get me wrong; Henry Gray didn’t retire in 1968, he just changed gears. By 1970, he began to focus on his own recordings. Henry worked with renowned blues producer, J.D. Miller, recording ‘You’re My Midnight Dream’ and ‘Lucky, Lucky Man’. The recordings were released on Miller’s Blues Unlimited Label. The significance of this is, it makes Henry Gray the only blues artist to have recorded with Leonard Chess, Willie Dixon and J.D. Miller. The beacon that shone from Louisiana told the blues world that Henry Gray was still alive and kickin’. The offers to record and tour came pouring in. He remained very active for the next five decades. Yes, you read that right. Henry Gray played his distinct piano sound into his 90s.

From the mid ‘80s through to 2017, Henry Gray was a mainstay on the club and festival circuit in North America and Europe. From a recording standpoint, he produced a few notable pieces. In 1988 he recorded the album, ‘Lucky Man’. This was an apt title because through the years Henry Gray often refereed to himself as particularly fortunate in his ability to survive harrowing circumstances. All the way back to his time in the Pacific theatre of WWII through to surviving tornadoes and floods at his Louisiana home, to personal health issues like a heart attack, stroke and a collapsed lung, Henry Gray was a survivor. Through it all, he never gave up. This made him all the more endearing. Here is ‘Lucky, Luck Man’.

In 1998 he recorded an album with Hubert Sumlin and Colin Linden, among others. It was called ‘Tribute to Howlin’ Wolf’. This recording received a Grammy nomination.

One more example of how renowned Henry Gray was in the music industry. When Mick Jagger was gathering his friends and musical contacts for an epic 55^th birthday bash in Paris, France, he wanted to be sure one piano player was there to play. Mr. Henry Gray was added to the guest list. Here is his account of the festivities.

Kept me woke four days. They can’t sleep and they ain’t go let you sleep — not if they like you. They down to earth, good people, but they just crazy.”

Henry Gray

In 2003, Henry Gray was featured in a Clint Eastwood film called ‘Blues Piano’. This seven part series featured a series of piano players. It was aired on PBS. The other players to share the spotlight with Gray were: Ray Charles, Dr. John, Pinetop Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Dave Brubeck. This is where Henry Gray resided in the eyes of his peers and music aficionados.

Gray was also featured in the 2015 documentary film, ‘I Am the Blues’. In June of 2017 he recorded with his great grandson DeAndre Tate and The Creole Cats band. The recording became known as ‘92’. This was symbolic because that was exactly how old Henry Gray was when he recorded the song.

To summarize, in the world of Henry Gray the blues was his message and the piano was his voice. To paraphrase; the blues wouldn’t let him take his rest, so he just kept right on playing.

Henry Gray was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2017. This recognition was long overdue, but fortunately it happened during his lifetime.

Sadly, all great stories must come to an end. In the fall of 2019 Henry Gray entered hospice care in Baton Rouge and on February 17, 2020 he passed away peacefully with his family at his side.

A self-professed sideman. A legend. A lucky, lucky man.

Getting back to today’s feature song I wanted to leave you by emphasizing how important Henry Gray’s involvement was in blues history through this song. ‘Goin’ Down Slow’ has been covered by the greatest blues players of the last 50 years. Watch, listen and enjoy.

Here is Lightnin’ Hopkins. Just him and his guitar telling the story.

Listen to ‘Goin’ Down Slow’ from the Queen of Soul’s perspective. Here is Aretha Franklin. There are no superlatives to adequately describe how good she was. This is incredible.

Somehow it keeps getting better. Here is Duane Allman doing a relatively rare vocal performance and putting a stamp on the recording with his distinctive guitar work. Few, if any were better. He was revolutionary. Future Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley is playing bass.

In what is clearly a who’s who of guitar legends, let’s move on to the legendary Jeff Beck. I wonder who is on vocals. Could it be the ever-present Tom Jones? What a combination? It leaves me speechless.

Mic drop.

Have a great day. Please do yourself a favour and search Henry Gray on Youtube. There is a ton of his music. It will take you on a history of blues music and leave you smiling. The man is a treasure and he really should be a household name for his musical contribution.