By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
AMAZIN' JIMMI MAYES
B
www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com
T H U R S D AY, M AY 1
Peter Case
In The SideBar, acoustic show:
CD Release show: Rachel Baiman
plus
Tatletale Saints
lues history is overflowing with legendary collaborations and scenarios
that helped create the magic of the
scene. From Robert Johnson selling his
soul at the crossroads in Mississippi, to
Memphis Minnie pistol whipping any
man that irritated her in Chicago blues
clubs, the lore of the blues lifestyle is widespread and famously colorful.
Blues drummer Jimmi Mayes' entire
career, spanning Mississippi juke joints,
Chicago blues clubs, Mexican hotels and
R&B had its day. Then it was all blended
together. But it all comes from the blues.
The blues never went away."
Born in 1942 in Jackson, Mississippi,
Jimmi came of age in a pivotal time and
place. His parents joined The Great
Migration and moved to Chicago, leaving
Jimmi and his three siblings with their
maternal grandparents until they could
save enough money to send for them.
Growing up with Jim Crow laws and the
myriad restrictions they entailed, the book
F R I D AY, M AY 2
Cinco De Mayo Bash!
Rico!
S AT U R D AY, M AY 3
Ronnie Baker Brooks
W E D N E S D AY, M AY 7
The grand nephew of legendary Ernest Tubb presents old school country for the
modern age. Plus hillbilly honky-tonk from Ohio. One set each and a
closing set together as the Inglorous Bastards.
Jimmi Mayes
Lucky Tubb & the Modern Day
Tro ubado urs Rodn ey & the Regulars
F R I & S AT , M AY 9 & 1 0
"Top 50 Guitarist of All Time" - Guitar Player
Monte Montgomery
In the SideBar - Saturday May 10th
Ralph Covert's Aco ustic Army
T U E S D AY, M AY 1 3
In the SideBar - Stories Inspired By Songs Inspired By Stories!
Voice Box with Cathy Richardson
T H U R S D AY, M AY 1 5
In the SideBar
Expo '76
S AT U R D AY, M AY 1 7
#1 Premier Beatles Show!
Am erican
English
F R I D AY, M AY 2 3
The Bad Examples
S AT U R D AY, M AY 2 4
Vanessa Davis Band
In the SideBar - This Israeli blues band mixes blues, funk, rock and soul.
The Ori Naftaly Band
F R I D AY, M AY 3 0
Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts
plus Trapper Scho epp
S AT U R D AY, M AY 3 1
Canno nball
18 illinoisentertainer.com may 2014
plus Bunkertown
New York theaters, is crammed with legendary appearances, culture-shifting history and lots of music. Playing behind
icons like Little Walter, Jimmy Reed,
Elmore James, Pinetop Perkins, Junior
Wells, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and even
Jimi Hendrix, Jimmi Mayes viewed a lot
of American musical history from a firsthand perspective. His new book, The
Amazing Jimmi Mayes Sideman To The Stars
(University of Mississippi) with V.C.
Speek , chronicles five decades of making
music with pioneering blues, R&B and
pop artists.
"The stories always seemed to be so true
in the blues, you know, I came up with the
real blues," said Jimmi during a phone
interview from his Chatham house. "I
came up listening to Jimmy Reed, B.B.
[King], Little Walter, that was blues from
the roots, coming straight from the cotton
fields. It just became a part of me."
Growing up in Jackson, Mississippi during
the '40s and'50s, Jimmi witnessed the progression of the delta blues into Chicago
blues and everything in between.
Divided into 12 chapters that follow
Jimmie's adventures as he develops into a
notable drummer, each chapter is headed
by the dates and musicians that defined
the specific years in his life. It's a detailed
memoir with 166 pages packed with
excitement and musical intrigue and
another eight pages dedicated to his outstanding discography. Although the pace
is breezy and conversational, The Amazing
Jimmi Mayes supplies American musical
history that rivals some popular documentaries and reference books.
"Music is like life, it's a cycle," Jimmi
says of the many musical shifts that he's
witnessed in his life. "The twist had its day.
vividly recalls his train journey from
Mississippi to Chicago every summer:
"The train cars were also segregated. The
whites sat in the front of the