From Reverend Keith A. Gordon,
Your Guide to Blues.
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Well I thought I knew something about Matt "Guitar" Murphy but after diggin' around I found out what I know is just the tip of this "Blues" iceberg. Sure the guy's a great guitar player and he was in the original Blues Brothers movie as Aretha's old man and one of the band members. (What a great band!! If ya gotta have 2 guitar players in a band, why not have Matt Murphy and Steve Cropper. You just can't do any better than that, Right?.) This guy's been around forever.

He was playing behind Howlin' Wolf in 1948 at the young age of 21. So you do the math just like I did, and I'm goin' "this guy's just a couple of years younger than my Mama". What's really amazin' is that he looks like he's about forty five. He has played with the likes of the Wolf, Little Junior Parker, Bobby Bland, Memphis Slim, recorded with, Chuck Berry, Otis Rush, Sonny Boy Williamson, Etta James and toured with Muddy Waters, Big Joe Williams, and Willie Dixon just to name a few.

Well, me and my girl listened to Lucky Charm and we both agreed that from start to finish this is some of the finest Blues we've heard to date. Any record that comes in boogien' gets my immediate attention. And this one does with Boogie Overture. I think I've found the shortcut that Canned Heat took to get to John Lee Hooker. Folks, this guy can boogie like no other. Sure, John Lee is the rock of ages when it comes to the boogie, but this guy really takes it out there. Jumpin', rockin' with smokin' horns, this sounds like a great intro to a classic album. Next is some of the best acoustic blues I've ever heard with What's Up With You Baby? I think I know who Delbert's been listnin' to all this time. Now, on Who's Got the Puddy?, let's get funky! This great band he has can go anywhere. They include: Leon Pendarvis, keys; Tom Barney, bass; and Matt's nephew Floyd Murphy Jr. on drums. Also of no small repute are the Blues Brothers Horns, consisting of "Blue Lou Marini, Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin, and Birch "Slide" Johnson.

The title cut Good Luck Charm is done in a gut bucket style of blues I really like. By the way, there are 11 tunes on this record and I'd be lying if I said there was one I didn't like. Matt's really got a marvelous touch writing, playing and singing the blues. Right now, my favorite is Got Me Carrying a Stick, which could change, but with a line like "ain't this a bitch, worse than the seven year itch" how can you go wrong?

The title cut Good Luck Charm is done in a gut bucket style of blues I really like. By the way, there are 11 tunes on this record and I'd be lying if I said there was one I didn't like. Matt's really got a marvelous touch writing, playing and singing the blues. Right now, my favorite is Got Me Carrying a Stick, which could change, but with a line like "ain't this a bitch, worse than the seven year itch" how can you go wrong?

Jeffrey Clements
jclements@americansofmusic.com
Contributing Writer