Last night I had the extreme pleasure of seeing “Honeyboy” Edwards perform at Cozy’s in Sherman Oaks. The last time I saw him was two years ago, when he was but a spry young lad of 92 years. Now, two years older and wiser, Mr. Edwards returned to the same blues bar where he last performed, and treated his audience to a rousing performance filled with hot blues licks and plenty of verve. He can still play plenty of great blues riffs, and he love to toss in some improvisational tricks and time changes to joke with his backing band. It might sound a bit sloppy at first, but he knows damn well what he’s doing. Although he played on both Friday and Saturday nights, I only attended the Saturday show. According to the bartender at the club, “Honeyboy” and his gang closed the bar down Friday night, and the 94-year old hung around drinking beers until almost 4am. Hell, I guess when you’re in the presence of a guy who claims he was there the night Robert Johnson drank the poisoned whiskey that took his life, you kind of have no choice but to let him keep on drinking until he says he’s done for the night.
“Honeyboy”s manager, handler, and musical collaborator of 38-years (!!!) Michael announced to the crowd that the original Delta bluesman will be receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Grammy’s on January 30th. He did not say whether or not there will be any performance at the award ceremony, but there will be a photo montage. Furthermore, the DVD Honeyboy (originally released in 2004) is going to be expanded and re-released with new interviews featuring luminaries such as Lucinda Williams and Keith Richards. You would think a man who was born in 1915 would be winding down in 2010, but somehow it feels like David “Honeyboy” Edwards is just getting started. He still performs 60 or 70 times a year around the globe. I hope I don’t have to wait another two years to bear witness to his talents again. I hope all of you take the opportunity to see him if he comes to your town soon. It is truly a life-affirming experience, watching someone nearly 70 years my senior smile and joke and posture on stage. I cannot explain the joy I feel when I receive a glimpse of an era that passed long before my time. It’s palpable whenever he plays. You’ll see what I mean when you attend one of his shows.
– Roamin’ And Ramblin’ Blues
– Wind Howlin’ Blues
– Worried Life Blues
