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Liveblues
Kent Duchaine
Crawley Blues Club, 8/2/02
This gig was the last of a 38 day marathon tour for the wandering minstrel who is a native of Minnesota but now resident in Georgia. Those who have seen him will agree that he is without doubt one of the finest all round performers on the circuit and tonight's performance more than justified this claim. As he re-assured the assembled crowd - he still had some gas in the tanks.
Tony Molloy's slide presentation of old western steam trains and photographs of great Blues performers - Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters, Johnny Shines (with Kent), Charlie Patton, Son House, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Elmore James and Sam Lightnin' Hopkins - provided an appropriate back-cloth as a preview to the show and the venue - the Three Bridges Railwaymen's Club - was appropriate for the theme of Kent's anecdotes and some of the songs.
Kent started off with a couple of Robert Johnson numbers, the second being "Last fair deal going down " - you can close your eyes and imagine the trains as Kent applies his unique style to "Leadbessie" - his 1934 National guitar which goes everywhere with him and is, apparently, more reliable than a woman. He moved on to the classic Muddy Waters' "Nineteen Years Old" and another railroad number, penned by himself, "Edgemont Station". Bukka White has probably had more influence on Kent than any other Bluesman and this was recognised by his rendering of "Aberdeen Mississippi blues", which the crowd greatly appreciated. There followed "You got me walkin'" from Lazy Bill Lucas - a Minnesota Bluesman, Willie Dixon's "The seventh son", Howling Wolf's "Little Red Rooster", Kent's own "Cryin' Shame" and Robert Johnson's "Come on in my Kitchen" before ending the first part with another of his own - "Take a Little Ride with Me".
The attraction of Kent's show is that he introduces and links the songs with stories and anecdotes of his life on the road, and the Bluesmen he has met, in his inimitable style that makes you want more stories and songs. The second part started off with his own composition about Mardi Gras then on to "St James's Infirmary Blues", Freddie King's "The Boogie Man". He rendered his own version of the Peggy Lee classic "Fever", Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues", Trouble in Mind", "Rosedale", "I've been true to you", "Fifi Borrdeaux" and "I am the Goose". His penultimate number was his own composition and a tribute to Johnny Shines - "16 gauge steel".
Although a couple of encores were thrown in, the show came to an all-too-early end. But the Club has a long association with Kent over the years and I'm sure that when he returns he will be received with the same enthusiasm as tonight. It's always a treat to hear his stunning guitar playing, powerful vocals and stories about some of the Blues Greats, as well as ex-wives.
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