Yep, He played in Seattle last week with Leroy Thomas. great show. He played a whole song with his right hand alone, plucking notes off the fretboard! I don't know if he is a regular with Leroy, but he was great.

His left-hand only bass method is crazy to watch. He'll play the most creative rhythmic lines with the left hand, while with his right hand he's having a sip, smoking, and gesturing to the crowd. He once borrowed my friend's bass guitar because his was lost by the airline, and did the same thing on that unfamiliar instrument, so it's all his skill, not a trick set-up with the guitar strings. He was the bass player for the outstanding band "War" back in the day. Boozoo's band, the Magic Sounds, was well-named. They had a signature sound and endless energy. It was a tragic year when we lost Boozoo, his son the scrubboard player, and their guitarist.

russ,

i don;t think classie
was the baasist for WAR, though

i've never heard him say that, and if you
have ever talked with him, he does
like to talk about himself

nice guy though


wle.

Larry,

I'd heard that Classie Ballou, Jr. played bass with War before joining Boozoo's band, and I asked him about it at the Moodus Festival in CT a couple summers ago when he was touring with Zydeco Joe. He confirmed that he'd played bass with War, but I didn't get the details (what years, whether he recorded with them). I'd love to pick up the thread of that conversation with him. He is one fun guy to harg with.

Russ