Willie Houston

REVIEWS
 
 
 

WHAT'S DOING IN DENVER 
NEW ARTICLE MAY 2006

                               A Lifetime of Blues

We first learned of Bluesman Willie Houston last summer at the Empire Blues Festival. We are quoting what we wrote about him then for it was our perception of this legend last summer that motivated us to tell you his story.

Between sets, we noticed an older gentleman quietly taking in the scene. Somehow we sensed he was someone special. He had an aura of integrity about him... of the sort that is earned by remaining true to your dreams no matter how difficult that may be.

We learned soon enough that this was Willie Houston and he took to the stage with the Blues Prowlers Band. Lord! There's some serious talent in that band! As for Willy, at 78-years-old, his voice rang strong and true. He imparted a little tickle of delight to each person present.

Though we only spoke for a moment, we considered it an honor to have meet this man. And to Willy, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for all the joy you have brought to this world.

At the time, we thought this was one of the greats and that somehow we were the only ones who had not heard of him. We later learned that after a lifetime devoted to the blues, the seventy-eight-year-old musician was just beginning to gain the well-deserved recognition that had eluded him.

Some call him Colorado’s Elder Statesman of the Blues. Others call him ”The Bluesman.” A more fitting moniker than the latter could not be found. From his young years in the Louisiana cotton fields to the present, Willie Houston has seen, felt and sung the blues.

Perhaps that's why his music grabs you and won’t let you go. As Willie puts it, music comes from within. “The notes never change on that instrument. They stay there. It’s gotta come from yourself. The way you feel, the way you think, how you grew up and the hard times you had and the things you did.”

"Everybody started from the cotton fields" Houston said. "We’re all from down there -- Blind Lemon, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins, John Lee Hooker. B.B. King, we all pulled cotton." Willie said. Therein lies the magic of real Delta blues. You feel the hardships, the doing without, the hope that one day things will be better and the simple pleasures that got them through expressed in song.

Born in 1927, just two years before the start of the Great Depression, Willie and his family toiled in the cotton fields at a plantation in Great Cane Louisiana. As Willie explains it, Abe Lincoln gave the blacks freedom, but he didn’t give them rights. So while the Civil War freed black families from the plantation, lack of education and economic conditions forced them to remain in the cotton fields. And the depression forced the white families into the fields beside them.

“A nickel meant you had money. If someone offered me a nickel to do something I would do it because I knew if I had a nickel, I could get me something worthwhile,” Willie said. “Nowadays, a million dollars doesn’t seem like much.”

    CLICK HERE FOR ENTIRE INTERVIEW AND REVIEW


Click here to view the Willie Houston photo gallery

Willie Houston holding an old handmade guitar in his back yard


Willie Houston being filmed by Bob Merco of Leapin Lizzard Productions at the Empire Blues Fest


Willie playing at the
Walnut Room


Willie being filmed at
The Empire Blues Fest

 

 

Review of DVD Documentary August 2006
 by Jim Primock, Colorado Blues Society

Bob Merco, Junk, Blues & Collard Greens: The Life & Times of Willie Houston, 2006, Lonesome Lizard Films  

The story behind this DVD is so improbable that it could only be true. A few years ago, Westword ran a feature article about Willie Houston, “The Junk Man Cometh.” Filmmaker Bob Merco read the article and decided to contact Willie and make him the subject of a documentary film.
 

Contemporary performance video, archival and family photos, and reenactments of part of Willie’s early life are intercut with interviews of Willie, his band and other friends and colleagues. Narration is provided by Hubert “Blues” Lawhorn, bassist in Willie’s band, the Blues Prowlers. Throughout, we hear portions of Willie’s recordings.

We learn about Willie’s youth in Grand Cane, LA, his military service during the Korean War, and his half-century in Denver—during which he worked as a musician whenever he could and operated a junk business to get through the times when gigs were scarce.

The reenactments center on the young Willie’s relationship with Sally Mae, the first love who inspired Willie’s signature song (“Sally Mae” was included on the CBS Compilation 2004). Perhaps the most touching segment shows Willie tutoring a youngster who wants to be a bluesman himself one day. We also see Willie cooking a batch of collard greens, which he calls “good for the heart and good for the soul.”

Merco has done a fine job of editing, allowing the strands of the story to flow in a very conversational way. Although I have read many printed biographies and viewed many video biographies, this is the first time I have done so with firsthand knowledge of the subject. I’ve known Willie for several years and I found viewing this DVD to be a delightful experience. I think that if you love the blues you will also enjoy it—whether or not you already know Mr. Houston. To get a copy, call Bob Merco at 303-287-7473 or e-mail him at supermerc81@netzero.com. You may also want to check out www.williehouston.com to learn more about Willie or to find out when and where to see him and his band (among other upcoming shows, they will perform on the Back Porch Stage at the Greeley Blues Fest).

 

Jim Primock, Colorado Blues Society

 

 

 

 

 

From westword.com
Originally Published By Westword Thursday, October 2, 2003

 

 

Junkman Cometh

Bluesman Willie Houston turns a junkyard into a juke joint.

By John La Briola                  ****LINK****

 
 
 

Junk, Blues And Collard Greens:
The Life And Times Of Willie Houston"   
Colorado Music Buzz, August 2006
 by JR Wolfe
 

Junk, Blues And Collard Greens: The Life And Times Of Willie Houston"     DVD review by JR Wolfe

                               
                                        Taste of Colorado 2006 photo by JR Wolfe

From 1959 when he fronted "Guitar Willie and His Rhythm Rockers" at the Casino Ballroom to leading "Willie Houston and The Blues Prowlers" at the Walnut Room today. Whether with a band or just playing guitar by himself, bluesman Willie Houston has been the epitome of the Denver local musician, playing countless gigs in countless venues for little pay. His day job as a self employed junkman paying the bills. 

Inspired by a Westword article about Willie and his first recording, a CD released in 2001. Filmmaker Bob Merco set aside a year  to shoot Willie in concert and interview Willie, his band mates ,his friends and his guitar student, Boaz Obediah Powell. He even shot a video for Willie's best known song "Sally Mae."

The end result is a seamless combination of  black & white and color footage and photographs chronicling Willies days in Grand Cane, LA to today. Hubert "Blues" Lawhorn keeps it all together with informative narration. "Junk , Blues And Collard greens" will make you laugh, make you cry and make you admire a man who still loved making his music during good times and bad. Willie is "The Elder Statesman Of The Blues."

 

Available from www.williehouston.com, at his shows and from Lonesome Lizard Productions.

 

 

 

 

WHAT'S DOING IN DENVER

Dec. 10, 2005
A Living Legend

 

At 78 years old, you would think there would be some sort of quaver... a crack now and then... something in the voice to expose the years. Not so with Willie Houston. At the Walnut Room tonight, his voice rings powerful and true. His songs were delivered with passion, precision, and a winkle of delight. Backed by the talented Blues Prowlers, it was one heck of a show.

We learned tonight that after two years in the making, a documentary on Willie's life has been completed. We hope to get a sneak peak at the production later this week. In commutation of this event, we will be bringing you an in-depth article on the life, and the colorful history of Willie Houston, Colorado's Elder Statesman Of The Blues.


WHAT'S DOING IN DENVER
Battling The Blues
The Empire Blues Festival August 2005

 

Between sets, we noticed an older gentleman quietly taking in the scene. Somehow we sensed he was someone special. He had an aura of integrity about him...of the sort that is earned by remaining true to your dreams no matter how difficult that may be.
We learned soon enough that this was the legendary Willie Houston when he took the stage with his Willie Houston & The Blues Prowlers band. Lord! there's some serious talent in that band. As for Willie at 78-years-old, his voice rang strong and true. He imparted a little tickle of delight to each person present.

Sideshow Asylum Films was on hand wrapping up a two-year documentary they have been doing on Willie Houston's life and music. Look for news of it release, we think you'll want to see it. Though we only spoke for a moment, we considered it an honor to have meet this man. And for Willie, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for all the joy you have brought to this world.


(click for entire article)

The Canyon Courier Review, August 2005

By Stephen Knapp -Canyon Courier ; Getting back to business, Willie Houston and the Blues Prowlers cooled the sun-drenched crowd with their mean-streets brand of tragedy. There’s a very good reason Houston is called “Colorado’s Elder Statesman of the Blues.” Between his smoky vocal delivery and clean, licky guitar, everybody was soon gloriously despondent.  (The Empire Blues Festival 2005)

April-May 2005 Colorado Blues Society Review of "Bluesman" Willie Houston and The Blues Prowlers

ON STAGE WITH THE WILLIE HOUSTON BLUES BAND
The Bourbon Street Grill, February 2005
By Randall Dubis

 I received an invite from my friend Rocco “D” Franco last month to tag along to a “showcase” gig at Bourbon Street in Greenwood Village. Since the club was new to me, I thought it would be fun to have a bluesman’s holiday and let someone else do the entertaining. The star of the evening was Willie Houston. Long a fixture in the Denver blues scene, Willie has gone through a period of revision since the release of his self tilted CD on Fasttrack a couple of years back.

Willie has a new band and a new burst of enthusiasm for performing. His album Bluesman Willie Houston and his Guitar is a personal favorite in my collection. So I was looking forward to Willie up close and personal. Willie’s band featured Hubert “Blues” Lawhorn on bass, Jim Beckstein on keys, Kenny Hoffman on drums and the aforementioned Rocco “D” Franco on guitar. The band opened the show with a couple of warm up numbers, then laid into a nice mid-tempo groove to set the stage for a nice introduction as Willie strolled through the audience to the stage and his guitar. Willie then commenced to charm everyone in the club for the next hour or so. Willie has a relaxed and warm persona to his performance. He is what I call a meat and potatoes performer.

Competence and assurance is found in his guitar licks and vocals. Dressed in a three-piece suit and a hat to match, he emphases the old school element in his performance. While the band grooves behind him, he maintains eye contact with everyone in the room. I envy his comfortable approach to the show. There was a lot to be learned here. Even behind the deepest blues Willie always has a hint of a smile as if to say, “Times my be hard now, but the sun will shine come morning.” I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

I mentioned this was a showcase gig. That’s a polite expression for an audition. Bourbon Street is princably a jazz club that dabbles in the blues. I had the opportunity to talk to the owners of the club, they were very pleased with the show and assured everyone that Willie & CO. would receive some bookings in the future. Bourbon Street is a bar/restaurant that features music on the weekends. The review on the food and service was excellent. They feature mostly Louisiana style entrees and pizza. I was impressed with the friendliness of the staff and management. The venue can be found at 5117 S. Yosemite Street, which is close to the Denver Tech center. Check their web page at www.bourbonstreetdenver.com. For there schedule of events, or call 303-721-0988 also check out Willies new web page at www.williehouston.com for booking info. Please search out some of these new venues in the Denver metro area. I found it well worth the trip.  

CD Review from Westword Magazine

Willie Houston
Blues Man Willie Houston and His Guitar
(Fasttrack)
With less emphasis on the woman who done him wrong than the woman who done him right, Denver bluesman Willie Houston is a curious workaday figure: Rooted in New Orleans, the 75-year-old serves up smoky helpings of electric Delta-seasoned blues. Somewhere between locals Tommy "The Workingman" Thomas and bleak Otis Taylor, Houston uses Blues Man Willie Houston and His Guitar to make gritty observations with a soft-spoken growl, junkman style. 
-- La Briola-Westword.com            

http://www.westword.com/Issues/2002-01-10/music/music2.print