Jimmy Lewis From Itta Bena

 

Many moons ago, a friend gave me a half dozen or so CDs he created, all featuring deep soul and obscure R&B tracks. For every song I was familiar with, there were four that were new to me. And almost all of the tracks were special for one reason or another. From Ironing Board Sam and Cal Wayman to Gorgeous George and Ned Towns, these CDs brought endless pleasure.

One track that stood out was "It Ain't What's On A Woman" by Jimmy Lewis. This slice of soul from 1974 features a classic rap that would certainly not get beyond the studio walls if recorded in 2026. But I loved every second of it. It took over 20 years, but I finally listened to Jimmy's 1974 album, "Totally Involved" and it did not disappoint.

The band includes Wilton Felder on bass, Ed Greene on drums, with backing vocals by Oma Heard and Gloria Jones. Every track is a winner. Sometimes Lewis channels Bobby Womack and other times, Otis Redding. But, when Lewis raps or screams, he sounds like no one but Jimmy Lewis. This is definitely the best album I've heard by a singer from Itta Bena.

 

 

 

 

It's Time For "Time"

 

Taj Mahal has made a lot of music and worn many different hats in the last 60 years, and very little of that music is bad. From The Rising Sons with Ry Cooder through his classic Columbia releases, as well as his hula band and collaborations with renowned world artists, Taj has been pretty convincing through all of it. But for what may be obvious reasons, two of my favorite Taj records are the two he recorded with the Phantom Blues band in the late 90's. Both "Senor Blues" and "Phantom Blues" feature a New Orleans favorite of mine, Jon Cleary, as well as Johnny Lee Schell, Mick Weaver, Tony Braunagel, Darrell Leonard and Joe Sublett, and both albums have that good time New Orleans vibe.

Apparently, a third session took place in 2010 but was then shelved before completion. Since then, tapes have been sent around, and the Phantom Blues band, along with Jon Cleary put finishing touches on what has just been released as "Time." As much as I love the first two, it seems that third time's the charm. 

I'll let Jon Cleary take over for a minute. This was something Jon sent out to his Substack members.

 

 

 

The single. ‘Time’, is a tune that was mostly recorded by me here at my studio, Funk Headquarters, in New Orleans. I was sent a Bill Withers demo, something he’d written and made a rough recording of but that was unfinished. They asked if I could come up with a completed idea for Taj so I set about putting together an arrangement, playing and recording acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass, drums, percussion, piano, keyboards and background vocals. I ran off a rough mix sent it back to my compadres in the Phantom Blues band in Los Angeles who then added some stuff, replaced some stuff and mixed it with Taj’s new vocal.

Also on the record, is a favourite of mine, a song written by a cat called Johnny ‘Snakehips’ Johnson who happens to be my Uncle. The song is called ‘Crazy about a Jukebox’ and is, in my opinion, a mini masterpiece. The lyric tells the story of an attempt to win a girl’s affection by getting her the one thing she craves, a Jukebox. Having got it, she just spends all her time listening to the records and completely ignores him! Cleverly, every line is a reference to an artist or song title of the era, and at the same time is a compendium of all of his favourite classic tunes from that time.

When I first played ‘Crazy about a Jukebox’ to Taj, he flipped. Every single reference meant something personally to him and he insisted that we record it.

 

 

 

 

Another song I'd like to point out is "You Put The Whammy On Me," which sounds a heck of a lot like Cleary's "Cheatin' On You," which was covered on "Phantom Blues." I wonder if the similarity is what kept "Whammy" on the shelf. In any event, it's here now, on "Time." 

Give this record a spin and if it moves you even a bit, check out both "Senor Blues" & "Phantom Blues." 

Songs Of The Week, 2026: 4/25-5/1

 

Baby Loves To Rock- Cheap Trick
Fabulous- Charlie Gracie
Oh Bondage! Up Yours!- X-Ray Spex
You Can't Take Love For Granted- Graham Parker
You Got To Have A Job (If You Don't Work, You Can't Eat)- Marva Whitney
Come Go With Me- Gloria Jones
Break It Down Again- Tears For Fears

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Baby Loves To Rock- Cheap Trick
(George Martin produces The Beatles of Rockford, Illinois! What could go wrong? Well, at the time, I thought everything. I did not like this record, especially after "Dream Police." But I've warmed to it, at least Side One.)

Fabulous- Charlie Gracie
(I believe this was the first release on Philly's Cameo-Parkway records. Macca does a nice cover of it, too.)

Oh Bondage! Up Yours!- X-Ray Spex
(Two exclamation points in the title! For good reason!)

You Can't Take Love For Granted- Graham Parker
(I've got a few more GP albums in the listening queue today. "The Real Macaw" is an underrated favorite. I love the jump from minor to major on "I get so hungry and I...")

You Got To Have A Job (If You Don't Work, You Can't Eat)- Marva Whitney
(True dat! This may too be funky for a Sunday.)

Come Go With Me- Gloria Jones
(Mrs. Marc Bolan revs up the Dell-Vikings doo wop classic. I highly recommend the whole album, which clocks in at a very cheap 21 minutes. Worth your time.)

Break It Down Again- Tears For Fears 
(This band has fans, of course. They're popular, of course. Yet, it still feels like not enough people know anything beyond "Shout." Playlist below. And it's a damn good one, if I do say so myself.)

Tears For Fears Playlist

OH...and BY THE WAY!

I put up about 30-35 really solid records for sale at my usual below wholesale prices! Please take a look, because as Marva and James say, if you don't work, you can't eat.

Go shopping HERE!

 

BW's Saturday #82

 

Wake Up, It's 1982

 

 

   

From 1982 2026, please enjoy the new Haircut 100 single, "Come Back To Me." 

I have no complaints...about this song.

 

The Dark Side Of A Magical Mystery Tour

 

Hot off the presses, please check out the new single from The Claypool-Lennon Delirium, which can be found on their new record, "The Great Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy."

The band's 2019 release "South Of Reality" was a favorite of that year, pushing all of my Syd Barrett meets The Beatles on the moon buttons I didn't realize I had. I'm digging this new track and am looking forward to diving into the full length. Sean is sounding more like his dad the older he gets.