When it came to recording an album as a leader, Arkansas native turned Chicago session guitarist
Robert Lockwood, Jr. was definitely a late bloomer.
Lockwood was first recorded as a sideman in 1941, but not until he was 55 did he record his first album as a leader, with 1970s
Steady Rollin' Man (although he had provided a few singles here and there in the '40s and '50s). So why the delay? It came down to the fact that
Lockwood had been so busy as a sideman: names like
Sonny Boy Williamson,
Little Walter and
Otis Spann look very good on a resume when you're a
blues guitarist. But on
Steady Rollin' Man,
Lockwood is both a singer and a guitarist (
Louis Myers helps with the guitar playing), and he sings on all of the tracks except for a few instrumentals.
Steady Rollin' Man generally reflects
Lockwood's many years of playing on
electric Chicago blues sessions, and yet, his appreciation of Mississippi
Delta blues icon
Robert Johnson also comes through on this album (which ranges from
Lockwood's own material to versions of
Curtis Jones'
"Blues and Trouble" and
Joe Liggins'
"Tanya"). This is a disc that, despite its electric orientation, is well aware of the subtlety of acoustic
country-blues, and
Lockwood's performances are fairly laid-back.
Steady Rollin' Man (which
Delmark reissued on CD in 2007) rocks, although it doesn't rock nearly as aggressively as the Chicago-style performances that
Muddy Waters and
Buddy Guy (just to give two examples) were offering in 1970. Nonetheless,
Lockwood's emotional power comes through on an enjoyable outing that sounds like it was recorded in the big city but demonstrates that he never forgot about the
blues of the rural South. ~ Alex Henderson
![Desire [Remastered]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0827969239322_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Desire [Remastered]")
