Gunsmoke Blues

The commanding presence of the late great Muddy Waters buoys this entertaining set of performances by four blues masters, filmed in 1971 in Eugene, OR. The seemingly incongruous title does indeed stem from the hit TV western Gunsmoke, as cameramen from the series who happened to be blues lovers took a few days off and headed up to the Pacific Northwest to film this concert (which also features a few amusing interludes in the car with Waters and fellow artists Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton and Big Joe Turner, who tell tales and pass around a bottle of whiskey en route to the gig). Thornton, Turner, and George “Harmonica” Smith, the fourth featured artist, are allotted just two songs each during the main program (six additional tunes—half audio-only—are included along with artist interviews as extras), all backed by a rock band that really brings it during the up-tempo numbers but is relatively ham-fisted when it comes to slow blues. Thornton, whose songs include “Ball & Chain” (which she reminds us was popularized a few years earlier by Janis Joplin), is strong and energetic, but the performances by Smith and Turner feel rather perfunctory. Still, all is forgiven when Waters, backed by his own band, comes on to close the show with four numbers that serve up the real deal—deep Delta blues, electrified but still primal, whether it's the slow, hypnotic pounding of “Mannish Boy,” the cheeky boasting of “(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man,” or the joyous groove of the crowd-pleasing “Got My Mojo Working.” Presented in Dolby Digital stereo, this is recommended. (S. Graham)