BLUES GUITAR MASTERS: LEFTY BATES
Williams Bates est né le 9 mars 1920 à Leighton (Alabama) mais a été élevé à Saint Louis où ses parents se sont installés alors qu'il était tout jeune. Mordu de jazz, Bates suit des cours de musique au Lycée, se spécialise à la clarinette, au piano et surtout à la guitare et forme, encore adolescent, les Hi-De-Ho-Boys, un orchestre de jazz avec le chanteur guitariste Tommy Powell. Le succès du groupe est tel qu'ils vont jouer à Chicago et sollicitent une audition chez Decca qui les enregistre dès l'automne 1936. Lefty (ainsi nommé bien sûr parce qu'il est gaucher) décide de s'installer à Chicago où les opportunités sont nombreuses pour un musicien aguerri.
Après plusieurs séances en 1947 avec les Aristo-Kats ou Dick Davis et un service militaire de 2 ans, Bates va s'imposer à Chicago comme un des incontournables guitaristes de studio, capable de rapidement maîtriser n'importe quels arrangements, de s'adapter à tous les styles et à suivre à la croche près les leaders les plus indisciplinés. Il est un membre régulier de l'orchestre du producteur Al Smith qui, dès le début des années 1950, est une personnalité influente auprès de quantité de studios et de labels. Bates est en constante demande, contribuant à la réussite de la plupart des séances auxquelles il participe (Tampa Red, Big Bertha Henderson, Red Holloway, The Hornets, The Flamingos, The El Dorados, The Moroccos, The Impressions, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Pee Wee Crayton.....). Il est en fait un des musiciens incontournables des séances Vee Jay durant les années 1950.
Avec les années 1970 et les changements dans les studios de Chicago, Bates a de moins en moins d'engagements et il s'occupera de l'organisation et du management de la nouvelle version des Ink Spots. Atteint de la maladie d'Alzheimer, Lefty passe les dernières années de sa vie dans une maison spécialisée. Il décède le 7 avril 2007. William "Lefty" Bates ne doit pas être confondu (ce que l'on fait trop souvent) avec Leroy Clyde Bates (1924-91), lui aussi guitariste gaucher et bassiste qui a aussi enregistré pour Vee Jay et Chess!
Cette sélection regroupe tous les titres gravés par Lefty Bates sous son nom plus une sélection de morceaux gravés derrière divers artistes mais sous l'appellation Lefty Bates & His Orchestra plus quelques autres (Arbee Stidham, The Aristo-Kats) parmi les centaines de titres auxquels ce grand guitariste a participé.
Une fois de plus, un grand merci à Steve Wisner, Jose Yrraberra pour leur aide ainsi que Dan Kochakian et ses associés qui ont publié un très bel article sur Lefty Bates avec une discographie complète dans Blues & Rhythm n°s 183/184.
Gérard HERZHAFT
Although he is mostly known among blues buffs for his few guitar-led instrumentals records and moreover for his no-nonsense, sharp and accurate backing of very hard to follow bluesmen like John Lee Hooker or Jimmy Reed, Lefty Bates isn't a musician limited to the blues. He has much more recorded behind jazz, R&B, Doo-Wop groups and acts.
William Bates was born on 9th March 1920 at Leighton (Al) but grew up in Saint Louis where his parents settled when he was still very young. A jazz fan since childhood, Bates followed musical courses while in High School, learning clarinet, piano, string bass and particularly the guitar he played left-handed. With his schoolmate, singer guitarist Tommy Powell, he formed still a teenager The Hi-De-Ho-Boys, a jazz ensemble which was soon very much in demand all around Saint Louis. They went to Chicago, auditioned for Decca and recorded four songs on Fall 1936! Lefty found Chicago a town with much more opportunities for a trained musician and went to live there during the war. After several recording sessions with The Aristo-Kats or Dick Davis (featuring a very young Sonny Thompson) in 1947 and a two year army stint, Bates came back to Chicago. He quickly established himself as a key guitar player for the numerous independent labels and studios that had flourished in Chicago during the early post war years. Lefty was known to be able to quickly master any kind of melody, arrangements, whatever the genre and to follow at the eighth note any leader, even the most erratic! During the 1950's Lefty was a steady member of the Al Smith Orchestra, Al being more and more a strong influence for many studios and labels, particularly Vee Jay. So, Bates contributed to the success of many recordings (Tampa Red, Big Bertha Henderson, Red Holloway, The Hornets, The Flamingos, The El Dorados, The Moroccos, The Impressions, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Pee Wee Crayton.....).
As he made a good living with his studio works and his many gigs on night clubs with his Trio (Quinn Wilson on bass and Horace Palm, singing and playing the keys) and behind his wife Mary Cole, a noted club dancer, Lefty unfortunately didn't record much under his own name and mostly after 1955 with his Lefty Bates' Orchestra.
With the changes occurring in the musical world during the 1970's, Lefty mostly worked as
a manager of the new Ink Spots. Suffering from the Alzheimer Disease, Bates spent the last years of his life in a specialized nursing home where he died on 7 April 2007. William "Lefty" Bates must not be confused with Leroy Clyde Bates (also sometimes nicknamed Lefty!) (1924-91), a guitarist and bassist who also recorded for Vee Jay and Chess!
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| Leroy Clyde Bates |
This homemade compilation gathers all the tracks Lefty recorded under his name with a selection of different kind of groups and singers with whom he recorded during the twenty more years of his prolific career.
Once again, thanks a lot to Steve Wisner and Jose Yrraberra for their great and generous help. As well as Dan Kochakian (and his partners) who published a great article and complete session discography of Lefty on the Blues &Rhythm Magazine n°s 183/184.
Gérard HERZHAFT
MASTERS OF BLUES GUITAR Vol. 3 LEFTY BATES
The Aristo-Kats: Orlando Randolph, vcl/tpt; Julius Wright, pno; Lefty Bates, g; Quinn Wilson, bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. 19 juin 1946
01. Watch yourself baby
The Aristo-Kats: Orlando Randolph, vcl/tpt; Julius Wright, pno; Lefty Bates, g; Quinn Wilson, bs; dms. Chicago, Ill. 1 février 1947
02. Jack you're dead
Lefty Bates, g; The Kingsmen, vcls; band. Chicago, Ill. décembre 1955
03. Don't say you're sorry
04. Kickin' with my stallion
Lefty Bates, g; Honey Brown, vcl; Red Holloway, t-sax; Mc Kinley Easton, b-sax; pno; Quinn Wilson, bs; Al Duncan, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1956
05. No good daddy
06. Ain't no need
Lefty Bates, g; Horace Palm, vcl; band. Chicago, Ill. 26 février 1957
07. Chicago Cha Cha
08. Somebody Will Understand
Lefty Bates, g; Arbee Stidham, vcl; Earl Hooker, g; Red Holloway, t-sax; Hardold Ashby, t-sax; Horace Palm, pno; Quinn Wilson, bs; Al Duncan, dms. Chicago, Ill. 12 juillet 1957
09. Look Me Straight In The Eye
10. I Stayed Away Too Long I
11. I stayed away too long II
Lefty Bates, g; The Palms, vcls; band. Chicago, Ill. 1957
12. Edna
13. Teardrops
Lefty Bates, g; Cliff Davis, t-sax; Floyd Morris, pno; Quinn Wilson, bs; Al Duncan, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1958
14. Am I Blue
15. Back Ground
Lefty Bates, g; The Chargers, band; Cliff Davis, t-sax; Floyd Morris, pno; Quinn Wilson, bs; Al Duncan, dms. Chicago, Ill. 1958
16. Miss Letha Jones
17. The large charge
Lefty Bates, g; Horace Palm, vcl; Cliff Davis, t-sax; McKinley Easton, b-sax; Quinn Wilson, bs; Al Duncan, dms. Chicago, Ill. octobre 1959
18. Rock Alley
19. Ninety Days
20. Ena
21. Why Can’t You Love Me
Lefty Bates, g; Cliff Davis, t-sax; Quinn Wilson, bs; Al Duncan, dms; The Sequins, vcls. Chicago, Ill. novembre 1959
22. Say whoa