Pit Bull - Joe "Guitar" Hughes
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Joe "Guitar" Hughes (September 29, 1937 – May 20, 2003) was an American blues musician, from Houston, Texas, United States. An inventive and versatile performer, Hughes was equally happy with slow blues, Texas shuffles and old R&B hits.
Joe "Guitar" Hughes lived his entire life in Houston, where he crafted his skills to rank among the city's most elite players of the blues guitar. But unlike home town peers such as Johnny Copeland and Albert Collins, Hughes decision to remain in Houston in lieu of constant touring may have cost him the price of fame these others achieved.
He was born in Houston's Fourth Ward on September 29, 1937. Though his mother did not approve of Blues music, Joe was still exposed early in life to a steady diet of Texas artists such as T-Bone Walker and Lightnin' Hopkins through radio and records owned by his stepfather. His mother did encourage her son to sing; but it was the sounds of Gospel and Country-Western that met her approval. Anything resembling Blues could result in punishment and beatings for the youngster.
As a teenager, Joe purchased his first guitar from money he earned as a dishwasher. This soon led to the formation of his first musical group, The Dukes, at the age of 16. In its first incarnation, The Dukes were primarily a vocal trio. One of its members would remain a life-long friend of Joe's and he would also become one of Houston's most recognized Blues artists, Johnny Copeland.
After a short period of time, the group reformed itself with new members as Joe began to teach the others to play various instruments. They changed their name to The Dukes of Rhythm, with Joe as its leader. Originally Joe attempted to place Johnny Copeland behind the drums, but soon found Herbert Henderson could keep time better. So Joe and Johnny shared duties at guitar, and bassist James Johnson filled out the line-up.
The Dukes of Rhythm became an extremely popular band in Houston's Third Ward neighborhood, an area already renowned as a breeding ground for popular musicians such as Albert Collins, Clarence "Gatemoth" Brown and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Beginning in 1958 and lasting for five years, The Dukes of Rhythm took on the role as house band at Shady's Playhouse, one of Houston's hottest clubs of the period which offered entertainment from the Blues' biggest stars of the time. Playing here allowed the band to work alongside many of the top performers of the time, such as Big Mama Thornton and T-Bone Walker.
In 1963, The Dukes of Rhythm began to dissolve as a band, with Johnny Copeland leaving to perform as a solo act. Joe hooked up with Little Richard's former band The Upsetters, following their flamboyant leader's decision to step away from Rock & Roll to pursue a purer path with religion. Joe would remain with the band (which also included saxophone player Grady Gaines) for two years, often touring in package concerts with people like Sam & Dave and Fats Domino, that took him outside of Texas and around the country for the first time.
Joe remained with The Upsetters for only two years, at which point he took a role with Bobby Bland's band, again hitting the tour circuit and also recording with the singer on his 1967 album "A Touch of the Blues." It wasn't the first time that Joe Hughes had made recordings, there had been a handful of solo 45 rpms for various labels such as Gallant, Kangaroo, Jetstream and Golden Eagle. Though he recorded a number of songs, they were pretty much just regionally distributed and included such numbers as "The Shoe Shy," "I Can't Go On This Way," "Ants In My Pants" and "Where There's A Will (There's A Way)."
During the time that Joe worked with Bobby Bland, the band's shows were often supported by emerging Houston star, pianist Al "TNT" Braggs. Joe soon left Bland's group to work with Braggs regularly, and he stayed on the road with him for the next three years.
Touring did not agree with Joe Hughes. He preferred to stay at home with his school teacher wife Willie Lee "Mae" and his children, so following this stint with Braggs he decided to return home to Houston. He spent a short time with the local band Julius Jones and the Rivieras, and then bounced amongst many small groups, almost in obscurity, until the mid-‘80s.
It was 1985 when his old friend Johnny Copeland talked Joe into joining him for a performance in Europe. Although Joe Hughes was not very well known in his homeland, his past recordings had found popularity across the Atlantic. (These earlier songs had been issued by the Collectibles label without Hughes' knowledge. Along with thirteen other musicians who had also had their music released without permission, Joe Hughes won a judgement for $260,000 for copyright infringement in 1997.) He soon discovered that the show he was to perform with Copeland in Utrecht, Holland, was actually a co-bill where he was the second headliner. The extraordinary reception that he received by the audience brought about a resurrection in the career of Joe "Guitar" Hughes.
Other than a couple small-label releases ("Movin' On," on the Rollin'label in 1987 and "This One's For You," on Estox, 1988, both issued on cassette only), Joe "Guitar" Hughes had never experienced a legitimate large market solo recording, so considering that his second career was based in Europe, it was only fitting that his first major solo album would be for the Dutch label Double Trouble, titled "Texas Guitar Master Craftsman," released in 1988.
And his popularity with the foreign Blues fans did not go unnoticed by the American market either, as he found a record deal with the New Orleans based Black Top label, with his debut American release "If You Want To See These Blues" in 1989. He would also be a featured performer for Black Top's yearly Blues jam in New Orleans' Tiptina club during the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. A handful of these appearances are documented on the album "Black Top Blues-A-Rama, Volume 5."
Although Joe "Guitar" Hughes albums were received with reasonable success and acclaim, he seldom found the opportunity to return to the studio throughout the remainder of his life. Double Trouble issued the double-live release "Live At Vrendenburg" in 1993, which offered a distinctive look at the mastery of Hughes' concert prowess, and also featured the harmonica work of Texas virtuouso Sonny Boy Terry. A second Dutch label, Munich, released "Down & Depressed: Dangerous" that same year.
But perhaps his greatest moment on tape came with the 1996 Bullseye Blues CD, "Texas Guitar Slinger." The album showcased Joe Hughes at his finest, fully capturing the guitar skills that had made him a legend in Houston's upper echelon alongside Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. One final album made its way to the Blues market in 2001 with "Stuff Like That" on the Blues Express label.
Joe had also been a primary focus of two films documenting the Houston Blues scene. The first was produced by Alan Govenar, a historian who has written several books and articles on Texas musicians. The subject of the film was Joe and fellow Houston guitarist Pete Mayes, titled "Battle of the Guitars." The second film, made in 1999 by Heather Korb, was "Third Ward Blues." It featured interviews and concert footage of Hughes, as well as friends and peers Johnny Copeland, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Albert Collins.
During the last few years of his life, Joe "Guitar" Hughes continued to perform and to travel more than ever before. A great deal of time was spent in Europe before the audiences who had left a special feeling within him since his first appearance there in 1985. He told one European interviewer that if he had a choice, he'd spend eight months a year playing for the people of that continent. Taking two others for touring America and the last two for recording new material.
On May 15, 2003, Joe Hughes suffered a massive heart attack and was hospitalized at Hermann Pavilion Hospital. He never recovered from the cardiac episode, passing away five days later on May 20th. Joe "Guitar" Hughes was survived by his wife Willie Lee "Mae" Hughes, seven daughters and two sons. He was laid to rest in Hudgins cemetery in nearby Bay City, Texas on May 24th.
Though he may never have received the same level of fame as his friends from the Third Ward, Joe "Guitar" Hughes was one of Houston's finest Blues musicians. Being home near his family was more important for him than name recognition. But for Joe Hughes, the nickname he was given was a fitting one, "Guitar," as he was definitely one of Texas' all-time best.
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Joe "Guitar" Hughes lived his entire life in Houston, where he crafted his skills to rank among the city's most elite players of the blues guitar. But unlike home town peers such as Johnny Copeland and Albert Collins, Hughes decision to remain in Houston in lieu of constant touring may have cost him the price of fame these others achieved.
He was born in Houston's Fourth Ward on September 29, 1937. Though his mother did not approve of Blues music, Joe was still exposed early in life to a steady diet of Texas artists such as T-Bone Walker and Lightnin' Hopkins through radio and records owned by his stepfather. His mother did encourage her son to sing; but it was the sounds of Gospel and Country-Western that met her approval. Anything resembling Blues could result in punishment and beatings for the youngster.
As a teenager, Joe purchased his first guitar from money he earned as a dishwasher. This soon led to the formation of his first musical group, The Dukes, at the age of 16. In its first incarnation, The Dukes were primarily a vocal trio. One of its members would remain a life-long friend of Joe's and he would also become one of Houston's most recognized Blues artists, Johnny Copeland.
After a short period of time, the group reformed itself with new members as Joe began to teach the others to play various instruments. They changed their name to The Dukes of Rhythm, with Joe as its leader. Originally Joe attempted to place Johnny Copeland behind the drums, but soon found Herbert Henderson could keep time better. So Joe and Johnny shared duties at guitar, and bassist James Johnson filled out the line-up.
The Dukes of Rhythm became an extremely popular band in Houston's Third Ward neighborhood, an area already renowned as a breeding ground for popular musicians such as Albert Collins, Clarence "Gatemoth" Brown and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Beginning in 1958 and lasting for five years, The Dukes of Rhythm took on the role as house band at Shady's Playhouse, one of Houston's hottest clubs of the period which offered entertainment from the Blues' biggest stars of the time. Playing here allowed the band to work alongside many of the top performers of the time, such as Big Mama Thornton and T-Bone Walker.
In 1963, The Dukes of Rhythm began to dissolve as a band, with Johnny Copeland leaving to perform as a solo act. Joe hooked up with Little Richard's former band The Upsetters, following their flamboyant leader's decision to step away from Rock & Roll to pursue a purer path with religion. Joe would remain with the band (which also included saxophone player Grady Gaines) for two years, often touring in package concerts with people like Sam & Dave and Fats Domino, that took him outside of Texas and around the country for the first time.
Joe remained with The Upsetters for only two years, at which point he took a role with Bobby Bland's band, again hitting the tour circuit and also recording with the singer on his 1967 album "A Touch of the Blues." It wasn't the first time that Joe Hughes had made recordings, there had been a handful of solo 45 rpms for various labels such as Gallant, Kangaroo, Jetstream and Golden Eagle. Though he recorded a number of songs, they were pretty much just regionally distributed and included such numbers as "The Shoe Shy," "I Can't Go On This Way," "Ants In My Pants" and "Where There's A Will (There's A Way)."
During the time that Joe worked with Bobby Bland, the band's shows were often supported by emerging Houston star, pianist Al "TNT" Braggs. Joe soon left Bland's group to work with Braggs regularly, and he stayed on the road with him for the next three years.
Touring did not agree with Joe Hughes. He preferred to stay at home with his school teacher wife Willie Lee "Mae" and his children, so following this stint with Braggs he decided to return home to Houston. He spent a short time with the local band Julius Jones and the Rivieras, and then bounced amongst many small groups, almost in obscurity, until the mid-‘80s.
It was 1985 when his old friend Johnny Copeland talked Joe into joining him for a performance in Europe. Although Joe Hughes was not very well known in his homeland, his past recordings had found popularity across the Atlantic. (These earlier songs had been issued by the Collectibles label without Hughes' knowledge. Along with thirteen other musicians who had also had their music released without permission, Joe Hughes won a judgement for $260,000 for copyright infringement in 1997.) He soon discovered that the show he was to perform with Copeland in Utrecht, Holland, was actually a co-bill where he was the second headliner. The extraordinary reception that he received by the audience brought about a resurrection in the career of Joe "Guitar" Hughes.
Other than a couple small-label releases ("Movin' On," on the Rollin'label in 1987 and "This One's For You," on Estox, 1988, both issued on cassette only), Joe "Guitar" Hughes had never experienced a legitimate large market solo recording, so considering that his second career was based in Europe, it was only fitting that his first major solo album would be for the Dutch label Double Trouble, titled "Texas Guitar Master Craftsman," released in 1988.
And his popularity with the foreign Blues fans did not go unnoticed by the American market either, as he found a record deal with the New Orleans based Black Top label, with his debut American release "If You Want To See These Blues" in 1989. He would also be a featured performer for Black Top's yearly Blues jam in New Orleans' Tiptina club during the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. A handful of these appearances are documented on the album "Black Top Blues-A-Rama, Volume 5."
Although Joe "Guitar" Hughes albums were received with reasonable success and acclaim, he seldom found the opportunity to return to the studio throughout the remainder of his life. Double Trouble issued the double-live release "Live At Vrendenburg" in 1993, which offered a distinctive look at the mastery of Hughes' concert prowess, and also featured the harmonica work of Texas virtuouso Sonny Boy Terry. A second Dutch label, Munich, released "Down & Depressed: Dangerous" that same year.
But perhaps his greatest moment on tape came with the 1996 Bullseye Blues CD, "Texas Guitar Slinger." The album showcased Joe Hughes at his finest, fully capturing the guitar skills that had made him a legend in Houston's upper echelon alongside Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. One final album made its way to the Blues market in 2001 with "Stuff Like That" on the Blues Express label.
Joe had also been a primary focus of two films documenting the Houston Blues scene. The first was produced by Alan Govenar, a historian who has written several books and articles on Texas musicians. The subject of the film was Joe and fellow Houston guitarist Pete Mayes, titled "Battle of the Guitars." The second film, made in 1999 by Heather Korb, was "Third Ward Blues." It featured interviews and concert footage of Hughes, as well as friends and peers Johnny Copeland, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Albert Collins.
During the last few years of his life, Joe "Guitar" Hughes continued to perform and to travel more than ever before. A great deal of time was spent in Europe before the audiences who had left a special feeling within him since his first appearance there in 1985. He told one European interviewer that if he had a choice, he'd spend eight months a year playing for the people of that continent. Taking two others for touring America and the last two for recording new material.
On May 15, 2003, Joe Hughes suffered a massive heart attack and was hospitalized at Hermann Pavilion Hospital. He never recovered from the cardiac episode, passing away five days later on May 20th. Joe "Guitar" Hughes was survived by his wife Willie Lee "Mae" Hughes, seven daughters and two sons. He was laid to rest in Hudgins cemetery in nearby Bay City, Texas on May 24th.
Though he may never have received the same level of fame as his friends from the Third Ward, Joe "Guitar" Hughes was one of Houston's finest Blues musicians. Being home near his family was more important for him than name recognition. But for Joe Hughes, the nickname he was given was a fitting one, "Guitar," as he was definitely one of Texas' all-time best.
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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