We had turned up to hear Hubert Sumlin, Howling Wolf’s guitarist, but sadly it was not to be.  He had run out of health at the age of eighty and died just over a month later.  (Here is his MySpace page, with many tracks including full albums).

So no Hubert Sumlin and we’ll never know what we missed but this was to prove the best night of live music we experienced in New York.

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First the Nighthawks opened up and they are a wonderful band by themselves.  They are based in Washington DC and have been going since 1972 with many personnel changes.  Previous members include Jimmy Thackery, Pinetop Perkins and Bob Margolin.  Current members include longtime member Mark Wenner as well as Paul Bell, Johnny Castle, and Mark Stutso.  (Website).

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Then Joe Louis Walker joined in for a whole extra dimension.

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Joe Louis Walker is another icon of the Blues and has also played with a kaleidoscope of eminent musicians.  (Website, Myspace).

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There was also a further guitarist local to New York, whose name I don’t remember.

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The remarkable thing for us is that we were right beside the stage for this remarkable performance with an audience of only twenty to forty.

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Joe Louis Williams remarked to a friend who turned up after the gig that he’d missed out because they’d been really cooking.  So it wasn’t just my opinion.

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26 to 27 October 2011.