Saturday 9 April 2011

Arthur Adams - It's Private Tonight (1972)


Arthur Adams is perhaps one of the best jazz/blues guitarists no-one has heard of. He picked up guitar in his teens in Medon, Tennessee, and he started playing blues professionally when he moved to Nashville to attend university. Through the 60's he played back up to numerous musical luminaries, including Lightnin' Hopkins, Buddy Guy and Chuck Berry while living in Dallas in the first half of the decade, and then, after moving to Los Angeles, the Jackson 5, Willie Hutch, Kim Weston, Phil Spector and others. "It's Private Tonight" was Adams' debut solo album. It featured the single of the same title, released 3 years earlier and a regional hit. Backing artists included Phil Upchurch (another guitarist deserving of more attention), and Joe Sample and Wilton Felder, both members of the Crusaders (whom Adams would go on to support on several albums through the mid 70's). The album shares much stylistically with the Crusaders work of that time, with a funky jazz feel, but more emphasis on Adams' bluesy guitar and vocals.

Album info. here:

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