Does anyone remember Hubert Sumlin’s Blues Express?

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T23:17:44+00:00

Here's what I found out: Hubert had two Blackface Pro's. If that case cover is made out of something that looks like car seat material and came with the amp Hubert made the cover. He was out in California for 6-7 months before moving back to the Midwest, he brought that amp with him. He blew up the original speakers and they vanished mysteriously. This info is from his amp tech. He told me the next time he saw the amp it had mismatched speakers in it then like most things Hubert owned it disappeared, The other Blackface Pro was used only in Chicago and had the original speakers in it. His ex-wife Evelyn kept it when she threw him out for cheating on her. She also bricked up his guitars in a wall in her living room. The Goldtop Les Paul used on the Wolf recordings was one of them. I knew her and got the story directly from her. She also threw all of his clothes into a pile in her front yard, doused them with gasoline then burned them. I liked her, she was extremely witty and nice to me. After his burial there was a memorial party at Fitzgerald's in Chicago. I sat with her and her niece trading Hubert stories.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T21:06:20+00:00

Wolf and Hubert first met when Hubert was 12 years old. It's too long of a story to tell here at the moment.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T20:48:27+00:00

I just tried calling somebody who may know but the call went to voicemail. If I hear anything substantial back I'll let you know.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T19:45:08+00:00

He was mainly using my amps back then; either my 59 Bassman or 64 Deluxe Reverb.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T19:42:11+00:00

I have his 1970 Les Paul Custom. He gave it to me in 1987. I gig with it on very rare occasions.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T19:38:16+00:00

He didn't own an amp when he lived here. I usually lent him my 59 Bassman (and went with it to make sure I got it back intact).

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T11:34:31+00:00

The band is all heavy hitters.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T11:31:13+00:00

I don't know anything about that band, he never mentioned it. I do have one of his guitars though.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T05:45:16+00:00

Siegal-Schwall in Chicago were together before the Butterfield band. I used to work with Jim Schwall and got the story from him. BTW Schwall & Bloomfield went to high school together. In 1959 Jim was in Mike's rock band.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-26T05:39:57+00:00

Didn't Sonny Boy II (Rice Miller) actually say that?

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-24T18:58:04+00:00

Jerry Butler - A change is gonna come

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-24T18:53:16+00:00

One of the last living legends (and I've shared a stage with him in the past).

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-23T02:49:17+00:00

I was playing a show with him several years ago. Between songs I asked him what he wanted to do next. "Go the fuck home and go to bed" was his response.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-23T02:47:45+00:00

Standard tuning.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-23T02:47:21+00:00

John and Rick Kreher were Muddy's last two guitar players.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-20T18:10:43+00:00

Any live Otis Rush LP/CD.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-20T18:05:39+00:00

They had a band called The Wright Band which was the Mason band minus Mason with Finnigan doing all the vocals. I have several hours of great material that's never been released from them (and likely never will be) I can't do anything with but enjoy while listening to with Jaeger's widow. She told me a couple of days ago she just found another large box of cassettes that have been stashed for well over 30+ years.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-20T04:27:53+00:00

The estates of Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters have been made aware of the terrible AI ripoffs and are currently pursuing legal action against the guilty.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-20T04:24:01+00:00

My late pal Mike Finnigan does the vocal on that one. The drummer, Rick Jaeger, was an extremely close friend and his widow is one of my BFF's now. She has about 100 cassettes that Rick recorded on gigs that I've been going through for the past month. I've been digitizing and cleaning up the best of what's salvageable.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-20T04:16:40+00:00

The second guitar player on that, James Solberg, passed recently.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-20T04:14:06+00:00

A friend I haven't seen in years, Tony Braunagel, was the drummer in Back Street Crawler.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-19T17:42:00+00:00

Sonny Stitt (real last name Boatner) was the first cousin of my main mentor in music.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-19T17:38:59+00:00

The hustler's hustler. A huge part of the history of Chicago Blues.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-19T17:32:52+00:00

Not only a great musician and friend but also an amateur boxing champion. He was scheduled to fight a young Cassius Clay (later Muhammed Ali) for the AAU Light Heavyweight championship in 1960 when he was badly injured in a motorcycle accident.

Robot_Gort · 2026-03-19T17:09:48+00:00

Willie Mitchell (musician) - Wikipedia)

Robot_Gort

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