Billy Boy Arnold
Back Where I Belong
Alligator |

Billy Boy Arnold was a rarity back in the
’50s, a Chicago harmonica player who was actually
born in Chicago. He learned from one of the best,
receiving informal lessons from John Lee Williamson
(the original Sonny Boy Williamson). Williamson was
murdered soon after these lessons started, but
Arnold learned his lessons well, releasing a single
in 1952, where he received his nickname
unexpectedly. Later, he hooked up with Bo Diddley,
and played harmonica on Diddley’s 1955 recording,
“I’m A Man.”
Anxious to branch out from sideman status, Arnold
signed with Vee-Jay Records and released several
classic sides, including “I Wish You Would,” “I
Ain’t Got You,” “You Got Me Wrong,” and “Prisoner’s
Plea.” In the ’60s, the blues scene dried up in
Chicago and Arnold worked as a bus driver and,
later, a parole officer, but he still played the
blues on the side and recorded periodically. In the
’70s, he enjoyed a bit of a resurgence along with
the music and he spent a good deal of time
performing in Europe. In 1993, he signed with
Alligator Records and recorded his “comeback” disc,
Back Where I Belong. Producer/harmonica
player Randy Chortkoff (now head of Delta Groove
Records) teamed the veteran with his band, the
Taildraggers (Zach Zunis – guitar, Andy Kaulkin –
piano, Tom Leavey – bass, Lee Smith – drums), along
with several other members of Los Angeles’ blues
constituency, including Rick Holmstrom on guitar,
Rob Rio on piano, and Jimi Bott on drums.
The first thing you notice upon listening is that,
in the span of time between releases, Arnold’s voice
matured into a fine blues instrument, and that he
was now able to achieve an emotional feel that was
not present in his earlier recordings. The second
thing is that he had not lost anything on the
harmonica. If anything, he’s even better than he was
20 years earlier.
Arnold introduces some solid new songs on Back
Where I Belong. “Move On Down The Road” is a
’50s-era rocker, and “Fine Young Girl” feels like a
blues track from the same era. “Wandering Eye” has
that “Hoochie Coochie Man” beat, and “Whiskey, Beer,
and Reefer” is reminiscent of a John Lee Hooker
track. Bass player Leavey’s “High Fashion Woman” is
an energetic track as well.
Among the covers is a manic remake of Slim Harpo’s
“Shake Your Hips,” which teams Arnold in a harp
battle with Lester Butler of the Red Devils.
“Worried Life Blues” is a tribute to one of the
great barrelhouse piano player, Big Maceo
Merriwether, and on “Shake The Boogie,” he honors
his mentor, John Lee “Sonny Boy” Williamson.
Three songs from Arnold’s Vee-Jay years are reprised
here, too. His biggest hit, “I Wish You Would,”
opens the disc in rousing fashion. “You Got Me
Wrong” is as playful as it was some 35-40 years
earlier. The remake of “Prisoner’s Plea” features a
stellar performance from Arnold, whose vocals better
convey the helplessness and regret today than in the
earlier version (though I prefer the guitar work of
Syl Johnson and Jody Williams in the earlier
version).
Back Where I Belong helped restore Billy Boy
Arnold to the prominence he deserved in the blues
world and in the Windy City. He later released a
noteworthy follow-up for Alligator, called
Eldorado Cadillac, which featured Bob Margolin
and James Wheeler on guitar. At 74, he continues to
perform and record regularly, most recently with
Electro-Fi, where he released the tribute album,
Billy Boy Sings Sonny Boy.
--- Graham Clarke
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