<back - SON SEALS - Son Seals approached the Blues with a conviction and ferocity that defied description. The music was bred into his bone: He tackled it in a no-holds-barred fashion, taking it to the highest imaginable levels of passion. A staunch traditionalist who favored traditional shuffles that burned with fervor, he was equally adept at modern funkafided numbers that brimmed with soul. But whatever groove was happening, it was embellished by a stage presence that was mesmerizing and transfixing. Son Seals well-crafted songs were inspired by personal experiences.

When he settled permanently in Chicago in 1971 after working the Mississippi-Tennessee-Arkansas circuit, it energized the club scene like a lightening bolt. He would sit in with such luminaries as James Cotton, Hound Dog Taylor, and Junior Wells, and white audience members especially became riveted by his powerful scorching vocals and fiery guitar licks. For those weaned on guitar-intensive/hell-raising Blues, it rang like the revelation of truth. Alligator's 1973 debut was The Son Seals Blues Album. That foreshadowed his emergence as a force of nature within the Blues. The man was possessed by mystical powers, and the impact was totally draining--but always exhilarating. Born Frank Seals in 1942 in Osceola Arkansas, he inherited his father’s nickname 'Son'. At 13, he began backing up on drums such headliners at his father’s club as Robert Nighthawk, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Albert King. On weekends, Son Seals fronted on guitar his own band The Upsetters. By 1963, he was touring as Albert King's drummer, or else playing guitar alongside Earl Hooker. After his Alligator debut, a highly successful solo career got underway, featuring appearances at colleges, festivals, and clubs. His 1977 Midnight Son album elevated him to international acclaim, garnering ecstatic reviews from every major music publication, with Rolling Stone calling it 'the Blues album of the decade'. Throughout the 80’s and 90’s Son Seals would become a dominating Blues musician, rising to the stature of BB King and Buddy Guy. The rock group Phish became huge fans, putting Seals’ Funky Bitch on one of their records. Blues connoisseurs should direct special attention toward getting their hands on his two live albums, Spontaneous Combustion and Live And Burning, as they transport the listener to the sweaty confines of a juke joint where Son ruled like an omnipotent emperor. Son Seals received WC Handy Awards in 1985, 1987, and 2001, and continued to record and perform until the late 90’s/early 00’s when a series of severe personal and health setbacks weakened his body. The end came on Dec 27, 2004, and although it wasn’t unexpected, a terrible void resulted that can never be filled. The name of Son Seals will forever be enshrined by which future Blues artists will aspire to. -GaryTate/LivinBlues  MP3- Funky Bitch |