By 1959, John Len Chatman, also known as Peter Chatman, but most famously as Memphis Slim, was a well-established blues pianist/singer-songwriter who had been making records since at least 1948. However, Memphis Slim at the Gate of Horn, released as “a true high-fidelity tonal range recording” on Vee-Jay Records in 1959, was Slim’s first proper album—a hell of a debut it was.
Lovingly reissued by Craft Recordings, Memphis Slim at the Gate of Horn is not, as its title would seem to indicate, a live record. A note on the back cover explains that the Gate of Horn was “a Chicago mecca of folk music since March of 1956,” and Slim played there. However, Gate of Horn is a straight-up studio effort highlighting a set of new recordings of Memphis Slim’s best tunes, mostly credited to “LC. Frazier”, one of Slim’s several pseudonyms.
Note for album title trivia fans: the only other record I can think of with a similar titling conundrum is the debut record by Philly Soul singer Billy Paul, whose Feeling Great at the Cadillac Club was a studio affair, not recorded at the North Philadelphia nightclub where Paul was often playing at the time.
While Slim‘s backing musicians provide stellar accompaniment throughout, it’s Matt “Guitar” Murphy who emerges as the pianist’s secret weapon. Murphy’s claim to pop culture fame may be based on his portrayal of a version of himself (married to the diner owner, played by Aretha Franklin) in The Blues Brothers. Still, it is the compact yet explosive solos all over Gate of Horn that helped solidify Murphy’s reputation as one of the all-time greats in blues guitar.
Murphy’s presence is felt on the opening track, “The Come Back”, but he fully lets listeners know where he earned his nickname during the second song, “Steppin’ Out”. This snappy instrumental is just seconds over two minutes long. Still, Slim’s propulsive piano and big sax sounds establish it as a party rock anthem for the ages even before Murphy checks in with a tasty solo midway through it.
Though brief, “Steppin’ Out” casts a long shadow. Eric Clapton recorded several versions, including epic live versions with Cream that lasted nearly a quarter of an hour. However, there is something beautifully satisfying about Slim, Murphy, and the band blowing their listeners’ minds with “Steppin’ Out” for just two minutes and then moving on as if it was no big deal. That kind of economy permeates Gate of Horn. Most songs clock in at three minutes tops, with the LP closing out at a tidy 33 minutes.
The prominence of Guitar Murphy is not evidence that Memphis Slim needed a secret weapon. While Murphy and the other credited musicians (Alex Atkins, alto sax; Billy Stepney, drums; Ernest Cotton, tenor sax; John Calvin, tenor sax; Sam Chatmon, bass) are fantastic throughout, it is ultimately Memphis Slim’s rollicking piano and sophisticated vocals that clearly shine as the stars of the show.
Generally, the songs on Gate of Horn are about getting one’s baby, loving one’s baby, and losing one’s baby, and that’s fine. However, Memphis Slim closes Gate of Horn with an atypical, philosophical cautionary tale, “Mother Earth”. As Slim sings, “You may play race horses / You may own a race track / You may have enough money baby / To buy anything you lack,” it’s easy to imagine Bob Dylan spinning Gate of Horn, as he was poring over scripture to write “Gotta Serve Somebody”.
The Craft Recordings reissue of Memphis Slim at the Gate of Horn includes the original back cover liner notes by Studs Terkel. Terkel notes that Alan Rebeck, owner of Gate of Horn, was excited by Slim’s recent performance there. Terkel also quotes Memphis Slim, who offers his take on the blues:
“The blues will be around as long as people are around, carrying their little bundles of troubles. There would be no jazz without the blues. Charlie Parker played it, he understood it, he felt it. Basie plays it. He, too, understands and feels it. Oh yeah, as long as man is bugged by something, he’ll be singing the blues. And feel just a bit better.”
Feeling bugged? Give Memphis Slim at the Gate of Horn a spin and chances are you’ll feel just a bit—or maybe a whole lot—better.