When tenor saxophonist Terry Marshall And Friends assembled to record Terry’s debut album for charity, Living The Blues, they would never have predicted or desired chart success. However, it has already risen rapidly to Number 3 in the Independent Blues Broadcaster’s Association (IBBA) Top 40 Most Played Album.
Sadly, the elation has subsided dramatically since the passing of Robert Hokum, one of those ‘resident’ musicians who played guitar on most tracks. Robert died less than a week after the album release. As my review indicated, this was not a vanity project for superstars but a collection of highly talented independent blues artists working hard to pursue their dreams, often with little remuneration.
Robert was regarded as one of those unsung heroes, but to his family, friends, and the local blues communities he was a titan. Robert was the founder and artistic director of The Ealing Blues Festival, the longest running event of its type in London. He was also a self-deprecating “bluesmaster, funkateer, global groover and raconteur.”
The reality is that Robert was a fine musician who made his own legacy as a vocalist and guitarist who recorded solo and with a variety of bands.
Two fitting tributes follow:
One of Robert’s last recordings is “Phone Booth” written by Robert Cray and arranged and sung by the exceptional Emma Wilson. Her smoking, soulful vocals are complemented by Terry Marshall’s mournful tenor saxophone tones and Robert Hokum’s ‘late night’ sounding guitar licks.
Robert jamming at the Swanage Blues Festival with Hugh Budden, another star from the Living The Blues album, and the late Steve Darrington.
ROBERT HOKUM RIP.
