This is the latest from The Bluesmobile’s C.C. Rider, who spends her life venerating the founding fathers of the blues. She’s walked the crooked highways of this singing country to resurrect the voices of the past. With the dirt of the Delta on her hands, she sleeps in the shadow of the giants on whose shoulders popular music now stands.
Jimmy Rogers
(June 3, 1924-December 19, 1997)
They were called the Head Cutters. Cuz the minute they started playing, they stole the audience from anyone else. There were three of ’em – Muddy Waters, Little Walter, and Jimmy Rogers. For some reason, Jimmy never reached the stratosphere of fame that Muddy and Walter did. And it’s a damn shame. Cause this man can really play.
Jimmy was right there when Muddy plugged in for the first time, when Memphis Slim took over for Sunnyland. Jimmy helped write “Hoochie Coochie Man,” played on Little Walter’s “Juke,” basically helped come up with some of the greatest blues songs ever written. You don’t wanna hear all this from me though. Let’s go straight to the horse’s mouth. Here, Mr. Rogers remembers working with producer, songwriter, legend Willie Dixon.
Willie Dixon he was arranging, writing songs. It was very funny but I was letting Muddy be the top dog because he was older and had more experience in playing than we did back during that time. We’re just backgrounding him. We put him out front as a leader. Dixon, we would listen and rehearse and do rounds until we come up with the “Hoochie Coochie Man.”
“Hoochie Coochie Man” maybe is like a medicine man or something. I don’t know, just a person.
Dixon said that and we kept around until he found words to match it. We called it “Hoochie Coochie.” It was a Hoochie Coochie band. Hoochie Coochie boys, that’s what we was. Muddy Waters and the Hoochie Coochie boys. I don’t know if it was really going to turn out to be as big as it did but I guess that’s what ideas come in happening and work. I’m glad that it did.
