Re: [Harp-L] Cadillac Records - Little Walter

[MARK BURNESS <markwjburness@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Buck Worley asked...

"Did Chess really die within site of the studio?" No, he sold Chess to GRT 
before he died in '69. I can understand why one studio was depicted in the film, 
but there were 3 studios at different times run/owned by Leonard. Chess records 
& its subsiduaries had moved to E 21st Street in the last incarnation of the 
Chess building, having moved from 2120 S Michigan Ave in Spring '67. Chess & 
Aristocrat started out recording at Bill Puttnam's Universal Studios in Chicago, 
as did certain other labels, this is where Muddy, Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter 
all recorded  for Chess/Aristocrat prior to 1954. Chess also bought in records 
from other regional labels and at the time of Etta James' late 60's hits, were 
perfectly happy to record at other successful studios like Rick's @ Mussel 
Shoals, if they thought it would help get that elusive hit.

Kim plays the LW parts during the film, Columbus Short's claims of doing it all 
himself seem rather far fetched...perhaps he squeaked along during the takes, 
thinking he sounded great, then Kim was dubbed over & Short thought it was still 
himself? ;-) "Last Night" is actually the LW recording.

As Rodrido says, the Chess story was a vast, constantly evolving & changing, 
web...I don't know how it could be condensed down to a single movie.


 



________________________________
From: Rodrigo G. Reis <rodrigogreis@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Buck Worley <boogalloo@xxxxxxx>
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, 11 May, 2011 18:00:48
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Cadillac Records - Little Walter

The death of LW according to Wikipedia.

Quite different of the movie regarding the place, however it match about the
circunstances of LW being injured. After watching the director's interview
you can realize how it goes with this kind of adaptation of real life facts
to a screen play. This is just based on the facts, there's no enough time on
a movie to put all fact as they were, they have to choose some characters to
focus and work on them and they have to adapt something here and there to
emphasize relations between them.

*A few months after returning from his second European tour, he was involved
in a fight while taking a break from a performance at a nightclub on the
South Side of Chicago. The relatively minor injuries sustained in this
altercation aggravated and compounded damage he had suffered in previous
violent encounters, and he died in his sleep at the apartment of a
girlfriend at 209 E. 54th St. in Chicago early the following
morning.[1]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Walter#cite_note-Glover-0>
[9]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Walter#cite_note-Chicago_Defender-8>The
official cause of death indicated on his death certificate was
"coronary
thrombosis" (a blood clot in the heart); evidence of external injuries was
so insignificant that police reported that his death was of "unknown or
natural 
causes",[9]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Walter#cite_note-Chicago_Defender-8>and

there were no external injuries noted on the death certificate.
[1] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Walter#cite_note-Glover-0> His body
was buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Evergreen Park, IL on February 22,
1968.[9]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Walter#cite_note-Chicago_Defender-8>

*


Rodrigo G. Reis


On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 1:23 PM, Buck Worley <boogalloo@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>
> Yep, just a movie. When I first saw it and liked it so much, I bought
> myself a copy. In the special features and commentaries the director seems
> to convey that they were trying to stay as close to historical accuracy as
> possible. But the bottom line is that it is just a movie.
>
> I have a couple of questions for the group:
>
> Did LW really die in the arms of MW's wife?
>
> Did Chess really die within site of the studio?
>
> Also, if I remember correctly, Kim Wilson did some of the LW tracks for the
> movie. Did he, or was he brought in just to coach?
>
> I agree with Michael R.'s statement that care should be taken when
> recommending such a movie.
>
> Thanks,
> Buck
>
> > From: soulchicken@xxxxxxxx
> > To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: RE: [Harp-L] Cadillac Records - Little Walter
> > Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 13:32:29 -0400
> >
> >
> > I agree that it's just a movie, and most of the folks on here know better
> about the folks portrayed in it, but unfortunately, the unwashed masses out
> there tend to take this stuff as gospel. I can hear someone now talking
> about the blues and saying " Oh yeah, Little Walter shot guys for using his
> name". Oh well, such is the effect of media in America. Would be nice if
> they were a little more realistic in the storyline, still would have made a
> great movie.
> >
> > > To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> > > Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Cadillac Records - Little Walter
> > > From: icemanle@xxxxxxx
> > > Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 11:52:39 -0400
> > >
> > > It's a movie - not a documentary.
> > >
> > >
> > > I loved "Amadaus", but don't really believe that Mozart was a giggling
> goofball.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: michael rubin <michaelrubinharmonica@xxxxxxxxx>
> > > To: Bill Kumpe <bkumpe@xxxxxxx>
> > > Cc: cljdm <cljdm@xxxxxxx>; harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > > Sent: Tue, May 10, 2011 7:30 am
> > > Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Cadillac Records - Little Walter
> > >
> > >
> > > I agree that Walter and others had reputations of doing morally
> > > questionable things. If they had shown him getting in fights, doing
> > > drugs and alcohol and being a womanizer I would have enjoyed the movie
> > > just fine. As it is, I will always add a warning to my recommendation
> > > to watch the movie.
> > > Michael Rubin
> > > Michaelrubinharmonica.com
> > >
> > > On Tue, May 10, 2011 at 10:15 AM, Bill Kumpe <bkumpe@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > > I'm not saying it's right. But I am saying don't tamper with history
> about
> > > > these characters just because we like their music. They were not
> saints for
> > > > the most part. (Excepting maybe Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie
> Johnson,
> > > > Josh White and maaaybe Son House.) The blues lifestyle killed many of
> its
> > > > servants one way or another. All I'm saying is be truthful about it.
> Don't
> > > > slander them but don't try to make them something they're not either.
> > > >
> > > > Bill Kumpe
> > > > Tulsa, OK
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
>