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By any yardstick, Chicago guitarist
John Primer has paid his dues. Prior to making
The Real Deal for
Mike Vernon's Atlantic-distributed Code Blue label,
Primer spent 13 years as the ever-reliable rhythm guitarist with
Magic Slim & the Teardrops. Before that, he filled the same role behind Chicago immortals
Muddy Waters and
Willie Dixon.
All that grounding has paid off handsomely for
Primer. His sound is rooted in the classic Windy City blues sound of decades past: rough-edged and uncompromising and satisfying in the extreme. He's one of the last real traditionalists in town.
By the time he came to Chicago in 1963,
Primer was thoroughly familiar with the lowdown sounds of
Waters,
Wolf,
Jimmy Reed,
B.B. and
Albert King, and
Elmore James. He fronted a West Side outfit for a while called the Maintainers, dishing out a mix of soul and blues before joining the house band at the Southside blues mecca Theresa's Lounge for what ended up being a nine-year run. Elegant guitarist
Sammy Lawhorn proved quite influential on
Primer's maturing guitar approach during this period.
Always on the lookout for aspiring talent,
Willie Dixon spirited him away for a 1979 gig in Mexico City. After a year or so as one of
Dixon's All-Stars,
Primer was recruited to join the last band of
Muddy Waters, playing with the Chicago blues king until his 1983 death. Right after that,
Primer joined forces with
Magic Slim; their styles interlocked so seamlessly that their partnership seemed like an eternal bond.
But
Primer deserved his own share of the spotlight. In 1993,
Michael Frank's Chicago-based Earwig logo issued
Primer's debut domestic disc,
Stuff You Got to Watch. It was a glorious return to the classic '50s Chicago sound, powered by
Primer's uncommonly concise guitar work and gruff, no-nonsense vocals. With the 1995 emergence of
The Real Deal -- produced by
Vernon and featuring all-star backing by harpist
Billy Branch, pianist
David Maxwell, and bassist
Johnny B. Gayden,
Primer's star appeared ready to ascend. He soon transferred back to the
Wolf label for sets such as 1997's
Cold Blooded Blues Man, 1998's
Blues Behind Closed Doors, and 2000's
It's a Blues Life. ~ Bill Dahl