Ron Hacker & Friends With Johnny Sansone & Jason Ricci Also Featuring John Fohl & Nancy Wright – Live At The Old U.S. Mint In New Orleans, LA

15-12-2021

Ron Hacker was born January 25, 1945 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was brought up without a real family as his dad died when he was four years old and his mother rejected him and his brother, thus church women, aunts and uncles had to take care. All of this only helped to turn Ron into a mean-ass little kid, as he says himself. Bad luck ? Well, at least it helped him to find the blues when he, only eleven years old, was sent to the juvenile center for breaking into parking meters. There he got in touch with the blues which wasn't played in his white neighborhood. When Ron moved to the Bay Area for the first time in the 60s with his brother, he did drugs too. When he heard Elmore James stuff in one of the dealer's houses he wanted to play the blues like Elmore and that's when he bought his first guitar for five dollars. Being white and playing acoustic slide doesn't make you a blues musician exactly, so it was Ron's lifetime luck, once he returned to Indianapolis in the early 70s - when a DJ asked him if he wanted to meet James "Yank" Rachell. Ron didn't really know who that guy was but Yank changed his life. Yank Rachell, once partner of Sleepy John Estes taught Ron about the Delta Blues and implemented one important message into Ron, i.e. he should never let these blues die. That's where Ron's mission started and where the mean-ass little kid started to turn into the great electric slide guitar player he is today. Back in the Bay Area Ron started to play solo for eight years and then formed his first band at the end of the 70s being named the Hacksaws from the beginning. There have been various versions of the Hacksaws through all the years - some of the musicans are listed in the discography underneath. Ron's first album was actually "No Pretty Songs" which was recorded in 1988. The album features original songs and several blues standards and was re-released with two bonus tracks in 1994. The album is dedicated to James "Yank" Rachell and has several good songs to offer and most amazing is The San Francisco Men's Blues Chorus that consists of 30 (!!!) well known Bay Area blues musicans who can only be heard during the last few seconds of the song. "Barstool Blues" is Ron Hacker's second album and a progession indeed. One reason might be that the album was recorded at The Saloon, North Beach, San Francisco which is a second home to Ron. Again most of the songs are blues standards written by people like Elmore James, Robert Johnson or John Estes and Ron really keeps that blues alive. Only "Hacksaw Man" is written by Ron and easily keeps up with the rest of the album. Nancy Wright's saxophone is a nice addition as well. The next album "I Got Tattooed" was an all live acoustic album and as the writer of these lines hasn't had the chance to listen to it, all that can be said now is, that Ron wasn't exactly happy with the outcome. The fourth album "Back Door Man", a Saloon Recording again, is a killer album indeed and shows Ron Hacker and the Hacksaws at their best. Backed by Artis Joyce and Shad Harris, Ron created a power-trio that knows how to play and present all those old slide blues songs as if they were new. The band's fifths album, now with Ronnie Smith on drums, does just the same. It secures Ron Hacker and the Hacksaws a place among San Francisco's blues greats and if you haven't bought any of their albums yet, do so now. It can't get much better !!! The Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans is home to the Louisiana Historical Center, one of America's great archives, particularly for colonial-era manuscripts and maps. It also houses the New Orleans Jazz Museum. Ron Hacker took a job booking acts at the Old U.S. Mint in 2015 and, as he drily notes on his CD sleeve notes : "I was told I could book myself also, and that they liked to do residencies, so I booked three nights. Seemed like a good way to introduce myself to New Orleans." The result is Hacker's new CD, his eleventh release, Live At The Old U.S. Mint, which contains songs recorded on each of the three nights. Hacker sings with a ragged, husky voice that suits his material perfectly and plays powerful, muscular guitar. On each of the three nights, he was accompanied by different musicians. The first set, recorded on 01 April 2016, features Johnny Sansone on harmonica and accordion, Kennan Shaw on bass, Tony D'alessandro on drums. Opening with the traditional "Broke & Hungry", arranged by Hacker as almost a one-chord stomp with just a hint of chord changes, the sound is closer to the early electric blues of Chicago than the lazy, fluid sound more commonly associated with Louisiana. Little Walter's "Hate To See You Go" is another nod towards early Chicago blues with some lovely swooping harp from Sansone who then picks up his accordion for the jumping "Keep Your Hands Off Her" which adds a distinctly Louisiana feel to the song. Likewise, the presence of the accordion on Willie Dixon's "Evil" gives the song an entirely different flavor from previous versions. The second set, from 22 April 2016, sees Hacker backed again by Shaw and D'alessandro, this time with John Fohl on guitar and Nancy Wright on saxophone. "Miss You Like The Devil" is played with a harder edge than Slim Harpo's original classic while Hacker's own elemental "My Bad Boy" features some vicious slide guitar and fine interplay between Hacker and Fohl. One of the album highlights is the bare reading of "It Hurts Me Too", with Wright's aching sax to the fore, more duelling guitars and lovely support from Shaw and D'alessandro. As a young man, Hacker studied with Yank Rachell and he pays tribute to Rachell's old partner Sleepy John Estes with a raucous rendition of "Goin' To Brownsville". Hacker is backed in the third set by Jason Ricci on harp, Steve Ehrmann on bass and Kevin Hayes on drums. The combo blaze through the old Jimmy Rogers gem "I'm Goin' Away Baby", Estes' "Ax Sweet Mama" (with more top notch slide from Hacker) and two Hacker originals. One of the Hacker songs, "Sing Like Elmore James" features some very Elmore-esque slide guitar even if Hacker can't actually fulfil his stated wish to sing like James (then again, who can?). Ricci pulls out a particularly powerful solo as the band lays back on the classic 12 bar structure. The closing track, "Two Timin' Woman", is the only song to include a spoken introduction (aside from the three announcements by Rafael Dobard announcing the date of each set), which is perhaps a shame because he clearly has a knack for story-telling and a good line in self-deprecating humour. "Live At The Old U.S. Mint" is a very enjoyable release from Ron Hacker. It captures the excitement and rawness of a live show whilst retaining excellent sound quality. Good stuff. Ron Hacker himself booked tree nights in the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans, LA, to meet friends... "After his father died when he was four and his mother abandoned him and his brother, Ron Hacker (°1945) grew up with family. Ron learned to play the guitar himself and in the early 1970s, through a DJ, met country blues musician Yank Rachell (1910-1997), the partner of Sleepy John Estes (1899-1977). Yank taught Ron the details of the Delta Blues. They remained friends until his death. Through actor friend Peter Coyote, Ron was able to perform for the first time in a coffee shop in San Francisco. Not much later, Hacker founded The Hacksaws. He toured with them in the States and Europe and appeared at many important festivals. In Belgium, the Ron Hacker Band was in the MOD in Hasselt in April 2015, where move2blues invited him. For those who want to know even more details there is the book that Hacker wrote: "White Trash Bluesman". Hacker can also be seen on the silver screen in "The Blues Guy" and in "Just Like Heaven". Ron released about a dozen albums including 'No Pretty Songs' [1988], 'Bar Stool Blues' [1990], 'I Got Tattooed' [1995], 'Backdoor Man' [2000], 'Burnin'' [2003 ] (with Ronnie Smith as drummer), 'Mr. Bad Boy' [2007], 'My Songs' [2008], 'Filthy Animal' [2011] and 'Goin' Down Howlin' [2015]. In 2006 he was featured on Tom Waits' Grammy nominated album Orphans. Ron Hacker has also released two live albums: 'The Hacksaws Live In Holland' [2007] and 'Ron Hacker Live in San Francisco' [2011]. He competed this year in New Orleans in the U.S. Old Mint released a third live album in three sessions in April: 'Live at the Old U.S. Mint (In New Orleans, LA)'. Some friends contributed to this, including Johnny Sansone (harmonica, accordion), Jason Ricci (harmonica), John Fohl (guitar) & Nancy Wright (sax). It had escaped Ron Hacker's attention when he last performed in New Orleans, but it was a very long time ago. This year he booked three evenings in the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans to be able to perform and record with friends. The New Orleans Mint (Monnaie de La Nouvelle-Orléans) was a branch mint from 1838 to 1861 and from 1879 to 1909 in New Orleans, a branch where industrial coins were minted. More than 427 million gold and silver coins of all US denominations were minted at the time, worth more than US$307 million. After its decommissioning as a currency, the building was used for various things. After 1981 it became part of the Louisiana State Museum. In 2005, the building was damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but reopened in October 2007 after more than two years of repairs and renovation. The recordings took place on three different nights, with three different line-ups. The first session he did with Johnny Sansone, the second with John Fohl and Nancy Wright, each time the rhythm section consisted of bassist Kennan Shaw and drummer Tony D'alessandro. The third session was done with Jason Ricci, bassist Steve Ehrmann and drummer Kevin Hayes. On the set list, Hacker chose his own work and covers of his great examples. One of the (as Hacker himself claims) "rare" originals is Hacker's remarkable "Sing Like Elmore James". The first movement, featuring Sansone on harmonica and accordion, is mostly Chicago blues, where songs like the traditional "Keep Your Hands Off Her" and Willie Dixon's "Evil" form the missing link between Cajun music, swamp blues and Midwestern music. . The second movement, featuring Fohl on guitar and Nancy Wright on saxophone, swings between the music of Nashville (found in Slim Harpo's "Miss You (Like the Devil)") and Memphis (found in Sleepy John Estes' " Going to Brownsville" and the immortal "It Hurts Me Too" by Tampa Red). The third part of the set is very intense with Jason Ricci giving his best on harp on "I'm Goin' Away Baby" and " Ax Sweet Momma" (John Estes' second cover). Hacker even proves his credo once and for all in the closing track, "Two Timin' Woman." The story of his first wife is fueled by genuine anger and humiliation and tempered with humorous comments like, "You would love my first wife, she loved all my friends. Yes, she was a good old girl...". As with all good live blues albums, 'Live at the Old US Mint' is mainly about the groove. Ron Hacker knows how to bundle what the blues music is with his friends. this is "the" live album Ron Hacker should have made once!" Ron Hacker knows how to bundle together with his friends what the blues music in America has made so big. This is undoubtedly "the " live album that Ron Hacker once had to make !

"April 1st, 2016"

1.a Introduction

MC [Introduction] - Rafael Dobard

0:07

1.b Broke & HungryBass - Kennan Shaw

Drums - Tony D'alessandro

Guitar, Vocals, Arranged By - Ron Hacker

Harmonica, Accordion - Johnny Sansone

Written-By - Traditional

4:45

2 Hate To See You Go

Bass - Kennan Shaw

Drums - Tony D'alessandro

Guitar, Vocals, Arranged By - Ron Hacker

Harmonica, Accordion - Johnny Sansone

Written-By - Little Walter

5:25

3 Keep Your Hands Off Her

Bass - Kennan Shaw

Drums - Tony D'alessandro

Guitar, Vocals - Ron Hacker

Harmonica, Accordion - Johnny Sansone

Written-By - Traditional

4:32

4 Evil

Bass - Kennan Shaw

Drums - Tony D'alessandro

Guitar, Vocals - Ron Hacker

Harmonica, Accordion - Johnny Sansone

Written-By - Willie Dixon

4:45

"April 22nd, 2016"

5.a Introduction

MC [Introduction] - Rafael Dobard

0:06

5.b Miss You Like The Devil

Bass - Kennan Shaw

Drums - Tony D'alessandro

Guitar - John Fohl

Guitar, Vocals - Ron Hacker

Saxophone - Nancy Wright

Written-By - Slim Harpo

5:29

6 My Bad Boy

Bass - Kennan Shaw

Drums - Tony D'alessandro

Guitalele - John Fohl

Guitar, Vocals, Written-By - Ron Hacker

Saxophone - Nancy Wright

6:57

7 It Hurts Me Too

Bass - Kennan Shaw

Drums - Tony D'alessandro

Guitar - John Fohl

Guitar, Vocals - Ron Hacker

Saxophone - Nancy Wright

Written-By - Tampa Red

5:49

8 Goin' To Brownsville

Bass - Kennan Shaw

Drums - Tony D'alessandro

Guitar - John Fohl

Guitar, Vocals - Ron Hacker

Saxophone - Nancy Wright

Written-By - Sleepy John Estes

5:06

"April 29th, 2016"

9.a Introduction

MC [Introduction] - Rafael Dobard