You Gonna Make Me Cry

The most unfortunate thing about Curtis Salgado is that he will forever be remembered as the guy that inspired John Belushi to create the Blues Brothers (read: Belushi stole his act.) But I shouldnt grouse; Curtis has a whole section on his website about the Belushi connection and if the Man Himself is not bothered by it, why should I be?

The best thing about Curtis is that I have had the chance to see him play live in tiny little clubs and large venues, I would estimate 30 or 40 times. Not for about 17 years and certainly since the Mole replanted hisself in the Mid-Atlantic, but it is because of that I can say that Curtis is the greatest vocalist in America that you probably have never heard. He is a blues singer, a harmonica genius, and a guy that other musicians want to work with; his first big band was with Robert Cray, he's fronted bands for Steve Miller and Carlos Santana, he was part of Roomful of Blues, and he has several albums, both with his first band, the Stillettos, and with his current lineup. If you go on his website, you will see pix of him playing with Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray and Jimmy Vaughn, Carlos Santana, Buddy Guy, George Thorogood, and others.

But the best way to know Curtis is to see him live. He is a soul singer in the oldest tradition, and when you listen to him you hear bits and pieces of all the great soul and blues singers wrapped up in a voice that is still utterly original. I have heard him sing gospel that sent the hairs on the back of my head standing up; I have heard him sing Sam Cooke, John Lennon, B.B. King, and make them brand new. It is in fact a crime that the world does not know Curtis the way they know Robert Cray, who to me is the inferior performer and vocalist.

Curtis is a very important part of a very important time in my life; during my senior year in college, We Boys would go every Thursday night to the Dandelion Pub in northwest Portland to hear Curtis and the Stillettos play; we practically sat on the stage. We got to know some of the band a little bit - bassist John Mazzocco, drummer Scott Frost - and we got to hear hours of Curtis rip through songs like they were coming right out of his chest for the first time. One fine night, my roommate was allowed to bring his trumpet and play with the band, and Curtis couldnt have been more generous in his listening and his advice to my friend. We saw him many other places, too, as many of the coolest Portlanders have, and I will never forget it.

And now, once again, Curtis is getting publicity for all the wrong reasons. Earlier this year, the man was diagnosed with liver cancer and is now undergoing treatment, and awaiting a liver transplant. This, as you might expect, is bad. Curtis, like many working musicians, has no insurance and is looking at bills in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Recently, an all-star concert was held in Portland to raise money to help, but if you're out there, and you've heard Curtis, or just believe in paying it forward, well, a really great musician needs your help. Think about making a gift to help out Curtis Salgado, and then goddamnit watch your local music paper for when he comes to your town and see what it is you helped pay to save - a national treasure.

Here's Curtis's website: http://www.curtissalgado.com/index.html
Here's information on giving: http://www.curtissalgado.com/news.html
Here's his label where CD's can be purch'd: http://www.shanachie.com/