"An excellent night in a wonderful venue. We were playing our hearts out for a great audience." BUGS HENDERSON
Bugs Henderson & The Shuffle Kings live on stage in Bremen, Germany. This was an event many German bluesrock fans had certainly been anticipating for a long time. Not only is the city still one of Germany's blues capitals – it's TAXIM's old home town as well. In March 1999 the long-awaited concert finally became a reality. The tightly packed "Meisenfrei" – Bremen's renowned blues club – witnessed a great show. Bugs Henderson was on a roll and had no intention to let anybody down. Especially since many had travelled long distances to get there. Bugs' longtime partners Keith Jones (Bass) and son Buddy Henderson (Drums) were on board as well - playing better than ever. The Radio Bremen folks recorded the show and a year after the event, TAXIM can proudly present "CALL OF THE WILD – LIVE AT THE MEISENFREI". It's a complete document of this hot and sweaty night on two CDs. A heavy dose of Texas blues-rock – wailing and stinging. It's Bugs Henderson & the Shuffle Kings at their best. Bugs Henderson and TAXIM – this partnership has been going on for a number of years now. Almost no other blues artist has been associated with the label as tightly as him. Starting with the legendary 1978 live recording AT LAST (TX 1002), continuing with the studio efforts YEARS IN THE JUNGLE (TX 1011), FOUR TENS STRIKE AGAIN (TX 1029) and BACKBOP (TX 1038) and including the later live releases THAT'S THE TRUTH (TX 1013) and LEGENDARY JAMS (TX 1035), Bugs seems to have had no reason to change the label. CALL OF THE WILD is not his first live release on TAXIM, but that's absolutely no problem. We think that no other blues rocker shines on stage the way this guy does. More than that. On the new one also the energetic playing of Keith Jones and Bugs' son Buddy Henderson has been captured like never before. But the main spotlight is on the indestructible Texas guitar legend himself. Bugs Henderson remains one of the great instrumentalists of blues rock - Texas style. So please allow some short notes on his past activities: Born 1943 in Palm Springs, California, Bugs Henderson has lived in Texas since 1955. Inspired by the work of Link Wray, B.B. King, James Burton, the Ventures and most of all Freddie King, he first picked up the guitar in 1960 and never stopped playing. With his first band The Sensors breaking up in 1966, Bugs was soon drawn to the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area, where he spent time in the Rockin' Rhythm Daddies, houseband of the dingy " Cellar" club. Later episodes worth mentioning are a fine contribution to the top 10 hit "Public Execution" by Texas punk band Mouse & the Traps and a stint with the Cast of Thousands. By the end of the Sixties some work for big names came in as well: gigs and sessions for Delbert McClinton, Ike & Tina Turner, Leon Russell, John Nitzinger and Freddie King. The latter became kind of a mentor for him and provided encouragement to finally approach the public with original projects. This happened with the first Bugs Henderson Trio in 1976. But Bugs was never made for big deals with major labels. His maverick spirit and stubborn Texas individuality kept him tied to his roots through all these years. But he succeeded in building up a diehard cult following in Texas by playing countless club gigs and putting out local releases. He built his audience slowly and became a cult hero along the way – later also in Europe. This is mainly due to the fact that watching Bugs Henderson perform live on stage is a pretty intense experience. The freshness and bite of his playing is something special - loud and tough, fast and rough. Even after more than thirty years in the business, his technical brilliance and wild energy are pretty impressive. CALL OF THE WILD demonstrates this adequately. Back in Bremen on March 18, 1999. Henderson & Co. were not aware that the show would be recorded for a possible live album release. So they had no reason to get nervous or tense. They were loose and on the mark. "We had a blast", the man said after the show. The evening's set list includes a fine mix of originals, covers and tributes. Bugs paid tribute to old heroes like the Ventures and Link Wray, did an inspired version of Freddie King's classic "Hideaway" and celebrated the influential work of Muddy Waters ("Got my Mojo Workin'") and Cream ("Outside Woman Blues"). It was a night to remember. And so another chapter in the saga of Bugs Henderson and his love for the blues has been written. Long may he wail! lineup Bugs Henderson - guitar, vocals Keith Jones - bass Buddy Henderson - drums
