While we’re telling stories, I saw him in Granville, oh one summers day at a blues festival. This was a couple years before he passed I think. Just him and his bass player. It was the only time I ever cried at a performance. After the set, I bought the legend live CD and went to the autograph table where he was sitting. I said “hello mr Lockwood” he looked up at me with a stare that would destroy his enemies. It was as if I saw in those eyes the whole blues lineage going back to Robert Johnson. He then signed the CD cover and said something that I couldn’t make out. And that was it. A 10 second encounter with the legend. But an experience I will treasure the rest of my life.
I had the honor of meeting this great man at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, many years ago. I was a shy 16 year old and was obsessed with the blues, so when he came I was sure to be there. During intermission, I was on a mission, so I crept up behind the stage to a little room on the right where the musicians would hang out. I peeked in and he saw me, motioned to me with his hand and said, "Come on in boy!" Trembling, I walked up to him, shook his hand and told him what an honor it was to meet him, and he said something like, "You better believe it!" - I sat down on my knees in front of him while he told the 6 or 7 of us gathered there some stories of him growing up with Robert Johnson. I remember him telling a story of how he and Robert would go to opposite ends of a bridge and play, Robert Jr. would come back with some spare change in his hat, while Robert Johnson would return with his hat loaded with bills. He also said that he played with nearly every famous blues and R&B player from the 50's onward, except one, Chuck Berry. Apparently they shared a bill one night, and someone from Roberts camp approached someone from Chucks and asked if he would like to play a song with him, to which Chuck replied, "Why would I wanna play with that old n***a for?" - I also remember him saying if you could play classical guitar, you could play anything. I went out and sold my electric mandolin the next day for an old Guild Madeira nylon string that I still have to this day. I then asked him to play a request of mine, "Travelling Riverside Blues" and he said, "Welllll, now, I can't play that, I ain't got no slide! Tell you what, I'll play Steady Rolling Man." I thanked him, then it was time for him to go back on stage. When he got back up there he said, "If anyone told me I'd meet a crowd like this in Cleveland, I wouldn't of believed 'em." I think he was truly taken aback by the blues purists he met in that town on Lake Erie- he then proceeded to play my "request", and I was just on the moon. A night I'll never forget, thank you, Robert JR.
He was like a Dad to me I like son to him... we were blessed to have Robert Junior Lockwood living in Cleveland he could be salty but I love making him laugh saying goofy stuff to him all the time my nickname for him was Chilly Bob. I would call him that sometimes walking up from behind him when he was on break from performing the look on his face priceless😂 sometimes he would call me Kenneth sometimes he would call me son I eventually migrated out to Long Beach and the Blues station out there cal-state would play him a lot after contacting the station we got together and got him out there for the Cal State Long Beach Blues Festival what a day that was 🙏🙏🙏👍
I had the privilege of adding the zero fret to that guitar. He wanted super low action & believed the zero fret was the way to do it. I had to extend the fret board a bit to move the nut back & place a fret where the nut was. Tbh, if you really looked close it looked like the people who made it weren't super experienced. Not that I could do better or that it was poorly built but it tells a lot about who he was. He loved that guitar because it was made for him. He was a badass & didn't take shit but if you showed him respect he treated you the same regardless of age. I got into recording a bit & he let me come over to record him when I had next to no experience. He was an absolute character. You could hear him come in all the way to the back of the store which gave time to clear the bench while he stopped to greet everyone & barge in on student lessons. It was a given I had to stop what I was doing for him but it always meant a few stories & a song or 2. This vid is pretty close to how I remember him, I'm glad I stumbled on it.
@@theraccoon3859 He was a character with a big personality. When he came into the music store I worked for he took time to sit in on students lessons. He was the type that if you showed him respect he showed you respect. He had some amazing stories some likely not true but he probably believed them based on the times he lived in. I was a teen when he 1st started letting me work on his guitar & probably had more faith in me than I did myself. When I got into recording he invited me over to his house to record a few tunes. Looking back it was probably the last recording he did that wasn't at a show. He was a badass but also a nice guy.
@@sjziro I do have them somewhere but don't remember the songs & there were only 3. I don't want to just release them because I feel like the family is entitled to them but not sure what to do.
This is great it's super Robert wasn't crazy about the media I'm glad I found this one I spend a lot of time with this man he was like a father to me no if and or buts I intend to do him proud for the kindness he showed to me I like another Founding Father of the Blues Willie Dixon said Blues Ain't Nothing But The Facts of Life Robert was actually taught this song among others by the legendary Robert Johnson who was a stepfather to him at least 10 years
Listening to this really makes you appreciate the full genius of Robert Johnson with his ghostly voice and playing. There's nothing like it in all of blues...the closest is Skip James. But this is great too.
The blues doesn't get any more authentic than "Robert Junior" Lockwood. I was curious about that cool 12-string and found this in Wikipedia: "At the age of sixty, in 1975, he [Lockwood] discovered the 12-string guitar and preferentially played it almost exclusively for the latter third of his life. His most famous 12-string was a blue instrument custom designed and made by the Japanese luthiers Moony Omote and Age Sumi. It was acquired by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in February 2013 and is displayed there." Great stuff!
Tom, that's amazing that you actually had a chance to hang out with Mr. Lockwood and even play his guitar. Tell me more... there must be a story there!
Not much to tell. He lived in Cleveland, I lived in Cleveland and back in the 80's there was a smaller group of Blues musicians that just sort of gravitated towards each other. Super-great guy; I wish I had spent more time with him.
Thanks, Tom. I am glad that Mr. Lockwood lived to a nice old age, unlike so many other blues greats of his generation who died young after living a hard-scrabble, hard-drinkin' life on the road playing in juke joints, on street corners, etc. His name is mentioned many times in a biography I'm reading right now, The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James. I'm interested in learning more about him and his music, especially now that I know he learned to play from blues master Robert Johnson when they lived together in the 30's and was a long-time collaborator with another one of my heroes, Sonny Boy Williamson II..
While we’re telling stories, I saw him in Granville, oh one summers day at a blues festival. This was a couple years before he passed I think. Just him and his bass player. It was the only time I ever cried at a performance. After the set, I bought the legend live CD and went to the autograph table where he was sitting. I said “hello mr Lockwood” he looked up at me with a stare that would destroy his enemies. It was as if I saw in those eyes the whole blues lineage going back to Robert Johnson. He then signed the CD cover and said something that I couldn’t make out. And that was it. A 10 second encounter with the legend. But an experience I will treasure the rest of my life.
I had the honor of meeting this great man at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio, many years ago. I was a shy 16 year old and was obsessed with the blues, so when he came I was sure to be there. During intermission, I was on a mission, so I crept up behind the stage to a little room on the right where the musicians would hang out. I peeked in and he saw me, motioned to me with his hand and said, "Come on in boy!" Trembling, I walked up to him, shook his hand and told him what an honor it was to meet him, and he said something like, "You better believe it!" - I sat down on my knees in front of him while he told the 6 or 7 of us gathered there some stories of him growing up with Robert Johnson. I remember him telling a story of how he and Robert would go to opposite ends of a bridge and play, Robert Jr. would come back with some spare change in his hat, while Robert Johnson would return with his hat loaded with bills. He also said that he played with nearly every famous blues and R&B player from the 50's onward, except one, Chuck Berry. Apparently they shared a bill one night, and someone from Roberts camp approached someone from Chucks and asked if he would like to play a song with him, to which Chuck replied, "Why would I wanna play with that old n***a for?" - I also remember him saying if you could play classical guitar, you could play anything. I went out and sold my electric mandolin the next day for an old Guild Madeira nylon string that I still have to this day. I then asked him to play a request of mine, "Travelling Riverside Blues" and he said, "Welllll, now, I can't play that, I ain't got no slide! Tell you what, I'll play Steady Rolling Man." I thanked him, then it was time for him to go back on stage. When he got back up there he said, "If anyone told me I'd meet a crowd like this in Cleveland, I wouldn't of believed 'em." I think he was truly taken aback by the blues purists he met in that town on Lake Erie- he then proceeded to play my "request", and I was just on the moon. A night I'll never forget, thank you, Robert JR.
I was 20 when I met him. Im Friends with DC Carnes. Robert was such a genuine soul. I was honored when he remembered my name ❤ Play on Sir, Play on
He was like a Dad to me I like son to him... we were blessed to have Robert Junior Lockwood living in Cleveland he could be salty but I love making him laugh saying goofy stuff to him all the time my nickname for him was Chilly Bob. I would call him that sometimes walking up from behind him when he was on break from performing the look on his face priceless😂 sometimes he would call me Kenneth sometimes he would call me son I eventually migrated out to Long Beach and the Blues station out there cal-state would play him a lot after contacting the station we got together and got him out there for the Cal State Long Beach Blues Festival what a day that was 🙏🙏🙏👍
KJAZ! Nothing but the Blues, featuring Gary Wagman.
He was 91 when this was recorded, unbelievable!
Wow man. Just really discovered him. He's one of my all-time favorites now.
Chilly Bob my man may your positive spirit steady roll roll and live forever 👍🙏🙏🙏
Extraordinary. Would love to hear him again when he's over a hundred.
Ain’t gonna happen!
I had the privilege of adding the zero fret to that guitar. He wanted super low action & believed the zero fret was the way to do it. I had to extend the fret board a bit to move the nut back & place a fret where the nut was. Tbh, if you really looked close it looked like the people who made it weren't super experienced. Not that I could do better or that it was poorly built but it tells a lot about who he was. He loved that guitar because it was made for him. He was a badass & didn't take shit but if you showed him respect he treated you the same regardless of age. I got into recording a bit & he let me come over to record him when I had next to no experience.
He was an absolute character. You could hear him come in all the way to the back of the store which gave time to clear the bench while he stopped to greet everyone & barge in on student lessons. It was a given I had to stop what I was doing for him but it always meant a few stories & a song or 2. This vid is pretty close to how I remember him, I'm glad I stumbled on it.
How he was like in person?
@@theraccoon3859 He was a character with a big personality. When he came into the music store I worked for he took time to sit in on students lessons. He was the type that if you showed him respect he showed you respect. He had some amazing stories some likely not true but he probably believed them based on the times he lived in. I was a teen when he 1st started letting me work on his guitar & probably had more faith in me than I did myself. When I got into recording he invited me over to his house to record a few tunes. Looking back it was probably the last recording he did that wasn't at a show. He was a badass but also a nice guy.
@@alphafert608 Do you still have the recordings, what have you done with them and what songs are they?
@@sjziro I do have them somewhere but don't remember the songs & there were only 3. I don't want to just release them because I feel like the family is entitled to them but not sure what to do.
This is great it's super Robert wasn't crazy about the media I'm glad I found this one I spend a lot of time with this man he was like a father to me no if and or buts I intend to do him proud for the kindness he showed to me I like another Founding Father of the Blues Willie Dixon said Blues Ain't Nothing But The Facts of Life Robert was actually taught this song among others by the legendary Robert Johnson who was a stepfather to him at least 10 years
Oh, I forgot, the ' inventor of the blues', Dixon . Never mind Africa, slavery, etc., etc.
Chilly Bob my adopted Poppahstoppah Rest n Eternal Peace👌🏽🎸💫💥👌🏼👌🏼👍🏼🙏🏿🙏🏽🙏🏼☝🏽🙏🏻🪘💝✨🥁🎤🔥🔥⭐
Listening to this really makes you appreciate the full genius of Robert Johnson with his ghostly voice and playing. There's nothing like it in all of blues...the closest is Skip James. But this is great too.
Makes me wanna throw my guitar in the trash. Love his playing style
Excellent!
Beyond joyous!
THX!
Great post thanks
This is great
What an og! He is tops for me!!
The blues doesn't get any more authentic than "Robert Junior" Lockwood. I was curious about that cool 12-string and found this in Wikipedia: "At the age of sixty, in 1975, he [Lockwood] discovered the 12-string guitar and preferentially played it almost exclusively for the latter third of his life. His most famous 12-string was a blue instrument custom designed and made by the Japanese luthiers Moony Omote and Age Sumi. It was acquired by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in February 2013 and is displayed there." Great stuff!
Thanks for sharing. Robert really loved that guitar. I had the opportunity to play it once while hanging with him. Great instrument.
Tom, that's amazing that you actually had a chance to hang out with Mr. Lockwood and even play his guitar. Tell me more... there must be a story there!
Not much to tell. He lived in Cleveland, I lived in Cleveland and back in the 80's there was a smaller group of Blues musicians that just sort of gravitated towards each other. Super-great guy; I wish I had spent more time with him.
Thanks, Tom. I am glad that Mr. Lockwood lived to a nice old age, unlike so many other blues greats of his generation who died young after living a hard-scrabble, hard-drinkin' life on the road playing in juke joints, on street corners, etc. His name is mentioned many times in a biography I'm reading right now, The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James. I'm interested in learning more about him and his music, especially now that I know he learned to play from blues master Robert Johnson when they lived together in the 30's and was a long-time collaborator with another one of my heroes, Sonny Boy Williamson II..
wonderful, so intimate.
Great video. Thanks for posting this.
great
Is that a 12 string guitar with only six strings?