'The Deacon' - Gerry Hundt

Reflecting on BluesSHOUT this weekend I am reminded how lucky we are in Chicago in the musicians we have who play for dancers. The band line up for SHOUT this year featured all local artists. For me, a particular highlight this year was the Sunday night band, the Gerry Hundt Trio with guest Corey Dennison. Gerry Hundt has been a staple sound of the Chicago Blues scene, both for dancers and the larger music scene as a whole. He has played for Bluetopia many times, sat in with the Cash Box Kings for previous SHOUTs, and helped put together groups last minute when other bookings have not worked out. He was also the band leader for SHOUT this year, helping organize and arrange the groups that performed.

For this particular feature I'm highlighting "The Deacon", which is the song playing in the linked video. It is the 2nd song of the Gerry Hundt Trio's EP, called GHT the EP, recorded in 2012. This is my favorite song off the EP. It has a great energy and a 'party' feel. It grooves hard with Gerry leading on electric guitar, Randy Nelson on bass, and Ralph Kinsey holding down drums. The song doesn't change a great deal over its course, but has enough swells and dips in energy to drive a dancer. It's a hard tune not to always DJ and overplay. To me, it's just that fun.

Gerry Hundt himself has an interesting background for a Chicago blues musician. According to rrstar.com, he picked up guitar after an injury kept him from playing varsity soccer his junior hear of high school (he was also the team captain). In college, studied Latin and Greek, along with some music theory. Hundt plays a variety of instruments, recording his first album Since Way Back on the mandolin. He also has a one man band set up with harmonica, guitar, and various percussion (and an album recorded with that kit).

Hundt introduces kids to the history and sound of blues music though the Blues in the School programs. In the rrstar.com piece he is quoted:

“Kids today only hear from people that blues is bad,” Hundt said. “In reality, the music relies on a principle that goes back to Aristotle — a purging of emotions by means of that emotion. You hear about what a person is experiencing emotionally because you go through it with them in the song. Blues is more about hope than sadness.”

Gerry Hundt regularly plays at Kingston Mines in Chicago, and also with the Corey Dennison Band. They have been nominated for a 2017 Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist (results to be released in May). The Corey Dennison Band also has an album that includes "The Deacon". I highly recommend picking up this album (I got a copy at SHOUT).

Gerry Hundt Trio live at Bluetopia

Other versions:
Instrumental Version, with slight rhythmic differences

The Corey Dennison Band - The Deacon

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Hundt
http://www.rrstar.com/entertainmentlife/20170304/rockford-native-gerry-hundt-shares-blues-with-new-generation
http://www.coreydennison.com/