Everybody's Got To Change Sometimes - Barrelhouse Chuck

"Sooner or later
We all goin' down
in that lonesome ground"

Barrelhouse Chuck died on December 12th, 2016. I wanted to highlight one of my favorite songs he did as a way to acknowledge the enjoyment his music brought. It seemed appropriate that my favorite song by Barrelhouse Chuck (born Charles Goering) has the line about going down into the ground.  I always loved the force of this song, the power behind the percussive piano hits, the voice that carried throughout. The song itself is a cover, possibly of Sleepy John Estes' 1938 song of the same name (he is listed as the artist on the track information). I found another version by Taj Mahal (both versions are linked below). I enjoy the version Barrelhouse Chuck wrote because he drops the tempo, pulls in more instruments, and the piano is front and center. It's an emotionally full song that doesn't let up until the final chords ring out and the band goes silent.

The first time I met Barrelhouse Chuck was at the Winter Blues Intensive in 2015. There was a panel discussion about blues music: past, present, and future. Barrelhouse Chuck tottered in (I found out later he was fighting cancer) to sit along side Katherine Davis and Mud Morganfield. They talked openly and candidly about their careers, how they got to be blues musicians, and what they thought the future of the genre looked like. After the panel the three of them played and sang a few songs for us, and Barrelhouse Chuck came alive. Whatever hesitancy he had walking vanished when he played with evident and infectious joy.

And he was like that in person. I bought one of his CDs at the panel for him to sign and shared that my favorite song off one of his early albums was "Everybody's Got to Change Sometimes", though I didn't remember the title and could only sing the refrain back to him. He knew it immediately, his face lighting up, and he finished the next verse. "Oh, that's off my first album!" he said excitedly.

In the panel he was a good storyteller, too. He talked about following Muddy Waters around Florida, listening to his music, and eventually opening for him as well. He covered a Muddy song at one show. Afterwards, Muddy came backstage demanding to know who the piano player was. Nervous, Barrelhouse Chuck owned up. Muddy smiled and said, "you play my shit good".

Before that point, he learned to play blues piano from Sunnyland Slim, and eventually the artists Pinetop Perkins, Blind John Davis, Detroit Junior and Little Brother Montgomery. Barrelhouse was always quick to point out who he had learned from, who his influences were. We were fortunate in Chicago to have him play for Bluetopia on a couple of occasions, or get to see him Wednesday nights at Barrelhouse Flat.

Barrelhouse Chuck maintained a presence in the Chicago music scene in addition to tours and other projects. In February 2008, he assisted in recording the soundtrack for the film Cadillac Records. He had numerous appearances at the Chicago Blues Festival. In 2012 he played at the "Howlin' for Hubert" concert at the Apollo Theater. Some accolades included nominations for a Blues Music Award in the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Category, and his 2014 album 'Drinking from Town to Town' received a nomination for Traditional Blues Album of the Year.

Other versions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duZdbO7v40g - Taj Mahal (Latin blues)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg9a71tQdMI - Sleepy John Estes (acoustic) - possibly Original
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE_ublgroXo - Eric Clapton

Sources:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/reich/ct-barrelhouse-chuck-obit-ent-1214-20161213-column.html
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/barrelhousechuck8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrelhouse_Chuck
http://www.allmusic.com/album/salute-to-sunnyland-slim-mw0000242533