ANN PEEBLES / TUTU JONES (JAR17)

Nobody But You / You Shatter My Love

Ann Peebles was born and raised in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother was a musician/singer and her father directed the choir at the local Baptist church. By the age of 9 she was singing in the 30-strong family group, the Peebles Choir, and eventually toured the gospel circuit with them. Despite the religious family background, Peebles was encouraged by her father to experience the secular music scene in St. Louis and duly met local blues bandleader Oliver Sain. In 1968 he took her to Memphis (chaperoned by one of her brothers) where one night she cheekily asked Gene ‘Bowlegs’ Miller if she could sing “Steal Away” with his band on stage. Miller was signed to Hi Records and was so impressed with her voice that the following day he introduced her to label owner Willie Mitchell who had no hesitation in offering her a contract, subject to her parents´ approval.

Her debut single “Walk Away” was written by Sain and it very nearly made the R&B Top 10. That milestone was soon achieved and Peebles easily became Hi’s top female singer and a very successful decade ensued after she was teamed with singer/songwriter (and future husband) Don Bryant, with whom she began co-writing.  After 7 albums and 24 singles a change of ownership brought about a change of fortune; Mitchell had departed and the hits had dried up, so she called a time-out to bring up her family in Memphis.

Ann occasionally returned to St. Louis to perform in church with the Peebles Choir, but it was another 10 years before she returned to her career joining Mitchell’s new venture Waylo Records for two albums (and a European tour), before signing in 1992 to Rounder Records subsidiary Bullseye Blues. “Nobody But You” is the standout track from Full Time Love, the first of two (CD only) albums produced by Ron Levy. Peebles is quoted on the sleeve notes as saying ‘the Memphis Sound has got to come back!’ and because the album features the Memphis Horns & the Legendary Hi Rhythm Section there’s no surprise that it does sound more like her old Hi material despite Mitchell not being producer. She continued performing until 2012 when she suffered a stroke.

Tutu Jones (John Jones Jr.) really had no choice of career having been born into such a widely active musical family in 1966. His father, who christened him Tutu when just a tot, played guitar and drums for Freddie King, Big Bo Thomas and Ernie Johnson, and his uncles and grandparents were all part of the Dallas blues heritage.

He would construct makeshift guitars from planks and fishing wire, drums from anything resonant, and by the time he was five the fruits of his musical schooling and inspirations were noticed by his uncles L.C. Clark and Barefoot Miller, with whom he started playing drums on stage. By the time he decided to concentrate on guitar, he had drummed behind Johnnie Taylor, Al ’TNT’ Braggs, Little Joe Blue, Al Green and Z.Z. Hill.

By 1989 he started forming his own bands and the first of five (CD only) albums followed in 1994, I’m For Real, on John Steadman’s British blues label JSP Records. It wasn’t until the following year that his US debut release, Blue Texas Soul on the Bullseye Blues imprint, had brought him to the attention of the soul scene, mainly because the Memphis Horns were in the line-up. The self-penned “You Never Had Love” was Southern soul at its best with Tutu sounding like a cross between Bobby Bland and B.B. King. Then in 1998 came the album Staying Power, which contained the fabulous “Can’t Leave You Alone”, a limited edition 7” on Real Side Records in 2005, plus the stunning stepper “You Shatter My Heart”, which now gets its vinyl debut.

(Steve Hobbs)

ANN PEEBLES – NOBODY BUT YOU

TUTU JONES – YOU SHATTER MY LOVE