When you review the history of recorded music, there are plenty of great musicians who never had a hit record.

You would come up with an even shorter list if you searched the timeline for artists who offered something new, particularly in the marketing area. When you do hit on that big idea, you have to ride it for all that it is worth, before your fifteen minutes of fame flickers away.

Ironing Board Sam came up with his big idea simply out of his desire to survive. “Disco was coming in and taking over. I had to do something to make a living. It had to be something no one had ever done before – something strange! So I decided that I was going to play underwater. ”

Sam had to build everything himself. Using a steel frame and sheets of plastic, he built the tank. “But that was before silicone, so I had to make my own glue to hold everything together.” He also built his square diving helmet and breathing apparatus during the year-long project.

The public unveiling of the new show happened at the 1979 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest. Needless to say, the audience was amazed at the sight of Sam playing his instrument while submerged in 1,500 gallons of water with chains weighting him down.

“I liked being underwater because you hear absolutely nothing! I wouldn’t tell people how I managed to get power to my keyboard. But I finally shared the secret. People didn’t know much about DC current in those days but that is what I used to be safe in the water.”

News of Sam’s performance created an instant demand for club appearances. And that is where everything started to fall apart. “There were a lot of things I didn’t know. Being that water is so heavy; I had to use a steel frame. But I didn’t make allowances, so when we tried to move into a club, it wouldn’t fit through the door! It took a crew and trailer to move the tank around. After a while, it just got to be too much!”

That was just one of the many creative ideas that our intrepid musician has developed over his fifty-plus year career. Born in Rock Hill, South Carolina, in 1939, Sammie Moore started music at a young age. “My father was a sharecropper. My brother told later in life that when I was three years old, I couldn’t get up on the piano stool. But my mother told my brother to put on the stool. He didn’t like it that I was banging on the pianos and making all that noise. One morning I was banging on the keys and I heard a scream from the back room. That was my mother and she was dying.”

“I don’t seem to remember that but I have always had a love for music. Whenever I saw a piano, it seemed to comfort me. When I was fourteen, my teacher asked which of us kids wanted to play piano. I came forward. Each of got up there to mess around on the keys. When I got up there, I played a boogie-woogie. My stepmother had taught me how to play it on her pump organ. The teacher said I couldn’t play at all and he wasn’t going to teach me. Fourteen is a very tender age and that hurt me very badly.”

To earn money, Sam started cutting lawns for 35 cents an hour. Soon he had a roster of customers, most of whom owned pianos. “I would get there and work quickly because when I was done, I’d have a chance to play piano. Then my brother took me on vacation. We went to different house parties. I was trying to be a grown-up. My brother asked me if I could play piano. I said a little bit and started to play. Next thing you know, a grown woman sat on my lap.”

At sixteen, Sam got a band gig for ten dollars a night. “That was a lot of money to me. Then I went down to Miami and got with a guy named Nature Boy (Robert Montgomery), who played harmonica. He couldn’t play no better than me. We didn’t know many songs, so we just played slow, fast, medium, and very fast. After I left Miami, I never heard anything about him. Then I got married. I didn’t want to because I knew it wasn’t going to work. “

Leaving Miami, Sam headed for Memphis and later tried Chicago and Los Angeles before returning to Memphis. But things weren’t happening for him. A friend suggested that he try New Orleans, where they party all the time. Moore soon found himself playing on Bourbon Street. He enjoyed fifteen years of playing for locals and tourists. A visitor from France liked what he heard and help Sam arrange some tours of Europe.

Somewhere along the way, Sam used an ironing board to support his keyboard since he couldn’t afford a stand. Despite his attempts to disguise the board, club patrons soon discovered what he was doing and his stage name was born. Moore was not at all happy with the nickname but grew to like it as people remembered him.

After losing his keyboard in a fire, Moore rented a unit but that quickly got expensive. On a trip home, he got the idea to build his own device that combined two keyboards, some telephone wires, sixty thumbtacks and a 2x4, creating an instrument that could sound like piano as well as an organ or guitar. “I used the 2x4 to separate the sound and arranged the wires chromatically like they were black & white keys on the piano. I ran it through a Wurlitzer juke box amp a guy gave me. I could play very fast because I ran wires through my clothes to my fingertip contacts. There wasn’t any action on the keyboard– sounded like a piano & organ all together.”

As electronic components improved, Moore thought about transistorizing his device but couldn’t figure out how to maintain the fast action. “I could slide across the keyboard just like you do now on a computer keyboard. When I tried to change it, the wires would break when I moved. So I found a guy who said he could do it. I left it with him in New Orleans. When I went back to pick it up, the guy said, “You didn’t come back to get it, so I salvaged it”. I never saw it again. When he told me that, I was so hurt I can’t even remember the guy’s name and I wanted to forget all about the whole thing. I went out on the road to make some money to help my Dad and he died. I never saw him or the keyboard again.”

Another memorable feature of Sam’s live shows was his musical companion, Little George, a wind-up bear. When you turned him on, Little George would play his snare drum. “I didn’t have a drummer. George would start shaking his head and playing the drum with his two sticks. And he’d play real rhythm. My wife made a tip jar for him and he made as much in tips as I did. People on Bourbon Street would come to where we playing to see him play drums. I used him so much; I wore out three Little George’s.”

Sam also remembers Charlie Weaver, a bartender in Memphis. “Charlie would pour a drink and then shake it up to the rhythm of whatever song I was playing. Then he would drink it down, turn red and smoke would start to come out of his ears. People would come to watch him. I even wrote a song about him.”

Moore recorded for a variety of labels throughout his career including Mercury, Atlantic, and Chess but never come close to having one of those elusive hit records. But his career had other special moments. “I was booked at a club in Nashville called the Del Morocco. My trio played upstairs and Jimi Hendrix was playing downstairs with his band. When Jimi got done with his gig, he’d come up and play with me. Other musicians would come in to hear what we were doing. We’d be playing all night.” Moore also spent several years on the Night Train television program based in Nashville.

A few years ago, Sam got a call from his sister asking him to return to his boyhood home. “I hadn’t seen her since we picked cotton as kids. She wanted to see me. She died about two years later.” The move gave Moore the opportunity to connect with Tim Duffy and his wonderful organization, Music Maker Relief Foundation, which led to the release of several recordings, including the latest titled Double Bang.

Several of his other titles have seen the light of day, including an unreleased session from 1996, The Human Touch, and a rare title from the early 1970’s, Ninth Wonder of the World of Music. He also was on last October’s Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. “I saw a lot of old friends like Bobby Rush and had a great time. There was so much food – I gained six pounds!” Living Blues Magazine named him the 2012 “Comeback Artist of the Year”.

“Some people figured I was washed up. Some people thought I was dead. But I’m out there still trying to do it. I can’t give up, can’t go back. I’ve got to keep on moving forward. I’m like a horse – I have to run! I’m happy every day. I hope someday I can bring everlasting peace to Planet Earth. We need to follow some simple guidelines of life and live in harmony with all creatures. I believe that is why when people listen to my version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow”; they say it makes them cry. Everybody feels the pain. I just want to relate to people.”

View a cool clip of Ironing Board Sam on Night Train in 1965 at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FWyOor_oZQ

For more info on Ironing Board Sam visit http://www.musicmaker.org/artists/ironing-board-sam/

Photos by Bob Kieser © 2013 Blues Blast Magazine

Born and raised in Nashville, TN, Nick Nixon was a Chess Records recording artist in the 70′s. His collaboration with guitarist “Andy T” Talamantez resulted in their album release of Drink Drank Drunk in 2012. Here they are performing "Snake In The Grass" at Music City Roots live from the Loveless Cafe in August of 2013. Click on the video above to see this clip.

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Teeny Tucker  is an amazing singer and a perennial favorite who has been nominated almost every year of the Blues Blast Music Awards. This video is a clip of 2 songs performed at Jazzwoche Burghausen in 2011. Click on the video above to see this clip.

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Sugaray Rayford is the lead singer of the award winning band The Mannish Boys. The leader of the group is none other than Delta Groove Productions CEO, Randy Chortkoff. This clip is an entire set from a performance at a show in Germany in June of this year. Randy and Sugaray will be performing at the Awards. Click on the video above to see this clip.

John Nemeth has been nominated for several Blues Blast Music Awards in the past and won both Best New Artist Debut and the Sean Costello Rising Star Award in 2008.

This clip is from the Spirit Of Kansas Blues Festival  on July 4th, 2013. Click on the video above to see this clip.

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Sena Ehrhardt & Ed Ehrhardt performing "Dreamin' or Dyin'" from the album All In. The song is nominated for song of the year. Click on the video above to see this clip.

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Little Joe McLerran won the International Blues Challenge in 2009. He has since had a successful career playing Blues at festivals and shows all over the world. This clip is Joe performing the title cut from his latest CD, Facebook Blues. The CD is nominated for Traditional Album of the year. Click on the video above to see this clip.

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The Paula Harris Band took third place in the 2012 International Blues Challenge. This clip is Paula Harris at Biscuits in June of 2012. Click on the video above to see this clip.

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Cash Box Kings: won the Sean Costello Rising Star Award in 2010. This is a clip of them performing "Trying So Hard". Click on the video above to see this clip.

Eddie Shaw is a true Blues Legend! He was the band leader for Muddy Waters and for Howlin' Wolf. Shaw's many contributions to the blues include arranging tracks for The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions (which featured Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman, Ringo Starr and others) and performing with a list of blues notables that included Hound Dog Taylor, Freddie King, Otis Rush and Magic Sam. This video is Eddie Shaw with the 757 Allstars live at The Jewish Mother In 2012. Click on the video above to see this clip.

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Bob Corritore is one of the most active and highly regarded blues harmonica players on the scene today. His style passionately carries forward the old school of playing that Corritore learned as a young man directly from many of original pioneers of Chicago Blues. This clip is Bob playing with Dave Riley at the 2011 Blues Blast Music Awards Click on the video above to see this clip.

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 Madison Ribberfest - Madison, IN.

As I made my way down into the Ohio River valley, it felt like……going home. I’ve made many friends here and always look forward to seeing them and making new ones. The town of Madison has a population of 12,000 and I think they all show up for this event. It’s one of the few towns that can honestly say it has no empty store fronts in the historic downtown section. Located right on the banks of the Ohio River, the town has a long and storied history that shows in the historic architecture that has all been restored to its glory.

It’s become a tradition that I have dinner with Rocky and Karen Harrell who have been and continue to be instrumental in me being at this festival. As always we met at the Broadway Tavern, which has been serving friends and travelers with tasty food and libation for 178 years making it the oldest tavern in Indiana.

The Ribberfest is so much more than just a blues festival. It combines the Indiana State Championship Barbeque, which is a Kansas City Barbeque sanctioned event, with the Backyard Barbeque Blast which is open to amateurs and they even have a Kids Q. If that wasn’t enough there’s the rib eating contest, the Pigmanina contest, riverboat rides and the piglet kids play area. Now, you better be sitting down for this. The tickets are $20.00 for BOTH days and if you buy them before August 1st they throw in $10.00 worth of food and drink tickets. You won’t find any better entertainment for that price.

Chosen for the opening slot was the Lloyd Jones Band who calls Portland, Oregon home base.

Featuring the multi-talented Lloyd Jones on guitar and vocals, he was quick to establish his lyrical talent with a ninety minute set of original compositions. His ease of playing was well backed by bassist Denny Bixby, drummer Mark Griffith, keyboardist Dover Weinberg and the horns section of Warren Rand on alto sax and Rudy Fraco on tenor sax. The festival staff couldn’t have picked a better opener. Jones up tempo music was a sure way to get the crowd in the mood for fun.

I had missed the Cash Box Kings in my hometown just the week previous so I was looking forward to hearing them bring their brand of tradition Chicago blues to the stage. Featuring the harp and vocals of Joe Nosek, the Kings wound through their set making many new friends and fans. They could not have had a better rhythm section with Beau Sample on bass and Mark Haines on drums with Joel Patterson on second guitar. The set was rounded out with guest singer Milwaukee Slim looking dapper in his dark brown suit. There is too little traditional Chicago blues left, but these guys are out to make sure the music is preserved and they do a fine job.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band is exactly what they say. Robert has two family members playing with him and they explode out the speakers with more soul and funk than any person can handle. Playing to a packed house, Robert and crew never slowed down and if you were in the way of their music, you were toast. Joining Robert was cousin Marcus Randolph on guitar and vocals, Banyel Morgan on bass, Brett Hass on keyboards/guitar and vocals, Adam Smirnoff on guitar and cousin Ray Ray on guitar and vocals. I had seen Robert with the Experience Hendrix tour, but this was the first time with his band. Wow, these guys smoke. Seamless song changes, great presentation and dynamite stage presence. In other words, an outstanding professional band that produced beautiful music. I dare you to stay in your seat when they are playing.

Saturday the lineup started with Dog House Kitchen, a Louisville, Kentucky band has been entertaining crowds since they formed in 2010. They have all the bases covered when it comes to good time music featuring Drew Allison on guitar and vocals, Tim Dennison on bass, Jay Jackson on harp and vocals, and Dave Schmitt on drums. They provided a pleasing mix of covers and originals that moved from blues to funk to honky-tonk and all styles in between.

What would a rib fest be without a rib eating contest. Saturday tables were set up in front of the stage and 15 people set out to claim the title, but as we all know it can only belong to one.

Dust Radio started as duet and has grown to a quartet of musicians dedicated to preserving the old blues like Charlie Patton and others of his era. Featuring J.D. Michaels on guitar and vocals, he’s solidly backed by Craig Ligman on bass, John Kleemeier on drums and Bill Heuglin on bass. They were a pleasant surprise and I really enjoyed the sound.

Josh Garret calls Houma, Louisiana home and it shows in his music. It’s filled with the swamp sounds of the Delta region. He started on his musical journey at the age of 12 when he picked up his father’s guitar and like they say, the rest is history. Blending the old and the new with originals and covers, Garrett set a blistering pace when he hit the stage. Backed by stand out musicians David Forest on bass, Terry Cheramie on drums, Michael Gutierrez on sax and Clay While on Harp, they laid down some tough riffs on Josh’s originals and hot covers of everything including Santana.

This was one of the highlights of this festival for me. Austin Texas based Carolyn Wonderland. She is a mesmerizing performer that has complete command of the guitar, lap steel and trumpet and she skillfully blends them with her dynamic vocal ability. She is truly an under rated force in the music business. With a voice often compared with Janis Joplin, Carolyn burns up the frets finger-picking style and can create a whirling dervish on stage when consumed by the music. She gives her all in every performance. With Robert Hooper on drums and Cole El-Saleh on Keyboards and key bass, the trio graced the crowd with songs from Muddy Waters, Elmore James plus her own compositions. Her performance was the talk of the festival weekend.

Rick Estrin and the Nightcats had the unfortunate task of following Carolyn Wonderland, but it didn’t faze them one bit. They took off and never looked back. Harpist, vocalist and songwriter Estrin has continued in the musical vein established with Little Charlie Batey and has added some amazing musicians that do more than back him up, they add a certain magic to the music and stage presentation. Estrin has established himself as a dynamic harpist who takes the style of Sonny Boy Williamson II and Little Walter Jacobs and expands it by blending it with his own. Combine that with his tongue and cheek writing style and you have the consummate performer. Add to that mix Chris “Kid” Andersen and his always entertaining guitar work bolstered by the rhythm section of Jay Hansen on drums and Lorenzo Farrell on upright and electric bass and keys/bass keys and you have an amazing combination. To just listen to songs like (I met Her on the) Blues Cruise and the always popular Dump That Chump made it clear why this band is a popular draw.

Headlining the Saturday show was Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Even though I had just seen Kenny a few weeks ago, his set was as fresh as ever combining a mix of songs from all his releases. Once again backed by Chris Layton on drums, Tony Franklin on bass, and Riley Osbourn on keys along with singer Noah Hunt, the band hit the stage with a flurry of power chords and stinging leads and never let up. A fitting close to a great weekend of music, ribs and friends.

I can’t say enough about this festival, the level of entertainment value for the money is unparalleled among the festivals I’ve attended. Make this one a “must go to” festival next year.

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