Houston was homebase to a remarkable cadre of red-hot blues guitarists during the 1950s.
Joe Hughes was not as well known as his peers
Albert Collins and
Johnny Copeland, but he was a solid electric bluesman with a formidable discography. Another of his Houston neighbors,
Johnny "Guitar" Watson, lit a performing fire in
Hughes when he was 14. Lone Star stalwarts
T-Bone Walker and
Gatemouth Brown also exerted their influence on
Hughes' playing. His path crossed
Copeland's circa 1953 when the two shared vocal and guitar duties in a combo called the Dukes of Rhythm.
Hughes served as bandleader at a local blues joint known as Shady's Playhouse from 1958 through 1963, cutting a few scattered singles of his own in his spare time ("I Can't Go on This Way," "Ants in My Pants," "Shoe Shy"). In 1963,
Hughes hit the road with the Upsetters, switching to the employ of
Bobby "Blue" Bland in 1965 (he also recorded behind the singer for Duke) and Al "TNT" Braggs from 1967 to 1969.
A long dry spell followed, but
Hughes finally came back to the spotlight with a fine set for Black Top in 1989 with If You Want to See These Blues (by that time, he'd inserted a "Guitar" as his middle name, much like his old pal
Watson).
Hughes' then released Texas Guitar Slinger, (1996, Blueseye Blues), Down & Depressed: Dangerous (1997, Munich), and
Stuff Like That (2001, Blues Express), which contain slashing blends of blues and soul with the ocassional tightly arranged horn section and, most importantly, enough axe to fulfill
Hughes' adopted nickname. After half a century of playing the blues, Joe "Guitar" Hughes passed away on May 20, 2003 after suffering a heart attack. ~ Bill Dahl & Al Campbell