Several years ago, I spoke by phone with a young blues guitarist who seemed to be as polite as he was talented. We spoke about his starting to perform at an early age and some of his influences, including the late Mike Bloomfield (one of the most well-regarded American guitarists of the '60s) and multi-instrumentalist Shuggie Otis, whose stellar material from three decades ago finally is being recognized.
The guitarist I interviewed, Sean Costello, would have been 29 on Wednesday. But the day before, he was found dead in an Atlanta motel room.
I can say this his album "Moanin' for Molasses" (2001) contains some fantastic playing and singing, and that his other recordings have drawn a good amount of praise in blues circles. As far as I know, they're looking into the circumstances of his death, but to tell the truth, I'd prefer not to know right now. I'd prefer to remember him for the pleasant conversation we had back in 2002.
Here's the story I wrote for the Observer-Reporter back then:
Guitarist Costello stays true to blues tradition
Rock 'n' roll has always owed a great debt to the blues.
Just ask the big boys.
"I would read about Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, people along those lines, and they always listed blues musicians as their influence," Sean Costello recalled.
His curiosity piqued, the aspiring preteen guitarist found a whole musical world beyond standard FM radio fare, discovering the likes of Buddy Guy, B.B. King and Howlin' Wolf, the legendary bluesman who's featured on the first album Costello ever purchased.
"With Howlin' Wolf, when you're 10 years old, a name like that will catch your attention," he said.
Likewise, the playing of the Wolf's longtime lead guitarist, Hubert Sumlin, caught the attention of Costello and gave him a role model as he started honing his prodigious talents.
Now 22, Costello has nurtured his first musical love to develop a style that has drawn rave reviews from blues-oriented publications for its adherence to tradition. As he tours in support of his third album, "Moanin' for Molasses," Costello continues to dig deep into the historical aspect of the genre.
"I just love the music and always have wanted to know everything about it. That's been my life," he said this week while en route to perform in Louisville, Ky. "It's not just the more popular names. I want to find the guys who speak to me as an individual."
For example, the new album's title track, a swinging instrumental featuring the guitarist's fluent picking, is a composition by another former Howlin' Wolf guitarist, Jody Williams – hardly a household name, even in blues circles, although Williams recently returned to performing after decades of retirement.
The closing track, "Good Advice," is a tune by the late J.B. Lenoir, another artist revered by blues enthusiasts but escaping mainstream attention.
And another song, "You're Killing My Love," was co-written by legendary axman Mike Bloomfield, whose scorching leads for the Butterfield Blues Band in the '60s paved the way for white players to gain respect on the blues circuit.
But Costello is not all about cover versions. "Moanin' for Molasses" also features four Costello originals, each one displaying a strong feel for the roots of his material while showcasing his own songwriting voice.
The album's tight sound is a result of Costello's working with members of his backing band for several years now. Drummer Terrence Prather, for instance, has worked with the guitarist since he was a young teen-age prodigy fresh off winning the Blues Talent Contest sponsored by the Beale Street Blues Society.
"We can really work well together," Costello said about the band "There's a lot of common vocabulary between us now."
The album's sound is very similar to Costello's live performances, as his band is intact with one notable exception: longtime collaborator Paul Linden, whose harp figures prominently on "Moanin' for Molasses," is taking time off to work on his Ph.D.
When the band comes to Pittsburgh, it will mark a return trip for Costello, who's played here both as a solo artist and as guitarist for blues chanteuse Susan Tedeschi. He said he's gotten warm receptions in Western Pennsylvania.
"It seems to be a good area
for the blues, at least in my
experiences."
As he continues to hone his songwriting skills, Costello also keeps on the lookout for recordings by artists who sound "cool" to his ears.
Some of his recent finds include the late Eddie Hinton, a former Muscle Shoals session player who recorded some distinctive and highly acclaimed Southern soul, and Shuggie Otis, whose groundbreaking mid-'70s album "Inspiration Information" is finally getting the attention it deserves today.
"You just stumble across people like that all the time."
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