“Really primal”: The blues genius Joe Perry thought no one could emulate
While they’re perhaps best known for their glammed-up brand of rock and metal, many people forget that Aerosmith’s origins as a group lie rooted in blues music. Having formed in 1970, they’d been around a long time before they began to experience chart success in the late 1980s, but before they drastically commercialised their sound, this blues influence could be heard, especially in the guitar parts of Joe Perry in particular, who was an avid fan of the genre.
Over the years since their formation, Aerosmith have had very few lineup changes compared to their contemporaries, which has allowed the band to grow together as a unit and gradually adapt their styles. However, that hasn’t stopped them from returning to their roots on occasion, and when they’ve felt the need to spice things up again after a period of feeling like things were getting stagnant, they’ve opted to do so in the way they know will have them excited again.
This was the primary reason the band decided to record Honkin’ on Bobo, a 2004 album made up of covers from artists who had massively inspired them in their earlier years. While the group attempts versions of Aretha Franklin and Fleetwood Mac numbers, the majority of tracks pay homage to traditional blues players such as Sonny Boy Williamson and Muddy Waters.
Speaking about why the band wanted to release an album of covers this far into their career, Perry said that the motivation was simple, and that they wanted to do something they hadn’t done before and help themselves feel enthusiastic about playing in a band again. However, there was one thing that had Perry beaming even more, and that was the fact that he was blessed with an opportunity to perform a rendition of one of his biggest blues idols’ songs and take lead vocals.
Mississippi Fred McDowell isn’t a name that everyone will be familiar with, but he has been a constant within Perry’s life since the moment he first discovered his music. There are two of his original numbers on Honkin’ on Bobo, as well as a cover of a traditional song in the style of McDowell’s version, but the one that Perry takes lead vocals on is ‘Back Back Train’.
Speaking about his love of McDowell’s playing in a 2004 interview with Guitarist Magazine, Perry said that “there’s a feeling that I get when I hear him play that I don’t get anywhere else. The few bits of video recording that I’ve seen, and the sound of him on record, I just find really primal, really rootsy.” While he may be a more obscure name compared to some of Perry’s other idols, he claims that he offered something entirely different to those who had more notoriety.
“He was a bit too Delta to really fit in with the Chicago guys,” Perry continued, clarifying that he predates the likes of John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and BB King, who all achieved more radio play and mainstream success. “He was too folk, too back porch for the radio. But so was Son House. The only reason they had success in the sixties was because guys like the Stones and a lot of English bands brought their songs to the forefront.”
Thanks to Perry, this unsung master of Delta Blues has begun to get his deserved recognition, and the faithful cover that he and the band deliver of ‘Back Back Train’ is a wonderful nod to his craft.
