Cathy Lemons
Cathy Lemons was born August 13, 1958 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She would move 15 times before the age of 13 before settling in Dallas, TX. Some of her travels took her as a child to exotic places such as Entebbe, Uganda, East Africa and Kingston, Jamaica. In 1971, her mother finally settled down for good in Dallas, Texas. The South and Texas is known for its great blues talent--"It's a place of harsh extremes, a place of sudden change--even in the weather--where people tell it just like it is," says Cathy. "You have to be tough just to survive the Texas heat--110 degrees 6 to 7 months out of the year." Commenting on what the blues scene was like in Texas when she was growing up, she says, "It was a great place for blues . I had a chance to see many fine talents in their early stages of development like Anson Funderburg, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Lou Anne Barton. The blues scene was very small--lots of great gossip--very few secrets. Texas players were more into what I consider to be real blues people--not a mishmash of rock and roll, no top 40 blues bands. No. The musicians I knew back then were studied blues artists. They knew their stuff--Magic Sam, Lowel Fulsom, Freddie King, B.B. King, Little Walter, you name it--and they knew it and loved it. In Dallas and the surrounding towns, there were not many clubs to play, and many of us were just struggling so hard to make a dime. So, Texas musicians tended to really stick together back then. There weren't too many freelance type players. You made a band--and you worked with only that band. I liked it that way. California players fail to see their greatest weakness, which is in my opinion, not enough knowledge of the roots of blues, and not enough respect for what a band is--when you work together as a whole for the greater good of that whole. If you let ego get in the way, the music somehow dies. Music is about giving."When she was 17 years old and still in highschool she joind a swing band appropriately named "Man Bites Dog." Really for its time this band was quite ingenious--they did Dan Hicks and Maria Muldaur songs as well as roots music--with three-part harmony and changing leads. Cathy was the only girl in a hilarous group of individuals that only the Lonestar State of Texas could have produced. Then in her early twenties Cathy discovered blues when she heard Aretha Franklin singing on a TV commercial. She describes the moment best:: "I heard Aretha Franklin for the first time in 1979 and it felt like a thunderbolt hit me through the center of my head. At that time I had a sweet, clear, chestless type of voice and I just prayed that I could develop a new sound. To me Aretha was all that a blues singer is--so much soul and such great drive and phrasing--and such depth and power!" After that, Cathy sought out blues bands in Dallas, and often sat in and sang with Anson Funderburg and Darryl Nulisch in a tiny match box club called Poor David's Pub. When she first heard Anson play live she was in awe-and again eveerythig inside of her knew that the blues was he channel through which she could express all her rage and pain--and her sassy sense of humor. In 1980, there were very few women singing blues in Dallas--very few anywhere period. Cathy says, "When I first started singing blues--the bass player from my swing band days said I could never do it--said I didn't have the voice or feel for it--that I should stick to folk or swing music.. He said I couldn't sing sexy. Somehow I knew that blues was for me, and I didn't listen to him or anybody else that discouraged me. Blues hit me in my gut. I was drawn to the words and that sexy figure eight sound in the drums--reminds me of a woman's walk--hell blues is made for a woman. When I started out, I bought every record I could find of blues greats and I learned those songs. And then I went around and sat in and started getting jobs with bands. I will never forget that bass player, Daryll Strehli who said I couldn't sing no blues. Well--I went to this club he was playing in a couple years after he hadn't seen or heard me sing, and I sat in and stole that show all night long. When it was over, Darryll came up to me and said he was dead wrong--and he apologized--said I sounded great--said I shocked him. It made me feel so good--like I had come full circle."
Cathy says of her first blues band: "When I was 23 I tried out for a band called "Killer and the Show Cats"--it was a band filled with psychiatrists! I sang "Stormy Monday" and they loved it and hired me on the spot! They needed to replace their woman singer, Bobby, who was more Holiday Inn than blues. Apparently she thought she was a stripper AND a singer and was doing wild things during her performances like throwing her underwear into their faces! I guess the guys had had enough! Hilarious! I remember the drummer was a shrink and so was one of the lead guitar players. I still remember the lead guy doing the Chuck Berry duck walk--it was probably the worst duck walk ever done in history! His face would turn all white and he would stick his neck out and wiggle it back and forth. He looked like a sick duck all right--walking to the doctah! CALL THE DOCTAH! Little did Î know until VERY recently that Pat Foss, the other lead guitarist, used to stick that guy's guitar chord around his amp so that when he went out into the audience to do his schtick he would get all balled up and stuck. And it gets better--there was some quirk with this wire and the way Pat had it tied up, a chord would hit the guy in his face spastically and make him sputter. There was also the infamous 'night of the boob' which I VERY recently was reminded of by Mr. Foss, a living emblem of my wayward youth and a witness to poor taste in general. I apparently was showing more than my soul one night on stage because during the second set the entire audience was spell bound. I thought I had reached the pinnacle of my career as a singer until I learned that others in the audience had reached a pinacle indeed. Later I found out that one of my boobs had popped out of my tight, velvet, low-cut, 1950's blouse--and it was quite a sight because, if I may say so, I look much better unclothed than most people look clothed. So I VERY recently learned that I walked up to Pat on the break after all this and asked him what the deal was with the audience. He told me that my boob had been sticking out! He said I then 'slugged' him in the gut and yelled 'Why didn't you tell me!'"
The bass player in "Killer" was Rene Martinez, a great guy who always encouraged Cathy and told her she had a natural born talent. Rene aside from being a gifted Flamenco guitarist, blues bassist, was also a specialized guitar tech who worked for Stevie Ray Vaughan and then later Carlos Santana. It was Rene and Pat that introduced Cathy to Anson Funderburg and then Stevie Ray Vaughan. "Killer" had a gig every Saturday night in Dallas at the NFL Club, and she remembers coming off the stage soaked with sweat from head to toe. Cathy says, "I also remember Pat sometimes throwing me over his shoulder to get me out of the club and into a car at quitting time. I used to wear these really, really, high platform heels, and when I would drink too much, I would start to stagger in them. Those were wild days and I was young--what can I say! I was having a ball! I used to get all dressed up in glitter, satiny low-cut dresses and just party it up. Sometimes we would go to El Taxco in this run down Spanish neighborhood in East Dallas and meet Anson and his boys there after gigs. We'd sit at one giant table and watch the Mexican gangsters roll in--all this at 4:00 in the morning!" By this time Cathy was now performing regularly in more Dallas blues clubs and sharing the stage with such luminaries of the '80's Texas blues scene as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Anson Funderburg, Mark Polluck, Robin Syler, and others. In 1983, She put together a band with David Watson, Anson Funderburg's x-drummer who was also Doyle Bramhall's nephew (Doyle Bramhall was Stevie Ray Vaughan's mentor). Cathy with David's encouragement made a fine studio recording with Anson Funderburg on guitar (8 cuts), Robin Syler on guitar on (1 cut) Freddy Faro on drums, Doug Smith on piano and Rene Martinez on bass. There were 9 songs on that recording. Cathy was 24 years old and she sounded great!
Cathy back then often explored the darker side of life..She ran with some dangerous characters and eventually had to leave Texas--yes--with "sirens blazing." She struggled wih her own personal demons and here is what she has to say about that: "I learned about human nature--and I learned not to judge a person's moral choices. I have met good people and bad people in all types of settings. We all just do the best we can in this life. But what I finally learned is that we can accept and even become gently intimate with our darker side--we can whole heartedly accept it. I now know that I have a choice--always. We can actually come to a place of co-existence with that little demon--use it as energy--place it in the music or in writing. I am just about the ONLY person left standing from the bad old days--most of the people I knew that were caught up in the street scenme are now dead--bought a one way ticket south--a very, very heavy price to pay. I am very happy to be here and I fully intend to conjure my powers for the good while I still have a room at the inn."
In 1986 Cathy arrived on the Bay Area Blues scene and began working with harp player/singer Mark Hummell and blues guitarist extraordinaire Paris Slim. She even had a chance to open up and later hang out with Paul Butterfield in 1987--a real interesting experience. During those early San Francisco years Cathy attracted the attention of blues legend and star John Lee Hooker and soon became the opening singer for his Coast to Coast Blues Band, performing along side with some of the best bluesmen in the business: John Hammond, Elvin Bishop, Pine Tops Perkins, and of course John Lee Hooker, himself. Hooker was trying to get Cathy a record deal with Virgin Records at that time. She was working on songs that Hooker's friend and organ player Deacon Jones wrote. However, no real quality recording was ever made, and Virgin didn't bite the bait. "I over dubbed over Buddy Miles singing Deacon's songs, and all them songs were in the damn wrong key. Hooker was cheap---what can I say!"
Cathy also says of John Lee Hooker: "I learned so much from him. When we were on the road I took care of him. He could not read or write, so I would help him order his food, read signs in the airport, hotels, stuff like that. He was very proud. Once I offered to teach him how to read, but he would have no part of that! John was very sharp and he knew the value of a dollar--and man, could he count that money! He also believed in people. I remember he was the one who got Elvin Bishop with the Rosebud agency. He knew he was having a hard time, and he wanted to help get him back on track. A lot of times, I felt bad for John, though. Now that he is gone, I still feel bad. People were always trying to get something from him. He would let them hustle him--just out of love for the person. He'd look for the good not the bad. But I think it wears you down. John at heart was a sweet and kind person. He was always encouraging to me. He said "Cathy--you a rrr rolling stone." And lord, back in those days I sure was, staying in hotel rooms in the Tenderloin or at his home in Redwood City, struggling with my demons. The last time I spoke with John, I said, "Aren't you proud of me John? I come through all right and I'm still singing!" He said, "I am proud of you--you come a la la long way, Cathy." And he meant it. To me he was one of the greatest blues singers that ever lived, and it was a great honor to have known him, may he rest in peace."
Cathy Lemons eventually wanted to headline her own band. She knew she would have to take the harder road, so she pulled out of the Coast to Coast Blues Band with John Lee Hooker and went back to live in San Francisco. She met with some hard times there but eventually met up with a very brilliant San Francisco-based guitarist, Dave Workman who was originally a Columbus, Ohio blues star. Cathy says of Dave, "Oh he loves blues! He is very versatile and has played with many a blues great including Koko Taylor and Albert Collins. I played with him off and on for almost seven years and we really had a good sound. We made a couple of demos that I recently listened to, and they were really quite good." During the Lemons/Workman band years Cathy started to get her life together. She went back to school to study first at City College in 1990 and then San Francisco State University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1995 with a BA in English Literature. Her father, a retired English professor wanted her to try teaching at the university level, but Cathy just couldn't give up the music: "I loved the academic world and learning, but when I had to make a career decision, I could not give up my music. That was around the time I started seeing Johnny Ace, my partner. Although I knew John since 1987, I always loved John as a person. We always had a wonderful connection. After I graduated from college, we teamed up in 1995 and started playing together regularly."
Since 1995 Cathy Lemons with her fabulous bass playing partner Johnny Ace, have worked with some of the finest musicians on the scene: Ron Thompson, Paris Slim, Steve Freund, Rusty Zinn, David Maxwell, Paul Oscher, Danny Carron (guitarist for Charles Brown), Anthony Paule, and Johnny Talbot (guitarist for Bobbie "Blue" Bland). Cathy Lemons and Johnny Ace recorded their first CD "Dark Road" on The Saloon Recordings label in late 1999 and received fabulous reviews from all the major blues magazines. Then they re-formed their band in 2006 to include Pierre Le Corre on guitar and Artie "Stix" Chavez on drums and began to write songs on a serious level.
Their new CD entitled "Lemonace" released May 18 2010 pn VizzTone is a deparure from their standard blues format. Out of 12 cuts Cathy Lemons and Johnny Ace wrote ten strong songs, mixing blues-based rhythms with stone blues. Guests artists include: Tommy Castro, Ron Thompson, Paul Oscher, David Maxwell, and Kid Andersen.. The critics love this CD! Real Blues Magazine says of "Cathy’s natural vocals" that she "sounds like a female John Lee Hooker or Howlin’ Wolf." Grigg then goes on to state in his review that she "drives home the claims by the West Coast crew that she’s the finest female vocalist with straight hair."
Cathy Lemons and Johnny Ace have performed at Slims in San Francisco and the Mystic Theatre in Petaluma; they held every Sunday night at Biscuits & Blues for two and one half years and hosted their CD party there to a sold out show where fans stood outside for two hours just to get in. For festivals they have performed at the Redwood Coast's "Blues By The Bay" in Eureka, California, The Sacramento Heritage Festival, the Metro Fountain Blues Festival in San Jose, the Stockton Blues Festival, the Rumsey Blues Festival, and the Mission Veijo Jazz Fest. Their favorite place to play is none other than The Saloon in San Francisco's North Beach. Thanks to the stewardship of the The Saloon's owner Myron Mu, The Saloon for over 20 years has been the "home away from home" for some of the best local blues artists.
Cathy Lemons and Johnny Ace's CD "Lemonace" is currently being reviewed, so check back at these links for Praise and Reviews!
To order "Lemonace" go to Vizztone.com
