Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings: Press

Review- "Blues Evolution"
Vocalist/guitarist Charles Stallings has wittily structured this disc to evoke a live performance: on "Intro Boogie" he plays the part of an emcee ("Ladies and gentlemen....(thank you for patronizing my CD!") befores his ensemble-a muscular crew that features trumpet, sax, harmonica, and keyboards as well as the usual guitarist/bass/drums nucleus-kicks into a rough-edged but ebullient uptown boogie shuffle.

Stallings' impish creativity shines throughout. "Blues Train Express" kicks off with a horn riff that sound like a train whistle: "2929", set in a futuristic outer-space juke, sets the scene with a humorous sci-fi vignette, complete with synthesized squeaks and burbles and a multi-tracked, cyberized spoken vocal from an unnamed woman guest (maybe either Aleyshia or Quesse, Stakkubgs' "two oldest granddaughters." who are acknowledge on the inner sleeve but not included in the song credits). But it's not all gimmickry: "Cha Cha 3000" buoyed by a gently wafting string arrangement, is a mediative and affirming instrumental workout on which Glenn Workman's piano shimmers and cascades with elegance and Steve Levin's harp summons a comples meld of sophisticated romanticism and rootsy grit. Stallings' spoken intro to "Booty Slappin" (Time when a lot of you little girls need to be spanked!") might give some listeners pause, but it soon becomes clear that this is a fully consensual, if somewhat kinky, slap-and-tickle session meant to titillate rather that opress. At the disc's conclusion, Stallings signs off with "Thank-You Boogie", on which he introduces his band and then departs with the graceful panache of a well-seasoned showman.

This is one of the most unabashedly good-timey, rollicking blues sets to come down the pike in some time. Let's hope Stallings holds his music and his show together and begins to make himself more of a presence on the contemporary club circuit, as well as on CD.

Review- "Blues Evolution"
Fans of Blues Brothers styled offerings will lap this up as it befits that genre with every Memphis and Chicago soundbite present and correct. Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings has a nick-name that befits the genre. With harp, keyboards andtrumpets running throughout, this album has that big band sound that we may associate with the likes of '80s B.B. King. Stallings has a capable voice, yet not with the gravitas of King, nor with the guitar virtuosity. With the album topped and tailed by "Intro Boogie/Let's Boogie' and 'Thank-You Boogie' you can see what you're going to get. 'Blues Train Express' includes plenty of rolling harp providing railroad metaphor, 'Blues Line Dance' includes repeats of blasting trumpet phrasing to toe-tap to, and 'Blues Cowboy' has that undercurrent of 'Sweet Home Chicago'- successfully infectious. 'Booty Slappin' has that Albert Collins tongue-in-cheek innuendo vibe, while 'Hand Dancin' appears to go into Barry White territory. With 'Hola Senorita' and 'Cha Cha 3000' also doing exactly what their titles suggest, there is only the track entitled '2929' that attempts something different, except it doesn't! Beginning with an alien-invasion radio message requesting some "mo" Blues in the year 2999" the parody is complete and I surrender- I give in! Perhaps the irony is that "Blues Evolution" is actually stalling the Blues.

Review- "Blues Evolution"
Stallings, adequate on vocals and guitar, is a veteran entertainer in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area who cuts a surprising groove on his second album. He boogies like hell, leavens straight blues with ironic humor, cha-chas while leering at senoritas, funks in George Clinton's orbit and even gets sci-fi futuristic wacky on "2929." With saxophonist Joe "E-Flat" Thomas and Nighthawk harmonica man Mark Wenner sparking his ace band, Stallings demonstrates there's more to the blues than you thought.

Review- "Blues Evolution"
Forget the press release that tells how Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings grew up on a farm with 10 brothers and sisters, or the assertion in "Going Down South" that he's going "where the rabbit tastes like chicken," or even the tale of lighting striking his outhouse in "Hard Times/Good Times." As befits a man whose entry into the blues came via Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man," this Baltimore guitarist's metier is wholly urban, and there's a lot of funk, boogie-woogie, and horn-driven R&B on his second CD, "Blues Evolution", to prove it.

That said, there's not a whole lot of evolution going on here- Stallings' main stake to uniqueness is combining harp with a classic West Coast big-band sound. But as a bandleader and party maestro a la Big Joe Turner, he can't beat. These 15 originals run the gamut of urban blues and have a hell of a time doing so: You can tell these guys are doing more than cashing a paycheck by the chances they take, whether it be the dark chords bubbling up from the center of the "Night Train" tribute "Blues Train Express"; "Cha Cha 3000, " a self-explanatory instrumental that sometimes veers towards lounge music; or the flat out funk of "Booty Slappin';" on which Stallings declares, "I'm sorry, but some of you little girls need to be spanked."

The Reed-inspired groove of "2999" envisions the year aliens make contact with the blues. On the 10-minute "Hobbsville#2," Stallings gets loose enough to deliver what is essentially his resume over a slow grind, but when he finally makes it to his favorite club, the band erupts into a hot Chicago-style shuffle, which speeds up as the crowd starts dancing. He's like the Ghost of Blues Past leading us to happier times...except that "Big Daddy" is interested in your party, right here and now.

Review- "Blues Evolution"
In the first thirty seconds of "Blues Evolution", guitarist and vocalist Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings declares "We're gonna do somethin' good for ya. We're gonna do something good for ya. We're gonna be bumpin' some blues at ya. We're goin' on a blues ride. Fasten your seatbelt." He's not kidding around. For the next 70 minutes he delivers on the promise with a wild and varied set of blues and blues-influnced music designed to make you feel good, and get you movin' and groovin'. Stallings comes at you head on right out the gate, with a Tower of Power/Roomful of Blues influenced "Let's Boogie," a rollicking instrumental romp that immediately kicks the CD into hight gear. Fueled by a driving horn section, it's a high energy blast of rockin' blues that wastes no time establishing Stallings and his players as one smokin-hot unit. With a guest stint from Mark Wenner of The Nighthawks giving his usual stellar performance on harmonica, it's a tune that's almost impossible not to move to. "Blues Train Express" pays homage to James Brown and his classic tune Night Train, while "2929" gives you a nod to Parliament, with its helium voiced intro that warns "do not attempt to adjust your radio, we control the treble, and we control the bass, do not try to seitch stations. In the year 2929 we made space contact for the first time". It's the Mothership meets the blues in a funky shuffle about spreading the blues news throughout the galaxy. Hobbsville#2 is a ten-minute blues narrative that starts out over a slow Muddy Waters-inspired melody, and then midway through turns into a John Lee Hooker boogie. It's an entertaining autobiographical journey as Stallings recounts pivotal people and moments in his life, giving a little insight into how he became who he is. "Booty Slappin'" is pure dance floor funk. Extolling the virtues of smacking the backside, its slightly salacious lyrics proclaim "sorry, but a lt of you little girls need to be spanked". "Hand Dancin' " is a slice of 70s Philly old school soul, while "Strange Things" borrows a bit from Buddy Guy's guitar style. "Cha Cha 3000" comes with strings, and runs to the smooth side. Some very funky harmonica from Steve Levine keeps the schmaltz factor at vay, and gives it the feel of bluesy lounge music. "Hard Times/Good Times" is a timeless sounding "woke up this morning" blues. This particular morning Stallings moans about, among other things, "Lightning struck my outhouse". It's the epitome of the blues, and something that Stallings does very well. "Blue Line Dance" is a Stax/Volt flavored call to the dance floor. With a definite Memphis Horns sound, Stallings also once again pays tribute to James Brown when he gets to the bridge and shouts out "Here comes James". With that, the band turns on a dime and breaks into a Sex Machine type groove that's more than worthy of the Godfather.

"Blues Evolution" certainly lives up to its name. While there are "traditional" sounding blues songs on the disc, Stallings does make a few stops and detours along the evolutionary chain of popular music derived from the blues, most notably into the territory of soul and funk. Over the course of 15 original songs, Stallings and company deliver an entertaining "Blues Evolution" that's full of loud and definitely recommended as a party disc.

With a foot firmly in the past and an eye towards the future, Stallings furthers the "Blues Evolution" by presenting songs that are real, honest, and pay due respect to the traditions that brought us to this particular place in music history. His vision of the blues for the future is the same vision that's been shared ny blues musicaians throughout the years, which is keep the blues alive, and evolve with the times. It's all part of the evolutionary process, into which Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings and "Blues Evolution" fits perfectly.

Review- "Blues Evolution"

Review- "One Night Lover"
Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings represented the Baltimore Blues Society at this past winter's International Blues Challenge in Memphis. For over 40 years, Stallings has been a mainstay on that city's blues scene. Don't be put off by the synthesized horns on the opening cut, "one Night Lover"; the record gets much better.

"I Got the Blu-Hoos" is a derivative of the Muddy Waters classic "Mannish Boy." The combination of the Nighthawks' Mark Wenner's Chicago harmonica with Stalling's guitar and contemporary lyrics will make you forget about the first song.

Stallings and Wenner show more affinity for the blues of the Windy City on "4x4 Woman," a slow blues featuring guitar and acoustic harmonica. Stallings also calls in Deanna Bogart to add her piano to "Gettin' Old," a Chicago-styled shuffle.

But Stallings isn't locked into just one style of the blues. "B-3" has Stallings and B-3 player Dennis Fisher putting the ban through its acid jazz paces. "Sophisticated" has Wenner's harmonica firmly planted into contemporary jazz with Fisher's B-3. On "Swing," Stallings calls on today's youth to learn to swing to his groove. I hope someone's turning down the subwoofers and listening.

Then, Stallings and Wenner hammer home the blues on "Hobbsville," a tribute to the blues and the people Stallings grew up with in North Carolina. Finally, Stallings funks up the blues on cuts like "Funky Farm," and "Soul Rock and Roll."

This debut comes with the promise that there will be more to be heard from "Big Daddy".

Review- "Blues Evolution" (Espanol /Inglesia)
Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings “Blues Evolution”. Tai Jeria 2008. Este es un disco donde el blues brota del espíritu, es decir, desde lo mas profundo del alma. En este caso emana de un cantante y guitarrista llamado Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings que demuestra que tiene el blues y porque lo transmite de la forma en que lo hace. Charles lo presenta fácil, lo interpreta fácil y lo comunica fácil. Este “Blues Evolution” incluye quince estupendos temas realizados con gran feeling y mucho sentido del humor, porque Charles Stallings es asimismo un verdadero storyteller con una enorme capacidad de bromear, además de un tipo noble, creativo e ingenioso y de una solidez vocal excepcional. Un excelente álbum de ‘rollicking blues’ y ‘danceable blues grooves’ con una cuidada e imponente mezcla de armónica down home a cargo del gran Mark Wenner (The Nighthawks) y una sección de vientos con Joe Thomas saxo y Kelvin O’Neal trompeta que suenan frescos, compactos y acertados en sus intervenciones. Sería injusto no mencionar el buen hacer de los otros músicos que han intervenido en el cd, como Glenn Workman piano, Bill Pratt organo, Gail Parrish bajo, Ron Jenkins bateria, Steve Levine armónica junto a algunos otros invitados, más el debut vocal de las dos hijas mayores de Charles, Aleshya y Quesse Stallings. Sin duda, un soberbio y magistral trabajo. MUY BUENO. A record where blues emerges from the spirit, that is to say, from the deepest soul. Blues comes together with singer and guitar player Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings who proves he has really got the blues and he knows how to spread them. Charles does it on an easy way which immediately communicates with the audience. “Blues Evolution” gathers fifteen excellent songs performed with an extreme feeling and a great sense of humour, because Charles Stallings is also a real storyteller who loves to joke, but also a creative witty fine man gifted with an exceptional solid voice. An splendid album with a great dose of ‘rollicking blues’ and danceable blues grooves including an impressive tasteful mixture of down home harmonica, performed by amazing Mark Wenner (The Nighthawks) and a horn section with Joe Thomas on saxo and Kelvin O’Neal on trumpet, performed on a cool, compact acute way. It will be unfair not to mention the good work of the other musicians who play on the cd, such as Glenn Workman on piano, Bill Pratt on organ, Gail Parrish on bass, Ron Jenkins on drums, and Steve Levine on harp, together with some other guest musicians, and introducing the two Charles elder daughters, Aleshya and Wuesse Stallings. Undoubtely, a superb mastery album. GREAT.

Review - "Big Daddy" Stallings at The 219 Restaurant, Alexandria, VA.
Its been way too long since I had the pleasure of seeing Charles 'Big Daddy' Stallings and his band live, so when I got the word that he would be appearing in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia at the 219 Restaurant's Bayou Room, I made plans to attend and after fighting the brutal traffic on King Street I made it there just as they started playing.

Stallings has a fine band led by saxophonist Joe Thomas and includes Steve Levine, a harmonica player who has really developed over the years. I apologize for not having the names of the other players. Opening up with the Hugh Maskela classic 'Grazing in the Grass," the band opened with several soul instrumentals with the horn line of sax, trumpet and harmonica being very effective. Then a couple instrumentals featured Levine who channeled his inner Walter Horton, "Easy" and the Duke Ellington standard, "Don't Get Around No More."

The it was time for Big Daddy to get out of his chair and take the vocal mike opening with a pair of Louis Jordan numbers "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie," and "Caldonia," before tackling his own originals. Stallings has a down home vocal approach, yet is as much as home with a Jimmy Reed groove as when his band gets into a funk groove. His down home style helps invest such songs as his "4 X 4 Woman," with quite a bit of their charm as well as his lively "I've Got the Blues," set to a "Hootchie Kootchie Man" groove. Enlivening songs with his solos as well as some of Thomas, Levine and the excellent trumpet player, when they closed the set to Archie Bell's "Tighten Up," with the band getting introduced, it was quite an enjoyable set and well worth the drive.

Review - "Blues Party"

Charles "Big Daddy" Stallings describes his music as "Good Times Blues With A Twist."  This South Carolina - born singer/ songwriter/ guitarist was raised in North Carolina and settled in Baltimore, Maryland.  His music is highlighted by ultra catchy rhythms and a magnificent guitar tone.  Exuberant horns are a staple of his urbane band and provide the pulse for the songs.  This CD, his third, was recorded with the six core members of his Bluez Evolution Band. 

     The 80-minute all -original disc plays like a radio program, with spoken introductions and smooth transitions connecting songs, just as you'd expect to hear from an experienced disc jockey.  On the lead-off title song, Stallings enthusiastically declares, "there is gonna be a thrill on the hill," and you know this is going to be a serious electric blues bash. 

     The multipurpose band performs more than electric blues.  The infectious "Swing 2010" is an R&B instrumental featuring Clarence Ward III blasting his trumpet into the stratosphere along side Carlos Johnson's killer sax solo which is also classy and sexy while Jacky Harriston's organ whirls on "The Lucky Number."  These brass-touting artists give the famed New Orleans brass bands a run for the money. 

     Sexual innuendo arises more than once, as in "Horny Bee" where a gun shoots honey.  Here Leroy Flowers Jr.'s sweet lead guitar stings with penetrating notes that permeate the main melody.  The lyrics are graphic enough on "Old Dogs" to convey that Grandpa needs Viagra.

     Stallings' vocals are the most expressive on the rockin' "She's Gone".  It's good to hear them being stretched and challenged because overall they do not receive the same workout as his guitar receives.  Russell Hayward has better sounding and better played drums, with Bill Pratt's drum cymbal crashes suffering from a tinny sound. 

     Stallings and his band of revelers know how to play off each other while improvising.  They all prove themselves to be professional and experienced musicians.  Whether by intent or accident, the variations in the songs seem natural.  Yes, the blues songs are basic, and their melodies are repeated too many times, but the CD is what good independent music should be.  Stallings will cause you to open your ears, sit up, and take notice.  Many bands claim to combine soul, blues and funk; Stallings prefers to perform them separately.  Best of all, he performs all styles equally well.