Gregory Washington
b. March 8th, 1949 in Chicago (Illinois)
d. November 4th, 2023 in Chicago (Illinois)
WATER TO WINE
Rooster
December 1999 / March 2000
Natif de Chicago (il habite succesivement dans le South Side puis West Side), demi-frère de Curtis Mayfield, il apprend la guitare pendant son enfance et cotoie G.L. Crockett et Magic Sam. Pourtant, il débute avec le groupe The Traits, un groupe de Soul, qui enregistre une poignée de titres pour le label Despen (dirigé par les frères Barry & Bill Despenza). Après avoir travaillé avec différents autres groupes, il tourne avec Betty Everett à la fin des années 60. Il suit le saxophoniste Abb Locke à Kansas City où il s'installe quelques temps. D.C. Bellamy devient un habitué du Paradox Club et est repéré par le producteur Jim O'Neal qui lui propose d'enregistrer son premier disque en leader. Il y délivre un superbe disque de Blues teinté de Rhythm & Blues et de Soul accompagné de ses musiciens réguliers (Harrison Irons, Ray Hopper, Ben Shult, Louis Villeri, James "Spoon" Wilson). On peut ressortir, en particulier, "Just foolin' yourself", "Out of the safety zone", "I ain't gettin' what I used to get", "Next door neighbor's woman" ou ses excitantes reprises de "Dimples" ou "Hitch hike".
A Chicago native (he lived successively on the South Side and then the West Side), half-brother of Curtis Mayfield, he learned guitar during his childhood and rubbed shoulders with G.L. Crockett and Magic Sam. However, he began his career with the group The Traits, a Soul group, which recorded a handful of tracks for the Despen label (run by brothers Barry and Bill Despenza). After working with various other groups, he toured with Betty Everett in the late 1960's. He followed saxophonist Abb Locke to Kansas City, where he settled for a while. D.C. Bellamy became a regular at the Paradox Club and was spotted there by producer Jim O'Neal, who offered him the opportunity to record his first album as a leader. He delivered a superb blues album tinged with Rhythm & Blues and Soul, accompanied by his regular musicians (Harrison Irons, Ray Hopper, Ben Shult, Louis Villeri, James "Spoon" Wilson). Highlights include "Just foolin' yourself", "Out of the safety zone", "I ain't gettin' what I used to get", "Next door neighbor's woman" and his exciting covers of "Dimples" and "Hitch hike".
GIVE SOMEBODY TO SOMEBODY
Stackhouse
March - April 2006
Pour ce nouvel album enregistré avec le producteur Jim O'Neal, D.C. Bellamy propose, une fois encore, cet excellent cocktail Soul-Blues. Derrière lui, un groupe attentif et compétent le supporte parfaitement (Walker Tippit, John Paul Drum, Ralph Ybarra, Jeff Jones, Bart Colliver, Big Woody Davis). "I don't care about that", "Give some body to somebody", "Started me to drinkin'", "Monkey see monkey do" ainsi que les reprises de "Room with a view" et "Why are people like that" figurent parmi les meilleurs moments du programme.
For this new album recorded with producer Jim O'Neal, D.C. Bellamy once again delivers his excellent Soul-Blues blend. Behind him, an attentive and skilled band provides perfect support (Walker Tippit, John Paul Drum, Ralph Ybarra, Jeff Jones, Bart Colliver, Big Woody Davis). "I don't care about that", "Give some body to somebody", "Started me to drinkin'", "Monkey see monkey do" as well as covers of "Room with a view" and "Why are people like that" are among the album's highlights.