It’s chemistry. Matthew Stubbs and Charlie Musselhite have worked together off-and-on for at least 15 years, with Stubbs initially a sideman in Musselwhite’s band. Now, with Stubbs new role as lead guitarist for GA-20, the pair are once again tearing it up on their new album, Blues Now.
Musselwhite himself, at age 82, has ascended to blues legend status. Along with contemporaries like Paul Butterfield, Musselwhite embraced the blues at a time in the 1960s when any white blues musician risked being labelled an imitator or, worse, an exploiter of the art form pioneered by African-Americans. But Musselwhite, originally from Mississippi himself, revered the music and earnestly pursued excellence. In 1967, when he was only 23 and already a fixture in the Chicago blues scene, he made his first album, Stand Back! Here Comes Charlie Musselwhite’s Southside Band, which is widely recognized as a classic. Musselwhite has persevered through many years of ups and downs.
Musselwhite recorded steadily throughout the 1970s, but his productivity fell off in the 1980s. In 1987, he hit bottom and quit drinking. In the 1990s, Musselwhite made several outstanding albums, including Signature and In My Time, for Alligator Records, but he really hit stride in the 2000s, with his outstanding Sanctuary in 2004, and then Delta Hardware in 2006. After The Well in 2011, he collaborated with Ben Harper on the well received Get Up! in 2013. He worked again with Harper on the outstanding No Mercy in This Land in 2018 and continued to release great solo albums, including Mississippi Son in 2022.
I saw Musselwhite in 2011. He of course was great, but the young lead guitarist, Matthew Stubbs, piqued my intrest so much I sought out his early solo albums – Soul Bender and Medford & Main. What impressed me the most about Stubbs’ playing was his crisp, twangy retro rock ‘n’ roller style most evident on Soul Bender (2008). His instrumental work on those albums reminds me of Danny Gatton’s legendary work. His outstanding work as a sideman can be heard on Musselwhite’s I Ain’t Lyin’, a 2014 release that featured live performances.
Now, Stubbs’ exceptional guitar is one of the centerpieces of the Boston-based GA-20 trio, which also features Cody Nilsen on vocals and guitar and Josh Kiggans on drums. The band has released several previous LPs and EPs, including collaborations with Musselwhite and North Mississippi Allstars frontman Luther Dickinson. In 2021, the band released Try It … You Might Like It! GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor, which leaned into the dirty “houserocking” style of the great six-fingered Chicago slide guitar legend.
Blues Now is a reunion for Stubbs and Musselwhite, and it’s an awesome collection of gritty blues. Check out the rocking “Short Dress Woman” below. Other great songs include “Crazy Love,” “I Can’t Hold Out,” the instrumental “Universal Rock,” and the retro “I’ll Change My Style.”
About the author: Bill Wilcox is a roots music enthusiast recently relocated from the Washington, DC area to Philadelphia, PA and back again.