Curtis Salgado
Randy Leonard
I honestly do not remember when I first became aware of Curtis Salgado. I do know that by the time he produced his very first CD in 1991 I tripped over myself to get it.
Thank God it was a CD and not one of the old vinyl records. Had it been an old LP the album would be long worn out by now.
My then 11 year old daughter loved Curtis’s “Star Bright, Star Light.”
The song “Too Loose”, well, lets just say Curtis was singing about many of my generation.
And if “More Love, Less Attitude” doesn’t make yo bidness rock it’s thang a bit…it’s probably broken for good.
However, “Blues Get Off Of My Shoulder”, eight minutes and twenty six seconds of the most gut wrenching blues you will ever listen to, rivals anything ever sung by John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters or BB King.
To this day Curtis singing “Blues Get Off Of My Shoulder” sends a shiver down my spine every time I listen to it.
It was only appropriate that I set out in the late fall of 1991 with my life long friend from inner Northeast Portland, Rodney “Bubba” Smith, to find the guy that sang the music that reminded Bubba and me of life growing up in our neighborhood in the 50's and 60’s.
While Bubba and I have different ancestral roots, we have been close friends for almost 50 years and have always loved the same music.
For us it's Marvin Gaye, The Temptations and Curtis Salgado..and not necessarily in that order.
Curtis was and is our man. And we know why.
He doesn't just sing. He aches. He tugs. He pulls. He lifts. He drops. And then he soars.
Let me put it like Bubba and I still describe Curtis's virtuoso skill, but in our neighborhood parlance.
That boy can sing. And I had his CD. And I was intent on getting his autograph on it.
For the life of me, I cannot remember the name of the little bar in the shopping center on NW 25th right off Burnside that Curtis was playing in that night. But more importantly it was November 1991 and Bubba and I were there.
We sat in the audience as Curtis sang his heart out. Still, I was focused on looking for the right moment that I could approach the stage with my CD and ask for his autograph.
The moment arrived. I went up to the stage packing a black felt pen and my CD. I politely asked Curtis to autograph the CD's cover. He smiled, nodded and said “Sure”. Out of nowhere came a pencil in his hand and he began signing his name.
I saw immediately that his penciled autograph was not good enough.
“Curtis”, I said cautiously, “will you please use my felt pen instead?”
“No problem. What’s your name?” asked the virtuoso of Blues as he grabbed my much bolder black pen.
“Randy, Curtis, just put it “To Randy”. He nodded and wrote.
I thanked him and sat down. Bubba and I together read the following inscription;
To Randy
God Bless Ya
Curtis Salgado
11/91 AD
I first read that Curtis was battling cancer on Jack’s site.
When I read Jack's post, I felt my stomache sink. Although I do not know Curtis personally, he is part of the backdrop of who I am.
To Bubba, me and a whole generation of Portlanders’ Curtis Salgado is as much a part of what makes Portland “Portland” as is our view of Mt. Hood.
Curtis Salgado represents for me part of the soul of Portland.
Portland came together last week at a concert dedicated to help raise money for Curtis's expensive medical treatment.
But we can do more.
You can buy Curtis's latest music on line here or simply go to your favorite local music store and pick up some of Curtis's music there.
Buying his music will certainly help Curtis get the medical help he needs. However, you will also own music by one of the best music Rythym and Blues maestros that has ever lived.
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Jun 18, '06
Could it have been the Dandilion Pub?
Jun 18, '06
That is exactly where it was.
Thank you, BOHICA, very much!
Jun 19, '06
Curtis is a Northwest treasure. So true to his music. Steeped in a profound knowlege of the genre. Not to mention an inspiring composer, arranger, director, singer, harp player. If all it will take is money to keep his vision alive - give! God bless Curtis. A longtime fan.
Jun 19, '06
Double post - mea culpa. Sorry, but I followed your link to the web page and could not purchase his music on-line unless I missed something. Did find "Wiggle Room" in the itunes music store. Bought that for $9.99 or 12 cuts at .99. What an easy way to contribute! Thanks
Jun 19, '06
Geno- Thank you for pointing out that Curtis's site does not provide for a means to purchase his music.
I changed the link to a direct link to Amazon's site that sells Curtis's latest music.
It also has great customer reviews.
I really appreciate you pointing that out, Geno.
Jun 20, '06
Now this is what I like, a city commish with excellent taste in music :) I go back with Curtis to at least 1982, when he was in the supergroup (for Portland anyway) In Yo Face with Lloyd Jones and Robert Cray. I used to see them all the time at the Fat Little Rooster on Hawthorne (now the Barley Mill). The FLR was also home to the Clamtones, but that's another story (g).
I moved from DC in 1980, home of the deservedly legendary Nighthawks, the Allstars from Charlottesville, Catfish Hodge, George Leh, Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton and a rotating cast of out-of-town talent that the Hawks played with out on the road including Koko Taylor, George Thorogood, James Cotton, Roomful of Blues, the incomparable Billy Price whose Keystone Rhythm Band had the hottest horn section of all time, Lou Ann Barton, Bob Margolin, Albert King and many, many more. As with many in DC in the late 1970s I lived the blues even amidst the punk/new wave explosion (that's another story too).
So when I moved to Portland I was actually not prepared to be impressed with the local blues scene -- before the CBA or any of that -- but Curtis, Lloyd and Robert (before he became an international star) changed my mind.
You can tell when a musician is truly dedicated to the music and not just their ego, the scene, or whatever it is that brings in many who give it a try. And all three of these guys had it right there.
At an early Portland Blues Festival, I saw one of the best performances of my life -- Curtis on harmonica and Terry Robb on acoustic guitar playing at the river wall right across from the Salmon St. fountain. It's a powerful thing when all the distractions just disappear and you're left with the pure sound. You can't really conjure that up on command, but Curtis is blessed with that ability and that's what keeps him going after so many decades.
Portland has a lot of musical mediocrity just like everywhere, and not even our real stars can put in a top performance at every gig. But when you can hear the best of what someone like Curtis does, it's clear that we are very blessed.
Roomful stole Curtis away for a while in 1984 or so, but I think we can forgive them ... they created magic from coast to coast.
Jun 20, '06
Amen, brother.
Thank you for your great insights.
Jun 20, '06
Good music, good lessons...
No doubt Curtis Salgado needs our support (both financial and spiritual) and I'm so happy to see people rally around him. But I have to ask that everyone take a few steps back and put on a wider lens...there are literally thousands of Oregonians in almost the same position as Curtis - very sick and no insurance. One Oregonian per day DIES due to lack of access to health care. I look them in the eyes every day...in the richest nation in the world that spends 2-3 times per capita what any other country does on health care, and literally people are dying because they can't afford access to basic health care services. It's immoral and absurd, and it must change. Oregon is the place to change it...but it will only change if YOU help.
I urge everyone who reads this to support Curtis and then take one more step for the over 600,000 uninsured Oregonians (more than the entire population of Portland) and support some of the ongoing efforts to FIX THE PROBLEM so we don't have to have benefits and fundraisers to try and save someone's life.
There are still several health care ballot measures alive in the race to July 7. They are struggling and need your help to qualify. I ask that each of you consider gathering signatures for them. The ones that appear to need the most help are:
Initiative Petition 40: The HOPE Initiative - the constitutional amendment to make access to affordable health care a right and require the Legislature to come up with a plan by July 2009 to incrementally achieve this. Click over to http://www.hopeoregon.org or call (503) 292-2223 for signature sheets or more information.
Initiative Petition 122: The Oregon Prescription Drug Pool - to allow Oregon to negotiate for discount pharmaceutical prices (via bulk purchasing) that would be available to all uninsured Oregonians (and those with Medicare Part D). Click over to http://www.aarp.org/states/or/ or call the AARP at 1-866-554-5360 for signature sheets or more information.
Perhaps the most promising development of the last year in Oregon was the launch of former Governor Kitzhaber’s Archimedes Movement. This truly comprehensive effort offers the best opportunity to participate in developing a more affordable, effective, efficient health care system for all Oregonians. Please visit their website for more information and join their effort: http://www.joinAM.org or http://www.archimedesmovement.org
Working together we have the power to create solutions that work for Oregon and that will be a model for our nation. The time for action is NOW...
Now I'm off to listen to some blues and sooth my soul. Tomorrow it's back to the fight. Thanks for listening.
Jun 20, '06
Yawn.
11:01 a.m.
Jun 22, '06
Randy, thanks for this post. I moved to Portland in 1989 and was turned onto a little spot on SE Woodstock called The Hobbit. It was here that I was turned onto one of Portland's most underrated jems, the local jazz and blues scene. I walk in there and the Mel Brown Sextet is playing and just burning up the house! This was the year they won the Hennesay Jazz Search and they were smokin'!
Mel Brown on Drums, Thara Memory on Trumpet, Warren Rand on Sax... Man! I ended up going there often because it was the only place I knew of and felt comfortable in as a newbie to Portland.
As my courage grew, I ventured out the confines of the Hobbit and began checking out some of the other places to catch live jazz and blues. I remember walking into The Dandelion Pub there in the uptown shopping center off Burnside and NW 23rd and Paul Delay was there blowin' a mean harmonica. I also saw a young Lloyd Jones there (Lloyd being the most underrated bluesman in the area, next to Curtis).
Over the years, I've stayed in tune (pun intended) with the Portland jazz and blues community. I dated one of the most talented jazz singers in Portland for a while, actually going to New York City with her when she was trying to make it there (because, as you know, if you make it there, you can make it anywhere).
There are talented people that come and go, moving on to bigger and better things or just getting out of the business entirely. One person who has always stayed true to his roots is Curtis Salgado. Curtis does the fundementals. He always is performing, writing new songs, touring etc, and Curtis always comes back to Oregon.
I think for a long time, the blues community kinda took Curtis and his talent for granted. It can happen. I think we take classic musicians for granted, that they will always be around and you can just go down to their next gig and check them out then. But, as we learned from the passing of classic jazz man and Portland institution, Leroy Vinnegar, they are not going to be around for ever and we need to show our appreciation to them.
That's why the outpouring of support for Curtis is so heartening to me. This is a man that has given his life to his craft and now we can repay him for sharing that gift with us. His benefit concert was an fantastic event and it was wonderful seeing old friends rallying to Curtis' side.
Those were and are some great times! Thanks Mel, Lloyd, Paul and especially you Curtis!
Moses
ps. a special shout out to Curtis' Band Manager, Mr. Shane Tappendorf. He put that concert together, all behind the scenes. The guy is a consumate professional, as is Curtis. Good job Shane!
Jun 22, '06
In addition for all the good music Curtis has brought to Portland - he had a direct impact on the evolution of "The Blues Brothers" (aka Belushi and Ackroyd). When Belushi was filming "Animal House" in Eugene (circa 1977) - he caught Curtis performing at the Eugene Hotel lounge. After the gig, Belushi enthusiastically flagged down Curtis - and to make a long story short - Curtis ended up sharing his blues library with Belushi. After that, Belushi was sold out to the blues - and ended up helping reenergize the careers of John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin and Cab Calloway - via the Blues Brothers band and film.
All thanks to Curtis...although I'm sure he wouldn't take credit.
Jun 26, '06
I first heard Curtis perform in '82 in Berkeley, and was temporarily rendered speechless. Many years later, I was fortunate enough to become one of his many friends, and I have to say, he is not only a great singer/performer, but also one of the funniest, smartest, most caring people I've ever known. I ended moving to Portland from the Bay Area - what a special thing it was to be able to drive a few miles to hear Curt and/or Lloyd Jones perform! They are truly two of the most underrated musicians around.