"An Excellent Example Of Talented People Being In The Right Place At The Right Time"
Article Reprint from the
May, 2002 BluesNotes
Article by Ken Condit
Photos by
Bob
Byrd
In August 2000, I was working the CBA booth on Sunday at The Bite. One band performing that day particularly caught my ear. It was The Cannonballs, a group of veteran performers who were making their debut together as a band. I wasn't able to see the musicians from the booth, but was enjoying the Boogie, Rhythm and Blues, and other roots music sounds they were laying down. What really caught my car was the singer with the higher-pitched voice. The distinctive vocals of Lloyd Allen, firmly rooted in old-fashioned Rhythm and Blues and Soul music, have a way of capturing the listener's attention. His vocals are also representative of the path that The Cannonballs were creating for themselves, distinct and yet rooted in American music traditions.
Formed about a month before the gig at The Bite, The Cannonballs are an excellent example of talented people being in the right place at the right time. When the quartet of Allen, David Vest, Jim Miller and Marty Henninger got together, none of them had anything major going on in the music profession. But, from their first jam in Jim's living room, the group sensed a common musical bond and a strong chemistry. Henninger, the group's drummer, calls their meeting "serendipitous." Despite diverse backgrounds, they shared an interest in what they term roots music, from Gospel to Rhythm and Blues to traditional Country to Boogie. They also shared the common goal of participating in a collaborative effort in which each of the members would contribute material and sing, both individually and in harmony.
It was Miller, the band's bass player, who had been looking to
form a new band. Miller and Henninger had both been
working the local Country music circuit in separate bands. The Portland
natives had met in the early 1970s, but followed different paths and hadn't
played together since then. Miller didn't think Portland was
a suitable market for another Country group, so his plans for a new band hadn't
gone anywhere until he heard Allen performing with Norman
Sylvester at Good In The `Hood. Impressed with the talent
of this "kid", Miller was surprised to learn Allen
wasn't already hooked up with a band. He was also surprised to discover
the youthful-looking Allen had been performing professionally
since the 1950s.
Meanwhile, keyboardist David Vest had sat in with Miller and Henninger at a private party and, as Henninger puts it, tore the place up. A newcomer to Portland, Vest had moved from Houston, Texas where he had refined his uninhibited boogie piano style. A style that seems to adhere to the notion that the keyboard responds best when treated roughly. Given Vest's talent and impressive credentials, an invitation to the informal jam at Miller's place was an obvious call.
According to the band members, it took only about an hour of playing and singing together during their first jam for them to realize they had something real going on and The Cannonballs were formed that night.
The Cannonballs distinguish themselves from many bands by featuring mostly original tunes. Creating, arranging and rehearsing original songs takes a lot of energy and time, but they are managing to pull it off. They are willing to take turns as lead performers and also mesh well together when performing as a group. Each has the talent to lead their own band, but their affinity for similar musical styles and their desire to work as a group has pulled them together. In short, their collaborations seem to help them channel their creative energy.
Another distinctive feature of The Cannonballs is the presence of four members with the vocal skills to sing individually and as a group. As Miller points out, nothing seems to capture the audience's interest more than strong vocals and, when a group joins together in voice, the force of the music seems to be multiplied. An excellent example of this is the Gospel-style a cappella number that Vest wrote, "Worryin' About The World." The quartet delivers the tune with an understated energy that just can't be duplicated with instruments.
The Cannonballs material is an interesting blend of roots musical styles expressed in original contexts. The styles of Allen and Vest are an interesting contrast, complementing each other well on stage. Allen's restrained guitar work and vocals differ starkly from Vest's raucous piano playing and singing. They switch from slow Blues to up-tempo boogies and back to soulful Rhythm and Blues without missing a beat. The Country backgrounds of Miller and Henninger can take the group in a whole different direction, yet the two have no trouble shifting gears and returning to the Blues and Roots Rock.
While Miller, Allen and Henninger have resided in Portland most of their lives, Vest has chosen a far more circuitous route to his present circumstances. Originally from Alabama, he traveled to Tennessee where he backed Tammy Wynette and wrote songs for her to record. He subsequently made his way to Europe, more specifically Romania, before venturing to east Texas.
Growing up in northern Alabama, a short distance from everywhere, he was
influenced by a broad spectrum of music. On the radio, he listened to Bluegrass
and Country music being broadcast from the north, whereas the Black stations
from New Orleans and surrounding areas offered up the Blues, Gospel, Jazz, and
related traditional styles. Although Vest had gotten into
Boogie Woogie and Swing before moving to Texas, it was there that he benefited
from an increased exposure to Barrelhouse and Boogie piano from such giants as Big
Walter `The Thunderbird' and Floyd Dixon. Vest
also lists the late Katie Webster as a key influence in the
development of his craft.
While in Texas, Vest performed with legendary Blues shouter, Jimmy `T99' Nelson, who performed Vest's composition, "Meet Me With Your Black Dress On." Vest also had the opportunity to perform with Nelson's mentor, Big Joe Turner. It was Turner who paid Vest the honor of comparing him favorably to Turner's former partner-in-Boogie, Pete Johnson.
Allen is a native Texan, but left long before Vest moved to the Lone Star State. As a boy in the 1940's, Allen moved with his family to Vanport after his father got a job with the Union Pacific Railroad. The Allen's were fortunate to be out of Vanport before the devastating 1948 flood.
Lloyd was one of 15 children, which proved to he a boon to their church. The family put together three separate quartets to sing gospel during services. Allen continues to sing in church and he has even brought the rest of the band in to perform.
Allen's first professional opportunity came at the early age of 13 or 14. The owner of Paul's Paradise in North Portland had heard of Lloyd and asked him to fill in. However, his parents, who also sang in church, held a dim view of professional musicians and they didn't want their children to have anything to do with that dubious way of life. The club owner had to beg Lloyd's parents to let him play and Lloyd had to promise he would stay away from drugs. His parents relented and he kept his promise by passing any drugs he was offered on to other band members.
Besides Gospel, Rhythm and Blues has played the largest role in Allen's musical development. During the 1950s and early 1960s, he performed popular songs by Charles Brown, Ray Charles and Sam Cook. He also mentions Mose Allison and Stevie Wonder as major influences.
For most of his adult life, music has been Allen's only source of income. He spent close to 10 years with the Vibratones during the 1950's and early 1960's. His professional career was sidetracked in the `60s by a stint in prison, but during that time, he also started writing music and working on arrangements. He also taught other inmates to play guitar. Over the years, Allen has performed with many famous artists, including appearances with Johnny Otis, Charles Brown, B.B. King, Nancy Wilson and Dinah Washington. During the 1990s, he took to performing solo at private parties and dinner clubs.
Henninger has lived in Oregon his whole life, yet his musical influences are as varied as those of Vest. His parents both played and sang Jazz and listened to Classical music; but as with most teens, for Henninger, Rock and Roll ruled in the 1960s. And like many others, his interest in Rock led to harder stuff, the Blues. Then in the 1970s, while at a commune in Southern Oregon, a friend turned him on to traditional Country music from the 1940s and '50s, an event that wound up having a major influence on his career. It was also while he was at the commune that he took to songwriting.
After finishing high school in Portland, Miller felt the need to travel to California and while there worked with a variety of bands in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Miller hooked up for a couple stints with Iron Butterfly, gigs that Miller points out were not the highlight of his career (no kidding). He returned to Portland in 1980 and played with The All Night Cowboys during the 1990s.
In addition to being blessed with tremendous songwriting, singing and instrumental talents, The Cannonballs are also skilled at promotion. It was no fluke that The Cannonballs had been hired to play at The Bite two years ago. Nor is it mere coincidence that the band seems to be getting a lot of publicity just as they are preparing to release their first CD. Miller is an events coordinator who helps produce The Bite and the Waterfront Blues Festival. He has plenty of experience at getting the word out and putting the show on the proverbial road. Vest does his off-stage part by maintaining the band's website at: www.thecannonballs.com, and writing articles about his experiences. Allen and Henninger prefer to let their performances and compositions do the promoting. That approach definitely works for the whole band.
© 2002 Cascade Blues Association