Magic Sam
Posted on 27. Feb, 2010 by Drew in Blues Profiles
Sam Maghett – better known as Magic Sam – is one of the great unsung heroes of Chicago blues. His distinctive style bridged the gap between the classic, stripped down sound of Chicago blues and the more polished R&B sounds of the 1960s. The result was an energetic and charismatic style that was unforgettable.
With the exception of his outstanding rendition of “Sweet Home Chicago,” Magic Sam’s songs aren’t that well known, comparatively speaking. This can work to your advantage at jams and open-mics, as you’ll be able to inject some relatively fresh material when it’s your turn to call the tune. And Sam’s songs are fodder for outstanding jamming!
Sadly, Magic Sam died of a heart attack in 1969 when he was only 32 years old; which explains why he never gained the acclaim of some of his contemporaries. He only released two official recordings in his short lifetime.
As mentioned in my “Essential Blues” entry, Magic Sam’s “West Side Soul” is a classic and, if you don’t have it in your collection, you’re missing out. Go get it! Listen to it in the car on the way to work; listen to it in between classes; listen to it while you’re cooking dinner. Fill the house with the sounds of Magic Sam! Absorb his energetic style and think of ways to incorporate it into your own playing.
Not convinced? Check out this classic footage on Youtube:
Yes, that is Magic Sam. He just happens to be playing Earl Hooker’s guitar in the video.
To get that classic Magic Sam sound, set your electric guitar (single coil or humbucker, it doesn’t matter) on the bridge pickup and put a good amount of reverb on your amp. Go for a clean sound here; stomp those distortion pedals off! If you’ve got a delay pedal, you might want to set it up so that it “slaps back”. A little dab’ll do ya. When you hit the mutted strings, you should get that “chick-chick” sound: just like you hear at the beginning of Sam’s classic “I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie)” (which is Sam’s rendition of John Lee Hooker’s classic “Boogie Chillun’”).
Of course, the real sound comes from your hands, your head, and your heart. As far as the notes are concerned, try playing your trusty minor pentatonic box, but incorporate the major third, the flat five, the sixth, and the ninth into your phrasing. Think T-Bone Walker-meets-Chuck Berry. This box, in the key of A, should get you in the right neighborhood:
Your standard minor pentatonic box, in the key of A, augmented with the major 3rd, flat 5, 6th, and 9th notes
Try it while playing along to “I Don’t Want No Woman,” “I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie),” and “Mama Talk To Your Daughter”.
At your next jam, bring some Magic to the party by calling some of these numbers:
- Sweet Home Chicago
- Mama Talk To Your Daughter
- Lookin’ Good!
- I Don’t Want No Woman
- I Feel So Good (I Wanna Boogie)
Good luck, to you. If you’d You can learn more about Magic Sam over at Wikipedia.
Lynwood Higson
Mar 1st, 2010
Hi just came across your site and have been reading some of your entries and just wondering why you chose a WordPress site dont you find it hard to do anything with? Been thinking about starting one.