Twin Cities produces fine R&B singer

by Jim Trageser
This review first appeared in the Spring 1993 edition of Blues Revue Quarterly magazine (now Blues Revue).

Percy Strother, from the Wisconsin/Minnesota neck of the woods, is a blues/R&B crooner in the mold of Little Milton or Johnny Adams. This release, on the regional Blue Loon Records, features lots of horns, tight arrangements and some very soulful singing.

Strother's songwriting (he wrote all ten songs) is nearly as strong as his singing, with "A Good Woman Is Hard to Find" and "I Made a Good Woman Go Bad" being particularly good.

While Strother is listed as guitarist, there are also four others listed, and the sound and style of the lead guitar changes so drastically from cut to cut that it seems unlikely that Strother plays much lead here. Of those who do, the quality varies widely, with some very good and others barely passable. Organist Virgil Nelson deserves kudos, though, for some fine keyboard work.

Overall, this is a very good recording, with Strother coming off as good as his better-known contemporaries on Malaco Records. This is strong evidence that there's a viable, vital blues scene happening in Minneapolis/St. Paul.