In 1999,
Fred Ford, a legend in the Memphis, Tennessee music community, was in poor health and facing a punishing amount of medical bills. A group of local musicians and fans were setting up a benefit concert to help
Ford and his family, and the organizers asked
Alex Chilton (who knew and had worked with
Ford) to play the show. When
Chilton said he didn't have a band in Memphis who could back him up, they sealed the deal by promising that
the Hi Rhythm Section -- the elite Memphis session musicians who had backed
Al Green on his 1970s classics -- would play with him. The concert was recorded for posterity, and more than two decades later,
Chilton's set was released under the title
Boogie Shoes: Live on Beale Street. This gig was clearly meant to put
Chilton in his comfort zone, which at that time meant he didn't play any of the
Big Star or
Box Tops classics fans might hope for. In fact,
Chilton didn't play any originals at all that evening; instead, he breezed through ten rock and R&B oldies, with no run-through before the gig. In the hands of another band, this might have spelled disaster, but
the Hi Rhythm Section sound utterly unfazed by this situation -- they hit an effortless groove on each and every number, with
Maybon "Teenie" Hodges (guitar),
Charles Hodges (keyboards),
Archie "Hubie" Mitchell (keyboards),
Leroy Hodges (bass), and
Howard Grimes (drums) generating a rich, warm sound that fits these songs like a glove. (
Chilton also brought along a horn section, and
Jim Spake,
Roland Kirk Smothers, and
Scott Thompson do more than their share to give the songs some swagger.) Of course, the job of a session musician is to help the artist they're backing sound good, and
the Hi Rhythm Section did just that. Well-known for sometimes being uninspired on-stage when things weren't quite the way he wanted,
Chilton sounds like he's having the time of his life on
Boogie Shoes. His vocals are potent, impassioned, and joyous, his guitar work is deliciously rough and ready, and his interaction with the musicians suggests he was thoroughly enjoying working with a band of this caliber. As a performer,
Chilton prized spontaneity and letting the music happen in the moment, and
Boogie Shoes: Live on Beale Street catches him on a night when he and his band for the evening were clearly in high spirits, and it's one of the best live
Alex Chilton releases to appear to date. ~ Mark Deming
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