(1955) Sun ''Blues At Midnight'' (Take 1) Gene Simmons

STUDIO SESSION FOR GENE SIMMONS AT THE MEMPHIS RECORDING SERVICE FOR SUN RECORDS 1955 SUN RECORDING STUDIO 706 UNION AVENUE, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE SUN SESSION: SATURDAY JUNE 18, 1955 SESSION HOURS: UNKNOWN PRODUCER AND RECORDING ENGINEER - SAM C. PHILLIPS The group carried another lead guitar player early on named Talmadge Hester. You can hear his work on "Blues At Midnight". There's nothing particularly distinctive about the song. It's a standard, if a bit more melodic than most, 12-bar blues. It is Hester's work that marks the group, indeed the recording, as ordinary. The timing is ragged and the lead guitar work, if one can call it that, sounds like a guy who was busy learning his instrument. (Jessie Carter recalls, ''We found out after just a few weeks that Carl was a much better guitar player than Hester was''.) Gene added that Hester's lead guitar role probably occurred at the very time that Carl was making the transition from mandolin to electric guitar. Perhaps Hester would develop into a competent musician, but there's no evidence of it here. Sam Phillips was operating on blind faith at this point. As Carl adds, ''We were obsessed with going in there''. The group made many trips to Memphis: sometimes to record, sometimes simply to watch and listen and mingle. (HD) "BLUES AT MIDNIGHT" Composer: - Gene Simmons Publisher: - B.M.I. - Copyright Control Matrix number: - 2548 - Take 1 - Not Originally Issued (2:33) Recorded: - June 18, 1955 Released: - 1985 First appearance: Sun England - (LP) 33rpm 1019-1 mono ROCK-A-BILLY BLUES Reissued: - 2007 Bear Family Records (CD) 500/200rpm BCD 16758-8 mono GENE SIMMONS - THE SUN YEARS PLUS Name (Or. No. Of Instruments) Gene Simmons - Vocal Jesse Carter - Bass Carl Simmons - Guitar Talmadge Hester - Guitar © - 706 UNION AVENUE SESSIONS - ©