Let’s end the suspense here and I’ll tell you this is a 4.99 on the STLBluesometer.

If you love the blues – Buy This!
If you want to learn about the blues - Buy This!
If you think you already know about the blues - Buy This!
If you just love a great story about a terrific person - Buy This!

The “Golden Triangle” in and around Port Arthur Texas (Janis Joplin and many others) steams, literally, with outstanding music, and feelings, and soul. This is where the tap root of Clifford Antone is grounded. This man and his woman began an unbelievable legacy for the blues, and touched every great blues player and singer from its birth in 1973 until today. The humblest of storefronts in Austin, TX, on a dirty, rough 6th street, where Clifford Antone sold imported clothes.

But the story was in the “back room” (as it often is when the blues is involved) where he had a roomful of equipment and a fridge full of beer. A natural magnet for blues players. Soon the dumpy old 6th Street store was “howlin’ “ with the best in blues. Not just the Austin Port Arthur crowd but within weeks an unheard of pipeline to Chi-town had the town and blues world buzzing. Buddy Guy asks at Antone’s on night, “Who’s left to play in Chicago tonight?”

The opening night heralded Clifton Chenier, Percy Mayfield and Sonnyland Slim. Soon there was Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Jimmy Reed, Luther Tucker, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, And Hubert Somlin just as bedrock for the hundreds of biggies in blues who did a gig a week or more at Antone’s. Snippets by these greats and laced with cool interviews by many, many greats some even before they were heard of.

At 126 ½ minutes into the DVD there is a holy moment, a solo by Pinetop Perkins, guaranteed to rip at your soul. This may be worth the entire DVD for my money.

Anyway you can tell I really dig it and recommend it to everyone. Watch it when you can pay attention as it demands your eyes, ears, and soul. But it rewards your heart.