Walter Wolfman Washington & The Roadmasters
Boom Boom Room
San Francisco, CA
13 July 2000 

  1. Roadmaster Funk
  2. Glass House
  3. Leave It Alone
  4. Funk Time
  5. Southern Comfort - skip ~ 00:45
  6. Use Me
  7. A Feeling Inside- skip ~ 4:45
  8. Funk Is In The House
  9. Outro > Announcer
  1. Set II: Chicken
  2. Mary Ann
  3. Doin' The Funky Thing
  4. Nobody's Fault But Mine >
    I Must Have Done Something Wrong
  5. Blue Moon Rising
  6. Ain't No Love In The Heart of the City
  7. Hey Pocky Way
  8. Steal Away
  1. Feel So Bad > Outro > Announcer
  2. Set III: Hard Work
  3. Close To Me
  4. Georgia
  5. Ain't Nothin' You Can Do
  6. The Things I Used To Do
  7. I'm In Love???? - some skips
  8. ????
  9. You Can Stay But The Noise Must Go //


Walter "Wolfman" Washington - guitar and vocals
Jack Cruz - bass, vocals
Larry Carter  - tenor, alto sax
Wilbert "Junk Yard Dog" Arnold - drums, percussion
Luca Frederickson - keyboards
Dave "Bonecrusher" Woodard - trombone

I hesitated to put Walter "Wolfman" Washington on my "blues" list. He plays some blues but he is really more of a New Orleans funkster who's managed to create a voodoo gumbo of blues, funk, gospel, jazz and soul.  Wolfman is more like a blues version of James Brown rather than a funk version of Howling Wolf.  I think Wolfman often gets labeled as a blues artist because of the famous namesake - Howling Wolf.  But Wolfman is not another blues person riding on the coattails of Howlin' Wolf. In fact, there are few similarities between the two. Howling Wolf played Delta and Chicago stylings while Wolfman plays more in the traditions of his hometown, New Orleans.

Washington got his professional start in the late 1950s, supporting famed blues singer Johnny Adams. In the '60s, he worked with other New Orleans R&B legends such as Irma Thomas and Lee Dorsey before forming his own band. He released his first album in 1981 and by then, he'd secured a massive word of mouth reputation due to his years of club work.

Washington's impassioned vocals, while sloppily done with poor enunciation, sounds more like Wilson Picket's soul and James Brown's crisp funk rather than the traditional blues groan. And his guitar often stutters along in pure James Brown funk mode. Multiple horns (ala JB Horns) add to his funky stage show.

So is there anything spectacular about Wolfman and his shows? My opinion is "no". He's a solid perfomer who's crafted his own show and sound but it' not unique or especially memorable. Frankly, his ability to slur practically every word during some songs is quite irritating. He's a good solid journeyman but I don't find myslef reaching for Wolfman or his shows very often. 

return