Up until just a few years ago, Leo Bud Welch was living in a disheveled shack in Mississippi’s Hill County without plumbing or electricity as depicted in the documentary Late Blossom Blues, chronicling Welch’s life. It was released last Spring and has been highly awarded by three prestigious organizations. At age 81, Welch released his first record, the gospel-oriented Sabougla Voices followed a year later by I Don’t Prefer No Blues. Welch literally took the world by storm, playing throughout the U.S. and Europe, saying, “I’m doing things I never thought I’d do. I never thought I’d get to play outside of Mississippi or travel to other countries… I’m also keeping all my bills paid up to date, which I couldn’t do before.”
In one sense Welch was a throw-back to those great Hill Country albums of RL Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, as he played with a guitar garage-blues style, full of fuzz, distortion and visceral rawness. In another sense, his style was completely unique in that no one else ever fused gospel and blues like Welch did. It’s the latter that makes up The Angels In Heaven Have Done Signed My Name, ten songs drawn from the 25-30 songs that were recorded at Dan Auerbach’s studio in Nashville. Welch released his first two albums on Fat Possum Records, which had previously released early albums by the Black Keys. Fat Possum’s owner, Bruce Watson, made Auerbach aware of Welch. Since the Black Keys have always maintained that their music was mostly inspired by Mississippi Hill Country artists, Auerbach and Welch were almost a pre-destined match.
Unlike Welch’s previous albums, which were very stripped down, this one has Welch mostly fronting a five or six piece band, with as many as three guitarists on some tracks. Welch has his electric guitar in hand for all of them and somehow manages to stay gritty and raw amidst the accompaniment, which also includes background vocalists on three of the tracks. Nashville stalwarts Russ Pahl (guitar), Richard Swift (drums) and Dave Roe (bass), along with Auerbach are part of the band. These are all traditional tunes that Welch grew up listening to and playing locally. Only “I Come to Praise His Name” appeared on his previous material.
Welch is one of the last of the original bluesmen and there’s pure beauty in his raw, unadorned approach. His singing is gravelly, described by some as scorched-oak, and there is nothing refined about his guitar playing. He plays from the gut, what he feels to match the song. There’s no need for showmanship. Listen to the raw power of the opening “I Know That I Been Changed” to the thick Hill Country sound of “I Come to Praise His Name.” There’s an inherent vitality to the music that belies someone his age.
Autobiographical songs are represented by “Don’t Let the Devil Ride” and “I Want to Die Easy,” indicative of the hardships Welch endured. Yet, the man always had a smile and, by all accounts, was remarkably easy to get along with, when he could have just as easily been bitter about his treatment in life. His joy is palpable in “Let It Shine” and “Walk With Me.” Surely, Welch died a happier man, having received recognition for his music in his ninth decade. The closing “Sweet Home,” with just he and Auerbach on slide guitar attests to it.
Considering that Welch and Auerbach recorded more songs than were released here, we may hear from him again. Legends like Welch tend to keep on growing.
