In 1973, when Barrelhouse first came together as “Barrelhouse Bailey's Blues & Boogie Band,” the musicians already had years of experience under their belts. Barrelhouse Bailey himself was none other than Han van Dam. It was his stage name in the Oscar Benton Blues Band, where Jan Willem Sligting was known as Jay Walker. The LaPorte surname also stems from this period and isn't the real last name of brothers Guus and John. The Oscar Benton Blues Band, along with Cuby & the Blizzards, was the premier blues group in the Netherlands in the late 60s and early 70s.
Han and Jan Willem had worked together before, first in the Haarlem-based Han van Dam Trio in the early 60s, and again in the Smoke Town Stompers, a reference to the smokestacks of IJmuiden on the Dutch North Sea coast.
Guus, and later John, joined them in the Oscar Benton period. First on guitar, and then on bass, taking over from Jan Willem when the latter temporarily switched to drums.
When the Oscar Benton Blues Band split up in 1973, the drummer at the time, Art Bausch, went on to work with Smyle, a group from The Hague with hit potential. Oscar joined forces with Monica & the Voices of Freedom, who worked primarily in Germany. Han, Jan Willem, and John had plans for a new blues band and were looking for a drummer. With the help of Andrй Valkering, who Han knew, they heard about Bob Dros, then member of the hard-rocking Head over Heels, formerly the Frogs (of Castricum, the Netherlands). Bob, who got his start in the Typhoons in 1962 (on the island of Texel, in the Netherlands), provided accompaniment to Andrй's boogies in the Uilenstede dorm where they both lived (in Amstelveen, just south of Amsterdam). Everyone went to go see Bob play at a session in Castricum. After a particular fill, John is said to have declared, “He's the one.” But with a background steeped in the Beatles, the Stones, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin, the new drummer had a lot of homework to do on blues rhythms like the shuffle. Jan Willem gave a lot of demonstrations on drums, and Bob was given tapes of O.D. Paine, Fred Below, and Mick Fleetwood to listen to. This enthusiasm and effort was a great help and motivation for him. John: “You don't always have to play your high hat precisely in line with the snare, Bob.”
Guus wasn't a part of Barrelhouse in the early days. He was too busy terrorizing the North Country with his band Snake. The four original members in 1973 were Han on piano, Jan Willem on bass, John on guitar, and Bob on drums. Through Han's connection with Job Zomer of Munich Records, early practice sessions took place in an empty house in the town of Herwijnen, a rustic spot with a view of the Waal River. Later, they relocated to Provadja, in the city of Alkmaar. The foursome toured the country for a short time as Barrelhouse Bailey's Blues & Boogie Band with a repertoire of instrumentals (“Sans singin',” as Han would say.) To make up for the lack of a vocalist, they contacted blues singer and guitarist Shakey Sam (the late Simon Vlietstra, from Franeker, the Netherlands) and he did a sort of opening act in the spring of 1974, joining the band when they took the stage after the break. But once Tineke had joined the fray in April, Shakey Sam's role was relegated to the background, and he ended up starting his own group, the Shakey Sam Blues Band.
The four original Barrelhouse guys first heard Tineke sing during a jam session organized by Jan Hupkes at Bruintje Beer in Alkmaar, and they, like so many others, were very impressed. Tineke got her start in the early 70s in Flat Country – a blues band of course. Blues was her passion from the get go. The Blizzards and the Oscar Benton Blues Band were among Tineke's musical idols, so she was really surprised and thrilled when ex-Oscar Benton members asked her to sing with them. At her first few gigs with Barrelhouse at Mahogany Hall in Edam, she only sang 5 or 6 songs with the band. But with the addition of Tineke, the group's definitive sound really started to take shape.
With the girl from Akersloot on board, the band took off. Plans for Han's solo album turned into a self-titled debut album for the band in 1974, at the suggestion of Job Zomer and Martin van Olderen of the Oldie Blues label. It was a productive period in which each gig generated two new ones and the band's popularity grew quickly, as did its reputation as one of the best live acts in the country: full of energy, like a well-oiled machine, and open to influences beyond the blues. The band caught the attention of tenor sax player Hans Dulfer, who for years would regularly join the band onstage. Dulfer formed a more or less fixed duo with trumpet player Jeff Reynolds, and highlights of their collaboration with Barrelhouse can be heard on “Beware” and “Got to Get Together” from the 1981 album. Paul Vielvoije from Leiden was also part of the line-up for a several months. There was no shortage of inspiration for new, original material during this period, and albums appeared at roughly one-and-a-half-year intervals.
But you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs. And at the close of the 70s, Jan Willem couldn't be prevented from leaving the band. Hans Oldenburg from Castricum took his place, and was himself later replaced by Roscoe Stallworth from Heemskerk. When Tineke left the band in 1984 for new pursuits with One-Two, Barrelhouse was fronted by a succession of vocalists, including Karin Wielenga in 1986 and Theo Houtkoop in 1987. But the most well-known among them was Jony de Boer who performed with the band for a couple of years after Tineke first left, and recorded several singles and even an album with the band, Every Night in the Week (1985). But it proved difficult to stay inspired without Jan Willem and Tineke around, and the motivation to continue trying gradually faded. One final attempt to draw Oscar into the group in 1987 met with a mixed reaction, and after the first and only gig with him in Bloemendaal, everyone decided to go their separate ways. Barrelhouse was no more.... Tears were shed, but everyone could look back with pride on many productive years, both on stage and in the studio, and on a loyal and enthusiastic following.
Tineke Schoemaker voc
Johnny LaPorte gtr
Han van Dam piano
Guus LaPorte gtr
Bob Dros drums
Jan Willem Sligting bass, accordeon, doublebass
https://www.discogs.com/ru/artist/888970-Barrelhouse
