By Corinne LestchThe Daily Northwestern
Blues musician and Evanston resident Diamond Jim Greene is trying to keep alive a genre of music that evokes hard times in his newest album, “Holdin’ On.”
“I know it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, and I’m satisfied with it,” Greene said. “I hope the public likes it as well.”
Greene, who was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago and moved to Evanston 14 years ago, plays regularly at Chicago blues clubs such as the House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St., and Buddy Guy’s Legends, 754 S. Wabash Ave.
“(Greene) is a nice guy and a good musician,” said Brian Moravec, general manager of Buddy Guy’s Legends. “Chicago’s a tough city. There are a lot of great musicians, especially blues, and the fact that (Greene is) playing here shows that he’s better than a lot of people.”
Greene said he likes the crowd at Buddy Guy’s and the sound system at the House of Blues, but his “absolute all-time favorite places to play” are in Europe.
Greene has played at the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland, the Moulin Blues Festival in Holland, the Dresden Blues Fest in Germany and has performed in the Chicago Blues Festival several times.
“(The festivals) bring something special and different out of each one of us who perform,” Greene said.
Many musicians from the ’50s and ’60s inspired Greene, from blind street singer and guitarist Arvella Gray to classic rock icon Jimi Hendrix, he said.
“The street musicians were really the ones who captured my attention,” Greene said.
He was a young boy in the late ’50s when he noticed street performers such as Gray, but his dream took shape at age 17 after he saw Hendrix play in Chicago.
“I went out and bought an electric guitar. I just came home with it one day, ” Greene said.
Greene said his parents didn’t want him to play blues, especially when he switched from electric to acoustic guitar, but he continued to pursue his dream.
“The last thing they want to be reminded of is the kind of images blues music conjures up: hard times, slavery, hustling, racism. They want to forget all that,” Greene said.
Greene dabbled in electric bands but said they didn’t seem right for him. At the height of his frustration, Greene met John Cephas and Phil Wiggins, a harmonica and acoustic guitar duo. They became influential mentors, and Greene started playing acoustic guitar primarily after he met them.
“When you play acoustic, a lot of times you get to hear, see and feel someone pouring his soul out,” Greene said.
Greene has played solo for about 20 years,but picked up the nickname “Diamond” with an acoustic quintet called the Blues Ambassadors. The band was playing at a Southern California club in the late ’80s when a woman removed her diamond earring and stuck it in the middle of Greene’s hat.
“The stage light hit that diamond so you could see everything except for my face,” Greene said. “So the guys in my band gave me the name.”
Greene has four recordings, and his newest can be found on his Web site, www.diamondjimgreene.net, and at the Italian Coffee Bar, 1549 Sherman Ave.
“I admire what he does,” said Italian Coffee Bar owner J.D. Casas. His brother, co-owner Christopher Casas, pursued Greene about his new CD, and they decided to make it available for sale at the bar.
“That ’50s style Delta blues coincides with coffee bars, and we thought it was cool,” Casas said.
“I enjoy playing for anybody that appreciates good acoustic blues music,” Greene said. “(Blues) really should be put on a bigger stage.”
Reach Corinne Lestch at [email protected].
