Artist  Joe Beard 
Album Title  Dealin' 
Date of Release  Aug 15, 2000  
Genre  Blues 
Styles  Modern Electric Blues 
  
In the blues world it's OK to be a late bloomer, and when it came to 
recording, Joe Beard was exactly that. The charismatic singer/guitarist, 
whose influences range from Jimmy Reed to Lightnin' Hopkins, worked "day 
gigs" when his kids were growing up and didn't start to build a catalog 
until he was in his fifties. Blues lovers who heard Beard's AudioQuest 
dates of the '90s found themselves saying, "Hey, this guy is very talented; 
why haven't I heard of him until now?" And, of course, the answer to that 
question is that his nine-to-fives and family life had kept him from being 
a full-time bluesman. But when his kids reached adulthood, the Mississippi 
native turned Rochester, NY, resident had more time to devote to music. 
Recorded in April 2000 (when he was 62), Dealin' is Beard's third CD for 
AudioQuest and underscores his ability to handle a variety of electric blues 
styles. Beard's appreciation of Reed and the Chicago blues is evident on 
gutsy, rough-and-tumble tracks like "Give Me Up and Let Me Go," "My Eyes 
Keep Me in Trouble," and "The Bitter Seed," a Jimmy Reed classic. Like Reed, 
Beard favors a gentle and laid-back style of singing but still has plenty of 
grit and doesn't mind having a tough, hard-driving band behind him. Meanwhile, 
"Holding a Losing Hand" and "If I Get Lucky" (both Beard originals) go for 
the sort of moody, shadowy, haunting ambiance that often worked so well for 
Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. This isn't to say that Beard is going out of his 
way to emulate Reed, Hopkins, Hooker, or anyone else. Dealin' shows who some 
of his influences are, but it also reminds you that Beard is an appealing 
bluesman in his own right.
 - Alex Henderson 
 
    1.   The Bitter Seed (Reed) - 3:00 
    2.   You Don't Love Me Anymore (Cobbs) - 4:51 
    3.   Just Like a Fish (Woods) - 3:07 
    4.   Life Without Parole (Beard) - 7:40 
    5.   My Eyes (Keep Me in Trouble) (Hap) - 2:55 
    6.   Holding a Losing Hand (Beard) - 3:06 
    7.   Give up and Let Me Go (Smith) - 5:12 
    8.   Three Day Love Affair (Beard) - 5:00 
    9.   Making a Fool Out of Me (Beard) - 2:40 
    10.   Long Tall Shorty (Abramson/Covay) - 3:05 
    11.   That "So-Called" Friend of Mine (Beard) - 6:45 
    12.   You'd Better Be Sure (Allen) - 2:51 
    13.   If I Get Lucky (Beard) - 4:09 
 
 
Duke Robillard  -  Guitar 
Bruce Katz  -  Piano 
Joe Beard  -  Guitar, Vocals 
Jerry Portnoy  -  Harp 
Bernie Grundman  -  Mastering 
Per Hanson  -  Drums 
Joe Harley  -  Producer 
John Anthony Brisbin  -  Liner Notes 
Jean Hangarter  -  Photography, Cover Photo 
Michael C. Ross  -  Engineer 
Hillary Weiss  -  Art Direction, Design 
Aaron Franz  -  Assistant Engineer