Q101 The Alternative
Q101 (formerly on Chicago radio @ 101.1 FM) The Alternative - Chicago's New Rock Alternative - Everything Alternative - Chicago's Alternative - Gen X - Generation X
Hubert Sumlin was a blues guitarist with Chicago roots, that helped give Howlin’ Wolf his “Wang Dang Doodle”, and set the bar for a lot of musicians that you see and hear today. Passing from heart failure on December 4th, the waves of his death were felt as far as England.
Born in the Mississippi Delta in 1931, and then moved to and raised in Hughes, Arkansas, Sumlin taught himself guitar. When the 1950’s came around, he came to Chicago, and came across a man named Howlin’ Wolf, and began a collaboration of music that shaped many artists, and genres that you hear today.
Even with music that made people stand up and pay attention, there were still issues. Once, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Hubert came to a show after it was already over. Getting in the car as if nothing happened, Wolf and Sumlin got into a tussle, resulting in Wolf tossing Sumlin down a hill, with Sumlin losing 2 of his front teeth. So is the nature of the beast. But, payback was in the forecast for Hubert’s lost teeth.
A Chicago blues club, named Silvios is where it happened, hitting Wolf square in the mouth, knocking some of his teeth out. After what Sumlin said was “feeling really bad about it”, an apology was made, and they both went back to what they did best, and that was music. Sumlin shaped the desires and styles of a lot of musicians, including Keith Richards and Eric Clapton, both of them throwing their hat in the ring to be part of Sumlin’s grammy-nominated 2005 album “About Them Shoes”.
When word came of his passing on December 4th, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones came forward to pay for Hubert Sumlin’s funeral services. December 12th was a public service at Festa Memorial Funeral Home in Totowa, New Jersey. A private service was held on December 13th in Homewood, IL. It was not specified what part, or if all of Sumlin’s services were paid for by Jagger and Richards, but it’s great to think they were only a “stone’s throw” from Q101 fans.
Hubert Sumlin was an amazing man with a guitar in his hands. His skill and style has been adapted and looked up to by many. It’s always a tragedy when we lose someone bearing this importance on the world of music, but you can learn more about his legacy, and spread the word by going Here, and Here
Joe Simon was born Hymie Simon on October 11th, 1913 in New York, and became the co-creator of Captain America, along with another golden age icon, Jack Kirby. His career in art started when he was the art director for his high school newspaper, progressing afterwards to be an editorial cartoonist all over the state of New York, finally landing in New York City in the later part of the 1930’s.
His first comic industry creation was the superhero called “The Fiery Mask” that was published by Marvel Comics’ predecessor, Timely Comics. Soon after, Simon and Kirby crossed paths, and first collaborated together on “Blue Bolt” #2. Following that, in 1941, they created the iconic Marvel character, Captain America, Featuring their character’s heroic debut in “Captain America Comics” #1, where the cover depicted Captain America hitting Adolf Hitler in the face with quite a swing on Cap’s part.
Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s works were recognized, and known for being dynamic and ingenious, which helped the industry begin to take advantage of comic books and their larger pages, forsaking the small newspaper comics, with numerous different strips jammed onto each page. However, they had to put their careers on the back burner for the service to their country during World War II.
Returning from the war working on titles in the late 40’s/early 50’s, they struggled to become publishers themselves, but never succeeded, being kept down by those that already had the money an means to print and publish. Tired of not getting what was felt to be their due, Joe Simon went after Marvel Comics in court to get his rights for the character he helped create, Captain America. The case was settled out of court in 1969, but Simon went after his character again in 1999, but eventually losing the battle as a result of the 1969 deal.
Simon stayed with his craft for many years, in positions such as editor in chief for his father in law’s comics company, to working for DC Comics.
The story of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby fighting for the rights to the character they created almost parallels that of Jerry Siegel, and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman. Artist/writer/creator owned property was unheard of back then, and had no precedent to favor them, so a lot of the golden agers got a raw deal. However, the fights that Joe Simon and these men started paved the way for the comic industry to make sweeping changes in how things are done, with things like creator-owned property, and making money on public appearances, and signings. Joe Simon toured conventions with his son in the early 90’s with books that he wrote about his life in comics, and was seen as recent as comic cons in 2006, taking pictures with fans, and people dressed up as Captain America. Joe Simon lived to almost 100 years old, and in that time, he may not have won rights to the character he helped create, but he got to see the results of the groundwork him and his peers laid.
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