Right Hand Man Volume 2 - Chuck Norris

johnaalex
May 6, 2025
5 min read

Right Hand Man Volume 2

Chuck Norris

Released: May 2025

Record Label: Koko Mojo

Reviewed by Andy Brodie 18 April 2025

Charles Eldridge Norris was born in Kansas city in 1921 and raised in Chicago. And, no he didn’t famously fight Bruce Lee in ‘The Way of the Dragon’, that was the other Chuck Norris. Charles Eldrige ‘Chuck’ Norris was a first call session guitarist during the Late 1940’s and the 1950’s in and around Los Angeles. Also a singer in his own right Chuck cut a few sides which featured him as lead artist. Three of these appear on this disc. The Swedish rock band The Chuck Norris Experiment claim to have taken their name from the guitarist, who recorded his last album The Los Angeles Flash in their home city of Gothenburg in 1980.

Members of the Band;

Various, though, as you would expect, Chuck is on every cut.

There are 28 tracks on the album, I have chosen a number of stand outs to discuss

The CD opens with Frank Haywood and Monroe Tucker's Band‘ - ’You Gotta Give It Up, Here we get some fine fills and responses from Chucks overdriven guitar floating on the swinging band!

Jimmy Witherspoon's When I Had My Money features a great, upfront, reverb free, blues solo reminiscent of the great Peewee Clayton.

On Roy Hawkins - Wine Drinkin Woman Chuck lays down a stinging blues solo over an infectious lurching flat tyre groove

Floyd Dixon Trio - I ll Be Lonely is a haltingly swinging slow blues to which Chuck adds another fine solo and a shedload of textbook fills. (Guitarists learn these now!)

Little Willie Littlefield - Hit The Road is one of those roots rockers that stops you in your tracks, great performances all round with another killer Norris lead break.. The Los Angeles Flash is in the zone.

Chuck Norris & His Band - Rockin After Hours. This Raw, swinging track by Chuck and his boys demonstrates some fine interplay between Norris and Maxwell Davis on the saxophone

Pearl Traylor - Come On Daddy. On this track you can hear why Chuck Norris was a first call session man at the time. His carefully crafted guitar lines add energy and interest to a track full off horns without getting in the way. Great stuff

Little Willie Littlefield - Lump In My Throat. This excellent slow blues features Chuck playing what producer Ronni Boysen describes as great, deep Blues guitar. He ain’t wrong, and it’s the perfect foil for Littlefields authentic vocals.

Percy Mayfield – Louisiana. Chuck is barely heard in this mesmerising track by the writer of ‘Hit the Road Jack’… but what a groove! An instrumental version appears later on the disc as ‘Cool Caravan’. Surely a nod to Duke Ellingtons hypnotic masterpiece.

The next two tracks were on a single recorded for Cat records and Atlantic subsidiary in 1953. According to Ronni Boysen ‘Floyd Dixon was recording for Cat Records, an Atlantic subsidiary when he introduced Norris to Ahmet Ertegun. Ertegun requested a quick thing' from Norris in the studio. The record did not receive any backing for promotion and did not gain the traction it deserved.’

Chuck Norris - Messin Up. This is the first of the cuts that feature Charles ‘Chuck’ Norris on vocals and its straight up Rhythm and Blues thats swings like it should.

Chuck Norris - Let Me Know. A lyrical slow blues showing that Chuck can sing as good as any of em and play a blues solo better than most of em!

Riot in Cell Block #9. This is the original version of Leiber and Stoller’s song recorded by the Robins that has since been covered by many groups including Wanda Jackson and Dr Feelgood! The staccato feel brings to mind Muddy Waters Mannish Boy which was recorded a year later in 1955. Mike Stoller tinkles the ivories and of course our hero Chuck is on guitar, though Wikipedia credits Barney Kessel with that chair. Maybe they were both there?

Linda Hopkins - Three Time Loser. Norris gives this swinging blues a cracking solo matched only by Linda Hopkins Ballsy vocals.

Composed by Tenor saxophonist Lorenzo Holden, Whipped Cream is a flat out R&B instrumental. Chuck’s concise, trebly guitar adds punch to a great band.

Etta James - The Wallflower (Roll With Me Henry). You can barely hear Norris on this track, but according to Ronni ‘listen carefully, and you'll hear some cool rhythm playing!’. However you want to listen, it’s Etta, it’s a killer track!

Dinah Washington - Don’t Hold It Against Me. Big band blues doesn’t come any finer than this and Chuck ands some bangin’ fills to a fab vocal delivered by Miss Dinah!

Rollee McGill - People Are Talking (Pt.2) This is Rockin’ Rhythm and Blues readers, and it opens with Chuck Norris preaching the gospel of dirty guitar! Get on down!

The Rivingtons – Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow , A very well known novelty track that makes it onto the compilation because it features Chuck on bass.

The CD ends with Johnny Guitar Watson’s Sweet Loving Mama. Both Chuck Norris and Johnny Watson were, at one time members of Johnny Otis’s band and they appear here together on a great West Coast blues number recorded in 1962.

Summary

If you already have Right Hand Man Vol 1 then I am pretty sure that you will be looking to add this CD to your collection. If you don’t, then buying Vol 2 will probably lead to buying Vol 1! Yes, I like it. This is a beautifully curated collection of great Rhythm and Blues knowledgeably chosen by producer and ace guitarist in his own right Ronni Boysen. United by the appearance of ace session guitarist Charles ‘Chuck’ Norris, each track stands on it own and that’s the mark of a great compilation. Chuck Norris, aka 'The Los Angeles Flash, died on August 26, 1989, in Tustin, Orange County, California.

Track List

1.Frank Haywood- You Gotta Give It Up Apollo 1004 (1946)

2.Jimmy Witherspoon- When I Had My Money Modern 20-699 (1949)

3.Percy Mayfield w/ Monroe Tucker & His Orchestra- Two Years Of Torture Supreme 1543 (1949)

4.Roy Hawkins- Wine Drinkin Woman Modern 20-765 (1950)

5.Floyd Dixon Trio- I’ll Be Lonely Modern 20-761 (1950)  6.Little Willie Littlefield- Hit The Road Modern 20-775 (1950)

7.Roy Hawkins- Just A Poor Boy Modern 20-777 (1950)

8.Chuck Norris & His Band- Rockin After Hours Aladdin 3081 (1951)

9.Ira Amos- Blue and Disgusted Modern 20-817 (1951)

10.Pearl Traylor- Come On Daddy Okeh 4-6822 (1951)

11.Little Willie Littlefield- Lump In My Throat Modern 837 (1951)

12.Percy Mayfield- Louisiana Specialty- 432 (1952)