| Jo´Buddy: His Story |
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| JO´ BUDDY (=Jussi Raulamo) was born 22nd of July in 1966 in Suomussalmi, Northern Finland - situated beside the Russian border - surrounded by bears & wolves. He is the second oldest of eight children! "My parents were educated music teachers and they sang and played together all the time at home and I grew up surrounded by what I heard. They said I could sing before I learned to speak. "My earliest childhood memories are when I was big ebough to hit the piano ivories. Naturally, music has been following me everywhere since." |
| Back in -73 just before his 7th
birthday the family moved to Tampere, a southern town, and that same
year he started to take classical piano lessons. In the year
of -80 he heard wild rockin´ singers & piano players like
Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and right after that he quit his classical
piano lessons ...and started to hang around and play Rock´n´Roll.
And soon he really started to pay attention to rockin´ guitar players
like Paul Burlison with Johnny Burnette R´n´R Trio, Roland
Janes w/ Jerry Lee Lewis & Billy Lee Riley, Santo&Johnny, Scotty
Moore w/ Elvis , Eddie Cochran, Cliff Gallup w/ Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins,
Joey Long w/Sonny Fisher, Chuck Berry, Mickey Baker w/Joe Clay, Buddy Holly,
Brian Setzer w/Stray Cats and of course Finland´s Pride the late
great Onni Gideon.... He really wanted passionally to start to play guitar.
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(Photo by Seppo Louhi)
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"I started skipping school for checkin´ out & listening to 50´s rock´n´roll records at the local record stores. It didn't take long before I also started paying attention, checking out - & in the end - fell into the 40-50´s amazing rhythm´n´blues masters music represented by Louis Jordan, Roy Brown, Wynonie Harris, Big Joe Turner, Tiny Bradshaw, Doc Pomus, Smiley Lewis, Fats Domino, Ray Charles as well Arthur Big Boy Crudup & John Lee Hooker. I tried to figure out how to play guitar at music stores all around the town where I spend a couple of whole school days out of every school week. I already knew it then - that was was my personal high school". |
| CITY SHAKERS:
Soon after high school in January -83, he joined and made his deput performance as a lead singer in the Rockabilly & Rock´n´Roll band "CITY SHAKERS". It was led by Jouni Joronen, by that time a guitarist/ singer (who gave Jo´ Buddy´s first guitar lessons and 13 years later joined Groovy Eyes as a keyboard player), but after a couple of good gigs the band unfortunately broke-up. THE FIRST GUITAR & RECORD
SHOPPINGS:
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| "I started to spend all my money to revolutonally inspiring records by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Rogers, Sonny Boy Williamson 1&2, Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Junior Parker, Bobby"Blue"Bland, Howlin´Wolf, Dr. Ross, Joe Hill Louis, George "Harmonica"Smith, Big Walter Horton, Slim Harpo, Pat Hare, Hound Dog Taylor, Nat King Cole Trio, Eddie Boyd, Charles Brown, Ivory Joe Hunter, | |
Howard ´Louie Bluie´ Armstrong and Jo´ Buddy at "house party" in Boston, Mass, November 1997. |
Django Reinhardt, T-Bone Walker, Pee Wee Crayton, Clarence"Gatemouth" Brown, Charlie Christian, Lonnie Johnson, Teddy Bunn, Eddie Durham, Saunders King, Tiny Grimes, George Barnes, Kenny Burrell, Bill Jennings, Bill Doggett, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Jimmy Bryant & Speedy West, Roy Smeck, Sol Hoopii, King Nawahi, B.B. King, Guitar Slim, Johnny Guitar Watson, Earl King, Snooks Eaglin, Albert Collins, George Benson, Bo Diddley, Professor Longhair, Huey Piano Smith, Ernie K-Doe, Eddie Bo, Lee Dorsey, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, |
| Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Staple Singers, Dixie Hummingbirds, Sam Cooke, Highway Q.C.´s, Billy Ward & The Dominoes, The Five Royals, Little Willie John, Hank Ballard, Ann Cole, Percy Mayfield, Roy Milton,Ike Turner, Little Milton, Eddie Taylor, Freddie King, Earl Hooker, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Albert King, Robert Ward,Steve Cropper, Little Johnny Taylor, James Brown, Otis Redding, William Bell, Rufus Thomas, Sam & Dave, Syl Johnson, O.V. Wright, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie Orchestra, Jimmy Rushing, Joe Williams, | |
| Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy Lunceford Orchestra, Lionel Hampton, Beny More, Perez Prado, Big Bill Broonzy, Jazz Gillum, Washboard Sam, Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, Buckwheat Zydeco, Milton Brown & his Brownies, Bob Wills & Texas Playboys, Leon McAloiffe, Link Davis, Willie Nelson, Asleep At The Wheel, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Lightnin´ Hopkins, Frankie Lee Sims, Lonesome Sundown, Guitar Gable, Guitar Junior, Cookie & The Cupcakes, Juke Boy Bonner, Lightnin´ Slim, Lazy Lester, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmie Vaughan, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Marcia Ball, Hollywood Fats, Mighty Flyers, Junior Watson, Steve Samuels, | 
Jo´ Buddy with Lynwood Slim (singing), Fred Kaplan (keyboards), Larry Taylor (bass) and Richard Innes (drums) in Anaheim, California, October 1997. |
| William Clarke, Phil Alvin, Los Lobos, Neville Brothers, John Mooney, Bob Dylan, Lonnie Mack, Ry Cooder, J.J. Cale, John Hiatt, Tom Waits, Nathan Abshire, Beausoleil, Bruce Daigrepont, Johnny Hodges, Hot Lips Page, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Eddie"Lockjaw"Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, S.E. Rogie, Sunny Ade and countless others. After listening to those great timeless originals I really begun to hear way down inside what I wanted to do with my voice and guitar." | |
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ONE O´CLOCK
HUMPH:
In May -85 he started his first own band ONE O´CLOCK HUMPH (named after an instrumental tune by Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson) as a leader & guitar player / lead singer. The band was co-rounded with his old friend Petri Pylvänen who headed to play drums. "Our vision was to mix-up our personal favorite styles together: some Jump Blues, New Orleans Rhythm & Blues, Doo-Wop, Jamaican Ska, Zydeco and Memphis Soul with a big line-up including: horn section, keyboards, percussion, backing vocals and everything". |
| After couple of years
of searching right players & months of rehearsals they started
to play gradually at Tampere´s university's student parties &
local clubs becoming the hottest new act in town!
Soon they made their deput 45´s record for Bluelight label. It reached top-ten # 4 on the Finnish Chart! And then SONY Music signed-up them to their EPIC-label and they released a couple of 45´s and their deput "Mambo Gumbo"-album in -92. | 
With One O´Clock Humph at Towne House, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, June 1995. |
With One O´Clock Humph 1989, one of the earliest pics of him on stage. |
The following year Bluelight released their second "I Don´t Want To Lose You" album. And soon they toured at clubs, festivals, TV, in Estonia, Canada and a dosen times in Sweden. They also opened up among others for Illinois Jacquet Big Band, Maceo Parker & Horny Horns, Defunkt, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Pirates... In -96 they released their long time awaited third "Beyond the Blue" album on Bluelight at last. Featuring among others: New Orleans legend Oliver "La-La" Morgan, W.C. Handy-Prize Winner T.J. Wheeler. "I stayed with One O´Clock Humph until June - 98 & decided to quit the band as friends. I felt like 13 years was enough to stay with a big 9 piece band. That experience was my longest course in the "university "in good and bad". |
| "In spring -89 I packed
my suitcases to travel to the Deep South of USA. I started from NEW
ORLEANS where I saw the blind "Human Jukebox" SNOOKS EAGLIN
three times. His approach and repertoire just killed me time after time!
"After those helluva experiences I felt like I found a big missing part
inside of me."
Next stop was in Lafayette, LOUISIANA where he checked out local Cajun & Zydeco acts and finally quit his vegetarian ways for Cajun Cuisine. |
Bill Sims, Jo´ Buddy and Ismo Haavisto. |
Jo´ Buddy with Third Degree at Joe´s Generic Bar, Austin, Texas, May 1990. |
Then he headed to Austin, TEXAS, where he joined a local band called Griswalds, later Third Degree, led by late Stanley Anderson on harmonica & his wife Joyce on bass. "They didn´t learn to say my Finnish name Jussi so the next day they started to call me "JO´BUDDY". We played at local clubs all over in Austin for one week. We became very close friends and I visited them again, also on my stops in Austin in -90 & -91. We gigged at barbeque parties e.t.c. all over in Texas." |
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"In early -96 while I was just in
the beginning of starting to play solo gigs, one clear day I got a letter
from Austin.Tx. with sad news: the one of my very best friends STANLEY
ANDERSON passed away. Right after that I started officially to use JO´BUDDY
as an artist name as a tribute to Stanley".
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| In early- 90´s he also started
to check out more and more older school's acoustic and electric guitar
pickers, box slappers and slide wizards like Mississippi John Hurt, Sylvester
Weaver, Tampa Red, Blind Blake, Son House, Blind Willie Johnson, Leadbelly,
Reverend Gary Davis, Li´l Son Jackson, Mississippi Fred McDowell,
Elizabeth Cotten, Robert Nighthawk, J.B. Lenoir, Jesse Thomas, Robert Wilkins,
Pops Staples, Robert Pete Williams, Mance Lipscomb, Ali Farka Toure...
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Lefty Willie, Bob Brozman & Jo´Buddy. |
 Jo´ Buddy under the Californian sun (1997). |
In fall -97 he made his seventh trip in USA & CANADA and his deput tour as JO´BUDDY ! He performed in Boston & Newburyport,MASS., Portsmouth,NEW HAMPSHIRE, New York City & Long Island, NEW YORK, Toronto, CANADA, Chicago, ILLINOIS, Dallas, TEXAS, Minneapolis, MINNESOTA, Los Angeles, CAL., New Orleans & Lafayette, LOUISIANA, Memphis, TENN., & Clarksdale, MISSISSIPPI as solo and with local bands... And THE REST IS HISTORY !!! |
Jo´ Buddy & Charlie Musselwhite at Rauma Blues / Sea Cruise in Finland 2004. (Photo by Tapsa Nero) |
 Tapsa Yliaho, Timo Strömberg, Kim Wilson & Jo´ Buddy. |
 JO´ BUDDY with a special guest WALTER "ROOTSY" HOPMANS on Harmonica at Bontte Paard, Laren, Holland Sep. 16th, 2004. |
 Charlie Musselwhite picking Jo´ Buddy´s Klira guitar. at Rauma Blues, Finland, 2004 (Photo Tapsa Nero) |
 Jo´ Buddy & Big Al Blake at At Renaissance, Dana Point, California May 2007 (Photo Alice Vieira) |
 At Renaissance, Dana Point, California May 2007 Lynwood Slim, Jeff Turmes, Jo´ Buddy, Jim Washburn & Jeff Scott (Photo Alice Vieira) |
 Jo´ Buddy & Larry Taylor at Doheny Blues Fest, California, May 2007 (Photo Tapsa Nero) |
 Lynwood Slim, Jo´ Buddy & Jeff Turmes at Renaissance, Dana Point, California, May 2007 (Photo Tapsa Nero) |
 Jo´ Buddy with Junior Watson at Renaissance, Dana Point, California, May 2007 (Photo Tapsa Nero) |
 Jeff Scott, Jo´ Buddy, Junior Watson & Rick Holmstrom at J.R.´s House Party, Los Angeles May 2007 Photo: Tapsa Nero |
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