Taking the stage around 9:15 the band unloaded both musical barrels and peppered the crowd with a blues blast that would continue well past midnight.  Mark Wenner’s harp blowing was as sharp as ever as he guided the band from one song to the next.  Pete Ragusa’s drum set had to be hurting by the end of the night.  His command of the music’s beat sounded like a no-miss mechanical pulsation.  Paul Bell played his beat-up Telecaster like a man on a serious blues mission and revved it up on every song.  Keeping the sound anchored nice and low on bass was Johnny Castle.  The Nighthawks’ top-notch music machine was recently overhauled and tuned-up with the addition of two new members and running loud and smooth as always.  It was a great show by any standard.

Their set list included the Soprano’s theme song ‘Woke Up This Morning’, Patsy Cline’s ‘Walkin’ After Midnight’, ‘Blind Love’ and ‘Pretty Girls and Cadillac’s’ to name a few.

The band has evolved over the past 30 years amid a number of personnel changes.  Original alumni, harp player extraordinaire front man Mark Wenner and drummer Pete Ragusa are still planted firmly in place. The most recent changes in the band occurred in 2004 when long time bass player Jan Zukowski and guitarist Pete Kanaras stepped out.  Mark and Pete, however, were not ready to give it up and recruited Johnny Castle and Paul Bell as the two newest members, and haven’t missed a beat since.  Both Castle and Bell are veteran players from the Washington D.C. area.

Castle’s resume includes time played with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, John Lee Hooker and Elvin Bishop.  He was Bill Kirchen’s bass player for over ten years in Kirchen’s band Too Much Fun as well.  I’m not as clear on Bell’s background, but his guitar playing fits the Nighthawks like a glove.

The Nighthawks were joined on stage by Howlin’ Wolf’s guitarist Hubert Sumlin Friday night.  Sumlin’s contribution to American blues music is now legendary.  He has been cited as a major influence by many artists including Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmy Page.

Just about every rock and roller today owes something to Hubert Sumlin.  He is one of the last classic blues players from the musical era that showcased such greats as Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf.

As a boy growing up in Greenwood, Mississippi, Sumlin first met Howlin’ Wolf (Chester Burnett) by sneaking into a performance.  By the early 1950’s Sumlin’s guitar playing was being noticed on the blues scene and Howlin’ Wolf invited the young Hubert to play guitar in his Chicago-based band.  As the lead guitarist in Burnett’s band from the early 1950’s until 1980, Sumlin was able to cement his name in American blues music.

Sumlin highlights his playing with lots of noodling sojourns.  At first his off-the-cuff strumming and picking may sound a little disjointed, but somehow he is able to bring it all together and wrap it up into a classic sounding package.  He can still play some wicked lead riffs but will readily defer to whoever is on stage with him.

Vocals are rarely heard from Sumlin, but Friday’s crowd was treated to more than a few gems that included the classics ‘Sittin’ on Top of the World’, ‘Spoonful’ and ‘If You Hear Me Howlin’.

Sumlin’s renewed energy and vigor following a recent surgery to remove one of his lungs is nothing short of amazing.  I saw him three years ago with the Nighthawks as well as in Dallas in 2004 and he sat down to play for most of those sets.  No more sitting down on the job for Hubert.  This time there was not a chair in sight.

Hubert’s love for life and his music was evident in the evening’s energized show and onlookers could easily tell that he was perfectly within his element playing with the Nighthawks.  Everyone in the house couldn’t help being affected by Hubert Sumlin’s enthusiastic performance.

Catch The Nighthawks and Hubert Sumlin if you can.  They are some of the true few.