by Pat Krqmer

illama Laura Gelebrates40 Years ln the Blues Buslness

irder normal circumstances, the title,"Mama's Boy" wouldn't win youany respect. However, if you're a

blues musician fromLos Angeles, "Mama'sBoy" signifies you've earned approval fromone of the foremost authorities on the blues:"Mama Laura" Mae Gross of Babe &Ricky's Inn, L.A.'s oldestblues club, voted#3 in L.A. Magazine for Los Angeles' BestBars.

As the 83-year old original owner/founder of Babe and Ricky's Inn, MamaLaura has built a fervent blues followingthatcrosses intemationallines. It's the resultof 40 plus years of club ownership and alove for the blues that helped sustain herbusiness during hard times.

"What's mostuniqueis herrelationshipwith her musicians," says documentaryfilmmaker Russell Brown whose half-hourfilm, "Mama Laura's Boys" premiered atthe Tribeca Film Festival and was broadcaston KCET following director MartinScorsese's acclaimed Blues tribute series.(Email: mamalaurasboys @ aol.com).

"The musicians look up to her so muchand love her. If you talk to the musicianswho have gone through there. [they'll tellyou thatl she's been an inspiration to them.She gives them something they can't findanywhere else."

Brian Young (Brian Young and theBlues Station) is one of Mama's proteges.Although Mamarefers to Young as her son,the two only met in 1991 when the guitarplayer showed up for a blues jam. "At thattime, Ihadtwojobs andhad stoppedplayingguitar for 15 years," says Young. "Sherealfy helped motivate me and show methat I could do this. In 1999, Young's bandwon "Best Blues Band in SouthernCalifornia at the Irvine Lake Battle of theBlues Bands.

"Mama knows the blues and she makessure it's done the way it's supposed to be.I've seen her tell a lot of guys, 'That's notthe blues, son. It don't go like that.' If it'stoo loud she'll tell you, "You don't have tobe loud to be the blues."'

"She's a straight shooter," saysJonathan Hodges, the club's co-owner."She's been watching the world comethrough her doors for some 40 years and

that's been her life. She was born in 1920and has seen most of the major bluesperformers cross her stage."

Bom in Vicksburg, Mississippi in 1920,Laura Mae Gross grew up around music.Her father was a minister and her brother, adrummer but since she couldn't caffy atune, she decided to have a club of her ownwhen she was old enough."

It 1944, Laura and her late husband,Riley, moved to L.A. where the jazz scenewas flourishing on CentralAvenue. Abarberby trade, Riley loved jazz whlle Mamaprefered the blues. Their dreams endedsuddenly in 1954 when Riley was robbedand killed on his way home from cashinghis paycheck. Fifty years later, Laura stillchokes up at the memory.

To survive, Laura began cooking her,now famous, southern fried chicken with arecipe she acquired from former employerHazel Kaiser.It 1957 , she opened her firstbusiness, "Laura's Bar-B-Q" in Watts andran it for six years until drugs and crimeforced her to close.

A year later, Laura opened her ownblues club at 5259 Central Avenue whichshe later named Babe & Ricky's Inn - afterher son and nephew. For 32 years, the clubthrived at that location becoming the home

to many famous blues players.Mama remembers, "All the guys: B.B.,

Albert King, Little Milton, T-Bone Walker,Bobby Blue Bland - all the big name bandswould come to 'kick back' and hang outwith me when they wasn't playing andthey'd crash at my place. They knew Iwasn't able to pay them but they still cameto play."

The list of legendary musicians alsoincluded Duke Ellington, Big MamaThornton, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, LittleEstherPhillips, AlbertCollins, Eric Clapton,and John Lee Hooker, to name a few. Overthe decades, Bill Clark and the MightyBalls of Fire and singer Mickey Championhave kept the club's tradition alive but it'sLaura who has made it all happen andeveryone who walks through that doorknows if you don't show her respect, youdon't belong there.

"Laura's the one who encouraged meto stick with it and play," says JohnnyMastro of the namesake band, "Mama'sBoys," voted "BestL.A. Blues Artist,2003"by the L.A. Music Awards and "BestSouthern Califomia Unsigned Blues Band"by Doheny Blues Festival.

"You have to play a certain way to getapproval; you can'tjust throw a lot of notesout there, you can't fake it. It's not aboutfancy licks - it's your approach, yourattitude. Laura needs to hear the soul behindthe music. If it moves her, you know you'redoing okay. She's provided this trainingground and she teaches you things aboutlife, how to deal with band members and beon time. She's like a musical mother."

"What I tell them," says Laura, "is justwork hard at it, just try hard and make goodmusic. I teach them don't mess with dope,put your instruments ahead of every lady,and don't mess with the groupies."

While her love for the music has builta sffong following, Mama's business hassurvived with the help of some veryinfluential friends. In 1993, a snafu withASCAP almost closed down the club whenan audit determined she owned about$25,000 in royalties for the songs played onher hand-penciled jukebox. When the news

@

& ffa*Cue s*arg*#*#s6###'ee #ef,#&see#

#effiweffiwffiw,f*rd*,g ffim,* ffi $

:s*g$8&t

WWffiffiM@WffiffitrffiWffi

location: 4339 LeimertBoulevard in 199'7 . Just off the110 Freeway (Martin LutherKing Blvd. exit) or the 10(Crenshaw exit), the new spacemore than doubled the space ofthe old club and is in a secure,African-American businesssection.

With her silent partnertaking care of the fees andlicensing and her influentialfriends helping with the bills,Mama continues to function as

the club's manager appearing atthe club from opening tillclosing. Though many havehelped the club stay in businessthrough the years, it's Mama'sstrength andpersonality that hasensured its survival.

Bluesman Deacon Jones (ofJohn Lee Hooker/Freddie King/Curtis Mayfield fame)remembers the night MamaLaura saved a man's life at theold club in 1991 after two bluesplayers got into an argument.

"This guy had been sitting

in with the band that night, a saxplayer, and somehowhe gotintoan argument with another guy.Well he left but 15 minutes later,he was back and he came intothe club, pulled out this revolverand said he was going to kill theother guy."

"Laura, she's got a lot ofnerve. She jumped straight upand backed him out the doorand said, 'You aren't going toshoot anybody in my club.'"

"I couldn't believe my eyes.It was like something out of a

movie except it was real life. Itgotreal quietin the club, nobodymoved. Everybody wasshocked, stunned, you name it.We were all watching her. Shestood right in front of that gunand everything he said, she hadan answer to. She never hesitatedwith her words. Finally, he leftand when it was over, we wereall so grateful to Laura for doingthat. Any one of us could havegotten shot."

Since opening at the new

E S # PF4$$xcd{*,eS+ - $S#t#s{*4Fxturs &ss+s ffi*sdfuSSH-S#S-?* f q - wteH,*.&+?#Hs4{s$€.d4s#4

l{rrSr*n***Every Friday

@,;@,..,,','=g*l::1S, &' t?::,*u* 4:&,':5,,::.1?,3&-5,3* : '' ''

,Wffi@{*$&.ryW:$*t , $l,rt 18'1213il:S:i3g:i

,,&..sg€kt tlong€effivffiSf Eed

ffis::r.:;;,fo'lofu€SS$ry&$s*&*xSSal24-6.3q-g

* u * s&! ?#g$*3t we*s*g*&!

MAMA LAURA from page 8

*u*ffi-rrL ru

Wffiffidt

ffiffi

ffiw:w* ...-.:dw#ii,...siwffi:.;.;..$w

ffiffi&W{ Wk#ffi

ffiffiffil:*gblffiWGFffihK itrlsffiffire@:lffiWI

ffiffiffi

&*IrilifsSw*e*$at ?']2r30-5r:10

hit the papers, help came swiftlyfrom the world famous, R & Bsongwriting team Lieber andStoller. The dynamic duo notonly settled the debt but havesince paid Babe & Ricky'sannual ASCAP dues of $945.00.Mama notes with friendshipwith the two saying, "I've gottwo millionaires who slip memoney and I have other businessmen who help me pay theplayers."

After overcoming thatcrisis, Mama Laura was forcedto close down the club in 1996when drugs, crime, and a rentincrease hit hard in 1996. Herswas the last club to leave theCentral Ave. music circuit. Butjust when it looked like the end,help came from one of her own:Jonathan Hodges, a part timemusician and movie industry prooffered to become her partnerandhelp her find a new location.A year later, Babe & Ricky'swas reborn at its present

Iocation, Mama continues tomaintain law and order at herclub. She doesn't allow anydisrespect toward herself orother patrons.

"I think, what Laura hasdone over the years is reallyimportant culturally for the LosAngeles area," notes Hodges."The fact that she's not retiredand still goes and does her thing,at age 83, is the best thing she

could have done. She has areason to get out of bedeveryday. She's a living pieceof history and her life has beenof great significance to manypeople."

Babe & Ricky's Innprovides live blues musicThursday through Monday. BillClark & the Might Balls of Fireare the house band Fridays &Saturdays, Mama's Boys playevery Thursday, and Mondaysare jam night with the freechicken giveaway for a $5.00cover charge.