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Blues music.


Chris Head
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I like Corey Harris very much.

The Blues has now moved on, largely morphing into other forms. There are no real superstars paying at the moment, and to be honest I am out of touch with up and coming artists. But in general I don't see there being many greats. The blues came from a time and a social stratum which largely does not exist any more. Like nineteenth century opera can't be written now.

If you are looking at the various white blues copyists ( the Xerox generation) then I don't have a lot of respect for them. Some, like Clapton, have learned the technique, but the blues isn't about technique, it's about a life expressed in music, and a white boy from Surrey, like Clapton, can practise all he wants but he can never be Fred McDowell. He ought to concentrate on being Eric Clapton.

As for liking other music, well of course. Not Paul Weller, admittedly, but plenty of other forms. You need to see everything else that's on my iPod...

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Do I sense the potential for formation of some sort of music club here ?

Certainly might be interested in the idea when we finally move into to our newly purchased house near Prayssac (46)  hopefully in the Spring when we've sold our UK property.

My music collection currently runs to some 17,000 tracks (110gb) comprised of just about every genre (including Blues) but with the notable omissions of Pop and Country...!

Also have a lot of interesting stuff which I'll guarantee 95% of people have never even heard of.

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Who's being intellectual? My god you read a lot in, don't you?

Your last sentence - designed to sound clever and 'intellectual' - let's do a concept analysis. What is authentic woodwork? Genuine woodwork? Woodwork that is made of wood? Isn't that just woodwork? Or are you ascribing some other meaning to 'authentic'? Such as 'not a copy' - which is pretty much the opposite of what you are advocating.

And yes, it has a Greek root, which is pretty unsurprising as about a third of all English words have Greek or Latin roots, and almost all of our lexicon has Indo-European family derivations, of which Greek is, of course, a part. So your point is what?

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Dear Dick we all acknowledge your passion knowledge and relationship with the blues.  This comes through in volumes!

We all have differing views as to this and that and express them accordingly.  I for one have had an exposure to all things cricket for years and years and years and my thoughts as to the abilities say of DCSC  and FST linked with BS differ enormously from many others including my brother who himself played cricket at a very high level.

Yes I know I am going off 'track' but I am trying to identify that we all and I mean all of are at odds with each other on a whole range of issues.

As to the White Men blues what you are essentially saying is that unless one was born be it the Delta or whatever you cannot ever truly be said to understand the blues and thus and here I do think somewhat disparingly you dismiss Eric and others but throw in Peter Green. I have seen Peter Green was good but did not seem to be with us?

That is akin to saying that unless you were born and brought up in France and in their temples of cuisine that you do not understand per se cookery.  I am sure that there are a few chefs around the world that disagree with you and one with the F word would be at your front door toute suite. Another Nico Landensis would also be there.  Forget the TV chefs such as AWT they are performers not chefs.

However I now have to say that I my wife is withdrawing her petition for divorce in that she fundamentally and totally disagrees with you on Eric Clapton she is so upset that she thought out there that there was a kindred spirit.  She now questions that! And you too from the leafy glades of Surrey

best wishes

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[quote user="Chris Head"]

I love Blues, it's the only music for me when I'm in the 'zone'. My collection is sad and my knowledge poor. What tracks can I download that'll blow my socks off?

 

[/quote]

Hi Chris, you could try Charlie Musselwhite, especially if you like Blues Harp, and also from the UK, Paul Lamb also a very good harp player.[8-|]

best regards

Dave

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[quote user="Clair"][quote user="Chris Head"]You didn't answer my question though! Have you been broken in yet?[/quote]

Well!!! (splutter splutter) [:$], I could not possibly say![:)]

You've re-awakened my ears now and I've been looking at getting more Robert Cray, dust the old Van Morrison and...

Re Chris Rea, through his more commercial success (Road to hell, On the beach), he is not usually associated with blues, but once you've heard Dancing down the stony road, you know where his roots really are.

[img]http://www.websmileys.com/sm/music/musik05.gif[/img]

[/quote]

Surely not the sort of thing to ask a lady Chris......[:D]

best regards

Dave

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You are welcome Chris, while searching around why not have a listen to 'The Jeff Healey Band' and maybe 'Gary Moore' in blues mode. Anyway what's wrong with Paul Weller? His version of  'Walks on Gilded Splinters' knocks Marsha Hunt's version into a cocked hat, but then that is just in my opinion. You asked about Blues to get you into the 'zone' and by and large most have given you suggestions, others it seems would rather ram their opinion down your throat, or should it be ears.

best regards

Dave[:D]

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Hi Dick my wife has composed a response to you and which goes into some details as to the origins of the Blues and which I am told also find their birthright in matters such as Texas Jail Blues Chicago East Coast blues and a whole host of other things and not necessarily the Delta. Indeed it does seem that some of the major players were from Texas and not other states? Do you think it is a better idea to send it to you as a pm or would you prefer it posted here.  I think here but it is somewhat long!

It is not abusive (obviously) it is a difference of opinion and one where White Man blues and John Mayall Eric and Cream's reputations are defended plus a bit on Rory.

A thread on music would to my wife be a wonderful idea.

 

kindest regards

 

 

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I'd love to see it here. I'll defend my stance, of course...

NB for those who aren't getting it - I really like blues-rock, grew up on it, love it, and a lot of the white boys play it superbly. I am a huge fan of Peter Green and Ry Cooder. The blues, however, isn't that - it's something else on top. It has an extra dimension which middle-class white boys can't access.

I agree about the panhandle as well. My introduction to the blues was the delta.

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]Ah, Bessie Smith. Once the highest-paid woman singer in the USA. Apparently the stories of her death aren't true.
Do you know/like the work of Ma Rainey?
[/quote]

Really?

What is the the new version?  I've never heard anything else besides the nasty story about the accident and the rest ..... typical of the South.  Please tell.

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I read somewhere (vague I know) that the story of the white hospital turning her away wasn't true.

This is from Wikipedia: "On September 26, 1937, Smith was severely injured in a car accident while traveling from a concert in Memphis to Clarksdale, Mississippi along U.S. Route 61 with her companion (and Lionel Hampton's uncle) Richard Morgan. She was taken to Clarksdale's segregated Afro-Hospital and her arm was amputated, but she never regained consciousness and died that morning."

Apparently the white and 'colored' hospitals were only a mile apart, and no ambulance driver would have taken her to a segregated hospital in those circumstances.

The 'myth' seems to stem from an attempt to build up her posthumous record sales, and a play with civil rights overtones written in 1960.

The Wikipedia page is well worth a read. The page on Ma Rainey isn't as good.

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]Oh Dave, why not say what you mean? After all, we mustn't have opinions, must we?

I actually quite like the Paul Weller version, it's on my iPod, I just wanted to get Marsha's version as well...  sorry.

[/quote]

There's me thinking that I had said what I meant, as to Paul Weller and Marsha Hunt you may do well to read your own postings in which you had said that you were looking for the version by Marsha Hunt, I found it for you and offered it to you but you chose not to reply. say what you mean Dick, you are looking for it but only from people in your club? I just know that you will either ignore this posting or say something sarcastic and intended to hurt, so go ahead either way is OK I will survive.

best regards

Dave

PS my apologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes that may cause offence, this is not intended.

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Sorry I didn't reply - actually it slipped my mind due to the arrival of my new DVD recorder. I thought (and still think) it was a kind thought, but you do read a lot into things which aren't there.

I actually intended to contact you off-forum and arrange for a transfer, as I thought you might not want your address revealed, and I was going  to send a blank CD for you to burn it on to, as you had offered.

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[quote user="Dick Smith"]Ah, Bessie Smith. Once the highest-paid woman singer in the USA. Apparently the stories of her death aren't true.
Do you know/like the work of Ma Rainey?
[/quote]

I've heard of her but I don't think I've any of her music. 

What's the story on her - I love hearing about their lives they are so colourful and it's hardly surprising that their music is so real with all they've been through. 

Janis expressed her suffering when she sang - but I must admit that I don't hear the same thing when the white boys do it however fantastic they are. 

Blues for me is hearing and feeling the sorrow and pain and even the joy of the person performing.  If you haven't been through it personally it won't come through however good a performer you are.

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Thank you! Someone else who hears that! I agree about Janis, too, she may be an exception, and that may be in part due to her Texan background.

Ma Rainey simply has a fabulous voice. She was no looker - certainly not, but the voice was strong and hard. She was a tent singer, and as one article I saw says, historians have found no real evidence of the blues before her. She is an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Often called the “Mother of the Blues,” Rainey is credited with the

rise in popularity of blues music at the beginning of the 20th century.

She was also known as the “Gold Necklace Woman of the Blues” because

she carried her wealth in gold dollars on a chain. The child of

minstrel show performers, Gertrude Pridgett took to the stage at 14. In

1904, she married Will “Pa” Rainey and together they performed as the

Assassinators of the Blues. She sang for more than 20 years before her

recording debut in 1923. Although her recording career lasted a mere

six years, she recorded more than 100 songs, including “Bo-Weavil

Blues” and “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom,” supported by the likes of Louis

Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, and Louie Austin. In the 30s, when

female blues singers became less popular with audiences, Rainey retired

to her hometown. Her obituary described her as a housekeeper but her

recording legacy continues to influence successive generations of

musicians. Inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1983

and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, she was honored on a U.S.

postage stamp in 1994"

Find some music of hers, please! Remember as well that she was singing in the days before the blues and jazz had finally made their minds up about who went where!

There are about 150 of her tracks at the iTunes store.

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