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Soul brothers all! They've got it covered!
Jimmie Rodgers: T for Texas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIBmGZxAhg
Jimmy Reed: Big Boss Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di1-bB1w4wM
Jimi Hendrix: Red House
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TZeCntatHQ
James Brown: I'll go crazy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znbF1Eo58xM
Jimmy Tarlton: The Weaver's Blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekjSHUNODdg&feature=related
Jimmy Rushing: Jimmy's Blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNVu3JGfjH8
Homesick James, Crossroads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JYLDcYWtdI
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Friday, 2 July 2010
Sonny Boy Williamson
Scenes from a blues pilgrimage: the grave of Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller) near the Whitfield Baptist Church, near Tutwiler, Mississippi.
Note the harmonicas and whisky bottles which had been laid on the grave.
Is there a greater record than Sonny Boy's "Help Me"?; it was backed with "Bye Bye Bird".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELLV-qzSgIo
I first saw Sonny Boy perform in 1964. He featured in an article ("Blues and The Absurd"), my first on the subject of the blues, in that year. Reading it now, I am struck by its rather earnest and philosophical (pretentious?) tone, as it was full of references to Sartre, Camus, James Baldwin, Colin Wilson, Samuel Charters and Jacques Demetre. I was obviously still very excited about my discovery of the blues some years before, and about the opportunity to see and meet some of my favourite blues artists!
I'm trying to make London my home, Sonny Boy Williamson
Sonny Boy in England
More in England (after Big Joe Williams)
Van Morrison must have liked Help Me too
From the Archives: John Lee Hooker
Listen to John Lee's personal message!
As John Lee told me on another occasion:
"Nowadays it don't matter what nationality you are- if you got it, you got it. Because you find more young people now singing the blues- all nationalities. It don't matter if you're coloured or white, or Indian or Mexican, if you've got the know-how, if it's in you and you've got the feeling, you sing the blues... You find a lot of white people were born with soul, just like we were- you won't find it in many of them, but there's a whole lotta them born with soul and won't sing nothing else but the blues".
No More Doggin'
Lightnin' Hopkins
Cool video of Lightnin' Hopkins on YouTube.
Goin' Down Slow
Many years ago (1964), I asked Lightnin' about a blues he'd composed following his flight over to Europe, the one in which he begs "Mr. Aer'plane Driver" not to let his aeroplane fall out of the sky. Was it meant to be humorous?
"No boy. That song were deadly serious. Poor ole Lightnin' have never bin so afraid."
The more I fly, the more I've come to agree with Lightnin' about the risks of air travel.
He wasn't in the mood for talking much on that occasion:
"I'd like to talk, but you see, I've got big troubles on my mind."
But he joked across the dressing-room to Sleepy John Estes:
"Hey Sleepy, yuknow if the blues was whisky I'd stay drunk all the time."
Lightnin' was every inch the bluesman. He wasn't pretending.
Thursday, 1 July 2010
Bagehot
Is it true that people were once reluctant to quote from the writings of Walter Bagehot because of the difficult pronunciation of his name?
Bagehot is pronounced ba'juht or baj-uht.
I look forward to reading the blog to be written by The Economist’s new Bagehot, who starts next week.
Bagehot is pronounced ba'juht or baj-uht.
I look forward to reading the blog to be written by The Economist’s new Bagehot, who starts next week.
UK Foreign Policy Shift, William Hague
William Hague made an important speech on UK foreign policy today:
http://www.politicshome.com/uk/article/10540/william_hague_declares_shift_in_foreign_policy_%28full_speech%29.html
Here's an extract (italics are mine):
Turkey is Europe’s biggest emerging economy and a good example of a country developing a new role and new links for itself, partly on top of and partly outside of existing structures and alliances and is highly active in the Western Balkans, the wider Middle East and Central Asia. We will make a particular diplomatic effort to work with Turkey, starting with a major visit by the Turkish Foreign Minister to Britain next week at my invitation.
The case for the UK embracing the opportunities of the networked world is very strong. We are richly endowed with the attributes for success. We are a member of one of the world’s longstanding global networks - the Commonwealth – which spans continents and world religions, contains six of the fastest growing economies and is underpinned by an agreed framework of common values. The previous Government appeared oblivious to this aspect of the value of the Commonwealth, not even mentioning it a strategic plan published in 2009. We are also the world’s sixth largest trading nation even though we comprise just 1% of the world’s population; second only to the USA in the amount of money we invest abroad and perennially outward looking and intrepid in nature. One in ten British citizens now lives permanently overseas. We have unrivalled human links with some of the fastest growing countries of the world, whether it is the millions of our own citizens who boast Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage, our close links with Africa, or the 85,000 Chinese students currently being educated in Britain or at UK campuses in China. This is giving rise to a new generation with contact with the UK, its language, culture, norms, and associations and growing networks that we should cherish and build on. The English language gives us the ability to share ideas with millions – perhaps billions - of people in the biggest emerging economies and – if we so choose – to build networks across the world. It is staggering that in India 250 million school and university-aged students – four times the entire population of the United Kingdom – are now learning English. This underlines the essential importance of the work of the British Council and the BBC World Service, which give Britain an unrivalled platform for the projection of the appeal of our culture and the sharing of our values.
http://www.politicshome.com/uk/article/10540/william_hague_declares_shift_in_foreign_policy_%28full_speech%29.html
Here's an extract (italics are mine):
Turkey is Europe’s biggest emerging economy and a good example of a country developing a new role and new links for itself, partly on top of and partly outside of existing structures and alliances and is highly active in the Western Balkans, the wider Middle East and Central Asia. We will make a particular diplomatic effort to work with Turkey, starting with a major visit by the Turkish Foreign Minister to Britain next week at my invitation.
The case for the UK embracing the opportunities of the networked world is very strong. We are richly endowed with the attributes for success. We are a member of one of the world’s longstanding global networks - the Commonwealth – which spans continents and world religions, contains six of the fastest growing economies and is underpinned by an agreed framework of common values. The previous Government appeared oblivious to this aspect of the value of the Commonwealth, not even mentioning it a strategic plan published in 2009. We are also the world’s sixth largest trading nation even though we comprise just 1% of the world’s population; second only to the USA in the amount of money we invest abroad and perennially outward looking and intrepid in nature. One in ten British citizens now lives permanently overseas. We have unrivalled human links with some of the fastest growing countries of the world, whether it is the millions of our own citizens who boast Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage, our close links with Africa, or the 85,000 Chinese students currently being educated in Britain or at UK campuses in China. This is giving rise to a new generation with contact with the UK, its language, culture, norms, and associations and growing networks that we should cherish and build on. The English language gives us the ability to share ideas with millions – perhaps billions - of people in the biggest emerging economies and – if we so choose – to build networks across the world. It is staggering that in India 250 million school and university-aged students – four times the entire population of the United Kingdom – are now learning English. This underlines the essential importance of the work of the British Council and the BBC World Service, which give Britain an unrivalled platform for the projection of the appeal of our culture and the sharing of our values.
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