the blues

One soul and one blues tune

On the train yesterday I overheard a conversation. A young lass was talking about some competition she and her band were in. They had to pick one soul and one blues tune. I have no idea what it was all about but it got me a thinking about what tunes I would choose if part [...]

BB King Recieves Medal of Freedom

BB King has been awarded the Medal of Freedom. At 81 BB is starting to finally slow down. I know he is on his final tour of the US but I am not sure if he will do a world tour. Which would be a shame as it would be nice to see him a [...]

Lefty Dizz - Live in Europe

A way back I wrote on remembering a great but largely unsung Chicago blues great, Lefty Dizz. Via The Blues and Then Some some live Lefty Dizz.

Ain’t It Nice To Be Loved: Remembering Lefty Dizz

Excuse the following bit of self-adulation but I’m setting something up here. When I was in LA a mate commented on my guitar playing as follows. You play out of tune but somehow you make it sound good. I assure you that it wasn’t damning via faint praise. It was the atonal blues experiment vindicated! There was [...]

Sacred Steel

I ain't a religious man. But if I had to get down on my knees and pray I wouldn't be praying in no dreary manner that seems to afflict most churches. I'd rather be testifying in rambunctious church full of people testifying the gospel via music. And not that insipid, overfawning, self-important, milquetoast music you [...]

Got A Letter This Morning 2.0

I have totally revised Got A Letter This Morning and reposted it at Larvatus Prodeo. Got to edjumacate the masses. Part 1 and Part 2.

Death Letter - R n R D Podcast 2

Welcome to the second Rock n Roll Damnation podcast. In this podcast I look at the musical history behind Son House’s Death Letter. One of the great blues performances of all time. Part 1 (9.1 MB) Part 2 (9.5 MB) Also, based on my notes and research, I have a companion post Got A Letter This Morning. The piece [...]

Got A Letter This Morning

A companion piece to the R n R D podcast Death Letter. With an almost matter of fact delivery Son House delivers the opening line to ‘Death Letter.’ The simple statement is followed up by the question “whaddya reckon it read?” The tragic denoument of “It said, hury hurry. The gal you love is dead” sets [...]

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