*Edit* Y'all must've thought I had lost my mind and perhaps I did momentarily...The Mary Mary video is up now :)
The first time I heard these two songs I almost broke down driving down the road on the way to work :) The version I heard of To Close To The Mirror was by Eddie Ruth Bradford and I can't find it anywhere to share it with you, but I did find SoSoBlessed's version and I have to say she does a great job. Yesterday by Mary Mary is a great song, especially if you are going through a particularly trying time in your life. The one here is a great version of it. Eddie Ruth Bradford's version can be found here for mp3: http://www.eddieruthbradfordministries.com/music.html
SoSo Blessed--To Close To The Mirror
Mary Mary--Yesterday
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
M for Mississippi--A Road Trip Through the Birthplace of the Blues
There is a new blues documentary coming out in the fall. Here's the info and the trailer: This timely road movie will explore the thriving underbelly of a dying American art form in the land where it began -- Mississippi.
"Planned as a weeklong journey through the birthplace of the blues, M for Mississippi seeks to capture the proverbial "real deal" in its home where it is most comfortable and authentic -- the jukes, the front yards, the cotton fields. More than just a collection of concert performances, the film will collect the sounds, the images and the feel of both the performers and their native landscape -- an environment essential to their livelihoods and inseparable from their art.
Cultivating the fertile ground between such landmark theatrical travelogues as Buena Vista Social Club and Deep Blues, M for Mississippi aims to appeal to more than just the average blues fan. By showcasing such a fascinating foreign land so close to home, the filmmakers hope to inspire countless others to make their own road trips down Mississippi's blue highways.
For more info or if you would like to contribute to this project by pre-ordering the DVD and soundtrack, please visit: www.mformississippi.com"
Here's another one already done. It's a pretty good representation of the trip we took back in the fall. The first frame of him driving through the Delta is exactly how it t-i-s :) His first statement is exactly how I feel driving through the Delta, except it is the only place in this state where I feel at home.
Southern Road Trip--USA
"June 2008
Photographer Peter Kayafas has long been fascinated by the earthiness of southerners, their hospitality and their hatreds. Peter travels down the South's roads capturing the contradictions of the region.
Kayafas says, "Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker...I'd say that Highway 61 is one of the most historically relevant roads in America" /due to the number of artists and musicians who've travelled along it. Peter and travelling companion Maher uncover many incredible moments, from Big Jack Johnson on his porch playing Catfish Blues, to meeting Joanne Bland who took part in the freedom march led by Martin Luther King in the 1960s."
Embedding has been disabled but you can probably watch it here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bve1QAve6JU
"Planned as a weeklong journey through the birthplace of the blues, M for Mississippi seeks to capture the proverbial "real deal" in its home where it is most comfortable and authentic -- the jukes, the front yards, the cotton fields. More than just a collection of concert performances, the film will collect the sounds, the images and the feel of both the performers and their native landscape -- an environment essential to their livelihoods and inseparable from their art.
Cultivating the fertile ground between such landmark theatrical travelogues as Buena Vista Social Club and Deep Blues, M for Mississippi aims to appeal to more than just the average blues fan. By showcasing such a fascinating foreign land so close to home, the filmmakers hope to inspire countless others to make their own road trips down Mississippi's blue highways.
For more info or if you would like to contribute to this project by pre-ordering the DVD and soundtrack, please visit: www.mformississippi.com"
Here's another one already done. It's a pretty good representation of the trip we took back in the fall. The first frame of him driving through the Delta is exactly how it t-i-s :) His first statement is exactly how I feel driving through the Delta, except it is the only place in this state where I feel at home.
Southern Road Trip--USA
"June 2008
Photographer Peter Kayafas has long been fascinated by the earthiness of southerners, their hospitality and their hatreds. Peter travels down the South's roads capturing the contradictions of the region.
Kayafas says, "Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker...I'd say that Highway 61 is one of the most historically relevant roads in America" /due to the number of artists and musicians who've travelled along it. Peter and travelling companion Maher uncover many incredible moments, from Big Jack Johnson on his porch playing Catfish Blues, to meeting Joanne Bland who took part in the freedom march led by Martin Luther King in the 1960s."
Embedding has been disabled but you can probably watch it here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bve1QAve6JU
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday Morning! Feel Like Some Etta James?
Oh, I love Sunday Mornings! Especially when I have the house to myself :) Enjoy!
Excerpt from Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings(2006)pp.307-308
"Jamesetta Hawkins grew up in LA and San Franscisco, sang in a church choir and made a rowdy debut as a 16-year-old with 'Roll With Me Henry.' Moving from Modern to Chess in 1960, she recorded R&B, pop and soul and had several hits like 'All I Could Do Was Cry,'but for part of the 80's her career was hindered by drug problems. Since then, however, she has reclaimed her position in the front rank of soul-blues singers. Her recording of 'I Just Want To Make Love To You' was a surprise hit in the UK in 1995."
Something's Got A hold on Me--Live!!
Etta James, Keith Richards & Robert Cray--Hoochie Coochie Gal
Rock Me Baby--Yeah! :)
Etta, Chaka & Gladys--Ain't Nobody's Business
Take It To The Limit
Good Rockin' Daddy
At Last
Excerpt from Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings(2006)pp.307-308
"Jamesetta Hawkins grew up in LA and San Franscisco, sang in a church choir and made a rowdy debut as a 16-year-old with 'Roll With Me Henry.' Moving from Modern to Chess in 1960, she recorded R&B, pop and soul and had several hits like 'All I Could Do Was Cry,'but for part of the 80's her career was hindered by drug problems. Since then, however, she has reclaimed her position in the front rank of soul-blues singers. Her recording of 'I Just Want To Make Love To You' was a surprise hit in the UK in 1995."
Something's Got A hold on Me--Live!!
Etta James, Keith Richards & Robert Cray--Hoochie Coochie Gal
Rock Me Baby--Yeah! :)
Etta, Chaka & Gladys--Ain't Nobody's Business
Take It To The Limit
Good Rockin' Daddy
At Last
Friday, June 20, 2008
Repost 6/19/08: Time for Some More Blues
Y'all should know by know that I can't go very long without a blues day :)
I can not believe this but I just discovered Norma Jean Bruso! Found her over at Cahl's Juke Joint: A rock, blues and jazz blog. "To say that Bruso has a big voice is an understatement. In the album's liner notes, Koko Taylor says Bruso sounds just like she did when Taylor was young. That's not far off."
Here you go:
Can't Shake These Blues
Then imagine my delight when I found this very endearing video about Pinetop Perkins!
Pintop Perkins at Glen Echo Down in Mississippi
Then...as much as this goes against my grain in oh so many ways there was a time in my life when it came in very handy. Think upstairs neighbors, constant bitching, fighting, even during sex, which was very loud. Oh and their bedroom was right above ours. We used to get up at 5am to get ready to go to work, bleary-eyed because they kept us up all night and crank this up as loud as it would go. I don't think they ever got the message but it made us feel better :)
George Thorogood--You Talk Too Much
Then my all time favorite George Thorogood song...second husband's band used to sing it just for me every night at least two sets...it fit...I had so much fun with that one, got married on matching harleys in handpainted harley t-shirts...to bad he turned out to be stone-psychotic-crazy :)
Bad to the Bone
I can not believe this but I just discovered Norma Jean Bruso! Found her over at Cahl's Juke Joint: A rock, blues and jazz blog. "To say that Bruso has a big voice is an understatement. In the album's liner notes, Koko Taylor says Bruso sounds just like she did when Taylor was young. That's not far off."
Here you go:
Can't Shake These Blues
Then imagine my delight when I found this very endearing video about Pinetop Perkins!
Pintop Perkins at Glen Echo Down in Mississippi
Then...as much as this goes against my grain in oh so many ways there was a time in my life when it came in very handy. Think upstairs neighbors, constant bitching, fighting, even during sex, which was very loud. Oh and their bedroom was right above ours. We used to get up at 5am to get ready to go to work, bleary-eyed because they kept us up all night and crank this up as loud as it would go. I don't think they ever got the message but it made us feel better :)
George Thorogood--You Talk Too Much
Then my all time favorite George Thorogood song...second husband's band used to sing it just for me every night at least two sets...it fit...I had so much fun with that one, got married on matching harleys in handpainted harley t-shirts...to bad he turned out to be stone-psychotic-crazy :)
Bad to the Bone
Repost 6/8/08: Diddley's Last Show: Area Says Goodbye
Repost 6/6/08: Live Blues Radio and More!
"Listen to Free Online Blues Radio Stations" Live365.com
Tower Records
Music Library Association--A Basic Music Library--Blues Collection
Blues Books for Beginners
Take a closer look at Reverend Keith A. Gordon, a very interesting man!
Fruteland Jackson Author and Implementor of "Blues in the Schools"
The Sutton Blues Collective Blues Styles
Mississippi Blues Commission--The Blues Trail
Mountain of Blues
The Blues Foundation
K, I could go on with this for days :) I'll stop here for now. Have a good one!
Tower Records
Music Library Association--A Basic Music Library--Blues Collection
Blues Books for Beginners
Take a closer look at Reverend Keith A. Gordon, a very interesting man!
Fruteland Jackson Author and Implementor of "Blues in the Schools"
The Sutton Blues Collective Blues Styles
Mississippi Blues Commission--The Blues Trail
Mountain of Blues
The Blues Foundation
K, I could go on with this for days :) I'll stop here for now. Have a good one!
Repost 5/30/08: I'm Tore Down, Almost Level with the Ground
Lately, I've been thinking about my life...how I got to this point, why I always took the hard road, where I'm going from here, etc. I'm questioning whether or not I am ever going to be a social worker and if so, if I will be a good one. If not, what then?
I came across a YouTube video tonight that about explains where I'm at right now, but it also brought up a great childhood memory. The very first album I ever bought was Fresh Cream. It was and is without a doubt the album that shaped my listening history and started me on my quest for more and more blues. There are no words to explain what came over me the day I heard that album. Back in the day you used to be able to go to a record store and go into a listening booth and actually play an album before you bought it. I will never forget it. My girly, girlfriend and I had ridden the bus to spend the day downtown going to the movies, the Hollywood Sweetshop and generally trying to see what trouble we could get into. We were about 13, I think. My mother had given me $20 and specifically told me to bring back change, and she meant it too. The only reason she gave me the $20 was because she didn't have the $3 that she normally would have given me to spend the day downtown and that was probably all she had until payday. Of coarse we didn't go to the movies or the Hollywood Sweetshop, we went straight to Capitol Records because that is where all the serious rocker guys hung out. It's so funny now because that was a time when everyone, yes even me, knew how to play "House of the Rising Sun" on guitar. Easy song, I know :) I walked into Capitol Records, dragging girly girlfriend who was painfully, kneeshakingly (that's probably not a word) shy. I had to hear the music, I had to be around it.
There it was, the most awesome music I had ever heard. I don't know what came over me, all I knew in that moment was that I had to have that album. Seventeen dollars of my mothers money. Oh, boy I was going to be in trouble. It wasn't that I didn't care...I was in love. I caressed that album cover the entire way home. You get the picture, don't you?
The first thing out of her mouth was "where's my change?" I don't remember exactly what I said but I know it was typical teenage, rambling. I do remember saying "but mom, you just have to hear it" and proceeded to play it for her...loud :) Now here you have to understand that my mother loved music also, so I got it honest, but she loved classical...Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Offenbach. I will never forget the look on her face. She looked at me like I was some sort of green alien being, shook her head and just stared at me the entire time the album played. I will give her credit though, she listened to the entire thing and she did not make me take it back(yeah, you could even return music, back in the day even if it had been opened), even though I said I would and meant it. I was not a callous child and I did know that was all the money she had. God, how I miss that woman. There has never been another person that understood me or knew me or believed in me like she did, except my own child, who at the moment is hovering and rushing me off the computer so he can go check his facebook stuff. So I'll leave you with what this post started out to do...share the YouTube video of Clapton's version of I'm Tore down :)
I came across a YouTube video tonight that about explains where I'm at right now, but it also brought up a great childhood memory. The very first album I ever bought was Fresh Cream. It was and is without a doubt the album that shaped my listening history and started me on my quest for more and more blues. There are no words to explain what came over me the day I heard that album. Back in the day you used to be able to go to a record store and go into a listening booth and actually play an album before you bought it. I will never forget it. My girly, girlfriend and I had ridden the bus to spend the day downtown going to the movies, the Hollywood Sweetshop and generally trying to see what trouble we could get into. We were about 13, I think. My mother had given me $20 and specifically told me to bring back change, and she meant it too. The only reason she gave me the $20 was because she didn't have the $3 that she normally would have given me to spend the day downtown and that was probably all she had until payday. Of coarse we didn't go to the movies or the Hollywood Sweetshop, we went straight to Capitol Records because that is where all the serious rocker guys hung out. It's so funny now because that was a time when everyone, yes even me, knew how to play "House of the Rising Sun" on guitar. Easy song, I know :) I walked into Capitol Records, dragging girly girlfriend who was painfully, kneeshakingly (that's probably not a word) shy. I had to hear the music, I had to be around it.
There it was, the most awesome music I had ever heard. I don't know what came over me, all I knew in that moment was that I had to have that album. Seventeen dollars of my mothers money. Oh, boy I was going to be in trouble. It wasn't that I didn't care...I was in love. I caressed that album cover the entire way home. You get the picture, don't you?
The first thing out of her mouth was "where's my change?" I don't remember exactly what I said but I know it was typical teenage, rambling. I do remember saying "but mom, you just have to hear it" and proceeded to play it for her...loud :) Now here you have to understand that my mother loved music also, so I got it honest, but she loved classical...Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Offenbach. I will never forget the look on her face. She looked at me like I was some sort of green alien being, shook her head and just stared at me the entire time the album played. I will give her credit though, she listened to the entire thing and she did not make me take it back(yeah, you could even return music, back in the day even if it had been opened), even though I said I would and meant it. I was not a callous child and I did know that was all the money she had. God, how I miss that woman. There has never been another person that understood me or knew me or believed in me like she did, except my own child, who at the moment is hovering and rushing me off the computer so he can go check his facebook stuff. So I'll leave you with what this post started out to do...share the YouTube video of Clapton's version of I'm Tore down :)
Repost 5/21/08: Blues News
Taken from Mudcat's MySpace page:
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Willie King’s Annual Blues Blast deep in the woods of Old Memphis
What: Willie King's 11th Annual Freedom Creek FestivalWhere: Old Memphis, Alabama in Pickens CountyWhen: May 30th and 31st, 2008How much: $6 on Friday, $12 on Saturday
Willie King's Annual Blues Blast deep in the woods of Old Memphis
Willie King's 11th annual Freedom Creek Blues Festival will take place this year on Friday, May 30th and Saturday, May 31st near Aliceville, on Old Memphis Road in Old Memphis, Alabama. Gates open at 4:00 p.m. on Friday and 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both nights go till late! Free camping is offered on site.
Starting as a small, local event, the Freedom Creek Festival has grown to an internationally renowned festival, attracting audiences from across the nation and overseas. Known for its warm welcome and outstanding blues performances, this is a unique festival set in the backwoods of the Alabama Black Belt. Local juke-joint musicians perform along with national and international acts, combining to make an outstanding display of blues talent - all in the peaceful setting of rural Pickens County.
This year's festival features an outstanding roster of premier blues artists including headline acts Jerry Portnoy, the legendary Sam Lay, Willie King & The Liberators, Cedric Burnside and Lightenin Malcolm and Mudcat, along with Highlander, Alabama blues women Carroline Shines, Debbie Bond, Shar-Baby and Sweet Claudette, plus Alabama blues talent "Birmingham" George Conner, Jesse Daniels, Rev. Little, Julian Conner, Taylor Moore, Caleb Childs, Grapevine, Robert, Alex, and more! The festival promises to be an explosive celebration of the blues, deep in the land from which it is was born!
Admission to the festival is a suggested donation of $6 on Friday and $12 on Saturday, in support of the Rural Members Association. For further information, check out the web site at www.willie-king.com, email to info@willie-king.com or call (205) 752 6263.
The Freedom Creek Festival is presented by the Rural Members Association (RMA), a non-profit organization located in Old Memphis, Alabama, that seeks to preserve traditional local culture and assist the community in Pickens County. Founded by Willie King in 1983, RMA's Freedom Creek Blues Festival brings all walks of life together once a year, allowing local musicians to display their musical talent alongside national and international acts and bringing much-need attention and interest to this underserved area of the Alabama Black Belt.
The festival has been endorsed by attracting sponsorships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, Music Maker Foundation, the Black Belt Community Foundation and other generous supporters, plus assistance from the Alabama Blues Project. This collaboration of national, state and local organizations and individuals makes a delicious community gumbo everyone can get a taste of!
Willie King's 11th Annual Freedom Creek PSA
Willie King's 11th Annual Freedom Creek Blues Festival will be held in Pickens County, Alabama on Friday, May 30th and Saturday the 31st. This year's outstanding lineup includes Jerry Portnoy, the legendary Sam Lay, Willie King and the Liberators, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcom, Mudcat, Carroline Shines, Sweet Claudette, Debbie Bond, Shar-Baby, "Birmingham" George Conner and many, many more! Admission is a suggested donation of $6 on Friday and $12 on Saturday in support of the Rural Members Association. For more information please phone (205) 752-6263, email info@willie-king.com or check out the web site at www.willie-king.com.
This festival is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Black Belt Community Foundation and Music Maker Foundation with assistance from the Alabama Blues Project.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Willie King’s Annual Blues Blast deep in the woods of Old Memphis
What: Willie King's 11th Annual Freedom Creek FestivalWhere: Old Memphis, Alabama in Pickens CountyWhen: May 30th and 31st, 2008How much: $6 on Friday, $12 on Saturday
Willie King's Annual Blues Blast deep in the woods of Old Memphis
Willie King's 11th annual Freedom Creek Blues Festival will take place this year on Friday, May 30th and Saturday, May 31st near Aliceville, on Old Memphis Road in Old Memphis, Alabama. Gates open at 4:00 p.m. on Friday and 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both nights go till late! Free camping is offered on site.
Starting as a small, local event, the Freedom Creek Festival has grown to an internationally renowned festival, attracting audiences from across the nation and overseas. Known for its warm welcome and outstanding blues performances, this is a unique festival set in the backwoods of the Alabama Black Belt. Local juke-joint musicians perform along with national and international acts, combining to make an outstanding display of blues talent - all in the peaceful setting of rural Pickens County.
This year's festival features an outstanding roster of premier blues artists including headline acts Jerry Portnoy, the legendary Sam Lay, Willie King & The Liberators, Cedric Burnside and Lightenin Malcolm and Mudcat, along with Highlander, Alabama blues women Carroline Shines, Debbie Bond, Shar-Baby and Sweet Claudette, plus Alabama blues talent "Birmingham" George Conner, Jesse Daniels, Rev. Little, Julian Conner, Taylor Moore, Caleb Childs, Grapevine, Robert, Alex, and more! The festival promises to be an explosive celebration of the blues, deep in the land from which it is was born!
Admission to the festival is a suggested donation of $6 on Friday and $12 on Saturday, in support of the Rural Members Association. For further information, check out the web site at www.willie-king.com, email to info@willie-king.com or call (205) 752 6263.
The Freedom Creek Festival is presented by the Rural Members Association (RMA), a non-profit organization located in Old Memphis, Alabama, that seeks to preserve traditional local culture and assist the community in Pickens County. Founded by Willie King in 1983, RMA's Freedom Creek Blues Festival brings all walks of life together once a year, allowing local musicians to display their musical talent alongside national and international acts and bringing much-need attention and interest to this underserved area of the Alabama Black Belt.
The festival has been endorsed by attracting sponsorships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, Music Maker Foundation, the Black Belt Community Foundation and other generous supporters, plus assistance from the Alabama Blues Project. This collaboration of national, state and local organizations and individuals makes a delicious community gumbo everyone can get a taste of!
Willie King's 11th Annual Freedom Creek PSA
Willie King's 11th Annual Freedom Creek Blues Festival will be held in Pickens County, Alabama on Friday, May 30th and Saturday the 31st. This year's outstanding lineup includes Jerry Portnoy, the legendary Sam Lay, Willie King and the Liberators, Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcom, Mudcat, Carroline Shines, Sweet Claudette, Debbie Bond, Shar-Baby, "Birmingham" George Conner and many, many more! Admission is a suggested donation of $6 on Friday and $12 on Saturday in support of the Rural Members Association. For more information please phone (205) 752-6263, email info@willie-king.com or check out the web site at www.willie-king.com.
This festival is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Black Belt Community Foundation and Music Maker Foundation with assistance from the Alabama Blues Project.
Repost 5/5/08: Fifth Annual Congressional Blues Festival
Click the here to rock out! See almost the entire concert! OMG! Macavine Hayes, Captain Luke, Albert White, Sara Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Mudcat, Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, Big Ron Harper, Elvin Bishop, Big Ron Hunter and Albert White, The Robert Cray Band.
Click the #5 button to see the most awesome Mudcat! The band that saved my life when my son was about three or four. Another story for another day....it's long :)
Click the #5 button to see the most awesome Mudcat! The band that saved my life when my son was about three or four. Another story for another day....it's long :)
Repost 4/28/08: Blues Jam '08
Please click the title link for more information on the Blues Jam '08. Blues Festival Guide Magazine and Online Guide may be found here. Robert Johnson Blues Foundation links and resources page can be found here.
More lyrics can be found here.
Cross Road Blues
©(1978) 1990, 1991 Lehsem II, LLC/Claud L. Johnson
Administered by Music & Media International, Inc.
I went down to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
I went down to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
Asked the lord above "Have mercy now
save poor Bob if you please"
Yeeooo, standin at the crossroad
tried to flag a ride
ooo ooo eee
I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me babe
everybody pass me by
Standin at the crossroad babe
risin sun goin down
Standin at the crossroad babe
eee eee eee, risin sun goin down
I believe to my soul now,
Poor Bob is sinkin down
You can run, you can run
tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run
tell my friend Willie Brown
(th)'at I got the croosroad blues this mornin Lord
babe, I'm sinkin down
And I went to the crossroad momma
I looked east and west
I went to the crossroad baby
I looked east and west
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman
ooh-well babe, in my distress
Hellhound On My Trail
©(1978) 1990, 1991 Lehsem II, LLC/Claud L. Johnson
Administered by Music & Media International, Inc.
I gotta keep movin
I gotta keep movin
Blues fallin down like hail
Blues fallin down like hail
Umm mmmm mmm mmmmmm
Blues fallin down like hail
Blues fallin down like hail
And the days keeps on worryin me
theres a hellhound on my trail
hellhound on my trail
hellhound on my trail
If today was Christmas Eve
If today was Christmas Eve
and tommorow was Christmas Day
spoken : Aow wouldn't we have a time baby
All I would need my little sweet rider just
to pass the time away huh huh
to pass the time away
You sprinkled hot foot powder mmmm
mmm around my door
all around my door
You sprinkled hot foot powder
all around your daddy's door hmm hmm hmm
It keep me with ramblin mind rider
every old place I go
every old place I go
I can tell the wind is risin
the leaves tremblin on the tree
tremblin on the tree
hmmm hmmm hmm mmm
All I needs is my sweet woman
and to keep my company hey hey hey hey
my company
More lyrics can be found here.
Cross Road Blues
©(1978) 1990, 1991 Lehsem II, LLC/Claud L. Johnson
Administered by Music & Media International, Inc.
I went down to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
I went down to the crossroad
fell down on my knees
Asked the lord above "Have mercy now
save poor Bob if you please"
Yeeooo, standin at the crossroad
tried to flag a ride
ooo ooo eee
I tried to flag a ride
Didn't nobody seem to know me babe
everybody pass me by
Standin at the crossroad babe
risin sun goin down
Standin at the crossroad babe
eee eee eee, risin sun goin down
I believe to my soul now,
Poor Bob is sinkin down
You can run, you can run
tell my friend Willie Brown
You can run, you can run
tell my friend Willie Brown
(th)'at I got the croosroad blues this mornin Lord
babe, I'm sinkin down
And I went to the crossroad momma
I looked east and west
I went to the crossroad baby
I looked east and west
Lord, I didn't have no sweet woman
ooh-well babe, in my distress
Hellhound On My Trail
©(1978) 1990, 1991 Lehsem II, LLC/Claud L. Johnson
Administered by Music & Media International, Inc.
I gotta keep movin
I gotta keep movin
Blues fallin down like hail
Blues fallin down like hail
Umm mmmm mmm mmmmmm
Blues fallin down like hail
Blues fallin down like hail
And the days keeps on worryin me
theres a hellhound on my trail
hellhound on my trail
hellhound on my trail
If today was Christmas Eve
If today was Christmas Eve
and tommorow was Christmas Day
spoken : Aow wouldn't we have a time baby
All I would need my little sweet rider just
to pass the time away huh huh
to pass the time away
You sprinkled hot foot powder mmmm
mmm around my door
all around my door
You sprinkled hot foot powder
all around your daddy's door hmm hmm hmm
It keep me with ramblin mind rider
every old place I go
every old place I go
I can tell the wind is risin
the leaves tremblin on the tree
tremblin on the tree
hmmm hmmm hmm mmm
All I needs is my sweet woman
and to keep my company hey hey hey hey
my company
Repost 4/02/08: Piano Blues Musicians
Fitzgerald over at Squeeze My Lemon is doing a series on piano blues musicians. Awesome! Thanks Fitz! Thought you all might want to go check it out :) Be sure to check out the sidebar for other great posts.
Repost 3/31/08: It's about time for another "blues artist" post
I get a great many visitors from CrossroadsClub27, mostly from European countries looking for blues or at the very least expecting to find a similar site to CR27. No, I have to tell them that site is one of a kind. I do pick a blues artist from time to time and review their history and music. I do have much blues related content to the left in the finetune player if you would like to have a listen.
Today I am trying to decide who to review. I love Howlin' Wolf almost as much as I love KoKo Taylor. Then, I love B B King too, especially with Bobby "Blue" Bland or with other friends. There are so many I love I am having a difficult time deciding. This is why when you come to visit you probably think WTF because I haven't mentioned the blues in awhile. Sorry, I've been on the political soapbox as of late. :) I think later on in the week it will be Howlin' Wolf. I promise to be more regular with it in the future, k? Oh, and thanks to Ark over at CrossroadsClub27 for all the traffic...'preciate it :)
Today I am trying to decide who to review. I love Howlin' Wolf almost as much as I love KoKo Taylor. Then, I love B B King too, especially with Bobby "Blue" Bland or with other friends. There are so many I love I am having a difficult time deciding. This is why when you come to visit you probably think WTF because I haven't mentioned the blues in awhile. Sorry, I've been on the political soapbox as of late. :) I think later on in the week it will be Howlin' Wolf. I promise to be more regular with it in the future, k? Oh, and thanks to Ark over at CrossroadsClub27 for all the traffic...'preciate it :)
Repost 3/22/08: Happy Easter!
I was looking around today for something to share with you since I can't share the meal or the music that we will enjoy later today :) Hope you and yours are having a great Easter!
Oh, Happy Day--Sister Act 2--I couldn't resist :)
Oh, Happy Day--Sister Act 2--I couldn't resist :)
Repost 3/21/08: Some songs the I took with me down my path to social work ...
Repost 3/16/08: Now if I just had a man... :)
I had a man once that loved this song and we loved our Sunday mornings :)
Repost 3/14/08: My Sweet Lord...
Edit: Deleted all but "My Sweet Lord" They were making my page load way to slow :) Hope you enjoyed it while it was up :)
It's been a long, long week. Thank you my sweet Lord for helping me get through it....
My Sweet Lord
And since I finally figured out how to share youtube videos with my faithful readers and George Harrison has been on my mind lately, I think I'll share some more :)
I feel better now :)
It's been a long, long week. Thank you my sweet Lord for helping me get through it....
My Sweet Lord
And since I finally figured out how to share youtube videos with my faithful readers and George Harrison has been on my mind lately, I think I'll share some more :)
I feel better now :)
Repost 1/19/08: The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings--KoKo Taylor
There are new additions to the "sites/blogs of interest" section. Please check them out, they are wonderful blogs written by social workers. Since I haven't found a job yet and need something to fill up my time when I'm not pavement pounding I've decided to take excerpts from The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings, written by Tony Russell and Chris Smith with Neil Slaven, Ricky Russell and Joe Faulkner, 2006. Since KoKo Taylor is my favorite blues singer of all time I've decided to start with her. She can be found in The Penguin pages 631-633.
"Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, Cora Walton was drawn to the blues by hearing it on local radio stations. At the age of 18 she moved to Chicago, where she sang in clubs. Her recording career began 10 years later and was encouraged by Willie Dixon, who got her on to Chess. In 1965 she had a hit with 'Wang Dang Doodle', a Dixon song previously recorded by Howlin' Wolf. Since the '70's she has been one of the most popular artists on the US and international blues circuits and has won several awards. She appears in David Lynch's 1990 film Wild at Heart."
"Albums:
But KoKo says it best on her own site, KoKo Taylor, Queen of the Blues.
"Blues is my heart. That’s my heart. This album is hard core blues, down in the basement, far as you go. This album is the kind of blues I was listening to down South and when I first came to Chicago.
I came to Chicago around 1951, straight out of the country. We came up here on the Greyhound bus. Couldn’t sit in the front of the bus; ain’t nobody black sit in the front. If you ain’t white, you go in the back and sit. We came with 35 cents in our pockets and a box of Ritz Crackers. That’s all we had to our names. Didn’t know where we was gonna stay. Didn’t have no money. Didn’t have nothing but us. We were just in Chicago, so we’re happy about that, cause we wanted to leave the South.
The South was rough and it was tough, but we was rough and tough too. I was picking cotton, chopping cotton, milking cows, feeding hogs and chickens. And going out catching rabbits to cook for our dinner. Or else eating hoecakes sopped in molasses for breakfast, dinner and supper. I went through what they call hell and high water. It wasn’t nothing nice and it wasn’t nothing easy that I had to go through down South.
When I got to Chicago, it wasn’t easy either. The first job I had was cleaning white families’ homes, taking care of their children, washing their clothes, ironing, cooking, whatever they wanted done. I wasn’t making but like five dollars a day.
But on Saturday night, me and my husband went anywhere there was blues. The music back then was great. It was exciting to me—I thought Chicago was heaven. We didn’t miss nary a Saturday night. We’d go to Sylvio’s or Theresa’s to see Howlin’ Wolf or to see Muddy Waters, Little Walter or Shakey Horton. We didn’t go to no clubs playing that fancy music. Everywhere we went was a blues club. Nothing fancy, nothing beautiful. It was just a hole in the wall where a bunch of us was in there listening to the blues, dancing, drinking, talking loud, doing everything else. It wasn’t a place you had to sit up and look pretty, be cute and use a certain language and say something a certain way.
- Koko Taylor"
You can have a listen on her site which after the introduction will take you to a page with a link to her MySpace page where you can hear the woman's awesome voice for yourself! Oh, Lord, to be able to sing from the soul like that!! :)
"Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, Cora Walton was drawn to the blues by hearing it on local radio stations. At the age of 18 she moved to Chicago, where she sang in clubs. Her recording career began 10 years later and was encouraged by Willie Dixon, who got her on to Chess. In 1965 she had a hit with 'Wang Dang Doodle', a Dixon song previously recorded by Howlin' Wolf. Since the '70's she has been one of the most popular artists on the US and international blues circuits and has won several awards. She appears in David Lynch's 1990 film Wild at Heart."
"Albums:
- The Chess Years--Her first, recording alongside the likes of Walter "Shakey" Horton, Robert Nighthawk, Buddy Guy, Willie Dixon, etc.
- KoKo Taylor--Similar to The Chess Years. Taylor's first single for Checker, 'I Got What It Takes/What Kind Of Man Is This' exhibited a promisingly strong, if undisciplined singer. A year and a half later, her pugnacious reading of Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" confirmed her as one of Chicago's most exciting new talents. Much of that talent was betrayed by her subsequent checker sides. Taylor's star would only shine clearly when she got away from Dixon and the Chess studios.
- South Side Lady--Taylor might have left Chess but she still relied on the repertoire she had developed there: she sings four Dixon songs, including two versions each (one studio, one live) of 'Twenty Nine Ways' and 'I Got What It Takes'.
- I Got What It Takes--A simple menu of old-fashioned, home-cooked blues such as 'Blues Never Die' and the Elmore James derived 'Happy Home,' with a couple of side-orders of Southern soul like 'That's Why I'm Crying' and a surprise dessert of the country song 'Honky Tonk'.
- The Earthshaker--a good moody reading of Little Milton's 'Walking The Backstreets'. but most of the other pieces are uppish in tempo, with nods to Dixon in 'Spoonful' and a remade 'Wang Dang Doodle'.
- From The Heart Of A Woman--has a stronger flavor of Southern soul in the Ann Peebles or Irma Thomas manner. Criss Johnson is a forceful addition and remains so on Queen Of The Blues, unfazed by the star guests whom alligator brought in to spice up the dish.
- Queen Of The Blues--this album marked a shift away from soul repertoire towards swaggering blues like 'Queen Bee' and 'I Cried Like A Baby'. That and the albums title suggest that Taylor and her people were focusing on establishing her as the reigning blues diva.
- Live From Chicago-An Audience With The Queen--undeniably something fresh in Taylor's output, as it captured some of the flavor of a club gig (at Fitzgerald's in the chicago suburb of Berwyn), but the price of this novelty, for fans who had invested in her previous records, was a great deal of familiar material; she had recorded six of the ten tracks on alligator albums alone.
- Jump for Joy--was made soon after the death of Robert 'Pops" Taylor, KoKo's husband and road manager and a popular figure on the blues circuit. No doubt it was coincidental that her first album of the '90s felt like something of a new start. She or her co-producers eliminated old blues and soul standbys, matching fresh material with less conventional settings, including horn arrangements by Gene Barge and inventive interventions by Criss Johnson, back as sole guitarist except on 'It's a Dirty Job' a duet with Taylor and Lonnie Brooks.
- Force of Nature--Taylor is joined by Carey Bell on 'Mother Nature' and Buddy Guy for 'Born Under A Bad Sign'. Guest appearances were becoming a routine feature of her records.
- Royal Blue--Taylor is joined by pianists Johnnie Johnson and Ken Saydak. Kenny Wayne Shepherd on 'Bring Me Some Water' and B. B. King on 'Blues Hotel'. In a quieter collaboration Taylor sings her own 'The Man Next Door' partnered only by Keb' Mo' on harmonica and National guitar.
- Deluxe Edition--draws from all eight of Taylor's previous Alligator albums, adding 'Man Size Job', a previously unissued track from the Royal Blue sessions. The hour long program naturally embraces crowd-pleasers like 'I'm A Woman' (KoKo's answer to Bo didley's 'I'm A Man') and 'Wang Dang Doodle', the latter the studio version from The Earthshaker in improved sound but with half a minute of Abb Locke's closing tenor solo knocked off. 'Born Under A Bad Sign' from Force Of Nature is also docked by about a minute and a half, to its advantage." (Penguin. (2006) pp 631-633)
But KoKo says it best on her own site, KoKo Taylor, Queen of the Blues.
"Blues is my heart. That’s my heart. This album is hard core blues, down in the basement, far as you go. This album is the kind of blues I was listening to down South and when I first came to Chicago.
I came to Chicago around 1951, straight out of the country. We came up here on the Greyhound bus. Couldn’t sit in the front of the bus; ain’t nobody black sit in the front. If you ain’t white, you go in the back and sit. We came with 35 cents in our pockets and a box of Ritz Crackers. That’s all we had to our names. Didn’t know where we was gonna stay. Didn’t have no money. Didn’t have nothing but us. We were just in Chicago, so we’re happy about that, cause we wanted to leave the South.
The South was rough and it was tough, but we was rough and tough too. I was picking cotton, chopping cotton, milking cows, feeding hogs and chickens. And going out catching rabbits to cook for our dinner. Or else eating hoecakes sopped in molasses for breakfast, dinner and supper. I went through what they call hell and high water. It wasn’t nothing nice and it wasn’t nothing easy that I had to go through down South.
When I got to Chicago, it wasn’t easy either. The first job I had was cleaning white families’ homes, taking care of their children, washing their clothes, ironing, cooking, whatever they wanted done. I wasn’t making but like five dollars a day.
But on Saturday night, me and my husband went anywhere there was blues. The music back then was great. It was exciting to me—I thought Chicago was heaven. We didn’t miss nary a Saturday night. We’d go to Sylvio’s or Theresa’s to see Howlin’ Wolf or to see Muddy Waters, Little Walter or Shakey Horton. We didn’t go to no clubs playing that fancy music. Everywhere we went was a blues club. Nothing fancy, nothing beautiful. It was just a hole in the wall where a bunch of us was in there listening to the blues, dancing, drinking, talking loud, doing everything else. It wasn’t a place you had to sit up and look pretty, be cute and use a certain language and say something a certain way.
I didn’t know all the famous blues musicians lived here. Right after I came to Chicago I found out that this is the city where all the guys do their recording. They seemed like regular folks, country folks like me, but they were stars. That’s the way it was with Wolf and Muddy and them. People looked at them as big stars because they was recording artists, and that made them special. But they stayed down to earth, like I do.
That’s why I like blues, because it tells a true story, a down to earth story. It’s not only something about my life; it reaches out to a lot of people. Maybe something to lift you up or help bring you out of this rut you’re in.
I love singing the real, old school blues. It gives me a feeling to sing them type of blues. That’s old school. That’s me.- Koko Taylor"
You can have a listen on her site which after the introduction will take you to a page with a link to her MySpace page where you can hear the woman's awesome voice for yourself! Oh, Lord, to be able to sing from the soul like that!! :)
Repost 10/18/07: Trail of the Hellhound
Tomorrow my son and I will be heading up old Hwy 61 in search of The Hellhound and the Blues Trail
The plan is to leave Jackson about 10 am(snerk :)), drive over to Vicksburg and head north on Hwy 61 from there. We are going to stop at the Onward store about 30 miles north of Vicksburg, where Teddy Roosevelt did not kill the bear, for one of those awesome cheeseburgers and some conversation. Then we are heading on up to Clarksdale. We will wander around Clarksdale all day searching for the crossroads where Robert Johnson reportedly sold his soul to the devil for his dazzling guitar technique. Once we leave Onward we should be able to tune into 1450 AM WROX and rock on out to some blues on the way up. In Clarksdale we'll go to the Delta Blues Museum where we can see Muddy Water's cabin and interesting photo exhibits. Then we'll eat at Madidi, Morgan Freeman's restaurant that's supposed to be fancy smancy. Hope they'll let us in without a tie and dress up clothes :) (just called for a reservation, the lady that answered said "just wear some clothes...we'll be good" :)) After the meal, to wake me up enough to drive out to the woods I think we better go over to Ground Zero Blues Club for an hour or so. I want to try to find the authentic rural juke joint Po Monkey's Lounge *near* Merigold reportedly after turning left on the main road immediately there is a fork in the road take the left fork and then take the first gravel road on the left and it's on down in there somewhere. If I'm never heard from again just know that I died happy....wallowing in the blues. Hopefully we'll make it on into Memphis following old Hwy 61 so we can visit Sun Records, BBKing's Blues Club, the Orpheum and the Peabody to watch the march of the ducks on Saturday.
This is the first "vacation" my son and I have ever had and hopefully all of you will have as great a weekend as we are going to have! I still can't believe my 18 year old son suggested that we do this :) I guess raising him on gospel, spirituals and the blues from the cradle did some good. I always hoped it wouldn't warp him and of coarse it didn't. :)
The plan is to leave Jackson about 10 am(snerk :)), drive over to Vicksburg and head north on Hwy 61 from there. We are going to stop at the Onward store about 30 miles north of Vicksburg, where Teddy Roosevelt did not kill the bear, for one of those awesome cheeseburgers and some conversation. Then we are heading on up to Clarksdale. We will wander around Clarksdale all day searching for the crossroads where Robert Johnson reportedly sold his soul to the devil for his dazzling guitar technique. Once we leave Onward we should be able to tune into 1450 AM WROX and rock on out to some blues on the way up. In Clarksdale we'll go to the Delta Blues Museum where we can see Muddy Water's cabin and interesting photo exhibits. Then we'll eat at Madidi, Morgan Freeman's restaurant that's supposed to be fancy smancy. Hope they'll let us in without a tie and dress up clothes :) (just called for a reservation, the lady that answered said "just wear some clothes...we'll be good" :)) After the meal, to wake me up enough to drive out to the woods I think we better go over to Ground Zero Blues Club for an hour or so. I want to try to find the authentic rural juke joint Po Monkey's Lounge *near* Merigold reportedly after turning left on the main road immediately there is a fork in the road take the left fork and then take the first gravel road on the left and it's on down in there somewhere. If I'm never heard from again just know that I died happy....wallowing in the blues. Hopefully we'll make it on into Memphis following old Hwy 61 so we can visit Sun Records, BBKing's Blues Club, the Orpheum and the Peabody to watch the march of the ducks on Saturday.
This is the first "vacation" my son and I have ever had and hopefully all of you will have as great a weekend as we are going to have! I still can't believe my 18 year old son suggested that we do this :) I guess raising him on gospel, spirituals and the blues from the cradle did some good. I always hoped it wouldn't warp him and of coarse it didn't. :)
Repost 9/08/07: Housecleaning Music YYYIIIPPPEEE!!!
Today I changed the music player. Finetune seems to be a better tuner than Lastfm. It looks much better, is much easier to work with and has a shorter code to embed, which I like. :) This player has a playlist of over 250 songs, so if you don't like a particular song click on the righthand side of the player and it will take you to the next song. As always it has an off button. Click the green button in the bottom left corner. Before you turn it off though, try it, it just might make you get up and clean your house too! Oh, and for all the younger students that might come here for the social work links that are going...wtf? It's just an old southern woman's indulgence, click the link you need and it will take you to your page of choice. The tuner does not travel from page to page. You can continue on to work in peace :) If by some chance you like the music and want to continue listening while you work then just add a tab and type in prinslinks and go to your page from there, leaving the original page playing. Have a great day!
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