Now if you were to be a guitar playing man (or woman for that matter), you would do your self a favor if you were to watch as much Mississippi Fred McDowell as you could get your hands on. That's right, watch the blues children, listen to the blues, and baby play the blues. Live the blues, like Mississippi Fred McDowell did.
As the man famously said, "I do not play no rock and roll."
You can read about Mississippi Fred McDowell @ wikipedia.
file under;
music, blues, video
6 comments:
I wish I had a chance to see Fred McDowell play live...most interesting musician... I love some of the early recordings that have some kazoo in the mix as a second voice
.......one more comment on this.....there must be a squillion versions of John Henry out there, but my favourite by far is Furry Lewis' version. If you don't know it, I'll post it on mister anchovy.
mister anchovy, please do. I love that song. Have you ever heard the Memphis Slim version. Goes something like this;
John Henry had a little woman, the dress she wore was red
She went walking down the track and she never looked back
Going to where John Henry fell dead
I'm Going to where John Henry fell dead
I'm Going to where John Henry fell dead
I'm Going to where John Henry fell dead
John Henry had a little woman and her name way Polly Ann
John Henry taken sick and he had to go to bed
Polly Ann drove steel like a man
Polly Ann drove steel like a man
Polly Ann drove steel like a man
Polly Ann drove steel like a man
John Henry told his little woman baby fix my supper soon
I got ninety mile of track I got line back
I'm going to light it by the light of the moon
I'm going to light it by the light of the moon
I'm going to light it by the light of the moon
I'm going to light it by the light of the moon
Yes I know that version...very nice. If you go to Memphis, around the corner from the Stax museum is a wreck of an old house with a newish sign saying it is the former home of Memphis Slim - they're going to try to restore it.
Anyway, I dug up the Furry Lewis cut and I'll post it over the weekend.
cheers.
I Do Not Play No Rock and Roll is a great album.
I wanted to add -- on Live in New York, Mississippi Fred introduces "Shake 'Em On Down" by saying "And I do not play no rock and roll." And then he adds, "but it kinda sound like it."
Michael, that is a cool aside, I'll have to find that album so I can hear it. I just love the idea that the bluesmen did not necessarly see themselves as blues/rock musicians as we sometimes see them today.
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