World Cafe, June 12, 2008 - After decades of success, Chicago-based "rock-a-blues" legend Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater continues to try new things 16 albums into his career. In this session with host David Dye, Clearwater plays songs from the new West Side Strut.Eddy Clearwater.com
Sometimes I'm asked just what is the blues? Well it is a lifestyle. A way of looking at the world, a worldview, you might call it. It is universal and has been expressed by many cultures over time.
Although mostly associated with African American culture, it is in fact just an explanation of the condition of man. At least that is what I think. Consider the words of William Butler Yeats, who wrote, "We begin to live when we have conceived life as tragedy."
Now tell me if that is not a clear and concise statement of the blues.
Another friend was asking about a song called "Jelly Roll Blues."
Which lead me to this;
Bo Didley has passed on to the other side. While much more than a traditional blues man. We have to acknowledge the contribution to music in general and his inovations on the guitar will be learned by guitar players into the future.
I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day. I did, the wife and I celibrated her birthday spending the night at a local hotel Casino and resort. A good time was had by us both.
But I could not help but think about Memorial Day and where it comes from, and its connection to the blues. I have heard songs by several of the prewar bluesmen like Sonny Boy Williamson I, that mention Decoration Day. So I thought I would do a little research on the topic.
Here is just a bit of what I found;
Some sites mistakenly credit Howlin Wolf as the writer of this song and say that Sonny Boy Williamson II (Rice Miller) covered his version. But I remembered hearing a version of the song titled Decoration Blues done by Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee Williamson) which made me think that the song had an eairlier orgin.
Decoration Blues
Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee)
(John Lee Williamson)
Sonny Boy Williamson I - vocals & harmonica
Yank Rachell - mandolin & guitar
Joe Williams - guitar
Recorded March 13, 1938 Aurora, Illinois, Leland Hotel
Album: Bluebird Recordings 1937-1938
Lord, I had a woman
She was nice lovin' in ev'ry way
Lord, I had a woman
She was nice lovin' in ev'ry way
Lord, but she died an left me
I have the blues on ev'ry *Decoration Day
Lord, I hated to see her leave me
Because these are the last words
My baby had to say
Lord, I hate to see her leave me
Because these are the last words
My baby had to say
She told me to bring her some flowers
On ev'ry Decoration Day
People, you havin' a good time, now?
Just like the flowers that comes in May
Peoples, you havin' a good time, now?
Just like the flowers that comes in May
Now, but Sonny Boy thinks about his baby
On ev'ry Decoration Day
(harmonica & mandolin & guitar)
Fare you well, mm
Baby, I ain't got no mo' to say
Fare you well, mm
Baby, I ain't got no mo' to say
Lord, but I'll always remember
I won't never forget, 'Decoration Day'.
*Declaration Day
~
According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves at the historic race track in Charleston. The site was a former Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who had died while captive. The freed slaves reinterred the dead Union soldiers from the mass grave to individual graves, fenced in the graveyard & built an entry arch declaring it a Union graveyard; a very daring thing to do in the South shortly after North's victory. On May 30 1868 the freed slaves returned to the graveyard with flowers they'd picked from the countryside & decorated the individual gravesites, thereby creating the 1st Decoration Day. A parade with thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers was followed by patriotic singing and a picnic.
Someone asked via email;
Hello there,
I'm looking to download this song I lost a long time ago on cassette. I remember the lyrics because i've felt them every once in a while. Even during stable relationships, haha.
The devil rode on a big black stallion traveling in a cloud of flames (x3)
Drifter was his name
Driftre destroyed teh hearts of women all across the land (x3)
he lives in the minds I know, of evrey travelin' man
and so on, till the main lines appear:
The wind's my lover
and Drifter's my steed
and the devil's theonly friend
I'll ever need
The wind, the Drifter, the Devil an' me
we ride together through all eternity
If you know these lyrics, please end my search and tell me where they come from!
Enjoy your day and greetings from Holland!
To listen to these videos you will need to go a couple of post down and turn off or pause the play list.
People, it's Sunday and I sure do wish I knew who is that writing about the book of the seven seals?
Blind Willie Johnson, Son House and them people over there at Wikipedia say that it is John the Revelator.
I have not been posting to many of my blog lately becasue I am addicted to Yahoo Answers as of late. They have a cool section for answering questions about music, and sometimes I answer questions in the blues section.
You can check out my Yahoo Answers profile if you want to see some of the questions that I answer over there.
As for the question about Clarence Carter it was;
Is Clarence Carter dead, the blues singer.?
My answer (even though Clarence Carter is more of a soul singer);
According to wikipedia he is still around.
Clarence Carter @ Wikipedia
His official website seems to indicate that he is still alive but he does not have any tour dates listed since 2006.
ClarenceCarter.net
There are also some mp3s on his media page.
