I was looking for some music to post today to say how thankful I am. The video below by Bonnie Raitt popped up, it seems to fit.
On Thanksgiving day, I like to ask other people why what they are thankful for, it often points out things that I have not even thought about being thankful for.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear an interview of Susan Tedeschi on the NPR program All Things Considered. She went into how she wrote some of the new songs on her latest CD, her family life and what it is like to be a touring blues musician with two small children.
You can read and listen to the interview here >>Susan Tedeschi's Motherly Blues
Susan Tedeschi @SqueezeMyLemon
R. L. Burnside was born on November 23, 1926, and he passed away on September 1, 2005. May God rest his soul. I imagine that if heaven has a front poarch he is sitting out there playing his guitar.
He was a Delta blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist who lived much of his life in and around Holly Springs, Mississippi. I remember when he came on my radar screen back in the early 1990s, I played a cassette tape of his over and over. Wanting everybody I knew to hear this music. You could tell that he had been playing and living the blues all his life. Too bad that he only received reconigition in the latter part of his life.
These two videos below, give a glimpse into his world and his music.
![The Definitive Leadbelly [BOX SET]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tTod4tQbk-AE_-lfFZoauLfwrbvcDOYPXnEkhMD_KPfFg8tTKGccxbxYiaAw43fFQd1RUcBjtcpL_ykkGsZYfhfxIGq0J0r67xFbH-yFwNkiA4rZXwRH8WllcomIHsAQ=s0-d)
The rise and fall of the charming, Machiavellian godfather of modern take-no-prisoners Rebublican political campaigns.
OK, this maybe a case of my reaching out past the boundaries of blues and kind of dabbling over into the folk rock genre, but I think this is cool to do from time to time. I'm trying not to be locked into the blues thing, because I think many musicians are not.
Consider Trina Hamlin. Any body who can play a harmonica the way she plays it in the below video is alright with me.
It is the birthday of John P. Hammond. He was born on 13 November 1942 in New York. He is somtimes mistakenly called "John Hammond, Jr", which is his father's name. He is a blues singer and guitarist. I like his voice, he sounds like he has got the blues.
Today is the birthday of Bukka White. He was born November 12, 1909 and passed away February 26, 1977.
According to Wikipedia
Bukka White (November 12, 1909 -- February 26, 1977) was a delta blues guitarist and singer. "Bukka" was not a nickname, but a misspelling of White's Christian name by his second (1937) record label, (Vocalion).
Born Booker T. Washington White near Houston, Mississippi, he gave his cousin B. B. King, a Stella guitar, King's first guitar. White himself is remembered as a player of National Steel guitars. He also played, but was less adept at, the piano.
White started his career playing the fiddle at square dances. He claims to have met Charlie Patton early on, although some doubt has been cast upon this; regardless, Patton was a large influence on White. White typically played slide guitar, in an open tuning. He was one of the few, along with Skip James, to use a crossnote tuning in E minor, which he may have learned, as James did, from Henry Stuckey.
He first recorded for the Victor Records label in 1930. His recordings for Victor, like those of many other bluesmen, fluctuated between country blues and gospel numbers. His gospel songs were done in the style of Blind Willie Johnson, with a female singer accentuating the last phrase of each line.
Nine years later, while serving time, he recorded for folklorist John Lomax. The few songs he recorded around this time became his most well-known: "Shake 'Em On Down," and "Po' Boy."
Bob Dylan covered his song "Fixin' to Die Blues", which aided a "rediscovery" of White in 1963 by guitarist John Fahey and ED Denson, which propelled him onto the folk revival scene of the 1960s. White had recorded the song simply because his other songs had not particularly impressed the Victor record producer. It was a studio composition of which White had thought little until it re-emerged thirty years later. White was at one time managed by experienced Blues manager, Arne Brogger. Fahey and Denson found White easily enough: Fahey wrote a letter to "Bukka White (Old Blues Singer), c/o General Delivery, Aberdeen, Mississippi." Fahey had assumed, given White's song, "Aberdeen, Mississippi", that White still lived there, or nearby. The postcard was forwarded to Memphis, Tennessee, where White worked in tank factory. Fahey and Denson soon travelled to meet White, and White and Fahey remained friends throughout White's life.. He recorded a new album for Denson & Fahey's Takoma Records, whilst Denson became his manager.
White was, later in life, also friends with fellow musician, Furry Lewis. The two recorded, mostly in Lewis' Memphis apartment, an album together, Furry Lewis, Bukka White & Friends: Party! At Home.
One of his most famous songs, "Parchman Farm Blues", about the Mississippi's infamous Parchman Farm state prison, was to be released on Harry Smith's fourth, never realized, volume of the Anthology of American Folk Music. His 1937 version of the oft-recorded song, "Shake 'em on Down," is considered definitive, and became a hit while White was serving time in Parchman.
White was sampled by electronic artist Recoil for the track, "Electro Blues For Bukka White", on the 1992 album, Bloodline; the song was reworked and re-released on the 2000 EP "Jezebel".
Today is the birthday of Bobby Rush. He was born November 10, 1940 in Homer, Louisiana. And as you will see from the video he puts on quite a show.
Today is the birthday of Susan Tedeschi. I did a post on her new album Back To The River. I just could not resit posting her bio and another video of one of her songs that I love.
According to Wikipedia;
Susan Tedeschi (pronounced te-DES-ki) (November 9, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American blues and soul artist, who has risen to fame with multiple Grammy Award nominations, powerful singing voice, and her marriage to Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band and The Derek Trucks Band. She is also known for the "Soul Stew Revival", a conglomeration of both her band, that of The Derek Trucks Band, and assorted other personnel.
Bonnie Raitt was born November 8, 1949. She is blues singer-songwriter who was born in Burbank, California.
As I have said many times, the type of music that I want to hear at any given time is a function of my mood. Sometimes I get in the mood to hear a female sing the blues. And when that happens one of my favorite female bluse musicians is Bonnie Rait. She has the ability to communicate the blues through her excellent vocals and her guitar playing. I also like many of the songs that she has written.
Subtitled - The Ultimate Rude Blues Collection. 49 original blues classics of a risque nature, this double CD collection isn't so much X-rated as exhilarating, offering rib tickling rump shakers - each with their own nudge-nudge, wink-wink meaning. Featured artists include Charlie Pickett, Bull Moose Jackson, The Honeydripper, Mississippi Sheiks, Big Bill Broozy, Lonnie Johnson, Dirty Red, Bo Carter and many, many more. Great Voices Of The Century. 2003.
Rory Block was born on this day back in 1949, in Princeton, New Jersey. As I mentioned, in another post, she is a female blues guitarist and singer.
Today is the birthday of Ike Turner who was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was a Grammy Award winning musician, bandleader, talent scout, and record producer. He is probably best known for his R&B work as part of the Ike and Tina Turner duo. His career lasted half a century and he played blues, soul, rock and funk.
His first recording, "Rocket 88" by "Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats," in 1951, is considered to be the "first rock and roll song" ever.
He and Tina Turner were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and in 2001 were inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
I love to read. It feels weird even writing that, it probably goes without saying. At least I hope it shows that I try to do research on this music that we all love so much.
I've thought for some time now that I wanted to present my favorite books on the blues. I probably have too many books myself (can you have too many books?), but hey this is a chance for me to change it up a bit and offer more info on the blues.
So here goes! The first book that I want to present is Nothing But the Blues : The Music and the Musicians
This is just some gratuitous harmonica playing. And it helps that it is being done by a young lady. I came across this video while searching for something totally different. It reminds me of some of my solo jam sessions, and I like it and and hope you do to.
