This video is a re-enactment, but I really like it. I hope you enjoy it too, I think it is a great blues song for a Sunday morning.
The James Cotton Band - Rocket 88
Ike and Tina Turner - River Deep Mountain High
Professor Longhair - Bald Head
Clifton Chenier and his Red Hot Louisiana Band
My Baby Don't Wear no Shoes
Hoochie Coochie Man
Live at Scouthenge 2008 festival in Grasscroft near Oldham - where I live
The last time I saw a one man band perform, it was Johnny Lowebow at his shop in Memphis. I don't know exactly if you'd call this blues, but certainly it is squarely in a blues tradition. Here he is playing Katrina Dog.
Johnny Lowebow is by no means unique as a cigar-box guitar player. There's quite a strong tradition happening exploring these home-made instruments. Here's Dr. Oakroot.
Another fantastic one man band was Joe Hill Louis. He was recorded commercially for Sun in Memphis in the 50s. I love his groove. Here's the Hydramatic Blues. Great title!
Another well-known one man band is Jesse Lone-Cat Fuller. He's famous for San Francisco Bay Blues, but I quite like this version of John Henry. Mr. Fuller invented an instrument he called the fotdella, a foot-operated percussion bass that used six bass strings a body, foot pedals and padded hammers. Great idea.
Let's go out with Mike Whellans, human juke box.
T-Bone Walker was born on May 28, 1910 and he passed away due to a stroke on March 15, 1975. He was an American blues guitarist, singer, pianist and songwriter who according to Wikipedia;
was one of the most important pioneers of the electric guitar. His electric guitar solos were among the first heard on modern blues recordings and helped set a standard that is still followed. He was ranked #47 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
According to an Alligator Records Press Release;
Koko Taylor, 80, Grammy Award-winning "Queen of the Blues," is recovering from surgery to correct a gastrointestinal bleed. The surgery was performed on May 19 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Her doctors anticipate a full recovery. Taylor is not accepting visitors or phone calls at this time.
Taylor's most recent live performance was at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis, TN, on May 7, 2009. She performed her signature song, "Wang Dang Doodle," after receiving the award for Traditional Blues Female Blues Artist Of The Year. This was Taylor's 29th Blues Music Award, making her the recipient of more Blues Music Awards than any other artist. In addition, she has received the NEA National Heritage Fellowship Award, which is among the highest honors given to an American artist. Her most recent CD, 2007’s Old School, was nominated for a Grammy (eight of her nine Alligator Records albums were Grammy-nominated). She won a Grammy in 1984 for her guest appearance on the compilation album Blues Explosion on Atlantic Records
I just want to say that I'm not above posting the odd bit of accordion music over here....(hang onto your hats)
Check out the mean blues accordion on this piece by Los Bad Boys del Valle.
We really do live in a world museum these days, don't we? Not too many years ago, it would have been really unusual to hear a conjunto/norteno outfit incorporate blues riffs into their set. I love the way the accordion player switches between accordion and harmonica - and what a surprise to hear Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues materialize.
Was sitting in with Buddy Guy at age 12, became an official member of the Allman Brothers Band in 1999. Married to Susan Tedeschi.
Joyful indeed
Desdemona
With Allman Brothers
With t'wife here
I have always thought that the blues standard Going Down Slow is one of the saddest songs of all time.
Some of my favorite lines from this song are;
"Please write my mother and tell her the shape that I'm in"
"Don't send no doctor, cause the doctor can't do me no good"
Please consider these versions;
mp3s of Going Down Slow @Amazon.com
Going Down Slow by Little Walter.
Going Down Slow by B.B. King.
Going Down Slow by Johnny Winter.
Going Down Slow by Muddy Waters.
Going Down Slow by Howlin' Wolf.
I want to thank Fitz for inviting me to post on SqueezeMyLemon! Some of you may know me from my regular hang-out. I live in Toronto Ontario Canada and for my first post here, I'd like to celebrate a local performer who has performed over the years with the likes of Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, John Hammond, Spencer Davis and Willy DeVille. In Toronto just about everybody I know has been at a Paul James Band show at some point or another. I first saw him perform at a club called Nags Head North back sometime in the early 80s. His band opened for and backed up the amazing Bo Diddley. I should also mention that The Paul James band also played at my wedding to the lovely Tuffy P back in 2001.
Here's Paul James showing what he can do with the Bo Diddley riff.
Joint out Back
By the way, the bass player for The Paul James Band for many many years was the late Brian Kipping. Those of us involved in the art scene in Toronto knew Brian as a fabulous painter as well as a fine musician.
Finally, here's a blues called Mean and Evil
He was a successful and influential Memphis blues singer and musician. He is best remembered for his unique voice which has been described as "honeyed," and "velvet-smooth". He was posthumously inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001.
Again I find myself thinking 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.
I really enjoy Grammy Award nominated singer songwriter Eric Bibb's music. He captures the spirituality of the blues well.
He has many gospel blues songs that showcase the sounds of bouzouki, mandolin, accordion and gospel music. He seems to be inspired by bluesmen like Leadbelly who seamlessly married gospel music with blues.
Big Bill Blues
Lord my hair's a-rising, my flesh begins to crawl
Aw my hair's a-rising, my flesh begin to crawl
I had a dream last night baby, another mule in my doggone stall
Now there's some people said the Big Bill blues ain't bad
Now some people said the Big Bill blues ain't bad
Lord it must not have been them Big Bill blues they had
Lord I wonder what's the matter, papa Bill can't get no mail
Lord wonder what's the matter now, papa Bill can't get no mail
Lord the post office must be on fire, the mailman must undoubtedly be in jail
I can't be a wagon, since you ain't gonna be a mule
Mmmm can't be a wagon mama, since you ain't gonna be a mule
I ain't gonna fix up your black tradition, I ain't gonna be your doggone fool
This clip from the Cosby Show of a young Raven Symone lip syching the Koko Taylor song "I'm A Woman" is too funny.
Help The Blue Shoe Project by donating here >>> Donar Bridge Donation page or How to Double Your Donation.
The Blue Shoe Project is a Grammy award winning 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity whose mission is to educate youth about the rich culture, history and heritage of Blues music through engaging programs featuring acclaimed blues musicians.
Founded in 2004, The Blue Shoe Project has reached more than 47,000 students from across Texas. Our education programs cultivate a true appreciation for and valuable understanding of the global impact blues music continues to have on our culture and cultures around the world.
to any and all lovers of good slide blues guitar playing. The folk blues song Sitting on Top of the World has been done by so many great musicians over the years that I thoght I would do a post on it.
It was originally written by Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon, core members of the Mississippi Sheiks, a popular country blues band of the 1930s.
According to Wikipedia;
In May 1930 Charlie Patton recorded a version of the song (with altered lyrics) called “Some Summer Day.” During the next few years cover-versions of "Sitting on Top of the World" were recorded by a number of artists: The Two Poor Boys, The Famous Hokum Boys, Big Bill Broonzy, Sam Collins, Milton Brown and Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys. After Milton Brown recorded it for Bluebird Records the song became a staple in the repertoire of western swing bands.
"Sitting on Top of the World" has become a standard of traditional American music. The song has been widely recorded in a variety of different styles – folk, blues, country, bluegrass, rock – often with considerable variations and/or additions to the original verses. The lyrics convey a stoic optimism in the face of emotional set-backs and the song has been described as a “simple, elegant distillation of the Blues”.
A link here to brucebears - get your feet tapping. Duke Robillard's web site here - full of terrific stuff
To Stomp
jazz dance featuring heavy stamping of the feet derivative of Africanist dance movement vocabularies - or then again
Don't forget the best chicken picker around! Duke Robillard!!!
Bruce Bears here (you may remember me as Toni Lynn Washington’s producer/keyboardist/general handyman…). I’ve been playing with The Duke Robillard Band for a while now and have to give you a heads up on the bands new CD “Stomp the Blues Tonight”… I feel it’s the best CD I’ve played on yet in my career, and I think it may stand up as one of Duke’s best ever! I’m not hyping you either… ”
for free @Amazon.com
I found this track Angola Patience Blues - Robert Pete Williams
Even more desperately I found Serenity
This is a tribute from Ali Farka's son using his original guitar.
His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues. The belief that the latter is historically derived from the former is reflected in Martin Scorsese’s often quoted characterization of Touré’s tradition as constituting "the DNA of the blues". Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.
Son House's version of this song is the definitive version as far as I am concerned. But I'm trying to not be such a purist, and this song is a good jumping off point.
I think of diligence as hard work - I guess Blues was used by prisoners on the Chain gangs or further back by slaves to combat boredom, fatigue etc. Anyway - an excuse for some memories.
Work Songs
Negro Prison Songs
Bob Dylan - I always think of how revolutionary this video seemed to be at the time. I have diligently watched and read many times
According to Wikipedia;
The electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, the bass guitar , and/or the harmonica. Electric blues is performed in several regional subgenres, such as Chicago blues, Texas blues and Memphis blues.
The electric blues first emerged as a fully-fledged genre in the mid-1940s. The initial wave of U.S. electric blues musicians inspired the British blues scene of the 1960s, which included artists such as John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Eric Clapton, The Yardbirds and the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, as well as rock groups such as The Who, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones.
Though one of the most famous and arguably the best guitarist, was Stevie Ray Vaughn. He Brought the music of electric blues to a new level, inspiring and exposing it to a vast crowd which made this genre even more popular then it was previously.
John Mayer was first inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughn's playing though he took a more pop-sounding route. But later, he came back to his more bluesy roots with John Mayer Trio.
Electric blues artists include:
Bo Diddley
Joe Bonamassa
Eric Clapton
Cream
Bob Dylan
Fleetwood Mac
Rory Gallagher
Buddy Guy
Slim Harpo
Jeff Healey
Jimi Hendrix
John Lee Hooker
Howlin' Wolf
Elmore James
Albert King
B. B. King
Freddie King
Led Zeppelin
John Mayall
Pappo
Jimmy Reed
The Rolling Stones
The Who
The Allman Brothers Band
Jeff Beck
Eric Sardinas
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Derek Trucks
T-Bone Walker
Muddy Waters
Johnny Winter
Little Walter
The Yardbirds
The White Stripes
John Mayer
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Congratulations to Irma Thomas and Taj Mahal for being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Please see Irma Thomas Immortalized Among Blues Greats for more details.
Alberta Hunter - Nobody Knows you when you're down & Out
Blind Willie Johnson - Let your light shine on me
I did have a crush on Shirley MacLaine and this film
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Well I guess The Blues is vibrant, sensuous and sexy - so this is a well nigh impossible category to get entries for. My logic here is that I think of vows of chastity, then nuns, and we call them sisters so....
Then there is Chastity Brown who is really soul-folk but a nice sound anyway.
Any ideas?
This guy is anything but lazy.
Well being chilled isn't the same as slothful - my poetic licence!
Janis Joplin - Can't cope with any other car
Muddy Waters - I can't be satisfied. The man!
Man I have been on twitter for about five days now and I am loving it. One thing that I have noticed is that there are quite a few blues music lovers over there. So if you have a twitter account and want to follow people who write, play, listen to and generally love blues music please check these tweeters out.
Please understand that this list is a work in progress, I will repost it and make changes as needed. If I have made any mistakes in presenting your info here please let me know. I just want to help create a strong blues community on twitter.
There is me, Fitzgerald
My other music blog KK&R Music Blog
My other other music blog (Reggae music) Me Inna Fever
fngrstyleblues
blogger fingerstyleblues.com
TheBluesBlogger
blogger TheBluesBlogger
Karen Hanson
Author Today's Chicago Blues
Blogger Today's Chicago Blues blog
Jason Ricci
Musician Harmonica Player/Teacher
Jason Ricci's YouTube Channel
Tony Eyers
Harmonica Player/Teacher
Tony Eyers Harmonica Academy
Carl Abernathy
blogger Cal's Juke Joint blog
Jane Geddis
blogger Radio Personality
Counter-Clock Records' Blog
TheAshGrove
The Ash Grove Club and Blog
Ash Grove Wolfgangs Vault Catalog
The Ash Grove Blog
HairyLarryLand
musician Hairy Larry Land.com
Mitch
blogger MitchRightNow
Harald ten Hoopen
blogger hsth.hl/blues
Harm501 blues blog
Elli Fordyce
Jazz musician blogger
Elli Fordyce Something Still Cool Blog
MurphysBlues bluse
music podcastor Murphy's Saloon Blues Podcast
CoonAssDotCom
blogger Bayou Child One Cajuns Life Blog
WorldOfBlues
blogger Worldofblues.com Blog
Blues4Ever
blogger Blues Underground Blog
BluesUnlimited
Author The Amazing Secret History of Elmore James
DoctorOakRoot
musician guitar maker DoctorOakRoot.com
joaofelipebruno
blues fan
Hardik Kheskani
blues music fan
essjam
blues fan
bluesmusic60
blues fan
If you know of anybody who I should add to this list please let me know. I would love to know of more musicians who tweet. Or if you just want me to follow you on twitter just send me a tweet, leave a comment or email me at fitzinator(at)gmail(dot)com. I really like to follow people who have something to say.
I've also joined a couple of twibes (like tribes but for twitter) which are groups for liked minded twitters;
blues twibe
blues harmonica twibe
jazz twibe
music twibe
folk twibe
gospel blues twibe
And remember as some wise man once said, tweet people the way you want to be tweeted.
I recently wrote a post on some of the great YouTube tutorials for harmonica players. And I was contacted by Tony Eyers who operates the web site Harmonica Academy. I was pleased to hear from him because I think harmonica fans will want to check his site out.
According the his bio;
Tony was born in Australia and began playing harmonica in the 1970's, inspired by Jim Fitting while studying at Yale University. He returned to Australia in the 1980's, and became a well known blues player.I spent some time going through his web site and I really like the instruction provided there. Very easy to understand, includes harmonica tabs as well as sound files that help you understand how the riffs being taught should sound.
Tony also has a folk music CD out, if you would like to hear some of his music just click on the image to the left and listen to the mp3 samples provided.Joe Bonamassa was also born on May 8, 1977. Being born on the same day as Robert Johnson probably means that the boy was born under a good sign.
Can you believe that someone born in the seventies can play the kind of music that this young man can. The coolest part about him is that he shows that long after guys like me are sitting on the front poarch in heaven, young cats like him will be down here working their mojo.
![Live from Nowhere in Particular [LIVE] by Joe Bonamassa](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v3ElAjeFIs9cTyROLpz7lfTemdxQSG_rQ0STlyhy_qyLoRVNyttIof_xipWD2dpfqr-hSIjPePOURR0YgTAZLr4rM0caQMa_pDDkGG0O5lwgppiDVGAN1BEYvsCkGn1Gg=s0-d)
Guardian 8 May 2009
It goes without saying that West African music is at the roots of the blues and has direct links with rock'n'roll, but it takes a duo as exhilarating and enthusiastic as this to make the connection seem obvious. Two years ago, the British guitarist and producer Justin Adams teamed up with Juldeh Camara, a Gambian griot and virtuoso on the one-stringed ritti fiddle, to record Soul Science, an album that deservedly won awards for its fusion of rock energy and traditional African influences. If anything, this follow-up is even better; it's even more confident and refreshingly varied, with songs that echo the raw exuberance of the Clash, the rolling blues of Muddy Waters and the delicacy and grandeur of the ancient griot ballads. It starts with Keli Keli, in which Adams yells: "No passport, no visa," as Camara matches the pounding guitar riff with wild fiddle work and Fulani vocals warning of the dangers facing illegal immigrants, driven on by female backing singers and the percussion of Salah Dawson Miller. Elsewhere, the interplay between the two sounds almost effortless as they switch from slinky Bo Diddley-style riffs to rolling blues with an African edge, and quieter trance-like songs. Magnificent.
Tell No Lies
![The Complete Recordings [BOX SET] by Robert Johnson](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vgBiMX2c25xVirDbmsmdhium2rbZcnC0sRCwm-xOBz_rSOMLgBM8zUtjPK5Dn7ae9akT6X_XbgAZ2PAg6lO5Q_ia3z-aI_uSbrymKsZu8OiqbvffUMf_2wuIpmeEpXdTA=s0-d)
His landmark recordings from 1936–1937 display a remarkable combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that have influenced generations of musicians. Johnson's shadowy, poorly documented life and death at age 27 have given rise to much legend.
Robert Johnson: The New Transcriptions
Searching for Robert Johnson: 
Crossroads: The Life and Afterlife of Blues Legend Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson - Signature Licks: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Legendary Guitarist's Style and Technique (Guitar Signature Licks)
Guitararama
