My Zepeda OM Martin Copy from Nicaragua

 
 
 
 

More Banjo Chris

Belated Happy Birthday ..... to me.

I'm not usually one to aggrandize my birthday, especially as the years start rolling by.....but, I just have to pass this on to you, even if it is a couple of days late!

Some of my dearest friends (who happen to be Argentine blues musicians) recorded a birthday song for me, and I'd like to share it with you here.

Avalon Blues - 100th Post

To commemorate my 100th post on my blog, here's a little Mississippi John Hurt....Avalon Blues.......Hope you like it.

Banjo Chris's 'Hunkie Tunkie Blues'

Banjo Chris with another masterful effort. This guy is a true inspiration....and I love the Stella guitar!

Shine On....

Things have been rough lately. I started a new job, had to fire our gardener...the point is....I've been busy. And, based on my last post, bad news abounds in my country. So....here's a nice little surprise. I never knew this guy even existed.

Ladies and Gentlemen.....Leon Redbone....

Monday Morning Blues Is Back

A little Son House and Blind Lemon Jefferson to get the blood flowing this week.....
First off, 'Preachin' Blues' by a very talented Son House 'disciple'......Enjoy!

And not to be outdone, Blind Lemon's classic 'Pneumonia Blues' by the 'Greek bluesman', George, who's an absolutely splendid understudy of the great Lemon....Note: George claims it is 'horrible', but he is just being overly self-critical. It's good, really good. Keep on posting videos!

Argentina Blues

Wonderful Tampa Red song done by my good friends........a true Blues inspiration!

Who Says White Folks Don't Have The Blues?

Broke Down Engine......2007 Style

Another Banjo Chris classic....I wish I could play the ole 12 string like this guy!

Picking the Guitar

Well, it's funny.....every once in awhile, I run into other musicians here in Managua. I guess I can call myself a 'musician'. I mean, I play guitar.
Guy that plays guitar= musician, right?!

At any rate, for those of you that know me, I haven't been at it very long, couple of years, maybe 3. So, when some guy comes along....you know, a semi-professional musician, and we get to talking....he finds out I 'play guitar'. Next thing you know, I'm going to jam with him....perhaps before he does a show in a little dive bar here.

I keep telling the guy, 'Hey! I don't play Country music, I play Country Blues music. That means no George Strait. I'm talking Mississippi John Hurt.....' Then he goes, 'What?! Who's he?!'.....and so it goes. I'm a burgeoning guitarist, playing a style no one has heard of....in a country with no music scene.

You know, some might say the climate is just right for the Blues......Where's my guitar?

YouTube Favorites on Guitar

Another Brick in the Wall by Naudo. This guy makes me want to go out and trade in all my guitars for that classical guitar he has....In fact, I have to go practice right this very minute.


Cincinnati Flow Rag #2 by Gustavo. Plays Fingerpicking Blues all the way from Spain, with a sweet sounding Martin and Blueridge....among countless others in his collection. Gustavo's keeping the tradition alive...and he's a fellow Piedmont Blues enthusiast!


Baby It Must Be Love by Guitar Dan. You know, this guy has the balls to sing Blind Willie McTell, while playing very good facsimiles....Very nice. I love his tuned down Stella 12-string.


Beans by BanjoChris. You should see him play the banjo! Chris's vocal delivery is au-thentic. He is juke-joint worthy, a serious student of the Blues. I wish he'd post more often.

I implore you to check out these guys' playing the guitar. You'll be glad you did.

Bet On Stewball?

Well, this isn't a review for The Lives of Others....That is still in the works. This, however, is fascinating and demands immediate attention....I'm glad to see Anglo-American folk music is alive and well, even in the strangest of places. Enjoy!

Stagger Lee.....He Was a Bad Man!

Monday Morning Blues on a Wednesday

Two more weeks before our newest addition to the family...Prospective parenthood, work, and other obligations have limited my blogness.

Folks, I can't get enough Blues. This week, after a long hiatus, I want to introduce you to a lesser known legend of yesteryear, Cryin' Sam Collins. Collins, one of the first recorded slide players, hailed from Louisiana in 1887, performing mostly right across the border in McComb, Mississippi in the early 1920s, recording some sides for Gennett Records later on.

A lesser known 'Delta' player, Crying Sam is similar in voice to Tommy Johnson, yet he doesn't have the same haunting quality, or feel, in the vocal delivery. Indeed, he is a cross between Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson....Delta-Lite, if you will. His most famous side was perhaps, Jailhouse Blues, a well-sung, well-played classic blues. However, this early Delta bluesman actually recorded Midnight Special Blues before Leadbelly. Although I prefer Mr. Ledbetter's, it's interesting to hear an early variation of the song. Not unlike Leadbelly, Collins dabbles in different sub-styles within the blues, playing a variation of the oft-recorded Shake That Thing, here it's Do That Thing, a dance piece that makes you smell the pine wood and corn liquor on a Saturday night.

In all, I'd recommend Collins for a change of pace from the usual suspects....the oft-mentioned greats, such as Robert Johnson, Leadbelly, Skip James, Furry Lewis, and company. Check out Jailhouse Blues on the Yazoo Record reissue for a great collection of his material

To Go Electric Or Not Go Electric?

That is the question. I've been eyeing some electric guitars lately, namely Fender Nashville Telecasters. I can't decide if I should go down this road or not.....

Part of me sees it as an unethical step away from the blues....from the true spirit of the music I'm trying to improve upon. Amplification and wah-wahs are anathema to what I'm trying to accomplish as a burgeoning country blues guitarist. What would Leadbelly and John Hurt think? How about Woody, not to mention Pete Seeger, given his less than savory reaction to Dylan's infamous Newport performance.

Well, let's just step back a minute here, and allow me preface this personal 'crossroads', if you will.... I have no clue how to play an electric guitar. Granted, the chords and the frets are the same, even easier on the fingers, than a standard acoustic model. The thing is, the concept is different. Being a southpaw, I've always had a difficult time using a plectrum. Held in my right hand, they always seem awkward, and I've never been adept at strumming per se. Moreover, I have no clue about scales, soloing, etc.....

Yet, not unlike Dylan circa 1965, I'm drawn to the instrument like a bug to a light. Listening to 'Eat A Peach' will do that to a guy. Neil Young has a similar effect. So, should I just suck it up and go for it, or should I just stick with the roots music, as I realize that the acoustic sound will always be my primary passion.

Or, should I buy a banjo?

Monday Morning Blues On Tuesday

Well, as you may have gathered, I've been a bit busy lately. I haven't posted a Monday Morning Blues review in quite awhile, dedicating much of my time to my other blog.

Anyway, I offer you a more modern blues album/artist this week, Little Walter.

Best known as Muddy Waters' harmonica player, Marion Walter Jacobs was a blues innovator of the later generations of early bluesmen that made the Chicago sound famous. Although I'm not a huge fan of this sub-genre, I have to give credit where credit is due. Little Walter can flat out play the harmonica. Just have a little listen to arguably his most famous tune, Juke.

Well, if jukin' and jivin' with the mouth harp is your thing, check out Little Walter. You can almost smell the musky air and the see the neon of Chi-town's blues joints. Me.....well, I'll be down the road a piece on ole Highway 61.

Friday Blues

Here are two songs from two of my favorite artists.

Make Me A Pallet on Your Floor by Mississippi John Hurt

Broke Down Engine by Blind Willie McTell

My New Old Guitar....

Well, I traded in the 1940 Hensel Artist for a ladder-braced 1925 Carl Fischer 'Kilauea' Hawaiian guitar. This guitar was made by the Oscar Schmidt company and is practically the same as an old Stella, like the ones used by the bluesmen of yesteryear.

So...here's a quick take on Crow Jane....a tune made popular by Skip James and Brownie McGhee, among others.

Monday Morning Blues # 9

(playing a little blues between cooking up some pulled pork sandwiches)

Hungry? Good, because I'm offering you some Barbecue........Barbecue Bob, that is. Robert Hicks, aka Barbecue Bob, was born in Walton County (Walnut Grove), Georgia in 1902. Famous for entertaining guests at Tidwell's Restaurant in the 1920s, Bob earned a great nickname, as well as a reputation for playing some of the finest blues in the Atlanta area. Bob's brother, 'Laughing' Charley Lincoln recorded some records as well, but never achieved the amount of notoriety, in life nor death. Both men probably learned their craft from the mother of Curly Weaver (Savannah 'Dip' Weaver) in Newton county in the late teens and early 20s, before heading to Atlanta.

Although I'm partial to McTell (see Monday Morning Blues #3 here) when it comes to the Atlanta sound, there is really no one that sounds like BBQ Bob. Like fellow Georgian McTell, Bob brandished a Stella 12-string, yet while McTell, and others (notably Leadbelly) utilized heavier strings, tuned down from concert pitch, Mr. Hicks went lighter. His tuning/guitar setup is truly mysterious, as some think he removed the 2 bass strings on the 5th and 6th course, to get the violent bass strum that harkens to the Delta sound, yet is altogether different.

10 or 12 strings, it's not really important. What is important is the unique rhythm and sound that Bob gets out of his Stella. Listen to 'She Shook Her Gin', basically his take on 'Shake That Thing', complete with his trademark guitar thump turnaround. My personal favorite though, has to be the self effacing ode, 'Barbecue Blues', a story of unrequited love from a man that 'ain't good looking, teeth don't shine like pearls' to his 'brown' that done him wrong. His vocal delivery is particularly interesting and captivates the listener. A prime example of this is his clever use of metaphor in the 'Black Skunk Blues'. Listen as he explains the dangers of interracial, or 'mixed' dating in 1920s Atlanta.

Alas, fame was short-lived for the culinary bluesman from Newton county, as he contracted pneumonia brought on by influenza, dying shortly thereafter in 1931 before his 30th birthday. Fortunately for his music, it lives on today in his well-preserved sides, 65 of 68 have been preserved and can be heard for the most part on 'Chocolate to the Bone' and 'The Essential Barbecue Bob'. I gravitate back to his music for many reasons, but above all, for his expressive voice and unique 12 string setup/playing. It doesn't hurt that he's a fellow Georgian.....I guess I'm just sittin' here in Managua this morning with 'Georgia on my mind'