In 1928, country blues legend Blind Willie McTell released 'Statesboro Blues' on the Victor, referring to the town in Georgia.
The song is very much a ragstyle blues, and became one of his biggest hits.
However, it was the 1968 version by Taj Mahal and the 1971 version by the Allman Brothers that actually popularized the song, due to it's heavier beats and the electrifying slide guitars. The Allman Brothers version has seen heavy success and was chosen #9 on Rolling Stone's Top 100 Guitar Songs.
It's been a busy weekend, so I thought I'd group everything into one post:
First, we start off with some bad news.
1- Ornette Coleman, free jazz legend, dies at the age of 85.
Ornette Coleman was known to be a breaker of conventions; a man who played a plastic Yamaha alto sax, which is alone a shocker at the time, and performing odd measures, scales, and with more and more freedom within jazz.
His album, The Shape of Jazz to Come, in 1959 was his breakthrough, and went on his never ending search of new sounds until the day he died.
Jazz truly was never the same without him. Here's an old post I wrote about him a while back.
2- My Full Interview with Urban Q8 is Out
I had a great time doing this video with Tarek of Urban Q8. I hope you guy like this video!
3- Only a Week Left for Fete de la Musique!
Remember, next week on 21 June, I will be performing with my blues band in Beirut, at Samir Kassir Square.
Checkout the full lineup that day, and don't forget to say hi!
I recorded an interview for Urban Q8, and that will be coming later on, however I thought I'd upload a live version of one of my tracks for that interview for you to enjoy.
This version, unlike the original, is in open G tuning, which makes it sound a lot darker and more true to the Mississippi Delta blues sound.
Lightnin' Hopkins was known for his haunting vocals, enchanting lyrics and fiery guitar skills. This song combines them all in a chilling blues track, called 'Glory Bee'.
The Mississippi Delta is the region in the southern United States, also known as the Deep South, where blues music originated. The area, known for its poverty, sharecroppers and farming, is the place where African-Americans on the plantations started singing the music originating from West Africa, combining it with work songs, spirituals, and instead of talking about God (gospel), talked about women, working conditions, and poverty, which became the blues.
From this focal point between the banks of the Mississippi River lie the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas, where the most famous movers and innovators and legends of the blues emerged. From Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters to BB King to John Lee Hooker and hundreds more, this was not just fertile land for farming but also for growing legends.
The country style, usually with a bottleneck slide, no amplification, and loose, raw, solo arrangements define the sound of the delta blues. It is the origin, and from the 1920s onwards was the prime location for bluesmen to shine.
I've complied a list of 10 songs from the Delta for your blues needs:
10. Depot Blues - Son House
9. Country Blues - Muddy Waters
8. Sittin' on Top of the World - Mississippi Sheiks
7. Goin' Down to the River - Mississippi Fred McDowell
In 1936, Robert Johnson recorded the definitive version of "Walkin' Blues", which contained the classic line:
"Woke up this mornin' feelin round for my shoes But you know by that, I got these old walkin' blues"
It contains traditional blues lines originally attributed to the legend Son House, who was a major influence on Robert Johnson. Since then it's been considered one of the main blues standards, and has been covered by hundreds of musicians across genres, such as:
There are currently some floods happening in Texas; but the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue in Austin was also not safe. However, the statue looked like it was walking on water, in a biblical reference to the importance and relevance of SRV to Texas and floods.
Uncle Jessie White was great Detroit bluesman, who moved there in 1950 from Mississippi; he played piano with The 29th Street Band for decades, landing his most famous album in 1991. He kept performing until his death in 2008.
Below is a track from the 1991 album Uncle Jessie White & The 29th Street Band:
I received the official word last night; I'l be performing a blues set at Beirut's Fête de la Musique on the 21st of June! The event will take place in various locations around Beirut; my set will be at Samir Kassir Square in Downtown, at 11:20pm.
This will be my first official gig in Beirut as a solo musician, and will also be my first official gig in Lebanon since 2005 (see more about my Beirut music journey here). I have discussed with my old band mates and they will be performing with me on stage, reunited after all this time.
More details will be coming later on; hope to see you there!
