Perhaps the name “Washboard Sam” implied that he was a specialty act or a lightweight. He was neither. An interesting thing about researching the...
Category - Blues
I happened to see “Tow Boat Blues” by Washboard Sam after posting some of his music this morning. The song is a collection of double entendres...
This Day in Jazz History says that today is the 60th anniversary of The Newport Jazz Festival. Here is a history of the event. Above is Big Maybelle performing...
According to This Day in Music, Willie Dixon was born on this day in 1915. This great clip is “Weak Brain and a Narrow Mind.” If anyone knows who...
It’s interesting that Robert Lee McCollum — Robert Nighthawk — never got the recognition accorded other blues players, many of whom he...
AllMusic’s bio of blues legend Buddy Guy was written by Mark Deming. Here is how it starts: Buddy Guy is one of the most celebrated blues guitarists of...
Legends aren’t dependent on mystery. Louis Armstrong and The Rolling Stones are legends, and they have been all over the place for decades. A bit of...
Leadbelly — Huddie Ledbetter — is a legend. The outlines are contradictory: Leadbelly was a murderer who sang kids songs and became a bedrock of...
Those are two great nicknames, and there probably were more. Champion Jack Dupree led an interesting life, it seems. From the AllMusic bio: Dupree was...
Big Bill Broonzy was one of the most important blues players of the twentieth century. The problem: Broonzy — at least according to the bio at the site...
Reading Music
The stories of the great bands and musicians are fascinating. Musicians as a group are brilliant, but often troubled. The combination of creativity and drama makes for great reading.
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Here are some books to check out.
Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.
What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.
The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").
David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.
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