Bluestone's track of the Day: Down South Blues

Down South Blues has a catchy slide lead.  The main riff is played throughout most of the song and some soloing is mixed in.  What I like about this one is that it's a a lonely blues; "I woke up this mornin' and I found my baby gone," but it's hopeful, as well; "I'm goin' down South child, the weather here's too cold."  Things are gonna get better.  I can listen to this one when I just want music, when I'm crying, or when I'm drinking.  It's got every different vibe to it, and it sounds good too.  Listen to it!

Bluestone's Track of the Day: Whiskey Blues

Here's a slide tune from Muddy, called Sittin' Here Drinkin' or Whiskey Blues or something like that.  So far, from Muddy, I've shared My Home Is In The Delta, Baby Please Don't Go, and Champagne and Reefer, plus Hendrix's cover of Mannish Boy.  Whiskey Blues is a lot like My Home Is In The Delta, not a lot like the others.  It's a true crying slide tune, no electric effects, just good old blues.  Whiskey Blues, another testament to Muddy's range and number of good songs, check it out.

Bluestone's Track of the Day: Blues Before Sunrise

This tune has a piano, a lead guitar, a rhythm guitar, and some brass, but it has the vibe of a country blues.  John Lee Hooker lived from 1917 to 2001, and he was from Mississippi, where he began as a sharecropper.  He developed a kind of talking blues style, where he plays a lick then the only accompaniment to the lyric is the tapping of his foot.  Hear it here in his famous Boom Boom.  Lightnin' Hopkins does some good talking blues, too, like I'm Beggin' You.  Lightnin's kind of talkin' blues is even a bit more sparse than Hooker's, which I like.  They build this real relationship between the singer and the guitar, where the guitar's voice is no more valuable nor abundant than the spoken word, but I digress.  Blues Before Sunrise is a sincere tune.  Hooker got a little mannish with some of his songs and sounded like Muddy Waters, but not here.  Blues Before Sunrise is somewhere between Lightnin' and Muddy (not a bad couple o' guys to be between.)  It's just the right balance of sadness and hope, it's the right balance of music and lyrics, the right balance of guitar and piano.  It's a delicately put together blues that could not have been done better.  I chose the above photo of Hooker with purpose.  He usually plays a hollow body jazz guitar, but he has an acoustic here.  I don't know what he really plays Blues Before Sunrise with, but I picture it as an acoustic, simple and sincere.

Bluestone's Track of the Day: Baby Please Don't Go

Baby Please Don't Go is a blues standard and possibly the best tune ever written. It has been covered by innumerable artists and in countless different yet compelling ways. According to Wikipedia, the lyrics are derived from 20th century work songs Another Man Done Gone, Alabama Bound, Don't Leave Me Here, and Turn Your Lamp Down Low. As we already know, all blues are interconnected and derived from one another and so on and so forth and here and there and it's all the same. What is so special about this song? Don't ask me, because i couldn't tell you. Don't ask me why Bob Dylan was so successful with a terrible voice and sub par guitar skills. Don't ask me why Crank That by Soulja Boy was such a big hit. Some things are just good, they're appealing, the devil has some stake in them.
Supposedly Big Joe Williams' version was the first recorded (1935). I don't know which version he recorded first, but the one I have here is on a 9-string guitar with a first fret capo, and is absolutely brilliant. The video is a must watch. Big Joe is fat and passionate, he taps his foot, and he freakin' plays it. His vocals fade in and out in such a way that they blend together with his playing. I commented on Hendrix's blend of vocals and playing earlier; it's fascinating to note that parallel here in a completely different setting.

Van Morrison's version is a fast paced, full band blues rock. A lead guitar plays the melody over a simple bass, there's a harmonica, drums, and everything. Van sings it well, too. Although this is not how this tune began, it's well done.
Lightnin' Hopkins' version is played in typical Lightnin' fashion and is another knockout. He plays the melody then strums out a blues. Hopkins' is hilariously distant looking in this performance, but it's still good. The version recorded on his Blues Masters Compilation album of 2000 is also very good, different from the one here.
And here is Muddy Waters' version. He of course is the bridge that leads from Big Joe and Lightnin' to Van Morrison.  Not quite rock, but not an old fashioned blues. Check it out.

Jimi Hendrix: Blues (Track 3 of 11)

Hendrix's version of Muddy Waters' Mannish Boy is fast paced and funky.  The rhythm guitar uses muted strokes well to achieve that funk sound.  There isn't much in the way of lead guitar and there aren't any real solos; this is a big change from most of the tracks on Blues where Hendrix basically solos all the way through.  The lyrics are great, though, thanks to Muddy, and Jimi does this kind of falsetto at the beginning, which really shows his range.  I've found myself listening to this one more as the sun has come out this spring and I've been able to roll the windows down in the car while I drive.
Stand in line, I'll make love to you... it's always time.  Jimi's lyrics diverge a little from Muddy's but there good and mannish still.

Harvard Square Musician David Johnston

David Johnston plays a steel guitar on the upper-level sidewalk outside of Hidden Sweets, next to the red line stop. He is a fantastic musician and a reliable presence. On most nice days, he can be found in his usual spot, sitting on the street, playing the blues. On weekends, he gathers crowds, right there on the sidewalk, as the original bluesmen did. Johnston is a fine street musician, and honestly, I think he should be much more than that. I would hire this guy for gigs all the time. Johnston is fantastic with the slide and has a classic blues voice. I might classify his style as swamp blues, but I'm not sure. I am sure, however, that he is great. I could rave about him all day and night, but really, you need to get out to 25 Brattle St. in Harvard Square and see for yourself. If you can't make it out there to see him, buy a CD online. All I have electronically for you right now is this YouTube video. Johnston is the white guy on the right of the screen. The song is Muddy Waters' Honey Bee. The black guy's voice is excellent, but unfortunately, I have no idea who he is. When I get more info I'll update this post.

Check out Johnston's MySpace page.

Bluestone on CHAMPAGNE AND REEFER

The site is called Champagne n' Reefer so I figured I should fill you in. Champagne and Reefer was recorded by Muddy Waters and came out on his 1981 album King Bee.

Yeah bring me champagne when I'm thirsty,

Bring me a reefer when I want to get high. Well you know when I'm lonely, Bring my woman set her right down here by my side. There shouldn't be no law Against people that wanna smoke a little dope. It's good fo' your head, and it relax yo' body, don't you know?

Muddy sang this back in 1981. A Delta bluesman, growing old, singing about the same things we're hearing in hip-hop and rap today. Muddy preferred Piper Heidsieck champagne. Today, the label on the drink may have changed, but not much else has. It's been a while since the blues were born, but the way the hip-hop industry has evolved, it looks like they'll never be forgotten. My Home is in the Delta might as well be Jenny from the Block, and Champagne and Reefer isn't far off Sean Paul's We Be Burnin'.

Bluestone's Track of the Day: My Home is in the Delta

McKinley Morganfield was born in 1915 in Rolling Fork Mississippi where he lived on Stovall Plantation, down in the Delta where the blues began. Morganfield's juke house was a hot spot for black farmers and white plantation owners alike; his fine moonshine may have had something to do with it, but nonetheless, he began to come across some success in his mid 20's (the early 1930s). Morganfield was first recorded by Alan Lomax. Lomax came through his town and offered $10 per song for recordings on aluminum discs. Morganfield took the offer; he played a steel guitar and used a true bottleneck as a slide. A broken bottle and cold, hard steel; this was the Delta. This was home to all of the early, great bluesmen, but the blues wouldn't stay there forever. Producers like Lomax brought the finest talent from the South up to Chicago for proper recordings. Charley Patton, Son House, and countless others were part of this movement, but in my opinion, none as influential as Morganfield. Morganfield first moved to Chicago in 1940, where he would eventually electrify and evolve the Delta blues without losing its raw quality. When Morganfield initially began recording in Chicago he played a reserved style, with no passion, and with no bottleneck. Chicago was intimidating. Morganfield said "I got off that train and it looked like this was the fastest place in the world." He quickly realized, however, that although he had left his home in the Delta, he could not leave his music; he had to stay true to it, which is exactly what he did. In 1947, he signed with Chess Records (called Aristocrat at the time) and played the way he always had. As the electric guitar evolved, so did Morganfield. He began recording music that would have a great influence on rock and roll, as well as blues, but he never forgot where he came from. Most of you probably know Morganfield better as Muddy Waters, christened by his grandmother for his messy play, and here is his My Home is in the Delta:
Listen to My Home Is In The Delta
Fun fact about Muddy: His MOJO that he so often speaks about comes from the Louisiana Mojo Hand. A Mojo Hand was a little red flannel bag pierced with needles that was used to curse your opponents in gambling. It could be purchased from a "doctor", and Muddy says he really believed in them.

This song has been played by many artists including Mississippi Fred McDowell. None play it better than Muddy, but many play it well. Here is another artist from YouTube: Scott Ainslie. Neither his playing nor his voice are perfect, but he plays with passion and, for a white guy, he is as close to capturing the Delta as you can find.