Country Blues Guitar

[Bop Head]

Those three, erm, graces sure look like they're a bit too tanned to be Greek

Seriously, look like. I don't know what kind of make-up and lighting they used, but you can often almost only guess the differences in skin colour in those old B&W recordings!

Johnny Otis' real name was Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes, he was the sun of greek immigrants.

From Wiki:

Johnny grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood in Berkeley, California, where his father owned a grocery store. He became known for his choice to live his professional and personal life as a member of the African-American community. He wrote, "As a kid I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black."

Tough decision in those days though Cali might have been better than let's say Alabama ...

[DawgBone]

Johnny Otis' real name was Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes, he was the sun of greek immigrants.

From Wiki:

Johnny grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood in Berkeley, California, where his father owned a grocery store. He became known for his choice to live his professional and personal life as a member of the African-American community. He wrote, "As a kid I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black."

Tough decision in those days though Cali might have been better than let's say Alabama ...

I believe Chris Cain had a black father and a greek mother. I wonder if he passes Ragman's blues ministry of truth....

[RJVB]

As for singing, not all black people can sing contrary to what seems to be a popular belief among whites, throat structure be damned. Same for rhythm.

Of course. Not all guys with a big D or women with double Ds get to be pr0n stars, right?

[Bop Head]

I just discovered by random this BBC documentary presented by the Godfather of the British Blues Revival which includes some nice examples of rural playing styles. More episodes on the same YT channel.

[ragman1]

You really ought to have kept your mouth shut, you had that much right. Please tell me being drunk was the excuse for this post.

What percentage African descent does one need to be to qualify to play this kind of music and still pass your brown paper bag test? Serious question. You're speaking but you really don't know the background or motivations of anyone posting here. Please remove your post and do yourself and all of us a favor. Thanks.

Hi, Dawg. No, I wasn't drunk, quite the contrary. But I've been around a bit, you know? I've known a ton of players who could play this style really well, drop D, open G, slide, the whole thing. They were really good some of them.

There were only a couple I'd listen to with any real attention. But they were people to whom the feel came naturally, it was just there in their blood. Don't ask me how.

The others, though technically efficient, were okay but the background wasn't there, you know? it was just imitation. That's all my point really, I'm not trying to stop anyone doing what they want.

And by the way, it's not about being black today, it was about being black back then. There's a lot of difference.

I might delete the post but we'll see. I'll think on it.

and calm down, it's only music :-)

[Kirk Garrett]

…I've known a ton of players who could play this style really well, drop D, open G, slide, the whole thing. They were really good some of them.

There were only a couple I'd listen to with any real attention. But they were people to whom the feel came naturally, it was just there in their blood. Don't ask me how.

The others, though technically efficient, were okay but the background wasn't there, you know? it was just imitation….]

It’s almost as if this statement could apply to any style of music.

[Kirk Garrett]

Does this work? I think so. I think it’s a great version. Same guitar arrangement, almost, as the John Hurt version. Somewhat different feel, and obviously Jerry has a band here.

Some of the lyrics get pretty gnarly, and take us pretty deeply into cultural appropriation.

Or conversely this is an example of someone who loves American music and gives it his own lovely voice.

[gcb]

Good advice above.
Many 78s to listen/download at Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free & Borrowable Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine
Check also Elmore James.

[DawgBone]

D
Some of the lyrics get pretty gnarly, and take us pretty deeply into cultural appropriation.

Cultural appropriation is a fantasy. Society is where people share, trade, and borrow ideas from others.

[DawgBone]

And by the way, it's not about being black today, it was about being black back then. There's a lot of difference.

I might delete the post but we'll see. I'll think on it.

and calm down, it's only music :-)

Your remarks were inappropriate. You've been around a while? Then you should know better than that.

[Kirk Garrett]

Cultural appropriation is a fantasy. Society is where people share, trade, and borrow ideas from others.

I quite agree.


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[MarkRhodes]

This thread reminds me of something that had completely slipped my mind.
About 30 years ago I interviewed David Soldier for Option magazine.
David was born David Sulzer and it is under that name that he is (or then was) a neuroscientist at Columbia University.
I had just heard the first Soldier String Quartet album and was fascinated by his variety of influences.
One thing that came up was Delta blues. He really liked Skip James and mailed me a several page chart he had made of a tune of Skip's showing the "aperiodicity" of his music. (This was before my first exposure to a drum machine---I didn't know anything about quantizing beats.) I didn't know what to make of it but when I listened to Skip's song, I had no trouble at all "getting" the rhythm.

I think the most important thing in music is rhythm. It's the motor that makes it all go. But there are many rhythms, some simpler than others. I think the key to musical happiness is finding the rhythm that makes you come alive and then to surf it like a mighty wave.

[Kirk Garrett]

Cultural appropriation is a fantasy. Society is where people share, trade, and borrow ideas from others.

That said, I would not necessarily be keen to sing the lyrics of Spike Driver Blues in front of some audiences.

[DawgBone]

That said, I would not necessarily be keen to sing the lyrics of Spike Driver Blues in front of some audiences.

I have done the John Hurt version many times. What version are you talking about?

[Kirk Garrett]

I have done the John Hurt version many times. What version are you talking about?

The version I posted above in which García adds traditional lyrics from another ballad Hurt covered, John Henry.


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[swingtoneman]

Thanks everybody for your input. Much appreciated.

[Enlightened Rogue]

Thanks everybody for your input. Much appreciated.

Hello. Old thread I know, but the greatest blues music guitarist/singer/songwriter(imho) was never mentioned; the late Elmore James. All of his recordings are free on YouTube and he popularized many blues “licks” and phrases that have become standards in the genre. Elmore James was influenced by Robert Johnson and Charley Patton. Players that were influenced by Elmore were Hound Dog Taylor and Lil’ Ed Williams. The music starts acoustic with Robert Johnson. Elmore James “electrified” his acoustic by adding a pickup to the sound hole and plugging in. By the time of Hound Dog Taylor most modern blues had gone electric.

There is a great book in tab of Elmore James tunes that will show you all you need to know for blues rhythms, leads, and turn arounds you need. Once you get a few of these down, your ears and instinct will lead you further as you build upon what you’ve learned.

You don’t have to, but you should learn to play slide guitar. The only thing that matters about which finger to wear it is comfort and control. I myself use a slide on my pinky. You *DO NOT* have to have high action for slide playing. An action that accompanies both standard and slide playing is most desirable. Then you can note behind the slide. If you experience the slide “running off” the fingerboard as you ascend up the neck, move up to a heavier gauge strings. Brass,glass,ceramic, whatever the material that has the best tone to you.


Tunings for most blues will be standard, open D, open G. The open D tuning is more urban blues, jazz, and rock. The open G tuning is more country blues, country music. My advice is to learn to play in all three.

I would advise studying Arabic and Indian musics to expand the ear and knowledge of slide playing more. There is much to be discovered in these musics that you can use in your blues.

Don’t worry about the negative stereotyping some may show towards playing this music like in some comments above. These individuals are in the small minority and few and far between. “Blues” is just an umbrella label. It can be heard in all musics. There are blue notes in classical, jazz, rock, Arabic, Indian, Gospel, etc. One of the best things I learned serving in the military and being stationed among different cultures and languages is that all the world understands a blue note. Start off with one and everybody joins in.

Sorry for the long spiel. I have studied blues music and its different genres and players for most of my life. The blues are what led me to jazz which opened up the world of “free” jazz, chamber jazz, and how these musics help cope with anxiety, adhd, ptsd. Music is a wonderful blessing.

Here are a few Robert Jonson, Elmore James, and Hound Dog Taylor songs. Also a copy of the Elmore James songbook. Amazon usually have a few copies in stock.