Untitled - Edmonton Blues Society

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Ebook published February 1, 2012 by Guitar International Group, LLC Editors: Rick Landers and Matt Warnock Cover Design: Debra Devi Originally published January 1, 2006 by Billboard Books Executive Editor: Bob Nirkind Editor: Meryl Greenblatt Design: Cooley Design Lab Production Manager: Harold Campbell Copyright (c) 2006 by Debra Devi Cover photograph of B.B. King by Dick Waterman courtesy Dick Waterman Music Photography Author photograph by Matt Warnock Additional photographs by: Steve LaVere, courtesy Delta Haze Corporation Joseph A. Rosen, courtesy Joseph A. Rosen Photography Sandy Schoenfeld, courtesy Howling Wolf Photos Mike Shea, courtesy Tritone Photography Toni Ann Mamary, courtesy Hubert Sumlin Blues Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following for permission to reprint previously published material: 6DPXHO&KDUWHUV³7KH6RQJRI$OKDML)DEDOD.DQXWHK´H[FHUSWIURP The Roots of the Blues by Samuel Charters, originally published: Boston: M. Boyars, 1981. Transaction Publishers: Excerpt from Deep Down in the Jungle: Negro Narrative Folklore from the Streets of Philadelphia by Roger Abrahams. Warner-7DPHUODQH3XEOLVKLQJ&RUSRUDWLRQ6NXOO0XVLF/\ULFIURP³,:DON2Q*XLOGed 6SOLQWHUV´E\0DF5HEHQQDFN Library of Congress Control Number: 2005924574 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means- graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage-and-retrieval systems- without the prior permission of the author.

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Guitar International

Reston, Virginia

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W inner of the 2007 ASC A P Deems T aylor A ward for O utstanding Book on Popular M usic ³:KDWDJUHDWUHVRXUFH«DVfascinating as it is informative. Debra's passion for the blues VKLQHVWKURXJK´ ± Bonnie Raitt ³(YHU\EOXHVJXLWDULVWQHHGVWRNQRZWKHLUEOXHVKLVWRU\DQGZKHUHWKHEOXHVDUHFRPLQJ IURP'HEUD¶VERRNZLOOWHDFK\RXZKDW\RXUHDOO\QHHGWRNQRZ´± Joe Bonamassa

³7KLVLVDEHDXWLIXOERRN$IWHUKHDULQJµ+HOOKRXQGRQ0\7UDLO¶LQKLJKVFKRRO,ERXJKW every vintage blues record available at the time. Upon receiving The Language of the Blues I discovered my knowledge only scratched the surface. Debra Devi has written an LQYDOXDEOHUHIHUHQFHERRN$QGLW¶VDOVRJUHDWIXQWRUHDG´± Hal Willner ³'RQ¶WWKLQNWKDW The Language of the Blues might read like a dictionary or reference ERRN7KHUH¶VQRSORWEXW\RXFDQRSHQLWXSDWUDQGRPDQGIDOOLQWRWKHZRUOGRI\RXU favorite Blues songs, and find out more about the lyrics than you would be guessing from FRQWH[W,OHDUQHGDORWPRUHDERXWWKH%OXHVPXVLF,DOUHDG\ORYHG´± Bob Margolin ³7KLVLVDERRNWKDWORYHUVRIPXVLFDQGMXVWSODLQROGORYHUVZLOOORYHWRKDYHLQWKHLU collections. Its candor and witty honesty bring us into the world Debra Devi describes so ZHOOZLWKEHDXWLIXOVWUHQJWK´± Ed Sanders ³)LQDOO\RQHFDQXQGHUVWDQGWKHPHFKDQLFVEHKLQGWKHRYHUZKHOPLQJYLVFHUD of the %OXHV'HEUD'HYL¶VZRUNLVDWUXHJXLGHERRNWRWKHVRXO´± Al Jourgensen ³7KLVERRNLVIDVFLQDWLQJ7DNHLWWRWKHEDWKURRPDQGGRQ¶WFRPHRXWXQWLO\RX¶UHdone UHDGLQJLW´± Jimmy Vivino 7RXQHDUWKWKHRULJLQVDQGPHDQLQJVRIEOXHVWHUPVOLNH³DOFRUXE´³PRMR´DQG³NLOOLQJ IORRU´'HEUD'HYLSRUHGRYHUO\ULFVGXJWKURXJKREVFXUHDFDGHPLFVRXUFHVDQG interviewed many legendary blues artists, including Little Milton Campbell, Robben Ford, Henry Gray, Dr. John, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Bob Margolin, Bonnie Raitt, Hubert Sumlin and Jimmie Vaughan.

The Los Angeles Ti mes FDOOHGWKHUHVXOW³RQHRIWKHZLWWLHVWEDZGLHVWDQGPRVW fascinating dictionaries ever.´1DW+HQWRIIGHFODUHG The Language of the Blues ³LQYDOXDEOH´LQWKHWall Street Journal, and Blues Revue QDPHGLW³DQHVVHQWLDOSXUFKDVH IRUVFKRODUVDQGIDQV´ New York Times FROXPQLVW6KHOWRQ,YDQ\DGGHG³,I\RXKDYHDQ\ questions about songs, lyrics, musicians or events, chances are that you will find your DQVZHUVLQWKLVXQSDUDOOHOHGSXEOLFDWLRQ´ 'HYLFDOOVKHUERRNDQ³DQHFGRWDOGLFWLRQDU\´EHFDXVHLW¶VSDFNHGZLWKLQVLJKWIXO amusing and outrageous anecdotes from her interviews with blues greats. The Language of the Blues also includes photos - some rare and previously unpublished²of twenty-plus artists, and a remarkable foreword by Dr. John.

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A bout the A uthor Debra Devi is the singer/guitarist for the rock band DEVI. SKH¶VDFender Girl Rock Nation artist, and the first female guitarist to record for Guitar World¶V³/LFNRIWKH'D\´L3KRQH app. A former associate editor of Blues Revue magazine, she has also written for The Village Voice, Rolling Stone.com, Guitar World, Vintage Guitar, and Yoga Journal . 'HYL¶VGHEXWDOEXP G ET FRE E (True Nature Records/Redeye USA), has earned her comparisons to singers Sheryl Crow and PJ Harvey, and guitarists Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison.

C L I C K H E R E F O R 1 F R E E D O W N L O A D 2)'(9,¶V G E T F R E E A L B U M

͞ĞďƌĂĞǀŝ  is  a  supersonic   fret-­‐burner  with  a  deep  feel   for  the  blues  who  writes   hauntingly  memorable   ƐŽŶŐƐ͘͟JamBase       Her  compelling  voice   reminds  us  of  Sheryl  Crow  &   PJ  Harvey,  ǁŚŝůĞĞǀŝ͛ƐŐƵŝƚĂƌ playing  reminds  us  of  the   incomparable  Jimi  Hendrix.     Metal  Hammer         ͞ŶĞŶĚĞĂƌŝŶŐĨƵƐŝŽŶ between  the  melodic  finesse   of  Sheryl  Crow  and  the  rough   rock  energy  of  Queens  of  the   Stone  Age!  Beat       ͞ŝŐ͕ŵĞůŽĚŝĐĂŶĚďŽůĚ͘͞ Vintage  Guitar  

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Foreword :K\OLVWHQDWWKHEOXHV"¶&DXVHLW¶VUHDO%XWWKHUH¶VDPLOOLRQNLQGRIEOXHV¶FDXVHWKHUH¶V DPLOOLRQNLQGVRISHRSOH7KHUH¶VVRSKLVWLFDWHGEOXHVOLNH&KDUOHV%URZQDQG5D\ &KDUOHVDQGWKHUH¶VMD]]FDWVEOXHV7KHUH¶VJXWEXFNHWEOXHVOLNH/LJKWQLQ¶+RSNLQVDQG John Lee Hooker, and barrelhouse blues. Each set added its own language to the blues. $OOWKHVHJX\VMXVWWDONHGDORWRIWUDVKDQGWKDW¶VZKDWWKLVERRNLVDERXW A lot of bucket-of-blood joints, for instance, catered to the junkies and the pimps and the hos. The street set would hang at them joints when the bands they liked would be there, DQGWKH\¶GH[SHFWVRPHWDLORUHG-for-them music. The juke joint was a different kind of set. It was more sophisticated than a bucket-of-EORRGMRLQW(VWHOOD&ROHPDQ@FRPPRQODZIRUDERXWHLJKWQLQH\HDUV´VDLG/RFNZRRGZKRZDV

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ERUQLQLQ7XUNH\6FUDWFK$UNDQVDV³+HWDXJKWPHWRSOD\&DQ¶WQRERG\SOD\KLV VWXIIEXWPH´144 Robert Lockwood became known as Robert Junior, or Robert Jr. Lockwood, and performed and recorded under that name until his death in 2006 at age ninety one. In 2004, in fact, Lockwood appeared at Eric Clapton's first Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas, Texas, and his live recording with three other blues musicians ± Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas ± won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album.

Robert Jr. Lockwood circa 1980 photo © Joseph A . Rosen

Lockwood and his mother lived with Johnson in Helena, Arkansas, while Johnson performed all around the Delta. The family also spent time in Memphis and St. Louis. To Lockwood, Johnson was not some mysterious loner who was making pacts with the GHYLO³:KDWGLG,WKLQNDERXW5REHUW-RKQVRQ"´/RFNZRRGDVNHG³,WKLQNKH¶VDQLFH PDQ$OOWKHPVWRULHVDERXWKLP«,GRQ¶WNQRZDERXWWKDW+HQHYHUWROGPHQRWKLQJ DERXWLW´ Lockwood built a powerful career on the foundation Johnson gave him. In his teens, he was a regular on the King Biscuit Time radio show out of Helena, Arkansas, with KDUPRQLFDJUHDW³6RQQ\%R\´$OHFN³5LFH´0LOOHU :LOOLDPVRQ³6RQQ\%R\ZDVD 76

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QDWXUDO´/RFNZRRGDVVHUWHG³+HZDVUHDOUHDOJRRG+HFRXOGVLQJJRRGDQGKHcould SOD\JRRG´ $IWHUUHFRUGLQJIRXUWLWOHVIRU%OXHELUGLQ/RFNZRRGPRYHGWR&KLFDJRZKHUH³, ZDVSOD\LQJ>UHFRUGLQJVHVVLRQV@ZLWKDOPRVWHYHU\ERG\&KHVV>5HFRUGV@KDG¶FDXVH, was one of their favorite guitar players. So I was playing jazz, blues, I was SOD\LQJHYHU\WKLQJ´ /RFNZRRGUHPDUNHGWKDWSHRSOHWKLQNWKHEOXHVDUHHDV\WRSOD\EXWWKDW-RKQVRQ¶VEOXHV ZHUHQ¶WVLPSOHDQGQHLWKHUDUHKLV³/RWRIEOXHVWKDW,SOD\JRWDORWRIFKDQJHVOLNHIRXU and five and six changes and stuff likHWKDW´/RFNZRRGDOVRGHVFULEHG-RKQVRQDVDQ intelligent and curious man who was always on the lookout for inspiration for his songs. ³,KDYHWRVD\WKDWKHGRQHTXLWHDELWRIVWXG\LQJLQKLVOLIH´/RFNZRRGVDLG³+HGLGD lot of reading and stuff like that. Just about anything you could read, he read it. You read WKLQJVDQGDIWHU\RXJHWWKURXJKUHDGLQJDERXWLW\RXFDQVLQJDERXWLW´ -RKQVRQ¶VPXVLFDOJHQLXVDQGLQWHOOHFWXDOVRSKLVWLFDWLRQDUHDSSDUHQWLQKLVVRQJV:KDW¶V especially striking abouW³&URVV5RDG%OXHV´LV-RKQVRQ¶VH[SUHVVHGVHQVHRIIDLOXUHDW having dug into his spiritual resources and come up empty handed. Rather than giving us a pat story of being overwhelmed by the devil or raised to the heavens by God, Johnson stands at the crossroads, sinking down, crushed by existential dread. Christianity has failed him here, and the ancestral rituals that might have rescued him are lost to him: Standing at the cross roads, I tried to flag a ride 'LGQ¶WQRERG\VHHPWRNQRZPHHYHU\ERG\SDVV me by 1RQHWKHOHVVUXPRUVRI-RKQVRQ¶VFURVVURDGVSDFWZLWKWKHGHYLOSHUVLVWHGIXHOHGE\KLV VXSHUQDWXUDOPXVLFDODELOLWLHVDQGIDQQHGE\VRQJVOLNH³0HDQGWKH'HYLO%OXHV´ -RKQVRQ¶VGHDWKLQDWDJHWZHQW\VHYHQ- after drinking whiskey that had most likely been poisoned by a jealous husband- SXWWKHVHDORQWKHOHJHQGRIWKHJHQLXVEOXHVPDQ¶V deal with the devil. To the people who loved him, however, his death was the hard loss of DYHU\VHQVLWLYHDQGWDOHQWHGSHUVRQ³,ZDVSUHWW\VKDNHQXS´/RFNZRRGWROG'DYLG Witter of Chicago Interview³,GLGQ¶WSOD\IRURYHUD\HDU$VIDUDVP\PRWKHUDQG, ZHUHFRQFHUQHGKHZDVDZRQGHUIXOZRQGHUIXOPDQ´145 No other acoustic artist, let alone one from the 1930s, has had such a powerful impact on HOHFWULFEOXHVDQGURFNPXVLF0DQ\RI-RKQVRQ¶VVRORDFRXVWLFFRXQWU\EOXHVVRQJVKDYH been monster hits for electric blues and rock musicians. Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Cream, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and countless other bands have turned -RKQVRQ¶VVRQJVLQWRURFNIXQNDQGKHDY\PHWDO 7KHVHDUWLVWVDOOKHDUGDEOXHSULQWLQKLVVRQJVIRUWKHIXWXUHRIURFN¶Q¶UROO. ³5REHUWZDV ZD\DKHDGRIKLVWLPH´PXVHG/RFNZRRG³+HVRXQGHGGLIIHUHQW:KHQ5REHUWSOD\HG the guitar, he played the whole guitar. He played the lead and the background DQGHYHU\WKLQJ´146 77

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Songs: ³&HQWUDO$YHQXH%OXHV´- Will Day ³&URVV5RDG%OXHV´- Robert Johnson C U T T I N G C O N T EST Pianist Dr. John came of age in New Orleans in the 1950s, when musicians engaged in ILHUFHMDPVHVVLRQVFDOOHGFXWWLQJFRQWHVWV³7KDW¶VZKDWPDGHDKLJKHUOHYHORI PXVLFLDQVKLS´'U-RKQGHFODUHG³,W¶VMXVWDVDGWKLQJWKDWZHGRQ¶WKDYHWKDWNLQGRI outlet today. Where are there cutting contests anymore? Where are there all-night jam VHVVLRQVDQ\PRUH"´147 6RPHWLPHVFDOOHGD³FDUYLQJFRQWHVW´DFXWWLQJFRQWHVWLVDMDPVHVVLRQGXULQJZKLFK players compete for gigs, respect, and acclaim by trying to blow each other off the stage. The applause from the audience is the barometer used to grade the players and choose the winner. )URPFXWWLQJFRQWHVWFRPHV³FXWWLQJ´- attempting to outdo a competitor in playing a solo. 7KLVXVHRI³FXW´ZDVQRWWKHRULJLQRI ³FXWDWUDFN´ZKLFKPHDQVWRPDNHDUHFRUGLQJ however. That derived from the fact that recordings were originally engraved or cut into wax masters (and later into metal, acetate-coated metal or glass masters).148 ³%DFNWKHQLIDJX\ZDVQ¶WVKDUSRQKLVD[HHYHU\QLJKWVRPHERG\ZDVJRLQ¶FRPHDQG VWHDOKLVJLJRQDFXWWLQJFRQWHVWRURQDMDPVHVVLRQ´'U-RKQH[SODLQHG³6HHLQWKH 1940s through the 1950s, 1960s, and into the early 1970s there were these jam sessions and cutting contests. The place in New