Blues 101: MUDDY WATERS

A powerful performer, an awesome bandleader of James Brown-caliber, a master storyteller and slashing slide guitar player, Muddy Waters (captured above in artwork created by Michael Gragg) was arguably the most famous blues singer of all time. He infused the blues with such intensity that every song he sang became a Muddy Waters song. The legion of artists he inspired range from Chuck Berry and Bob Dylan, to Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones, who named their band after one of his songs. The song most identified with him, "Mannish Boy", was a highlight of The Band's "The Last Waltz", which I introduced to my son, Anthony, and which he played over and over again. He tells me the filmmakers wanted to cut out Muddy Waters, but The Band stood their ground and he stayed in.

Let's start with that signature version of "Mannish Boy" and move on to the Newport Folk Festival in 1960, then on down and back to Newport, for a spirited jam featuring Muddy and other blues greats.

"Mannish Boy (I'm A Man)"


"Hoochie, Koochie Man"


"You Can't Lose What You Never Had"


"Nineteen Years Old"


"Got My Mojo Working"


Muddy Waters with Betty Jeannette, Sammy Price, Jimmy Rushing + @ Newport, 1960


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Happy 90th Pete!

Pete Seeger's recent performance, with Bruce Springsteen, of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", at Pres. Obama's inaugural festivities proves he remains RELEVANT, something that is hard to achieve even for a brief time and virtually impossible to maintain for perhaps 70 years. Many stories abound about Pete, but the one that always comes to mind is when he alledgedly threatened to cut the wires with an axe at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965 after Bob Dylan went electric. From Wikipedia: "The sound quality was certainly the reason Pete Seeger (backstage) disliked the performance: he says he went to the sound system and told the technicians, 'Get that distortion out of his voice ... It's terrible. If I had an axe, I'd chop the microphone cable right now.' Seeger has also said, however, that he only wanted to cut the cables because he wanted the audience to hear Dylan's lyrics properly, because he thought they were important. Rumors that Seeger actually had an axe, or that a festival board member wanted to pull out the entire electrical wiring system, remain unsubstantiated. In the film 'No Direction Home' , John Cohen of the New Lost City Ramblers claimed Seeger wanted to silence the band because it was frightening his elderly father. In the same film, Dylan claimed that Seeger's unenthusiastic response to his set was like a 'dagger in his heart' and made him 'want to go out and get drunk'."

Closer to home, I've seen Pete perform a few times, including once when my son, Anthony da Costa, shared the stage with him and Fred Gillen Jr., which was an honor for Anthony. And, from those close to him, the picture that emerges is that of a deeply decent and moral man who is steadfastly committed to civil rights and the environment. In fact, near his home and at festivals, if you see an older gentleman bending over to pick up litter, it's Pete. Or maybe you'll see a lone protester standing along a roadside holding up a sign protesting nuclear power--that will probably be Pete, too.

God Bless You, Pete. Here's to 90 more years of life and RELEVANCE.

Excerpt from the PBS "American Masters" program on Pete:

Tom Paxton & Pete Seeger: "My Ramblin' Boy" (by Tom Paxton)


Judy Collins & Pete Seeger: "Turn, Turn, Turn" (by Pete Seeger)


Pete Seeger on "Late Night with David Letterman"


Pete Seeger: "Bring 'Em Home" (by Pete Seeger)


Pete Seeger: "Quiet Early Morning"


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A Satisfied Mind...Gram, Bob and Porter

Three versions. First, audio from Gram Parsons, who was first and foremost, a country singer who loved Porter Wagoner and all the trad country artists. Then a gospel version from Dylan and, finally, Porter from his all-girl band, "The Right Combination", days. A great song by three of music's best.

Gram Parsons


Bob Dylan


Porter Wagoner


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FOUR GREAT COUNTRY DUETS

Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton: "Holding On To Nothing"


Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash: "Jackson"


Bill Phillips & Ruby Wright: "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" (written by Dolly Parton)


Melba Montgomery & George Jones: "We Must Have Been Out Of Our Mind"

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The Grand Ole Opry

I visited the Opry a couple of years ago and sat on a reserved section at the back of the stage. It's a prized place to experience the Opry, but being in the audience is the ideal way to see and hear the artists. Still, it was wonderful to finally make it there and to see and hear Porter Wagoner and Little Jimmy Dickens. In viewing some photos of the Opry online, I came across the above shot, which is such a remarkable drawing of cast members from yesteryear. Wow, would I have loved to see those shows at the old Ryman. It inspired this post of videos from some of those stars, beginning with a phenomenal artist I wrote about on March 9, Mr. Faron Young.

Faron Young: "Dreams"


Webb Pierce, Carl Smith & Marty Robbins: "Why, Baby Why"


June Carter Cash: "He Don't Love Me Anymore"


Ray Price: "Crazy Arms"


Ernest Tubb: "Answer The Phone"


"Grand Ole Opry" Theme Song:


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IT TAKES TWO, WHEN IT USED TO TAKE ONE: Duos I Love, Part 5 > Buck Owens and Don Rich

Buck Owens' pioneering, Bakersfield sound is all but forgotten today in country music. If people remember anything about Buck it's that he co-hosted "Hee Haw," a cornball country comedy show that had it's high and low points. And he had a bit of a comeback in the 90s thanks to Dwight Yoakum's hit with him, "The Streets of Bakersfield." But so much came before that--a string of true country hits that made him an international star. 21 #1 hits, most, if not all, with his "sideman", Don Rich. But if you watch any of these videos, you'll realize Don was his duo partner, adding a rich texture to songs ranging from "Together Again" to "Act Naturally." Don was Buck's collaborator and leader of The Buckaroos until 1974, when he was killed in a motorcycle accident. Don's death marked the end of the band and, without him, Buck's career declined considerably. He reportedly suffered a deep depression that lasted for his remaining years on "Hee Haw, which he came to think helped end his career--he was right. In the 1990s, Buck finally spoke about Don's death: "Don Rich was like a brother, a son and a best friend. Something I never said before, maybe I couldn't, but I think my music life ended when he did. Oh yeah, I carried on and I existed, but the real joy and love, the real lightning and thunder is gone forever."

Let's turn back the clock for a moment and enjoy one of country music's greatest duos, Buck Owens and Don Rich.


"Act Naturally" and "Down To The River"


"Above and Beyond"


"Love's Gonna Live Here"


"Together Again"

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TRUE ARTISTS, Part 4: Amalia

"Fado cannot be explained, it must be felt and experienced."
What is fado? The "soul music" of Portugal. Fado means fate and destiny and its songs are filled with despair, mourning, unrequited love, death. Yes, there are many which are cheery and positive, but most of fado, in my view, is centered on lamentation--a longing for something or someone you cannot have. I've long maintained that, in addition to Portuguese and African influences, fado is largely informed by what was formerly called Arabia. The Moors ruled Portugal for a few hundred years and left an imprint on the culture. Whatever the roots, I love fado, good fado, and the embodiment of this musical genre is Amalia Rodrigues, or simply, Amalia. From 1939 to 1999, the year of her death, there was only one "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado") and that was Amalia. Her catalogue of masterpiece recordings is unequalled by any artist and her collaboration with the leading Portuguese composers is nothing less than historic, including Alain Oulman of France, who took Amalia to a new height by putting music to the poems of Camoes for her. She was also an exceptionally talented songwriter. As a child, I saw Amalia perform live in the U.S. at least twice, but it is her landmark concert at Town Hall in 1990 that was simply overwhelming for me. There she was, 70 years old and not at her best voice, but she took the stage in her black gown, with a group of guitarists behind her. For the next 90 minutes or so, she ran through 50 years of Portuguese history via fado. A second highlight for me was seeing, three times, a musical in Lisbon based on her life which I hope will eventually make it to the States. While there, I visited her tomb at the National Pantheon, where she lies alongside the great historical figures of Portugal. Following are some videos, few of which do her justice. The inheritor of Amalia's crown is MARIZA, whom I wrote about on March 8. Like Amalia before her, MARIZA is bringing fado to the world.

This is Amalia.

"Estranha Forma de Vida"


"Gaivota" (Camoes/Alain Oulman)


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