Is blues "dead"?

That stuff is sooooo 1999.

R.L. Burnside is interesting because his style developed outside the blues mainstream, as happened frequently before blues was so narrowly defined. R.L. is telling surreal stories, cruising on one chord, making music you can dance to, etc. 12-bar baby-done-me-wrong is only part of his story.

Calendar No. 567
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 316
Designating the year beginning February 1, 2003, as the ‘Year of the Blues’.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

August 1, 2002
Mrs. LINCOLN (for herself, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. THOMPSON, Mr. FRIST, Ms. CANTWELL, and Mrs. MURRAY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

September 5, 2002
Reported by Mr. LEAHY, without amendment

RESOLUTION

Designating the year beginning February 1, 2003, as the ‘Year of the Blues’.

Whereas blues music is the most influential form of American roots music, with its impact heard around the world in rock and roll, jazz, rhythm and blues, country, and even classical music;

Whereas the blues is a national historic treasure, which needs to be preserved, studied, and documented for future generations;

Whereas the blues is an important documentation of African-American culture in the twentieth century;

Whereas the various forms of the blues document twentieth-century American history during the Great Depression and in the areas of race relations, pop culture, and the migration of the United States from a rural, agricultural society to an urban, industrialized Nation;

Whereas the blues is the most celebrated form of American roots music, with hundreds of festivals held and millions of new or reissued blues albums released each year in the United States;

Whereas the blues and blues musicians from the United States, whether old or new, male or female, are recognized and revered worldwide as unique and important ambassadors of the United States and its music;

Whereas it is important to educate the young people of the United States to understand that the music that they listen to today has its roots and traditions in the blues;

Whereas there are many living legends of the blues in the United States who need to be recognized and to have their story captured and preserved for future generations; and

Whereas the year 2003 is the centennial anniversary of when W.C. Handy, a classically-trained musician, heard the blues for the first time, in a train station in Mississippi, thus enabling him to compose the first blues music to distribute throughout the United States, which led to him being named ‘Father of the Blues’: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—
designates the year beginning February 1, 2003, as the ‘Year of the Blues’; and

requests that the President issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe the ‘Year of the Blues’ with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and educational programs.

Are there any great blues artists who are right now at the top of their game?

Anyway, I think it's been dead since the '60s, since the first English guy was really elated he'd worked out how to play "San-Ho-Zay" on the guitar. I never bought into the Fat Possum/Hill Country boogie craze, there are some nice moments but overall it's about on the level on Jon Spencer and his Blooze Explosion. I never understood how intelligent people could say about CeDell Davis (who is a good singer and who has had his moments on record), for example, was "harmolodic" and "extending the blues" just because he fretted the guitar with his butter knife and did stumble-bum versions of songs like "Green Onions" down in Oxford. I never understood why people go nuts over Buddy Guy, who is really good, but ignore Snooks Eaglin, a vastly superior guitarist. Because he's from New Orleans and does a wide range of material, I guess, which isn't "blues." Anyway, it's the whole obsession over guitar-playing itself that deformed blues forty years ago, read those pieces from back then and it's all about who played the best blues licks, and I think that's a total misreading of what the whole thing was about. When I was growing up, I really thought that B.B., Freddie and Albert King were related or the same person...that doesn't even bring into account Saunders King, who recorded in the '40s. I think that no one's ever made sense out of the history of blues or jazz, it's constant revisionism, and it'll take another hundred years to get a bead on it...the recent efforts to integrate the early history of blues, etc., as it emerged out of minstrelsy are probably a big first step. Very difficult to see the whole picture, and I'm just as confused about it as anyone else...

The problem with many popular blues artists is that it's about their chops more than their songwriting. Buddy Guy is a fantastic guitar player, but most of his records since his early-'90s comeback were pure wankery. And all-too-often I've seen blues musicians play a few cuts featured in The Blues Brothers as a way to win over their audience. Is "Sweet Home Chicago" a good song? Maybe, but I sure as hell don't ever want to hear it again.

Eric Clapton is mainly attempting to be Phil Collins lately. Been some time since he was a blueman.

Buddy Guy played with Muddy Waters and recorded at Chess. I think it is the same for many jazz artists, if they have a background playing with Miles or some other old master, I think they find it a whole lot easier to get gigs and record deals as their careers are directly tied into the "History" of the music.

eddie have you read 'blues people' by leroi jones? it had a few points on this and the relation on blues/jazz though I'm not sure how it compares with other stories on the blues as I've mostly read stuff on ilx abt it and that's it.

the history of blues or jazz
About five minutes after reading a history of music book I think I understand how it all fits together, but about ten minutes later I'm confused again.

waited all these years to see video of Jimmy Reed, whose music changed my life when I was 13...he does not disappoint

Just shy of his 96th birthday, Honeyboy Edwards just passed.

http://www.davidhoneyboyedwards.com/

I don't have any recorded music of his but liked him when I saw him live last year.

rip!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fATSQa-0iII

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/at-white-house-bb-king-and-mick-jagger-among-others-to-play-the-blues/2012/02/21/gIQAlyHyRR_story.html

Set List:
1. “Let the Good Times Roll” (Ensemble)
2. “The Thrill Is Gone” (B.B King)
3. “St. James Infirmary” (Trombone Shorty)
4. “Let Me Love You Baby” (Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck)
5. “Brush With The Blues” instrumental (Jeff Beck)
6. “I Can’t Turn You Loose” (Mick Jagger)
7. “Commit A Crime” (Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck)
8. “Miss You” (Mick Jagger, Shemekia Copeland, and Susan Tedeschi)
9. “Beat Up Guitar” (Shemekia Copeland, Gary Clark, Jr.)
10. “Catfish Blues” (Gary Clark, Jr.)
11. “In The Evening (When The Sun Goes Down)” (Gary Clark, Jr.)
12. “Henry” ( Keb’ Mo’)
13. “I’d Rather Go Blind” (Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes)
14. “Five Long years” (Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark, Mick Jagger)
15. “Sweet Home Chicago” (Ensemble)

PBS is showing this Monday February 27th I think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7ZuDcrurzBQ

Really wish I could go to his NYC performances. Someone better record them shits. Ahem, Ian, cough cough

i don't have anything to record them with! maybe helen has a tape recorder or something.

Ah, don't sweat it, betcha Ad@m L0re will record it somehow. I really, really wish I could be in NYC for these shows. Dude is awesome. You ever see the clips of him in M For Mississippi?

i have only seen some clips of his house parties on youtube -- i dunno if that's the same material or not. he is great tho. and yeah, i bet adam will record.. adam is a great dude.

We've never met but we correspond quite a bit via email - the very existence of his distro answers this thread's question with a resounding "NO"

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-first-annual-foxfire-blues-assembly?utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link-tip

the Foxfire Blues Assembly was born, as a vehicle for nurturing, connecting, and supporting the next generation of the blues vanguard. The attendees this year include Jontavious Willis (Georgia), Marquise Knox (Missouri), Stephen Hull (Wisconsin), Jamia “Jayy Hopp” Hopson (Georgia), DK Harrell (Louisiana), Sean McDonald (Georgia), Little Dylan Triplett (Illinois), and an additional Mississippi musician who will not be named at this time. Their ages range from 18 years old to the ripe old age of 29.

Over the course of July 12-18, these musicians will deepen their study of the blues, share protips on professionalism, and have intimate visits, story sharing, and dinners with an intergenerational cross-section of Mississippi blues musicians. The week will conclude with 2 nights of concerts that are open to the public, in an outdoor setting observing appropriate physical distancing protocols.

Foxfire Ranch is a black-owned farm and event venue located in Waterford, Mississippi in the North Mississippi Hill Country

“The Blues is Still Alive” according to this song I heard on public radio tonight, which makes Blueshammer sound like Skip James.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_54vSuq6bA

I will only watch that after I finally go see Sinners and see Buddy Guy in it

This is as good a place as any to drop this thing I wrote about Robin Trower this week.

wow, what a fascinating piece of shit that song is

Saw Sinners last night and wondered if it would bring back interest in live blues.

Yes

Live blues matters?

I mean, most of the Chicago clubs (except Buddy Guy's and Rosa's) shuttered. Anecdotally, both the friend I saw the movie with last night and another in Chicago (Gen Z) both want to get out to a club and experience it.

ambient has replaced the blues, at least in my house

the blues is number one, etc

That song fails even on its own (lame) terms in the 2nd line… why the f does he sing “just a melody” instead of “just a memory”?

Sometime you need to listen to something like just to recalibrate your internal rating scale.

Blues is hanging on in Mississippi and Scott Barretta who writes some for the Living Blues magazine and website, and wrote the copy for many Mississippi Blues Trail markers; is a Soc instructor @ University of Mississippi; and host @ Highway 61 Radio talks about Mississippi blues events and albums on his Facebook page often with public posts. He has also worked on blues docs.