My Travels Researching and Learning The Blues
Etta Baker, Eugene Powell and James 'Son' Thomas were some of the blues musicians who were generous enough to teach me their music and share their stories. I hope you enjoy these adventures as much as I have.
WITH ETTA BAKER, MORGANTON, NC
| 
WITH EUGENE POWELL, GREENVILLE, MD
| 
WITH SON THOMAS, LELAND MS
|
Click on the pictures below for the full story.
| Jack Owens
of Bentonia MS claims he was the one who taught his one time neighbor -
Skip James - how to play the guitar. He also finagled me into giving
him a little scotch, claiming "It's the only thing that will take away
the cramps in my fingers. If I don't have some, I won't be able to play
the guitar for you all."
|
| James 'Son' Thomas of Leland MS was a man who dug graves during the day and played blues guitar in the jooks at night.
|
| Bud Spires, of Flora, MS the harmonica player who accompanies Jack Owens. Hear about how the 'devil' got into his horse one day.
|
| Eugene Powell
was one of the original recording bluesmen from the 30's. Read how this
man still played one of the meanest fingerpicking blues guitar around,
well into his 80's
|
| At age 16 RL Burnside
was learning licks from his neighbor, the famous Mississippi Fred
McDowell. I picked up a few pointers myself from this bluesman.
|
| Etta Baker
of Morgantown NC has a real smooth way of fingerpicking the guitar.
Known as the Piedmont style, she inspired a whole generation of blues
and folk musicians. Find out why.
|
| When he isn't playing concerts and festivals, you can find Turner Foddrell tending
to his customers at his Virginia general store; that is when he's not
too busy playing his guitar for them from behind the counter.
|
| Where else can you get a shave, haircut and listen to your barber play
the blues? Or play him a game of pool in his back room? At Wade Walton's Barber Shop, that's where.
|
| Want to see a bluesman play a hot electric guitar in a Mississippi Juke Joint? Check out Booba Barnes in the Playboy Club
|
| Dundee MS, home to the great blues drummer Sam Carr.
|
| You haven't lived until you heard Othar Turner
play his cane fife at one of his famous country picnics. Heck, he even
will tell you how you can make a cane fife for yourself, if you happen
to live next to a riverbank.
|
| Meet Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitarist for over 20 years.
|
| Bob Margolin - He ONLY played in Muddy Water's band for several years!!
I recorded 3 songs with Bob Margolin at his home in North Carolina. Together with his engineer Mark Williams we wound up with some pretty hot tunes. |
| Sitting in with JJ Cale, the writer of 'After Midnight' was an experience I'll never forget.
|
| Parchman Farm,
otherwise known as Mississippi State Penitentary is the place where
many a bluesman did some time. Here's how we did our time there.
|
