Category Archives: – Artists

– Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup

I just couldn’t resist posting this song. It is a good illustration of another aspect of the early blues scene : the scandalous ignoring of the royalties of some great original artists. A striking example is the song written and recorded in September 1946 by Arthur ‘Big Boy’ Crudup : That’s All Right. It became […]

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– Crooning Blues

There is no such thing as “the” blues. The raw, low down delta blues played by the wandering blues artist driving the crowd wild during the week ends in the juke joints was not even in fact the most popular one. The name of Leroy Carr may today sound unfamiliar, but he can be seen […]

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– Blues with a rib steak’s bone

Muddy Waters declared that the blues got a baby that was named Rock & Roll. Mississippi Fred McDowell proclaimed that he didn’t play no rock & roll, and even named one of his albums after this firm statement. The statement referred in the first place to the true respect that Fred McDowell had for the […]

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– Stormy Monday Blue eyed blues

Is history influenced by the achievement of particular persons, or is there just a basic socio-economical mechanism at work which steers the evolution of our society in all its aspect? It is a question which will always be subject for debate, and luckily, when we try to understand the evolution of modern music it is […]

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– Son House : rediscovery

I am at this moment reading a biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Historically she lives in the shadow of the better known gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who is considered to be the queen of the gospel. I don’t want to discuss if the latter is true or not. I’m not familiar with the work of […]

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