Re: Plagarism in the blues [Harp-L] Willie Dixon Controversy

[Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The following link is not a vindication of WIllie Dixon - who surely  
at the very least borrowed from others as blues players always did -  
but an interesting article on the complexities of deciding the  
boundaries of plagiarism.
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2007/02/0081387

"Bad artists copy. Great artists steal." Pablo Picasso.
http://www.quotedb.com/quotes/3500

Bob Dylan has always been a fantastic (and extremely open) example of  
this.

Other interesting musical examples include the acrimonious lawsuit  
over Procul Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale": Does improvising an  
opening lick and a couple of other bits constitute "composing a song?"  
Apparently in law, yes it does (2006), or no it doesn't *(2008)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Whiter_Shade_of_Pale

Another example: Keith Richards helped Johnnie Johnson the pianist sue  
Chuck Berry (unsuccessfully) because Johnson had contributed a lot to  
the compositions.
http://slick.org/deathwatch/mailarchive/msg01712.html

One guesses Willie Dixon often contributed at this level to songs that  
he was 'adapting'.

If one moves on to blues harmonica licks, then hasn't everyone  
borrowed from everyone else? Like to my ears Whammer Jammer is a  
pastiche put together from various Chicago blues licks. So who  
composed Whammer Jammer? I bet several guys on harp-l have a list of  
where Magic Dick got the licks.... Does that mean 15 composers or  
something?

Actually, that was just sampling without a digital recorder! Of course  
nowadays you have to pay for sampling.

You're right that in folk musics ownership of the composition rights  
was unimportant until the advent of Rock and mass audiences relatively  
recently. It is still a very complex issue. How many original changes  
can be wrung from a 12 bar?

Actually, in the blues I enjoy people's blatant recycling of their OWN  
successful tunes, with new lyrics, to generate new sales - For  
instance Elmore James did Dust My Broom in how many versions?

Never happen today of course... It is just advancing age that makes me  
think that every chart bound song sounds very similar to every other  
one.

However, speaking as a poet rather than a musician, Willie Dixon,  
thief or not, is one of only a handful of blues composers who were  
capable of writing solid lyrics that comprise a coherent poetic  
thought (whether these are adapted from others or not). Others include  
Blind Willie McTell, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson, Big Bill  
Broonzy, Memphis Minnie, Leroy Carr, Sonny Boy I, Sonny Boy II. Little  
Walter.  But the majority of blues singers are simply recycling  
lyrics, often weakening them in the process.

For example:

Weak commonplace version:

Early one morning,
on my way to school,
met a nice looking schoolgirl,
made me forget my mamma's rule (standard blues verse; ooh er the boy's  
been a bit naughty and is flirting)

Compared to amazing emotive version that perhaps originated the weaker  
version:
When I was young
on my bigfoot way to school
met a nice looking brownskin
made me lose my mammie's rule (man he ain't going home at all, nor  
making it to school neither)
                    Blind Lemon Jefferson, Low Down Mojo Blues
To make it more interesting, both sexual protagonists seem to be male,  
which presumably would "lose your Mammie's rule" in early 1900s Texas  
pretty quick.

Should I be correct in my reading, it also makes Blind Lemon's better  
known song "Black Snake Moan" possibly about bisexuality, but enough  
straying off topic.

Richard

On 24 Nov 2008, at 19:21, jcolbyspell@xxxxxxxx wrote:

> In my earlier statement about Willie Dixon claiming credit for songs  
> he did not write, I assumed that this was commonly known.  SNIP

Richard Hammersley
Grantshouse, Scottish Borders
http://www.last.fm/music/Richard+Hammersley
http://www.myspace.com/rhammersley
http://www.myspace.com/magpiesittingdown