Re: Tim Moyer's comments on PBS system

Tom Ellis <tomsmics@xxxxxxxxxxxx> · Wed, 08 Oct 2003 07:41:27 -0500

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Howard:&nbsp; Again, I totally disagree.&nbsp; England is a very small
country compared to the US.&nbsp; Although you might argue that in terms
of percentages there are more Brits who know about American blues, in
terms of sheer numbers there were far more white Americans.&nbsp; And the
overall number of white Americans playing blues in the sixites far
outweighed the number of Brits, both professional and amateur.&nbsp; I
don't doubt the sincerity of the British players, but Butterfield,
Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop had much more to do with the growing
reputations of BB King, Muddy, Wolf and others here in the states than
any English musician did.&nbsp; Period.&nbsp; Just read the Bill Graham
book for some of the evidence, or talk to the many white club owners in
NYC, Boston, LA, San Francisco, etc., who were convinced to book Chicago
guys by these three.&nbsp; Or just talk to all of the musicians who were
influenced by them long before Clapton set foot on these shores.&nbsp; In
terms of sheer numbers there's no comparison.&nbsp; The English scene was
a small, concentrated one but no where near the size of the
American.&nbsp; And remember, we had the original guys here to listen to,
and the Brits didn't, except on rare tours. 
 
As I said in my post, blues is a big tent.&nbsp; The Brits were totally
lacking in their interest in the acoustic blues players in the US.&nbsp;
It was people like Geoff Muldaur, Dylan, Fred Neil, John Sebastian,
Bonnie Raitt and other Americans who literally kept these folks alive in
the public eye.&nbsp; TOM&nbsp; 
 
 
 
At 10:52 PM 10/7/03 -0500, you wrote: 
 
<blockquote type=3Dcite cite>With all due
respect, 
 
As deserving as these guys (Musslewhite, Butterfield, etc) are to be the
true messengers of the faith, you can't deny that in terms of pure
numbers of ears reached, the Brits outsold these guys by a mile. I think
that another point made in this film, one not really mentioned here is
the impact that the great original blues legends had on the Brits. I used
to rub elbows with the guy playing piano on those sessions (Jon Cleary)
years ago in New Orleans, and I never met such a knowledgeable (and
talented) blues scholar. I recall him saying that the degree of reverence
toward the old masters felt by these British blokes is genuinely fervent.
These guys really study this stuff (and Jazz too) and I would bet their
knowledge even rivals that of some of the most ardent blues hounds on
this list. It may only be a myth, but it=92s one I still believe, that the
average European knows more about our music than the average
American. 
 
Howard Chandler 
 
Who also recalls that in the =9170's friends who were playing for tips in
the states, were playing festivals in Europe. 
 
=A0<blockquote>
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<dd>----- Original Message -----=20
<dd>From: <a href=3D"mailto:Cljdm@xxxxxxx";>Cljdm@xxxxxxx</a>=20
<dd>To:
<a href=3D"mailto:tomsmics@xxxxxxxxxxxx";>tomsmics@xxxxxxxxxxxx</a> ; <a=
 href=3D"mailto:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx";>harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx</a>=20
<dd>Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2003 9:25 PM
<dd>Subject: Re: Tim Moyer's comments on PBS system 
 

<dd>Hi all,

<dd>=A0=A0=A0If anyone bridged the blues from Chicago to a wider general=
 market and listening audience, it was, Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield,=
 and Charlie Musslewhite. I remember real clearly (and my memory usually=
 stinks) hearing Paul B. for the first time in the mid sixties and it was=
 nothing like anything I had EVER heard before. A great intro to the blues.=
 The Stones were into the Blues, but in the sixties I feel it was these=
 other guys who sealed the open market for traditional as well as=
 progressive Blues. Of course, IMHO.=20
<dd>=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=
=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0chris mastakas </blockquote>
</dl>
 
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