Re: Tim Moyer's comments on PBS system

[Mark Crowley <Mark.Crowley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

a doco showed recently here about the beatles  - showing their first(?) arrival at an american airport - I am paraphrasing here but i believe the exchange with the waiting television press gallery went something like:

"and why are you boys here?"

Lennon:  "To come and see Muddy waters "

"who is muddy waters?"

Lennon: "we're here to teach you americans about your own music."


anybody with correct dialogue is welcome to dive in...


crowley




>>> Tom Ellis <tomsmics@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 10/08/03 10:41pm >>>
Howard:  Again, I totally disagree.  England is a very small country compared to the US.  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.  And the overall number of white Americans playing blues in the sixites far outweighed the number of Brits, both professional and amateur.  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.  Period.  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.  Or just talk to all of the musicians who were influenced by them long before Clapton set foot on these shores.  In terms of sheer numbers there's no comparison.  The English scene was a small, concentrated one but no where near the size of the American.  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.  The Brits were totally lacking in their interest in the acoustic blues players in the US.  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.  TOM  



At 10:52 PM 10/7/03 -0500, you wrote: 

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's 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 '70's friends who were playing for tips in the states, were playing festivals in Europe. 

 ----- Original Message ----- From: Cljdm@xxxxxxx To: tomsmics@xxxxxxxxxxxx ; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2003 9:25 PM Subject: Re: Tim Moyer's comments on PBS system

Hi all, 

   If 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.                              chris mastakas 
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