Goodbye Bob, Hello Woody

["Steve Shaw" <moorcot@xxxxxxx>]

Now I know that Woody Guthrie wasn't the world's greatest harmonica player, 
but neither was he the greatest guitarist (to say the least) or singer.  But 
to me he is magic - his best songs have words that seem to cut right through 
and go straight to the heart, with a lot less bitterness and polemic than a 
lot of other "protest" singers, and more than a touch of poetry at times.  
And his singing and harp-playing, though modest, worked perfectly in the 
service of the music.  He didn't record in the era when it was possible to 
do much polishing-up of recorded performances, and he sounds rough around 
the edges at times.  But even though he's a"hero" to many British folkies, 
during the couple of years I've been on the lists he's had only scant 
mention.  I wondered whether he was something of a prophet without honour in 
his own country, or whether we simply we don't discuss him because his 
harp-playing wasn't of the first water.

Steve Shaw



Want more than the blues?  Try Irish!
http://mysite.freeserve.com/trad_irish_harmonica

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