[Harp-L] Ain't Much Difference

["Richard Bush" <rcush@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There ain't much difference with the debate about what is or what ain't 
blues than there is with fans of other genres of music.

I was invited to see Ricky Scaggs Saturday night.  I'm not a huge fan of 
bluegrass music, but I do enjoy listening to it.  I certainly am not in a 
position to critique musicians that play in that genre, but he and his band 
Kentucky Thunder smoked--an example of world class musicians at work.  He 
mentioned that they won a Grammy in the country category and it puzzled him 
because he said that it was a straight up bluegrass album.  He also said 
that what they do, though, is a heck a lot more of what country used to be 
than what passes as such today.

When he asked the crowd if they would mind if he went back to the '40s and 
whipped some Bill Monroe out there was a resounding Heck No!  Huge applause! 
This crowd was there to hear bluegrass played the way it was suppose to be. 
He said that there were those that worked on him to pumped out some original 
tunes, but he said that with so much good stuff to cover that he found it 
hard to do.  His most recent album is chock full of 'em (with a few of the 
classics thrown in) and he and the band whomped a few of those out.  Were 
they innovative?  Nope, just solid kick butt bluegrass played very well. 
Could he venture off into uncharted territory to be more innovative? 
Without a doubt.  He chooses not to..

There are some world class blues musicians out there that choose to do the 
same (harp content: some of them play blues harp) and some of us like it 
like that.  There are also those of us that need the extra git up and go, 
and that's fine too.  I know this--No One left the Scaggs show complaining 
about a lack of innovative musicianship.  Anyway--

See ya--
Rick