Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Fugazzi , midsized amp (and Sonny Terry anecdotes)

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Sonny Jr. writes (snipped):
 
" There was a great book that Kent Cooper  wrote about Sonny  
Terry's style, which I found in my stuff last night and read  it,  
reinforcing 
what I am doing is correct from what Sonny taught me.  Sonny  in his own 
words 
gives his life story up till 1969 when he  met Emma, his wife  who I worked 
with 
while driving for him.  There was a little record that came  with the book, 
Kent actually  wrote out the tablature for harp of Sonny's  chugging, then 
had  
samples on the record. I lost the record, if anyone has it,  for  my seminars 
and 
just personal love for him, please email me off list,  I will  borrow it and 
return it unscathed, bringing it to a  recording studio to pay to  have them 
reproduce it on CD. The  stories in this book are priceless, for a  nearly 
blind 
man to  make it on his own, he credits Pete Seeger and Leadbelly as  two  
great 
men who helped him, and others like Doc who sold snake oil and  kept  50% of 
what 
Sonny should get, from the good to the bad,  these older musicians  were 
taken 
advantage of, needing money so  never getting royalties from their  studio 
work, they drank hard  and lived the same way. Sonny stopped drinking  in the 
mid 
to  late 60's when his doctor told him he would die if he did not stop   
drinking and smoking. I had to watch his diet and food he ate due to  his  
cholesterol, he could see me taking some of the fatty stuff  off  his plate.  
"Whatcha 
doin man", still rings in my ear.  We would have some serious arguments,  but 
then 
it was over, he  did not get to be 65 by accident, and some 22 year old  
white 
boy  telling him what to do would raise him up many times. I had orders   
from 
Emma, no more than 2 sugars. Sonny could see light and darkness,  make out  
vague shadows, but I could hear him bumping his shins  on the beds or 
furniture  
as we stayed in different places all  the time. I went to every state except  
Hawaii with him, all  parts of Canada, BC, Alaska, and Japan, touring and 
playing 
with  Lightning Hopkins. To my knowledge they told us in 78 we were the first 
 
blues musicians to tour Japan. Not many of them liked to fly, let  alone 16 
hours  on a plane. So many stayed in Europe as you can  hear in Sonny Boy 
Williamson's  words of his song, as they were  treated like royalty rather 
than being 
segregated and being call the N  word. The story of Woody Guthrie tearing a 
place  up cause they  stuck S and B in an isolated corner with Woody, not 
being 
able  to  eat with the white folks they just got through entertaining and  
making them feel  good. Woody told them, wait outside, I'll be  right out, 
and they 
could hear him  flipping over the table they  put them ate and cussing at 
them 
for not letting  them eat with  them. Sonny said if blacks killed blacks in 
the 
south, no one   cared, but dating a white woman was taboo, this they all 
knew. 
Enough.  Again.  please get back to me if you have the little record with the 
 
book. The  discography of how many albums Sonny was on, I could  add to the 
duo 
list  probably another 10 guys Sonny recorded  with, but it is impressive."
 
...wow.  Great story, Gary. I love hearing stories  like this.  Straight from 
the horse's mouth...from one who lived  it and was there.  Hope you'll tell 
some of the anecdotes at  your seminar...and have it all recorded?  
 
I've rediscovered Sonny Terry's playing anew.  I truly respected  the 
Walters, Big and Little....and Sonny Boy Williamson, but as good  as they were, 
frankly none of their music touched MY soul quite  to the degree that of Saunders 
Terrell did.  I know I've come  to learn about him and the other black blues 
harp  musicians rather late in the game, but better a little late than  never.   
Very cool stuff indeed.
 
Thanks,
Elizabeth