[Harp-L] Review of Cadillac Records Movie

["James" <wasabileo@xxxxxxxxxx>]

This one passage I take issue with: 
donâ?Tt trust the old story, the             
  commonplace, that the American kids of the  
  1950s, victims of sexual inhibition, cultural  
  constipation, and political stupefaction, were 
  in musical hibernation waiting to be           
  negrified-urbanized-electrified-emotionalized; 
  and when it arrived it overwhelmed the young   
  and the old, the unspeakable truth spoken, the 
  horror of social chaos turned loose, a new     
  market thrown open for business. The fact is,  
  there were always interesting, challenging,    
  de-sublimating things going on in American     
  music and culture. But Cadillac Records needs  
  this commonplace to get its story over onto    
  the arc of fame and fortune. If you are paying 
  attention to the movie, Cadillac Records is a  
  narrative of more basic human exuberance,      
  weakness, genius, frustration, luck, and       
  hustle. That seems truer to me to the world I  
  live in than a tale of the perils of wealth    
  and celebrity, courted, won, lost, and         
  realized.                                      
                                                 
There are severval inaccuracies with this passage:
First of all, in the 1950's there was no Blues Scene outside of the African American Commuity. There were some folks here and there. 
In the UK, there was a huge craze called the "The Skiffle Movement" broght about by the late Lonnie Donnegan, whose version of "Rock Island Line" became a million seller. For years,  Josh White, Big Bill Broonzy and Leadbelly were touring Europe and many were enjoyed the recption and did not have to deal with the baltant racism that still existed in the states.
It wan't until the 60's when you had bands like the Butterfeild Blues Band and The Blues Project did you actully see the beginning of a Blues Revival in the States. The late Michael Bloomfield was instrumental in bringing this about. It was Bloomfield who persuaded Phil Gramm to bring BB King to the Filmore. The rest is history Many of the Chess artists started to play the UK (Sonny Boy II performed with the Yardbirds and The Animals)  and inspred a host of folks; John Mayall, Cyrall Davies, Alexis Korner, Jack Bruce and of course Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. Truth be told, the Blues took hold in the Uk before "white teenagers" in the US disvovered it. 
The movie appears flawed and after hearing of the Little Walter -shooting incident (which by all accounts never occurred) I can not spend money to see it) I have my principles and my respect for this music. I understand than in any commerical venture, liberties must be taken to increase sales but this crosses the line.



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