Re: [Harp-L] Little Walter as Side Man

[David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

That's an excellent point, Steeltown Sam. Another case in point, I've always considered Bill Monroe to be the first person to put the basics of Rock and Roll together (Rocky Road Blues, etc. from the 40s) and he's in the Rock Hall of Fame as an "early influence." I'm glad he's there. Same with LIttle Walter. He's still a member. Walter could have, in theory, been put there as an influence as well. I think that would have been more justified.. Either way, he's a member of the Rock N' Roll Hall. The most legitimate gripe here would be that it took so long to recognize him... the R and R Hall of Fame is rarely fair.

Walter's main Hall of Fame is, of course, the Blues Hall of Fame and the R&R Hall is a side hall of fame to that. 

Here's a little Hall of Fame Trivia: The only person in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame AND Blues Hall of Fame is Jimmie Rodgers, the "Gonna shoot poor Thelma just to see her jump and fall" singing brakeman and blue yodeler, not the other two musicians who came along later with the same name. 

Dave
____________________
Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 

----- Original Message ----
From: samblancato <samblancato@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 4:39:20 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Little Walter as Side Man

Hi Folks, 



A couple of people have expressed some degree of regret or indignation at
Little Walter being framed as a side man in his Hall Of Fame induction.  I
don't think this is such bad thing.  It is the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame,
after all, not the Blues Hall of Fame and while he most definitely played a
major role in codifying the modern, post-WWII electric blues sound, his
influence on the larger field of Rock-n-Roll really is as a side man and his
contribution in that larger field was and is to inform a certain corner of
that field.  The Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame people are playing with a large
-and loose- criteria, (I mean The Turtles are in there for crying out loud).
The fact that they recognized him and what he did and gave him props at all
is good enough for me.



I watched the James Cotton thing on U-Tube.  The band lost James and James
lost the band in equal measure.  I think it would have been nice if the band
had at least given Juke a listen before playing it on national TV.  But
Cotton timed out the opening bars a little funny too.  



Sam Blancato, Pittsburgh





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