Re: [Harp-L] re: my misty and Warren "whitebread" Bee

[Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I enjoyed "Misty" too.
Leadbelly defines the blues in his spoken introduction to "Good  
Morning Blues" where he remarks that
"A white man ain't never had the blues because he got nothing to worry  
about."
I wish. To me there are two meanings of "sounding white". One is  
playing with insufficient syncopation and rhythmic looseness. The  
other is ersatz feeling. Warren Bee's Misty doesn't suffer from  
either. Another problem would be very wealthy performers bemoaning  
their troubles/ teen torch songs sung by serial divorcees/ fat elderly  
vain men etc etc but if we go there then we start thinking most  
commercial popular music is nonsense and method acting isn't popular  
with opera singers either.
Off list Bradford Trainham and I have been reminiscing about the Bonzo  
Dog Doo-Dah Band

CAN BLUE MEN SING THE WHITES
Oh Lord wish my bed wasn't silken sheets so tight
I got to keep my strength up got to do a show tonight
I'll have a cup of coffee while I'm taking in the news
No need to have a shave cause I'm gonna sing the blues

Well I think I'll get a massage maybe lose a little fat
So I'll have to go downtown in my brand new Cadillac
My valet comes and dresses me, I light a big cigar,
Because I like to look like Nimrod when I'm riding in my car.

[ Find more Lyrics at www.mp3lyrics.org/ztU3 ]
Can blue men sing the whites
Or are they hypocrites for singing woo woo wooh.

And now it's getting near the time I gotta make the scene
I change out my dark grey mohair suit put on my dirty jeans
The band comes round to pick me up I holler Hello Boys
I gotta mess my hair up, I'm gonna make some noise brrrrrrr

Can blue men sing the whites
Or are they hypocrites for singing woo woo wooh.

Oh Lordy
Somebody help me



On 14 Sep 2008, at 01:40, Buddha wrote:

> Naw, I meant it when I said he sounded "white". However, I saw that
> when I compare him to how I've heard him play in person.  Warren
> "Whitebread" Bee is one of the most sweet and soulful players I've
> heard. The clip sounded great but more "heady" than I know him to be.
> I love Warren's playing and his version of Misty is no exception it
> just didn't seem as emotional and deep as his other stuff.
>
> I never meant I thought Whitebread Bee was a "White player" in
> general. That's a label reserved for guys like me who pretend to play
> blues.
>
>
> Elizabeth wrote:
>
> "Perhaps that's what your friend meant, just  phrased it badly?"
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Richard Hammersley
Grantshouse, Scottish Borders
http://www.last.fm/music/Richard+Hammersley
http://www.myspace.com/rhammersley
http://www.myspace.com/magpiesittingdown