Re: [Harp-L] was Mama Thornton, now AFBF hotels

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve Baker remarked on Horst Lippman and the hotels along the AFBF trail:
> ...It's only thanks to Horst  
> Lippmann, the initiator of the AFBF and the man who brought the blues  
> to Europe, that these artists were given the chance to do so. In many  
> cases these German TV recordings are the only existing film material  
> showing them in their prime rather than much later in life and offer  
> invaluable insight into their music.
>   
Hear, hear, Steve! Those AFBF videos are real treasures, without which 
we would have few glimpses of the brilliance of our blues heroes beyond 
Muddy Waters and Sonny &  Brownie (who are archived fairly well by other 
producers for example on the famous "Gunsmoke Tapes" and Pete Seeger's 
TV series). Plus the AFBF videos are of terrific quality, well ahead of 
their time.
>  From the musicans' viewpoint: When the nice man (who has brought you  
> to Europe, put you up in a series of comfortable hotels and paid you  
> a handsome fee to perform your music to respectful and enthusiastic  
> audiences) then even manages to arrange a TV appearance, you'd  
> probably go along with the producer when he says "I've got this great  
> idea, why don't you all play harp and take turns at the mic ....".
>   
I'm sure the AFBF musicians were more than happy to oblige with any of 
Mr. Lippmann's requests. I just feel that the great John Lee Hooker went 
a bit far in accommodating this one. I wince each time I watch this 
passage, feeling that John Lee embarrassed himself with this pitiful 
effort at the harp. He shoulda stuck to his guitar. And I agree 
completely with Jessica (great first post, girl!!!). Giving JLH equal 
time with the incredible Walter Horton had to be a huge mistake in judgment!

Though more than slightly off the subject, given Steve's opening I just 
have to relate my favorite story from the AFBF tours apropos the 
comfortable hotels. It has to do with how SBWII dealt with the lack of 
his favorite cuisine in Europe. After little success trying to find food 
familiar to his palate on the tour the inimitable Sonny Boy took the 
matter into his own hands and started cooking his own beans and ham in 
an electric coffee pot in his hotel rooms. In one of the posh hotels the 
hotel detective got wind of the aroma drifting out of Sonny Boy's room 
and with resolute manner knocked on the door to scold the culprit for 
cooking in his room (against hotel policy). The irascible Sonny Boy 
didn't take kindly to the interruption and angrily answered the door. 
The hotel dick was caught off guard by the Old Goat who grabbed him by 
the necktie and backed him into the hallway. It happened that the 
stairway was just opposite Sonny's room and he backed the detective up 
until he was dangling backwards over the stairs held only by Sonny's 
grip on his necktie. Sonny unceremoniously produced a swithchblade knife 
and cut the necktie sending the detective reeling backwards head over 
heels down the stairs. The hotel wisely chose to make an exception for 
the duration of Sonny's stay, allowing him to cook whatever he wanted in 
his room.

I find that so telling about Sonny's persona especially in light of the 
footage in the intros to the AFBF tapes in which Sonny is seen 
graciously escorting Horst Lippman with a huge smile and his equally 
huge hand around Horst's shoulder.

Michelle