Re: [Harp-L] Re: Butter TV spot

[joe leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think part of the Butter problem, If there was one, was that while  
he came along at a good time for harp, A time when harp was at a sort  
of a lull point, and blues was mainly a black genre, there were other  
unfortunate things going on in the country.

The Viet Nam thing was going, and the culture on the west coast (a  
coast where Butter did a number of BIG gigs), was into a sort of a ,  
oh how can I put this, in a transitional period. The free love/hippie  
movement was in full force.

I know that in MY particular blue collar neck of the woods, we didn't  
have any (recognizable) people like that and to put it quite frankly,  
we didn't like them. I think it boils down to jealousy. We envied  
them their freedom (and probably their money). We were all from blue  
collar families, NO ONE was going on to college, OR getting  
deferments, most of my friends were being drafted, and those of us  
who had already been in the service or were messed up otherwise,  
didn't have time for what 'we' considered foolishness. We had to go  
to work. I, myself was already in my mid 20s and had a wife & child  
to take care of.

If not for these little problems, many of us may have had more  
exposure to Butter, would have liked him, and there would be  
thousands and thousands more fans of his. As it (unfortunately)  
turned out, I sneakily believe that there are bunch of people out  
there who were never exposed to him and therefore, as far as MY life,  
he snuck by without much notice. I mean, if his name was mentioned, I  
would have known whom he was. But I don't honestly think I know  
anyone else who would recognize his name. Sad when you think about it.

This in no way diminished the man. It was just the times.

smo-joe