[Harp-L] "Authentic" pronunciation?

["Billy James" <billyjames@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

An interesting fun post Martin.Thankyou. As an Australian who sings quite a few covers in a four hour show. I try to go 'left of centre' and not feature the obvious standards, although we throw in a few versions that people are familiar with. I will never pretend to enunciate as if I was an American or one of the original African American originators.I try to be my natural self. I don't have a strong Australian 'whine' however.I figure there will never be another Muddy Waters or Hooker or even Al Wilson etc. So I tend to perform songs [with respect] that either have a 'dynamic flavour', theme or content that I identify with in my own life; or that I find humorous and think the audience will enjoy. This makes for diversity in the show. I've known guys that put on an American drawl to their accent and kind of act out 'a blues voice'. It sounds strange and very embarrassingly 'lame' to me.They'd do better to sing it in their own language possibly? They usually pull out the same old overdone standards Mojo Working, Stormy Monday, Everyday I have the Blues etc.Preferably, I think it's best to do 'a version of a tune' rather than to exactly mimic it. A lot of 'the soul' gets lost in the creation of music if it is just 'mimicked, that's just Karaoke in my opinion. As for Italian Bluesman..., so what. I think it is what it is. I happen to enjoy 'some' spaghetti westerns, so I'm sure if the band is good enough it will entertain no matter what the accent is. Last year I saw some great blues, jazz and rock groups in Thailand.I couldn't wait to jump into the jam.I never noticed  their accents it was too much fun, connecting and playing the blues?
Hey and believe me, U.S. blues music can be lame too. I realised that after going to Ground Zero in Clarksdale.I'm generalising but I was disturbed to see house bands with lead white American players performing basically those same tedious barroom standard covers to the tourists down there.Guitarists pulling out the B.B  King licks and Stevie Ray style ad infinitum. Man, give me a crazy creative rock band anytime over that middle class boredom. It becomes as if they are playing to the tourist dollar basically.Performing seals are more fun. Anyway frankly,acoustic blues on a veranda rings my bells more than that 'bar room covers stuff' in a lot of ways.