[Harp-L] Re: Political Blues

[Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Kevin wrote:
Doe's anyone know any artists that are singing about some more politically
motivated or socially/environmentally conscious blues? I can only sing
about whiskey, woman, money and love for so long. I'm trying to keep it
real in life and music and would love to hear some inspirational
bluesmen/women that do the same.

Steve responds:
For me the benchmark political blues singer would definitely have to be the great J.B.Lenoir. His 2 LPs of acoustic recordings from 1965 (produced by Horst Lippman, the man who brought the blues to Europe) are some of the deepest and also grooviest music I've ever heard and I still listen to these songs again and again, truly inspirational stuff. Now available on CD as "Passionate Blues", this would be my "Desert Island Disc" if I were only allowed one record. 

Another singer not averse to singing about his convictions in a deep blues style is my friend Tom Shaka, who has released several CDs of his own compositions on the Acoustic Music Records label.

Steve Baker
www.stevebaker.de
www.european-music-workshops.com
www.harmonica-masters.de