It started with Eric Clapton, who I just knew as a pop singer from "I Shot the Sheriff", "Layla" etc. from when as a kid I listened to my older brother's pop/rock music. I bought some of his records used and was very impressed by the History of Eric Clapton LP. That's when I first was exposed to any blues, or at least recognized it. One of his signature songs, of course, was "Crossroads" with Cream, but it was just another hard-rock song to me.
When I started learning to play guitar, one of the books I bought was by Arlen Roth. It mentioned that he had played in a movie called "Crossroads". Hmm. There's that name again. Some music books and LP liner notes alluded to a mysterious legend behind the song. So I rented the movie. The original "Crossroads" By Robert Johnson was very different from E.C.'s rock version.
The movie credited Ry Cooder as arranger and musician for the guitar work. I don't remember if I sought out his music, or just spotted it as I was shopping, but I picked up his CD Borderline. Wow, what an awesome CD (well, most of it anyway) and an impressive guitarist. Ry seemed to have a kind of quirky taste in music, kind of from the fringes of American pop/folk/blues. Very clean sound, very distinctive slide style. I played around with his tunes and eventually could play a pretty decent version of the title cut.
So then one day at Costco I found this CD called Talking Timbuktu by Ry Cooder and Ali Farka Toure, an African guitarist. I knew I liked Ry, so I bought it. Again, wow! Ry's distinctive sound meshed so nicely and unobtrusively with Farka's style which has been described as "bubbling". I think Ry produced the album, but he stepped back and let Farka shine. This album is really a treat on the headphones - a very clean sound, very melodic. It's sung in various North African languages (Farka was from Mali), some of which sound derived from French. Although the lyrics are not provided, a synopsis of each song is. Most of the tracks are either love songs or inspirational, community-oriented songs. (The themes remind me of songs by Jim Strathdee, a little-known Methodist singer who does some uplifting social-justice and community songs.) But you don't need to understand a word of it to enjoy the singing. It's melodic, peaceful, hypnotic, emotional... absolutely wonderful music. Much later I heard it won the Grammy for "world music" that year. Farka's voice is sometimes kind of nasal, and some people I've played him to have said the music sounds Japanese... so I guess he's an acquired taste for Americans.
I've bought or received as gifts quite a number of Farka's CDs. Most of them are more "raw" than the well-produced Talking Timbuktu. That's a credit to Ry for the wonderful production of TT. But some of the songs from The River and The Source are also very powerful.
So listening to Farka sparked in me an interest in African music. Where to start? There are quite a few African artists available in the "world music" category. I found a collection published by Putamayo called Mali to Memphis. It's a mix of North African pop music and American blues. Many writers have talked about how blues came from Africa originally, but this CD really shows how the two have influenced each other. Listening to these alternating Malian and American selections, the styles are amazingly parallel. Good stuff!
My next stop in exploring African music happened to be the Broadway soundtrack of Disney's The Lion King. Now, don't discount this. Most of it is Elton John/Time Rice show tunes. But there is some authentic South African music in there too, produced by Lebo M. Although it's quite different from the Malian music, some of it is tremendous. My God, crank up "One by One" (read the lyrics!) and just try not to be affected by it. Go to the play and hear it sung a capella by dozens of singers throughout the theater!
The South African connection took me to Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Good stuff, and I respect it, but I actually find it harder to listen to the songs in English with the thick South African accent than to a completely foreign language.
OK, back to Ry and Farka: A viola solo on Talking Timbuku introduced me to Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Kind of odd, a viola mixed in with electric guitar and all those African instruments. But Gatemouth could really make it expressive. It was in an emotional song, "Ai Du", and he really made it cry. So when I spotted his Okie Dokie Stomp in a bin in a New Orleans flea market, I snapped it up. Gatemouth's style has been called "Texas swing", and it blends blues with Zydeco and some quite original small-orchestra arrangements. Very cool! I like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, so when I spotted a track with Gatemouth on KWS's outstanding road CD/DVD Ten Days Out I picked it up.
Also on that CD was a very nice version of "The Thrill is Gone" with B.B. King. I had only heard a little from B.B. before that and didn't know much about him. This cut sparked my interest and so I looked for B.B. on some blues compilations I had, and I one or two of his albums. Although he's not my favorite blues artist, some of his songs just give me chills. What a career he's had! Still performing at - what - 83? And what an influence on younger artists such as KWS. Now I realize he's one of those artists that's kind of a "national treasure". So when he booked a show at the Orange County Fair last summer, I made sure to go see him!
One of the opening acts for B.B. was Mavis Staples, whom I'd never heard of before. But I found out she was from the Staples Singers, who I vaguely remembered from the 1960's. Wow, what a show she put on! A terrific mix of Gospel, bluesy stuff, religious songs a little different from Gospel. Another performer who has had a great career, though not very well known to white audiences. She performed things like "Wade in the Water", which I know from church... either we sang it or our choir did at some point. GOOD stuff!
So a few months later I was on an airplane, and the inflight entertainment system had CDs you could pick from. One of them was Mavis Staples' We'll Never Turn Back. I only had time to listen to maybe four or five songs before the flight was over, but I was hooked. Powerful music! And in the very first song I recognized the lead guitarist - it was the distinctive sound of Ry Cooder. He doesn't sing a word, but his sound was all over that CD. I had to get that CD ASAP!
Actually, I think that was the first album I downloaded from iTunes instead of purchasing in CD form. As it turns out, Ry produced the album. I bet he was the only white guy involved... this is clearly black music, so I think it's quite a compliment to let Ry help interpret it. One reviewer described his slide playing on "Down in Mississippi" as scary. It really is... it paints the perfect threatening backdrop for that song. Nearly every one of the songs on We'll Never Turn Back is a powerful Gospel or protest song. Some of them are pretty confrontational, bringing out the point that for black Americans, the struggle is not yet over. But still uplifting - the message is that hope is never overshadowed by the struggle. (Not necessarily comfortable lyrics for white folks...)
Another connection: On that Mali to Memphis CD I mentioned, there was a song called "Don't Ever Net Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down" performed by Eric Bibb. A good message, with a fairly simple guitar and (I think) harmonica accompaniment. It sounded like the kind of "church camp song" our kids would learn. (I sometimes think that's one of the highest honors that a song can win - that people want to sing it with their friends because they love it.) Anyway, I was impressed by Eric's straightforward singing and playing style.
Well, I encountered Eric Bibb in a couple of other places, and there are at least two songs that he did that Mavis Staples also recorded on We'll Never Turn Back. They go by slightly different titles but are the same songs.
- I think the first one is called "99 1/2 Won't Do" by both. The message is that one isn't free unless one is 100% free. Powerful stuff. Both arrangements are wonderful in their own ways: Eric's with just a couple guitars and two voices. Mavis and Ry punch it up with percussion, a bigger band, and Gospel choir backing.
- Another is called "Keep Your Hand on that Plow" by Eric and "Keep Your Eyes on the Prize" by Mavis. Again, a simple and intimate arrangement by Eric, a faster-moving and funky version by Mavis with outstanding slide by Ry. By choosing a slightly different version of the lyrics and singing it upbeat, I think Mavis again brings out the hope in the song.
