Variety was the name of the game on last night's STAR BLUES with tracks from the rock-end of the spectrum, blues shouters, gospel, piedmont blues, piano and traditional Chicago style. Can there be another blues radio show on this planet brave enough to cover as many bases in two hours?
Bowling Green John Cephas died earlier in the week and I played two of his later sides made with long-time sidekick Phil Wiggins in tribute. The Piedmont style is a gentler acoustic form of the music, more intimate in nature with a high level of instrumental dexterity - though Cephas came late to the recorded arena, he was one of the finest exponents. I am on the look out for examples of his earliest solo sides and will include them if I have any luck.
Blues shouter par-excellence Big Joe Turner was on hand for a vintage cut and rival shouter Jimmy Witherspoon celebrated his recovery from surgery for throat cancer in 1992 with the title track of his then current project done for Mike Vernon's Indigo outfit.
Shamelessly I did another track by Sister Rosetta Tharpe - a major artist only now being afforded her dues. This was to show the vocal gymnastics in and around the gravitas of Marie Knight - and - her stinging guitar. A second gospel offering was provided by Jesse Fuller who completely defined the idea of a one man band with a self-made gadget called a fotdella - there's a photo of it in the booklet of the OBC album I chose for the track. We went to New Orleans for some piano hi-jinx with Fats Domino and Smiley Lewis and told the tale of Eugene Hideaway Bridges' woes with UK customs trying to honour a long-standing promise for a gig in Exeter.
The playlists will be posted at http://www.garyblue.co.uk/ before long and, God willing, I'll be back with more of the same (only different) online and on FM next Sunday at ten. Until then, take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you
Gary Blue
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