On Wednesday 3rd the Queen of the Blues, Koko Taylor, died following complications after surgery in Chicago. Three weeks earlier she had given a sparkling performance during the celebrations at the Blues Oscars (as well as collecting her 25th award, more than anyone else). So the show last night dipped into her 50 year recording career from her earliest days with Chess to her Indian summer successes for Bruce Iglauer's Alligator outfit. If you've any doubt as to her importance and influence, just ask BB King, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Buddy Guy .... She has a small cameo in the movie "Blues Brothers2000" but you should also check out her natural habitat in Martin Scorsese's Blues films at a Chicago club. Already very much missed.
It was also time to start a short season of previews for the upcoming Cambridge Folk Festival at Cherry Hinton Hall on 30th July: Diana Jones will be there and her second album gave us a taster of her folk and country blues roots with her own composition "Cracked and Broken".
Both Cousin Joe and Mabel Scott are being reissued at the moment if you get your blues in download format, I showed why they are worth investigating with a track from each.
I've not played anything by Steve Howell before, which probably says more about my imperfect filing system at home than it does about him: he's a fine interpreter of classic blues with an easy to listen to manner; in contrast we did a bit of jump blues from Louis Jordan, piano tinkling from Mitch Woods and a gospel flavoured go at "People Get Ready" from Holland's Hans Theesink.
As an aside, congratulations to Ryan (our mid-morning presenter) who now needs to extend his mantleshelf to accommodate his Arquiva award as best newcomer. This will be the first of many.
God willing, I'll be back next Sunday online at www.star107.co.uk and on FM at the home of the 9-5 No-Repeat workday. Until then, take care f yourselves and take care of those that take care of you
Gary Blue
No comments:
Post a Comment