A couple of tracks to remember two influential musicians and a couple of exclusive first-in-UK plays marked out last night's STAR BLUES on the Commercial Radio Station of the Year 2009. A stalwart of the Memphis music scene, Jim Dickinson, died on Saturday - he was a talented session player, much in demand for classic sessions on Atlantic by Aretha Franklin as well as work with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Ry Cooder. In 2007 he won an AMA lifetime achievement gong for Production/Engineering. His sons are the core of the North Mississippi Allstars and we remembered Jim through a track he did with them in 1997, his version of JB Lenior's "Down In Missisippi". My most recent memory of Jim came through the Samuel L. Jackson film "Black Snake Moan" - if you get chance watch the dvd extras and see Jim in action.
Also lost last week was Les Paul - much was made of his part played in the development of the electric guitar but of greater importance - in my opinion - was his invention of phased effects, tape-loops and multi-track recording. Music of every genre owes him almost everything. He crafted a solid guitar from a piece of 4x4 but couldn't get Gibson interested in in in the 1940's. He worked out of hours in the Epiphone factory to refine the design by adding two hollow-body "wings" but still not able to take things further. By 1950 the Fender company had gone into the electric guitar market and Les came back into the picture as far as Gibson was concerned. This coincided with an executive at the newly launched Capitol outfit getting wind of the other-worldly effects Les had created for his records. Les teamed with his wife Mary Ford for a number of pop hits and Gibson used Les' higher commercial profile to launch the Les Paul guitar. From there the rest is where we are today with Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Jimmy Page and so many others in debt to Les. To mark the passing of this innovative man, I went to his recordings for Decca (pre-Capitol) and a piece of blues genius with singer Georgia White.
The two new things came from Dennis Jones, robust and fluid - and from Rich Berry, sprightly and thoughtful. If these guys get their due rewards, remember where you heard them first. One of the Guitar magazines is featuring early recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan so giving me the excuse to play the earliest known outing for the Austin guitar maestro from 1977. It was 40 years to the day since Fleetwood Mac released "Pious Bird of Good Omen" and so we did the definitive rendition from there of "Need Your Love So Bad". With it being 16th August it was right to do a bit of Elvis too, alongside the original of Arthur Gunter's "Lets Play House".
I'm starting to put together a special show for the Bank Holiday weekend and it'll include a competition to see the R&B legends tour in Cambridge (featuring Georgie Fame, Chris Farlowe, Maggie Bell and more). Thanks as always for the invite to your place, I hope we can be together again next Sunday at 10pm for some more STAR BLUES. Until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you.
Gary Blue
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