Wow, first blues show in a new decade (amazingly coming up on ten years since my first for FM commercial radio too). To mark the event I chose a mixture of old and new on last night's STAR BLUES with originals and cover versions. Many folks have come to enjoy the music through Cream, Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers and Fleetwood Mac and are eager to discover the Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Blind Millie McTell and Little Willie John performances that they celebrated. Of the original pieces, probably the least well known came from Henry Thomas, his 1928 "Bulldoze Blues" was very closely followed by Canned Heat for "Goin' Up The Country" that is known as the Woodstock festival theme and was a number 1 hit in 25 countries (only #2 in Britain).
It was nice to go to the Memphis Slim 1948 song "Nobody Loves Me" to show its similarity to B B King's "Everyday I have the Blues" though in truth the song probably goes back to the early Thirties with the Sparks Brothers in Memphis. Similarly the Blind Lemon Jefferson song "Matchbox Blues" clearly worked well for Carl Perkins but had Jefferson heard Ma Rainey use the line "Sitting here wonderin will a match box hold my clothes" three years earlier..? Stevie Ray Vaughan tore through "Sky Is Crying" though you'd be a hard man to say he bested Elmore James' original. No real Gospel on the show last night but a very sensitive reading of "People Get Ready" from Paul Jones out front for the Blues Band while Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler were effortlessly sublime on the original from 1965.
Shameless vote of thanks next to everyone for the kind comments and feedback on "Another Side of Gary Blue", my humble attempt to be Bob Harris or was it Charlie Gillett. The two hours on New Years Day flew past and I hardly knew that Dr Who was on tv at exactly the same time (BBC could've have moved it doncha think?)
God willing I'll be back with some more blues this upcoming Sunday at 10pm (GMT) on Cambridge and Ely's Star Radio (the home of the 9-5 no-repeat workday) and streaming live from www.star107.co.uk - until then take care of yourselves and take care of those that take care of you Gary Blue
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