Honeyboy Edwards
Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcolm
Looking across Hwy 61
This was so much fun- ever since we got to Louisiana, I've been waiting to hear some blues. It's just not as popular as zydeco and cajun fiddle music- and you have to go to Mississippi! This was a little festival- maybe 20 acts, and a couple of hundered attending- out in a field next to the tracks. Mostly people our age- or older, counting the musicians. Leland High was holding its 40th reunion at a nearby picnic table. And then there's this European faction that loves the blues, plays the blues, and travels to hear it. We were talking with some people who raised $5300 for the Leland Blues Museum at a benefit in Amsterdam last winter. Some of them come back every year.
Helmsman, turn that boat around! You're about 300 miles UPriver!
ReplyDeleteBut you've got some great pictures.
Nick
Really atmospheric photos!
ReplyDeleteI see from the festival site at >http://www.highway61blues.com/festival_page_1.htm that T Model Ford appeared. Did you catch his driving rhythms?!
Nick
Sorry! I meant Model T Ford. The joke's on me!
ReplyDeleteNick
yes, we saw him- he's one of the old guys.
ReplyDeleteI would just love to follow some of them around.
They tend to play in Europe, though.
I retract my apology! He IS called T Model Ford! There's a picture of him at http://www.highway61blues.com/blues_musicians.htm
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed yourself so much.
Nick
they don't have pictures of all this year's performers.
ReplyDeletethese were my faves:
Pat Thomas- first onstage- acoustic, very nice
Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcolm- 2 young guys making insane amounts of noise, but sort of like old field hollers?
Bill 'Howlin'-Madd' Perry- very tight group- everything about his playing was good
Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes- a different regional style, which he explained thusly: "I tune in, what is it, E minor?" -someone confirms yes, that's right- "but I don't know what it is I do- like a baby's born in China, it grows up speaking Chinese."
found more on him here:
http://www.arts.state.ms.us/folklife/artist.php?dirname=holmes_jimmy
Hi Joyce and Lorenzo! Alice forwarded this to me and this marks the first time I've ever blogged (if, in fact, I can get it to work). Needless to say, I was fascinated by your account and pictures from the Leland Blues Festival, and impressed by Nick's comments and contributions. Jolly good show.
ReplyDeleteLove,
- yer ol' buddy Alan (San Francisco)
hi Alan! How are you?!
ReplyDeleteDo you feel like going to the Clarksdale Blues Festival in August? I'm forming a pressure group to move Lorenzo toward Mississippi.
Joyce
http://www.sunflowerfest.org
Well, that's a fabulous idea Joyce but lack of work currently and consequent ditto of funds will mitigate against that: I might host my own do-dough blues festival here though. Otherwise, all is as usual.
ReplyDeleteYours anonymously, U K Slim