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  • RIP Matt “Guitar” Murphy, one of the greats

    By Charles Lipson
    Tuesday, June 19, 2018 0 Blues Matt Murphy, Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon Permalink

    Matt Murphy was from Sunflower, Mississippi, made his name among the greats in Chicago Blues in the 1950s and 60s, and became widely known as the guitarist for Jake and Elwood in the Blues Brothers.

    His tiny hometown of Sunflower is about 50 miles south of Clarksdale and Marks, and right next to B.B. King’s hometown of Indianola, all of them in the heart of the Mississippi Delta.

    Here’s his obituary in Billboard (link here)

    Now, listen to him as he is breaking out,

    Here with acoustic bass, Willie Dixon, perhaps the greatest bluesman of all time.

    The piano is Memphis Slim.

    Virtuosity on every instrument.

    And just listen to the opening guitar line on this one. The whole thing is so laid-back and graceful: “Way Down South”

    And here is Matt coming out of the kitchen to join Jake and Elwood (+ Aretha!!). That’s Matt in the yellow shirt. He doesn’t play in this one, but the whole thing is Aretha pushing him around and singing “Think!”

     

     

  • “Crankin’ It Up” an amazing rockin’ instrumental by Justin Johnson . . . and the guitar is 3 strings on a shovel

    By Charles Lipson
    Tuesday, May 29, 2018 0 Blues, Country Music Justin Johnson Permalink

    Justin Johnson is an amazing talent.

    And check out the studio. It’s the cabin that Johnny Cash built in the late 1970s, the place where he and June Carter Cash recorded their later music.

    Their only child, John Carter Cash, produced the music below.

    This first song is perfectly named!

    Here’s his tribute to the old rockabilly instrumentals. Somewhere in middle between country and blues, and, man, does it drive.

    And a beautiful, heart-breaking, one-guitar instrumental version “Will the Circle be Unbroken” from the Carter family:

    For my Delta friends, there’s also one of him playing on the front porch of one of the cabins at the Shack-Up Inn in Clarksdale. Link here

     

  • Deep River Blues, a smooth, easy verson of the old Doc Watson song

    By Charles Lipson
    Monday, March 19, 2018 1 Blues No tags Permalink

    With many thanks to David Henley for suggesting this treat.

    Tommy on the guitar, Jason on the vocals. Rural Alabama collaborates with rural Australia.

  • Sing along with Gilbert and Sullivan: “I Am the Very Model of A Modern Inspector General”

    By Charles Lipson
    Saturday, March 17, 2018 1 Music Gilbert and Sullivan, Michael Horowitz Permalink

    Gilbert and Sullivan’s wonderful song really should be updated for today’s scandals.

    Michael Horowitz and his staff can sing it, though it looks like the FBI and DOJ won’t be singing along.

  • Morgane and Chris sing “You Are My Sunshine” (with a fabulous wedding video on a farm), plus a bonus song

    By Charles Lipson
    Wednesday, March 14, 2018 0 Country Music Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton Permalink

    This is great song and Morgane and Chris Stapleton’s sad duet more than does it justice. More than a touch of the Carter Family in it.

    Hey, that song got Jimmy Davis elected Governor of Louisiana.

  • Two great, new blues songs: “It’s On My List to Quit” and “Three Forks.” Take my word: they are fabulous

    By Charles Lipson
    Saturday, March 10, 2018 0 Blues Abe's BBQ, Altered Five, Clarksdale, Mississippi Delta Permalink

    Both are by the “Altered Five” and I’ve posted one of them before.

    But “On My List to Quit” is so damned good, and so catchy, that I want to make sure you see it. Frankly, it is caught in my head, happily repeating.

    The second one, “Take me back to Three Forks, 1938,” refers to the location of the juke joint where Robert Johnson was poisoned that year. Another great song.

    Btw, if you look at the image on “ZipDialog Presents the Blues,” you will see the signs for Mississippi Highways 49 and 61. They are the great blues highways in the Delta, both named in countless songs.

    They meet in Clarksdale and that town claims them as the  “crossroads” as the one where the devil taught Robert Johnson how to play. (Those of us from around there know it as the place where the devil taught Abe Davis how to make great BBQ.) In the “Three Forks” song, you’ll hear highway 49 in the lyrics.

    Enjoy.

  • “Turn It Up,” fun blues with Samantha Fish and Clarksdale’s Kingfish Ingram (two fish!). REAL easy on the eyes, Samantha is, too

    By Charles Lipson
    Thursday, March 8, 2018 0 Blues Kingfish Ingram, Samantha Fish Permalink

    And just wait for Kingfish’s solo at the end!

    Everytime I see Samantha, I’m just so amazed she could be the United Nations Ambassador, too.

  • An infectious beat: Selwyn Birchwood, “Don’t You Call No Ambulance”

    By Charles Lipson
    Wednesday, March 7, 2018 0 Blues-Rock Selwyn Birchwood Permalink

    One of those beats that is, at once, both easy and drivin’.

    I’m drawn to those. J.J. Cale was a master of them.

    Enjoy!

  • A classic blues song at the precise moment rock-and-rock is adopting the genre: “Come On in My Kitchen” by Delaney and Bonnie with Greg Allman

    By Charles Lipson
    Saturday, March 3, 2018 0 Blues No tags Permalink

    I always loved Delaney and Bonnie, and loved their influence of the happy merger of rock and blues. Here they are with Greg Allman doing the Robert Johnson classic.

  • “Just Like I Treat You” by the great Howlin’ Wolf, then a rockin’ version by the Stones

    By Charles Lipson
    Friday, February 23, 2018 2comments Blues, Blues-Rock, ZipDialog Presents Two Versions No tags Permalink

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