Papa John Creach
Patrick Buckles
Patrick Buckles
an old guy way back then. I really liked his shit, thought he was unique.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Odor" <tl...@hotmail.com>
To: <patrick...@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 11:55 AM
Subject: Re: Papa John Creach
> Patrick,
> I don't know much about his history before that but he played briefly with
Jefferson Airplane and then he was with Hot Tuna until his death.
> He was great!
>
> Terry
Joel Fritz
<g>
Chris Burger
wrote:
> I'm guessin' he didn't go much further than Hot
> Tuna. I remember that he was
> an old guy way back then. "
I'm not one much for 'Tuna and other sixties rock, but
I thought I've read that Papa John Creach had some big
deal associations with blues and jazz bands of the
past before getting these later gigs....If it wasn't
not Count Basie, then someone of a high caliber. His
final album on Bee Bump Records was a bit of an
eye-opener for blues fans who thought he was some kind
of Grateful Dead hanger-on...It's worth checking out.
Anyway, here's what AMG had to say....
-C.Burger
"Violinist Papa John Creach first came to the notice
of rock fans when he joined Jefferson Airplane and its
spin-off group, Hot Tuna, in 1970.
By that time, he was already in his early fifties, a
veteran of jazz and blues associations, while his
fellow bandmembers were still approaching 30.
Nevertheless, using an electrified violin, Creach
added a new psychedelic edge to the Airplane in its
final days.
The band split in 1972, by which time Creach had begun
to release solo albums on its custom label, Grunt. The
Airplane was reorganized and relaunched as Jefferson
Starship, and Creach was with it through its
million-selling "Red Octopus" album in 1975. He
continued to make solo albums through 1992, when he
released "Papa Blues." Papa John Creach died of heart
failure in 1994 at the age of 76." — William Ruhlmann
--- Patrick Buckles <patrick...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
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Patrick Buckles
that gave me cause to listen. Not many bluesmen doin it with a fiddle,
then, or now.
Dave Foraker
NO< NO< NO......Don was Don "Sugarcane" Harris, whose style was way different
from Papa John Creach......
Dave Foraker
http://www.bluesfiddler.com
http://www.mp3.com/daveforaker
Joel Fritz
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Foraker" <BluesF...@aol.com>
To: <BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 11:39 AM
Subject: Re: Papa John Creach
bluesfantom
> Not many bluesmen doin it with a fiddle,
> then, or now.
>
That feller in Etouffee...his name escapes me. The act is kinda like Doug
Kershaw meets Little Feat. Don't know if that qualifies as blues, but they
do a mean version of 'Fess' "Curly Headed Baby".
tom
Dave Foraker
violin & the blues.......about a year before W.C. Handy wrote his first
blues....
a violinist/bandleader named Hart Wand wrote Dallas Blues........Lonnie
Johnson was first a violinist & THEN a guitarist.....he adapted his call &
answer technique from his fiddlin' days, saying it was "too damn hard to
fiddle & sing at the same time".....
Papa John Creach developed an early version of the electric violin, using a
piano "contact" mic taped to his violin.......he often jammed with big bands,
including Duke Ellington...he was living in San Francisco, when he happened
to show up at a jam with Pete Sears, keyboardist/bassist, who introduced him
to
Jefferson Airplane/Starship/Hot Tuna...his first solo album has a song called
"The Janitor Drove A Cadillac" which is tragically marred by the wailings of
one Grace Slick.....her drummer once asked me, "How many chick singers does
it take to screw in a light bulb?" (answer: One....she just holds on to
it,,,the world revolves around her.) Having worked with Alicia "I Love The
Nightlife" Bridges in the 70's....I fully understood & empathized......
(Oh,oh...teacher's starting to get off on tangents...end of class for
today....)
Blue Stew
Patrick Buckles
years. I thought it a good idea to see what others may feel about/from him.
Better than the 'elitist snob' thread that has been goin for too long....:)
I learned a lot from a simple question...not a bad thing..:):)
Jonathan Simpkins
Jonathan Simpkins
and saying its not jazz because it doesn't sound like Dixieland! Blues is a
living artform...and it is...and should be...wonderfully diverse.
I also think we need to question what the real utility of a "category" or
"tag" like blues is. Isn't it just an indicator to someone unfamiliar with
the artist that his/her/their style or repertoire is likely to have a
particular sound and/or structure. Beyond that...isn't it just about whether
we actually dig the music!?!?!?!?
Respect the past by all means...but open your ears, heads and hearts to
change...and marvel at it. Understand the fact that you personally don't dig
it doesn't necessarily mean its not deserving of appreciation by others.
Jonathan
Blue Stew
blues fiddle player in their band is Don "Sugarcane" Harris, (1/2 of Don and
Dewey). He was influenced by Papa John Creach who died in '94.
-----Original Message-----
From: Blues Music List [mailto:BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU]On Behalf Of
IronMan Mike Curtis
Bernies B-Bump records. That was shortly before his passing.
On 31 Jan 2002, at 13:28, Blue Stew wrote:
> Don and Dewey are still performining(I saw them a few yrs ago in L.A.).
> The blues fiddle player in their band is Don "Sugarcane" Harris, (1/2 of
> Don and Dewey). He was influenced by Papa John Creach who died in '94.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Blues Music List [mailto:BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU]On Behalf Of Joel
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Ron Weinstock
<< Don and Dewey are still performining(I saw them a few yrs ago in L.A.).
The
blues fiddle player in their band is Don "Sugarcane" Harris, (1/2 of Don and
Dewey). He was influenced by Papa John Creach who died in '94. >>
Dewey Terry passed away in the past couple years. I believe Sugarcane Harris
passed away several years ago. They unfortunately are not still performing
ron
R. L. Eagle
played by harp players. Is it coincidence that as the fiddle
became less used in blues, the use of the harp increased?
Bob
>From: Dave Foraker <BluesF...@aol.com>
>Reply-To: BluesF...@aol.com
>To: BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
>Subject: Re: Papa John Creach
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Blue Stew
the age 61. I saw them perform at a bar in L.A. about '95 or so. They were
very energetic and fun to watch. I couldn't remember the name of they're
big hit and it was driving me crazy(I didn't hear 'em play it that night)so
I sent a young lady over to ask them, as I didn't have the balls to do it
myself. Don replied very graciously, "Leavin' It All up to You". Mike M.
-----Original Message-----
From: RBL...@aol.com [mailto:RBL...@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 2:23 PM
To: ma...@bluestew.com; BLU...@listserv.brown.edu
Subject: Re: Papa John Creach
Dave Foraker
ma...@bluestew.com writes:
> Don and Dewey are still performining(I saw them a few yrs ago in L.A.). The
> blues fiddle player in their band is Don "Sugarcane" Harris,
Excuse me....but, I believe Sugarcane Harris died a couple of years
ago......I maybe wrong.....hope i am.....
Dave F.
chuck n.
the blues snobs--I wish we had about
50 million of them. In all shades.
chuck
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Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com
Joel Fritz
25 million left. <g>
The solution is very simple. Only what I like is good. Anyone who
disagrees is, shall we say, aesthetically challenged. They certainly won't
be allowed to reproduce. Funny Papa Smith will be mandatory starting Feb 1.
On March 1 comes Peetie Wheatstraw. Start ordering your CDs now.
Fred Dabney
history of the
> violin & the blues.......about a year before W.C. Handy wrote
his first
> blues....
There are collections of Lonnie Johnson on Document that feature
his fiddle, and the anthology "Violin, Sing the Blues for Me" is
a line from one of the early Lonnie Johnson records.
The anthology is on an obscure label but I bought mine from
"CDNow". The label is "Old Hat" and the cd is subtitled
"African American Fiddlers, 1926-1949."
While I found Papa John an interesting musician, I hated
the sound of his electric fiddle. I thought it was one of
the ugliest things I'd ever heard, and I felt the same way
about Joe Venuti when he went to an electric instrument.
Another early musician you don't hear of much was the
guy who played guitar in Basie's first band- Claude Williams.
When Johnny Hammond first hooked up with the Basie
band, he detested Williams, and persuaded Basie to get
rid of him and hire Freddy Greene. I have some air
checks of the Basie band while Claude was still playing
in the group btw. Rather like hearing Ray Nance burst
out of the Ellington band, it's not that he's bad, just
unexpected.
I did a show one night devoted to jazz fiddle players,
and it lasted longer than I'd have expected before I
ran out of artists I have recordings of.
Fred D.
Kenneth Epstein
In article <NFBBLBHOGLHKJCED...@bluestew.com>, Blue Stew
<ma...@bluestew.com> wrote:
> Don and Dewey are still performining(I saw them a few yrs ago in L.A.). The
> blues fiddle player in their band is Don "Sugarcane" Harris, (1/2 of Don and
> Dewey). He was influenced by Papa John Creach who died in '94.
--
________________________________________
To reply via email, change 'at' to '@' and 'dot' to '.'
Fred Dabney
"category" or
> "tag" like blues is. Isn't it just an indicator to someone
unfamiliar with
> the artist that his/her/their style or repertoire is likely to
have a
> particular sound and/or structure. Beyond that...isn't it just
about whether
> we actually dig the music!?!?!?!?
True, to a point.
But too many people have no sense of history, and less interest.
I say to someone I like blues, then play a record of Jack
Teagarden
and get told, "That's not blues, that's Dixie" or whatever. And I
get annoyed that they simply don't know much about the topic.
Fred D.
Fred Dabney
similar toi that
> played by harp players. Is it coincidence that as the fiddle
> became less used in blues, the use of the harp increased?
I don't know about that. I have a problem with "harp" players-
I think of guys like Caspar Reardon, Adele Girard and Robert
Maxwell when I see "harp". Still, I digress. I know the term
is traditional.
Back to the topic: I'm of the school that suggests the original
blues instrument was the violin, not the guitar, It better
mimics the voice, can do slides, scoops and swoops that
not even a good slide guitarist can accomplish, and it has
been noted elsewhere that a lot of plantation masters hired
European music teachers to give lessons to the slave musicians.
A lot of the owners felt themselves on the same level of
the Esterhazy monarchs, and having a court orchestra
was part of the image.
If you listen to those artists on that cd "Violin, Play the
Blues for Me" I mentioned I suspect you will hear a lot
of what the very earliest blues sounded like.
Resophonic guitars and harmoncias sound a lot alike
in some ways, and the distortion that the electronic
guitarists go for also mimics that sound, but where and
when the harmonica became the voice of the blues
is probably beyond documenting now. I do know if
you listen to a lot of the oldest records with harmonica
players, you get a very different sound than the post-
Little Walter et al.
I was listening to a collection of Les Paul, and you might
not know some of the first records he made were as
"Rhubarb Red", playing guitar and harmonica. His
sound was much more like an accordion than one regards
as the usual harmonica sound, while Robert Cooksey
had a yet different sound.
Like the guitar, harmonica sounds have changed a lot
over the years.
Fred D.
Dave Melton
Heart To You". Frank Zappa featured him on the "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" LP.
It's pure straight ahead blues,
totally featuring Don who played all the solos and sang it as well.
Dave Melton
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave Foraker" <BluesF...@aol.com>
To: <BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 4:05 PM
Subject: Re: Papa John Creach
William Sakovich
violin, not the guitar, It better
mimics the voice, can do slides, scoops and swoops that
not even a good slide guitarist can accomplish, and it has been noted
elsewhere that a lot of plantation masters hired European music teachers to
that cd "Violin, Play the Blues for Me" I mentioned I suspect you will hear
a lot of what the very earliest blues sounded like.
I suspect Fred is right. The violin was actually a major part of early
African-American music (American in the sense of North and South American),
and this has disappeared over the years with changing tastes.
It's remaining areas of strength are in the Caribbean, most notably in the
charanga instrumentation of Cuban music and in the French Caribbean, as in
such groups as Malavoi. They can get quite a groove going. And the classic
charanga bands also use a viola.
- Bill Sakovich
Blue Stew
Texas Playboys(some yrs ago). Now, I love 'em. I tried playin' one a
couple a times and couldn't do it...they got such tiny little necks, and NO
FRETS!! Mike M.
PS, maybe I'll try the Viola?
-----Original Message-----
From: Blues Music List [mailto:BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU]On Behalf Of
William Sakovich
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 5:57 PM
To: BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU
Subject: Re: Papa John Creach
Blue Stew
Instrument" thread. It could take a lifetime to sort that one out! Mike M.
-----Original Message-----
From: Blues Music List [mailto:BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU]On Behalf Of
William Sakovich
"I'm of the school that suggests the original blues instrument was the
violin, not the guitar, It better
mimics the voice, can do slides, scoops and swoops that
not even a good slide guitarist can accomplish, and it has been noted
elsewhere that a lot of plantation masters hired European music teachers to
give lessons to the slave musicians...."snip>
Joel Fritz
music for them in quite a few years. <g>
Johnny Gimble is superhuman.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Blue Stew" <ma...@bluestew.com>
To: <BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 10:03 PM
Subject: Re: Papa John Creach
Fred Dabney
written much new
> music for them in quite a few years. <g>
Actually, I suspect there are new works for the Viol family.
There are a lot
of composers, academics mostly who are always trying things.
And the Bernard Krainis recorder group (I think it was him- I'd
need
to dig into the back of the shelves) did a composition called
"Eons
Ago Blue" which had some blues progressions, an walking, pizzacato
bass line on the gamba and various elements of jazz.
Fred D.
tommy h.
I, for one, like Tuna, and found Papa John, for the most part, to be
an intrusion to their sound. Although I do like his solo albums.
al terego
Well into his "90's, he "don't get around much anymore" but still plays
the K.C. jazz and blues fest.