John Hammond Last Night
T. Roy Matthews
same old crap that starts when uttering the name "John Hammond."
That said, I'm here to tell ya plainly, he does it for me. Saw him last
night at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach, CA - a favorite haunt of mine. This
makes the about the 8th time I've seen him and despite his notorious
touring sked, he always seems to rise to the occasion.
This time was no different.
He just returned from playing with JL Hooker and was in the mood to "boogie."
He did a few boogies which floored me.
His closing number, Son House's "Preachin' Blues" was played with the
intensity that only Mr. House himself could surpass.
The house, to my surprise, was somewhat sparse (about 70% capacity) in a
club that holds about 200 people. But I wasn't complaining as it made for a
real personal show.
BTW, I bet JH holds a speed record for changing a guitar string. He broke
one just after the first verse of "Hot Tamales." He stopped the song,
reached over to his tray, grabbed the new string, pulled the old one off
and had the new one on, wound and clipped in about a minute - without the
aid of a winding tool.
Guitar players on the list know that this is fast.
He answered a standing O encore with an amazing version of Ramblin Blues.
IMHO, John Hammond is one of the greatest purveyors of blues alive today.
Soul, Chops, Voice - the whole package.
Teeroy
http://www.members.tripod.com/~socalblues
http://www.members.tripod.com/~deltaramblers
Leonard Watkins
>BTW, I bet JH holds a speed record for changing a guitar string. He broke
>one just after the first verse of "Hot Tamales." He stopped the song,
>reached over to his tray, grabbed the new string, pulled the old one off
>and had the new one on, wound and clipped in about a minute - without the
>aid of a winding tool.
I swear I saw him break a string, go into a harp solo while changing the string
never missed a beat. Had I not been right there at the stage I probally would
not have noticed. I am not a John Hammond 'fanatic' but he is very very
impressive.
>Soul, Chops, Voice - the whole package.
Soul from his head to his toes. Chops that will make you sell your National
Leonard
Fernando Toral
> IMHO, John Hammond is one of the greatest purveyors of blues alive today.
>
> Soul, Chops, Voice - the whole package.
>
> Teeroy
After reading this message, I'll definitively have to get some JH's stuff. Which
one do you recommend?
Fernando Toral
Rich Gonzalez
>NOTE: This thread is no way intended to start yet another re-hash of the
>same old crap that starts when uttering the name "John Hammond."
>
>That said, I'm here to tell ya plainly, he does it for me. Saw him last
>night at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach, CA - a favorite haunt of mine. This
>makes the about the 8th time I've seen him and despite his notorious
>touring sked, he always seems to rise to the occasion....
Seems like a lot of people like him. He must be pretty good. I don't
understand why some folks on this list react so negatively to him. It just
is so weird. And people who like him have to pause before they make a
contribution like this post. Weird.
I'm glad you enjoyed the show. I'll try to catch him if he's ever in my
town.
richg
Tom Freeland
> Seems like a lot of people like him. He must be pretty good. I don't
> understand why some folks on this list react so negatively to him.
> It just is so weird. And people who like him have to pause before
> they make a contribution like this post. Weird.
Well, as one of the folks who has posted negatively, I'll say
this: In the first place, I can't argue with someone else's
postive experience at a show across the continent from me, and I
didn't argue with 'em. BUT, here's my experience: I've heard a few
recordings, which left me indifferent. I heard him live twice-- once
very briefly at Memphis in May (left to hear Van Morrison, I think?
either that or for the Gospel tent), and a short set at the Robert
Johnson tribute in Cleveland, Ohio. Here was my sincere reaction
after giving him a chance in Cleveland: He played WAY TOO FAST, and
with an erratic tempo. His singing and over-emoting did nothing for
me, and, combined with the speedy tempos in a really unfortunate way.
I do not know whether he was playing fast and etc. out of
nervousness or not, but it was not good and did not the least bit
impress me. Of course, I'll give him another chance if he plays near
me.
I stated those reasons (in greater detail) when I posted a review of
the Cleveland concert.
What I don't understand is the suggestion that there's something
wrong with folks who have a negative reaction and explain it.
There's a lot of ways to be close minded.
Tom Freeland
Jim Bardsley
time at the New Orleans Jazz-Heritage Fest. I thought he was an extremely
talented and hard-working performer, clearly dedicated to the acoustic form of
the blues. I've been very impressed.
Rich Gonzalez wrote:
> Seems like a lot of people like him. He must be pretty good. I don't
> understand why some folks on this list react so negatively to him. It just
> is so weird. And people who like him have to pause before they make a
> contribution like this post. Weird.
P.W. Fenton
>Seems like a lot of people like him. He must be pretty good. I don't
>understand why some folks on this list react so negatively to him. It just
>is so weird. And people who like him have to pause before they make a
>contribution like this post. Weird.
>I'm glad you enjoyed the show. I'll try to catch him if he's ever in my
>town.
I can tell you what turns most people off. If you hear him speak, he is very
articulate and well spoken, when he sings however, he uses an absurd put-on
voice, that sounds like a vain attempt to sound like an elderly and toothless
black man... which he ain't. It's very, very, hard to get past this
affectation. He is a fine player, but his singing voice is as phoney as they
come. It's so bad, it affects my perception of everything else he does.
P.W. Fenton
Tampa, Florida
http://www.gate.net/~pwfenton
R. Gonzalez
> I stated those reasons (in greater detail) when I posted a review of
> the Cleveland concert.
Sorry, didn't remember who posted. In any event, I was trying to refer to
the particularly rabid negative posts about Hammond. I have no reason to
believe you did so Tom. Being unfamiliar with Hammond it struck me as
being odd how he inspired such a negative response from some folks.
> What I don't understand is the suggestion that there's something
> wrong with folks who have a negative reaction and explain it.
> There's a lot of ways to be close minded.
Nothing wrong with it that I can see either. Different strokes...
But as I recall some folks were questioning his basic worth as a player,
his basic competence and even sincerity. Preference is one thing,
unsubstantiated delving into a guy's motives and sincerity another. I
think that's what some folks did. But I can't remember who. I refer to
those that did that. No one else.
Nothing wrong with not liking a musician. But Teeroy's intro to his post
reminded me of the sometimes virulent dissing that Hammond got and how
that kind of stuff ultimately inhibits postings like Teeroy's.
richg
Jay Watterworth
on December 12th at Swallow Hill. This is a nice intimate place to see
acoustic music. I saw him (again) last summer (with Charlie Musselwhite)
and he was in fine form. Broke a string. (Saw him break four in one
concert.)
Jay Watterworth
On Mon, 7 Dec 1998, T. Roy Matthews wrote:
> NOTE: This thread is no way intended to start yet another re-hash of the
> same old crap that starts when uttering the name "John Hammond."
>
> That said, I'm here to tell ya plainly, he does it for me. Saw him last
> night at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach, CA - a favorite haunt of mine. This
> makes the about the 8th time I've seen him and despite his notorious
> touring sked, he always seems to rise to the occasion.
>
> This time was no different.
>
> He just returned from playing with JL Hooker and was in the mood to "boogie."
> He did a few boogies which floored me.
>
> His closing number, Son House's "Preachin' Blues" was played with the
> intensity that only Mr. House himself could surpass.
>
> The house, to my surprise, was somewhat sparse (about 70% capacity) in a
> club that holds about 200 people. But I wasn't complaining as it made for a
> real personal show.
>
> BTW, I bet JH holds a speed record for changing a guitar string. He broke
> one just after the first verse of "Hot Tamales." He stopped the song,
> reached over to his tray, grabbed the new string, pulled the old one off
> and had the new one on, wound and clipped in about a minute - without the
> aid of a winding tool.
>
> Guitar players on the list know that this is fast.
>
> He answered a standing O encore with an amazing version of Ramblin Blues.
>
> IMHO, John Hammond is one of the greatest purveyors of blues alive today.
>
> Soul, Chops, Voice - the whole package.
>
> Teeroy
> http://www.members.tripod.com/~socalblues
> http://www.members.tripod.com/~deltaramblers
>
Jay Watterworth
Department of Sociology
University of Colorado at Boulder
"I am too much of a sceptic to deny the possibility of anything."
T.H. Huxley
Jay Watterworth
>>>>>Snipping<<<<<<
>
> Seems like a lot of people like him. He must be pretty good. I don't
> understand why some folks on this list react so negatively to him. It just
> is so weird. And people who like him have to pause before they make a
> contribution like this post. Weird.
I won't pause to contribute. I have some ideas why people react
negatively to him (after reading these reactions here for years):
1) he's white.
2) his father is rich. (a Vanderbuilt heir. John was raised separately
by his mother without this advantage.)
3) his father is well known so John was given an unfair advantage
(His father, also John Hammond, was a major figure in the music biz,
so much so that it would take up way too much space here except to
say he "discovered" folks from Billie Holiday and Count Baise
through Bob Dylan and Bruce Springstein. His support of John is simply
not true; I understand his father didn't want him to get into music).
4) he has ripped off black culture. (He has done everything he can to
support and promote his roots.)
5) his voice is a poor approximation/bad immitation of a black blues
singer. (His singing style has been constant for 35+ years. It's his
own. He obviously learned from masters and has taken their lessons to
heart. His heart.)
6) he plays an exagerated, badly executed guitar. (He plays very well.
His work on a National steel is inspired. He works a guitar and gets more
out of it than most people knew was there -- just like some of the early
masters.)
7) his harp playing sucks. (He has a distinctive style that to my ears is
wonderful. It can be subtle or brash.)
8) he's arrogant. (He is one of the most modest performers I have ever
seen. He is gracious to his audience, his history, and his art.)
9) he doesn't talk too much to his audience. (He says enough to establish
a rapport and he lets the music carry his message.)
I might have missed something, but that pretty much sums up how I feel.
Jay Watterworth
Delta Doc Roger
>town.
>
John Hammond IS the best live blues act you'll ever see. Period.
ddr
Delta Doc Roger
Vanguard CD. These are the best of John Hammond.
Period.
ddr
PS: If you're looking for band blues of John Hammond, then, if you can
find it, Southern Fried on LP.
Juke Welker
Hammond:
<< He is a fine player, but his singing voice is as phoney as they
come. >>
He doesn't seem to be a phoney in any way to me. I think John Hammond is
genuinely in awe of the old bluesmen and has a great deal of respect for them.
He probably sings the way he wants to sing...which is his choice....and it
sounds pretty good to me!
Ron Weinstock
frankly turns me off, although u can't deny his dedication.
I have heard the story one time when Hammond appeared at Tornado Alley outside
DC, some folds were playing pool and he got pissed and told them to knock it
off. Blues as an "art form" I guess. Imagine Robert Johnson telling cats
gambling at the juke joint to quiet down, people want to listen to him play.
Do you think Robert would have lasted the night.
Jim Witteveen
mixed opinion on his music. The albums that I've heard don't do him justice
- I'm not a big fan of his work in a full band setting, and for me, they
don't stand up to repeated listening.
I have seen him live once, and it was one of the best shows I've seen - he
pours his heart into his performance, which is more than can be said about
a lot of other performers I've seen, who seem to go through the motions. I
love his guitar playing (and his harp playing isn't bad either) - it tends
toward the rough and ragged, but I like that just as much as the smoother
styles of some others that I've seen. His vocals are a bit over the top and
seem a bit forced at times, but all in all, my opinion is very positive -
I'd recommend seeing him in concert to any blues fan.
-Jim (jim...@dowco.com)
"Work Hard. Rock Hard. Eat Hard. Sleep Hard. Grow Big. Wear glasses if you
need 'em."
-Webb Wilder
T. Roy Matthews
> I've enjoyed the discussion on John Hammond so far - I've got kind of a
>mixed opinion on his music. The albums that I've heard don't do him justice
>- I'm not a big fan of his work in a full band setting, and for me, they
>don't stand up to repeated listening.
I agree that his efforts with the full band aren't nearly as pleasing to my
ear as are his solo efforts. Also, I agree that above all, Hammond is best
heard as a "live" performer. I have many of his recordings, and although I
don't think they suck, I'd say they don't do him ample justice. This is
true with many performers (including myself). The opposite is true for
others, as all of you know - masters in the studio & not so great in a live
setting.
Teeroy
Michael Strain
with lyrics that go something like:
...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
We're trying to determine how much of this song is original or to whom it
should be attributed. He seems to have pulled it out of the hat, since we
don't have any recordings at home with a similar songs. He can't remember
where he might have heard it. But I'm sure I've heard something like it
before.
Can you country blues lyrics-experts offer any clues?
--Mike
-----------------------------------------------------
Michael Strain str...@nmr359.uoregon.edu
Eugene, Oregon http://nmr359.uoregon.edu/~blue-gene
Andy Allu
delt...@bitstream.net writes:
<< John Hammond IS the best live blues act you'll ever see. Period. >>
I could not have said it better myself.... I have been seeing John live for
over thirty years and have NEVER been disappointed...
Andy
Andy Allu
writes:
<< After reading this message, I'll definitively have to get some JH's stuff.
Which
one do you recommend?
Fernando Toral >>
My recommendation as the single biggest JH fan on the planet is to start with
the Live "red" CD on Rounder.... recorded at McCabes in California and now re-
released on CD with about six extra cuts... After that, any of the thirty or
so he has done in any random order would be fine...
Andy Allu
delt...@bitstream.net writes:
<< Can't Beat the Kid on LP, Footwork on LP, Live on Rounder CD, and Solo on
Vanguard CD. These are the best of John Hammond. >>
Hammond also scored some critical aclaim for his soundtrack work on "Little
Big Man" (w/Dustin Hoffman) and John Sayles "Matewan"
Andy Allu
watt...@sobek.Colorado.EDU writes:
<< 9) he doesn't talk too much to his audience. (He says enough to establish
a rapport and he lets the music carry his message.) >>
John has struggled for most of his life to overcome a serious speech
impediment.. a very severe stutter.....This is why he does not speak from the
stage.
Steve Hoffman
CD, on which Clapton does a cover version of Barbecue Bob's "Motherless
Child" (NOT the song "Motherless children have a hard time when their
mother is dead" -- a entirely different song)
--
LISTEN TO "THE BLUES EXPERIENCE" ON THE 'NET RIGHT NOW
& WIN A COMPLETE SET OF '98 BULLSEYE BLUE CDs
ALL BLUES, ALL THE TIME ... DON'T BE SQUARE, JUST CLICK HERE
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Steven Levine
> I have heard the story one time when Hammond appeared at Tornado Alley outside
> DC, some folds were playing pool and he got pissed and told them to knock it
> off. Blues as an "art form" I guess.
I was at that show, and I thought it was kind of arrogant. After all, the
club is making money off of those pool players, so he's affecting the
club's business by doing that. On the other hand, most of the audience was
sitting on the floor in front of the stage - something I have never seen
at a club like Tornado Alley before. I think that Hammon is a great
guitarist and harp player, and an important interpretor of prewar blues
styles. I'm not crazy about his vocals, but he can carry a tune. The last
time I saw him was a show he did with Little Charlie & The Nightcats. He
did a solo acoustic set, and sat in with the Nightcats. I was actually
more impressed with his electric guitar playing than with his solo
acoustic set.
-Steve
Andy Allu
watt...@sobek.Colorado.EDU writes:
<< 2) his father is rich. (a Vanderbuilt heir. John was raised separately
by his mother without this advantage.) >>
John's MOTHER was a Vanderbuilt, not his dad...
Fred Dabney
>CD, on which Clapton does a cover version of Barbecue Bob's "Motherless
>Child" (NOT the song "Motherless children have a hard time when their
>mother is dead" -- a entirely different song)
Perhaps, but the line goes a /long/ way back. Our list friends, Ball and
Sultan do a Bo Chatmon song with the "going to get my hambone boiled" line.
It's in "Cigarette Blues" as I recall. Like most of Chatmon's stuff, it's
one long double entendre. Or as someone once said, he was the master of the
"single entendre..."
Hear something obscure from the world of early blues and jazz at 9 pm Friday
and Saturday night with host Fred Dabney from the Back Room of KRWG-FM, 90.7
FM, Las Cruces, NM
<fda...@nmsu.edu>
Teri Velazquez
>
> My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic song
> with lyrics that go something like:
>
> ...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
Several years ago, I attended the Oregon Country Fair for the first
time. There were so many people there; just currents of humanity moving
in every direction, with lots of color and sound and smells--a complete
sensory experience. At one point we turned up the path and made our way
around a large shady tree, and it was as if utter chaos changed to
serenity in the blink of an eye. Everyone was standing still on the
path, listening to a young child play the most awesome, soulful,
acoustic blues. He looked about 8 years old (but was probably more like
10 or 11), and had none of the shyness or insecurity you would expect
from someone so young performing in the midst of a crowd like that. He
was confident, his voice was strong, and seeing him there, his talent
reflected in the faces around him--it gave me shivers the think of what
he would become as he got older and more experienced. That was the first
time I every heard of David Jacobs Strain, and I will never forget it.
Hearing you describe him as a teenager now, makes me feel so old! But I
would dearly love to see him perform again--hopefully I'll catch his
show next year up here in WA.
Teri V.
Rich Gonzalez
>.... Perhaps the knee-jerk "he sucks" posts are over-reactions
>to the "he's so great" posts....
I think you're on to something here. Not only for Hammond but for some of
the other players who get dissed on a basis that is beyond just musical or
personal taste and preference. It seems like the "he sucks" entrants win out
over time though. I'd bet they at least inhibit the people who are in just
the "he's pretty good, actually" range of the continuum.
>.... I think the overstatement on both ends is probably not very well
explained & >not very justified.
Yeah, I agree. And it generates more emotion/overstatement, which generates
stronger countering emotion/overstatement, generating......Amplifying
feedback loop. Nothing gets settled. Things just escalate. Maybe if we
explained better we could reduce the portion of the overstating that causes
negative outcomes.
Just speaking generally, not referring to anybody.
So maybe that would be an approach. If someone says that Hammond (or anyone
else) sings or plays in a phoney way, then we ought to ask him to explain,
"What do you mean by a phoney voice? How is it phoney? What is phoniness?
How can the rest of us come to believe that it is phoney too?" and "Is there
any way that his voice might not really be phoney?" This part is not about
preference. Someone contends he is doing a particular behavior--phoney
singing. Seems like the claim could be substantiated, especially if
challenged.
Already on this thread some have said he is that, others that he imitates
black singers. Again, lots of people like him. I like best what JukeWeller
said: "He probably sings the way he wants to sing...which is his choice...."
Seems likely to me. He probably LIKES singing that way.
richg
Jim Wells
few times (back in the late 60s/early 70s) in different smaller rooms in
NYC. Live, JH was really outstanding. His recordings though never came close
to his live work from what I've heard. He did seem to be stronger as a solo
performer too, but I heard him one time with a band (and I have no idea who
the players were unfortunately, but it was at the West End a club in upper
westside on Broadway near Columbia as I recall) and they were really strong.
Rgds...Jim
Gary Constantine
I have a CD entitled "Out On The Highway" by an Alberta artist called
"Back Alley John". There is a cut called "Ham Bone Boiled". The first
verse:
I'm goin' home to Ottawa to get my ham bone boiled.
I'm goin' home to Ottawa to get my ham bone boiled,
I've been here so long I've let my hambone spoil.
I'm goin' home to the valley, everybody knows my name,
Oh, the people in Ottawa all remember my name,
I'm doin' alright in Alberta but nuthin' feels the same.
I'd be very surprised if you had ever heard of this artist but i
thought the line you quoted sounded familiar. According to the insert
Back Alley John claims it as an original. Maybe not?
Gary ............
Michael Strain wrote:
>
> My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic song
> with lyrics that go something like:
>
> ...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
>
Marty Spaulding
th...@WATERVALLEY.NET wrote:
> What I don't understand is the suggestion that there's something
> wrong with folks who have a negative reaction and explain it.
> There's a lot of ways to be close minded.
>
> Tom Freeland
Amen to that. Anybody that likes "everything" isn't a very discerning judge of
"anything".
There is a BIG difference between being negative and having an opinion and/or
reaction to something.
m
--
The SUNDAY BLUES netcast homepage :
http://www.sunday-blues.com
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http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
maxdog
> >
> > My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic song
> > with lyrics that go something like:
> >
> > ...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
> >
> > We're trying to determine how much of this song is original or to whom it
> > should be attributed. He seems to have pulled it out of the hat, since we
> > don't have any recordings at home with a similar songs. He can't remember
> > where he might have heard it. But I'm sure I've heard something like it
> > before.
> >
Unless I'm mistaken (and I often am)...
"...goin' down to Louisiana, gonna get my hambone boiled" Muddy
Waters, (Louisiana Blues?) Of course it is probably older than that.
--
maxdog (Tallahassee, FL)
****************************sig*****************************
* Bluesfest: Dave's CC Club's Star Spangled Blues Gathering
* Check this URL for info:
* http://members.tripod.com/bluesfest
* Or email me offlist.
************************************************************
Marty Spaulding
"P.W. Fenton" <pwfe...@GATE.NET> wrote:
> I can tell you what turns most people off. If you hear him speak, he is very
> articulate and well spoken, when he sings however, he uses an absurd put-on
> voice, that sounds like a vain attempt to sound like an elderly and toothless
> black man... which he ain't. It's very, very, hard to get past this
> affectation. He is a fine player, but his singing voice is as phoney as they
> come. It's so bad, it affects my perception of everything else he does.
>
I wasn't gonna post about this, but I gotta agree. I find him a capable
folk/blues guitarist, but the vocals sometimes sound contrived to me.
Not that I don't appreciate his dedication to the folk/blues scene, but his
vocals "sometimes" make me cringe.
Jay Watterworth
I stand corrected.
Jay Watterworth
Dale Schimpf
From: Jay Watterworth <watt...@SOBEK.COLORADO.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list BLUES-L <BLU...@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU>
Date: Monday, December 07, 1998 7:45 PM
Subject: Re: John Hammond Last Night
>I won't pause to contribute. I have some ideas why people react
>negatively to him (after reading these reactions here for years):
>
>8) he's arrogant. (He is one of the most modest performers I have ever
>seen. He is gracious to his audience, his history, and his art.)
I had the pleasure of meeting John Hammond a year or so ago at a show here
in Ottawa. After the show he made a point to come out of his dressing room
and hang out at the bar so that anyone who wanted to go talk to him could do
so. He talked to people as long as they wanted to and he didn't seem to be
in any hurry to rush them off. He was very nice when I spoke to him.
and then Andy Allu's CD recommendation was:
>My recommendation as the single biggest JH fan on the planet is to start
with
>the Live "red" CD on Rounder.... recorded at McCabes in California and now
re-
>released on CD with about six extra cuts... After that, any of the thirty
or
>so he has done in any random order would be fine...
This is a good one for sure. I heard another song of his recently which was
on a Pointblank cassette sampler I picked up at JRM. The song was called
"Ride 'Til I Die" and I really liked that song. Anybody happen to know what
CD that's on?
Dale Schimpf
Ps I hate it when they reissue a CD with extra cuts after I've gone and
bought the album. Makes me feel like I might be missing some other great
songs and then I gotta shell out more money again :-)
I heard an alternate take of "Hoodoo Man Blues" on the Delmark reissue of
the famous Buddy and Junior LP from 1965 or so. Great searing slower
version. Gotta go get that Cd now I guess for just 2 extra cuts. Damn!
basile
>...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
Not sure about the "goin' to Memphis" part but the second half (possibly as
"can I" rather than "gonna") makes me think of Rube Lacy's Ham Hound Crave.
He finishes the line with something like:
These Chicago women sure will let my hambone spoil
Frank
VT
Strain) wrote:
>My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic song
>with lyrics that go something like:
>...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
>We're trying to determine how much of this song is original or to whom it
>should be attributed. He seems to have pulled it out of the hat, since we
>don't have any recordings at home with a similar songs. He can't remember
>where he might have heard it. But I'm sure I've heard something like it
>before.
>Can you country blues lyrics-experts offer any clues?
Taj Mahal does a song called
"The Celebrated Walkin' Blues"
on his eponymous 1st album - where he clearly sings .....
"got to go to Memphis baby, to have my hambone boiled."
I have this CD in the car so I hear it quite often - it's 3:14 into
the track.
The credit on this song on my copy of the CD is: (Arr. Taj Mahal)
This CD is available on import:
$19.46 MAHAL*TAJ -- TAJ MAHAL
IVP21543 IMPORTED
But those in the UK (and possibly Canada) probably can get it a lot
cheaper since it was re-issued in the UK on the Sony/CBS - Rewind
label - I got my copy at Heathrow Airport for UK6.00pds.
--
Vincent
v...@pipeline.com
embee
| ... voice, that sounds like a vain attempt to sound like an elderly and
toothless
| black man... which he ain't. It's very, very, hard to get past this
| affectation. He is a fine player, but his singing voice is as phoney as
they
| come. It's so bad, it affects my perception of everything else he does.
He has not a _bad_ voice IMHO, he has a very typical and personal sound.
Something like Roosevelt Sykes' voice.... I have a lot of Sykes stuff,
because of
his piano playing, but his voice ... nope, i prefer Big Maceo, CJ Dupree,
Memphis Slim,
Otis Span, Pinetop ... singing .
Strange isn't it ? i still have the most albums of Sykes ...
embee
http://gallery.uunet.be/embee/ Tribute to the bluespiano
P.W. Fenton
>My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic song
>with lyrics that go something like:
>
>...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
>
>We're trying to determine how much of this song is original or to whom it
>should be attributed. He seems to have pulled it out of the hat, since we
>don't have any recordings at home with a similar songs. He can't remember
>where he might have heard it. But I'm sure I've heard something like it
>before.
>
>Can you country blues lyrics-experts offer any clues?
Muddy Waters recorded these words in 1941 on a version of what he called
"Country Blues", which he learned from Son House, who called it "Walking
Blues".
It contains...
I'm goin' back to Memphis
Got to have my hambone boiled
I laid down in Clarksdale
But she let my hambone spoil
P.W. Fenton
Tampa, Florida
http://www.gate.net/~pwfenton
embee
:On Mon, 7 Dec 1998, Rich Gonzalez wrote:
:>>>>>Snipping<<<<<<
:>
:> Seems like a lot of people like him. He must be pretty good. I don't
:
>> Jay wrote 9 points pro/contra ...
:I might have missed something, but that pretty much sums up how I feel.
I'd love to second this. Amen.
I've seen John 3 times live and he had a pretty good contact with his
audience...
embee
Patrick Hertel
> My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic song
> with lyrics that go something like:
>
> ...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
>
> We're trying to determine how much of this song is original or to whom it
> should be attributed. He seems to have pulled it out of the hat, since we
> don't have any recordings at home with a similar songs. He can't remember
> where he might have heard it. But I'm sure I've heard something like it
> before.
>
> Can you country blues lyrics-experts offer any clues?
>
I know there is a song by canadian Back Alley John
called "Ham Bone Boiled". I don't know if its an original
or adapted (I haven't got it with me right now).
It sounds very much like "Rollin' and Tumblin".
Pat Hertel
"Tuesdays just as bad.."
Leonard Watkins
>
>I can tell you what turns most people off. If you hear him speak, he is very
>articulate and well spoken, when he sings however, he uses an absurd put-on
>black man... which he ain't. It's very, very, hard to get past this
>affectation. He is a fine player, but his singing voice is as phoney as they
>come. It's so bad, it affects my perception of everything else he does.
Having interviewed JH ,he stuttered alot during the interview. Does he stutter
or did I intimidate him :-). as far as what my friend PW said, that's 100%
bullshit. Doesn't deserve a response.
Leonard
P.W. Fenton
>Having interviewed JH ,he stuttered alot during the interview. Does he stutter
>or did I intimidate him :-). as far as what my friend PW said, that's 100%
>bullshit. Doesn't deserve a response.
Even though it didn't deserve a response but Leonard was kind enough to
supply one anyway. As for what my friend Leonard says, I might express my
own opinion if mine disagreed with his, but I'd never characterize his
opinion as bullshit.
Scott Perry
> I have seen him live once, and it was one of the best shows I've seen - he
> pours his heart into his performance, which is more than can be said about
> a lot of other performers I've seen, who seem to go through the motions. I
> love his guitar playing (and his harp playing isn't bad either) - it tends
> toward the rough and ragged, but I like that just as much as the smoother
> styles of some others that I've seen. His vocals are a bit over the top and
> seem a bit forced at times, but all in all, my opinion is very positive -
> I'd recommend seeing him in concert to any blues fan.
I've seen John play half a dozen times and opened for him three
times. On every occasion I spent some time talking with him and he
was very gracious and generous with his time. At the Left Bank, Blue
Hill, ME I got to have dinner with him and we hung out for two hours
trading war stories and swapping licks. His wife was with him and
she was a great person too. I disagree strongly with anyone who
says he is arrogant or aloof -- he's a great human being. As for his
performance, whether you care for his guitar playing or singing or
not, I disagree with anyone who says it doesn't come from his heart.
His guitar style is thoroughly unique and I've never come close to
"gettin' it" despite hours of trying. The singing "issue" is the
hardest one for most of us white boys and girls to deal with.
Frankly, I think that singing in our "natural" voice is best, and
IMHO, that's what Hammond does.
IMHO, Hammond didn't get where he is b/c of his lineage or
connections but because of his talent.
Scott Perry
R. Gonzalez
>
On Tue, 8 Dec 1998, P.W. Fenton wrote:
>..... As for what my friend Leonard says, I might express...
Heyyyyyyyyyyyy.
Are these guys REALLY friends?
:-)
richg
P.W. Fenton
Actually, yes we are. I like Leonard a lot. We've had a few powerful
disagreements over the years, but he is a righteous dude.
Leonard Watkins
>>
>>
>>Heyyyyyyyyyyyy.
>>Are these guys REALLY friends?
>
>Actually, yes we are. I like Leonard a lot. We've had a few powerful
>disagreements over the years, but he is a righteous dude.
I know this should be NBC but know this: There is not a person on this list
that I do not consider my friend. I may disagree I may joke with you a little
too seriously, but my/your opinion does not matter when it comes to friendship.
I have PO'd the entire list at one time or another, but I give people credit
for knowing what is an internet list and what is LIFE.
Leonard 'sorry for being serious....it slipped'
Alan Lloyd
Michael Strain <str...@NMR359.UOREGON.EDU> writes
>My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic song
>with lyrics that go something like:
>
>...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
>
>We're trying to determine how much of this song is original or to whom it
>should be attributed. He seems to have pulled it out of the hat, since we
>don't have any recordings at home with a similar songs. He can't remember
>where he might have heard it. But I'm sure I've heard something like it
>before.
>
>Can you country blues lyrics-experts offer any clues?
>
"Chocolate to The Bone".
Clapton did a version on "From the Cradle".
Your son wouldn't be the first to lift some lyrics from this song. Van
Morrison in the sixties built a song around one of the verses from this
tune:
"I done more for you than your Daddy ever done X 2
I gave you my jelly, he ain't give you none."
The Barbecue Bob version is one of my favourite blues song. Whenever I
play it I just have to go back and play it over again.
--
Alan Lloyd
London England
catherine yronwode
>
> My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic song
> with lyrics that go something like:
>
> ...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
I believe i heard Son House sing it in the 1960s as part of the song
called "Walkin' Blues," which is a collection of floating verses held
together more by the "walking" bass figure than by thematic content.
House was already old then, of course, and may have recorded it earlier,
in the 1920s, but i cannot recall if he did. Bo Carter (Armentier
Chatmon) recorded it too, in the late 1920s or early 1930s. Someone
suggested Rube Lacey as the original writer of the line, and he might be
the one, as he recorded in the 1920s. My auggestion for attribution
would be to find the earliest recording by date and attribute the lyric
to the person who made that recording. I would not consider the verse
"traditional" -- which i consider is a catch-phrase used by people who
refuse to admit that blues lyrics DO have authors.In any case, it did
not originate with Eric Clapton, Taj Mahal, or other singers of the
1960s and 1970s -- it was already 50 years old when they reprised it.
catherine yronwode
Lucky Mojo Curio Co: http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
The Lucky W Amulet Archive: http://www.luckymojo.com/luckyw.html
Sacred Sex: http://www.luckymojo.com/sacredsex.html
The Sacred Landscape: http://www.luckymojo.com/sacredland.html
Freemasonry for Women: http://www.luckymojo.com/comasonry.html
Comics Warehouse: http://www.luckymojo.com/comicswarehouse.html
check out news:alt.lucky.w for discussions on folk magic and luck
Moose
One man, sittin' on one chair, with one guitar and one harp.
Oh yeah, and about 900 songs.
Moose, I like everybody. Well except that bizzaro bitch who cut my
ponytail off at the bar while my back was turned. Her, I can live without.
Gorgen Antonsson
>From: Michael Strain <str...@nmr359.uoregon.edu>
>Subject: gonna get my hambone boiled
>
>My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic >song with lyrics that go something like:
>
>...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
>
>before.
>
>Can you country blues lyrics-experts offer any clues?
>
As someone else said: it goes way back ...
In the 1920s I find:
"I'm goin' back South where I can get my hambone boiled. (2)
These Northern men are 'bout to let my poor hambone spoil.
(Ida Cox, Southern woman's blues, Aug 1925)
and
Mama, got a hambone, I wonder can I get it boiled?
'Cause these Chicago women, now, is bound to let my hambone
spoil.
(Rube Lacy, Ham hound crave, March 1928)
Now, the question I ask myself is: what kind of a father let's
his teenage son sing lyrics like that? :*)
Gorgen Antonsson
Andy Allu
writes:
<< but I heard him one time with a band (and I have no idea who
the players were unfortunately, but it was at the West End a club in upper
westside on Broadway near Columbia as I recall) and they were really strong.
>>
When John had bands they were comprised of strong local NY session guys like
Charles Otis and Bob Montalvo... He is not the must fluid electric guitarist,
but he always surrounded himself with top notch band mates (live and on
record), such has Hendrix and Randy California as part of his live band in the
60's
Doug Carlisle WSFM
performer. Nothing like a performer playing his (or her) songs to an audience
of one!!
(And I get paid to do this).
Bluesfully,
Doug C.
www.surf107.com
Andy Allu
IST...@UABDPO.DPO.UAB.EDU writes:
<< Having interviewed JH ,he stuttered alot during the interview. Does he
stutter
or did I intimidate him :-). as far as what my friend PW said, that's 100%
bullshit. Doesn't deserve a response.
>>
John Hammond has struggled with his severe stutter since his early teenage
years...
Ron Weinstock
<<>I can tell you what turns most people off. If you hear him speak, he is
very
>articulate and well spoken, when he sings however, he uses an absurd put-on
>voice, that sounds like a vain attempt to sound like an elderly and toothless
>black man... which he ain't. It's very, very, hard to get past this
>affectation. He is a fine player, but his singing voice is as phoney as they
>come. It's so bad, it affects my perception of everything else he does.
Having interviewed JH ,he stuttered alot during the interview. Does he stutter
or did I intimidate him :-). as far as what my friend PW said, that's 100%
bullshit. Doesn't deserve a response.
Leonard>>
I remmeber being in the studio in 68 or 69 when Hammond was being interviewed,
and I do not recall a stutter, however, that goes back away. I will say that
his vocals sound to me like he is trying to sound black, and not a natural
extension of his speaking voice. If he has a stutter, that may explain some
of this. The last time I saw him perform was opening for Lightnin' Hopkins in
Tornoto back around 1976 and he was gracious and respectful and probably did a
typical energetic set. Not my stuff perhaps, but well received.
Jan Miller
Bob', lately covered by (PLEASE don't start...<BG>) E. Clapton.
along the lines of: Gotta go so far to get my hambone boiled, these lotta
other women gonna let my hambone spoil.....
Rick Edwards
boiled), but my blues exposure is still pretty limited. Love the
expression though. I got northern white beans (oh my, northern and
white, flame bait) in the crock pot in the frig right now, that got lots
of them crucial ham bones in dere. They be good too. Eated on em last
night. Never heard the sexual connotation though. My hambone could use a
little boilin too. :) Or slow simmerin.
Rick, voodoochile, bamabluesdog
VOODOOCHILE`S BLUES ROADHOUSE
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/4737/
In the CD player now: The brand new Kenny "Blue" Ray CD, Let The Blues
Rule. Y`all need to get this new KBR CD for Christmas presents for your
blues buddies who are Texas blues guitar fans, I guar-on-tee. Guitar
tone, tone and more tone. Tasteful, smooth and soulful note placement,
changes and bends. This one also features lots of great harmonica,
played on four tracks by Gary Smith, two tracks by Charlie Chavez and
one track by Screamim` Iain. The CD is on sale now for fifteen bucks at
http://home.earthlink.net/~blueray/ Three sample sound clips are also
availible at that site. "Here`s a shot of some of the leanest, cleanest
and meanest guitar licks by one of the finest purveyors of the Texas
Blues tradition currently in practice. Kenny "Blue" Ray evokes the
spirit of the Kings, Albert Collins and T-Bone while forging his own
identity as a player of considerable chops and taste."--Blues Access,
Fall 1998
Michael Strain
> >From: Michael Strain <str...@nmr359.uoregon.edu>
> >Subject: gonna get my hambone boiled
> >
> >My teenage son, the blues singer, just recorded an acoustic
> >song with lyrics that go something like:
> >...goin' down to Memphis .... gonna get my hambone boiled...
> Now, the question I ask myself is: what kind of a father let's
> his teenage son sing lyrics like that? :*)
>
> Gorgen Antonsson
Thanks to all who responded to my "hambone boiled" query.
(Teri, Steve, Fred, Gaile, Gary, maxdog, PW, Catherine, VT, Patrick,
Alan, Jan, Gorgen...).
If anyone wants to check it out, I have posted a sound clip of David doing
the song on my web site (.wav, .aiff, and .raw formats):
http://nmr359.uoregon.edu/~blues/sound/
The sound got a little funky in the transfer from cassette tape.
I don't have software to create Real Audio files... if anyone knows of any
Mac or Unix share/freeware for doing this, please let me know.
Thanks,
--Mike
BTW, He hasn't actually been to Memphis, that I know of anyway.
-----------------------------------------------------
Michael Strain str...@nmr359.uoregon.edu
Eugene, Oregon http://nmr359.uoregon.edu/~blue-gene
Rick Edwards
Marty`s post. There is nothing wrong with personally disliking something
and saying so. There is something wrong with authoritatively labeling
something that you personally don`t like as non-blues. I haven`t seen
anyone state that they like every kind of blues or music, or state that
anyone else should like everything. That`s just an attacking purist`s
way of justifying their attacks. I don`t like everything. In fact, I
don`t like alot of "blues" and other kinds of music. And I don`t like
some of the artists that people post about on blues-l. BUT YOU DON`T SEE
ME ATTACKING THE ARTISTS OR ATTACKING THE PEOPLE WHO POST ABOUT THEM.
This pin-head remark, which seems to want to say that anyone who likes
rock-influenced blues, likes just about anything, is the same kind of
prejudiced and nasty remark that is contantly coming from the rock
haters. I, like most rock-influenced blues lovers, don`t like
everything. I hate lots of blues and rock artists. There are lots of
blues and rock artists that I personally happen to like _more_ than the
new young rock-influenced blues artists. What I don`t like, is nazis who
won`t let people peacefully talk about what they do like, whoever the
artist is. It`s fine to want to educate and to turn people on to other
blues, maybe blues you respect as the "real" blues. But there is a nice
and respectful way to do it. This crap about me, or any other lover of
rock-influenced blues, liking any music that comes down the pike, sounds
alot like the comment "they all look alike to me." And I would also add,
the regular ridiculous predjudice against rock-influenced blues
fans--that they are all guitar God worshippers--is just as insulting to
us as "they all look alike to me." Yeah. Lots of rock-influenced blues
fans dig great blues guitar pickin. So did Johnson, Hopkins, James,
Nighthawk, Muddy, T-Bone, the Kings, Collins, Allison--hell, every blues
guitar legend. And, most of the living and the recently departed blues
guitar legends, dug SRV`s blues guitar playing. So, just because you are
narrow in your music tastes, doesn`t mean you have the right to
wrongfully suggest that folks who like blues-influenced rock are not
discerning and particular and listening-educated and about the music
they like. Your tastes are no more valid or developed than anyone else`s
tastes, if the other person has heard lots of blues and lots of other
kinds of music, and knows what they like. Maybe you are the one who is
uneducated. Maybe you are the one who needs help learning about the
blues. How much SRV have you heard? Which CDs? Which songs? Maybe we
could help you, just like you so DESPERATELY AND AUTHORITATIVELY want to
help us. Don`t listen to me about it Marty. Listen to all the blues
legends who loved the SRV blues. Listen to the Handy voters. Do yourself
a favor. Check out some great blues you are missing. And keep on telling
rock-influenced blues fans to dig deeper. But try telling them in a nice
way. Not an in an arrogant way like you blues patrol guys usually do,
like-- "I know the blues, you don`t know shit, the music you like is
shit and ain`t blues, you are a young ignorant twerp, you like any kind
of music that is thrown at you, you are a guitar-God worshipping kid,
you haven`t heard enough real musis to even know good music, you only
heard one kind of music, you don`t know shit and I know everything."
Rick, voodoochile, bamabluesdog
VOODOOCHILE`S BLUES ROADHOUSE
http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/4737/
Let there be peace on earth (and blues-l) and let it begin with me (and
you).
Must make the pure blues patrol crazy to know that the blues artists
that they do accept as real blues (BB King, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy,
Luther Allison, etc...) accepted and loved SRV`s blues. And that the
Handy voters accepted and loved SRV`s blues. Why can`t everyone enjoy
and discuss the kinds of blues they love and let others on blues-l do
the same thing, in peace. Why does someone always have to be attacking
or labeling some artist as non-blues, or attacking fans of some artists?
I don`t try to convert people to my tastes in blues. Blues is art, and
is in the ear and heart of the beholder. There is nothing wrong with
being a purist. There is something wrong with attacking artists and fans
who don`t share your definitions and tastes in blues, when the blues
being attacked is clearly accepted by the blues legends and by blues
authorities like the Handy voters.