The only answer she had is it's a matter of spirit. When the spirit moves you like it moved her you almost have no choice in the matter. Whatever the reasons for her deciding to persevere we owe her a debt of gratitude for the amazing gift she has given us with The Lady and Mr. Johnson. The players out there who can bring this music to life with such authenticity and originality simultaneously are few and far between, but Rory Block does just that.
In her hands the music of Robert Johnson are not dusty museum pieces to be seen and not touched, but music that's alive and vibrant with as much to say to people today as when it was first written. Rory Block has to be one of the finest acoustic slide Blues players alive today and this album is a perfect showcase for that talent. Back when she started out, people used to tell her to find something else to do for a living, maybe they'll stop now.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
Block is great, isn't she. what's interesting is that she just doesn't look like somebody who's gonna play the blues....doesn't look like somebody who'll give a short talk about Son House and then go on to blister your mind with that guitar.
i saw her live once and it was pretty danged phenomenal.
2 - Douglas Mays
Absolute! And she has this endearing type quality to her presentation. I saw her once back in about 1986 in Santa Fe, NM. Yeah, quite a talent. On such an unsuspecting level.