I've always had a keen interest in history, but not in a "what battle was fought here" sort of way. For me, the best sort of history doesn't involve a bunch of dates and wars and the like. Rather, it involves people. From the known to the unknown, I like discovering folks who have flown under the radar for the vast majority of us.
The history of the blues can often be traced through a series of famous names, and yet there are many others who made incredible contributions and helped pave the way for today's performers. And I can't think of any other genre where you can so clearly trace the lineage of a song. I mean, with the blues, you can start pulling a thread with Stevie Ray Vaughan or Eric Clapton and follow it all the way back to Robert Johnson or earlier. (*)You get 100 different versions of one song and you can see how it evolved into what you hear today.
Diggin' the Blues, while not intended to be exhaustively researched and detailed scholarly articles, is meant to cast a light on blues artists (past and present) not widely known or lauded by the average fan. And then there's this: every "obscure" artist I uncover is like a new treasure for me. It's Christmas morning over and over and over again. They're also a mystery. All we have now are bits and pieces of their lives. They're legends, folk lore. They're part of who we are and I want to get to know them through what they left behind for us to discover.
My hunt (locally) for tunes by Bo Carter has been stalled for a while now. I could take the easy way out and order from Amazon, but that almost seems like cheating, thank you very much. It's driving me crazy.
What's the big deal? Who the hell is Bo Carter?
Article comments
1 - Pico
This is a great idea for a series, Joan. Look forward to seeing more.
Aside from his hilariously risque lyrics ("Won't You Please Warm My Weiner" is one of my favorites), Bo was also a pretty darned good guitar picker. It truly is a shame he wasn't better recognized during his lifetime.
Have you heard of Lucille Bogan? She didn't even bother with double-entendres :&)
2 - HW Saxton
Nice article Joan. Mention should be made that Mr Carter and The Miss. Sheiks also spent time in support roles seperately and as a band playing
with the late great Jimmie Rodgers grandaddy of C& W music and white country bluesman supreme. They would play pop tunes,waltzes novelties and ballads at society functions for the rich white folks.
3 - Joan Hunt
Lucille Bogan is on my list, Pico. Have you ever heard Louise Johnson's "On The Wall"? Nothing subtle about that one either.
HW, thanks for the added info! Love learning even more
4 - Pico
I haven't heard that one yet Joan, but naturally my curiosity is piqued, now, lol.
As I've went back and explored pre-war blues myself I was surprised to find that the amount of sex and drug references found there rivals what we see in music today. It just goes to show that we really hadn't changed much as a society in our addictions!