And me too:

Electricity comes out of the light switch. "Music" comes out of an iPod.

In my house electricity flows through a light switch (when it is in the on position) and comes out of an electrical receptacle.

 

In my house electricity flows through a light switch (when it is in the on position) and comes out of an electrical receptacle.

By my recollection, yesterday, I turned my bathroom light on 4 times and off 7 times. I am surprised the two numbers do not show greater agreement

 

I've spent the last few months immersing myself in blues. It started as a personal research project -- a rediscovery of the historical source of classic rock which I love so much.
/--/
Then I discovered Robert Johnson, the unquestionable grandfather of rock.

I've listened to his 29 recorded songs, circa 1936, repeatedly, and his influence upon modern rock is unmistakable.

To begin this thread, I present Robert Johnson's Crossroad Blues:

and the perfect tribute by Eric Clapton and Cream (1968):

/--/

There is a myth that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his talent. This is impossible: nothing this Good can arise from Evil.
/--/]

I also have a great appreciation for the blues and have since shortly after the onset of mature musical awareness - somewhere around 14-15 when my sister brought home Are You Experienced? ...and , listening to it on the sly of course, I said "WoW, I have never heard anything like that before!"

I think that you can't help but go into early blues if you were raised, in part, on the Rock of the early 60s on...

With Robert Johnson, I have to wonder though. Be as objective as possible. The reason that we even know about him is largely because of what, 5 recording sessions in 1936-37, with a total of some 29 recordings. Hard to believe that the music was still new by then. My point is not to doubt the originality at all, it's just that I can't help but wonder who else was out there and playing, but was never recorded?

Has anyone seen this documentary?

As far as selling his soul to the devil - bleh, marketing gimmick and that one I first heard about with reference to Paganini - although in his case, the feeling was so strong that at first they didn't want him to have a Catholic burial - or so I have read.

Leaving with a favorite Muddy Water's performance from 1960. Check out the the crowd. In 1960 Eric Clapton was 15 and I am sure he was playing his nads off...but a lot of the folks in the audience look older than 15. While so much of Rock is blues-influenced, looks to me like it was starting earlier than a "British Invasion".

 

Leaving with a favorite Muddy Water's performance from 1960.

Nice. IYDM, here's the video embedded:

What's amazing is how much variation can be applied to what is an otherwise very simple 12 bar format. I think this is one of the primary reasons why blues is so accessible to novices like me -- yet never boring for those who spend a lifetime perfecting the art.

 

Here's an interesting bit: Melancholy Blues by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven is among the tracks included in the Voyager's probe golden record:

 

While so much of Rock is blues-influenced, looks to me like it was starting earlier than a "British Invasion".

The British Invasion was a direct result of the Skiffle Craze, when the Brits transformed American blues, jazz, and folk to the rock we love today.

The Beetles are well known as the single most significant influence on the modern rock genre, but it took them 237 songs to do it...

 

The Beetles are well known as the single most significant influence on the modern rock genre, but it took them 237 songs to do it...

The Beatles were a watershed moment in the history of modern music. They experimented with practically every known genre and even invented some new.

 

British Skiffle example:

 

British Skiffle example:

There is a story on NRP Fresh Air right now - replayed from July...

Interview with Billy Bragg - on Skiffle, the Movement that brought guitar to British Radio

He mentions he got to stay in the famous hotel room that Robert Johnson used to write in - purely by random chance because his train was late coming in.

Podcast below...

http://www.npr.org/2017/09/04/54731...movement-that-brought-guitar-to-british-radio

 

There is a story on NRP Fresh Air right now - replayed from July...

Interview with Bilky Bragg - on Skiffle, the Movement that brought guitar to British Radio

He mentions he got to stay in the famous hotel room that Robert Johnson used to write in - purely by random chance because his train was late coming in.

Podcast below...

http://www.npr.org/2017/09/04/54731...movement-that-brought-guitar-to-british-radio

Wow. If you could only contain your Pavlovian stimulus/response to make digs at me after nearly each and every post -- and instead post useful and interesting stuff like this -- I might eventually be able to take you off my ignore list.

Thanks for the link!

 

Wow. If you could only contain your Pavlovian stimulus/response to make digs at me after nearly each and every post -- and instead post useful and interesting stuff like this -- I might eventually be able to take you off my ignore list.

Thanks for the link!

Oh, the irony. Enjoy.

 

The Beatles were a watershed moment in the history of modern music. They experimented with practically every known genre and even invented some new.

Agree completely and I would add that an absolutely amazing characteristic of the Beatles was the degree to which their music changed over the course of their tenure. With no other information, it would be difficult for anyone to believe that the same group that did Love Me Do in 1962 also did Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite 5 years later and Helter Skelter a year or so after that. They literally cut the edge year after year after year.

 

I have to add this blue one

.. and by the way Hendrix did have a song basically called Tribute To Muddy that he would regularly play - had much of Hootchie Coochie Man in it.

 

Interview with Bilky Bragg - on Skiffle, the Movement that brought guitar to British Radio

I found that whole interview quite interesting, but It was a little odd to hear someone sounding off about Skiffle and Lonnie Donegan (who I saw in concert in London in the 50's BTW) etc, and he hadn't even been born yet!
To my generation who mainly listened to Blues and Jazz, Skiffle was sort of 'Blues/Jazz Lite'.
Max.

 

I found that whole interview quite interesting, but It was a little odd to hear someone sounding off about Skiffle and Lonnie Donegan (who I saw in concert in London in the 50's BTW) etc, and he hadn't even been born yet!
To my generation who mainly listened to Blues and Jazz, Skiffle was sort of 'Blues/Jazz Lite'.
Max.

I didn't even understand it - although it's a bit pleasant to find that I am pre-dated at least somewhere

 

I found that whole interview quite interesting, but It was a little odd to hear someone sounding off about Skiffle and Lonnie Donegan (who I saw in concert in London in the 50's BTW) etc, and he hadn't even been born yet!
To my generation who mainly listened to Blues and Jazz, Skiffle was sort of 'Blues/Jazz Lite'.
Max.

I only listened while driving home from a Labor Day ice cream run. I am not responsible for content.

 

As a result of reading and listening to this thread, I have been trying to recall when I first heard any Blues. I can't be sure, but I absolutely recall this episode of the Twilight Zone. It was before I heard any Beatles or anything outside of classical and classic elementary school music. I was amazed that I could find it so easily on the Tube. I never learned who was actually playing - likely just some studio musicians, but I distinctly remember hearing it and thinking that was even cooler than James Bond music Here is a taste, but this very blue trumpet was playing throughout the episode - which was really good as well.

 

Local is always best. I would put Jill's lead guitar and keyboardist up against any two guys in the country. Extremely talented. I love her keyboardist , he is a man that truly loves his job and it shows. They don't say anthing about it but they have won a number of national blues competition.

One of my favorite things was to park in downtown Pittsburgh during the summer and ride the bike trail to the Waterfront Bar in Boston, PA where Jill loved to perform. Sadly the bar got wiped out by a flood a few years back

But lucky me. She comes right to my office building every year and performs in the plaza outside my building

 

As a result of reading and listening to this thread, I have been trying to recall when I first heard any Blues. I can't be sure, but I absolutely recall this episode of the Twilight Zone. It was before I heard any Beatles or anything outside of classical and classic elementary school music. I was amazed that I could find it so easily on the Tube. I never learned who was actually playing - likely just some studio musicians, but I distinctly remember hearing it and thinking that was even cooler than James Bond music Here is a taste, but this very blue trumpet was playing throughout the episode - which was really good as well.

Not sure if that qualifies as Blues. It is more jazz a very close cousin.

 

Local is always best. I would put Jill's lead guitar and keyboardist up against any two guys in the country. Extremely talented. I love her keyboardist , he is a man that truly loves his job and it shows. They don't say anthing about it but they have won a number of national blues competition.

One of my favorite things was to park in downtown Pittsburgh during the summer and ride the bike trail to the Waterfront Bar in Boston, PA where Jill loved to perform. Sadly the bar got wiped out by a flood a few years back

But lucky me. She comes right to my office building every year and performs in the plaza outside my building

All fine and well. But can someone please post a video of a good modern-day blues band where they are not also long-time members of AARP?