Would You Know A Blues Legend If You Saw One? I Didn't

Cover of Robert JohnsonBy Les Brampton

Anyone passionate about the original blues, either guitar or piano, know the names of the original bluesmen by heart. They were the guys that started it all. None of them had to try to understand the blues, they were the blues! Names like Lightnin' Hopkins, Robert Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy come to mind.

It's easy to see how the legend surrounding Robert Johnson grew over the years. Two photographs exist, both very similar, and his bluesmen friends that survived into the 70s would talk about his famous rendezvous with Satan at the crossroads. I didn't meet Broonzy, although there are several pieces of film left for us to relish, all posted on YouTube.

Some years ago, I was contacted by a musician who worked in a band that supported Bill during his UK tour in the late 50s. He told me about a big man who drank too much, laughed most of the time and told colorful stories a lot of the time. His masterful guitar style was impossible to copy, and to this day, hardly anyone has managed to emulate Big Bill's swinging style.

In 1998, I lived in Indiana and was often thirsty for the sound of old-style blues. I heard that there was a bar where people played called 'Buck's Working Man's Pub' in a town about 40 miles away in the town of La Porte. At the end of my working day, I eagerly started the car and set off.

Given directions by the locals, I made my way down main street, turned left at the second corner past the town hall and crossed the railroad tracks to the wrong side of town. This is what I was looking for, I'd get to see the real blues. The bar wasn't up to much. I got myself a drink and made my way to the back room, following the sound of a loud Chicago-style blues band.

The place wasn't empty, and it wasn't full. Chicago blues wasn't what I was really interested in - I liked the old acoustic blues. An old fellow at my table told me the locals had arranged the band as it was the bar owner's birthday today. He didn't speak at all after that.

The band finished the number and the singer spoke into the microphone. "Happy Birthday, Pinetop" he shouted, and then "Ladies and gentlemen, Pinetop will now kindly play a his boogie piano for us." The old guy at my table rose and walked up to the front, sitting down in front of a grand piano. He played a slow boogie which became more and more complicated with new bar. My mouth dropped open as I realised I'd been sitting next to a real master, an original blues legend.

He played only a couple songs and then shuffled past me out to the bar. I never saw him again the rest of the night. With hindsight, I thought of the questions I should have asked him, but maybe it was for the best. It was the guy's birthday and he might have been bothered by a stranger's questions. Legends are just like us, you understand.

More and more, the bluesmen are dying out, to be replaced by modern heroes. Another time I drove clear across Indiana and Michigan to listen to a modern blues legend, who will remain nameless, because of what he said to me. Thrilled, I suggested that it was a wonderful way to live, to follow in the path of the old bluesmen - travelling around playing the blues.

"Not a bit of it" he replied "It's a pain and I'd rather be at home watching TV!"

We need to remind ourselves - legends are just people, after all.

Les Brampton
Blues guitar channel on YouTube
Doc Watson's guitar style

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How The Beatles Influenced Popular Culture and Music

Cover of The BeatlesBy Bryce Alexander

Many fans would agree that the Beatles used their charms as a kind of magic to draw many fans to them. This charm is easily displayed as a sense of being normal boys - cheerful, lovable, and always ready to smile or share a joke with others. Perhaps their friendship and camaraderie made it easier for them to be friendly with the public, press and fans.

You can think of the members of the group like friends who like to hang out together and spending time tinkering with their musical instruments and making songs together out of fun. This kind of friendship fostered a deeper kind of understanding for each other, like a telepathic connection that they use in making music together or sharing a sense of humor. The public never really had a clue that they had troubles with their relationships with each other until they claimed so.

This had been a very effective method of constructing their image as a group and the good image lasted for a long time. The Beatles also gave people an impression that no matter how successful they are it never got into their head. In this way, they have maintained a friendly and humble appearance.

The band may have been as ambitious as their counterparts in the music industry during that time but they were very careful to conceal it. And it had served them well as they have established their charm and it maintained the magic that propelled them to the peak of their careers.

Even after the group disbanded in 1969, they have retained the most significant band title up to the present. The band is considered the best group with the most impact on society, music, and popular culture. Their legacy lives on as their music continually appeals to different generations.

Why the Beatles Became so Famous and Influential.

The Beatles impressed many fans with the natural talent that they exuded as a band. The songs they sing have evolved from teenage love stories to more serious themes that can be appreciated by both the young and adults. Their compositions are sophisticated and melodic and they have combined classical and rock and roll elements in their records. In this way, they connected the first and second half of the 20th century which was comprised of the onset of musical recordings and the dawn of the rock and roll genre.

There is an interesting historical view in explanation for the phenomenal success of the Beatles. The coming out of the group was a great timing because the 1960s was the best time for revolutionary changes. During the 1960s, technological advancements sprung up which amplified the musical production industry. Guitar amplifiers were manufactured and the quality and function of the equipments for studio recording improved and became more advanced.

This decade was also introduced to an expanded and more globalized mass media. The 1960s was also the coming-of-age generation as the society sought for its own identity. The technological advancements, the influence of mass media and social relevance - all of these elements influenced the beginnings of the band as well as the music they produced. The Beatles had used these influences and they became the most influential band of all time.

Bryce is the designer of the Absolute Pitch Simulator. Software to develop Perfect Pitch, which lets you step into the mind of someone with perfect pitch. You can find out more about it at: get perfect pitch

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