ROCKS OFF - The Rolling Stones Message Board

Rob Day
[THE WET PAGE] [IORR NEWS] [SETLISTS 1962-2003] [THE A/V ROOM] [THE ART GALLERY] [MICK JAGGER] [KEITHFUCIUS] [CHARLIE WATTS ] [RON WOOD] [BRIAN JONES] [MICK TAYLOR] [BILL WYMAN] [IAN STEWART ] [NICKY HOPKINS] [MERRY CLAYTON] [IAN 'MAC' McLAGAN] [BERNARD FOWLER] [LISA FISCHER] [DARRYL JONES] [BOBBY KEYS] [JAMES PHELGE] [CHUCK LEAVELL] [LINKS] [PHOTOS] [MAGAZINE COVERS] [MUSIC COVERS ] [JIMI HENDRIX] [BOOTLEGS] [TEMPLE] [GUESTBOOK] [ADMIN]

[CHAT ROOM aka THE FUN HOUSE] [RESTROOMS]

NEW: SEARCH ZONE:
Search for goods, you'll find the impossible collector's item!!!
Enter artist an start searching using "Power Search" (RECOMMENDED) inside.
Search for information in the wet page, the archives and this board:

PicoSearch
ROCKS OFF - The Rolling Stones Message Board
Register | Update Profile | F.A.Q. | Admin Control Panel

Topic: Blues Day 3 Return to archive
April 6th, 2004 12:57 PM
polksalad69 The hometown blues
Chicago Sun Times
April 6, 2004

BY JEFF JOHNSON STAFF REPORTER
On any given night, there are more blues artists plying their trade in Chicago's live music venues than in any other U.S. city. But as the marketplace changes and the fan base becomes more suburban than inner-city, it's not your father's or granddaddy's blues that they're playing.

The blues is more than a museum piece in sweet home Chicago, but many purists believe the music is being sanitized to appeal to tourists

"There aren't that many bands that could pull off that kind of a draw now."

Chicago's African-American population swelled in the postwar industrial boom years, with many thousands of Southern blacks settling on the South and West sides. With wages higher and the workweek shorter than back home, many used their free time and disposable income to gather at clubs that featured down-home blues.

"Migrants from the South whose parents had come out of that rural environment and who were primarily agrarian workers, when they came to the city they wanted what they were accustomed to in the South," said Sterling Plumpp, professor emeritus of literature and African-American studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "But that generation is dying out, and it appears the generation who were born in the city picked up doo wop, Motown and R&B and aren't that interested in blues."


Two major changes



Plumpp recalls his early 1960s blues experiences on the West Side, hearing Chicago blues stars such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. He has seen two major changes on the local scene: the location of blues clubs outside the African-American community and the booking of blues performers in huge rock-music-style venues, such as arenas and festivals. These changes were brought about in part by the blues explosion among white, upper-middle-class youth of the '60s, Plumpp says.

"The Chicago blues scene today is clearly directing its attention toward the world outside of Chicago, toward an audience of tourists, out-of-towners and the affluent," said David Grazian, author of Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs. "That isn't to say that the blues musicians who perform in Chicago aren't hardworking, talented performers. I found that in these clubs, downtown schlock would be intermixed with wondrous sights of artistry. But the musicians would complain about what they called 'a set list from hell': 'Every Day I Have the Blues,' 'Sweet Home Chicago,' 'The Thrill Is Gone.' Audiences come to expect hearing these songs from a standardized menu they know by heart."


A blues evolution



Changes in popular taste are cyclical, argues Grazian, who maintains that it's important for the music to evolve to keep it from becoming stagnant.

"Blues critics have argued that this is essentially what happened in the late '50s and early '60s," he says. "Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker had trouble hacking it in bars in Chicago and Detroit, and those wonderful artists only found success among a white population and with the rock 'n' roll audience."

"Purists" fail to recognize that blues became diluted when the first records were made, maintains Dan Bellini of Howard and the White Boys, a local blues-rock act. Ever since the '30s, distinct regional styles have been muddied by outside influences, he says.

The Chicago Blues Festival, the world's largest free blues festival, has remained impervious to popular trends. (The 21st annual blues fest is set for June 10-13 in Grant Park.) Octogenarian artists, soul-blues acts and traditionalists are always well represented, and Barry Dolins, who coordinates the festival for the Mayor's Office of Special Events, makes no apologies for his bookings.

"I possibly might come from a much more parochial viewpoint of blues being an African-American folk music," Dolins says. "I look for what is the linkage. I'm not closed-minded enough not to know that American folk music traditions expand and families expand and thus you have to look for that extended family. But they have to be close links, more than hearing something on the radio or purchasing something in a record store to experience that tradition."


A blue-ish market



Chicagoans don't hear much blues on the radio these days, anyway. Other than public radio, perhaps the only full-power stations that play the blues regularly are WXRT-FM (93.1) and WCKG-FM (105.9). Saturday is blues night at WCKG, where bluesman-newsman Buzz Kilman hosts "Chicago Blues Jam" at 5 p.m. and the syndicated "House of Blues Radio Hour" with Dan Aykroyd airs at 8 p.m. WXRT plays several blues tunes daily and presents a weekly blues hour at 9 p.m. Mondays, "Blues Breakers," hosted by Tom Marker for nearly 20 years.

Marker, an unabashed fan of the music, says he has a standing offer to Chicago blues kingpin Buddy Guy that if Guy ever buys a blues station, he'd run it for him. But even Marker acknowledges, "'XRT has a lot of specialty shows, and our blues show isn't the most listened to one of them. It's not the one that has people clamoring for more."

People in Wicker Park weren't exactly clamoring for more live blues, either, as Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater found when he opened Reservation Blues several months before the 9/11 attacks. "That was one of the worst times in the world to go into business," he says. "The whole economy went down. My business went to pot after Sept. 11."

The blues artist also found that being a club proprietor was a full-time job. He's now serving as a consultant and performed at the recent grand reopening of Reservation Blues, which is under new management. Clearwater says it may have been more profitable to sell the Res as a non-blues venue, but he wanted it to remain a blues club.

Despite his critically acclaimed albums for Bullseye Blues, Clearwater has found it a tougher business climate as an artist, as well.

"So many clubs closed up because of Sept. 11," he says. "When you're touring, that makes it harder to route your tour because you don't have enough places to route it. It's tougher for agents, too. Some clubs went out of business, while others managed to pull through, like the Grand Emporium in Kansas City and the Zoo Bar in Lincoln, Neb. Others can't afford to book national acts anymore. You have to put those acts up in hotels and pay them more.

"I know a few artists who've really scaled way back on their travel. Others have taken part-time jobs to maintain themselves. And it's much harder to get a record deal now because the companies aren't taking a lot of chances. They're only recording what you call sure shots."

Filling a vacuum

Bill Gilmore thinks he's found a sure winner with Bill's Blues in Evanston. The longtime co-owner of B.L.U.E.S., B.L.U.E.S. etc. and Chicago Blues in New York had been out of the business for several years, but recognized the need for a blues club in his new suburb.

"We really filled a vacuum as only the legitimate blues club between Lincoln Park and Milwaukee," Gilmore says of his 2,000-square-foot, 148-capacity club, which opened last August. "I've been using a lot of people who worked with me for a long time, since I've been booking going on 30 years. This market is similar to Chicago, but different in that my core weekend audience is a little older and married with children. They come from Rogers Park to Waukegan, and a lot of these people were in the city five or 10 or 20 years ago and were going to [Buddy Guy's Legends] or Rosa's or the Kingston Mines."

Although he's presenting live music nightly, Gilmore's risk is minimized because he's not booking the high-end, expensive talent that a larger club would require. The upper end for Bill's Blues, he says, would be a Lonnie Brooks or Otis Clay. And with the passing of many big-name artists who once filled his Chicago clubs, including Junior Wells, Big Walter Horton, Albert King and Albert Collins, Gilmore isn't sure he could book a larger venue successfully today.

"That end of market is kind of thin right now. There aren't that many bands that could pull off that kind of draw right now. Maybe a Rod Piazza or a Roomful of Blues -- the kind of band that could fill a Legends on its own. But what fills Legends is Buddy," Gilmore says.

Guy hunkers down every January for a month of sold-out live shows at his South Loop club, and his superstar persona and frequent unscheduled appearances there generate ongoing buzz. But even his thriving business needs some promotional help, he says. "I've been trying to get the city to ... you know, when you go to Memphis, you go to New Orleans, you go to Detroit and even Austin, Texas, they've got things in the airport," he says. "I did see a bench at O'Hare with Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and maybe Sonny Boy -- I was in a hurry. But they've got that music in all those cities. In Detroit they've got the Motown Records store in the airport. And we have the greatest ... you know, Chess, Vee-Jay and all them record companies was right here. We had the greatest blues players that ever lived."

Imitators cashing in, and originators want a share

To some music fans, the Blues Brothers franchise represents crass exploitation and mediocre music played by ersatz soul men. But Judith Jacklin Belushi Pisano thinks of the 1980 movie that co-starred her late husband, John Belushi, and Dan Aykroyd as a celebration of great American music that provided a career jump-start for many blues and soul veterans. And there's no debating the talent of the Stax-Volt session men who gained fame backing the two "Saturday Night Live" stalwarts.

"John loved being able to provide a format for these musicians and get more interest in this music that isn't terribly well supported," she says.

Joliet Jake and Elwood Blues released three albums before Belushi's overdose-related 1982 death. The franchise has carried on with various greatest-hits and revival projects, featuring some combination of Aykroyd, Belushi's brother Jim and John Goodman. Now the Blues Brothers saga will play on theatrically beginning tonight in previews at the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts, 777 N. Green.

Belushi's widow and her husband, producer-director Victor Pisano, are collaborating with Aykroyd on "The Blues Brothers Revival," co-produced by "Tony and Tina's Wedding" creator Tony Tomaska. The story line, Belushi Pisano says, will find Jake trapped in purgatory and a cast of gospel characters working to transport him to the kingdom of heaven. "Revival" begins in Chicago, with act two moving down South to the bayou, where Belushi's soul will seek the "mojo" to escape purgatory.

"It's a natural," she explains. "These are great characters, and they sing and dance. There must be millions of imitators around the world, and most of them infringe on our copyright. I felt we should have our own people doing this, and my husband said, 'You don't just want imitators. You should do something bigger.' "

Belushi Pisano, who grew up in west suburban Wheaton and now lives on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., says she has "carried on the business of John" for 22 years since his death."It's rewarding to be able to see his work live and grow," she says.

About 20 tall-guy/fat-guy duos dusted off their fedoras, shades and black suits for the open casting call March 15 at the House of Blues. Producers planned to use a Las Vegas pair as Jake and Elwood until the local winners could get up to speed on "Rubber Biscuits," "Sweet Home Chicago," "Knock on Wood," the theme from "Rawhide," "Son of a Preacher Man," "Minnie the Moocher," "Jailhouse Rock" and "She Caught the Cady," all of which are in the show.

Belushi Pisano says she hopes to present guest stars in rotation. If the show is a hit in Chicago, she plans to take it to Las Vegas and eventually a national touring production.


Exhibit offers two views of the blues

The two major components in "Sweet Home Chicago: Big City Blues 1946-1966" could be viewed as the blues world in microcosm.

The Experience Music Project portion of the Museum of Science and Industry exhibit is slickly produced and high tech, with an emphasis on the classic Chicago blues sound as exemplified by Muddy Waters and his cronies. It's essentially a white view of the blues.

"Bright Lights & Big City," as presented by the Chicago Blues Museum, has fewer bells and whistles, but it presents a vibrant picture of what life was like for Chicago's African- American population in the mid-20th century.

Jim Fricke, who curated the exhibit at Seattle's EMP last September and broadened its scope when it opened in Chicago last month, developed the concept for "Sweet Home Chicago" because, "I was interested in doing something on the great migration [of blacks from the South to the North], and the focus on Chicago was a good way to do that. When you look at the years covered, 1946-66, those were the years of the initial electrification of the blues. We follow it through two generations."

Fricke came up with many clever interactive elements, including a huge map that traces the migration of blacks from the Mississippi Delta to Chicago, focusing on the boll weevil's impact on the cotton crop and why farm work dried up in the Delta. There's also a display that connects blues to hip-hop and rock in which you can hear Arrested Development's "Mama's Always on Stage" and Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" on headphones, then take a computerized guess as to which Junior Wells and Muddy Waters songs are being sampled or covered.

Gregg Parker, who assembled the "Bright Lights" portion from his Chicago Blues Museum collection, says, "I may not have the money of Bill Gates' partner [Paul Allen, EMP founder], but I know that African Americans are concerned with two things in an exhibit like this: one, how they've got us looking, and two, if they're telling the truth. Could you imagine what it would be like if the Germans told the history of the Holocaust? If this is all one-sided, African Americans would feel the same way."

Fricke recognizes the symbolic importance of the Museum of Science and Industry setting, explaining, "These guys founded an industry. It's a significant story of entrepreneurship. But more important, look where we're sitting."

The museum is in the heart of the South Side, where the Club de Lisa and the Regal Theatre once entertained generations of African Americans. Both venues are central to the "Bright Lights" display. And while harmonica great Charlie Musselwhite and Delmark Records chief Bob Koester furnished significant material for the EMP exhibit, the displays of Parker, a professional blues-rock guitarist, draw on his close relationships with the families of past artists.

Together, the two views of the blues provide a comprehensive look at both African-American music and culture in Chicago. The show will be up through June 20 at the museum, 57th and South Lake Shore (773-684-1414; www.msichicago.org).

COMING UP

**WEDNESDAY: How those who play, record and stage the blues are coping with the industrywide slump

**THURSDAY: Some future hues of the blues: Meet the artists of the next generation

http://www.suntimes.com/output/entertainment/cst-ftr-blues06.html


[Edited by polksalad69]
April 6th, 2004 01:39 PM
PolkSalad
quote:
jb wrote:
Your post total is not reflective of "Rocks-Off" posts but is an accumulation of "Novogate Board" posts. Consequently, you are disqualified from the competition. This is not personal!!! Joey and I have nothing against you, but rules are rules.



I don't know what you are talking about.
April 6th, 2004 01:51 PM
jb
quote:
PolkSalad wrote:


I don't know what you are talking about.







Let me try to clarify. Joey and I have each posted over 7k posts on Rocks-off;no one else even comes close. More importantly, Joey and i have earned the respect and admiration from many here, including the administrators, for our dedication and love of the board. To some people a post means nothing, but to Joey and I, it is a way of life. We both take a lot of pride in the amount of posts we have achieved and it fulfills a void in our respectives lives.
As far as your posts, yes, you are to be commended also for the sheer volume of posts you have accumulated on the various board you frequent. However, the 7k plus posts you have tallied are not exclusively from Rocks-Off(please correct me if I am wrong). Consequently, it would be unfair to Joey and me if you were included in the 7k "club" . Moreover, the first one to reach 10k posts is certain to recieve various gifts from other members, a post (sticky) by the admimistrators acknowleging this accomplishment, and more importantly, the accomplishment of a dream which Joey and I have been working on for over 7 long years.
April 6th, 2004 02:40 PM
polksalad69
quote:
jb wrote:





Let me try to clarify. Joey and I have each posted over 7k posts on Rocks-off;no one else even comes close. More importantly, Joey and i have earned the respect and admiration from many here, including the administrators, for our dedication and love of the board. To some people a post means nothing, but to Joey and I, it is a way of life. We both take a lot of pride in the amount of posts we have achieved and it fulfills a void in our respectives lives.
As far as your posts, yes, you are to be commended also for the sheer volume of posts you have accumulated on the various board you frequent. However, the 7k plus posts you have tallied are not exclusively from Rocks-Off(please correct me if I am wrong). Consequently, it would be unfair to Joey and me if you were included in the 7k "club" . Moreover, the first one to reach 10k posts is certain to recieve various gifts from other members, a post (sticky) by the admimistrators acknowleging this accomplishment, and more importantly, the accomplishment of a dream which Joey and I have been working on for over 7 long years.




That was a joke amigo. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

Carry on...
April 6th, 2004 03:06 PM
jb
April 6th, 2004 03:12 PM
Joey " Let me try to clarify. Joey and I have each posted over 7k posts on Rocks-off;no one else even comes close. More importantly, Joey and i have earned the respect and admiration from many here, including the administrators, for our dedication and love of the board. To some people a post means nothing, but to Joey and I, it is a way of life. We both take a lot of pride in the amount of posts we have achieved and it fulfills a void in our respectives lives.
As far as your posts, yes, you are to be commended also for the sheer volume of posts you have accumulated on the various board you frequent. However, the 7k plus posts you have tallied are not exclusively from Rocks-Off(please correct me if I am wrong). Consequently, it would be unfair to Joey and me if you were included in the 7k "club" . Moreover, the first one to reach 10k posts is certain to recieve various gifts from other members, a post (sticky) by the admimistrators acknowleging this accomplishment, and more importantly, the accomplishment of a dream which Joey and I have been working on for over 7 long years. "


I would like to nuzzle you !





Now if you will all excuse me , I have to go pee

Jersee !



April 6th, 2004 03:45 PM
jb
April 6th, 2004 04:46 PM
Gazza >Moreover, the first one to reach 10k posts is certain to recieve various gifts from other members, a post (sticky) by the admimistrators acknowleging this accomplishment, and more importantly, the accomplishment of a dream which Joey and I have been working on for over 7 long years.

Almost pissin' my pants here...LMAO. That's priceless..

Does this mean though that you'd both been chasing this "dream" on this board for two years BEFORE it started and FOUR years before we switched to novogate?


April 6th, 2004 04:49 PM
VoodooChileInWOnderl
quote:
polksalad69 wrote:



Hi there!
April 6th, 2004 05:37 PM
Joey " Does this mean though that you'd both been chasing this "dream" on this board for two years BEFORE it started and FOUR years before we switched to novogate? "


{{{ ? }}}
April 6th, 2004 09:19 PM
parmeda Okay kids...on a more serious note:

Polk...thanks for posting today's contribution of BLUES AT THE CROSSROADS. You beat me to it, lol
I don't know why you didn't place Day 1 & Day 2, or the links for them from the Times' archive...so here they are:

Day 1
http://www.suntimes.com/special_sections/blues/day1.html

Day 2
http://www.suntimes.com/special_sections/blues/day2.html

There are some great insights from the three stories given so far. There's a lot more information on the links that can direct you to more photos, etc...

If you are a Blues follower, I encourage you to spend some time and take a peek. On the second day, there's another story that I found interesting to share, "Starting A Blues Collection?"... for those of you who just might want to DO THAT, lol. (A great 'starter' kit!) I thought of our dear SS when I saw that piece and how he's being so generous to start a Blues weed of his own (Good call SS )

So, Polk...I didn't mean to step on your toes here.
Just thought I'd help your thread out a little
[Edited by parmeda]
April 6th, 2004 10:31 PM
polksalad69
quote:
parmeda wrote:
Okay kids...on a more serious note:

Polk...thanks for posting today's contribution of BLUES AT THE CROSSROADS. You beat me to it, lol
I don't know why you didn't place Day 1 & Day 2, or the links for them from the Times' archive...so here they are:

Day 1
http://www.suntimes.com/special_sections/blues/day1.html

Day 2
http://www.suntimes.com/special_sections/blues/day2.html

There are some great insights from the three stories given so far. There's a lot more information on the links that can direct you to more photos, etc...

If you are a Blues follower, I encourage you to spend some time and take a peek. On the second day, there's another story that I found interesting to share, "Staring A Blues Collection?"... for those of you who just might want to DO THAT, lol. (A great 'starter' kit!) I thought of our dear SS when I saw that piece and how he's being so generous to start a Blues weed of his own (Good call SS )

So, Polk...I didn't mean to step on your toes here.
Just thought I'd help your thread out a little



Not at all. Please talk it up.

Sorry, must've forgot to put the links on 1 and 2, they don't seem to work anyway. You wanna post tomorrow's?


[Edited by polksalad69]
April 7th, 2004 11:04 AM
Joey " Let me try to clarify. Joey and I have each posted over 7k posts on Rocks-off;no one else even comes close. More importantly, Joey and i have earned the respect and admiration from many here, including the administrators, for our dedication and love of the board. To some people a post means nothing, but to Joey and I, it is a way of life. We both take a lot of pride in the amount of posts we have achieved and it fulfills a void in our respectives lives.
Consequently, it would be unfair to Joey and me if you were included in the 7k "club" . Moreover, the first one to reach 10k posts is certain to recieve various gifts from other members, a post (sticky) by the admimistrators acknowleging this accomplishment, and more importantly, the accomplishment of a dream which Joey and I have been working on for over 7 long years. "

I could NOT agree more . When I first started posting here on this most prestigious of message boards back in 1982 , never in my wildest dreams did it EVER occur to me that I would : A ) Achieve 7K Posts , B ) Meet the most wonderful human being in the world , my Joshy , C ) see the Rolling Stones , tied with THE WHO as The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band EVER , in an arena / club setting and featuring THE BEST STONES YET !!! , D ) witness four more WHO Concert Tours ( ' 89 , '00 , '02 , '04 ) -- all brillant and displaying THE BEST WHO YET , E ) be compelled to deal with an individual whose Ego is SO MONSTROUS that the man named his own daughter after him , F ) Two Words : My Baby Steelie ( the one I love so much ) , G ) My fellow C10 Brothers , H) all the illuminating , vital and extremely knowledgeable humans I have posted with / met on this board , I ) Emoticons , and J ) visit the " Sensi Smile " Coffee Shop in Amsterdam .


I relish the fact that 10K Posts is now an attainable dream and I Thank You All for Your Time This Morning . Now if you will excuse me , I desperately need to go Pee ..........


****************** END TRANSMISSION ****************


The Joey , Established 1999


April 7th, 2004 11:21 AM
jb That was very nice Joey.




April 7th, 2004 11:52 AM
Joey
quote:
jb wrote:
That was very nice Joey.








My Joshy .............................................


You are much loved by The Joey and I look forward to joining the EXCLUSIVE 10K Posting Club with you this summer .


I would like to and you !


" Stones Rule You Bastards ! "


Jazzy Joe and The Fresh Prince of Boca Raton !
April 7th, 2004 11:53 AM
jb
April 7th, 2004 11:58 AM
Joey

April 7th, 2004 12:09 PM
jb
April 7th, 2004 12:12 PM
Joey

April 11th, 2004 03:48 AM
Bloozehound polkster,

belated thanks pardner

i've been busy nad haven't had time to wade thru these articles

no mas homewerk lol

great reading bro !
[Edited by Bloozehound]