Monthly Archives: April 2015

Eddie Kirkland is an unique musician, a stunningly energetic performer even in his eighties… only James Brown or Tina Turner come to mind as his peers in that realm of performance. As a guitarist, he sounds like himself and not … Continue reading →

The performer with whom I have had the longest-lived and closest relationship since my meddling in other peoples’ affairs is Eddie Kirkland, and that began in 1979 with my first trip South that was only a field trip and not … Continue reading →

My first recording field trip took place in 1970 as Bruce Bastin and I collected material for what became his book, CRYING FOR THE CAROLINES, the first historical study of the blues traditions of the Southeast. Basically, it was the … Continue reading →

As I’ve written in these pages before (O&S#12), Roy Dunn was a major resource for me throughout the Atlanta vicinity… what card-carrying folklorists refer to as a primary informant, but he was also my friend. I never knew how he … Continue reading →

The Atlanta, Georgia area was a source on much information and music during my decade of work through the Southeast. Being able to speak with such people as Willie Mae Jackson (the sister of Robert and Charlie Hicks), Cora Mae … Continue reading →

MIXED BAG: #4 1.) Blues music today is White folks’ music – the audience for it bleaching out as you read this and, as the old ‘uns die off, so are the performers. Today’s cliché concept of a blues performer … Continue reading →

There is another relatively unsung hero in the realm of blues research specifically in the SE, and that is George Mitchell, photographer, writer, “recordist”, and producer par excellence. Much of his work over the years has been outside of his … Continue reading →

On the other hand, Danny McLean had nothing to do with Pernell Charity being recorded… that was the result of a very young Kip Lornell’s initial venture into southern field-work. I had just returned from a trip in late summer … Continue reading →

There was more to Danny McLean’s involvement with blues field-work than Guitar Shorty, although that alone would have been a major “find” and the many photographs taken by Val Wilmer in the seventies are proof of that. There were people … Continue reading →