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DA One thing I once in a while enjoy with great enthusiasm and that is simply listening to the blues, whether it be John Hammond, B.B. King, Muddy Waters,
Buddy Guy and so many others. And yet guys like west coast musician John Pippus and others, still struggle along in the industry. Part of the new look of the music business is simply that those coming into the business are young, in some cases very young, such as Quinn Sullivan - all of 13 years old. Not very old. But just a natural. And older guys like Buddy Guy, pushing close to 80 - loves to mentor the
young musicians. And a good thing, lest the whole business of the blues get up and fade away. But I think not. Thanks in part to the internet and availablility of music, more musicians are taking a good whack at the blues. Even Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones once in a while lean towards a good blues number.
At one time Buddy Guy drove truck during the day and played the blues at night. I remember a small club where John Lee Hooker played and totally taken away by his music and the fans who so loved John Lee. It was an honour to have John Lee Hooker buy me a drink in Chicago many moons ago simply because of a music article I wrote about him. That was so very very cool.
Even Steppenwolfe leaned towards the blues in such songs as the Pusher. Rock and roll would be very much lost without the blues and the blues take us back to the time of the chain gang and those working on the railroad. Songs about loving and losing and in some cases of simply
sitting down and looking in the mirror and shouting out -
Damn Right, I got the blues....
Hopefully radio and friends of the blues shall keep the
blues tradition alive and well, as some of us are not ready to simply shut the door on the future of the blues...