Chicken and Gravy
Last night, I had the privilege of seeing
Max Shores' documentary on Beale Street Blues performer
Richard Johnston,
Hill Country Troubadour, for a second time. This program not only gave the viewer information on
Richard Johnston himself, but also history on
Hill Country Blues itself, and key players in its development as a "genre." It's some really amazing music -- very much hypnotic with the same little riff being played over and over again. It's also very different from what is generally considered "
Blues" music. This type of Blues tends to be less airy and actually a bit more rigid, even if it is played on ofttimes old and dilapidated instruments -- it even has that percussive feel to it that one would typically attribute to the "normal" kind of Blues. That doesn't make it less heartfelt than "normal" Blues, though.
At the same time, the documentary doesn't stray far from
Johnston's own story. After playing clubs for some time in Japan in the mid-ninties, he came back to America in 1997 and played at Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee. From there on, he became consumed in the Hill Country music, surrounding himself by such Blues luminaries as
Junior Kimbrough,
RL Burnside, and
Jessie Mae Hemphill. He went on to play at Junior Kimbrough's Jook Joint (up until it burned down), where he received a good deal of confidence -- enough confidence even to go to the International Blues Challenge (gasp!) and win not only first place, but also the award for best guitarist. He even continues to play as a one-man band on Beale Street during the summer (that's right, drums and all). He even plays neat cigar box guitars sometimes!
It's good to know that there are acts around such as
Johnston and
The Black Keys to keep this kind of music alive. It's seriously awesome. If you ever come across the program on
APT late at night, make sure to check it out for yourself, and in the meantime, check these snippets out.
Chicken and GravyWork Me BabyCoal Black MattieThat's No Way To Get Along
chandler at 4:56 PM | |
