Guitar Speak Presents....Southern Guitar Masters!

Southern Guitar Masters

Mississippi Fred McDowell
Charley Patton
Robert Johnson
Skip James
Bukka White
Rose Hemphill
Sunnyland Slim

From southern England:
Cream

The blues is about many things. About how your woman done you wrong. The Boss Man being mean to you. Things humorous. Things sad. Death. Dying and all manner of worldly matters concern the blues.

The blues was created long before the turn of the 19th century. The blues was built on slavery and the fact that a man was taken from his family and homeland against his will. Slavery happened for centuries. However; it wasn't until those slaves were brought to the shores of the United States that the blues, as we know the art form today, was born.

The blues reside in almost every country in the world. Even countries that don't call on English as a first language.

Everyone in the world can relate to the blues. And today, with all the problems in the world, more and more people have an absolute right to sing the blues.

Today's show presents the blues from the early part of the 20th century. These are but a handful of the original blues men who traveled the dusty roads of the south; did time in many of the prisons and rode the rods, as the trains were called back then, into the annals of musical history. Just imagine that time.

This is one show I really enjoyed putting together. I hope you enjoy listening to Southern Guitar Masters.

John Rhys/BluePower.com

Here's the music:

1)...."I'm Goin' Home"....Ervin Webb & Prisoners....Alan Lomax Collection
2)...."61 Highway Blues"....Fred McDowell....Alan Lomax Collection
3)...."Fred McDowell's Blues"....Fred McDowell....Alan Lomax Collection
4) ...."Stone Pony Blues....Charley Patton....VMK
5)...."Crossroads"....Robert Johnson....Columbia
6)...."Fixin' To Die Blues"....Bukka White....Columbia Legacy Series
7)...."Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues"....Skip James....VMK
8)...."Rolled And Tumbled"....Rose Hemphill....Alan Lomax Collection
9)...."Roll And Tumble Blues"....Sunnyland Slim, Johnny Shines and Big Joe Williams....Blue Sun
10)..."Rollin' And Tumblin' "....Cream....Reaction

Some dialog taken from the All Music Guide to the Blues.

Click here to listen to....Southern Guitar Masters!

Guitar Speak Presents....Influential Guitarist....T-Bone Walker!

T-Bone Walker

Born: May 28, 1910 in Linden, Texas
Died: March 16, 1975 in Los Angeles, Ca.

Aaron Thibeaux Walker was a product of the early Dallas, Texas blues scene. Marco Washington, T-Bone's step-father, was a bass fiddle player with a group called The Dallas String Band. Almost all of T-bone's family played instruments of one kind or another and the young man followed his step-dad's example by learning every stringed instrument his talented hands could find. Once he learned the guitar, that was it.

T-Bone and his friend Charlie Christian hustled many gigs which included both playing and dancing. Neither one of the young men went to school that much. They were into making money so they could eat.

T-Bone Walker recorded from 1929 until 1973. During that time Walker recorded over 400 records. A recording discography unmatched by any guitar player to date. He also played with some of the most prestigious band leaders and performed in the world's finest venues.

Anyone who has enjoyed the music of BB King, Albert King or Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Magic Sam, Albert Collins, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Duane Allman, Mike Bloomfield, Stevie Ray Vaughan or any of a host of other blues and blues-influenced players has heard the influences of T-Bone Walker.

T-Bone Walker suffered a stroke 1n 1974 brought on by persistent stomach problems and died in Los Angeles, California in 1975.

John Rhys/BluePower.com

Here's the music:

1)...."Hand Clappin' "....Red Prysock....Mercury Records
2)...."Strollin' With Bone"....T-Bone Walker....Imperial Records
3)...."The Hustle Is On"....T-Bone Walker....Imperial Records
4)...."Black Snake Moan"....Blind Lemon Jefferson....Gold Box Records
5)...."Stormy Monday Blues"....T-Bone Walker....Black and White Records
6)...."Tomorrow Night"....Lonnie Johnson....King Records
7)...."Johnny B. Goode"....Chuck Berry....Chess Records
8)...."Hard Way"....T-Bone Walker....Imperial
9)...."Blue Mood"....T-Bone Walker....Imperial Records
10)..."Hand Clappin' "....Red Prysock....Mercury Records

Click here to listen to....Influential Guitarists....T-Bone Walker!

Guitar Speak Presents....Influential Guitarists!

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Born in Dallas, Texas on October 3rd, 1954, Stevie Ray Vaughan grew up to become one of America's finest gifts to the blues world.

After playing with several garage bands, Vaughan dropped out of high school to concentrate full time on playing music. When his original band, The Cobras broke up, Stevie formed Triple Threat in 1975. Triple Threat featured bassist Jackie Newhouse, drummer Chris Layton and vocalist Lou Ann Barton.

When Barton left the band in 1978, Stevie decided to continue the band and call it Double Trouble. At this point, Stevie Ray Vaughan became the the band's lead singer.

Vaughan's debut album, Texas Flood, was released in the summer of 1983 to rave reviews although much talk was stemming from Stevie's fine backup work on David Bowie's Let's Dance LP.

In the late summer of 1990, Vaughan and Double Trouble set out to do an American headline tour. On August 26th, 1990, after concluding their East Troy, Wisconsin job, Stevie boarded a helicopter bound for Chicago. Just minutes after takeoff, the helicopter crashed, killing Stevie Ray and several other passengers. Stevie was 35 years old.

And so....one of America's and the blues world's finest performers was gone in an instant. Stevie has left us with so much great recorded music. All we have to do is listen to keep his spirit alive.

John Rhys/BluePower.com

Here's the music:

1)...."Hand Clappin "....Red Prysock....Mercury
2)...."The House Is Rockin' "....Stevie Ray Vaughan....Epic
3)...."Texas Flood"....Stevie Ray Vaughan....Epic
4)...."Texas Flood"....Fredrik Strand Halland....Self
5)...."Little Wing"....Stevie Ray Vaughan....Epic
6)...."Pride And Joy"....Stevie Ray Vaughan....Epic
7)...."Life Without You"....Stevie Ray Vaughan....Epic
8)...."Hand Clappin' "....Red Prysock....Mercury

Click here to listen to....Influential Guitarists Featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan!

Guitar Speak Presents....Influential Guitarists!

Freddie King

All this week BluePower will feature highly influential guitarists. Players, a novice can listen to and emulate in order to learn. Today we are featuring Freddie King. Freddie wrote "Hide Away" and "The Stumble". Two of the most copied guitar instrumentals of all time.

Freddie King was born in Gilmer, Texas on September 3rd, 1934. Taught to play guitar by his mother and his uncle, Freddie originally studied Lightnin' Hopkins and his style of country blues.

When Freddie became a teen, he fell in love with the electrified sounds of the Chicago blues and when he was 16, his prayer was answered....he moved to Chicago. In 1950, Chicago was overflowing with emigrants from the South. With them came the rural blues or country blues which was transformed into the basic electrified Chicago blues which in turn, generated some great record labels. Chess and Vee-Jay are labels which were spawned by the huge focus of primary blues artists streaming into Chicago. It was a mighty time!

It's funny that Syd Nathan at King Records in Cincinnati wound up releasing Freddie King's major hits considering Freddie was living right in Chicago. Such is the entertainment world.

Thanks for listening....
John Rhys/BluePower.com

Here's the music:

1)...."Hand Clappin' "....Red Prysock....Mercury Records
2)...."Hide Away"....Freddie King....King Records
3)...."I'm Tore Down"....Freddie King....King Records
4)...."Dust My Broom"....Freddie King....Black Top Records
5)...."Ain't Nobody's Bizness"....Freddie King....Black Top Records
6)...."Key To The Highway"....Freddie King....Black Top Records
7)...."San-Ho-Zay"....Freddie King....King Records
8)...."Hand Clappin'"....Red Prysock....Mercury Records

Click here to listen to....Influential Guitarists Featuring Freddie King!