Skip to main content

Carmell Jones - Willow Weep for Me

It was the fusion of styles and cultures described by Gordon that gave birth to the Memphis blues, sometime around 100 years ago. Musicians such as Furry Lewis and Memphis Minnie sang and played guitar, while Memphis Jug Band popularized a style played on kazoos, washboard, and guitars, with the bass created by blowing across the tops of jugs.

But while such music enjoyed a passionate local following, it was WC Handy who is generally credited with having popularized the blues and taking it to the world at large. Known as the Father Of The Blues, his Memphis Blues, published in 1912, was a game changer. By Handy’s own admission, his was an attempt to apply primitive, southern tendencies to use flattened thirds and sevenths in a major key, and bring it to a more sophisticated audience. These flattened notes became known as the blue notes. This was a distinct departure... but as it turned out, it touched the spot.

The popularity of the blues grew, but in the aftermath of World War II, things began to change quickly. As more and more musicians fled the extreme poverty of the south in search of fame and fortune, the city’s Beale Street became flooded with blues clubs and bars, where hopefuls would plug in their guitars and play louder, more driven blues.


Carmell Jones - Willow Weep for Me
  • Written by: Ann Ronell
  • First recorded on: May 8, 1965
  • Released on: Jay Hawk Talk album

"Quite active in Europe, Carmell Jones was largely forgotten by the time he moved back to Kansas City in 1980. In 1982, an album for Revelation helped remind a few listeners of his excellent hard bop trumpet."

See previous Song of the Day

Labels:
Location: United States

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jackson Browne - Kisses Sweeter than Wine

Europe has a rich history of embracing blues and jazz music. In the early 20th century, American jazz musicians began touring Europe, introducing the continent to a new sound that was unlike anything they had ever heard before. Jazz became an instant hit among European audiences, and many European musicians began incorporating jazz elements into their music. Today, jazz festivals are held all over Europe, attracting thousands of fans from all over the world. In addition, many European cities have thriving blues scenes, with local bands and musicians performing regularly. Blues and jazz have also made their way to Asia, where they have found a devoted fan base. Japan, in particular, has a thriving jazz scene, with many Japanese musicians achieving international recognition. In addition, China has also seen a rise in the popularity of jazz music in recent years. Jazz festivals are now held in major Asian cities such as Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, attracting jazz lovers from all over ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Roy Haynes - Satan's Mysterious Feeling

Sun Studio, located at 706 Union Avenue, was started by one of the fathers of rock ‘n roll, Sam Phillips, in 1950. It was the commingling of the Memphis Recording Service and Sun Records that formed Sun Studio, and until 1969... The studio’s claim to fame is that it is where the first rock ‘n roll record was produced, Rocket 88, in April 1951. Stax Records was born in 1957. The original Stax was named Satellite Records until it changed its name to Stax in 1961. The company brought to the forefront American and Memphis soul, as well as gospel, funk and the Delta blues. Its most famous act was Otis Redding, and after his death in 1967, the studio struggled to stay in competition with Detroit’s Motown. The music of Memphis has evolved from its long, rich history. The legends of the past have created a legacy that newer artists can only hope to imitate but never really duplicate. A walk along Beale Street should invoke the memory of the great musicians who have come to and played in Memphi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chuck Berry - Broken Arrow

The blues grew up in the Mississippi Delta just upriver from New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. Blues and jazz have always influenced each other, and they still interact in countless ways today. Following the end of the Civil War, black men had few options other than doing backbreaking manual work or something like becoming a traveling minstrel. Many chose to rely on their physical stamina and the soulful and melancholy lyrics of many blues songs to create a powerful, emotive and rhythmic music celebrating the life of black Americans. The lyrics they sang reflected their daily lives including sex, drinking, jail, murder, poverty, hard labor and lost love. In the early 20th century, the blues was considered disreputable as white audiences began listening to blues. Blues came into its own as an important part of the country’s relatively new popular culture in the 1920s with the recording, first, of great female classic blues singers and, then, of the country folk blues singers of the M...
Post a Comment
Read more