It was a relatively sparse Summer for tribute albums and cover collections, but we did miss a few during our long hiatus - and Fall has been bringing in a rich harvest, too. In honor of what we've fondly called the coverlover's bread and butter, over our next few posts, we explore a host of new and impending albums for the covers connoisseur, with our usual mix of all-folk albums, hybrid genre sets, and singleton acoustic tracks from multi-genre collections sure to please all listeners - starting today, with a trio of totally folk cover-and-tribute albums from artists [...]
This is the fourth new CD in Block's "Mentor" series, celebrating the blues masters she knew personally and those who influenced her work. The once precocious baby boomer blues guitarist from Greenwich Village, Rory Block has gotten old. No, I don't mean age-wise. She's always sounded older than her years. I mean old as in rehashing the past masters from the previous generation. I guess if Rod Stewart can generate millions singing the great American songbook there is no reason Block should not earn a living performing the repertoire of the great American bluesmen. This is the fourth...
Six years ago, Rory Block undertook an ambitious project she dubbed the Mentor Series that was instigated with the release of The Lady And Mr. Johnson, a Robert Johnson tribute record that more than any in recent memory, captured the true spirit of its subject. That's because Block did her research, and truth be told, she prepared for it with [...]
The guitar playing? Great. The singing? Not so much... Rory Block is a fine guitar player and a gifted singer, a blueswoman who has been recording and releasing records for over 35 years. Her body of work reveals powerful voice and an excellent, fluid, finger-picking guitar technique. She's the real deal, in other words, and this album of covers written by one of her heroes, Mississippi Fred McDowell, should be purely awesome. It's not. Block seems to be in the midst of a reconsideration...
Web Site Heralded as “a living landmark” (Berkeley Express), “a national treasure” (Guitar Extra), and “one of the greatest living acoustic blues artists” (Blues Revue), Rory Block has committed her life and her career to preserving the Delta blues tradition and bringing it to life for 21st century audiences around the world. A traditionalist and an innovator at the same time, she wields a fiery and haunting guitar and vocal style that redefines the boundaries of acoustic blues and folk. The New York Times declared: “Her playing is perfect, her singing otherworldly as she wrestles with [...]
Rory Block pays tribute to the old blues master, Mississippi Fred McDowell.
Signed to Geffen/Future Records this 25 year old Liverpudlian is a self taught guitarist who as a child became strongly influenced by American roots music . She is a delightful and unique singer songwriter who's languid southern melodies will transport you to far and beyond the Mississippi Delta . Delta releases her debut single, the country-fried hip shaker ‘Of My Own’ on May 1st . The album, ‘Outside Looking In’ takes its cue from Rory Block and Bessie Smith and is set for release on May 8th. [...]
I've been in Boston for a new literacies teacher institute for the last few days, pushing the limits of my ability to multitask and taxing my brain with theory and new possibilities; it's intense, and though I'm loving the work and the collaboration, the sustained concentration - and the all-day, full-body headache which has resulted - has left me a bit too drained to do justice to anything up to our usual standards. But last night before the pain kicked in Dad and I headed off to catch Devon Sproule and Paul [...]
Last night's utterly amazing Greg Brown show started off with a short solo set from perennial sideman Bo Ramsey, who played a set of hushed alt-country blues originals and an achingly delicate cover of Lucinda Williams' Joy , his hands barely brushing the strings. Brown, too, played mostly blues, when it comes down to it: recognizable chords in sixteen bars; low, quickspoken, plaintive lyrics that pulsed along with the bass string beat. Stunning stuff. Which got me thinking about the acoustic blues, and its relationship to modern folk music - not [...]
Rory Block was born on this day back in 1949, in Princeton, New Jersey. As I mentioned, in another post, she is a female blues guitarist and singer. The Lady and Mr. Johnson Click on image for info @Amazon.com terraplane blues Rory Block mp3s @Elbo.ws Rory Block mp3s @Amazon.com Rory Block @SqueezeMyLemon
The first post of the month always features a look at songs covering every track on a famous album. Got an idea for a future pick? Leave a note in the comments!The King of the Delta Blues Singers compilation didn’t come out until 23 years after Robert Johnson’s untimely death, but was such a force in the burgeoning folk movement of the early sixties that it quickly brought his music to the masses
Will Bennett - Railroad Bill ( buy ) (1929) Furry Lewis - Kassie Jones (two parts) ( buy ) (1928) On March 7, 1896, a man was shot at Tidmore and Ward’s general store in Atmore, Alabama(see photo above, and fell dead with 15 bullets in his body. The authorities and newspapers identified him as Railroad Bill, the famous outlaw who had been robbing trains in the Louisville to Nashville (L&N) railroad line and around, and murdered (at least) a lawman and 2 sheriffs that [...]
It's been a long time since we put together one of these Single Song Sunday posts. But we're hosting our first House Concert next Sunday, and the prospect of inviting folks into our kitchen has left this tune ringing in my ears... Come On In My Kitchen was first recorded in 1936, back when the country blues was a form of folk music; the song is itself a partial cover, having lifted much of its melody [...]
Sometimes I answer questions over at Yahoo Answers. A lot of the questions are asked by kids and other people who do not really understand blues music very well. I like to share my knowledge and set people on the path of understanding the blues. This question, which I think is kind of silly, because some people think that music is like a sport. They think that in the same way that you might pick the best wide receiver in the NFL you can pick the best guitarist in blues music. I personally don't think it can be [...]
Rory Block: Elder Green is Gone [ purchase ] If it wasn't for pure fidelity, subtle production dynamics, and that high, clear voice, it would be easy to imagine that this recording was older than the hills, from the early days of folk or "country" blues. But this is no Lomax field recording. It's acoustic blues guitarist and five time WC Handy award winner Rory Block, who set out at fifteen to learn her trade from a set of dying old men, all [...]
I've spent three days now by my father's bedside, watching as he grows slowly stronger, and learns to measure and monitor the pain of his newly reconstructed back. I've held his hand, and learned its lines anew, even as I have learned to work around the bruising from the saline feed. Each day is more tiring that I could have expected, for both of us. But no matter how exhausted I am, each night, I come home, and sit on his couch, and drink his beer, and play his records alone [...]
Un colpo al cerchio e uno alla botte. In pieno periodo di devastazione da Soundsblog Awards 2008 , andiamo su un genere spesso dimenticato ma che influenza senza mezzi termini tutta la musica mondiale. Parliamo di un articolo pubblicato su Ign Music che indica i 10 album fondamentali Blues del 2008. Della serie: nevica, calde coperte, atmosfera natalizia, musica che affascina. Alchimia perfetta. A voi i 10 album che Ign (e noi) vi consigliamo. Ci dev'essere anche qualche album ripubblicato tra i nomi elencati, non vi spaventate. Get Way Back: A [...]
Rory Block was born on this day back in 1949, in Princeton, New Jersey. As I mentioned, in another post, she is a female blues guitarist and singer. The Lady and Mr. Johnson Click on image for info @Amazon.com terraplane blues Rory Block mp3s @Elbo.ws Rory Block mp3s @Amazon.com Rory Block @SqueezeMyLemon
When ever I hear a story about someone meeting one of my blues heros I become envious. And the story of how in 1965 at 15 years-old Rory Block met Son House and it changed her life. Leading her to become an internationaly recognized five time Blues Music Award winning guitar player, who has released more than two-dozen or so blues albums. There is a lot here to envy. Her newest release Blues Walkin' Like A Man is a tribute to Son House. The album features Block's inspired renditions of 13 House [...]
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SqueezeMyLemon![Rory Block - Mississippi Man [audio only]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/twaB5LD6Sy0_130.jpg)
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