An unbelievable true story crying out to be told. Below is a rough cut of my latest historical documentary, Battle for San Francisco. It’s a true story seemingly whitewashed from history. While not about my usual historic blues or rock, the soundtrack does include an early blues from Lonnie Johnson with Eddie Lang, plus seasoned…
I’ve just re-read one of the seminal books on the evolution of rock & roll, 47 years after I first obtained it, so if that doesn’t date me, nothing will. Perhaps I was given it by the author. I simply can’t remember. When I say ‘evolution’, I mean the history of rock music from the…
There’s a bit of a misconception about the first electric guitar blues put on vinyl, with ‘Hittin’ the Bottle’ often being put forward as the earliest. This 1935 track featured the Texan multi-instrumentalist, Eddie Durham, playing his blues-nuanced guitar through a home-made guitar amp for saxophonist and swing bandleader, Jimmy Lunceford. Well, such sources are…
UPDATED November 23 2017 The difference between rock ‘n’ roll and rock & roll (or rock and roll)? For a long time now, it’s been fashionable to describe great rock music as rock & roll. But have you ever wondered when this second era of rock & roll began? And have you noticed the general…
I was whisked back to the 1960s last night, swaying away to great live British blues in a small, intimate club. At least the drummer was British, that suave giant (in more way than one – he’s 6ft 6in) of English blues, Mick Fleetwood. Mick Fleetwood: still a giant of a blues drummer Mick, of…
