The despair of having your musical talent go unrecognized
“Paul, just bookmarked the page. It’s extremely informative. Great read.”
Pete, The Honest Mistake Band @fsrocko, California. 13 September 2013.
One
of the reasons that working in the music business used to be so soul-destroying
was seeing just how many unbelievably talented musicians and songwriters never made
it, remaining unknown and falling by the wayside. I know it’s just the same
today, probably even worse, with all this talent-contest garbage on TV.
Sadly, this is how it has always been.
So many great
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| Robert Johnson. He only found fame after his death. |
their death. Others, like Henry Sloan, who taught Charlie Patton how to play
the blues around the turn of the 19th century, also remain totally unrecognized.
Indeed, the delta blues pioneer, Tommy Johnson (himself mostly forgotten), once
claimed that famous Charlie Patton songs like ‘Pony Blues’ were originally
Henry Sloan compositions. Henry who? I bet you’ve forgotten his name already.
many individuals and bands out there today. You only have to hear the great
stuff available at the click of a mouse on a twitter or blog post to appreciate
all the talent that’s around. I’ve lost count of the great songs I’ve been
asked to listen to.
contacted me the other day to rent his frustration at an industry that, these
days, refuses to look past boy bands or middle-of-the-road TV-friendly balladeers.
Since I have a soft spot for well-played electric blues and rock guitar, I ask you to
give Will Ludford’s band, The Strats, a go.
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| Will Ludford. |
said he toured the USA with UK band Diamond Lil in the late 60s. Other credits,
Will says, include working with such icons as reggae production duo, Sly &
Robbie; godfather of rock-steady, Alton Ellis and those masters of musical
parody, the Barron Knights. Incredibly, Will says he also worked with, and was
encouraged by George Harrison, and jammed with Jimi Hendrix.
work with his band, The Strats, to recognise the calibre of his playing. Why
not take a listen here:
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=ae557c3daf&view=audio&msgs=140fdbff20165174&attid=0.2&zw
Will and The Strats have more songs to view on YouTube and a new CD out called, “Falling Off The Edge Of The World”. This, Will says, is
based on his experiences taking LSD and purple hearts, an amphetamine
favoured by the original mods in the 1960s.
Jason Wells Band
While we’re on the subject of not getting the musical recognition you deserve, why not give the fine
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| Jason Wells |
blues rock of Indiana’s Jason Wells and his band a listen, too. You’ll find various tracks and videos on the link below.
http://jasonwellsmusic.com/
A Deep Purple passage
I was interested to hear Jason’s influences include Deep Purple. When I was young, I worked for Tony Barrow, the one-time Beatles publicist. One of the unknown bands I was given to publicise was Deep Purple. The next thing I knew they were top of the UK charts with Black Night. I must say that Roger Glover the bass player and drummer Ian Paice were two of the nicest people you could wish to meet. I didn’t meet the other guys, by the way, just in case you’re thinking …
Excellent article and one that touches upon a subject I have shouted from the rooftops. After 35 years of being involved in one form or another in this industry,witnessing the vast amount of talent out there and the wall that prevents them from reaching an audience is almost heartbreaking.And your example with Mr.Ludford is spot on. Just to sit and listen to every nuance of his playing and the passion of The Strats is nothing short of pure joy. Meanwhile, the masses are treated to the spectacle of former teen TV "stars" performing mindless manufactured music on fabricated award shows and the industry slobbers all over itself in congratulatory pat on the back for moving the charts once more. But the one thing they or any of their kind will never enjoy or know. And that is the nod that players like Will get from people who know the difference.