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Country Blues => Weenie Campbell Main Forum => Topic started by: Johnm on January 11, 2005, 10:37:23 AM
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Hi all,
I was just watching a video last night of a Finnish movie that came out in the past couple of years entitled "The Man Without A Past". It's a really good movie, I think, with very distinctive super-dry Finnish humor and a rhythm to it that is so different from life in the U.S. that it is beneficial for those of us here to see it and realize how different other places in the world can be.
Anyhow, there was a very surprising moment maybe a half-hour into the movie. The protagonist, who sustains a shocking beating by some young hoodlums right at the beginning of the movie and loses his memory (barely survives), has moved into a derelict semi trailer in a shantytown area of Helsinki and he is walking around the neighborhood picking up likely items to furnish his new home with. He finds a busted juke box by the side of the road and gets a sympathetic guy who works for the power company to take it back to his trailer, hook it up and fix it. Those two fellows and a friend are in the trailer when the jukebox is repaired and the protagonist pushes a button to play a tune. Immediately a crystal clear copy of Blind Lemon doing "Crawling Baby Blues" starts to play--and they let the whole song play! I couldn't believe it, it was such an odd juxtaposition to happen in the middle of this movie. It's great to be reminded how enormous the realm of possibility can be.
All best,
Johnm
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Yes, I remember this scene...Kaurismaki, the director is a blues fan. Most of his films have the same dry humor. His first international hit was "Leningrad Cowboys Go America," a hilarious film about a terrible Finnish rockabilly band touring the states.
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Well good ole Roger Ebert lifts his thumb for Say Amen, Somebody. Review here http://www.ebertfest.com/four/say_amen_rev.htm if anyone is interested. It's from the 80s, Slack, which may explain why it's difficult to find at Netflix.
UB, Alex has high standards -- he's just a little confused, but we'll try to straighten him out again. (Looking forward to PT Alex)..
If he has such high standards, what's he doing rooming with us...
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OK something related to content... Stuart, I'm interested in the documentary also.? I just joined Netflix on their $10 a month deal (I know, I'm behind the times and cheap) and I'm looking for good movies to add to my queue list.? Cannot find this title however.
Slack,
Believe it or not, the last time I saw Say Amen, Somebody, I was able to find it at Blockbuster, which has a large number of gospel music titles in its collection. Also, check your local library, I've seen it in some neighborhood libraries in a couple of towns.
Lindy
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Believe it or not, the last time I saw Say Amen, Somebody, I was able to find it at Blockbuster, which has a large number of gospel music titles in its collection. Also, check your local library, I've seen it in some neighborhood libraries in a couple of towns.
Hi Lindy,
Thanks for the tip -- I'll check my local blockbuster!
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BTW Uncle Bud --- my first Netflix video was "Ghost World" - what a quirky movie that is - made the spouse watch it with me -- we enjoyed it!
Any other good movies to put in my queue?
cheers,
slack
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"Louie Bluie" comes to mind, but I'm sure that you all know about it and have seen it as it's so well known.
Stuart
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Check out the films of Les Blank at www.lesblank.com/main.html (http://www.lesblank.com/main.html). He's done several short films on blues subjects, including The Blues Accordin' To Lightnin' Hopkins and A Well Spent Life, which is just a lovely 45 minute film about Mance Lipscomb. He's also done numerous films on other American folk musics (and on Huey Lewis!).
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Actually, I have not seen Louie Bluie.... I had an opportunity to a couple of years ago at Port Townsend - but passed.
Thanks guys.
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this may be obvious, but check out the documentary series produced by scorsesse. the wim venders shorts about johnson and skip james are cool. speaking of louie blue, how can i get one? i don't think it's available anymore. at least not at my local rental shop. another one is the short film of st. louis blues starring bessie smith. that's the best version of that song i've ever hear'd.
just a side note,.. i spoke to the gentleman that made the last of the mississippi juke joint film a while back and he told ma that p diddy was gonna play robert johnson in movie sometime real soon.
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I have been reading "Paramount's Rise and Fall" and ran across the following book in the bibliography:
Harris, Michael W?
"The rise of gospel blues : the music of Thomas Andrew Dorsey in the urban church
(New York : Oxford University Press, 1992 )
I haven't read it, but both the King County Library System and the UW Music Library list it among their holdings. Seattle Public Library doesn't list it, but you can get it through SPL via Inter-Library Loan from KCLS. (Hint--Ryan and John). For you non-Puget Sounders, check you local libraries. Bookfinder.com lists used copies as being available starting at $9.00.
And on the topic of the KCLS, they also have in their holdings:
"Oh, what a beautiful city" : a tribute to the Reverend Gary Davis (1896-1972) :gospel, blues, and ragtime / compiled by Robert Tilling.?
Publication info. Jersey : Paul Mill Press, 1992.
I haven't read this one either.
Can't wait to get back home...
Stu
P.S. Book reports should be submitted by e-mail no later than this Friday. (double-spaced, 1" margins all around)
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Howdy:
Years ago (mid '80's) I remember seeing a mainstream film of the life of Leadbelly. I remember watching it with a ladyfriend so I never got to see the end ;D .
Anybody know the name of this?
Alex
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The movie was called "Leadbelly" and I've seen it in various Blockbuster stores. Starred Roger Mosley (from "Magnum P.I.) and the singing voice of Leadbelly was done by a San Francisco/Oakland guy named Hi Tide Harris who was an excellent singer/guitarist. I have no idea whatever became of him.
Another movie that comes to mind is "Crossroads" in which aspiring young guitarist Ralph Macchio (the Karate Kid) befriends an old Harmonica player (played by Joe Senneca) and they head south in a re-telling of the "sell your soul to the devil at the crossroads to play the blues" legend.
Most people I know *hated* this movie, but I thought "It is what it is. A Hollywood movie about the Blues". As with all movies, a certain suspension of disbelief is required to be entertained by it.
I recall a movie from the early '70's called "Sweet, Sweetback" that had a good soundtrack by Taj Mahal.
Although not strictly Blues content, the Yazoo produced "Times Ain't What They Used To Be" has some *great* footage of music from the '20's and '30's.
I recently rented this through Netflix.
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Although not strictly Blues content, the Yazoo produced "Times Ain't What They Used To Be" has some *great* footage of music from the '20's and '30's.
I recently rented this through Netflix.
Thanks Mike -- added that one to the queue. I notice that Grossman has a number of the "Legends of Country Blues Guitar" series at netflix also. I own some of these -- but netflix would be a cheap way to check some of these out.
cheers,
slack
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Another movie that comes to mind is "Crossroads" in which aspiring young guitarist Ralph Macchio (the Karate Kid) befriends an old Harmonica player (played by Joe Senneca) and they head south in a re-telling of the "sell your soul to the devil at the crossroads to play the blues" legend.
guess I'd mostly put myself on the "hated it" list. ?Been a LONG while since I watched it, but I recall it started kind of fun, with good acoustic blues, and cliched terribly along getting worse and worse, ending in an absolutely preposterous electric mayhem guitar "showdown". ?Preposterous not in the sense that they players couldn't play, they darn well could (Steve Vai and Ry Cooder, as I understand it), but in the sense that we are led to believe that the logical and inevitable progression of this musical coming-of-age journey is from roots blues to heavy metal in the blink of an eye, that if you aren't playing electric head-cutting metal in the 1980's you've missed the boat. ?Guess it goes to show you, I'm a weenie - I still like acoustic, raw and natural, best.
That all said, I think it is one to see if you knew what you were gonna get - like you say, take it for what it is.
I notice that Grossman has a number of the "Legends of Country Blues Guitar" series at netflix also. I own some of these -- but netflix would be a cheap way to check some of these out.
really?? Cool - I'll have to explore Netflix deeper - we just joined ourselves.? (we've been wallowing in Red Dwarf episodes, though)
tom
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What makes "Crossroads" even sillier, is that Macchio begins the film as a Classical guitar student who is admonished by his teacher that "you can't serve two masters" and in the end he ultimately vanquishes Steve Vai by playing some Calssical piece and then morphing it into a shuffle and thusly, winning the approval of the Devil.
Same old story :D
As I said, suspension of disbelief is necessary (to say the least) to be entertained ;)
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In "Time's Ain't Like They Used To Be" there is footage of Jack Johnson's Jazz Band. (Jack Johnson, the boxer.) If you look closely, the tuba player's tuba appears to be tied with cord of some kind. Out of curiosity, I did a "pause" and it looks like the cord is lampcord with the plug still attached. I was struck by this, and if this is truly the case, my guess is that the tuba player planned to re-wire the lamp after the performance--or maybe not. Anyone else notice this? If so, what? is your take on it?
Stu
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Hi all,
Sorry I don't have an answer to your question, Stu, but I thought of another movie in this category. It is a Burt Reynolds movie from the '70s entitled "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings". Furry Lewis appears in it playing a character named Uncle Furry. He has a couple of lines and plays some. Also appearing and playing in it are the great Jerry Reed and the country singer Don Williams. I believe the release of this movie was the occasion for Furry's famous Tonight show appearance.
All best,
Johnm
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Hi all,
This may not qualify as a movie, but I was recently watching an episode of the HBO series "Deadwood", from its first season, entitled "The Plague", and it concluded with Bukka White's "High Fever Blues" playing while the credits ran. A perfect choice.
All best,
Johnm
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Speaking of flicks, has anyone seen Schultze Gets the Blues? About a German (perhaps Austrian?) fellar who falls for zydeco and travels to Louisiana? I hear it's great.
UB
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Speaking of flicks, has anyone seen Schultze Gets the Blues? About a German (perhaps Austrian?) fellar who falls for zydeco and travels to Louisiana? I hear it's great.
Have not - but I just put it in my netflix queue.
In "Time's Ain't Like They Used To Be" there is footage of Jack Johnson's Jazz Band. (Jack Johnson, the boxer.) If you look closely, the tuba player's tuba appears to be tied with cord of some kind. Out of curiosity, I did a "pause" and it looks like the cord is lampcord with the plug still attached. I was struck by this, and if this is truly the case, my guess is that the tuba player planned to re-wire the lamp after the performance--or maybe not. Anyone else notice this? If so, what is your take on it?
I really enjoyed this montage of early american music - what a hoot or hoots.
Stewart, I did notice the lamp cord (how can you miss it!) and I have no idea why it is wrapped around is tuba. Maybe for some crude kind of pickup? Hard to imagine a tuba needing amplification but who knows.
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I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but there is a reference to Otha Turner and a Blind Willie Johnson song at the end of The Ladykillers.
Crumb, Ghost world, etc... duh
-Geff
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Picked up a copy of Desperate Man Blues which is a Brit doco on Joe Bussard. Pretty neat actually. Paul Geremia drops in and plays some Willie McTell.
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Speaking of flicks, has anyone seen Schultze Gets the Blues? About a German (perhaps Austrian?) fellar who falls for zydeco and travels to Louisiana? I hear it's great.
UB
Finally saw this film. It's very enjoyable. While music plays a large part in the film, with the main character (Schultze) being a polka-playing German miner who hears some zydeco on the radio which takes him down a new path in his accordian playing, it would be wrong to characterize this as a "blues" movie. It's more a sort of Jim Jarmusch style character study. It also reminded me somewhat of David Lynch's Straight Story. Much of the film is set in Germany (which was a treat for my German-descended spouse). Eventually Schultze travels to New Braunfels, Texas, and parts of Louisiana. Some authentic dance halls in the boonies of the bayou, and amateurs are featured as actors throughout, giving it a very real feel. A slow-moving film but a treat. Horst Krause is great as Schultze.
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Blind Willie Johnson doing "Let It Shine On Me" plays at the end of Lady Killers, and I think "Dark Was The Night" is in that Johnny Cash Movie.
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It is a Burt Reynolds movie from the '70s entitled "W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings". Furry Lewis appears in it playing a character named Uncle Furry. He has a couple of lines and plays some.
Steve James told a story about Furry doing this movie at a guitar workshop I attended. He said that the director told Furry to just hang out and be himself while they were getting ready for his shot. A short while later, Furry pinched a young womans butt as she walked past. The director asked him what the heck he was doing..."Just bein' myself" he said.
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New Orleans is a great movie.
Has Louis Armstrong, Billy Holiday, Meade Lux Lewis, and many more of the original musicians. It's ultimately about the beginnings of jazz, but any blues lover will love it.
revmac
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I seem to recall (it's a LONG time since I saw the movie) that the Pier Paolo Pasolini film of The Gospel According to Saint Matthew used a number of blues or gospel motifs in its music. One scene I recall particularly was the gospel passage where Jesus cures a leper; this was accompanied by a fabulous slide guitar version of Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child. No idea who the performer was but in the context of the movie it was just heartbreaking.
And it seems a bit obvious but no-one seems to have mentioned all those fab soundtracks by Ry Cooder for such movies as Paris, Texas, The Long Riders and Southern Comfort.
Cheerily,
Gerry C
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it seems like everyone is avoiding the obvious movie..
Blues Brothers !!!
John Lee Hooker
Aretha Franklin
Ray Charles
and a host of others appear in that movie
Dave
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I was just watching a video last night of a Finnish movie that came out in the past couple of years entitled "The Man Without A Past". It's a really good movie, I think, with very distinctive super-dry Finnish humor and a rhythm to it that is so different from life in the U.S.
An absolutely wonderful movie indeed. My wife and I are going to visit her family for a few weeks this summer in Finland. As you said, it's nice to go there and get a perspective on how different life can be. We will probably take a trip to Estonia. That'll be interesting too.
Another suggestion most people might have seen but forgot to mention is Genghis Blues.
Touching beautiful story of bluesman Paul Pena who travels to a remote mongolian village to participate in a traditional throat singing contest.
His first international hit was "Leningrad Cowboys Go America," a hilarious film about a terrible Finnish rockabilly band touring the states.
That's also a cool movie. Jim Jarmusch appears in it as a car salesman. For a laugh, check out this video of the Leningrad Cowboys playing cover songs in their "Total Balalaika Show" in front of some 50 000 people on Helsinki's Senate Square. It's with the Red Army Choir. Crazy stuff!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQi_-FchoBU
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Howdy:
Years ago (mid '80's) I remember seeing a mainstream film of the life of Leadbelly. I remember watching it with a ladyfriend so I never got to see the end ;D .
Anybody know the name of this?
Alex
It was called "Leadbelly" (amazingly enough). I saw it sometime in the mid-80s at the Edinburgh Filmhouse. "You won't need to book tickets," the woman at the box-office said, "blues films don't draw big audiences."
Good film, though. Excellent soundtrack, and some funny banter between Blind Lemon and Leadbelly...
[Lemon gets into the driving seat of the Model-T]
Leadbelly - You can't drive! You're blind!
Lemon - You can't drive! You're drunk!
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That's also a cool movie. Jim Jarmusch appears in it as a car salesman. For a laugh, check out this video of the Leningrad Cowboys playing cover songs in their "Total Balalaika Show" in front of some 50 000 people on Helsinki's Senate Square. It's with the Red Army Choir. Crazy stuff!
What a hoot!
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My pocket diary for 1976 tells me I went to see the UK premier of this at London's ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) on November 29th. I still have the program sheet which say that it was directed by the late, great Gordon Parks. It names the songs that Hi-Tide Harris overdubbed for Roger Mosely, notes that Lemon Jefferson was portrayed by Art Evans (who?) and soundtrack songs included those by Terry/McGhee, David Cohen and Dick Rosmini (who again?). There was a soundtrack LP available for purchase at the showing, but I passed on that. Here's a scan of an advertisement from a free weekly London paper of the time.
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I never knew Leadbelly was into body building.
:P
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"Dick Rosmini who?" discography (http://www.wirz.de/music/rosmidsc.htm) (with sound clips!)
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That Leadbelly ad is just a hoot...
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That Leadbelly ad is just a hoot...
Here's what Wolfe and Lornell say about the release of the film (Life & Legend Of Leadbelly p.261-2).
Parks had deliberately made a film with no Richard Roundtree or Diane Ross, eliminating the obvious star appeal. Leadbelly has plenty of violence, but no car chases or spectacular gore. The story line is compelling, but Leadbelly's own name was not enough to carry the film to create general public interest. Without Yablans to push the film, Leadbelly languished in advertising limbo for nearly a year. Paramount screened the film privately in New York City and a few other selected cities. The critical response from Variety and other printed sources was favorable and Parks was hopeful that Leadbelly would soon grace screens throughout the country.
Instead, Leadbelly dropped into oblivion. In the spring it quietly opened in Detroit, Boston, and Atlanta, outgrossing all of the other films playing in Detroit and Atlanta. Academy award winner One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, which was running on seven screens to one for Leadbelly, barely edged out Leadbelly in Boston. Following a private screening Charles Champlagne, entertainment editor of the Los Angeles Times, wrote that Leadbelly should be acknowledged as one of the finest films of 1976. Audiences at the annual U.S.A. Film Festival at Dallas and the Philadelphia Film Festival honored it with a standing ovation. Despite this success, Paramount Pictures continued to hedge on its support and promotion of the film. Its movie ads depicted a muscular young stud with a scantily clad brown beauty glancing in his direction. The commercial success of Mandingo must have weighed heavily upon the minds of these Paramount promoters.
Around June 1976 Parks decided to directly confront the Paramount behemoth himself:
I had a terrible fight with Barry Diller. He called me up and said, "Look, we are doing the best that we can with the film. But we are being crucified by the press and I wantyou to stop it. " I cussed him out on the phone . . . and called him some names about which I am a little bit ashamed. [Shortly thereafter; I sat with Barry Diller in the screening room. He sat next to me and said, "It's a marvelous film. We are going to do everything we can to promote it. "I don 't know if it's true, but word is, from one of his young assistants, that when they got upstairs, Diller said, "Kill it."
It appears that what Diller said upstairs is what counted, because by the end of the summer Leadbelly had ended its run. It played for less than two weeks at most venues.
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I know this subject has been treated before but I'm a newbie and would like to add the following :
The excellent movie "Sounder" directed by Marty Ritt has never been mentioned. It's a story about a sharecropper's family in the 30ties. Taj Mahal plays the role of a neighbour who's a CB musician. Made me chuckle when he remarks after playing some blues :"if they could hear me up north..."
During the credits, at the end of the movie, you hear "Needed Time" by Lightnin' Hopkins.
Another movie that has some great CB is "Little Big Man". John Hammond jr plays several pieces times during the film. Especially the opening scenes are very powerful.
The French movie "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Am?lie Poulain" has a short appearance of harmonica player Peg Leg Sam.
Cheers,
Carl
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The excellent movie "Sounder" directed by Marty Ritt has never been mentioned. It's a story about a sharecropper's family in the 30ties. Taj Mahal plays the role of a neighbour who's a CB musician. Made me chuckle when he remarks after playing some blues :"if they could hear me up north..."
During the credits, at the end of the movie, you hear "Needed Time" by Lightnin' Hopkins.
In 1973 I attended a midnight press preview of it at the Haymarket Cinema in London's West End. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and see if I can bring to mind for whom I reviewed it. In the meantime here is something we were asked to complete and return which I never did. Hope it's not too faded to view.
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Interesting, I'm not familiar with that one:
Although this isn't quite a Hollywood production I enjoyed John Hammond's "The Search For Robert Johnson" On DVD.
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Hi all,
Since the new thread, "When CB Goes to Hollywood" mirrored an earlier thread I merged them.
All best,
Johnm
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hi all
talkin films with blues content, i saw a film last year called chocolate(i think thats it)any way its a film to watch with ya girl ,back to the topic ,johnny depp plays some lap style and some swing blues in it and i think theres kind of a Gypsies blues acoustic river band,what a mouthfull, i got an email the other day from one of these film website advertising a new film with Samuel jackson in were he plays a country blues singer who kidnap's a prostitute and chains her to his radiator to change her ways, anyway there looks to be a kind of RL burnside thing going on and jackson actually looks a little like him, i think the film is released any day now dam carnt remember the name but ill find out and put a link to the site were you can watch Samuel jackson play the blues..
KID.CRUEL
just found out the name of the film, Black snake moan, a blind lemon tune i think and heres the link, this film looks like it could be funny as well. http://www.moanmovie.com/
have a good one weenies cheers,
C*KID....
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Blood of Jesus, early 1940s, by independent black director Spencer Williams, is a weird and beautiful film. Lots of terrific downhome religious music. Some jazz. Only a little bit of blues but it's interesting stuff. The great jook-joint scene, and the crossroads scenes, make it a must-see for CB fans. Enjoy. Cheers, SC
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I think it's out of print, but the DC Blues Society helped produce a documentary called 'Blues House Party" that's a must-see. It featured folks like Cephas and Wiggins and Archie Edwards, all filmed at John Jackson's house. I saw it once, shortly after it came out around 1990. If you have any DC folks attending your West Coast Workshops you ought to ask them about it.
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Blood of Jesus, early 1940s, by independent black director Spencer Williams, is a weird and beautiful film. Lots of terrific downhome religious music. Some jazz. Only a little bit of blues but it's interesting stuff. The great jook-joint scene, and the crossroads scenes, make it a must-see for CB fans. Enjoy. Cheers, SC
I've never seen more than a tiny clip of Blood of Jesus, but I'm told that Black Ace Turner appears in it.
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The Colour Purple starring Whoopi Goldberg features a juke joint scene with "real" blues musicians, I know Sonny Terry was the harmonica player but I can't remember who else was in it.
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Phil Wiggins had a small role, a cameo really, in John Sayle's 'Matewan'.
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Blood of Jesus, early 1940s, by independent black director Spencer Williams, is a weird and beautiful film. Lots of terrific downhome religious music. Some jazz. Only a little bit of blues but it's interesting stuff. The great jook-joint scene, and the crossroads scenes, make it a must-see for CB fans. Enjoy. Cheers, SC
Following Steve's recommendation, I located "Blood of Jesus" in the local library on DVD. It is part of "Movies of Color: Black Southern Cinema," which also contains Spencer Williams' "Go Down, Death." The title feature is very interesting and the two Williams' films are both fascinating. It is available through the usual web stores--here's the Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Movies-Color-Black-Southern-Cinema/dp/B00007KK1N
Thanks, Steve!
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Natterjacks' mentioning of Sonny Terry just reminded me that the Steve Martin comedy "The Jerk" has Brownie McGhee and Terry.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079367/
Cheers
Pan
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This reminds me of a story about McGhee and Terry I read somewhere. They appeared on a Broadway show ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", if I remember correctly ?) sometime in the 50's.
When they were asked to take part, they first refused saying: "We are no actors". However, when they were told how much they were going to get paid, to play a few songs and to be basically just themselves on a few scenes, Terry reportedly replied: "We're actors!" :D
Pan
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I'm not sure, Pan, but I think that the show in question was "Finnian's Rainbow".
All best,
Johnm
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I can't recall the name of the show, either. However, when I met Sonny and Brownie in the early 70s, Brownie showed me his guitar (the D-18 with the crack in the top) and told me that it had been a gift from Andy Griffith when they appeared in a NYC play together (presumably on Broadway). Perhaps that might yield a lead as to the specific play that they were in.
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I think Johnm must be right.
According to the Internet, Sonny Terry was in "Finnian's Rainbow" starting from 1946. It seems that they both had also a part in the Tennessee William play, but that was only in the mid 50's -by which time Terry obviously was no longer a stranger to the "acting business". :D
Pan
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If I remember right, on the Sonny and Brownie "Rainbow Quest" episode, Sonny prefaces their performance of "Whoopin' the Blues" with an anecdote about this, similar to Pan's.
Supposedly, they told Sonny that they needed him to play the same thing every night, and Sonny said no way he could do that, until they told him how much he'd be making. "Man, I'll play the same thing every night!" Also funny on that is the disgusted look on Brownie's face when Sonny wants to play that piece -- apparently he'd heard it enough.
Chris
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I think Johnm must be right.
According to the Internet, Sonny Terry was in "Finnian's Rainbow" starting from 1946.
Hmm the date that's always cited for his taking on the role of Sunny is Friday 10 January 1947.
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This reminds me of a story about McGhee and Terry I read somewhere. They appeared on a Broadway show ("Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", if I remember correctly ?) sometime in the 50's.
You do remember correctly. It was March and November 1957.
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I can't recall the name of the show, either. However, when I met Sonny and Brownie in the early 70s, Brownie showed me his guitar (the D-18 with the crack in the top) and told me that it had been a gift from Andy Griffith when they appeared in a NYC play together (presumably on Broadway). Perhaps that might yield a lead as to the specific play that they were in.
It was the Elia Kazan 1957 film A Face In The Crowd. BMcG accompanied Griffith on one of the sound track songs, Just A Closer Walk With Thee. In 1958 Brownie actually recorded a song entitled Face In The Crowd for Folkways.
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It was the Elia Kazan 1957 film A Face In The Crowd. BMcG accompanied Griffith on one of the sound track songs, Just A Closer Walk With Thee. In 1958 Brownie actually recorded a song entitled Face In The Crowd for Folkways.
I'm going to hesitate a bit on this one, Bunker Hill. (I know the film, although its been decades since I've seen it.) I swear that Brownie said that they had worked together in the theater. I know that Andy Griffith was on Broadway as early as 1954 in "No Time For Sargents," and of course Brownie and Sonny had been in NYC and in the theater prior to that. So their paths may have crossed earlier in a play that just doesn't pop up via the usual search engines. In any event, I remember Brownie saying that they we still friends to this day ('72), which was IMHO the important thing, although the specifics of when they first worked together is intriguing for the sake of historical accuracy.
It has been a long time, and I just might not be remembering things as clearly as I think I am.
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It has been a long time, and I just might not be remembering things as clearly as I think I am.
I'm as guilty of that as the next person. Here's a little diversion for you namely the Andy Griffiths "blues session" with Brownie. Scanned from Chris Smith's Terry/McGhee session discography "That's The Stuff" (p.84-5):
ANDY GRIFFITH
Andy Griffith, v/prob spoons-1; unknown, hca-2; unknown, tb-3; ?Moe?, p-4; Brownie McGhee, v-5/g; unknown, bj-5; unknown, b; unknown, d-6.
prob Los Angeles, CA, early 1958
The House Of The Rising Sun -2, 6 Capitol T1105, Rhino RNLP70187 [LPs];
Capitol Special Projects C298476-2 [CD]
How Long Blues -3, 4, 6 Capitol T1105 [LP]; CEMA 18938 [CD]
The Crawdad Song -1 Capitol T1105 [LP]; CEMA 18938 [CD]
Good Morning Blues -2, 4, 6 Capitol T1105 [LP]
Police Department Blues -4, 6 Capitol T1105 [LP]; CEMA 18938 [CD]
Careless Love -4, 6 Capitol T1105 [LP]
I Want A Little Girl -3, 4, 6 Capitol T1105 [LP]
Pick A Bale Of Cotton -2, 4, 5, 6 Capitol T1105 [LP]; CEMA 18938 [CD]
The harmonica player on this session is certainly not Sonny Terry.
[Edit: Attempted to avoid the wrap-around of lines but failed miserably so it reproduces a mess]
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Yikes! Andy Griffith singing "How Long", "Careless Love", and "I Want A Little Girl"? Anyone have any idea what this sounds like?
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Yikes! Andy Griffith singing "How Long", "Careless Love", and "I Want A Little Girl"? Anyone have any idea what this sounds like?
I have it on cassette along with a photocopy of front and back LP sleeve but as yet can't lay hand to it. The title of the LP is "Andy Griffith Shouts The Blues & Old Timey Songs". I kid you not! Shouts the blues? Hmm, not from memory he don't. ;D
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Hi all
There seems to be a new movie out, called "The Honeydripper". It's apparently about a juke joint in Alabama in the 50's. Keb' Mo' has a part.
http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=360557
Here's a trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlcamZUs4SQ
Let us know what you think of it, if you go and watch it.
Cheers
Pan
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Hi all,
Fancy a roadtrip in Mississippi?
Here's a trailer of an upcoming movie, "M for Mississippi" which looks interesting:
http://www.mformississippi.com/
Pan
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I saw the Honeydripper the other evening. A gem of a film. Not as much music as many of us might like but a solid blues theme. Iconographic imagery of a bygone era with great acting.
Don't want to spoil it with too much detail. This film deserves wider release.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829193/ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829193/)
If you check out IMDb, click showtimes in the external links section you can see if its playing near you
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Thanks for the info, jhalasey, and welcome to WeenieCampbell. I've really enjoyed a number of John Sayles' movies I've seen. Looking forward to seeing this one.
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Is this the same John Jackson who performed in "Ghost World" and played Blind Blake songs and hailed from West Virginia?
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Doc -
It's the same grave-digger John Jackson that Chuck Perdue "discovered" in the 60s in Rappahanock (sp?) County, VA.. the east of the state: don't know about "Ghost World". He had the typical drawl of one from his region of VA - white or black. Recorded albums for Arhoolie, Rounder, and Alligator, and died a couple of years ago. He was a simply lovely player, and an even lovelier person, if that's possible. Jackson sharedthe bill with Buddy at the recorded concert on Biograph. He knew Buddy's records and volunteered to back him; he also asked that his identity not be written, as he recorded for Arhoolie at the time! This info I got from Arnie Caplin, then owner of Biograph Records. I wrote the liner notes for the LP, my first commission!
Also, you are probably correct that Jeff Espina seconds Buddy on those cuts. Haven't listend to the CD in a while and it's somewhere in a box right now!!
yrs,
Peter B.
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Thank you very much for the information. That's definitely the same John Jackson. He briefly performs in the film "Ghost World", which came out in the late '90s or around the year 2000. He was definitely a fantastic player and I've always found his accent to be unique (maybe because I'm a New Yorker).
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may I humbly add the track list of "Ghost World" (where I don't see the name of John Jackson mentioned) ;D
"Ghost World"
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Daniel Clowes and Terry Zwigoff (of 'Crumb' fame))
- Jaan Pehechaan Ho - Mohammed Rafi
- Graduation Rap - Vanilla, Jade and Ebony
- Devil Got My Woman - Skip James
- I Must Have It - Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
- Miranda - Lionel Belasco
- Pickin' Cotton Blues - Blueshammer
- Let's Go Riding - Mr. Freddie
- Georgia On My Mind - Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
- Las Palmas De Maracaibo - Lionel Belasco
- Clarice - Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
- Scalding Hot Coffee Rag -Craig Ventresco
- You're Just My Type - Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
- Venezuela - Lionel Belasco
- Fare Thee Well Blues - Joe Calicott
- C.C. & O Blues - Pink Anderson & Simmie Dooley
- C-h-i-c-k-e-n Spells Chicken - McGee Bros.
- That's No Way To Get Along - Robert Wilkins
- So Tired - Dallas String Band
also: John Jackson discography (http://www.wirz.de/music/jackson.htm)
Buddy Moss discography (http://www.wirz.de/music/moss.htm)
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He was a simply lovely player, and an even lovelier person, if that's possible.
I'll second that -- the one time I got to see him was at the Adams Ave. festival in San Diego -- he came into the church where he was playing about 20 minutes ahead of time and there were maybe 15 of us sitting around waiting for his concert. He walked over to each and every person, shook hands and introduced himself and thanked us for coming.
Chris
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If John Jackson was in Ghost World, I'm a little surprised, as I've seen it twice and figure I'd have noticed (no guarantee, for sure, since I can miss a lot). But having met him at Port Townsend, I would think I'd have blurted out, "Hey, there's John!" When does he appear in the movie?
One of the nicest guys I've ever met and Port Townsend workshop attendees all remember him fondly. :(
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There's a scene where they're at a club. Buscemi (?) is there to hear a blues picker of the rag-prewar mold who I think is opening for an atrocious blues rock act called Blueshammer . . . ha ha, great parody of all us white boys singing songs about picking cotton . . . I'm assuming the prewar picker is allegedly John Jackson.
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Yes, that's the scene! Buscemi (spelling?) is talking to his date, who knows nothing about Blues but pretends to like it. Steve tries to describe Jackson's music as Ragtime-influenced. After that, Blueshammer takes the stage. Blueshammer is a group of young, white, attractive, blue-eyed, twenty-somethings who sing about the troubles and trials of living a harsh life as a black man in the Delta. It's quite the parody!
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To complicate the tangent a lil' further...
Not 100% sure, but I think the fictional character's name was "Fred Chatman" and the guy who played him was actually named JJ "Bad Boy" Jones. http://www.jjbadboyjones.com/_wsn/page2.html
Was I the only one that started cursing at the screen when Buscemi explained the difference between blues and ragtime by claiming blues=12 bars?
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Not 100% sure, but I think the fictional character's name was "Fred Chatman" and the guy who played him was actually named JJ "Bad Boy" Jones. http://www.jjbadboyjones.com/_wsn/page2.html
Hmm. From that link we learn:
JJ?s former brother in law, Albert King, gave JJ his present name in 1985 in honor of his brother, BB King.
Isn't the Internet wonderful? What did Woody's granddaughter say? Oh. She said "useless." I suppose there actually is a difference between useless and wrong. At least I've never heard that Albert and B.B. shared anything more than a birthplace (Indianola). Or that B.B. stands for Bad Boy -- which I suppose it might well do, in addition to the more usual Blues Boy. Or maybe it's just to render the same initials, so you'd have JJ "BB" Jones. I think at that point you might want to drop the "ones." JJBBJ. Catchy.
But maybe it's me that's wrong. It's happened before, and good lord willing, it'll happen again.
Oh, and one more useless bit. JJ was supposedly the first cousin (and mentor) of Eddie Jones, known as Guitar Slim; Chatman, so spelled, was the real name of the piano player known as Memphis Slim. Coincidence? Yeah, probably; I think the "Chatmon" reference more likely.
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Ha! Never actually read that link. ^-^ Who knows... Maybe it was John Jackson after all! :P
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Good point about Seymour (the character in the film) saying that Blues is a 12-bar musical form. In the early days of Blues, and even with McDowell's recordings in the 1960s, the Blues was certainly not always a 12-bar musical format. I think the Chicago Blues of Muddy really perpetuated the idea that all Blues was done in 12-bars (and Muddy probably has songs that aren't even in that form!). There are other stupid myths about Blues, such as it being the easiest music to play and sing, whereas, in reality, it's actually the hardest music to pull off. There are some quotes on this website from Jerry Ricks, stating something to the effect that it's useless for Jerry and his black and white peers to try to sing like the old black players from the '20s and '30s, and that they should just be themselves. The reason they should stick to this method is that they (or we) simply CAN'T pull of singing like a Son House or Texas Alexander. That's just my opinion, so feel free to criticize. Anyway, we should probably get back to Mr. Moss and his greatness!=)
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Hi all,
Since the last bunch of posts were in a Buddy Moss thread and didn't pertain to Buddy (or John Jackson, as it turned out), I figured I'd move them here since "Ghost World" is a movie with blues-related content.
All best,
Johnm
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From Pasolini's Gospel According To St. Matthew
The embed code is screwy and is coming in twice ...sorry.
O'Muck, don't use youtube's embed code, the forum will embed automatically, all you need is:
http://www.youtube.com/v/uB7DBb3bSvY&hl=en&fs=1
http://www.youtube.com/v/uB7DBb3bSvY&hl=en&fs=1
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I don't know if anyone's mentioned the film "Life" with Eddie Murphy & Martin Lawrence. The tale of two New York small time hustlers sent down to Mississippi to do a bootleg run in the mid thirties.I heard Bo Carter singing Banana in your Fruit Basket, someone who I'm pretty certain was Kokomo Arnold and Parchman Farm, the '39? version (Bukka White) with bass, drums and electric guitar added, doing surprisingly little violence to the original.
I didn't get to watch the whole film, but it seemed pretty typical Hollywood fare with the exception of the music and superior set design and camera work,(notable actually).
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Not Kokomo Arnold but the redoubtable Casey Bill Weldon. Since they share a Yazoo CD I'll forgive my misattribution.
"Two-Timin' Woman"
Written by Casey Bill Weldon (as William Weldon)
Performed by Casey Bill Weldon
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
"Banana in Your Fruit Basket"
Written by Bo Carter (as A. Chatmon)
Performed by Bo Carter
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
"Let Me Roll Your Lemon"
Written by Bo Carter (as A. Chatmon)
Performed by Bo Carter
Courtesy of Shanachie Entertainment Corp.
"Parchman Farm Blues"
Written and Performed by Bukka White
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
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I just saw a mystery/film noir/horror Alan Parker film called "Angel Heart". It has Brownie McGhee playing (?) a role of an old blues musician and performing his song, "Rainy, Rainy Day".
The movie is mostly placed in the 1950's Louisiana and New Orleans and the sound track has some other blues also, like "Honeyman Blues", sung by Bessie Smith and "You've got the Right Key but the Wrong Keyhole", composed by Clarence Williams.
While I liked the film, I, for my misfortune, have just been to an exhibition of Haitian VoDou religious folk art here in Berlin. So being a little more educated on the subject, I found the implications that Voodoo might have something to do with Satanism, simply regrettable.
Other than that, it's an OK thriller movie, starring Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro.
Cheers
Pan
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I just saw a mystery/film noir/horror Alan Parker film called "Angel Heart". It has Brownie McGhee playing (?) a role of an old blues musician and performing his song, "Rainy, Rainy Day".
There's a soundtrack LP of the music (Antilles New Directions 791035-1). The other musicians are apparently Sugar Blue, Pinetop Perkins, Deacon John, Richard Payne and Alonzo Stewart. If I knew where I had put my copy of Chris Smith's "That's The Stuff" BM&ST discography I might've been able to add more. Who knows?
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There's a soundtrack LP of the music (Antilles New Directions 791035-1). The other musicians are apparently Sugar Blue, Pinetop Perkins, Deacon John, Richard Payne and Alonzo Stewart. If I knew where I had put my copy of Chris Smith's "That's The Stuff" BM&ST discography I might've been able to add more. Who knows?
just found this track list at http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/soundtrackdetail.php?movieid=1071
1. Harry Angel (Kingdom Mission, Introducing Mr.Cyphre,Fowler's,Harlem Chase,Lanza's) (07:56)
composed by Trevor Jones, performed by Trevor Jones & Courtney Pine
2. Honeyman Blues (01:18)
composed by G.Brooks, performed by Bessie Smith
3. Nightmare (Secret Lovers) (02:12)
composed by Trevor Jones, performed by Trevor Jones & Courtney Pine
4. Girl Of My Dreams (Saxophone Version) (00:49)
composed by Trevor Jones, performed by Trevor Jones & Courtney Pine
5. I Got This Thing About Chickens (03:43)
composed by Trevor Jones, performed by Trevor Jones & Courtney Pine
6. The Right Key, But The Wrong Keyhole (03:24)
composed by Clarence Williams & Eddy Green, performed by Lilian Boutte
7. Rainy, Rainy Day (01:58)
composed & performed by Brownie McGee
8. Looking For Johnny (Cajuns,Epiphany,I Am An Athe?st,Frightened Eyes Never Lie) (07:29)
composed by Trevor Jones, performed by Trevor Jones & Courtney Pine
9. Bloodmare (Dog Tags) (03:09)
composed by Trevor Jones, performed by Trevor Jones & Courtney Pine
10. Johnny Favorite (04:34)
composed by Trevor Jones, performed by Trevor Jones & Courtney Pine
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Bunker Hill is right, McGhee is indeed performing with a band.
The band members are not listed on any of the soundtrack pages I found either.
You can hear the song on this YouTube video, but unfortunately the actual scene or musicians are not shown:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOQe-HKozoo
Cheers
Pan
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I caught "The Public Enemy" the other night, a Cagney gangster film from 1931. The actor Murray Kinnell plays Putty Nose, who is gunned down as he tries to endear himself to Cagney's character with a pathetic rendition of "Hesitation Blues".
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The scene in Baby Doll, on the porch with the guy playing harp doing Baby Please Dont Go is pretty awesome
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Also everyone here should check out the great Indy documentary called "Who Is Bozo Texino" about hobo moniker culture featuring great soundtrack by Tim Kerr, texas punk/blues innovator doing some country blues instrumental with guitar and fiddle. billdaniel.net
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Hi all,
We watched the movie "Ariel" by the Finnish director Aki Kaurismaki last night. He is the same director who did "The Man Without A Past", and like that movie, "Ariel" has a completely distinctive, flat affect kind of sense of humor. Kaurismaki must be a Country Blues fan, because at one point in "The Man Without A Past" the hero turns on a jukebox and Lemon's "That Crawling Baby Blues" plays. In "Ariel", there's a scene where the hero is looking for a job and Casey Bill's "W.P.A. Blues" plays. It was a nice surprise.
All best,
Johnm
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I was just watching the Eddie Murphy film Metro... In an effort to appear unracist, in the first scene we see bad guy in his house listening to Duke Ellington and he mentions something about looking for a "rare" Robert Johnson record before proceeding to tumolt the black policeman with a knife
...It was barely even a thing, but it brought a smile to my face
Also can someone with one of them counter things find out many times Cold was the night was featured in film soundtracks?
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I don't know if this has been done before but has anyone got a list of blues musicians in movies. I don't mean in movies about blues but things like Brownie McGhee in Angel Heart or Cab Calloway (I know, not strictly speaking a blues musician) in the Betty Boop cartoons.
Cheers,
Doc
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Well there was Furry Lewis in W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings.
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See this thread for more: http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=907.0 (http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=907.0)
Cheers
Pan
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Thanks Pan for finding the thread, I've merged them.
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Hi all,
I saw the new movie, "Le Havre", directed by the Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurasmaki, last night, and as usual for his movies, it had a little Country Blues moment. A young illegal and unintentional immigrant to France from Gabon, Idrissa, who was trying to get to London to be with his mother there, is in the home of the old shoe-shine guy, Marcel Marx, who is trying to get him across to London. Idrissa sees a record sitting on an old record player and sets the tone arm on it . . . and you hear Blind Willie McTell doing "Statesboro Blues", while Idrissa stands transfixed.
I've liked every movie I've seen that was directed by Karasmaki. This one has a great look, very painterly, and his sense of humor is completely distinctive, with a great flat affect, deadpan feel. I don't know whether to say the sense of humor is Finnish or Kaurasmaki's alone, but it's very distinctive, and makes watching his movies a treat for me. Other films by him include "The Man Without A Past", "Ariel", and "Leningrad Cowboys".
All best,
Johnm
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I was thinking of blues guys appearing in movies like this rather than as incidental music or documentary style http://youtu.be/4j-qRIjooQ0 (http://youtu.be/4j-qRIjooQ0)
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While I went through this thread pretty quickly (forgive me if already mentioned) I didn't notice Chris Thomas King being mentioned for his excellent version of "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" in Oh Brother Where Art Thou. I also didn't notice any mention of the Samuel L. Jackson movie "Black Snake Moan" (I think it was called) where he actually played some blues tunes and according to an interview I read - he didn't even play before the movie was made. Talent is talent I guess because he sounded pretty good to my old dead ears!
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It's probably mentioned earlier in the thread, but Sonny Terry had a brief speaking and playing role in "The Color Purple".
All best,
Johnm
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According to IMDB, Brownie McGhee appeared in Angel Heart, The Jerk, Family Ties, Matlock and uncredited in a 1957 film called A Face in the Crowd.
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According to IMDB, Brownie McGhee appeared in Angel Heart, The Jerk, Family Ties, Matlock and uncredited in a 1957 film called A Face in the Crowd.
FWIW the following is from Chris Smith's That's The Stuff: The Recordings of Brownie McGhee, Sonny Terry Stick McGhee & J. C. Burris (Housay Press 1999, 184pp)
ANDY GRIFFITH
Andy Griffith, v; Brownie McGhee, g; unknown, g-1; unknown, b; unknown, d.
prob Los Angeles, CA, late 1956 or early 1957
Free Man In The Morning -1 Capitol F3706; W872 [LP]
Just A Closer Walk With Thee Capitol W872 [LP]
From the soundtrack of the feature film 'A Face In The Crowd', dir Elia Kazan.
Reverse of Capitol P3706 is by Andy Griffith.
Brownie McGhee's participation on these titles has been determined aurally. On 'Free Man In The Morning', he appears to play only during the introductory, acoustic section.
Make of it what one will, as they say.
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"A Face In The Crowd" is a great movie, by the way, particularly during this American election season. It has a level of cynicism that outstrips our current mindset (and if you only know Andy Griffith from "The Andy Griffith Show" or "Matlock," you'll enjoy his excellent playing against type.)
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I believe that Andy Griffith and Brownie McGhee became friends when they both lived in NYC--prior to filming "A Face In The Crowd." When I met Brownie back in the early 1970's, he talked about their friendship and said that Andy Griffith had given him the D-18 (the one with the top crack) as a gift.
I second the recommendation re: "A Face In The Crowd."
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W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings is available for watching, in its entirety, on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj5UQb2dNRo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dj5UQb2dNRo)
(Maybe y'all already knew that; I'm often the last to know.) I wish it were hi-def, but at least we can watch it. It has never been released on DVD, so it's not on Netflix or at your local video store or anything.
Of course you can skip to the Furry Lewis scenes (about two-thirds of the way in). But I recommend you watch the whole movie. It's an interesting and entertaining Southern story, with a country-Western band at its center. Kind of an earlier, Southern-C&W-based Blues Brothers. The band's lead guitarist is Jerry Reed, and you get to see a lot of his playing if you're into that sort of thing. There are a lot of stereotypes in the story of course. But when Furry Lewis (as "Uncle Furry") enters the movie, he is depicted as a kind of embodiment of music and culture, almost a holy man -- which of course is what he was. In the scene where Lewis and Reed jam, it's Lewis who takes the lead (on bottleneck) while Reed comps behind. The movie is surprisingly and satisfyingly respectful to Lewis.
And there's that great story, don't remember where I read it, from the filming of this movie: it seems Lewis was nipping at a half-pint of whiskey, and an assistant director of some other functionary told him that wasn't allowed on the set, and took the bottle away. Star Burt Reynolds heard about that, and the next day called a meeting of all cast and crew and told them something like, "In case y'all haven't met this gentleman, this is Mister Furry Lewis. And Mr. Lewis will do anything he damn well pleases while he's on this movie set." And then Reynolds presented Lewis with a half-gallon of whiskey. Keep that story in mind as you watch the movie, it makes Reynolds and the whole movie more enjoyable.
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Blood of Jesus, early 1940s, by independent black director Spencer Williams, is a weird and beautiful film. Lots of terrific downhome religious music. Some jazz. Only a little bit of blues but it's interesting stuff. The great jook-joint scene, and the crossroads scenes, make it a must-see for CB fans. Enjoy. Cheers, SC
The Blood of Jesus (1941) - Spencer Williams Film (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0QZZ2r3e7s#)
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What about the movie Paris, Texas? Incredibly beautiful soundtrack by Ry Cooder. Kinda reminds be of BWJ's "Dark was the Night" in many parts of the soundtrack, eerie & haunting.
It's on Youtube for those wanting a listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6lbZS8VglI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6lbZS8VglI)