Country Blues > Down the Dirt Road
Cecil Barfield
Blueshome:
For those who haven't already found this:
http://dlgmedia1-www.galib.uga.edu/gfc/player/gfc-1956.html
lindy:
Wow, on so many levels, wow!
I just watched the first half-hour--it's a whole hour and 45 minutes of Cecil playing and talking!
For some reason from descriptions given by Oddenda, I was under the impression that Cecil was a bit of a recluse and superstitious about having his picture taken. According to this video, I really misinterpreted those posts--Cecil seems happy to be chatting and playing in front of a video camera, though it will take weeks, perhaps months, to figure out what he's saying/singing.
Thanks for this!
Lindy
Kokomo O:
Oh, man, you've just committed me to an hour and 45 that I can't spare! Cecil's a bloody genius of a player and singer, for whom we all have Peter to thank for recording him. That said, he's even less intelligible than Charley Patton.
oddenda:
Folks -
I'll accept the kudos regarding Cecil, but it all began with Jim Pettigrew doing a piece for Brown's Guide to Georgia back in 1976. HE is the one who first located Cecil and wrote him up as an important performer in that journal. I sicced Mitchell onto him (Cecil!) - loaning him my recorder and mics that resulted in the "William Robertson" session (and later recordings and an album for Southland) - as I went North for the holidays in 1977. I got to him in '79 for a full session. I think his attitudes must have changed over time, for Axel Kustner and Siggi Christmann had no problems regarding cameras or recordings. Cecil's situation was right up there with Guitar Shorty (John Henry Fortescue) for sheer poverty. It ain't pretty or romantic in the slightest.
pbl
p.s. - I have a GREAT photograph I took of the man that may see the light of day in the foreseeable future. As Kokomo knows, I have been reunited with my negatives. Watch this space, or my web site peterblowry.com.
p.p.s. - Before I worked with Alan Lomax, he came up to "Trix Acres" from NYC to check me out. I gave him the issued Trix albums and played some unreleased stuff. Cecil blew him away*: Alan always was a sucker for a good song or a good singer! Cecil was both!!!
* as did Peg Leg Sam, and Henry Johnson.
btasoundsradio:
i wasnt able to make the link to the footage work, but i found this on youtube: i'm assuming is also part of the the video?
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version