Barbeque John's about-to foray into the world of live public performance got me to thinkin'...What would I do if forced into a similar situation?
Let's say:
Your at your local musical watering hole waiting for the show to start. Tonight it's Blind Weenie Campbell, your favorite. It's about 5 min. past scheduled start time when some mean guy (say...Slack) walks out on stage, spots you and says to you "Hey, glad you're here. Blind Weenie hasn't shown up yet (again!). We need someone, you, to get up and play eight songs while we wait for the Blind one"
You of course say no, but some other mean guy (say....Jed) pulls out his piece and sticks it in your back.
Your on! What eight songs would you play? What are you best CB pieces (no John Denver allowed). Music and words (you of course don't have you lyric sheets).
If any of you don't play, which 8 songs do you WISH you could play in this circumstance?
The audience is stomping, Jed looks trigger happy. Which songs do you play (wish you could play)?
Sorry about the mean streak Alex, but I had a mean as hell Grandmother (mothers side) named Leila (called her "Gramma Lila') - made the mistake of sticking my tongue out at her one time, bad idea. So I blame her for the mean streak, which I refer to as the 'Gramma Lila Mean Gene". Don;t know what excuse Jed has.
In any case, my shakey set would be, in no particular order:
Rising River Blues Rocks and Gravel Frankie (ala Calicott) As Long As I can See you Smile (been working on and enjoying this one) Police Dog Blues (or maybe Gambler Blues - need to get in open tuning more often) Church Bell Blues Rattle Snakin' Daddy (This would be for the wimin in the audience) Hard Time Blues
You of course say no, but some other mean guy (say....Jed) pulls out his piece and sticks it in your back.
I hope Jed can't run as fast as me!
Someday in the hopefully not to distant future:
Catfish Blues- Robert Petway Red Cross Store- Mississippi Fred McDowell (acoustic) Sweet Mama Rollin' Stone- Scott Dunbar Death Letter Blues- Son House Lawdy Lawdy Worried Blues- Blind Teddy Darby Gallis' Pole- Leadbelly Ridin' On Down- Big Bill Bronzy Forty-Four Blues- Scott Dunbar (two of his 'cause he sounds like he is havin' so much fun singin' the blues)
Gotta go practice?
« Last Edit: April 11, 2005, 11:49:36 PM by Johnm »
1. Kindhearted Woman Blues - R. Johnson. Start off with a hit! 2. Crosscut Saw - Tony Hollins. One everybody would know and sort of autobiographical 3. I Got Mine - Franks Stokes. Now that I know the words... 4. Stove Pipe Stomp - BB Broonzy. An instrumental! 5. Spreadin' Snake Blues - BB Broonzy. As Slack would say, for the wimin. 6. Chump Man Blues - Blind Blake. You can't beat a blues in D. 7. Rollin' From Side to Side - Little Hat Jones. Gotta love those dissenences 8. Nothin' in Ramblin' - Memphis Minnie. Lots of practice lately.
Well, I'd realistically need to practice a couple of these a bit more and memorize some more lyrics but:
1. Canned Heat Blues - Tommy Johnson 2. Keep It Clean - Charley Jordan 3. Tootie Blues - Blind Blake 4. Pistol Slapper Blues - Blind Boy Fuller 5. Down the Dirt Road Blues or Pony Blues - Charley Patton 6. Jailhouse Blues - Robert Wilkins 7. Let's Get Drunk Again - Bo Carter (via Bookbinder) 8. Easy Rider or Chock House Blues - Blind Lemon Jefferson
I'm about to do some "performances" at a couple of local nursing homes. Here's what I'll be subjecting my audiences to:
Turn Your Money Green / Furry Lewis Mississippi Blues / one Willie Brown or another Frankie / MJH version Sportin' Life Blues / Brownie McGhee Boats Up the River / John Jackson Nighttime is the Right Time / Mance Lipscomb Gambler's Blues / Lil Son Jackson Beulah Land / MJH
For the inevitable curtain call, I'll play Rapahannock Blues by John Jackson.
Hmm...given my fading memory as I age, there would need to be some long guitar breaks on these...
Big Bill Blues -- BBBroonzy (C) Good Old Wagon -- B. Smith (E) Oh Papa -- Ma Rainey, but learned an instrumental version (E. Schoenberg) (G) Careless Love -- cobbled together from a (horrors!) Dr. John piano arrangement (E) Winin' Boy -- JRM (G) How Long Blues -- LCarr (D) Blues in A (G capoed up a couple) (can't think of the name of that tune JoAnn Kelly did..."Folks may call you pigmeat..." One of those BBHawkins tunes in open G (Might try to sneak in Waitin' For A Train - Jimmie Rodgers)
Well, I'll just consult the set list from my last little coffee house gig. After removing "Country Roads" and "You Fill Up My Senses"? , it looks something like:
1. Windy And Warm (a la Doc Watson & Chet Atkins) 2. Kansas City Blues (Jim Jackson - pretty much stolen from Paul Rishell) 3. Goin' To The River (got this from a Cephas & Wiggins CD) 4. Lovesick Blues (my fingerstyle arrangement of the Hank Williams hit) 5. I Get The Blues (Bo Carter) 6. Weeping Willow (Blind Boy Fuller) 7. Walking My Troubles Away (BB Fuller) 8. Guitar Highway (my arrangement of the Brownie McGee tune)
« Last Edit: April 11, 2005, 11:51:35 PM by Johnm »
I'd probably take the bullet since I's juggling a seriously deconstructed fusion repertoire at this time... but if there was no one else who was dying, so to speak, to get up there:
1. Nobody - Bert Williams 2. Smoke That Cigarette - Travis 3. Davenport Blues - Bix 4. Lazy river - Hoagy 5. Steel Guitar Rag - lapsteel, various 6. Railroad Blues - Sam McGee, segue into... Blue Railroad Train - Delmores 7. Mister Sandman-a-la-Chet 8. Big Bad Bill - Yellen/Ager
In the unlikely event of an encore, perhaps a RGD medley, Hesitation / Candyman / Cocaine / True Religion.
Not totally Country Blues I admit but that's where my head is at.
Well, if he's got a piece leveled at my head, I play
1--Mississippi Blues (William Brown) and play it real slow to give Blind Weenie time to arrive He's not here yet, so 2--It'll Be Me (Jack Clement) 3--Milwaukee Blues (Charlie Poole, Steve James' version, sort of) 4--Louise (Paul Rishell's version) 5--Careless Love (BBFuller) 6--Candyman (MJH) 7--Jesus on the Mainline (Washington Phillips?) 8--Septic Tank Man (my song ,to kill 'em at the end)
I'm not sure if this topic should be in Preformance Corner, but it's a good one to revive. How' bout some others getting us know about your eight song set list you'd do whilst waiting for "the Blind One".
First I'd want to know what BWC would have been paid had he turned up. Then I'd ask for double and donate it to Weenie Juke Radio (as I'm sure the rest of you already have....). Then: Broke and Hungry - William Brown Racketeer's Blues - Lonnie Johnson 32-20 - robert Johnson How Come you Do Me...? - Buddy Boy Hawkins Wild WAter Blues - Kokomo Arnold Yo yo blues - BBQ Bob Send Me an Angel - Blind Willie McTell Blind Arthur's Breakdown - Billy James and his Guitar!
G-Rag (A. Baxter/GA Yellowhammers) Highway 61 (Jack Kelly) We Both Are Feeling Good Right Now (MS Sheiks) Crow Jane (C. Martin) Curly Headed Woman (Burnett & Rutherford) K.C. Railroad Blues (A & J Baxter) Baby, How Can It Be? (Bo Carter w/Lonnie Chatmon) She's Crazy 'Bout Her Lovin' (MS Sheiks)
Hunkie Tunkie (Charley Jordan) Hambone Blues (Ed Bell via johnm) Weeping Willow (Blind Boy Fuller) Louis Collins (John Hurt) Conversation about women, relationships, and train wrecks while I retune Maybelline (Chuck Berry, to a modification of Furry Lewis's Kassie Jones accompaniment) Conversation about how humor doesn't translate over time and across cultures very well while I retune Don't Like The Things You Do (Teddy Darby) Diddy Wah Diddy (Blind Blake's words, Blind Boy Fuller's You Got Something There on the guitar) Keep It Clean (Charley Jordan)
For an encore... Southern Casey Jones (Jesse James)
And to quiet the crowd so I could get off stage... I Am A Pilgrim (no idea where this came from)