The evolution of the blues written and performed by Jon Hendricks was a direct critique of where the blues emanated from. It was a reminder of the gospel tinged spirituals of the church and the preachers who slung a guitar over themselves to sing and pick and lament those lost days in the fields picking cotton in slavery.
Cats like the Reverend Gary Davis, John Lee Hooker,Indianola's own BB King, Muddy Waters, Blind Willie Johnson, Mississippi Fred McDowell epitomized this pan African struggle for basic human rights. They did this through the medium of records which gave these performers identities for younger white cats in Chicago and New York and Marin County who heard these sounds and then plugged in.
My guest today is part of this generation who not only got to hear their heroes on the radio, but saw them up close with no teeth and in some cases had to sight guide them to their various gigs. In some cases they got to perform with them because of the regionalized economic wizardry of Bill Graham and Chet Helms who catered to music events which spoke to music. Not stratified in some genre necessitated label making funny farm but rather saw to it that young white bands shared the stage with soul acts and gospel and blues heck even the preservation hall jazz band.
Bob Weir told me you can listen to these players but you really learn by playing with them. Relishing in their stage presence and eccentricities and calmness. Less is more, look beyond the surface and tell a story.
My guest has been weaving musical stories for the last 5 decades. He was one of the Sons of Bill Champlin who enjoyed going to the original Fillmore and catching Sam and Dave along with James Browm at the Cow Palace, tripping with Phil Lesh and playing hootenannies with Janice Joplin and Jorma Kaukonen. He grew up with the sounds of Barney Kessel, Tal Farlow and his pops. He is an original seeker of sound who was an inspiration to both Carlos Santana and Jerry Garcia.
The Sons were a sophisticated Mix of Blue Eyed Soul. They came out if the same school as Canned Heat, Boz Scaggs and Michael Bloomfield. The music has an Oakland funk flavor because of KSAN, Voco and the general creativity of a group of cats who expanded consciousness through legal LSD to see and feel how life really could be. Odd meters, hyperactive vocal harmonies and a bouncing melodic structure helped them stand out gain an identity and provide that essential link in the chain for modern day and future sound seekers....
Loosen Up Naturally. Terry Haggerty welcome to the JFS