They've got blues books out there that tell a little about everybody-his name and what songs he sang-but they don't have none of the actual blues experience involved...Ninety-nine percent of the people that wrote stories about the blues gave people phony ideas and this gave the blues a bad reputation. They had people believing the blues was a low down-type of music and underestimating the blues one hundred percent. The majority of people have been taught to stay away from the blues because the world didn't actually want you to understand what the blues want. -Willie Dixon
Here, we will search for the truth about the blues. My grandmother, Frankie Lee Wallace, who, along with her cousins, one Victoria Spivey had been a tent minstrel entertainer
in her youth, said "the blues is that old "backwards" music and the Lord doesn't approve of you singing those songs, child." She really meant backwoods.
My mother, Fronnie Mae Brush Smallwood
sang the blues in the brothels, movie theatres and the juke joints of Houston. She never disapproved of my singing the blues, as a matter of fact she supported my efforts.
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Where are they headed? How have they been able to teach, heal and entertain for over a century and still be misunderstood? Are the Blues really a feeling, as James Fraher's photos so vividly exhibits in his books, a philosophy, both, or more? Have the Blues died or are they constantly being reborn? What can America's youth learn from the Blues?
When we perform in the schools or festivals, the children are exuberant about the Blues and the beat. The beat is what makes the difference. Not the words. One of my grandchildren made up a Blues song at one of our performances
and told a Blues story about his knees after playing football at school. My four year old grandchild wrote his first Blues song about himself and
sang with all his heart, going to the changes with very little effort as he sang about "Little Oley". I cannot deny that there are many Blues songs which I would not approve of my kids or grandchildren singing, but, that also applies to other American Art forms as well.
My oldest daughter, Fatiyah, is a Gospel
music producer. She recently wrote a
Gospel song, entitled, "No Mama, I can't Sing the Blues Because the Lords been to Good to Me." Well, my response to her Gospel Blues song is "no, child you don't have to sing the Blues, because I sing the Blues and I have paid the dues so you will not have to sing the Blues." This is the type of criticism that we receive from the Religious factions. They fail to realize that just as our parents many years ago sang in the fields about the hardships and oppressions endured by our forefathers, they also sang the "Holy Roller" songs after working to give the other slaves information on how to escape, meetings and solace. The blues, which are the songs of life, express love pain and suffering, bad relationships and just downright happy times as well.
Just as many other Artist I started singing in the church and even attended for over 2 years a Baptist school of Theology. The school was supposed to be supported by the Southern Baptist Community and churches, but, many of the teachers had not been paid for many months and years. They stayed with us because of their love of the Lord. We raised our own food in the fields and cattle. We did our own housework and went to Chapel five times day. I saw more so called sin at the school by future Ministers and even at the church than I have ever encountered in the worst of joints and clubs in my 40 some years of being in the business. in my "Blues in the Schools" education program, I sing gospel and early spiritual songs to show the relationship between the Blues musical form and the spiritual "Blues" form with chants, field hollers, call and
response. It is all the same other than the lyrics.
Can we examine the ways in which Blues music, politics, and scholarship can improve our understanding of the music? Why are Blacks afraid to admit that the so called Jazz they so profoundly embrace as the "Bomb" is still more of the same eight and twelve bar blues they scat and play ninety nine choruses at the "Jazz Bars" and clubs. Listen to Charlie Parker, Wynton Marsailles, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitgerald, Duke Ellington and many others too numerous to name!
Just as the Blues is misunderstood so is the "new Blues" of the younger generation with their "Rap" and "Hip Hop" stories. True, some of the lyrics are not recommendable, but, they do express the same problems plagued by Americans of all color. The "new Blues"
expresses the anger against the system, the lack of economic success, fear and anger! If you can surf past the filthy lyrics and suggestive beats, you can find your self back in the jungles of Africa or at the slave camp meetings ready to call and respond! Oh yeah! Say Hey! Raise your hands in the air and wave 'em around like you just don't care!
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