Sonny Liston with third man theme

[twm]

The way the festival was arranged, the afternoon concerts were mainly jazz-based and the evening concerts were mostly blues/r'n'b/soul performers, though the split was not aways precise. Please bear in mind that the organisers didn't always stick to the artists advertised on the handbills and personal memories can be fallible.

With this said, the same concert is listed as: Georgie Fame; The Action; Diane and Nicky; The Alan Bown Set; The Harry South Orchestra featuring Tubby Hayes; Bluesology; The Blue Flames; Eric Clapton - Jack Bruce - Ginger Baker. I cannot recall Diane and Nicky at all nor, I regret to say, Bluesology, though the latter would probably have included Reg Dwight at the piano, back then.  I can't recall whether Georgie Fame played with his Blue Flames but he did play with the Harry South Orchestra.

Incidentally, we also went to the Derek & the Dominoes tour in the early 1970s, attending the show in Glasgow. I still have the programme book I bought at that show.

If you're interested in reports of old shows, let's go back to the roots of the blues. These are from my notes written in the 1965 American Folk Blues Festival programme book, which I attended in late 1965:-

Part One:

1. J B Lenoir: Alabama Blues/I Feel So Good (with Freddie Below) / Remove The Rope From Around My Neck

2. Big Walter Shakey Horton: Crazy About You baby/ The Blues Is A Feeling/ instrumental (all with the group - Freddie Below, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Lee and Eddie Boyd)

3. Lonesome Jimmy Lee: Rosalee (with Freddie Below)

4. Eddie Boyd: Twenty-Four Hours / Come On Home Where You Belong / Five Long Years (all with group)(

5. Buddy Guy: Love My Baby / Got An Angel For A Baby / Out of Sight


Part Two:

1. Doctor Ross: My baby Done Wrong / I Feel So Good I Wanna Boogie / Mama Gone Told Me - Blues In The Night / Fox Chase

2. Roosevelt Sykes: Night Time Is The Right Time / Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone / Run This Boogie / Pinetop's Boogie

3. Mississippi Fred McDowell: Glory Hallelujah / I Want Jesus To Stand By Me / See What My Lord Has Done

4. Big Mama Thornton (accompanied by the group): 24 Hours Of The Day / The Night Time Is The Right Time / Hound Dog

The last named may well have been the "finale" with all of the performers.

Unfortunately, I don't have notes for the previous year's show that I also attended but the 1965 programme book lists the following as the performers in 1964 (in order of appearance):

Sonny Boy Williamson*, Sunnyland Slim, Hubert Sumlin, Willie Dixon, Clifton James, Lightnin' Hopkins, Sleepy John Estes, Hammie Nixon, Sugar Pie Desanto, John Henry Barbee*, Howlin' Wolf.

Hammie Nixon played with Sleepy John Estes, as I recall, rather than in his own right. My memory also suggests that the two asterisks mean that John Henry Barbee fell ill and went home and that Sonny Boy Williamson substituted. I don't recall Barbee as performing at the show I attended but I think Sonny Boy did. I can recall Sugar Pie Desanto on stage dancing beside and/or around Howlin' Wolf but, if my memory is right, this was probably the finale. Howlin' Wolf, you see, topped the bill (a large man who prowled the stage and growled his lyrics in a rather menacing way) and the recently-deceased Hubert Sumlin, who played on a lot of the Wolf's records, appeared in his own right as well as supporting other artists on the tour - as I recall. anyway.

[JF]

omg, awesome, wonderful, fabulous, a dream 

how lucky you are to been gone to these gigs

my fav EC's era : Cream / Bind faith / Derek & dominoes


If I had a time machine.......
woodstock, Monterey, flower power, prog rock, british blues boom, psyche rock,
Hendrix, Floyd, Beatles, Stones, Clapton, Led Zep, Who, Santana, CSN&Y, Doors, Deep Purple, Genesis, Yes, Queen, Dylan......

......aaaarghh.....Why was I born in 71 ?

yes I know, some of them are still alive and touring, but it's not the "real" thing you know

When I read you review about you BEING THERE during this legendary rock era.......well it's just a dream for me 

Love your stories twm, tell us more more more 

[dmg]

You've got to remember that it's all very exciting sounding in retrospect but at the time I often wonder just how much all this cultural extravaganza (for want of a better description) was taken for granted and just seen as like going to see a popular band nowadays.

But as J-F says knowing what we know now and using a time machine...

[JF]

You've got to remember that it's all very exciting sounding in retrospect but at the time I often wonder just how much all this cultural extravaganza (for want of a better description) was taken for granted and just seen as like going to see a popular band nowadays.

Yes I totally agree, you can't have the same distance with art in general when it's contempory to you.

But I think that cinema, music, literature were more exciting, innovating, exploring, spiritual, with sense, more "free", in the 60's and 70s than nowadays

To me, the best rock decade is from 67 to 77 : from Sergent Pepper to.......DS early demos and then comes the DS thing which is in my heart "apart" from all other rock music I like.
DS had his time in the 80's, but to me it's not an 80's band, it's a band "out of time" 
(what I call 80's band are : Cure, Depeche Mode, Spandau ballet, Duran Duran, Tears for fears, U2 ....)


just my humble opinion of course 

[tunnel85]

[quote author=Jean-Fran

[twm]

Being older has a number of compensations (a different perspective on life in all its wonderful aspects, your memories become more important to you and carry a certain fascination for those who are younger, a lesser likelihood of being ensnared by fashion and fashionable trends, a chance to reflect more, some say you gain wisdom, and so on) but it also carries certain burdens. I shan't add to your burdens by enumerating mine.

"dmg" is right to the extent that one attended and particpated in what was going on at the time, rather than being aware of its long-term cultural significance. This means that, by and large, one took part in a raft of activities that have not had a long-term impact and yet enjoyed them greatly at the time. For example, I went quite a few times to see a group called The Barrow Poets who were essentially just that - people delivering poems (not just their own) with a fairly simple, not to say crude on occasions, musical accompaniment. Most commonly, I saw them in a pub called The Printer's Devil. They were fun evenings but are never mentioned these days, though the group did make some albums.  I used to go to folk clubs and several times saw, for example, Bert Jansch, John Renbourne, Roy Harper and Ralph McTell playing (not to mention visiting Americans like Jesse Fuller and Tom Paxton). There were all-nighters in small, scruffy basement places in Soho in London. There was no radiogram or record player at home, so it was down to listening to the radio (a more limited choice in those days) and going out to live gigs. Being young and a student, I was limited financially as to what I could afford to attend. 

Later, I got married and moved to Scotland, where it was mostly major stars on tour (Rolling Stones, The Who, Taste and so on) and, later still, we had children whereupon attending live gigs was very much a rare extravagance (having moved from "two incomes/two mouths" to "one income/five mouths" in as many years).

I still look back with a certain regret on those people I didn't see. For example, when at school, a chum would encourage me to go with him to the local Eel Pie Island to see the Stones but I never went.  A little later, I missed the chance to see Jimi Hendrix live. Later still, I only discovered that Segovia had played a concert a few miles away after it had taken place (I have over 40 Segovia CDs incidentally).

This is my way of saying it's swings and roundabouts. When I was young, there were  about 50 years of popular music to investigate and it was much less easy to find it then. The first American jazz band to come to Britain was the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, which was around the time of World War 1, and, when at school, I was knowledgeable enough about them to bet on a horse called "Indiana" simply because it was an ODJB number. For people today, there is nigh on 100 years of popular music to delve into and it is more readily available than ever. In addition, there is all this so-called "World Music" swirling around, which was barely the case when I was young. The task facing young people interested in popular music is therefore enormous. I would encourage those same young people not only to look forward to the new music that is coming along but also to look back at how we got to where we are now. We are all links on a chain. I can tell you of my past musical experiences and you will be able to tell those who follow us of yours. Indeed, one could say that it is your duty to do so.

Finally, as this is a section dealing with Knopfler and Dylan, I will add another thought. Many a commentator has said that Dylan is "elusive". I hold to the view that he is more "allusive" than "elusive". He is a repository of the musical past and what he writes and what he performs and what he says, in interview and on the Theme Time Radio Hour shows, alludes to many other things, both within music and without. Within music, there is a book which simply goes through all of Bob Dylan's performance of songs not written by him; the book runs to over 300 pages.

Go explore!

[superval99]

You've got to remember that it's all very exciting sounding in retrospect but at the time I often wonder just how much all this cultural extravaganza (for want of a better description) was taken for granted and just seen as like going to see a popular band nowadays.

But as J-F says knowing what we know now and using a time machine...

I agree entirely, dmg.  

In 1961, I worked in the next street to Mathew Street in Liverpool - the home of the Cavern.  My friends and myself regularly went to the lunch-time sessions and one of the bands playing there was The Beatles.   Of course, this was before they were famous, but to us, they sounded pretty good.    If only I had known what was to happen, I would have asked for their autographs!  

[dustyvalentino]

You've got to remember that it's all very exciting sounding in retrospect but at the time I often wonder just how much all this cultural extravaganza (for want of a better description) was taken for granted and just seen as like going to see a popular band nowadays.

But as J-F says knowing what we know now and using a time machine...

I agree entirely, dmg.  

In 1961, I worked in the next street to Mathew Street in Liverpool - the home of the Cavern.  My friends and myself regularly went to the lunch-time sessions and one of the bands playing there was The Beatles.   Of course, this was before they were famous, but to us, they sounded pretty good.    If only I had known what was to happen, I would have asked for their autographs!  

      

(Although in 40 years time people will be similarly amazed that I saw MK live )

[twm]

I'm sure that's absolutely true. In the decades to come, when our favoured musicians are no longer active musically, then those who follow us will look back with a mixture of incredulity and wonder, while all we have really done is to follow our own interests and inclinations. And set out to enjoy ourselves. 

Changing tack a little, I mentioned the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in a previous post. Their leader was the cornet player "Nick" LaRocca (his real name being Dominick LaRocca, incidentally).  Anyway, I've often thought that many a modern musician would like to have been named "LaRocca".

The ODJB made the first ever jazz recording incidentally - about 95 years ago! However, that was not the first popular musical recording. I never knew my grandfather on my mother's side and one the few things of his that I have is a postcard sent to him, thanking him for some "band" records that he had sent someone. On this postcard, my grandfather had written "List sent". So my grandfather was trading records around 100 years ago!

[vgonis]

Dusty, I wouldn't be very impressed just because someone saw live a musician, no matter how great. I, for myself, am not the kind of guy that would go around bragging about seeing Knopfler or whoever. Part of it, is why I do not enjoy concerts the last decade. Too many people going just to be able to say"I've been there, I've seen him live". (The other part is that I hate the big arena concerts. No contact with the music and artist).
However I like the stories, just as stories from a fan to another, and maybe containing pieces of insights that can be retrieved only through fan's eyes at the artists "off" hours.

[twm]

Another story (quite long, I'm afraid) about how we met Vaclav Havel, who died recently, through our interest in popular music.

A few years back, my wife and I were in Prague for a short city break. I had gone there in 1995 to attend three Bob Dylan concerts (I only managed two but that's another story) and had stayed in a hotel overlooking the venue. It was not in the city centre but adjacent to a metro station. We decided to stay in the same location, though a different hotel. On the first morning, we took the metro into the city and, as we were walking around, we saw an advert for a Suzanne Vega concert the next day in the same venue in which I'd seen Dylan (right next to our hotel). It was a coincidence that we saw the advert, because it was one of those digital ones where the advert changes constantly. We tried to get tickets in town but failed and the ticket agence suggested we try the venue, which we did when we returned to our hotel. As it happens, there was nothing on at the venue that night and it was closed up - second coincidence! On getting to the hotel, I asked about getting tickets and they said to try the venue in the morning and that it opened at 10 o'clock. We said we couldn't do that because we had booked a city tour, starting in the city centre early on the following morning - third coincidence! The reception staff said that was a shame because Miss Vega was staying in our hotel - fourth coincidence! I decided to write a note and to leave it at reception. I explained the circumstances and stressed that we were not looking for freebies but would be keen to attend the show. I left the note at reception the next day, set off for our city tour and, after a spot of lunch and a bit of shopping, we returned to our hotel. There was no message for us. Some time later, we got a call. It was the American tour manager saying that he'd seen our note and had arranged for two tickets to be left for us, though he couldn't say where we would be seated. I thanked him profusely, asked about paying and he said they were guest tickets - and to make sure to seek him out after the concert. We got ready, shot off to the venue and found the seats were almost at the back of the balcony. Beggars can't be choosers but, on my previous visit to the venue, I'd been in Row 2 at the front, so it was a contrast but the sound was good and we enjoyed the show. Afterwards, we fought against the flow of the outgoing audience and met up with the American tour manager. We thanked him again, said how much we'd enjoyed the show and he introduced to his assistant - a Brit from Brighton. He joshed us about being cheapskates and I said we'd been prepared to pay. He said, "We know but we appreciated your initiative". We all parted and, as we left, we were handed a flyer for an after-show party. We enquired about it and were told it was basically going to a nearby discotheque (that is, not really an after-show party but a commercial enterprise advertising itself). Being tired from the day's outing followed by the concert, we declined - fifth coincidence! Back at our hotel, we decided on a night-cap, only to find that the bar (and the restaurant) were closed for a private function - sixth coincidence! We could, however, get served drinks in the lobby, which was pretty full, so we ended up sitting fairly close to the main doors - seventh coincidence! As we were sipping our drinks, we noticed the American tour manager come in and speak to the reception desk (not a surprise, I suppose, as the tour party members were staying there). As he was about to leave, he saw us, came over and invited us to the aftershow party. We said we had already declined the offer. He said, "No, this is the real aftershow party". We downed our drinks and off we went. We got our wristbands and sailed in, through the discotheque into a very large back room, with a free bar and lots of food. We met up with the British assistant who introduced us to some English-speaking people (translators, local agents and so on). and we had a great time. The Brit pointed out Suzanne Vega, sitting on a couch, and said she was talking to Vaclav Havel, who we couldn't really see. Anyway, some time later, Vaclav Havel (and his security) got up to leave and, as he was about to pass us, he turned to the British guy, whom he'd evidently met earlier, to shake his hand and say goodbye. I slipped in behind the Brit and extended my hand, which Havel shook, and I said it was an honour to meet him. My wife, taking her cue from me, slipped in behind me and also got to shake Havel's hand. So, there, we have both met Vaclav Havel! And all based on a series of coincidences; if any one had been absent, none of that would have happened.

There was no chance for a photograph but we did have our picture taken with Suzanne Vega later.

[tunnel85]

twm, I'm always impressed by your great stories !
May your posts always be read.

Lucky coincidences. 
So what did you sing after the show ? "My name is Lucky" ?

[vgonis]

TWM, nice story, thank you! Too bad Frank Zappa declined to be minister of culture.

[Pottel]

Awesome, as always. Andres segovia? The master himself, about time I delve into his stuff. Never had coincidences like the 7 you just described with mk or bd? (or any other artist for that matter?)

[koobaa]

Nice story, twm. Seven coincidences in a row are no longer coincidences, that was simply meant to be!