www.londonconvention.org http://www.londonconvention.org Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 The Most Important Women In Blues http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/16/the-most-important-women-in-blues/ http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/16/the-most-important-women-in-blues/#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.londonconvention.org/&p=11 I love blues music by today’s female singers. Alicia Keys, Aretha Franklin Queen of Soul, and my favorite blues song of Tina and Ike Turner’s Proud Mary. I always thought this song was wrote by Tina or Ike but I found out that the lyrics were actually written by John Fogerty of Credence Clear water in 1969.
The lyrics are about working in Memphis as a washer woman but then going to New Orleans on a riverboat named Proud Mary. But Ike and Tina changed the rhythm of the song making it from a rock song to a blues song. They gave it a faster beat and with Tina throws her heart, body and soul into the song giving it a life of it’s own. You feel it and you become part of that life while you listen to it. This is what blues music is all about experiencing the pain, agony, laughter and triumph of the singer. Proud Mary is rolling down the river and so are you, away from your job you hate and now with good people on the riverboat to a new and better life.
Christina Aguilar can sing soul without a doubt and I love how she can belt out those high tunes. But before her there were woman who did not just sing the blues but lived the blues. Nina Simone was one of the best female blues singer in my mind. She wrote over 500 songs and was female jazz singer of the year in 1967. When she was young and in school she had applied to the Julliard School of Music and was denied, she believes it was because she was African American. She became a civil right’s activist and a feminist. Listen to her album The Great Show Live in Paris and your ears will hear her greatest hits recorded in 1968. It is raw and blues in it’s purest form.
Another legendary diva that some Americans might not know is Edith Piaf. To me she was the ultimate blues singer. This four foot French woman was what blues is all about. She was born in 1915 to a mom who could not take care of her, her dad worked in the circus, she was raised by her grandmother who ran a brothel and to top it all off she became temporarily blind when she was a little girl. The prostitutes in the brothel took her to a sainted statue where she prayed and her sight was restored. At 14 years of age she literally sang on the streets of France for money. She had no studio, no producer and no fancy clothes. Her only equipment was her voice. Now that is rough and raw. Eventually she was discovered and her career took off. Edith was known as the Little Sparrow. Even with her success her life was still hard, she had a baby that died and a lover that died in a tragic plane crash. She became addicted to painkillers and eventually died at the young age of 47 of cancer. I recommend listening to ” The very best of Edith”, released in 2002. She had one of the most unique voices with power coming from all her being. Even in french lyrics you know it’s the blues and you can not be helped but be moved.What-s 1 more click? Your boss isn-t watching… Young Austin and No Difference

]]> http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/16/the-most-important-women-in-blues/feed/ 0 The Best Blues Artists Of The Last Decade http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/12/the-best-blues-artists-of-the-last-decade/ http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/12/the-best-blues-artists-of-the-last-decade/#comments Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.londonconvention.org/&p=10 The best blues artist of the last decade is Riley B. King better known as B.B. King. He has been performing blues music for over five decades and is known by the world as “The King of the Blues.” He started recording in the 1950′s and has since released over fifty albums. His story of becoming a blues artist is remarkable. He started off playing on street corners for a dime in the small town of Bena Mississippi. In 1947 he decided to take the next step in becoming an artist and hitch-hiked his way to Memphis Tennessee. His first big break came in 1948 when he had the chance to perform on a West Memphis radio show. Riley King was first known as “Beale Street Blues Boy” which was then shortened to “Blues Boy King” which eventually turned into the name he is best known for now, “B.B. King.” He has since become a household name known as the best blues artist of all times. He is also now a successful business man with blues clubs scattered through out the country. In his mid seventies now he still tours and performs over 250 shows around the world each year.

]]> http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/12/the-best-blues-artists-of-the-last-decade/feed/ 0 The Most Influential Blues Artists Of All Time http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/10/the-most-influential-blues-artists-of-all-time/ http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/10/the-most-influential-blues-artists-of-all-time/#comments Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.londonconvention.org/&p=9 The Blues Artists Par Excellence
Today’s best musicians lay claim to inspiration from the most influential blues artists of all time. One name stands out above the rest: Robert Johnson. His lyrics, music and style are the origins of many contemporary blues artists’ styles. Add to this list Honeyboy Edwards, Big Mama Thornton, BB King, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley and it becomes a road map for history of the blues. The blues sound can be identified in music of Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Janis Joplin and even heavy metal artist Jimmie Hendrix.

The Immortality Of The Blues
What began in the deep south of the USA as a signature style of music and lyrics spread its influence to modern day rock and rhythm and blues music. Amazingly, the most influential blues artists were self-taught musicians with an inherent sensitivity to sound. A single blue note from a Delta Blues artist became a personal logo.

That’s Why They Call It The Blues
It’s easy to understand how coming from humble roots brought home inspiration in Robert Johnson’s blues. No matter what the rhythm or tempo, the depth of blues mood infuses the resulting sound and autographs it “The Blues”.

]]> http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/10/the-most-influential-blues-artists-of-all-time/feed/ 0 I Want To Listen To The Chicago Blues http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/07/i-want-to-listen-to-the-chicago-blues/ http://www.londonconvention.org/2011/09/07/i-want-to-listen-to-the-chicago-blues/#comments Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000 admin http://www.londonconvention.org/&p=8 If you love the sound and stylings of blues music, and you want that classic Chicago artist’s sound, but you do not live in the Windy City, you can still find the style in local small time coffee shops, and blues clubs where you live. There are many small clubs where you can find the most classic blues music around, no matter where you may live. The smaller the clubs, the more likely you are going to find the sounds you are looking for. These smaller clubs hire only the best of the best, and they are hidden gems in any city you may live in. So, rather than visit the big fancy clubs, which offer the best music in town, you are going to want to find the small hidden underground clubs where you live, in order to find the music you really want to hear. These are the artists who are not playing for the money, but rather, they are those who play because they really love the music, and love sharing their style with other fans out there. So, to find the true Chicago blues you are looking for, no matter where you live, find the small blues underground clubs.

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