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Atlanta-Minnesota Down Deep Blues Preview


After being away from the site due to heavy work/caretaking responsibilities for a few days, I return to find that KLove is a busted down player once more and that Portland has bested us at basketball as well as musical culture. What to do about this sad state of affairs? I can only think of one thing to get our minds off the misery that the Googly-appendaged basketball gods have inflicted upon us; do what the oppressed and beaten down Americans (at least the most beaten-down and oppressed group other than the natives) have done for many years: sing the blues!

Let's start with some pre-war blues from Atlanta:

This is an appropriate song by Barbeque Bob-

Barbecue Bob - Mississippi Heavy Water Blues. (via voutoreenie)

Here's another Bob Hicks cut-

Barbecue Bob (Red Hot Mama, 1929) (via RagtimeDorianHenry)

Let's hope that the Red Hot Mama refered to in the song is a SG, Lord knows we need one!

Given Love's re-injury, some of us could be thinking that the next song references the death of our playoff hopes, but these blues will save our season-

Lay Some Flowers On My Grave - BLIND WILLIE McTELL' Blues Guitar Legend (via RagtimeDorianHenry)

Also appropriately titled, the next song might refer to our entire injury-riddled season so far-

Blind Willie McTell ~ Broke Down Engine (via 3006khz)

More Atlanta blues that illustrates a coping mechanism that I've used some little bit this season-

Blind Willie McTell ~ Curley Weaver ~ I Keep On Drinkin' (via 3006khz)

This last cut of Atlanta blues speaks to where we hope to be once AirBud, Rubio, Love, Lee, and possibly Roy return from injuries-

BUDDY MOSS BACK TO MY USED TO BE.wmv (via HEAVYHIGHLANDBLUES)

This post so far has been very one-sided; you might ask, are there no good bluesmen who have called Minnesota home? Certainly finding pre-war north woods blues is nearly impossible, but there have been some very good blues artists who have called the Twin Cites home. This first bluesman may not have settled here by his own accord, but he did perform while a guest of one of our fine incarceration units overlooking the Saint Croix river.

Pat Hare I'm Gonna Murder My Baby (via randomandrare)

For those unfamiliar with Pat, he did 16 years in Stillwater after murdering his girlfriend and shooting the officer who was trying to arrest him. All accounts of him say that he was a quiet, modest man when the sauce wasn't around. He played with Muddy Waters up until his arrest. He died in 1980.

Mojo Buford also played with Muddy's band before settling in Minneapolis and performing here for many years before passing in 2011-

Mojo Buford Blues Band - Live '74 (Last Night) (via 58bucko)

Here he is with RJ Mischo at the Arkansas Blues Festival in 2010-

Mojo Buford et RJ Misho (via SlimJoBlues)

Percy Strother was a beloved local artist until he passed in 2005. This was the only Youtube cut of his I could find-

PERCY STROTHER the highway is my home (via blues4sale)

A local favorite blues artist who just passed this past July, Big Walter Smith here does a song with his sons-

Big Walter Smith - Sweet Home Chicago (via Gerryfranc)

This last cut is another local favorite bluesman who luckily is still alive and kicking out the jams-

Down Right Tight with Big John Dickerson LIVE @ Bayfront Blues Festival 1994 (via Mike Bernier)

I sincerely hope that some Mojo blues will dispell the evil voodoo (and no, I don't in any way mean to impugn the master of the NBA Trade Machine on this site!) that has been stalking this team so far this season. That said, I'm hoping the release of Lazar is an indication of some help arriving soon for the light brigade!

The Wiki for Atlanta hip-hop is looking really promising for anyone who wishes to mine it. Klaw, I once again have usurped your post, hope this frees up some time for you to do another obscure TWolf player post. I look forward to everyone's contributions, there's always gold to be found!