CAN BLUE MEN SING THE WHITES

A History Of British Blues Part 1 By John Collis

“The Bluesmen came over in person and I would defy anybody not to be totally won over after seeing any of them live. Any budding guitar player could not fail to be stunned by people like Hubert Sumlin. They would cast aside their Shadows LPs as sounding prehistoric.” TONY MCPHEE

“Rock ‘n’ roll had become tame. The first R&B I heard was rock ‘n’ roll... Chuck Berry, Little Richard. I was obsessed with American music so I’d buy Billboard once in a while. I read the fine print and became aware that there was this other music going on- Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf. When I finally got to hear it, it filled the gap left by rock ‘n’ roll.” TOM McGUINNESS

“Why did we take to the Blues? Because Chris Barber rammed it down our throats!” PAUL JONES

“I think the Blues caught on because of its raw excitement. People had had enough of Trad. It was time for something new.” JOHN MAYALL

When I moved to London in 1964, I headed for the only pub I’d heard of, a beatnik place called The Duke …

by By John Collis
<< Back to Issue 359