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PBS/ Martin Scorcese Blues Series

I just happened to catch a few parts of this fascinating series. I was spell bound by the footage of the blues greats from the early 20th century. Everyone from Blind Willie Johnson, Willie Brown, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Skip James, you name it. Scorcese did his usual great job of digging up every available piece of footage. If you are a blues fan or are interested in the roots of just about any modern rock band this is a must see. Go to PBS-Music and there are fascinating bios of eveyone related to blues. You can also order the (7/8?) cd's or dvd's of the entire series through this site.
I am a Big Fan of Blues, my favorite genre by far, and this was a great history lesson.
zenblaster

Showing 1 response by bongofury

bongofury
1,160 posts
 
Absolutely one of the best series on the blues, ever.

As I get older, I have come to appreciate how well those original albums were recorded. For example, a lost classic for me is Big Bill Broonzy. He recorded a three disc set right before he died in 1958 that was titled "The Big Bill Broonzy Story". The soundstage on this album rivals anything in my collection and the vocals and guitar playing is uniformly brilliant. I play it once a week. I also love Elmore James, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Son House.

I especially loved the "Warming By The Devils Fire" episode within the PBS/MS Blues Series, which had a deep set of blues running through the background story.

Thanks for the post.
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