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How American Blues influenced British Rock


jaxson50

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Some say that jazz owes its heritage to the blues. The blues offered the framework for the more sophisticated improvisation and harmonization/chord substitution found in jazz. Bessie Smith, one of the original blues singers to be recorded, employed Louis Armstrong, and jazzmen from Jelly Roll Morton to Duke Ellington to Miles Davis to Herbie Hancock played their own versions of the blues. Blues rock was just the natural evolution of that significant, grass roots art form. Can't remember who it was that said that jazz was just blues that swings.

 

"Jazz is just two wrong notes in a row on purpose." - me.

 

rct

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Well the rock thing and the evolution of blues was happening in America but no one was interested at that time.. That's why Jimi Hendrix had to come to the UK to get noticed where it was all happening.

 

If I'm Hendrix playing my music to Monkey's fans, the UK option is sounding pretty good.

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Call me crazier, I prefer the British Imitation.

 

I for one am inclined to agree, but I think equipment has to be part of the conversation. English blues guitarists were certainly inspired by American blues music and certainly pushed the genre forward with new stylistic flair - but most importantly they did it with Marshalls! Chicago blues was a bit plinky plinky sounding. Run those same licks through a wound up Marshall amp and they take on a new life. All my humble opinion of course.

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If I'm Hendrix playing my music to Monkey's fans, the UK is sounding pretty good.

Lol.. Instead of no one was interested I should have said the record companies.. cos that's what I meant...

 

As I said I know it was all happening at about the same time.. Around 1965....

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Vaughan worship killed the whole thing for me. Blues got boring, every bar had at least one guy with a suspiciously worn strat, super, and cardboard sounding TS8. 9. Whatever. And he would only do Voodoo Chilly, exactly like the record. Sucked. SRV was great and all but Christ, I grew up in a nj town full of kids that could rip Texas Blooz all day.

 

rct

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If I'm Hendrix playing my music to Monkey's fans, the UK option is sounding pretty good.

 

Agreed, except he toured with the Monkees (July '67) following that first album he recorded in the UK. I think he left here mid "66. Most likely the chitlin circuit in the south drove him to the UK.

 

I would've liked to have been there to see him fire up the Marshalls as the Monkees opener. I bet some teeny boppers crapped their pants! [scared]

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Jimi Hendrix wasn't the only U.S musician to head for the U.K, if you read Scott Gorham's story he arrived from California expecting to see a rock star on every street corner, he didn't of course. Conversely there were quite a few musicians from the U.K who couldn't make any headway at home found stardom in the U.S but are still unknown in the U.K.

John Sykes is a good example, my friend and I bumped into him in Woolworths in Blackpool, my friend recognised him (I wouldn't have) and when we spoke to him he was absolutely gob smacked that anyone should know him. He seemed like quite a pleasant chap.

 

Ian

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I think that technology in communications and economics really led to a lotta changes after WWII. By the mid '60s it was a different world compared to before the war in terms of music crossing the pond after the war.

 

And it's a world of difference to fly across the Atlantic compared to a passenger liner.

 

m

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