Delaney Bramlett — “The Man Who Taught Clapton & Harrison”
Rolling Stone has posted a classic feature from 1969 that focuses on the recently deceased Delaney Bramlett and his then wife, Bonnie.
Bonnie Bramlett is the female part of a new recording act, Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, and the wife of the Delaney part. She, like her husband, is from rural America and when she speaks, it is in an accent that used to be called hillbilly, but now it’s called soulful (as in soul-full).
Bonnie is a Scorpio, a Strong One and unlike most Scorpios, she likes to tell stories on herself, stories that make her seem somewhat the brunt of her own joke. One of these stories has to do with one of her first public appearances as a vocalist, five years old and singing “Beautiful Golden Harbor” at the family church in Granite City, Illinois (pop. 6,900 when she left), a steel town; she says her daddy worked in one of the mills from the day he was 15 years old. (more…)
Skip James — “Devil Got My Woman”
Born in Mississippi when the 20th century was but two years old, Nehemiah “Skip” James was a blues musician, share cropper, bootlegger and preacher. Recording songs in the late 20′s and into the 30′s, James disappeared from the blues/music scene and drifted in and out of music until he was discovered in a hospital by a group of blues enthusiasts that included Henry Vestine of Canned Heat in 1964. Skip would pick where he left off in the 30′s, recording for the Vanguard label. The new blues revival of the 60′s was good for sales and James found a new generation of fans, including Eric Clapton, Dion & Deep Purple amongst others. The song, “Devil Got My Woman” was featured prominently in the 2000 film Ghost World and is proof of James’ timeless legacy. Here he is performing the song in 1966:
Funny Monday — Shining
Taking the original music out of the mix and adding a positive narration, the movie takes on a whole new feel.
