Enjoy! If you have no idea who Chainsaw Dupont is, do yourself a favor, and if you can't make it to a live show, check out his website.
Rosa's Lounge, Chicago, IL is the place to be tonight!
The Real Guitar Hero - Topix
Friday, March 26, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Dysfunctional Crossroad, Crystal Springs, Mississippi
Tommy Johnson doesn't have a headstone where he is buried. Bonnie Raitt contributed to one ten years ago. Where is it? Caught in the Crossroads of a long conflict, with little progress in the negotiation.
The Family of Tommy Johnson, The owners of a farm, and the Copiah County Board of Supervisors can't seem to come to the table to hammer out a win-win for all parties.
Crystal Springs, Mississippi is the home to 5,873 residents. Founded in 1823, the Copiah County town became the "Tomatopolis of the World." Over history, many famous blues musicians have stepped foot into Crystal Springs. Significantly more tourists come to see the Robert Johnson Blues Museum and attend the blues festival.
The grave of the Blues Artist is unmarked, as it has been for a half a century at the Warm Springs Methodist Church Cemetery. The past ten years, the headstone has been stored at the public library for the Tommy Johnson Blues Foundation in Crystal Springs. Most reasonable people would ask,"Why?" at this point. It seems the cemetery access road now lies on private property, and the owners (Keating) have denied access to Johnson's family several times, to allow them to place the headstone of their descendant.
Mention Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson in the same sentence, and most assume the conversation will be about the long controversy of which Johnson is "The Johnson," and met the Devil at the Crossroads. There are many articles and books on the subject. About.com's Blues Guide states: " Robert must have been the better negotiator of the two (unrelated) musicians because Tommy Johnson became a mere footnote in the blues genre.."
How is it that an access road to a cemetery, once maintained by the Copiah County authority, is now private property? Why would anyone want to deny passage to a cemetery to allow a marker to be placed? What logical basis could possibly exist? Perhaps the owners are oblivious to the Blues world, and the Blues community. The one in which Buddy Guy sings "Skin Deep" and the majority of genre fans believe, "There is no black, no white, just blues."
Problems without solutions are whining. Two solutions might be to engage in an arbitration process and negotiate in good faith to insure the real issues are addressed and a timely outcome would result. An alternative suggestion could be to have the three parties Come On In My Kitchen and sit around the table and study the meaning behind the lyrics of Canned Heat. I am certain the issue would be resolved in a relatively shorter time frame.
The Family of Tommy Johnson, The owners of a farm, and the Copiah County Board of Supervisors can't seem to come to the table to hammer out a win-win for all parties.
Crystal Springs, Mississippi is the home to 5,873 residents. Founded in 1823, the Copiah County town became the "Tomatopolis of the World." Over history, many famous blues musicians have stepped foot into Crystal Springs. Significantly more tourists come to see the Robert Johnson Blues Museum and attend the blues festival.
The grave of the Blues Artist is unmarked, as it has been for a half a century at the Warm Springs Methodist Church Cemetery. The past ten years, the headstone has been stored at the public library for the Tommy Johnson Blues Foundation in Crystal Springs. Most reasonable people would ask,"Why?" at this point. It seems the cemetery access road now lies on private property, and the owners (Keating) have denied access to Johnson's family several times, to allow them to place the headstone of their descendant.
Mention Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson in the same sentence, and most assume the conversation will be about the long controversy of which Johnson is "The Johnson," and met the Devil at the Crossroads. There are many articles and books on the subject. About.com's Blues Guide states: " Robert must have been the better negotiator of the two (unrelated) musicians because Tommy Johnson became a mere footnote in the blues genre.."
How is it that an access road to a cemetery, once maintained by the Copiah County authority, is now private property? Why would anyone want to deny passage to a cemetery to allow a marker to be placed? What logical basis could possibly exist? Perhaps the owners are oblivious to the Blues world, and the Blues community. The one in which Buddy Guy sings "Skin Deep" and the majority of genre fans believe, "There is no black, no white, just blues."
Problems without solutions are whining. Two solutions might be to engage in an arbitration process and negotiate in good faith to insure the real issues are addressed and a timely outcome would result. An alternative suggestion could be to have the three parties Come On In My Kitchen and sit around the table and study the meaning behind the lyrics of Canned Heat. I am certain the issue would be resolved in a relatively shorter time frame.
I was sad to see, as I researched this article, how much has been written about this bizarre conflict over the past nine years, including an excellent blog post in the Sheyboygan Blues Society and an article on this morning's Topix Blues newsfeed from Frost Illustrated. I read a Mississippi Senate Resolution to commemorate the life and legacy of Tommy Johnson. I saw a website that promoted T-shirts and encouraged readers to write the Governor of Mississippi. There is a deeper sense of injustice behind the story. One that brings to mind a man, who once a long time ago, simply said, "Do justice." Then there is the question of how we treat our neighbors in our community. That man, told us to "Love our neighbors as ourselves." The appearance of land deals, inept government, and lack of urgency steeped in bureaucracy, I leave to those who practice Law, and hopefully justice. I want to acknowledge Andrew Buncombe of the U.K. for shedding further light on the issue in 2003.
What will it take for a man to be allowed to finally rest in peace? Do justice.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Remembering and Honoring Blues Artists - Detroit Style
19 hrs ago | Posted by: 12 Bars of Fate
Detroit Blues Society Headstone Project
One of several 2010 goals and objectives listed by the non-profit include honoring, marking and recognizing two of Detroit's deceased blues musician's. The first is Mr. Bo Collins (If Trouble was Money), originally from Mississippi. Bo settled in Detroit in the earlly 1950's. The second is Harmonica player, Uncle Jessie White, White was also a Mississippi native and became endeared to many including Harmonica Shaw, Ann Rabson and many more.
In the blues world, it is not uncommon for another member of the community to secure a grave marker. Janis Joplin ensured her mentor's grave had a headstone, 33 years after the passing of the Empress of The Blues, Bessie Smith. The DBS started this project in 1997, ensuring Son House had a Headstone, believing "Proper recognition of deceased Detroit Blues greats is vital to teach history and to keep the music alive through remembrances."
The Detroit Blues Society received the Best Blues Society Award in 2006. Further information on the fundraisers, direct contributions for the Headstones and membership are available at their website, myspace or through the DBS Headstone Project Coordinator at spiderblues@sbcglobal.net
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