Negro music in America; 2

The negro music in America. May grow music in America and exploration of it and its impact on American culture. Here is your host for the series Tony look at the box. I hope that the guitar you heard playing John Henry made you perk up the ears and feel like listening to the rest of this program and all the others in the series. Because if you like that then I think you'll enjoy tuning in each and every week. Our musical signature for this program series is played by Josh White who is one of our great folk singers the story of Josh and his musical background is in a way very similar to the larger story of the American negro and his musical development. When Josh was about seven years old he left home and spent the next 10 years of his life leaving a blind eye to Nigro folksingers through the streets towns and highways and byways of the South. During that span he

acted as the eyes of nearly 60 blind minstrels such as Joel Taggard John Henry Arnold Willie Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. From them he learned blues spirituals work songs and as they traveled they listened to railroad workers turpentine workers cotton pickers luvvie workers dock wall uppers and chain gang prisoners and through those years he learned folk music and its various sources. And thus developed his magnificent guitar and singing techniques. Here's an insight into just his background in the form of a 40 year old recording of an old blues man Blind Lemon Jefferson shuck and sugar. Right.

Thing. How do you water.

Their. Blind Lemon influenced many other Negro folk singers including Lead Belly and Lightning Hopkins in the recording made back in the early fifties Lightning Hopkins reminisces about a lot Blind Lemon and then sings an old song that he learned from him. See that my grave is kept clean. You try and fail. And fail and pay a little to see the green years get. You know that you were a ho in the

quiet hours then to know they're going to cheat me. During this next interview Sam Charter's discussed Blind Lemon

with Lightning Hopkins and lightning discusses his memories of old Blind Lemon. Which you know I can remember something that we used to do. I was playing with him when I was 8 years old. That would mean me is that you get up early have a way of speaking because he never let me know that he always be in front of me and I've been on my own in the way of this. We went a long ways and we made a bridge you call Buffalo take that with Satan in fact one thought that it led to her brand ever he was in that and so I heard that he got from there you know he was not I mean airwave appreciate live avi don't leave the house I mean the bar you better be right here and I do here don't be it will be easy you know kind feel bad to you and you see me here with this leg at you know and I just I'm alone up to be one beat now I'm a woman

near battle. With I think I'm safe in my air where you are you ratify it I had men with their wives they had to walk and take we can be of civilization it Buffalo Texas. That coming with the we all got together went up the roof led back. 25. From our trip air always described a point to repair him saying I was fool I plead with them. Well no we're known to their every home would be involved mother the dad leave me brother who would love the band you have been now are you the bridge big red man big down the leg you've got a man who has seen the NE get I think we have tried to cheat. Ared Edmiston rare rare Berry had with me and now I got him the garden black in our car in the back

of the den Mary we have a few led you back of you with a bone. Josh White's relationships with more than 50 blind minstrels and folk singers his African heritage his extensive travels through the south and learning from folk sources all of this was brought together in him infused into the richness of talent that he gives to us today through his tours and his records but is going to be Asians are really just a small part of the whole of American music as we know it today. And our program purpose is to acquaint you with as much of this marvelous story as we possibly can through the music itself we propose to take you into the prisons the hockey Tonks the lumber camps the docks the fishing boats the cotton plantations the country towns in the big cities where you will hear the blues a spiritual the work songs the play songs and the lusty love songs which express the hopes the hungers and the passions of both country and Urban it grows. I suggest that in listening to all this you may well come to

understand that all of this evolved into what is irony. Only American art form classic jazz. And now we bring you Josh wide singing a negro prison song the midnight special. Well yeah but the world will see that knife specially with its buying on the sides. John is lying on the head. The Midnight Special side is an 11 biome be able e.g. stood al your better world brother hole. You better not go and get better not my dear fellow Red Tail take your

bet your bottom dollar that she will jail house. When you wave them the moment any given thing don't break. GOLDMARK into the table over on the table all the while the trouble with the man. That little bit of John is liable to be at midnight special shots ever love and light on be. Coming down from belly button on the world to unload. He

gave me a tablet brew for the day. It's a go there never want to have to travel miles. That's cool. Oliver Kahn thinks. That's a big spread. Sounds of my own and can be nice but still silence. Evelyn VI don't be like young but the world with honesty might be commin be closer both calm and support of her teeth. She's told me everything but she'll House next week we will bring you a few recordings and play them for you to give you an idea of what you may expect from the rest of the series. Negro music that America has told a local blogger as president of transcribed by the

SEIU Broadcasting Service. Join us next week as we continue our exploration of Negro music in America. This program was distributed by national educational radio. This is the national educational radio network.