One of the verses starts:

"Where were you when the Clarksdale ? burned down?"

It sounds like he's saying "new" and my wife always makes fun of me when I sing that.

Any suggestions?

My wife is still making fun of me, though.

If that falls through, it's on a site called "Harry's Blues Lyrics Online". Everyone should have a look at it. Great resource! As a last ditch effort, or if you want all of Charlie's lyrics, and everyone else's, go to Document Records' web site. They're selling transcriptions of the lyrics of every album that they've released, in 9 volumes, for a relatively cheap price. Hope this helps. Good luck

that web site kicks butt!

Potential publishers like to get an independent evaluation of the quality of the transcriptions. The three typos in your message remind me how helpful some good proofreading could be. I recommend you circulate a draft to a few of us Patton enthusiasts in exchange for proofing, feedback and endorsements that will help with a publishing deal.

Also, I would be suspicious of publishers that require camera ready materials from you. If they aren't even going to invest in the production aspects of the material how much are they going to spend on promotion? At the other extreme you have the publishers that take all the production and promotion costs (as they account for them) out of your royalties.

I understand some of what you are saying. On one hand, I sometimes get
frustrated at the extreme attempts I see folks going to to 'copy' a
piece of music. I hear people go nuts trying to 'find the tab' where's
the almighty 'tab'. I see and hear people discuss to a fault trying to
copy x-actly how Ledward Kaapana or Robert Johnson played something.

Sometimes folks will never evolve as musicians simply because they aren't
yet willing to stretch their own boundries. They devote their time trying
to copy somebody else. You often see that in newer musicians. It is a
sign of accomplishment if what you're playing sounds like something you've
heard. Sometimes these folks gain the experience and confidence to progress
more in their music. Sometimes they don't . To each his own. I know a
wonderful lady who has practiced the guitar for well, years. She has the
best equipment and real devotion. She spends all her time trying to play
note for note a couple of songs. But she is happy. More power to folks like
her.

Now, the otherside of the coin is what you are really seeing on this site.
You must understand, some of the most widely discussed types of music on
THIS site were almost lost forever. Had there not been a kind of revival
of blues in the 60's, there may never have been a reason to re-release
an old master cutting of someone who died 60 years ago. If there had been
no interest, there would be no albums. Old masters would have degraded, people
forget, records are lost. After a while, IT whatever it was, a style of music,
a tradition, a musician, they cease to exist. Akin to your aged grandfather saying
something like, "I knew this blues player in the 20's ...best damn guitarist and
singer I've ever heard. Wonder what happened to that guy?"

People here will discuss what thickness of string Leadbelly used on his G string, they
will discuss what fingerings Skip James used on a certain song. They will talk about
the brand of glass for a slide used by someone...

It is a true form of preservation of an art. Nothing more. Ain't none of us ever gonna
sound like Robert Johnson. Even if we can do Robert Johnson note for note. We're not
trying to. For every seemingly 'trivial' detail folks like us discuss, it helps to build
a much broader knowledgebase of the style and art. What we do know today is directly
brought about by folks who took an interest.

Elm, I believe what you'd find about folks who contribute to this site are that they
are among the finest guitarists and musicians who've ever picked up the instrument.

That they choose to keep an artform or tradition alive by producing it as closely as
possible to the original (ie copying), is the truest form of respect to the people
who wrote those songs.

If you think they can't blow away mere mortals with their own guitar work...
then brother, you need to see IGS.

Any, good to see a new face here at the forum,

There is still lots of music around the world heading down the "lost forever" path. Interestingly sometimes it
is guitar and guitar music that is hastening this demise.

a) too lazy to write my own
b) not inspired to write my own
c) Not talented enough to write my own
d) Don't think I could be as effective at conveying what somebody else has already done, so why reinvent the wheel?.
e) I like it the way that guy did it first and think it would be cool to sort of sound like that.

quote:

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Originally posted by bighollowtwang:
I've read previously that Bukka White disliked the "Bukka" spelling but stuck to it because that's what his earliest records were labeled.

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Actually, I read that the initial spelling was the result of him being asked how he spelled his own name. But really, what difference does it make to anyone besides those who want to correct others? I'm certainly thankful that more information is finally coming to light in the recent years.

The folks who were in charge of producing 78's weren't particularly known for always getting it right. Consider that Rube Lacy's original recording was labeled "Ham Hound Crave" despite the fact that its later been disputed that he was saying "Ham Hound and Gravy." Certainly there are countless examples of this kind of thing.

Brad, if you're not carefull Kyle might kick your ass himself! Have you seen him lately?