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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Muddy & Big Mama Thornton in a taxi cab
Muddy & Big Mama Thornton in a taxi cab
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kudzurunner
5009 posts
Oct 01, 2014
5:50 PM
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The latter part of this clip is easily available stuff, but the first few minutes is new to me. Muddy impresses as a deeply serious man and nobody's fool, which is always how he comes across when simply hanging out and speaking.
Please ID, if you can, the bearded guy asking the questions. Mark Wenner?? I just don't know.
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blueswannabe
511 posts
Oct 01, 2014
7:14 PM
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Anybody know who the harp,player is in the first song?
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kudzurunner
5010 posts
Oct 01, 2014
7:17 PM
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George "Harmonica" Smith.
And what's fascinating is how obsequious he is--how concerned, through the way he moves his eyes, with remaining the sideman rather than stepping forward and stealing the show. He's wearing the same suit, for chrissake, as he's wearing in the "Juke" video where he's leading his own band. Same guy; different guy. Sideman vs. leader.
BBQ Bob is right about all this. It's two different ways of being a harp player. In one case, frontman, you're the show. You can do whatever you want--as long as you're upstaging everybody, making YOURSELF into the show.
In the other case, you damned well better not steal the show or you've lost the gig. That's the George Smith you're seeing here.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Oct 01, 2014 7:22 PM
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Blueharper
230 posts
Oct 02, 2014
7:31 AM
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This is from the DVD liner notes:
One weekend in Nov,1971,bluesfreak,Link Wyler and his buddies from the"Gunsmoke" TV crew gave into temptation.
On production hiatus,they bolted Hollywood to go film Muddy,Big Mama,Big Joe Turner,and George "Harmonica Smith" who were then barnstorming the US Pacific Northwest. End Quote.
So I think it is Link Wyler,any way the DVD is great Quality because of these guys and the George Smith performances are worth the price for me.
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barbequebob
2727 posts
Oct 02, 2014
10:54 AM
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Having seen and met Muddy many times during the 70's, he definitely could be quite serious and absolutely nobody's fool but at the same time, could make you laugh like hell.
On the idea that I mentioned that when you front a band, you ARE the show an when you're a sideman, you'd better not even THINK of stealing the show, trust me, the first time I ever did that when the bandleader didn't ask me to when I was playing a solo, I got my butt reamed in the ugliest possible way, tho I didn't get fired, but I sure learned my lesson in a hurry.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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mlefree
195 posts
Oct 03, 2014
10:27 AM
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Adam, you seem to be pointing at George's attentiveness to Mud as a sideman, watching his every move, etc. He certainly is that in beginning of this segment. But as to George taking care to not steal the show, later in the full "Gunsmoke Blues" video, which y'all may not have seen, he does precisely that.
As Muddy is winding up his act and walking off stage, George steps up with some killer harmonica, getting the fans all roused up again when Muddy was trying to slow them down to end his show. George is clearly enjoying himself to the max. When Mud realizes that George has suddenly stolen his limelight, he quickly rushes back on stage and snatches the mic' mid-note right out of George's cupped hands and continues leading the band's wind down himself.
So, it seems that, in this one video production, George is a good example of frontman (Juke) and both well- and ill-behaved sidemen in his performance backing Muddy.
I guess you need to see the whole Gunsmoke Blues DVD to know what I mean.
Michelle
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SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com
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kudzurunner
5014 posts
Oct 03, 2014
1:14 PM
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Good point. I have not seen the entire video, but I have no doubt you're characterizing it accurately, and that makes me want to see it!
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mlefree
196 posts
Oct 04, 2014
2:23 PM
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I recommend it highly! Here it is on Amazon, but I'm sure it's also available elsewhere.
Gunsmoke Blues DVD
Michelle
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SilverWingLeather.com
email: mlefree@silverwingleather.com
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Goldbrick
709 posts
Oct 04, 2014
2:58 PM
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My hands down favorite blues artist.
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