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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Semi OT: A note from a friend....
Semi OT: A note from a friend....
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HawkeyeKane
2046 posts
Sep 25, 2013
9:57 AM
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A friend and fellow harp player, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at our city's annual night of blues at the Illinois State Fair, wrote this very well-worded essay on his blog yesterday. Understandably, he got a bit fed up with the snobbery and dismissiveness that some folks in this world like to convey, and decided to clear the air a bit. Go Ben!!!
My Credentials - by bandbandp83
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Hawkeye Kane
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chromaticblues
1473 posts
Sep 25, 2013
11:46 AM
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AH OK!
Hawk what was that all about?
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HawkeyeKane
2051 posts
Sep 25, 2013
12:05 PM
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As I said, just a good guy and fellow harp player trying to set the record straight on his views and what experience of his influence those views. I thought it was good reading myself. He's actually a good buddy of Bob Corritore's.
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Hawkeye Kane
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HawkeyeKane
2058 posts
Sep 25, 2013
12:48 PM
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Hey Buzz, can you shoot me an email? In my profile.
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Hawkeye Kane
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bentheharpman83
1 post
Sep 25, 2013
6:42 PM
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Hi Buzz,
I recently got accepted on here as a member. I'll clear the air for you a bit on why it was posted.
1. About 2-3 months before I met Hawkeye, I met up with a well-known harp player from Chicago/New York. After exchanging stories about who we knew, etc. I told him my story of helping out a cat by the name of Big D on the Deep West side who had been playing harmonica for Tail Dragger Yancey. I was a roady/follower of Kilborn Alley at the time. They told me to bring my rig (which was considerably smaller than it is now - about 5-10 diatonic harps I think). Dragger called out a shuffle in D and Big D forgot his G harp. I loaned him my cheap Blues Master and he played the song and kept the harp. Dragger surprisingly thanked me the only way he knows how by saying, "D be glad this mutha#$#% was heah or I woulda kicked yo a#$." I also told this harp player from Chi-NY that I knew Harmonica Kahn, and got to see him perform one of the very last times before he died of a stroke. I also told him that I was acquainted with Bill Lupkin, who also told me that he liked this write up on my Facebook btw. Before I could go any further this harp blower cocked his eyebrow at me and said: "Man, before we go any farther just who in the f#$# are you? I mean really. You've bumped into all these people and I've never heard of you." I calmly told him that I was nobody, just a blues man and a guy trying to blow harp the right way. I loaned him an Electro Voice lavalier mic that I was trying to work out the time. He never used it. He spouted off a little bit (alcohol I think was starting to alleviate his filter) calling himself the greatest harp player alive. After processing the whole encounter, I was a little rubbed the wrong way by it. I don't know why. It was all very strange. Chicago guys can be hard to take sometimes because you don't know if they're putting you down or really are curious. Like when a South or West Sider calls you "Joe."
2. The other thing that prompted this was that I was recently asked to be a judge for a blues competition to send bands/solo-duo to Memphis next year for IBC. The last time I did such thing, I was given a whole lot of crap for picking a band with some former associates in it. I recounted that story in the write-up. Well, this year's crew of folks, I got some questions/concerns/cursings from some of the bands rather than audience and big wigs in the blues society. The artists once again popped the question: "Who are you? and Why should I listen to you and your critique?" It was meant in good nature, but seemingly became the straw that broke the camel's back.
I don't like to talk about my accomplishments and where I've been because I am a nobody. I'm just a guy who loves the blues who happens to write reviews that's been published, write songs that's been published, and got to know a lot of really cool artists. I'm not as good as the company that I keep in the blues community. I try to be, but I don't know if I'll ever be considered or listed on a Blues Music Award nominee list. I've been at this hardcore now for about 12 years now. There are guys who have been at for 3 to 4 times longer. I have no right to bitch or even to blow my horn, but I've been around a bit to say that I know a little about what I'm talking about.
Thanks for the interest,
Ben "The Harpman" Cox
P.S. I was given the "Harpman" moniker by Abraham Johnson, one of Champaign-Urbana's best kept secrets of a blues and soul singer. He appears with the Kilborn Alley Blues Band on the title track to Tear Chicago Down.
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HawkeyeKane
2060 posts
Sep 25, 2013
7:56 PM
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I was wondering when you'd join up! Good to see ya bud! Central Illinois repre....awwwww nevermind....;-)
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Hawkeye Kane
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Thievin' Heathen
251 posts
Sep 25, 2013
7:59 PM
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That seems like an inordinate amount of name dropping. I wonder, do I have to recognize all those names to achieve "nobody" status?
I don't think anyone really questions musicians' credentials. You will be judged on ability.
Writers' credentials seems purely academic. If I don't know what you're talking about am I to assume you possess the credentials to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about? Maybe.., if you're picking up the bar tab.
As a writer, you will probably need to develop thicker skin. As a musician, you'll have to have the chops.
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bentheharpman83
2 posts
Sep 26, 2013
6:49 PM
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Thievin',
As for the chops getting better, I doubt they will. I don't play enough really to even be called a musician or a pro nor have I ever assumed the right to call myself such. I like to play harmonica. I've been lucky enough to play with some people. Now, I'm playing on a more regular basis more so in my 12 year "career" in the blues community.
As a writer, meh, I merely added all that in there to say where I was from. You can pretty much call me every name in the book. I really don't care. As for being academic, well I've almost got a Master's Degree so I must be doing something right? Plus, I'm too broke to pick up your bar tab.
As for achieving "nobody status," well, I dropped the names to show my reference points. Those people not only helped me along but were some of my hardest critics. They let me know along the way if I had something wrong or needed my head screwed on straight. It was just a reaction to being sick of being asked about who I am. You don't have to like it. Personally, I could care less but just wanted to be kind and answer your questions.
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Thievin' Heathen
253 posts
Sep 27, 2013
9:28 PM
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Ben,
So that this does not sound like a personal attack, let me put it in another context. Let's say you are standing in the fishing supply aisle at Walmart and someone walks up to you and starts telling you about all the pro bass fishermen (&women) he knows and all about his $40,000 bass boat. Keeping in mind that you don't know who this guy is, are you gong to let him pick out your fishing tackle for you?
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