Thursday, April 26, 2007

Mustang Sally 4, "Saints" 1




New Orleans is alive and well and wants you to come see for yourself.

Happy, smiling people thank you for coming and ask how they can be helpful.

Looking down on the French Quarter from atop the Omni Hotel, you saw only one blue tarp. This is the high ground in NOLA, the damage was elsewhere.

The larger crowds will be in town THIS weekend for the annual Jazz Festival but last week, when I was there, a convention of Pirates was in town and my timbers were shivered.

We crossed Canal Street into the Quarter and could hear Bourbon Street blocks away.

The music appreciation score appears up above in the title..we heard "Mustang Sally" by at least 4 cover bands but the closing song for the night at one club was "When The Saints Go Marching In" and it was heartfelt.

The city - as always - is old, preserved and beautiful and a lot of the whimsy is seen in shop windows, although many of the extremely rude and obscene t-shirts could hardly be worn in mixed company.

Saw them for sale in the stores in the Quarter but did NOT see anyone wearing them. Thank goodness.

There's more to tell: the steam-powered paddleboat steamer Natchez, the van ride out of town to bounce around the swamp and bayous in a VERY loud air boat and the walking tour through an above-ground cemetary to meet a Voodoo Priestess.

Yes, there's more to come.

Labels: , , , ,

Thursday, February 15, 2007

Won't Sing It....Don't Even Ask.



Well, it makes you wonder.

Johnny Rawls DIDN'T write it (Mack Rice did).

Wilson Pickett is the performer who made it famous, and it was covered by such other greats as Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Albert Collins, Rufus Thomas, Joe Cocker, and Delbert McClinton.

Even Hootie and the Blowfish put out a version.

So, why is this sticker on Johnny Rawls' guitar?.

Down in New Orleans, in the French Quarter, the famous Preservation Hall Jazz Band had a sign stating they would play requests for $5 each but " Saints" would cost $10. They could charge more because it was VERY popular and they knew they could get more for playing it!

When I asked, the Charleston Blues Bash founder and promoter Gary Erwin (aka Shrimp City Slim), said he just assumed the man didn't want to sing it.

And - during his excellent show at Cumberlands - he didn't.

Labels: , , , , ,