I have been listening to Bluesville XM’s Channel 70 and as I do so, it always reminds me of a comic I once heard say something along the following: “I hate the blues. All they do is mumble something stupid like “My baby done up and left me the other day” and then they say it twice just in case you missed it the first time. But wait, they’re just setting you up for the more stupider punchline like “But that’s alright, I got my geetar and I sho kin can play.”
While making fun of it, the comic was describing a classic blues song format dubbed the Twelve-bar blues song. And unlike the comic, I enjoy listening to some blues for awhile. Key caveat there is “for awhile” because after an hour or so it all starts to sound repetitious to me and I find myself starting to concur with the comedian.
Nice thing about listening to Bluesville channel though is that various old time bluesmen and women whom I have never heard of are featured. For instance, the other day a tune by Lightning Hopkins caught my ear and sent me looking for info on him.
Of course once I saw this album cover of him posing in front of an old country store with a sign that says “We Sell Rabbits,” he had my respect.
Here is a short documentary about him.
This is a tune from the “Country Store” album and yes, it is a classic 12 bar blues song: