markh1
Serious MM Forum Member
Posts: 30
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Post by markh1 on Mar 6, 2009 18:29:14 GMT
Just wondered if anyone else is a fan of blues on the mandolin? As you know some wonderful players-Yank Rachell, Charlie McCoy, Rich Delgrosso, Steve James, Ry Cooder and Jim Richter (see youtube). Any others you know of? Have owned a few mandolins over the years, but took the plunge & bought a new NRP mandolin, great tone, big sound and louder than my National M2!
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Post by Gerry C on Mar 6, 2009 20:26:29 GMT
Yep, me too! It was Ry Cooder's early albums which turned me on to the use of this instrument in blues and black string-band music, but I've only recently started actually playing blues mandolin, though I took up the instrument not long after I started on guitar: most of my mandolin-picking in the past has been in a Celtic context, playing diddly-diddly tunes in ceilidh bands and sessions. (I no longer have to do that ;D)
A few years back someone loaned me a copy of Steve James' instructional Homespun DVD on blues mandolin, which teaches some great tunes and lays down a good sound foundation. I'm also working my way through the excellent book by Rich DelGrosso called Mandolin Blues: From Memphis to Maxwell Street, which as well as giving great instruction also gives a fair bit of history and namechecks the great players.
Correct me if I imagined it, but I seem to recall seeing Ry Cooder on the Old Grey Whistle Test back in the day playing slide mandolin: anyone else recall this or was it just one too many tokes that night...?
Cheerily,
Gerry C
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Post by andys on Mar 6, 2009 23:26:12 GMT
I have a nice Gremlin mandola which I tune to a celtic sounding tuning C,G,D,A.  I am not so familiar withblues played on mandolins, but I know that some indie/rock bands like REM use them sometimes |
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Post by bod on Mar 7, 2009 3:28:17 GMT
This may or may not be quite the sort of thing you have in mind, but I loved Rory Gallagher's 'Goin' to my hometown' from the first time I heard it and recall being quite taken aback to discover that this stompin' blues was played on a mandolin (I think I must have had narrow, negative views about mandolins before that!). A great live number;
I remember him more or less bringing the house down with it at the Southampton Gaumont, must have been around 1979-80.
Just had a quick look on youtube and found this version with just mandolin and vocals - shame the show ends before the song does:
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markh1
Serious MM Forum Member
Posts: 30
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Post by markh1 on Mar 7, 2009 10:28:19 GMT
Check this out_ Yank Rachell & Sleepy John Estes
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Post by Gerry C on Mar 7, 2009 11:01:30 GMT
Yank and Sleepy John - oh man, it really was worth getting up this morning!! ;D
Extra cheerily,
Gerry C
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markh1
Serious MM Forum Member
Posts: 30
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Post by markh1 on Mar 7, 2009 19:01:38 GMT
Gerry C
Ry Cooder was on the OGWT playing mandolin, don't know about the slide, but here he is going down to brownsville
Mark
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