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Home  Archive music profiles St. Louis: A Brief History Of Singing The Blues
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St. Louis: A Brief History Of Singing The Blues |
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Written by John May
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Friday, 16 December 2005 |
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While there has been a resurgence of interest in blues,
one cannot avoid the toll time has taken on the blues artists who kept
the flame burning through the years.
St. Louis has always been fertile ground for music. It is associated
with the blues internationally through the song “St. Louis Blues,”
written by W.C. Handy, who was influenced by a short stay on the St.
Louis riverfront. Many musicians passed through or made their home here
and helped shape the sounds that we know as “the blues.”
We
are fortunate to have had some of the real innovators of American music
develop here and transform the blues into rhythm and blues, soul, and
rock and roll with a distinctive sound. On any given night, there is a
wide selection of live blues percolating throughout the city. Over the
years, many of us have seen and heard many of these innovators perform
closeup in smaller clubs throughout the city. These opportunities have
exposed a wide audience to some exceptional talent and have kept the
music alive through their support and enthusiasm.
Music
lovers have been increasingly educated through the continuing efforts
of KDHX 88.1 FM radio. The station is a conduit for information
regarding special events and helps promote performances that might be
overlooked. Its dedication to the local music scene brings awareness
and appreciation to artists whose music would not otherwise be heard.
The station programs a diverse selection of blues to a discriminating
audience. In addition to enhancing the knowledge base of its listeners,
it provides a well of influences for musicians to draw from.
The cyber world has opened its doors to the blues community through the
efforts of stlblues.net. This resource has provided much-needed
exposure to many St. Louis musicians by providing Web pages and sound
samples to the community. It has become a source of information for
blues enthusiasts and promotes special events regularly.
In
addition to these assets, public awareness of blues and its
significance has grown through the efforts of the St. Louis Blues
Society. The society’s productions and festivals are inclusive of the
music community and respectful to the music that it promotes. Now in
its nineteenth year, it continues to bring St. Louis artists to the
forefront and present them to an appreciative audience. The society’s
publication, The BluesLetter, is dedicated to documenting artists and
sharing information and stories related to St. Louis music history.
The county parks department continues its Blues on the Mississippi
series at Jefferson Barracks Park throughout the summer featuring local
and national acts. The Blues Cruises on the Becky Thatcher continue to
be a sellout and a great way to experience the blues. This year’s Big
Muddy Blues Festival will feature three days of blues on multiple
stages, presenting over 35 St. Louis blues acts.
Although blues can
be found throughout the city, South Broadway and the Soulard
neighborhood have become well-known areas to experience a taste of St.
Louis–style blues music. The concentration of music venues provides an
opportunity for people to walk from club to club and sample different
acts. The musical influences are diverse and can be heard in the
ever-changing combinations of musicians performing each night. If you
want acoustic, delta, R&B, soul, or rockin’ blues, you can find it.
All you need to do is listen for the style that moves you and jump in
for a while. Because the blues can be interpreted in so many ways, it
is hard not to listen to each group and measure their abilities and
progress. It is always a pleasure to find musicians that have learned
their craft and develop their own material or unique takes on songs.
It is not uncommon to find St. Louis legends Henry Townsend, Chuck
Berry, Johnnie Johnson, or Oliver Sain performing in clubs of all
sizes. As musicians, they have made this city their home and are
comfortable with knowing they can bring people to their feet in their
hometown after all these years. Within the last few years, several St.
Louis artists have achieved international acclaim with their recordings
and performances: Arthur Williams, Erskine Oglesby, Boo Boo Davis, Big
Clara McDaniels, the Soulard Blues Band, Fontella Bass, and, of course,
Johnnie Johnson. Their success has focused attention on our city and
its wealth of talent, and I hope the gate has been opened for more in
the future.
There was a time when you could count the active
blues bands on one hand and the venues that supported blues on the
other; it truly appeared that blues was a dying art form. Today, there
are clubs and venues around the city and county that are receptive to
blues music. While there has been a resurgence of interest in blues,
one cannot avoid the toll time has taken on the blues artists who kept
the flame burning through the years. Ace Wallace, Earthquake, Tommy
Bankhead, James DeShay, Big Bad Smitty, James Crutchfied, Billy Gayles,
and Doc Terry all shared their blues with another generation. They will
not be replaced, but left something to remember: the blues will never
die...they will always be in transition.
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