Blues Trivia

[winston]

Yeah they sure do ring all kinds of bells.

I think Howlin' Wolf wrote it. And if I were shopping for the song, I'd look under "I'm a Man" as the title.

JimK

Nope. Dig deeper Jim. Beyond the obvious.

[admin]

I believe that this is Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters.

[winston]

I believe that this is Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters.

It is indeed Peter. This was Muddy's rearrangement and response to Bo Diddley's "Im a Man". It was released in 1955.

[tennis_nick]

Here's a technical blues question for you...

What does Eric Clapton refer to as "the Blue note" ?

[winston]

Here's a technical blues question for you...

What does Eric Clapton refer to as "the Blue note" ?

It's a bend between the minor 3rd and major 3rd.

[tennis_nick]

Here's a technical blues question for you...

What does Eric Clapton refer to as "the Blue note" ?

It's a bend between the minor 3rd and major 3rd.

you win a cookie!

[winston]

Speaking of Eric Clapton:

In 1972 this man was voted Melody Maker's Top Musician of the Year, dethroning Eric Clapton. (a) Who was he and (b) how many albums did he sell throughout his career? The answer to (b) will surprise many I am sure.

[ozover50]

"Top Musician" as in "guitarist", Brian?

[winston]

"Top Musician" as in "guitarist", Brian?

Yes, that's correct Aitch.

[ozover50]

Rory Gallagher...... 30 albums including some (maybe 5 or 6) released after his death.

[winston]

Good one Aitch.

Over 30 million albums were sold worldwide during his career. Not a bad total for a guy born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal Ireland who played the blues as good, if not better than anyone in the business and who never really became a household name.

[winston]

Here's a Muddy Waters song.

“I'm going down to Louisiana to get me a mojo hand,
I’m going down to Louisiana to get me a mojo hand,
I'm gonna have all you women right here at my command”

(a) Name the song and (b) What is a mojo hand?

[ozover50]

The song is "I Got My Mojo Working", Brian.

A "Mojo Hand" is a bag (usually flannel or a similar material) that contains one or more lucky charms, bones or 'voodoo/witchy' type items.

[jimk]

The song is "I Got My Mojo Working", Brian.

A "Mojo Hand" is a bag (usually flannel or a similar material) that contains one or more lucky charms, bones or 'voodoo/witchy' type items.

I rather don't think so, Aitch. I saw a mojo hand once. The one I saw was a miniature wood carving of a hand with the fingers displayed in a certain fashion (not flipping the bird!). It's supposed to be a lucky love charm.

JimK

[wayang]

Howard, you're thinking of a gris-gris bag...I was going to try to rely on my memory for an explanation, but decided to go surfing for it instead and found this (from a website advertising 'virtual gris-gris bags'...):


"What is a gris-gris bag?

Gris-gris (pronounced "gree-gree") comes from the French word gris which means grey, hence a combination of black (negative) and white (positive) magic. In New Orleans, positive charms were called "juju," and negative were called "mojo" -- terms which emanated from African tribal beliefs. Gris-gris was the most powerful of all charms and also the most expensive, and it could be used for good or ill.

Gris-gris was a potion of herbs and natural or decaying matter, from the mundane to the bizarre, sometimes including powdered brick, ochre, cayenne pepper, fingernail clippings, human hair, and animal skin (usually reptilian) -- all tossed into a small leather bag. Thankfully, this mixture was not ingested, but was worn around the neck from a string, or left near the intended object of the charm. It supposedly brought either good or bad luck, depending on what you believed in. The real power of the gris-gris lay in the psychology of the object of the charm. The power of suggestion...

Many witches and pagans carry gris-gris bags to draw energy for their magical goals..."

Here's a little more info from an expert in the field: