If you enjoyed and learned something from my recent article in Blues Festival Guide Magazine titled “Beyond The Green Book,” and Enjoyed the Robert Johnson Documentary on Netflix, then you’re in for a treat! Billy Jones Bluez, who I referenced in my article, in this rebroadcast of my WFDU Radio Program, gives his first hand account of blues people, traveling while black, his upbringing in a juke joint, the services his grandfather provided while running the bar, and his very own journey as a bluesman from Arkansas. He gives great detail of the boarding rooms his family rented out to Black folk, and the real focal point of any venue or bar. He also debunks the myth of Robert Johnson and many other stereotypes bluesman encounter. He also, in the middle of our conversation, pulls out his guitar and begins playing some real blues! With all of that, Billy shares the conditions of today’s blues scene, industry, political climate and how it’s different for black blues practitioners in comparison to white musicians who play the blues.We find that in today’s world, and music industry, there is still segregation.
Billy Jones BluezThis blues bandleader, who sings and plays guitar and calls his music “bluez,” began releasing his own compact discs in 2001. When Billy Jones substituted a “z” for an “s,” he was not trying to make the name of his beloved genre closer to the way a drunken bar patron might pronounce it at the end of the night. Rather, “bluez” is all about being independent from the big-time music business, a stance more often taken by indie rockers. While in reality even the biggest blues labels are nothing but small independents, these firms still represent too big a clique for Jones, who prefers issuing material on his own Cyborg-Blue imprint.Read More
Remember to Subscribe, Rate, Share and become a supporting member!!WE ARE PUBLIC MEDIA!
