I got hooked on the blues back in the late sixties when I discovered my white heroes (eg Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Johhny Winter) had some very cool black heroes (e.g. Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, John Lee Hooker). In fact, I think John Lee Hooker (pictured right) might just be the coolest guy ever. One brief story. When as an old man, and recently ‘re-discovered’ and enjoying chart success, a reporter asked him, eagerly, whether he ever felt the urge to go back home to Missisippi. Hooker repled with a simple “No”, without feeling any need for explanation or qualification. Like many blues musicians of a past era he took up music to escape the prison of sharecropping and cotton-farming. Nothing there to get sentimental about.
My mate and I haunted record shops, buying anything we could by these amazing blues musicians. But, of course, there is a lot more to blues then a handful of ‘re-discovered’ musicians and Australian radio then, as now, didn’t give us fanatics much chance to indulge our musical tastes.
Couple of years ago, that all changed with the arrival of podcasting. Now I can listen to all the contemporary and traditional blues and roots anyone could want.
What’s more amazing, one of the best and longest-lived of these blues podcasters is a guy in Melbourne who goes by the name of Salty Dog (pictured left). The first episode for the this year, Salty started podcasting in 2005, is an offering of the best in Australian blues and roots in 2008 and includes tracks by the likes of John Butler, Ash Grunwald, Kasey Chambers, Jeff Lang and The Audreys, 25 tracks in all, 120 minutes. The 2 hour podcast is also broadcast on FM radio in Port Douglas and on Kansas City Online Radio.
Another great Australian blues podcast is produced by the South Australian Blues and Roots organisation.
I think Salty and SARB are doing a great job for the local roots and blues scene, that’s if my buying habits over the past few years are anything to go by!
Another ‘must listen’ favourite podcast is The Roadhouse, (by an American computer guy who loves blues). There are now 204 Roadhouse weekly podcasts, that’s a lot of great music.
Then there is Raven’n'blues produced by a long-time British blues guy. And then there is Austin Riffs, Murphy’s Saloon, and Bandana Blues.
From scratching around for blues to listen to, we’ve now got so much it is hard to get through it all.
