Madfolk and Wild Hog Present! Robert “One Man” Johnson - February 21St It’S Hard Enough to Play a Guitar, with an Initial Fascination with Popular Musi- in 2013
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume 46 No. 2 February 2020 MadFolk and Wild Hog Present! Robert “One Man” Johnson - February 21st It’s hard enough to play a guitar, with an initial fascination with popular musi- in 2013. He appeared five times on A all those strings and with each of your cians like Elvis and Chuck Berry, he Prairie Home Companion and is a fa- hands having to do something com- was introduced to more esoteric country vorite at venues across the US. He has pletely different at the same time, while blues artists like Arthur “Big Boy” Crud- put out fourteen albums of music that you are trying to remember chords and up, Leadbelly, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howlin’ he describes as blues and ragtime but runs and tempo and everything else, Wolf, and other such early masters of with hints of styles from swing to early not to mention singing at the same time. acoustic blues. country. Wonderful to hear on record- Well Robert “One-Man” Johnson does Johnson graduated from UW Eau ings, the visual impact of watching Rob- all these things while also playing the hi- Claire in 1967. During his stay there he ert produce all these incredible sounds hat cymbal with one foot and the twelve- ran a coffeehouse series which one day simultaneously and by himself is unfor- pedal “foot-piano” with the other, throw- featured blues artist Jesse “Lone Cat” gettable. ing in a harmonica-in-a-rack solo now Fuller, the incredible “one-man-band” Robert will be playing Friday, Feb- and then for good measure. But Robert who grew up in Georgia but settled ruary 21st, at the newly remodeled is no “novelty” act. He’s a serious stu- around San Francisco. He was about Wil-Mar Center in Madison. dent of traditional country and ragtime 70 when Robert Johnson hosted him in blues and a wonderful songwriter in var- Eau Claire. Robert was fascinated by PLEASE BRING A NON PERSHIS- ious blues stylings. Fuller, famous in blues circles for writ- ABLE FOOD ITEM FOR THE FOOD Robert “One-Man” Johnson was ing the blues standard “San Fransisco PANTRY born in Wisconsin Rapids and grew up Bay Blues.” Fuller played the foot-piano in Wisconsin, teaching himself guitar that he called the “Fotdella,” influencing beginning at age 12 around 1954. After Robert to construct one of his own. Robert ended up living in Iowa but traveled the world teaching Language Arts in plac- Mad Folk Concert Tickets es like Turkey, China, and Thai- When you see this symbol – ee land. Throughout this career he – you’ll know that you’re read- also played his music, attract- ing about a Mad Folk sponsored ing audiences all over the world event. Advance tickets for Mad who loved the blues. But for one Folk shows are available online at short stint back in the US when Robert gained an MA in linguis- www.madfolk.org tics at the U of Iowa, Robert and his wife Margery spent 30 years Purchase tickets ONLINE for Mad traveling the planet with Robert Folk concerts via Brown Paper playing his unique blues all the Tickets (with $1.62 service while. Here in Madison, Robert charge): “One-Man” Johnson split the bill https://www.brownpapertickets. in the early 80s with Lou and com/producer/10879 Peter Berryman, and appeared You can also purchase advance on Mad Toast Live with Mary tickets by mail. Send a stamped self- Gaines and Chris Wagoner addressed envelope with your check payable to Mad Folk, PO Box 665, Upcoming events! Madison, WI 53701. If all else fails, call April 3rd - John Gorka - The Brink 608-225-0710 for information. April 24th - Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen - The Brink Classic and original blues, jazz, country/folk & ragtime songs while playing guitar, harmonica, hi-hat cymbal, and home-made 12-string bass footpiano…...simultaneously. Concerts and Festivals at 200+ universities in the US and 5 appearances on 'A Prairie Home Companion' Friday, February 21 7:30 pm Wild Hog in the Woods Coffeehouse, 953 Jenifer St Tickets $14 advance, $16 day of show Available at: https://xxxxxxxx.bpt.me Non-perishable donations of food will be collected for local food banks. My Highway Home © 2019 Joe Jencks, Turtle Bear Music Thank You For The Music As I enter my 22nd year as a on a classical guitar, I started And each student enriched us with full-time touring musician, I am learning Irish ballads. I tried some food, stories, and music from their filled with gratitude. It has been of the Classical melodies – but I home countries. I learned Chess an extraordinary experience. And had a greater love of creating new and Backgammon from college while there have been genuine songs than learning existing ones. students who hailed from Iraq hardships, I would not trade the I am so grateful to my siblings and Iran. I learned simple chants path I have chosen for another. and to my parents for their gen- and melodies and stories I later As a child I lay on the floor and uine encouragement. I hear so learned were from the Upanishads listened to 33s, 45s, 78s, cas- many colleagues tell me stories and the Bhagavad-Gita, from stu- settes, and any other form of re- about how they had to battle their dents who hailed from various re- corded music I could get my hands parents in order to get permission gions of India. I learned how to on. As the youngest of seven chil- to pursue music. How they were make spinach soup from a young dren in my family of origin, with discouraged from following their Portuguese couple, and tasted my a nearly 17-year spread between natural curiosity and had to come first Teriyaki created by a young the siblings – I had a lot of music back to it later in life. But isn’t that Japanese student. We were so to choose from. And my parents the joy of music? It’s always there rich in experience – I spent very and grandparents had all collect- waiting to be discovered! little time worrying about material ed recordings as well. From 78s The way that my sisters and concerns. of symphonies and big band mu- brothers, my parents, and my mu- And books! We had books from sic to 45s of pop singles, from 33s sic teachers invited me to keep as far back as the time of the US to bootleg cassette tapes – I de- exploring was an immense gift. I Civil War. I had encyclopedias voured it all. From Bartok to Ben- sang in a boys choir, musical the- from the era of WWI, from the 30s, ny Goodman, from Ella Fitzgerald ater, church choir, summer stock and from the 1960s. Of course to the Everly Brothers, from Ap- theater, Madrigals, Barber Shop some of it was out of date by the palachian church hymns to ABBA, groups, Celtic, Gospel, Folk, time I was reading it. But most of from The Beatles to Black Sab- Rock, and Jazz groups, chamber it was not. We had volumes of lit- bath, from Cole Porter to Cat Ste- music, and so much more. But I erature and philosophy. And great vens, it was all in the mix. But Folk kept coming back to Folk music dictionaries! And any time I found music was a through-line. I can’t and songwriting as the most in- a word I did not know, I was in- say for sure why – but I think it tuitive and natural expression of vited to look it up. was because folk music was mu- my ideas. Every genre taught me And camping! That subject will sic I could make on my own. With something, and continues to do have to be saved for another es- a single instrument I could mimic so. It is more than can be learned say entirely. But suffice it to say some of what I heard on those in one lifetime. But it is such a – my parents instilled in all of us a magical records. gift to have innate curiosity and sense of deep wonder and appre- This of course begs the ques- be met with the encouragement to ciation for the natural world. This tion, what is Folk music? pursue one’s fancy. too is a gift for a lifetime. I don’t have a good answer. I am not blessed with children I in no way want to minimize my At age 48, I have been trying for of my own. But I have nieces and parent’s struggles. They worked nearly 40 years. But as the fa- nephews and young friends that hard to support us and to lift us up mous American Blues and Folk I meet in my travels. And I have to the best of their abilities. And artist Big Bill Broonzy once said, encouraged them over the years they paid a price. But they also “Folk music? Folk music? I ain’t to follow their passions. For me it gave us the gift of knowledge, never heard horses sing none of was music. For some maybe it’s it. It’s all Folk music!” astronomy, medicine, weaving, Column continued on next page I started on Mandolin when I sheepdog training, law, horticul- was five. I think my first song was, ture, carpentry, mountain climb- Joe Jencks is 20-year veteran of “You Are My Sunshine.” Then my ing, natural conservation, social the international Folk scene, an award sister took her Mandolin back to work, education, circus perform- winning songwriter and vocalist, and a college, so I explored the piano ing, or even parenting (which contributing writer to numerous publi- and a cool little electric organ my clearly is a little bit of everything).