How Blue Can You Get? Urban Mythmaking and the Blues in Edmonton, Alberta by Craig Farkash A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Anthropology University of Alberta © Craig Farkash, 2019 Abstract The blues is a genre of music that is rich in storytelling. Growing out of an oral tradition that has spanned generations, its influence on popular music today is undeniable. Many will have some vague recollection of some of these stories—whether related to blues figures, cities, regions, or to moments in time these are stories shared by the entire blues community, and through them, people have become familiar with the mythical importance of places such as Chicago or the Mississippi Delta to blues music. But how does a system of myth-making work in regions that do not have the luxury of being at a blues crossroads? Using the Edmonton blues scene as a case study, this thesis examines some of the stories told by people who have long called Edmonton their home and who have contributed to the mythologization of the local blues scene and turned it into an unlikely home for the blues. By employing qualitative research methodologies, such as participant observation and in-depth interviews, this study aims to understand the role that mythmaking has played in strengthening the Edmonton blues scene. To demonstrate this, the thesis first introduces the history of the Edmonton blues scene and, more generally, the city itself. It then looks at how myth has been written about by other anthropologists and popular music researchers. Finally, it shares some of the stories of important venues in Edmonton and important legends of the Edmonton scene before attempting to understand how these myths and stories have helped to carve out a space for Edmonton in the larger blues world. ii Preface This thesis is an original work by Craig Farkash. The research project, of which this thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, Project Name “How Blue Can You Get?: Urban Mythmaking and the Blues in Edmonton, Alberta”, No. Pro00073018, 6/12/2017. iii Acknowledgments I would first like to begin by thanking my supervisor, Dr. Marko Zivkovic, of the University of Alberta’s Department of Anthropology. His patience with my pace of writing and research and the freedom he gave me to explore my own, wild and weird ideas. From soundscape and film endeavours to this particular project on myth and music, he has been one of my most important allies. Without his belief in me and continued support, from my undergraduate degree onwards, I would never have imagined myself capable of being accepted into a graduate program in the first place, let alone completing a thesis. I look forward to many more conversations over Turkish coffee and baklava. I would also like to acknowledge my committee members: Dr. Joseph Hill of the Anthropology Department at the University of Alberta and Dr. Brian Fauteux of the Music Department, again, at the University of Alberta. The courses I took with them in both my bachelor and masters programs introduced to a range of worldviews on a breadth of topics and those lessons helped shape the course of this research. For their feedback and time, I owe them a great deal. One of the first groups I reached out to when I began this project was the Edmonton Blues Hall of Fame Foundation. Since that first conversation, almost three years ago now, I have been readily welcomed into the fold, first as an inquiring mind and later as a member of the board. They put me in touch with so many people in the blues community here and beyond, and I am forever grateful to them for all that they have done and the friendships we have since formed. Tommie Gallie, Marilyn Hooper, Jean Greenough, Garry Goodenough, Frannie Blondheim—here’s to you! iv It goes without saying but I need to thank all of the members of the Edmonton blues community that took the time to talk to me both formally (Tommie Gallie, Denton Morrell, Grant Stovel, Julie King, Rodger Stanley, Cam Hayden, and Holger Petersen) and informally, at all the blues events around the city. Wherever I went—blues bars, blues festivals, coffee shops, shows (anywhere in the city, really)—I was met by people equally proud of and quick to share stories about the Edmonton blues scene. I need to express the deepest gratitude to my parents, Keith and Carol Farkash. They have been unwavering in their love and support for me, as I’ve travelled between programs and degrees and countries over the years. They may not have always understood what it was that I was doing but they stood by me and believed in me every step of the way, financially and emotionally. Without them I would not be half the person I am today, and I will always be in their debt. Finally, I would like to thank my wonderful partner, Matana Skoye. We met late in the course of my work on this project but, in that time, she has taught me so much about myself. Every day that we spend together is a gift and without her belief I’m not sure I would have been able to complete this project. I found myself at a crossroads and she helped me pick the right route. To everyone involved in the creation of this thesis, in all ways—thank you from the very bottom of my heart. Craig Farkash v Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ ii Preface ................................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. vi Prologue ............................................................................................................................... 1 Setting the Scene ................................................................................................................... 6 On Myth .............................................................................................................................. 23 People of Power, Places of Power ........................................................................................ 47 (Myth)Making a Scene......................................................................................................... 93 Epilogue ............................................................................................................................ 113 Notes for Chapter 1 ........................................................................................................... 114 Notes for Chapter 3 ........................................................................................................... 116 References......................................................................................................................... 118 vi Prologue I suppose you could say that this project has been a lifetime in the making. Ever since my earliest days, music has been a substantial and central part of my life. As a child, some of my fondest memories were of hours spent in my great-grandmothers living room, listening to her play the piano, or in my grandpa’s basement playing around on the keyboards or saxophones or accordions or any of the other instruments you might imagine an old, Hungarian grandfather to have. First, I learned the piano. My lessons were steeped in theory and, as any good child would, I rebelled. My parents relented and found me a cheap guitar to learn on. Aerosmith, Stevie Ray, Eric Clapton, Deep Purple (Smoke on the Water, obviously) – the songs of those artists were some of the very first I learned on the six-string. In those years I was also equally invested in mythical tales from around the world. I soaked those tales up like a sponge. It didn’t matter where these stories were from, I would seek them all out. Many of the shelves at my parents’ place were filled with books of myth. Later I became more interested in musical myths, stories about Bob Dylan, Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix, and the Beatles, among many, many others. Over those years I had learned a few blues songs and blues-influenced songs on the guitar, but it was not until the summer of 2015 that I discovered a real interest in the not only blues songs but blues histories and spaces as well. That summer I found myself a student of the University of Alberta’s Fieldschool for Ethnographic Sensibility in Belgrade, Serbia. To cut a long story short, one night a group of other students and myself, all interested in studying music in the city in some form, decided to go out on the town to follow our ears around the city’s musical spaces. Away we went, into the 1 night. As we walked, we could hear the distant rumblings of a kick drum – a promising sound. We followed it. We ventured in the direction of the rumblings, basslines began to reverberate in our chests. Then the familiar I-IV-V structure of a blues progression being played on the electric guitar. We turned a corner and found an amazing outdoor music venue, nestled between buildings. We found a table to watch from; the last one in the joint. The band was hot, and we were invested. After the show we sat down to chat with the musicians, perhaps our sweaty attire gave us away as visitors to the city and they were intrigued by us