JON AUSTIN
4. SECOND WINTER
A Whiter Shade of (the) Blues
Serve me right to suffer Serve me right to be alone ‘Cause I’m still livin’ with a memory Of the days that’s passed and gone (Memory Pain Mayfield, 1953, Side 1, Track 1, Second Winter)
Whilst writing this chapter, a message appeared on my Facebook page reminding me that it was less than a month away from the marker that notes for me the passing of another year – a personal almanac of sorts. It would be then only a few weeks away from what has become my annual pilgrimage to Bluesfest, held annually at the same time as the Christian Easter festival. For me, Bluesfest is as spiritual, revitalizing, and inspiring as any religious experience I [as a lifelong atheist] could imagine. Bluesfest is held each year over the Easter period at Tyagarah Tea Tree farm, a few kilometres out of Byron Bay in northern New South Wales, Australia. In many ways similar to another iconic music festival
J. Austin (Ed.), Spinning Popular Culture as Public Pedagogy, 41–51. © 2017 Sense Publishers. All rights reserved. j. austin held on a farm over several days in 1969 [Woodstock, for those unsure of dates], and not a million miles removed from other iconic music gatherings held in rural settings – Glastonbury for one, springs to mind – Bluesfest is one of the world’s premier blues and roots music festivals, in its 27th consecutive year at the time of writing. Amidst more recent criticisms that the festival organizers, in particular Peter Noble, seem to be “selling out” to a younger demographic by the inclusion in the festival of artists for whom a connection to either roots or blues music might appear to be at the very best tangential [K.C. and the Sunshine Band present as but one example], the event continues to bring to its patrons both well known and more obscure performers. In the past two years alone, I’ve experienced sets by Robert Plant, Dr John, Seun Kuti, India Arie, Boz Scaggs, Aaron Neville, Gov’t Mule, Jimmie Vaughan, Ozomatli, Sly and Robbie, Morcheeba, Booker T Jones, Dave Matthews Band, KC and the Sunshine Band, Grandmothers of Invention, Jeff Beck, the Doobie Brothers, Rodriguez, Tony Joe White, Mavis Staples, Jimmy Cliff, Gary Clark Jnr, Garland Jeffreys, War, Buddy Guy, Iggy and the Stooges, Santana, Steve Miller Band, Chris Isaac, Wanda Jackson, Joan Armatrading, Taj Mahal, Charles Bradley, George Clinton and Parliament… and on it goes. Texas bluesman, Johnny Winter, had entered into contracts to play at Bluesfest 2015 but his unexpected death in July 2014 effectively put an end to any thought that I might get to finally experience first-hand one of the musicians I happened upon in my mid-teenage years as my appreciation of other-than-pop music was emerging. The Bluesfest administration’s message was succinctly sad: We here at Bluesfest are really saddened to hear of Johnny Winter’s passing. We had only finalised our offer for Johnny to tour Australia and perform at Bluesfest earlier this week. This is really a shock. Johnny winter had set time aside to come back to Australia next Easter after last touring in the 1980’s. It was not easy for him to make the commitment, given his difficulty with travel, and although in frail health, after so many times trying to get him to come, it looked like this time, it was going to happen. To hear we are never going to hear him play again, with his comeback CD, featuring so many great players, about to be released, is a tragedy. He was getting out there touring again at a level he hadn’t for some years. It just doesn’t seem fair, when his career was finally on the up swing. Johnny Winter was one of the greats. How sad. Bboard Admin (Bluesfestadmin, 17 July 2014, 22:55:39) This chapter allows me something of an indulgence in revisiting my early experiences with what I still consider to be Johnny Winter’s most electrifying and exciting album, Second Winter, and the opportunity to think about the public pedagogical potential, possibility and provocation of the popular cultural artefact that is the artwork on the record cover.
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