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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2010 We Are the Blues: Individual and Communal Performances of the King Biscuit Tradition Robert Webb Fry II Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF MUSIC WE ARE THE BLUES: INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNAL PERFORMANCES OF THE KING BISCUIT TRADITION By ROBERT WEBB FRY II A Dissertation submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2010 Copyright © 2010 Robert Webb Fry II All Rights Reserve The members of the committee approve the dissertation of Robert Webb Fry II defended on March 29, 2010. __________________________________ Frank D. Gunderson Professor Directing Dissertation __________________________________ Leigh H. Edwards University Representative __________________________________ Michael B. Bakan Committee Member __________________________________ Denise Von Glahn Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members. ii I dedicate this dissertation to my wife, Laura, and our two children, Lillian and Oliver. Without their patience, support, and love, the completion of this project would not have been possible. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation, like the performance and realization of the King Biscuit Festival, is a collaborative effort among all those who attend, participate in, and perform Helena’s annual celebration of the blues. The research for this dissertation would have been impossible without the kindness and generosity of festival organizers, locals of Helena, performers, and the many fans that I have met and befriended over the last seven years. First of all, I am thankful to the city of Helena and the hospitality of all those with whom I have come in contact. I would especially like to thank Terry Buckalew, director of the Delta Cultural Center; Jim Howe, current owner of Helena’s radio station KFFA; Sunshine Sunny Payne, DJ of the famed King Biscuit Time Broadcast; and Bubba Sullivan, local merchant and festival organizer. Each of these individuals took me in at the start of my research, sharing with me stories, memories, and a history of Helena and its musical traditions that far surpasses what has been documented in historical and scholarly works. Their early contributions to this project introduced me to many of the people, places, and themes that form the core of my dissertation. Throughout the course of my research, I have had the unique opportunity of meeting and talking with many legendary blues musicians. I would especially like to thank the King Biscuit Entertainers, Pinetop Perkins and the late Robert Lockwood Jr., for sharing with me first hand memories of Helena’s famed King Biscuit Time broadcasts; and Reba Russell for allowing me to use and analyze her lyrics in this dissertation; and Bobby Rush for welcoming me into his home and helping me to understand the “true” meaning of the blues. I would also like to thank the many blues fans I have met over the last seven years. Your dedication to Helena, the blues, and the King Biscuit Blues Festival inspired and shaped this dissertation. I would especially like to thank Mike Miller, Dean and Hayley Cummins, and Mary Rodgers, whose festival experiences and memories are retold in the iv following pages. They have served as informants and friends, and without their contributions, this dissertation would have been impossible. I am honored to have such a supportive and helpful dissertation committee, including Frank Gunderson, Michael Bakan, Denise Von Glahn, and Leigh Edwards. Each committee member has brought unique perspectives and insight to the dissertation, allowing me to further explore questions of the role of the tourist in the production of a musical place. I am especially grateful to my advisor, Frank Gunderson, for his continued support and helpfulness throughout the research and completion of this dissertation and throughout my entire graduate career. His friendship and guidance have motivated me throughout my graduate studies. Michael Bakan has served as a mentor since I arrived at Florida State University. His guidance inside and outside of the classroom allowed me to further speculate on the themes of this dissertation and formulate my initial questions concerning the festival as a site for social and musical interaction. Denise Von Glahn has been supportive of my research since I arrived at Florida State University. Her insight on the role of place in the creation and reception of both musical compositions and musical places inspired me to look beyond the documented history of Helena’s tradition and look instead at the creation, promotion, and consumption of place by the many people who make up the festival community. Leigh Edwards has contributed vital insights on the images and myths of Southern music. Her research on Johnny Cash and American identity has provided a model for examining myth making in popular culture and the many ways we, as fans, interpret and evoke meaning from both the music and the way it is presented by both the artist and the music industry. In addition to my committee members, I would like to thank the Musicology faculty at Florida State University, including Douglass Seaton, Benjamin Koen, Dale Olsen, Jeffery Kite-Powell, and Charles Brewer. In seminars, independent studies, and conversations outside of the classroom, they have offered praise and critique of my scholarship, inspiring and motivating me throughout my graduate studies. I would also like to thank all of my graduate colleagues with whom I have interacted inside and outside the classroom. I would especially like to thank Trevor Harvey and Pacho Lara, who joined me in attending the festival and provided valid insight on my research as fellow ethnomusicologists, friends and tourists. v I would like to thank my parents, Robert and Barbara Fry, who have offered support throughout my life. Because of their words of encouragement, I have never had any doubt that I could complete this or any other endeavor. Their motivation and love have inspired me to be the best scholar and person that I can be. Lastly, I would like to thank my wife, Laura Fry, and my beautiful children, Lillian and Oliver. Throughout the course of the research, writing, and editing of this dissertation, they have offered me love, patience, and support. I would especially like to thank my wife for being both my number one fan and critic, ensuring me that I was capable of such a project and motivating me to keep going. Throughout this project she has listened, offered ideas, and served as a role model in research and writing. Her scholarship is my inspiration and the model of excellence that I aim to achieve. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ............................................................................................................ x Abstract ...................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER ONE: Traveling Into the Delta ............................................................ 1 Background and Significance........................................................................... 7 Review of Literature.......................................................................................... 9 The Blues and King Biscuit Time ................................................................. 10 Authenticity and the Preservation of Culture ................................................ 11 Touristic Authenticity .................................................................................... 15 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 19 Chapter Outline ................................................................................................. 20 CHAPTER TWO: Into the Delta: Blues and the Performance of Place............... 22 Recalling the Delta in the Blues........................................................................ 23 Which Delta Do You Hear? ............................................................................. 24 The Delta ........................................................................................................... 26 Hearing the Delta in the Blues.......................................................................... 27 Presenting Place: The Delta as a Marker of Musical Authenticity .............. 32 Promoting Place: Tourism and the Realization of an Authentic Musical Site ...................................................................................... 37 vii Touring Place: Interactions with the Delta as a Rite of Passage................... 40 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER THREE: Main Street of the Blues: The Realization, Creation, and Promotion of a Musical Place .......................................................... 49 Ignoring Tradition: Blues as the Sounds of Normalcy................................... 49 Establishing and Broadcasting Tradition: King Biscuit Time and the King Biscuit Entertainers.................................................................... 54 Realizing and Promoting Tradition: The Establishment of Helena As a Musical Place ............................................................................................
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