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| Nyrobi, 17, left, listens to some tips for singing "I'd Rather Go Blind" at Blues Camp Chicago. |
Take “I’d Rather Go Blind,” the 1967 classic written by blues queen Etta James. Beaten by her drunken foster father, James spent time in Cook County Jail for forging checks to support her longtime heroin habit. You can hear it in her voice.
But what about singers who are not Etta James, such as a high school student from the northwest suburbs?
“Something toooooold me, it was oh-oh-ver,” sings Nyrobi, 17, slowly, in a thin, wavering voice, on a small stage Wednesday on the first floor of Columbia College, 1014 S. Michigan. “When I saw youuuuu with her, talking. Something deep down in my sooooul....”
Jackie Scott interrupts.
“The woman is writing this song because she saw her man with another women,” says Scott, an imposing woman with a gold ring on her left hand that spells, “BLUES.” “Imagine you saw your boyfriend with another girl. You’re not going to be singing.”
And here she delivers a spot-on imitation of Nyrobi’s airy warble.
“You’re not going to do that, right?” Scott continues. “You’re going to push it out a little more.”
“SOMETHING TOLLLLLLD ME,” she belts, in a strong, loud voice. “IT WAS OHHHHHVER!”
Welcome to Day 3 of Blues Camp Chicago, where the world of summertime childhood fun meets the snap-brim hat and two-tone shoes discipline of blues musicianship. There are studio rehearsals, sound checks and sing-alongs, plus snacks, skating and a “sneaker ball.”
“We want them to be kids, of course. We want them to understand and appreciate blues as American roots music,” said Fernando Jones, the veteran Chicago blues man who founded Blues Camp Chicago 17 years ago.
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very good
ReplyDeleteLong live the blues! Fortunate enough, in my earlier days, to have caught almost all of the blues greats live, and it will always stay with me.
ReplyDeletePerhaps with the efforts of Fernando Jones, a few new blues greats will be around to listen live and enjoy in the future.
DeleteAlan don't know if you were in Chicago watching all those blues greats but I was .Lincoln avenue was the place to be.
DeleteChicago fest out on Navy Pier they all came
I remember well the massive crowd at the inaugural ChicagoFest for Muddy Waters, it blocked the rest of the pier, and was, I suspect, why the stages were barges moored alongside in later years.
DeleteLincoln Ave., Alice's Revisited, and more. Those were the days!
How would we ever know about all these interesting goings-on without you?!!
ReplyDeleteI love that this camp exists. Thank you for telling us about it in such a great way. Kudos to Fernando Jones and all his staff, and to Mr S, too.
ReplyDeleteI know it's not really the blues but I love the leadup to this John Baldry song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj_lZ4hkJd8
ReplyDeleteCalls to mind the old Shelb Silverstein song about how he wanted to sing songs about being a miner, steamboat captain, etc , etc., “…but what do you do if you’re young and white and Jewish … and your mother says it’s too dirty down in the mine.”
ReplyDeleteThank you. This column typifies one of the many reasons why I enjoy reading EGD.
ReplyDelete