Author Archives: sixstrstories
On This Day In Music History: Woody Guthrie – Take 1
Woody Guthrie was born, Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, on this day, July 14, in 1912. He was the third of five children of Charley and Nora Guthrie of Okemah, OK. So: Woody Guthrie. Where do I start? The Penguin Encyclopedia of … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: ?
OK, readers, here’s a little quiz for you. What British, Muddy-Waters-inspired, Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues band had their first gig at the Marquee Club in London on this day, July 12, in 1962? Band members at the time included … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: Suzanne Vega
Every year I make it a point to try to watch the Grammy Awards show on TV. As a music teacher, I feel the need to stay somewhat up to date on the popular music scene and at least be … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: John Met Paul
Here’s how it happened. John Lennon, 16-year-old singer/guitarist, had a band: the six-member Quarry Men Skiffle Group. The band had a gig. They were scheduled to play 2, 1/2 hour sets (the first at 4:15 pm and then again at 5:45 … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: “That’s All Right (Mama)”
The first thing you hear is an acoustic guitar. That’s Elvis Presley, fingering an open-position A Major chord and setting the tempo with a solid Carter scratch: boom–chuck–boom-pa-chuck-a. After 4 beats, Bill Black’s slapping upright bass comes in, doubling the guitar’s alternating … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: Mississippi John Hurt
In the August 2010 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine, interviewer Jeffery Pepper Rodgers asks singer/songwriter/guitarist Jakob Dylan about the Folk fingerpicking style he uses on his two solo albums, including his latest Women and Country. Dylan replies: “My favorite with … Continue reading
On This Day In Music History: “Arkansaw Traveler”
In the summer of 1922, 34-year-old Texas fiddler A.C. “Eck” Robertson and 74-year-old Oklahoma fiddler Henry C. Gilliland performed together at the Old Confederate Soldiers’ Reunion in Richmond, VA. When the festivities ended, they took the train to New York City to … Continue reading
Old Friends
Getting together with an old friend is a wonderful thing. It is amazing how, in this age of instant communication, the complexities and congestion of life can cause years to go by between visits or even a phone conversation between … Continue reading
Blues, Women & The Guitar
When the first blues record – “Crazy Blues” featuring vocalist Mamie Smith, recorded on Aug. 10, 1920 – sold 75,000 copies in the first month after its release, American record companies knew that they were on to something. This success … Continue reading
One Guitar, Fingerpicked
To sit in a room and listen to a good player fingerpick an acoustic guitar is a most enjoyable experience. When there are another 9,000 or so other people in that room with you and the person fingerpicking the one acoustic guitar is … Continue reading
sixstr stories 