Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (July 24, 1984)
‘Honeyboy’ Edwards: life of blues ‘paid ofF By Paul Ertelt Of the Emerald David “Honeyboy” Edwards has been singing the blues for more than half a century, and the list of musicians that he has known and worked with reads like a “Who’s Who” of the blues. “I knew them all,” claims the 68-year old singer and guitarist, whose career has taken him from the Mississippi Delta of the 1930s to Chicago’s South Side of the 1950s. Now, Edwards is on the road again as the featured performer of a blues revue touring the Northwest. The revue was in Eugene Saturday night for a performance at the Community Center for the Perfor ming Arts, otherwise known as the W.O.W. Hall. Born and raised in Mississippi, Ed wards was first exposed to the blues as a teenager and was influenced by local singers such as Charley Patton and Tom my Johnson. At 16, Edwards began playing with Tommy McClennan, whose “Deep Sea Blues” has become a standard of the genre. In the daytime they played on the streets for nickles and dimes, and at night they played in “bootleg houses,” Edwards says. Playing the blues meant escaping the harsh plantation life, where laborers picked cotton and baled hay for 70 cents to a dollar a day, he says. “I wasn’t going to work in the hot sun all day,” Edwards says. ‘‘I learned to play the guitar and I lit out.” In the winter of 1932, he took to the road with Big Joe Williams, riding freight trains throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. Williams, who was about twice as old as Edwards, played a nine string guitar that “sounded like a man dolin,” he says. But Williams had an “awfully quick temper,” and when their partnership broke up, Edwards went to Memphis where he played for a time with the Memphis Jug Band. “Memphis was the roughest place in the South,” he says. “If you stayed in Memphis and you came out, you were all right.” In 1942 folklorist Alan Lomax record ed Edwards for the Library of Congress, and in 1952 Edwards traveled to Chicago to record for Chess Records. But his ex perience with record companies has not always been a happy one, he says. In one instance, a Memphis studio owner released one of Edward s recor dings under the name of another artist. "It was my voice, it was my guitar, but it had someone else’s name on it,” he says. Edwards settled in Chicago in 1957, where he often played for $10 a night. Though he never belonged to a regular band, Edwards worked in pickup bands with friends such as harmonica player Big Walter Horton. During the mid 1960s, the original Fleetwood Mac came to Chicago to record with Otis Spann, saxophonist J.T. Brown and other musicians who had in fluenced them. The young British musi cians also invited Edwards to the session. ‘‘They heard of me somehow,” he says. “I don’t know where.” Edwards says he has heard few whites who can do justice to the blues. “A white man can play all right, but he can’t never sing like us,” he says. During the 1970s, Edwards made his first of several trips to Europe, where he says the blues is very popular. After decades of struggling, his music is beginning to bring him recognition and financial rewards. “We had a hard life, but it paid off.” Photo by Michael Clapp David “Honayboy” Edwards, blues performer for more than half a century, is currently touring the Northwest. Play jabs the ‘Big Four ’ with wit, sensitivity There are four conversation topics that always manage to ignite a heated conversation between my grandfather, Tony, and me: sex, politics, religion and money. We can easily chat about Italian food and fami ly intrigues, but when the talk turns toward any of the “Big Four,” sparks fly and we argue relentlessly. It’s nothing serious. He is simply a moderately conser vative Republican, and I’m not. Enough said. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) my grand father isn’t around to see and debate the merits of the Mainstage Theatre production of “Life is a Four-Letter Word” with me. I’m certain we both would agree, musically speaking, that some of the numbers in the original musical revue by Melina Neal, of Eugene, are great while others are disappointing. But the tone of the production is more in line with my thinking than Tony’s. I’d spend my part of the discussion defending; he’d recipiocate with blasts. One thing is for certain: “Life” effectively ad dresses those four topics, as well as other more minor themes, and most often does it with variety, sensitivity and intelligence. Strict attention is paid to balance; the songs are hilarious and witty when appropriate and somber when necessary. Neal has blended the problems of eternity into a neat package for the ’80s. And while inside “Eugene” jokes probably would make the production less effec tive outside this city, the messages delivered in and bet ween the lines are universal. The first is the strongest of the two acts; the numbers in Act I mainly deal with sex, love, politics, women's rights and personal identity, T. K. McDonald’s touching rendering of “Doatsie Mae” is chillingly truthful. It’s the story of an ineffectual dreamer who’s always wanted excitement and adven ture “like the women on TV” but, for some reason, is unable to get it. Two consecutive songs, “Politics and Poker” (“Shuffle up the cards and find the joker”) and “Side Step,” are both crowd pleasers. Dan Bruno, of “On The Edge” fame, does a terrific job as the sneaky politician in the latter; his dancing is hilarious but polished, and his facial expressions can’t be topped by anyone in the cast. “Why Am 1 Me?” asks the eternal question marvelously. Andrew Sherman and Katherine Kersey, the youngest cast members, are highlighted perfectly here; after all, youth ask that particular question most often. The two exude honest puzzlement and sincerity and at the same time give the audience a few chuckles. There are weak spots. “Love Sing,” for example, is full of sloppy sentimentalism. And while songs such as “Freedom” (“Freedom is a state of mind”), “Motherhood March” and “Watching the Big Parade” all highlight female cast members singing for the women’s equal rights movement, the absence of men in those numbers is a blatant oversight. Act II deals with money, sexual freedom, religion and civic duty. “Rhythm of Life,” featuring Ken Brownell and including almost the entire cast, is the highlight. Offbeat, alternative religions are surveyed in the light, upbeat number. Riducule is not lost but is not stressed. Another Act II tunei “Married Couple Seeks Mar ried Couple,” is a slow-paced, rather enigmatic song dealing with partner switches. While I appreciate and understand that a melancholic tone may have been us ed to project confusion and uneasiness, a livelier, I thought a more snappy tune could have added an adventurous touch. But maybe adventure isn’t what those folks need; I’ve never been married. Sherie L. Blankenship and Joe Zingo should be commended for the choreography, which fits well with the songs' lyrics. The sound system’s effectiveness could be more uniform, and the cast needs some polishing so the members aren’t looking to each other for stage directions. But, all in all, the production runs smoothly. “Life is a Four-letter Word" plays Thursday and Friday and August 3, 9, 11 and 17 on the downtown mall near the fountain. Call the Mainstage Theatre Co. for reservations. Watching the performance is a nice way to spend a summer evening — with or without Grandfather. By Kim Carlson hMRIDMY NATURAL HAIR DESIGNS FOR MEN AND WOMEN With this ad Free Manicure Reg. $7.00 value ith your perm! ($30.00) B Guaranteed to please! experienced in all hair types and textures Hair Cut Sale Mondays and Thursdays *9.50 We Accept Canadian coins 561 E. 13th Across from Max's 485“4422 Offer good through July 31, 1984 Page 8 Corner 13th 4 Hilyard across from the new Sacred Heart addtlion oori'^Htboa Phone Jit * 343-6234 OOOOOOOOOC5** «r> » 00000000000' ^ tOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO* Authentic Mandarin Cuisine Chef’s recommendations • Taiwan Sizzling Shrimp Palling Spicy Beef Mandarin Hot Chicken Sweet & Soar Whole Fish 1 Camphor 6 Tea Smoked Dock opwi seven days a wan n:so a.m. to io pm. ■m, W1MC, COCKTAILS Also try our daily lunch special. ’ 1®* J !-“‘CUP COUPON —“"I 1 FREE Soda plus I v any slice Offer good Monday-Sunday 11:30-Midnight, Mon.-Fri. 3:30-Midnight, Weekends 1211 Alder on Campus 686-9598 Sy's New York Pizza MiaaiCUP COUPON A cosmic selection of Science Fiction at your Bookstore in llw Book Ocp( * , ;'*■ ■ • ^ tf1' . Tunulnv Iiilv 24 10R4