Guitars and Blues

Hi, Music Lovers!

I want to jump into the blues birthday part of the blog. Stevie Ray Vaughan was born on October 3rd. I think we can all agree that Stevie Ray Vaughan brought the blues to a much wider audience when he appeared on the scene in the eighties. The eighties were a bleak landscape for blues lovers until Stevie broke it open. His bluesy, tasteful solos on David Bowies’ Let’s Dance stood out against a landscape dominated by Eddie Van Halen. Stevie’s legacy lives on as his admirers regularly pay tribute to him at the weekly Lowcountry Blues Club jams

Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar leads me to my next topic. His main axe was a beat-up 1963 Fender Stratocaster ("the most famous battered Strat in rock history"). All of his other main guitars were vintage Strats or Strat-style guitars. Many of my favorite players are known for using the Strat as their main guitars such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and David Gilmour.

As I look around the room at the weekly jams, I enjoy the variety of guitars that jammers bring. A few weeks ago, we had an impressive pile of guitar cases waist high and ten feet across crowding the stage. Those cases harbored Fender Telecasters, Gibson Les Pauls, SGs, ES-335s, and some brands more known in the metal music world .

Anyone would admit, however, the preponderance of Fender Stratocasters. Dan Wright is primarily a Strat guy, Johnny Mac is a Strat guy, and Tim Shaw sports several beautiful Strats.

Stevie Ray Vaughan was born the same year the first Stratocaster was made. How cool is that? And Stratocasters are among the most valued electric guitars ever made. Eric Clapton's Brownie guitar (a 1956 Fender Stratocaster used on the famous Layla album) went for $497,500 in 1999 breaking a guitar-auction record Microsoft founder Paul Allen had set in 1991 by paying $325,000 for Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock Stratocaster.

The highest price at auction for an electic guitar is $959,000, paid in 2004 at Christie's for another Eric Clapton guitar, a 1956 Fender Stratocatser model used as his sole stage and studio guitar for 15 years. The design of the Stratocaster has transcended the field of music to rank among the classic industrial designs of all time; examples have been exhibited at major museums around the world.

And now, a note from the Big Guy:
“Well we closed out another Lowcountry Blues Challenge and I believe it went very well. I would like to thank those that helped out and made it a success.

On Monday, Oct 4 at 6:30 pm we will have a general meeting at Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ/ West Ashley. Everyone who is interested in the future of the Lowcountry Blues Club is invited, and encouraged to attend. We will discuss the future of the club and hopefully elect officers: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Also on the bill is allotting funds to help send the winners to Memphis, and planning
benefit shows to raise more money for the bands' trip. The benefits would take place in the November and January time frame."

Now, some upcoming music options:

Friday, October 1, 5-7 pm
DR. PICKUP BLUES DUO
The good docteur from Paris, France is back with his guitar & his blues!
www.drpickup.com
Mad River Bar & Grille, downtown
Part of MOJA Festival, www.mojafestival.com

Saturday, October 2, 10 pm
DR. PICKUP BLUES BAND
Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ Middle Street, Sullivans Island The full treatment with Dr. P originals AND hyperventilated renditions of the Three Kings (BB, Albert, Freddy), Texas roadhouse blues (via le Tour Eiffel!) and much more. www.hometeambbq.com Cover

Tuesday, October 5, 5:30-6:45 pm
DR. PICKUP & SHRIMP CITY SLIM at Magnolias Restaurant, 185 East Bay St., downtown Charleston, SC, upstairs: Our friend Brian Caneda needs a heart transplant...come on out and enjoy some great food, wine, and music to help with his medical expenses!
Further info: Please Facebook 'Brian Caneda'. And later that night at The Mill, East Montague, N. Charleston, SC, Metro Charleston's premier urban honkytonk 8-11 pm, no cover www.myspace.com/themilllounge

And of course, we want to see you out at Home Team/West Ashley for the Wednesday night Blues Club jams, 8pm till midnight or so...Artists featured in October: Steve Miller and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Reminders:

Check out some of our recordings from the Wednesday jams at http://www.reverbnation.com/lowcountrybluesclub featuring artists such as Jon Hager, Wyatt Garey, Dan Wright, and many other local players. The recordings are also on our facebook page under the My Band tab. And thank you to JP Jones for posting these.

Join us on facebook and twitter.

To get info in this blog, send all details of your event to lowcountrybluesclub@gmail.com, and put "Attention blog-writers" as the subject heading, please.

JR and LMW, Oct 1, 2010