The Day The Music Died

As the baby boomers, and the generation ahead of the baby boomers dies off, their music dies off with them. Music back then was a product of a different time.  Top down distribution.  Hitmakers.  There was zero opportunity for a person like Chance the Rapper to do what he did. I don’t know what music will look like in the future. There is so much noise in it now that it’s pretty hard to do what Chance did.

You wonder, will the sounds of the old time musicians and crooners like Frank Sinatra become simply passe and never heard again?  Certainly, classical music is that way.  Certainly, the swing music of the 30’s-40’s is gone.  Certainly, jazz is not what it was.  I wonder as the old blues legends die off if the blues will be the same way.

Yesterday, an old Chicago blues legend Eddy Clearwater passed away.  He was in his 80’s.

You can listen to the blues while you are just sitting around, but it’s best to see live.  I went to Buddy Guy’s Legends bar on the near South Side to see him play a couple of years ago.  He was excellent. Any night in Chicago you can go to several bars and see a pretty good blues band.

I love the blues. There is something about it when it’s done well that combines jazz and rock and roll. Just hits you right. And it’s in your face and loud.

When it comes to the blues, most of the giants were born in rural Mississippi and found their way up to Chicago.  Here is a little Eddy Clearwater to listen to for your Sunday morning. The Big Chief will be missed. (Sorry about the ads, Soundcloud and other music platforms are an irritating experience these days)