That's Honeyboy, a year ago last night, second from right. Photo by Silva
by Mark Silva
It was a year ago today, a Sunday on the past year's calendar, that a certain Swampster logged in here to record his night with a legendary bluesman, David "Honeyboy'' Edwards, born June 28, 1915, in Mississippi.
Honeyboy had played the night before for only a handful of afficionadoes of the blues on the autumn-cool campus of the University of Chicago.
That makes Honeyboy 92 today.
And it makes "Sweet Home Chicago," the posting in his honor, one year old.
And for those who are counting, the comments logged in at Sweet Home Chicago passed 1,200 over the weekend. That is far and away more than any other number logged on any other posting. And that is somewhat more than one in 100 of the nearly 110,000 comments that have been posted on the Swamp in its nearly two years of existence.
As for the title of today's posting, it belongs to Robert Johnson, and it was immortalized on the guitar by Elmore James. It was a hit in 1952. It still is, in this old boy's book.
Now, it's a relatively small community that has found a home at Sweet Home Chicago. But that's OK. Folks, you're basically one in a million in this guy's eyes. It's been a great year. Rock on.
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Comments
"It's been a great year. Rock on."
Thanks Mr. Silva. A great way to start the week. Thanks to you and the others over at 'The Swamp'. Rock on indeed!
Posted by: weinerdog43 | October 29, 2007 7:46 AM
"Honeyboy" is the last living link to Robert Johnson, king of the Delta Blues singers who, according to legend, sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads (not to be confused with the current crop of politicians who sell their souls but don't play guitar nearly as well.)
Honeyboy left home with his guitar at 17, so that means he's celebrating 75 years on the road. He's still doing 100+ gigs a year. Walkin', talkin', singin' history.
So happy anniversary Honeyboy, play on. And happy anniversary "Homies," write on.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | October 29, 2007 9:24 AM
Homies....What a year. Thanks for the great insight on tons of music and scores of movies. Thanks also for a peak into everyones' lives and knowing..."What a long strange trip its been".
Posted by: bill r. | October 29, 2007 9:43 AM
Happy Birthday, Honeyboy and thank you, Mark. It has been a blast.
Posted by: Catherine | October 29, 2007 10:38 AM
And it's actually 2200, as we lost 1000 in
the cut over to the new posting system.
Posted by: C.Morris | October 29, 2007 1:54 PM
Thanks Mark, you da "music" man!
Posted by: John E | October 29, 2007 2:44 PM
"Honeyboy" proves we all have something in common that can be shared, love of music, the arts, enlightenment, diversity. Anonymous proves that intolerance, close-minded, dogma-driven, meanness has no bounds. You can go back to your hate radio now, tiger. Peace.
Posted by: dt | October 29, 2007 3:10 PM
Near the end of 1961, some astrologers in India began predicting "the end of the world." Why? They pointed to a rare conjunction of 7 solar systemic bodies in Aquarius that would occur from Feb. 3-5, 1962 in the sign of Aquarius. At that time--utilizing the Western, tropical zodiac--there would be a Total Solar Eclipse in mid-Aquarius (a power point in the zodiac), plus the five traditional astrological planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) would also be in Aquarius and clustered around the Total Solar Eclipse.
Well, the world did not end (although eight months later the Cuban Missile Crisis almost brought us to the brink of global catastrophe!). Instead, there began a stirring up of political, social, religious, economic, scientific, artistic, musical, cultural and educational changes, revolts and revolutions that staggered our planet. That early February 1962 rare alignment of celestial bodies did trigger something within humanity--and even the song "Age of Aquarius" became a kind of anthem for the possibility of a renaissance in human society world-wide.
(Mark Learner and "Planet Earth" magazine).
Hair - Aquarius Lyrics
When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars
This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golding living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revalation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius!
Aquarius!
Posted by: TheReamer | October 29, 2007 3:34 PM
"IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD"
R.E.M.
Thanks to our Neocon administration....
That's great it starts with an earthquake
Birds and snakes and aeroplanes
And Lenny Bruce is not afraid
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves it's own needs, dummy serve your own needs
Feed it off an aux speak grunt no
ladder with a clatter fight, fear flight down height
Wire in a fire representing seven games and a government for hire in a combat site
Left of west and coming in a hurry with the furies breathing down your neck
Team by team reporters baffled, trumped, tethered, cropped
Look at that low playing, fine, then
Uh-oh overflow, population common food, but it'll do
Save yourself, serve yourself, world serves it's own needs
Listen to your heart bleed dummy with the rapture and the revered and the right, right
Vitreolic, patriotic stand, fight, bright, light
Feeling pretty psyched
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine
Six o'clock TV hour, don't get caught in foreign towers
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn
Locking in, uniforming, book-burning, blood-letting
Every motive escalate, automotive incinerate
Light a candle, light a votive, step down step down
Watch your heel, crush, crushed uh-oh this means
No fear cavalier, renegade, steer clear
A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives
And I decline
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine
I feel fine
The other night I dreamt of knives, continental drift divide
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein
Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheescake, jellybean, boom you
Symbiotic patriotic slam book neck
Right? Right!
It's the end of the world as we know it
It's the end of the world as we know it (It's time I had some time alone)
It's the end of the world as we know it
And I feel fine
I feel fine
Posted by: John E | October 29, 2007 4:23 PM
Mark,
Thanks for all the fun.
Life without music, art, is, is,,, not life.
Posted by: C.Morris | October 29, 2007 7:39 PM