Blues for Thailand
Ever since I was a kid growing up in New Orleans, the blues has been a part of my life. When I learned that the first weekend of Koh Samui Music Festival, September 23-25, would feature a tribute to blues legend John Lee Hooker, I knew I had little choice but to attend the event.
The region of the Mississippi delta near my home was a hub of early blues innovation and development. Major early blues singers, such as Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James, Albert King, B.B. King, and John Lee Hooker, hailed from nearby Mississippi. As a white kid living in the racially segregated south of the ‘50s and ‘60s, however, I was a bit sheltered from the music of these early Black artists.
Nevertheless, as I was coming of age, the blues had already established inroads into the musical mainstream nationally, in the form of rock ‘n roll, and locally, in the form of Dixieland jazz, a staple of New Orleans culture. Popular local artists like Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, and, of course, Elvis Presley were commercial successes, and the blues was an important element of their work.
In time, the blues would establish itself as an important musical art form, not simply in the U.S., but around the world. Its influences can be detected today in a broad range of musical traditions, including jazz, R&B, gospel, country, folk, and rock ‘n roll. The blues continues to evolve endlessly, as it filters through the many voices, instruments, cultures, and life experiences of its diverse practitioners the world over.
On hand at the Samui festival were some of music’s biggest names, including Jerry Lee Lewis, the original Blues Brothers Band, Canned Heat, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Ike Turner, Lonnie Brooks, Eddie Kirkland, Aaron Moore, and Zakiya Hooker, the daughter of John Lee Hooker, and an accomplished performer in her own right. Artists of this caliber are capable of drawing audiences in the thousands.
Despite the notoriety of these international artists, however, the festival was obviously under-attended; at least during the weekend I was there. A large section of reserved tables and chairs went virtually unused, as most attendees opted for the less pricey “picnic style” admission tickets. On the night of Jerry Lee Lewis’s appearance, the audience occupied no more than 20% of the capacity of the scenic lakeside venue. Most of those in attendance appeared foreign.
I wondered about the reason for the poor turnout, particularly among the Thai community. At 1,200 baht per head, per day, the ticket price may have discouraged participation by working class Thai locals. Perhaps the promoters’ advertising was inadequate. What, I wondered, is the status of the blues in Thailand?
In talking to young Thais, I am often reminded how little awareness many have of this important musical art form. Although blues clubs do exist in Thailand, most notably, Pattaya’s own Blues Factory, it seems to attract mainly foreigners. There seems little here to compare to the widespread fanatical devotion to the blues found among many of my own countrymen. Is the blues incompatible with Thai culture?
My own theory to explain the limited popularity of the blues in Thailand is that the blues is often identified as music with strong ties to a remote time and place, not here, and not now. The original blues giants were singing about their experiences living lives in the Mississippi delta in the early to mid 1900s. Even more contemporary blues popularizers like Eric Clapton and John Mayall, likewise, must seem antiquated, and out of step with the younger generation. For these reasons, modern Thais might consider the blues irrelevant to their contemporary experience.
But while the blues originated in a time and place, there is nothing to keeping it from finding relevance in other times and places. The blues may be best known for the honest feeling communicated through the words and sounds of the artist. Since human emotion is universal, it seems reasonable that the blues could eventually find a broader audience among people of all cultures, including Thais. Perhaps what is needed is for some talented young Thai musician with a firm grounding in the blues to start defining a uniquely Thai variety of blues.
This sentiment is best summed up by the words of Chris Thomas King, a blues artist, and native of New Orleans who performed at the Samui festival.
“When I hear Tommy Johnson or any blues artist I respect from another era,” said King, “I learn a lot about the social conditions of the day – the culture and where we were as Americans at that particular time. If you really want to be like Tommy Johnson, I think you have to live in your time and be true to your experience. Because that’s what he did.”
Perhaps King’s words could be viewed as a challenge to those Thai musicians who do appreciate the blues.
The region of the Mississippi delta near my home was a hub of early blues innovation and development. Major early blues singers, such as Willie Dixon, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James, Albert King, B.B. King, and John Lee Hooker, hailed from nearby Mississippi. As a white kid living in the racially segregated south of the ‘50s and ‘60s, however, I was a bit sheltered from the music of these early Black artists.
Nevertheless, as I was coming of age, the blues had already established inroads into the musical mainstream nationally, in the form of rock ‘n roll, and locally, in the form of Dixieland jazz, a staple of New Orleans culture. Popular local artists like Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, and, of course, Elvis Presley were commercial successes, and the blues was an important element of their work.
In time, the blues would establish itself as an important musical art form, not simply in the U.S., but around the world. Its influences can be detected today in a broad range of musical traditions, including jazz, R&B, gospel, country, folk, and rock ‘n roll. The blues continues to evolve endlessly, as it filters through the many voices, instruments, cultures, and life experiences of its diverse practitioners the world over.
On hand at the Samui festival were some of music’s biggest names, including Jerry Lee Lewis, the original Blues Brothers Band, Canned Heat, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Ike Turner, Lonnie Brooks, Eddie Kirkland, Aaron Moore, and Zakiya Hooker, the daughter of John Lee Hooker, and an accomplished performer in her own right. Artists of this caliber are capable of drawing audiences in the thousands.
Despite the notoriety of these international artists, however, the festival was obviously under-attended; at least during the weekend I was there. A large section of reserved tables and chairs went virtually unused, as most attendees opted for the less pricey “picnic style” admission tickets. On the night of Jerry Lee Lewis’s appearance, the audience occupied no more than 20% of the capacity of the scenic lakeside venue. Most of those in attendance appeared foreign.
I wondered about the reason for the poor turnout, particularly among the Thai community. At 1,200 baht per head, per day, the ticket price may have discouraged participation by working class Thai locals. Perhaps the promoters’ advertising was inadequate. What, I wondered, is the status of the blues in Thailand?
In talking to young Thais, I am often reminded how little awareness many have of this important musical art form. Although blues clubs do exist in Thailand, most notably, Pattaya’s own Blues Factory, it seems to attract mainly foreigners. There seems little here to compare to the widespread fanatical devotion to the blues found among many of my own countrymen. Is the blues incompatible with Thai culture?
My own theory to explain the limited popularity of the blues in Thailand is that the blues is often identified as music with strong ties to a remote time and place, not here, and not now. The original blues giants were singing about their experiences living lives in the Mississippi delta in the early to mid 1900s. Even more contemporary blues popularizers like Eric Clapton and John Mayall, likewise, must seem antiquated, and out of step with the younger generation. For these reasons, modern Thais might consider the blues irrelevant to their contemporary experience.
But while the blues originated in a time and place, there is nothing to keeping it from finding relevance in other times and places. The blues may be best known for the honest feeling communicated through the words and sounds of the artist. Since human emotion is universal, it seems reasonable that the blues could eventually find a broader audience among people of all cultures, including Thais. Perhaps what is needed is for some talented young Thai musician with a firm grounding in the blues to start defining a uniquely Thai variety of blues.
This sentiment is best summed up by the words of Chris Thomas King, a blues artist, and native of New Orleans who performed at the Samui festival.
“When I hear Tommy Johnson or any blues artist I respect from another era,” said King, “I learn a lot about the social conditions of the day – the culture and where we were as Americans at that particular time. If you really want to be like Tommy Johnson, I think you have to live in your time and be true to your experience. Because that’s what he did.”
Perhaps King’s words could be viewed as a challenge to those Thai musicians who do appreciate the blues.
posted by Michael | Tuesday, October 11, 2005
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