Rory Block

Hard Luck Child: A Tribute To Skip James

 ^{Rory Block — Hard Luck Child: A Tribute To Skip James}Birth name: Aurora Block
Born: November 6th, 1949, Princeton, New Jersey.
Location: Chatham, Manhattan, Greenwich Village, New York, NY
Album release: October 21, 2014
Record Label: Stony Plain Records
Duration:     45:34
Tracks:
01. Nehemiah James      5:31
02. Special Rider Blues      5:00
03. Cypress Grove Blues      4:29
04. If You Haven’t Any Hay, Get On Down The Road      4:21
05. Little Cow & Calf Is Gonna Die Blues     5:18
06. Devil Got My Woman      4:45
07. Jesus Is A Mighty Good Leader      4:06
08. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues      4:15
09. I’m So Glad      3:20
10. Hard Luck Child      4:30
Rory´s Martin Guitars:
The Martin OM–40 Rory Block Signature Edition
ψ   The ads for Martin Guitar Strings came out in ‘97.. (see page 53 of the October ‘97 issue of Guitar Player). You can’t see my face too well, mostly my hair, (so what else is new), but it does say who I am and it is a full page in color. My Martin guitar kicks bootie and since I was using the strings long before they asked me to do the ads, nothing has changed except for the amount of strings in my bus and the new gold strings, which are also too good to be true. The ads appeared in: (1997) Guitar Player: October, Acoustic Guitar: October, Guitar World: September, Fingerstyle Guitar: September/October, Bluegrass Unlimited: August & September, Dirty Linen: August/September, Performing Songwriter: July/August & September/October issues, Music Paper: August/September, etc. There are also display posters in stores picturing Eric Clapton, Rory Block, and Marty Stuart. They say “The best only string with the best.” Great company!
ψ   Aurora Block was born in Princeton and grew up in Manhattan. Her father, Allan Block, ran a sandal shop in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, and the influence of the Greenwich Village folk music scene, such as Peter Rowan, Maria Muldaur, and John Sebastian, tempted Block to study classical guitar. At the age of 14, she met guitarist Stefan Grossman, who introduced her to the music of Mississippi Delta blues guitarists. Block began listening to old albums, transcribing them, and learning to play the songs. At age 15, she left home to seek out the remaining blues giants, such as Mississippi John Hurt, Reverend Gary Davis, and Son House, and hone her craft in the traditional manner of blues musicians; then she traveled to Berkeley, California where she played in clubs and coffeehouses.
ψ   After retiring temporarily to raise a family, Block returned to the music industry in the 1970s with middling success until signing with Rounder Records in 1981, who encouraged her to return to her love for the classical blues form. Since then she has carved out her own niche, releasing numerous critically acclaimed albums of original and traditional songs, including many Robert Johnson covers, such as “Terraplane Blues” and “Come on in My Kitchen”. Block has won five W. C. Handy Awards, two for “Traditional Blues Female Artist” (1997, 1998) and three for “Acoustic Blues Album of the Year” (1996, 1999, 2007). She also won NAIRD awards for “Best Adult Contemporary Album of the Year” in 1994 for Angel of Mercy and again in 1997 for Tornado.
ψ   Angel of Mercy, Turning Point, and Tornado included mostly original compositions. However, Mama's Blues, Ain’t I A Woman and When A Woman Gets The Blues featured songs written by Tommy Johnson, Robert Johnson, Lottie Beaman, and Mattie Delaney.
ψ   In 2010, Block released her autobiography in .pdf format and a limited print run titled When A Woman Gets The Blues.
ψ   "Stony Plain Records announces an October 21 release date for Hard Luck Child: a Tribute to Skip James, the fifth in acclaimed acoustic blues artist Rory Block’s “Mentor Series” of recordings saluting those blues masters who’ve had a profound influence on her music. On her latest album, the multi–blues Music Award winner pays tribute to Skip James, one of the most important country blues artists in history, whose songs have been recorded by a host of contemporary musicians over the years including Cream, who covered perhaps his most famous song, “I’m So Glad,” on their debut album in 1966.
ψ   The 10 tracks on Hard Luck Child include nine original Skip James songs and the Rory Block original composition that opens the album, “Nehemiah James,” which is her telling of James’ story and his impact on others. Throughout, the lines between gospel and blues are crossed, blurred and intertwined, showing the derivation of the original country blues sound of James and the others Block has previously saluted in her earlier albums: Mississippi John Hurt (Avalon), Rev. Gary Davis (I Belong to the Band), Mississippi Fred McDowell (Shake ‘em on Down) and Son House (Blues Walkin’ Like a Man).
ψ   “This is the fifth recording in my Mentor Series — musical tributes that celebrate the rediscovered blues masters I met in person as a teenager,” Rory Block writes in the album’s incisive liner notes. “These five great artists to whom these recordings are dedicated are the blues masters with whom I spent the most meaningful time, and they have, as a result, affected me the most deeply. There were others, such as Bukka White, who I sat next to, but really never interacted with on a personal level — thus these five are the true core of this series.”
ψ   In Rory Block’s remarkably talented fingers, she caresses and alternately attacks the strings in a slide guitar virtuoso performance that brings the soul and meaning of Skip James’ songs to life, as if heard for the very first time over the many decades since they were first written and performed by the man, himself.
ψ   “Skip James is often referred to as a man of mystery,” she writes of her experience meeting him. “Some people have described him as melancholy, even unfriendly. But in my 15 year–old eyes he was deep, soulful, and beautiful. I did not question his serious demeanor. After all, I was aware of the history, the horrors and evil treatment he had endured. I did not expect him or any other rediscovered blues player to be anything but serious. Skip James also had cancer when I met him, and very few people are cheerful in a hospital.”
ψ   “To me, his music, with its intensity and haunting quality, was central to the incredibly powerful style we called Country Blues. After all, blues was often about sorrow, hard times, and heartache. But it was also about joy, survival, and even success in some cases. Skip James was the quintessential blues player; he had it all: style, power, grace, depth — the ability to change your life and your way of experiencing the world with a single song. This was the inspiration and the example set by the masters — the gauntlet that was thrown down. I had to follow the sound and the passion. While the rest of the world was busy with modern things, I wandered down the dusty path towards the past in bare feet. I didn’t have a choice. This is what called to me.”
In french:
ψ   Un très bel hommage à l’un des pionnier du blues par la talentueuse guitariste Américaine Rory Block
PRESS:
ψ   “This is the fourth in her Mentor Series... Were this all she had ever done, her place in Blues history would be secured forever... No one, short of the masters themselves has ever played this music with the power and passion that Rory Block plays... Avalon is a modern masterpiece.” BILL WILSON — REFLECTIONS IN BLUE
ψ   “... yet another masterclass from a lady who deserves to be called ‘the first lady of the blues’.” — MICK RAINSFORD — BLUES IN BRITAIN
ψ   “Another in the continuing line of masterpieces from Rory Block... The strongest contender, by far, for Best Blues Tribute Album 2013...” — JOHN VERMILYEA — Blues Underground Network
ψ   “... one of the finest guitarists of her era... Block’s guitar work is, as always, phenomenal...” — Friday Blues Fix
ψ   “... Among the names Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Sippie Wallace, Rory Block stands among the great women of the blues.” BILL HURLEY — The Alternate Root Magazine
ψ   “Rory Block is one of America’s greatest treasures...” — ADRIAN BLACKLEE — BLUES MATTERS
ψ   “... a modern masterwork... she has succeeded brilliantly... Avalon is flawless, alive, full of joy and passion...” BARRY KERZNER — American Blues Scene
ψ   “... a modern master in her own right, it simply doesn”t get much better.” — JOHN TAYLOR — BLINDED BY SOUND
ψ   “... her playing is sublime... Rory Block’s recordings are stuff of a particular kind of brilliance.” — PARCBENCH
ψ   “To say I love this album would be an understatement... Avalon is a deep and intimate blues experience that I can not recommend highly enough.” Uncle John’s Record Barn — GONZO ONLINE
ψ   “... sass and soul... Killer stuff...” CHRIS SPECTOR — Midwest Record — Chicago, IL
ψ   “Her exquisite finger–picking skills are on full display...” SHERYL AND DON CROW — donandsherylsbluesblog
ψ   “This is my favorite of the 4 releases and I'm sure that Block will be rewarded for her faithful efforts.” Bman’s Blues Report
Website: http://www.roryblock.com/
MySpace: https://myspace.com/roryblock
Martin Guitars: http://www.martinguitar.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rory-Block/148674645202936
♥   Můžete mluvit o svých fanoušcích, že to jsou vaši nejmilejší přátelé? Co myslíš? Vždy budu mít pocit dluhu vůči divákům — bez nich není žádná kariéra. Nahrávací společnosti nemůžou udělat nic pro vás, bez laskavé spolupráce lidí, kteří vynaloží své těžce vydělané peníze na nákup svých desek a uslyší, jak hrajete. Mám také požehnání v tom, že moje publikum, to jsou neuvěřitelně báječní lidé. Téměř každý večer jdu ven na podpisovou akci a mluvím s lidmi, a jsem vždy překvapena tou otevřeností u lidí, jejich vlídností, jejich poctivostí a zranitelností. Chci říct, že jsem byla povznesena a vzhledem k tomu mám důvod, proč považuji hudební kariéru za dostatečně motivující. Lidé říkají, že určitá skladba jim pomohla přestat pít, další říká, že určitá skladba zachránila jeho život, jiný pláče a říká, že určitá píseň je “jeho” píseň; lidé mi říkají, že mluvím za ně, co je právě v jejich srdcích, lidé říkají, že rozumí svým partnerům lépe díky mým písním, lidé přinášejí dárky, lidé mi poskytují objetí, lidé mi důvěřují a říkají mi o svých osobních tragédiích. Nikdy jsem úplně nedokázala pochopit, čím si zasloužím jejich nadšení, ale já přicházím pomalu na to, že to je důvod, proč jsem tady: chci udělat něco dobrého pro jednoho člověka každý večer. ♣   Diváci přispívají k pocitu ocenění, a pro někoho, kdo se nikdy necítil hoden, to je neocenitelný dar.
♥   You talk about your fans like they are your dearest friends. What do you mean by this?
I will always give the credit to the audience — without them there is no career. Record companies can do nothing for you without the kind cooperation of people who lay out their hard earned money to buy your records and hear you perform. I am also blessed in that my audiences are incredibly wonderful people. Almost every night I go out to the product table and talk to people while I sign CDs, and I am always amazed by the openness in people, their graciousness, their honesty and vulnerability. To say I have been uplifted and given a reason to have a career is not strong enough. People say that a certain song helped them stop drinking, another says a certain song saved their life, another cries and says that a certain song is “their” song, people tell me I speak for what is in their hearts, people say they understand their partners better because of my songs, people bring me gifts, people give me hugs, people confide in me and tell me their personal tragedies. I never quite understand how I deserve their enthusiasm, but I have come to feel that this is the reason I am here: to do something good for just one person each night. The audiences have given me the gift of feeling valued, and for someone who never felt valuable, that’s a priceless gift.
Discography:
ψ   1967 How to Play Blues Guitar Elektra 324 Credited as “Sunshine Kate”, with Stefan Grossman, reissued in 1978 as Kicking Mule 109
ψ   1975 Rory Block RCA Victor 0733 
ψ   1976 Rory Block (I’m in Love) Blue Goose 2022 
ψ   1977 Intoxication, So Bitter Sweet Chrysalis 1157 
ψ   1979 You’re the One Chrysalis 1233 
ψ   1981 High Heeled Blues Rounder 3061 Recorded at Bearsville Sound Studios, Produced by John Sebastian
ψ   1983 Blue Horizon Rounder 3073 
ψ   1984 Rhinestones & Steel Strings Rounder 3085 
ψ   1986 I’ve Got a Rock in My Sock Rounder 3097 
ψ   1987 Best Blues and Originals Rounder 11525 
ψ   1987 House of Hearts Rounder 3104 
ψ   1990 Color Me Wild Alcazar 1003 Children's album
ψ   1991 Mama’s Blues Rounder 3117 
ψ   1992 Ain’t I A Woman Rounder 3120 
ψ   1994 Angel of Mercy Rounder 3126 1994 Adult Contemporary Album of the Year
ψ   1994 Women In (E)motion Tradition & Moderne 107 Live, 1988
ψ   1995 When A Woman Gets The Blues Rounder 3139 1996 Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
ψ   1995 Turning Point Munich 145 
ψ   1996 Tornado Rounder 3140 1997 Adult Contemporary Album of the Year
ψ   1997 Gone Woman Blues: The Country Blues Collection Rounder 11575 
ψ   1997 The Early Tapes 1975–1976 Alcazar 111 
ψ   1998 Confessions Of A Blues Singer Rounder 3154 1999 Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
ψ   2002 I’m Every Woman Rounder 3174 
ψ   2003 Last Fair Deal Telarc CD–83593 
ψ   2004 Sisters & Brothers Telarc CD–83588 With Eric Bibb and Maria Muldaur
ψ   2005 From The Dust Telarc CD–83614 
ψ   2006 The Lady and Mr Johnson Rykodisc RCD 10872 2007 Acoustic Blues Album of the Year
ψ   2008 Blues Walkin’ Like a Man: A Tribute To Son House Stony Plain SPCD 1329 
ψ   2008 Country Blues Guitar — Rare Archival Recordings 1963–1971 Guitar    Workshop SGGW103 With Stefan Grossman, reissue of How to Play Blues Guitar plus 16 additional tracks
ψ   2013 Avalon: A Tribute to Mississippi John Hurt Stony Plain SPCD 1369 Her fourth release in the Mentor Series.
ψ   2014 Hard Luck Child: A Tribute To Skip James       
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Rory Block

Hard Luck Child: A Tribute To Skip James

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