British Blues on film – and crowdfundraiser for Ealing

John Mayall, the late Jack Bruce, Paul Jones, Pete Townshend, Ginger Baker, Eric Burdon and Dick Taylor feature in Suburban Steps To Rockland, a feature film documentary about the Ealing Club, Britain’s first Rhythm & Blues venue. The film is heading for Sky release, but could use some income via its current crowdfunding campaign that runs to the end of August – see https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/suburban-steps-to-rockland#/. There are some tasty rewards for contributing to this commemoration of musical heritage.

Film is an important medium for celebrating the history of Blues music, with The Blues film series in the US being produced by no less a figure than Martin Scorsese.

Other British productions include Out of Time on singer Chris Farlowe and another on Alexis Korner, himself pivotal in the story of the Ealing Club.

Samples of our exhibits being shared online

Cream 8-track cartridge

John O’Leary custom Hohner harmonica

Otis Grand lyrics amended by Curtis Salgado

Using our various social media channels, we’ve been sharing a proportion of the images of the British Blues Exhibition collection. Over time, we will probably share one out of five of our exhibits online. Here are a few of the exhibit images shared recently. The images above show (from left to right, starting with the top row) an original 45rpm single by The Rolling Stones, Get Off My Cloud; a copy flyer for The Bromel Club with acts such as The Who and Chris Farlowe appearing in the 1960’s; a 2014 edition of Blues In Britain magazine with King King; an 8-track cartridge of Cream Live; a copy of Sounds magazine with Paul Kossoff and Back Street Crawler; a John O’Leary (Savoy Brown, Sugarkane, The Downliner Sect) Hohner Marine Band harmonica; a lyric sheet by Otis Grand amended by Curtis Salgado; and (some of) Chris Barber’s trombone donated to the exhibition. A lot more will follow in due course. That social media we mentioned?

Blog – http://blogoftheblues.blogspot.com

Facebook – www.facebook.com/BritishBluesEx

Instagram – www.instagram.com/britishbluesexhibition

Tumblr – http://britishbluesexhibition.tumblr.com

Twitter – https://twitter.com/BritishBluesEx

You Tube – www.youtube.com/channel/UCUqnhOMpz-aC-HBlwyA7jfw/featured

 

Audio interview with Ali MacKenzie and Derek Griffiths

Ali MacKenzie

The Crawdaddy Club, Richmond, hosted a live album launch for Birdwood, a band made up of some of the people in British Blues with serious history – and a serious hunger to play the Blues and have fun doing it. The British Blues Exhibition interviewed vocalist Ali MacKenzie and Derek Griffiths and captured a hint of the music and the introduction to the members of the band. Prominent in the history of the two interviewed are people including Ronnie Wood, Art Wood, Chuck Berry, Chubby Checker. Advice offered by Sister Rosetta Tharpe was especially notable. Listen here.

Listen and hear about how Ali’s and Derek’s careers have ben impacted by:

Jon Lord, the Artwoods, Mike Cotton Sound, Ronnie Wood, Colin Blunstone, Keef Hartley, Dog Soldier, Theatre, Art Wood, Art Wood Combo, West Drayton Community Centre, The Who, The Birds, The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things, Denmark Street, Eel Pie Club, Derek Griffiths, Ali MacKenzie, Chris Parren, Rocky Horror Show, The Strawbs, Jim Diamond, Keith Grant Evans, Downliners Sect, Mark Freeman, Chubby Checker, Dave Berry, Chuck Berry, Chuck Berry London Sessions, 100 Club, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Radio Caroline, BBC Radio One, The Move, Tony Blackburn, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Motown, and The Everley Brothers.