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Re: [ARSCLIST] Ska, Jump Blues, R&B WAS: Re: [ARSCLIST] A Holiday vision
Good point--Stephen Davis and Peter Simon discuss the particular impact of New Orleans (and Miami) radio stations on Jamaican audiences in their 1982 book "Reggae International," and there were surely other stations--especially at night! They add that many Jamaican immigrants brought back records from overseas--not unlike those British sailors that brought American records into Liverpool in the pre-Beatle era.
Matthew Barton
MBRS
The Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540-4696
202-707-5508
email: mbarton@xxxxxxx
>>> "Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 12/29/07 10:57 PM >>>
see end...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Matthew Barton" <mbarton@xxxxxxx>
> It wasn't just the New Orleans sound that inspired early Ska. Rosco Gordon of
Memphis was a major individual influence on the Jamaican musicians who created
Ska. Many of his Sun sides have a walking-tempo that emphasizes the upbeat, and
sound a LOT like early Ska. Before he died, Rosco did some shows with members of
the Skatalites.
>
> When I worked in an oldies store in Manhattan in the 90s, we had several
Jamaican regulars of that generation who came in looking for his records and
many others. Many of the sides they wanted were fairly (or very) obscure, but
they all had that proto-ska beat. Even when they were looking for a well-known
artists, such as Louis Jordan or Wynonie Harris, it would be for a lesser known
song, but one that had certain musical features. There was a two volume vinyl
compilation we carried called "Rhythm and Blues" that had many of their favorite
sides, but the list was long. I remember an Arbee Stidham side with a horn
chart that just screamed Ska. These records had been popular in Jamaica back in
the day, some had even been bootlegged there. One gent, who had done some
deejaying there, said that many of the DJs who worked the public dances would
paper over the labels of records they had acquired from the States so that other
jocks couldn't learn the names and get the same records!
>
A couple of facts we often forget...if we even know here in the XXI
Jahrhundert...
Back in earlier years, music was basically popularized by being
played on AM medium-wave radio...and medium-wave stations have a
near-infinite range once the sun sets (I used to use an old Philco
37-9 to "DX" AM radio half-a-century ago...!). Jamiaca would have
been well within "skip" range of many US AM stations...and thus
been influenced by all sorts of US-ian music heard via distant
AM stations...! As noted, when "jocks" heard a US phonorecord,
there were probably ways they could acquire a copy...?!
Steven C. Barr