Modern Music
Gary Moore was a musician born in 1952 in Belfast who was entrenched in the blues. He grew up among the troubles and incorporated the influence of the blues into his work. He was pulled into the blues scene when renowned artists Jimi Hendrix and Peter Green visited his hometown. Green was a part of John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers at the time and later went on to found Fleetwood Mac. He was one of Moore’s biggest influences, and Moore later released an album in which he covered exclusively Peter Green tunes to honor him, entitled “Blues for Greeny.”
B.B. King was an American blues musician who was nicknamed “King of the Blues” and was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame this year. He performed live with Moore and rocked audiences with their command of the style. The collaboration welcomes an overlap between American blues and Northern Irish blues, underlining the community that the blues can create and the commonality between the struggles of an African-American man in the deep south can find with a Northern Irish Catholic amidst the troubles.
Hozier, now an extremely popular Irish artist across the world for songs such as “Take Me to Church”, has his roots embedded in American blues artists such as Muddy Waters. Hozier’s “Working Song” discusses deviance and the fight against authority, which can easily be related to the Catholic situation in Northern Ireland. NPR recently interviewed the artist discussing how Hozier was influenced by African-American blues artists such as Muddy Waters, and also states his distaste with the influence of groups such as the Church.
Northern Ireland has become world renowned for blues music, and most famously for its International Guinness Blues on the Bay Festival. The festival takes place in Warrenpoint, and in 2014 experienced its 16th year. The festival is traditionally non-for-profit. [bluesonthebay.co.uk]
In the past year’s festival, Shawn Jones was featured with his album “Struggle Makes You Stronger.” The album is reminiscent of Cal’s search for masculinity, and finding an identity through physical labor.
As a side note, American culture has also embraced the blues and exposed children of our generation to the soul-filled sounds. In an episode of the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake and Josh, the boys perform “Soul Man” by The Blues Brothers.
Overall, the struggles underlined throughout Cal such as the need for equality and a desire to embrace masculinity had a strong overlap with common blues themes. This led Cal to seek out blues music as a refuge from the troubles and identify with others who experienced adversity of a similar nature and translated their problems into art. While blues music progresses over time, its foundation will always lie in countering sadness, whether it be right in the deep south or amidst the strife of Northern Ireland.
Van Morrison and the Maritime Hotel (previous)
[1] “Gary Moore Official Website – Biography.” Gary Moore Official Website – Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. [2] “John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. [3] “B.B. King.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Nov. 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. [4] “Everything You Need to Know About Hozier.” Fuse. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.