In my (not humble) opinion, Valentine's Day, even though I wrote a rambling, unwieldy posting about it three years ago, is, without a doubt, the SUCKIEST of holidays.
Now, I'm as romantic as the next guy (and very likely more so), but this is a consumerist and selective holiday, designed specifically to sell stuff. While the non-religious can celebrate Christmas and folks who would be emphatically barred from serving in the military can gleefully barbeque meats on July 4 and Veterans Day, can people without partners celebrate Valentine's Day?
By definition, good ol' VD Day harshly divides everyone into haves and have-nots, as if we need more of that. As they used to say at county fairs, what a crock!
So forget the sucky holiday ever existed and enjoy the outstanding music of Chicago blues master Samuel Maghett, a.k.a. Magic Sam, born on February 14, 1937.
Sadly, Sam has long since left this music and healing hungry planet, but the remastered West Side Soul, fortunately for music lovers, has been reissued by the wonderful Delmark Records (the same label that re-issued Hawk Squat by another Chicago guitar genius, J.B. Hutto) and remains in print.
Here's Sam, making magic with the personal axe of another under-recorded treasure, slide guitarist Earl Hooker.
2 comments:
Forget about Valentine's Day, forget about Magic Sam's Birthday. Benjamin Kubelsky (Jack Benny) was born on this date 39 years ago, in 1894.
Such is the nature of a blog penned by an electric guitarist-vocalist-jazz-blues-"old guy rock" nut-rabid vintage movie and cartoon buff.
The hilarious Mr. Kubelsky is one of my favorite comedians. Posted a short piece about him on Aaron Neathery's blog, back on Oct. 25, 2007.
Imagine, in 1961, Benny, Ernie Kovacs, Dick Van Dyke and The Andy Griffith Show were all with shows on freakin' network television - YOW! That is some comedy firepower!
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