Recently I mentioned that I was starting to do at-home karaoke, much to my husband’s amusement. He is my only audience, unless you count the dogs, who have their own musical leanings (they howl when the ice cream van or an ambulance siren passes). But singing loudly and not always in tune somehow makes me feel energised on a dull, rainy afternoon.
So, today I started singing the blues. I have to say it didn’t go all that well, but I plan to do some more. I did the “British blues” today. It got a bit too complicated. You can’t sing all the instruments as well as the vocals, I realise.
A wave of blues music that swept over the UK in the sixties and into the seventies, inspired some great bands like Fleetwood Mac, the Yardbirds, Cream, the monumental Led Zeppelin, etc. Oh and the Rolling Stones, although I was never a fan of theirs for some reason.
One little band I did love was Free. They were nice middle-class boys who used to hang out in Richmond, Surrey - where at the time I was in sixth form and a quietly adoring teenage fan of theirs. Their music still sounds good.
One of my musical friends on Twitter today reminded me of Free and their wonderful guitarist, Paul Kossoff. His guitar solos were vibrant and deep, fitting in with the band’s spare, tight sound. In 1976, Paul died at the age of 26 on a flight from Los Angeles to New York City, from a blood clot. He had a long-standing problem with drugs. His father David was a well-known actor; he started an anti-drugs foundation after Paul’s death.
So, today I sang some of Free’s great bluesy vocals, with a bit of Paul’s riffs (which I know by heart) thrown in. I think I bit off more than I could chew. I might have another try tomorrow. I have their first three albums (1969 and 1970) but prefer to go to YouTube on my phone, and move around the house while “singing.”
At least the dogs didn’t howl.
Wishing Well is a rock classic. Good luck with the guitar solos!