Blog
Shut Up and Sing!
In March 2003 Natalie Maines from The Chicks, then known as the Dixie Chicks, famously criticised President George W Bush’s actions in Iraq from the stage during a concert in London. In response, the band were ‘cancelled’ and Natalie herself was subjected to death threats. In their song “Not Ready to Make Nice” (probably the classiest and most blistering “Sorry-not-sorry” takedown of keyboard warriors you’re ever likely to hear), the band details how Natalie was warned to “Shut up and sing”, or risk being killed during performance.
This story got me thinking, not least whether it was physically possible to simultaneously shut up and sing, but also how often as women we are silenced, side-lined by voices which are louder, more strident, deemed to have more important things to say. As an aside, I was once informed by an alternative therapist that the throat problems then plaguing me were caused by me physically stopping myself from speaking, literally biting back what I wanted to say.
Black History Month - Sensational Women of Music!
In celebration of Black History Month, this October, we are focusing on some of the remarkable women of colour who have made their mark on music history.
Historically, black women have been at the forefront of many fields including science, literature, politics and technology. They have also played a major role within the arts, including across all genres of music. We tend to hear more about influential men in the music world but there are many women who have made their own unique mark in music too. Here is a selection of a few of these truly inspirational women.
Empress of The Blues
In the 1920s and 1930s, Bessie Smith was the most admired female blues singer and continues to be cited as a major influence for blues and jazz vocalists. She worked for a period of time with Ma Rainey (known as the Mother of The Blues) before establishing herself as a solo performer.
In 1929 she appeared and sang in the film “St Louis Blues”:
Let The Music Play - Support Your Local Venues and Musicians!
Now I’m not normally one to rant. Actually, scratch that. I’m totally one to rant. It’s just not usually immortalised in print. This week, however, I read something that made me alternate between head-scratching incredulity and outright indignation.
Apparently, someone who likes surveys asked a lot of people to rank professions in order of usefulness during these “unprecedented times”. Unsurprisingly, frontline medics and other key workers topped the list, and rightly so. At the other end (the “not really very useful at all”, or “chocolate teapot” end?) artists, actors and musicians.
This struck me as rather unfair.
“Well, that’s rather unfair”, I said. I may have said some other words as well, but those I definitely do not want immortalised in print!
Having personally worked in two of these professions, I suppose accusations could be levelled that I would say that, wouldn’t I? Fair point, well made.
However, I challenge anyone to tell me that during lockdown they have listened to no music, watched no television, binged on zero boxsets and spent no hours chilling with Netflix - oh wait, that last one means something else, doesn’t it?
“Ode To Billy Joe”, The Twin Peaks Of Songs
February is Storytelling Month, so we are taking a look at the art of storytelling in song this month. “Ode to Billy Joe” was released by Bobbie Gentry in 1967 and is a spine-tingling example of mystery storytelling at it’s very best. Bobbie Gentry matched her story writing with her vocal storytelling abilities. It is her performance of the song that really brings the story to life.
(photograph courtesy of Gary Bridgman)
Lucky Day by Liz
A little story by one of our members, inspired by a discussion at one of our Singing Sessions.
"Paul!" She isn't sure it's him. But it looks like him. "Paul! Sir Paul!" At the station, Wemyss Bay. Of all places. She's only come for the day, to see the glass roof. Well, why not? It is a smashing glass roof. Ha ha. The sky outside is a pale January blue. She can see the seagulls' feet overhead, yellow and flat on the glass, semi-see-through, lit up by the sun. There is a book shop she'll look at later, and the air is cold. It's nice here.
He turns, wearily. OMG! It's him! She gulps the diaphragm-deep breath she practised for Ding Dong Merrily On High a couple of weeks back.
"I'm really sorry Sir Paul, can I ask you a question? It's a music thing, not a", she flaps her hand, "mad fan thing".
He looks pissed off but manages to straighten up a little. She plunges in.
RSS