The black man has turned his back on the blues.
On Tuesday night, Kev and I went to see the great Robert Cray at the Granada. It is always fun to go to see a show at the Granada because it is a cool place and it reminds me of my wedding day. Robert Cray was fantastic, as I expected he would be. Besides Elvis Costello, I think Robert Cray has my favorite singing voice. It is very rich and smooth and a little raspy, a lot like a cello sounds.
Every time Kev and I go to a blues show, we are disappointed by the fact that there are never any black people there. Robert Cray was no exception. I saw only two black people, and it was a pretty packed house. The crowd pretty much consisted of middle aged overweight white people, including the members of the Robert Cray Band. The poly-cotton blend Hawaiian shirt was a big player. I guess I should relish the rare occasion of being among the youngest and skinniest and most fashionable 10-15% of the audience. That doesn't happen very often.
It was a fun night. The weather was actually cool and pleasant. Tomorrow is the first day of September. Aaaaah.
A quick note on the Peanut: Yesterday, she learned to roll from her back onto her stomach. And last night, she slept from 9pm to 7am! It is the first time in almost a year that I slept all night without having to get up to tend to the baby or go to the bathroom. Celebrate good times, come on!
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4 comments:
There's a reason why the black man was not out in force for the Robert Cray show. White people have embraced Cray wholeheartedly and that's likely why the black man has turned his back on him.
Why is this? I think it has something to do with his voice. Cray sings a cleaner version of the blues. It's different than grittier stuff you'd hear by, for example, the late great Z.Z. Hill who is largely unfamiliar to the greater white music listening audience.
Another reason may be the venue. The black man is not going to go north of I-30 to see a show. The white man probably wouldn't go to a blues club in South Dallas either. That's just another unfortunate consequence in Dallas that makes this city suck just a little bit more.
I don't think it is a Robert Cray-specific phenomenon. Granted, his take on the blues (R&B, really) is a lot more white-people-friendly than most. But I've seen dozens of blues singers of all styles over the years, and it is invariably the same crowd demographics.
I am buying the venue theory though. Most people don't feel completely at ease in a social setting if they are in the racial minority.
From what I've read, blues greats like Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker and B.B. King started losing their black audience in the 1950's, and about the same time they started to gain a white people following. So this trend has been around for a while.
-K.
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!! THAT'S THE DAPHNE SLEEPTHROUGHTHENIGHT BATTLE CRY!!
Congrats on your first night of sleep!
I always wake up confused and worried when that happens. Heh.
-Nate
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