Steve Earle:"Galway Girl" (2000)

September marks the halfway point to St. Patrick's Day. Hence this selection:
Born in Virginia, but raised in the San Antonio, Texas area, Steve Earle picked up a guitar early in life and never looked back.  A protégé of legendary songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark, Earle quickly became a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by Shawn Colvin, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Travis Tritt, The Pretenders, Joan Baez and countless others. 1986 saw the release of his debut record, Guitar Town, which shot to number one on the country charts and immediately established the term “New Country.”

"Galway Girl" is from Steve's album "Transcendental Blues" which was released in 2000. It is said that he encountered an absolutely stunning, raven haired girl with blue eyes in that city that simply knocked him out. The theory being that County Galway citizens have a little Spanish blood in them from those who survived the wreckage of the Spanish Armada. People from that area are called "Black Irish" as a result. My father being one of them.

This is a very Irish sounding piece, and with good reason. Sharon Shannon plays on this cut as do a host of other Irish musicians:

• Steve Earle - mandolin, vocals
• Sharon Shannon - accordion
• Mary Shannon - banjo
• Liz Kane - fiddle
• Yvonne Kane - fiddle
• Jim Murray - guitar
• Bill Wright - bouzouki
• Dan Gillis - tin whistle
• James Blennerhassett - upright bass
• Joyce Redmond - bodhran
• Noel Bridgeman - drums

Shannon would later cover this song in Ireland and it would stay at #1 on their charts for three weeks.

One thing you can't say about Steve Earle is that he is boring. He has been married seven times, was arrested for heroin possession, did some time for cocaine and weapons possession and has been nominated for 14 Grammy's, winning three times for "Best Contemporary Folk Album". He acts in movies and on t.v., and in many cases he is playing his own material. His latest album, "Never Get Out of This World Alive", is matched by a book he wrote with the same title.

Box of Frogs: "Back Where I Started" (1984)

This is a story about a potential super-group that simply went away.
In the mid-1980's, some of the founding members of the iconic Yardbirds got together and did some live dates. These former band mates included rhythm guitarist Chris Dreja (who also played bass),bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, and drummer Jim McCarty, who also founded with another former Yardbird, (Keith Relf) the dreamy progressive rock group Renaissance.

The live dates went very well and they formed Box of Frogs to record an album. This self titled effor featured John Fiddler on lead vocals (former Yardbird Relf electrocuted himself in 1976 by playing an ungrounded guitar) and help from another former Yardbird Jeff Beck, as well as Rory Gallagher.

The first track, "Back Where I Started" did well and cracked the top 10 in the U.S. The album became a hit on college campuses and there was great demand for a tour. Apparently three of the members did not want to tour and that was that. Reportedly, Jeff Beck was so upset he quit and refused to play on the second album, Strange Land. This second effort did not do as well and the band broke up shortly thereafter.

It occurs to me, after watching the video a time or two, that the plot is all about getting the band back together.

The Yardbirds tour in a different configuration today and "Back Where I Started" is part of their set list.

Miriam Makeba: Pata Pata (1967)

I'd be surprised if you have head this song in the last 20 years.

Well before Paul Simon, South African Miriam Makeba popularized African music in the United States.  She was a talented artist known for her singing and songcraft. She carried the nickname "Mama Africa" and "The Empress of African Song" as well.  Miriam was one of the first entertainers to speak out against apartheid, a system which institutionalized racial discrimination in her country in 1948.

Despite having to live in such a prohibitive society, she was able to join a number of local bands and began to tour. This would eventually lead her to the United States, where her outspoken demeanor and beautiful voice soon had her meeting and singing before the rich and famous. By then, Miriam was banned from South Africa, an exile that would last 30 years.

"Pata Pata" was originally sung and recorded by her girl group The Skylarks and released in 1957. It was finally released in the U.S. in 1967, and peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year. The tempo has more of a 60's feel than the 50's.

"Pata Pata" (Touch Touch) was written in the Xhosa language which includes click consonants. The rise and fall of vocal inflections can change a words meaning. Though I have yet to find a good translation of the songs lyrics, suffice it to say the story is about releasing energy after another week of being suppressed and finding romance at the local dance. One might compare it to the crowd energy that was found at a juke joint in the deep south.

Five marriages included her first husband, who left her three minutes after she gave birth at 17, three years with trumpeter Hugh Masekela, ("Grazin' in the Grass," 1968), and a controversial marriage to Black Panther leader Stokely Carmichael, which alienated her from her white following in the U.S. This would see her banned from several European countries.

She was able to return to South Africa after the fall of apartheid and was well received, but younger South Africans had little knowledge of her.

She had a heart attack after performing "Pata Pata" at a demonstration concert in Italy at the age of 76. A truly remarkable woman...

UPDATE 1/18/15
We kept digging and found a WordPress blog that had the lyrics in Xhosa, followed by a partial translation:

Pata Pata
(Miriam Makeba)

Saguquka sathi ‘bheka’
Nants’ iPata Pata
Saguquka sathi ‘bheka’
Nants’ iPata Pata

Yiyo mama, yiyo mama
Nants’ iPata Pata
Yiyo mama, yiyo mama
Nants’ iPata Pata

Pata Pata is the name of the dance
We do down Johannesburg where
And everybody starts to move
As soon as Pata Pata starts to play

Saguquka sathi ‘bheka’
Nants’ iPata Pata
Saguquka sathi ‘bheka’
Nants’ iPata Pata

Yiyo mama, yiyo mama
Nants’ iPata Pata
Yiyo mama, yiyo mama
Nants’ iPata Pata

Every Friday and Saturday Night
It’s Pata Pata time!
The dance keeps going all night long
Til’ the morning sun begins to shine!

 

[English Meaning]:

So we grooved and said ‘check it out!’
(This is the Pata Pata…)

That’s it, lady
(This is the Pata Pata…)

-

[Some Literal translations]:

Pata Pata – Hold/carry (in this sense, to hold or touch suggestively)
Saguquka – We turned around/changed (in this sense, to groove)
Sathi – We said
Bheka – Look
Yiyo – That’s the one/that’s it
Nantsi This is (it)/Here (it) is

Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater: "Cool Blues Walk" (1998)

Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater (Edward Harrington) is one of the last original purveyors of the classic West Side blues style. A contemporary of Magic Sam, Buddy Guy and Luther Allison, Eddy has developed a unique musical approach that comes from a wide variety of influences.  He learned guitar at an early age and that turned out to be left-handed and upside down! His band mates gave him a name to match Muddy Waters, thus Clear Water sounded like an Indian name. It stuck, and the nickname "The Chief" became part of his moniker as well.

This engaging title track  was recorded with the Duke Robillard Band (and produced with Duke).

‘Cool Blues Walk,’ is great because of the opening blues walk that you can't get out of your head, plus the smooth back and forth guitar duties between Clearwater and Robilliard, as well as Eddy's vocals. Both felt they had chemistry on the spot and Eddy, according to Duke, "... burns up the tracks with inspired blues guitar playing. This album should not only establish once and for all the Eddy Clearwater is one of the most powerful practitioners of the blues, but also one of the most creative and talented composers in all of roots music." -- Duke Robillard

The song (and album) features support from Robillard's band: Robillard, guitar; Doug James, (my favorite baritone sax player, who cut an album called "Blow Mr. Low"); Dennis Taylor, tenor sax; John Pack, bass, and Marty Richards, drums.

Carey Bell, the well known harp player, is Clearwater's cousin.

Mink Deville: "Spanish Stroll": (1977)

Willy "Mink" Deville (William Paul Borsey Jr.) was born in Connecticut in 1950. He had a wonderful way of matching American and Spanish rhythms to rock and roll. "Spanish Stroll" was the lead single from the band's first album "Cabretta" (known simply as "Mink Deville in the U.S.). The song features back up singers (The Immortals) that he discovered at a reggae concert at Max's Kansas City. Listen and you can hear why his songs are referred to as being "Spanish-Americana". No argument here. His time as a house band at CBGB's comes through as well. If you have never heard of Mink Deville you should check into some of his other work. His cover of "You Better Move On" (1961) by Arthur Alexander may be the best version ever. Mink had a 35 year career that ended with his death at the age of 58.

Funny that, in my research, I suspected that some people might have Mink Deville confused with Lou Reed. I found a lyric site crediting him for writing this song!

Hey Mr. Jim, I can see the shape you're in
Got your finger on your eyebrow
And left hand on your hip
Thinking that you're such a lady killer
Think you're so slick!
Alright, slick