sweartotellthetruth

Swear to Tell the Truth for Tuesday, April 16, 2013 (1:00-2:30 pm)

We mentioned a feature on Hi Records for this week and, as we prepared the program, that feature became the entire show.  We’re going to look at the Hi label over the company’s twenty-two year history from its early days representing Memphis rockabilly and R&B instrumentals to its emergence as an important source of southern soul music and its tenure as one of the last bastions of the style. Under Willie Mitchell’s direction, Hi came to develop a unique variant of southern soul, rooted in Memphis rhythm & blues. Contrary to the suggestion you’ll encounter in some commentaries, Hi managed to struggle through the disco era and lasted almost to the arrival of rap.

We’ll survey the better part of Hi’s twenty-two year history. We can’t cover every significant record, trend or artist in 90 minutes but we can fill in any significant gaps with future segments

On the show: 

Willie Mitchell – Bill Black Combo – Big Lucky Carter –  O.V. Wright – Ann Peebles – Al Green – Syl Johnson – Erma Coffee – and others

Listen to the program at FM 93.3 in Hamilton or on CFMU online at cfmu.msumcmaster.ca. The program will be available to stream or as a podcast until May 13th.

We are advised that the station is working towards the introduction of a CFMU app, which make it possible to listen to this and other CFMU programs on a smartphone.

“Clog Dance”

A note about the track that opened last week’s program “Clog Dance” or “Stomping Blues” by Champion Jack Dupree, from 1944. We mentioned that the Dupree’s piano playing seemed to approximate the style on records by Arizona Dranes, but, like us, you may have wondered about the percussion, especially in light of the song’s two titles. It could have been someone, even Dupree himself, stomping on a board, or, what sounds more likely, someone beating on a box or some other object. We don’t know but we meant to say something about it last week. 

cmc