BIRTH of BLUES
The blues was born the day the West African shoreline fell from the horizon. It was raised amid the institutionalized savagery of the Deep South and flourished in the dark heart of America's largest cities. We owe the blues to those who bore the pain of enslavement behind the frightful shadows of our collective soul.
Whites began to see the value of blacks as American cultural contributors. Whites began recording the blues in the early part of the 20th century thus extending the typical relationship between blacks and whites in a positive direction.
Whites and blacks began to work together for a common good; both were making money and documenting history, whether they were aware of it at the time or not. This section investigates the benefits of bringing whites and blacks together in a business setting.
Once record companies realized that blues was a moneymaker, they began sending out scouts with transportable equipment to record the music. For example, with the success of Blind Lemon Jefferson's second record in the 1920s, record companies immediately sent scouts to Dallas (Jefferson's hometown) to look for more bluesmen. While these advertisements were most often stereotypical of the image whites had of blacks, they did demonstrate an effort by whites to understand the culture and music of blacks. Even if it was for purely monetary purposes at this point, it did provide a reason why whites should see blacks more as human beings and less as sheer laborers.

NUMBER ONE in ROCK MUSIC
Its tough to decide who is really the greatest. I have a all-time best group namely Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Doors, Beatles, Stones. The Beatles and The Stones belonged to the same era, with the Beatles changing the course of music history begining with their rather simplistic popish sounds maturing into rather complex pioneering music. The Stones carried their blend of Rock n Roll into new directions embodying the pain, anger, and passion of rock n roll. Floyd were essentially the first truly psychedelic group with Syds LSD induced compositions, though the true and great classic Floyd was through the creativity and perfection of Waters and Gilmour. And finally Led Zep, no doubt paved the way for Heavy Metal with their blues induced hard rock. Plant's vocals were like those of a heavenly tenor and Page's guitar groundbreaking, not any less Bonzo's drums and Jones's keyboard. There is no doubt hard rock and Metal would not be as it is today if it was not for Zeppelin.

More popular than Jesus?

The Evening Standard published a long, rambling interview with John Lennon in which he proclaimed that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus." Although there was little reaction to his statement in England, Christians elsewhere embarked upon a massive campaign to destroy Beatles albums and other paraphenalia. Lennon apologized for the remark later, and the Archbishop of Boston admitted that he was probably right, but many people still refused to forgive him.
In its original context, the remark was part of a rather harmless lifestyle piece by Evening Standard reporter Maureen Cleave. She had spent the day Lennon, whom she described as "imperious, ... unpredictable, indolent, disorganised, childish, vague, charming and quick-witted." He took her on a tour of his mansion, talking about books and fame, and the gorilla suit he bought so he could drive around wearing it. When they reached the subject of religion, Lennon said, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. ... We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first-rock 'n' roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."
The British public took the comment as what is was: An opinion voiced by an artist known as much for his hummingbird mind as for his considerable talent. In July, however, an American teen magazine called Datebook quoted the infamous Jesus statement without reprinting the original article. It appeared as part of a cover story called "The Ten Adults You Dig/Hate the Most." The American reaction was instantaneous. Radio stations across the country, but especially in the South and in the Midwest, stopped playing Beatles records. Death threats began pouring in, directed against not only John, but the other Beatles as well. Bonfires appeared, with Beatles pictures and albums providing the fuel. Maureen Cleave tried to explain that "John was certainly not comparing the Beatles with Christ. He was simply observing that so weak was the state of Christianity that the Beatles were, to many people, better known. He was deploring, rather than approving, this," but to no avail. In Cleveland, the Reverend Thurman H. Babbs threatened to excommunicate any member of his congregation who listened to the Beatles. In the South, the Ku Klux Klan burned the Beatles in effigy and nailed Beatles albums to burning crosses. Finally, on August 11, with a scheduled American tour fast approaching, Lennon held a press conference in Chicago, at which he attempted to make amends. "I'm not saying that we're better or greater," he said, "or comparing us with Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing or whatever it is. ... I wasn't saying whatever they're saying I was saying. I'm sorry I said it really. I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious thing. I apologize if that will make you happy. I still don't know quite what I've done. I've tried to tell you what I did do but if you want me to apologize, if that will make you happy, then OK, I'm sorry."
For most people, this was enough, but not for all. The KKK tried, unsuccessfully, to stop their show in Memphis. On August 13, KLUE, a radio station in Texas, organized another Beatles bonfire. (That same night, the station was struck by lightning, which damaged their equipment and knocked the station manager unconscious. Sometimes, justice really is poetic.) And the international reaction was just beginning. Beatles albums were banned from the airwaves in Spain and Holland. The Vatican, while recognizing that the remarks were made "off-handedly and not impiously," also said that "[T]he protest the remark raised showed that some subjects must not be dealt with lightly and in a profane way, not even in the world of beatniks." In South Africa, Piet Myer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation justified his decision to bar Beatles albums by saying, "The Beatles' arrogance has passed the ultimate limit of decency. It is clowning no longer." Even years later, after the group had broken up, John Lennon's albums were still banned from South African radio, although Paul McCartney's and George Harrison's music could be broadcast.

John Lennon returned to the subject in December, when he told LOOK magazine that "I believe Jesus was right, Buddha was right, and all of those people like that are right. They're all saying the same thing--and I believe it. I believe what Jesus actually said--the basic things he laid down about love and goodness--and not what people say he said.... If Jesus being more popular means ... more control, I don't want that. I'd sooner they'd all follow us even if it's just to dance and sing for the rest of their lives. If they took more interest in what Jesus--or any of them--said, if they did that, we'd all be there with them."

Although the Beatles would remain together for 4 more years, the American tour that followed the Jesus incident would be their last.



RHCP
Red Hot Chili Peppers have continually innovated the rock music world for nearly two decades through their unique fusion of funk, punk and rock influences. Their most recent release, Californication (1999), produced the smash hits, 'Scar Tissue', 'Otherside' and 'Californication'. In 2000, the band won a Grammy Award for 'Scar Tissue' (Best Rock Song). The album also landed the band a Grammy in 2001 for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Other hit records on Warner Brothers include the multi-platinum selling Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991) that turned out multiple top songs, and One Hot Minute (1995), which is also platinum.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Other links