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CD Review
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San Francisco Bay Times, CD Review >>
Ben Bowen King
Sidewalk Saints
www.TalkingTaco.com
Have a yearning for old-timey, porch sittin¡¦, guitar pickin¡¦ Southern comfort? Want to dig up some of the roots popularized by Jack of the White Stripes? Then look no further than Ben Bowen King¡¦s homage to the Southern masters of sidewalk guitar ministry on Sidewalk Saints where he documents and shares the story of pre-World War II gospel music that was the sidewalk saints. Named for the gospel music played on the sidewalks and street corners of the Midwest and South, some only played gospel and others would play the gospel only when they needed to in front of church folks or police and then switch back to blues, Black gospel, ragtime jazz or even Appalachian ballads. The instrument of choice was the resonator or National Steel Guitar made of brass that had a natural speaker sound and would carry above the street noise. Performers would sometimes play for hours to raise gas money being extraordinarily creative to use the instrument as the lead and choir to save their voice and would switch songs mid-sentence to suit the next listeners walking by. The art form was all but wiped out by store owners and politicians cleaning up the streets of performers in the shopping districts but when the music disappeared so did the shoppers. My picks: ¡§Will The Circle Be Unbroken,¡¨ ¡§Satan-Surely Your Evil Empire Will Fall Someday,¡¨ ¡§Shall We Gather At The River,¡¨ ¡§Bathe In The Jordan,¡¨ ¡§Blessed Be The Name¡¨ and ¡§Amazing Grace.¡¨ 02/22/07 >> go there
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