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" The schools today could be a big help in teaching the young people about the history of America... And the blues is truly American music. "B.B. King
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By Norm Shaw
If B.B. King had to deliver a state of the union of blues, he'd say the blues "are alive and well and more popular today than since I've been trying to play it," he told the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 23. But all is not completely well, King told reporters. King said he is bothered that young blacks are not as big as fans of the blues as the young white audience. King lays the blame on musicians, schools and the media, and said those also are the folks that can change things. "I meet a lot of young people, and a lot of players, especially those white players will say, 'I play the blues,' and a lot of black players say, 'I'm a musician,'" King said. He said he benefited from the exposure blues received when white British groups such as the Rolling Stones and Cream cited him as an influence. That kind of trickle-down exposure is needed today as well. The schools, though, are key to learning about the blues, King said. "The schools today could be a big help in teaching the young people about the history of America...Don't misunderstand me, I don't mean to (discard) the other types of history, but they need to include the history of American music. And the blues is truly American music," King said. His advice to young people "is to stay in school, and go to college if at all possible. Major in business of some kind, computers or something that leads to that, and minor in music, if you will. And practice." King's advice to radio stations and television, particularly MTV and VH-1, is play the blues. "I don't think there's hardly a city around, or very few, that has blues programs," he said. "There are many blues lovers around...but with the exception of the superstars like Robert Cray and the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, you don't see or hear them. We would all be accepted just as well." In a wide-ranging speech and question-and-answer session, King also said: - He believes he and his club deserve a pat on the back for revitalizing Beale Street in Memphis. - There was a time a few years ago that certain countries, such as France and Japan, were more receptive to blues, but now he says he is universally accepted. He has played in more than 50 countries so far. - He gets asked for autographs more by young white people than young blacks, and the young blacks usually say the autograph is for someone else. "That used to bother me quite a bit in the beginning," he said, "but now I know that they meant well. They grew up hearing me in the parents' house. They'd say, 'My mother loves you.'" - There is a crop of young blues artists he recommends, including Jeff Healy, Joe Louis Walker, Robert Cray and Memphian Little Jimmy King. - It's not necessary to know the blues to play the blues. King said over the years he had hired several young, rich white musicians who played the blues very well. "You don't have to grow up picking cotton," he said, "but it sure helps."
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