Got to see Sam live one night...he opened up for the Chicago Blues Stars with blues giants...he blew the audience away ! They let him play two sets...he had a cold and wore threadbare clothes but his voice and string band guitar really made me wake up to that genre of blues.
Reminds me of my family playing together in Oklahoma and Arkansas.. nobody had money, so no one could "go out" to movies or restaurants. Our entertainment was fishing, hunting, or getting together on Friday or Saturday nite at a friend's or relatives house. All the men would be on porch, everyone smoked so that kept the mosquitoes away as the smokey was heavy, women inside talking about babies, cooking or husbands and all of us kids were in the yard playing some kind of tag. No one asked to come over, just one of the men would start playing on his porch, usually working on tuning, then a neighbor would hear and pass that info on till it hit almost a 30 mile radius. Funny how news traveled so fast, and most didn't even have a land line. Everybody show up in their old beat up trucks, w kids piled in the bed, women bring a pot luck, men brought beer or a form of moonshine they bought or made. Everyone had their own instrument. And the older teens be bringing theirs to listen and learn with. 1/2 the men chewed, other yelled at them stop spitting this way or push the spot-on closer to them. I have seen fist fights over spitting, they all laugh in the end. Nobody shot each other yet everyone had shot guns or rifles inside the truck hanging in the rack across back window. Some dogs, not many as men were hard on the training of coon or bird dogs. But the music always had a rhythm, they drag us girls to sing some short songs and few if the women did too. Lived it when someone caught big catfish and we had fresh catfish fry, kids had water from hose or if lucky water diwn cool aides, someone always brought watermelon or cantaloupe in summer, and quick cookies during off season. We never cared, all us kids wanted to do was run and play cops and robbers, tag or hide and seek. Much simpler time. So much better than phones and tablets, computers, no catching fireflies or junebugs down sisters shirts, no passing the baby off to over 30 adults to give mama a break. I think it sad mothers have no help from their neighbors w their babys. No wonder so many new mothers are depressed after having one, no breaks at all to have good fun and advice from so many older moms all in one place. Music was love stories, wars they be in or work that was hard like factories, railroad, plenty hunting fishing songs. Sunday afternoon after church was different, potlucks at church Sundays men bring instruments and it was all good old church songs, us kids sang more on those days, and moms running around trying is to stay clean in Sunday bests, it was only about 2-3 hours after church but we all go home, very happy. Monday starts the week and we do it all over again. It was a very good life.
Man like that playing a song like that and a woman like that just come walking down the street and don't even look up seems like god sent her by for scenery for the video or the devil did prolly the devil
Lol me too a lil. How could he not capture that moment though it was pure art. Reminds me of that booka white video of jelly roll with the girl unlacing them knee high boots. Like a music video before captured live. Lol
It's funny how many people that watch this video know so little about blues history and Sam Chatmon, when people comment and call him white. He's actually black!
OK. I can see it know. Sam Chatmon gets refused service at an all "white" and tells them "you know I'm only 1\4 'black'". In their eyes he still was " black" and second class not quite human. He identified as "black" man and face all "black" Americans have mixed ancestry.
Know what my dad does this same thing every now amd then to match his low flat voice. Take a standard or key of E or F and drop entire guitar down half step then drop D . Flattens out .
It was not meant to jab,..... I just have been working with some fellas and stressing the importance of the "free Key" and to rely on ear more than tech and letters.... Frets,.. playing style and all that shit can make a tech tuned guitar sound off,... ya know what i mean,..... ? but i found out the key was in R......
Should have given them more camera training before sending them out. And what's with filming the woman in the beginning?Just thought she was a hot piece or what?
ITS NOT a key,.... its not in tune,..... but his fingers have a little affair with each string,... those little gizmo's with the green n red lites,... welll. .....,,, there's 2 things on either side of your head,... they seem to work fine,...
No wonder why Spanish guitar is played by virtuoso,that 's because the instrument was introduced centuries before it got popular over the states,blues is a very poor kind of music.
Not really. Blues is not a poor form of music. You can't put this music on the level of mumble rap which to me is poor. Thats a ridiculous statement bro. It sounds dumb cause blues has a signature sound.
I was fortunate enough back in the mid 70s to see Mr. Chatmon play live. Very cool to sit 15 feet away and watch him work.
Merkur87 dude you better not be messing with me rn
Amazing!
Oh man..... that's the Blues baby..... that's the real, down South, low down, heartfelt blues. Thank you so much for posting this.
Lomax is a real cultural hero, these recordings are an inspiration.
Got to see Sam live one night...he opened up for the Chicago Blues Stars with blues giants...he blew the audience away ! They let him play two sets...he had a cold and wore threadbare clothes but his voice and string band guitar really made me wake up to that genre of blues.
Pure and from the source, music like this can move mountains.
A Blues Legend indeed. Not to mention being very gifted & blessed.
Nothin' better then an evening spent listenin' to a batch of your vids!! This is a great one!!
I sold my soul at the crossroads and the devil still ain't make me play like that
Beautiful Guitar, and artist of course.
Reminds me of my family playing together in Oklahoma and Arkansas.. nobody had money, so no one could "go out" to movies or restaurants. Our entertainment was fishing, hunting, or getting together on Friday or Saturday nite at a friend's or relatives house.
All the men would be on porch, everyone smoked so that kept the mosquitoes away as the smokey was heavy, women inside talking about babies, cooking or husbands and all of us kids were in the yard playing some kind of tag. No one asked to come over, just one of the men would start playing on his porch, usually working on tuning, then a neighbor would hear and pass that info on till it hit almost a 30 mile radius. Funny how news traveled so fast, and most didn't even have a land line. Everybody show up in their old beat up trucks, w kids piled in the bed, women bring a pot luck, men brought beer or a form of moonshine they bought or made. Everyone had their own instrument. And the older teens be bringing theirs to listen and learn with.
1/2 the men chewed, other yelled at them stop spitting this way or push the spot-on closer to them. I have seen fist fights over spitting, they all laugh in the end. Nobody shot each other yet everyone had shot guns or rifles inside the truck hanging in the rack across back window. Some dogs, not many as men were hard on the training of coon or bird dogs.
But the music always had a rhythm, they drag us girls to sing some short songs and few if the women did too. Lived it when someone caught big catfish and we had fresh catfish fry, kids had water from hose or if lucky water diwn cool aides, someone always brought watermelon or cantaloupe in summer, and quick cookies during off season. We never cared, all us kids wanted to do was run and play cops and robbers, tag or hide and seek. Much simpler time. So much better than phones and tablets, computers, no catching fireflies or junebugs down sisters shirts, no passing the baby off to over 30 adults to give mama a break. I think it sad mothers have no help from their neighbors w their babys. No wonder so many new mothers are depressed after having one, no breaks at all to have good fun and advice from so many older moms all in one place. Music was love stories, wars they be in or work that was hard like factories, railroad, plenty hunting fishing songs.
Sunday afternoon after church was different, potlucks at church Sundays men bring instruments and it was all good old church songs, us kids sang more on those days, and moms running around trying is to stay clean in Sunday bests, it was only about 2-3 hours after church but we all go home, very happy. Monday starts the week and we do it all over again. It was a very good life.
Sam is so badass!!!!
You can really learn a lot by watching these old dudes play!
Putain cette archive est juste incroyable, Sam Chatmon respect !!!! Alan Lomax merci pour tout se travail de titan
Super!!!!!!!!
love it thanks for posting this
That's REAL old school blues
2:39 what a catchy and fun chord progression.
2:39
@@jamesagwe2981 thanks for that haha
True to the bone ,wicked to the core ,fix me sumadat baby and we gonna hit the floor
Best video on youtube.
Dude has DEFINITELY Lived some of the songs he sang 🤠👍🇺🇸🎼🎵🎶☎️
thank u Alan Loman
just wonderful
Man like that playing a song like that and a woman like that just come walking down the street and don't even look up seems like god sent her by for scenery for the video or the devil did prolly the devil
Thank You 4 Posting this video
Great Historic stuff !
It's in the key of between F and F sharp ! ;)
It seems that way because he is tuned to F# at the 432 Hz frequency range, rather than the official world-wide standard tuning range of 440 Hz.
Fun tune Thanks
It is F#. It's standard tuning though. In guitar terms it is in "A" but he's tuned a step and a half low.
A and long A.
How’d that happ’n?
It is F# tuned to the 432 Hz frequency range
It don't matter as long as you playing it ..
now that's the blues.
Way way cool
Damn me i miss '78
Super!!! Folk!!! Blues!!!
Looked like that cameraman had a little bit of a crush on that fine looking lady walking down the street.......
Lol me too a lil. How could he not capture that moment though it was pure art. Reminds me of that booka white video of jelly roll with the girl unlacing them knee high boots. Like a music video before captured live. Lol
Sam was smooth with that!
This man birthed sound!
Just give me my money, and ill catch a train and go.
very good
Ha, question at the end with its mysterious answer.
The truth is out there !!!!
"oh I couldn't name 'em, I know so many of 'em"
If I'm not mistaken he was related to Bo Carter..if so what a family!!
You're not mistaken. Bo's real name is Armenter Chatmon.
Bo and Sam sound alike in their singing. Similar voice..Bo was an amazing guitar player too. His playing on "Mashing that thing" is incredible!
And a blues legend Charlie Patton was also his half brother.
Brothers
They think Charlie Patton is his oldest bro
If a Robert Johnson film surfaced, it wouldn't be as astonishing as having fucking Sam Chatmon play for us on his front porch.
And she had no idea the legend she was struttin' by
Ganster song
real deal
@2517joe ...he's playing A chord shapes...
What was the camera man doing at the beginning?? Ha, anyways, a great clip nonetheless. Sam Chatmon is so underrated.
@2517joe i think it's a standard tune...
Did this ever get put down on vinyl? I can only find it on CD "Sam Chatmon 1970-74"
Yes, it did. I have all of his vinyl albums.
Cadillac pimp wagon in the background.
quality
The guitar is tuned a minor third down
anyone have any ideas what tuning this is in? fairly sure its in the key of f sharp...
Standard tuning. A Position.
Tuned down 1 and 1/2 step.
It's funny how many people that watch this video know so little about blues history and Sam Chatmon, when people comment and call him white. He's actually black!
Take another look. This video is in colour. Not all of us are still living in the black & white world.
+chad beaver Sam Chatmon was 1/2 white, 1/4 black and 1/4 choctaw
OK. I can see it know. Sam Chatmon gets refused service at an all "white" and tells them "you know I'm only 1\4 'black'". In their eyes he still was " black" and second class not quite human. He identified as "black" man and face all "black" Americans have mixed ancestry.
But he don't seem black!!!
Seems Blue.
Wonder who the girl is
His woman duh.
He's got some interesting hands.
chune
Shame on Lomax keeping us from seeing him at the start. What you looking at
Me too.
Know what my dad does this same thing every now amd then to match his low flat voice. Take a standard or key of E or F and drop entire guitar down half step then drop D . Flattens out .
One of the best White bluesmen I've heard
Lol
sam chatmon should have a golden statue in my house
what kind of guitar is that
...a 30's vintage Gibson?
***** .....I wish my Recording KIng sounded like that.
***** ....Have you ever heard his old Mississippi Sheiks stuff ??? You can tell which vocals are him from way back in the 30s and 40s....
***** ...LOL...see you at Port Townsend one year.....
+Donald Lamb It's a Gibson L-50
Just look at the cold blooded murderer strut down the street 🤷🏻♂️
@bryanking91 mine too man, mine too. haha
hmmm well the song isn't atonal is it, so it does have a key.... yeah, but hey thanks for the romantic little speech though "tucker"
It was not meant to jab,..... I just have been working with some fellas and stressing the importance of the "free Key" and to rely on ear more than tech and letters.... Frets,.. playing style and all that shit can make a tech tuned guitar sound off,... ya know what i mean,..... ? but i found out the key was in R......
Passion > autotune
Should have given them more camera training before sending them out. And what's with filming the woman in the beginning?Just thought she was a hot piece or what?
+justforever96 It adds to the bluesy feeling, guess ye not familiar with that.
+justforever96 Lomax wasn't making a music video, he was documenting the folk music of the time and place. I think he did a damn good job.
Lol just give me my money and I'll catch that train n go.
ITS NOT a key,.... its not in tune,..... but his fingers have a little affair with each string,... those little gizmo's with the green n red lites,... welll. .....,,, there's 2 things on either side of your head,... they seem to work fine,...
it was the devil
No wonder why Spanish guitar is played by virtuoso,that 's because the instrument was introduced centuries before it got popular over the states,blues is a very poor kind of music.
Not really. Blues is not a poor form of music. You can't put this music on the level of mumble rap which to me is poor. Thats a ridiculous statement bro. It sounds dumb cause blues has a signature sound.