What the great B B king said in praise of our hero "I think we've found the white Freddy King" is just one of the many tributes paid to Norman Beaker by those who have worked with him and who really know music. I don't have abilities in that direction but know when someone or something is really good so that's why it'd be great if we could talk about Norman and talk about blues on here to show apreciation of the man and the music. We can also of course talk about anything else that interests any of us too. The important bit is at the bottom of this section, as that's where you'll find some of 'our' Norman's details. So you can skip the next bit if you like and go straight there as the first part is just me ranting on a bit. If you do decide to read this preamble all you really need to know about me is that whilst apreciating the good stuff in all genres of music I especially love THE BLUES as that's the music which can touch on the human condition best. For me music, especially a live performance, or even if it's recorded and heard in some unique context, is something of the moment to be experienced there and then and not analysed but just lived and enjoyed for what it is at that important moment in time, raw edges and all, just like life 'cos isn't that what it's all about? When it first began THE BLUES was just part of life and relevant and essential to people, as the first bluesmen were able to make tangible the realities of the human struggle, which made folks feel they were not alone. In our smug comfortable lives of recent times I feel that some exponants of the music (apart from people like...well you'll know who the good people are and will have your own favourites) lost their way, and quite honestly I got sick of being dragged along to witness a series of admittedly very accomplished and clinically perfect, but also tedious, complacent, overblown blues guitarists (mentioning no names) who seemed (for want fo a better description) stuck up their own butts! Whilst some of the lads in the company I sometimes went to gigs with drooled over these people with their seemingly neverending guitar marathon's, and then (if they weren't too wrecked to speak) picked over what they had just witnessed until sometimes quite frankly I was nearly bored to death. This worried me as I have a real passion for music, and after some (but obviously not all) concerts by quite big name people, felt this period of well heeled, well fed, insulated men (and women) performing the essential music called Blues was not in the true spirit of the music itself or of the amazing original bluesmen (and women). It just seems to me that however clever a person is at what they do whether it be playing guitar or doing anything else, if they lack that indefineable something, be it flair, charisma, personality, excitement or whatever it is that makes a performance or any other thing special, then it's lost on me. No wonder THE BLUES came to be regarded as old man's music when it should be anything but. That period of stagnation seems to be fading fast however and Blues music is just now becoming very healthy and stimulating. I read an Ian Siegal interview recently in Blues Matters and Ian seems to feel that Blues is not going anywhere here in Britain...however with him (and our Norman and a few excellent others) around I think it just might and hope he's pleasantly surprised in the future to be proved wrong. It's great to see that thanks to a wave of brilliant and exciting new, and in many cases young, blues artists who make you sit up and take notice, such as Ian Siegal, Joe Bonamassa, Aynsley Lister, The Black Keyes et al, even young Oli Brown (aged only 18 when this was written), and at the other end of the age scale that wonderful new old guy Seasick Steve who is proving to be something of a phenomena, the genuine version of this essential music is finally getting back to the central place in the soul's of men and women where it belongs, and another bonus is that some excellent female singers and musicians are emerging with this new era for the blues. For me Norman Beaker is a symbol of what it should be all about, as he's been around the blues for a long time as most of you will know, but never fell into that predictable and ponderous trap like many of his contemporaries, as in addition to being a formiddable artist he is also a down to earth person who has too good a sense of fun for that. Mr Beaker just gets on with it. Even when he makes his guitar weep (and he can with the best of 'em) he never brings you down. He's been playing the blues since the early 70's and has always done it with style and humour. So thanks Norman, not just for the amazing guitar work but also for being such a lot of fun and for keeping things real and human, for saving the day at gigs on many occasions when things were going wrong, and for helping to prevent me from losing interest, as the way things are going now that would have been a great loss.
It seems to me that there have always been musicians with real ability who are not all puffed up with their own ego's and just go out there and do what they do really well year after year, whether it entails backing other musicians or doing their own thing. Norman Beaker is one of those people, and as an added bonus Norman is also a very entertaining and very nice man which is why I put this unofficial profile on MySpace in apreciation of someone who has been a mainstay of the British blues scene for many years and has done so much musically that there just is not space on here to list all his achievements. If you want to find out more about him go to his own website (www.nomanbeakerband.com) or his own personal MySpace profile page (Norman Beaker) or his MySpace music profile page (Norman Beaker Band). The Norman Beaker Band are on tour and I will list tour dates on this page. Try and see them if at all possible and Norman himself will entertain you with his outstanding guitar prowess and unique Normanesque humour! The current album from the Norman Beaker Band is "Who's he calling me him?". Try and get to one of the band's shows and if you get the chance to purchase the C D do yourself a favour and grab it... I've already mentioned these sites above so don't forget if you want to find out more about our hero ask for an add on his won or his band's MySpace by clicking onto music and typing in Norman Beaker Band. Norman can also be found on Facebook where there is his own profile, a group dedicated to him (Norman Beaker's group for Beaker's babes/guys who dig the blues) and a fan page too (just type into Facebook's searchbox Norman Beaker).
Chris Farlowe 2007 - All Or Nothing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mMOZBvViLw
Norman Beaker : I Love Her Like The Sky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0YI6kk-ybA
Norman Beaker Band & Chris Farlowe : Blues As Blues Can Get
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCCvcCXHEVU
