Re: Blues, Stomps, & Rags #24
Originally Posted by
Pittsburgh Bill
If i were asked who my favorite musicians were, Levon would be on my short list I never found his mandolin picking on par with his drumming but when all things shake out he had entertaining in his blood and to my impression was a stand up guy that most would be proud to call a friend.
I had heard somewhere that Richard Manuel did some respectable drumming and Levon, already a drummer and guitar picker, always liked the mandolin and decided to learn for job security.
I'm with you, Bill. I could enjoy watching Levon play, even without sound. In both Levon's and Robbie Robertson's memoirs, they comment on Levon finding Richard to be an excellent drummer, though he only started drumming at Big Pink during Levon's absence. Robertson said that Manuel was the type of person who could pick up any instrument and start playing after a few minutes. Both books are worth reading by the way (R.R.'s is Testimonial). They're often complimentary but sometimes contrast greatly.
Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
"I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.
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