2009 king of the blues winner (Page 1 of 4)

COOL!  I've never seen a slide player use 2 slides.

Hey!
Well, I've just watched the vid. Not terrific at all to me... He's a good player obviously but there's not much soul in there and not much originality either. I prefer the electric piece, although I'd stop it at 2 min 30, it's more than enough. The acoustic piece is just a shredding thing without soul and even worse, without a single line of melody... Congrats to him anyway!

Since when do we need a competition to declare a king? Everybody knows who the King of the Blues is......I don't have to say it. You know it, I know it, everybody knows it, except those idiots at Guitar Center. And I don't think the King is not quite ready to give up his crown just yet. Not as long as he can still beat any guitarist with just one note.

I thought the guy was pretty good and I did see him using both slides at once.  It might be excess but he was using them.  Honestly though good or bad who cares at least Jim is right us blues guys are getting noticed! If it wasn't for this or silly moives that lie about Chess Records our type of music would be completely lost by the mass public.  You might not be a fan of the blues but you hear GC is giving a 59 Les Paul away a car and like $25,000 in cash?  You bet thats going to cause some people to pay attention.  This guy that won might not be better then you, but it really was just about a total package.  Hate the Chain not the player.  Ok I'm done.

Well said and I agree, anything to help put the blues in the spotlight I guess.  I'm not a big fan of making blues a competition because it automatically makes someone feel inferior or thus "better" when it may not be the case.  Blues is about how you feel not how many notes you can play.  Blues is in need of some CPR, no doubt about it, but I believe as long as there are guitar players there will be blues music.  The way that the guitar is scaled out it's just a neccessary style to learn if you are to have total mastery of the instrument. Blues is like the common "glue" that holds all types of music together.  Most other types of music such as rock, jazz, and country are just a few notes different here and there.

I guess I'm waiting for someone to win that plays more along the lines of BB King, Freddie King, Clapton, Gary Moore, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, etc.  Enough of the slide monsters! (although Joe, Clapton, and Beck are beasts on the slide too)

call the competition whatever they want to... k.o.b. or whatever... it's a guitar competition.

This year, I think they might have gotten it right. Yeah, the guy was "gimmicky" with the two slides - but that is the blues. Every big player is known for something they do that is special or entertaining. This guy uses two slides. At least it was something new and not a like a violin bow, cordless drill, or some other pedal effect. Slides are simple blues tools and he multipled them by 2. Kudos to the guy.

I clicked on the link with low expectations and came out impressed. Where is the Kirby Kelley  from?

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping.

I did NOT say that Mr Kelley was not good.  He's good.  Kudos for winning.  Is that gut wrenching, soul filling blues?  It is not.  Not to me.

And to respectfully disagree with a couple of you, the blues does not need a shot in the arm or a spotlight shown on it unless it's by a Blues Artist.

By definition AND reality blues is not mainstream anything.  Joe?  Derek? say what?  In many ways Joe and Derek have more personal integrity than a lot of blues "gods" who made their fame on something other than blues.  They are both brilliant guitarists and damn smart marketers.

Our music will never be LOST...mass public be damned...if you want to be a big commercial success, then go with the SCHTICK that gives you that.  Gene Simmons net worth hovers around 800 million.

The blues is not dead.  N-O-T NOT!  The guy is good.  Blues?  That acoustic piece would've, could've, been a perfect duet with a banjo player.  He's good...good.  John Hammond maybe should've judged that or Roy Rogers;  2 acoustic and slide experts at blues.   

Guitar Center does not have it right, yet.  Maybe one day they will.  It's an excellent start to have our Joe judge.  Or Call it sumpn else.  It's awesome that they (GC) do this.  25K is a nice prize and that axe...whoa, but...

Lastly, some of my marketing associates get publicity (bad or otherwise) and they make more $ than I do.  But they don't have what I have. 

MuchLove
BigJeff

This is mainly what I was trying to convey but you did it with much better words!  Thanks Jeff!  Yes I also agree that Blues will survive and be okay, even if it never sees the spotlight ever again.  There will always be people who can make a living singing it and playing it IMO.  I remember seeing an interview about Joe and how he feels that if anyone does anything new with a "blues" tag on it the Traditional Blues Police or Knights of the Round Table comes out of the woodwork to bash it.  I am starting to feel like I'm one of those guys when I re-read my comments.  There is something magical and real about the old traditional stuff to me.  But there is also something magical about the way guys like Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Joe Bonamassa, and Jeff Beck approach the blues as well.  I appologize if I sound like an opinionated arse.  I guess every year I'm hoping the winner is the next great blues artist that is going to blow my skirt up!