Focusing the question a bit

Dino,

When you say many, then you are stating that it is prevalent in the blues world.  I do not see that in the Blues clubs I attend.  I feel like the way you stated your point, you have already made a decision about what is going on.  As a writer, why don't you interview blues musicians about your point.  You are under the assumption that they are not blues, it is fear that is stoping them, and that they would do well in college rock clubs.   Then you broaden the whole point by bringing in B.B. King and his salary, which then you start going down another path in the music industry.  You want to deal with 2 different levels of entertainment.  Most people don't go to Rock clubs to see Blues and Blues clubs to see Rock.  There is a blues band here who plays a great surf song, it shows his diversity, but everything else is blues.  There is nothing wrong with Blues bands trying out the college crowds but is doesn't necessarily mean the college crowds are going to be accepting or it is going to work.  The thing about you is that you act like Blues Bands must play Rock clubs or otherwise they are fearful.  Maybe they just love to play blues clubs.  Maybe they have a good rapport with the club.  I mean if you really want to know, pose the question to them.  To me your questions come with your answer instead of really being a question.

Joe, you've said what I feel about the way your music is progressing. Music genres are labels that the media like to use to identify a particular "style" of music. It's a fact of life that artists can quite easily slot into a number of different "genres", depending on what they are playing.

Unfortunately the media like to put an artist in a genre, which is why you will nearly always find Joe's stuff in the Blues section (if it is there at all).

Radio is still very genre oriented. In TV the genres become blurred a great deal more. This is good because the majority of people conciously watch TV but subconciously listen to radio - simple fact because another sense comes into play! TV has to be diverse to satisfy such a wide audience so they are less prepared to broadcast pidgeonhole programmes and have fewer viewers.

Entertainment is what it is all about and Joe,  you are absolutely on the right track, just get yourself on British TV (which is Nationwide in the main) and you will go to the next level. Trust me!

Everyone,

I think what I struggle with is a little bit of a couple of things...the horrid underpayment of BB King.  Let us assume that he is the highest paid blues artist out there.  He makes a small percentage of what the highest paid rock musician makes.

I know guys who are on mid major labels, rock guys, all of whom have less than 5 records out, they make more than BB.

I think the idea that the market will bear it is a false notion.  There is a clear disparity between the higher levels of blues payment, and rock payment.

I think that the disparity is reversed in the lower ranks.  Rock musicians make signficantly LESS in the early years of their career than the local schlub playing 'blues' around the region.

The growth might be quicker, and the rest.  I am struggling with the idea that guys label themselves regionally at least, as blues cats, when they are not.

I wonder why this is?

I believe, and I think I have enough interviews to bear it out, that there is stability in keeping that festival gig for 1500, and the 600 bucks a weekend night...instead of playing three nights a week for signficantly less.  Then making a move to large money only after the rock club circuit.

It is easier to be (and this is just an example) to be Rod Piazza, than it is to be our guy Joe.  What I think everyone fails to understand is the massive gamble Joe took.  I thinking that this is a high six figure wager made years ago by a few people.

Without that gamble, Joe could have been the next Chris Duarte.

Why do other blues musicians not make that gamble?  My theory is that they are scared.

I think Joe is right to keep well away from being put into a niche, especially Blues.

The great unwashed associate blues with toothless old guys twanging  steel string acoustics on their back porches, probably recording it on a wax cylinder.

When you try and explain how the  blues music structure can influence Rock Music they glaze over, too hard. Too complicated. We can keep that bit to ourselves, to the musically informed.

The last tour was a great SHOW and this is what will make JB bigger. The interaction , the drama, the opening chords.

Where do you go ? - I love bass pedals, light show, bigger better onwards upwards !

The only niche' smaller than the blues is Jazz. They expand the definition for festivals to sell tickets too. That is what the blues festivals do.

Take for instance the Blues Cruise. Taj Mahall has been the headliner and I think partner but you have to have some sort of rotation. Enter KWS who the purists I'm sure despise as much as they do Joe. Although his DVD Ten Days Out may of given him some blues cred. Taj to me is not really a blues guy in the sense of Buddy, or BB. His popularity is from expanding the blues base. That is what Kenny and Joe do. Blues fests and Jazz fests need to keep an open mind to sell tickets. It doesn't do any good to have a festial if nobody shows up.

...as you can hear very well in "Maestro".
Günter

I think it boils down to Taj sells tickets. Do the other bands sell? North Mississippi Allstar's crowd may not be up for a cruise with a bunch of Silver Backs and their ladies.

I don't think Taj moved away from the blues I think he has always been hard to define. More Roots/R&B/Folk/Funk Taj is a guy that gets a pass from purists because of race. He is not a blues artist to me but he fits in the catagory.

I wouldn't say either have walked away from blues. They are what they have always been. What they have done is become successful.

We used to live in a capatilistic society. Where you are rewarded for success. If you climb to the top of the mountain you can stay there as long as you maintain your marketability. I don't beleive Kenny and Taj are too big to fail but they still have their fans.

You want to punish them for leaving a genre' that is subjective about who is and who is not a member of the club.
Take their money and spread it to somebody else because they are more needy. Because you say they need support to revitalize the base.

Try organizing a festival with nothing but $1,500 acts and see if anybody shows. You better have a fireworks show too. You might have to spend 50 grand on the display but people might come see those 1500 dollar acts so they will have a good spot for the fireworks.

Your example sounds a little socialistic. It is all about ticket sales. Putting together a show you can market. Finding somebody to draw the crowd. The other artists on the bill get exposure. If they are good they will survive, and build their own following.

There is nothing that says every blues band has the right to survive. If you have something special you will. If you are just another 12 bar blues band with  singing harmonica player frontman wearing a blues brothers hat you better be a real good one.