#529 Mississippi Ham Rider- Toni Cade Bambara
Mississippi Ham Rider is an old southern bluesman, long
forgotten by most of the world. Record executives from New York have come
calling to bring him north to record some of his songs. They are trying to revive
some of this old music for a collection, included in the records are the old
blues stories:
“The payoffs, the bribes, bargains and deals, interviews in
jail cells, drug wards, wino bins.” (seems like these could all be names of
bands...Ha!)
Ham Rider is quite a character: “He’s quite a
sketch—jackboots, the original War-one bespoke overcoat, razor scar, gravel
voice and a personality to match.”
There is a cultural divide here. White-Black, Rich-Poor,
Old-New, North-South—the oldies, but goodies. Trying to hold on to the past in
modern terms always seems false:
“Ole Ham Rider besieged by well-dressed coffee drinkers
wanting his opinion on Miles Davis and Malcolm X.”
But, as long as there’s a deal to be made, there’s a deal to
be made—as long as you can take it.
No comments:
Post a Comment