Sunday, September 29th
MCOTD Hall of Fame
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945), “Dark Was the Night—Cold Was the Ground” (1927)
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Illinois (Conservatory)
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
Tag: Blind Willie Johnson
2024
Sunday, June 30th
MCOTD Hall of Fame
Today he is being inducted into the MCOTD Hall of Fame, where he joins drummer Hamid Drake (1955-); saxophonists Henry Threadgill (1944-) and Von Freeman (1923-2012); trumpeter Lester Bowie (1941-1999); gospel singer Dorothy Love Coates (1928-2002); composer Morton Feldman (1926-1987); poets John Berryman (1914-1972), William Bronk (1918-1999), and Wislawa Szymborska (1923-2012); and photographer Helen Levitt (1913-2009).
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945), “Trouble Will Soon Be Over” (1930)
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
2023
Thursday, July 27th
passings
Sinead O’Connor, singer, December 8, 1966–July 26, 2023
Today, remembering her, we revisit three posts.
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January 3, 2010
What other pop star has made such stunning contributions as a guest artist?
With Willie Nelson, “Don’t Give Up” (1993)
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With the Chieftains, “The Foggy Dew” (1995)
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With Shane MacGowan, “Haunted” (1995)
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January 4, 2012
Forget the weird press—she can sing.
“Paddy’s Lament” (trad.), TV broadcast (Ireland), 12/19/11
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April 24, 2016
two takes
“Trouble Will Soon Be Over”
Blind Willie Johnson, 1930
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God Don’t Never Change: The Songs of Blind Willie Johnson (2016)
2023
Sunday, February 5th
more
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945), “Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed,” 1927 (Dallas)
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lagniappe
art beat: yesterday, Des Moines Art Center
Anselm Kiefer (1945-), Untitled (1987-88), detail
2023
Sunday, January 29th
timeless
Still, after more than fifty years of listening, this voice and this guitar, accompanied by his wife’s voice, give me chills.
Blind Willie Johnson (vocals, guitar) with Willie B. Harris (vocals), “I’m Gonna Run to the City of Refuge,” 1928 (Dallas)
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Ill.
2021
Sunday, July 18th
timeless
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945), with his wife, Willie B. Harris, “The Rain Don’t Fall on Me,” 1930
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Chicago
*****
reading table
She’s put the child to sleep
and now she washes clothes
under the summer moon.—Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827), translated from the Japanese by Robert Hass
2021
Sunday, June 27th
timeless
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945), “Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning,” 1929
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
2021
Sunday, February 14th
more
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945), “Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed” (trad.), 1928
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Chicago
*****
reading table
Mingling with the wind
the snow comes falling;
mingling with the snow
the wind comes blowing;
by banked coals
I stretch my legs,
idle, idle,
in this grass hut
a shut-in,
and counting, find
that the second month too
like a dream
has come and gone—Ryokan (1758-1831), translated from Japanese by Burton Watson
2021
Sunday, February 7th
timeless
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945), “God Don’t Never Change” (W. Johnson), 1929
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Ill.
*****
reading table
Midnight frost—
I’d borrow
the scarecrow’s shirt.—Matsuo Basho, 1644-1694 (translated from Japanese by Robert Hass)
2020
Sunday, October 18th
timeless
Blind Willie Johnson (1897-1945), “God Don’t Never Change,” 1929
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Oak Park, Ill.
music clip of the day 