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Goin to Brownsville
(3)It is not only the poignancy of slide work like “Dark Was the Night” (a work that forms the basis for the soundtrack to Paris, Texas, that attracts me to Ry Cooder, but also his humor. The humor manifests not only in the old novelty tunes he likes to play, like “Diddy Wa Diddy,” or “Do Re Mi” or “One Meatball,” but also in a certain whimsy of musical phrasing that can always make me smile. One such whimsicality is the mandolin riff he plays in “Goin to Brownsville” on his album “Ry Cooder” (1970). This live version I found on YouTube is a little funkier but still a lot of fun.
Ry Cooder
3 Responses to “Goin to Brownsville”
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koshembos November 22nd, 2008 at 7:31 pm
We owe Ry Cooder a lot for many of his works: Taj Mahal recording, Buena Vista Social Club work and the Chavez Ravin record. It’s also a social history, a social and political statement.
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Amen, Koshembos. I haven’t heard the “Chavez Ravine” CD yet. It’s on my list (I am SO broke) but I do, of course, know the B.V. Social Club. I’m really enjoying his latest, “My Name Is Buddy,” which reprises old 1930s type workers anthems, among other things.
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Ry Cooder plays guitar like he means it. My international students always get an introduction to American music and the Blues through him… Of course, they often know him anyway…
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My Books
Dance the Black-Eyed Girl
My Will and Testament Is on the Desk
Artistic Support
Sherry has also received an Artist Enrichment grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.
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