BBC 4 - Blues Britannia: Can Blue Men Play The Whites?

[Paul Webster]

Might not be to the taste of all Peel fans - but I enjopyed it a lot.
If you missed this yesterday - don't worry - it is being re-broadcast a few
times over coming days (and maybe it is on iPlayer) - BBC 4 TV not BBC Radio
4.

Loads of great photos, clips and interviews - even a glimpse of a hairy Peel
(don't blink).

Blues Britannia: Can Blue Men Play The Whites? on BBC 4 Monday 4th May 2009
22:30
Documentary telling the story of what happened to blues music on its journey
from southern USA to the heart of British pop and rock culture. Structured
in three parts, it focuses on the arrival of American blues in Britain in
the late 50s, then charts the birth of the first British blues boom in the
early 60s and ends with the next, more hardcore British blues boom of the
mid-to-late 60s. Featuring archive performances and interviews with Keith
Richards, Paul Jones, Bill Wyman and many others.


Also - related programmes from tonight ... and then a documentary with some
Undertones and others from NI.

Blues at the BBC on BBC 4 Saturday 2nd May 2009 20:00
Collection of performances by British and American blues artists on BBC
programmes such as The Beat Room, A Whole Scene Going, The Old Grey Whistle
Test and The Late Show. Includes the seminal slide guitar of Son House, the
British R&B of The Kinks, the unmistakable electric sound of BB King and
Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton and John Lee Hooker, as well as less-familiar
material from the likes of Delaney and Bonnie, Freddie King and Long John
Baldry.


Blues on Later...With Jools Holland on BBC 4 Saturday 2nd May 2009 22:00
Compilation of performances from many of the great blues artists who have
featured on Later... and the Hootenanny since 1992, including BB King, Bo
Diddley, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Seasick Steve, ZZ Top and many more.


Rock Family Trees on BBC 4 Saturday 2nd May 2009 23:00
The Fleetwood Mac Story.
A series that takes a fresh look at the last 30 years of pop history, using
family trees compiled by music journalist Pete Frame to explore the dramas
that lie behind some of the best-known bands. Fleetwood Mac, formed in 1967,
has survived many different line-ups, but band members have paid a high
price for their success. Key figures such as Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and
Stevie Nicks tell the band's story.


Originals - Long John Baldry on BBC 4 Saturday 2nd May 2009 23:55
Documentary about Long John Baldry, a pioneering British musician who never
received his due. An English gentleman, a dandy and quietly yet confidently
gay, Baldry's blues enthusiasm in the late 50s and 60s inspired The Beatles,
The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. He discovered the young Rod Stewart and
a chubby piano player named Reginald Dwight, who ended up changing his name
to Elton John. In later years he moved to Canada, yet continued to tour and
record right up to his death in 2005.


John Mayall: 40 Years Of The Blues on BBC 4 Sunday 3rd May 2009 00:40
Profile tracing the colourful career of one of the most influential figures
in British rock music. John Mayall's Bluesbreakers set Eric Clapton on the
road to superstardom in 1966 with their hugely acclaimed Beano album. Among
the many other musicians who began their careers with Mayall are Mick
Taylor, Peter Green, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.


Bobby Bland on BBC 4 Sunday 3rd May 2009 02:40
Two Steps From The Blues.
Documentary about the life and music of Bobby 'Blue' Bland, one of America's
classic vocalists and admired by the likes of Elvis Presley and Van
Morrison. It traces his path from its gospel roots, through jazz and into
the blues, which he infused with a unique sophistication, becoming a major
singing star in black America in the 1950s and 60s. Contributors include Van
Morrison, Quincy Jones, BB King, Mick Hucknall, Dan Penn and Grammy nominee
Susan Tedeschi.
(Stereo, Repeat, Widescreen, Subtitles)


Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden on BBC 4 Monday
4th May 2009 21:00
Reunion concert by Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood at New York's Madison
Square Garden in 2008. The rock legends took the stage together for just
three concerts in a highly anticipated collaboration, performing hits
including Blind Faith's Presence of the Lord and Can't Find My Way Home,
Clapton's After Midnight and Winwood's Dear Mr Fantasy. Since Blind Faith's
final show in 1969, the pair have only performed together a few times over
the years for an occasional song at a charity event.


Eric Clapton at the BBC on BBC 4 Monday 4th May 2009 22:00
The Rock 'N' Roll Years.
An archive journey through Eric Clapton's performing life at the BBC and
elsewhere, spanning a career which started with the Yardbirds and passed
through John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith and Derek and the
Dominoes, developing into a solo career which continues to delight audiences
across the globe.


Peter Green: Man of the World on BBC 4 Friday 8th May 2009 21:30
Legendary blues guitarist BB King named Peter Green as one of the greatest
exponents of the blues. If Peter Green had only written Black Magic Woman,
his name would still have a place in blues rock history forever. After years
battling mental illness, Green is writing and recording again. Featuring
archive performances and interviews with Carlos Santana, Noel Gallagher,
founding members of Fleetwood Mac and Peter Green himself, this film tells
the story of one of blues rock's living legends.


PLUS - not part of the same series of shows - but might be of interest

So Hard to Beat on BBC 4 Friday 15th May 2009 21:10
The story of Northern Ireland's rock and pop over the last four decades -
featuring exclusive interviews with Van Morrison, Snow Patrol, Gary Moore,
Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones and many more.


So Hard to Beat on BBC 4 Friday 15th May 2009 21:50
Concluding the history of Northern Ireland's rock and pop - featuring
exclusive interviews with Van Morrison, Snow Patrol, Ash, Therapy?, David
Holmes, Neil Hannon, Clannad and many others.


BBC Four Sessions - Van Morrison on BBC 4 Friday 15th May 2009 22:30
Series of unique and intimate concerts at St Luke's in London, featuring
musicians from around the world. Van Morrison showcases tracks from albums
including Keep It Simple, Magic Time and Vanlose Stairway, backed by a full
band and joined by guests including guitarist Mick Green and organ maestro
Georgie Fame.


Van Morrison on Later With Jools Holland on BBC 4 Saturday 16th May 2009
01:15
A selection of Van Morrison's finest performances from the Later with Jools
Holland and Hootenanny shows.



Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from
http://www.getdigiguide.com/?p=1&r=17774
Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.




Paul Webster