. .1 *
The Michigan Daily-Friday, March 25, 1983-Page 7
Sippie's blues benefit
art school (ta)boos
Records
By Susan Makuch
W HERE HAVE all the old-fashioned
bluesers gone? The golden era of
blues revivalism has levelled off since
the '60s, but every so often the form
bursts back, as it will tonight at 8 p.m.
at the School of Art and Architecture's
Lecture Hall up on North Campus.
Bringing back that tried-and-true art
form are Sippie Wallace and "Little
Brother" Eureal Montgomery. No mat-
ter that between the two of them Sippie
and Eureal are a collective 163 years
old. A lot of living and a lot of blues
have drifted past them, and their elec-
trifying performances prove it.
In her heyday known as the "Texas
Nightingale," Sippie (84 years young)
has lived a life that could be a blues
ballad itself. At 15 she was orphaned
-when her mother died. Like any other
lost soul, Sippie did what she had to in
Wdrder to survie. This meant that the
young girl married an older man.
Nobody could describe that union bet-
;,ter than Sippie herself (which she did in
a song called "After I Was Loved My
Eyes Flew Open Like an Electric
Light")
) My omma died when I was
;young
And a man stepped into my life
He hugged me tight and my eyes
Flew open like an electric light
I gave him all my money
I did all I could for that man
After he got me
He wanted everybody but me. .
Boys of the
Lou h bring
Celtic tunes
Those lyrics say it all. But they don't
tell you that Sippie survived - and in
grand fashion.
In the 1920s - a time of great jazz and
blues growth - Sippie made her mark
in the field. Her first recording, "Up the
Country," earned Sippie $50 per side -
an amount she thought was exorbitant
at that time. Fame and fortune soon
followed and Sippie was a star. She
played with some of the era's biggest
names including Fats Waller, Louis
Armstrong, and Clarence Williams.
Well on her way to becoming a
legend, Sippie gave up her career to
relocate in Detroit with her second
husband. The late '60s saw a rekindled
interest in bluesy music and Sippie was
rediscovered. Ever since then she has
been doing what she likes best -
singing.
Yes, Sippie does quite a job with a
song, but many don't call it singing. She
is considered to be a "shouter" - a
term Sippie uses to describe her style.
Shouting those blues lyrics brings an
added essence to a Sippie Wallace per-
formance that you don't get with many
other artists. If you want to experience
the Sippie way of singing (er, shouting)
there isn't a better time to do it.
Tonight's concert is free of charge,
courtesy of the Eva Jessye Afro-
American Music Collection, the
University School of Music, and the Ann
Arbor Chapter, the Links, Incorporated
Arts and Program Committees. It's a
rare chance to witness blues in its
classic form - a chance you shouldn't
miss.
O'Bryan -'You And I'
(Capitol)
When "The Gigolo," a jive confection
of Prince rock and Earth Wind & Fire
brass, started leapfrogging up the char-
ts last winter, O'Bryan Burnette
seemed like just another pretender to
the punk-funk crown. But on his first
album, O'Bryan was revealed to be
more of a slavish disciple of Stevie
Wonder than a follower of Prince. Only
two cuts on that album even attempted
to find dance floor grooves, and every
indication was that producer (and
"Soul Train" host) Don Cornelius had a
one-shot stiff on his hands.
Considering this dubious background,
You And I, O'Bryan's second album,
comes as somewhat of a pleasant sur-
prise. There are three legitimately
funky tracks here, and a couple of fairly
imaginative ballads. The first single,
"I'm Freaky," is easily the best thing
O'Bryan has yet recorded. It's a fast
groove which shuns the herky-jerky
horns of "Gigolo" in favor of a
muscular synthesizer lead. The lyrics
consist of O'Bryan's macho warning to
a potential lover who's really "too
young." Not profound, but not overly
offensive either.
Another interesting cut is "Soul
Train's A Comin'," which uses a
similar approach to that of "I'm
Freaky," and will likely become the
television series' new theme. "Shake"
is also respectable funk, and on "Soft
Touch," O'Bryan creates a decent in-
strumental ballad with jazz overtones.
The Stevie Wonder influence is still ap-
parent, with O'Bryan covering "You
And I" and churching out a perky nuki-
ber called "Dazzlin' Lady," which cops
"You Haven't Done Nothing" in fairly
striking style.
O'Bryan lacks a voice which is distip-
ctive for anything but its occasional
resemblance to Wonder's, and his tunes
are still far from original. Nonetheless,
You And I leaves the impression that if
O'Bryan continues to develop his craft,
he may yet become a creative voicejin
his own right. - Leizer Goldsmith
Sippie Wallace will sing in a special performance for the art school's
blues tonight at 8 p.m.
TONIGHT! 8pm
a~rring 70*I18O J4fUjE
10:00 THISISAHELLOFAWAY
12:15 TO MAKE A LIVING.
2:30 Tootsie;
4:45 DUSTIN
7:10 HOFFMAN
9:30 A CO L E
93 ACOUBA4PICTURES RELEASE
10:00 GANDHI
1:30 The Man of
5:00 the Century.
8:30 F A COLUMBIA
No $1 Tues.
or Discounts
10:00 d:
2:30
4:45
7:00
9:15 __
9:15
1Q00 .''MAX
12:15 - DUGAN
2:304 r RETURNS
7:00 -77
9:00 x~PI 2 >
1:00
3:00
5REAK :5
9:30
Fri. & Sat.
-11:30
a
Savannah 3:00
3:00
Smiles :00
EE7:15
PfAs1 9:30
198~2 EMBASSY PIC1 UIHtS 4. Rj -
As
PG
1:00
3:00
5:00
7:15
9:30
to the Ark
By Deborah
Robinson
TN THESE HARD times, dropping six
bucks to hear a band is something to
think twice about. But don't ponder too
long. Boys of the Lough are right up at
the top of the list when it comes to
traditional Celtic music, and people
should know it. This band, having
existed for a dozen years, has con-
sistently demonstrated, both on tour
and in its many recordings, a collective
brilliance which has kept them in the
spotlight of both folk-club and concert
hall stage.
The Boys were the first group of their
bsind coming out of Britain or Ireland to
rake it big. The Bothy-Band, Planxty,,
DeDanann, Boys of the Lough, and the
Chieftains all became widely known in
folk circles during the '70s, when
traditional music had a big surge of
,popularity all over Europe and
America. Excepting scattered incar-
nations and regroupings of these bands,
only the Chieftains and Boys of the
Lough remain.
The longevity of any band depends on
personalities, concurrence of musical
taste, and - certainly - success. The
members of Boys of the Lough, who
come from Northern Ireland, Shetland,
and Northumberland, have traditions
which are similar in some ways yet
'lmS~a moobi Smu~ke"
$ 6&l0pmn
f~eath w
for mows.kwormwion:662-6596
i
The
Ousiders
1:00
3:00
5:00
7:15
9:30
i bmw
M tQ 711 IM I
Boys of the Lough storm the Ark Sunday night.
distinctly different. In melding these
backgrounds with each other and with
their own creativity in arrangement
and composition, they have invented a
sound which is exciting and which can
appeal to a wide audience.
Among the instruments mastered
between them are mandolin, tenor ban-
jo, cittern, concertina, fiddle, tin
whistle, flute and guitar. I am par-
ticularly keen to hear Cathal McCon-
nell, the Irish flute player who has been
nicknamed the "music machine" by
fellow bards of the Sod.
Well, better dash off now to lay down
six American dollars at Schoolkids'
records for tickets to the 7:30 or 9:30
p.m. shows on Sunday night. It is sure
to be one packed and jumping night at
the Ark!
THE DAILY
CLASSIFIEDS
ARE A GREAT
WAY TO GET
FAST RESULTS
CALL 764-0557
film fes
-----------
it IVal
R" A
PORNOGRAPHY, CENSORSHIP AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT
Pornography and the Media
Wednesday, March 30th
7-10 p.m.
Women Against Pornography
Slide Presentation
Hardcore Directed by Paul Schrader, with George C. Scott.
A Hollywood portrayal of the pornography industry.
Pornography and Society
x .
.
~
,
.
<
'.
.
ANN ARBOR
2 INDIVIDUAL TATRE
S* Awe. of iberty 791.9700
$2.00 WED " Sat Sun " Shows
Before 6 pm
5 ACADEMY
AWARD NOMS.
INCL...
BEST ACTRESS
MERYL STREEP
SOPH IE'S
CHOICE
(R)
FRI MON - 6:50:9:40
SAT SUN - 1:10 3:55 6:50 9:40
Thursday, March 31st
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Moderator
Jane M. Friedman, Visiting Professor of Law,
University of Michigan Law School
Speakers
Edward I. Donnerstein, Associate Professor, Department
of Communication Arts, University of Wisconsin
Co-Author: Pornography and SexualAggression
Burton Joseph, Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Playboy Foundation
Helen Longino, Assistant Professor of Philosophy,
Mills College. Contributor: Take Back the Night
Paula M. Webster, Director, Institute for the Study of
Sex in Society and History. Co-Author: Bound by Love.
Pornography: Possible Legal Responses
A FUN ACTION FILM
IN THE TRADITIONAL
HOLLYWOOD STYLE
HIGH RoAD
TOM SELLECK
BESS ARMSTRONG
: . " c 5 i i' :- .. ,-
Friday, April 1st
3:30-5:30 p.m.
Paul Bender, Professor of Law, University of
Pennsylvania Law School. General Counsel,
United States Commission on Obscenity
and Pornography
Frederick Schauer, Cutler Professor of Law,
William and Mary Law School. Scheduled as
Visiting Professor, University of Michigan Law
School, Fall, 1983. Author: The Law of Obscenity.
SYMPOSIUM LOCATION: Room 100, Hutchins Hall
i