Comments on: Column: Singin’ the Ann Arbor Blues

By: paul durfee oberst

paul durfee oberst — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 23:28:33 +0000

I’m looking at the poster for the 69 blues festival. It was produced by my firm, Walrus Enterprises–three architecture students looking for some beer money. The poster’s designer was Joe Valerio who has gone on to be something of a famous architect.

The guitar player on the poster was derived from a photo of Buddy Guy.

paul durfee oberst

By: jim fishel

jim fishel — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 04:04:34 +0000

It is with great appreciation that I read this article. As a recent high school graduate in 1969, I traveled with my brother John Fishel into the clubs of Chicago’s West and South sides. This was purely work as fans of a music that we knew would gather steam and create a lasting impression on the music world. In fact, because of people like Bob Koester and Dick Waterman–who counseled my brother–the blues is still going strong 40 years later. Although most of the artists are now in Blues Heaven, I am proud to announce that my friends and I taped the festival on a very rudimentary noreleco recorder and the tapes have now been restored by my son and his co-workers at Columbia University’s WKCR. Nearly finished, the station hopes to have them on-air in the next month for a series of special presentations; and the great Ann Arbor photographer Stanley Livingston (in association with Michael Erlewine) has a photo book that will be released by year’s end on the University of Michigan Press. I am proud of my brother and all of his co-workers for their dedication to Blues–America’s indigenous musical art form.

By: Steve Wanvig

Steve Wanvig — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:57:17 +0000

A fantastic job, Alan. I was very happy to participate. Your wonderfully thorough and interesting article really brought back some memories. As I told you, about the only memento I have left from Ann Arbor ’69 is an 8 x 10 print I shot of Charlie Musselwhite. It’s good that he is still around, forty years on, to keep the blues alive. Articles like yours do the same! Thanks so much, and good luck on your documentary!

By: Alan Glenn

Alan Glenn — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 03:52:00 +0000

A number of people have requested the lineup of artists who played the 1969 Ann Arbor Blues Festival.

Friday Night, 8/1/1969

Roosevelt Sykes
Fred McDowell
J.B. Hutto and the Hawks
Jimmy Dawkins
Junior Wells
B. B. King

Saturday Night

Sleepy John Estes
Luther Allison
Clifton Chenier
Otis Rush
Howlin’ Wolf
Muddy Waters

Sunday Afternoon

Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup
Jimmy “Fast Fingers” Dawkins
Roosevelt Sykes
Luther Allison & the Blue Nebulae
Big Joe Williams
Magic Sam
Big Mama Thornton
Freddy King

Sunday Night

Sam Lay
T-Bone Walker
Son House
Charlie Musselwhite with Freddy Roulette
Lightnin’ Hopkins
James Cotton

By: dannyv

dannyv — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:06:54 +0000

Another great article capturing the zeitgeist of 60s Ann Arbor. Good luck with the doc.

By: mr dairy

mr dairy — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:18:20 +0000

The best music I’ve ever heard and seen, ever, was at the Blues and Jazz fests in the 70′s.