This listing is for The Fingerpicking Blues of John Jackson VHS.

Actors: John Jackson
Directors: Happy Traum
Format: NTSC
Rated:  Unrated - Not Rated
Number of tapes: 1
Studio: Hal Leonard/Homespun Video
VHS Release Date: March 1, 1995
Run Time: 60 minutes  

With special guest, Roy Book Binder. A traditional blues master brings the Piedmont style to life! In a lively conversation with Roy Book Binder, John Jackson details the finer points of technique, provides fascinating historical reminiscences and teaches his own 2-finger picking style. 60-minute video. 

Songs include:
Little Brown Jug
Candy Man
West Coast Blues
Louis Collins
Police Dog Blues
Boat's Up The River
Bear Cat Mana
Little Woman So Sweet
Red River Blues
Key To The Highway
John Henry

This video is a must-have for all guitarists who want a lesson with a traditional blues artist. The Piedmont style comes alive as John Jackson teaches songs from his wide repertoire, detailing the finer points of his fingerstyle technique and reminiscing about Mississippi John Hurt, Mance Lipscomb, Son House and other classic blues guitarists who influenced his music. As a child, John Jackson picked up his father's guitar and taught himself to play by listening to 78 rpm records and watching the legendary blues artists who passed through his home town in Rappahannock County, VA. Roy Book Binder observes that there appear to be "four or five distinct John Jackson styles," and you'll get a taste of each one on this video, from "Little Brown Jug" (the very first piece John learned on guitar) to Mississippi John Hurt's classic "Candy Man." "West Coast Blues" and John Hurt's "Louis Collins" will benefit those just getting into the fingerpicking style, while Blind Blake's "Police Dog Blues" makes use of more advanced blues technique.

The songs on this tape become a showcase for turnarounds, runs up and down the neck, use of the slide, and John's two-finger picking style, including his unique way of producing bass runs. You'll learn to play his original "Boat's Up The River" and "Bear Cat Mama;" Blind Boy Fuller's "Little Woman So Sweet," "Red River Blues" and "Key To The Highway;" and the classic "John Henry." John gives a full performance of each song, then plays it slowly, analyzing the more difficult sections.

About the Actor:

Style: Fingerpicking Country Blues
Instrument: Acoustic Guitar
Artist: John Jackson
Media: Video
Level: 4

As a child, John Jackson taught himself to play guitar by listening to 78 RPM records and watching the legendary blues artists who passed through his home town in Rappahannock County, VA. In 1986, he received the distinguished National Fellowship Award (NEA), the highest honor presented to American folk artists. He has released numerous albums for both Arhoolie and Rounder Records, and has performed in over 60 countries, and at countless blues festivals throughout the U.S. John has played with many of the blues masters who originally inspired him, as well as with Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Ricky Skaggs, Doc Watson and this video's host, blues and ragtime guitarist Roy Book Binder.

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