What's with the music and video gadgets?

There are so many songs from the 78 rpm era that are really fine or funny. Many people have never heard them. These songs are not copyrighted and can be put on blogs, websites, etc. There are also some interesting short animated videos that are "open source."

At the bottom of this page is a musical animation. Wayne Lytle, the originator, uses software to analyze the music and drive the instruments in the animation. His website is http://www.animusic.com. A DVD of all seven of the pieces of animated music has been released commercially. Both the video and the 78rpm songs can be found at http://www.archive.org

The songs in the musical gadgets to the right were chosen mainly for their great blues; except for "Yes, we have no bananas," and "Hard Times." 'No bananas' is a silly song I remember from my childhood. The next song opens with several seconds of a sermon and then launches into the congregation singing the song. I wanted to put this one on because it reminds of my Baptist musical roots and the times I skipped Sunday School to listen to music at black storefront churches in my neighborhood. The others are fabulous renditions of blues songs.

What do Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, Bob Weir, Jorma Kaukonen, Dave Von Ronk, David Bromberg, have in common? They all were taught by Blind Reverend Gary Davis. Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia & the Grateful Dead, and Jefferson Airplane were all influenced by Davis. To read a bio of Davis (a Baptist preacher as well) go to http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/davis_g.htm Enjoy the music!