Aunty Pat’s Letter Blues.

 The following is a letter written by Keith Richards to his Aunt Pat in April 1962. Just 4 months on from a chance meeting with Mick Jagger on a Dartford train station platform. In the days before British R&B was to dominate the UK charts and fans of the greats such as Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker and others met in each others houses to hear hard to get albums and singles. A chance meeting of two blues lovers, (one (Mick) asking the other about where he got the copy of Chuck Berry’s Rockin’ at the Hops (Chess) which he was carrying under his arm) that was to lead to the birth of the greatest British blues band of all time. The band that was to popularize R&B and turn on kids to to the American greats not only in the UK but also to white America, The Rolling Stones.

                                                                     

Dear Pat,

  So sorry not to have written (I plead insane) in bluebottle before. Exit right amid deafening applause. I do hope your very well.

 We have survived another glorious English Winter. I wonder which day Summer falls on this year?

 Oh but my dear I have been soooo busy since Christmas besides working at school. You know I told you I was keen on Chuck Berry and I thought I was the only fan for miles but one mornin’ on Dartford stn. (Thats so I don’t have to write a long word like station) I was holding one of Chuck’s records when a guy I knew at primary school 7-11yrs, y’know, came up to me. He’s got every record Chuck Berry ever made and all his mates have too, they are all rhythm and blues fans, real R&B I mean (not this Dinah Shore, Brook Benton crap) Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Chuck, John Lee Hooker and all the Chicago bluesmen. Real lowdown stuff, marvelous. Bo Diddley, he’s another great.

  Anyways the guy on the station, he is called Mick Jagger and all the chicks and boys meet Saturday morning in the “Carousel”, some juke-joint. Well, one morning in January I was walking past and decided to look him up. Everybody’s all over me and I get invited to about 10 parties. Besides that Mick is the greatest R&B singer this side of the Atlantic and I don’t mean maybe. I play guitar (electric) Chuck style we got us a bass player and drummer and rhythm-guitar and we practice two or three nights a week. SWINGIN’.

 Of course they’re all rolling in money and in massive detached houses, crazy, one’s even got a butler. I went round there with Mick (in the car of course, Micks, not mine of course) OH BOY; ENGLISH IS IMPOSSIBLE: “Can I get you anything sir?”

“Vodka and lime, please”

“Certainly, sir”

I really felt like a lord, nearly asked for my coronet when I left.

Everything here is just fine. I can’t lay off the Chuck Berry though, I recently got an LP of his straight from Chess records, Chicago, cost me less than an English record. Of course we’ve still got the old lags here, y’know Cliff Richard, Adam Faith and two new shockers, Shane Fenton and John Leyton. SUCH CRAP YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD. Except for that greaseball Frank Sinatra ha ha ha.

 Still I don’t get bored any more. this Saturday I am going to an all night party.

“I looked at my watch. It was four-o-five. Man I didn’t know. If I was dead or alive” to quote Chuck from Reeling and a rocking.

Theres going to be 12 gallons of beer, barrel of cider, 3 bottles of whiskey and wine. Her ma and pa’s gone away for the weekend. I’ll twist myself til I drop (I’m glad to say).

 The Saturday after Mick and I are taking 2 girls to our favorite Rhythm & Blues club over in Ealing, Middlesex. They got a guy on electric harmonica called Cyril Davis, fabulous always half drunk, unshaven, plays like a mad man, marvelous.

 Well I can’t think of anything else to bore you with so I’ll sign off. Goodnight viewers.

BIG GRIN

Luff, Keith xxxxx

Who else would write such bloody crap.

 

Bally Beron Boots

Our man Dean Swift goes in search of a new pair of boots for the summer. With the long suffering Mrs. Swift

I was in London over Easter and had decided some of my time would be spent looking for a new pair of suede boots. First port of call was Church’s on Regent street. As ever a handsome collection of shoes, some nice Chukka’s but I was really looking for something a bit different. From Church’s to Barkers, again great shoes but nothing that really made me want to unleash the card from the confines of my wallet. I was now getting dangerously close to Bond street, with Mrs. Swift in tow this search for new suede shoes may end in tears.

Since 1851 Bally of Switzerland has crafted beautiful footwear. Starting life in the basement of their family home Fritz Bally and Carl Franz Bally built shoes that were so in-demand that within three years a factory was set up for production. By 1881 Bally was an internationally known brand, opening its store on London’s Bond street. Bally can still be found on Bond street today selling luxurious shoes and other leather goods as well as clothes for men and women. So Mr and Mrs. Swift entered the store with both excitement and tension, respectively.

 Loads of stylish shoes on show, from casual Drivers and Moc’s to dressy Oxfords. The leather bags were really quite fantastic, works of art some of them. I was left to browse the mens shoes alone. Mrs. Swift was by know getting into it and checking herself out in a mirror with a number of bags hanging from her shoulders. This was my chance, I asked to try on a pair of Beron-Fo boots. By the time Mrs. Swift had realized what was going on I had both boots on and was standing in front of the mirror. “I take them, thanks”. They looked so great I was prepared to put up with the dark mood I was surely going to have to live with for the rest of the break. I took the boots off and handed them to the sales person, turning to face the music, aka Mrs. Swift…”You know, they are a really great looking pair of boots”, she said.

Whats this? This isn’t what normally happens when I get caught trying to sneak something new into the wardrobe or a drawer. She must have seen it on my face because before I could say anything she followed up with, “no, I mean it. They’re really nice, great for summer, they’ll look really good with those brown trousers you’ve got, the linen ones.”

I was broken from a trance like state I was in by a voice from behind me. “If you’d like to put your card in the machine sir”.
 ”Yes, right, thanks”

Mrs. Swift stood over my shoulder as I typed in my pin. Here it comes, I thought, she’s gonna blow any second now she’s seen the price. Not a word. The boots were put into the dust bags, box and then the carrier bag. We said our thank yous and headed toward the doors. Mrs Swift putting her hand into mine. Wow, she must like these boots even more than I do. Good job we’re not the same size I thought, and had a little chuckle to myself.                                                                                      ” Dean” she said, “I need a new bag baby”. The rest, as they say, is history.

Bally Beron Boots

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Eastside Style.

The Fabulous Hoplite returns! Fab writes for College no.9 about the finger picking blues of Piedmont and Blind Boy Fuller and Reverend. Gary Davis.

 The Delta style of blues and its players is well known but just as popular during the 20s, 30s and 40s was the Piedmont style. So called because the style was developed along the east coast between Virginia and Florida. The characteristic of the style is the rhythm of playing. The style lends itself from Ragtime, the guitar is played in much the same way as the banjo in Ragtime. a finger picking technique with the thumb used to pick out a bass line. Popular artists included Barbeque Bob Hicks, Curley Weaver and Blind Boy Fuller. Fuller recorded Step It Up and Go in 1940, the biggest selling recording of the Piedmont sound with sales of half a million copies. The song was later to be recorded by Rudy Ray Moore on Federal in 1956, a blistering R&B version that has long been heard at Klubb Magnus.

Above; Fulton Allen, aka Blind Boy Fuller 1917-1941

During his short but prolific recording career, circa 1935-1941, Piedmont bluesman Blind Boy Fuller was one of the most popular performers in the Southeast United States. His records sold in the thousands…impressive numbers during the late-1930s…and his ability to perform in traditional blues, ragtime, hokum, and pop styles allowed him to reach the broadest audience possible. Possessing a bold, expressive voice and an impressive finger-picking style typical of Piedmont, Fuller and his steel National resonator guitar remained extremely popular both on record and in person until his death in 1941.

The Birth Of Blind Boy Fuller

Born Fulton Allen in rural North Carolina, Fuller learned to play the guitar at an early age, learning the traditional field hollers and country rag songs from older singers. He lost his sight sometime during his late-teens, and turned to playing street corners and in front of tobacco warehouses - where many African-Americans in the region worked - in cities like Durham and Raleigh. He met his wife Cora Mae Allen and settled down in Durham during the early-1930s.

James Baxter Long (also known as J.B. Long), a local record retailer, heard Fuller perform and he arranged to have him record for the American Record Company (ARC). Long gave the guitarist his “Blind Boy Fuller” name, and became his manager, arranging to take the bluesman to New York City to record in 1935. With guitarist Gary Davis and washboard player Bull City Red (George Washington) in tow, Fuller recorded several sides for ARC, including the traditional “Rag, Mama, Rag.”

A Prolific Recording Artist

Between 1935 and 1940, Fuller recorded over 120 songs for a variety of labels, including ARC and Decca. Fuller’s repertoire ranged from ragtime to the blues, including songs in the suggestive hokum vein such as “Truckin’ My Blues Away” and “I Want Some Of Your Pie.” Fuller typically recorded with other musicians.

Fuller proved to be a popular artist with Southern African-American record buyers, and his hits included both traditional and original songs like “Lost Lover Blues” and “Step It Up And Go.” Many of Fuller’s original songs have become standards of the Piedmont blues style, and lyrically his material drew upon his experience as a blind Black man in the South, accurately describing the poverty, sickness, and death that that plagued the African-American community. Fuller died young, in 1941 at the age of 33, of blood poisoning that resulted in kidney failure, popularly ascribed to his heavy drinking.

Source; About.com Blues

Piedmont blues was popular amongst African-Americans across the states until interest faded in the genre towards the end of the 1940’s. Though the style remained popular in the East Coast region and could still be heard at blues Festivals across the US. One  artist who performed Piedmont blues regularly in his shows at Festivals was Reverend. Gary Davis  (below) who recorded Cocaine Blues,

 the first lyric of “Cocaine, all around my brain” and covered by numerous recording artists ever since. Although not the first version to be recorded its Davis’s version which saw the song regarded by many as a blues standard. Davis appeared in the UK with a recording made of his show at Manchester Free Trade Hall which saw light as an album in 2007. The album a much highly prized addition to many blues fans collections.

Davis was partially blind at birth, and lost what little sight he had before he was an adult. He was self-taught on the guitar, beginning at age six, and by the time he was in his 20s he had one of the most advanced guitar techniques of anyone in blues; his only peers among ragtime-based players were Blind Arthur Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Blind Willie Johnson. Davis himself was a major influence on Blind Boy Fuller.
Davis’ influences included gospel, marches, ragtime, jazz, and minstrel hokum, and he integrated them into a style that was his own. In 1911, when Davis was a still teenager, the family moved to Greenville, SC, and he fell under the influence of such local guitar virtuosi as Willie Walker, Sam Brooks, and Baby Brooks. Davis moved to Durham in the mid-’20s, by which time he was a full-time street musician. He was celebrated not only for the diversity of styles that his playing embraced, but also for his skills with the guitar, which were already virtually unmatched in the blues field.
Davis went into the recording studio for the first time in the ’30s with the backing of a local businessman.Davis cut a mixture of blues and spirituals for the American Record Company label, but there was never an equitable agreement about payment for the recordings, and following these sessions, it was 19 years before he entered the studio again. During that period, he went through many changes. Like many other street buskers, Davis always interspersed gospel songs amid his blues and ragtime numbers, to make it harder for the police to interrupt him. He began taking the gospel material more seriously, and in 1937 he became an ordained minister. After that, he usually refused to perform any blues.
Davis moved to New York in the early ’40s and began preaching and playing on street corners in Harlem. He recorded again at the end of the 1940s, with a pair of gospel songs, but it wasn’t until the mid-’50s that a real following for his work began developing anew. His music, all of it now of a spiritual nature, began showing up on labels such as Stinson, Folkways, and Riverside, where he recorded seven songs in early 1956. Davis was “rediscovered” by the folk revival movement, and after some initial reticence, he agreed to perform as part of the budding folk music revival, appearing at the Newport Folk Festival, where his raspy voiced sung sermons; most notably his transcendent “Samson and Delilah (If I Had My Way)” — a song most closely associated with Blind Willie Johnson — and “Twelve Gates to the City,” which were highlights of the proceedings for several years. He also recorded a live album for the Vanguard label at one such concert, as well as appearing on several Newport live anthology collections. He was also the subject of two television documentaries, one in 1967 and one in 1970.

source; All Music.

Check out the link below to read more about the East Coast blues scene today.

http://piedmontblues.org/

 

Sugar Shack Club.

A new club night starts next month in Oslo with the opening of Sugar Shack on Friday, May 3rd. The night takes place at the fantastic basement venue at Revolver. Resident DJ’s will be Stavanger Thomas (Get Ready) and Soggy (Klubb Magnus/Miss Millies). Two Dj’s that are often playing outside of Norway at nights and weekends across Europe. Music is to be a mix of soul, ska and R&B, knowing what records these boys have got this may well end up the best club night in Oslo. That, bearing in mind some of the nights that are already playing to capacity crowds in the city is saying something. A night not to be missed we think. 

Pushwagner

My favorite artist, Pushwagner and a couple of his works. Art that I find both disturbing and beautiful. I don’t know if he means to but a lot of his art makes me wonder if its me in his pictures, or you, or us. When his self portrait appeared in a local gallery I must have stood looking at it for over an hour. Possibly my favorite work by him.

Soulman Korner

Fitzgerald’s Clothiers

Once again College no.9 has sniffed out a new brand offering clothing that should interest Modernists. This time theres no Heritage blag, no watering down of that mid century Modernist look to tap into a mass market. Fitzgeralds Clothiers, will be producing Ivy League shirts and slim ties and they go on sale today! College no.9’s Mannie Katz meets  Henry Fitzgerald, (below) a 30 year old Modernist and Ivy fan from Brighton and  owner and designer behind the brand, to get the low down on the clothes, the man and his plans for the future.

What are the colours and cloths your shirts will be available in?

 The initial batch of shirts will all be Oxford cloth, I’m having them made in 3 different colours, blue, white and a nice light shade of green. The cloth is a 100% cotton Alumo 2 ply 80s Oxford. I have plans to use a whole range of different fabrics in the future, Chambray and Madras are on the cards for this summer.

Is there one brand that you used as a template or are the shirts a mix of brands?

 The shirts are a mixture of design details that have been copied from various different vintage shirts that I own. The details aren’t exact copies though, I’ve tweaked bits here and there. The collar, being the most important detail, was tricky to get just right but I’m really happy with the result.

Let the good times roll; The Fitzgerald OCBD.

 What type of fit will the shirts be? Will you add different fits and sleeve lengths to your range in time?

 The fit of the shirts is one of the things that I didn’t copy. I have quite a few vintage shirts with a whole range of fits, some slim, Gant Huggers for instance, and some very full cut, like Brooks Brothers, I went for something in-between the two as I think it’s a classic look.
 To start with the shirts will be sold in 3 sizes, S, M and L, but eventually when funds permit I’d like to expand to a full range of collar sizes and sleeve lengths. I think that the 3 sizes will cover quite a large customer base but obviously we won’t be able to please everyone. There’s very detailed measurements listed on the website.

 Have you had to compromise anything between what you wanted and what was possible in production?

 As to the actual finished product no, I got exactly what I wanted, but going back to your last question, I wasn’t able to produce as many sizes as I would have liked. I really wasn’t prepared to compromise on quality of cloth or manufacture. I could have gone to a cheaper manufacturer and used a cheaper cloth and been able to produce quite a few more sizes, but I’d rather start out small with a really great product, build a good reputation and then expand on that. 
Has it been hard to get your ideas across to your makers?

 Thankfully not too hard. With regards to the shirts, I talked to a few manufacturers before I decided on who to use so as to make sure that they could produce exactly what I wanted and that they were open to working closely with me to guarantee that the finished product was just right. They got it pretty much spot on with the first sample and then it was just a case of a few minor adjustments. The manufacturers I’m using are well established and make shirts for a few really high end brands, so I was confident about using them in the first place, the whole process has been really smooth.

The ties on the other hand haven’t been so easy. I found a local company that specialize in bespoke knitwear and had them produce a sample tie. I was happy with the sample so I went ahead and placed an order with them. When I received the first lot of ties they were awful and nothing like the initial sample I had been given, it turned out that they had farmed the work out to a third party. Needless to say that was the end of that relationship and I’m now working with someone else. It’s a shame as it would have been nice to have someone local to where I live manufacturing some of the product and I wanted to have the shirts and ties on the website for the launch, but the ties are still definitely going ahead and will be worth the wait.



 Any plans for adding other styles that were popular in the Ivy “Boom years” of the 50s & 60s? Tab & Loop collars, popovers?

 I have plans for adding a whole range of styles. I’d really love to do a tab collar as they have all but disappeared and popovers are high on the list. The Oxford cloth button down is the quintessential Ivy league shirt so I thought it the best starting point and it shall remain a staple of the brand. 

What do you think your ties will offer that’ll set them apart from other brands?

 Well they’re based on a 1960’s knitted wool tie that I own and I think the fact that they’ll look a bit retro, for want of a better word, will set them apart a bit. There’s not to many brands that are making knitted wool neckties, and the ones that are seem to go for quite modern looking patterns and colour schemes.

 Whats the length of your ties and blade width?

The ties are 53 inches long and the blade width is 2.5 inches

 Any chance of a longer tie being offered for the taller gent? please.

 Initially I’m afraid not. I have to place a minimum order with the manufacturer and if I wanted to have two different lengths made it would mean ordering double the amount of ties. I’ll have to see what feedback I get, if there’s a demand for a longer tie then I’ll make it happen.

Wheres production based?

 Everything is being made in the UK. This is something that I wasn’t willing to compromise on from the start. I think it’s really important to support what little garment manufacture we have left in this country, if we don’t we may loose it forever. I also think people are getting more clued in on the fact that cheap garments from countries that turn a blind eye to unethical work practice are not the way to go, morally or in terms of quality.

I would consider having garments made in other countries in the EU, but as long as I can get what I want here in the UK that’s what I’ll do.

Where did your interest in Ivy style stem from?

 Ha ha, I’d really like to be all cool here and say something like Blue Note jazz album covers, but truthfully the internet.

I started to get into Mod style in my early to mid 20s (I’m 30 now) and I was wearing a lot of stuff that was Ivy without actually knowing it. Through internet forums I began to pick up on what Ivy style was, became fascinated with it, and realized that that’s what I liked and what suited me. I still incorporate some elements of mod style in how I dress, mainly fit wise, but my clothes are pretty much exclusively Ivy these days.

Who are your Ivy style icons?

They’re kind of obvious, but I really like the way Anthony Perkins dressed back in the day and Paul Newman. I have to say though, that I take more inspiration from people who wear the style today and pictures of the general public from the boom years of Ivy.

above; Perkins.

Are there any current brands that you think are hitting the Ivy mark?

 In the UK, John Simons. It’s well documented that he’s the most prominent figure in promoting Ivy style in this country and his own brand John Simons apparel company is a testament to that .I buy a lot of stuff he makes, it’s great quality and has all the right details.

Tugboat Ties, is a brand that will be available later this year. They’re making a really nice range of madras ties and Fitzgerald’s clothiers will hopefully be collaborating with them some time in the near future.

Outside of this country. In the US you have Alden and Rancourt & Co who both make superb quality shoes in the right styles and O’connells who sell a whole range of Ivy style clothing. There are one or two other US brands that I have heard good stuff about but I cant comment as I haven’t seen their products first hand.
   

Whats your favorite outfit at the moment?

 A tweed sports jacket, Oxford shirt, Knitted tie in wool or silk, Flannel trousers, and penny loafers or playboy boots depending on the weather. 

Will you offer other garments in the future, sports jackets or knitwear for instance?

 I hope so, I really want to expand to having a whole collection. I’m going to see how the shirts and ties sell first and if they do well I’ll add more items. I have some great ideas, watch this space as they say.

Any plans to get your products onto a shop floor some where?

 I’d really like to open my own shop, but I’ll have to walk before I can run. At the moment I don’t have enough buying power, or maybe just not the right contacts, to get garments made cheap enough to wholesale them.
Most shops want to put a huge mark up on what they sell and there just isn’t that much profit margin in what I’m doing.

College no.9 wishes Henry every success with his venture. We’ve found over the years that people that actually wear the clothes they design  set standards high and value garment quality and customer service as much as the buyer. Jimmy Frost Mellor, menswear consultant, life long Ivy man and member of the College no.9 writers club has raved about the shirts in his review on Ivy blog, Fitzgerald’s Closet (no relation).

http://fitzgeraldscloset.tumblr.com/post/45752560526/green-is-the-colour-ivy-is-the-game

Fitzgerald’s Clothiers site will be open at 16 00 (CET) today. You’ll find more pictures and size details on the website.

www.fitzgeraldsclothiers.co.uk

You can also find Fitzgerald’s Clothiers on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fitzgeralds-Clothiers/498297996893416

Bolia.com

We popped into Bolia the other day. Some great designs at very affordable prices. Crepe Suzi really loved two designs, their Viva and Mood sideboards. On the day we were in their store there was 20% everything which was handy as Suzi insisted on having them. They’re being delivered on the 3rd. Thankfully they come ready built. I hate flat packs.

above; Viva. This unit comes in two sizes in a number of contasts to the white.

Mood; again available in a number of colours.

I think I might have to go back to get this casual watch in bamboo.

Bolia can be found at Oslo Sentrum Henrik Ibsens Gate 18 0255 and
Oslo Grünerløkka Thorvald Meyers Gate 72 A 0552 in the city. View their designs here. http://www.bolia.com/nn-no/catalog/norway/bolia_no

Roots Of Modernism.

Paris 1954, Maxime de la Falaise. Batwing sweater, flat front trousers and loafers.