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A FR EN CH General returning from the batt­ legrounds of Western Europe in 1919 stopped off in Washington where he was taken to watch an American Football game. On witnessing the first


2 B lh M A R C H — 1st A P R IL 1991


T h u r s d a y , M a rc h 2 8 th C o n c e r t 8 p .m.


S p o n s o r e d b y H o h n e r


JOHNNY 'BIG MOOSE' WALKER: CHICAGO HOUSE BAND


f e a tu r in g H a rm o n ic a H in e s a n d J am e s J o h n s o n :


JO H N PEARSON Friday, March 29th


Afternoon Concert 2 p.m. JE S S E 'GUITAR' TAYLOR:


WILL KILLEEN: F r id a y , M a rc h 2 9 th


E v e n in g C o n c e r t 8 p .m . DR ROSS 'THE


HARMONICA BOSS': JAN HARRINGTON:


JIM DALY BLUES BAND:


S a tu rd a y , M a rc h 3 0 th - 8 p .m .


ANGELA BROWN:


MICK CLARKE BAND: S u n d a y 3 1 s t - 2.30 p.m.


MARILYN MIDDLETON POLLOCK


'T h o s e Women o f th e V a u d e v i l le Blues"


S u n d a y E v e n in g C o n c e r t 8 p .m .


S p o n s o r e d b y J S P LEFTY DIZZ:


TONY McPI IEE : M o n d ay , A p r i l 1 s t - 1 p.m.


HOHNER BURNLEY NATIONAL BLUES


HARP COMPETITON C om p e re : B ry a n Day


(RTE All T h a t J a z z a n d Blu es )


M o n d a y , A p r i l 1st


E v e n in g C o n c e r t 8 p .m. S p o n s o r e d b y T l iw a i t e s


ROSCO GORDON:


OTIS GRAND AND THE DANCE KINGS


plus ALL 1'HE USUAL FEATURES OF THE FRIENDLY FESTIVAL INSTRUMENT AND RECORD STALLS, FESTIVAL STAGE


LATE NIGHT FESTIVAL CLUB and Much, Much else


CALL FOR YOUR F R E E SOUVENIR BROCHURE


And for all tho o th e r events a t The Mechanics • sec ou r


: weekly ad In th e Burnley ' Express Itself o r join o u r •; f i v e malllnjglist


0 2 8 2 3 0 0 5 5 T h e B l u e s a t B u r n l e y


one of the biggest crowd- pullers in the country. One look at the programme and you can see why. With Buddy Guy and Champion Jack Dupree appearing in previous years and this year’s headliner, Rosco Gordon, with only his second appearance in this country, there’s no need to look elsewhere for good blues. The festival prides itself


ONCE again the Burnley National Blues Festival hits town, and hundreds of fans from around the country will be arriving for five nights of rocking. The festival has become


on producing acts you can’t see easily elsewhere in the country, and on giving new bands and singers the chance to appear before large crowds. Rosco Gordon is from


A N D R Z E J W I E C K O W S K I p r e v i e w s t h e f o r t h c o m i n g B u r n l e y N a t i o n a l B l u e s F e s t i v a l


Lefty Dizz


birthday he had won a talent contest giving him a regular radio appearance, and recorded on the famous Sun label. He achieved vari­ ous R&B chart hits with “Booted” and “No More Doggin”. He continued to record


the fifties, learning to play the piano on Beale Street, Memphis. Before his 18th


Memphis, Tennessee. His one previous appearance here was at the 100 Club in London in 1982, where he sang with guitarist Wayne Bennett and B.B.King. Rosco made his name in


with other, smaller labels and appeared in the 1957 film “Rock Baby, Rock It”. He disappeared from the


scene during the seventies, and there were various rumours as to his where­ abouts, some even suggest­ ing that he was dead! He was ‘rediscovered’ in 1980 by researcher Hank Davis and since then his career has taken off again. He has put out several singles,


made an unreleased album, and started touring again. Doctor Ross has been play­ ing the blues for nearly 50 years and has a recording career almost as long. He was born in 1925, in Tunica, Mississippi, and by the age of six he was playing the harmonica. Local appearances in the


late ’30s were halted for a short time while he was in the army, where he earned his medical nickname. On returning to Tunica he began to make regular radio appearances on KFFA’s “King Biscuit Time”, and soon he was recording on Chess and Sun, and then on his own DIR label. His appearance at Burn­


ley marks his first perfor­ mance in this country for many y ears, since his numerous trips over in the ’60s and ’70s. The American s are


strongly featured in this year’s line-up, as befits the


however, doesn’t mean that British blues performers are entirely neglected. From Ireland there is the Jim Daly Blues Band, and guitarist Will Killeen, and the London-based Mick Clarke Band. The former are big in


home of the blues. Other acts from across the water include Lefty Dizz, the blues guitarist from Chi­ cago; ‘Big Moose’ Walker from Misissippi, and Chi­ cago’s Angela Brown, last year’s festival discovery. The American dominance,


Belfast, with Jim Daly him­ self playing for over 30 years. Will Killeen and the Mick Clarke Band have both toured extensively in main­ land Europe, and have scored huge success over there. Other live performances


val Club sessions at the Keirby Hotel every night, the Festival Stage which is an opportunity for new groups and solo artists to perform before large, dis­ cerning crowds, and the Third Hohner Burnley N a t ion a l Blu e s Harp Championship. Other events organised


include the backstage ses­ sions of Lefty Dizz, ’’Big Moose” Walker and Jet Martin, the informal Festi­


are several record/book/in- strument fairs. The Festival runs from


March 28th to April 1st, and further information on event times can be obtained from the Mechanics. □


believe, all sport is a mag­ nificent triviality, then American Football seems le a s t to le r a n t to the limitation. The Prairie playing fields


stretch the imagination a little, the comparison is there all the same and watching Burnley’s Prairie Dogs in pre-season training, it is easy to see what the General was getting at. In d e ed i f , as some


few minutes he turned to h is c om p a n io n and exclaimed: “My God, this isn’t a game — it’s war!” While that statement may


in Burnley on a wintery Sunday morning are no place for the faint-hearted. The clashing of helmets and the sound of bone-crushing tackles penetrate the air, disturbing the generally peaceful surroundings and making one wonder, in awe,


just two years ago and after playing friendlies for a sea­ son they joined the North­ ern Conference of the Brit­ ish National League, competing against some of


the b est teams in the North. Although managing to


win only two games, the opposition was strong with many team s f ie ld in g “imported” American play­ ers obtained through lucra­ tive sponsorship deals.


just what things will be like when the real season gets underway in April. The Dogs were formed


to date has seen it already grab its fair share of the limelight — much of it centering on


club’s unusual name: Ameri­ can Football teams aren’t usually named after small, furry rodents. And in 1990 they were also World American Football News team of the 90’s; not


the


founder members, explains: “It’s important that we get a sponsorship deal, other­ wise we will struggle to keep going. Equipment for a single player can cost up to £300 and if any local firm was interested in sponsor­ ing us we would make sure they got us much publicity as possible.” The team’s short history


sorship does remain a prob­ lem for the locals, they still view the forthcoming sea­ son with a great deal of optimism — despite the fact that many of them had never played the game until two years ago. Kevan Barry, one of the


And while lack of spon­


ton the field everyone is equal. Their number includes


come from various back­ grounds — solicitors, dri­ vers, sales assistants and council workers — but once


because of their results but because their spirit epito­ mizes the enthusiasm for the game in this country. Members of the squad


Grant “The Biscuit” Eals, so-called because he is apparently just a custard cream short of weighing 300 lbs.


and prior to one game spon­ sored by local pie manufac­ turers Holland he devoured 15 meat pies as a “starter” — no doubt “feasting” upon a main course of opponents o n c e th e g am e g o t underway. The “glory boy” of any


He is a formidable sight


side is its quarter-back and this job is filled for the Dogs by Gary “Batman” Bailey.


ter-back always gets the best-looking cheerleader — but with temperatures mak­ ing a pitiful effort to rise above freezing the morning I visited the Prairie, any mini-skirted dancers were con sp icu ou s by th e ir absence. As the bone-crunching


“He’s our matchwinner and we will lay down our lives to protect him,” adds Kevan. In the States, the quar­


session came to a close, I asked Kevan about the main attractions of the game from a player’s point of view. “After a couple of weeks, if you’re big enough there’s nothing better than smash­ ing into someone,” he replied, his eyes narrowing menacingly.


joining the Prairie Dogs, either as a player, statisti­ cian or match-day assistant they should ring Kevin Singh on Burnley 412841.


Olf anyone is interested in


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