Oh Rory, you sing and play as the best I ever heard!!! Agressive yes! Why should a woman not play agressive? She better than any man I ever heard playing like this!!!! xxxxxxx LOVE from Holland Patty xxx
Saw her in Berkeley last year when she released the Robert Johnson CD. She gave a great tutorial on him and the development of the blues, she's a historian. She's not just some white girl trying to front off as a blues musician, she feels it. It comes from her gut. She also does a little gospel. She'll be in Berkeley in August. Got my tix!
Today 11-6-08 - Rory's 59th Birthday! While I love all her delta blues stuff, the 1st thing I heard her sing was her LP, 1977's Intoxication, then got her 1975 LP Rory Block Love them!!!
I really like Rory. Roy Rogers also does a really nice full-band version of 'Terraplane' - he plays it kinda fast, too. Johnny Shines did a version called 'Dynaflow Blues' back in the '50s that's also great.
Une de mes blues woman préférée, super style et une touche personnelle incomparable. Le vieux blues remis au gout du jour...! Merci. Rory, pour quand une tournée en France,..?
It's just plain weird that some people criticize this artist because of her gender or her race, not because of her skill (or lack of it). The only standard of criticism, in anybody's performance, should be: am I moved by what I'm hearing? If you can't answer that question with your eyes closed, you're probably hearing-impaired and shouldn't be commenting on the music in the first place.
Rory you ain’t no Robert Johnson but you can most definitely play the blues I love your versions of all the songs from Robert Johnson you do I love the way you play them blues keep it up...
I guess having W.C. Handy awards for her guitar work doesn't put her up on the top of any lists, eh? Like her or not, she is ridiculously talented. She has 5 W.C. Handy awards, and is recognized as one of the premiere authorities on country blues.
I was half right."The Lady and Mr. Johnson, an album that saw Block taking on selected songs of her musical hero, idol, and biggest influence, Robert Johnson.Read the review on allmusic.com
The woman is wonderful and the blues is wonderful of Robert Johnson. The cat is lovely. Rory is sexy! It wanted to hear by the live, and it came to want to meet by all means. I want you to come to Japan.
I just can't watch her mangle this music. Is it the frenetic playing or the voice that still sounds like Greenwich Village folk scene. I don't know, but as someone who grew up around Helena, Ark., this sounds like the blues just fine, but is missing the soul of the blues. I have seen many old black men around that could blow this away and they would never break a sweat. She puts practically everything she has into it and only comes close.
😮😬🤯 I hold Robert tunes sacred . Crossroads . Terraplane. Stones In My Passway . All of them I have NEVER heard anyone play Robert Johnson better. No one . Ain't gonna happen , Troop. Rory plays down all that herky jerky stuff that Robert played that I have NEVER heard anyone but Rory duplicate. Duplicate , and like Robert , sing over the top of it. Yes , I play a slew of Robert tunes . I posted me playing Sweet Home Chicago yesterday.Robert did one take of Sweet Home Chicago. Robert did one take of Terraplane Blues. No , I can't duplicate all that herky jerky stuff .I just try to navigate the terrain as best as I can with what I got. If you listen to Robert and want to know what it would look like if you saw him play all that crazy shit , then the closest you could ever come is Rory . 🪓🎸🛡😎 🌪⚒️⚡️
Sear Sir, I know your feeling a bit down now because there's a woman playing better then many man. And yes I know Robert Johnson very well and Eric Clapton to, but I still think Rory is better. Sorry that I made you a little angry...haha! stay strong! bey bey Patty
Her blues is like Pat Boone doing Tutti Frutti. How can a knock out looking white girl develop anything similar to the blues. I can't cover the gray with one bottle of dye blues maybe...
There seems to be an almost unnatural hate for either Rory or her playing. The distinction seems to gray at some point. I'll concede that she's not Robert Johnson, and she doesn't sound like him. She sounds like a blues singer. The resemblance to Johnson's playing style is uncanny, and it's clear she's studied his work meticulously over the years. Music is one of those aspects of life where you can completely get lost in the moment, whether you're a performer or a spectator... (cont.)
She definitely plays with heart. But, IMHO she plays the song a little too fast. The guitar in the original is not "sparse" but definitely a little more open. Playing the song like this makes it sound like a dump truck driving through the front of a liquor store.
(cont.) Rory throws herself into her performances, and there's absolutely no shame in that. Referring to a musician in such pejorative ways as I've seen here does nothing to benefit the musical community. Just my two cents.
Rory is without doubt the greatest female guitarist.
I saw her in concert a few weeks ago (Acoustic Music San Diego). The show was fantastic. Her voice and her guitar filled the whole place...
I love Rory! She has been an inspiration to me! I had the pleasure of meeting her in person! What a wonderful lady!
JEEEZ!
Rory has more talent in her pinky than most of todays artists have in their entire being!!!
+aflatminor You are soooooooooo right! Gotta luv this lady!
Oh Rory, you sing and play as the best I ever heard!!! Agressive yes! Why should a woman not play agressive? She better than any man I ever heard playing like this!!!! xxxxxxx LOVE from Holland Patty xxx
Saw her in Berkeley last year when she released the Robert Johnson CD. She gave a great tutorial on him and the development of the blues, she's a historian. She's not just some white girl trying to front off as a blues musician, she feels it. It comes from her gut. She also does a little gospel. She'll be in Berkeley in August. Got my tix!
I've heard of this lady for years but not actually heard her playin until now.What the hell have I been missing? 50stars!
Today 11-6-08 - Rory's 59th Birthday! While I love all her delta blues stuff, the 1st thing I heard her sing was her LP, 1977's Intoxication, then got her 1975 LP Rory Block
Love them!!!
The cat is Robert Johnson...
@LapisLee Rory Block's style is so "from the gut", from the soul, you get gooseflesh listening to her. I did when I saw her live a few years ago.
This is beautiful. it moved me.
She’s is fandamntabulous on the slide pickin… one of my fave female musicians
I really like Rory. Roy Rogers also does a really nice full-band version of 'Terraplane' - he plays it kinda fast, too. Johnny Shines did a version called 'Dynaflow Blues' back in the '50s that's also great.
Une de mes blues woman préférée, super style et une touche personnelle incomparable. Le vieux blues remis au gout du jour...! Merci.
Rory, pour quand une tournée en France,..?
The cat seems to have a good taste in music :-)
The greatest "lady" of the blues.Thanks for posting!We're waiting for more..
It's just plain weird that some people criticize this artist because of her gender or her race, not because of her skill (or lack of it). The only standard of criticism, in anybody's performance, should be: am I moved by what I'm hearing? If you can't answer that question with your eyes closed, you're probably hearing-impaired and shouldn't be commenting on the music in the first place.
She’s just amazing!
she's badasssss!!!! she fingerpicks and plays the slide great!!!!
Never heard her play anything other tha superbly
Super!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
superfantastic!
Rory you ain’t no Robert Johnson but you can most definitely play the blues I love your versions of all the songs from Robert Johnson you do I love the way you play them blues keep it up...
I guess having W.C. Handy awards for her guitar work doesn't put her up on the top of any lists, eh? Like her or not, she is ridiculously talented. She has 5 W.C. Handy awards, and is recognized as one of the premiere authorities on country blues.
Kudos to the cat!!!
She isn't tryin' to be... Robert Johnson! She is being herself and adding her own style to his songs...
Rory I love you!!!
I was half right."The Lady and Mr. Johnson, an album that saw Block taking on selected songs of her musical hero, idol, and biggest influence, Robert Johnson.Read the review on allmusic.com
The woman is wonderful and the blues is wonderful of Robert Johnson.
The cat is lovely. Rory is sexy!
It wanted to hear by the live, and it came to want to meet by all
means. I want you to come to Japan.
Me too :) Don't know why but it's a really attractive video.
I think she's pretty killer, got a lot of soul and pounds on that guitar!
Very cool...!
I just can't watch her mangle this music. Is it the frenetic playing or the voice that still sounds like Greenwich Village folk scene. I don't know, but as someone who grew up around Helena, Ark., this sounds like the blues just fine, but is missing the soul of the blues. I have seen many old black men around that could blow this away and they would never break a sweat. She puts practically everything she has into it and only comes close.
@tinpanalley67 This song is in open C then capo on the second fret.
😮😬🤯
I hold Robert tunes sacred .
Crossroads .
Terraplane.
Stones In My Passway .
All of them
I have NEVER heard anyone play Robert Johnson better. No one . Ain't gonna happen , Troop.
Rory plays down all that herky jerky stuff
that Robert played that I have NEVER heard
anyone but Rory duplicate. Duplicate , and like Robert , sing over the top of it.
Yes , I play a slew of Robert tunes .
I posted me playing Sweet Home Chicago yesterday.Robert did one take of Sweet Home Chicago. Robert did one take of Terraplane Blues.
No , I can't duplicate all that herky jerky stuff .I just try to navigate the terrain as best as I can with what I got.
If you listen to Robert and want to know what it would look like if you saw him play all that crazy shit , then the closest you could ever come is Rory . 🪓🎸🛡😎
🌪⚒️⚡️
Who said you had to be an African American to play the blues? They invented the style and some of the best were African, but blues is in us all.
Holy shit!!
His tunings are hotly debated. There's another video with Rory where she explains how she reverse-engineers his songs to figure out the tuning.
Its a hard song to play and sing at the same time because the timings are different...
meopinion - Which is your favourite song by Rorrence Block?
She's much fast, she doesn't breath!!!
Rory Block did an RJ album? WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED? Heads will roll for this outrage!
I think Robert Johnson reincarnated as Rory Block, imho
Wonderful. But I'm not cool with alternate tunings myself... I'm confused enough with the standard one already!
"Aggressively for a woman" ...for a woman what?
That's the real thing, baby.
I guess its called the blues.
That woman knows how to play and sing it.
Is every Robert Johnson song in Open G Capo 2nd fret? Or are some of his songs in Open A?
Thank you! But heads will still roll...it's an atrocity! ;->
In my humble opinion, Foghat's cover of this jam blows the doors off any other version.
MachOverspeed
Foghat is good I've seen them many times but I don't think their Rory good on this one.
blues cat ftw
Sear Sir, I know your feeling a bit down now because there's a woman playing better then many man. And yes I know Robert Johnson very well and Eric Clapton to, but I still think Rory is better. Sorry that I made you a little angry...haha! stay strong! bey bey Patty
Her blues is like Pat Boone doing Tutti Frutti. How can a knock out looking white girl develop anything similar to the blues. I can't cover the gray with one bottle of dye blues maybe...
There seems to be an almost unnatural hate for either Rory or her playing. The distinction seems to gray at some point. I'll concede that she's not Robert Johnson, and she doesn't sound like him. She sounds like a blues singer. The resemblance to Johnson's playing style is uncanny, and it's clear she's studied his work meticulously over the years.
Music is one of those aspects of life where you can completely get lost in the moment, whether you're a performer or a spectator... (cont.)
Dang, she is much wider than I pictured.
Hey Roberta Johnson!She plays guitar better than she sings
You obviously never heard Robert Johnson or Eric Clapton. Check them out before you make comments in public.
she's so much better than clapton. obviously no one touches johnson
Double brain fart. I meant the Fred McDowell tribute
She definitely plays with heart. But, IMHO she plays the song a little too fast. The guitar in the original is not "sparse" but definitely a little more open. Playing the song like this makes it sound like a dump truck driving through the front of a liquor store.
(cont.)
Rory throws herself into her performances, and there's absolutely no shame in that.
Referring to a musician in such pejorative ways as I've seen here does nothing to benefit the musical community.
Just my two cents.
Very impressive, but I think she need to slow down a little bit
good but i thought she played it too fast in my opinion
I like Foghat's version better.
Unnecessarily rushed, overly heavy handed and the register she’s singing in don’t work for her
She's singing Robert Johnson. No one does it better.