DJing Blues Dancing

I go dancing a lot. Not clubbing, but real partner dancing. Mostly Swing and Tango. Of late, I've been really REALLY enjoying Blues dancing.

I talked with the guy who organizes the Sunday Night Blues that I always hit, and got a thumbs-up to try my hand DJing this weekend. As a fan of the infinite wisdom and quality taste in music of folks on this board, I wanted to pick your brains for suggestions of tracks I might bust out.

Blues dancing is sort of a fusion of a bunch of different dances: lindy and/or west coast swing, club dancing, tango, and LOTS of improv. Basically it's like anything-goes partner dancing. It's normally done to mid-to low tempo music with a strong beat. Although Blues music is an obvious choice, a lot of hip hop, pop, and rock music gets thrown in too. Here are some examples:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFPV1a2B_dY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7yJ3QX3B5Y - (This one's more on the Tango side)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNVpNbZrcX8&feature=related

Ideas? Suggestions?

A couple of things I'm thinking based on what I like and has been popular:

Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, John Lee Hooker, Michael Jackson; Portishead - "Glory Box"; Sting - "Shape of My Heart"; Beck - "Where It's At";

Try Rod Piazza and the Mighty Fliers , James Harmon or Little Charley and the Nightcats.

james

For early blues/R&B type stuff that's very danceable across the spectrum (slow stuff and fast), check out James Hunter. Buy all of his albums. Seriously. There's not a dud track on 'em. Think Ray Charles crossed with Sam Cooke and you're on the right track. He's my favorite new artist of the past several decades. I'm totally obsessed.

ApexC wrote: For early blues/R&B type stuff that's very danceable across the spectrum (slow stuff and fast), check out James Hunter.

Badass! This is one of those guys who I've heard and always liked his music, but never really looked for them or new any names.

This is great and just the sort of variety I need. My tastes and library tend to lean a bit heavier towards the funk side of things. I need this classic blues/ R&B.

Last song of the night, Albert Collins "I Ain't Drunk"

Have you heard of the All-Purpose Blues Band? I saw them at a bar in New Orleans and find them highly enjoyable. I'm not sure how danceable they are though.

Buddy Guy_"Five Long Years"_makes my soul hurt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIScOmqyl_U&eurl=http://apps.facebook.com/ilike/artist/Buddy+Guy/track/Five+Long+Years

And you CAN'T go wrong with the mother berkeleying METERS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNzilDmPpCg

If I'm drunk enough to dance, I'm too drunk to dance, but I'll dance to "Smile Please" and "Bird of Beauty" (stevie:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuy6QSVPsus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR6PKtgEL_w

What came immediately to mind was...

Big Al Anderson and NRBQ.

Okay, I saw them play only about 142 times when I was a kid, but I still like them.

12 Bar Blues:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHPcEmswDnE&feature=related

Edit - if you can't dance to that, check your pulse - you might be dead.

I just checked out James Hunter, man that's an old sound. I like the ska stuff too.

Also when I checked out those videos the first thing that came to mind was Jackie Wilson's Doggin Me Around.

One thing you should definatley check out is the complete Stax/Volt singles 1959-1968. It's like 10 disks. They may have it at your public library.

This would be great too: http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-Records-Story-Various-Artists/dp/B000003CKV/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1223587790&sr=1-1 the Otis Rush stuff on that box set would be perfect

For something up beat, I have to play this whenever I see it on a juke box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K91Qj870HHk

And of course Nina Simone

R.L. Burnside Robert Randolph & The Family Band Howlin' Wolf and ill throw Clutch in there just because I love "electric worry"

The Informants are pretty good to.

I'll bet you can pick up a lot of good stuff at eMusic.

The All-Purpose Blues Band. What a great name!

The album "Seven Year Itch" by Etta James has several song that meet the slow to mid-tempo bluesy criteria.

seann wrote: For something up beat, I have to play this whenever I see it on a juke box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K91Qj870HHk

That is a true classic. A bit fast for dancing. This cover is very popular around here though (I love this band, notice what the singers do not have): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQCv97GtaFo Had a fantastic dance this past Sunday to it.

To mix it up though, I'm going to bust out this track from that same band (again, notice what the singer lacks, and the rest of the band for that matter): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRiUPFjCIwU

townsend7 wrote: Last song of the night, Albert Collins "I Ain't Drunk"

An all-time classic from one of the nicest humans I ever got to meet.

I don't care, What the peoples are thinkin... I ain't drunk, I'm just drinkin'!!!

Also, check out Big James and the Chicago Playboys, Shemekia Copeland, the aforementioned Etta James, and maybe some Bobby "Blue" Bland for some old-school slow stuff.

Really, too much good stuff to list.

James Cotton on harp Big Mamma Thornton

If James Hunter floats your boat, see also:

1.) Anything on the Dap-Tone label: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, The Budos Band, Sugarman Three, Binky Griptite, The Menahan Street Band...it's all stellar stuff. (The Dap-Kings were Amy Winehouse's backing band for the good tracks on Back to Black, and Sharon jones has a voice to die for.)

II.) The Dynamites Featuring Charles Walker: Memphis studio players backing an old-school Chess/Decca gem in the style of a proper soul/funk review

c.) Elliot "Paperboy" Reed: White-boy soul shouter from Boston

$!.) The Crown Royals: avant garde sax player Ken Vandermark's mainstream soul-jazz project from a few years back

D.) Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos: avant garde guitar player Marc Ribot's cuban Son project, founded before Ry Cooder discovered the Buena Vista Social Club. (This strays a bit from the blues/R&B genre, but it's very soulful music and highly danceable, not to mention some of the best guitar playing recorded in the past decade.)

Combing my iPod for more suggestions...

These are great suggestions. Keep them coming. I combed through my music library and have a pretty solid playlist I can use Sunday, especially since I'll only be DJ for half the night.

But this will probably not be just a one-time thing, so I want as much variety as I can get to not just play the same list over and over.

Go to Pandora.com I have found some good music there that I have never heard before. Great background while internet surfing.

I listen to Pandora at work. I love it. It's given me a number of good ideas. I trust in this board to introduce me to more classic and/or esoteric selections.

What anything with Irvin Mayfield? I saw him in New Orleans too. He does jazz rather than blues but he is the best trumpeter I have ever heard. Easily as good as Louis Armstrong.

Gary Moore (I'm not kidding), Muddy Waters, for some oldish stuff, Paul Butterfield. For listening, not dancing, really old, acoustic blues you can't beat Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee.

For bluesey, latinesque, jitterbuggy stuff, try any album by the Iguanas.

I second Buddy Guy, too. Other older guys (aren't all the classic blues musicians old guys or dead?): Lightnin' Hopkins, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Elmore James, Slim Harpo.

This is a rad thread.

I still need to take dance lessons of some sort w/ the wife. It's been on the back burner for a long time.

Cool music suggestions, as well.

I'd think a lot of 60's-era Stax soul would work great.

I'd want to groove away to this: (Mothership Connection) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_ifm_Vg5uY

You want blues, check out the Blues Doctor...

www.stacymitchhart.com

jgp1843 wrote: For listening, not dancing, really old, acoustic blues you can't beat Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee

Bullseye, right on the mark!