'Blackberry’ and ‘Out’

Welcome to my monthly back-and-forth – bluegrass or the blues? This month’s song is that old blues hit, “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” made famous by Bessie Smith in the late ’20s  and covered by lots of folks. I got hooked on it when I heard Eric Clapton’s version on his “Unplugged” album and on Youtube.

On the bluegrass front, I’ve taken up that instrumental favorite, “Blackberry Blossom” on the banjo. Cool song, cool licks.

BLUEGRASS HUMOR

Q. What's the difference between an onion and a banjo?
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A. No one cries if you cut up a banjo.

Q. What do you say to a banjo player in a three-piece suit?

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A. "Will the defendant please rise?"

There's nothing I like better than the sound of a banjo, unless of course it's the sound of a chicken caught in a vacuum cleaner.

Q: How do you get a banjo picker off your front porch?
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A: Pay him for the pizza.

Q: How many bluegrass musicians does it take to change a light bulb?
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A: Three, one to do it and two to argue about whether that was the way Bill Monroe would have done it.