Gavin B.

Song of the Day


Joseph Spence is perhaps the most strangely talented guitarist and vocalist I've ever heard.

Good Morning Mr. Walker- Joseph Spence The first time I heard Good Morning Mr. Walker, I ended up doubled over in laughter until tears were running down my cheeks. I'd never heard such a delightfully odd approach to music and it's still difficult for me to explain to the uninitiated just exactly what his music sounds like.

He often mumbled the lyrics of a song as if he'd forgotten the lyrics or began laughing right in the middle of singing a song. He was a brilliant guitarist and his unorthodox guitar playing was a profound influence on master guitarists like Ry Cooder and John Fahey. Ry Cooder recorded the song Coming In On A Wing and a Prayer in a manner that worshipful imitation of Spence's signature guitar syle. The chords to Mr. Walker are fairly simple but playing it in the same manner as Spence is nearly impossible because he deliberately open tuned his guitar to slightly off-key chord to make his playing sound dissonant. Thelonious Monk acheive a similar jarring musical effect on piano by deliberately hitting sharp or flat notes. Monk's use dissonant note and chords counterpointed the tonal perfection of his most haunting songs like Ruby My Dear and Round Midnight.

It would also be a challenge for anyone to successfully imitate Joseph Spence's unorthodox vocal style. The lyrics to Mr. Walker are totally wacked. In the first verse Joseph sings in a jolly sing-song voice :

After hearing Mr. Walker for the first time I couldn't decide if Joseph Spence was a musical genius or if he should to be chained to the wall of a locked ward in a mental hospital. Joseph Spence is my litmus test to gauge the tolerence of my friends and aquaintences for quirky music. I never trust the musical judgement of a person who hates Joseph Spence's music. Inevitably it's the most musically informed of my friends who appreciate the unorthodox and adventurous music of Joseph Spence.