from peter charley at ‘deep blues’

Deep Blues

“Blues means what milk does to a baby. Blues is what the spirit is to the minister. We sing the blues because our hearts have been hurt, our souls have been disturbed.”

Alberta Hunter

I love this quote from the remarkable Alberta Hunter, the composer of the song Downhearted Blues. Her words say so much about the essence of blues; that it’s borne of suffering and pain – and that having one’s ‘soul disturbed’ is an immutable element of the human condition. As “milk to a baby” as Hunter so beautifully puts it, or as “the spirit to the minister”, blues defines raw emotion in a language we can all understand.

For those of you who take the time to call me on Thursday night during Deep Blues, thanks for making the effort to let me know you’re listening – and that you share a love of this enduring musical genre. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.