BAR&ANKÁS BLOG

I strolled around for the ways the rest of the day. I stopped under an oak to eat something that Colletta had prepared for me. After eating, finally I dared to pull out my guitar to verify if something had changed. I spent long moment with my fingers on the mast without being able to dare to touch. Me the hands were sweating and the heart me was beating quickly. A chord … nothing strange … perhaps everything was a mockery, it seemed so real … I lost the fear and started to touch, nothing special was going out either of my fingers or of my gullet. Once again they had made fun of me. It had turned into a custom, so I did not feel especially more idiotic than in other occasions. Después de comer, por fin me atreví a desenfundar mi guitarra para comprobar si algo había cambiado. Pasé largo rato con mis dedos sobre el mástil sin poder atreverme a tocar. Me sudaban las manos y el corazón me latía deprisa. Un acorde…nada extraño…quizás todo fue una burla, pareció tan real… Perdí el miedo y me arranqué a tocar, nada especial salía de mis dedos ni de mi garganta. Una vez más se habían burlado de mí. Se había convertido en una costumbre, así que no me sentí especialmente más idiota que en otras ocasiones.

It is possible that it was a faint-hearted one, but also it was obstinate and this night like so many people others I was to the old Robinsonville granary to beg that they allowed to me to touch a song or two. Willie, condescendientemente invited me to rise to the stage, with a grimace of a pity in its face, as always. Charley Patton looked at the roof looking for the necessary patience to support my flat lamentations, took a bourbon bottle and installed it to him in a table further possibly of me. The good one of Sound House me clapped the back and a smile dedicated me, cheering up to rise. Charley Patton miró al techo buscando la paciencia necesaria para soportar mis lamentos desafinados, cogió una botella de bourbon y se instaló en una mesa lo más lejos posible de mí. El bueno de Son House me palmeó la espalda y me dedicó una sonrisa, animándome a subir.

I began to intone the song that he was singing when I surprised in the intersection. The people were removed in its seats, skeptical and bad-tempered. Some of them were moving back to relieve its bladders and others were coming to the bar to think about how with what to fill them. After the third or fourth compass, I noticed its fixed looks, opened the eyes and observed more than one open mouth. In the second strophe mom Gibbons got up of its chair and began to dance gently to the rhythm of my blues, many others imitated it. This night for my own astonishment and of there present, the old Robinsonville granary was mine entirely. Algunos se retiraban para aliviar sus vejigas y otros acudían a la barra para buscar con qué llenarlas. Al cabo del tercer o cuarto compás, noté sus miradas clavadas, abrí los ojos y observé más de una boca abierta. En la segunda estrofa mamá Gibbons se levantó de su silla y comenzó a bailar suavemente al ritmo de mi blues, otros muchos la imitaron. Esa noche para mi propio asombro y el de los allí presentes, el viejo granero de Robinsonville fue mío por entero.

Since then I already did not stop touching in every honky tonk, in every granary or in every street of everything the delta of the Mississippi. I gained some money with this, which I invested in a pair of elegant suits, a hat and a good pair of shoes. There where it was going it was triumphing over the hand of my now mentors: Brown, Patton and House, whom it had already not only equalled in talent and mastery, but they were looking at me with the admiration of the one that is known overcome. I believe that they felt proud of me since they believed that they had forged me and good … a little of true there was in that. Allí donde iba triunfaba de la mano de mis ahora mentores: Brown, Patton y House, a los que ya no solo había igualado en talento y maestría, sino que me miraban con la admiración del que se sabe superado. Creo que se sintieron orgullosos de mi ya que creían que ellos me habían forjado y bueno…algo de cierto había en eso.

Spent a time the delta there became I a child and I decided to go to the world capital of the blues: Hellene, in the state of Arkansas.

Over there they were infesting all the bluesmen of the south, from there there were spreading like tentacles throughout the country the lamentations inherited from our slaves before last. In Hellene we were changing impressions, were sharing skills, were composing songs, were challenging ourselves in duels guitar-makers, sliding necks of bottles broken on the ropes. Hellene, Arkansas, my particular paradise. After a time also there became I a child and I wanted to record my music. I went to Jackson to look for a white person that usually recorded blacks then to trade with its mock-ups in the north, others had already done it earlier. With Speir, this way it was called, I recorded a few topics. The songs seemed very good to him and as he had not means he sent me to some Ernie Olie. With the grabé my disc of twenty-nine songs, between a hotel room in San Antonio, Texas and an office in Dallas. Helena, Arkansas, mi paraíso particular. Al cabo de un tiempo también se me hizo pequeño y quise grabar mi música. Marché a Jackson para buscar a un blanco que solía grabar a negros para luego comerciar con sus maquetas en el norte, otros ya lo habían hecho antes. Con Speir, así se llamaba, grabé unos cuantos temas. Las canciones le parecieron muy buenas y como no disponía de medios me remitió a un tal Ernie Olie. Con el grabé mi disco de veintinueve canciones, entre una habitación de hotel en San Antonio, Texas y una oficina en Dallas.

This disc gave me more prestige and reputation. It opened to me ways for that he was not waiting and that they were leading to important cities of the north: Chicago, Detroit, New Jersey, New York and enclosed Canada and there where it was touching, my music was shining. Chicago, Detroit, New Jersey, New York e incluso Canadá y allí por donde tocaba, mi música brillaba.

And this way they passed my glorious years, of club in club, of woman in woman, of city in city. It was not badly at all, not Gentleman, I lived exactly as he wanted to live.

(he will continue)

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