Alphablues: the letter R for Red

Alphablues is back with a new episode now available as a podcast. In this new letter, Paco explores a color that runs through the entire history of the blues: red. Red passion, red desire, red embers, red violence. A shade that captures the fever of a riff, the warmth of a voice, or the sting of lyrics that cut too close to the bone.

In the blues, red is never neutral. It can signal eroticism and desire, when words strike like a provocation and imagery suggests more than it reveals. It can also turn darker, becoming the red of violence and the tragedies that leave their mark on a society.

We begin with the bold declaration of Mick Fleetwood (founder and drummer of Fleetwood Mac) with My Gal Is Red Hot. Then red becomes metaphor in the hands of Willie Dixon: his Little Red Rooster, a standard later covered by The Rolling Stones, takes on a particular dimension here with a masterful live solo by Eric Clapton.

Eric Clapton also appears on They’re Red Hot, a cover of Robert Johnson where humor and double entendre bring a blush to the cheeks. The embers continue with Sonny Boy Williamson and his Red Hot Kisses, before shifting to Jimi Hendrix: back to the Red House, the red house of a troubled love affair.

Then comes a change of tone. With Shemekia Copeland, red becomes the color of violence. When Pink Turns To Red delivers a chilling indictment of school shootings: when pink turns to red, all that remains are tears and prayers, and by then it is already too late.

This episode brings together a selection of songs in which red, whether incandescent or unsettling, colors both lyrics and melodies.

🎵 On this episode:

• Mick Fleetwood – My Gal Is Red Hot
• The Rolling Stones – Little Red Rooster
• Eric Clapton – They’re Red Hot
• Sonny Boy Williamson – Red Hot Kisses
• Jimi Hendrix – Red House
• Shemekia Copeland – When Pink Turns To Red

👉 Broadcast times on Blues Actu Radio

📅 Sunday at 6:00 PM
🌙 Monday at 11:00 AM
🌃 Tuesday at 11:30 PM

🎧 Listen to the podcast

Alphablues S2 #22 V comme Voix – Alphablues