C.W. Stoneking - Ragged And Dirty

[wickesm]

A man in command of his instrument.. from a different era..top class.

[maureeno8]

seen c w 3 times an he gives amazing live performances and the primitive horns are fantastic

[Leevice001]

much Soul

[LeandroMuntendam]

1920's - 1930's Piedmont style. NICE!

[danwillingham]

oh my christ I shall definitely be watching this chap at latitiude in a couple weeks

[sawabojo]

great stuff



[Dogbazzawine]

I think it is crazy that people are worried about this guy singing this music. I have seen a band from Germany that had performed competition level Irish music in Dublin. I thought they wre Irish and I live here.

[JimmyTheLipMovies]

if you perform with honesty, integrity and ability (like CW does) it doesn't matter whether you are black, white or purple... good music is it's own justification.. thanks CW..

[meanlily]

love the pikey!!!! See Brad pitt in Snatch!!!!! Fucking brilliant

[solidheir]

fuckin jesus!! you've got to be joking, this is the guy you've been lookin for your whole life. HAHAH i am completely in awe, on ya stoneking.

[jovialduke]

he is really talented, but somehow there's nothing like a black man singing the blues. just like a black man singing celtic folk would never sound completely authentic.

[rhinobassdude]

The most authentic thing you will ever hear, it's like going back in time 80 years..How wonderfull!!

[rhinobassdude]

A true original...

[felineth56]

Great playing man!

[tisviv]

Love this. I've only recently discovered this great artist. Really interesting with the word/interview subtitles. Thanks for posting it!

[AuntieAltuna]

I LOVE this guys amazing authentic sound, how anybody can call him a racist is totally beyond me, if anything he's paying homage and immense respect to the people that influenced him by keeping their style alive and doing an incredilble job of it. Going to see him live soon and can't wait, seriously haven't been this excited about a gig in ages!

[richone99]

De wey youse talks id kinda fuhny, fo me. Seems like youse been heahing a loads of dem slaves pickin cotton, fo sho. I sholy tinks that yo peeples in de foist row reahly remembuhs dem gud ole days. Ya'll think yo can cum to da jail house and fiddle for us'ns po brothas? (Keep up the blackface, there's great financial gain in your future. {: -)

[CrocodileBurgers]

@richone99 If you're saying that C.W.'s accent is racist and taking the piss, then you're flat out wrong and ignorant.

His accent isn't an "oh golly masser, I pick me some cotton" mockery, his accent is a blend of American (his parents are Yanks and he lived there for a while) and Australian Aboriginal because he lived in an Aboriginal community.

Sorry, this is just plain ignorance on your part, not racism on C.W.'s.

So now that you know, loosen up your knickers and enjoy the music.

Peace.

[richone99]

@CrocodileBurgers I don't knock his paydays, McDonalds makes a ton of money selling illusions of food. You can keep him in the money if you like. It doesn't change the fact that all that is missing is the blackface makeup, ala Al Jolson. He makes an art of ripping off early black American music, that whites called race music in its time. You refuse to see through your filtered ideas that this guy is a clown.

[CrocodileBurgers]

@richone99 So by your logic, a Native American Indian couldn't play classical Mozart because they're not European.

Give me a break.

You're also telling me that because I'm part Maori part Celtic, those are the only cultures I'm allowed to be interested in or partake of. Bullshit. I'll listen to everyone from Eminem to Momo Wandel Soumah to David Bowie to Gnarls Barkley; if they sound good to me, I don't give a toss what their skin colour is, and my skin colour doesn't affect my hearing.

[eezysqueezy]

@CrocodileBurgers I'm guessing native Americans would have had limiited access to the work of Mozart back in the day.

[CrocodileBurgers]

@eezysqueezy Yeah, I'm not talking about "back in the day", I mean right now, this very minute. (Since the argument is about Stoneking, a present day Caucasian artist performing music inspired by African American musicians from the past; my analogy was a present day Native American not being allowed to perform Mozart because they're not European, it's ludicrous).

Cheers :)

[eezysqueezy]

@CrocodileBurgers Ah right, in that case I agree fully. Anyone should be able to play any genre of music they please. You are correct. Sorry for the misunderstanding ;)

[richone99]

@CrocodileBurgers Your music listening and and your ethnicity doesn't affect what your prefer. Matter of personal taste, that's all. What doesn't change is, if a white man took on a Maori image and spoke in a corny related patois, wearing the cultural atire, you would probably be highly insulted.

[CrocodileBurgers]

@richone99 The thing is, C.W. isn't wearing "cultural attire" as you say, he's wearing clothes reminiscent of an era, an era where all men wore those clothes, black/white/other.

As for his accent, I've already explained this, if you lived in an aboriginal community (which I have done) you'd know that this is how they speak; his accent is very much Australian Aboriginal with a slight American inflection.

BTW, I have no problems with white members of the NZ rugby team performing the Haka either.

[keltyk]

@richone99 Cynical- If he makes a living out of music- then praise to him for being a simple honest man who lives for music and plays from the heart- We know the history- but it's not as if he's Hitler crashing a Jewish wedding

[richone99]

You sound like an apologist for quackery. Mark Twain was a fake as well, er, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, that great American panderer of slave slang and hillbilly ignorance to the New York publishing moguls.

[cwstoneking]

@richone99 Hmm, looks like the whole world has a problem but you, but "quackery" "Cow" "Ham" why you gotta bring all these animals into it? What did they do? What did they do?

[cwstoneking]

...and to quote the great writer Mark Twain, "Sacred cows make the best hamburger"

[cwstoneking]

Cow makes hamburger, go figure.

[richone99]

To quote the great composer Frank Zappa: "Cow don't make ham. You are what you is, and you ain't what you're not." This joker, is an embarrassment, pandering to whites, who still want to want to swallow up the black man. This is pure cultural emptiness and deep rooted racism. Doubts? Ask any honest black American, what he thinks of this act. Repeat, "Cow don't make Ham."

[CrocodileBurgers]

@richone99 Music is blind.

C.W. plays great music, how is that racist?

Maybe if people stopped trying to piss on each other and simply shared and celebrated the greatest aspects of their cultures, rather than exclude others on the basis of skin colour/religion/sexuality/gend­er/etc then the world could be a better place.

[sonntag76]

Thankyou for the subtitles!!!! I am german, and it is not that easy to understand him (not to mention his accent ;-)), so it helps me a lot to read what he says or sings!!!!

[HumpStumpsRump]

He transforms from an average looking guy into a downs-syndrome singing sensation!

[ChristopherDowning]

Are you kidding? Who put the subtitels on this? Or are you just trying ironic humour?

[upsidedahead]

whats with the subtitles ...ffs

[Makadonska27]

WTF is it with the subtitles. I speak english and I have ears lol. I cant imagine many deaf people (no disrespect intented) watching much you tube.

[0rac1e]

@Makadonska27 I just was trying out the captioning feature out of boredom... None of my other video's can be captioned, so I did this one. Turn 'em off if it bothers you that much.

[Makadonska27]

@0rac1e Fair play. I must have been having a touch of male PMS when I wrote that.

[Makadonska27]

@0rac1e No problem man. I can forgive you anything because you posted this in the first place )

[blogauxpoils]

@0rac1e thanks for the subs, couldn't understand one single word, with his accent. Hard to get when you're not a native speaker.

[00holymozes]

look in the youtube browser for 'vpro cw stoneking', results will be great.

greets Robby

[GyntherMeyer]

@0rac1e Well, altho Makadonska27 may speak English and all, it's not everyone else who has English as their first language so I'd say the subs are just fine! Great help if you don't have perfect English. Cheers.

[yoursatan]

@Makadonska27 I'm from holland so English isn't my first language. And he doesn't speak that clearly all the times... So for me it's good to have subtitles! Otherwise I probably couldn't understand what he was singing!

[Balcree]

you can tell by the way he talks he spends some time in the parks with the natives up there in kathrine

[Bowdenjosh1]

Love his voice! Sounds like he was recorded in the 20s.

[supersavage123]

he's from Katherine, NT, Australia

[dobro1963]

awesome!

[SilverSwami]

'so then money ran out and i couldn't make the record...' ROFL! fucking love you stoneking!

[chunkybastardhaaaa]

topo sabor = cock smoker

[jake6644]

how could you not like him

[UMIBL]

Why tell us here cocksucker. Piss off and get your own site!

[marifesto]

i got to see him at the hotel bar in LA he was awesome!

[moas689]

That's what I'm sayin!!

[votzorn]

i,ve gotta see w

[WillShade]

His version comes from Willie Brown.

[SpiritualOpiates]

good shout. I think it was 1945 that was recorded by Lomax... in a bar in a field.

[macfunkey]

1942 wasn't it? Willie Brown (apparently not the Willie Brown who played with Charlie Patton) only recorded a few songs. Another great one was Mississippi Blues.

[monstajopps]

i imagine he types like he talks....

kina lak he wuz tak'n bout pla'n guita an thn he playd sa guita n it wuz crble!!

[blindboyblue]

He sounds like he's been plucked straight out the 20's. Got a sort of Charlie Patton vocal quality too. Love this guy mayn

[LittleBrotherBlues]

Yeah this guy is awesome and really does get a wonderful sound too. He's quite gifted.

[cbyam1300]

Old time blues is the best, & this guy does it so well. Incredible !!!

[YourTeacherLE]

Wow. Where's he been all my life?

[Swiftwinter]

Magic. Just magic.

[bellagirl99]

yes yes  yes

[bluesbrother001]

this is fantastic!

[MancBluesman]

Very nice attempt and I am glad to hear a contemporary artist sing true blues. Please listen to Willie Brown who wrote this song.

[nichmars]

Stoneking is UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. wow.

[edgedinblue]

He was born and raised in Katherine and around the NT.

[Flanky24]

I've heard the original (well, William's Brown's version). Folkways record. THis guy is terrific. Fantastic rendition.

[regorgnow]

He does have an aboriginal/outback accent. Love the whole sound!

[beachblues]

No disrespect meant to you my friend, but where do you live in Australia.

I've got mates who've lived in Sydney all their lives that speak like that. has nothing to do with being either aboriginal or from the outback.

Do like C.W. though!

[bigbossmatt]

im no linguistic but cw does have a lisp, no?

And he has a noticable Aussie accent. As an aussie myself, his voice does sound unique.

[regorgnow]

I am from Sydney and I don't normally hear people speak that way here. I've always associated that accent with rural or older Australians. I mostly made that assumption through knowing C.W's father and about their time in NT. So yeah I'd image thats where he picked the accent up from.

[tbonekelly]

He was born in Katherine to Californian hippie parents who met at a music festival. His parents went their separate ways and he grew up with his father who taught school at the Aboriginal community of Papunya. So I guess he's got a touch of American in there as well

[c3066521]

Yeah I'd say he does sound a bit like a black fella when he speaks, as others have said I think he was raised in a mainly aboriginal community.

[kahnmoon]

yeah, he comes from the northern teritory.

[maureeno8]

if you can get to go and see this guy, you will be doing yourself a favour. this guy is AWESOME.

[99sadie]

amen to that. he's like nothing i've ever seen!

[leftofcentre11]

I think hes brilliant-would love 2 be able to see him at the Factory Dec15.Fantastic-I have this song on another old blues album.

[natureswhey]

Lets see lots more from this guy...loved it..

Thanks

Kevin

[bumbumbolo]

you have a great feel, real oldtimy

-Vishnu

[DylanWalshe]

Check out Smoky Babe's

"I'm Broke And I'm Hungry"

The song itself is the same-but he's using different music here

He's a good'n!!

[daddystovepipe]

Brilliant, great feel, great voice!

[LizzyDouglas]

"Ragged & Dirty" do I hear 'Good Morning Little Schoolgirl'/Me & my Chauffeur Blues/Airplane Blues ?

Sonnyboy Williamson(composer)/Memphis Minnie & Sleepy John Estes. I like this guy ! Beautiful National Resonator.

Very good quality Audio & Video.

[KaylaS85]

has he got any albums out that i can buy i herd one of his songs on jjj

[0rac1e]

You can purchase the album from his myspace.

[rammsteinforlife]

@0rac1e Or even better: Buy the LP ^^

[meopinion]

ha ha tonywgs, he grew up with aboriginal australians so that's why he sounds like a african american from the 1930s. that's some sound reasoning!!

[baalamby]

He didn't 'grow up' with aboriginals. I went to art school with his ma in Warrnambool (Victoria Australia), and he was a cute kid.

[redlandscapes]

CW was born in Katherine in the NT to american parents and has lived in australia all his life. I believe he resides in Melbourne now.

[SPLIMLETLET]

Sound so authentic. Can almost hear the crackle and pops of an old 78.

[klimtlovedcats]

His name is Chris Marshall. His father is William and the W stands for that.

[divinduckie]

His father is the Australian writer Billy Marshall-Stoneking

[sinnie22]

yeah did u hear his like a version cover of 7 nation army it was great

[0rac1e]

Yeah, although C.W. didn't seem impressed with the tune... and I think there are better White Stripes tunes he could have covered.

[sinnie22]

sweet... i love his voice its so unique

[0rac1e]

Yeah, that's the cool thing. He's Australian, but he pretty much listened to Blues for several years without socialising much with other people, so he picked up his accent from that... Which only adds to the authenticity of his sound.

[tonywgs]

He grew up in an Aboriginal community so thats why he sounds like he does.