Memphis Slim Live in Paris

Accompanied only by the drummer Kansas Fields, the great bluesman Memphis Slim begins this 1962 Parisian concert by playing a song his father taught him decades before, "Sun Gonna Shine On My Backdoor Someday." He had moved to the French capital that same year, where he would remain for the rest of his life as an eminent blues musician, movie score composer and actor in French films. And no wonder – the opening shot of this concert, directed by Jean-Christophe Averty, shows his charisma and stage presence: as the camera moves toward the piano, Slim presents himself with the kind of magnetic star power we don't associate with the blues nowadays: "my name is Memphis Slim, born in Memphis, Tennessee, 1915." 

This is truly beautiful footage, capturing the tail end of the blues comet ... moving into the 60s and 70s rock 'n' roll and pop would cement their place at the top of the music food-chain, with funk and soul not far behind. Instead, and already by 62', Slim was harking back to a dusty and distant era, especially for Europeans. He plays three songs from another eminent practitioner, Big Bill Broonzy, who died in the late 50s as well as his own tracks, notably his own enduring standard, "Everyday I Have The Blues."