Musical Heroes Series, TIm Dalling chooses Shooby Taylor

Tim Dalling is inspiring genius accordionist and also musician from The New Rope String Band, if you haven’t seen them, you have not spent your time down here wisely. He is also involved in several other  projects of great beauty including, The Unhappy King, and his solo set from the must-own album Blossom and I do think you must own it, or at least go and listen to the tracks here and decide you want to buy it, and then own it.

Haven't we all tried this at some point?

FROM TIM:

What a very hard job to declare a single musical hero, but you have to follow your instincts and mine shouted ‘Shooby’! Yes, Shooby Taylor (1929-2003), the Human Horn. A postman in the Bronx, who after receiving free saxophone and then singing lessons after leaving the US army (the singing teacher told him he shouldn’t do that with his voice) he continued to record himself on cassette at home singing along with LPs and CDs. There are a couple of  tracks he actually paid to record in a studio this is one:

This is probably his signature track along with ‘Stout-Hearted Man’. In this version, a more committed fan than myself has nobly notated his scat lyrics (apparently he was inspired by a scat singer called Babs Gonzales who is actually much less interesting)

I came across him on a compilation CD ‘Songs in the Key of Z-the curious Universe of Outsider Music’ (there is also an excellent companion book by compiler Irwin Chusid). Shooby is certainly the star of this album (although there are many fantastic items) and there is a website dedicated to him. For the more complete and interesting story of how he was tracked down by friendly cult followers go here. His final triumphant radio phone-in interview, the day before his 73rd birthday is worth a listen. It felt like payback after years of being booed off in open mic nights at jazz clubs in New York. The only existing video of Shooby is a similar experience at  a talent night at the Apollo Theatre, Harlem

It’s a strange and wonderful thing introducing people to Shooby’s singing. It does inspire disbelief and usually smiles and laughter, which is a perfectly valid response – it’s funny. But, when you listen to more of him, I think you can hear how he’s inspired by the various tracks he sings to and he always surprises. Just when you think you can guess where he’s headed next, the rug gets pulled from under you with a swoop in another direction.
What I find heroic and inspiring about him and other ‘outsiders’ (eg Daniel Johnston , or for some stunning outsider visual art check this out) is the passion and the driven need to create their stuff. I certainly don’t want to become some inverted musical snob (see a previous musical heroes entry on that subject). I love my bland and reassuring mainstream sometimes, but there’s a raw honesty here that fairly cleanses the palette every now and then.

 

 
My best Shooby-sharing moment. One time, returning from the hugely inspiring Shetland Folk festival I struck upon the idea of getting the Ship’s Purser to play Shooby over the tannoy instead of the usual boat-muzak. It was great to spot reactions, including one of the cooks in the canteen saying “Whit’s this shite they’ve goat oan”. “ Don’t know but it’s fucking comin aff!” says another. I was amazed that they let the CD play for a few tracks and when I returned saying I had only intended them to play one track, the purser was busy conferring with other crew-members and quite keenly said, “Oh look he does Tico Tico, as well. Let’s hear that.”
Check them all out. Finally, here’s Shooby with Miles Davis:

Thanks Mr Lau
Love Tim x

 

Thanks Mr Tim,

Love Lau x

• January 19, 2012
• Musical Heroes Series
• 1 comment