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Blues In The Schools

CHRIS MURPHY’S BLUES IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS Songlist | Program Script

FEATURING DENISE PELLEY

Left to right: Kim Ladd, Ted Leonard, Doug Varty, Denise Pelley, Chris Murphy, Tim Tyler

London based entertainer Chris Murphy has developed a fast paced 60 minute educational Blues Show that is age appropriate for elementary school students. The show could best be described as EDUTAINMENT. The interactive presentation introduces the students to the history and cultural significance of blues music.

Blues music originated in the Southern United States in the late 1800’s when African slave traditions mixed with European culture. The music has undergone many changes over the years and continues to be a major influence on popular music and culture in the 21st century.

The show features 6 of London’s most accomplished full-time professional entertainers including: actress and vocalist Denise Pelley. Students participate in an interactive songwriting exercise, sing some response vocals and enjoy learning about the history of this great art form. At some schools a student with musical talent may be asked to jam with the band.

The show is priced to be affordable for most schools and has been performed more than 40 times since May of 2006.

Note: Some schools may qualify for co-sponsorship funding.

The entertainers provide all of the sound equipment.

Contact: Chris 519-668-6443 speakeasy@execulink.com

Chris Murphy / Saxophones, Vocals and MC

Chris became a professional entertainer at age 17 and has performed at major Blues Festivals in Canada, the United States and Mexico. He has released 2 CD’s and has been nominated 7 times for the Maple Blues Award as Canada’s finest Blues Horn Player. Chris is currently touring with his own group, and with Juno Award Winning Guitarist Jack DeKeyzer’s Band. He is also a member of the Canadian All Star ensemble The Maple Blues Revue and The Village Blues Band. He was an instructor at both Fanshawe College and Lambton College in the 1980’s. www.chrismurphysax.com

Denise Pelley / Vocalist

Denise is affectionately known as London’s first lady of song. She has recorded 3 CD’s and recently showcased a one woman play JAZZABEL in New York City. Denise started singing the blues while still in high school and was recently featured in an article in O Magazine. She also appears regularly as a featured artist with Orchestras, including the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. www.denisepelley.com

Ted Leonard / Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar and Vocals

Ted was the winner of the Maple Blues Award in 1998 as Canada’s finest Blues Guitarist. He spent 14 years with the Juno Award Winning Band Fathead. Currently he tours in Canada, the United States and Europe with Paul Reddick. He is also performs with: the Maple Blues Revue, The Village Blues Band, Johnny Max Band and the Doug Varty Band.

Doug Varty / Organ, Piano, Harmonicia & Vocals

Doug Varty has been part of Canada's music scene since the mid 70's. In 2003, he won the London Music Award for Best Blues Musician.  Doug Varty's voice is featured on televisions show themes for, Timothy Goes to School and Hang Time and for jingles for: Coke, Pepsi, T S C Stores, Harveys, Swiss Chalet , Labatts, Tim Hortons and others. He is currently touring with several bands and also teaches both music and yoga.www.DougVarty.ca

Kim Ladd / Electric and Acoustic Bass

Kim has a music degree from Humber College and is one of London’s most in demand bass players.

Ted Peacock / Drums

Ted has music degrees from both the University of Western Ontario and Humber College.  He has recorded with Juno nominated Big Daddy G, The Bill Durst Band, Suffer Machine, Chris Murphy and Emm Gryner. He is the leader of the his own band, Soul Bender, and also performs with the VIllage Blues Band.

CHRIS MURPHY'S BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS
SONGLIST PAGE 1

G Everyday I Have the Blues
Written by Peter Cheatman aka Memphis Slim
Sung by Denise Solo's from Guitar, Saxophone and Organ

A Fever
Written by Willie Littlejohn Sung by Denise

E Belluh Land/ Nine Pound Hammer / Jesus on the Mainline / Do Lord, Do you Remember Me / This Little Light of Mine
All traditional gospel blues tunes.
First three sung by Ted / last two by Denise

G Homework Blues
Written by Maria Auregema sung by Chris

A Harmonicia Train Demonstration by Doug

A Sweet Home Chicago (Acoustic) / Going to Chicago Blues
Written by Robert Johnson sung by Doug
Written by Pete Johnson sung Denise

G Drum Demonstration / Mardi Gras in New Orleans
Written by Proffessor Longhair sung by Ted

G Blues in the Closet
Written by Oscar Pettiford
Features Kim on Acoustic Bass / Denise demonstrates Scat Singing

G Papa's Blues
Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber from the play Starlight Express
Sung by Denise

G Students Compose a Blues Tune
Sung by Chris

CHRIS MURPHY'S BLUES IN THE SCHOOLS
SONGLIST PAGE 2

Eb Houndog / bluesy
Written by Big Mama Thornton
Sung by Denise / Features a Baritone Sax solo by Chris

C Houndog / rock & roll
Written by Big Mama Thornton
Sung by Doug

A Slide Guitar Demonstration by Ted

A I Can't Hold Out / Talk to Me Baby
Written by Elmore James
Sung by Chris / features Ted on Slide Guitar
Students sing response vocals

E Superstion
Written by Stevie Wonder
Sung by Denise / at some schools the students dance

Encore

F Let the Good Times Roll Medley
Written by Louis Jordan Sung By Denise / students sings response vocals

F Crazy About a Saxophone
Written and sung by Chris Murphy

F Baby What You Want Me To Do
Written by Jimmy Reed sung by Ted

F Sweet Home Chicago
Written by Robert Johnson sung by Doug

• Starts with a guitar solo by Ted in the style of the great B B King
• Chris says hello and thanks the principal for the kind introduction
• Chris asks the students if they are ready for the blues?
• Students cheer.
• CHRIS - I need you to take your right hand and slap your left hand with it.
• Students begin to clap with the music on beats two and four.
• Short solo’s by Saxophone and Piano
  

• Solo’s by Piano and Saxophone
• CHRIS - Over here on the Electric Piano is Dean Harrison. Say hi to Dean. Have any of you ever played the piano?
• Students show hands.
• CHRIS - Dean is going to show you a little bit about how hymns influenced the early blues music.
• DEAN - Good morning (afternoon) boys and girls do any of you know who wrote this?
• Dean plays a little bit of Fir Elise by Beethoven.
• Some students answer Beethoven.
• DEAN - Do any of you know the song When the Saints Go Marching In?
  

• Band vamps and Dean asks the students to join him singing the song.
• Students sing When the Saints Go Marching In the traditional major key.
• Dean talks about the difference between Major and Minor tonality. The same song can be sung in a minor key and it will sound sad.
• Dean changes key to G minor and sings When the Saints Go Marching In. Again, this time it is sad.
• DEAN - Can you hear the difference between the happy version and the sad version or between the Major Key and the Minor Key? Music can be used to relieve the burden of sad things that happen in life and music can be used to celebrate happy things.
• Dean changes key back to Bb and sings When the Saints Go Marching In one last time with the students.
• CHRIS - How about it for Dean? If you notice over here, Ted Leonard is changing from electric guitar to acoustic guitar. Let them hear a little bit of acoustic guitar.
• Ted plays a couple of guitar licks.
• TED - I am going to show you how the same song or the same melody can have different lyrics.
  

• The first 3 are sung by Ted with background vocals by Chris, Dean and Denise. After the third tune Ted asks Denise if she knows a tune like this and she sings Do Lord, Do You Remember Me.
• CHRIS - Now we have to listen very carefully. Who can tell me what improvisation is?
• STUDENT - Making it up as you go.
• CHRIS - That is right. Making it up as you go. It is every blues musician’s responsibility to put his or her own personality in every performance. A blues song will never sound the exact the same way twice because each time it is played, each performer will play it a little bit differently. Look at Kim over there with the big bass violin.
• Kim spins the bass to draw the student’s attention
• CHRIS - Kim is going to play a lick or a short melody for you.
• Kim plays the first four bars of Blues in the Closet
• CHRIS - Did you listen carefully? Each of us on stage has listened very carefully to what Kim just played. That short melody tells us how fast the song will go and also tells us what key to play in. Now we are going to try to make up our own song using only the four bar melody we just heard. We all have to let our imaginations tell us what to play. Do you think we can do it?
  

• Kim starts to play the bass all by himself and the rest of the group and the students begin to snap their fingers on beat two and four.
• Eventually all of the instruments take their turn
• Chris leaves the stage and plays the Saxophone walking around in the audience. When it comes to Denise’s turn, she sings syllables in a SCAT SINGING STYLE. The students may clap for Denise even though it is the middle of the song.
• The piece features solo’s by Saxophone, Guitar, Organ, and Denise (Scat Singing) and the last solo is the Bass solo.
• CHRIS - How about it for Kim Ladd on the big Bass Violin. Who can tell me the name for what Denise was singing?
• STUDENT - Scat Singing.
• CHRIS - That’s right. Scat singing is when the singer is making up a melody but not really using words. Remember it sounded like this.
• Denise sings another four bars of Scat singing.
• Chris moves to the back of the stage and gets the Baritone Saxophone.
• TED - Who knows what kind of a Saxophone that is? Look at how big it is. It is a Baritone Saxophone and it plays very low notes. Should we get Chris to play a few notes?
• Chris plays a couple of licks on the Baritone Saxophone.
• CHRIS - Has anybody ever heard of a song called Houndog? It was originally a blues song sung by the great blues singer
  Big Mama Thornton. Later on it was done in a Rock & Roll style of blues and was a big hit for Elvis Presley. Blues musicians like to think that the Blues had a baby and they called it Rock and Roll. Blues Music is the basis for several other styles of music including Rock and Roll, Jazz and Rap. Sometimes people think that blues music is sad but it is actually very uplifting. Sometimes, there is a release from singing about and acknowledging the troubles that surround all of us everyday. A blues song could be about a flood, or about hard work, or about homework, or getting called for a penalty in a sporting event.
  

• Features a Baritone Sax solo by Chris
• CHRIS - Thank you! You've have been a great audience so far. Sometimes performers get the blues if the audience is talking too much or not paying attention, but you guys have been great.
• Dean has left the electric piano and come out front with his accordion.
• Ian leaves the drums and comes out front with a washboard or a fortoire.
• CHRIS - Ian MacKay is the youngest member of the Blues In The Schools band and he told me at the beginning of the show that he had a new instrument that he wanted to try out on this next song. I think it might be some kind of a computer instrument or something like that. What new instrument did you bring this afternoon Ian?
• Ian holds up the Fortoire
• CHRIS - That is not a musical instrument. That is a washboard. My mother used to use one of those years ago to do the laundry.
• IAN - This is a fortoire and it was used by the musicians in New Orleans as a percussion instrument.
• CRIS - I don’t think that is a musical instrument. I’ll bet it sounds like a washing Machine. I hope you didn’t spend any money buying that piece of junk.
• Chris points to the fourtoire
• CHRIS - O K, we are going to play a song and see what happens. This is a back porch type of blues song that is a lot of fun.
  

• Song starts with an accordion solo and features a washboard solo.
• Students sing back the chorus - "Yack Yack Yack"
• IAN - Now we are going to play the same song in two different styles. First in a New Orleans piano style without the band and then is a Chicago Blues style using the electric bass.
  

• CHRIS - Kim has been playing the big bass violin up until now. Kim is now going to change over to the electric bass.
  Listen for the difference between the electric bass and the bass violin and the difference between the New Orleans style blues and the Chicago style Blues.
• DENISE - Have any of you ever written a poem? Or a short story? Or even your own song? If you listen very carefully you can learn how to write your own blues song.
  

• CHRIS - Did you listen carefully to the lyrics? Who can tell me what Denise sang? That’s right. The first line of a blues song is always sung a second time. The first line of a blues song is always sung a second time. Then you have time; time to think of a rhyme. Now we are going to write our own song. I need a volunteer from grade six. Please stand up. What is your name? Amanda? Now we are going to write a blues song called Amanda’s Blues. Amanda; what should the song be about?
• AMANDA - Soccer?
• CHRIS - OK. Now we have four seconds to write this song. Do you think we can do it?
  

• CHRIS - I know a girl named Amanda / She loves to play soccer. Who knows the next line? I know a girl named Amanda / and she loves to play soccer. Oh yeah. She loves it so much / She keeps a ball in her locker. Amanda’s Blues! How about it for Amanda? Thank you Amanda. Now we are going to do a song written in the Chicgao blues style. It was written by the great blues guitarist Elmore James. I learned this song from one of Canada’s finest blues guitarists Colin James.
• Ted starts this tune out with some slide guitar.
  

• Students sing back the chorus “Talk to Me Baby”
• Students take turns singing the chorus first the girls then the boys.
• Near the end of the song the band is playing shots on cue and Chris selects a student who is asked to pick a number between one and nine.
• The student picks seven and the band plays seven shots.
• Chris Says Thank you and that we have time for just one more tune.
• Ian starts the drum beat for Superstition.
  

• During Superstion, Chris introduces the band and asks the students if they want to hear a drum solo.
• Chris does a short little rap called Give the Drummer Some.
• Ian plays a long drum solo.
• When the song ends the principal says thank you to the band and asks the students if they would like to hear an encore.
  

• Features solo’s by Saxophone, Piano and Guitar
• Denise asks the students to help the band by singing “All Night Long”
• CHRIS - Thank you so much you have been a great crowd we will see you next time. Put your hands together one more time for Mr Clarke your principal who arranged for us to come hear this afternoon.

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