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>> Conan: IN THE LATE '40s,
JIMMY ROGERS, MUDDY WATERS,
AND LITTLE WALTER FOUNDED
CHICAGO'S FIRST ELECTRIC
BLUES BAND.
THE SOUND THAT THEY CREATED
LAID THE FOUNDATION
FOR THREE DECADES
OF ROCK 'N' ROLL THAT HAVE
FOLLOWED.
TONIGHT WE'RE HONORED
TO HAVE ONE OF THOSE
FOUNDING FATHERS WITH US.
PLEASE WELCOME,
MR. JIMMY ROGERS.
♪ I'M WALKIN'
BY MYSELF ♪
♪ I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND
I JUST WANT TO BE
YOUR LOVER MAN ♪
♪ I LOVE YOU
YES, I LOVE YOU ♪
♪ WITH ALL OF MY HEART
AND SOUL ♪
♪ I WOULDN'T MISTREAT YOU
YOU'RE MY GOLD ♪
♪ YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU
YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE ♪
♪ I GIVE YOU ALL
OF MY LOVING
WHAT MORE CAN I DO ♪
♪ WALKIN' BY MYSELF
I JUST HOPE YOU
UNDERSTAND ♪
♪ I JUST WANT TO BE
YOUR LOVER MAN ♪
♪ YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU
YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE ♪
♪ I GIVE YOU ALL
OF MY LOVING
WHAT MORE CAN I DO ♪
♪ WALKIN' BY MYSELF
I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND ♪
♪ I JUST WANT TO BE
YOUR LOVER MAN ♪
♪ YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU
YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE ♪
♪ I GIVE YOU ALL
OF MY LOVING
WHAT MORE CAN I DO ♪
♪ WALKIN' BY MYSELF
I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND ♪
♪ I JUST WANT TO BE
YOUR LOVER MAN ♪♪
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> Conan: ALL RIGHT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Conan: THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
THAT WAS TERRIFIC.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Conan: WHEN WE COME BACK
WE'LL TALK TO JIMMY ROGERS.
Q
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> Conan: ALL RIGHT, WE'RE
BACK.
I'M HERE WITH JIMMY ROGERS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR PLAYING FOR US, THAT
SOUNDED GREAT.
>> IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE
HERE.
YOU HAVE SUCH A WARM
AUDIENCE OUT THERE.
>> Conan: AREN'T
THEY GREAT?
PEOPLE LOVE THE BLUES.
[ APPLAUSE ]
PEOPLE MAY NOT REALIZE THIS
BUT YOU AND MUDDY WATERS,
YOU WERE THE FIRST ONES
TO ELECTRIFY CHICAGO BLUES.
>> YES, THE CHICAGO BLUES.
>> Conan: THAT MEANS
YOU WERE THE FIRST ONES
TO PLUG IN.
DID PEOPLE RESPOND TO IT
RIGHT AWAY?
DID THEY LIKE IT?
>> WELL AT FIRST, WE WERE
PLAYING OUT OF THE ACOUSTIC,
AND THEN WE WENT
TO AMPLIFIERS.
THEY HAD SMALL AMPS AND THEN
THEY HAD PICKUPS THAT
YOU PUT ON THE GUITAR
TO ELECTRIFY IT.
>> Conan: SURE.
WHAT YEAR ARE WE TALKING
ABOUT PROBABLY?
>> YOU'RE TALKING' BACK
AROUND 1940, '41 ON THEN.
>> Conan: WHAT GAVE
YOU THE IDEA TO DO THAT?
WHY NOT KEEP PLAYING
ACOUSTIC?
WHAT MADE YOU SAY, "LET'S
CHANGE?
LET'S ELECTRIFY THIS
SOUND."
>> WELL, THE JUKEBOXES KEEPS
A LOT OF NOISE, AND PUBLICLY
WE WERE GETTING A BIGGER
AUDIENCES.
YOU PLAY AN ACOUSTIC
IN A CROWD OF NOISE, IT
DON'T COME THROUGH TOO
WELL.
SO WE DECIDED FROM SONNY BOY
WILLIAMS, AND ROBERT JUNIOR
LOCKWOOD IN THE SOUTH DOWN
IN MEMPHIS THEY WAS PLAYING
ON THE AIRPLANE ELECTRIFIED
AND THAT'S WHERE WE GOT
THE IDEA.
AND THEY SAID THAT WE WERE
THE ONES THAT CREATED
ELECTRIC BLUES IN CHICAGO,
BUT WE HAD HEARD THIS BEFORE
THEN.
WE HEARD IT DOWN
IN MEMPHIS.
>> Conan: YOU JUST TOOK IT
TO CHICAGO.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Conan: NOW PEOPLE RESPOND
RIGHT AWAY.
WHEN SOME PEOPLE WENT
ELECTRIC, WHEN DILLON TOOK
ELECTRIC, PEOPLE BOOED HIM.
WERE SOME HARDCORE BLUES
PEOPLE NOT READY TO ACCEPT
THAT THIS COULD BE
ELECTRIC?
>> NO, THEY JUST LIKED
THE SOUND WE WERE DOING.
EVERYBODY APPRECIATED IT.
WE GOT MORE RESPONSE WHEN
WE PUT IT ON ELECTRIFIED.
THEY SAID, "WE CAN HEAR
YOU NOW."
>> Conan: NOW, WHO DO
YOU THINK ARE THE MOST
IMPORTANT BLUES MUSICIANS
AROUND TODAY?
>> QUITE A FEW.
I MEET SOME DIFFERENT
PLACES, I RUN INTO BLUES
MUSICIANS ALL OVER
THE PLACE.
GUITAR PLAYERS IN CHICAGO
AND OTHER PLACES.
SO NOW MY OPINION THE OLD
STANDARD BLUES MAN AS MYSELF
AND THIS GUY WAS BACK BEFORE
HE STARTED.
HIS NAME WAS ROBERT JUNIOR
LOCKWOOD.
HE'S A GOOD GUITAR PLAYER.
IN FACT, HE WAS RELATED
TO ROBERT JOHNSON.
HE WAS ROBERT JOHNSON'S
STEPSON.
>> Conan: A LOT OF PEOPLE
SAY THAT ROBERT JOHNSON WAS
THE REAL BEGINNING GENIUS
OF THE BLUES.
IS THAT TRUE?
>> AS FAR AS I KNOW, I HEARD
HIM WHEN I WAS QUITE YOUNG.
HE WAS A GREAT BLUES MAN.
HE CAUGHT MY EAR.
>> Conan: YOU NEVER HEARD
HIM LIVE?
HE WAS A REAL MYSTERIOUS
FIGURE.
HE WASN'T ALIVE THAT LONG.
HIS CONTRIBUTION WAS
AMAZING.
>> YES.
IN 1937, HE PASSED AWAY,
AND I WAS QUITE YOUNG MAN.
AND I'D HEARD HIS RECORDS.
THEY WERE PLAYING BLUES
AND A LOT HE MADE.
BUT I NEVER GOT A CHANCE
TO MEET HIM.
AS WELL AS ANOTHER MUSICIAN
THEY CALLED MEMPHIS MINNIE.
SHE WAS A GUITAR PLAYER.
SHE INFLUENCED ME AS WELL.
TEMPLE RED, AND A BUNCH
OF THOSE GUYS BACK THEN
I REALLY ADMIRED.
>> Conan: I THINK IT'S
GREAT.
I THINK A LOT OF BLUES
MUSICIANS ARE GETTING
THEIR DUE NOW.
A LOT OF PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY
A LOT OF ROCK MUSICIANS HAVE
BEEN CAREFUL TO SAY THIS IS
REALLY WHERE A LOT OF IT
CAME FROM.
THIS IS WHERE IT ALL CAME
FORM.
>> YES, AND I APPRECIATE
THAT.
THEY GIVE ME, THE ONES THAT
I MEET NOW, DIFFERENT PLACES
I GO, THEY ALL GIVE ME
CREDIT FOR BEING ONE
OF THE CARRIERS OF THE BLUES
AND I APPRECIATE THAT.
>> Conan: WELL, TERRIFIC.
KEEP GOING.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR BEING HERE.
REALLY GOOD TO HAVE
YOU HERE.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
[ APPLAUSE ]