Description
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was popular for blues artists -- both British and American -- to travel across the Atlantic to record with their fellow musicians. Three albums resulted from these collaborative exchanges which have been popular among fans, but also matters of controversy among blues purists: The London Muddy Waters Sessions, The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions, and Fleetwood Mac: Blues Jam in Chicago. Some feel that the American masters did not play to their own potential, and the white, British sidemen sound weak in comparison with their black, American counterparts. These reflections call into question the ability of the British musicians to achieve authentic blues, as well as the ability of the American players to remain authentic in a collaborative environment. In 2002, musicologist, Allan Moore published his article "Authenticity as Authentication," wherein, he outlined a tripartite typology that can be uses as a basis for evaluating musical performances in terms of the perception of authenticity by those experiencing it. Moore's typology classifies the factors of authenticity into "first-, second-, and third-person." Or "authenticity of: 'expression,' 'experience,' and 'execution'". In so doing, he explains how the music itself has less to do with authenticity, than does the personal experience of the performer and the perception of the listener. The intent of this project is to apply Moore's typology to the aforementioned albums in hopes of illuminating such blues collaborations by examining the factors that contribute to musician's experience, and a listener's perception of authenticity
