By Gavin Coulson
FORMER Woolston High School student Warren “Lonnie” James has been left feeling the blues after being labelled a racist for honouring the music of black history by young bar staff at the venues he performs in.
When it comes to asking the question, “Can white boys sing the blues” the top British jazz and blues musician has found that some younger people say, “no, they can’t”, simply because it offends them and recently lost two bookings!
Warren, originally from Warrington, has toured the UK and the world for over 20 years. Performing as many as 200 concerts per year in jazz and blues clubs, festivals and theatres with top bands including Baby Jools & The Jazzaholics as well as under his own name – in fact – when it comes to roots music Warren ‘Lonnie’ James is a musical historian with a guitar.
But now the roots musician who has spent his entire adult life honoring and educating audiences to the music of black history says he is being unfairly criticised by young bar staff at venues, who themselves are more focused on being offended than hearing and learning the magnificent stories behind the music presented in front of them.
Warren explains: “The reason I sing these songs is out of total respect, love and admiration for the black musicians and folk songwriters of the 1920s and 30s. Folk music is a history lesson wrapped up in the vibration of sound – what better way to learn and appreciate it?”.
He continued: “Im baffled by the youngsters calling me a racist because if I really was a racist then I would not go near black music? If I really was racist then I would not perform on stage with black people? In fact I would never had dated ethnic people! And yet I’ve worked with some of the best black artists around, I sing the music with pride and my last 2 boyfriends were ethnic, really, that should say it all – shouldn’t it?”
In a space of one week Warren lost 2 bookings and was rapped across the knuckles twice more for causing offence – but not to the audience members who absolutely adored his performances – but instead to young bar staff who seem incapable of listening and learning from the musical history lesson in front of them but who instead would rather be offended by everything.
Warren explains: “The song that upset these youngsters most was a tradition folk-blues song called “Pick a Bale of Cotton” which was a hit for the British pop star Lonnie Donegan in the 1960s, but is majorly credited to the black blues-folk singer Lead Belly. The sad thing is, the song is not racist nor offensive in the slightest, the lyrics are innocent rhyming couplets about picking cotton – a job that many people from all ethnic backgrounds did in America in those days; including stars like Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley – they all worked on the cotton farms that their family had government shares in.”
“I’m gonna jump down, turn around, pick a bale of cotton – jump down turn around pick a bale a day” is the constant recurring lyric of the song, as field workers of the day would add the names of anyone that they wished to add to the song: “Me and my buddy gonna pick a bale of cotton” or “Me and daddy gonna pick a bale a day”.
Britain has a huge jazz and blues heritage and with stars like Lonnie Donegan, who himself campaigned against ethnic intolerance during the height of his fame, becoming the biggest influence on a generation of 1960s pop stars.
Downton Abbey star and actor, Jim Carter said in his ITV documentary “Lonnie and Me” in 2016, “Lonnie Donegan was the man who influenced all the stars of the 60s he was an absolute hero”.
Even now, in 2023, a Donegan disciple, Van Morrison is due to realise a brand new album honoring his roots-blues heritage called “Moving On Skiffle” – Skiffle being the musical term that Warren uses to describe his genre.
Warren summaries that “Jazz and blues music is the foundation for pop music across the world, it is itself one of the most multi-racial musics in the world and I refuse to be cancelled by teenagers who would rather turn everyone off rather than to learn a lesson about life and the days past – this is as much my music and I will continue to protect it.”
One cannot help but sympathise with musicians such as Warren ‘Lonnie’ James, especially when songs such as Deliliah have come under fire in recent weeks – where does one draw the line?
But as Bob Dylan, another great folk singer said: The Times They Are a Changin’ – the real question should be – IS IT CHANGING FOR THE BETTERMENT OF ALL?
