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Interview with Mr. Johnny Billington
General Topic of Interview: Blues music and culture in the Mississippi Delta.
Date: Pending 28 October, 2008
Location: Lambert, Mississippi, USA
Narrator: Mr. Johnny Billington
Interviewers: James Chapnick, Kyle Coston, Max Paschall, Flosha Tejada
Transcriber: Unknown
Biographical Information:
Blues guitarist Johnny Billington was born in Crowder, Mississippi, in 1935 and spent most of his early years working with his parents on their farm. He first learned how to play guitar through a book and by listening to the radio. Eventually, he began playing at blues clubs on Saturday nights for $20, more than that both parents would make in a single week.
Interview Information:
Billington discusses how he first learned how to play guitar, and the blues style. He describes the differences between church and blues music, and some of the attitudes that accompany the two styles. As a musician, Billington is of the opinion that one should not mix styles, describing it as a kind of intellectual theft. He offers a comparison between older blues and new blues, stylistically, and conceptually.