mmi02002 --
Thanks for your comment. The blue pianist/singer in the commercial
was Jack Dupree (sometimes known as "Champion Jack Dupree," because of
his boxing background). The blues guitarist/singer was T.J. Hooker
(no connection to the title character of the same name in a 1980s U.S.
television series).
First, let me establish the credibility of the source of this
information and then tell you a little about these musicians.
The source for the information is the proprietor of a U.K. business --
J.F. Wilson Cycles -- that manufactures custom racing bicycles and
sells accessories and repair services. Here is a link to its home
page:
J.F. Wilson Cycles
http://www.wilsoncycles.co.uk/
The founder's son, Nigel Wilson, is that proprietor and has filled his
fascinating website with remembrances of his father and other material
demonstrating his commitment to the sport of cycling. Among Wilson's
remembrances of his father is a series of "True Stories," in one of
which he recalls his father's musical background, including a stint
providing instrumental backup to Jack Dupree. Here is the section of
the piece that refers to the Budweiser commercial in question:
"Although for me personally, and for Jim too I' am sure, the most
enjoyable and musically satisfying time was when he was backing a
blues singer from Chicago called Jack Dupree; when I was at the age of
two I remember us visiting Jack's family in Bradford, and I recall
stirring a deliciously smelling and bubbling stew which amongst other
ingredients contained full length uncut sausages that kept bobbing up
for air! For today's generation Jack's the same guy that plays the
piano and sings on one of the Budweiser adverts, don't think I'm
mistaking him for T.J.Hooker, T.J's the one doing the ad playing the
guitar and singing."
J.F. Wilson Cycles: Lemonade and Turnips
http://www.wilsoncycles.co.uk/
As I said in my clarification request, I sent an e-mail to Mr. Wilson,
which included a link to your question, asking whether he could
confirm that the commercial he was talking about was the same as the
one you described. He responded promptly with that confirmation, and
indicated that he could not remember the tune that was being played,
but that it might have been an original Budweiser "jingle."
Now for a little information about those musicians.
Jack Dupree lived from 1909-1992, and his active performing and
recording career continued until shortly before his death in 1992.
Here is a link to a biography of Dupree along with a photo and a list
of his recordings:
All Music Guide: Jack Dupree
http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&uid=UIDMISS70406070836452157&sql=Bkzkqoarabijn
T. J. Hooker, a blues guitarist and singer is a much more obscure
character. His father was a well-known blues artist, Johnny Taylor,
but T.J. has had mainly a local performing and recording career in the
American Midwest and South. Here is an article from a weekly
newspaper in Kansas City, MO about Mr. Hooker:
Kansas City Call: Blues Artist Hooker Is A Hit In Blues River Festival (5/2/03)
http://www.kccall.com/News/2003/0502/Entertainment/009.html
Search Strategy:
Because of the multitude of online references to Budweiser and its
advertising campaigns, choosing the right search terms was especially
difficult. The search that ultimately succeeded used the British term
"advert" along with "Budweiser" and "blues:"
budweiser advert OR adverts blues
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&q=+budweiser+advert+OR+adverts+blues+
I then conducted targeted searches for information on the two
musicians and other searches to confirm that there is no conflicting
online information.
Based on your comment, I am confident that this is the information you
are seeking. Since Mr. Wilson is clearly a blues aficionado and his
father was associated with Dupree, I have no reason to doubt the
authoritativeness of the identification. If any of the above is
unclear, please ask for clarification before rating the answer.
markj-ga |
