...man, don't even get me STARTED on this topic. I'm gonna have to come back with some stories of stuff I've seen & been thru when I have the time. You bring up some good points and examples (especially with the P-Funk DVD). I guess when people see something that their not use to seeing, they don't know how to handle it or what to think. I'll come back later, but I want to thank you Blauque for starting this thread.

Speaking of the violin player in George Clinton's group, I went to see PFunk back in January in NYC which Bernie Worrell was a special guest. Later on in the show,she takes another solo (4th one) & then she looks at Bernie as if to say let's battle, she then walks right over to his keyboards playing right at him, & Bernie looks at her ( as if to say get the fuck away from me) & the he stops playing, turns his stool around & puts his back to her for the remainder of the song. Boy did she lok embarrased...LOL.

Hmm...

I dunno. I'm black and I'm also a musician who can handle a guitar and most of my friends here in Boston are as well; my middle brother is a guitar phenom. And I caint remember a time when any of us were discriminated against while playing a gig simply because of our color.

If any thing, I've found that I get alot of curious stares from people who caint believe black guys are playing and singing rock but never any discrimination.

Its hard to believe that black rock guitarist are getting heat; cats off the top of my head who are black rock guitarist and doing it well are Slash and Tom Morello. But you know what, I wouldnt put it past people to have hate in their heart towards the negro ax slinger!

It seems to be this weird form of discrimination, and it is perpetrated by both white and black soundmen. I guess its just playing into some sort of stupid stereotype that black dudes have to play keyboards, drums or whatever.
They ignore the fact that some of the greatest guitarists that have ever lived have been black.

Hell, I think even Prince gets dissed on this. How many magazines have had "top 100 guitarists" lists, and completely ignored him (even though his playing is praised by the likes of Clapton and Santana)?

...
I bought a tape which featured tributes to Hendrix, and when Jean Paul Bourelly (one of the only black guitarists on the show) was playing, they would focus on his face and not his guitar, then they would cut to a painting of Hendrix, rather than show Bourelly playing! and on another video which featured guitarist Ronnie Drayton (Defunkt, Family stand, etc.)the camera focused on his back the whole time he was playing....and you're right, Ernie Isley has been turned down in the mix so many times it ain't even funny(Even on Soul Train!!!!) I know it doesn't happen Every single time, but it certainly happens enough to make you wonder what the deal is....


...

BlaqueKnight said:[quote][color=blue]This question is geared towards black guitarists. Do you ever feel like cameramen and soundmen HATE you?[quote]


Great Topic Dogg !!
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET :
the guitar is quite a "PHALLIC" symbol in rock&roll
so, the waving a huge BLACK DICK in the air "spewing" Colors etc ?
NOT GONNA HAPPEN !!!!

Why U think they ( the white Press ) took HENDRIX thru all of the bullshit
they took him thru ??


HOLLA

paligap said:

Thanks for pointing out Soul Train. Seems like some people have to generalize and assume that "black folk don't like that gee-tar playing". Likewise, the generalization runs the opposite way, that "white folk don't wanna see no colored boy playing gee-tar". Stupid, narrow-minded thinking, to say the least (what decade is this? The 1950s?).


I know plenty of music lovers, from all different races, and none of them give a shit what color the person playing is. Too bad more sound men aren't true music lovers!

FalseSetto said:[quote]BlaqueKnight said:[quote][color=blue]This question is geared towards black guitarists. Do you ever feel like cameramen and soundmen HATE you?

Interesting thought, but I think it has more to do with preconceived notions of what "black people" and "white people" want to hear. Someone decides for everyone else what is pleasing to our ears, which pisses me off.

JediMaster said:[quote]FalseSetto said:[quote]

BlaqueKnight said:

It'scrazy out derr man.
they dunn scared bros from goin near that instrument anymore

A lot of my fave guitarists are black - Slash, Hendrix, Prince and Tom Morello. People are really surprised when a black person makes Rock music. Plus it doesn't help when any good black guitarist is compared to Jimi Hendrix.

SEXYMOFO said:

that's Funny U said "Slash"
I hope HE considers HIMSELF Black

that percentage shit don't work when the White Press gets ahold of that ass

FalseSetto said:

He does, although I don't think the average radio listener is aware of it. That is good, in a way, since it has prevented him from suffering from some of the discrimination that many other black guitarists have had to endure. Still, it shouldn't make a hill of beans difference either way.

FalseSetto said:

Fortunately, there are some great "bros" out there who keep on playing, no matter what!

Wait a sec...

Dont anyone for a second think that Black guys/gals are scared to play guitar.

The reason why you dont see Black ax slingers is because there is no money in it! Black people, for the most part, do not listen to rock or guitar based/driven music anymore. We started the blues, rock and jazz genres where guitars thrived but those genre's dominance gave way eventually to hip hop. So, intrinsically, Black people can handle guitars. But it seems as if Black musicians these days are mostly concerned with beats, samples and loops; there is no room or love for an Eddie Hazel.

That being said, I think it's a stretch to think black rock guitarists are discriminated against by whites as a whole; but I also think black rock guitarists get more heat from other blacks than they do from palefaces.

chuckaducci said:

I had to really stop and think about this before I replied. I think what you said is in some ways true. A brutha with a guitar is considered in some quarters, a "sell-out" who listens to "white music" and is trying to pass. Why can't he groove on some Luthor or some hip-hop?

That's the attitude from both sides of the aisle for a lot of people.

I won't even go into specifics; it's just funny how everyone is influenced by preconceptions. It's like Jimi Hendrix is the only black guitarist who ever lived, an anomaly, rather than one of many from a rich tradition.

It's even funnier that in 2005, we can accept Eminem as a legimate hip-hopper but still relegate Vernon Reid or Tony McAlpine to a musical ghetto.

It's not just black guitarists who are given little air time. Have you ever seen a Soundgarden video, they hardly ever show their Indian guitarist! Or in a Metallica live performance they hardly put the camera on Kirk Hammet.

where is Blackguitaristz in here on this discussion?

I agree with this topic!

Everyone does hate them.

BUT the funny thing is

Jimi & Prince are the 2 best ever.

It may be true, I don't know.

But cameramen are not always music experts. They're going for what they think is a good shot. From what I remember the P-Funk violin player is sexy (much sexier than a man in a diaper), though overused as a musician.

I've seen video of Eric Clapton where another guitar player is taking the solo, but they're focused on Eric, because they don't know enough to even see that he's just playing chords! This is just one example. The camera often can't tell who's taking the solo.

As far as soundmen go, perhaps R&B soundmen don't like the sound of electric guitar much, and they turn it down? I play guitar myself, and even I think it can be quite piercing at times.

But like I said, you may be right, I don't know. That stuff is everywhere else, why wouldn't it exist in music, too?

paisleypark4 said:

I'm here, paisley. Just saw this thread. When I first read the title of the thread, I thought it was about me! I was like "Huh? What did I do?".

paligap said:

Hell yeah, ya'll KNOW I"m hip to this madness. Been going on forever. Good examples given by all. I know exactly of what you're talking about, pali. In my case, it hasn't happened to me, being that I was the lead guitarist and lead vocalist, so, the cameraman and the soundman didn't fuck with me. Perfect example of this is the film on the Black Rock Coalition (West Coast Chapter) that my band at the time (Amalgam) was heavily featured in. They kept the focus on me when they should have; during my solos and singing. I would have blew a gasket if that shit had come out otherwise. But, Blaque, it's funny that u should mention Tori. I've known Tori since 91, and his band is also in the same film that my band is in. His band at the time was Civil Rite, and the cameraman weren't so kind to him. The camera would drift off of him during his solos. Granted, he wasn't the lead singer, but during his solos, the angle would hop back onto the lead singer, who so happened to play guitar and was white.

blackguitaristz said:

Hey Blaque, good play on words, player! I like the way u strung the two words together to read "Blackguitarists". I'm honoured! I was looking for the "Z" at the end! Good thread.

They're going for what they think is a good shot. From what I remember the P-Funk violin player is sexy (much sexier than a man in a diaper), though overused as a musician.

[quote]

Yes the PFunk Violin player overused way too much.

What is Kirk?

blackguitaristz said:

eldog98 said:

Kirk Hammett is Filipino.

blackguitaristz said:

I thought the same thing...
[Edited 8/30/05 13:45pm]

funkpill said:

Blaque is savvy, though. After a moment, then I thought of Chris Rock's new show "Everybody Hates Chris". My name being Chris as well, then throw in the merging of "blackguitarist" and the "Everybody Hates" part, I was like "that shit right there is slick!" I can dig it.