David Everdell , Blind Boy PAXTON at Bluesfest, Byron Bay, Australia 2017

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JERRON “Blind Boy” PAXTON.
For me, the “most magical moment” of the 2017 Byron Bay Bluesfest, was when Jerron Blind Boy Paxton pointed his finger in my general direct and said “alright”.
We’ve seen a supertanker load of great acts at this festival, each bigger and more powerful than the last, but it was the simple act of being able to stand in front of a musician who could bring an experience that was as close as you can get today, of being in front of one of the original bluesmen, (the likes of Leadbelly or Blind Lemon Jefferson or Robert Johnson or Blind Willie McTell) that moved me the most. That was the era that gave rise to the Blues which led to rhythm and blues which led to jazz and rock and roll..that was the era where almost all a blind person could do was try to earn money by mastering an instrument and playing on street corners for coins.
Jerron is predominantly but not totally blind , so when he was changing instruments in the final minutes of his last act of the last day, I saved up the courage to call out a request that he play my favourite song of his called ‘Candyman’. You worry that he has his fixed agenda or that others will start calling out requests and cause confusion, but to my exultation, he pointed in my general direction, said “alright”, picked up his guitar and while explaining the meaning of the song to the audience, ( a Candyman is a back door sugar daddy who “visits” wives while their men are out at work) , he re-tuned his guitar by ear from open cord tuning to standard tuning and with a wicked smile on his face started into the song. His guitar picking is exceptional in its complexity and a joy for me to watch. The crowd screamed for more when he navigated his way off stage. Then he came back and played another favourite called “When An Ugly Woman Tells You ‘NO’”…. “….I rate my women from 1 to 10 just for fun, but last night I came down to minus 1,…. You could put her face in dough and make guerrilla cookies don’t you know, that looked like Quasi moto… …but when she turned to go, she said on a scale of 1 to 10 Mr Paxton your rate don’t even show….” It’s the same sort of humour that came out in the old blues songs to rise above having the blues.
Iv’e put what little I caught on the video and had great fun catching photos at the festival by making use of the darkness and stage lights to effect.
I found an angle that placed Jerron in half light.. part light part darkness. The video was shot with a tiny camera that fitted in the palm of my hand, sometimes from 50 metres away while being jostled in the crowd in poor lighting. Just the same, I really, really, really hope that some of you will enjoy this video and that it brings out some of the instrumental expertise , vocals and humour that make me admire this musician so much. Enjoy!