Guest Lecture: Rick Fines - Metalworks Institute Newsletter

When one thinks of the blues what comes to mind: a sad, lonely old man on a porch, with a guitar that could possibly be older than he is? It’s a sad fact that people slap music with an image but it’s something that can occur with all genres. It takes a well-versed veteran of a musical style to live the story and pass its successes and failures on to others. Rick Fines commanded the stage during his recent guest lecture in a packed Lecture Hall at Metalworks Institute (Sept. 10th), providing all of MWI’s students with a dynamic history of the blues.

Opening with the clip-clop of horses in a field of slaves by slapping his fingers on the body of the acoustic, Mr. Fines began on the journey of a culture suppressed by mainstream America in the late 1890s. Their days were filled with grueling labor, racial hatred and just enough food to survive. The only form of happiness they enjoyed was a holler across a field to the shuffle rhythm of the horses’ hooves and the chanting of their fellow workers. They would speak their mind through song and adapt their chants to the things happening around them. Going so far as to create their own instruments, slaves had developed a form of escape that could never be taken away: music.

When an affordable parlor-sized guitar was introduced in 1896, it allowed the slaves to produce melodies and musical standards for their newfound love. Over many decades and through out history, these same musical standards have given birth to many a genre and life style. Mr. Fines explained this evolution while playing through the standards and staples of the various styles. He illustrated the musical importance of the 12 bar blues structure and how it can be seen in jazz, country, rock & roll and many other forms of music. While virtually embodying the character of his featured artists, Mr. Fines wailed away at some of the best blues riffs of all time.

Each of these characters had their own story that tied into the time line of blues music. Touching on subjects ranging from the ladies of blues in the 1920s to the birth of the modern rock band with Muddy Watters in the 1960s, and everything in between, Mr. Fines was idolized by everyone in the place for both his gifted ability to sing and play guitar and his extreme knowledge and passion for the blues. It’s incredible that someone as talented and experienced as Rick Fines would take the time to talk to us and more importantly smash the stereotype of blues music held by most people.

This is exactly the type of experience that more average people should enjoy, and I, for one, am thankful that Metalworks Institute presented us with this opportunity. It’s the type of experience that opens people’s minds, and allows the true story of the blues to be in plain view.