The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #164989   Message #3954541
Posted By: Will Fly
03-Oct-18 - 06:21 PM
Thread Name: You've Got to be Joking! - greatest blues singers
Subject: RE: You've Got to be Joking! - greatest blues singers
Accent - pronunciation - here we again in yet another thread touching on the subject. I'll repeat my view, which I've droned on about in several previous threads over the years - but I'll attempt to put a different spin on it...

1. Are we allowed to sing what we like and what appeals to us as individuals, regardless of the origin of the song - or is there some law, rule or convention that says we can't?

2. If we're driven by sheer love of a song to sing a particular song which isn't from our own country, say a blues, or a French song, or a Scottish song (simply because it appeals to us) in the accent of the country of origin, is there a law, rule or convention that says we can't?

There isn't? I thought not, otherwise our choice of songs to sing would be very restricted indeed. Would I sing a French song without trying to sing it with a decent French accent? I'd sound bloody silly if I didn't attempt a French accent when singing "La Mer", for example. Or should I not be allowed to sing a French song?

Whether the audience likes it or not is quite beside the point - the principle is: sing what you like, how you like and when you like.