Hugh Laurie's Blues Changes

Episodes

EpisodeTitleFirst
Broadcast
RepeatedComments
01The Blues2013092320150105 (R2)Actor, comedian and musician Hugh Laurie presents this repeat series in which he examines the ways in which the blues has influenced all the types of popular music that we listen to today.

Each week he'll be playing a song with his acclaimed Copper Bottom Band and using that as a starting point from which to explore the permutations and permeations of the music that he loves.

Launching the series, Hugh plays and sings Alan Price's 'Changes', written in 1973 for the Lindsay Anderson film 'O Lucky Man' and explains how that links a World War 1 protest song, a Presbytarian hymn and a Nashville country instrumental before going on to look at the evolution of the blues itself.

Starting with the primitive country blues of Robert Johnson and Charley Patton, Laurie traces the changes in the music through the electric Chicago period of Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, the soul and rock influences of the 1960s to the blues as we know it today.

A performance film accompanying the series can be seen on the BBC's Red Button service.

Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning £250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Acting aside, he is an accomplished pianist, leading the Copper Bottom Band in a smorgasbord of traditional jazz and blues which has so far resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a series of sell-out world tours.

This is a repeat of his first series for Radio 2.

Hugh Laurie looks at the ways the blues has changed in the last 150 years.

Hugh Laurie examines the way in which the blues has influenced pop music

02Rock 'n' Roll2013093020150112 (R2)Actor, comedian and musician Hugh Laurie presents this new series in which he examines the ways in which the blues has influenced all the types of popular music that we listen to today.

Each week he'll be playing a song with his acclaimed Copper Bottom Band and using that as a starting point from which to explore the permutations and permeations of the music that he loves.

This week, Hugh plays and sings 'Mystery Train' and traces its roots back to an Elizabethan folk ballad and an early 20th century country song before looking at how its influenced the world of rock'n'roll, with music from Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Lonnie Donegan, Led Zeppelin and more.

Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning £250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Acting aside, he is an accomplished pianist, leading the Copper Bottom Band in a smorgasbord of traditional jazz and blues which has so far resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a series of sell-out world tours.

This is his first series for Radio 2.

Hugh Laurie on how the blues influenced rock 'n' roll, with Elvis, Springsteen and more.

Hugh Laurie examines the way in which the blues has influenced pop music

Actor, comedian and musician Hugh Laurie presents this new series in which he examines the ways in which the blues has influenced all the types of popular music that we listen to today.

Each week he'll be playing a song with his acclaimed Copper Bottom Band and using that as a starting point from which to explore the permutations and permeations of the music that he loves.

This week, Hugh plays and sings 'Mystery Train' and traces its roots back to an Elizabethan folk ballad and an early 20th century country song before looking at how its influenced the world of rock'n'roll, with music from Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Lonnie Donegan, Led Zeppelin and more.

Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning £250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Acting aside, he is an accomplished pianist, leading the Copper Bottom Band in a smorgasbord of traditional jazz and blues which has so far resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a series of sell-out world tours.

This is his first series for Radio 2.

Hugh Laurie on how the blues influenced rock 'n' roll, with Elvis, Springsteen and more.

Hugh Laurie examines the way in which the blues has influenced pop music

03R&b And Soul2013100720150119 (R2)Actor, comedian and musician Hugh Laurie presents this new series in which he examines the ways in which the blues has influenced all the types of popular music that we listen to today.

Each week he'll be playing a song with his acclaimed Copper Bottom Band and using that as a starting point from which to explore the permutations and permeations of the music that he loves.

This week, Hugh plays and sings 'Stagger Lee', explaining its roots in a real 19th century murder. That starts a complicated trail of gossip, political scandal, and folk lore which leads through the music of James Brown, Lloyd Price, The Clash, Ma Rainey, Louis Armstrong, Sir Mix-A-Lot and Kanye West to show how the spirt of Stagger Lee still influences the soul and hip hop that we listen to today.

***

Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning £250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Acting aside, he is an accomplished pianist, leading the Copper Bottom Band in a smorgasbord of traditional jazz and blues which has so far resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a series of sell-out world tours.

Hugh Laurie looks at how the blues has influenced the soul and hip-hop of today.

Hugh Laurie examines the way in which the blues has influenced pop music

04Jazz2013101420150202 (R2)Actor, comedian and musician Hugh Laurie presents this new series in which he examines the ways in which the blues has influenced all the types of popular music that we listen to today.

Each week he'll be playing a song with his acclaimed Copper Bottom Band and using that as a starting point from which to explore the permutations and permeations of the music that he loves.

This week, Hugh plays and sings 'One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)', and looks at the blues strain in jazz music, illustrated with music from Miles Davis, Kid Ory, Duke Ellington and more.

A performance film accompanying the series can be seen on the BBC's Red Button service.

***

Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning £250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Acting aside, he is an accomplished pianist, leading the Copper Bottom Band in a smorgasbord of traditional jazz and blues which has so far resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a series of sell-out world tours.

This is his first series for Radio 2.

Hugh Laurie looks at the ways in which the blues has influenced jazz.

Hugh Laurie examines the way in which the blues has influenced pop music

05Pop Music2013102120150209 (R2)Actor, comedian and musician Hugh Laurie presents this new series in which he examines the ways in which the blues has influenced all the types of popular music that we listen to today.

Each week he'll be playing a song with his acclaimed Copper Bottom Band and using that as a starting point from which to explore the permutations and permeations of the music that he loves.

This week, Hugh plays and sings 'Careless Love', and looks at the blues strain in pop music, somehow managing to link Johnny Ray with the Shangri-Las and Jilted John along the way!

A performance film accompanying the series can be seen on the BBC's Red Button service.

***

Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning £250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Acting aside, he is an accomplished pianist, leading the Copper Bottom Band in a smorgasbord of traditional jazz and blues which has so far resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a series of sell-out world tours.

This is his first series for Radio 2.

Hugh Laurie looks at the ways in which the blues has influenced pop music.

Hugh Laurie examines the way in which the blues has influenced pop music

06Country Music2013102820150216 (R2)Actor, comedian and musician Hugh Laurie examines the ways in which the blues has influenced all the types of popular music that we listen to today.

Each week he'll be playing a song with his acclaimed Copper Bottom Band and using that as a starting point from which to explore the permutations and permeations of the music that he loves.

This week, in the last of the series, Hugh plays and sings 'Crazy Arms', and looks at the relationship between blues and country with music from the likes of Hank Williams and George Jones.

A performance film accompanying the series can be seen on the BBC's Red Button service.

***

Hugh Laurie is an English actor, comedian, writer, musician and director. He first became known as one half of the Fry and Laurie double act, along with his friend and comedy partner Stephen Fry, whom he joined in the cast of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster from 1985 to 1999.

From 2004 to 2012, he played Dr. Gregory House, the protagonist of House, for which he received two Golden Globe awards, two Screen Actors Guild awards, and six Emmy nominations. He has been listed in the 2011 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor ever in a television drama, earning £250,000 ($409,000) per episode in House, and for being the most watched leading man on television.

Acting aside, he is an accomplished pianist, leading the Copper Bottom Band in a smorgasbord of traditional jazz and blues which has so far resulted in two critically acclaimed albums and a series of sell-out world tours.

This is his first series for Radio 2.

Hugh Laurie looks at the relationship between blues and country music.

Hugh Laurie examines the way in which the blues has influenced pop music