01:24 Minor introduces Rankin. He mentions his wife’s previous involvement with the festival. 02:50 Minor recalls meeting his mother, Betty “Big Mama” Rankin in 1968 at Tulane University. John talks about her influence on his music from an early age and the effects musical parents have on their children. He mentions his father who sANG with Skinnay Ennis and other big bands. His mother played cello and piano. Rankin talks about his family and his childhood, specifically his father. 05:11 John makes the link between his parents and the Jazz Archive and Bill Russell, Dick Allen, and Paul Crawford. He talks about his mother introducing him to music at fifteen like Lightening Hopkins, Jessie Fuller, Django Reinhardt, Elek Bacsik, John Lee Hooker, Snoozer Quinn.. 07:35 He talks about his school career throughout his early years and his Tulane professor Elias Borrero. He goes on to describe the types of work he would get at this time at Tipitina’s, and his residency at Maple Leaf playing mostly classical. 09:53 Minor asks him about his promotion and publicity work with MCA Records. He talks about community radio, (WWOZ and WWNO) and the record industry in general. 12:38 Minor brings up the 1992 Big Easy award for ‘the best folk music/musician in the community’ Rankin won. Also the second price he won in the 1985 ‘National Finger-picking style’ he also won in Milwaukee. He talks about that experience. 14:11 He describes New Orleans as ‘a piano town’, listing the greats of Professor Longhair, James Booker, Dr. John, Archibald, Fats Domino, Roosevelt Sykes. They then mention the guitar greats too: Snooks Eaglin, Earl King, and Walter Washington. He talks about N.O being a percussive town mainly, with a lot of excellent drummers and horn players- where guitar is not emphasized that much. 15:20 Minor mentions Danny Barker as being significant in keeping guitar alive in the city. Rankin includes Freddie Green from the Count Basie Band as another great rhythm guitarist. John gives credit to Danny for keeping the new breed of musicians inspired. He mentions the Dirty Dozen Brass Band who thanked him at his wake for teaching them the old style. 16:22 He lists his teaching jobs currently. Adjunct at Loyola, Tulane and UNO. He also teaches at Delgado – Classical guitar, music appreciation and a business of music course. 18:20 He talks about his different guitars. He plays an excerpt of ‘Big Chief’ for Minor. 21:35 They talk about the style of Snooks Eaglin and particularly ‘Malaguena’. 25:12 Minor asks about the early New Orleans jazz style of traditional Dixieland type jazz. Rankin illustrates with the style of Johnny St Cyr on his guitar; where he would replace the bass and the drum parts in small groups. He refers to his interview with Bill Russell in the jazz archives. 26:40 He plays ‘Has Anyone Seen My Gal?’ in a banjo style. 28:50 He mentions Snoozer Quinn as another example of the early New Orleans style. He talks over an example that he plays of his strumming style. Rankin talks about the early days of guitar and banjo and when they were used. 30:32 Minor mentions Jelly Roll Morton and ‘Don’t You Leave Me Here’. Rankin plays it. 34:15 Rankin plays ‘Sweet Mississippi’. 37:25 Minor asks about his favorite country blues guitarist. He is reluctant to label but says he has always been into Lightening Hopkins, John Lee Hooker, Mississippi John Hurt and Jessie Fuller. 38:20 Rankin talks about the spirit of a good time in New Orleans that has had such a great effect on him. He refers to the jazz funerals his mother would take him to. He tries to describe the unique sense of fun and spirit that is hard to explain to people. 39:10 Rankin explains how he tries to forget his academic background when he plays and just feel what he is doing. He talks about this difficulty. 42:01 He talks about the need for inspiration and the need or not, of a teacher . 43:35 Minor plugs his mother, Betty “Big Mama” Rankin and her show on WWOZ. 44:41 Rankin plays an instrumental traditional Frankie and Johnny’. 48:58 Rankin and Minor perform Jelly Roll Morton’s ‘Sweet Substitute’. 52:24 End.
