Thanks, Lois, for inviting me here.
And I know now that there's more than one type of cactus.
I was glad to hear at least one variety is good for food supply
and [INAUDIBLE] like green beans.
I'll tell all the folks in Oakland
when I go back tomorrow.
I thought I'd start out with a song and end with a song.
And I wrote a blues piece entitled "Betty's Ball Blues."
Betty took the ring from her fabled jelly roll.
She gave it all to Dupree, and eased it on his soul.
She climbed his ancient redwood and sang out from his peak.
She drilled his natural forest and made his demon creep.
She shook the constellations and dazzled them across his eyes.
She shook the constellations and dazzle them across his eyes.
She showered his head with quasars
and made his Taurus cry.
China, china, china, come blow my china horn.
Telegraph my indigo sky ship and make its voyage long.
Betty touched his organ, made his cathedral rock.
His worshippers moaned and shouted,
his stained glass windows cracked.
One night she dressed in scarlet and threw her man a ball.
The butlers came as zombies.
The guests walked through the walls.
Dupree, he shot the jeweler.
She had him under a spell.
Dupree, he shot the jeweler.
She had him under a spell.
The calmest man in Sing Sing is happy in his cell.
And Taj Mahal sings a song.
He set it to music and he sings it.
I want to play his version.
Much better [INAUDIBLE].
Betty took the ring from her fabled jelly roll.
She gave it to Dupree, eased it on his soul.
She climbed his ancient redwood and sang out from his peak.
She drilled his natural forest and made his demon creep.
She shook the constellations and dazzled them across his eyes.
She showered his head with quasars
and made his Taurus cry.
Oh, get down.
China, china, china, come blow my china horn.
Telegraph my indigo starship, make its voyage long.
Oh, get down.
Betty touched his organ, made his cathedral rock.
His worshippers moaned and shouted, had his stained glass
windows cracked.
One night she dressed in scarlet, threw her man a ball.
One night she dressed in scarlet, there her man a ball.
The butlers came as zombies.
The guests walked through the walls.
Oh, Dupree, he shot the jeweler, she had him under a spell.
Dupree, he shot the jeweler, she had him under a spell.
The calmest man in Sing Sing is happy in his cell.
Oh, get down.
That's from an album entitled Conjure One--
Music for the Texts of Ishmael Reed, me.
And I was very pleased that these composers
take my tacky stuff and set it to music.
And this album was recently rereleased by Sting's company
Pangaea.
So I think it's in stores.
The last song I'll play at the end of my reading
will be a new album entitled Conjure One--
Cab Calloway Stands in for the Moon.
It's just released in Germany.
And Bobby Womack sings some of the lyrics that I wrote.