WZ Newsline, West Germany Newspaper

March 30, 2009

Cory McDaniel wrote a song about Wuppertal’s famous elephant lady.

By Valeska Von Dolega

One of the most famous representatives of Wuppertal is without a doubt Pina Bausch. Alas, not her, but another Grand Dame of the city has just been celebrated in song during the Mettmann Bluesweek: Tuffi.

"I found her story/history fascinating," explained Cory McDaniel, who is known in the music world as one half of the blues duo The Tremors. During a performance in the valley a few years ago, the American was told that a girl elephant had been put in the Schwebebahn for advertising purposes and had "survived a spectacular fall." And that stuck with the guitarist at home, which is in Wyoming, USA. So the guitarist did what musicians do in such a case: he composed a piece about her. "The song is only 2-1/2 weeks old."

If his songs are usually in the tradition of Muddy Waters or Paul Butterfields and or remind of Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits, then "Tuffi" turned into a "real circus act with a happy ending," as the composer admits smiling. "The melody is a 3/4 rhythm, a little like a waltz - and highly entertaining." Even the first few notes remind not of heat-flickering Southern cotton fields, but of a circus tent.

Consequently amused was the audience in the Mettmann Stadtwaldhaus, where Cory McDaniel and bass player Dale Bohren performed together with Kent DuChaine. The performance of "Tuffi" was a world premiere, which earned a lot of applause. "The song will definitely make our new CD," promises Cory McDaniel, whose favorite animal continues to be his "cute, little dog" despite all sympathy for Tuffi. He also used his stay in Germany to follow Tuffi's path -- to float in the Schwebebahn above the Wupper valley.