Category: Americana

King King and Dave Gunning A Great Soundtrack!

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Reaching for the Light- King King
Lift - Dave Gunning

Origianlly Posted January 2016 – Revised and Updated May 2026

King King’s Blues and Dave Gunning’s Folk Provide the Soundtracks for  my  Commute to Paulsboro

Back in 2016, I was still mostly writing straight music reviews. Looking back now, I realize these albums became attached to moments in life just as much as the music itself. These songs weren’t just albums playing in the car — they became part of my drives to Paulsboro to babysit Oliver, part of that season of life, and part of the soundtrack to becoming Grandad.

Some music pushes you forward. Some music helps you slow down and reflect.

On this particular day back in 2016, King King provided the energy for the morning drive to Paulsboro, while Dave Gunning supplied the calm for the trip home.

It seems that lately a good portion of the music I listened to is heard on my commutes to Paulsboro to babysit Oliver. Now as best as I can remember Wednesday soundtracks were a blues album Reaching for the Light from the Scottish blues band King King and the afternoon on the afternoon trip a folk album from Canadian folksinger Dave Gunning. The album was Lift  his 11th album.

First Up King King – for the drive to Paulsboro

I first listen to King King in 2014 when they released the album Standing in the Shadows. It was a great album and at the 2014 British Blues Awards the band won five awards including the awards for ‘Best Album’ and ‘Best Band”

King King hails from Glasgow and is composed of leader, vocalist and guitarist Alan Nimmo,Lindsay Coulson on bass, Wayne Proctor drums and Bob Fridzema on keyboards.Nimmo says this about Reaching for the Light …

“We’re really proud of this album,” ….”It’s faster, louder, more energetic and more exciting. It’s got the potential to blow the roof off.”….

….”We couldn’t settle with another album that was only as good as Standing In The Shadows,” says Alan. “We’d have got crucified for it. We’ve made a rod for our backs, because now we need something a few steps above. We’re always trying to improve – and I think we’ve managed it.”

Ross Muir of Fabrications HQ thinks so too….

….Because Reaching For the Light is the best blues rock album you’ll hear this year – and one of the best of the modern blues rock era..

Here’s King King with “You Stopped the Rain” from Reaching For the Light

 

 Dave Gunning- Lift Fuels the Trip Home

Lift - Dave Gunning

On the way back from Paulsboro I listened to Lift the new album from Canadian singer-songwriter Dave Gunning. Like King King, I first listened to Gunning’s music a few years ago, In Gunning’s case it was his 2012 album No More Pennies. Dave’s music fits in that niche of folksinger’s who write great story songs. Guys like fellow Canadians James Keelaghan and Gordon Lightfoot….from the Toronto Star…

Gunning is the next big thing in the True North of Song, an artist as compelling, as assured and attentive to every nuance of the writing process, as Lightfoot, Cockburn and Stan Rogers before him.”

From FYImusic,ca  Dave Gunning’s Career Gets A ‘Lift’

The recording career of rootsy East Coast singer/songwriter Dave Gunning now spans 20 years and 10 earlier albums. These have netted him a total of two Canadian Folk Music Awards and eight East Coast Music Awards, plus a 2012 Juno Award nomination for his acclaimed album … a tribute to John Allan Cameron. He was the winner of the Indie International Song Contest (for his song, “Hard Workin’ Hands,” co-written with Ron Hynes) and has been a finalist in other major international songwriting contests.

Expect more awards on the Gunning trophy shelf for his brand new 11th album, Lift. Released on his own imprint Wee House of Music on July 10th, this highly accomplished and eclectic collection is sure to please his still-growing audience at home and abroad. All 13 tunes are Gunning originals, though he has recruited a heady cast of talented friends/peers to assist on co-writes. That list includes fellow East Coasters Matt Andersen, Catherine MacLellan, and Thom Swift, plus American Sally Spring. Full Article

Dave writes this about Lift .……

Gunning acknowledges that “this album has more personal and introspective songs than my past recordings. I do still love songs that are about things and tell a real story, like the songs of Stan Rogers. They inspire me.”

A fine example of that here is “I Robbed The Co. Store,” which tells the true story of a group of British settlers in Nova Scotia in the 1770s forced to steal from a storehouse reserved for troops just so they could feed their families. A more contemporary song with a Pictou County setting is “They Don’t Do That No More.” “That one is inspired by the fight we have here against a pulp mill that is just an environmental disaster,” explains Gunning. The mournful sound of the pedal steel punctuates his lament that “there’s poison on the harbour floor.” It’s a song one of Dave’s key inspirations, the late folk great Pete Seeger, would have been proud to call his own. Read More

So Check Out Dave’s Music at http://www.davegunning.com/bio/

Here’s Dave performing “Sing It Louder” from Lift – Dave says this about the song….

 “Sing It Louder,” is actually a tribute to Seeger. “My goal was to write a song you could imagine him singing,” says Gunning. “As folk singers we should all aspire to carry the torch of Pete Seeger and his message of social justice.”

I do believe, Pete would be proud!

Links for KingKing

Links for Dave Gunning

Ten years later, I can barely think about these albums without remembering those drives across South Jersey — morning traffic heading toward Paulsboro with blues blasting through the speakers, then quieter folk music carrying me home after a day with Oliver. That’s how music works for me now. Albums become timestamps for life.

Sonny Terry – Blues Harp Master!!

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Sonny Terry – Blues Harp – Born October 24, 1911 Greensboro, Georgia

Among the many instruments that I love is the harmonica or more specifically the blues harp, and there are few who play that instrument better than Sonny Terry from Blues Harp…..

The joyous whoop that Sonny Terry naturally emitted between raucous harp blasts was as distinctive a signature sound as can possibly be imagined. Only a handful of blues harmonicists wielded as much of a lasting influence on the genre as did the sightless Terry (Buster Brown, for one, copied the whoop and all), who recorded some fine urban blues as a bandleader in addition to serving as guitarist Brownie McGhee‘s longtime duet partner.(From Blues Harp)

Today (October 24th) we can remember that joyous whoop and celebrate the 104th  birthday of acoustic blues musicians Sonny Terry. Sonny was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and started his blues career playing in the trio of Blind Boy Fuller. He played with Fuller until Fuller’s death in 1941. After Fuller died Terry began playing with Brownie McGhee and as they say the rest is folk history!!

Saunders Terrell, better known as Sonny Terry (24 October 1911 – 11 March 1986[2]) was a blind American Piedmont blues musician.[1] He was widely known for his energetic blues harmonica style, which frequently included vocal whoops and hollers, and imitations of trains and fox hunts.

 

Terry died from natural causes at Mineola, New York, in March 1986, the year he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame (Wikipedia)

IThe Best of Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry  is in my music library  and the memory lingers of driving down the Blue Ridge Parkway singing along to songs from Brownie and Terry like “Walk On”, “Down by the Riverside”,  “Blues from the Lowland” and “Blowin’ The Fuses” ! Boy, what a great blues harp player!

So Happy Birthday Sonny- Hope you and Brownie have a nice day!!

Sources and Links

Wikipedia – Sonny Terry
Bluesharp.ca – Sonny Terry
Discogs: Sonny Terry-Discography
Allmusic: Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee – biography discography

Here’s the song that’s stuck in my head this morning – Pete Seeger, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry perform “Down by the Riverside”

Saturday Morning Music from John Mayall – “Good Time Boogie” – Jazz Blues Fusion!!

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Jazz Blues Fusion - John Mayall

So the other day I decided to visit an album that I haven’t listened to in a long while, Jazz Blues Fusion from John Mayall. The album is a live album. The first side is from a concert in Boston on 18 November 1971, and the second side was selected from two concerts at Hunter College, New York, on 3 and 4 December 1971.

John released two albums with this jazz fusion bent. On the albums he brought jazz musicians into his band. On this album the musicians were Freddy Robinson on guitar, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ron Selico on drums and Clifford Soloman on tenor and alto saxophones. Larry Taylor long-time member of the band provided bass.

I wore this album out in college and throughout the years that followed. Listening to the album brought back a lot of memories, including seeing John perform at the University of Florida in 1973.

Anyway I loved listening to it the other day and I thought that a Saturday morning is a good time for a little “Good Time Boogie”…. I love Freddy Robinson’s guitar!!

If You’d like to dive a little deeper here’s the compete Jazz Blues Fusionl

Chris Thomas King – Great Blues and A Fast Run (for me!!)

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Bona Fide [ Chris Thomas King

Originally Posted October 2014 Revised and Updated June 2026

With the IQ test over and having done better than my wife anticipated, I now have my eyes set on my first 5K of the year, this Saturday in Delanco. Tonight was my second-to-last workout before the race, and it turned out to be my best run of the late summer early fall!

I tried to run short pickups throughout the run and a couple of times my pace dropped below 9 minutes per mile and was under 10 minute per mile pace through most of the run. I pushed it through the first 3.1 miles of the run and then backed off.

 I was able to pick it back up though for a decent push at the end. Overall the time was 39:32 over 4.03 miles for a final pace of 9:48. which I am happy with!

The Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the run was Bona Fide, the latest release from Chris Thomas King who is somewhere today celebrating his 49th birthday (according to his website and 50th according to AllMusic)!

Who is Chris Thomas King?

King was born on October 14, 1964, in Baton Rouge. His father, Tabby Thomas, is a locally prominent bluesman who owned a club called Tabby’s Blues Box, which opened in 1979 and closed in 2004 following Tabby’s retirement.

As a result, King, started early toward his musical future; even as a youngster he was well known as Rockin’ Tabby’s son and a child genius. While frequenting his father’s club he performed with the late Silas Hogan, Guitar Kelly and Clarence Edwards, three masters of swamp blues.

By sixth grade, King was learning to play the trumpet and later traveling as a rhythm guitar player of famous musicians like Lowell Folsom and Joe Tex. As he matured in the musical setting of New Orleans area blues culture, King was encouraged to experiment and develop his own style. Because each blues musician had a unique playing and singing style, he was discouraged from singing others’ songs or even playing the way they did.

He told Lisa Simeone on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, “They would never sit me down and say, ‘Well, this is how it goes.’ They … told me don’t sing their songs … ‘Find your own song and sing that.'”  Full Biography

About Bona Fide

After listening to  Bona Fide, I wondered why I never heard of him (uh, because you never hear of anyone??) Ok here’s one reason. He came on the blues scene according to Wikipedia in the late 80s and early 90s, when I was busy raising four children!! From Wikipedia:

King is known as the pioneer of rap/blues fusion.[1] He conceived the first sample-based blues concept album in the early 1990s by writing and producing the first all-rap/blues album for RCA Records titled 21st Century Blues… From Da Hood.  Read More

AHA! He Spent Many Years in Europe!

From his website, I discovered that he spent many years in the more liberal confines of Europe!!:

Like Miles Davis and Bob Dylan before him, Chris Thomas King was originally celebrated as the young savior of an aging musical culture when he first arrived on the national scene. Branded as a rebel King was banned form blues festivals across the United States.


He fled to Denmark to cool his heels in the more liberal environment that flourished in Europe. While in Denmark he recorded and released the critically acclaimed hip-hop blues album “21st Century Blues from da hood.”

The French embraced him as a major artist with vision and the rest of Europe followed. He toured with his Danish band extensively across Europe playing major festivals and theaters but longed to return to New Orleans.

Upon returning to the United States in 1995, he started his own independent production company and record label, 21st Century Blues. Soon after he found success as a film composer and actor. Winning three Grammy Awards by 2003 and several Country music CMA awards. Full Biography

I Saw Home in Movies! Who Knew?

While I may not have known his name, I did see him and hear him in the movies Ray, where he played bandleader and blues guitarist Lowell Fulson, and in O Brother, Where Art Thou? where he “portrayed a skilled blues guitarist who claims he sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his skill on guitar.

The character is based on blues musicians Tommy Johnson and Robert Johnson, both of whom have been linked to selling their soul to the devil at a rural Mississippi crossroads!” (From Wikipedia) But now that I know the name and love the album Bona Fide,

Final Thoughts and The Video

I will be checking out the rest of his discography – maybe I’ll even check out the music that got him branded a rebel and sent him to Europe to ply his trade!!!

Here’s the closing track from Bona Fide, “Goodbye Chicago”  I say, “Hello Chris Thomas King and Happy Birthday!!”

Post Update and Confession:

I never did get around to exploring the ten albums Mr. King released prior to Bona Fide or the four he released after. However, I did listen to his most recent release 2023’s Big Gray Sky and loved it. I’ll give you my thoughts soon!

Son Seals – Live – Spontaneous Combustion

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Son Seals Sprntaneous Combustion

Son Seals – Blues  Born   Frank Seals in Osceola, Arkansas. (August 14, 1942 – December 20, 2004)

Exploring the Music of Son Seals on his Birthday….

On this date in 1942 blues guitarist and singer Frank “Son” Seals in Osceola, Arkansas. I must say that I have never been a big fan of Son Seals I have one Seals album on cassette Live and Burnin‘ and have enjoyed it whenever I play it. A birthday is always a good tine to learn more about a musician and listen to their music.

 What I learn about Son Seals today..…

His father Jim “Son” Seals owned a small juke joint  in Osceola, where Son began his professional music career as a drummer with Robert Nighhawk at the ripe old age of 13! Later he switched to guitar and by 16 he was performing at the local upper echelon club T-99 beside “Little Walter” (Seals’ brother-in-law). At the T-99,  he also shared the stage with the likes of  Albert King, Rufus Thomas, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, and Rosco Gordon. From Wikipedia:

In 1971, Seals moved to Chicago. His career took off after he was discovered by Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records at the ‘Flamingo Club’ in Chicago’s South Side.

His debut album, The Son Seals Blues Band, was released in 1973. The album included “Your Love Is Like a Cancer” and “Hot Sauce”. Seals followed up with 1976’s Midnight Son and 1978’s Live and Burning. He continued releasing albums throughout the next two decades, all but one on Alligator Records. These included Chicago Fire (1980), Bad Axe (1984),Living in the Danger Zone (1991), Nothing But the Truth and Live-Spontaneous Combustion (1996). He received the W.C. Handy Award in 1985, 1987, and 2001. Read more

Son Seals - Live -Spontaneous Combustion

Live-Spontaneous Combustion

The album that I listened to was Seals 1996 release – Live-Spontaneous Combustion, which was recorded at Buddy Guys Legends club.  For me  live albums from blues artist tend to be really good, at live shows they tend to stretch songs out more, especially guitarist.

Their solos tend to be more explosive and for me that’s the case on this album…. I like it a lot and makes me want to go and check out Seals’ back catalog.

Scott Yanov at AllMusic writes this about the album…..

Son Seals is a very powerful performer. While his vocals are full of passion, it is Seals’ explosive guitar solos (egged on by a driving rhythm section along with two fine horn players who have some solo spots) that are most notable. Recorded live at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago, Seals’ interpretations of these spirited blues would certainly please the club owner. This enthusiastic set serves as a perfect introduction to the accessible and memorable blues of Son Seals.

Press about Son Seals

Seems I made the right choice. Here’s what some others say about Son’s music

“Seals’ guitar style is built on soul, speed, intensity and an unflagging sense of timing and blues invention. [He’ll] take a note and torture it, attacking a lick and repelling it five different ways, building power as he goes.” — Guitar World

“His deep, gruff, hard-edged voice perfectly matches the acid bite of his bad axe which sometimes moves up into Albert Collins overdrive, sometimes down for a peck of chicken scratch. His guitar work is searing and expressive…he strikes with no-holds-barred ferocity.” — Down Beat

Son Seals’ Death

Seals died in December of 2004, from complication stemming from the diabetes he suffered from. He had previously,in 1999, lost a portion of his right leg to the disease.

So let’s all wish Son Seals a Happy Birthday wherever he may be! And check out more about this Chicago blues legend at……

Alligator Records
Wikipedia
AllMusic

Here”s “Trouble, Trouble” from Live-Spontaneous Combustion

Yodeling – An Art best forgotten?? Never! Well, maybe?

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We'll Sing in the Sunshine

Last night after I came home from a run, I sat down at the computer and was trying to get back to normal, when my wife asked if I had watched the new parody video from Weird Al “Word Crimes”yet. I said that I hadn’t,  she made me come out and watch the video.

The Innocent Brginning……..

The video is very funny and probably funnier if you know the Robin Thicke song, which I don’t and never will, because I can not stand Robin Thicke.

Shortly after that, my wife said,  she now had the song stuck in her head. That set my mind to wondering about songs that get stuck in my head. The one that popped up was Gale  Garnett’s “We’ll Sing in the Sunshine”. So I went to Youtube to find a video of the song, which I did, from the 1964 Grammy Awards, but I didn’t like the video so I didn’t post it. But if you want you can watch it here. 

The Rabbit Hole Opens – No Stay Away From The Sidebar………

After  I watched enough of the Gale Garnett video, I began  watching some of the videos on the sidebar, which somehow lead me to Suzy Boggess and Jerry Jeff Walker performing “Night Rider’s Lament” a song that they both had recorded and since I love JJW’s version of the song I watched the video….Suzy said that the tough part of the song is the yodeling, which she had to learn to do.

Down The Yodeling Rabbit Hole

I thought she did great, you can watch that video here. My mind was still restless though and was soon thinking about other songs that feature yodeling that I like, the first and maybe only song that came to mind was Slaid Cleaves’ tribute song to Don Walser “God’s  Own Yodeller”. Here’s Slaid performing the song

Down and Down I Go…..

Not one to leave well enough alone, I had to wander on and find an original Don Walser tune, so that I could hear God’s own Yodeller! Here’s Don with “A Rolling Stone from Texas

Landing in the 1950s

Now this morning as my mind continued to think about yodeling, as I prepared finhish this post since i often often dressed like this back in the 1950s……

Hop and Guitar044

Listening to Roy Rogrers………

My thoughts turned to singing cowboys, and probably the best, Roy Rogers. I found this video using The Cowboy Herd Song….

Happy Trials to Me!

So which one do you like best, or asking another way which do you hate least? No,I shouldn’t have stayed with Gale Garnett because then all day I’d hear…..”We’ll sing in the sunshine, we’ll laugh everyday, we’ll sing in the sunshine then I’ll be on my way” Damn now it’s there…….

Links to Explore More

2026 Update:

AActually, the song that used to get stuck in my head more than any other was Dionne Warwick’s “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”

No! No! Get out of my head!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m suddenly hearing…

“We’ll sing in the sunshine, we’ll laugh every day…”

John Mayall – A Special Life A Special Run Soundtrack!

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A Special Life - John Mayall

Reposted – Feb 17,2024 – ten years later….I was 62 ar the time of the run!

This week has been a topsy-turvy week. Monday it was in the 80s and then was  cloudy all day. Yesterday (Tuesday) it looked like it was going to rain and the temperatures were in the 60s!

Today (Thursday) it was supposed to be back into the 80s. So last night (Wednesday) I decided that I better run then or face another hot day running!

So of course today turned out a  lot like yesterday. However, I’m still glad that I ran last night!!  I decided to run on of my oldest routes, a slightly up and down run going up and down the highest point in Riverside on Pancoast Avenue.

The run was a good one. While I didn’t set any land speed records, I did feel fairly strong throughout the run. Well except when I was going up the steepest parts of Pancoast!! The only good thing is that I do get to go down hill for a good part of the last mile!!

The splits weren’t too bad. First mile 10:20 – Second 10:28, Third 11:04 – the uphill battle, 4 – 10:42.  Total Time was 42:34. When compared to Monday’s 44:54, it even looks better!!

The Soundtrack – A Special Life – John Mayall

On my last run I ran with on of the younger blues musicians, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who by the way is celebrating his birthday today. Happy Birthday Kenny Wayne. So last night I decided to run with someone older than me, by almost two decades!! That would be “the godfather of the British Blues” John Mayall,who turned 80 last November. I ran withnbhis latest release A Special Life.

A Special Life is like Mayall’s gazillionth release since he formed the Bluesbeakers in 1965. I started to listen to Mayall during my freshman year in college with the first album that  I bought being The Turning Point and it has through the years been on of my favorites.This time period in Mayall’s music is my favorite. The Turning Point along with Jazz  Blues Fusion and Movin’ On are three of my favorite albums. I loved Johnny Almond’s sax and flute work and every body on the later two albums, Jazz Blues Fusion introduced me to the trumpet of Blue Mitchell. For most of the world John may be best know for the musicians who have been a part of the Bluesbreakers.

From Wikipedia here are of some ex-members of John’s band…..

  • Guitar: Eric Clapton, Roger Dean, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Freddy Robinson, Jimmy McCulloch, Kal David, Walter Trout, Coco Montoya, Randy Resnick,Sonny Landreth, Buddy Whittington, Eric Steckel, Robben Ford
  • Bass: Jack Bruce, John McVie, Steven Thompson[disambiguation needed], Larry Taylor, Tony Reeves, Hank Van Sickle, Greg Rzab
  • Drums: Hughie Flint, Keef Hartley, Aynsley Dunbar, Soko Richardson, Jon Hiseman, Colin Allen, Mick Fleetwood.
  • Keyboards: Dr. John
  • Vocals/Harmonica: Paul Butterfield

I think that the first time I heard Coco Montoya was on John’s 1987 release Chicago Line. What I didn’t realize until a short while back, was that Walter Trout also played on that album. Looking at the list of guitarist see that both Eric Steckel and Robben Ford have recorded with John, so I will certainly look up the albums they played on. 

The Current Bluesbreakers

The current lineup for the Bluesbreakers includes: Rocky Athas on guitar, Greg Rzab on bass, and drummer Jay Davenport. Rocky Athas and Stevie Ray Vaughan both hail from Oak Cliff, Texas.

By the time Athas was 23, he had already established himself on the Texas Blues scene and was named one of the first TEXAS TORNADOS by Buddy Magazine’s Top Ten Guitarists. The list of Texas Tornados went on over the years to include Eric Johnson, Jimmy and Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, and Johnny Winter.

Both Greg Rzab and Jay Davenport grew up in the Chicago blues scene. Rzab has been a member of  Buddy Guy and jimmy Page’s bands, and Warren Hayes’ Gov’t Mule!

Davenport has likewise played with some top blues musicians including: Junior Wells, Valerie Wellington, Pinetop Perkins,Jimmie Johnson and for the last several years he has been the drummer for west-side guitarist Melvin Taylor,  where the other half of the rhythm section was? – Greg Rzab!!.

Last year, Mayall asked about his current band and he replied, “The band I have now is the best band I have EVER had. I think it would be impossible to do better than that!”

 

What American Blues Scene says about the album…..

Mayall is at the top of his game here, and the band comes together nicely, serving up some of the finest fare we’ve heard in a while. This music draws listeners in, and engages them on so many levels! The more we listened to A Special Life, the more we wanted to hear it. Superbly crafted and performed, it is at once earthy, elegant, and soul stirring. Listeners will wear this album out.

So Check IT out!!

The Video

Here’s “Speak of the Devil” from A Special Life – and I will say this may be my favorite track on the album and that I hope that I’m going as good as John, when I hit 80!!!

Kenny Wayne Shepherd – A Run With Thoughts About No Pain No Gain

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Kenny Wayne Shepherd Goin' Home

The Run – with Thoughts of No Pain… No Gain

You know the old saying No Pan No Gain …. Well, If there’s pain, there’s gain then I gained a lot from today’s run!! It has rained on a off all day today and when I set off on my run, I think the relative humidity was like 150% and the air was completely still and it certainly seemed that it had no way to ge air into my lungs!

Needless to say it was one of those runs when you just try to trick yourself, well if I only make 3 miles I’ll be happy, oh 3 down I can make one more mile, at 3.5 only one half mile to go, a snap!!

\Before you know it you’re done, both the four miles and you!! First mile 10:22, acceptable, second mile 10:35 still ok, third mile 11:32 ouch! Fourth mile 12:25 and no I didn’t walk any of it! Average pace 11:14 which is I guess ok!

You know what they say “At least you did it!” and I’ll live to run another day!!

The Soundtrack – Kenny Wayne Shephherd – Goin’ Hom

Now the soundtrack of the run was the new album from the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band Goin’ Home and it’s a great album

However, t the last three tracks I heard on my run. which started with Buddy Guy’s “Cut You Loose” pointed my head in the wrong direction. .

The first line of the chorus is “I’m gonna throw my hands up and say “What’s the Use”  Now I know n that the song the singer is  not going to throw his hands yup that because he doesn’t want to run anymore, but the thought of taking that action did cross my mind!!

Next came “Born Under a Bad Sign” not really a positive mental attitude song now is it!!

And then as I finished “Still a Fool” and for running today, maybe I am, my wife would say that the name fits anybody who runs!

About the Soundtrack – Goin’ Home – Kenny Wayne Shepherd

Goin’ Home. was recorded in an 11-day whirlwind in Sheppard’s hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana.

The raw, righteous release finds Shepherd revisiting a dozen of the vintage blues classics that originally inspired him to pick up the guitar and pursue a life in music. He approaches the material with an intensity that affirms his deep connection to these time-tested classics.

On Goin Home, Shepherd’s sharp interpretive skills and sublime guitar work shine on his renditions of tunes originally popularized by such blues icons as B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Magic Sam, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Stevie Ray Vaughan,Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. Shepherd’s memorable readings of such beloved standards as “I Love the Life I Live,”

“The House Is Rockin’,” “Breaking Up Somebody’s Home” and “Born Under a Bad Sign,” along with some lesser-known tunes drawn deep from within the catalogues of his heroes. Shepherd’s new interpretations are faithful to the spirit of the originals, while serving as vibrant expressions of Shepherd’s musical soul.

My Thoughts

Kenny Wayne’s guitar work has never been better and the band composed of singer Noah Hunt, ex-Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble drummer Chris Layton, former Firm bassist Tony Franklin and keyboardist Riley Osbourn, is great, too, particularly Riley Osborn!

Now Kenny Wayne and his band are enough by themselves, but to make the album over the top great some guest were added to the mix! The guests include: Joe Walsh, Warren Haynes, Keb’ Mo’ and Robert Randolph, longtime friend Ringo Starr, Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson,(that explains the great harp I heard) and the Rebirth Brass Band!!

So it’s a great album that will certainly be at the top of many best of 2014 lists!! So check it out (Press Release) it won’t be hard to find because it’s number 1 on Amazon and iTunes!

The Video

Here’s a great video for the song “You Can’t Judge a Book…” The song captures the spirit of the album!!

David Wilcox – blaze – Is It His Best?

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Blaze - David Wilcox

Update (2026): I rediscovered this post while adding an internal link from another playlist article, and it reminded me just how much I’ve enjoyed David Wilcox’s music over the years. Back in 2014 I thought blaze was one of his finest albums, and I still do. The good news is that David hasn’t stopped writing. Since then he’s released more music, which means it’s probably time for me to spend a few weeks revisiting his catalog—and, of course, listening to his latest album.

Re-Discovering David Wilcox

Daid Wilcox - with Guitar

Over the last few weeks, I’ve made reference to listening to David Wilcox’s new album blaze,  today I  listened to it again and I think it’s time i write something about the album!

Why I Keep Coming Back to David’s Music

For me David Wilcox has the whole package, he is an intelligent and thoughtful songwriter, a great singer and a terrific guitar player. What more could one ask for?

I’ve been listening to David since the late 80s when I heard him on the radio singing and discussing the titled track of his first album “The Nightshift Watchman” Which is a song about those people, who sit in underground bunkers watching the skies for a missile attack knowing full well that if they do their job, their job and the world as we know it may be over!!

You can read the lyrics here. Many of David’s eighteen releases can  be found in my music library and I feel that blaze is  one of his best albums.

Listening to blaze

blaze opens with “Oil Talkin’ to Ya'” which in David’s words is just a different way to look at the future when oil may not be around anymore, and maybe it won’t be as bad as we think. Because those dire predictions may just be the oil talkin’ to us!

Songs That Stay With You

The songs on the album cover a wide range of topics from the part we all play in the destruction of the environment in “Guilty by Degree” to a police officers thoughts on the senseless killing of a young child on the city streets “The Sacrifice”.

I love the imagery created in the songs “Drift” and “It’ll Work You” and how they both deal with change and rediscovery of one self!

Once again,  I feel that blaze is one of David’s finest albums, all of the songs are terrific,  and it is one of the best albums of 2014!!

You can watch a short video here in which David discusses the making of blaze. Meanwhile you can check out more about David and blaze at the usual places!

Learn More About David Wilcox

Website
Wikipedia
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Amazon

The Video

David performing “It’s Just the Oil Talkin’ to Ya!”

Jerry Jeff Covers Chris Wall and Bill Staines Songs! Live!

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Jerry Jeff Walker Live at Gruene Hall

Originally posted March 2014 revised and updated July 2026

2026 :Update:When I first started listening to Jerry Jeff Walker, I thought I had simply found another singer-songwriter I enjoyed. Looking back, I realize he became something much more. Through his albums he introduced me to an entire circle of songwriters—Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Chris Wall, and Bill Staines—artists who have remained part of the soundtrack of my life ever since.

Through the Years – Jerry Jeff Walker and the Songwriters He Shared with Us

Through the years, Jerry Jeff Walker introduced me to a whole new world of great songwriters — folks like Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt who have become legends in their own right. But it doesn’t stop there. On his album Live at Gruene Hall, Jerry Jeff shines a light on two other stellar songwriters whose work may not be as widely known: Chris Wall and Bill Staines.

 

🎶 Jerry Jeff Covers 3 Chris Wall Tunes

Three songs by Chris Wall appear on Live at Gruene Hall:

  • I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight
  • Trashy Women
  • Rodeo Wind

These covers turned me into a lifelong fan of Chris Wall’s storytelling. His songs are rooted in dusty plains and dancehalls, with characters that feel lived-in and true. Jerry Jeff’s renditions add that raw, boots-on-the-barroom-floor charm he always brought to a good tune.

Can’t you just see that cowboy out in the barn saddling his horse, with his woman leaning in the doorway, as he gets ready to ride off into the sunset?

🌾 Jerry Jeff Covers Bill Staines’ “The Quiet Faith of Man”

The other songwriter Jerry Jeff salutes on Gruene Hall is Bill Staines, a beloved folk troubadour. If you’re not familiar with him, here’s a bit from his official biography:

For more than forty years, Bill traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, coffeehouses, and concerts. A New England native, he got his start in the 1960s Boston folk scene, even emceeing the Sunday Hoot at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. A reviewer once called him “simply Boston’s best performer,” and he remained a top name on folk radio listener polls for decades.

The song Jerry Jeff chose — “The Quiet Faith of Man” — is, in my humble opinion, one of Bill’s most powerful and moving pieces.

🐾 Bill Staines Sings Bill Staines – “Old Dogs”

To wrap things up, here’s one more Staines gem — Old Dogs, a song that’s tender, wise, and every bit as timeless as the quiet folks it celebrates.