Category: Music Life

Dion and other Oldies Still Going Strong!

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A few days before Dion was appearing at the Keswick Theater in Philadelphia, a woman commented on Facebook post about his appearance. She said that like Grace Slick said rock stars should retire. What Grace Slick told VH1 was that she retired from the music business because…..

….all rock stars over 50 should retire as they look stupid….

While that may apply to many aging stars who haven’t recorded an album in many years it doesn’t apply to Dion! And just writing this it doesn’t apply to two of her ex-band mates Jorma Kaukonan and Jack Cassidy (Hot Tuna)

Anyway, let’s get back to the eighty-two year young Dion. While I have not seen Dion live,  I have viewed many of his recent video. In them he introduces songs from his last two albums Blues with Friends and Stomping Ground and lwhat I’ve seen is an 82 year-old having the time of his life and producing some really good music!

 The Friends on Dion’s Albums

What Dion  has done on his last two albums is write some great songs and then surround himself with all-star talent to make them come alive!

On Blues with Friends, Dion’s friends included:

Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Beck, Joe Louis Walker, Sonny Landreth, Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen!

While Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Boz Scaggs and others joined him on Stomping Ground.

Now I know that all these people aren’t playing with Dion on tour but I bet he’s put together a band that can come pretty close!

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is Dion keep your music coming and I’ll keep a listening’

Now in addition to Dion there are several other rockers (mostly blues rockers) who are around 80 years old whom are still producing great music!

Oldies But Still Going Great

So while there maybe be others here’s some of my favorite blues artists Recent music…

First and foremost tracks from the great 2022 album from 88 year old John Mayall The Sun is Shing Down. This is one terrific album. Like Dion Mayallbhas surrounded himself with some great young talent! You can read a great review if the album at the following site:

Blues Rock Review: John Mayall: The Sun is Shining Down Review

ONext are a few tracks from Dion’s aforementioned Stomping Ground

Then some from Charlie Musselwhite’s June 2022 release Mississippi’s Son

Followed by John Primer and Bob Corritore’s 2020 release The Gypsy Woman Told Me.

The last track is from Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite’s 2020 release One Hundred Years of sBlues

The bottom line is, while in some cases Rockers over 50 should retire, there are many that should just keep on rocking and creating great blues! And right now Dion falls into that later group!

Links to Explore the Music of Dion

Artist’s Website
Facebook
YouTube
Amazon

Do let’s check out the music of these oldies but still goodies and thank them for their great music!

I’m

Malcolm Wells – Hollerin’ Out Loud Helps a Tough Run!

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Yesterday  The Weather Channel’s morning Running Condition Rating was a 7 out of 10. While that rating is indicative of good running conditions, it’s on the dividing line between good conditions and difficult conditions. For me, today’s conditions were tough. They were tough not because of temperature or humidity but for that damn bright sun! I decided that the soundtrack for the run would be Malcolm Wells and the Two-Timers Hollerin’ Out Loud.

I have started judging the running conditions based on where I first break a sweat and today it was quite early in the run. When I completed the first mile in 10:20 ( a time that would have thrilled me a couple of months ago) I knew today was destined to be a normal run.

At the 2nd mile mark my overall pace had gotten even slower and I was struggling just a little. So I mentally decided to slow down and live to run another day. By the middle of the third mile my pace had slipped to around 10:30 per mile. And all I wanted to do was finish with a pace faster than 10:30.
I had to really force myself to give it all I had over the last 0.1 miles. And with that last sprint which was run  at a pace of 8:28 minutes per mile, I was able to finish with an overall pace of 10:21 minutes per mile. That finish is the one good thing I‘ll take away from today‘s run! Here are the Nerdy Details…..

   The Nerdy Details

Total Dist: 3.12 Time 32:35 Pace: 10:26 min/mile

Mile Splits

Mile-1 10:20   Mile-2: 10:24 Mile-3 10:47

Mile-4 (0.12)8:28

Avg HR 140  Max HR 158 Cals Burned: 384 Cals

The Soundtrack -Hollerin’ Out Loud 

The soundtrack for the run was Hollerin‘ Out Loud the debut release from Malcolm Wells and the Two-Timers. As soon as I heard the Blues harp that kicks off „call My Name“ the first track on Hollerin‘ Out Loud  I knew I  was going to love this album. Then came the great guitar and truly sealed the deal!

Malcolm Wells is a terrific blues harpist who lists the these musicians ascontemporary influences:James Harman, Rick Estrin, Gary Primich, RJ Mischo and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. A few of my favorites!

Malcolm is also a fine composer, arranger and vocalist! Malcolm composed and arranged all eleven tracks on the album.

Malcolm‘s biography on his website is very short

Malcolm was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the summer of 1966. He is very good at surrounding himself with talent.

Malcolm Wells Surrounds Himself with Talent

Those that he has surrounded himself with collectively known as the Two-Timers include: acclaimed guitarist Matt Woods, bassist Patrick Recob and drummer Dwight Dario.

Each member has been successful prior to becoming a Two-Timer.

Matt Woods‘ releases have been nominated for a Blues Music Award, two Blues Blast Awards and have twice made the finals in the Blues Foundation’s “Best Self Produced CD” competition;

Patrick Recob, was also a Blues Blast Award nominee, who has played with just about everyone of Malcolm’s influences previously mentioned.

While Dwight Dario‘s has been performing for five decades! He was a seventeen year member of The Big George Jackson Band. Dwight has toured Europe a dozen times and has received several of his own various music organization awards.

Thoughts about Hollerin’ Out Loud

Hollerin‘ Out Loud is a terrific album from track one to track eleven. The songs are varied and interesting and the musicianship on each track is top notch, as are the vocals.

What makes Hollerin‘ Out Loud special for me is Malcolm‘s blues harp and Matt Woods guitar work. My favorite tracks include: “Call My Name”, “Muffin Top”  and “Gentleman’s Bet”

So Check It Out!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of Malcolm Wells

Artist’s Website 
Facebook
Album Review
Spotify
Amazon

Here’s “Muffin Top” from Hollerin’ Out Loud

Top 20 Psychedelic Rock Songs Playlist Brightened Sunday’s Run

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So this week started as a good running week. On Sunday I ran my first 6.2 mile (10K) training run. While I ran comfortably at a 10:30 pace through the first three miles, the next three were a struggle and I needed to slow down to make the 6.2 miles. However, I did make it and was pleased with my overall time and pace and the soundtrack consisting of one site’s Top 20 Psychedelic Rock Songs. Here are those pesky “Nerdy Details” about the run!

The Nerdy Details

Total Dist: 6.21 Time1:07:58 Pace: 10:57 min/mile

Splits

Mile: 1 10:35    Mile 2: 10:27    Mile: 3 10:39

Mile: 4 11:01       Mile 5 11:22    Mile: 6 11:37

Mile 7 (0.21) 10:51

Avg HR 143 Max HR 164 Cals Burned: 864. Cals

Now after all of the above, I may need to remind you that I started off this post writing,  my running week started off well. Well, last night as I was going down the stairs to feed our cats before bed. I slipped on the top step and skied down the stairs on my butt. Needless to say both my bottom and my left shoulder (I twisted around) were sore this morning.

As a result,  I chose not to run. Instead I did some light rhythmic movement and then my favorite self-created yoga routine.  Actually, it was probably a needed easy day, as my steps per day average was 16,194 for Su day and Monday. Although, I would rather have done it WITHOUT falling down the stairs. Anyway here is the soundtrack for the run.

The Soundtrack :TOP 20 PSYCHEDELIC ROCK SONGS

The soundtrack for the run was a Spotify playlist. The playlist featured most of the songs listed in a post titled –  Top 20 Psychedelic Rock songs at Ultimate Classic Rock and Culture.

The Ultimate Classic rock list contains songs from a lot of my favorite bands> It includes songs from:  Cream, Traffic, Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and The Who. It also contains songs from groups I don’t know like Tintern Abbey, Tomorrow  and July. As wells, bands I’ve hard of but never really listened to likeThe Pretty Things and The 13th Floor Elevator.

All and allI thought it was a good list and even though I was struggling over the second half of the run, hearing some of my favorite songs kept  me going! So Check out the complete list!!

 

 

Mike Zito -Resurrection Makes a Good Run Great!

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The following was posted earlier this week on Renaissance Granddad I thought I’d catch you up a bit before I post about today’s run!


The Run

Oh, what a difference a cloudy sky and a temperature that is a few degrees lower make on a morning run! I have been making it a habit to check the running conditions each night before a run. Last night the rating for this morning was an 8 out of 10 until after 10am. And the rating was correct! The beat thing was there was no bright sun beating down on me!

I ran the first mile in just a shade under 11 minutes. (10:59). The second mile was slower because much of the mile was uphill. My mile time was 11:20 and the average pace dropped to 11:09. I ran the third mile and fourth mile in around 10:56 with a little sprint at the end.As a result,  I was able to finish with an overall pace of 11:00 min/mile and I was a happy runner! Here are those pesky nerdy details

The Nerdy  Details

Total Dist: 4.14 Time 45:33 Pace: 11: 00 min/mile

Splits

Mile 1 10:59 Mile 2: 11:20 Mile 3 10:56 Mile 4 10:58? (I screwed up the Fitbit results by trying to edit my time and lost the exact last 1.14 miles)

Avg HR 138  Max HR 152 Cals Burned: 563 Cals

The Soundtrack: Resurrection

The soundtrack for the run was Resurrection the latest release from Blues Guitarist Mike Zito. I’ve been a fan since I first heard his debut album Pearl back in 2010.

Resurrection - Mike Zito

Zito says this about Resurrection ….

….Resurrection is an album of feelings, emotions, and is very personal. The title track is how I once almost lost my love, but it came back stronger than ever. I have had this song in me for years, but it only makes sense now to share it with the world. After the year we have had on planet Earth, I believe we all need a rebirth. This rebirth has given me an opportunity to be who I want to be musically and artistically.” More

About Resurrection

Resurrection was produced by Grammy-winner David Z. He is best known for his long-standing work with Prince. In addition, Z has contributed to albums by Etta James, Billy Idol, BoDeans, Buddy Guy and John Mayall, among many others.

Zito has help from a lot of old friends on Resurrection. While Zito provides blistering guitar work and lead vocals, those old friends helping out include: Matthew Johnson – drums; Doug Byrkit – bass guitar; Lewis Stephens – piano, organ; Zach Zito – acoustic guitar; Lisa Andersen – backing vocals; Eric Demmer – Saxophone; and Fernando Castillo – Trumpet.​

About The Tracks on Resurrection

The eleven tracks on Resurrection include eight original songs that showcase Zito‘s talent as a composer. The remaining four tracks showcase his talent as an interpreter of other compositions, as he tackles the work of JJ Cale (“I’ll Make Love To You”), Eric Clapton (“Presence of the Lord”) and Willie Dixon (“Evil”). 

“I wrote and recorded the music I felt strongest about and I wanted to share it with the world,” Zito says.” I played my guitar the way I want to play my guitar, not the way anyone says I am supposed to play my guitar. I sang the way I wanted to sing – in my voice with my emotions. I had David Z produce for me again after a few years apart. We have now worked on seven albums together and I believe he understands my music and helped me to shape this album to be strong in the year 2021. This is an album that requires deep listening from beginning to end. More

Final Thoughts

I was really glad that unlike many runs today‘s run was fairly easy.  That’s important because I was able to “come back to the music” several times during the run.
What I heard each time was Mike Zito at the top of his game! His vocals were “vintage” Mike Zito and they reminded me at several points along the way of the vocals I first heard on Pearl.
I know this album is going to be in my music rotation for a while! So Check It Out!
Speaking of Mike Zito being at the top of his game. At this years Blues Music Awards at The Blues Foundation’s 42nd Blues Music Awards in Memphis, TN,  Zito won two awards

The first award was in the category of Blues Rock Artist. While the second wasBlues Rock Album of the Year for Mike Zito and Friends – Rock ‘n’ Roll:  A Tribute to Chuck Berry. Check it Out, too!!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Music of Mike Zito

Here’s a short playlist of the songs on Resurrection. At the 3.25 mile mark of today’s run I “came back to the music” and chuckled when I heard “Running Man”…..

 

Ally Venable, A Run and Thoughts about My Blog

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aLLY vENABLE hEART OF fIRE

When I started my first blog I titled it Me, Myself, Music and Mysteries. The idea was that there would by posts about Me, the music I listened to and the books I read most often which were mysteries.

The “Me” part would include;  posts about my family both my present family and also my ancestors. As well as posts about my attempts to turn back the hands of my biological clock. I attempt to turn those clocks back by eating right, and exercising regular. My exercising includes yoga,  running and indoor cardio workouts.

So why am I writing all of this? Well quite simply I don’t think I can limit myself to only writing about books and music. My ADHD brain just won’t allow it.

The bottom line is I want to open this blog up again to encompass ALL of my life. And maybe just maybe I can post a little more often.

For now and until such time as I can think of another name for this blog, I’m just adding “and More” to the title!

2026 Update: It took a few years, but I finally found the name I was looking for. The ideas I was wrestling with here eventually became A Sixties & Seventies Man. Instead of trying to fit everything into one blog, I realized my writing was really about the music, books, family stories, genealogy, running, and everyday moments that have shaped my life from the 1960s and 1970s onward. Looking back, this post was the first sign that I was already heading in that direction

The Run

Now with all of the above out of the way I can write about runningI have been putting off running for most of 2021. I ran one time back in the beginning of March, but since the weather has been getting nicer the running itch has gotten stronger, so the other day I gave in and ran or at least traversed 2.8miles as fast as my 69 year old legs can carry me. And while it may not be as fast as I’d like it to be, I’m just glad I can still do it! Here are the nerdy details.

The Nerdy Details

Total Dist: 2.81 Time 33:18  Pace: 11;52 min/mile

Splits

Mile 1 11:50    Mile 2: 11: 56     Mile 0.82 11:47

Avg HR 145 Max HR 167 Cals Burned: 446. Cals

The Almost Soundtrack – Heart of Fire – Ally Venable

The soundtrack for the run was going to be Heart of Fire  the new album from Aly Venable. I say was supposed to because when I started the run I received a message that my phone’s battery was low. So after about a quarter mile I turned my headphones off to conserve the battery. It worked because I still had a battery life after finishing the run. Of course I have know way of knowing if it would have done that if I kept listening to the music.

I guess what I’ll need to do is check the charge in my phone before and after my next run!

Anyway if I had checked the charge on the phone before my last run, this post would have a music tie-in via Heart of Fire from Aly Venable. As it is I will give the album a few more listens before I write about Ally and the album

Here’s a post I wrote when I first listen to Ally Venable. Her able Puppet Show had just entered my music rotation. It is a winner!

Artist’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Amazon

The Video

Currently,Heart of Fire is number 18 on the Roots Music Reports Top 59 Albums Chart and climbing! Here’s the Official Music video for the title track from Heart of Fire

 

Brooks Williams Little Lion Kicks Off My Weekly CD Listens!

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Little Lion - Brooks Williams Album Cover

Little Lion – Brooks Williams

Amazon  Website

 

As part of my on-going effort to listen to music from MY music library, last week, I randomly selected  five albums and loaded them into my CD player. Then at some point in the week I listened to them. I confess that I did listen to one of them twice? Any guesses on which one? Anyway here are the five albums…..

This is one of my favorite acoustic guitar albums. The album was released in 2000. It was his second release coming on the heels of Brook’s Hundred Year Shadow.

My wife and I saw him at The Main Point in Bryan Mawr around the time of the release Hundred Year Shadow album, which had been getting a lot of air time on Philly’s WXPN. When I spoke with him during  the break in the show, I told him I was in awe of his guitar work. He said that was his first love. He also said he was working on an acoustic guitar album!

New Riders of the Purple Sage – New Riders of the Purple Sage (NPRS)

New Riders of the Purple Sage Album Cover

New Riders of the Purple Sage – New Ridersof the Purple Sage

Amazon  Website

While this is the CD version NRPS’s debut album, I do own the album on vinyl.  NPRS along with Poco laid the groundwork for my life long love of country rock.

If you guessed, at the beginning of this post, this was the album I listened to twice, you were correct!

My wife and I always say “we were hippies without the drugs” and I lived vicariously through the music of bands like NPRS and Jefferson Airplane. “Henry” is one of my an all-time favorite songs.

Step Right Up – Charlie Robison

Amazon   Website

Charlie Robison, his brother Bruce, pat Green and Jack Ingram and other Texas Music artists were are staples in my music rotation in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

During those years Charlie’s wife was a member of the Dixie Chicks. “ The Wedding Song” which features Emily’s band mate Natalie Maines is probably the best known track on the album. (Natalie’s father Lloyd Maines was, at the time,  a bandmate of one of my musical heroes Jerry Jeff Walker and a fantastic one of musics best steel guitar players)

As I listened to this album for the first time in a long time, I realized that Charlie was a damn good songwriter and storyteller. And his prowess is on display in songs on this album in songs like “John O’Reily”, “Desperate Times” and even “one in a Million” which he wrote with his brother Bruce”

Charlie released his last album High Life. 2013. He has now officially retired! I wish him well and after listening to Step Right Up I think I need to go back and visit some of Charlie’/ other albums in my CD shelves.

David Olney - Omars's Blues

Omar’s Blues – David Olney

Amazon     Website

David Olney was one of the myriad of artists who left us in 2020. He died in January of 2020 prior to the start of the pandemic. He was giving his third performance of the day at a folk festival in Florida when he became still dropped his head. It took several minutes before anyone realized he had passed.

David was a world class storyteller and songwriter. Note I say storyteller first because that to me was where he stood head and shoulders above most songwriters.

The late Townes Van Zandt famously said of Olney: “Any time anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are… I say Mozart, Lightnin Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney. Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard — and that’s true. I mean that from my heart.”…

For more on David Olney and his storytelling magic, check out my full post here.

Voices from Heaven – Vol.2 – Runaround Malonen and Trom Syverson

Now I will confess I didn’t listen to all of the fifth album Voices from Heaven. However you can read a post I wrote about the album back in 2017 here

On the sidebar is a playlist from Spotify containing songs from three of the above albums.  Omar’s Blues is not on Spotify. So here is an official video from David Olney’s This Side or the Other

Doc Watson – Elementary Dr. Watsonn – Always a Joy!

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Doc Watson - Elementary Doctor Watson

Roots: Doc Watson – Elementary Doctor Watson

Doc Watson is one of the foundations of my folk music library.
The other night, I revisited one of my favorite Doc Watson albums:
Elementary Doctor Watson.

Doc Watson was an essential part of the 1960s Folk Music Revival.
From Wikipedia:

Biographical Information
Arthel Lane “Doc” Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist,
songwriter, and singer of country and gospel music.
Watson won seven Grammy Awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
His fingerstyle and flatpicking skills, as well as his knowledge of traditional
American music, were highly regarded.

Blind from a young age, he performed with his son, guitarist Merle Watson,
for over 15 years until Merle’s death in 1985 in an accident on the family farm.

Elementary Doctor Watson (1972

I can’t remember which I bought first—The Essential Doc Watson (1973)
or Elementary Doctor Watson (1972)—but after 50 years,
it doesn’t really matter. Both albums became cornerstones of my collection.
Essential pulled from his Vanguard recordings,
while Elementary was his first on the Poppy label.

This album has always been a “go-to” whenever I need a lift.
The opening track, “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad”,
instantly puts a smile on my face. Then comes a heartfelt cover of Tom Paxton’s
“The Last Thing on My Mind”, and by the time I hit
“Freight Train Boogie”, I’m all in.

The bottom line: Elementary Doctor Watson is a
terrific album. I never lose my awe watching Doc play—he makes it all look effortless,
and he did it blind. Simply amazing!

Other Favorite Doc Watson Albums

  • Lonesome Road (1977) – with Merle Watson
  • Doc and Merle Watson’s Guitar Album (1983)

Note to self: give these a spin soon!

All told, Doc recorded 38 studio albums and 16 live albums,
along with 23 compilation releases. His music is timeless—check him out!

Links for Further Exploration

Doc Watson – “Going Down this Road Feelin’ Bad”

Helpimg out on this performance are the great Tony Rice, Dan Crary Steve Ksufman and Jack Lawrence

John Gorka – Land of the Bottom Line

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Land of the Bottomline John Gorka

I often divide my folk music collection into Roots, Branches and Leaves. The roots are artists who I listened to in the 60s and 70s. The branches are folks I discovered in the 80s through 2010. Finally, the leaves are musicians I have discovered since 2010, when I started to write about music. Today I listened to the music from one of those branches musicians – John Gorka.

Discovering John Gorka

I first encounter the music of John Gorka on Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music a compilations disc Windham Hill released in 1990. The album was designed to introduce listeners to a new crop of young singer-songwriters….Some of the artists included on the compilation went on to major label record deals. Others remained fairly obscure. Windham Hill began long term relationships with some of the artists. John Gorka said the following about the album….

.…: “Windham Hill decided to include one of my songs on the first Legacy songwriters compilation. Before it was even released, Will Ackerman called to say that they would like me to record for them. Land of the Bottom Line came out shortly thereafter….

Likewise, it wasn’t too long after I found that I bought my first John Gorka album which was the aforementioned Land of the Bottom Line.  As a sidenote, Bill Morrissey also appeared on the album and it was long after that I bought Inside which was the first Bill Morrissey album I bought.

Land of the Bottom Line

Anyway , let’s get back to Land of the  Bottom Line. . Like many of my folk albums, I haven’t listened to this album for a long time. As a result, I have forgotten what a terrific album it is! From Wikipedia:

Land of the Bottom Line is the second album by contemporary folk singer-songwriter John Gorka. The album was also Gorka’s major label debut for High Street Records/Windham Hill Records. The album was highly acclaimed by critics at the time, and continues to be cited by some as Gorka’s finest work. The album’s fifteen tracks and near hour-long length also provided an unusually large amount of music for a recording of that era. As Sing Out! editor Mark Moss noted in a review, the topics covered run “the gamut of John’s favorite subjects: love, hard luck, local characters, and more.”[3]

John Gorka has the ability to say a lot with a few words. And that ability is fully on display with the opening line from “Land of the Bottom Line.”….

I couldn’t bribe a wino on what I used to make
My Fortune was as sure as the wind
But I was free to wonder and time was on my hands
It was mine to burn and to bend

The Playlist

There are a ton of great songs on the 15 song album. The playlist below includes my top six songs from the album. They are “Land of the Bottom Line”, “Stranger in My Driver Seat”, “Dream Street”. “The Sentinel”, “I Saw a Stranger with Your Hair” and “Armed with a Broken Heart”.

Artist Website
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Amazon

The Video

Here’s John performing “The Sentinel” from Land of the Bottom Line

 

Ellis Paul a Celebration of His Translucent Soul

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Ellis Paul Trnslucent Soul

Last night and this morning, I was thinking about which folk musician to listen to today.
When I stumbled upon the album The Speed of Trees, I took it as an omen:
it was time to spend the day with Ellis Paul.

That decision was doubly confirmed when I received a Facebook notification that today was Ellis’ birthday!

Translucent Soul (1998)

This morning, I cued up Translucent Soul,
the first Ellis Paul album I ever bought.
The album was released in 1998, but I probably picked it up a year or two later.
While I liked the whole album, it was the title track that really turned me into a fan.

His best-known song, “The World Ain’t Slowing Down”,
also appears on Translucent Soul and gained wider recognition when it was used as the theme song
in the Farrelly brothers’ movie Me, Myself and Irene starring Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger.

About Ellis Paul


Ellis Paul (born Paul Plissey; January 14, 1965) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician.
Born in Presque Isle, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the
Boston school of songwriting—a literate, provocative, and urbanely romantic folk-pop style
that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s.
His pop-folk songs have appeared in movies and on television, bridging the gap
between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
Read More

The Day After Everything Changed

After listening to Translucent Soul,
I followed it with The Day After Everything Changed,
which may be my favorite Ellis Paul album.

The only time I saw Ellis live was at The Tin Angel in Philadelphia,
when he was touring in support of The Day After Everything Changed.
It was a wonderful show, and after the set he autographed my copy of the album,
which now has a special spot in my collection.

The bottom line: Ellis Paul is a terrific singer-songwriter
with a unique, distinct, and expressive voice.
If you haven’t explored his music, today is a good day to start!

The Storyteller’s Suitcase a Great Album

Ellis continues to write powerful, socially conscious songs.
One standout is “The Battle of Charlottesville”,
written after the tragic events in Charlottesville.
It appears on his 2019 release The Storyteller’s Suitcase
and shows his ability to blend storytelling with current events.

Explore More Ellis Paul

Greg Trooper – Day 9 – 30-Day Folk Challenge

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greg Trooper - straight down rain

2026 Update:

When I wrote this post in 2021 i had been blogging for 11 years, The first 4-5 years my main musical focus was on Americana music: Folk, Blues, Bluegrass and othe roots music. Somewhere around 2014 my focused shifted and I was writing more posts about Jazz, New AGe and Progressive Rock. Americana music slipped into the background. In 2021 I created this 30-day Folk Challenge to challenge myself to listen to more Folk music. I don’t think I cpmpleted the challenge but I did write several posts.

Now in 2026 through A Sixties – Seventies Men I am going back and rekindling my love for Americana music. Overall, the s. ite will be how I weave music into my daily life. And Mini Challenges like this is one way. Stay tuned to hear about all the ways.

Greg Trooper – Day 9 – 30-Day Folk Challenge

Today January 13,2021 would have been singer-songwriter Greg Trooper’s 64th birthday. Unfortunately for the music world he died two days after his 61st birthday in 2017. The cause of the death was pancreatic cancer.

Greg Troop was a fellow New Jerseyian. He was born on January 13 in 1956 iin Neptune Township, New Jersey. He was raised in nearby Little Silver.

I  started today listening Straight Down Rain, which found it’s way into my music collection around 1999. I remember I found the album in the discount bin at Tunes,  which was our go to CD store at the time.

His prior release Popular Demons which had been released  in 1998, quickly was added to my music library. Popular Demons had been released on Koch Records and was produced by Buddy Miller.

All total Greg Trooper released thirteen albums. Three of those albums were live albums.

After I listened  to Straight Down Rain for the first time in a long time, I listened to songs from several of Trooper’s other albums.  Of Trooper’s thirteen albums here are the five that are in my music library….

Between a House and a Hard Place
Floating (2003)
Popular Demons (1998)
Straight Down Rain (2001)

Here’s a Baker’s Dozen Greg Trooper Playlist

Final Thoughts

So far this 30-day challenge has been  very rewarding. personally. It has given me an opportunity to listen to many albums that I haven’t heard for too long a time! In addition, I have a renewed interest in searching out new Americana, and Folk music.

Likewise, because I was looking for old vinyl albums I have organized those albums by genre, so now I know where all my folk albums can be located, as well as, my jazz and rock albums! so maybe there’s a 30-day classic rock and jazz challenge in the future. Stay Tuned!

Artist’s Website
Dutch Website
Wikipedia
AllMusic
Discogs
Spotify
Amazon

Here’s is Greg performing on of my favorite Greg Troooper songs “They Call Me Hank”