Category: Weekday Music

Common Ground- Walter Trout on a “Blues Wednesday”

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Common Ground Walter Trout

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Walter Looks for Common Ground

“If there’s a place where the truth can still be found, Lord, lead us to the common ground.” so sings one of my favorite blues artist Walter Trout on the title track of his new album Common Ground. Common Ground is Trout’s 20th album and only a few are in my collection, but those that are get listened to a lot!

From his website Trout says this about the song

“I am blown away by the polarization and cruelty in the world today,” Trout explains. “It goes beyond my understanding. I wrote the lyrics to that song as an attempt to come to terms with that, and as a wish that somehow — regardless of our faiths and nationalities and politics — we can find a place where truth and compassion can take us beyond our differences.”

Thoughts About Common Ground

Common Ground is another winner of an album by Trout full of great guitar licks and some great songwriting. To me it seems that there my be a little more acoustic guitar intros. Trout says this about making the album,:”I’d play each song for the guys on acoustic guitar, and then everybody would pitch in ideas and we’d cut the tracks while the excitement level was high,”

The guys in this case are band mates Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty, Elton John, etc.) on drums, Hutch Hutchinson on bass and pianist Jon Cleary (both of Bonnie Raitt’s band), and famed producer John Porter, whose credits span from Brit-pop legends the Smiths to John Lee Hooker and B.B. King to Santana. These are the same guys that played on Trout’s 2008 release The Outsider

Walter’s Influences.

In researching this piece I found this tidbit from Trout’s biography at his website, yet another guitarist influenced by Mike Bloomfield:

For Trout the journey began in 1965 when his brother brought the first album by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band into his family’s New Jersey home. “On the back cover it said, ‘Play this album loud,’ so we cranked it up and we literally had to sit down and stay there with our jaws on the floor.”

The twin guitars of Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, and Butterfield’s juggernaut harmonica and voice, worked their magic. And the direction of Trout’s life was determined. Of course, it helped that his parents were musically informed; raising their kids on a diet of sounds that included Hank Williams, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, John Coltrane, Bo Diddley, Ray Charles and more.

Like I said this is one of Trout’s best albums and all the songs from the opening track “Maybe a Fool” to the closing track “Excess Bagge are good. I particularly liked “Hudson had Help” which is not you typically blues number!

What Others Say….

Blues Matter says this about the album: “Walter just keeps getting better….a CD full of master class guitaring, with the signature Trout, gritty impassioned vocal and composed of well structured songwriting. Another cracker!”

Final Thoughts!

So check it out! Oh, and another thing that I learned about Walter he played with John Mayall on several of John’s albums in the 1980s including one of my favorites Chicago Line and I thought that Coco Montoya was the lone guitarist on that album!! and another thing he was born in Ocean City, NJ!!!

The Video

Walter Trout performs” Common Ground” in Stanhope NJ in 2011

Blues Wednesday – James Cotton – Giant

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James Cottom Giant

So sometimes artist fall into that category of you know their name, you know they’re great and yet you’ve never listened to their music. An artist like that for me is the great James Cotton. I’ve known the name since the 60’s then the James Cotton Blues Band, but never really sought out his music only hearing it now and then on the radio’

So when I saw that the 75 year old Cotton had released a new album Giant a few weeks ago I said in my best Toyota Commercial Voice “Now is the Time!” and downloaded the album on to the player and after listening I had one of those “What was I thinking” moments! “Superharp” at 75 has made a great blues album! You can read the press release from Alligator News here

About James Cotton-Giant

Of the 12 tracks on Giant four are new Cotton originals and co-writes. The other tracks include songs made famous by Muddy Waters (with whom Cotton playeds for several years), B.B. King, Ivory Joe Hunter and others. Cotton has always had great bands throughout his career. On Giant his band mates are Slam Allen and Tom Holland who share guitar and vocal duties, Noel Neal on bass (except for one song where Ronnie James Weber plays bass) Kenny Neal, Jr is the drummer.

Throughout the album from the opening track “Buried Alive in the Blues” to the closing track “Blues for Koko” Cotton’s harp work is outstanding. On several of the tracks like, “How Blue Can You Get?” the guitar work also stands out!

So if you like blues harmonica, like I do, don’t put off listening to James Cotton, like I did. Check out Giant, well, because James Cotton is and at 75 he’s still blowing strong!

Thinking about not listening to James Cotton makes me think about the author and book I’m reading now Greg Iles’ True Evil. Iles is one of those authors that when I pick up one of his books and read it I end up saying “wow!” and thinking why don’t I read this author’s new books as soon as they come out!!

Anyway here’s “How Blue Can You Get?” featuring Slam Allen’s guitar work!

Twang Tuesday – John Cowan – The Massenburg Sessions

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John Cowan - The Massenburg Sessions

Originally Post September 2010 Revised and Updated July 2026

Ok so these last few months I’ve spent so much time looking for new musicians that I missed a new album by a favorite! Back in April, John Cowan released a new album The Massenberg Sessions. Originally Posted Swptember 2010 revised and Updated July 2026

About The Massenburg Sessions

For this album John worked with mastering engineer George Massenburg known for his work with folks like Little Feat, Dixie Chicks, Linda Ronstadt, Randy Newman and others. The album was recorded live in the studio. There was no overdubbing or editing, and the musicians didn’t even use headphones. There was no mixing and the sound on the album came from the placement of the microphones and the instruments in the studio! The result is a great album!!

The album opens with a jump blues classic that I know from B.B. King “Caledonia”! All the tracks are great in their own way, some highlights for me  include: “Black Blizzard” a song where  Cowan’s voice soars accompanied only by  Shad Cobb’s fiddle,  a  cover Paul and Linda McCartney’s ” Heart of the Country” (What that wasn’t a bluegrass song?).  The Del McCourey Band joins John for a cover of  Bill Monroe’s “Can’t You Hear Me Callin'”.

The Voice of John Cowan and Some Great Friends Help Out

I’ve said before that for me there a few voices as great as John Cowan’s!! I loved it when he sang with the New Grass Revival and also his own band !  It’s one of those things, yes, he could sing the phone book and I’d probably love it!!

Anyway thankfully, he has some great songs to work with and musically some help from friends including, Del McCoury, Reese Wynans and Maura O’Connell.

I usually don’t like gospel tracks but again anything John sings sounds great and the a cappella version of “Jesus Gave Me Water” is great. Maura O’Connell joins John on a Cajun, Celtic version of the traditional song “Lakes of the Ponchartrain”  The album ends with the beautiful Cowan and Jon Randall Stewart song  “Soiled Dove”.

Final Thoughts

The album features some good picking but the center of it all is Cowan’s voice and on this album it is at it’s best. I know that the album is going to stay around on the player for a long time. So if you don’t know John Cowan’s voice do your self a favor and listen to what may be Cowan’s best album yet!!

Hey, I’m listening to “Long Road Back to You” another great track! Did I cover every track yet?? No I missed this one “Carry On”!

The Voice

Here’s John performing “Jesus Gave Me Water”

Blues Wednesday – Hubert Sumlin

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About Them SHoes-Hubert Sumlin

Near the end of the day today I put on some Hubert Sumlin from his two albums from the 2000’s About Them Shoes and Heart and Soul and both of the albums have the later heart and soul! Sumlin played guitar for Howlin’ Wolf in the 60’s and is till going strong as a matter of fact he was the winner of The Blues Music Award for Best Tradition Artist of the Year!  You can check out his gallery here with pictures of Hubert with a boat load of stars! Ok so now I’m listening to The London Howlin’ Wolf  Sessions which I think I had on vinyl at one point but don’t know where it is now! Anyway I think I’m going to give that and some other Howlin’ Wolf music a listen tomorrow. Maybe even some Muddy Waters!

Here’s Hubert with one of my favorites “Killing Floor”

Albert Castigilia – Keepin On on a “Blues Wednesday”

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Albert Castigilia - KeePim' On

Originally posted Aug 2010 Revised July 2025

The one blues album that I listened to this was the soon to be released album by Albert Castiligia pronounced (“ka-STEEL-ya)” Keepin On.

This is how it happened

So, we’re at The College of William and Mary sweating and moving my daughter into her new dorm room on the third floor with no air conditioning and thankfully we’re done!

Yesterday was the trip down and tomorrow the trip back a little bit of music listening! The one blues album that I did listen to was the soon to be released album by Albert Castiligia pronounced (“ka-STEEL-ya)” Keepin’ On.

Discovering Albert Castiglia

I had never heard Albert Castigilia’s music until the other day when I turned on the Blues station on XM Radio and they were playing some tracks from an XM live performance and it sounded great. So I came home and listened to his release before his new albumThese are the Days and really liked it, particularly his cover of a favorite of song on mine “Loan Me a Dime”.

About Keepin On

From his website about the new album:

Most of his new CD release, Keepin On, was recorded live with very few overdubs. He enlisted five session musicians to help on the project, including harmonica master Sandy Mack, who played on “I Could Not Ask for More,” a Peter Green song. 

Mack had played on “Ghosts of Mississippi,” a track from Albert’s A Stones Throw album in 2006. According to Castiglia, “He kicked butt then and he picked up where left off on this session.

”Keepin On features five new original tunes, plus other covers of songs by John Lee Hooker, Mack Rice, T-Bone Walker, Robert Nighthawk and Bob Dylan

Castigilia met blues legend Junior Wells in 1996 and became his lead guitar player until Junior’s death in 1998. After Junior’s passing he toured with Sandy Hall and then started a solo career in 2002 with the release of his first CD Burn.

Since then he’s released  three other albums making his new album his fifth. His album These are the Days earned him a Blues Music Award nomination for “Song of the Year” for his original, “Bad Year Blues.” 

Castiglia was nominated again by the Illinois Blues Blast Awards and this time walked away a winner for “Song of the Year” for “Bad Year Blues,” as well as being nominated for the “Sean Costello Rising Star Award.”

I enjoyed Castiglia’s vocals and guitar work throughout the album. Standout tracks include the opening track “Cadillac Assembly Line, the title track “Keep On, Keepin’ On” and the closing track “Closing Time”.  But there’s good work on every track. This CD will be on the player with a while along with These Are the Days when I get home!

Website
Ruf Records
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AllMusic

YouTube

The Video

Here’s “Cadillac Assembly Line” from Keepin’ On by Albert Castigialia

Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper Leavin’ Town on a “Twang Tuesday”

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Leavin' Town - Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper

Originally Posted Aug 2010 Revised and Updated July 2026

A Jazzy Beginning Leads To Some Bluesgrass Keepers

A Jazzfter listening to Blackberry Smoke I was doing some writing and needed to listen to something without words, so I put on some Wynton Kelly, piano. Kelly played a lot with Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery and is a fine jazz pianist. I listened to an album of about six songs all very good jazz! 

Then it was time for sone twang I had checked the Roots Music Report and found a couple of names I didn’t know and went to Rhapsody to listen.

Two Bluegrass Discoveries – Michael Cleveland and Frank Solivan


The two artist were Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeeper and Frank Solivan and the Dirty Kitchen. Both albums were pure bluegrass and really good. I really didn’t listen that closely to all the tracks but the picking and vocals were both really good. Like Blackberry Smoke they both will be downloaded for some further listening.

The Michael Cleveland album that I listened to was Leavin’ Town and like I said I was impressed. When I came home I went to the band’s website and read that the song “Jerusalem Ridge,” won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s 2009 Instrumental Recorded Performance of the Year!

It was great to know that what impresses me also impresses others that know more about music then I do! Cleveland’s other albums have been award winners also Let’er Go Boys (2006)was voted Instrumental Album of the Year, International Bluegrass Music Association. Live at The Ragged Edge the 2004 release by Tom Adams and Michael Cleveland was also Instrumental Album of the Year, International Bluegrass Music Association as was Michael Cleveland’s Flamethrower.

About Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeeper

Michael Cleveland and the Flamekeeper band is composed of: Michael Cleveland on fiddle. As I said previously Michael has won all kinds of awards. In addition to the one’s listed above at the 2001 IBMA awards, Mike took his first Fiddle Player of the Year award, and shared the title of Entertainer of the Year with Rhonda Vincent and the Rage.

In 2002 Mike rejoined The Dale Ann Bradley Band. That year he won the Fiddle Player of the Year award and again in 2004. And the list goes on and on.

  • Jesse Brock the 2009 IBMA Mandolin Performer of the Year is on mandolin,
  • Tom Adams , vocals and guitar,
  • Marshall Wilborn on bass and vocals and rounding out the band
  • Jesse Baker on banjo.

All in all an impressive lineup and deserving of their awards! So Check them Out! I know I’m going to listen some more to Leavin’ Town and then some of the other albums!

Artist’s Website
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The Video


Here’s Michael performing one of my favorite songs “Lee Highway Blues”

Ray Wylie Hubbard and a Crazy Friday Night

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Ray Wylie Hubbard -A Enlightenment B eEndarkenedment

Originally Posted July 2010 Updated and Revised July 2026

2026 Update : Since I wrote this post back in 2010, a lot has changed we have iPhones, Kindles and laptops. We’re also empty nesters with two of our children in their forties and another one to reach that milestone in December. We have five grandchild. But Ray Wylie’s still singing “a enlightenment b endarkenment ” via the CD player!

Ray Wylie Hubbard was one of the musicians I discovered while digging through the bargain bins at Tunes. Along the way I also found artists like Nathan Hamilton, Max Stalling, Jimmy LaFave, and many others. Those bargain-bin discoveries became some of the best musical finds of my life, and revisiting them will be one of the ongoing themes of A Sixties-Seventies Man.

How It All Began……

So I was all ready to write a post about Ray Wylie Hubbard last night, I had given up on the Phillies and was enjoying Karin Slaughter’s new book, when the Phillies started their unbelievable comeback. Soon the game was over and Nick went to bed.O

He has been sleeping in the air conditioned back room, which meant I could not get to the computer. My wife was still on the one in the family room and I was still enjoying Broken!

Soon it was almost midnight I tried to start the post but the computer would not cooperate so I went to bed! But I was a happy camper though enjoying the first victory by the Phils after entering the 8th inning behind! Anyway here is the piece about Ray Wylie Hubbard.

Discovering Ray Wylie Hubbard

I first discovered Ray Wylie through Jerry Jeff Walker and Ray’s song “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother” but really didn’t follow Ray’s music until he signed with Philo Records in 1997 and his music really became available.

I picked up his second Philo release Crusades of the Restless Knights and became a Ray Wylie fan. I have all of the albums he has released since with the exception of  Delirium Tremolos. While I’ve only listened to it on Rhapsody my favorite album title by Ray Wylie is Lost Train of Thought

Meeting Ray Wylie and Lloyd Maines!

. I saw Ray Wylie live in either 2001 or 2002 with Slaid Cleaves and Terri Hendrix. That was a great night I bought and Ray signed a copy of Live at Ciblio Creek and I got to shake hands with a hero of mine Lloyd Maines who tours with Terri Hendrix!

Anyway I said to Ray you didn’t sing it (meaning Redneck Mother) and he chuckled and said “yeah, I know it was a family show!” His most recent album A Enlightenment, B Endarkenment, hint there is no C was a Christmas present it was pre-ordered and autographed and released in January of 2010. I listened to it several times and just couldn’t get into it. I loved the title track and a “Drunken Poet’s Dream” who  wouldn’t love the lyrics

I gonna get me some mescaline,

then I’m gonna rhyme  it with gasoline

a Drunken poet’s dream

The song I couldn’t get past on the album was “Wasp’s Nest” Well that one came on yesterday in a random shuffle. I listened and said “Hey that ain’t to bad!” so I took the player off of shuffle and listened to the whole album.

Overall my opinion of the album has been upgraded from ok to pretty damn good and I am not alone in my opinion. The Americana Music Association has nominated Ray for the following:

  • ARTIST OF THE YEAR
  • ALBUM OF THE YEAR
  • A. Enlightenment B. Endarkenment (Hint: There is no c) , by Ray Wylie Hubbard
  • SONG OF THE YEAR
  • “Drunken Poets Dream”
  • Written by Hayes Carll and Ray Wylie Hubbard performed by Ray Wylie Hubbard

The Video

Here’s one of my favorite Ray Wylie tracks “Conversations with the Devil”. One of the great things about a live performance are the stories he tells and his great sense of humor which is evident from this clip!

And here’s “One Good Year” by Slaid Cleaves

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Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, and Others on a “Memories Monday”

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The Live Adventures of Mike BBloomfield and Al Kooper

How it Begins…..

“One-two….Uh, listen here now,here’s what….tihs is  where it’s at, this is the thing of this gig and here’s…I’ll tell you ’bout it now. Uh, awhile ago my friend Alan Kooper called me on the phone and said, “Let’s make this gig, an LP in Los Angeles and we’ll sat will happen” So we went and I played, and I played for one day and I split and went back to San Francisco where I live and the other day Stephen Stills played….and they put out an album called “Super Sessions”…….Mike Bloomfield , San Francisco, September 26, 1968 9:50 PM

The above quote is the begining of a little speech given before Mike Bloomfiled and Al Kooper were introduced for their live gig based upon their album Super Session describing what the audience would be listening to. What they would be listening to would be some grerat live music recorded over three nights.

The first two were with Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper and band mates John Kahn and Skip Prokop and after Mike Bloomfield’s insomia caught up with him (he was up for five straight days and ended up in the hospital) and for the final night’s tracks recorded with Carlos Santana and Elvin Bishop filing in are included in the album which is the first album side

I listened to tonight side 2 of  The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper.

The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper.

Side 2 of The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper opens with a great cover of The Band’s song “The Weight” and Mike and Al are both in good form on the number.

On the next three tracks Mike and Al swap lead vocals with Mike doing the vocals on a Ray Charles song “Mary Ann” and then Al on”Together ’til the End of Time”  and Mike again on “That’s All Right”.

During this gig it was the first time Al had heard Mike sing! But the real reason that I listened to this album was the last track on Side 2 a great cover of Booker T’s “Green Onions” with Mike playing the part of Steve Cropper. I always loved this track and mentioned it the other day.

Overall even after uh 42 years, it’s still a great listen. I love both Mike Bloomfield guitar work and Al Kooper’s organ playing!!

AllMusic

Deliverin’ – Poco

Deliverin' - Poco

The second album I listened to was released around the same time and was my introduction to another band I would be listening to for the next forty years and that would be Poco and their live album Deliverin’.

Again I listened to the second side. I guess I was always like that side a little more than the first because I really liked Jim Messina’s “You Better Think Twice” but then again I also like Richie Furay’s “A Man Like Me”  and the medley which included Rusty Young’s “Grand Junction”.

So I guess I always like the whole album including side 1!  Through the years my wife became a bigger fan than I was, I never like the band as much after Messina and Furay left.

In the last several  years, we have seen  Poco  them several times live and they always put on a great show. We haven’t seen a show yet where Richie has played with them but I’m hoping we get to one!

AllMusic

The Use of Ashes – Pearls Before Swine

The use of Ashes -Pearls Before Swinw

The last album that I listened to was Pearls Before Swine The Use of Ashes. Released in 1970 this is another of my favorite all time albums and one I’ve listened to frequently through the years but not for a while.

I listened tonight to Side 1 because that’s the side that has my two favorite songs “The Jeweler” and “Rocket Man” both of which are great songs with vivid imagery.

In Rocket Man the chorus when a mother and child other face a world where their husband and father could be being killed at any moment

My mother and I never went out

unless the sky was cloudy or the sun was blotted out

or to escape the pain

we only went out when it rained.

It’s a chorus  that’s rambled around in my head for forty years and never fails to move me! Anyway the other songs on this side “From a Movie”, “God Save a Child” and “Song about a Rose” are less remembered but listening again tonight brought back how much I liked this whole album!

AllMusic

Overall, it was a better night of listening to music than it was watching Phillies baseball!

Thre Video

Here’s a video of Mike and Al’s cover of “Green Onions”

Several years go I bought this poster at Wolfgang’s Vault with a Christmas Gift Ceritifcate from my son Peter.

It wasn’t until I looked more closely at the dates on the poster that I realized it was the nights the album was recorded!

2026 Update: Weekly Music Days Are Changing

As I look back at these posts from my early blogging years, I realize that most of the artists and albums featured here were never really forgotten. They had simply gone a long time without finding their way back onto my turntable or playlist.

Because of that, I’ve decided to rename Folk Monday as Memories Monday.

This post isn’t just about three albums. It’s about spending an evening revisiting music that has been part of my life’s soundtrack for decades and discovering that it still sounds every bit as good as I remembered.

Going forward, Memories Monday will be the place where I revisit the music and memories that have shaped my journey. Some weeks that might mean rediscovering favorite albums or concerts. Other weeks it may be old playlists, first musical discoveries, reel-to-reel tapes, stories about sharing music with Andrew or Peter, memories from my college years, or even family stories and genealAfter all, music has always been more than something I’ve listened to—it has been one of the threads that connects the people, places, and moments that have made me who I am.

P.S. As part of the new weekly rhythm on A Sixties–Seventies Man, Folk Monday is moving to Folk Friday.

Joe Bonamassa – Black Rock on a “Blues Wednesday”

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Joe Bonamassa - Black Rock

So today started out a lot like yesterday, still no coffee at the 7-Eleven due to remodeling! Then I listened to tracks from several different blues albums and again nothing caught my attention.

Joe Bonamassa – Black Rock Catches My Attention

So at lunch I checked out the Billboard Blues charts and there are number one sat Joe Bonamassa’s new album Black Rock and at Number 9 Derek Trucks new album Already Free so I loaded both on the mp3 player and set out for a site to do some testing and listening on the way!

Now Bonamassa was a name I’d always heard (seems like I say this a lot!) but never listened to, my mistake! Anyway since I heard one of his albums about a year ago his music gets steady play.

So I anticipated that I would enjoy Bonamassa’s great playing and good vocals and all around strong sound.

Black Rock Doesn’t Disappoint

The first two tracks did not disappoint me and on the third track “When the Fire Hits the Sea” I caught myself saying is he playing slide guitar on this track – yep – and it was good!

Then came “Quarryman’s Lament” which opened with a different sounding instrument, which I have since learned was a clarino (a Greek type clarinet) and I said this is a great album.

“Bird on a Wire” is a Highlight!

But the best was yet to come probably the best cover I have ever heard of Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on a Wire” which opens with Greek musician Thanasis Vasilopoulos on the nei, a Greek flute-like instrument. Bonamassa took  a favorite Leonard Cohen song of mine and made it a favorite Joe Bonamassa song of mine!! It just blew me away!

Other highlights on the album include a cover of Jeff Beck’s “Spanish Boots” and Otis Rush’s “Three Times a Fool”  and a great duet with B.B. King  as they covered “Night Life”

Greek Influences Galore!

More Greek influences (a result of the album being recorded at Black Rock studios in Greece, hence the name of the album) are heard on “Athens to Athens” and the opening of a Bonamassa original “Blue and Evil”  that opens with Joe on acoustic guitar trading licks with Manolis Karadinis playing bouzouki (think mandolin or Indian instrument sarod), which quickly changes to hard guitar and sounds a little like Led Zeppelin!

Final Thoughts

Throughout the album Bonamassa’s guitar playing is awesome as usual and I think his vocals are some of the best I’ve heard from him. But the cover of “Bird on a Wire” and the use of the Greek instruments and some of the acoustic stuff just sends this album a whole different level, definitely a  5 out of 5 if not higher! I am sure this album will get lots of plays over the next few months!

Now like I said I also downloaded and listened to Derek Trucks CD Already Free which I also liked but can’t put in the same class as Black Rock. but I don’t think it’s fair to comment on that CD today so I will listen to it again and comment on it tomorrow!

The Video

Here’s “Bird on a Wire” – I think Leonard would Approve!