MUSINGS & RAMBLINGS

Well, no longer will I roll my eyes when his name is mentioned in blues circles. They will widen with excitement and enthusiasm. This kid has it nailed!!!

Seems I've been using that stupid phrase "nailed" a lot lately. As one can tell, I'm not a very articulate person and English was/is my worstest subject ever, so back off editing police for I know you're out there ;-)

Anyway... a blues buddy at work had bought it, told me about it, and then brought it in for me to borrow.
To be honest, I was not very excited about it but said, "Thanks man, I'll check it out".
He didn't seem excited about it neither but thought I would like it. I'll ask him tomorrow how he likes it when I reluctantly give him back my, I mean his CD/DVD set.
I can see where some Kenny fans might be disappointed because he really changed up to some real blues with some real old southern players. He is much more tamed in this one here.

I got off work, got in the car, took out Alberta Adams and put in Kenny's. Lit up a smoke, and settled in for my commute.
It started out with an acoustic Country type of blues. Almost a Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee feel.
Wow! I thought, almost outloud.
It's Cootie Stark and Neal "Big Daddy" Pattman doing 'Prison Blues'.
I never heard of these guys before.

The next is called 'Potato Patch' by Jerry "Boogie" McCain and it was only getting better I thought.

The next was a number called 'Honky Tonk' by Buddy Flett, another great song by someone I never heard of.

Then he's got B.B. King on it, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown doing 'Born in Louisiana', Bryan Lee- who is his mentor it seems, Etta Baker, Henry Townsend, Pinetop with the Muddy Waters Band- Willie Big Eyes Smith, Bob Margolin & others, Hubert Sumlin and the Howlin' Wolf Band, the list is amazing. Not only that...the songs are amazing. Not a bad one in the bunch.

My favorites are the of the ones are of the guys I've never heard of before.
Cootie Stark and the song "U-Haul" is just about as real as it gets.

"Well, I've searched and I searched
and I searched and I searched
But I never saw no U-haul behind no hearse."

Pretty much you can't take it with ya kinda number.
A real gem.

My second favorite is "Potato Patch" by Jerry "Boogie" McCain.
It don't get much more lowdown that that there.
Kenny's in the back doing some awesome guitar work and he had Double Trouble with him through out.
They back these old guys with much respect.
There's just so much going on and so much history being laid out, it's exciting for a wannabee hardcore blues fan to take in.


So finally, after playing the CD for the last three days, over and over, lastnight instead of going out, I watched the DVD part of it.
All's I got to say is...GET IT!
This is so pure, so real, and waay better than any other blues documentary I have seen yet!!
That's not saying much because I've haven't seen a lot of the them but it's so good.

They did a great job at this. Simple and effective.
I think the best part is watching Kenny with these living legends. His enthusiasm and respect and most all...his Knowledge... was contagious. His eyes wide-opened with excitement like a little kid in a candy store.
The kid...sorry.... Youngman, can also play some real serious blues on that guitar.

Sad to say but at least four artists in this documentry would become legends instead of 'living legends' after the filming of this.

The Cd is called Kenny Wayne Shepard "10 Days Out. Blues From the Backroads" and it's a real blues jewel.
A must for every serious blues collector.

My favorite line...
"The Blues is something America can truely call it's own. It was born here".

Mo