Author: Matt Merta/Mitch Matthews

Musician and writer (both song and print) for over 30 years. Primarily interested in roots music (Americana, bluegrass, blues, folk). Current contributing writer for Fiddler Magazine, previous work with Metro Times (Detroit), Ann Arbor Paper and Real Detroit Weekly, as well as other various music and military publications. As songwriter, won the 2015 Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (Bluegrass Category, "Something About A Train," co-written with Dawn Kenney and David Morris) as well as having work performed on NPR and nominated for numerous Detroit Music Awards.

Categories
Music Industry

The Fender Stratocaster Lawsuit

Apologies for the delay with this blog, I drove across the state to see one of my favorite bluegrass guitarists, Rebecca Frazier (https://luegra.design.blog/2023/05/27/the-amazing-rebecca-frazier/), at a festival in Niles, Michigan. It was wonderful to see her, and she was just as happy to see me after so many years of just emailing and messaging each other, And her band loved the chrusciki (Polish cookies known as “angel wings”) that I brought.

If you follow any music business news, you know that the past few weeks have been filled with talk of Fender and its lawsuit against a number of other guitar manufacturers regarding the making of Stratocaster style guitars. It began with Fender presenting cease-and-desist orders to other companies, from larger ones such as PRS and Ibanez, to smaller boutique operations such as LsL.

Many observers are assuming that this lawsuit comes from an earlier success that Fender received in Germany against Yiwu Philharmonic Musical Instrument Co., based out of China. In a court in Dusseldorf, the decision sided with Fender that Yiwu must discontinue selling Strat style guitars in the European Union countries. It didn’t help that Yiwu failed to send attorneys to the court in the first place.

So Fender received a ruling that qualified the Strat as a copyrighted form of art which no other company could sell similar guitars. However, this was a German court. So Fender decided to take action here in the US, a much larger guitar market for electric guitars. The initial letter from the Bird & Bird Law Firm sent to other guitar manufacturers stated “Subject of this letter is your offer of products which infringe the copyright of our client’s Fender Stratocaster guitar. We insist that you immediately stop manufacturing, selling, marketing, or producing such infringing products.” The letter also demands that companies destroy current stock and secure sold guitars to destroy as well.

When guitar podcasters and music journalists got wind of this, the internet blew up. Note that Fender received a patent on the Stratocaster back in 1953, and started mass producing them the next year. For a product that has been around for over 70 years, it seems strange that Fender decided to take action now.

Immediate reaction from the defendants has been mixed. Granted, Fender has the cash to afford the best legal representation. Companies like Ibanez and PRS also have the money, so they seem willing to put up a fight. However, LsL admits that it cannot financially fight Fender. Fans of the company set up a GoFundMe page to help LsL with attorney fees.

Since the first news, any information regarding continues legal work and negotiations seems to be hush-hush. Very little is being leaked out by Fender as well as the defending guitar manufacturers. Moreover, these little bits come out every day, so opinions and new podcasts and vlogs come out just as fast as the news arrives. Most recently, Fender has revised its lawsuits, stating that it was not interested in all two-horned body guitars, and those companies that replicate the Strat will be removed from the lawsuit if they do modifications to their models that show a distinct difference to the Strat.

Nost people following this lawsuit are assuming that Fender is specifically going after PRS. John Mayer, who was a Stratocaster through most of his career, recently endorsed PRS and its Silver Sky model. Other than the differing headstocks, the Stratocaster and the Silver Sky are basically the same guitar, body shape and electronics.

(These are just a few of the many YouTube vlogs dealing with the lawsuit)

Perhaps Fender is miffed that Mayer went to PRS instead of staying with it. Looking at guitar fans postings on the internet, most believe that Fender is the bad guy, some even suggesting a boycott from future Fender product purchases. As stated before, every waking day seems to bring another update to the lawsuit. I plan to follow it as a curiosity rather than a main concern. However, whatever happens in the court will definitely have an effect on the future of not onlyt musical instrument manufacturing, but product manufacturing in general.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music

Lynn Blakey, I Will Truly Miss You

I had another topic all set for this week’s blog, but something happened yesterday that affected me, so that I will save that one for next week.

Yesterday morning, a song from the 80s came into my mind that I loved. “Every Word Means No” by Let’s Active. A great new-wave pop gem written by band leader Mitch Easter (who also produced R.E.M.’s first two albums). Originally a three-piece band, it added a second guitarist for touring. Her name was Lynn Blakey. She was from the same music scene as the band, which was the Athens, GA/Raleigh, NC area.

I had met Lynn at an Americana Music Association conference back around 2006 (more on that later). During her touring with Let’s Active, the band did a show in San Francisco with The Replacements. Lynn was the muse that inspired Paul Westerberg to write one of the greatest songs of the 80s, “Left of the Dial” (a song that I plan to include in my Perfect Song blogs).

After playing in local bands for a few years, she formed a wonderful folk/Americana project called Tres Chicas with fiddler Caitlin Cary (Whiskeytown) and Tonya Lamm (Hazeldine). The band released two albums on Yep Roc, and showcased at the AMA in 2006. That is where our paths crossed.

The bar was 12th and Porter in Nashville. It was one of about five or six that were showcasing bands during the AMA conference weekend, so crowds were spread out among them. Tres Chicas was the final band that night, and as showcases go, performances run late, so the band did not go on until after 1:00 am. During the performance, a guitar string broke on Lynn’s guitar (or maybe it was Tonya’s?). Anyway, I ran up and volunteered to change it (I have changing strings fast down to a skill. I was more popular on the Detroit music scene back in the late 80s/early 90s as a roadie than I was as a musician).

After the show, Lynn came up to me and thanked me for the help. We started talking, and our conversation went long and everywhere. It was literally like talking to your soul mate. She stole my heart (as she probably stole Westerberg’s 20 years earlier). As we were closing up the bar, we exchanged email addresses, and she kissed me. I will remember that moment like it was yesterday. We emailed back and forth a few times, then I lost touch with her. I guess this was about the time she met her future husband, German musician Ecki Heins.

Fast forward to yesterday, I decided to Google her to see what she was up to. To my shock, I learned that she passed away on February 6th of metastatic cancer.

My heart dropped to the floor. I read through some of the articles about her life and death, and all said the same thing – that she was a beautiful human being. That I can vouch for. Her wonderful presence on stage continued with her off stage and in her personal life. I learned from reading that she was first diagnosed with cancer in 2022, went into remission, but it recently came back. During her later years, she served as cantor and choir leader at her local Catholic church. She also returned to college to get a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies.

She passed away with Ecki by her side (he is also dealing with a cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy treatments). During the weekend of May 29-30, artists that she has worked with over the years, including members of Tres Chicas and Let’s Active, as well as Alejandro Escovedo and Chris Stamey, will be performing at a tribute concert.

Lynn, always know that the hour spent with you in Nashville was one of the most precious that I have ever experienced, and will remain with me forever. You were truly a gift to not only the music scene, but to mankind as well. You will always own a piece of my heart.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Lutherie Musical Instruments

Shopping Goodwill Online

Every few days, I go to the Goodwill auction website (www.shopgoodwill.com) to see what music equipment I may be lucky to pick up (I rarely go to an actual Goodwill store, as there never seems to be anything that interests me). The site has a separate category for musical instruments, with sub-categories for guitars/basses, stringed instruments, percussion, woodwinds, brass, electronic, and amplifiers/effects. As for the guitar section, most of the items are garbage, but there are a few items that come across that are worth a second look.

Of those few items, some are actually quality instruments. I have seen many Fender, Gibson, Guild and other name brands on the site. However, most of these are being scouted by dealers, and the bids are much higher than I want to compete with. Occasionally, I am able to snag a decent buy. Such might be the case with my recent purchase of a Fender Squier Strat. With a quality Fender gigbag, shipping and handling, the total was about $80.00. NOTE: Be sure to check the shipping cost before you bid on anything. This is a national auction site, so if you are on the east coast, and the item is from a Goodwill store in California, the shipping cost may be more than the item itself! Also note that sales tax is not included until after you purchase, so be sure to mentally calculate that. Finally, note that many items will not be shipped and must be picked up locally.

So when the Strat arrived, there was a bit more work to be done on it than the Goodwill photos showed and were not in the description. I knew that I would have to get a replacement whammy bar and knobs, but I did not see that the output jack was broken and needed replacement. Also, there are some major dings that bits of the wood are chipped off. Finally, the owner took a Sharpie pen to it. Some of the writing is just names of bands, others look like autographs. Not sure who the signers are, but a good cleaning with nail polish remover or Goo Gone should clean up that stuff.

I have already ordered replacement knobs, whammy bar, and output jack for those areas. As for the wood divots, fortunately, those areas are along the side where the sunburst finish is black. I can patch that area and do some sanding/finishing without having to re-finish the entire body. Parts and finishing materials, the cost will probably be about $20.00 total. Time-wise, it will take me a while, as my new job still has me doing some overtime until more people are hired in. I look at this as more of a passion than trying to make money, so if and when I sell this, I will probably break even.

Again, if you decide to hit the Goodwill auction site, bid carefully. You may get a bargain out of it!

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Evelyn Cox RIP

On May 5th, the bluegrass world lost another wonderful traditional voice. Evelyn Cox Hobbs, singer and guitarist for the Cox Family, passed away at the age of 66.

The Cox Family as a band was started by father Willard in the late 1970s. They resided in the Cotton Valley of northwest Louisiana. As kids, Evelyn, along with brother Sidney and sisters Lynn and Suzanne, would learn instruments as well as sing harmonies to gospel music. From performing at local hayrides to appearances on the the Grand Ole Opry. The band won a Grammy in 1994 in the Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Album category for I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, a collaboration with Alison Krauss.

Probably the biggest boost to the band’s career was an appearance in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, as well as in the documentary of the soundtrack to the movie Down From the Mountain. The band performed two classic songs at the Ryman Auditorium for that film, which showcase the beautiful harmonies that they were known for.

Willard retired from the band shortly after the appearance, but the siblings continued on. Evelyn and Suzanne retired a few years back, and Sidney reformed the band with his daughters to create a second generation of the legacy.

I was fortunate to see the band during the Down From the Mountain tours. Willard had already retired, so Evelyn was the spokesperson for the group. She had kept the laid-back humor that her father always showed on stage. However, it was those precious harmonies that melted my heart. Whenever I need shot of joy, I pull up the performance of “Will There Be Any Stars In My Crown” from the Ryman performance on YouTube. Simply beautiful to hear.

Evelyn, thank you for giving the rest of a voice that could only have been given to you by God to put to good use,, which you did. You are now in Heaven, singing in the Angel Band with your father.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Rock Music

The Video That Killed the Rock Star

It’s funny how one incident can kill a successful musical career. It could be drug addiction, long-term hatred with former bandmates or other music industry people, failed marriages, or a sladerous comment that got published. But making a music video?

I was talking with a co-worker at my job, and the discussion turned to music videos. I grew up with my teens being part of the early MTV generation. That was when the network was literally just showing videos. They had the occasional interview with an artists, and the whole thing was hosted by six VJs. This was the early 1980s, and the channel would show any type of video that a signed band put out, whether it was of a live performance or some crazy concept.

As time went on, videos turned into mini-movies, with “Thriller” by Michael Jackson being a great example. Other videos became messages, in many cases not related to the music and lyrics. Of course, like many Top 40 songs, the videos faded into obscurity. However, some have remained in the minds of music fans, for better or worse.

Such is the case of Billy Squier and his video for “Rock Me Tonite.” Squier had a great career in rock music in the early 1980s. Radio hits such as “Stroke Me” and “Lonely is the Night” had some powerful vocals with memorable guitar riffs woven throughout. Then came “Rock Me Tonite.” As far as the recording, it matched his previous hits, with a hard-edged power-pop sound.

Then there was the video. To this day, no one really knows who was responsible for approving this and putting it out. At the time, MTV put it on heavy rotation, and probably scared away a lot of viewers along the way. This video is an absolute nightmare meeting a bad joke and having a baby.

Throughout the video, Squier is dancing by himself in his bedroom like no one is watching. Unfortunately, people were watching, and the ridicule soon followed. So much so that, 40-plus years later, the video still stands out as one of the biggest guffaws ever put to tape. Soon after the initial criticism, Squier’s career in music tanked considerably. These days, he makes occasional appearances, but very few have forgotten this catastrophe.

In watching this video again (I forced myself for this blog), my only theory to the making of it was that teenage boys were watching MTV videos not only for the cool hair-metal bands performing, but for the scantily-clad models that appeared in them. Perhaps someone thought that pubescent young girls would have the same reaction when seeing a young rock star dancing around and tearing off his shirt. In short, it didn’t.

For those of you who have never seen the video, I present it here. My apologies if it negatively affects your future life in any way. You are sure to get a few good laughs at the comments that follow.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

The Pros and Cons of Bluegrass Jams

I was recently asked to assist in getting a bluegrass jam started at a bar here in Detroit. Basically a person that I met at a local jam has an uncle that owns a bar, and this person wants to start a regular bluegrass jam at the bar. I checked out the place, and it has pretty much a faux Irish pub look to it, but the outdoor patio is spacious enough for small concerts.

It got me to thinking about my experience with bluegrass jams over the years. While most bluegrassers may be familiar with the night-long jam sessions after performances at festivals, there is occasionally the established jam session organized somewhere during the times when festivals are not happening, like during the winter up here in the north.

These types of jams are hard to predict as far as success. Most local bluegrass associations (like the Southeast Michigan Bluegrass Music Association) attempt to set up or help sponsor jams, usually after a business meeting. SEMBMA used to do that, but it would be disheartening, as the meeting would have five or six people attending, then as the meeting was wrapping up, 20 people would show up with instruments in-hand. Thus, not much got done by the association from its “members,” as they only seemed to join just to have a place to play. SEMBMA has had to cancel many sponsored activities due to lack of membership volunteer help at them. If the only reason to join the association is to plant your butt at a place to play, then why bother?

One association up here in Michigan used to sponsor a monthly jam at a school. About 10 classrooms were open, and the cafeteria had a small stage for sign-up performing. I went a few times, and the folks that ran it were stand-offish to say the least. Each room was taken up by some amateur band that did not want anyone from the outside coming in to jam. The last that I heard, this association has dissolved sometime around COVID.

Jams at places like restaurants and bars are also hard to keep going. One has to remember that the owner of the establishment is hoping to make money at this business. Live music, even with established bands, can be a coin toss as far as profitability. I am sure that every bar owner would love to have a Billy Strings or Del McCoury play at his/her venue once a month to make up for the dead evenings the rest of the time. Open mics and jam sessions are very shaky at bars. The bar owner may try it once or twice, but if he/she is losing money on that night, forget it going past a third time. I have seen way too many times that jammers show up, play for hours, not buying a drink (or worse yet, try to sneak in their own drinks), then up and leave without spending a dollar on food or beer. There is usually no cover charge on these nights, but I have also seen places that charge a few dollars for jam nights, which stalwart jammers thumb their noses to. In the end, bar owners lose money, and jammers are out of another place to play.

One jam night here in suburban Detroit that I have enjoyed hitting is at the Cirrus Guitar shop. Once per month Mike Franks opens up a room for two hours of bluegrass and folk jamming. After which, everyone there gabs about music, instruments, or other topics, while Mike takes any newcomers on a tour of the shop. This is successful because Mike has a deep love for the music, his shop would probably be open anyways, and the people that show up do not take advantage of his gratitude. If I do show up, I usually bring some snacks for afterwards.

Jams take some time for the news to get out. That first one at Cirrus had five people. It has grown some, but there are other factors (only once per month, it is on a weeknight, and not centrally located). However, the main factor I see that would make a regularly scheduled jam session a success would be the cooperation of the jammers themselves. Accept that someone is allowing you to come into his/her facility for a few hours to play with others. See what you can do for that owner. Provide snacks, help clean up afterwards, help set up beforehand, even pass the hat and throw in a buck or two (if no cover charge is being made) to help play the electric bill for that evening. If that is too much to ask, then just stay home and jam with yourself, or have a jam session at your house. See how much time and effort it takes to make a bunch of jammers happy at no cost to them.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

The 1946 Penny

Shortly after I bought my Martin D-28 acoustic guitar, I wanted to use it to honor the founders of bluegrass music. While December 8, 1945 is considered the birth of bluegrass music as we know it, since this is when Bill Monroe appeared on the Grand Ole Opry with Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise and Cedric Rainwater, this incarnation of the Blue Grass Boys made its first recording in 1946. That year is considered the “big bang theory” of bluegrass music.

While playing bluegrass music on that Martin was perhaps tribute enough, I just felt that it needed something more. I didn’t want to do anything drastic to the guitar physically, but wanted to give it something unique. A few years ago, while checking some change in my pocket, I came across a 1946 Lincoln Wheat penny. Wheat pennies are not too rare in general, but you don’t see much in circulation.

Knowing how important the year 1946 is to bluegrass music, I thought that this find was a bit of good luck, or even a message from a spirit. Thus, I taped that 1946 penny to the back of the headstock of the Martin. For some reason, playing that guitar felt a little better. I look at it as a good luck charm when playing the guitar.

Now that I have a few quality acoustic guitars, and I like to play each one equally, I figured that I should mount a 1946 penny to each of them. So besides the Martin, my Cirrus and Sevillana acoustic guitars will now have pennies on the headstock back. I am thinking that instead of taping them on, I may route a small cavity in the headstock back, enough to tightly pound in the pennies. Also, these 1946 pennies are not that rare or valuable, worth about $1.00 each. There are some 1946 pennies that have rare markings that are worth in the thousands of dollars, so if I were ever to come across one of those, trust me, I would not be knocking it into the back of a guitar!

Chew on it and comment!

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Grabbing Opportunities When They Come Along

You never know.

At my new job, my official title is Valet. At the dealership that I work, I greet the customers that come in for a scheduled service appointment, take down the vehicle information, hand it off to a service advisor, park the car in the service lot, then when the service is finished, drive the car back to the waiting area for the customer. Nothing special, a lot of running around, but definitely not as stressful as my previous job.

I meet a lot of people there, probably talk to 30-40 customers each day. It mostly is a formal greeting and asking for any additional concerns with their vehicles. One customer a few days ago was no different. We were mutually friendly, then I directed him to the assigned service advisor. As the advisor was finishing with him and providing him with a loaner vehicle for overnight service, my eye caught the personalized license plate of his own vehicle. MANDOLIN.

I thought that was some message from above. I ran out to his car before he left and had to ask if he did actually play the mandolin. It turned out that he did, and was an avid fan of bluegrass. Well, we talked for a few minutes, and I gave him my number of he wanted to talk more or even jam.

When he returned the next day to pick up his car, we had an even longer talk about the music that we enjoy, and I got him interested in a monthly jam session that goes on at the Cirrus Guitar Shop. We talked about mutual artists that we have seen live, and I let him know about the Charlotte Bluegrass festival in June. Hopefully, he gets in touch with me again soon.

In my five years at my previous job, I did not have an experience like that. There were people into playing music, but it was mostly other genres than bluegrass and Americana, so we really only discussed equipment and instruments. I still stay in regular contact with the one former co-worker that I am helping learn lutherie and guitar building. However, seeing the same people every day and knowing what their life is like outside of work becomes stagnant, and with next to no one interested in your interests, the job becomes redundant at best.

I have only been at this new job a little over a month, yet this experience alone has helped me feel a lot more happy that I made the switch. I do feel that this experience was more than a coincidence, but I also feel that one has to be more observant of his/her surroundings. Keep looking as well as listening. Here in the Detroit area, bluegrass music is far from popular with the population, so I have to go that extra mile to find people with mutual interests. Along with wearing bluegrass-related T-shirts whenever I can, I make it known through related conversations of my passion.

I know that this incident is rare, but if it comes along, one has to learn to grab it.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Banjo

Uncle Dave Macon’s Banjo For Sale

Happy Easter, everyone! Since I started my new job last month, I have lost five pounds from the continual walking. However, I am sure that I will gain it back this week by OD-ing on Peeps, jelly beans and Cadbury Eggs.

Anyway, one of my YouTube subscriptions is with Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan. Every few days they send me a short video highlighting one of the instruments they have for sale. Usually it is a guitar, either acoustic or electric, or an occasional mandolin. Last week, they sent a video entitled “We’ve got a piece of Grand Ole Opry history.”

It turns out that Elderly has for sale a Gibson open-back banjo custom made for Uncle Dave Macon. Unless you are completely unaware, Uncle Dave was one of the original stars of the Grand Ole Opry. He was a complete entertainer, telling jokes and stories along with humorous folk and early country songs. His frailing/clawhammer style of banjo playing was pre-Scruggs, and he used the banjo more like a prop than a skilled instrument. As country music matured, his style of entertainment faded from the stage. However, stalwart bluegrass and old-time music fans still hold Uncle Dave in high regard, and there is an annual music festival in Tennessee called Uncle Dave Macon Days.

After Uncle Dave’s passing, the banjo was sold to another Opry star known for his frailing banjo style – Grandpa Jones. While Grandpa was better known for working with a resonator banjo, it is wonderful to imagine that two of the greatest Opry stars owned and play this particular instrument. Of course, I had to go to Elderly’s website to see the price tag. Wow! $50,000! It is being sold in as-is fair condition, with one rim hook missing and a hole in the rim that Elderly assumes was meant for mounting an armrest.

Gibson Style 1 Custom Uncle Dave Macon Banjo (c.1935)

Is that a way-too-high price? Perhaps, but considering that the Fender Stratocaster that David Gilmour of Pink Floyd used on “Comfortably Numb” sold at a recent auction for $14.5 million, celebrity-owned musical instruments can command high prices. However, modern music memorabilia collectors are not as interested in Opry legends such as Uncle Dave Macon or Grandpa Jones.

I am sure that Elderly is totally open to negotiate the price, and are keeping the banjo in its current condition figuring that the potential buyer is looking at it as a museum piece rather than a player instrument. I hope that it finds a good home, particularly a museum that will display it for the historical value it has. In the meantime, here are some Uncle Dave Macon and Grandpa Jones clips.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music Bluegrass Music

Ronnie Bowman/Chip Taylor RIP

This past week we lost two influential artists in the bluegrass and Americana fields. Ronnie Bowman died from injuries due to a motorcycle accident on March 22, and Chip Taylor passed away from cancer on March 23.

Ronnie Bowman was well known throughout the bluegrass community for his wonderful voice and great songwriting. As with many bluegrass artists, he got his start performing gospel music in church. His first break came with joining the Lost and Found band in 1987. From 1990 to 1002, he was the singer and bass player for the Lonesome River Band, which also included his lifelong friend Dan Tyminski. He would later form Band of Ruhks with Kenny Smith and Don Rigsby.

His solo career included a number of albums, but he was best known in the bluegrass and country music community for his songwriting. He wrote and co-wrote a number of songs for Chris Stapleton, Lee Ann Womack, and Brooks & Dunn as well as many bluegrass artists.

Awards received included IBMA Male Vocalist of the Year for 1995, 1998 and 1999. His album Cold Virginia Night won the IBMA Album of the Year for 1995, as well as the title song winning Song of the Year.

I only talked briefly once at an AmericanaFest back around 2008. He was performing with showcase artist Melonie Cannon, with whom he had co-produced her album and co-written songs. A very humble man, one could tell he enjoyed all aspects of music performance, be it writing or being on stage. His presence in bluegrass will surely be missed.

Chip Taylor should be considered a legend in the music industry if for only two of his many songs that he wrote. It was he that wrote the Troggs’ classic “Wild Thing,” which has become a garage band staple. On the other side of the music spectrum, he penned “Angel of the Morning,” which was a country hit for Juice Newton.

He was born in Yonkers, New York, and was the brother to actor Jon Voight. He wanted to be a professional golfer, but entered the music business instead. After his success with “Wild Thing,” he continued to work freelance as a songwriter. While “Angel in the Morning” was originally written in 1967, it wasn’t until 1981 that it was a hit for Newton.

Other songs of Taylor’s includes “I Can’t Let Go” (the Hollies/Linda Ronstadt), “I Can Make It With You” (Jackie DeShannon), “On My Word “Cliff Richard), “Try Just a Little Bit Harder” (Janie Joplin), and “He Sits at Your Table” (Willie Nelson).

By his own admission, he had a gambling addiction, being unsuccessful as a professional gamble during the 1980s and early 1990s. During a performance at SXSW in 2001, he met fiddler/vocalist Carrie Rodriguez, and the musical partnership led to a number of albums that helped jump-start the Americana music format. He also performed with Canadian fiddler/vocalist Kendel Carson, as well as released a number of solo albums.

In 2009, Ace Records released a compilation CD of Taylor compositions recorded by other artists entitled Wild Thing: The Songs of Chip Taylor.

He began receiving treatment for throat cancer in 2023, but eventually succumbed to it last week. I was fortunate enough to get to meet up with him at an AmericanaFest in the early 2000s. What a wonderful man, totally appreciating the newly generated fan base that he was getting with the Americana format. I have a photo of me with him on one of my old computers that unfortunately, I do not have access to right now. But my memory of talking to him remains with me, and he will be a permanent “cool guy” with me, if only for writing “Wild Thing.”

Chew on it and comment.

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