Category: Americana Music

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Americana Music

Joe Ely RIP

It’s getting sad that I keep having to talk about the death of a talented musical artist every week, but here we are again.

Joe Ely flew under the radar when it came to the mainstream country and rock worlds, but he was revered in the Americana, roots-rock, and even punk music crowds. His live shows were powerful, yet it was his songwriting and vocal performances, so soulful and gritty, that hit the listener hard in a good way.

Ely passed away on December 15th at the age of 78. Although his final residence was in New Mexico, he was a Texan blood and bones. His first legendary work came in 1971 when he joined two other Texas troubadours, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, to form The Flatlanders. They recorded an album the next year, but broke up soon after its release. That album, All American Music, was only released as a limited 8-track tape for contractual obligations, but became a cult classic among roots music audiophiles. There was such a high demand for the music that Rounder Records re-issued it in 1990 as More a Legend Than a Band. The trio reunited occasionally throughout the years, but began recording again, beginning in 1998 for The Horse Whisperer in 1998 (director Robert Redford had asked Ely to write music for the soundtrack).

Ely began touring and recording full-time around 1977. During a tour of London, he became friends with the punk band The Clash. Besides performing together, The Clash mentioned Ely in their song “If Music Could Talk,” while Ely donated background vocals to the band’s hit “Should I Stay Or Should I Go.”

Along with the long solo career and work with The Flatlanders, Ely was also a member of Los Super Seven, along with Raul Malo who passed away two weeks ago. That band won a Grammy in 1999 for its self-titled album in the Best Mexican/Mexican-American category.

In 2007, Ely received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association. In 2016, he was crowned Texas State Musician for that year, and was entered into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2022.

In 2002, The Flatlanders appeared at the Americana Music Association’s conference and awards show. This is where I got to meet Ely, and he was one of those guys who appreciated people appreciating him and his work. We talked for a while, and I hung out with the trio for a while after their private performance. It was a prayer answered to be able to meet the man who recorded one of my favorite roots-rock songs, “Musta Notta Gotta Lotta.” Talk about showing your love and respect for the pioneers like Jerry Lee Lewis!

Joe, thank you for all the wild and fun music that you have given us, and I hope that God is giving you a honky-tonk to perform at up there.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music Country Music

Raul Malo RIP

One of the greatest voices in music today unfortunately passed away on December 8th. Raul Malo, lead singer for the country/Americana group The Mavericks, died from colon cancer at the age of 60. His voice was undescribable, up there with Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, and even Luciano Pavoratti.

Born of Cuban immigrants, he co-founded The Mavericks in the late 1980s in Miami, fusing country music with rockabilly, pop, and Cuban/Latin influences. The band had a totally unique sound that made them not only popular in the country music scene, but in the alternative music scene as well.

It was that VOICE, one of those that no matter what Malo was singing, the emotion was there. It was often said that he could sing the phone book and make it sound romantic. The band had a few country chart hits, and won awards early in its career, but like most country acts, its star fizzled. As the band descended in interest with country fans, the emerging Americana music fan base embraced it wholeheartedly.

The Mavericks went on a hiatus in the early 2000s, and Malo recorded a number of solo albums that still stand the test of time when it comes to passionate vocals. He also fronted an Americana supergroup Los Super Seven. He also got heavily involved with the Americana Music Association, serving on its board for a few years. This is where I got to know him and work with him on a number of occasions. The man was one of the friendliest, most humble people in the music industry, never turning away from a fan or fellow music lover.

The Mavericks reunited around 2010, and toured extensively for the next decade and a half to packed houses. Every time I saw them, Malo was up in front, enjoying the hell out of the situation. And that voice, I swear, it could melt women in the crowd like a candle. In a way, he knew he had that tool, that weapon, but he never used it, being faithful to his wife for decades.

Malo announced his fight with cancer this past summer, but continued to tour and perform up until a few weeks ago when the fight had taken its toll. He left Nashville for treatment in Houston. Just days before his death, the remaining members of The Mavericks came to his hospital room to play for him one last time.

The music industry has lost an amazing voice, to be sure. I have been pulling up YouTube videos of Malo and The Mavericks all week, still knocked out by his singing. I know that no one lives forever, and that we all must meet our Maker, but I feel that he still had some more to give us. I will truly miss Raul Malo, as there will never be another voice like that for decades to come, if ever.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music Country Music

Flaco Jimenez/Jeannie Seely RIP

Two musical dignitaries from different genres passed away this wee. It is sad that we are losing those that kept roots music alive during the past decades.

Flaco Jimenez, who passed away on July 31 at the age of 86, was the ultimate in Tex-Mex accordion playing. He could adapt his sound to just about any form of roots music, be it country, alt-country, or even the blues. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he learned button accordion from his father, who learned it from his father, who learned it from German immigrants. He played in a number of local Tex-Mex bands during his teens and 20s, soon being noticed for his style by performers Ry Cooder and Doug Sahm. By the 1980s, he would become an in-demand session musician, recording with Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Dwight Yoakam, and the Mavericks.

He would play with a number of Tex-Mex bands, his most famous being Los Super Seven with Sahm, Joe Ely and Freddy Fender. With Sahm and Fender he also formed the Texas Tornados. He won a total of six Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. He also received the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.

While I never got to see him perform, hearing his amazing accordion work on so many recordings that I hold dear, I can honestly say that his presence will truly be missed.

Jeannie Seely passed away August 1 in Hermitage, Tennessee at the age of 85. Her career as far as hit recordings spanned from the mid 1960s to about 1980, but she is best known for her reign as having the most appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. She was much more than a regular member on the show (her membership lasted 57 years) – she was a true matron, especially after the death of Minnie Pearl.

Born and raised in Titusville, Pennsylvania, she took a strong interest in country music at an early age, appearing on local radio and television in her teens. Once she graduated from high school, she work in a band briefly before moving to California to work as a secretary at Liberty Records. There she started writing songs for other artists. She soon moved to Nashville, signed to Monument Records, and had a hit with “Don’t Touch Me” in 1966.

After a number of solo hits, Seely teamed up with Jack Greene to record some hit duets, including “Wish I Didn’t Have to Miss You” from 1969 and “Lucky Ladies” from 1974. After a hiatus an automobile accident in 1977, she returned to performing, including an appearance in the Willie Nelson film Honeysuckle Rose. She also become the first female to host the Grand Ole Opry.

Seely’s recording schedule declined by the 1990s, with her last release coming in 2020 entitled American Classic. She would often host programs on the SiriusXM channel Willie’s Roadhouse. During her time at the Opry, she challenged many of the conservative standards by wearing contemporary clothing such as go-go boots and miniskirts. Her demeanor as wella s her music influenced many budding female artists such as Barbara Mandrell and Lorrie Morgan. She was married to country singer/songwriter Hank Cochran for 10 years, divorcing in 1979. During the Nashville flood of 2010, her home was destroyed along with almost all of her possessions. She soldiered on, and gained the moniker Miss Country Soul.

Again, a performer that I never saw live, but would listen to her on the Opry every Saturday night that I had a chance. She loved to motivate the audiences, and was singing from the heart until the end.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music

Garth Hudson RIP

Well, I’m in Nashville for the SPBGMA conference, and the jamming and shows are already in full swing. I’m taking a few minutes break from the festivities to post this quick blog about Garth Hudson, keyboardist extra ordinaire for The Band, who passed away earlier this week at the age of 87.

He was the last surviving member of the original The Band. He was a musician’s musician. He brought in so many influences to the roots-rock mentality of the other members that they were always in awe of his performance. He tinkered with the arrangements like a hobbyist would tinker with watch repairing (and he did that on the side as well, along with gun and knife collecting, as well as water dowsing). He helped make The Band the true godfathers of the Americana format.

Hudson joined up with Ronnie Hawkins’ backup band The Hawks (as the band was originally known), but his creativity was way too good for Hawkins’ rockabilly persona. If you even has to question what Hudson contributed to The Band’s sound, first start listening to Bob Dylan’s The Basement Tapes. Then, move on to The Band’s albums Music From Big Pink and the self-titled album. His organ work is phenomenal to say the least. However, his peak creativity can be found on the song “Up On Cripple Creek.” Who else would think to run a clavinet through a wah-wah pedal? Those breaks at the end of each chorus really make you think of a Cripple Creek, with bullfrogs barking or someone playing a jaw harp.

Hudson also stepped away from the keyboards and gave some fantastic saxophone work. I always thought of him as a genius of a musician.

I can remember seeing a video in the mid 1980s from The Call of their song “The Walls Came Down.” I was watching MTV, and I remember shouting, “Hey, that’s Garth from The Band! It has to be!” I immediately went out and bought the Modern Romans album, which had Hudson all over the production with his fantastic work.

Hudson was always the quiet one, but you knew that so much was brewing in his head. He had so many hobbies and side projects going, and unfortunately, he had to declare bankruptcy three times due to mismanagement of money, and lost so much of his equipment and personal belongings to fire and theft.. However, what a legacy of keyboard work he has left us to remember him by.

I cannot tell you how much he will be missed, but I will always listen in fascination to The Band’s musical genius, most notably Garth Hudson’s work. I implore you to watch The Last Waltz (I do at least once or twice a year), and get a few albums from The Band and REALLY listen.

Now all five of you are performing together again in that musical practice room in the sky.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music

Viva Lone Justice!

Lone Justice was one of my favorite bands of the mid-1980s. Along with X, the Long Ryders, the Blasters, the Swimming Pool Q’s, Green on Red, and a few others, they were helping to create a sound that combined punk rock with traditional country, bluegrass, folk, and a touch of R&B and blues to garner the label cowpunk, which later was deemed alt-country, which helps to wean what would become Americana music a decade later. Lone Justice’s lineup consisted of great young musicians, but the highlight was the powerful vocalist Maria McKee.

McKee was perfect in so many ways. She had a voice that could cut through the thickest fog of bland pop music. Her songwriting was winning critics’ hearts with its matching of powerful emotions and Tennessee Williams style storytelling. And her presence on stage was eye catching to say the least. Small in stature, she had a unique look, with a Goth-meets-Madonna-meets-Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz persona. I, along with hundreds of other guys, had a big crush on her. When she slung a Telecaster around her neck, you know she meant business!

The band hit the Los Angeles alt-music scene in 1983 like a rocket. They gained praise from luminaries like Dolly Parton and Linda Rondstadt, who would put the band in touch with David Geffen of Geffen Records fame. Benmont Tench, keyboardist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, would often sit in with the band and worked on their first album.

That first album, 1985’s Lone Justice, was produced by famed studio wiz Jimmy Iovine, and included guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who joined the band temporarily. The album was praised by critics from Rolling Stone and The Village Voice. However, even with the Tom Petty/Mike Campbell penned “Ways To Be Wicked” released as a single, the album was not a commercial success.

The band toured with Petty as well as U2, but never got the success that critics expected of them. Bassist Marvin Etzioni and drummer Don Heffington left the band, and replacements were soon found for recording the second 1986 album, Shelter. With both Iovine and Miami Steve Van Zandt producing, the raw cowpunk sound was traded in for a more synth-pop sound. Even with the powerful vocals on the title cut released as a single, the album hardly hit the Billboard charts. By 1987, McKee called it quits with the band.

All remaining band members went on to varying solo careers. McKee caught most of the spotlight, releasing seven solo albums and garnering some songwriting success, as well as appearing in a few independent films with her husband, filmmaker Jim Akin. There were a few band compilations released through the years, most notably the 1999 This World is Not My Home. Along with some sporadic reference news blips, not much was heard about the band.

So it came as a shock to me that I recently came across this new album, Viva Lone Justice, while surfing the internet. The album cover is of the original quartet, most likely an early publicity photo. The description listed on Amazon stated that it was the first release by the band in 40 years. That caught my attention immediately. It also stated that it featured the original members. That had me scratching my head, as I was aware that the original drummer Heffington passed away in 2021. One press release stated “thanks to modern technology.” That made me really wonder about this project. Did they use AI to create Heffington’s drumming? Anyone who knows me knows how much I despise having AI involved with the arts, especially music.

It turns out that the majority of the album’s material is demos that Etzioni found of the band from the pre-Shelter days. All three remaining original members agreed that it would be good for their souls to release the demos with some re-recording of guitar work, as well as adding a few other recent recordings made by McKee with the help of the SteelDrivers’ fiddle player Tammy Rogers, as well as assistance from Tench, steel guitarist Greg Leisz, and horn player David Ralicke. Along with a number of originals, the album includes covers of Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” MC5’s “Sister Anne,” and the George Jones/Roger Miller penned “Nothing Can Stop My Loving You,” along with traditional folk songs “Jenny Jenkins” and “Rattlesnake Mama.”

A few reviews that I have seen have been mixed. However, for me, this is a much-needed blessing. I loved the band back then, and it has given me a few minutes of reminiscing what my musical life was like back around 1985. Personally, I want to say thank you to the band for making me smile like I used to back then when hearing the original cowpunk music. For those that still don’t understand, give it a listen if you can.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music Country Music

Toby Keith/Mojo Nixon RIP

Two greats in the country/Americana music fields passed away this past week. One death got a lot of media coverage, the other went almost unnoticed.

Country great Toby Keith passed away this past Monday from a long-time battle with stomach cancer. I won’t go over his career here, as one can Google it and it is all over the internet. What I will say is that he was a burly guy, and to see his most recent photos made me hurt inside. The cancer was working hard on him, but he was fighting it to his last day. He gave us anthems that were truly appreciated by thousands of fans. He was extremely supportive of the US military, often visiting and performing at bases around the country and overseas.

One thing that bothered me during this past week is that Keith had helped start Taylor Swift’s career. He had her as a supporting performer at a number of his shows, and even signed her to his label Big Machine Records. Yet, as dozens of country stars have posted tributes to Keith, she has not posted anything on her social media sites. Is she more concerned with what she will wear to the Super Bowl? Kudos to John Rich for calling her out on his X account.

Toby, the people who knew you and loved your music will always keep you in their hearts.

This past Wednesday, one of the craziest performers to ever grab a guitar passed away from a heart condition. Mojo Nixon was bigger than life, to say the least. Obnoxious as any person could be, you could not help but laugh when he was around talking his schtick. Nothing was off limits to his insults. I first saw him live back in the late 1980s when he performed with Skid Roper at a dive called Paycheck’s Lounge in Hamtrmack. He packed the place, and I can still remember his 15-minute rendition of his song “Stuffin’ Martha’s Muffin,” an ode to MTV VJ Martha Quinn. His only real hit was “Elvis is Everywhere,” which people my age still sing out loud every time something about Elvis Presley appears on TV or in the news.

He served as a DJ on the Sirius/XM channel Outlaw Country for a number of years, spouting off hillbilly philosophy between songs like a cartoon preacher. Every time he played a Patsy Cline song, he would tell the listeners that she was built like a brick shithouse. He recommended that anyone that wanted to learn rock-n-roll guitar should get a copy of the Rockpile album Seconds of Pleasure and learn from it.

His other project included the alt-country supergroup The Pleasure Barons with Dave Alvin and Country Dick Montana, as well as notable movie roles in the Jerry Lee Lewis biopic Great Balls of Fire and Super Mario Brothers. Whatever it was, he never stopped being Mojo Nixon.

I would run into him every year at the AmericanaFest in Nashville pre-pandemic. He was usually MC-ing a showcase, but would be typical Mojo at the mic or in the green room. Two memorable run-ins with im were giving him a fifth of homemade peppermint schnapps that he worshipped like a goddess, and another time when I had him talk to my buddy Ken over the phone, basically saying to him, “Where the fuck are you? Fuck you!” and hanging up. That was Mojo.

I still have this feeling in the back of my mind that he is not really gone. Like Joe Strummer for me, he will appear again when you least expect it and do something that will make you love him all over again. He had that type of impact on people like me.

Mojo, if you are in Heaven, it’s only because God knows that you can beat the Devil at his own game. You will be missed by so many who grew up during the late punk/early new wave period and took a dump on the synthesizer bands.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music

Perfect Song #11: “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” by Blue Rodeo

I can still remember the first time that I heard Blue Rodeo. It was about 1988, I was practicing bass on a Peavey Patriot bass guitar that I just purchased, and I had a Canadian radio station on. I believe that it was CJOM, a CBC public radio station “left of the dial.” The band was being interviewed, then one of their cuts from their first album Outskirts came on. BAM! I was knocked off of my feet, and found a sound that I was looking for in a band!

Since they were out of Toronto, it was hard to find any of their music in a record store here around Detroit, even in the indie stores. I finally secured a cassette of that album, and I pretty much played it until it self-destructed. I soon snagged the second album, Diamond Mine, and kept up with any news that I could about the band. Fortunately, Detroit is just across the river from Windsor, so Canadian rock and country stations, with their 30% Canadian content rule, would often play Blue Rodeo. I couldn’t understand why this band was not getting any attention here in the US. They had that spirit that The Band had – equal servings of rock, country, blues, and folk. They defined the Americana sound!

They got some stateside recognition with their third album, Casino, due to production by Pete Anderson (guitarist for Dwight Yoakam). The band kicked out amazing stuff, to say the least. Two cuts from that album were getting extensive airplay from to Windsor station The River 93.9 FM. The charm came from the songwriting and excellent harmony work of the guitarists Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy. They seemed to keep coming up with amazing songs that I couldn’t help but keep singing to myself.

Because of their lack of US promotion, they rarely toured here, but would do a few shows along the northern border, including here in Detroit. I can remember them doing a show at the Majestic Theatre and spending the evening chatting with a woman who flew up from Atlanta to see them because it was the closest US show to her. They had that Grateful Dead magnetism with their audience. Everyone there knew all of the words to all of their songs.

This leads me to this installment of the Perfect Song. Blue Rodeo’s fifth album, Five Days in July, had a number of those sing-alongs. However, the most powerful of these, and perhaps the bands most recognized and powerful song, was the second track on the disc, “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet.” Starting off with just acoustic guitar and a mandolin riff, Keelor comes in with his gritty vocals singing about a woman leaving him, and he still hasn’t figured out how to react. Keelor’s and Cuddy’s beautiful harmonies take over during the chorus (Cuddy going from low harmony to high harmony is amazing), then the band comes in like a hurricane for the second verse.

The song continues to chug along like a strong steam locomotive, then comes a fantastic pedal steel solo by Kim Deschamps. This, to me, was when the band sounded its absolute best. Unfortunately, Kim and the band had a falling out shortly thereafter. Anyway, after the solo comes another chorus, then that powerful ending. Keelor really hits it vocally, and Cuddy’s answering to him is just too beautiful.

This song has had such an impact with the fans that, during shows, Keelor lets the audience sing the first verse on its own without his help. I actually have a karaoke CD that a friend gave me with Blue Rodeo songs, and I remember putting this song on repeat and singing Keelor’s part constantly. The song would have fit in to The Band’s catalog easily. To be honest, every time I hear this song, I get choked up, holding back a tear. It just induces vivid memories to me, of lost loves, times when I was enjoying playing in a band, and just appreciating those precious moments in my life.

When reading posts on YouTube of the video for this song, so many people feel the same way. Blue Rodeo will always remain one of my all-time favorite bands. I still cannot understand why the band never got the recognition it deserved here in the US (when I worked with the Americana
Music Association, I begged and pleaded to get the band a showcase, but to no avail), but then again, I think of how perhaps God was giving a few of us a precious gift that others would not receive.

I won’t go into more description of the song or band, just listen and experience it for yourself. Read some of those comments and see how the song has impacted people.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music

Robbie Robertson RIP

Robbie Robertson, the guitarist and songwriter for The Band, passed away on August 9th from complications of prostate cancer. Anyone that knows me knows that The Band is one of my all-time favorite bands, EVER! There was a reason that no one argued that these guys called themselves The Band. They could play anything, as a group, and they fit in with anyone.

With the passing of each member, starting with Richard Manuel in 1986, I continually had a piece of my soul ripped out. I was able to see Rick Danko at a live solo show shortly before he died in 1999 (strangely, a few days before he had passed, he played The Ark in Ann Arbor, and signed one of the green room walls with the statement “I’m not feeling well”). If I were to say the one bassist that my style was most like, it was Rick.

I was also able to catch Levon Helm perform at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville a day prior to one of the Americana Music Association’s annual conference in 2008. Even though the original band had broken up in 1976 as seen in the triumphant film The Last Waltz, one could tell in Levon’s performance that there was still a piece of The Band in his heart.

I remember also watching the 1989 Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent to the Grammys) on the Windsor station that we could watch here in Detroit. Robbie, Rick, and Garth Hudson (along with Richard’s children) accepted the Hall of Fame award, then the three performed “The Weight” with Blue Rodeo (another of my all-time favorite bands) backing them up.

The breakup of The Band had a lot to do with songwriting control. Many of the songs, especially all of them on their self-titled second album, were credited to Robbie. Other members, especially Levon, claimed that they had contributed to the compositions. Levon wrote about it in his autobiography This Wheel’s On Fire, and held that grudge to his death. For Robbie’s part, he often admitted that other members threw in ideas. Like The Beatles, the members of The Band became too close, like a family, and had their family arguments, which led to a divorce.

I always had respect for Robbie’s guitar playing. It was totally underrated by rock music listeners, but fellow musicians often praised his six-string work. Bob Dylan (who often worked with The Band), George Harrison, and Eric Clapton are just a few fans. In fact, Robbie was able to not only keep up with Clapton in a guitar duel in The Last Waltz, but even jumped in fast when Clapton’s guitar strap broke so there was no dead air. Robbie was humble about his guitar work, but I will always be in awe of his simple but effective intro to “The Weight.”

Robbie was a fan of film, and became good friends with The Last Waltz director Martin Scorsese. He would handle the soundtracks for a number of Scorsese’s films as well as other films. However, one of the best outputs I loved from Robbie was his 1987 self-titled solo release. Although he was from Toronto, his mother had Native-American roots, and his passion for this ancestry shows up in the music. He also secured some amazing talent to record with him, such as U2, Peter Gabriel, The BoDeans, and Maria McKee. Both Gorth and Rick also appeared on the album.

While I always had a leaning toward Levon as far as who was my favorite member, all of the members of The Band mean a lot to me. That includes Robbie, who was more than just a cog in the machine. His work in The Band helped make it the forefathers of the Americana music genre (no one can deny that “The Weight” is the Americana national anthem), and he will never be forgotten by those who understand how important his work was. This weekend, I plan on watching The Last Waltz.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music

Perfect Song #9: “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (RIP Gordon Lightfoot)

This past week we lost the great singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot at the age of 84. The Canadian troubadour had a huge following from the mid-1960s until his death. His songs were magnificent stories, ones that many people could relate to because Gordon was having the same trials and tribulations in his own life.

Gordon was revered by other musical artists because of his ease to blend folk, pop, blues and country music into amazing songs. Bluegrass guitarist Tony Rice recorded an entire album of Gordon’s songs, and Tony was just one of many that covered his works. While his most popular songs were “Sundown,” “Rainy Day People” and “If You Could Read My Mind,” the one song of his that remains in the hearts of anyone living in the US states that border the Great Lakes as well as Ontario, is his 1976 hit “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” That large list includes me, as we all know very well, that these five lakes have a personality all their own, which can be both beautiful and dangerous.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an iron ore freighter that was one of the largest ships to sail the Great Lakes. During a storm in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975, the ship literally broke into two parts and immediately sunk, killing all 29 crew members. After reading an article on the wreck in Newsweek later that month, Gordon set down to write an ode to the ship, its crew, and the massive lake that swallowed them all.

Gordon kept his lyrics very close to the actual storyline told in the magazine, yet added some very personal touches about Lake Superior (“the big lake they call Gitche Gumee”), as well as what may have been the last thoughts and actions of the crew (“Fellas, it’s been good to know ya”). There is a whole story in this song, just like a short story from Sherwood Anderson or John Updike, and the listener cannot help but hang on to every word to find out what comes next. I implore you to Google the lyrics. It is a fantastic story even without music.

However, the music is just as effective as the lyrics. First off, there are just verses, no chorus. The song moves along just like a ship sailing on the Great Lake or even an ocean — repetitive, no detouring, for a long journey. The mood set is one of that continually rolling along on a large body of water with no sight of land for a long period of time. The chords used in the song are simple but mesmerizing. Starting off with the chord Asus2 (which is basically the A major chord with the B note replacing the C# note, which is very easy to finger on a standard-tuned guitar), followed by and E minor, then a quick G major, a quick D major, then back to the Asus2. That is it, but it is so hypnotic, the listener cannot help but be moved by it.

The song went Number 1 on the Canadian charts shortly after its release, and went to Number 2 on the US Billboard charts. It did not fair that well in other international charts, but it seems understandable. This is truly an Americana song, something that, while there are many tales of shipwrecks in songs throughout the centuries, this particular masterpiece hits hard with those that know the power of the Great Lakes. There isn’t a folk singer that I know from the Michigan area that doesn’t have this song on his/her setlist. I have been to Mariner’s Church in Detroit a few times in November to hear the bell rung 29 times, and once did witness Gordon perform the song there.

I have always loved this song, and in the back of my mind wanted to eventually write about it as a perfect song, but it kept slipping away. It had been rekindled recently when I came upon a beautiful rendition performed by Chris Thile and The Punch Brothers during a broadcast of Live From Here. I present to you both Gordon’s and The Punch Brothers’ versions.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Americana Music

The Jubalaires: Grandfathers of Rap

I have always been a fan of The Mills Brothers. Those great harmonies that would only need a archtop guitar for accompaniment. They were cool, to say the least, and I have spent a lot of time on YouTube watching their vintage videos.

While YT surfing, I came across The Jubalaires. Wow! Same set up (four guys singing together, accompanied by a guitar), but where The Mills Brothers had a slightly jazz feel that kept them popular with the big band crowd, The Jubalaires had some gospel influences, but could also be considered the Grandfathers of Hip-Hop/Rap. They talked a lot of their lyrics in a lot of songs, with hard rhymes that would put many modern rappers to shame.

One video of The Jubalaires has them performing a song called “Brother Bill.” This is one of those black cinema shorts popular in the African-American community in the 1930s-40s. I like the one comment stating “Guns, groupies, dollar sign on suit, they are truly the pioneer of gangsta rap.”

I won’t go on about these guys, I’ll just post these videos for you to enjoy.

Chew on it and comment.

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