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2007 SUMMER TOUR BLOG
Friday & Saturday, April 27 & 28.
The 2007 tour is starting off slowly. Each last weekend of April has me at Stevie Ray's Blues Bar in Louisville, KY. That is the weekend before the Kentucky Derby when Churchill Downs is opened for the first time of the season. Each year at this time, I have a group of around 40 people that come to Louisville from Bristol, TN to attend the the CD opening. They all show up to my gig on Saturday night, and it is always a great time. During the day, I usually take a walk around the city and by the Ohio River waterfront, which is always enjoyable. Although, this year, I have been performing in Louisville for 10 years, I have never been to Churchill Downs. So on Sunday morning on the way out, I decided to ride by and take a look at the calm before the storm. It was also fun to know that Queen Elizabeth would be attending this year's Kentucky Derby. I was back home in Kennesaw by 4PM Sunday, April 29. These would be my last few days home before heading out once again on Wednesday, May 3 for Cincinnati.
Wednesday, May 2 & Thursday, May 3
I left out about 10PM headed for Cincy. Driving for about 6 hours, I pull the rig into a truck stop in Lexington, KY. I'm leaving a day early so I can go on the radio with my good friend, Gary Burbank, on radio station WLW at 3pm. Gary has been the afternoon guy here for over 20 years, and is an absolute legend. He will be retiring this year, so I always try to get on the air with him whenever possible. It's always a blast. Charlie Nobel, the owner of the Key Palace in Redkey, IN, where I'm playing this Saturday, is a big Burbank fan, so he came on with us as a guest. After the show, Charlie, Annie, and I went to dinner, then I headed across town to the Lounge, where I would be playing Friday night.
Friday, May 4 - The Lounge - Cincinnati, OH (solo acoustic)
This engagement has evolved into a low-key favorite for me. The Lounge is a small neighborhood tavern owned by Mary O'Connell, a successful former corporate business woman, who decided to buy the bar she and her late husband had frequented for many years. This is kind of like home in Cincy.
Saturday, May 5 - Key Palace - Redkey, IN
A favorite place of mine. Getting back to this old theatre once or twice a year ia great treat. Charlie Nobel restored this place practically from the ground up starting back in 1986. He brings the road guys in, and I’m always glad to be part of that.
Sunday, May 6 – Made the long drive to Memphis from Redkey, IN in order to attend the Blues Awards this Wednesday and Thursday. Stopped and spent the night at the Flying J in W Memphis, Arkansas at the Tennessee border.
Monday, May 7 – Arrived at my cousin Rusty’s place in Hernando, MS, about 30 minutes south of Memphis on I 55. He’s got a cool 11 acre spread complete with plenty of animals. We had dinner and relaxed for the evening.
Tuesday, May 8 – Rusty and I decided to make the trek about 60 miles south to Clarksdale, MS, the official home of the blues. As soo as we got there, we hunted down some BBQ at Abe’s. We then headed over to Cathead to see Roger Stolle and check in, as most folks do. A visit to the Delta Blues Museum was next, and the a ride down to Tutwiler, MS to take a photo of the exact place W.C. Handyin 1903 experienced “the weirdest music I’d ever heard”, then giving an official identity to the blues music form. Later that night, I played guitar during Johnny Rawls’ set at Red’s Juke Joint, the real deal in Clarksdale. Pinetop Perkins was in the house, along with Bob Stroger and Candye Kane with her band.
Wednesday, May 9 – Went into Memphis to check into the Marriott and catch up with everybody for the Blues Music Awards. After a brief rest, headed to the New Daisy Theatre to jam with the Legendary Blues Revue with Tommy Castro, Deanna Bogart, Magic Dick, Mitch Woods,and bunch of other folks. Fiona Boyes and I got to jam together for the first time. It was a great experience.
Thursday, May 10 – Memphis was a-buzz with all of the blues industry being in town. Caught up with Blackjack & AJ from WRFG in Atlanta for lunch at the Blues City Café, and visited a t a local joint with Chip Eagle and the crew from Blues Revue Magazine. I then ran some errands, took a nap, , and went to the convention hall at 7PM for the dinner and festivities. I got to reunite with many musicians I had performed with and basically just network with many folks I had talked to but never met. Left town late that night for the gig Friday in Huntsville, AL.
Friday, May 11 – House of Brews – Huntsville, AL – Stopped on the way in to Huntsville at the office of my old friend and prep school roommate, Dr. Greg Millar, now a successful chiropractor. He always gives me the full treatment when I’m there, which sure comes in handy after some days on the road in the saddle. I was glad to have my Atlanta guys, Marvin and Billy meet me for the gig. We had a fun night, and then I headed for Scottsboro, AL, where I would spend the night in the rig. Even though I’m only headed home for a couple of days, I’m glad to be going that way.
Saturday, May 12 – Crystal’s On The Square – Marietta, GA - This is the gig at home I consider home. My buddy Keith, the owner, always makes it happen for me. This is the simple and fun part of being on the road – coming home to familiarity. It is just plain fun.
Sunday, May 13 – A Sunday off at home is a good thing, especially when it is Mothers’ Day, and I can take my Mom to dinner. She will be 90 in January, so I’m so glad this works out.
Monday, May 14 – Had an appointment for a physical, and another one close to home to figure out logistics for a September gig.
Tuesday, May 15 – Blind Willie’s – Atlanta, GA – Took a stress test at the hospital as part of my ongoing physical. They said I’m in good shape and should be around for quite a while. I’m glad to hear that, because I feel like I am just getting started. We had a good turnout at Blind Willie’s, which is a nice way to be sent off for the upcoming longer leg of the tour. Tomorrow is my last day at home. I’ll leave late tomorrow night for Cincinnati.
Wednesday, May 16 – Had the trailer hooked up, and everything packed in good order so I could just enjoy the last day at home. Had dinner at a country style restaurant with my friend, Mike Straus, on the way out of town. Now I’m on my way to Cincy again.
Thursday, May 17 – The
Lounge – Cincinnati,
OH – Came full circle
from the beginning of the month back here at The Lounge. I’ve told you about
this place before (see May 4). Always a good time.
Fri. 18 -
Burbank's Bar B Que - Cincinnati, OH (Sharonville)
Sat. 19 - Burbank's Bar B Que - Cincinnati, OH (Sharonville)
Finally got to work this place. My friend, Gary Burbank has a part in
this operation. Great food, and hopefully a place to make for a regular stop.
At the end of the second
night, the crowd had thinned, so
Gary
sat in with us on guitar and drums for a couple of tunes. He and I are hoping to
do some live gigs together as well as some recordings.
Sunday, May 20 – Just hung out and relaxed and took care of some personal errands.
Monday, May 21- I went on Gary’s radio show on WLW, and then he and I headed to Cincinnati Reds game against the Washington Nationals. This was the one game they actually won in a while. They have been having a hard time, although I did get to see Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his 572nd Home Run.
Tuesday, May 22 – Drove to Wilmington, OH to check into the Wilmington RV Resort for this Memorial Day Weekend solo acoustic gig.
Wednesday, May 23 – Enjoyed a relaxing day off in the campground.
Thursday, May.24 - Brew-Stirs - Columbus, OH (solo acoustic) – This club is featuring some music now and then. I had an enjoyable evening playing my solo acoustic show to a pleasantly surprising positive response.
Friday, May25 - I had the night off at the campground, but just set up outside and played facing the lake in the early evening.
Sat.26 - Brews Cafe - Granville, OH – This cool little college town is getting to feel like home. The club has a mostly young college-age crowd, but they really enjoy the music. I’ll be back on September 15 to host the Hot Licks Blues Festival after party in the club.
Sun. 27 - Wilmington 1000 Trails RV Resort - Wilmington, OH (solo acoustic 7-10pm) – The rain set in and forced me inside to a sparce crowd that tricked in and out. One grandmother in a walker told her family to just leave her there. She sat in and listened the whole time. She seemed to really enjoy the music. When I talked to her afterwards, it turns out her husband, a country-western musician had passed away 14 years prior, and my performance brought back some pleasant memories to her. She said she really missed her music. I was moved to emotion by this.
Monday, May 28 - Memorial Day – Drove to my friend, Ray Grumney’s farm in Newton Falls, OH for a visit. Ray and Ginny are close friends I met in Florida years ago, so I try to catch up with them whenever I can. They have a beautiful farm, so its always a pleasure to plug the rig in and get a good night’s sleep.
Tuesday, May 29 – Had the day off to work on some equipment and get ready for Wednesday’s gig.
Wednesday, May 30 - Savannah Grill & Bar - Westlake, OH – My favorite Cleveland area gig. J Tucker plays bass and Mike Miheli plays drums and do a great job. This place is mentioned in the Ohio Connection CD as a plays we used to lay down guitar parts a few years back. Jim DePaule is one of my favorite guys to work for. He has always made his place musician friendly. Marilyn, who does the booking, always gives me the date I need if it’s available.
Thursday, May 31 – Flew to Tampa for this weekend’s Suncoast Blues Society 10th Anniversary celebration. Jolie was in town working, so it was a good time for us to have dinner and spend the evening together.
Friday, June 1 – Did show with Damon Fowler at Blue Note in Spring Hill, FL. It waqs a good turnout despite the rain that showed up after a 4 month drought.
Saturday, June 2 – The best turnout of the 3 days was at the Aces Lounge in Bradenton. This is a great bar to play. We had a great jam at the end of the night that included myself, Damon, Steve Arvey, Dave Shelly, and Jake Walker. It was truly guitar lover’s night.
Sunday, June 3 – The final Suncoast Anniversary road show at the Five o’Clock Club in Sarasota. It was a great afternoon turnout.
Monday, June 4 – Took the day off to visit my uncle in Venice, FL who had just undergone a 6 bypass surgery. He looks to have made it through nicely.
Tuesday, June 5 – Flew back to Cleveland, OH via Cincy and returned to the rig at Ray’s farm. It was a good weekend. I turned in early.
Wednesday & Thursday, June 6 & 7 – Took both days off to relax.
Friday, June 8 - Honky Tonk - House Concert - Streetsboro, OH (solo acoustic) - This was a really cool house concert at the home of Jay & Tammy Johnson. They are avid music fans and have their basement rec room set up as a regular club. It is a real comfortable and intimate environment. Hopefully, this will be a regular stop when in Ohio.
Saturday, June .9 - Longhorn Saloon - Toledo, OH – My friends, Rolly and Sue Hough, who are true music fans, now have their own production company promoting their own shows. This was a great night of music to a crowd that really cares about music. Local favorite, Laurie Swyers, opened the night with her band. These are the kinds of nights that lift us up and make us want to continue doing what we do.
Sunday, June 10 – Rolly took us to see the Detroit Tigers play the Mets in Detroit. Tigers won 15 to 7. It was a beautiful day to watch a game. The new stadium in Detroit is spectacular. Spent the night in the rig at the Flying J in Toledo, one of my regular stops.
Monday, June 11 – Went to the Toledo Mudhens game in Toledo. This facility is a great place to see a ballgame, although the hens didn’t fair too well this night. I headed out after the game toward Indianapolis to catch up with Damon Folwer and the guys at the Slippery Noodle Inn. Spent the night at the Flying J truck stop in Effingham, IL.
Tuesday, June.12 – Pulled in to Indy about 4PM. Grabbed some food and then hung until time to jam with Damon and the guys. We had a fun time. Back on the road afterwards to head toward Kansas City.
Wednesday, June 13 – I have the night off, but Damon and the guys are at Blayney’s tonight, so I came on in to jam. Found a really cool campground in Independence, MO called the Campus RV Park. It is right next to a former college campus, and only a block or two from the magnificent Mormon Temple. Drove into KC about 10PM and had a fun jam with Damon to a sparse but energetic crowd.
. Thursday, June 14 - Blayney's - Kansas City, MO (solo acoustic) – I always enjoy doing my acoustic show in the upstairs bar at Blayney’s. Crowd was receptive, but turned over a couple of times. I went downstairs to jam with Leveetown on my break. They are a well-known KC band that is a regular jam host at Blayney’s.
Friday, June 15 - Blayney's - Kansas City, MO – The majority of any crowd we had ventured in late. There was so much stuff going on in Kansas City this weekend, that even the news media was reporting the town as having the most activities at one time they had ever seen. It was good to have Patrick Recob and Aaron Thomas on the show again this year.
Saturday, June 16 - Parkville Blues Festival - Parkville, MO –This was a great festival with the opportunity of playing just before Sonny Landreth. This guy is an incredibly unique and original slide guitar player. There had to be at least 3000 people on hand at showtime. I hope to do this one again. KC Bassist Patrick Recob and drummer Aaron Thomas played the show like they meant it.
Sunday, June 17 – Drove to Omaha to hang out with my friend, Don Hoes, at his home to cook out and to have a little jam session.
Monday, June 18 – Took care of some personal business and had some work done on the Trailer at Petersen RV in Elkhorn, NE. Joe Petersen has kept me on the road for at least the last year.
Tuesday, June 19 – Headed on the road to Lincoln, NE in order to be in place for the early show on Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 20 - Zoo Bar - Lincoln, NE (6:30-9:30PM) – Had a small but mighty crowd at this legendary blues bar celebrating their 34th anniversary in a week.
Thursday, June 21 - Lincoln's Roadhouse - Denver, CO – This place is a favorite. This night there was a big radio promotion going on, so the joint was rocking. Jimbob always takes good care of us, although this time, he was vacationing in Mexico. Tough job, but somebody has to do it.
Friday, June 22 - Appaloosa Grill - Denver, CO – This downtown club has it going on. I had jammed here last year, and was pleased to return. Very nice response from everyone this night.
Saturday, June 23 - Oskar Blues - Lyons, CO – Now this is the one we came for. The folks here love the music. Dave McIntyre has kept the spark alive here for a number of years and it shows.
Sunday, June 24 – Did an acoustic gig in Golden, CO with the Clamdaddys. Check ‘em out. www.myspace.com/theclamdaddys. I love these guys.
Monday, June 25 – Headed toward the Wyoming range for the next 2 gigs in Centennial. Stopped at a truckstop out in the middle of nowhere to get some writing and blogging done.
Tuesday & Wednesday, June 26 & 27 - Bear Tree - Centennial, WY (solo acoustic) – There was a small but mighty crowd here. Unfortunately, word of my arrival had been greatly unexaggerated, so not everybody knew I was here. Jill is a wonderful person to work for, so I always have a great time here.
Thursday, June 28 – Drove all day through Utah and Nevada. Took some shots of the Great Salt Lake and had a lot of time to think about the people 150 to 200 years ago who left everything to make the trek across the plains to search for a better life. I had just read an article about folks that used hand carts to make their way across America. It wasn’t all just covered wagons and wagon trains. And here I am, driving a nice van pulling a comfortable trailer, all on smooth (and not so smooth) roads. I got to hear one of my songs on satellite radio, made some phone calls when I needed to, listened to my GPS telling me which lane I needed to be in and where to turn, and monitored email on my laptop from the comfort of my driver’s seat. How incredible is all of this! Those folks that came before had to be superhuman to endure the hardships of those times. Of course, many didn’t make it, but many others kept the dream in focus and succeeded. Being here really put things in perspective, and made me appreciate the American Spirit. I made it all the way to Reno and spent the night parked in front of the Atlantis Resort and Casino.
Friday, June 29 – Went into the casino with about $30.00 and, played the penny slots, and came out with $60.00. Not too bad of a way to spend the morning with a cup off coffee. I didn’t exactly throw money around like the Ratpack would have back in the day. Drove on to the Snowflower Preserve for Saturday’s gig. What a beautiful place this is in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Found a nice spot to plug in the rig, had a good dinner in the lodge, and then did a little housework. Even had time to make some new friends, hit the campfire, and get on line to type this blog. I’ll be here a few days and will take some pictures. I can’t think of a better way to wrap up the month of June. The evening was even made better by listening top the Braves/Marlins game on XM Radio. Tomorrow I will concentrate on the gig, and Sunday I will start hiking.
Saturday, June .30 - Snowflower Preserve - Emigrant, CA (solo acoustic) - Started off the day with a good cup of coffee and reading a little. Took some time to change guitar strings and get the gear in order for the gig. I’ll be playing solo on an outdoor stage about 100 yards from my campsite at 7PM. The weather here is absolutely impeccable with the temperature right about 75 degrees. The sky is clear blue with no clouds, and the tall evergreens create a beautiful color contrast only a photograph can describe. For the performance, folks started lining up their lawn chairs and were very receptive to the music. They really cared about listening to the words of the songs and really understanding them. These are the kind of audiences that are a pleasure to play for, for any musician, as opposed to the usual room full of dopes with no clue that think karaoke is where its at. Sorry to shock you with the painful truth.
Sunday, July 1 – Took a hike through the campground about 3 miles and headed to the vista point overlooking some mountains and lakes. It is so nice to have the opportunity to take in these site while traveling on the road playing music. I am very fortunate to be here.
As I was wrapping up the last few days of my 4 month summer U.S. tour in Ohio in September, I was blessed with a great opportunity. I made a return to Granville Ohio, just east of Columbus on September 15, to perform at the after show party for the annual Hot Licks Blues Festival. Last year, I had the pleasure of performing on the festival stage with the legendary Magic Slim, but since the policy is to not repeat artists two years in a row, I was given the opportunity to host the after show party. The headliner for the event this year was long time guitarist for the late legendary bluesman Chester “Howlin Wolf” Burnett, Hubert Sumlin. His bandleader this day was Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, drummer for the late icon bluesman, McKinley “Muddy Waters” Morganfield. During the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf reigned supreme over the Chicago blues scene. It could probably be said that they created it. Hubert, now 76, was with Wolf for 30 years from around age 14 until his death in 1975. For the last 32 years, Sumlin has been touring and performing under his own name. In those early days, young English musicians such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Mayall, and Eric Clapton were enthralled by Wolf and Waters’ music, while most Americans had no knowledge of these musicians. Eric Clapton today still sites Hubert Sumlin as one of his main influences. It took these, and other British musicians to reveal, through their music, the existence and the essence of the blues. During his set, Hubert invited me to join him onstage for about half of his set. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to be onstage with many blues and guitar legends, but to plug in my guitar next to Hubert Sumlin and Willie Smith this day was a true highlight… one I will remember for a long time! During my set later that evening, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith joined my band on stage for a ninety minute jam while alternating between harmonica and drums. There were over 5000 people at this festival; so much of the crowd was carried over from the festival. The place was packed and it made for a great conclusion to a great day, not to mention a great tour.