This was inspired by hearing Jody Williams' "You May," which is a close cousin of a song to Memphis Slim's "Mother Earth." Both songs use the same basic melody and harmony, and the lyrics deal with mortality—I would love to know the story of how those two songs came to be.

I played it in G, like the originals, on an unamplified 2014 Guild Savoy with flatwound strings (in photo).

"Mother Earth" (Peter Chatman, known as Memphis Slim), mid-November 2022

Walking, 13 September 2023

Don's Boogie, 22 July 2024

Saturday Afternoon Chores, 17 August 2024

Chicken-baking music played with a pick on an unamplified 2014 Guild Savoy with flatwound strings.

Clarksdale Boogie, 9 October 2024

A Boogie, 31 October 2024

E Boogie, inspired by Big A, 3 November 2024

Lola's La La La, 11 November 2024

Lola's La La La (a new day), 18 December 2024

Inspired by Johnny B. Moore's opening on Mary Lane's "I Always Want You Near Me," 26 January 2025

Tribute to Cleo Page, 19 February 2025.mp3

For the dogs is in G, something like "3 Blind Mice," unamplified guitar. I picked "House" because they don’t have "Porch" or "Pooch."

For the dogs, 8 August 2025

Solo gittar in A, played on a Guild Savoy

Good Bye Pork Pie Hat, by Charles Mingus (3 January 2016)

Early response to the Active Melody January Challenge: solo gittar, blues in A, played on a 2014 Guild Savoy with Thomastek-Infeld Swing gauge flat-wound strings (.011-.047), played with yellow Jim Dunlop pick and fingers; recorded on Samsung Galaxy Grand smartphone

Image is from a painting by Barbara Sullivan, more can be seen at BarbaraSullivanArt.com

EP127 take 9 (not the one I submitted, 31 January 2016)

Long-form blues played on acoustic guitar, about 115 BPM, with extra beats in turnarounds.

This track is downloadable. If you solo over it, I'd like to hear it. I'd also like permission to post it here.

12-bar blues backing track in F (26 March 2016)

8-bar solo gittar backing track in F# minor, starting on the IV chord (same form as ActiveMelody.com lesson EP142), about 90 BPM. The chord voicings are from Magic Sam's "Easy Baby."

This file is downloadable. You have permission to use it anyway you like so long as you share the results with me (you don't need to share non-commercial results with me, but I'd like to hear them; I'd also like your permission to post them here).

8-bar backing track in F# minor, take 3 (2 April 2016)

This 12-bar blues in A is played with a pick on an unamplified 2014 Guild Savoy strung with flatwounds, .011-.047. 

It's a sketch for a bass and guitar dialogue.

Boojie Soozie, blues in A, take 2 (30 June 2016)

My mix of ActiveMelody.com lesson EP061 and Howlin' Wolf's "Don't Laugh at Me," played on an unamplified 2014 Guild Savoy strung with light gauge flatwound strings (.011-.052). 

On the occasion of Brian Sherrill's birthday, I wish him all the best through all of his days.

"Don't Laugh at Me,"/EP061, 3rd take, 5 August 2017

This is my rough draft of John and Sylvia Embry's version of "Going to New York," a 12-bar blues in D. I'm working on the phrasing and some details.  

This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LN2rQJZ93A

I'll come back with a finished cut, full band and vocals...well, I don't know when I'll have that--but I'm going to post a more complete play-through after the next weekend.

"Going to New York" John & Sylvia Embry's version

12-bar E blues using 4 notes for lead/fills (E, G, B, D). The genesis was a Monthly Challenge at ActiveMelody.com based on a lesson using 4 notes for improvising fills (it's lesson EP251). While working on it, I noticed that the lesson used the same intervals in a minor context that Robert Nighthawk's "Mama, Talk to Your Daughter" used in a major context (in a different key), hence the title (I've edited off the lesson from beginning and end because of the errors/flaws in it).

I'm playing an unamplified 2014 Guild Savoy with flatwound strings and a pick.

Mama's Talking, blues in E (3 March 2019)

This is a theme I'm trying to work into something beautiful. I know it's in here. I just need to slow it down and play it with confidence. It's going to happen. What's going to happen for sure is I'm going to keep trying. 

I'm playing an unamplified 2014 Guild Savoy with flatwound strings.

Don Deering

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