the other man in the band by mighty sam mcclain

White Collar Street Life

Hangin' Tree

[Verse 1]
Down in the bayou where the gators crawl
Moss hangs heavy like a ghost on the wall
Whiskey nights, long shadows fall
Back when the world felt ten feet tall
[Chorus]
Take me down, take me back
To the good old days I lack
Sex, drugs, rock and roll
Where the fire burned hot in my soul
[Verse 2]
Southern Comfort in a cracked glass jar
Songs on the breeze from an old steel guitar
We were wild, we were free, swamp water baptized in me
[Verse 3]
Cigarette smoke and neon haze
We burned bright in those southern days
[Chorus]
Take me down, take me back
To the good old days I lack
Sex, drugs, rock and roll
Where the fire burned hot in my soul
[Verse 4]
We danced with the devil, but called it a waltz
Dirt under nails, our sins were false
Cypress trees whispered secrets untold
The swamp had a heart, it was battered and bold

good old days

Lil Ed Williams & Willie Kent • Who’s Been Talking (1998) Earwig 4941 CD
This record features a slew of previously unrecorded tunes written by Ed and Willie, plus some lesser-known chestnuts from their influences, Muddy, Howlin’ Wolf, and Elmore James, and some Chicago soul thrown in for good measure. On the Willie Kent vocal tracks Eddie C. Campbell plays lead guitar and Lil Ed plays rhythm, and on Ed’s vocal tracks he plays lead while Eddie C. plays rhythm guitar. The much in-demand session keyboardist Allen Batts plays acoustic piano and Hammond organ, and Cleotha “Bald Head Pete” Williams plays drums. Willie Kent plays bass on all tracks. This is some of the most passionate singing on record by Willie Kent, way too under-recognized as a vocalist.

“An album of pure authentic Chicago blues…a potent combination of veteran talent. Muddy and Wolf would approve of this one.” 
– Real Blues


02 Someday

01 Who's Been Talking

Shemekia Copeland was born in Harlem, New York on April 10, 1979, and came to her singing career naturally. Her bluesman father recognized his daughter's talent early on. He always encouraged her to sing at home and even brought her on stage to sing at Harlem's famed Cotton Club when she was just eight. At that time Shemekia's embarrassment outweighed her desire to sing. But when she was 15 and her father's health began to slow him down, she received the calling. "It was like a switch went off in my head," recalls Shemekia, "and I wanted to sing. It became a want and a need. I had to do it." 

At 16, Shemekia joined her father on his tours after he was diagnosed with a degenerative heart condition. Soon enough Shemekia was opening, and sometimes even stealing, her father's shows. "She grabbed the crowd with her powerful voice, poised and intense," raved Blues Revue at the time. Eventually, though, it became clear to Shemekia who was helping whom. "Dad wanted me to think I was helping him out by opening his shows when he was sick, but really, he was doing it all for me. He would go out and do gigs so I would get known. He went out of his way to get me that exposure," recalls Shemekia. 

Shemekia stepped out of her father's shadow in 1998 with her groundbreaking debut CD, Turn The Heat Up, recorded when she was only 18. Critics from around the world celebrated her music as fans of all ages agreed that an unstoppable new talent had arrived. News outlets from the New York Times to CNN took note of Copeland's talent, engaging personality, and true star power. "Nothing short of uncanny," said the Village Voice. "She roars with a sizzling hot intensity," added the Boston Globe. 

Copeland followed up with 2000's Grammy-nominated Wicked, 2002's Talking To Strangers (produced by Dr. John) and 2008's The Soul Truth (produced by Steve Cropper). In that short period of time, she earned eight Blues Music Awards, a host of Living Blues Awards (including the prestigious 2010 Blues Artist Of The Year) and more accolades from fans, critics and fellow musicians. Two highly successful releases on Telarc (including 2012's Grammy-nominated 33 1/3) cemented her reputation as a singer who, according to NPR's All Things Considered, "embodies the blues with her powerful vocal chops and fearless look at social issues." USA Today says, "Copeland is a singer with fervor and funk, power and range." 

Copeland has performed thousands of gigs at clubs, festivals and concert halls all over the world and has appeared on national television, NPR, and in newspapers, films and magazines. She is a mainstay on countless commercial and non-commercial radio stations. She's sung with Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, James Cotton and many others. She opened for The Rolling Stones and entertained U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait. Jeff Beck calls her "f*cking amazing." Santana says, "She's incandescent…a diamond." At the 2011 Chicago Blues Festival, the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois officially declared Copeland to be "The New Queen Of The Blues." In 2012, she performed at the White House for President and Mrs. Obama. Afterward, Jagger (with whom she sang) sent her a bottle of champagne.

Turn The Heat Up - Copeland Shemekia

Turn The Heat Up

Buy from Amazon

Shemekia Copeland - Married to the Blues

EB DAVIS Blues Band - What You Gonna Do

Lara Price - Crazy

Louisiana Red live in 2003 in Germany, Rostock with the Band "Blues Transfer"
The full title you can hear and watch on youtube...www.youtube.com/user/bluestransfer?feature=watch

Slow Blues with Louisiana Red

06 Pullin Me Down - V2

“Michissippi Mick” Kolassa lives in Memphis but was born in Michigan and lived in Mississippi for nearly 30 years, where he was given his nickname.   He has played blues in solo and duo acoustic formats and with his bands for years.  Mick has performed in legendary blues venues such as Ground Zero, The Rum Boogie Café, Biscuits and Blues, Martha’s Midway Tavern, The Bradfordville Blues Club, Darwin’s, Blind Willie’s, Underground 119, The Capitol Oyster Bar, the National Blues Museum, and many more.  He has also performed at multiple blues festivals in North America and Europe.

06 Pullin Me Down - V2

Mick Kolassa

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