Tag Archives: Jr.

” Hey Ya! ” – Booker T. Jones at the Soiled Dove Underground

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Booker T. onstage at SDU

Booker T. , the Master of the Hammond B3, strokes the keys at SDU

Concert review- Booker T. Jones- Soiled Dove Underground, Denver, CO 6/12/15

” I saw him later at the Monterrey Pop Festival. Only this time, he wasn’t playing the Isleys’ music. He was playing his music. And we all poured out of the dressing room to go see him .”

That’s Booker T. Jones, talking about Jimi Hendrix, whom he had first seen playing in a club in Indianapolis with the Isley Brothers. At that time, Booker was at the world-class school of music at Indiana U. in Bloomington on a full scholarship. This might have been a daunting course of study for a humble kid out of Memphis, except this kid had already made great records as the keyboardist for the Stax Records house band behind the likes of Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, and Rufus Thomas, as well as writing and recording the hit  ” Green Onions ” with  Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, and Al Jackson, Jr. as Booker T. and the MGs. Oh yeah, and that was while Booker was in high school. The gig at Monterrey was immortalized in the Hendrix/Redding LP, ” Live at Monterrey Pop “, with Otis upstaging rock’s royalty – the bill included The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and Janis Joplin – with his unforgettable version of Chris Brown’s ” Try A Little Tenderness “.

Fast forward to 2015, and Booker is an elder statesman of music history, with a roster of LP appearances, songs crafted, and production ( who knew he was at the boards on Willie Nelson’s ” Stardust ” ? ) rivaling anyone on this side of the grass today. The Soiled Dove show was a veritable tour through a Mount Rushmore of rock and R and B, with Booker in the role of docent, guiding the cognoscenti and newbies alike with snippets of memories and back stories galore. Beginning with the organ intro from the soundtrack to  the Clint Eastwood classic ” Hang Em High “, Booker oozed relaxed confidence as he shared the first of many remembrances: the hit single for the MGs, a cover of the soundtrack version by Hugo Montenegro,  was written by then-Los Angeles Rams owner Dominic Frontierre, apparently moonlighting in the movie biz. Next up was blues legend Albert King, and  ” Born Under A Bad Sign “, famously covered by Cream. Booker has said that he and songwriting partner William Bell crafted this R and B standard the very night before Albert showed up in Memphis for his session. Talk about deadline pressure! Booker stayed with Albert on the latter’s ” Pretty Woman ” ( decidedly not the Roy Orbison tune of the same title ), noting that he played his original instrument, the upright bass, on King’s recording of the song.

Booker T. and Ted

Booker takes center stage on guitar, with son Ted in background. Photo courtesy of SuziQ

Nicely pacing the set with covers and originals, Jones sandwiched Hendrix’ bluesy ” Hey Joe ” between the MGs’ ” Green Onions ” and ” Hip Hug-Her ” . Then on to ” one of the most unusual men I’ve ever met “, the prehistoric  rocker Ellas McDaniel, a/k/a Bo Diddley, with an obscure tune that Jones left unnamed.  Jones would later swing back to the 50s blues legends with Muddy Waters’ ” Mannish Boy “. One could almost follow Highway 61 along the banks of the Mississippi River with Booker as he sampled the sweeping range of musical genres that came through Memphis during his formative years.

Ice and Ted Jones

( l-r ) Vernon ” Ice ” Black, Ted Jones, and Melvin Brannon, Jr.

That exposure to a wide variety of styles leads Booker to places you wouldn’t expect. Referencing an award ceremony in Minneapolis, he recounted the appearance of local eminence Prince, and deftly segued into a lovely version of ” Purple Rain ” with his son Ted. To see father and son alone together onstage, trading heartfelt verses in a gentle, almost quiet arrangement, was a touching moment and a musical treat.

Booker and Ted

Who woulda thought? Booker and Ted pay tribute to Prince Rogers Nelson.

Booker’s hits have all been instrumentals, but his voice is surprisingly supple and his phrasing is relaxed. He stayed within his range, and his sincere delivery was at times compelling. Stepping out to center stage on guitar, he showed a disciplined musicianship befitting a guy who directed his high school band and orchestra from the day he showed up as a freshman.

(l-r) Melvin Brannon, Jr. on bass, Ted Jones on guitar, Booker T. on guitar and vocals

(l-r) Melvin Brannon, Jr. on bass, Ted Jones on guitar, Booker T. on guitar and vocals. Photo courtesy SuziQ

Jones closed the set with the MGs’ ” Soul Limbo ” ( our late Harry Gebippe’s favorite Booker tune ), and ” Hey Ya ! ” from his Grammy-winning collaboration with the Drive-By Truckers and Neil Young, Potato Hole . Booker took pains to thank his outstanding band     ( Vernon ” Ice ” Black and Ted Jones on guitars, Darian Gray on drums, and Melvin Brannon Jr. on bass ), and stepped offstage only briefly . Almost in thanks to the crowd, Booker launched into his most familiar hit, ” Time Is Tight “.  Booker has said that the song was  written as he gazed upon the Seine River in Paris, and the gentle but pulsing tempo coupled with Booker’s feathery chords by  gave the feel of a watery current beneath the floor of the Soiled Dove. Time for another musical giant? Another cohort from Booker’s past? Yes, back to Otis Redding and the hit written with Jerry ” The Iceman ” Butler ,          ” I’ve Been Loving You Too Long “. Too long to stop now, indeed, Mr. Jones.

Booker T. at the SDU

Booker T. Jones sharing the wisdom of the musical ages.

— Nanker Phledge

The editors would like to welcome back our intrepid mountain correspondent Mr. Phledge from his extended ” vacation ” at an undisclosed location.

My Old Friend – John Hiatt and Holly Williams- Arvada Center, Arvada, CO 7/25/13

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Concert Review: John Hiatt and the Combo, with Holly Williams, Arvada Center, CO 7/25/13

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The Combo at Arvada Center: Doug Lancio on mandolin, Kenneth Blevin on drums, Hiatt at the mike, Pat O’Hearn on bass

” I thought we were gonna make that bridge…what do I know? Me and my expectations was always high…” — John Hiatt, ” My Old Friend”

Surely Holly Williams’ granddaddy, country legend Hank Williams, knew something about high times, meeting expectations, and not quite “making that bridge” in life. Passing from this earth  in the back of a Cadillac on the way to a gig at age 29, Hank burned his candle down at the height of his creative powers. As his skinny blonde granddaughter poured her heart out in songs about her legacy and the tortured marriage of her mother to Hank Williams, Jr., you couldn’t help but wonder how precious our time is with the gifted among us, and with those we love. With Hiatt, they’re one and the same.

Last year’s show at Arvada was the first time the ” Same Old Man ” seemed to show his age. A natty hat covered his thinning pate, and his voice seemed diminished. This summer’s addition of Costello glasses and a Gebippe ‘stache made him appear almost professorial, the cool English Composition teacher urging us to write from the heart. But his skipping moves and guileless grins quickly allayed any fears that Hiatt was ready for a rocking chair, and once the sound guys heard the crowd’s calls to boost his mike, it could have been 1993 and that great Austin City Limits DVD show with Michael Ward and the Guilty Dogs. The Combo has recorded and toured intact for a couple years, and is so attuned to John that they easily adjust to changes onstage and offer seamless support. With longtime drummer Kenneth Blevin in ” the engine room “, and the smooth noodling Pat O’Hearn on bass, the Combo never seemed to interfere with the delivery of the song narratives. Hiatt has drawn some hotshot guitarists over the years, from Ward to Sonny Landreth to Luther Dickinson, and there’s no slacking when Doug Lancio is featured on guitar, or on mandolin behind Hiatt’s vocals on  ” Crossing Muddy Water”. Hiatt noted that song was played on tour ” back at the turn of the century”, and needled the Y2K                   ( remember that?) agonistes’ parade of horribles: “clocks stop working, time comes to an end, things on TV start to actually happen… oh wait, that did come true”!

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No that’s not Johnny Winter, just an overexposed Holly Williams!

When the tall, lanky Ms. Williams strode onstage in her Western hat and skinny jeans next to her hubby Chris Coleman, many in the crowd were still settling into their seats. She quickly launched into personal, emotive songs from her new CD, ” The Highway “, openly sharing vignettes about her parents and family that gave depth and perspective to the lyrics. The talented Mr. Coleman picked ably and added harmonies, but his wife is a force on her own, and her singing, songwriting, and clean guitar playing won over the audience. The Opening Act is a tough slot, and you rarely see genuine applause like that for anybody short of the headliner. Highlights included a poignant tribute to her maternal grandparents,   ” Waitin’ On June “, and ” The Highway”,  her ” love song to the road “.

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Chris Coleman and Holly Williams

Hiatt chose a set that began with ” Drive South”, ” My Old Friend”, ” Tennessee Plates”, and ” Cry Love”, and later moved to his recent CDs with ” We’re Alright Now” , ” Blues Can’t Even Find Me”, and a roaring guitar from Doug Lancio on ” Down Around My Place”. He slipped in one shouted request, ” Buffalo River Home”, after facetiously asking Lancio if he knew the longtime favorite with the universal lyrics: ” Just when you think you can let it rip, you’re pounding the pavement in your Daddy’s wingtips”. We can all relate! Hiatt stayed with that CD for the title track, ” Perfectly Good Guitar”, before a rousing version of  ” Slow Turning” . And no Hiatt show is complete without ” Thing Called Love “, and a thank-you from John to Ms. Raitt for winning a Grammy with his song. Hiatt told of seeing Bonnie recently, and with a just-between-us-guys aside reminded us that ” she’s still hot”, adding: ” I always tell her, if you weren’t married, and I weren’t married…. we’d both be single” !

The encores were Hiatt classics: a rolling take on his typical closer, ” Have a Little Faith In Me”, and a funky ” Riding With the King”, the story of a chance encounter with Elvis that is often mistaken as a tribute to Riley B. King, who covered the song with Eric Clapton. To see Hiatt reveling in the same moments that bring his fans so much joy reminds us how fragile, dear, and precious are the times with those we love. May they always make us sing and dance !

” You’ve got kids, I’ve got kids, and they all want to know: Just what it was like when we were young? I tell ’em I’m no different now, I’m just late for the show. So grab your Aqualung; the loading has begun…”  – John Hiatt, ” My Old Friend”

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Hiatt and the Combo wave good-night to the Arvada crowd!

——– Your old friend and Mountain correspondent, Nanker Phledge