you know I been around awhile
(ETA, 07/16/08: is there a collaboration in the works?)
(today’s post comes from our reader, Robin)
A singer, songwriter, guitarist, and blues harmonica player. A man whose songs are best served up in a roadhouse with beer and cheap wine. A musician’s musician who for better than four decades has made his own brand of music — sliding seamlessly from blues to rock to honky-tonk to country to jazz and back to mother blues.
In my house we just call him Delbert. And if I learned tomorrow that I could listen to only one artist for the rest of my days, there’s a fair chance that Delbert McClinton would be my guy.
If you’re already primed for some Delbert, skip this paragraph. But if you’re a Taylor Hicks fan who needs a little motivation, stay right here while I shamelessly manipulate you for your own good.
Let’s start with Billy Earl McClelland, Hicks’ first side man. I know you’ve heard how proud HIcks is that ole Billy Earl used to play with Delbert, right? And maybe you also remember Taylor’s Amazon playlist, with Delbert’s “Old Weakness” coming in at number four. Ah, yes. I see those ears perking up. You’re ready to listen.
Here’s a little history lesson from back in the day when a couple of Texas boys crossed paths with the lads from Liverpool. Hey, Baby, pay attention now.
Okay. Rubbing shoulders with The Beatles and backing up the likes of Howlin’ Wolf makes for a pretty good pedigree. But I suppose the thing that really counts is what you manage to do with a pedigree like that. Seems to me, if you’re very fortunate, you do exactly what Delbert McClinton has done. You keep playing your brand of music. You build a solid career as a musician and vocalist respected by your peers. You tour. You fly just under the mainstream radar, while growing your own loyal following of fans who snap up anything you record as quickly as it’s released. And you gain a reputation as a kick-ass songwriter whose peers clamor to record your music — and to record with you. Like so.
Old Weakness (with Bekka Bramlett)
Leap of Faith (with BB King on lead guitar)
Lie No Better (with Lyle Lovett)
Too Much Stuff (with Lyle Lovett and John Prine)
And maybe, just maybe, if you persevere for 40 years or so, you record an album like Cost of Living that earns you the 2006 Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album because of songs like these.
One of the Fortunate Few
Alright By Me
Not bad for an old boy from West Texas. Not bad at all. - Robin
ETA: Jay’s responses below got me interested in the documentary he did. In case people don’t read that far, check it out here: Rocking the Boat
categories: music
tags: Americana, Delbert McClinton, harmonica, John Lennon's jukebox, taylor hicks
posted by what at 01:00 am
Way to go Robin.. I love Delbert!!! I’ve got him on my Ipod and listen to him quite frequently. I did get to see him in conert several years ago… he’s great
Outstanding artists in his own right.Nice write up Robin.Love his
style and way of thinking….hmmmm I think I know of another fortunate Alabamba boy that isn’t bad at all either.
Now this made even a confirmed morning hater happy to be awake - had been “primed” by Taylor’s Rhapsody playlist and just ran over to start playing the one I set up because of it. Did not know about the Beatles connection - is there anyone/thing they aren’t connected to in some way ? The interview was neat - even if did have to wipe some coffe off the keyboard - - -
Good piece Robin - TY
Warms my heart to feel the love for Delbert here this morning. I didn’t know about the Beatles connection either, AH, until I recently stumbled across this youtube vid.
Now go get that coffee off your keyboard. No, I don’t have to ask. Heh.
Hey, Robin. Thanks for a great introduction. I had no idea who Delbert McClinton was, none whatsoever. I’m a peasant - and not in a good way. Now I’ll go check him out some more..
Thanks, Robin for the Delbert!
My pleasure, T & Jam. Did you notice I threw in some Lyle just for you? Seems we both like artists that blur the genre lines.
And DP, glad to point you toward this great music. Don’t feel like a peasant. Delbert’s not exactly a household name, even if he should be.
Well who the hell would have thought I’d awaken this morning to (amongst other goodies) John Lennon talking about the attributes of blues harp vs. harmonica, and about playing bluesy harmonica in 1963 on Love Me Do (something that always impressed me).
Robin, would you mind if I go off on a little bit of a Lennon tangent here, with loose connections to Delbert and this video?
Whilst I’m waiting… Willie Dixon’s famous statement about popular music: “The blues is the root; everything else is the fruit.”
Joe, please go off as you see fit. I like a good tangent.
Excellent. Thank you.
AMG’s Richie Unterberger had some interesting background information on Love Me Do, and recording a live band on the studio floor (to touch back upon an aspect of yesterday’s topic):
http://wc10.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=33:0zfrxqtdldte
The clip seen on the youtube video is taken from a documentary aired in 2004 on the PBS program, Great Performances. The doc is called “John Lennon’s Jukebox”.
In 1965 Lennon purchased what was then the equivalent of an ipod: a 30 pound Swiss KB Discomatic portable jukebox. He took this on tour with him, and over time, loaded it up with about 40 singles, including Channel’s Hey Baby. The opening scenes in the clip above show the actual jukebox, and imagine Lennon listening to his jukebox. The track list shown is in Lennon’s handwriting.
The jukebox was auctioned at Christie’s in 1989 for US$ 4000 to the gentleman who, before his death, got to see his wish come true for a documentary to be made about the jukebox.
Those who would like to read further may find pages of interesting stuff the Great Performances/PBS site, here:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/lennon/index.html
Wow. Thanks Joe. That background really fleshes out some things about the youtube video. Very cool stuff. Looking over your pbs link above, I found a complete listing of the songs on Lennon’s jukebox here:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/lennon/songlist.html
Yikes. Please picture an embarrassed emoticon here. I’ve just noticed an error in my blog post. I incorrectly credited BB King as the guitarist on Old Weakness. In fact, BB actually played on Leap of Faith off the same album.
Last night I was trying to decide whether to include Old Weakness (because of the connection with Taylor’s playlist) OR Leap of Faith (because of the coolness that is BB King). Seems I just screwed up when I put things together.
So sorry!
Great post Robin. I’ve always loved Delbert and my collection should be bigger than it is. That’s fixable.
If Taylor’s career parallels Delberts, I’ll be a very happy camper.
Wow, Joe. Great background info. Not only does it explain the opening scene in the clip, but it’s also just very cool. Thanks for the education.
I like knowing that Paul McCartney was nervous about hitting having to vocally hit the low notes because John was busy playing harmonica.
I’m loving this music. The only way I knew anything about Delbert McClinton was because Taylor had recommended his music on some of the playlist he put together for various web sites. Plus I remember the reference to Delbert when he was talking about Billy Earl McClelland. Then Taylor tagged Old Weakness during the tour and I was thrilled that I knew about the song. I can’t see the video here at work, but I will watch it later. One of the best things about being a fan of Taylor Hicks this past year is that I have discovered so much music and so many artists that I knew nothing about before.
Love Delbert! He gets good exposure on “Edge of Country”. Think Taylor could fit into the Alternative Country/Americana genre quite well. He’d get a lot of new fans if he went for that market.
This has been fun today. I appreciate the good comments.
Couple of things on my mind that I haven’t said. Yes, I love Delbert’s music, and that’s enough reason for this post. But I also think a discussion of Delbert’s music and career path makes sense on a blog dedicated to the music of Taylor Hicks. Some similarities are glaringly apparent. Both are: southern / harp players / bluesy vocalists / songwriters. Both are at home in a honkytonk / roadhouse environment — as is their music. Delbert’s tour band has been described as the “world’s best bar band” and is heavy on the honkytonk piano that’s such a key part of the sound of the former Taylor Hicks Band (thank you Brian Less). Taylor has described himself as a man without a genre. Delbert has made a career blurring genre lines, and finding success without heavy radio play for the most part. Both are old souls. Both have loyal, almost cultlike, fan followings.
The title of this post is part of a lyric from Delbert’s song “Smooth Talk.” The entire line from the lyric is “you know I been around awhile; I’ve got some information you can use.” I think Delbert McClinton definitely has some information Taylor Hicks could use. I think Hicks could do far worse than to emulate many aspects of this singluar artist’s career. I also think Taylor’s fan base could learn some things from the equally loyal following that supports Delbert. These are fans who have found Delbert because his music speaks to them. Music lovers, with a liberal sprinking of musicians in the mix. They don’t sweat Delbert’s personal life or his every career move. They do two things. They buy his music, and they show up to enjoy it when he comes to town to play. That’s all. And that his been enough to sustain him as an artist for a good many years.
These are the kinds of fans I wish for Taylor Hicks. These are the fans I hope boards like this one can help him cultivate. Because I think he’s an artist who’s worthy of them.
Now, I’ll leave you with a few words from Delbert himself, taken from an Ink 19 interview a few years back.
“A lot of music today is so manufactured and homogenized. God, it wears me out. I know the people now are more dissatisfied with radio than they ever were. I know I am.”
“I wouldn’t know how to [categorize] anybody’s music, much less mine…. Good music is good music.”
“It never stops in my head, it’s going on all the time. The first thing I did this morning was pick up my guitar because there was something going on in my head. When that stops, I’ll lay down the guitar. But until then, I just can’t stop.”
Okay. So I guess that was more than a couple of things.
Love his quote ” A lot of music today is so manufactured and homogenized. God, it wears me out. I know the people now are more dissatisfied with radio than they ever were. I know I am.”
“I wouldn’t know how to [categorize] anybody’s music, much less mine…. Good music is good music.”
My thoughts exactly.
Thanks for post Robin
Oh, I’m so excited to see a thread on Delbert McClinton! I drop his name on Taylor boards when I get the chance, but never with much response. Next to Taylor, he is my FAVORITE find from the past couple of years. I had never heard of him until Taylor put Old Weakness on a playlist. Delbert’s voice just really grabbed me and I bought the CD that it was from. Now I have 5 DM CDs that I listen to a lot. I also saw him in concert a couple of months ago. He is fantastic.
Thanks for the post.
I have thought many times that if Taylor’s career path is similar to Delbert’s, I think he would be very happy.
Robin, thanks for this post today. I have never mentioned Delbert’s name to anybody that knew who he was. And that’s a shame.
I even went on Delbert’s fansite, it is the only other one I’ve ever gone on besides Taylor’s. I wanted to get a recommendation on which CD to get next. There is a group of really nice fans on his site. One of the women PM’d me and said she had become a fan of Taylor’s also from AI and had just seen his concert and really enjoyed it. (She said he didn’t quite move her the way Delbert did, but enjoyed him just the same. lol) She said the only thing she didn’t like was that everyone was sitting down and not up out of their seats enjoying the music. She said Delbert fans never sit down at a concert. As I said, I went to one of DM’s concerts recently, and she’s right!
texastaylorfan, that is so cool that you’ve discovered Delbert. I just never tire of his music. And I could write a book on his voice and how it moves me. We’ve been listening to him for probably two decades. I guess I’m pretty fortunate to be married to a musician with a large circle of musician friends who’ve always kept me up on artists out there flying under the radar. I think I’ve taken that way too much for granted over the years.
Thanks very much for your comments.
I became aware of Delbert about 7 years ago. About 2 years ago I starting production on a movie about Delbert and his Sandy Beaches Cruise. For the last year the film has been making the film festival circuit. The movie is called Rocking the Boat: A Musical Conversation and Journey. It includes such Delbert friends as Marcia Ball, Rodney Crowell, Stephen Bruton, Al Anderson, Teresa James and a whole lot of others. We are playing the Dixie Film Festival, Oct 13, Athens GA. We will also play in Ft. Worth Texas on Nov 10 at the Lone Star International Film Festival. The film played in Dallas, Breckenridge, and won best documentary at the Woods Hole Film Festival. Everything said in the previous posts I can agree with. Delbert is an American Master and original. He is also good man with an incredible bunch of great friends and family. All of you folks would love this movie.
As a pure Delbert junkie, it’s always exciting seeing other people turning on to him. Everything spoken here is true, and more. He occasionally does a show in a venue where we’re forced to sit, but we hate it (the sitting, not the show). It’s hard to sit through something that moves your soul like nothing else.
One exception to the comments herein. Someone quoted a reference to the “world’s best bar band.” Oh no, no, no. World’s best, yes, but they’re far above a bar band. Each member of Delbert’s band is a world-class musician. He would settle for nothing list. Each of them stands on their own, several with CDs of their own, and all of them are in-demand, working studio musicians with names you’d recognize. That “honky tonk” piano sound is produces by the one and only Kevin McKendree, best keyboard man on the planet today. Period.
Good grief. I was so excited to see other people learning about Delbert I zipped off a post full of typos. I hate it when you see them after you press “send.” I meant to say all his band members are working studio musicians “recording with” names you’d recognize. Of course, Delbert would settle for nothing “list” should be less. And that honky tonk piano sound is produced by Kevin McKendree. That’s a name you want to check out if you’re a piano lover. He has a mind-boggling discography.
But I left out the main thing I wanted to say. I’ve read every word ever written on Delbert, as far as I know, and I think Robin’s post, illustrated with the music clips, is the BEST intro to Delbert on the Web. We Delbert fans always have a hard time explaining who he is/what his music is about to the unitiated, but I know where I will now send people for the answer to htat question. Thank you, Robin!
Wow! I’m so excited to see these posts. Jay, I’m aware of your wonderful documentary. Although I haven’t seen it, I’ve seen some promos. We have good friends who’ve gone on the cruises several times. Right now my husband and I are planning to do 2009 (please say there will be a 2009). I started my payroll withdrawal yesterday to start saving.
Fruit, for what it’s worth, “bar band” is a compliment in my vocabulary. I do know the outstanding talent that backs Delbert. They’re as good as it gets. And thank you for your kind words.
Glad to have you folks over here. Sounds like we have some musical interests in common.
Jay, thanks for the heads-up on the film. I’m new to Delbert, but I’ve been a Marcia Ball fan since my Austin days. I’ll try to catch it.
It is getting late but I must say this about Delbert’s band.., and much the same can be said about the other bands we recorded. It’s as if you had Louis Armstrong on trumpet, Buddy Rich on drums, Brubeck and Ellington on piano, Les Paul on guitar, Ray Brown or Stanley Clark on bass and on and on. As a musician who has seen all of these men live and in person in my lifetime, I can say that Delbert’s guys would have been comfortable and welcomed in the bands of these giants. Their chops, like their leader’s, work across genres. When you watch the movie (which can be bought on the website) this is self evident. We don’t talk about it, though. That is for another film. FWIW, Delbert’s monitors guy was Miles Davis’s monitor guy, Mark Allison. There are no weak links in this chain.
Jay
I’m sold. Thanks Robin and others for such terrific insight. I also now have something new (to me) to discuss with my husband on a long road trip today. I have a feeling, though, that he’s probably already quite famiar with all of this.
I guess we all know what Taylor thinks of Delbert. I’m wondering D’s assessment of TH.
Thanks again for the great read this morning.
I have just listened to the Compared to What clip. This is my first Taylor Hicks experience. I probably heard the last time that Les McCann and Eddie Harris played this tune together. It was at an old hotel (Blackstone?) near Buddy Guy’s. 15-16 years ago or so. Harris was ill and died soon after. He got on stage with Les for just a couple of numbers but it was fantastic. Anyway.., I have heard others try to do this song. This is the first time I’ve heard anyone else do it this well. Where should I start in my collection of Taylor Hicks music?
Well, holy shit Jay. You’ve come to the right place! BRB
Jay,
That’s a tough question. Everyone’s got a different opinion as to what’s ‘best’ or where to start. Have you read the Bio here? (coincidentally written by Robin as well) It gives a good overview and has some music in there to sample.
He’s got three CD’s out, and I’d certainly encourage you to support him by getting those. (I’m writing this without having re-read the bio recently).
I’m personally biased towards live-stuff (and if you liked Compared to What, I’m guessing you’d like it as well). And it’s a bit scattered as to how to get it these days. There are links here to some wavs from a recent show by some first time tapers. Good stuff, as long as it’s kept in mind that they’re first time tapers. (They’re working on flac files I’m told…but not quite there yet.) There’s another concert that a more experienced taper caught earlier this spring. And then there are a few pre-AI shows that are out there that are also good quality.
I’m just not sure how/where the best place to grab them is.
The NOLA show is on this site. The flac files of the Columbus (early spring) show are on dimeadozen.
But someone will have to help out with where to find those other works these days.
As for the CD’s to purchase, Laser’s Edge http://www.lasersedgecd.com/
I believe has all three for purchase. And Fred, the owner, is a great guy.
Jay, you had to ask! Great site to go to for downloads:
http://tay-online.com/music.htm
I listen a lot to pre-idol stuff. My personal favorites: Hope She’ll Be Happier with Him, Russian Roulette, Ain’t No Sunshine, People Get Ready, all of the Nashville tapes.
Robin and all, thanks for all the info about Delbert. I can’t believe I’d never heard of him before! And Jay, I think you are going to have quite a few of us checking out your film.
Jay, I’m assuming the Compared to What clip you heard was the one here in “downloads” from the New Orleans HOB show? He really does some fine things with that song, I think. Very glad you enjoyed it.
Calypso is right, if you can live with a few imperfections, the downloads from that whole show will give you an excellent taste of Taylor’s live show. So start right there. Several of the songs on that setlist are original Hicks tunes: Somehow, My Friend, Hold on to Your Love (my favorite), and Soul Thing. Others are live versions of songs off the album Taylor Hicks, with a few other covers thrown in. It’s a good representation. Also, there’s to be a DVD released later this fall from the spring show at the Warfield. Taylor Hicks is very much a “live” guy. If you’d like to watch a few live clips now, you should check out the look:listen page. I think you’d particularly like the Sweet Home Chicago as performed at Chicago HOB with Keb Mo, but everything over there is good.
I’m really delighted you’re interested. I’m hoping “what” will come along in a bit to offer some more direction for you.
And yes, I do think reading the bio and listening to the embedded clips there will make for a good starting place in finding out who this guy is.
I’d say start anywhere on the pages at the upper right - there’s music to listen to, music to download, videos to watch. If you want background on Hicks, there’s a bio with embedded clips. I’d say, maybe start on the look:listen page and then tell us what you liked - we can point you from there.
For full, live concert downloads, there’s two options on our downloads page. There’s a link to an excellent recording of the Columbus, OH concert mentioned above. It’s not my favortie set-list, but it’s good. The New Orleans show we host here for download was a fantastic show - if you like the jazzier version of Compared to What (I’m obviously biased here), you’d like that show.
If you want an easy way to just watch something like a recent concert, albeit in low quality video, there’s a complete concert up in this post:
http://c2what.com/2007/08/14/long-distance-love/
In addition to the recordings mentioned above, there’s also one with his old, pre-Idol band. He’s only in about a third of it. This is from the so-called “shadow tour”, one of the first real gigs he was able to do after the American Idol experience:
http://www.amazon.com/Workplay-Theatre-Little-Memphis-Orchestra/dp/B000SQJ2L4/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-5420298-6007612?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1190483414&sr=8-1
Thanks for looking around.
Thanks what.
Jay, the post-Idol album is a fine effort. Keeping it real, there are those who wish it were a little less “slick” in spots and who are hoping the next album will be more representative of the Hicks we know from pre-Idol works and live performances. And indications from Hicks are that it will be. One of the best tracks off the album is a song called The Right Place, co-written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. It’s a great tune with a Ray Charles vibe — and was apparently written with Cocker or Ray in mind. It also reminds me a bit of Randy Newman. Bottom line, Taylor Hicks just owns it.
If you don’t listen to any other clips in the bio, please listen to The Right Place clip.
Jay - I put a link to your documentary up above in the post, in case readers drop in and don’t catch it in the comments.
Robin - I edited the post to have your corrections regarding B. B. King and give Bramlett her due.
Robin, I’m so impressed. Because of your post, I’m discovering an amazing performer in Delbert McClinton, and I’m ashamed I didn’t know about him before!
I LOVE, LOVE Lie No Better…found it the perfect Saturday morning song to play with coffee and toast to get me going. I have much to learn, but thank you for opening him up to me.
And Jay and Fruit ~~ welcome to the music of Taylor Hicks ! We have much in common!
You can never get enough Delbert,, I wish everyone could go see him,, when you go see him it makes you happy that you’re the type of person that’s looking for a great band singer and songs, thanks for mentioning my name with such greats
Love
Billy Earl
There will never be too many reasons for being glad I’m looking for good music. Thanks for stopping by.
Billy Earl, an extreme pleasure to have you drop in. And you’re right, I never get too much Delbert. In case you didn’t see it, you should check out this recent feature at another blog I visit from time to time. It’s all about you.
http://musicmaven.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/get-your-mojo-on/
Well, dang, Billy Earl, I was just listening to Georgia last night, and thinking,”man, this is one great guitar player!”, which is what I tell myself everytime I listen to it.
Love Delbert! Thanks for blogging about him. I have added him to my music list. He his touring in Texas the first week of October but it is midweek and a bit of a drive, so I will have to see if I can swing it.
Wow….now I see what the excitement is all about. I guess that’s how other people feel when they learn about Delbert. “Where have I been all his life?”
I think Delbert people and Taylor people might be kindred souls.
I have to say I’ve been lucky enough to be on Delbert’s cruise once, and Jay Curlee’s film captures the essence of everything Delbert and everything cruise. I’ve worn out my DVD copy, and now i’m just beside myself with excitement at the opportunity to get to see it at the Dixie Film Festival in Athens Georgia on October 13th. It has also been selected for the Lone Star International Film Festival in Fort Worth, Texas on November 10th.
Well, Fruit, I may just have to drive on over from Alabama to Athens.
And I do think you’re right about the kindred souls.
Robin - Thanks for link re: Billy Earl and of course, the Delbert. We must have some Libra Dragon thing going, too, as I’ve been working on a Delbert post for MM too.
I have to make frequent trips between Mobile and New Orleans and Delbert has become my frequent companion.
I particularly am fond of Sending Me Angels and You Were Never Mine from “One of the Fortunate Few”. I really would like to see Taylor do a version of Too Much Stuff with Gary Nicholson. Great boogie-woogie intro. and great beat…plus a pretty good message.
Delbert McClinton is a real musician and “player”. When he plays Mobile, he sells out in about 2 minutes. He’s always good. Some might be interested to know that he was the author of Garth Brooks’ Squeeze Me In, so DM has continued to influence music for at least 4 decades.
Cool to see “other folks” drop in.
Thanks for all the info. I can see how TH and DM have had some of the same bumps in the road. Delbert’s road has just been a little longer (25-30 years). You’d think that Idol (I have never watched it even once) would have made Taylor a “star.” The fact that he is hard to categorize will both haunt his quest and insure that his artistc output will be worth paying attention to (if he sticks to his guns).
Cookie cutter or homogenized music is what the industry is pushing. Kinky Friedman addresses that very thing in Rocking the Boat. The thing our movie will do for you is introduce you to several other like minded artists who share similar talent and determination. I invite you all to check out Marcia Ball, Teresa James, Al Anderson, Jimmy Hall, Stephen Bruton, Paul Thorn, Mingo Fishtrap, Rodney Crowell, Tommy Castro, Clay McClinton, Terry Allen, Buddy Miller, Chris Stapleton and Fred Eaglesmith (all but Fred and Clay are in the movie or bonus section). All these people have great bands and all their players are identified on screen.
As a filmmaker, I now have a much greater appreciation for the lives of these artists. While we have been fortunate enough to be selected by 5 film festivals, we have been rejected by 60. That is a lot of rejection in a year for THIS artist. It is a hard sell when there are not big stars in the cast. Every screening has been like a concert, though. People laugh at all the laugh lines (there are quite a few), applaud and/or cheer at all the instrumental solos and song endings, and when Marcia Ball does Louisiana 1927, they are both lifted up and heartbroken.
Taylor looks like he very much fits in with this crowd.
Jay, thanks for the behind the scenes look at your film. Half the artists you list above are very familiar to me. It seems that music in this country really operates on a tiered system. There’s a celebrity level that’s very visible, and then another level where some amazing shit is done, but flies unseen and unheard by many. Interesting that having unknown names is a reason for not showing the film. Doesn’t it seem that should be a reason for showing it?
I think you’re dead right about Hicks fitting in with that crowd. When you look at who he goes to see, who he listens to, who he sits in with when he’s got the time, that paints a pretty clear picture of where he’s at as a musician, I think.
Hicks is just at the start of road that McClinton has been on a long time. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out for him. Another interesting take on how his “idol” choice fits into this is an article that Jesse Jarnow wrote on the subject for jambands.com. It’s a good perscpective, I think:
http://www.jambands.com/Columns/JJarnow/content_2007_03_21.00.phtml
MM, glad you dropped by. Agreed — Delbert is a great traveling companion. And yes, Too Much Stuff would make for a fine cover, although I lean toward Lie No Better off the same album as my pick for Taylor. I’ll watch for your piece on DM. Look forward to it.
Jay, thanks for offering up your perspective. I was really taken with the truth of this comment in particular.
“The fact that he is hard to categorize will both haunt his quest and insure that his artistc output will be worth paying attention to (if he sticks to his guns).”
My husband and I are now contemplating a drive over to Athens for the Dixie Film Festival. Hope we can make it work.
Fred Eaglesmith was a local, for me, though he must live in Nashville or someplace now.
Here’s an amusing bit I found in his wiki entry: “Eaglesmith is the owner and president of A Major Label, which publishes his records.”
Fred lives in Southern Ontario, Canada, as far as I know.
Holy cow! That jambands.com article and response is something. Can’t we just get along
Staking out strict category and semantic turf is a problem in politics and music.
I have to admit, though, that if someone said to me, “You have to check out this guy who’s been on Idol,” I would probably have dismissed it out of hand. I am glad that somone opened my eyes and ears.
That jambands article was an interesting moment. Jarnow has a brain, and Hicks has gotten good representation there. But you can see this Idol thing is definately a two-edged sword. It got him a stage and some tools, but it’s not the kind of thing that’s going to make live music fans notice him or recognize him as one of their own. Getting out and just touring his ass off seems to be the MO he’s going with, just like every other act trying to make music and make fans. Relix, jambans.com, places that understand how live music works, have looked past the Idol roots pretty readily.
Snort. Love that little tidbit, True. And apropos of nothing really, it reminds me of a lawyer friend who named his boat Depositions — so his secretary can say in all honesty, “Sorry. He’s out of the office on Depositions.”
Excuse the interruption. Carry on.
I have been a work for hire director for 30 years. Mostly commercials and corporate stuff. I have lived in Hawaii that whole time. I am contemplating a move to Austin so that I can work on documentaries about singer/songwriters. Austin is such a rich town, musically. I don’t see much money in this kind of work but I do see it as important. American film and music, in my opinion, are our most important contributions to this world. And getting people like james McMurtry, Stephen Bruton, Carolyn Wunderland, or Marcia on the record and in depth would be a good legacy. A Taylor Hicks project could really be interesting, too.
Fred does a bit in his shows where he has a heart to heart with himself. The label head Fred chastises the artist Fred for song choices or promtion strategies.
I try to type too fast. Sorry for all the typos. Carolyn Wonderland is the right spelling of this fabulous artist’s name.
Ha! That would be interesting - and entertaining, no doubt. He’s quite the wit, I understand.
It’s not much like Hawaii, but Austin is great place for anyone in a creative/music field. The place oozes music, as you well know. It’s a good place to live, once you get used to the climate. If you make the move, let me know: I’ve got a sure-fire, anti-cockroach recipe for you.
Fred Eaglesmith is a flat out genius. He is like both Smothers Brothers in one guy (he plays both the straight man and comic parts). He also writes some of the most cinematic, pathos-ridden songs I have ever heard. He takes you on an emotional journey. Listen to the songs Lucille, Rocky, White Rose, and Big Hair back to back. Add some amazing comedy in between and that is a Fred Eaglesmith show.
Jay, using your quotes to consider the Catch-22 that exists for Taylor.
It’s given him exposure, a degree of fame. But despite winning Idol, he simply (and thankfully) does not fit the Pop mold. And because he can’t be readily marketed within one of the artificial pop genres — as some other Idol winners could — he’s been somewhat dismissed by the radio industry and hasn’t received the level of airplay one might expect Idol would have given him.
This is the flip side. First, Taylor doesn’t get the full benefit of being a “pop idol” because musically he doesn’t fit. At the same time, the very music lovers who abhor the homogenized world of pop — and who should be his natural audience — tend to dismiss him precisely because of the Idol connection. The outrage expressed by the poster at jambands is a perfect example of someone unwilling to look past the Idol label.
Not to say Taylor can’t get past this in time, because I believe he can with perseverance and good music. But it probably won’t happen overnight.
And granted,of course, that he is in a much, MUCH better place than he was before Idol. I doubt he’ll be playing any weddings anytime soon.
Stating the obvious here: true artists–those not inclined not sell out– are just not likely to achieve the monetary gain of those who embrace the business. Guys llike Delbert and Taylor HAVE to do what they do. Rent or mortgage payment be damned. I would imagine that TH has banked some serious cash with his platinum record, but you never know. I don’t think that Delbert got out of the red until just a few years ago. I would imagine that there were a lot of people who got paid on that Idol thing before TH did. Delbert still does private parties, but so do the Stones. From the look of the TH gigs, it looks like he is looking long term. If he can survive that life, it will be great for all who join him on that journey.
That crazed jam band dude needs to get to his doctor and get his meds right.
That crazed jam band dude did us all a favor, man. If he hadn’t written that note, Jarnow wouldn’t have used it as fodder for his monthly column, and that column wouldn’t have bounced around the other jamband message boards. That guy opened more ears than he closed, although he may hate to think that.
The nature of many of my favorite artists is to be INclusive. You don’t knock the other guy. You learn from him and let that take you to the next place in your art. The great thing about Delbert (and I suspect TH) is that they can do anything from country to jazz to blues to R&B to Soul to Polkas. They got to that level by listening closely to what others were doing. One of Delbert’s and his friends’ most repeated lines is the old saw from Duke Ellington, “There are two kinds of music.., good and bad.” Delbert’s mantra is “plug in, play, and knock my socks off.”
Jay, I’m curious about the genesis of your Delbert documentary. Is this your first effort to document a musical artist? Why Delbert in particular?
I first saw Delbert play at the 2001 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival. The year before, I saw Wayne Toups and Marcia Ball there. After seeing Delbert and hearing that Wayne and Marcia were both regulars, we booked onto his cruise. After the first day at sea I knew I was witnessing something completely unique and life changing. There are no unhappy people on that ship. There are no bad or mediocre musicians on that ship. Virtuosos and very discriminating fans. That’s it.
It took a few years to build relationships and trust but they came around and let me do my thing. It has the same structure as “The Last Waltz.” 3 minutes of talk, 4-10 minutes of music (whole songs), 3 minutes of talk.., and so on.
We shot 400 songs with 3-5 high def cameras without disturbing the audience. We cut it down to 20 songs to get it to 2 hours. 40 hours of interviews were shot in the homes of artists as well as the ship itself.
I tell people it was a midlife crisis project. Some guys buy a red sports car or Harley. I could have bought a very nice sports Italian car or 12 very nice Harleys.
We do not have a distribution deal yet and will explore that in earnest after film festival season ends for us in mid December. In the meantime we sell DVDs off our website.
I left one of your questions unanswered. Yes, this is my first music doc. I have done some concert programs for local TV, though.
Jay, with your talk of the cruise, I think you may have just inspired us to do the 2008, even though cheaper cabins are no longer available. I just don’t think I can wait until 2009. Sleeping on it tonight.
Jay, so glad you brought up the Zydecajun, Wayne Toups. Many, many people do not understand the awesomeness of Wayne’s music. I am from Southwest LA and Wayne’s music is like mother’s milk to me. Take My Hand is his biggest hit, but for me…songs like Johnnie Can’t Dance evokes such strong memories from growing up.
Of particular interest to this crowd might be Wayne’s zydeco cover of Van the Man’s Tupelo Honey
I’ll confess. I’m not from LA and my strongest zydeco memories are five years old at best — the product of the zydeco tent at Bham’s City Stages. My first exposure involved joining some friends of ours a few years ago as they patiently tried to teach us to dance around the tent to Steve Riley and Mamou Playboys. It makes for a very happy memory, although their toes may still be the worse for wear. And I’m pretty sure there was beer involved. Then last year, stopping in at the dance tent for a little more instruction to the tune of T-Broussard & the Zydeco Steppers. Such happy rhythms. I can hear them in my head right now.
I’ve never listened to Wayne Toups before you posted these links, MM. But I can sure see how it gets under your skin.
This is a wonderfully friendly and educated crowd you have over here. At NOJazzfest 2 years ago, a guy came up to me and had to regail me with the fact that “Take my Hand” was his daughters wedding song. Wayne’s rendition of “Please Explain” is the longest song in my movie. There was much pressure to edit it or eliminate it because of its length. We let it stand. At every screening people are invigorated by it. His band is simply unbelievable. There is a guitar duet piece that will go down in music film history as being without peer. Maybe not in my lifetime.., but you be the judge.
You’ll need to have quicktime (a free download from apple) to see this but here is 11 minutes from Rocking the Boat. This is the Wayne Toups piece. http://homepage.mac.com/jaycurlee/iMovieTheater194.html
Having Wayne Toups here with my Monday morning coffee. Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing that.
Just ordered “Rocking the Boat” and after reading the comments, am chomping at the bit to get my hands on it.
Robin, thanks so much for your original post. Your writing, as usual, is wonderful, and I always look forward to anything written by you. (I think your post about Delbert is almost as good as your bio on Taylor. LOL)
I was right the other day, when I commented that my husband was no doubt familiar with DM. Turns out he has two of Delbert’s early albums downstairs in his cd cabinet. A discussion of the similarities between TH and DM made our long drive Saturday evening much more pleasant.
( Hubby also informed me, much to my surprise, that a good friend of ours has been an avid DM fan since college. Now I know, that with a little effort, I can turn him on to Taylor!)
It still boggles my mind when I think of the number of “new” artists we’ve been exposed to, since Taylor blipped onto our collective “radar” less than two years ago. GC’s was certainly the spark that ignited this music appreciation renewal, but it’s spread way beyond anything I would have imagined. One more thing we can thank Taylor for!
He wanted “his voice heard” and he’s accomplished that, not only for himself, but for many others as well. Good for Taylor. Good for us.
Thanks so much for the link to the Rocking the Boat movie. I really enjoyed reading everyones comments about Delbert and Taylor.
I have noticed that a few of you have checked out the Wayne Toups clip. You will also see that I have a lot of other clips in various stages of completion there. One of our long term goals is to make individual Rocking the Boat DVDs for our artists. Feel free to browse around in there. Some of the pieces on my .mac site are in the movie, some are not. I don’t know how big the population of this community is but I don’t think you’ll max out the server. I feel very much at home with you folks and these video clips will give you a peek at what our little musical family looks like. Check out Jimmy Hall, in particular http://homepage.mac.com/jaycurlee/iMovieTheater188.html
All roads lead to Wet Willie, baby!
I just ordered Rocking The Boat. Thanks Jay!
This topic is wonderful. I’ve been exposed to so many artists via connections I’ve made because of my interest in Taylor Hicks. Delbert has been on my radar for a long time, but I’ve never taken the time to investigate his story. I can’t wait to receive the DVD.
Taylor’s got a huge stone wall in his face, but he’s got the passion and dedication to chip away at it.
I am a very new bee to TH’s career, but it sounds like he has the chops and the desire. He is definitely on my radar now and I’ll be looking to catch one of his shows when I am on the mainland.
i want every one of you who see the movie to give me a review of it. If you can figure it out , you can even post it on the imdb site. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1029365/
Thanks to all who purchase it.
We made this movie on savings, home equity loans, and credit cards.
Thanks Jay…loving all this discussion about music, TH and DM. I have finished watching Rocking the Boat…loved it. I will check out more tonight when I get home.
Robin, you mentioned thinking about going on the cruise. Let me warn you, if you go on one you are there as long as Delbert keeps having them. My wife and I are headed to San Diego for our #7. The reason there are no cheap cabins is they start selling them on the cruise and the cheap and the top ones are gone before the ship gets home. So the only way to get a cheap cabin is be on the boat.
Jay’s “Rocking the Boat”, is, if you like music and no one would be here reading this if they didn’t, is so great it cannot be described. BUY IT, listen then thank me, and Jay Bill
Thanks, Bill. Appreciate the cruise scoop.
And I bought Rocking the Boat today.
We’ll have to work on trying to get Taylor on the 2009 Cruise.
Jay. Shhhhh. Don’t tell anybody until I get booked.
A ramble:
I can’t believe the title of this blog. I was a huge Les McCann fan as a highschool senior and later as a college student. Most of you probably know that C2W was a hit for Les. It was and is one of my favorite recordings.
When my friends were all into “The Doors” I was into the Duke (Ellington) Don Ellis, and Les McCann. My highschool had a stage band. I played first Tenor. I had 2 years of music composition and theory before I got to college. We put on West Side Story in my junior year (1968). It was a music rich enviromnet thanks to some great teachers and terrific music in the home. I didn’t start to like rock, r&b, blues, or country until I got over being a jazz snob. Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings managed to break my rut eventually.
Anyway.., “Compared to What” reminds me of the last time I saw Ellington. McCann was also on that show and brought the crowd to its feet with the song. The event was called the Gammage Jazz Festival. 1971 or 2. My strongest memory of that night was watching the seemingly ancient Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Cootie Williams and Harry Carney file off the bus in their fedoras and hounds tooth jackets, carrying their instrument cases. Some of these men had been on the bus and train with Duke for nearly 50 years. They weren’t doing it for the money. I recall wondering what those wise old eyes had seen.
I can only imagine what Delbert’s eyes have seen in his nearly 50 years of touring. I’ve heard enough stories to know he’s played behind chicken wire. it’s the kind of life that very few can thrive in. The people who can persevere and flourish are very rare and are to be treasured. Their whole reason for life is making us and their muse happy. You can tell from the video and sound clips on this site that Hicks has the love and chops to give this life a real shot. He’s off to a great start.
Jay, I’m so glad you came over to join in this discussion.
What an awesome experience that show must have been for you!
I am reading “The Show I’ll Never Forget — 50 Writers Relive Their Most Memorable Concertgoing Experience” editted by Sean Manning. Your story about the Gammage Jazz Festival would fit right in. It’s a great book. I think most music lovers would enjoy it.
Jay, I think we see in Taylor what you see in Delbert. There are so many similarities. It’s exciting to be in on the start of this next phase of his musical journey. I wish I had been in on the first 10 years, but thankfully there are bits of history available. There’s no doubt in my mind that Taylor lives for his music. The ininhibited joy that pours out from him onstage is inspiring and intoxicating.
Which of Delbert’s albums would be a good one to purchase first?
I know that I am in REALLY good hands when I ask this question here…
Many thanks in advance!
Robin, DO THE CRUISE…you will not regret a single moment or cent spent. 2008’s SBC will be my 7th Delbert cruise. I’ve been a diehard fan of Delbert’s for 25+ years & I swear he’s just like fine wine…the more he ages, the better he gets…& the more I imbibe, the drunker I get.
I know you’re a registered member of Delbert’s on-line forum…I hope you’ll join us at Delbert.com/forum for our weekly Wednesday chats (sign in then click on FlashChat). We meet at 6pm Pacific time…looking forward to having you join us!
MaryMagdalene…You won’t find a bad Delbert CD. My favorites are “Never Been Rocked Enough”, “Delbert McClinton Live” (recorded in Norway), “Live From Austin” (recorded in Austin, TX), “Room To Breathe”, “Nothing Personal”, “One Of The Fortunate Few”, “Cost Of Living”…Oh jeez, I’ll end up listing all of them.
Get the live ones….
I know that they don’t sell as well, but I’ll take a live album any day. I want to know that an artist can deliver in front of an audience. I think that the ACL and the Delbert McClinton Live are where youn should start. When you want/need to dig deeper every one of the studio albums are great. I highly recommend, though, that you check out the Delbert and Glen stuff from the early 70’s. This stuff astounded and baffled the industry then. You’ll notice, though, that several of their songs got covered by more mainstreem artists. Delbert and Glen were sleeping on futons on the floor in Venice Beach at the time.
Marymagdalene, I feel unqualified to answer your question, since I only discovered Delbert a year and a half ago. I ONLY have 5 of his CDs so far. I’m going to purchase the Live at Austin one next at the recommedation of other Delbert fans.
I can’t pick a favorite one out of the 5 that I currently own, but if I have to give you two of them it would be –
One Of The Fortunate Few - the first one I bought when I fell in love with Delbert’s voice and sound on the song “Old Weakness” that Taylor put on his Amazon favorites list. I cannot get enoough of this CD. I listen to it all the time. The songs on it just makes me feel good.
This one may always stay my favorite Delbert CD because it was my first. lol
The other one that I can’t quit playing is Delbert’s Live CD. It is the two-disc set and it’s just called Delbert McClinton Live.
Jay, I haven’t looked at the Delbert and Glen early stuff. Maybe that will be my next purchase…..
Ran home for lunch and found Rocking the Boat had arrived in the mail. Oh yeah.
Do I sense a case of food poisoning or pseudoflu coming on?
Robin,
FYI the version you have has been changed a bit for film festivals. For festival, we added an opening credit sequence, cut one song, and added another story. The net effect is that the movie is about 3 minutes shorter now (and a bit more focussed). I’ll look forward to your review. There were a lot of tough calls to make in editorial. We tried to blur the line between a documentary and concert film. This whole category thing that plagues Taylor and Delbert is a huge hurdle for us, too. The Last Waltz was the model as far as structure. We shot with 4 small high definition video cameras and one big one. The production design was dictated by an intimate audience setting in a marine environment. Thanks for buying the DVD. Every little bit helps.
The world gets smaller by the minute. Just checked out Delbert’s site, perusing the list of artists performing on the upcoming cruise, and couldn’t believe my eyes! Raul Malo!! Are you kidding me? We’re big fans!
It was actually hubby who “found” Raul. He was “comped” tickets at Foxwoods to see the Mavericks (Raul’s band) a couple of years ago - thought he’d check them out and maybe stay for a few songs. Uh-uh! He stayed for the whole show, and came out raving about the lead singer. Since he’s not a “raver” by nature, I figured this guy must be good. After listening to a Mavericks’ cd on the ride home, I knew that was an understatement!
Have to admit (no rotten tomatoes please) that I probably listen to one of Raul’s cd’s more than I do Taylor’s! (This is most likely due to my listening to the almost nightly cell certs during the tours, along with the immediate access of TH downloads from the Boogie and Gypsee - that we’ve all become accustomed to (and spoiled by!)
Raul’s smooth voice reminds me of Roy Orbison. His covers of Don and Phil Everly’s “So Sad,” Willie Nelson’s “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground,” and the Gibb’s Brothers’ “Run To Me” are gorgeous.
We’ll be checking out next year’s cruise! DM and Raul, by themselves, would do it for us. If Taylor is ever thrown into the mix, it’s a done deal! No questions asked! I am, at the moment, a happy camper!
Azure, no rotton tomotoes from me. There’s no question I listen to Delbert more than Taylor. The simple truth is, the volume of Taylor music is still limited. That will change with time. But with Delbert I have such a wealth of choices. And as I told a friend recently, Delbert is my old reliable. He never, ever fails me. Of course now I have to check out Raul.
Jay, VPL, & texastaylorfan:
Many thanks in letting me know your choices!
I just purchased “One of the Fortunate Few” from iTunes, because of the song ‘Old Weakness’ which was on one of Taylor’s several playlists…
But as I am traveling up to Springfield for Taylor’s concert at the Big ‘E’ on Friday, you know what I will definitely be listening to!
I will check out the live 2-CD set next weekend, and I will be looking into the Delbert/Glen material in the very near future…
In the past, I have not liked live albums on a whole, as they (obviously) were not the studio albums…
Which, in retrospect, is rather silly of me, considering that one of my prime hobbies is going to NYC and attending BROADWAY MUSICALS, which is my version of going to concerts…
It was not until seeing a certain gray-haired, brown-eyed (handsome) man on tour in my one-and-only-and-probably-ever-AI concert, no-one and I repeat NO-ONE, outside the Broadway world, ever inspired me to become a ‘Fan-ADDICT’ to the point where I FINALLY understand the commotion that the world went through when both Elvis and The Beatles came onto the music scene…
Addendum: I am LEAVING on Friday to spend the weekend in Springfield, not only to attend Taylor’s concert on SATURDAY, I am also going to hang out with friends… THAT is what I meant to say… DUH! Thanks for understanding!
Well I couldn’t resist and ordered the Rocking The Boat DVD. If I were rich and didn’t have to work, I’d be on the next cruse. My husband and I are really enjoying the Delbert McClinton CD I bought, One Of The Fortunate Few. I also bought Lyle Lovett’s latest CD and we really like that one also. Thanks again what for a great site.
Thanks for your support, Tish. Please don’t hesitate to critique RTB here or to me personally. You can send me personal email through http://www.rockingtheboatmovie.com
I was in error above. The website only sends you to the purchase page. Anyone can contact me at jay@jaycurlee.com
Not only did I listen to “One of the Fortunate Few” several times while traveling to Springfield for the Big “E” and it is a GREAT album…
I have also purchased Delbert’s live 2-CD set, and have listened to it a couple of times already and it is INCREDIBLE!!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for introducing me to such a FANTASTIC musician!!!
Saw Delbert at The Grand in Tunica Saturday night and wished him a ‘Happy Birthday’. Robin got to see Taylor Friday night in Philadelphia, Ms. and provided my brother and sis-in-law with the opportunity to see Taylor also. Thanks Robin. You’re a peach!
Robin,
I know that I am late to this party, but I just had to say “Bravo” on a piece well done. There is nothing better then reading about a person’s love for a musician or their music and feeling the love…