In March 2005, I was scheduled to interview Hunter S. Thompson after three requests over a year’s period. I considered giving up after my third request until Thompson’s agent called me to say the interview was set for March 1. Unfortunately, nine days before the...
Cars Posts
The Divine Spark of Sly and the Family Stone
In 2016, Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart) was awarded five million dollars in back royalties. For years, Sly lived in an RV, and before that he was homeless. The story of Sly & The Family Stone cuts to the bone. This article originally coincided with the release of...
Georgia Tree Farm
This lone structure is near Jordan, Georgia. Another cultural symbol from a bygone era. A portrait that represents farming and the America forest with a low-to-the-ground aesthetic. This place always reminds me of tree farmer Chuck Leavell, keyboardist for the Rolling...
Gov’t Mule: Peace…Like A River
Peace…Like a River counts as Gov’t Mule’s twelfth studio album, and it’s one of their most complex. The first cut, “Same As It Ever Was” contains an emotive opening riff as the song travels into jazz territory. The past, present and future serves as a recurring theme...
Don Nix: Road Stories And Recipes
"After Chicago we played Miami again, and some one-nighters in northern Florida and Georgia, with a two-night stand at the famous Royal Peacock Club on Auburn Street in Atlanta..." --Don Nix Don Nix’s book Road Stories And Recipes contains personal music experiences...
Get In Union: Bessie Jones with the Georgia Sea Island Singers and Others: Alan Lomax Recordings 1959-1966
Alan Lomax once declared the Golden Isles of Georgia home of the American song. Get In Union: Bessie Jones with the Sea Island Singers and Others, a 2 CD set, features 26 previously unreleased tracks. This collection truly captures essential roots of American music....
2006 Interview with the Georgia Sea Island Singers’ Frankie Quimby
I conducted this interview in the spring of 2006 with Mrs. Frankie Quimby. She grew up on the Georgia sea islands. Her ancestors were traced all the way back to the Foulah Tribe in Africa. This interview is American history of the highest order. After four...
John Coltrane: Coltrane Plays The Blues
“I’d like to point out to people the divine in a musical language that transcends words. I want to speak to their souls.” –John Coltrane John Coltrane’s music emits an unmistakable sound. The album Coltrane Plays the Blues, released in 1962, ranks as one of Coltrane’s...
Crossroad Blues: A Nick Travers Novel by Ace Atkins
“And the days keep on worryin' me Of a hellhound on my trail..." --Robert Johnson "Hellhound On My Trail" This year marks the 25th anniversary of Ace Atkins’ debut novel, Crossroad Blues. The book was first published when Atkins was 27 years old and worked as a...
The Exotic Ones: That Fabulous Film-Making Family from Music City, USA-The Ormonds by Jimmy McDonough
“I think Nashville is one of the best places to make money…” –Ron Ormond The Ormond family survived a plane crash in 1967. After the crash, the independent filmmakers knew they must change their show biz ways. At that point in their career, they were raking in cash...