Mudcrutch broke up fifty years ago. The Gainesville, Florida, band became local heroes by hosting a series of festivals at “Mudcrutch Farm”, which gained attention across the south. After Tom Petty left Gainesville for California, the group imploded in 1975. Soon...
The only staged photograph in this book--a fully restored and "hot rodded" 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle on a rutted dirt road next to a hay field on Sandy Creek Farm. I parked the car on that clay and gravel track from early morning until after sunset. The sky and lighting...
Greetings Folks, I've been nominated for the 2023 Georgia Author of the Year in the Specialty Book category for Ghostland America. I'm humbled and flattered by the nomination. I'm in formidable company. No matter the outcome I'd like to thank the Georgia Writers...
I first heard tell of James Calemine when my band was playing a little club in Valdosta, Georgia, back in the early 90s. Griffin Bufkin was behind the bar; he was the one who booked us to play, and he was the bartender that early evening. He served up the beers and...
The John Sayles film, Honeydripper, inspired me to seek him out for an interview in 2007. This Q & A captures a portrait of the filmmaker at the time Honeydripper showed in theaters. The film revolves around Alabama blues musicians. Honeydripper counts as one of...
Johnny Colt doesn’t waste time. Colt ranks as a top-shelf bassist, businessman, photographer and graphic artist. He’s best known as the original Black Crowes bassist. Colt played in the Atlanta group from 1989-1997. Black Crowes fans refer to those years as “the...
Abandoned charm. At first glance it's not apparent what this heap of parts comprises, but inspecting it more closely reveals a magic bus with amazing details such as chrome hubcaps, lamp, rusty ladder and house windows retrofitted into this conveyance. It looks like...
This review is an excerpt from the "The Divine Spark of Sly and the Family Stone" essay from Insured Beyond The Grave Vol. 2... In 1970, Sly missed 26 of 80 gigs. In 1971, he missed 12 of 41. The group began to stagnate due to Sly’s nefarious distractions. In November...
“He trusted in a woman/And on her he made his bets…” –Neil Young “Barstool Blues” Marc Ford ranks as one of the world’s most gifted guitar players. He’s the former lead guitarist of Burning Tree, The Black Crowes, Ben Harper and The Magpie Salute. He’s an underrated...
Published in 1976, Robert Sabbag’s book Snowblind: A Brief Career in the Cocaine Trade made a splash. It tells the story of smuggler Zachary Swan in the 1970s. Swan’s ingenious plans to outwit government agencies and dangerous rivals to get rich in the drug trade lace...
