"And I know no one can sing the blues Like Blind Willie McTell..." --Bob Dylan Perhaps the most gifted of all blues artists, Blind Willie McTell ranks as a seminal figure in American music. Born in Thomson, Georgia, in May of 1898 (some say 1901), McTell's visual...
“Dumbness deserves no sympathy.”
What a car. 1958. Buick Century Riviera two-door hardtop. 8,110 of these cars were manufactured. All Buicks in this year featured the division's 364 cubic inch V-8 as standard equipment. Three hundred horsepower rating. Seductive trim. This car's original paint job...
Published in 1994, David Weddle's biography of filmmaker Sam Peckinpah provides a detailed look into "Bloody Sam's" life and films. If They Move...Kill 'Em begins with Peckinpah's childhood in a family of "lumberjacks, cattle ranchers and frontier lawyers". Weddle...
Bob Dylan called AKA Grafitti Man the best album of the year. In fact, Dylan played this album before his own shows. “Rockin’ the Res” opens the disc with an up-tempo beat threaded with cinematic reels of visual images. “Grafitti Man” hinges on a great Davis electric guitar hook. Eight of these compositions were written by Davis and Trudell.
Born August 18, 1915, in Abbeville, Georgia, Reverend Pearly Brown lived his life preaching and singing about the word of God to common folk in the streets. Rev. Brown stands as the first black musician to perform on the Grand Ole Opry. The Reverend often played folk...
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...
“Tom Waits (after becoming sea sick on the boat) asked Lurie, “I’ve gotta ask you something, John. Have you ever caught a fish before? I’ve never actually seen you catch a fish.”
In March of this year, I interviewed Blackberry Smoke’s drummer Brit Turner. He’s a great guy, talented musician and a gentleman of the highest order to all that know him. Big car guy. I sent him an electronic version of Ghostland America back in the spring after our...
“Art is a disagreement. Money is an agreement.” –Bob Dylan Who better to write a book about songs than Bob Dylan? Dylan’s new tome proves more entertaining and straightforward than his 2004 book, Chronicles. True to form, Dylan makes no mention of his own songs in The...