Thematic Thursday

The first post in this series will be a link drop, but you'll like it anyway.

Start off with a very influential song, Johnny Otis' "Willie And The Hand Jive" (1957):



Next up, The Nashville Teens with "Tobacco Road" (1964):



Third, another weekend car radio favorite, Question Mark & The Mysterians' "96 Tears" (1965-66):



Like The Nashville Teens, these guys are still playing gigs. Here's a more recent video of "96 Tears."

To go out more uptempo and in a major mode, the Bobby Fuller Four with "I Fought The Law" (1965-66):

Troubador Tuesday -- Jesse Winchester

We started hearing about this dude after he had already split town to Canada to avoid the Vietnam draft. Sad, because his ancestor Marcus Winchester founded Memphis, Tennessee, with Andrew Jackson way back when.

Unfortunately, there isn't much on YouTube of Jesse Winchester. Maybe I could have a little talk with the owner of his current label, a Canadian acquaintance of mine, about this. Three out of four of the ones I embedded when I wrote this post have been scrubbed.  Let me see what I can find....

After Jimmy Carter pardoned all the Vietnam draft resisters, Jesse was free to come back to Memphis to visit family; and on one trip, he did a solo gig at Memphis' Brooks Museum of Art. That was probably the best one-man show I ever saw (excepting only the great bluesman Furry Lewis). You talk about a hard-to-get ticket....

Anyway, here's a (sort of) video of one of his early favorites, "Yankee Lady":



A fine art painter hippie compadre of mine used to love this one, "Black Dog":



Canadian Robbie Robertson of The Band got involved in producing Jesse early on, perhaps because of the richness of his vocal timbre and his songwriting. My painter friend also loved "Isn't That So":



I also favor "Mississippi, You're On My Mind" and "Nothin' But A Breeze." Yes, he can still do it live and is a fine acoustic guitarist.





"Nothin' But A Breeze" you ought to hear off the record, but I don't know how long this YouTube post will stay up.

Jesse Winchester became involved with members of what would later become the Amazing Rhythm Aces (Wiki bio) and on his 1974 album Learn To Love It put out the first recorded version of Russell Smith's "Third Rate Romance," which the Aces made into a huge hit a year later.  Also on that album was another Russell Smith number, "The End Is Not In Sight," likewise made into a hit version by The Amazing Rhythm Aces (AMG bio) in 1976:



UPDATE: Thanks to a commenter, here's a ready-to-click version of a link to a bunch of Jesse's songs performed by him in one place on MySpace: http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.Discography&artistid=1188

Soulful Sunday -- Al Green

I met Al Green way back in the late 70's when he helped my friend Teddy Withers (Earnest Withers' son) open his state legislator district office in southwest Memphis in an office suite I provided at nominal rent. After the opening, we all went over to Al's church for a celebration.

I already knew Al's recording band, the awesome Hi Rhythm, having gigged on the same bill with them in the very early 70's. I still feel fortunate to have introduced Hi Rhythm at their show at the rebuilt Stax Studio A last year (which was videotaped by our cable TV company). If you get a chance to see it, I'm the one with the light skin who came on stage right after the museum director.

Here are three of my Al Green faves, starting with "Tired Of Being Alone":



Next, "Here I Am (Come And Take Me":



I'll never forget watching Soul Train with Packy Axton and Johnny Keyes at Fre-Tone Studios around the corner from my house in Orange Mound.

Last, and perhaps my favorite of all, "Love And Happiness," recorded at a Stax reunion concert at the Orpheum where I was in the audience:



If that wasn't enough, I already posted my other Al Green favs here.

Flying Burrito Friday

The taste level seems to have risen this week on Feel Good Friday, and the number of participants seems to be exploding.

I thought I would get the Pesky Fly's goat posting Wanda Jackson first, but he messed me up with his Flying Burrito Brothers post today. I had no idea there was a video of the shooting of that awesome album cover. My hat's so off to him that I am just going to follow suit.

I just missed knowing Gram Parsons at college; he dropped out just as I got there; but I heard a lot about him from his friends there.

Here's the Flying Burrito Brothers' song I hear most in my head, "Sin City":



In these days of retro-pop, and with so few real videos with Gram Parsons in them (he left us tragically early), I thought it worth showing the Burritos' ode to "The Older Guy":



Gram also loved the work of our regional songwriters Dan Penn and Chips Moman and covered their "Do Right Woman" and "Dark End Of The Street":



RIP, Gram. You burned so brightly.

Woeful Wednesday

W is also for women.  Here's Wanda Jackson covering Elvis' 1958 "Hard-Headed Woman" in 1959 and doing a bang-up job at it too:



Next is Nancy Sinatra with a video with wonderful production values, "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" (1966):



If I have a favorite Dolly Parton song, it's her own composition, "Jolene" (1974):



Whew!  How to follow that one?  How about with a talented 13-year-old Tanya Tucker, belting out her 1972 hit, "Delta Dawn"?

Chips Moman Videos

Those of you who have taken an interest in the latest Chips Moman controversy may enjoy watching two videos that Bill Godsey posted on YouTube.

I wish Bill (or someone) would edit the redundant and non-Chips footage out; but meanwhile, let's play "name the people we recognize" in the videos. I see Wayne and Becky Russell, probably Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms, and I think Herbie O'Mell. I suggest the format (video) #1 or 2, (time) minute:second, name, and description of person (if helpful).

Troubador Tuesday -- Mose Allison

You may be thinking, hey, troubadors don't play piano, they play guitar or lute or some stringy thing.  Well, when a guy writes most of the songs he does, sings them himself, and accompanies himself, I say he's a troubador.  Here's what I mean, Mose Allison with his signature witty lyrics doing a summer special, "Your Mind Is On Vacation (But Your Mouth Is Workin' Overtime)":



First time I ever saw Mose was in the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  He was waiting to go on, so I sidled up and asked him (knowing he is from Mississippi and a blues singer too): "What are you doin' up here?"  Picking up on my Southern accent, he shot right back: "What are you doin' up here?"  Which, come to think of it, was a better question.

Mose wrote several songs decades ago that the Sixties groups made popular.  Let's observe the process.  Here's a slide show that contains the original recording of "Young Man Blues":



The Who made the song more widely known via their Live At Leeds album.  Here they are doing it on the Isle of Wight:



Then there's Mose's "I'm Not Talking" (covered by the Yardbirds):


And of course, Mose's "Parchman Farm," redone by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers on the famous "Beano" album and by Blue Cheer and others too.

Here's a link to Mose's official site with tour information.  For an 80-year-old, he's still gettin' around all over the States and the planet.  Don't miss the chance to see him.  Ah heck, here's one more video, "I'm Gettin' There":



I think my favorite Mose lyrics are the ones in "I'm Smashed."  The following is a big band version, but the "Live at the Lighthouse" small combo version is around on one of the great compilations on this man.  Listen up!

Blue Monday -- N. MS Hill Country

I'm old enough to have seen many blues greats live; but outside of our treasured local city dwellers like Furry Lewis and Bukka White, I haven't given enough credit to the ones who didn't move to Chicago.  Now I miss them, so here are a few who stayed in the country just a few miles south of here.

R.L. Burnside was an authentic and competent country blues singer and guitar player who, probably because of his longevity and his sons, found himself in demand for electric fusion recordings as well, one of which became part of The Sopranos soundtrack ("It's Bad You Know" video).  He could have toured more, but he said he was afraid he'd lose his food stamps if he made too much money in Europe.  To be fair, maybe he just didn't feel up to it, because his health failed him not long after his ascent to prominence.

Here's R.L. doing a song you may recognize through his fans the North Mississippi Allstars, "Poor Black Mattie":



Featured next is Junior Kimbrough, known for his fabled juke joint where he held forth with his kids and R.L.'s kids doing a lot of drone-style, voodoo ceremonial-type jams.  Here's an example, "Sad Days, Lonely Nights":



Now we'll see the great lady of the North Mississippi hill country blues, the She-Wolf, Jessie Mae Hemphill, doing "You Can Talk About Me":



You can see more of the above people in my friend Robert Palmer's movie, Deep Blues.

I want to go back to R.L. so I can show you what Johnny Woods looked like. Johnny used to play with another North Mississippian, Fred McDowell, whom I've featured elsewhere. Johnny Woods also played the harmonica parts on the Moloch album.

One morning at an old girlfriend's house, we were shaking out the cobwebs when Bobby Ray Watson showed up with Johnny Woods in tow, both of them already drinking or maybe still drinking from the night before (audio sample of those two doing "Shake Your Boogie") . Helping R.L. do "Telephone Blues," heeeerre's Johnny!:



This post wouldn't be complete without a taste of North Mississippi hill country fife and drum:



You might also enjoy my Memphis Country Blues Festival series.

Soulful Sunday

One of the greatest soul songs of all time, Solomon Burke's "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love":



You may remember it from the Blues Brothers movie, but that's cool, they had Cropper and Duck behind 'em:



Another in the same spirit is Bobby Blue Bland's "Turn On Your Love Light":



Let's not forget the biggest root of soul music, black gospel, and one of its foot-in-both-camps exponents, O.V. Wright:



God, I hate to leave James Carr out of this post, doing "You've Got My Mind Messed Up." Can anyone identify the players in this? I think I see the Memphis Horns, and Teenie Hodges in one of his space cadet outfits, playing one of those Steinberger headless guitars he likes.

Psychedelic Saturday -- Big Brother

A few years back, I got the chance to hear Big Brother & the Holding Company at a club here in Memphis, with a singer who nailed Janis Joplin beautifully (and was good-lookin' too!).  I'd go hear that unit again, and I urge you to do so as well.  Click here for tour dates.  Click here for the band's own web site.  Click here for their MySpace page.

Here are a couple of vintage videos of the band with Janis, the first one of one of the best songs off their first album, "Down On Me":



This next video is of a song that displays the acid-drenched lead guitar that epitomized the San Francisco Sound. We always thought it was Sam Houston Andrew. Also with such a sound was Jorma Kaukonen of the Jefferson Airplane and John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service. Anyway, here's Big Brother's classic version of Erma Franklin's "Piece Of My Heart":

Frat Rock Friday

Some years back Rhino Records came out with a great compilation, Frat Rock!, whose success led to the followups Son of Frat Rock! and Grandson of Frat Rock! All three received five stars from AllMusicGuide. I bought them all when they came out to get digital versions of so many of my favorite songs from high school days that all the frat party bands had to cover to get gigs.

I'm bringing you four videos of tunes off the first volume. Leading off, in chronological order of release, The Isley Brothers doing "Shout" (1959):



You may remember that one from this scene in Animal House.

Next up are The Contours doing "Do You Love Me?" (1962):



You may remember that one from the movie Dirty Dancing.

A year later, it was The Righteous Brothers with "Little Latin Lupe Lu" (1963).

Last but not least, my friend and former roommate for a brief time, Domingo Samudio, aka Sam the Sham. Way before the days of Google search and Wikipedia, I got to ask Sam the burning question, "What does 'Let's not be L-7' mean?" Nowadays, the answer is spelled out here. Closing out this set, Sam the Sham & the Pharoahs doing "Wooly Bully" (1965) in full regalia!

Troubador Tuesday -- Fred Neil

I've been featuring troubadors, folk singers mainly so far, who influenced my talented folk singer friends. This week it's Fred Neil, a great songwriter and baritone vocalist whose work has wound up on the screen more often than most. Here's "Everybody's Talkin'":



Here's one Sid Selvidge (who has the pipes to cover Fred Neil) likes, "The Dolphins":



I think Sid may like Fred's "I've Got A Secret (Didn't We Shake Sugaree)" even better. I couldn't find a video of it, but here's the full song in audio!

I'll be featuring Sid later, and Jesse Winchester too.

Racial Discrimination

I've already written a piece about why forced busing for "racial balance" in the absence of de jure school segregation is more wrong than ever; but I remembered a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in which Chief Justice John Roberts, writing the plurality opinion, made a very memorable statement, so I hunted it down:

The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.

I wondered why this decision has seemingly not been made a part of conventional wisdom, so I read it and posted it here to share with readers interested in the state of the law on this subject:

PARENTS INVOLVED IN COMMUNITY SCHOOLS v. SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1 et al.

The sooner we stop racial school assignments, racial gerrymandering, and RACIAL VOTING, the healthier and happier our nation will be.

But I think it's a fair question to ask all candidates for public office, especially Barack Obama and John McCain, if they agree with the plurality opinion, Justice Kennedy's concurrence, or the dissenters in this case.

Blue Monday -- Junior Wells

Some years back, Jay Sheffield was doing the booking for the first B.B. King's Club, on Beale Street in Memphis. I had just gotten a hold of a great compilation of Junior Wells' early recordings on the Chief label. I dropped by Jay's office, told him he ought to bring Junior in to B.B.'s, handed Jay the CD for proof, and took my leave. A week or so later I started hearing he was playing the thing in his car for anyone who would listen. I checked back in with Jay, and he was enthusing about "Little By Little" (video 1; video 2; better audio); he but had done some checking around and had been told Junior cussed a lot during his stage act. I said something like, "So fucking what, Jay, this is exactly the kind of act you need for B.B.'s, the man grew up around here playing harmonica, he's at least one of the best ever, I heard him live in Cambridge with Buddy Guy a while back and he didn't cuss at that show and I chatted 'em up and Junior is OK if a little full of himself, and he wants a gig in Memphis, so book the mother-fucker, man!!"

Soon after, the Handy Awards were coming up again (yes, I'll always call 'em the Handy Awards, and downtown Memphis is where they belong), and it was announced in advance that Junior was going to receive some award (Jay was real big in the Blues Foundation back then). I got a call from Jay, telling me he had booked Junior into B.B.'s and that he wanted me at his table. That night, Junior put on a magnificent show, evidently pleased as punch he was playing B.B.'s; and he did not cuss one god-damned bit. A day or so later, I was backstage at the Handys eating barbecue with Junior, talking about Earl Hooker.

I'm gonna show you a couple of my favorites, starting with "Messin' With The Kid":


Next up is an older original of Junior's, but done to perfection on his classic Delmark album of the same name, Hoodoo Man Blues:


I wish I could find videos of Junior doing "Snatch It Back And Hold It" and "Early In The Morning," but I found full audio tracks of both of them for you. Clicks the song titles above to hear.

Come see me early in the morning
Just about the break of day
You ought to saw me hug my pillow
Where my baby used to lay

Oh, the blues.... Sonny Boy Williamson #1 recorded that one first...but therein lies another post....

Sultry Sunday

Lotta folks believe Sunday is for going to church. Hell, my daddy made my mama take me to church while he sat in the bed reading the Sunday paper. Daddy said religion is for the weak-minded.

Well, if you need to get up early, put on a respectful suit of clothes, and go to a club meeting where they say you're going to live forever in some state of future rewards and punishments, you have that right as long as the First Amendment means something.

Me, I'd rather lay in bed snuggling my soft, warm lady and continue what we started the night before, probably nap a bit after that, watch some TV, and then fix eggs benedict for breakfast in bed.

I need to drop a load of videos, so here we go, starting with Dusty Springfield singing "Son of a Preacher Man," recorded here in Memphis a few blocks away from where I sit, at the also should-have-been-made-a-museum-but-was-torn-down American Sound Studios:



Aretha Franklin finally relented and recorded a fine version. Way later on, the talented and tasteful young thang Joss Stone covered it too. Speaking of Aretha, here's her "I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)", first recorded by this amazing woman (born in Memphis) with Memphis musicians and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section:



Oh heck, let's watch Aretha do another one, a one-chord jam called "Chain Of Fools":



I'm stickin' with the women today (they do have all the you-know-what, after all), so I'll close out with Bobbie Gentry singing her "Ode To Billie Joe":

Juke Joint Saturday Night

White guys who grew up in Memphis have had at least one black friend tell 'em this: "If you could be a negro just one Saturday night, you'd never want to be white any more."

We Memphis white boys have more depth in the black music department than white boys anywhere (think Elvis, and many more white Memphis hipsters through the years), so I'm trotting some choice stuff out for the rest of y'all.

I'm not doing blues in this post so much as southern soul. I warn you, the content is highly sexual; but ladies, check out these videos: the message is real and in your favor, unlike the misogynist rap crap you've been assaulted with.

Let's get the party started with the immortal Muddy Waters' "Champagne and Reefer"! (I had to substitute an audio-only for the live video some dumb shithead scrubbed off YouTube, thinking it was in his/her/their interest.)



The same Chess/MCA or their successors in interest stinking lawyer suits fronting for greedy and stupid record company investor suits scrubbed my next video off YouTube too. The song? Screw it. I'm not telling you. Fuck 'em. The artist is dead anyway.

Here's the kind of number you can hear Miss Nicki singing at Wild Bill's in Memphis: Denise LaSalle's "Lick It Before You Stick It":



Now back to the men. First, soul great Clarence Carter, whom I was lucky enough to meet in Tunica after a recent show, on his way to the tables and escorted by his squeeze because he's blind as a bat. I said, "Hey man, I was hopin' you'd do 'Tell Daddy'." He said, "You must go back a ways. The women took that song from me and turned it into "Tell Mama." Here he is doing his chitlin' circuit favorite, "Strokin."



Now this last video is the long version of Marvin Sease's classic "Candy Licker." Girls, women, ladies, whichever you're in the mood to be called right now, don't miss this M____r-F____r!



Ladies, here it is again, one of the finitely numbered Saturday nights in your life. I hope you're still on speaking terms with an available, extremely satisfying man you can call and say, "Hey Baby, I want to 'see' you tonight." Head down to the closest thing you have to a juke joint, treat him like the treasure he is, and go home with him before y'all get too wasted for him to do you like he do.

Friday Fare -- Poke Sallet by Tony Joe

Durn, I was saving this video up for a Swamper Special, and then here comes Tony Joe White (myspace site) into town to play at the Hi-Tone tonight (9pm, $15), and other media have jumped on it while I was lettin' my meat loaf. That's cool though. Tony Joe can still do it and even counts as a Memphian. I still remember the band I was road-managing (Moloch) playing on the same bill as Tony Joe (and the Bar-Kays) at a Kentucky Derby Day festival, on top of a flatbed trailer in a huge open field. I supercharged the musicians in the middle of our set, while college drunks chunked empty bottles at the stage and the singer chunked 'em back as the band played on.

I never ate poke sallet (that's the way I remember it being spelled), because I always heard it is poisonous, although it can be cooked to decrease its toxicity (cooking changes greens from "salad" to "sallet"). Click on the embedded links to get info (including recipes) on ole pokeweed (aka inkberry) if you're curious, while you listen to "Poke Salad Annie":

Advice from a Doctor

An Internet friend sent me this months ago, and I have been meaning to post it:

I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive lab tests, he said I was doing "fairly well" for my age.

A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, "Do you think I'll live to be 80?"

He asked, "Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer or wine?"

"Oh no," I replied. "I'm not doing drugs, either!"

Then he asked, "Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs?"

I said, "No, my former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!"

"Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?"

"No, I don't," I said.

He asked, "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?"

"No," I said.

He looked at me and said, "Then, why do you even give a shit?"

WEVL's Rock House with Lonnie

I've been listening to Lonnie's show for years now. He's always ready to make a dedication or play a request. I especially like it when he goes beyond Rockabilly into Rhythm & Blues and early Rock & Roll.

Here's WEVL's info on his show:

Program Name: Rock House
Program Genre: Rockabilly/'50s
Description: Rockabilly with Lonnie.
Check out my website at myspace.com/rockhouseshow.
Day & Time: Friday, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Program Host: Lonnie
E-Mail: lonnie@wevl.org
Other:
Photo:
[Left pic is off the WEVL site; right pic Lonnie sent me to use.]


Give the show a listen for some of the best radio on the planet! Friday nights at 7PM! Two hours! 89.9 FM in Memphis. You can even stream it live over the Internet around the world!

WEVL's Night Train with Steffen

I noticed that one of the best shows on WEVL-FM radio had a new host to replace the retired Charles. I also noticed the new DJ had exceptional taste and range in music, at least as good as Charles.

I looked into this, finally put facts together, and realized I know this Steffen guy and see him all the time at 201 Poplar and Federal District Court in his capacity as a criminal defense lawyer.

I encourage you to check out the new Night Train with Steffen as conductor.

Here's the data off WEVL's website for the show:

Program Name: Night Train
Program Genre: Eclectic
Description: Blues, jazz, folk and rock with Steffen.
Check out my playlists here.
Day & Time: Thursday, 9:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Program Host: Steffen
E-Mail: steffen@wevl.org
Other:
Photo: N/A

I can fix that N/A with a cellphone pic I snapped of Steffen in one of his customary habitats, the Criminal Justice Center:

Give the show a listen for some of the best radio on the planet! Thursday nights at 9PM! Three hours! 89.9 FM in Memphis. You can even stream it live over the Internet around the world!

Troubador Tuesday -- Tim Hardin

I have a friend who loves to play and sing this one by Tim Hardin; he kinda burned it in my mind: "Reason To Believe."



Then of course there's "If I Were A Carpenter." Here's the recorded version:



Here's the Woodstock version:

Flip-Flops Bad, High Heels Good

In the "you don't know what you think you know" department come these back-to-back recent articles:

The Dangers Of Flip-Flops ... In Footwear!

The growing use of the thin-soled, rubber slippers increases chances of serious foot problems, from damage from dropped objects and stubbed toes, to ankle and insole woes caused by their lack of support.

and

How High Heels Might Boost Your Sex Life

High heels may improve a woman's sex life, a new study has found — but not in the way you might imagine.

The effect of heels on the male libido is well-known, but this research looked at the physical benefits of high heels for women. Dr. Maria Angela Cerruto, a urologist at the University of Verona, Italy, found that the tippy-toe posture of heels can tone a woman's abdomen and pelvic floor.

There was another story in the last couple of days about flip-flops just not being suitable in most workplaces.

Women, many of you are tending to look the same in this summer's "uniform" of jeans or other pants and flip-flops and fluorescent toenail polish. I wish you would regard this at best as a daytime uniform and change out of it into something sexier for the evening.

Blue Monday -- Fats Domino

My Mom used to like these Fats Domino records; I heard them around the house a lot.

I'll start with her favorite, surely a song with a message: "Ain't That A Shame" (1955):



Here's another Fifties anthem, Fats' 1956 international hit cover of a 1940's song, "Blueberry Hill":



I'll finish up with the title tune of this post, Fats' "Blue Monday":

Mushroom Trips

This is a heavy subject. Some researchers just revisited the psychedelic effects of the psilocybin mushroom:

Many of the 36 volunteers rated their reaction to a single dose of the drug, called psilocybin, as one of the most meaningful or spiritually significant experiences of their lives.

Well, duh, we had sample sizes almost that big in some hippie pads I lived in.

Even two months after taking the drug, pronounced SILL-oh-SY-bin, most of the volunteers said the experience had changed them in beneficial ways, such as making them more compassionate, loving, optimistic and patient. Family members and friends said they noticed a difference, too.

On the warning side, though:

Almost a third of the research participants found the drug experience frightening even in the very controlled setting.

Some personalities don't respond well, especially the first time, to the loss of ordinary control and perceptual strangeness of the experience. Much has been written about the importance of (mind) set and setting: eating beforehand, being in a good mood to start, being among supportive friends in a non-threatening environment, having come-down aids like wine and even tranquilizers if necessary, and so on.

The psilocybin mushroom experience is the shortest in duration, the least threatening, and the most humorous, as compared to the possible nausea from mescaline cactus and the profound personality self-examination more typical of LSD. I hope responsible adult use of this magic mushroom will be legal wherever and whenever I retire. I might like to try it again then.

UPDATE: New, July 2008 CNN video report on a Johns Hopkins study of the psychedelic mushroom experience.

Troubador Tuesday -- Pentangle

You run across all sorts of goodies surfing YouTube. I have an anecdote that goes with this post, but first the music. By way of introduction, Pentangle is the greatest group in the history of English folk music. I'll start off with their most memorable song, "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme." The uploader has disabled embedding, so do click the image below to see the video in a new window.

You can see more Pentangle videos by clicking here.

I think it was 1968, and I had a music show on WHRB-FM radio in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on which I could play anything I wanted. Pentangle had come to Boston for a gig, so I got in touch with them and headed to the motel they were in with a trusty field recorder. I was 19 and looking forward to seeing Jacqui McShee with that long blonde hair and winsome vibe. When I got there for the interview, she was in huge curlers! Oh well, bless 'em all for agreeing to see me that day.

I was already familiar with Bert Jansch, because I had a folksinging friend, Burt Stegall, who loved to play the songs off his 1965 album, like "Needle Of Death" and Davey Graham's "Angie." Here's a video of Bert doing the traditional "Blackwaterside," which you may recognize from a later recording by Led Zeppelin:



I later came to appreciate John Renbourn, whose version of the old Scottish air, "The Mist-Covered Mountains Of Home," is just awesome. I couldn't find a video of John doing it, but just so you can hear the tune, here's a video of another accomplished guitarist playing it. I'm warning you, your eyes may get teary listening, and you will never forget the tune.

Here's a nice very recent video of John Renbourn, with another haunting vocal by Jacqui McShee, just the two of them doing "The Trees They Do Grow High":



You can see more fine guitar playing by John by clicking here.