As I am sitting writing this, I am doing a little reminiscing. It is about this time two years ago, that I played my very first gig at a club called Warmdaddy's in Philadelphia. Now that I think about it, it's exactly a year ago that I began recording my debut album. I cannot emphasize enough how much I have learned and grown since these two precious landmarks in my life took place.
I spoke with my sister on the phone today. She is a middle school teacher going through her second year of training in preparation for the start of school this September. She told me laughingly of all the activities that the teachers were encouraged to do, as a way of building confidence, and eliminating fears they may have going into the new school year. One of the activities involves walking and balancing on a wooden log, raised three stories high above the ground.
Always Grateful, Always Sensational--Deb Davies
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“I love what I got to do, when I did Blues Blast (her current CD). It was really fun for me, playing with other people and making music with folks,” said the sensational blues guitarist and singer Debbie Davies, as she spoke to me earlier this fall, from Omaha, Nebraska, where she was preparing for a concert later in the week.
Davies who cut her teeth in blues music, while playing with such legendary artists as Albert Collins, as well as Maggie and John Mayall, has reached a sweet spot in her life, where she seems very grateful for the people who have helped her to develop as an artist, she is happy about her life, and fans of blues music have embraced her as one of the finest electric guitarists to stroll down blues avenue.
Fiery Licks From Cold As Ice
John Lee Hooker Jr. comes across as being wary of journalists, and a little bit surly but he warms up quickly when you get around to talking about his fans. The Bluesman is a phenomenal singer/songwriter who has paid his dues on both the music scene and in life.
Hooker discussed with me is upcoming September tour of Spain, Switzerland and Germany to promote his most recent release Cold As Ice. At the time he was in the midst of traveling across the United States for the same reason. Hooker says it is a thrill for him to see the enthusiasm that Europeans demonstrate for his music and the Blues in general. "America is where it (Blues) was born. Americans can get it in the kitchen, upstairs and everywhere they go.
More Gems On Diamond Days
A camera is following blues artist Eric Bibb as he moves among the shops on Paris France’s Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau and that is how the CD Diamond Days begins. Acting upon a last minute suggestion from a cinematographer friend Bibb is filmed with a camcorder while he visits what he refers to as one of his favourite haunts, a luthier shop, RF Charle Instruments de Musique a Cordes.
There was something about the spontaneity of the whole thing that I felt enticed with a certain type of energy that you wouldn’t have got if you had planned it as a formal shoot. To me it was really in the spirit of the music that I played in the shop.
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