The Social Freelancer: Media, Music, TV & Film

A music memory: Jackson, Mississippi, 1970 or so…

Vintage Tony Joe White photo via Rock's Back Pages

Riding in the back of my parents Ford station wagon I remember hearing Tony Joe White’s swamp boogie stomp “Polk Salad Annie” sliding out of the little am radio speaker. Something about it caught me, made me pay attention.
It was the GROOVE, I realize now but at the time I just knew I liked it. I was just a kid, soaking up all kinds of music.

Years later I heard the song again and it grabbed me again. So I dug deeper.
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The great Freddie King hailed from Dallas, Texas and tore up stages all over the world with his blistering brand of electric blues before his untimely death at age 42 in 1976. His vocal and guitar prowess were without match and have now influenced a generation of players. Often imitated, never duplicated – Freddie King!
This video of “The Texas Cannonball” is Freddie at his best, live onstage in Sweden, 1973, performing “Have You Ever Loved A Woman.” This one is on my top 10 best electric blues songs ever written list, for sure. Enjoy the video…> Read more…

Larry Carlton is simply an amazing guitarist whose work I first became aware of in the 70′s as the guy who played great solos on some of Steely Dan’s early recordings. He’s a “musician’s musician”, able to play with fluidity and grace in a wide variety of styles and formats. I’m particularly partial to his more electric jazz, rock and blues fusion bands but he’s also made his name in “smooth jazz” as an acoustic player. My favorites are ones like this.. NIGHT SWEATS.
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