Scott Taylor Blues Kitchen

Scott Taylor
Blues Kitchen
Fetal Records

I became familiar with Scott Taylor from a promising recording by a group Electrofied. His new release "Blues Kitchen" features the guitar and bass of Tony Fazio who also recorded this. Others on this are Greg Phillips on drums (Eric Selby on a couple tracks) and Charlie Sayles who adds harmonica on a few tracks. Taylor and Fazio co-wrote ten of the eleven songs (Taylor wrote the other).

Taylor, on a set of fairly straight blues, again shows himself to be a nuanced, powerful singer with a definite personality. Fazio is a capable guitarist and Charlie Sayles enlivens the selections he is on. Despite these positives, the backing is generally basic and skeletal and the performances sound like demos as opposed to finished recordings that would have more vibrancy in the backing. Taken in small samples, this is not much of an issue. However, listening to several tracks at once, and one will notice this. This is a shame, because one can imagine how much more powerful an album this would have been if a fuller band had been employed, along with engineering for a more vibrant sound.

I received from Fetal Records. Here is Scott Taylor performing with Electrofied.

A Few Blues Shows Coming to DC of Note

Photo © Ron Weinstock

Jody Williams, pictured above at the 2007 Pocono Blues Festival, is one of the treasures of real deal blues artists who are still with us. A member of Bo Diddley's Band for a period, as well as making some pioneering recordings, we are fortunate that he resumed playing after several decades away from music in part because of the bitterness relating the song Love Is Strange. He has two truly wonderful blues albums out on Evidence that blues fans need to own. Anyway Jody is part of a tour, Blues At The Crossroads II: Muddy & The Wolf which also will include the Fabulous Thunderbirds featuring Kim Wilson, Tinsley Ellis, James Cotton and Bob Margolin. It is at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Monday February 18. Visit www.birchmere.com for more information.

Memphis Gold and Charlie Sayles will each be performing at JVs this week. Photo © Ron Weinstock

JV's in Annandale, Virginia is celebrating its anniversary and has some great shows this week. Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 12, Charlie Sayles will be leading a band with Clarence 'The Bluesman' Turner on guitar while on Wednesday, February 13, Memphis Gold will have a special show with some special guests including keyboards and saxophone. Friday, February 15 The Mac Arnold Band will be appearing. Mac Arnold is a former bass player who worked with John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters while on Sunday, February 17, the early afternoon show will be a great group including Big Joe Maher, Marty Baumann and Bill Heid. Catfish Hodge  will be coming to JVs on Saturday March 2.

Incidentally, Memphis Gold is at the Westminster Presbyterian Church (401 I Street SW, Washington DC), as part of its Blue Monday series tonight, February 11, and next Monday (February 18), Little Royal will perform. There is a shuttle from the Waterfront Metro stop.

Moonshine Society's Live Time In Shanghai

The Washington DC area band Moonshine Society, accompanied by harmonica master Charlie Sayles, spent three months playing six nights a week at The House of Blues and Jazz in Shanghai, China. During their engagement they were recorded live and the result is the self-produced CD, Live In Shanghai. The music of Moonshine Society is anchored around the vocals of Jenny ‘Black Betty’ Poppen and her husband Joe Poppen on guitar. They met at Berklee in Boston and moving down to the Washington DC area where they performed and mentored by Memphis Gold and others. In Shanghai the band included bassist Chris Brown and drummer Brett Byars in addition to Sayles. They are tight and functional band and with this small group the focus is on Jenny’s vocals, Joe’s fiery guitar and Charlie’s harp, with the bass and drums providing the setting.

Very little in the nature of surprises in the songs included which include a variety of familiar blues and blues-influenced pop material. Opening is the Al Jackson and Timothy Matthews tune that was a hit for Ann Peebles and later Albert King, Breaking Up Somebody’s Home. It establishes Jenny’s presence as a singer and Joe’s energetic guitar playing. Charlie Sayles is spotlighted as vocalist on Jimmy Reed’s Bright Lights, Big City which allows him to shine. Poppen pulls out all the stops on a lengthy solo during Love Me Like a Man on which Jenny sounds really tough singing while Charlie’s harp is in the back ground. They return to Jimmy Reed on Big Boss Man, with a choppy shuffle beat (but they don’t capture the restrained, unhurried feel of Reed’s original) although Sayles takes a strong harp solo. This is followed by a lovely, nuanced rendition of the Roberta Flack hit, Killing Me Softly benefiting from an understated vocal and spare backing,

Lazy Lester’s swamp blues shuffle Sugar Coated Love follows and is a rocking performance with Sayles’ harmonica again prominent along with Joe Poppen in the accompaniment. Jenny’s low-key vocal on Lisa Mill’s Better Than This is a lovely blues and rhythm ballad performance that is complemented by Joe’s restrained playing. Following is a nice shuffle medley of the classic Rock Me Baby (with more harp from Sayles) and Slim Harpo’s Te Ni Nee Ni Nu, with Jenny certainly asserting herself as sing sings “rock me like my back ain’t got no bone,” with Poppen stinging when they transition into a funk groove on the latter number. They get down into the alley on Albert Collins’ Do What You Want to Do, a lengthy slow blues performance with a short break from Sayles and a lengthy guitar solo. Not mentioned on the back cover is an atmospheric solo bass guitar rendition of The Beatles’ Michelle.

Moonshine Society‘s Live in Shanghai is an entertaining album with strong singing and solid musicianship. One can purchase the CD at their shows or as downloads from http://www.reverbnation.com/store/index/artist_670417. It is also available as a CD or download at cdbaby.com and iTunes.

This review originally appeared in the February 2012 Capital Blues Messenger, the DC Blues Society newsletter.

Memphis Gold's Story Part 6

Memphis Gold, Watch Night 2007 Falls Church VA.
His last performance before he fell off tree
Photo © Ron Weinstock

In August 2009, Joe Kessler and I had a chance to interview Chester Chandler, the blues performer known as Memphis Gold for the Dutch publication Block. This interview was translated into Dutch for publication, but we have felt it would be helpful to have the interview in English. Joe transcribed it and this is the last part. I should point out that interviews with Memphis Gold have appeared in Jefferson Blues, Blues & Rhythm and Living Blues. The latest Memphis Gold CD was recently released, Pickin’ High Cotton (Stackhouse) and includes selections with Robert Lighthouse.

I sent it (Prodigal Son) to some of everybody. I sent that CD overseas and I wanted everybody to get a copy of it. There have been not even 2,000 copies of that CD out. I still sell it online, as a digital download now, but I don’t even have copies of it anymore (the first CD Memphis Gold). Jim O’Neil came up to see me. He had gone through a very tough divorce, a black lady he had 2 children by, so he went defunct from what he was doing down in the Sunflower State, and he moved to Kansas City. At that time when Jim came up here, he came up here for a wedding and he needed a place to stay. I said, “Jim, man, come up to my house and stay with me. I got plenty of room for you.” I started talking to him, and said, “Jim, I know you’re starting over with the record company and everything. I’d like to come in at the bottom level. I’ll put up my own money. I’d like to use your name.” So we drew up a contract. He doesn’t have a lot of money to put out to me now, but he’s growing, he’s coming back to where he used to be. You know, he had Rooster Records for years. After he lost it and sold it, he took his 2 children and they had become the most beautiful wonderful children. They’re coming to their teens now, but I know what he’s had to go through with his teens and with his old CDs and memorabilia and stuff that he’s got. Anyway, we drew up a contract, and I said, “Jim, I’ll do everything I can. All I want to do is just use Stackhouse Records, and we’ll try and work on it together.” Now I can feel some things that he wants to do for me. 

After playing on New Year’s Eve 2007, I played at the City of Falls Church’s First Night. About a week later on January the 8th, I was helping a friend do a couple of trees in Maryland as a favor. I’m working and had already been up 3 of the biggest oak trees I had been up in a long time. I was getting ready to get off (of work) when Barbara said there’s a tree next door the lady wants to have come down, a pine tree. She said let’s try to tie this job up. I said, “I’m tired, Barb.” But I go up this tree, and as soon as I get up to about 35 feet, I throw my rope over a limb. The limb was around 2 inches in diameter. I know this limb can hold me. I threw the rope over and I’m sitting in my saddle trying to rest myself. As I’m trying to rest myself, I’m talking to somebody on the ground, and that rope left and slipped right to the middle of the limb. That’s where the breaking point was. It broke and went “crack”. And down I went. I’m going 35 feet backwards. I know I’m either gonna bust my brains or I’m gonna break my shoulder blades. I’m thinking as I’m falling, I wanna hit my butt. When I’m about 10 from the ground, I turned, and hit my butt bone, but it still broke my back.

Since then, I’ve been recouping, but I’ve still been writing and playing the blues I’ve still been staying upbeat. I think my music is the only reason that I’m doing so well. I had a little bit of a setback. On January the 18th of this year (2009) I went downstairs in my apartment to get a pedicure the day before I was gonna do the Red, White, and Blue Ball. Larry King was there, George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic was there and it was the first time I was ever gonna see Sly Stone perform and stay at a gig. Peter Paul, Mary, Ben Vereen was there. We were all in the same show. The day before I did this gig, the lady (giving me the pedicure) scrubbed my foot to a second degree burn and there was a big blister on the bottom of my foot. If I had been a diabetic like the rest of my family, I would have lost my foot. It took until May for my foot to get well. In that time, I wasn’t able to walk or do therapy.

Little Jimmy Reed and Memphis Gold at 2008 Columbia Pike Blues Festival
Memphis Gold and his wife brought him up to play some gigs with him
Photo © Ron Weinstock

In March, around the time of my birthday, I was happy to release Gator Gon’ Bitechu. The reason for the title is (in tribute to DJ) the “Gator” down at WPFW and all the ladies he called the Gatorettes. Since he is one of the premiere blues DJs in this town (Washington DC), I decided to write Gator’s Gon’ Bitechu. I’ve had some good reviews and reviews that weren’t so good, but that’s the Blues.

At the same time, I was working on a second album with Robert Lighthouse, a Swedish-born musician who used to play on the street with Charlie (Sayles). I was trying to release both of them at the same time, but I ran out of money. The second album is an acoustic, old traditional album. It’s a down home thing. Robert Lighthouse is a phenomenal guitar player and contributed a lot to the album. I’m finishing it up now. If I was able to get them both out at the same time, that would have been a kicker – a rejuvenation and I’d probably be walking again. I figure I’ll be walking again maybe by later October. I’m putting a song on my new album for the guy who owns John Brown’s Cabin, the Kennedy Farm in West Virginia. I’m putting a song on there for John Brown, who got hung. I was invited up to the John Brown House. He owns the farm now. 

I gave Charlie the name “Hollywood Charlie” in about ’99 or 2000 because of his swagger and the moves he makes, he’s like Hollywood pictures. I was K.D. King and became Memphis Gold. They were calling me K.D., King Dog, ‘cause when I was at the Vegas, every night they were open, I was going somewhere with some girl. I was a dog. When I first got to Washington I had 2 gold teeth in my mouth. I was sitting with Barbara one night and I said “I want a new name”. She said “Everybody’s trying to be a king, like Albert King, B.B. King, Little Jimmy King.” She said “you’re from Memphis and you have gold in your mouth, so you’re Memphis Gold”. 

Little Jimmy King knew me from Memphis. He called and told the promoter of a show in Alaska. They brought me up there and we had a guitar shoot out. We had the greatest time (in Alaska). I was playing with his band. I opened up for him the first night, he opened up for me the second night. 

All of the songs I record are songs I’ve lived. There are some funny songs, there are some songs that I feel. I sit down and I laugh and think about the women I’ve been with, like on the Prodigal Son, “I got these six women”. I’ve been married 6 times, and I’ve got 2 children by 2 women outside of those 6 marriages. I’ve settled down a lot. Barbara has been background and has settled me down a lot, so it’s out of my blood, I guess. And I’m a little older now. 

I don’t think I could do anything different with my life. I wrote a really morbid song on my last CD. It’s called “In My Next Life”. Barbara asked me why I wrote that song. I said, “Maybe I missed out on something. Maybe I missed out on a girl or two!” 

I played the Chesapeake Blues Festival twice. I played with Big Joe Maher (drums) and John Previti on bass; I’ve played with some of the most top notch musicians in this town, and it’s by the grace of god. This town has some really great musicians, I must say. 

I like to listen to Howlin’ Wolf now. I just close my eyes and I can just see the type of life that he lived. He and Albert King were very ornery. They were two of a kind. Albert King was standing outside the door one night when I was playing Crosscut Saw. I walked out and he said, “Come here, boy. You’re a pretty good damn guitar player. Don’t try to play like me. Just do what you do.” From that day on, I may still play a couple licks from him, but I try to keep to my own style, sanctified Beale Street gutbucket blues. 

The Red, White, and Blue ball from this year was my favorite gig because of the people that were there, even though I was sitting in a chair. The audience was out there in dress uniforms and I was pumping them up. 

Barbara started a foundation called (Building Bridges America Foundation?) Bridging the Gaps to help handicap disabilities, autism, we’re gonna put on a festival in Crystal City, at Gateway Park, which holds about 7,000 people. I love (my town) Arlington, …even though I don’t have enough to pay the rent (laughs). The rent just jumps out of the sky sometimes. Last month, there were a couple of houses I painted. I’m not doing trees no more but I do services for other people. I have a guy who is a carpenter; he’s Hispanic, and others. I try to keep those guys working. I go there and supervise, and people, they trust me. Last month I did the house of a guy with Georgetown University. This guy trusted me and just tossed me the keys to his house and said “Memphis, do such and such a thing and paint my house.” So I’m making money doing different things than cutting trees.

Taken at 2009 Congressional Blues Festival in Washington DC
lower row- Joe Kessler, comedian & activist Dick Gregory
(Memphis' cousin) & Memphis Gold
Middle row, Jay Summerour who plays on Memphis Gold's last two albums
Upper row (Standing) - unidentified
Photo © Memphsi Gold

Memphis Gold's Story Part 5

Memphis Gold and Deborah Coleman
Photo © Memphis Gold

In August 2009, Joe Kessler and I had a chance to interview Chester Chandler, the blues performer known as Memphis Gold for the Dutch publication Block. This interview was translated into Dutch for publication, but we have felt it would be helpful to have the interview in English. Joe transcribed it and leftThis is the fourth of several parts that will be running the next few days. I should point out that interviews with Memphis Gold have appeared in Jefferson Blues, Blues & Rhythm and Living Blues.

I assumed the name “K.D.” when I got there. When I got there I had to have a name, so I was “Little K.D. King”. Everybody wanted to come in and play with me. They’d put their name on the list and ask to play with me. I was playing lead then and kicking butt. William Goldman and O.C. Nunn out of Chicago would come in. William Goldman recruited me to play at the DC Blues Society’s first Blues competition. 

I finally got a place to stay in a prestigious neighborhood near Nebraska Avenue. The guy let me stay in his basement, an Italian guy. And he would let me keep his properties up, keeping them real nice. So I had a place to stay until I met Barbara (my wife) in late ’93-94 and I moved in with her.

The week I met Barbara, I had already contracted out with Deborah Coleman and Willie Hicks. It was me, Willie Hicks, Deborah Coleman, and a guy named Slam. She said she needed a rhythm guitar player. I met her at India Gate in Adams Morgan (DC). She came to see me play that night. It was me, Willie, and a drummer, Morris. We were a three piece and we used to pack the India Gate, man. We went down to Walnut Creek down in North Carolina. That’s the first time I saw Roy Roberts, I got a chance to play with him, and also I got a chance to play with Bob Margolin. Deborah was opening up for Bob. She met this guy, Keith Federman who became her manager. He didn’t like me. When I opened up, I was killer. I’m walkin all through the crowd, doin my thing, I opened up for Deborah for at least 30 minutes, so I’m outshining her, you know. He didn’t like that. He fired me. I was with Deborah for about a year.

Then I met Charlie Sayles when I went down to Manute Bol’s to jam one night. Charlie said he’d heard of me but never met me, and that everybody used to tell him he needs to get with this guy, K.D. At time, Charlie was sleeping in front of Central Union Mission. I invited him to my house where he spent the night. It just so happened that the next day I was going to the studio to make a little demo. It was me, O.C., and Charlie. From then on, me and Charlie started playing together. It was Barbara’s idea that it was time for me to start doing my own thing, so I started doing my own thing.

Then we started playing at Whitlow’s, J.V.’s, Smokehouse Blues in Centreville. Charlie had me play with him at Fleetwood’s (Mic Fleetwood’s club in Alexandria VA). One day, Barbara’s attorney found a guy from AFE (Armed Forces Entertainment), so then I started getting on the USO tours. Then everything was starting to roll real good. I had regular gigs all the time. I was the first guy to play at Whitlow’s. We were like the house band.

When I started on the USO tours, I was trying to get out of the clubs ‘cuz Barbara’s always had a good business sense and she said if you want to get bigger than what you are now, you gotta get out of the clubs. Then I started playing up at the casinos, like Trump Plaza, with this guy called Greek Horn (?). He said Memphis, if you’re going to get a Marquee value, you’re gonna have to get out of these small places. Since then I’ve played some clubs, but mostly I’ve been kind of silent, but steady going.

I started my first recording in 1997 and finished it in 1998. It was called Memphis Gold. Bobby Parker helped me produce it. I funded it myself. I was working cutting trees down. By this time, I started getting my own little tree company, too. I started climbing. I was climbing everyday and working in Vienna and Great Falls, making chunks and chunks of money. Times were good.

I learned quite a lot from Bobby doing my first album. Bobby didn’t want to give his total 100% to it because he was “one of the premiere blues guys around” and Bobby didn’t want nobody to outshine him, but he did help me with it and I paid him. I learned about mixing, recording, I learned how to do what Bobby said, make it big and fat. I learned what to do to bring over to my next CD which was Prodigal Son.

Memphis Gold at Pocono Blues Festival
Photo © Ron Weinstock

I played the Poconos in 2004, after I sent a demo to Michael Cloeren. When I played it, I was getting other people to try and learn my music, and nobody really wanted to rehearse, so to me, I thought it wasn’t a very good gig. Ralph Oliver was with me at that time, and he and his old lady had just had a big blowout. That just sent him out to the left field. We were on stage trying to grapple to get our shit together, because if you’re gonna do something, the Poconos is the place to do it, and I feel like I didn’t do as well as I could have done. From that day ‘till now, I feel like it was because of that mishap with him.

I enjoyed it, though. Just to be at the Poconos and carry on and play my guitar and have everybody taking pictures. It was a half a year later that the Prodigal Son CD came out. I feel like I was always a step behind. Even the CD I have out now, I was rushing it, I think I could have done a better job. By Prodigal Son, I was trying to show people that I am the real guy, I am the real deal. I wanted to show Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones that I’m the prodigal son, ‘cause I’m the guy who played with Robert Wilkins, the guy whose song you covered on Beggar’s Banquet. I was also trying to prove a point to myself.

I’m the prodigal son. I’m the one who left home, was homeless, and I was joining all this together as being the prodigal son.

I don’t know why I paid off my parents’ house, everybody in my family was begging. My sisters and brothers, too, none of them to this day can remember a dime I gave them. I had about $22,000 dollars. I was paying the light bills and everything, with a smile. I always smile. Every time you see me, normally, I’m the same person. My family was taking advantage of me at that time.


(To be continued)

Electrofied's Bad Case of Blues Has Promising Diagnosis

A really good guy, Tony Fazio, is the regular guitarist with Stacy Brooks, but also be seem playing with Charlie Sayles and other bands when a solid, reliable guitarist is needed. As busy as Tony is as a sideman, he has a project, Electrofied, that he is centrally involved in. Electrofied dates back to 2002 and was founded by Fazio and drummer Richard James Burgess. It presently includes vocalist Scott Taylor and bassist Rob Rusteburg, and they have issued in late 2009, CD, “Bad Case of the Blues” (Marva). It is a recording that has garnered some critical praise and a nomination as best blues/traditional recording for the Washington Area Music Awards. This writer has only caught a brief performance of them at a benefit for a local musician and was impressed by the group’s energy as well Scott Taylor’s presence as a vocalist.

To these ears, Bad Case of the Blues” shows more promise than it displays a group that has arrived. That might be the result of the use of only a trio in the studio behind Taylor’s passionate vocals (although harmonica wizard Charlie Sayles guests on one track). Live one might not notice as much the simple, functional rhythm provided by Rusteburg and Burgess and the limited musical coloring guitarist Fazio provides. Not to say he plays bad, but having a rhythm guitarist or a keyboard player for the recording would have made it a fuller and richer backing.

The material is generally solid is somewhat generic in terms of themes. The opening title track has a good lyric about being mistreated and the doctor’s diagnosis about the pains Scott has been having isn’t heart trouble or bursitis, but simply a bad case of the blues. A solid vocal by Taylor and some strong guitar by Fazio. On the funky “Cadillac,” Taylor salaciously invites the lady to take a ride in his big and wide Cadillac, but the cluttered sounding accompaniment comes across as clunky behind Fazio’s buzz-tone solo. The addition of Charlie Sayles harmonica helps on “Life Is Like A Boomerang,” as does Burgess’ interesting drumming here. Sayles use of the harmonica’s high register provides a fuller spectrum of musical colors here. “Rub Me Down,” is a nice soulful slow blues as Taylor asks his lady to come on over and rub him down to help drive Taylor’s blues away. Its a pretty strong vocal and nice guitar where the simple backing works.

“Put Your Hands In The Air” is a song about loving the blues, while Charlie Sayles returns to add his embellishments behind Taylor’s vocal on “I’ll Go Insane,” with its lazy Jimmy Reed groove. Fazio takes a couple choruses of scorch the earth guitar on the solo break. One other fine slow blues performance is “It Ain’t Right,” with a especially strong vocal. “Rainbow” and “Early in the Morning,” however, reinforce this listener’s sense that Electrofied’s music shows considerable promise but they need to expand their musical palette in the studio. Think about the sound of Burgess’ drums (hint listen to recent recordings by the Brazilian Igor Prado Band and Studebaker John) and how that can enliven the somewhat dull sound heard here. That said, I certainly hope I can catch one of Electrofied’s all too infrequent performances around the Washington, DC area, and I certainly look forward to their future recording efforts as well.

This is available from cdbaby.com.
I received a review copy from Tony Fazio.

Memphis Gold Loves that Big Legged Woman

From youtube



I should mention that the new issue of Blues and Rhythm, No. 233, October 2008, has Terence McArdle's story on Memphis Gold and one of my photos of him is the predominant one on the cover. There are a few more of mine inside illustrating the story, taken from gigs in the 1990s at JV's in Annadale VA (not in Washington) and Fleetwood's in Alexandria VA. Its really nice to see the story and the exposure as he is such a good person as well as a performer. He still is recuperating from his fall earlier this year an gets better every time I see him. Bluebeat Music carries Blues & Rhythm, and while I suspect they do not have it yet in stock, you might check in a week or two after the date of this post. Btw the harmonica player on this performance is Charlie Sayles (Hollywood Charlie Sayles as Memphis calls him). Below is Part 2 of this performance.

2008-0223 Memphis Gold at Home

Last night I visited Chester Chandler, aka Memphis Gold, at his Arlington, Virginia apartment along with his wife Barbara and some of his family. While there was a wheelchair in the unit, there was a walker and shoes with plastic braces. He remains a person with boundless optimism and glad to be alive although he has a long time to go in his recovery. He has no feeling in his feet, and his muscles in the back of the legs have atrophied, hopefully the rehabilitation will get them back again.

Barbara mentioned the staggering hospital bills, and the lack of insurance. The accident came when he was assisting a friend so no workmen's compensation is available and Barbara is fighting DC's termination of her health insurance which would have covered most of the expenses. The Grammy's Music Cares program has provided assistance and the DC Blues Society's benefit on February 9 raised over $2000, but so much more remains. Another benefit will be held by the Baltimore Blues Society on March 16 and I will post more details separately. He intends to be there and play.

Memphis Gold is still playing music. Before leaving the rehabilitation hospital in Baltimore he gave a performance for the staff. other parents and families. He has been recording music prior to the accident including acoustic sessions with Robert Lighthouse and Charlie Sayles, and full band sessions. One song he played for me was the lively "Gator is Gonna Bite You" which Rich 'The Gator' Bolling has been playing on WPFW. Its a fun, funky number that is full of the infectious joy he brings to his performances.

We also watched performances from a DVD compiled from video taken at the benefit show, laughing and enjoying so many memorable moments. Once again he was very enthusiastic about Mike Westcott who had a great rocking rendition of Wolf's "44 Blues." Other benefits are planned, and I look forward to seeing him performing very soon.

Memphis Gold Benefit Big Success

I missed seeing Memphis Gold on Tuesday as I ran in Charlie Sayles on my way home on the Metro (Washington's subway). We stopped at his place, but he seemed out. I spoke to him Thursday and he is doing well, still a long way to go as far as recuperation, but playing and writing music. In fact he played for the staff at the Rehab facility in Baltimore he was at prior to being sent back to his home in Arlington VA.

The DC Blues Society's Benefit for Memphis Gold last weekend was a great success, with the Surf Club being as full as I ever saw it and (I understand) over $2000 raised for Memphis Gold. Was a great night of music and Memphis had the music video'd. There was some terrific music by the likes of Bobby Parker, the Hardway Connection, Charlie Sayles with the Memphis Gold Band, Mike Westcott, Clarence 'The Bluesman Turner with Stacy Brooks and much more. Memphis told me he was really impressed by Mike Westcott and Blues on Board (pictured) who he had not seen before. Anyway I will try to see him this weekend and will post about another benefit to be held in Baltimore this week.

Memphis Gold 2007-1231_Falls_Church_Watch_Night-278

2007-1231_Falls_Church_Watch_Night-278
Originally uploaded by NoVARon

Memphis Gold performing New Years Eve in Falls Church (VA) as part of the annual Watch Night. Less than two weeks after this performance, Memphis Gold fell out of a tree while employed in a tree cleaning business and suffered serious injuries.

The DC Blues Society is holding a benefit for him on Saturday February 9 at Chick Hall's Surf Club in Bladensburg Maryland, from 7pm-1am. More information can be found at www.dcblues.org as well as on an earlier post on this blog.

Stacy Brooks, a wonderful DC area vocalist has been able to be with Memphis Gold and family in the hospital and able to post updates on his condition. On January 16 she wrote:

Memphis is on the road to recovery, he finally has a little bit of feeling in his feet. His spirits are high and we (Memphis, his wife Barbara, Nadine Rae, Clarence “The Bluesman” Turner, Memphis’ sister and myself) actually wrote a song the other day in Shock Trauma lol . I guess we made too much noise (just kidding)….because now they moved him to Kernan Hospital to begin rehabilitation. He still has a long way to go, but the doctors are calling him a miracle. I truly believe our prayers along with his strong will and determination go a long way! Well, since he is getting better he has all this idle time (which he is not used to) on his hands. If anyone can donate a laptop while he is in the hospital, it would be greatly appreciated. He will be there for a while and their desktop of course is at home. When he is not in therapy for these next 8 weeks he needs to keep his mind busy. Someone can give it to me, and I can take it to him. How convenient that they move him 5 minutes from my office."

I spoke with Stacy today and she mentioned just how vigorous the rehab is. She is also putting together a benefit series for Memphis and other musicians who suffer similar medical emergencies. Her own website is
http://www.stacysmusic.org.

She has started a separate website for the benefit and benefit series
http://memphisgoldbenefit.com. This webpage also has updates on how Memphis Gold is doing.