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Americana Musical Landscape, with beautiful chromatic harmonica from Tollak Olestad, reminiscent of Toots Thielman's solo in "Midnight Cowboy", Pedal Steel, and a big city saxophone section gives the power of a diesel engine horn as it rolls past through the bright lights of Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans or Kansas City, a lonesome hobo troubadour songwriter, leaving a troubled past, searching for roots, a purpose, a home, love, adventure, freedom, and the elusive American dream.
When I wrote this, I had just gone through a separation and divorce, proceedings, going from a 6 bedroom house and recording studio, to a basement suite in the East Indian neighborhood of Vancouver, where I didn't know a soul.
I was thinking about the south where I grew up. Grandfather worked on the Illinois Central from Chicago to New Orleans, "City of New Orleans" most of his life out of Memphis, until he lost his leg in a train accident, and this song was inspired by stories from my mother, and my long term yearly gig on the Reno Snow Train from Emeryville CA, to Reno Nevada, where I got to live out my fantasy on the rails 4 days a week every February and March for many years. My Grandfather was born in Durant Mississippi, near Clarksdale, Ground Zero of the blues, where many of my ancestors were from. I was channeling his life and a million stories, and dreams of a better life, standing at a depot, in some hick town, dreaming of the bright lights of Memphis, Chicago or New Orleans. Blacks escaping the repression of Jim Crow, Hobos in the depression, and how the trains connected us all.
lyrics
Lyrics By John Lee Sanders and Michael Decroix
credits
from Tweakin' Some Twang,
released October 30, 2018
Bruce Kaphan, Pedal Steel, Weisenborn Guitar, Nylon String Guitar, 6 string acoustic,
Tollak Ollestad, Chromatic and Blues Harmonica
John Lee Sanders, Lead and Background Vocals, Sax section, Piano, Synths, Strings, Drum and percussion programming
Mick Mestek, Drums (formerly of Tower of Power)
Bach Norwood, Upright Bass
Lyrics and Music, John Lee Sanders, Additional Lyrics, Michael DeCroix
Multi-instrumentalist, Composer, Saxophone, Guitar, Piano, vocalist, and Emmy nominated composer, he has evolved a
complex musical gumbo, with the flavors of Americana, Rock, Gospel, Pop, Jazz, R&B, Soul, Country, classical, with a deep love of the traditions, and culture of New Orleans....more
With virtuosic guitar-playing and evocative singing, Carl “Buffalo” Nichols returns Black stories to folk and blues. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 9, 2021
The second album by French-Moroccan power quartet Bab L' Bluz is packed with dizzying melodies and rich instrumentation. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 14, 2024