Album Notes

I discovered girls and blues about the same time and fell in love with both! It started in middle school with Eve Caligor, Eric Clapton, John Mayall and Led Zeppelin. In 1974, I moved to Chicago and discovered Black artists and the roots of the music being "imported" by the Brits and increasingly imitated by white performers everywhere. Playing gigs with Homesick James was even better than hearing T-Bone Walker at Thelma’s or Buddy Guy at the Checkerboard, but I couldn’t make a living playing blues there, so I headed East.

One of those white artists who dug deep into American blues was the late Beau Bowman, a Vermont legend. He first played Henry Thomas’ "Fishin’ Blues" for me, and his version of "Nightclub" is the inspiration for the one on this recording. Beau and bassist Kevin Miller’s influence drove the blues down solid in my set lists even as I moved on to L.A. in the 80's.

DC is a monster blues town. There, Linwood Taylor let me show my version of Nadine to crowds of blues aficionados. I met great artists like Tom Principato, Tommy Lepson and Cathy Ponton King. The DC lineup of the Greg Earl Band included hot players like El Torro Gamble on drums, Mike Ault and David Glaser on guitar and Gary Gilpin on keys. My relationship with the blues and it's ability to speak to the soul, grew deeper and stronger.

A ten-year hiatus from full-time gigging found me pursuing higher education and briefly living in France. There I met Luther Allison, but had to turn down an offer to stay and join his band. I currently live in Portland, OR. where I've found more great players to work with. I hope you like our jams.

Thanks to Beau & Kevin, Roger Cowan, Buf Spaulding, Bobby Hearne, Brad Morgan, and Art Rothafel for getting me started.

Recorded and mixed by Billy Oskay at Big Red Studio, Corbett, OR http://www.bigredstudio.com winter/spring 2002-07

Additional recording by Craig Neil, sound Choice Production, Santa Fe, NM April, 2007

Mastered by Roger Seibel at SAE Mastering, Phoenix, AZ, May, 2007

Cover art and graphics by Mike Hopkins http://www.hopkinsartmusic.com

Greg Earl 2007