Club Q Update #72 - Blues from the archives

I remember this one well. It was a momentous day.

Must have been 2008. Back Door Slam was playing the Ottawa Blues Festival. After us on the stage was Keb Mo, after him it was Taj Mahal. Before our set Keb had come up to me and told me he was a fan. Blew my mind. I sat in his trailer with him for some time, and he asked me if I’d met Clapton yet. I told him No. I’d be terrified. Keb then laughed and proceeded to tell me a whole list of people to be terrified of instead of Clapton. We hit it off. I last saw him in Montreux, Switzerland, a few years ago and told him this story. He’s still a great guy. I had two bottles of white wine in me though and I worry I made a total fool of myself. He was gracious, and I was sloppy. I was a quiet drunk for quite a few years. I think I remember buying another bottle after I left the venue and drinking it in my hotel room.

I’m two years sober now. I don’t shout about it. I just quietly packed it in when my wife was pregnant with Emmy. I figured there was no better reason than wanting to be alive for my wife and daughter. My family has a history of not doing that.

I digress.

Back Door Slam were just about to hit the stage in Ottawa when a group of folks introduced themselves to me as The Texas Horns. Would I be interested in them coming up for a jam? Of course I bloody would. Man am I glad the result got recorded. I love horn sections. I’d never played with one before this. I remember the feeling of awe as they crept in with this incredible sound. No rehearsal, I just told them the key. Such a great moment.