Roy Rogers & the Delta Rhythm Kings
Live! at the Sierra Nevada Brewery Big Room
Chops Not Chaps Records 82534633372
Produced by Roy and Gaynell Rogers
Roy Rogers - vocals, guitars
Steve Ehrmann - bass
Jim Sanchez - drums, percussion
Phillip Aaberg - piano
Norton Buffalo - harmonica, vocals
Scoop McGuire - upright bass
Shana Morrison - vocals
Tom Rigney - violin
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1) Ever Since I Lost You (Roy Rogers, Chops Not Chaps Music/BMI)
2) Down Home Girl (Liebder, Butker, Jerru Lieber Music, Mike Stoller Music/ASCAP)
3) Mellow Apples (J. Williams, P.D., Roy Rogers, Chops Not Chaps Music/BMI)
4) Built for Comfort (W. Dixon, Hoochie Coochie Music/BMI)
5) Terraplane Blues (Robert Johnson, King of Spades Music/BMI)
6) I'm a Stranger Herel (Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee PRU Music/BMI)
7) Gertie Ruth (Roy Rogers, Gorn, Gionfriddo, Chops Not Chaps Music/BMI)
8) Down in Mississippi (Roy Rogers, Chops Not Chaps Music/BMI)
9) Vida's Place (Roy Rogers, Chops Not Chaps Music/BMI)
10) Duck Walk (Roy Rogers, Chops Not Chaps Music/BMI)
11) Shake Your Moneymaker (E. James, Frost Music/BMI)
12) For the Children (Roy Rogers, Chops Not Chaps Music/BMI)
Review by Bill Yates, Roots66.com
California-born Roy Rogers developed an early interest in Mississippi Delta Blues and the slide guitar. So much so that he has now been nominated eight times for a Grammy. Rogers is a skilled and inventive slide guitarist, an excellent songwriter, a record producer, and a good vocalist to boot. Live! at the Sierra Nevada Brewery Big Room is a collection of eleven previously recorded tunes and one new one but done in a live performance. Previous Rogers albums include Slideways, Chops Not Chaps, Slidewinder, Blues On the Range, Slide of Hand, Slide Zone, Rhythm & Groove, R&B, and Travelin' Tracks. Rogers has produced four albums for John Lee Hooker. Here he is joined by the Delta Rhythm Kings (Steve Ehrmann on bass and Jim Sanchez on percussion) and several guest artists including fiddler Tm Rigney, pianist Phillip Aaberg, and harmonica wizard Norton Buffalo of the Steve Miller band.
Roy opens up with one of his own compositions, "Ever Since I Lost You." "Down Home Girl" sings the praises of a girl whose perfume smells like turnip greens, "Mellow Apples" has some very nice guitar work. Pianist Phillip Aaberg gets to show off his very fine chops in Willie Dixon's "Built for Comfort." Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues" shows off more of Rogers' great guitar technique. Shana Morrison joins Rogers with her strong vocals on Brownie McGhee's "I'm a Stranger Here."
"Gertie Ruth" features some fine fiddling by the great violinist Tom Rigney of the Cajun/Zydeco group Flambeau. Jim Sanchez sets up a driving rhythm for Rogers' "Down in Mississippi." Next, everybody is invited to visit "Vida's Place." "Duck Walk" is another rockin' instrumental by Rogers. Rogers brings the entire band back for Etta James' "Shake Your Moneymaker." Norton Buffalo's skillful harmonica shines here.
Rogers ends up with a solo work of his own entitled "For the Children."
This is a fine example of live Mississippi Delta Blues by one of its foremost practitioners. Rogers is a marvel on the guitar and his compositions are authentic Delta blues of the highest quality. Ehrmann, Sanchez, Aaberg, Rigney, Buffalo, and the others are worthy companions in this exciting live performance. The sound is great and the enthusiasm of the audience is infectious. If you couldn't be part of that audience, the next best thing is to put Live! at the Sierra Nevada Brewery Big Room on the stereo and put yourself on the mood for a great time.
My Favorite Songs: "Mellow Apples," "Down in Mississippi," "Duck Walk"
Rating: ![[Rating: 5 notes]](ratings/notes50.gif "[Rating: 5 notes]") 5 notes
Copyright 2004 William Theron Yates
8/20/2004
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