photo by:Joanie-DG

Angela and I had a great time in Winder, GA this weekend. Ronnie Baker Brooks put on a helluva show and Chips was our gracious host. Ronnie rocked the house like it was his, and on that Saturday night…it was his house.

The thing I love about watching a Chicago Blues act such as Ronnie and his band, is the SHOW. Rico sets up the stage by introducing Ronnie to the audience as the “Prince of the Blues”, “The Blues Best Kept Secret”, “Son of the Chicago Blues Legend Lonnie Baker Brooks” and Ronnie and the band begin to Jam and light the fire to the night. It was hot, Angela and I sat back and tapped each others legs as if it were drums, heads grooved to the nasty funky of the beat that jammed all night long. Ronnie and the band played songs from their CDs as Angela and I sang the words to the next verse back and forth to each other.

Meanwhile behind us the bartender kept our glasses filled throughout the show that helped us blend with the music. As the show moved through the night Ronnie began to play tunes from his favorite Blues musicians that he used to jam with. This is the highlight of the night for me as Ronnie closed his eyes and conjured up the souls of the fallen Blues legends. As soon as his finger strummed across the guitars strings I knew right away that Albert Collins was back on this earth. He played “Too Many Dirty Dishes” and if you don’t know this song there is a part in the song where Albert argues with his wife through his guitar. This isn’t screeching and hollering it is a fine argument plucked in intimate detail. And trust me if you’ve ever been in an argument with your spouse you know exactly what the guitar is saying.

The band that backs him has a personality of its own. Daryl Coutts is on the keyboard and plays with such a passion it is a spectacle to watch him play. “Moe” Taylor is banging the beat on the drums and holding the band together with the tempo. Carlton Armstrong is the bad ass bass guitar player that looks like a mean MOFO. His face is intense when he plays and he holds his bass up high on his chest as if his bass is a weapon. But as soon as the band breaks you can walk up to any of them and share your appreciation of their music and they will humbly thank you and respond with a question of their own. What a class act motoring across this country, sharing the next generation of high quality Blues that will make them legends within this genre. Thanks guys it was badass.

Before we took a cab to the show I realized I left my camera in the hotel room… Damn me.