Blue Odyssey

Blue Odyssey was Kev’s major project for 2010. Beginning with a 2 and a half month tour of the Southern States, taking in Nashville, Memphis, Helena, Clarksdale, Jackson, New Orleans, Houston, Austin and Little Rock, he absorbed a huge amount of musical influences and memories that resulted in his new 18 track CD. At over 75 minutes running time, it takes the listener on the same journey, starting in Nashville and finishing in Little Rock, Arkansas. Blues, Country, Rock, Zydeco, Funk – they all make an appearance on this album, just as they did for Kev on the trip.  This page on the site seeks to introduce you to the guests who played on the album, and also present the lyrics in their entirety.  Come with us on a Blue Odyssey…….

All music and lyrics © Kev Moore 2010

Never get to Nashville

Rolled up in Almeria, gave the Audi to the man
“La red no funciona”
Said ‘we’ll fly you when we can”
ah well we’ll never get to Nashville
Ah man it’s such a drag
We’ll write you out a ticket
You carry your own bags

(I said say what??!!)

I heard Madrid was calling only 50 minutes late
Dragging 30k of luggage as we went through the gate
Ah hell we’ll never get to Nashville
We simply don’t have time
The next stop should be Dallas
Let’s go and join that line

(You wanna X-Ray my what???)

solo 1

Never get to Nashville (No I’ll never get to Nashville)
Never get to Nashville(Oh Lord, I’ll never get there)

We tried to check the bags in, and get up in the air
but all we got was shaking heads and one suspicious stare
I feel we’ll never get to Nashville, I think it’s all gone wrong.
The plane will leave without us, been on the ground too long

With Dallas off the menu, it’s a catastrophic day
But a guy says follow me, we’re sending you via JFK
My God, we’ll never get to Nashville, ain’t nowhere near New York (New York, it’s a wonderful town)
I’m sprinting through the airport, hell I can barely talk

(You don’t got one of those travelators here, do ya?)

Never get to Nashville (No I’ll never get to Nashville)
Never get to Nashville(Oh Lord, I’ll never get there)

We fell out of the plane and joined a neverending queue
They empty out your bags and then they poke and prod at you
I guess we’ll never get to Nashville, I think I’ve lost the will
We need a different airline…find someone I can kill
(Friendly skies my a- hush yo’mouth!!)

The Delta desk was busy, but I felt we had to try
“You’ve got a reservation, but no ticket, you can’t fly”
You know we’ll never get to Nashville, it’s just not on the cards
I shoulda bought a fiddle, stayed in my own backyard

(fiddle solo)

They finally relented, and let us through the door
But not before they’d emptied all our luggage on the floor
Well do I look like AlQueda? I simply must ask why
I guess we have one thing in common
I’m quite prepared to die

We’re finally in the air and flyin’ southwards through the States
We even caught a tailwind, so we’re only minutes late
My God, we finally land in Nashville, I feel the wheels touch down
Gonna break out my sunglasses, lets go and paint this tow

Cellarful of Dreams

Hiding from the cold outside
Heading for the warm inside
The music draws me in

A Cellarful of dreams
The hopeful and serene
Like a warm summer wave
it spirits me away
Far from our lives it seems
Speaking to me in dreams

I’m so glad I came down here
It’s what I always want to hear
Soothe my soul and while away the hours

It’s the singer and the song
Transporting us along
how can I resist?

Soft guitars give way to bands
One and all a show of hands
No-one leaves the stage to mixed emotion
For down there in the dark
We all create a spark
Audience and act in bright communion

A heartbeat from the drum
inviting us along
We gladly follow ever faster

Now the Storm follows the calm
But there’s no cause for alarm
Guitars on windmill arms
Will play for you
From New York to Santa Fe
They all come here to play
Shake the rafters, raise the roof

Finally the night is done
All the people heading home
Into a night that’s crisp and colder

All the bands strip down their gear
I know the drill cos I’ve been there
Make your mark before you get much older

But the songs and bands you see
Will always stay with me
They have made a memory
That stands eternal

 

Blue me away

I’m walking tall on Beale Street it’s cold outside
Stepped into a bar that day
Bought me a beer,
Looked up to the stage
And the bluesman began to play
Well when he wailed on that guitar
O lord he blue me away (Hear him play)

Well he could pick up that guitar, blow me away
Picked up that guitar, blue me away
Picked up that guitar, blue me away
Picked up that guitar, blue me away

Well he brought me the news
Let me give you the news

I’ll take a six pack a beer
And a real bad case of the blues

I walked up to the stage
Said buddy here’s a cold one
He said that’s something I sure could use
I said I get that man, I’d be workin’ a thirst
If I was up there in your shoes
He said I ain’t gonna drink it,
This bud’s for the blues

 

Long Black Ribbon

So we rolled up to Memphis, January 15
Well this was one thing that I really had to see
Everybody there, paying homage to the man he was

It was along black ribbon
Stretching down the street
Filled with the people to honour his memory
Everybody came to honour the man and his cause

As we went into the museum
I began to feel our shame
Learned about Harriet and the underground train
Learned about a lady by the name of Rosa Parks
How a young girl’s courage finally lit the spark

It was a long black ribbon
Down through history
Filled with the people who wouldn’t let it be
Everybody came to honour that man, that cause

I made the journey
Through the Lorraine Motel
Paused in 306
And the balcony where he fell

Ray fired the bullet, and he thought his deed was done
But they only shouted louder
“We shall overcome”

It was a long black ribbon
Hear the people sing
The times they were a-changing thanks to Martin Luther King
Everybody came to honour that man, that cause

 

Pass the Biscuits

If you take a trip to beautiful downtown Helena
There’s a place where you can go

Its hidden back inside the blues museum
It the home of a legendary show

Sunshine Sonny’s always, on the money
Spinning your favourite blues
And everyday when he says that phrase
You gonna get your boogie shoes

Pass the biscuits – You know what I say
Pass the biscuits – Every day
Pass the biscuits – You know it feels good
Pass the biscuits – Sonny told you it would

It’s influenced the likes of BB and Levon
and a host of others too
Turn it on, tune it in & don’t touch that dial
And it’ll do the same for you
Sunshine Sonny’s always on the money
Playin’ a favourite or two
Got the Mississippi delta flowin’ through his veins
And he’s gonna pass a little to you

CHORUS (He told ya, he told ya)

BR.
A young BB comin’ out from the field
Listened to it on his break
Got some inspiration
And a  legend to make

Pass the biscuits – You know what I say
Pass the biscuits – Every day
Pass the biscuits – You know it feels good
Pass the biscuits – (He told ya, he told ya)

 

The Ghost of Bessie Smith

Walked into Clarksdale, Bessie takes me by the hand
Said she leads me by the Riverside where she made her final stand
She left the Blues behind her when St. Peter called her home
Now she’s back and walking Clarksdale
She’s gonna sing along.

She came into the world in Chattanooga Tennessee
And graced us with her presence til she died at 43
She met with such ill-fortune out on Highway 61
And faded at the Riverside before the morning sun

Bessie can you hear me, are you waiting on that line?
Can I get you to sing Downhearted blues just one more time?
I think I caught your image on the Mississippi trail
Or was it just the heatwave, rising from the rails?

They took her to the West Coast where they placed her in LA
But I have always wondered if she wanted it that way
So Bessie headed Southwards in her gold celestial shoes
Her soul resides in Clarksdale, and she’s gonna sing the blues

 

Mr. Johnson

Saturday night at the Three forks inn
Mr. Johnson would appear
Little Zion waited patiently
For the whisky proved way too dear

A Delta bluesman through and through
He liked mixing whisky, women and song
A poisoned glass, a rumour true
And he done that husband wrong
And Robert wrote no more songs

Mr.Johnson would sing no more
As they laid him beneath the tree
The devils hell-hounds were at his door
For the soul they claimed by deed
Bought the skills he’d no longer need

The Delta sun beating down on her
Rosie Eskridge makes her way
She got water for her husband Tom
Brought it all the way from Luther Wade
A plantation just across the way…..

Mr.Johnson would sing no more
As they laid him beneath the tree
The devils hellhounds were at his door
For the soul they claimed by deed
Bought the skills he’d no longer need

Mr.Eskridge done mopped his brow
Put his shovel down to one side
He took the water bottle gratefully
From the woman who was his bride
Wiped a hand across his mouth
Said “I gotta get six foot down”
Rosie saw Robert lowered in that grave
And as he reached the Killin’ floor
She said “he’ll dust his broom no more”

 

A Mississippi Prayer

Oh Lord hear me calling
From the Mississippi plain
The cries of the helpless
Washed away in the Delta rain

From Memphis down to N’awlins
With one voice came their song
On guitar, harp and washboard
Right the wrongs

And will you tell your children
Where this music came alive?
The legacy they left us
This glittering prize
So long they had suffered
But now they got the news
And the world can bear witness
To the stories of the blues

 

Ol’ New Orleans

Over Pontchartrain
Down to New Orleans
You’ll always find me here
This town I hold so dear

I stroll down Frenchmen way
To hear Jazz Vipers play
Transports me back in time
That music sounds so fine

I see that Satchmo smile
I linger for a while
The beads from balconies
The all-encircling seas

Well the wind tried to blow it
And the sea overflow it
And the rain tried to wash it away
But it’s mighty hard to blow The Big Easy away
Go there see what I mean
You’ll never leave Ol’ New Orleans

(laissez les bon temps rouler!)

I love the Mardi Gras
The Apple barrel bar
The Saints bring home the prize
And NOLA comes alive

I stroll down Bourbon Street
Amid the dancing feet
“Hello, y’all, come inside
This town’s regained its pride”

Well the wind tried to blow it
And the sea overflow it
And the rain tried to wash it away
But it’s mighty hard to blow The Big Easy away
Go there see what I mean
You’ll never leave Ol’ New Orleans
Go there see what I mean
You’ll never leave Ol’ New Orleans

 

Who Dat?!

Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints, say Who dat??

Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody!

 

“XXX”

The lady New Orleans
They call the voodoo queen
When the ocean rises up
You will drink from her cup

From a mind that’s so profane
She dares to speak your name
In her blind testimony
In her blind testimony

You walk down Basin street
A promise for to keep
To St. Louis cemeterie
And the eye that does not see

The mark that you invoke
Your last and only hope
Dance with Marie Laveau
It’s the last you’ll ever know

XXX  Oui chérie

XXX  Je suis ici

XXX

When the mountains meet the sea
You will belong to me
When the ocean rises up
I will drink form your cup

With a mind that’s so profane
I dare to speak your name
In my blind testimony
In my blind testimony

Leave your mark upon her tomb
And the fates decide your doom
Feel the knife edge bite the stone
And you’re truly on your own

The mark that you invoke
Your last and only hope
Dance with Marie Laveau
It’s the last you’ll ever know

XXX  Oui chérie

XXX  Je suis ici

Suis-moi au fin fond de la nuit

Et je donnerai vie à tes rêves

XXX

 

Buttermilk Boogie

Start of every morning finds me flat on my back
Then I get to thinking of the yellow and black
Stomach is a-growlin’ Lord, its making me ill
Out of my way baby got to get to the grill
If hunger is an illness, then a waffle’s the cure
Syrup, butter, chocolate chips – gimme some more!

Buttermilk Boogie x 2
You know what I like!
Buttermilk boogie x 2
Buttermilk boogie at the Waffle House tonight

Take my favourite spot, I’m sitting right at the bar
Looking at the syrup sitting there in the jar
Waffle house coffee is the best in the land
When I’m feeling tired it really gives me a hand
Wave away the menu cos I know what I need
Buttermilk waffle baby! I gots to feed!

Buttermilk Boogie x 2
You know what I like!
Buttermilk boogie x 2
Buttermilk boogie at the Waffle House tonight

See the batter bubble as it cooks on the grill
half a minute later and I’m having my fill
Looking at the clock and its a quarter to ten
Bless my soul, I think there’s time to do it again!

Buttermilk Boogie x 2
You know what I like!
Buttermilk boogie x 2
Buttermilk boogie at the Waffle House tonight

(now Tynida, you know I love them chocolate sprinkles girl!)

 

Spaced

(Instrumental)

 

Brought it down Austin

Well I saw the Police line tell me “Do not cross”
Saw the smoke rising, thought “Oh my God”
The News channel tell me ’bout a tragic loss
But I don’t get it.

I followed the sirens out on Highway 1
That’s when I witnessed what a madman done
Smoke black as death was blocking out the sun
I just don’t get it.

He brought it down in Austin, mama oh hell yes
Dumb fool angry at the IRS
Georgetown tower let the plane fly high
How could they know that he had picked that day to die

Well only one other shared the same bad luck
But one dead innocent is one to much
Struck down in anger for just going to work
I just don’t get it.

Part of the wreckage now he ain’t so tough
House, plane and family just weren’t enough
A nice juicy rebate that he’d love so much
He just won’t get it

 

What a night it was

(Woman)
“Godammit, you’re lower than a snakes belly
If you don’t get out, so help me I’m gonna call the cops..”

What a night it was
What a night it was
You threw me in Jail and I  don’t understand

What a night it was
(what a night, what a night…)
What a night because
I could never believe you’d be so underhand

What a night it was
What a night because
You only shut up when I blew out your brains

 

96 on Sixth

Pinetop:“Everybody get on yer feet!”

He was a black man, with a hat, man
And a walkin’ cane
Surrounded by the ladies
And they all knew his name

I walked up to his table
Shook him by the hand
A legendary hero, this Delta bluesman

I pointed to the CD that he’d made at 94
Said ‘Pinetop, can you sign it man?’
He said ‘for you son, sure’
I looked at all the luminaries queuing up to play
There was BB, Eric Clapton,& the ghost of Stevie Ray

96 on Sixth (take it easy baby)
Ol’ Pinetop playin all the licks (down in Mississippi)
Down at Nuno’s still playin’ the blues
Got his Mojo workin’
He gonna work it on you

He was Pinetop, man! – with a black cat bone!
Goin’ down in Mississippi
Cos that’s his native home
He gonna, take it easy baby
And I’m along for the ride
With spirits of the Mississippi bluesmen by his side

Born Belzoni, Mississippi
Played in Memphis, Tennessee
And he played with Muddy Waters
For everyone to see
The legendary blues band
With Willie ‘big eyes’ Smith
Playin’ Pinetop’s boogie-woogie
Like no-one ever did

96 on Sixth
Ol’ Pinetop playin’ all the licks
Down at Nuno’s still playin’ the blues
Got his Mojo workin’
He gonna work it on you

Kev:How long we gonna keep this goin’ for Pine?
Pine: All night long!
Kev: Haha, I like that!

Take it easy baby
Take it easy baby
Take it easy baby
Still playin’ the blues…
Got his Mojo workin……

96 on Sixth
Ol’ Pinetop playin’ all the licks
Down at Nuno’s still playin the blues
Got his Mojo workin’
He gonna work it on you
96 on Sixth
Ol’ Pinetop playin all the licks
Down at Nuno’s still playin the blues
Got his Mojo workin’
Got Mojo workin……
Pine: Just don’t work on you…….

 

Parrot Beach Cafe

Hey hey hey hey!

Well I know a place where you can go
Yeah, well its way down south, down in Arkansas
You head North across the river out of Little Rock
Out into the country past the city blocks

To the Parrot Beach Cafe
You’re gonna dance all your troubles way
It’s the Parrot Beach Cafe
I’m gonna dance the night away

Listen to the blues all night
You know it’s gonna make you feel all right

It’s like walkin’ up to a shotgun shack
With two motorcycles buried up to their necks
But you’ll get a warm welcome when you come inside
Look to the stage and see the blues come alive

At the Parrot Beach Cafe
You’re gonna dance all your troubles way
It’s the Parrot Beach Cafe
I’m gonna dance the night away

Well I’m thousands of miles across the pond
And my time at the cafe seems so long gone
But I’ll be catchin’ that bird just as soon as I can
Heading out to Little Rock and ready to jam!

At the Parrot Beach Cafe
You’re gonna dance all your troubles way
It’s the Parrot Beach Cafe
I’m gonna dance the night away

Well I know a place where you can go
Yeah, well its way down south, down in Arkansas……….

 

Blue Odyssey

Across the Southlands of the Delta
Through the Mississippi rain
Travelled on the music highway
Memphis Jackson, Pontchartrain

Sang it out, Ground Zero Clarksdale
Talked to Sunshine Sonny Payne
Paid my respects to Elvis Presley
Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray

Blue Odyssey

Took a trip along the coast road
East to Gulfport, meet the sun
Spent a lifetime in New Orleans
My favourite city, that’s the one

Then we had to mess with Texas
How Houston’s rockets ruled the skies
And the roll-call of the fallen
Damn, it almost made me cry

Blue Odyssey

Austin’s sixth street was a wonder
Legendary Pinetop Blues
When I heard him work his mojo
I still got years of payin’ dues

Blue Odyssey, Blue Odyssey

Arkansas with Gil and Jawbone
Down the Parrot Beach cafe
I’ll raise a glass to all the bluesmen
And friends we made along the way

 

All lyrics © Kev Moore 2010 except “Who Dat” – New Orleans Saints ‘Traditional”!!

 

The Guests

Shelley House: Violin/Spoken word                                                            

Shelley is an artist and writer, in addition to being a musician. She performs on two tracks:

“Never get to Nashville” (where she also plays the part of the airline Stewardess!)

And “Ol’ New Orleans”. Shelley lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia, and recorded her parts there.

Patrick ‘Jawbone’ Kenyon: Blues Harp

Jawbone is a bona-fide Arkansas blues harp player. Living in Little Rock, he has a duo with his wife Jolene,

and also guests with the Port Arthur Band down at the Parrot Beach Cafe! After hearing him there, I knew

I had to ask him to perform on the album.

Gil Franklin: Slide Guitar

Gil was also on stage at the Parrot Beach cafe when we visited. I loved his guitar sound, and

had to have him on the track ‘Parrot Beach cafe’ along with Jawbone.

Corey Moore: Drums

Shameless nepotism well to the fore, I had to have my son on at least one track on the album.

The title track, ‘Blue Odyssey’, therefore benefits from Corey’s skin-bashing!  When he’s not doing

sessions for his Dad, he’s holding the beat down for Jilambis.

Stef Cybichowski

After renewing a friendship and musical relationship that started 33 years ago, it was a great pleasure to

have Stef play on three tracks on the album. A seasoned pro and session drummer,

he’s also a top bloke!

Sunshine Sonny Payne: DJ Voiceover

I was enormously proud and privileged to have broadcasting legend “Sunshine”

Sonny Payne on Blue Odyssey. Broadcasting King Biscuit time daily for an incredible 50 years,

Sonny provided his own inimitable voiceover to, what else? Pass the Biscuits!

Ron ‘Sax’ Johnson : Saxophones

Ron’s an old friend I used to jam with here in Mojacar, and a couple of years back he relocated to Columbus, Ohio,

from where, along with Dr. John Showalter and Cody Bryce, he recorded the horn parts for Buttermilk Boogie,

The Ghost of Bessie Smith, and Who Dat?!

Great to play with him again, if only via the magic of the internet!

Miki: “Marie Laveau”

Last but not least, Miki, my muse and inspiration, who was coerced persuaded

to take the part of the Voodoo Witch Queen Marie Laveau in the last of my New

Orleans trilogy “XXX”

There are a number of other influences and inspirations throughout the album, Pinetop Perkins, Bessie Smith, and Louie Armstrong, not to mention the ‘unheard’ ones, such as Robert Johnson, Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King etc.

To all of them I respectfully tip my hat, and thank them for the rich heritage they have left for the wide-eyed in wonder, such as I, to explore.

Kev Moore, Turre November 2010