Bluesman: February 2017

Christianity will do you good--a great deal more good than you ever wanted or expected. And the first bit of good it will do you is to hammer into your head (you won't enjoy that!) the fact that what you have hitherto called 'good'--all that about 'leading a decent life' and 'being kind'--isn't quite the magnificent and all-important affair you supposed. It will teach you that in fact you can't be 'good' (not for 24 hours) on your own moral efforts. And then it will teach you that even if you were, you still wouldn't have achieved the purpose for which you were created. Mere morality is not the end of your life. You were made for something quite different than that. . . . Confucius simply didn't know what life is about. The people who keep on asking if they can't lead a decent life without Christ, don't know what life is about. . . .
Morality is indispensable: but the Divine Life, which gives itself to us and which calls us to be gods, intends for us something in which morality will be swallowed up. We are to be re-made. All the rabbit in us is to disappear--the worried, conscientious, ethical rabbit as well as the cowardly and sensual rabbit. We shall bleed and squeal as the handfuls of fur come out; and then, surprisingly, we shall find underneath it all a thing we have never yet imagined: a real Man, an ageless god, a son of God, strong, radiant, wise, beautiful, and drenched in joy.

C. S. Lewis, 'Man or Rabbit?' in God in the Dock (Eerdmans repr., 2002), 112

Brief Music History

I grew up in Northwest Detroit, Michigan, my neighborhood had a whole lot of musicians. My parents bought me an inexpensive electric guitar and I took lessons for about six months. After that it was listen to records and learn by ear.
The first band I played in was called The Garfield Blues Band. I was sitting in the cafeteria at Oakland Community College playing the guitar instead of attending classes, and I was approached by Garfield Angove (lead singer) who me asked if I could play bass, I said yes and he gave me the address where they were auditioning band members. I borrowed a bass and an amplifier and my musical career was launched. From there I joined the James Peterson Blues Band, in Buffalo, New York, featuring "Little Lucky". Lucky was a four year old prodigy who played the Hammond B-3 organ, and had perfect pitch. We opened for James Brown at War Memorial Stadium in Buffalo, I spent a week in NYC Times Square with Willie Dixon doing some recording with Lucky at Columbia studios, the plan was for Lucky to play on The Ed Sullivan show. Later on I joined The Sam Lay Blues Band (sometimes called The Sam Lay Blues Revival) in Chicago, Illinois. Our lead singer, Lucille Span, was the widow of famous Blues piano player Otis Span. Sam played in the original Paul Butterflied Blues Band and backed Bob Dylan when he went electric at Newport. Sam also played on Dylan’s Highway 61 album. (Sam Lay is the greatest Blues shuffle drummer of all time.) We opened for the Muddy Waters Band, for the Johnny Winter Band with Rick Derringer, and for Sha Na Na. After playing with Sam I did a stint with Johnny Little John and then formed a band called Cash Money. We tried to make it in Canada but had to leave the country in a hurry, then ended up in California which was a disaster and I returned to Detroit. The last band I was in before following the call to ministry was called Sky Dive. This is a basic sketch, leaving out all stories. Jesus Christ saved me in the end of 1974 and called me into Christian ministry. I have never quit playing the Blues. Now after many years, I hope to finish my own blues recording.

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Monday, February 27, 2017

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Monday, February 20, 2017

Friday, February 17, 2017

Monday, February 13, 2017

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Monday, February 6, 2017

Friday, February 3, 2017