Originally published in March 2009

I can’t tell their story better than they can…

What started out as a tribute project to the late Willie P. Bennett, has evolved into one of the most entertaining Canadian roots super groups of all time, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings.

After releasing the critically acclaimed High or Hurtin’ in 1996, Tom Wilson, Colin Linden, and Stephen Fearing, fresh off successful solo projects, found themselves drawn in by the chemistry between them and started writing songs that could only be expressed through the Blackie & The Rodeo Kings medium. This translated into Juno nominations for BARK (2003) and Let’s Frolic (2007), as well as a Juno Award for Best Roots & Traditional Album for Kings of Love (1999).

Read Sum Mo’

I read this yesterday in an old (September 2006) copy of a magazine called The Sun. It from an interview with Sam Harris, who wrote a controversial book called The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason:

The real liability of religion is that it allows perfectly sane people to believe en masse what only a lunatic would believe on his or her own.

In the same edition, an excerpt from Pema Chodren’s Practicing Peace In Times of War:

It’s like what Zen Master Suzuki Roshi once said. He looked out at his students and said, “All of you are perfect just as you are, and you could use a little improvement.” That’s how it is. You don’t start from a view of “I’m fundamentally messed up, and I’m bad, and therefore I have to get myself into shape.” Rather the basic situation is good; it’s sound and healthy and noble, and there’s work that we need to do because we have ancient habits, which we’ve been strengthening for a long time, and it’s going to take awhile to unwind them.

And Francis Dunnery says:

Late night I crucified an old belief of mine.

Francis Dunnery – My Own Reality

I can’t tell their story better than they can…

What started out as a tribute project to the late Willie P. Bennett, has evolved into one of the most entertaining Canadian roots super groups of all time, Blackie & The Rodeo Kings.

After releasing the critically acclaimed High or Hurtin’ in 1996, Tom Wilson, Colin Linden, and Stephen Fearing, fresh off successful solo projects, found themselves drawn in by the chemistry between them and started writing songs that could only be expressed through the Blackie & The Rodeo Kings medium. This translated into Juno nominations for BARK (2003) and Let’s Frolic (2007), as well as a Juno Award for Best Roots & Traditional Album for Kings of Love (1999).

Proving that samplers really do work, I discovered BARK on a Paste compilation, bought the record and have played it over and over. There isn’t a more rippin’ 3 minutes and 42 seconds on record than Swingin’ From The Chains of Love, which my 10-year old loves:

Blackie And The Rodeo Kings – Water Or Gasoline

Blackie And The Rodeo Kings – Swinging From The Chains of Love

All three members have busy solo careers — Linden was recently on tour with Emmylou — so there’s nothing on the calendar show-wise right now…

Speaking of Emmylou, what alt.country/Americana/country singer doesn’t owe something to the Divine Miss Harris? There’s some Emmylou in Tift Merritt, for sure. What? You don’t know here stuff?

Tift Merritt – Stray Paper

Tift Merritt – Good Hearted Man

Tift Merritt – Wait It Out

I discovered Francis Dunnery in 1995 while working at the great HMV store at 46th and 5th Avenue in NYC (may it rest in peace). Tall Blonde Helicopter was on an end-cap, songs from which were included on the tape we gave as a wedding favor.

Fearless was an entirely different endeavor — much more pop than folk — but American Life In The Summertime is a standout. Saw him at SXSW in ‘96 again at a club in Woodstock in ‘97…a talented dude who’s still working, latest with a band called The Syn (who release an album next month).

Francis Dunnery – American Life In The Summertime

Just finished reviewing a two-disc set for Blues Revue called Chicago Blues: A Living History. The review will publish in a few months; in the meantime, here are a few favorites:

Billy Boy Arnold – I Wish You Would

John Primer – Sugar Sweet

John Primer – Your Imagination