In a way, this issue has a hidden theme—artists we are finally covering after many years of meaning to get to them. With only six issues a year we can only cover so many artists. Sometimes it takes years for everything to click and a story to finally come together. Take this issue’s cover artist, for example. Keb Mo has been our radar since the 1990s, but the story never happened. Finally this fall, after the release of his most recent record, The Reflection, we did the story. After reading it, I think you’ll realize it was right timing. Keb Mo was in a mood to do a little reflecting, and we were there to capture his diverse life story.
Our theme continues with Clarksdale native Earnest “Guitar” Roy. Roy was also on our radar in the 1990s after his work with Big Jack Johnson for Earwig and Lonnie Shields for Rooster Blues. But before the story came together, Roy headed off to Ohio and took up gospel. Here we are nearly 20 years later and he’s back in the Deep South (Arkansas this time) and back into the blues. Again, right timing.
But it’s California bluesman Ray Bailey who perhaps best exemplifies this theme. Bailey won the Artist Deserving of Wider Recognition award in the LB critics’ poll in 1993. Based on this accolade, we wanted to give Bailey “wider recognition” with a feature story. But just as fast as he appeared on the scene he was gone. Personal problems pulled him out of music for nearly a decade and a half. But a few years ago, Bailey appeared again, and writer Scott Bock caught up with him and got an interview. On the heels of his first studio record in 18 years, we are finally giving him the “wider recognition” he deserves. Again, it feels like the right timing.
------------------------------------
A big “thank you” to everyone who turned out at the benefit concerts or showed your support in some other way for LB founder Jim O’Neal. A special thanks goes out to bluesmen Kenny Neal (Kansas City and Chicago) and Memphis Gold (Washington, D.C.) for pulling the benefit concerts together. Jim continues to take chemotherapy and is doing well.
Congratulations to contributing writer and former editor Scott Barretta for winning the Blues Foundation’s 2012 Keeping the Blues Alive award for journalism.
I’d like to welcome Nashville photographer Anthony Scarlati to the pages of LB. Scarlati is a top-notch photographer who has worked with many of Nashville’s finest, including Dolly Parton, Vince Gill, and Marty Stuart. His photo of Keb Mo is on the cover of this issue.
On a sad note, harp player Mojo Buford, most recently featured in our 40th anniversary issue, LB #208, died on October 11, 2011. A full obituary will appear in the next issue.
Brett J. Bonner
Editor
