Ripley Blues Club 2011
Dave Speight gave us the opening set - he was last here back in May 2009. Two years on, he played another confident set of 10 "quiet acoustic blues numbers". A couple of the tunes he reprised from 2009 - Luke Jordan's 1927 opus "Church Bell Blues" and Gus Cannon Jug Stompers' "Last Chance Blues" which closed the set - the other 8 were new. The opener was Big Bill Broonzy's "Feeling Lowdown".
An interesting anecdote from Dave told us of an occasion when, just 17, he saw Reverend Gary Davis substituting for Doc Watson at one of the Sixties Folk Festivals. It shows how long Dave has been hooked on the blues and that particular bluesman - it showed in his version of "Delia".
As before, Dave Speight succeeded in getting full attention from the audience - the room was pin drop quiet as all eyes and ears were focused on the man seated on stage.
Lonnie Johnson songs featured twice - "That's Love" written in 1941...
When I watch the stars that shine,
Thank Mr. Moon for being so kind,
I feel like this whole world is mine.
It must be love.
When you feel the way I do,
Nothin' can ever make you blue.
You belong to me and I belong to you.
Baby, don't you know that's love?
and "Tomorrow Night" from 1947….
Tomorrow night, will you remember what you said tonight?
Tomorrow night, will all the thrills be gone?
Tomorrow night, will it be just another memory?
Or just another lovely song that's in my heart to linger on?
Your lips are so tender, your heart is beating fast,
And you willingly surrender, tell me darling, will it last?
Tomorrow night, will you be with me when the moon is bright?
Tomorrow night, will you say those lovely things you said tonight?
Both sets of lyrics show a very sensitive side to Lonnie Johnson - perhaps that is what makes the songs attractive to Dave Speight?
Or is it that Lonnie Johnson's early recordings are the first guitar recordings that display a single-note soloing style with use of string bending and vibrato? - especially apparent on the extended solo introduction to "Tomorrow Night". If you accept that, then it makes perfect sense to feature Lonnie Johnson in a solo acoustic blues set as an opener for some Connie Lush note-bending blues.
I think there were three Blind Lemon Jefferson songs in the set as well - "Matchbox Blues", "Bad Luck Blues" - one of Dave Speight's favourites and "Broke and Hungry" - All performed well.
As Dave Speight says, at his age it's always good to be able to sing "Woke Up This Morning" - I know what he means! But he also acknowledged that Ripley is one of his favourite gigs "because the applause lasts a bit longer". It did tonight as well, it was loud as well - the sound was spot-on... another nice set!