AMERICAN ROOTS ‘N BLUES music, according to most scholars, is a blend of Euro-ethnic songs passed down from generation to generation and mixed with African rhythms. Many tunes were composed for fiddles and were played and passed along as two step dance pieces and reels. Some tunes, with lyrics were printed with shape notes on broadside sheets, big newspaper size pages, and sold by traveling salesmen. Others tunes were local ditties sung and played in saloons, or spiritual songs sung in Church.  While other tunes were “made-up” and sung as field hollers or work songs.

Wagon Trains, River Boats and the Rail Roads moved the music across the land with the people. It was uniquely American music created through the mixing and melting of the cultures of the various peoples who emigrated and settled around the United States. Just like local food, the music also took on a local “flavor”.

When interviewed by early music researchers about the origins of local tunes many of the old timers from all over said that they believed that music comes from listening to natural, everyday sounds. They believed that after a song has been chanted in the hot fields or stomped out on the front porches and at fish fries for a long enough time, it gets “stuck in your ears”.

Some songs come from the wishful tunes hummed low by gamblers shooting dice in back rooms; or the songs of praise shouted out by the faithful who have Jesus on the main line and the Devil knocking at the back  door.

Good songs tell a story that usually starts somewhere in the middle and has no end. Then everyone who follows along later and sings that song adds a little something to it. They add their words and experiences. These players put “life” into the music that they play as they pass it along at the same time

We as musicians who have grown up in the South and even those who have not, have the greatest respect for those that have played this music before us. We too are story tellers and hope that someday we too might pass the light and the music on to others who will come along to play after us. It was in this creative spirit that we assembled down in New Orleans, LA. in August 2008 to record this CD, WALKIN’ THE DOG. It was an international gathering of Southern Americans, British and Japanese. But music is its own nationality with its own language.
The way it all got started:

Live at Cay, Tokyo, Aoyama Feb 9 2009 (c) Photo Takayuki Osumi

The vocal work is shared between Steve Gardner, Washboard Chaz Leary and Bill Steber with everyone else in the house, including recording engineer Nick Vitter, singing back-up, clapping hands or barking like a dog!

Brandon Armstrong handled the tuba, trombone, bass, banjo, guitar and backing vocals while Hisa Nakase played bass and rhythm guitar and sang back up. Bill Benfield played mandolin, lead guitar and slide guitar.