When the IRS called me downtown to bring in my tax returns; I didn’t sleep a wink that night. So I wrote a song about it. Wanna hear it? Hear it goes. It’s all in how you look at at. It’s All Good deals with “backbiters and syndicators” of the world who attack reputations and attempt to negatively define others with gossip and innuendo. I say never let them see you sweat. The best form of revenge is success. Johnnie Mae Dunson – Smith, affectionately called “The Big Boss Lady”, wrote the song I Won. Johnnie Mae is a singer/songwriter whose performance career spans 60 years. Johnnie Mae played drums with the late Jimmy Reed. She is a dear friend and a living legend that has lived her testimony. Happy Birthday Blues is dedicated to baby-boomers who are growing older and are beginning to experience the disadvantages of aging. This is my second collaboration with poet, educator and restaurateur Lee Debaggia who was born to write. The lyrics for A Gamblers View were inspired from observing habitual gamblers chasing and enjoying their passion. The ragtime flavorings in the music were inspired by the artistry of Canadian acoustic blues musician Tim Williams.

Tell Me What You Say is the Blues without music. Do you think B.B. King was standing outside my window playing a few licks while my woman ripped my heart out by the strings? No sir! Oh, there was dialog. We talked about it, but she just kept saying the same thing. My Baby Left Me All Alone in E minor is an exotic Blues tune inspired by Howling Wolf. The Wolf is the causing of it all. It’s always in hindsight that we acknowledge true loss and what happens when it happens. The cello adds magic to this song. Sittin’ On My Front Porch written by Dr. Rabbit is a toast to the holistic healing powers of the Blues, which can provide repose for the soul, and serenity to a troubled mind. The Blues is the poor man’s psychologist, a private counselor, and a friend. The Blues affords a place where the raw human spirit can find refuge from distress. My Grandfather’s Blues is a song about struggle and strength. My grandfather Willie Bradley (1910 – 1998) was one of the few honorable men that I have met in my life. He gave me the best gift any grandfather could give a grandson; he loved and cherished my grandmother.

Fruteland Jackson, 2007

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