Remembering Richard Tee on his birthday

Remembering pianist Richard Tee with a few performances with Stuff and a couple of his stellar studio sessions. 

Listen to Retro Obscuro #179 with DJ Kitschy Mama

Check out Retro Obscuro 179 featuring songs from Joan & The Hearts, Jimmy Tyler and the Terrigan Bros. right here.

Remembering Stud Cole on his birthday

Remembering Buffalo-born Patrick Tirone aka Stud Cole with 2 songs cut in 1968 reissued by Norton on the Burn Baby Burn CD. 

90s Nostalgia: The Action Swingers

Here's a few clips of the Action Swingers at various stages fronted by singer/guitarist Ned Hayden with Bob Bert and many others. 

Songs of Nick Drake 50th Anniversary Concert @ Hugh's Room, Nov 23 & 24

Luke Jackson and friends salute to Nick Drake at Hugh's Room on Saturday is sold out. Get tickets for Sunday's show below. 

Here's the scoop...

Hugh’s Room is delighted to announce the return of The Songs of Nick Drake on Saturday (November 23 with a second show added on Sunday November 24). This labour-of-love show is produced by UK-born Toronto musician and impresario Luke Jackson, who worked with Nick’s string arranger, the late great Robert Kirby, on his 2009 album And Then Some. Luke is one of a handful of people entrusted with Kirby’s original arrangements of Nick’s songs. Faithful renditions of those songs with strings form the bedrock of the concert, and creative arrangements of the rest of Nick’s canon make up the balance of the night.

 

The house band features drummer Cam Giroux (Weeping Tile, By Divine Right), bassist Jason Mercer (Ron Sexsmith, Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, Ani Difranco), and Toronto renaissance man Kurt Swinghammer on guitar.

 

The string quartet comprises Wendy Solomon on cello, Johann Lotter on viola, and Sahra Featherstone and Alex Cheung on violin.

 

Three featured performers are flying in to participate in the concert: Michelle Willis (David Crosby, Snarky Puppy), Kevin Kane (The Grapes of Wrath), and Suzie Ungerleider (formerly Oh Susanna), along with Toronto singer/songwriters Kathryn Rose, Conor Gains and Trish Robb. Flautist Andrea Kovats and Jackson himself round out the line-up.

 

This concert marks the 50th anniversary of Nick Drake’s death on November 25, 1974, and will be the first Songs of Nick Drake concert in five years. Although Saturday's show is sold out, there are a few tickets remaining for the Sunday show right here. The last concert was held at the original Hugh’s Room in November 2019 and was lovingly recorded and filmed for posterity. You can watch it following the preview clip for the 50th Anniversary Concert below. 

Remembering Hoagy Carmichael on his birthday

Raising a glass to pianist/composer and actor Hoagy Carmichael on his birthday with a couple of classic performances. 

R.I.P. Mark Ridlen of Lithium X-Mas, Quad Pi, Rapid Fire

Sadly, Mark Ridlen of Dallas bands Lithium X-Mas and Quad Pi (aka Rapid Fire in Ron Howard's "Cotton Candy") has passed away.

LINKS
Advocate Behind the scenes of Ron Howard's 1978 film "Cotton Candy"

Mark Arm & Mick Harvey join Ed Kuepper in The Saints '73-'78

Here are a few clips of Mark Arm & Mick Harvey performing with Ed Kuepper's The Saints '73-'78 in Australia. 

One For The Weekend: Kelly Willis

Here's Kelly Willis performing "Not Forgotten You." Check out a Magnet Magazine conversation with Kelly right here.

Remembering composer/pianist Charlie Palmieri on his birthday

Thinking of pianist/composer  Charlie Palmieri on his birthday with a few stellar recordings and two performance clips. 

T Bone Burnett reunites with Elvis Costello as The Coward Brothers

Elvis Costello & T Bone Burnett played "Like Licorice" & "Always" as The Coward Brothers on The Late Show last night. 

The Farmer Boys vs. Snuffy Jenkins & The Hired Hands

Snuffy Jenkins and crew put a Carolina bluegrass spin on "Charming Betsy" cut by the Farmer Boys with future Buckaroos Roy Nichols & Jelly Sanders. 

Midweek Mixdown: Sheena's Jungle Room w/ Kitschy Mama

Kitschy Mama has dusted off some ancient organ jams from the 40s, 50s and 60s for her Organ Harvest show for WFMU-FM.

Here's the scoop from DJ Kitschy Mama....

The 3rd Tuesday is rollin' around again! That means I'm spinnin' ye olde organ tunes on Sheena's Jungle Room on WFMU. Music your granny doesn't even like!  Listen in right here: https://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/146199

Toronto soul great Jay Douglas @ Old Mill Jazz Lounge, Friday

Jay Douglas – featured in the new Play It Loud! documentary – performs two sets at the Old Mill on Friday at 8 pm sharp. 

The new documentary Play It Loud! screens at the Hot Docs Cinema on Dec 4th and 7th. Get tickets here.

Happy Birthday Nanette Workman!

Celebrating Nanette's birthday with a few stellar performances including a "Lady Marmalade" duet with Celine Dion. 

Channel One Sound System @ Black Creek Assembly, Thursday

Direct from the UK, the Channel One Sound System makes their Toronto debut at 131 McCormack St. on Thursday night.

Get tickets for Channel One Sound System's Toronto show right here. 

Happy Bing-a-Bing-Bong Birthday Eek-A-Mouse!

Raising a g-g-g-glass to singjay pioneer Eek-A-Mouse on his birthday with a couple of vintage clips and his new single. 

Happy Birthday Sheila Jordan!

Raising a glass to jazz singer extraordinaire Sheila Jordan on her birthday, still going strong at 96! Here's an interview and more.

Baltimore's Magick Potion join Rough Spells, AAWKS @ Handlebar, Sunday

Don't miss Baltimore's heavy whumpin' Magick Potion headline a Toronto triple bill at Handlebar tonight. Doors at 7:30 pm. $15. 

Watch Pat Todd & The RankOutsiders rock Bergamo!

Here's L.A.'s Pat Todd & his RankOutsiders tearin' it up at Punk Rock Raduno 5 in Italy. Catch 'em at The Redwood on Nov 30. 

Remembering Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin on his birthday

Raising a glass to Louisiana accordion ace Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin on his birthday with a couple of vintage performance clips worth checking. 

One For The Weekend: Saint Etienne

Clocking in at just under 2 minutes, "Half Light" is the first taste of Saint Etienne's forthcoming album The Night due December 13th.

Here's the scoop...

Half Light offers a first chance to hear anything from the forthcoming Saint Etienne album "The Night" which is due for release on December 13th.

Pete Wiggs from the band says: "Half Light is about the edge of night, the last rays of the sun flickering through the branches of trees, communing with nature and seeing things that might not be there."

Starting Nov. 20th, you can pre-order The Night album from Saint Etienne's site right here. Every order placed via this shop will receive a free copy of an exclusive 6-Track bonus CD “Deep Into The Night”. 

Have a listen to "Half Light" below. 

Saint Etienne – The Night 

Side One 

1. Settle In 

2. Half Light 

3. Through The Glass 

4. Nightingale 

5. Northern Counties East 

6. Ellar Carr 

7. When You Were Young 

Side Two

1. No Rush

2. Gold

3. Celestial 

4. Preflyte 

5. Wonderlight 

6. Hear My Heart

7. Alone Together 

Saint Etienne's The Night features 14 new tracks recorded in Saltaire and Hove between January and August 2024 with co-producer Augustin Bousfield, “The Night” saw Bob, Pete and Sarah together in the studio for the first time since 2019. 

Says Pete Wiggs: “It was great to all be in the same studio together again and we realised that it had been several years since we’d actually done that, sprawling out on the carpet, mugs of coffee in hand, sheets of lyrics and half ideas for titles lying around us.” 

Adds Bob Stanley, “I think The Night sounds really three-dimensional. A lot of that is down to Gus Bousfield who played the guitars and did a wonderful production job recording much of it in his studio, with so much light and space, has helped to shape it too. The three of us brought in our own songs, but lyrically we were all in tune with each other without having to swap notes first. We wanted "The Night" to be a calming album, warm and serene, but at the same time we wanted to create something gorgeous and dense.” 

Chimes in Sarah Cracknell, "“It was so good to be back in the studio together after recording the last album remotely. One of my favourite songs on the record is Preflyte, it made me cry when I sang it for the first time.” 

Margo Guryan's songcraft is the focus of new tribute album from Sub Pop

Better 4 years late than never, Sub Pop just released Like Someone I Know, a multi-artist reimagining of the late Margo Guryan's fab Take A Picture album.

Here's the scoop...

Most of our stories about cult musicians who make an album or two and then seem to vanish are framed by grief, despair, and frayed ambition. Not so with Margo Guryan, an ardent jazz anomaly who disdained pop music until hearing “God Only Knows” in 1966, opening a window onto the wonders that form could contain. 

Only two years later, she released her own set of little pop symphonies, Take a Picture, to great praise and expectation. But, having already divorced the hard-gigging valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, she declined to tour or even talk about it all that much, content even if her reticence meant Take a Picture was soon consigned to discount racks and cutout bins. She wrote and recorded for years to come, even collaborating with Neil Diamond’s band, but mostly she seemed satisfied by her relatively private life. 

As befits music so stunning and subtle, Guryan, who died in 2021, has enjoyed several renaissances during the last six decades. And now, it’s happening again: Soon after her near-whispered and lovelorn hymn “Why Do I Cry” made her a TikTok star in 2021, the same year she passed, Numero Group launched a reissue campaign, resulting in the acclaimed 2024 set, Words and Music. And now, a dozen artists—none of whom were born when Take a Picture was made, most of whom weren’t even born for a crucial early reissue by Franklin Castle—have reinterpreted and reimagined that entire album (plus one bonus track) for Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan. Empress Of, Margo Price, Clairo, June McDoom: They all affirm Guryan’s sharpness as a songwriter and the brilliance of an album that has far outstripped whatever promotional cycle Guryan rejected so long ago. 

Guryan was born to a sprawling family in Far Rockaway, when the place was still mostly framed by trees. While a composition student at Boston University, Guryan stumbled into a gig playing piano between Miles Davis Quintet sets, signed a songwriting deal with Atlantic Records, and botched a session with Nesuhi Ertegun. But she wasn’t looking to be a singing star. In 1959, she headed to the Lenox School of Jazz in the Berkshires to write for Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry, earn the attention of instructor Max Roach, and find a longtime mentor and friend in Gunther Schuller. She became an accomplished lyricist, writing not only for Coleman and Nancy Harrow but also for Harry Belafonte and Gary MacFarland. 

But it was that subsequent encounter with the Beach Boys that opened the trap door for Guryan to Take a Picture and scores of other super songs, many of which appear on Words and Music. Take a Picture is a sophisticated survey of mid-20s romance and indecision, from the flirty romp of “Sunday Morning” and falling-for-you affirmation “Can You Tell” to the desperate helplessness of “What Can I Give You.” Her perpetually soft voice, audacious songcraft, and complete candor: Guryan, in 1968 and beyond, was making daring music, no matter how gently those sounds seemed to move. 

With a portion of proceeds being donated to providing and advocating for affordable reproductive health services, Like Someone I Know reinforces the strength of Guryan’s songs by allowing a dozen different artists to take them for trips of their own. The core always remains, unwavering. McDoom stretches static and harmony beneath “Thoughts,” as if they’re spinning on a dub plate beneath her arcing vocals. Rahill lets “Sun” unfurl over harmonium drone and entrancing percussive ticks, digging into Guryan’s interest in the surreal. Frankie Cosmos and Good Morning take a country shuffle through “Take a Picture,” entwined vocals falling over the rhythmic skips with perfect romantic relish. Over the last few decades, it has become increasingly clear just how good Guryan was, how sturdy her songs have been amid varying tides of taste. Like Someone I Know offers absolute validation, a testament to the enduring relevance and brilliance of Guryan's work. 

Get a copy of the new tribute album Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan and check out a few tracks via Bandcamp right here. Watch the animated video for Empress Of's version of the title track along with audio clips of TOPS doing "Sunday Morning" and Margo Price's version of "California Shake" after the tracklisting. 

Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan

1. TOPS - Sunday Morning 2:26

2. Rahill - Sun 3:34

3. Clairo - Love Songs 2:58

4. June McDoom - Thoughts 2:54

5. MUNYA and Kainalu - Don't Go Away 2:20

6. Frankie Cosmos and Good Morning - Take a Picture 3:02

7. Kate Bollinger - What Can I Give You 2:25

8. Pearl & The Oysters - Think of Rain 2:11

9. Bedouine and Sylvie - Can You Tell 2:20

10. Empress Of - Someone I Know 2:04 

11. Barrie - Love 2:51

12. Margo Price - California Shake 3:37

Play It Loud! How Toronto Got Soul premieres at Hot Docs Theatre Dec. 4th

Trailblazing Toronto soul great Jay Douglas tells his story in Play It Loud! screening at Hot Docs Theatre on December 4th & 7th.

Here's the scoop...

It’s official! PLAY IT LOUD! How Toronto Got Soul is having its WORLD PREMIERE at the Hot Docs Theatre, 506 Bloor St W., on December 4th at 6:30 p.m., with a second screening on December 7th at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets on sale today (November 14th right here: https://hotdocs.ca/whats-on/films/ds-play-it-loud

Play it Loud! – How Toronto Got Soul is a feature documentary that tells the little known story of how Jamaican music became a critical and unlikely part of Canadian culture. The film reveals a social and cultural migration that made Canada a mecca for Jamaican music, recognized around the world, but little heralded at home. We tell This story is told through the life, music, struggles and triumphs of beloved Jamaican Canadian singer Jay Douglas. Born as Clive Pinnock, in rural Jamaica to a single mother, Douglas began performing professionally at 17 and has never stopped. Today, nearly sixty 60 years later, he’s more popular than ever.

Douglas’ life mirrors the emergence of Jamaican popular music, both in its birthplace, and his adopted country. He’s a witness and participant to the birth of ska and reggae, the Jamaican diaspora in the UK and Canada, and the emergence of a uniquely Canadian Black music culture. Through Jay’s personal story, the film will tell an important and largely unknown tale of cultural transformation.

The Wednesday, December 4 screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Graeme Mathieson, musician Jay Douglas and producer Andrew Munger. The Saturday, December 7 screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Graeme Mathieson and Everton "Pablo" Paul, featured in the film. Both sessions will be moderated by Heather Haynes, Hot Docs' Director of Programming. Watch the trailer below. 

Find out more about the film and upcoming screenings at: https://www.playitlouddoc.com/

T.O. hip hop doc Make Some Noise screens @ Revue Cinema, Saturday

Make Some Noise, Andrew Munger's 1994 film about Toronto's underground hip hop scene feat. Da Grassroots, Ghetto Concept, Thrust and others screens Saturday.

The Black Nerds present Make Some Noise

"In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Make Some Noise, The Black Nerds invite audiences to explore the dynamic and often overlooked landscape of Toronto’s 1990s underground hip-hop scene. This documentary, directed by Andrew Munger and presented in its original 16mm format, serves as a critical document of an era that profoundly shaped the broader hip-hop movement while remaining largely unrecognized in mainstream narratives.

"Make Some Noise features a remarkable lineup of early appearances by influential artists, including Da Grassroots, Ghetto Concept, Thrust, a young Mos Def, Dan-E-O, Wio-K, Farley Flex, and Motion.

"Set against the backdrop of Toronto's diverse neighborhoods—Rexdale, Bloorcourt, Scarborough—and the once-vibrant CKLN, Ryerson University’s (currently Toronto Metropolitan University) community radio station, this film illuminates the cultural roots of a hip-hop scene that has been a hidden gem in the fabric of music history. Despite its obscure nature and limited exposure on college radio, this underground movement played a pivotal role in shaping the global hip-hop narrative.

"The screening of Make Some Noise not only celebrates the rich history of Toronto’s hip-hop culture but also serves as a reminder of the importance of documentation in preserving these vital stories. Without the dedication of Andrew Munger and his commitment to capturing the essence of this scene as it was emerging, much of this narrative might have been lost to time.

"Accompanying the screening, a talkback session with director Andrew Munger and DJ X (Adrian King) will provide deeper insights into the film's lasting impact and the vibrant cultural movement it represents.

"We invite you to join us on November 16 for this special screening, where we will honour the contributions of Toronto's underground hip-hop artists and engage with the nostalgic echoes of a transformative era in music history." - Faduma Gure

Make Some Noise screens at the Revue Cinema on Saturday, November 16 at 6:30 pm with director Andrew Munger and DJ X in attendance for a talk back session. Get tickets right here. 

Watch the trailer below followed by a clip of one of the film's highlights, a freestyle by a 20 year-old Mos Def (who was then still known as Dante Smith working with his siblings Casey "Ces" Smith and Dennard "DCQ" Smith in Urban Thermo Dynamics at the time) on CKLN's Power Move show hosted by DJ X and Thrust.

Happy 60th Birthday Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons!

Celebrating the 60th birthday of Run DMC hip hop great Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons with a couple of interviews worth checking.

Straight outta Saint-Hilaire de Riez, it's Dynamite Shakers!

French garage rockers Dynamite Shakers cut their new album Don't Be Boring with Jim Diamond. Here's "Ridiculous" and more.

Watch Amyl & The Sniffers get bleeped on The Last Leg

Here's Amyl & The Sniffers performing on The Last Leg while host Adam Hills tries to censor the inappropriate bits in real time. 

Can't Steal My Fire tribute to David Olney out now via New West Records

Along with new versions of David Olney's songs by Mary Gauthier, Dave Alvin and Buddy Miller, the tribute album has a rare Townes Van Zandt live recording.

Here's the scoop from New West Records HQ...

New West Records is proud to release Can’t Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney. This album features new versions of David Olney songs recorded by Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Willis Alan Ramsey, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Mary Gauthier, Jim Lauderdale, and Buddy Miller among others. The tracklist is also highlighted by a never-before released live recording by Townes Van Zandt, and produced by Gwil Owen.

Originally from Rhode Island, Olney moved to Nashville in the early ‘70s and fell in with a group of songwriters including Townes Van Zandt, John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, and Rodney Crowell. With his rock band David Olney and the X-Rays he toured tirelessly. He went on to release a string of brilliant albums and his songs were recorded by Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Del McCoury, Linda Ronstadt, and many others. But the bright lights of stardom never shone on David, and he died the way he lived: onstage in a club, far from home, singing a song.

This album gathers some of David’s friends and colleagues to pay tribute to his unique vision. Many of these artists are legends in their own right; all are here because of their deep admiration and respect for the man and his Songs. Get a copy of Can't Steal My Fire: The Songs of David Olney via Bandcamp right here. If it's out of stock on vinyl, New West Records should have more copies available for ordering directly the week of November 18th. Check their site right here. Listen to a few songs, including Townes Van Zandt's live reading of "Illegal Cargo" following the tracklisting and endorsements. 

 

Can't Steal My Fire: The Songs Of David Olney

1. Deeper Well - Lucinda Williams 5:40

2. Sister Angelina - Steve Earle 3:17

3. Voices on the Water - The McCrary Sisters 3:27

4. Jerusalem Tomorrow - Buddy Miller 4:35

5. If My Eyes Were Blind - The Steeldrivers 3:38

6. Women Across the River - Willis Alan Ramsey 3:31

7. 1917 - Mary Gauthier 5:11

8. Always the Stranger - R.B. Morris 4:36

9. If It Wasn’t for the Wind - Jimmie Dale Gilmore 3:26

10. Running From Love - Anana Kaye 4:53

11. That’s My Story - Greg Brown 4:44

12. Sonnet #40 - David Olney 1:19

13. Titanic - Afton Wolfe 4:17

14. Steal My Thunder - Dave Alvin with the Rick Holmstrom Trio 6:09

15. Delta Blue - Jim Lauderdale 3:34

16. She’s Alone Tonight - Janis Ian 3:34

17. Illegal Cargo - Townes Van Zandt 3:10

“My father’s songs were true, they were strong, and they were enough to hold him. Death is tragic and reckless and still somehow his passing was a rare and beautiful event. A final magic trick, a sort of perfect symmetry played out. Flame snuffed out while a gentle apology was uttered into this cruel and glorious world. He was a dark eyed man, tender, comedic and profound; tapped into life in a unique and expansive way. Driven to roam, the lonely highway kind and yet incredibly empathetic. He was deeply of this world and also outside of it – observing it. His gaze was honest, seeing both darkness and light. He was angry and he was hopeful. He spoke in many voices – gentle and vicious, ashamed and joyful but always simple and beautiful, always genuine. He did not use people, he did not use stories, he lived within them. And he died the way he lived – in a song. This project shines a light on those songs. The friends and comrades on this album knew and loved my father through and because of his songs. They have come together to make this beautiful tribute to him and his words in their own voices. A song is a dream –A dream is sometimes a prayer – You hope they are heard. I hope these are heard.” – Lillian Olney

“David Olney tells marvelous stories, with characters who cling to the hope of enduring love, all the while crossing the deep divide into that long, dark night of the soul.” – Emmylou Harris

“Mr. Olney never had a hit single or won a Grammy Award, but in folk-rock and Americana circles, he is revered for his poetic sensibility and gruff-voiced storytelling, especially by his fellow songwriters, including his musical hero, Townes Van Zandt.” – The New York Times

“Anytime anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are, I say Mozart, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney. Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard.” – Townes Van Zandt 

Happy 80th Birthday Booker T. Jones!

Celebrating the 80th birthday of Hammond hero Booker T. Jones with a few performances and interviews worth checking. 

Music maven Cary Baker releases new book on busking

Cary Baker shares stories and interviews with some of the more intriguing musicians he's encountered on the street in his great new book, Down On The Corner. 

Here's the scoop from Cary...

"Friends, this is kind of a big day for me: Today (November 12th) marks the official street date for my first book, 'Down on the Corner: Adventures in Busking & Street Music' (Jawbone Press). 

"Thanks to all who helped me in the early stages, the artists who let me interview them, Grammy winner Dom Flemons for the on-point foreword, the artists and authors who wrote cover blurbs, to more experienced authors who lent invaluable advice, my literary agent Murray Weiss, Jawbone Press for its early belief and ongoing support every step of the way, and most of all those of you who ordered it early on from Amazon or Bookshops [dot] org. 

"'Down on the Corner' was a labor of love, and is very personal to me. I hope it shows." - C.B.

Down On The Corner – Adventures In Busking and Street Music

"One day around 1970, my father announced to me that he’d like to take me to Maxwell Street Market, an open-air flea market adjacent to Downtown Chicago. He wanted to show me where his parents used to take him shopping as a child. When he parked his car in the University Of Illinois lot, the first thing I heard, long before I could see where it was coming from, was the sound of a slide guitar—not just any guitar but a National steel resonator guitar.

"We followed the music and found ourselves standing on the west side of Halsted Street, midway between Roosevelt and Maxwell, where Blind Arvella Gray was playing the folk/blues song ‘John Henry’—a song that seemed to have no beginning and no end. Sensing that his audience was generally passing by rather than gathering around, Gray kept playing that one song for his entire shift. He’d even altered the lyrics to refer to the local streets.

"In that moment, I developed a lifelong affinity for the informality, spontaneity, and audience participation of busking."   – excerpt from Cary Baker's Down On The Corner

 

Down On The Corner is the story of music performed on the streets, in subways, in parks, in schoolyards, on the back of flatbed trucks, and beyond, from the 1920s to the present day. Drawing on years of interviews and eyewitness accounts, it introduces readers to a wide range of locations and a myriad of musical genres, from folk to rock’n’roll, the blues to bluegrass, doo-wop to indie rock.

Some of the performers he features—Lucinda Williams, Billy Bragg, The Violent Femmes—went on to become international stars; others settled into the curbs, sidewalks, and Tube stations as their workplace for the duration of their careers. Anyone who has lived in or travelled through a city will have encountered street musicians of one kind or another. For the first time, veteran journalist and music-industry publicist Cary Baker tells the complete history of these musicians and the music they play, from tin cups and toonies to QR codes and PayPal.

‘This book allows us to hear the full story of feeding the street, as it has been done for over a century in the United States. It gives us a glimpse into the lives of the buskers who have enriched our daily existence with music and performance art. It’s a dollar in the hat, with the acknowledgment that the world is always a better place when busking is a part of the picture. Special thanks to Cary Baker for giving a new voice to a music tradition that will continue to live on forever and will find new homes wherever the music takes it.’ – Dom Flemons, from his foreword

Cary Baker chats about his new book with Chris Morris at Book Soup in West Hollywood on Thursday, November 14.

About Cary Baker...

Just hangin' out with Swamp Dogg & Bobby Patterson

Born on Chicago’s South Side, Cary Baker began his writing career at sixteen with an on-spec feature about Chicago street singer Blind Arvella Gray for the Chicago Reader. His return to writing follows a forty-two-year hiatus during which time he directed publicity for six record labels (including Capitol and IRS) and two of his own companies, working with acclaimed artists such as R.E.M., Bonnie Raitt, The Smithereens, James McMurtry, The Mavericks, Bobby Rush, Willie Nile, and more. Prior to his PR years, Baker wrote for the Chicago Reader, Creem, Trouser Press, Bomp!, Goldmine, Billboard, Mix, Illinois Entertainer, and Record magazine. He has also written liner notes for historical reissues from Universal, Capitol/EMI, Numero Group, and Omnivore. He has been a voting member of the Recording Academy since 1979. He lives in Southern California.

A resolute preservationist, storyteller, and instrumentalist, Dom Flemons has long set himself apart by finding forgotten folk songs and making them live again. His work has been recognized with a GRAMMY, two Emmy nominations, a USA Fellowship Award, and inclusion in an exhibit at the Country Music Hall Of Fame & Museum. Raised in Phoenix, Flemons comes from a family of civil rights leaders, Tuskegee Airmen, and preachers who were prominent figures in the Black community of Arizona. After graduating from Northern Arizona University (which presented him with an honorary doctorate in 2022), Flemons moved to North Carolina and co-founded The Carolina Chocolate Drops. After leaving the group in 2013, he established a solo career that led him to collaborate with hundreds of artists in the Americana music scene. His latest project is Traveling Wildfire (Smithsonian Folkways), a follow-up to his 2018 GRAMMY nominated album, Black Cowboys.

What folks are saying about Down On The Corner

“Down on the Corner sings out the stories of these various buskers robustly, illustrating Cary Baker’s passion and appreciation for the art that happens out on the streets and fills the air with song and, if the musicians have a good evening, the performers’ pockets with a little dough-re-mi.” – No Depression

“Baker provides a smart history of street music…For all of the book’s nostalgic pull, which is considerable, it is also of this moment. After reading it, you will never be able to walk past a street performer without tossing a little something into his or her hat, cup, guitar case or other eager receptacle.” – Chicago Tribune

“Baker takes us through the history of busking from from 1920 to 2022, beginning with the blues and gospel singers who worked the streets of Dallas, New Orleans, New York and Memphis, including Blind Lemon Jefferson, Reverend Gary Davis and hillbilly artists. A wonderful read about a neglected and important part of music history.” – Morning Star (U.K.)

“The book shines when it highlights how busking brings people together.” – Publishers Weekly

“Leave it to Cary Baker to write the Bible of the sonic adventure. In a hypnotic way, this intriguing book makes the endeavor of hitting the street and going for it on the same level of excitement as taking off for the moon. Baker clearly has the boogie woogie of street music and busking in his veins, and the way he has collected and written this fascinating tome seems like an art form in itself. It’s serious business. Wisely divided into chapters by geography, Baker is able to make an exciting sense to what sometimes seems a jumble of geography, and thank goodness for his extremely sharp planning.” –Bentley’s Bandstand, Americana Highways 

“Baker writes with a deft balance of reportorial precision, storytelling expertise, a way with evocative phrases that sometimes rivals the great bluesmen, and-perhaps most critically-the dedication of a lifelong music enthusiast. Itself a celebration of busking, Down on the Corner is to be celebrated both for its content and for heralding Cary Baker's welcome return to the world of musical authorship.” –Living Blues 

“Cary shares anecdotes and origin stories from Old Crow Medicine Show, Poi Dog Pondering and the late rowdy raconteur Mojo Nixon. He also checks in with heavy-hitters like Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Madeleine Peyroux and Glen Hansard. He navigates a course from coast to coast, as well as the U.K and Europe. It’s a thoroughly engaging read.” – Coachella Valley Weekly

“This is a fun book. Informative, fly-on-the wall…and full of rather lovely vignette ‘stories’. It’s also a good introduction to many well-loved and less known blues artists, street musos and eccentrics…I immersed myself in the tales, the stories included in the book, and it has led me into researching about a number of the artists, the buskers and street performers included. And you can’t say much better than that!” – International Times (U.K.)

“I’m a lifelong crate digger who’s read countless books, articles, and liner notes about music that interests me. Yet I learned much from Baker’s book. Sometimes the knowledge I gleaned from Down on the Corner was about acts I’d never heard of, and other times I got schooled with a deeper understanding of the histories of bands and solo artists whose music and stories I already knew. But my biggest takeaway from the book? It made me want to prowl the outdoor public spaces of my current hometown of Durham, North Carolina in search of some good street music.” – It’s Psychedelic Baby (U.K.)

“Tired of ghost-written music memoirs and fawning bios? Had enough of deep-dive discographies? Bored with overpriced coffee-table tomes? Looking for something new and interesting to read? I have just the thing: Cary Baker’s inspired new non-fiction number Down On The Corner: Adventures In Busking And Street Music.” – Tinnitist

“Busking, as Cary Baker notes, has been common in cities ‘as far back as ancient Rome.’ He highlights a wide variety of musicians like Wild Man Fischer, Mary Lou Lord or Ramblin' Jack Elliott, and key locations such as Chicago's blues nexus, Maxwell Street.” – MOJO

“While we get a feel for the history of busking, the book also addresses some of the modern concerns and challenges for street musicians…What Cary Baker and the musicians he interviewed really get across is the great joy of performing, and the need we as a society have for the music.” – Michael Doherty’s Music Log

LINKS
The Strange Brew Street Sounds: Cary Baker's Adventures in busking

Desert Sun Cary Baker talks about his new book Down on the Corner