Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear an original song that has blues, jazz, and gospel influences.

I met Will Riley at my juke house in Old Town Nettleton. He said he wanted to come and play so we scheduled him in. He became a regular performer playing mostly original songs. One night, on his last set, Bix Smith set in and I knew that I wanted to record what I was hearing.

So we scheduled some sessions during our off hours and recorded the songs featured on the Will Riley album, “My Baby’s Got Me By The Blues”. Eleven originals, each one better than the others. Fantastic work writing, playing, and recording.

I picked “Been Down To The Water” to play today because it’s a gospel song played to a blues change featuring jazz guitar. A little bit of all the ingredients that make up Arkansas Roots.

DJ Hairy Larry Presents Pansy Hall
From The Archives Of Something Blue February 5, 2023

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear some southern soul recorded at Soundworks, right here in Jonesboro.

I played with Aaron Love at Blues Fest 91 but we never performed together on a regular basis until I had my juke house at Old Town Nettleton. In 1997 I put together a band featuring Aaron and a female vocalist, Pansy Hall. We had a tight Memphis sound with harmony vocals. We sang Blues and R&B cover songs as well as a few originals.

DJ Hairy Larry Presents Jay Shepherd Playing Freddie The Freeloader
From The Archives Of Something Blue January 22, 2023

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear a Miles Davis blues performed at A-State Delta Jazz Workshop.

Jay Shepherd and Shugga Shane were regulars at Blues Fest so I already knew Jay when we were taking Jazz Improv together at ASU. He also played with Bebop Beatniks quite a bit and he is a featured soloist on our new live album, “Church”.

On July 12, 2016, I recorded Jay’s band at the Delta Jazz Workshop evening concert held in the Fine Arts Recital Hall. They played a great set of jazz standards ranging from swing to fusion and they closed with “Freddie Freeloader”, a song from the Mile’s Davis album, “Kind Of Blue”.

Playing on the song we will hear Jay Shepherd on guitar; Shane Chastain, piano; Terrell Montgomery, bass, and Keyven Dunn, drums, all fine outstanding Northeast Arkansas musicians.

From The Archives Of Something Blue October 9, 2022

1. DJ Hairy Larry presents Houston Steele and Bad Habit
2. Something Blue – Anyday – 29 second spot

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear a Keith Sykes song played at the Craighead Forest Bandshell.

When Houston Steele started playing with Braden Byrd and Billy Spence we started getting them to perform at the bandshell. He’s a fantastic guitarist and vocalist with a wry sense of humor that he uses to connect to his audience. He’s been playing around Jonesboro and all over the country for decades doing mostly country and rock hits. He can also deliver on the blues as we’re about to hear today.

From The Archives Of Something Blue October 23, 2022

1. DJ Hairy Larry presents John Shepherd and Happy Hour
2. Something Blue – Friends – 29 second spot

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear a band from Wynne singing a Muddy Waters song.

It was Blues Fest 2010 and John Shepherd and Happy Hour were closing the show. It was a special performance because Kyle Harrison had played earlier in the day and he joined John for the last half of the set. This gave us two amazing blues guitarists from Wynne, Arkansas, on the stage playing together.

Thanks Marty, I have so much fun doing From The Archives for Arkansas Roots.

Billy Jones is a bluesman. A genuine Arkansas bluesman. But he also plays country, funk, gospel, and soul. When I went to record him at KASU Bluesday Tuesday in Newport, Arkansas, on October 8, 2013, I never thought he would be playing the Temptations. Yet here’s the proof, Billy Jones Bluez playing the classic Motown hit, “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”.

From The Archives Of Something Blue November 13 2022/December 27, 2020

1. DJ Hairy Larry presents Delta Legends
2. Something Blue – Changes – 29 second spot

Thanks Marty, I’ve got a great blues song this week performed live at the Fall Ball by Delta Legends.

On September 30, 2017 Delta Legends took a road trip down to the Mississippi Hill Country to play at the Fall Ball. We originally booked to busk on Saturday morning but they offered us a slot early Saturday afternoon so we got to play that too. “All Over Again” is a blues standard made famous by B.B. King and Paul Butterfield. It’s one of our best songs and inspired by the festival stage we nailed it.

Thanks Marty, I’m Hairy Larry and I’ve got the blues for you.

Kyle Tims got in touch with me about playing at Blues Fest and we were glad to have him perform in September of 1997. I was talking to some of my friends who had played at Blues Fest, Sonny Burgess, Doug Greeno, and Larry Donn, and they told me that Kyle’s father, Tommy Tims, was a rockabilly drummer back in the day. Music runs in the family in Northeast Arkansas so I expected Kyle to put on a good show but everyone was just knocked out by his fantastic blues guitar work following in the footsteps of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring Eilen Jewell, Erin Harpe, Suzanne Michell, and Ruthie Foster. For more about the show visit the Something Blue website at sbblues.com.

Don’t miss Something Blue, Saturday night at 10:00 PM CST, at kasu.org.

Erin Harpe & The Delta Swingers Live at River Street Jazz Cafe in Plains, Pennsylvania, on 2010-07-10
archive.org/details/ErinHarpeDeltaSwingers2010-07-10.wklitz.caruthers.multitrack.flac16

Eilen Jewell Live at Turtle Dove Folk Club – West Grove Friends Meetinghouse on 2010-02-27
archive.org/details/EilenJewell 100227 WestGrovePA

Ruthie Foster Live at The Spirit of Suwannee – Springfest 2010 on 2010-03-27
archive.org/details/ruthiefoster2010-03-27

Suzanne Michell Trio-Sunday In The Park
archive.org/details/sm2010-05-23

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear an original song recorded at KASU Blue Monday in Paragould.

Charlotte Taylor is an Arkansas blues lady. Playing mostly in the Little Rock area I’m always glad when I get to hear her in Helena, Newport, or Paragould. That’s right! On April 20, 2009, Charlotte Taylor and Gypsy Rain played at the Red Goose Deli in Paragould, Arkansas, thanks to the KASU Blue Monday concert series.