W. C. Clark: November 16, 1939 - March 2, 2024

 The world learned of the passing of W.C. Clark on March 2, 2024 from Austin music historian and critic Michael Corcoran.  To learn about the man, his music and the profound impact he had on the Austin, TX music scene, please read Corcoran's article "W.C. Clark the gentleman godfather of Austin Blues 1939-2024" on his excellent substack site "Overserved" .

The reason I say that is because you are not going to get that information from me, a music fan living 1,171 miles away at the Northern end of I35.  I barely knew Wesley Curley Clark, we only met on three occasions.  But his music has brought me tremendous joy and I just had to share one of his seemingly small acts of kindness that meant the world to me.

I first met W.C. at a club in Austin called the Top of the Mark.  I was on a Gonzo intermodal (air and car) trip to see my friends in Roomful of Blues play the House of Blues in New Orleans and two days later the Top of the Mark in Austin.  I call it a Gonzo trip because for a period of time in the late 1990's to early 2000's I was going through a tough divorce and my running mate was a fellow divorcee, a very large, professional chef, Jonesy.  Much like the protagonists in HST's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", except the 300 pound Samoan was a chef and Hunter was the attorney.  

The flight to New Orleans had a 4 hour layover in Dallas.  Normally such a layover would be a dealbreaker.  However, this was cool because, through the band, I had met their friend Stew and he had offered to meet us at a bar to kill some time.  Unfortunately for us, Roomful had just played Billy Bob's in Dallas the night before and Stewie had been in attendance and overserved.  After touching down at Love Field in Dallas that morning, Jonesy and I grabbed our one carry-on piece of luggage each and took off on foot, leaving the airport for a nearby McDonald's.  

It took several calls before Stew eventually answered his phone.  He asked our location so he could figure out a nearby bar to meet.When I tell him our location, Stew makes an audible moan which I initially mistook as more of his hangover talking.  Stewie finally exclaims "man, that's a rough part of town, I don't know of any bars around there, at least that I have been to".  I tell him hold on and I walk outside the McDonalds and down the street until I see a bar and give ol' Stew the name and address.  Jonesy and I proceed to enter an extremely seedy establishment, the name of which is lost to posterity and several rounds.  Big mistake.  

To call this a working man's bar would be a misnomer because no one in the bar looked like they were currently employed based on the time of day, before noon and their level of intoxication, drunk.  Furthermore, Jones and I were the only honkies in the room with the exception of a friendly but somewhat well-worn middle aged woman who introduced herself as "Miss Wanda" and the sketchy looking bartender.  

Before long Jonesy and I are buying rounds for Miss Wanda and anyone nearby.  About every half hour I am calling Stewie wondering when he was going to join us.  The question out of  about every patron's mouth was what we were doing in a place like that.  I am sure to them we looked like undercover Dallas Vice cops.  When I mentioned we were killing time on a layover on a music trip to New Orleans, Miss Wanda perked up.  "Music...I love music, I use to live in Austin."  As kind of a test and just out of curiosity I ask Wanda "Did you ever see W.C. Clark?"  Wanda, replies something to the effect, "That old man, of course, he is such a fixture it would be hard to not have seen him".  Having not seen W.C. in person up to this point I said we must be thinking of different people because I have several of his records and he has the voice of a song bird.  No "old man" could possibly hit some of the notes he hits..."  We go back and forth, the argument becoming somewhat heated.  In a desperate attempt to change the subject, the sketchy looking bartender reaches under the counter and pulls up a plate of  warm tuna fish sandwiches, cut in half and complete with flies (not a typo, the insect).  To shut us up the bartender says "Since you two are so sure of yourselves, why don't you bet?"  To which I reply, "But we'll never see each other again." Whereupon Miss Wanda grabs a scrap of paper and writes down her address and hands it to me saying "if he is over 60 years old you owe me $10 and if he is under 60 I owe you."  

It was at this point the bartender said"when did you boys say your flight was?"   I look at the clock and let out a high pitched "EECK!"  We got less than 30 minutes to make our plane.  Jonesy and I go into full panic mode running around wringing our hands while the bartender and Miss Wanda keep level headed and call us a cab which arrives in under 5 minutes.  They tell the cabbie our situation and he tells us "...you'll never make it if I take you to the terminal".  In a scene that could only have happened pre-911, the cabbie takes us to a gate at Love Field which must have been for those with private planes.  The cabbie knew the person working security at the gate and we opened our carry ons for a quick peek and were waived through and directed to a plane on the tarmac with a set of stairs on wheels next to it like in the olden days. 

The flight to New Orleans, although somewhat of a blur to us, I am sure is remembered by our fellow passengers.  My friend Jones, who considered himself quite the lady's man, was carrying on a loud, risque' conversation with the octogenarian woman sitting next to him.  In an attempt to distract my friend, I took the opportunity to loudly announce to everyone that the 15-1 Minnesota Vikings were going to avenge their 4 Super Bowl defeats after they crush the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.

The show at the House of Blues went off famously.  After the gig some wealthy fans of the band sent private coaches to take the band and their entourage, including us, to their mansion on a golf course for an after hours party, featuring Louisiana cuisine made from scratch , that lasted until dawn.  I had spent a lot of my time at the show and after hours party talking to a charming and knowledgeable silver haired gentleman who was introduced to me as the "Governor".  It was only until the next day when we ran into the band after only a few hours sleep that I mentioned what to me was the coolest part about the night before, that I had met and talked with the Governor of Louisiana.  This brought a chorus of hilarious laughter from the band.  "What's so funny?"  I sheepishly ask.   The "Governor" I had been talking to was not, in fact, a politician, but rather the esteemed WOZ radio dj and host of the show "The Governor's Mansion".  

Jones and I were so hungover trying to explore New Orleans that late Sunday morning we rented a horse drawn carriage.  When the driver learned Jones was a chef he talked us into being dropped off at an expensive Italian restaurant for which I suspect he got a commission for.  Following our meal we proceeded to Patrick O'Brien's Bar, famous as the Home of the Hurricane cocktail, where we watched our beloved Vikings lose when our kicker, Anderson, who had a perfect season up to that point, making every field goal and extra point, misses a chip shot resulting in a Falcons victory.  So much for my in flight football proclamations.

Fast forward two evenings later, Jones and I had rented a car in New Orleans late Monday morning and made the eight hour trip to Austin in record time. The band had left New Orleans the night before and in light of our condition the last time they saw us, were quite sure there was no way in hell we would be making the show that night in Austin.  So when Jonesy and I entered the Top of the Mark a few songs into Roomful's first set, the band members mouths dropped to the floor and I swear they missed a beat.  When the set ended we joined them in what I recall was the basement or storage room that doubled as the bands green room at the Top of the Mark.  In addition to my friend and I, the band had two other guests. Fran Christina, the original drummer in Roomful of Blues before joining the Thunderbirds and the other guest was none other than one Wesley Curley Clark.

After recovering from the serendipity of it all, I think I told W.C. all about my encounter with Miss Wanda in the seedy bar in Dallas and even produced the scrap of paper with her address on it as proof.  As I recall, we even joked about how funny it would be to have W.C. collect the bet in person for me next time he was in Dallas.  I remember standing next to W.C.  during the second set and when the band started into the song W.C. wrote and suggested they cover, "Standing at the Crossroads" he looked at me and said "I wrote that " to which I replied "I know".

Several years later a new blues club, the Narrows, opened in the Minneapolis suburb of Wayzata.  As part of the grand opening month they book none other than the Godfather of Austin Blues, W.C.Clark.  I was so excited I fired up my 1973 Buick Riviera Boattail and headed for Wayzata.  But before going to the show, I stopped in at the best steak restaurant in Wayzata which coincidentally is where my friend  was still the head chef.  Unable to get off work, I wound up going to the show by myself, which is actually my preferred way to see live music.  I was early enough to get a table not far from the stage and before long W.C. comes out to start his first set.  Although a little disappointed he didn’t have his band with him, given the size of the club and it just having opened, I understood the cost would have been prohibitive.  

At the end of his first set and before he could get off the stage, W.C. was met by a staff member of one our local public radio stations, who, microphone in hand, began interviewing him.  During the interview W.C. kept looking over in my direction until, after about the third time, he held up his hand in front of the reporter's microphone as if to say "one moment please", climbed off the stage and came directly over to my table.  With a quizzical look on his face he says "It's Jim, isn't it?"  Before I can respond verbally, my body language gives him his answer and his quizzical look is replaced by a broad grin.  After exchanging routine pleasantries (e.g.  "How have you been?"  "Thank you for coming" etc.) for the life of me I cannot recall any more of our conversation.

My head was swimming in a sea of thoughts ranging from immense pride to insecure doubt.  I didn't know whether to take pride in the fact Mr. Clark remembered me and that he cut-off the interview to come say hello or to question what I did to be so memorable to the likes of one of my heroes.  What is important to me and what I will always cherish, is how that small act of remembrance made me feel.  

Now fast forward to the summer of 2022.  The nation is starting to come out of the covid lockdown.  I had been worrying if I would ever get another chance to see many of my favorite acts again.  When I see the line-up for the Antone's 47th Anniversary Party included some of my old friends in Roomful of Blues and W.C. Clark there was no question I was going.  

It was so good to see W. C. again.  In his early 80’s, W.C.  had aged noticeably since we last met.   Alas, there was no remembrance from him this time or at least that he would acknowledge.    I even asked if he would take a picture with someone who came all he way from Minneapolis to see him, hoping it may spark something, but no.  

But you know what?  I was more than okay with that.  In fact, it gave me an inkling of the feeling W.C. must have felt when he made my day by simply remembering me.  And how cool is that! 

These are some of the pictures and videos I shot at the Antone's 47th Anniversary Party.

Calling All Soul and Blues Fans: Be On the Lookout For Billy Price's "Person of Interest"

Billy Price's remarkable new album "Person of Interest" on Little Village Foundation Records is the kind of well-crafted, gem of a record that only someone with Price's vast experience and connections in the music industry could make. The veteran blue-eyed soul singer-songwriter first came to national prominence in the mid 1970's as the singer in legendary guitarist Roy Buchanan's band.  Price appeared on two of Buchanan's albums, "That' What I'm Here For" and the wonderful live set "Livestock".  Price's RnB vocals perfectly complimented Buchanan's incendiary guitar work.  

 After parting ways with Buchanan, Price returned to Pittsburgh fronting his own bands, Billy Price and the Keystone Rhythm Band and later the Bill Price Band.  For over thirty years Price and his bands of top-notch musicians earned a reputation up and down the East coast as one of the best soul and blues outfits.   

Much like his good friends, the Nighthawks, Price and his bandmates were musician's musicians producing some of the best albums, bar none, but for lesser-known independent labels.  Consequently, they never received the wide spread recognition their immense talents deserved.  That is until now.

 For "Person of Interest" Price surrounded himself with the crem de la crem of music industry

professionals.  The material is top notch and all original.  This is one sweet sounding record.  Huge props go out to producer/drummer/songwriter Tony Braunagel.  Braunagel, perhaps best known as leader/drummer of the Phantom Blues Band, but is also a grammy winning producer separate and apart from his famed association with the great Taj Mahal.  Braunagel not only produces and plays drums but collaborated on the writing as well.  I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge one of the big reasons this record sounds so great and that is the multi-faceted job done by fellow Phantom Blues Band member and guitarist, the great Johnny Lee Schell.  Mr. Schell was a jack of all trades, engineering, recording and mixing this record. Johnny Lee somehow also found the time to add his potent guitar work.  Normally you would think that spreading one's talent so thin would diminish the end result.  Not in this case though.  

 

Whatever Billy is doing he should bottle it and sell it as an elixir because he sounds the best he has in several years. His voice and performances are strong and confident, yet relaxed.  And who wouldn't sound great fronting this band.  The incredible line-up reads like a musician's musicians Hall of Fame:  Jim Pugh on keyboards, no less than 3, count 'em 3 legendary bassists:  Larry Fulcher, Reggie McBride and Hutch Hutchinson; producer Tony Braunagel on drums, the dream horn section of Eric Spaulding, Mark Pender and Ron Dziubla, Tower of Power percussionist Lenny Castro and three great journeymen guitarists in Shane Theriot, Josh Sklair and the afore mentioned Johnny Lee Schell.   As every sports fan knows, having the best talent doesn't always guarantee a championship team but in this case, the results exceed one's expectations.  

 On "Person of Interest" the music literally jumps off the record and grabs you!  From the funky drum beats and crisp horns on the lp's opener, "Inside That Box" to the closing strains of the slow burner "Damage Control", there is not a clinker in the bunch.  The material is so good you could swear you have heard every track before.  Never stale, just great.  Careful attention was paid to the order of the tracks, which flow so seamlessly, the record flies by.  A sign of a truly great album.  This is a return to the kind of records you want to play through, from beginning to end.  The timing of this record's release should fit perfectly with the resurging interest in vinyl records and I for one cannot wait to get my hands on a vinyl version.  

 As I write this, I am giddy, tapping my foot and grinning from ear to ear as I listen to "She Checks All the Boxes".  This track is so so sweet it sounds like it could have come off of an Eddie Floyd Stax masterpiece.  Yet it's all original.  "She Checks All the Boxes" along with "Damage Control" is one of two tracks written by Price, long time co-writing partner and keyboardist Jim Britton and producer Braunagel.  While Price and Britton get the majority of the writing credits, there are several other noteworthy songwriting collaborations on "Person of Interest".  

Price collaborates with his old friend, French guitar great Fred Chapellier and producer Braunagel on the album's second track "Song I Never Heard Before".  Price and Chapellier did an album and DVD project together back in 2009.    

The album then downshifts to a ballad,  "Mercy", and the album quiets down to just Pugh's piano and beautiful guitar before it explodes with horns and Hammond B3.  Eric Spaulding's perfect sax solo also takes the song out.  It is at this point you start to realize that this is one special record.  "Mercy" was an unfinished track from his last recording session with his old group, the Keystone Rhythym Band, that Price had completely forgetten about.  It wasn't until a fan gave him a recording of a live version of it they had began working into their live shows around that time that Price realized this one was too good to get away.

Perhaps the most intriguing collaboration on "Person of Interest" is the one with Nashville songwriting legends Jon Tiven and Sally Young.  Now when I think of Billy Price, country music doesn’t really come to mind.  But just like Austin, Nashville is not a one genre music town anymore and good songwriting is good songwriting.  Price collaborates with Tevin & Young on two songs, "They Knew" and "A Certain Something".   Both are strong contributions to the album.  The Latin tinged and aptly named "A Certain Something” is the change-up pitch, that certain something, the album needed.  

 

Now to the elephant in the room.   I had assumed that the Price/Britton track "Change My Mind" was written as a nod to his most popular and recognizable work, the cover of Tyron Davis’s "Can I Change My Mind" that Price sang on Roy Buchanan's Livestock album. In fact, Price and Britton did not start out intending "Change My Mind" to be some calculated tribute to Roy.  Quite the contrary,  Price told me through his publicist that "After we recorded 'Change My Mind', I noted that it reminded me of some of the songs I had done with Roy Buchanan, especially 'Please Don't Turn Me Away'  from the 'That's What I am Here For' album." It was then, only after the song had been recorded that Price"...suggested to Tony Braunagel that we could get some hotshot guitar player who was a Buchanan fan to do a Buchanan style solo on the song..."

 

Okay, now that I got that straight, the next question is who do you get?  The dyed in the wool Buchanan fans are not going to like whoever you choose and what guitarist is going to want to try and fill those shoes?  When I posed this question to Price's publicist, the ever helpful Kevin Johnson of Proud Poppa Promotions & Publicity, Price credited producer Braunagel with suggesting Joe Bonamassa stating "...Tony is a friend of Joe's and has played with him." adding "Of course it was a perfect choice and Bonamassa is indeed a big Buchanan fan."

I too think Price and Braunagel came up with the perfect solution in choosing Joe Bonamassa.  As someone who grew up in the DC MD VA area, the home to so many great guitarists, including Buchanan and Gatton, we are extremely spoiled when it comes to guitarists and fiercely loyal to our local heroes. While I can be unfairly dismissive of the younger generation of guitar players, I have always respected Bonamassa’s humility, how he acknowledged his mentors and encouraged his audience to explore the history of the music and artists. Bonamassa rises to the challenge and perfectly captures Buchanan's trademark tone, sustained note holding followed by blistering fast riffs.  Yet where some guitarists would be tempted to show off and try to out Buchanan Buchanan, Joe shows his maturity and good taste delivering a restrained but passionate performance fitting for a homage.

"Change of Mind" is followed perfectly by the two Tevin & Young collaborations. "They Know" is a great song with a haunting melody punctuated by punching horn riffs accented by great stinging guitar and organ notes.  It has that classic Memphis soul sound  of Stax or Willie Mitchell's Royal Studio.  Even too much of a good thing can get monotanous though so they brilliantly follow up with "A Certain Something", a song completely different.  "A Certain Something" serves two purposes.  It shows just what a consummate artist Price is, that he can master any style and secondly, it refreshes you for what is yet to come.

The album closes out with four, that's right, 4 strong songs back to back.  "The Gift" displays just how good the song writing team of Price and Britton have become.  Jim Pugh's tasteful organ carries right into the next song, the album's highlight "Crying at the Stoplight".  If this doesn't get Price radio play and his first hit record, there is no justice.  You cannot help but move when listening to "Crying at the Stoplight" with it's rolling beat.  

Just when you think this can't get any better, Price and Britton dig deep into their confectionary bag and pull out something so sweet you become borderline diabetic.  "I Lose It" is an adult contemporary piece of ear candy that reminds me of Allen Toussaint's "When the Party's Over".  What I mean by that is, it is the kind of song that no matter what kind of day your having, it transforms you and your troubles float away to that peaceful place, leaving you totally relaxed and with a smile on your face.

The album closes with "Damage Control". Another Britton and Price number that is so strong I'm surprised it wasn't picked as the title track.  On second thought, it is wise they didn't use it for the name of the record.  Although it is a completely different song, it shares the name with the title track of Curtis Salgado's great album a few years back.  Price and Salgado are such great singers, people and friends, there is plenty of room for each of them.  Like so many of the songs on this album, it is such a perfectly crafted song it will have you scratching your head wondering "Where have I heard this one before?".

But what is most striking and why I am gushing over this record , besides that it is all original material, are the horns.  Horn lovers pay attention, this is how horns were meant to be used.  

Not seeing a credit for who arranged the horns I again reached out to Del Ray "Oh you don't have to call me" Johnson who was kind enough to pester his client one last time for me. Price responded with the following:  

 

"The horn arrangements are largely by Jim Britton, my keyboard player, and they stuck pretty close to the demos that Jim and I made to give to the players on the album. I’m sure there were some tweaks here and there but for the most part the horn players played from charts that Jim and the guys in my horn section in Pittsburgh sent for them to read. Some of the horn parts may also have been arranged by those guys, Joe Herndon and Eric Spaulding."

On "Person of Interest" the three man horn section consists of Mark Pender on trumpet and saxophonists Ron Dziubla and Eric Spaulding.

 Mark Pender may be the most recognizable name of the three, owing to his work on the Conan O'Brien show, but I have been an admirer of Pender dating back to the late 1970's when he played in the Jukes and Miami Horns. 

 But the saxophone work on this record are what steal the show.  Braunagel had the clout to land stellar saxophonist Ron Dziubla for the project and oh what a difference one man can make.  Rounding out the horn section, last but certainly not least, is Pittsburgh's Eric Spaulding.  Spaulding, was the resident saxophonist at Kid Anderson's Greaseland Studios for 6 years playing on countless recordings.  If you like Eric's sax work check out his solo project where he is backed by the Greaseland Allstars and Junior Watson.

Okay, okay...I'll stop but not before I say I am not related to anyone associated with the record nor being paid for my opinion.  It simply is what it is:  the masterpiece we always knew Price had in him.  And I for one, couldn't feel more blessed.  William, thank you for making me feel like I am hearing music for the first time.  (Eat your heart out Jon Landau!)  Strong review to follow. 😀

 

All kidding aside, Billy Price's new album "Person of Interest" on Little Village Foundation Records is a fantastic record that should be in every music lover's collection. 

 If you are unfamiliar with Price's catalog, I strongly encourage you to discover some of the finest blues and soul performances you ever heard.  Even more astonishing is that they made those great sounding records on an independent label budget.  The very essence of a labor of love.  Check out his store at:

https://billy-price.square.site/