Recorded July, 1996
KTEP broadcast
Zoomer Roberts: lead vocal
Gene Keller: guitar & vocal
Ophelia Botham: mandolin & vocal
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Never To Be Forgotten
Recorded July, 1996
KTEP broadcast
Zoomer Roberts: lead vocal
Gene Keller: guitar & vocal
Ophelia Botham: mandolin & vocal
KTEP broadcast
Zoomer Roberts: lead vocal
Gene Keller: guitar & vocal
Ophelia Botham: mandolin & vocal
Love's Made A Fool of You
Recorded July, 1996
KTEP broadcast
Zoomer Roberts: lead vocal
Gene Keller: guitar & vocal
Ophelia Botham: mandolin & vocal
KTEP broadcast
Zoomer Roberts: lead vocal
Gene Keller: guitar & vocal
Ophelia Botham: mandolin & vocal
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Deep Elem Blues
Recorded 1997 at the Chamizal National Memorial
Zoomer Roberts: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Steve Smith: mandolin
Glenn Leffler: bass
Eric Hutson: drums
Deep Elem (Elm) was a disreputable area in South Dallas. To my knowledge, this catchy song about the thrills and woes to be found there was first sung by the Shelton Brothers in the 1930s. The inspiration for this version was a Sun record by Jerry Lee Lewis. The last verse was borrowed from "Texas Hambone Blues":
Well I'm goin' down to Cowtown just to get my hambone boiled
Because them New York City women, they done let my hambone spoil!
I once knew an old warehouse hand who recalled walking through Deep Elem during the Depression. He heard a voice call out from a second-story window: "Hey, white boy! Fo' a dollah, I takes you on!" He kept walking -- or at least that's what he told me, thirty five years after the fact.
If you go down in Deep Elem, put your money in your socks
Them redheads in Deep Elem'll blow a man out on the rocks!
Somewhere between the original VHS tape and this link, the MP3 file got reduced to a really crummy bitrate. I'll upgrade it one of these days, but for now, this will have to do.
Look here, pretty baby, I said you sure look good to me
But when you go down in Deep Elem lit up like a Christmas tree
Lawdy, Mama! Your Daddy's got them Deep Elem Blues!
Why don't you listen to me, Sugar? Your Daddy's got them Deep Elem Blues!
Zoomer Roberts: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Steve Smith: mandolin
Glenn Leffler: bass
Eric Hutson: drums
Deep Elem (Elm) was a disreputable area in South Dallas. To my knowledge, this catchy song about the thrills and woes to be found there was first sung by the Shelton Brothers in the 1930s. The inspiration for this version was a Sun record by Jerry Lee Lewis. The last verse was borrowed from "Texas Hambone Blues":
Well I'm goin' down to Cowtown just to get my hambone boiled
Because them New York City women, they done let my hambone spoil!
I once knew an old warehouse hand who recalled walking through Deep Elem during the Depression. He heard a voice call out from a second-story window: "Hey, white boy! Fo' a dollah, I takes you on!" He kept walking -- or at least that's what he told me, thirty five years after the fact.
If you go down in Deep Elem, put your money in your socks
Them redheads in Deep Elem'll blow a man out on the rocks!
Somewhere between the original VHS tape and this link, the MP3 file got reduced to a really crummy bitrate. I'll upgrade it one of these days, but for now, this will have to do.
Look here, pretty baby, I said you sure look good to me
But when you go down in Deep Elem lit up like a Christmas tree
Lawdy, Mama! Your Daddy's got them Deep Elem Blues!
Why don't you listen to me, Sugar? Your Daddy's got them Deep Elem Blues!
We Could
The Lariat Cowboys
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & vocal
Jimmy Smith: fiddle
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
I always associate this song with Little Jimmy Dickens. Although he is primarily known for his novelty songs, Dickens was (and is) a fine ballad singer. "We Could" is somewhat of an oddity: it has the construction of a "weeper," but the lyrics are about love gone right. I used to sing this for couples who were celebrating their anniversary with a night of dancing.
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & vocal
Jimmy Smith: fiddle
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
I always associate this song with Little Jimmy Dickens. Although he is primarily known for his novelty songs, Dickens was (and is) a fine ballad singer. "We Could" is somewhat of an oddity: it has the construction of a "weeper," but the lyrics are about love gone right. I used to sing this for couples who were celebrating their anniversary with a night of dancing.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Every Fool Has A Rainbow
The Lariat Cowboys
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & vocal
Jimmy Smith: fiddle
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & vocal
Jimmy Smith: fiddle
Tony Quero: bass
Mark Kays: drums
Thursday, July 17, 2008
How High The Moon
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin & bass
Jerry Boyer: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin & bass
When I Stop Dreaming
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin, bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin, bass, harmony vocal
I'm An Old Cowhand (from the Rio Grande)
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Buddy Winston: guitar, lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar, bass, steel guitar, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar, bass, steel guitar, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
Love Me Tender
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & bass
arranged by Zoomer Roberts
Jerry Boyer: vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: guitar & bass
arranged by Zoomer Roberts
Take Him In
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Buddy Winston: guitars, banjo, lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin, dobro, standup bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
When we recorded this at Scott Martin's studio, we couldn't nail the acapella part at the end. The meter was running and it was our dime. Finally, we just did a slow fade from the start of the banjo solo to the end of the last verse. I've reversed the fade-out and grafted the intended ending from a rehearsal tape. This involved some speed and pitch adjustments, among other things. It's not seamless, but at least the original concept has been realized -- 26 years after the fact.
Buddy Winston: guitars, banjo, lead vocal
Zoomer Roberts: mandolin, dobro, standup bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: harmony vocal
When we recorded this at Scott Martin's studio, we couldn't nail the acapella part at the end. The meter was running and it was our dime. Finally, we just did a slow fade from the start of the banjo solo to the end of the last verse. I've reversed the fade-out and grafted the intended ending from a rehearsal tape. This involved some speed and pitch adjustments, among other things. It's not seamless, but at least the original concept has been realized -- 26 years after the fact.
I'm Not That Good At Goodbye
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: steel guitar, bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: steel guitar, bass, harmony vocal
Mississippi Mud
From the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer, Volume 1" (1982)Zoomer Roberts:
vocal, mandolin, bass
Jerry Boyer: vocal, kazoo
Buddy Winston: guitar
When Bing Crosby described "Mississippi Mud" as "an earthy anthem," and he knew whereof he spoke. He helped popularize it in the 1920s when he was a member of Paul Whiteman's Rhythm Boys. Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer delighted in digging up derelict ditties such as this and -- for whatever reason -- playing them as fast as we could. The version heard here is a studio recording from 1982. The above photograph shows us performing it live at the El Paso Civic Center, probably at the "4 Centuries '81" festival.
Where No One Stands Alone
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar, bass, harmony vocal
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar, harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: guitar, bass, harmony vocal
If I Had A Hammer
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar & harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: standup bass & harmony vocal
The name "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer" wasn't patterned after "Peter, Paul & Mary." After initially billing ourselves as Jerry Boyer & the Zoom-Bud Band (Zoom-Bud was a take-off on Sho-Bud steel guitars), we decided to just use our names: two 5-letter names with double consonants and ending with the letter "y," followed by a 6-letter name with a double vowel. We could never have invented anything that good!
We worked up three Peter, Paul & Mary songs for a concert at the Chamizal Theatre. At the actual performance -- which was later shown on television -- the bridge on the standup bass I was playing worked loose and collapsed with a loud crash in the middle of "If I Had A Hammer." We continued singing, with me leaning on the bass from which the strings uselessly dangled. We later recorded it for our album, and that is the version heard here.
Buddy Winston: guitar & harmony vocal
Zoomer Roberts: standup bass & harmony vocal
The name "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer" wasn't patterned after "Peter, Paul & Mary." After initially billing ourselves as Jerry Boyer & the Zoom-Bud Band (Zoom-Bud was a take-off on Sho-Bud steel guitars), we decided to just use our names: two 5-letter names with double consonants and ending with the letter "y," followed by a 6-letter name with a double vowel. We could never have invented anything that good!
We worked up three Peter, Paul & Mary songs for a concert at the Chamizal Theatre. At the actual performance -- which was later shown on television -- the bridge on the standup bass I was playing worked loose and collapsed with a loud crash in the middle of "If I Had A Hammer." We continued singing, with me leaning on the bass from which the strings uselessly dangled. We later recorded it for our album, and that is the version heard here.
When Sunny Gets Blue
from the album "Jerry, Buddy & Zoomer Volume 1"
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: bass
arranged by Buddy Winston
Jerry Boyer: lead vocal
Buddy Winston: guitar
Zoomer Roberts: bass
arranged by Buddy Winston
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The Prisoner's Song
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
In the waning years of the 20th century, Buddy and I casually recorded 14 of my favorite songs in his home studio. We did this piecemeal, often using "click tracks." Some of these bled and wound up in the final mix. The vocals were recorded in a closet. Due to the worsening condition of my fingers, I played the bass lines on a Yamaha keyboard or abandoned them altogether. On some songs -- such as this Vernon Dalhart warhorse from 1924 -- I dictated the instrumental breaks note-for-note. I also sang all the harmonies, with varying degrees of success. Finally, Eric Hutson brought over his snare drum and brushes and played exactly what was needed where it was needed. The final result was called "Roadhouse," and it is presented here in its entirety. The songs deal with pain, suffering, ostracism, hopelessness, exposure to the elements, lost love, alcoholism and death. My mother said it was the most depressing thing she ever heard in her life.
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
In the waning years of the 20th century, Buddy and I casually recorded 14 of my favorite songs in his home studio. We did this piecemeal, often using "click tracks." Some of these bled and wound up in the final mix. The vocals were recorded in a closet. Due to the worsening condition of my fingers, I played the bass lines on a Yamaha keyboard or abandoned them altogether. On some songs -- such as this Vernon Dalhart warhorse from 1924 -- I dictated the instrumental breaks note-for-note. I also sang all the harmonies, with varying degrees of success. Finally, Eric Hutson brought over his snare drum and brushes and played exactly what was needed where it was needed. The final result was called "Roadhouse," and it is presented here in its entirety. The songs deal with pain, suffering, ostracism, hopelessness, exposure to the elements, lost love, alcoholism and death. My mother said it was the most depressing thing she ever heard in her life.
Waiting For a Train
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
Cool Water
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitar
Eric Hutson: drums
Zoomer Roberts: vocal & bass
Buddy Winston: guitar
Eric Hutson: drums
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
I Shall Be Released
From the album "Roadhouse"
Zoomer Roberts: vocals & electric bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
As far as I'm concerned, the definitive version of any Bob Dylan song is the Bob Dylan version. And with dozens of other people's recordings of this "Basement Tapes" classic floating around, the world probably didn't need mine. Nonetheless, when Buddy and I started working on what would become the "Roadhouse" album, this was the first song out of the chute. It has a hopeful, hymn-like quality to it that makes it seem like much more than it is: the musings of a prisoner awaiting parole.
Zoomer Roberts: vocals & electric bass
Buddy Winston: guitars
Eric Hutson: drums
As far as I'm concerned, the definitive version of any Bob Dylan song is the Bob Dylan version. And with dozens of other people's recordings of this "Basement Tapes" classic floating around, the world probably didn't need mine. Nonetheless, when Buddy and I started working on what would become the "Roadhouse" album, this was the first song out of the chute. It has a hopeful, hymn-like quality to it that makes it seem like much more than it is: the musings of a prisoner awaiting parole.
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