
While having free time during the Covid shutdown, I spent time listening to some old ‘live band’ recordings. Fortunately, I came across a very inspired and well recorded show from 2005. A little background on the man responsible: we were on the road and had hired my friend and renowned engineer / producer Jerry Hall to set up & record some live shows. Jerry is well known for his expertise in’ live’ recordings and the art of mic placement. Jerry grew up in Detroit and went to work in the early 60’s for Motown Records, where mic placement was crucial for a great recording. I knew we were good hands, to say the least.
The live CD was to be released on Jerry’s label ‘Pacific Blues’. However, due to a senseless and untimely tragedy, Jerry left us far too soon and was unable to see the project completed. - RIP Jerry
The band at the time was George Sheppard on drums, Bryan Smith on upright bass, Robert Frahm on guitar and John Fralin on keyboards. With the help of my long-time producer, Martin Cary and master engineer Bill McElroy, the ‘live tapes’ had a final mix and were then mastered. Also, the sequences of songs are exactly as they were performed, with minor editing to make each song an individual track.
As this is a live recording, it has a few well earned extras, just the way we like it. If it ‘feels right’ and the crowd is digging it and havin’ a time… Then we’ve done our job.