New Release: Neal Black and The healers – Wherever The Road Takes Me – 30 Years Best Of Collection
Neal Black and The healers – Wherever The Road Takes Me – 30 Years Best Of Collection
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital
Label: Dixiefrog Records
Release: 2022
Release date: May 13, 2022
Decisions, decisions ! Wow, this was much more difficult than I had expected !! Choosing the songs for this BEST OF project was like being in a sinking Pirate ship overloaded with contraband cargo. So you have to decide to throw something overboard, will it be the barrels of whisky or the Cuban cigars ? You’d like to keep it all but it’s just not going to work like that ! So I tried to salvage a little bit of everything ! At least enough to keep the sailors happy !
This compilation is a 30 year history of some of my favorite recordings and career highlights featuring some of the best musicians in the Blues Rock genre. Of course it’s been super cool to have Robben Ford, Popa Chubby or Johnnie Johnson and Larry Garner as guests on my albums ! As well as some of the great Blues Artists that I met after coming to Europe like Fred Chapellier and Nico Wayne Toussaint. Both have become musical brothers to me and we’ve worked together on recordings and tours for the past 15 years.
But just as exciting for me was recording my songs with some of the best backing musicians in the business. For example Gerardo Velez (whose credits include Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie), Johnnie Johnson (ex-Keith Richards and Eric Clapton) Harvey Brooks (ex-Miles Davis and The Doors), Steve Holley (ex-Paul McCartney), Jon Paris (ex-Bob Dylan and Johnny Winter), Mike Merritt (ex-Joe Bonamassa), N.Y.C guitar legend Jimmy Vivino and many others…
Starting out in the Texas blues scene in the 80,s, then moving to New York in the 90,s and later to Mexico and finally coming to France, this musical voyage of 30+ years has never left me with a dull moment. And the journey would not have happened if it were not for Philippe Langlois and Dixiefrog Records who found me in 1993 in a vast ocean of musicians looking for a Record label. Now the road goes on with Dixiefrog Records and the new team of André Brodzki and François Maincent carry on the tradition of the label bringing quality music to the European audiences and exposing new Artists to the public. So I say thanks and bravo to everyone at Dixiefrog for keeping ,,REAL MUSIC,, alive for all these years. It,s been an honor and a pleasure !
Website: https://www.nealblack.net/
Tracks:
CD1
01. All For Business (Studio)
02. Hotel Room in Mexico (Studio)
03. Jesus & Johnny Walker (Studio)
04. Worried About It (Studio)
05. Did You Ever (Studio)
06. The King of San Antone (Studio)
07. Handful of Rain (Studio)
08. Cry Today (Studio)
09. Lost Without You (Studio)
10. Bad Rose Tattoo (Studio)
11. Mississippi Doctor (Studio)
12. New York City Blues (Studio)
13. Justified Suspicion (Studio)
14. Sunrise in Prison (Studio)
15. Saints of New Orleans (Studio)
16. Misery (Studio)
17. I’m Gonna Cry (Studio)
18. NIt Hurts Me Too (Studio)
CD2
01. If I Had Possession Over Judgment Day (Live)
02. Goodbye Baby (Live)
03. Did You Ever (Live)
04. Lost Without You (Live)
05. Streamline Woman (Live)
06. Handful of Rain (Live)
07. Chicken Shack Cognac (Live)
08. I Can See Clearly Now (Live)
CD 1 – STUDIO – Musicians :
Neal Black : Electric Guitar, Acoustic and Slide Guitars, Dobro, Banjo, Vocals
Mike Lattrell (1,3,11,15), Gary Wade (17), Jimmy Abbott (16), Damien Cornelis (7,8), Magali Bourderon (13) : Keyboards
Kris Jefferson (3,15), Abder Benachour (1), Barry Ramus (9,16,17), Billy Thomas (5), Carlos Avilez (2), Val Cronk (10), Kim Yarbrough (11), AJ Pappas (12,13), Mike Merritt (18) : Bass
Bugz Garza (5), Pat Machenaud (7), Lloyd Herman (10), Vincent Daune (11), Jean-Michael Tallet (15), Dave Bowler (1,3), Steve Holley (12,13), James Wormworth (9,16,17) : Drums
Alex Gomez, Hector Aguilar (2), Kris Jefferson (3), Larry Crockett (4) : Percussions Christophe Duvernet (15), Val Cronk (10), Mario Garabay (2) : Accordion
Sara Valenzuela (6), Susan Didrichsen, Gary Wade, Angelina Petrovic (18) : Backing Vocals
Special Guests :
Robben Ford : Guitar (2nd solo) (1)
Larry Garner : Vocals and Rhythm Guitar (15)
Popa Chubby : Acoustic Guitar and Vocals (12), Guitar Solo (13)
Fred Chapellier : Guitar (8,14), Bass (7)
Johnnie Johnson : Piano (18)
Jimmy Vivino : Rhythm Guitar (16), Dobro (18)
Nico Wayne Toussaint (4,11,12,14), Gary Primich (5),
Mason Casey (13), Jon Paris (9), ,, ,,
Pascal Bako Mikaelian (3) : Harmonica
Gib Wharton : Dobro (6)
Pat Boudot Lamot : Resonator Guitar (4)
Werther Ellerbrock : Acoustic Guitar (6)
Tommy Schneller, Jurgen Weiching, Jens Buschenlang : Horns (1)
Cesar Barreiro : Trumpet (2)
Gerardo Velez : Percussion (9)
Leadfoot Rivet : Backing Vocals (15)