ANDY T—NICK NIXON BAND
FEAT. ANSON FUNDERBURGH
DRINK DRANK DRUNK
DELTA GROOVE MUSIC DGPCD 158
MIDNIGHT HOUR–DON’T TOUCH ME–DRINK DRANK DRUNK–NO USE KNOCKIN–HAVE YOU SEEN MY MONKEY–DOS DANOS–NO END TO THE BLUES–ON MY WAY TO TEXAS–HI-HEEL SNEAKERS–LIFE IS TOO SHORT–YOU LOOK SO GOOD–I’VE GOT A WOMAN
Andy “T” Talamantez played guitar for several years with greats such as Guitar Shorty and Smokey Wilson, out in California, developing a huge, mellow tone that resonates thru every note he plays. He and his lovely wife, Kathy Bolmer, relocated to Nashville a few years ago, and, thru their efforts, completely rejuvenated our blues society. James “Nick” Nixon, is virtually a Nashville institution, even recording a single for Chess Records in 1974 with his group, Past, Present, and Future. Andy and Nick have been jamming regularly all over town, and, when they played a benefit in Phoenix, AZ, for Kid Ramos last fall, they were signed by Delta Groove. They have just released “Drink Drank Drunk,” twelve cuts that hearken back to Nick’s storied Jefferson Street heyday. With swingin’ horn arrangements on just about every song, this s a strong set of R & B that could have easily been heard down on Jefferson during the mid-Fifties thru the mid-Sixties, when artists such as Nick, Marion James, Earl Gaines, Roscoe Shelton, and even a young Hendrix could be heard in various venues every night in the week.
Gatemouth’s “Midnight Hour Blues” opens the set in a jumpin’ way, with Andy’s leads locking in perfectly with Nick’s lustrous vocals. Kevin McKendree adds that barroom piano on the jazzy lope of the title cut, and Anson Funderburgh adds rhythm guitar, where “there’s no such thing as last call.” Christian Dozzler plays squeeze box on Andy’s humorous original tale of love, “Have You Seen My Monkey.’ And, the set closes with a sizzling take on “I Got A Woman.”
We had two favorites, too. Another Andy and Nick original is “On My Way To Texas,” where Nick name-checks all the greats from the Lone Star State, from Gate to T-Bone to Freddie to Albert Collins, over a rhumba-fied beat. And, one of our all-time favorites in any genre’ was written by Nick and Scotty Moore, and is called “No End To The Blues.” It also features backing vocals and B-3 from two of our very best friends, Jill Markey and Larry van Loon, respectively.
Andy T has hit on a winning formula with Nick Nixon, and they share a common commitment to bring audiences the absolute best in the blues. “Drink Drank Drunk” serves as an excellent debut from these two titans of the blues! Until next time….Sheryl and Don Crow.
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