Back in the Saddle Again

Howdy folks- well, we’re back at home and in the saddle again after a wonderful wintry weekend in Memphis, playing at our favorite Blues City Cafe on Beale Street. The folks at Blues City are down home good people- they put us up and fed us well- we hope they feel we did right by them too!

There was a big Ultimate Fighting Championship showdown the same weekend just up the street, and sure enough, a bunch of those gents came strolling in en masse, all dolled up and looking mighty mean. They kept to their own private area in the back, and didn’t really stick around to hear us play, but that’s ok, we turned the heat up an extra notch our second night there, and watched the crowds roll in. It was fun- hell, I even got to share the stage with the King! An Elvis impersonator from down the street came by both nights, loved us, and jumped on stage to croon a Sun medley with us on Saturday. Gotta love Memphis.

I’ve been a bit dizzy again lately from my accident last year, so I stayed in bed all day Saturday while the boys went out on the town and had some fun. To tell you the truth, it felt good to rest all day and not feel like I was being a lazy bum!

And oh, the Masqueraders- 3 out of the original 5 from the Stax vocal harmony sessions- played both nights for a few hours before we hit the stage. And oh… seriously, those harmonies, all that vocal butter that melts you in all the right spots!! It was an honor to share the stage with those men.

Well, time to rest up for a bit before we head north to Seattle for what promises to be an action packed new year’s eve weekender: Thursday at Highway 99, Friday at the Hen, and Saturday at the Shanty. Look out Seattle, cause here we come!

See you somewhere soon down the road, Ruby Dee