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Alabama. King Cotton. Slavery. Civil War. The Cradle of the Confederacy. The “Heart of Dixie.” Jim Crow. Scottsboro Boys. Bible Belt. Ku Klux Klan. Bus boycott. Freedom Rides. Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Fire Hoses. Church bombing. Montgomery. Birmingham. Selma. Voting Rights. Rosa Parks. George Wallace. Martin Luther King. Bull Connor. Ten Commandments. Cities and Farms. Poverty and Wealth. Black and White. Sin and Salvation. Good and Bad. Pride and Shame. This is Alabama. This is where I come from. This is who I am. (Bio continues below)
We recorded this (my) song “Blood of the Blues” which is about civil rights and the struggle for equality for people of color, specifically the African American story. My friend who is about to really pop is Lamont Landers. He’s finishing recording his debut album with Dave Cobb. We recorded my song with him along with Wade Brown who was on Cee-Lo’s team on The Voice Season 2.
Looking for a Reason
I was born in Birmingham in 1971 on the same day that celebrates the birth of the Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. Born to a Baptist church music director father and a high school Spanish teacher mother, they gave me the gift of music and are responsible for anything positive I accomplish in this life.
Some time in high school my mind was kicked open by the music of Bob Dylan. It was through him that I became aware of the power of song. Since that moment my mind has been saturated with music and songwriting. It is something I must do regardless of financial security or insecurity.
Other than Dylan the greatest inspiration in my music has been the life and example of Martin Luther King, Jr. I know…he’s not a musician. But, he was as artistic as any musician ever born. His speaking voice was as moving and musically vigorous and emotionally stimulating as anything by anyone from Mozart to Miles Davis, from Shakespeare to Paul Simon, from the Old Testament prophets to the bluesmen and women of the Mississippi Delta.
The seeds of every song I write were sown from all of these sources and I owe it to them and to myself to never give up on the greatest talent I possess. My influences have given me a voice. And I will do all I can to let my voice be heard. I hope you will listen.