COCO CARMEL’S NEW SOLO ALBUM CO-PRODUCED BY DELANEY BRAMLETT IS NOW OUT

CoCo Carmel has just released her new solo album. An intensely personal album, First Fruit is co-produced by Delaney Bramlett, whom she was married to for several years.

CoCo has exclusively run though each number on the cd for us:

1. What am I doin’ in a place like this ( Delaney Bramlett/ Doug Gilmore)
Delaney Bramlett Music BMI

Of course one cannot resist doing a Delaney Bramlett song or two when it is possible. This song was one of my favorites, it felt like I should sing it. This song was all arranged by Delaney. We recorded a lot of songs with a more natural feel, banging on chairs, shakers, djembe drum and the like, more like the early Delaney stuff I had loved. Acoustic guitars were in order on this song, that being Delaney and Hank Barrio. Delaney and Hank worked together very well , and recording always went very smoothly and quick with them, and was always a lot of fun. Chad Watson is on bass . Delaney, me and my sister Kelly, and Hank are singing backround vocals . Delaney had borrowed a guitar/sitar from a friend and he is also playing his national. One of my favorite parts of the song is Delaney’s rhythm guitar, you can really hear it toward the end, it’s a style that is all Delaney and one he was so great at. It’s a thang, it’s a thang, it’s a good thang…. (a real Delaney line at the tail end of the song ).

2. Doin it Right (CoCo Carmel / Delaney Bramlett )
Me You Me You Music / Delaney Bramlett Music BMI

I started this song as a feeling came over me that I was living in the rhythm of Life, things were alright. A good moment in time… me singing about us. “Just like a river that flows, going only where it knows where to go… into the rythym of Life, we’re doin it”. Delaney helped me to finish out this song , he and Hank worked out twin solos most of time and it really works on this beautifully. On occasion Bekka (Bramlett) would be hanging out off the road on a visit and we would ask if she would like to sing , this was a special moment, just like Delaney, she was always so into it and into makin it just right, I even get a little laugh at the end of the song. Delaney and Hank are on acoustic guitars. Delaney added one electric guitar (his strat). Chad Watson is on bass, again making it more acoustic. Mike Faue (percussionist) is playing a briefcase. Delaney had used a briefcase on Never Ending Song of Love, and really liked the flat sound of it, as did I .

3. Love don’t deserve it (to be treated that way)
( CoCo Carmel / Delaney Bramlett )
Me You Me You Music / Delaney Bramlett Music BMI

I had just recently taken on a job at a studio in the valley out of frustration of being told that I didn’t have a proper job and wasn’t really a real engineer, this song came out of that experience. Love didn’t deserve to be treated that way was the theme, and I certainly was feeling that way at the time. Most times something good comes out of a bad situation and I got this song. I was elated to record it. Bob Gross is playing bass on this and Al Lichtenstein is on drums , that’s David Scott on piano. I hear Delaney playing his Pops Staples style guitar on the left, to the right, he is on his Strat, playing his rhythm and wah-wah…. I loved the Staple Singers and the style that we aimed for in the backrounds was that very thing. Our backrounds were superior I think now. Delaney plays a beautiful solo on his strat, and I remember him doing it so well. Just he and I in the studio, no one else around, for hours we would sing, play and record . He would leave me to put it all together, get the sounds and eq’s. In those not so long ago days, it was all analog and everything I did had to be written down , and when we put a song down and cleared the board, I had to get it all back up and into place again. It was a whole lot of work. But I knew I was learning from the best, and it never bothered me. So for the first couple years I learned how to place everything, sounds came naturally to me and Delaney just let me take it over after a while. We are singing the backrounds, they were always the last thing to go on a song.

4. Mother ( CoCo Carmel / Delaney Bramlett )
Me You Me You Music /Delaney Bramlett Music BMI

This song is dedicated to my mother, it is for her. Delaney pitched in to finish this song as well and I was grateful to him for that. Al Lichtenstein is playing drums , Bob Gross on bass , David Scott is on piano and Mike Faue is on congas. My brother in law John Fumo is playing Trumpet, along with Mike Acosta on Saxes. That’s me on the solo on saxophone. Delaney takes the second half of the solo, I remember it like it was yesterday. And of course Delaney and I are singing the backround vocals. This song was not on the original record.

5. I don’t Know Why (Eric Clapton / Delaney Bramlett )
Warner/Chappell Music Ltd PRS Embassy Music BMI

The very song that Eric Clapton sang on his first solo record also produced by Delaney. I have a fondness for this song as well and wanted to record another early Delaney song. A funny little story about this song that will probably haunt me for the rest of my life, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Delaney is directing and is a co-writer…. I would be called a fool. The title is historically known for being “I don’t know why .. I don’t care”. Delaney has me singing “I don’t know why …I still care”. His story being, Eric was sent the track to take into the studio, Delaney was not there, and Eric ended up singing the wrong words, sounded plausible to me. What am I going to do except sing it the way he wants. So that is exactly what I am doing. Delaney is playing lead guitar and rythym on the track and goes into a twin solo with Hank , Bob Gross is on bass , Al Lichtenstein is on drums, David Scott is on the piano. Kelly, Hank, Delaney and I are singing backrounds .

6. Sound of The City ( Delaney Bramlett/ Joe Hicks )
Delaney Bramlett Music BMI

From the Delaney & Bonnie “Together” album , this song was originally recorded with Tina Turner. One of the rockin-est songs there is. Now, Delaney and Bekka and I are singing. I love this song and wanted to do it. The band members changed around during this period and we have now on drums David Raven, Chad Watson on Bass , Delaney on Guitar playing what he played on the original track. There’s John Fumo (Trumpet ) and Mike Acosta (Saxes) on horns. Delaney naturally sang his own part, I took over Tina’s part and Bekka singing Bonnie’s part. We were all excited to do this song, and it is definatly one of my favorites on the cd. Delaney and Bekka and I sounded very good together .

7. Why would I do that? ( CoCo Carmel / Delaney Bramlett )
Me You Me You Music / Delaney Bramlett Music BMI

I have mentioned that since Delaney’s passing December 27 2008, I took this record out to listen to it, there was a period of years where I could not listen to it at all. Somehow, as things go, I am able to hear it again with new ears. Every song has a memory of some sort, this is probably the saddest one. For the entire time that we were together, Delaney’s brother was trying to convince him that I was having an affair. It was the same lie that in the end completely destroyed our marriage in April 2001. How this song came about years before was under the same scenario, and we wrote a song about it. Al Lichenstein is on drums, Bob Gross is on bass, David Scott is on piano, John Fumo and Mike Acosta are on the horns. Delaney and I on the backround vocals. Delaney… “If anything ever tries to come between us…I’ll be standing right here in the way”

8. Go To Him ( CoCo Carmel )
Me You Me You Music BMI

Delaney was on about gospel songs , naturally , it was such a huge part of his life and upbringing . It was hard to be around him all of the time singing all of those Gospel songs without becoming so inspired by them and suddenly find yourself writing about Jesus. This was my first Gospel Song. John Fumo brings the song in on trumpet and right there with him is Delaney on guitar, Al Lichtenstein on drums, Bob Gross on bass. Once again you get to hear that famous Delaney rythym guitar and wah-wah.
I love the backround vocals, that’s Delaney and I, we would sing a part, double it , then double it again. The arrangement is also a true Delaney idea. It’s also us on tambourines on the end, we’d stop recording a couple times to get it right exactly on time together, no messing around ever when recording . Infact , we would get into the small control room, and I would be running the machine, bending sideways to stop and start, switch tracks to record while we were singing, it was a hell of a deal. The solo is another fine example of twin guitar work with Delaney and Hank .

9. Let me Put it Another Way ( CoCo Carmel / Delaney Bramlett )
Me You Me You Music / Delaney Bramlett Music BMI

Would you believe, there is no story about this song whatsoever . We just wrote it one day and recorded it not long after. This is just a happy song .
David Raven is playing drums, Mark Karan is on lead guitar and solo. Bob Gross is on Bass, and David Scott is playing Bobby’s Original “Delaney & Bonnie” Hammond B-3 and Wurlitzer.

10. Imaginary Love (CoCo Carmel )
Me You Me You Music / BMI

I wrote this song about an imaginary Love. David Raven is on drums , Bob Gross on Bass , David Scott on Piano , Delaney on guitar and solo. We are singing beautiful backrounds. Delaney came up with these. Everytime I hear “extraordinary”, I think oh, that is so Delaney .

11. Sweet Miss You ( CoCo Carmel )
Me You Me You Music /BMI

This was the very last song I recorded at the Ranch, around Febuary/March 2001. John Molo is on Drums, Mark Karan guitar, Chad Watson is on Bass. Delaney and Hank and I are playing acoustic guitar. Delaney is playing the lead guitar solo on this. Added last, Bobby Whitlock on Hammond B-3

12. Only A Game (Delaney Bramlett / Michele Waneata Bramlett)
Delaney Bramlett Music /BMI

I love this song, it was first recorded by Bekka Bramlett and Jani Lane (Warrant). It was written by Delaney and his daughter Michele. We decided to do it and I was thrilled. I added this song to the record last. When I heard it I though it sounded so dated. It had originally been recorded analog with drum machine in the 80’s. So I decided to amp it up a bit, put it through my protools, adding newer drum sounds, backround vocals and a wah-wah guitar. It took quite a lot of work, but in the end it paid off and remains one of my favorite tracks on the cd.

I start it off with a a’capella “Only a Game” and the wah-wah. Spooner Oldham is on the piano, Tommy Miles is on Bass and created the orginal drum track , I put a couple of new drum loops on to update the sound . I also added a string section. I am so happy to have this song on the record.

13. Rest in Peace (Tribute to Delaney) (CoCo Carmel Whitlock )
Me You Me You Music BMI

I wrote this song for Delaney. This is the last song on the cd.

What I feel is Delaney’s heartbeat in the drum , the slide guitar is his Soul going up …up… up to the Heaven’s. We sing “Sweet , Sweet Rest” swaying back and forth, holding up in our our hands, a drink to Delaney, a toast to you, we will miss you, Rest in Peace. I hope you like the Cd, and that I was a good student and learned something. This last song embodies much of what I learned from you. And because I never got to tell you then, because we never got to close the door, because you were so ill and believed the lies you were being told, I am telling you now that none of those things they said were true, how else could I write this song for you.

CoCo : guitar, bass, strings, and singing Lead backround vocals.
Bobby Whitlock: slide guitar and piano on it.

Equipment used:

vocal mics: E.V. RE 20 / AKG 414

Drum mics: E.V. RE 20 ( kick drum) / toms: sm 58′s / overheads : Sennheiser MD441U

The snare was an interesting thing, it was Delaney who taught me, and since we had a shortage of microphones to place one mic underneath, my choice ( Sennheiser 421 II) sort of in between the snare and the hi hat. This was tricky because depending on who was playing one or the other could be too loud, or not loud enough. It really depended on the drummer. To round out the sound, one was placed over the hi-hat as well.

Guitar amp : E.V. RE 20 ( Delaney’s Fender Champ, we put it in the car when we recorded with the band, made a great sound booth and I would hang the mic over the seat. )

Hammond B-3 : E.V. RE 20 for the fan (bottom) / Sennheiser 441U for the horn or MD 421 II

The Guitars: Delaney’s Fender stratocaster / National / Guitar Sitar ( this was not one of Delaney’s guitars)

Very often, I played Delaney’s guitars to write with and even record with. Most memorable was the George Harrison “Let it Be” Rosewood Tele, I actually recorded it on several of my songs but do not remember which ones. Delaney didn’t like to play it live because it was so heavy, and it was. Fender Custom shop made him exact replicas of the Fender Stratocaster and the Rosewood Telecaster. We loaded them up and took them there to be examined, they gave Delaney new cases, and measured them out. It was an ordeal, and took many hours. So he has these replica’s floating around somewhere. His guitars were always available to me and so naturally I played them.

Depending on what was going on, we would either record the whole band or at times play to a click track with just Delaney and Hank laying down a rythym track then add the bass, organ, piano, vocal and solos then the backgrounds.

In the beginning we worked off my Tascam 38 ( 8 track) reel to reel , We progressed to a Tascam 88 and 38. We mixed through those funky little Auratone Super Sound Cube speakers. One time the whole band was going at it and one of the speakers blew up and caught fire. Delaney had a couple of original UREI Compressor /limiters we used all the time.

Most of our equipment was very antiquated and I laugh when I think about it now, but we were using Delaney’s equipment from the days when he began with Tom Dowd and I would not surprised at all if, in fact, Tom Dowd had not been using some of this very equipment. I loved all that stuff. Funny to think how short a span from the two track recordings to digital. I got the best of both worlds. We would work on a very limited amount of equipment, it is still that way with me.

If it was the band I would set up, record the drums, bass, piano, guitar all at once. Delaney or I would be singing in the control booth. Then later we would add lead or twin guitars, lead vocal and background vocals, actually the background vocals were done with just Delaney and I when no-one else was around.

I recorded and engineered all the tracks, eq’d everything ..placed things , then very last thing would be Delaney coming into the studio, sitting and listening to everything. Occasionally, he might switch something around because even though he liked things placed in a certain way, sometimes it just didn’t fit when you listened.

Then I would make a copy of the track and we would get in the car and listen. The motor running, we would crank it up,sit back and enjoy. Sometimes we didn’t get past the first bar and say nope, thats not it. Back into the studio and we would remix. He and I both at the board moving tracks up and down, we were our own automation team. To this day, that is what I do. I have to get in the car to hear it properly.

Produced by : Delaney Bramlett and CoCo Carmel

Recorded and Engineered by : CoCo Carmel

We are lucky to have heard this cd here at YWTM and can report that this is a gorgeous album, full of soulful grooves and excellent musicianship. Do yourselves a favour and buy it now at:

CDBaby.com-CoCoCarmelWhitlock

Coco Carmel and Bobby Whitlock Website

BOBBY WHITLOCK PUBLISHES HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY THIS WINTER

Bobby Whitlock will be publishing his autobiography this winter.

Here is a short synopsis of the book:

. Bobby Whitlock comes from Mississippi and as a child suffered harshly at the hands of his abusive father. He recalls the racism in the southern states at the time in candid detail. As a young boy he was sent out to pick cotton to earn money for his family that treated him so badly. He was a country boy with a great voice and a talent for music. He saw this as a way of escaping the awful abuse at the hands of his preacher father. He loved soul music and he was the first white person to be signed to Stax records HIP label. He was the first ‘Friend’ to join the classic Delaney & Bonnie and Friends saga, and recalls this chapter with humour, pathos and occasionally anger.

. Delaney Bramlett died during the course of writing this book and this is the first time that the whole Delaney and Bonnie and Friends story has been told from the inside.

. He talks about how he joined them, living together in a small house, getting a band, moving to a commune of musicians and the funny events that happened there. Recording with Leon Russell and Marc Benno, signing with Elektra records. Bobby recalls the first few album sessions that were sabotaged in one way or another by Delaney. The ups and down of touring with them, their violent fights, the drug taking, sex with Janis Joplin, trouble with Hells Angels, escaping the Vietnam draft.

. Both Eric Clapton and George Harrison were fans and joined their band in 1969. Foolishly, Eric asked the whole band to stay at his country home when they came to England for a tour. They basically trashed it thinking they were superstars. Delaney and Bonnie had every opportunity presented to them to be a huge success. Delaney’s attitude ruined it all, largely due to his abusive nature and a heavy intake of cocaine.

. Eric used the band for his first solo album and flew to Los Angeles to record it. He loved Delaney’s voice and wanted to be able to sing like him. Bobby remembers how those sessions went. A short US tour followed with Eric, but the experience was not a good one. Most of the ‘Friends’ left to join Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour.

After the Friends split, Bobby Whitlock came to England for a break and gather his thoughts. He stayed with Eric at his home and after a few weeks they decided to get a band together. That band was called Derek and the Dominos. They co-wrote the majority of the songs on their debut double album ‘Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs’. It went on to be a hugely successful album. The title song remains a radio favourite and the album is always in the top 100 essential albums charts.

. The thing that impresses us about Bobby is his amazing powers of recollection and great story telling. Yet again, the full story of Derek the Dominos has never been told from a band member. Eric Clapton’s memory of events in the late sixties and early seventies is very sketchy. Many people who bought his biography were very disappointed about the lack of new information on this period. Bobby Whitlock puts that right in this book. The full story behind the ‘Layla’ album is told including how and why the front painting was used as the cover of the album. How the drug fueled sessions produced one of the greatest albums of all time. Their live shows were legendary. Ultimately drugs would destroy the group.

. Elton John was the support act for the Dominos on their US tour in 1970. He proved to be a little too wild and was thrown off the tour after smashing up one hotel room too many.

. Fans have always agreed that George Harrison’s triple album, ‘All Things Must Pass’, is the best solo album by any of the Beatles. Not much is known about the 2 month sessions. Bobby was there with Eric and played on every track. He shares his memories from the recordings as well as revealing who plays on individual tracks. This is something fans have been wanting to know ever since the album was released.

. He was very close to George Harrison, and was engaged to Paula Boyd, George’s sister in law.

. Bobby remembers the tragic events about his band mates in the Dominos, the death of Carl Radle and the declining mental health of drummer Jim Gordon, who killed his mother with a hammer. He recalls in graphic detail the first time Eric took heroin and the effects it had on him.

. After the Dominos split, Bobby stayed in England and took part in various sessions such as ‘Exile On Main Street’ with the Rolling Stones and he has some interesting observations on the recording of that album.

. Bobby has many anecdotes on his associations with The Allman Brothers, Leon Russell, Keith Moon, Stephen Stills and several others.

. Eric Clapton writes a heartfelt foreword.

This will certainly be a must have book for any serious music fan this Christmas.

Pre-order your copy now!
Bobby Whitlock – Autobiography.

Coco Carmel and Bobby Whitlock Website

BOBBY WHITLOCK ‘MY TIME’ CD DUE

Bobby Whitlock will be releasing another new cd in the coming weeks. He revisits a few Dominos classics as well as a host of new material. Bobby exclusively reveals the details to our readers:

~My Time~
I built a recording studio in the hill country down in Mississippi just to record this record. I sure am glad that I did too.

“Sold Me Down the River”

Brady Blade counts off this straight ahead rock and roll opener. Darryl Johnson is on bass and Buddy Miller is playing rhythm guitar. I’m playing the slide guitar and the piano and organ. My son Beau and daughter Ashley are singing background vocals on this whole record. Ashley has a lovely innocent sounding voice and Beau sounds exactly like me when I was his age and was with the Dominos. Our timbres are the same. I knew this would be the only opportunity I would ever have to sing with both of my children. Now it’s there forever.

“Bell Bottom Blues”

I couldn’t resist doing this song. I am playing a 1956 Hammond B3 thru four Leslie speakers all set differently. It is very lush sounding. Beau is singing my old part on this.

“It’s Only Midnight”

Steve Cropper and I wrote this song. After I finished recording it at I sent it to him in Nashville and he put his signature guitar on it. Jim Horn came down to Mississippi and played sax and all of the horn section parts on everything.

“A Wing And A Prayer”

The piano that I’m playing is a new Yamaha C3. Along with the Hammond B3 and a couple of Leslies and my children’s choir it sounds like the little church in the woods.

“Home”

I did an acoustic radio tour across America in the mid seventies. During a live interview that I was doing in Red River, New Mexico a woman called the station on the request line and was on the air with us. She said that she had a request for me. I asked her what it was, thinking that it was going to be, what Thorn Tree was about or something like that. But that wasn’t it at all. She said that she needed help finding her son who had gone missing for some time. She said that no-one would help her because it was a domestic dispute. This conversation is live on the airwaves. I said that I didn’t know what I could do but to write a song about it and sing it. She said that she tried to get some people in Nashville to help her by doing just that but no-one would. I told her that I would do whatever I could do. After that during each and every interview that I did, and that was a lot of them, I would say to the DJ, “excuse me a second I have to say something.” Then I would say, ”Michael go home son, your Mother’s crying and she needs you and she misses you.” Then I would continue on with the interview like nothing had happened. It’s against FAA regulations to do such a thing. But it was live and no-one knew that I was going to do it. I didn’t ask their permission. I just did it. Michael did hear me and eventually went home to his Mother. After I got back home and off tour I wrote this song.

“Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad”

Big horn section and a funky track on another one of my favorite songs. I’m playing rhythm guitar and Hammond B3 and Barry Swain is playing lead guitar. With Brady Blade on drums and Darryl Johnson playing bass this song rocks!

“I Get High On You”

CoCo is singing on this one with me. I’m playing acoustic guitar and Barry is playing the lead guitar.
　
“It’s Only Thunder”

This is the only track on this CD that was not recorded at my studio.
Jim Keltner is playing drums. Tim Drummond is on bass. Steve Cropper in playing electric guitar. I’m playing acoustic guitar and Hammond B3.

“Ghost Driver”

Ghost Driver is about me learning how to drive and wrecking my Daytona Ferrari with the speedometer stuck on 155 mph. The story is in my book “Domino”. This is a driving song just like “Let It Rain”. I used to tear down the motorway at night playing that song at full volume and I would wind the engine up to whatever key the song was changing to and then I would shift out into the next gear. Rock and rolling down the road. Awesome! Some things never change. Ferraris are finely tuned and you can actually play them if going fast and getting there very quickly doesn’t bother you. And you’ve got to have the right song on your player. Darryl Johnson plays some very funky bass on this number. Barry Swain plays lead guitar on this. It was take one on every song he played on. What a fine player.
　
“There She Goes”

This song came to me as I watched my daughter drive away into the night back to an impossible situation that I could not help her with. So I had to let her go.

“I Love You”

This song was written by Beau and myself. He wrote the chorus while sitting in the swing under an apple tree in our back garden when we lived in Ireland. He had just turned eight. There is a photograph of him at work in the swing. He had my white Strat in his lap and was playing an open E. He finished it and came in and said, “hey Dad listen to this that I just wrote”. And he started singing, “I love you, I love the way you always make me feel. I love you, I love you.” I finished it and recorded it in Mississippi.
I’m playing the acoustic, main electric rhythm and lead guitar and Buddy Miller is doing the fills. I love the ending. The acoustic guitar has a lovely little melody and Ashley is singing at the end, “I love you, I love you”. I can’t express my feelings with words as to what this means to me. Except that I will always be able to hear her sing and say, “I love you” to me.

“Born to Sing the Blues”

My daughter was about four and had just learned to write. One evening I was down stairs sitting on the couch playing my guitar. As usual, I was in the doghouse with her mother again. I was playing a very cool little something when up walks Ashley with pencil in hand and a piece of paper that she had been writing on. She handed it to me and said, “Here Daddy, this is you”. It read, Born To Sing The Blues. I couldn’t believe it! I wrote the song right then and there. I have written two really great songs that were both started by each of my children when they were just that. Children. What an inspiration they were.

“Standing In The Rain”

This is one of my favorite songs. I really was standing in the rain when the inspiration for this came to me. Buddy Miller plays the tenor guitar and the mandolin on this. I’m playing the acoustic guitar. The rain storm was taking place while we were recording. So I had some mikes set up on the porch recording it while it was all happening. Thunder, lightening, rain and all.

CD will be available via CD Baby http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bobbywhitlock2

“Vintage” already available, buy your copy here.

Coco Carmel and Bobby Whitlock Website
　
The Bobby Whitlock YouTube Channel
Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel My Space

BOBBY WHITLOCK RELEASES NEW “VINTAGE” CD

Bobby Whitlock is a busy man these days. As well as writing his biography, he also released a fine cd with his wife CoCo, titled “Lovers”. It was released last year to critical acclaim.

Bobby Whitlock is about to release a new cd titled “Vintage”. Bobby exclusively runs through all the tracks for Your Way To Music.

“Who’s been Sleeping in My Bed” was recorded at my studio in Mississippi, Dead Horse Studio. It is the definitive version of this song. I play all of the guitar work and the keyboards as well. Jim Horn is playing the flute. You can hear my voice bleeding thru my grandmother’s dobro. That is what I used to record with initially. I added the slide and the other electric guitar.

”Save Your Love For Me” was recorded in 1982 with Chris Thompson at his home in London. I am playing the keyboards. He is playing the guitar and singing background with me.

”Southern Gentleman” was recorded in the early eighties in Nashville and has Dee Murray playing bass with Philip Donnelly on guitar. It has the Memphis Horns on it as well. Inadvertently left off of the players list was Tony Newman on drums.

The “Streets of L.A.” was recorded at Jack Tempchin’s house in Hollywood. I am playing everything on this one.

”Island of Love” was recorded at Roger Greenaway’s home just outside of London in 1982. I am playing everything on this as well.

”My Old Pal” is a song that I wrote after passing Eric Clapton on the Hammersmith Bridge Road in London. We had not seen each other in over ten years. We stopped on the side of the road and did a little catching up. I went back to my home in Wargrave and wrote this song. It was recorded at my studio in Mississippi as well. Barry Swain is playing the lead guitar and Brady Blade is on drums and Darryl Johnson is playing bass. Buddy Miller is playing the tenor guitar on it.

”Perfect Strangers” was recorded at the original Westlake Village Recording Studios when they were first up and running. Steve Cropper is playing electric guitar and I am playing the acoustic. Jim Keltner is on drums and Tim Drummond is playing the bass guitar. Of course I played the keyboards as well. CoCo put her vocal and flute on afterwards.

”Don’t Pass Us By” I wrote in Ireland just after my dad passed. I saw a star in the cold clear night sky there that was traveling somewhere far off into the night. I imagined it to be him and was singing to him to “Don’t Pass Us By” without telling us what he had found out thru his crossing over. It was recorded at Dead Horse as well, at the same time as all of the rest of the songs that were recorded there.

”This Time” was recorded in Nashville. I was walking out the door and my ex-wife said to me in a very loud voice, ”You’ll be back! You’ll come crawling back to me next time!“. I told her that “This Time There Won‘t Be No Next Time“, and drove straight to Roger Greenaway‘s office there in Nashville and got him out of a meeting with this fresh picked song idea. He and I wrote it that afternoon and recorded it the next day. Two weeks later Tom Jones recorded it on his “Things That Matter Most“ record. It has Gene Chrisman playing drums with Mike Leech on bass and Bobby Woods is playing piano. All of whom were not credited on the record. It was an oversight on my part.

”You’re Love” is the first song that I wrote when I had first moved to Nashville. I decided to write a song that was nothing but lies about my ex-wife. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful songs that I ever wrote. I finally found my true love and one to whom this song has been dedicated, my CoCo.

”It’s About Time” was written at the beginning of the Gulf War. I did not watch the news for ten years after it started. I have yet to watch the news. I figured the best thing that I could do for this world was to write about it.

”Dorothy and John” is a song that was written about two people that I knew all of my life. He was a farmer and she was the mother of a very large household. They didn’t have indoor plumbing and John built the house himself. He plowed with two mules and Dorothy worked at the local doctor’s office when I was a little boy. They had a house full of girls and one boy. I used to go over and ride horses with their children when I was young. They didn’t have much in the way of material things but they were the richest people that I knew. There was more love between Dorothy and John than I had ever seen in my whole lifetime. They shared a very special love that I would not understand or find until I met CoCo. Theirs was spiritual love. As is ours. I wrote this song and sang it to them when I had finished it. Dorothy asked me as she lay on her death bed to play it at her funeral. I said that I would do that for her. She passed a few moments later. John couldn’t live without her and withdrew into a silent shell of the man that he used to be. He passed with Alzheimer’s shortly after Dorothy left. I can feel their presence as I write this. I always held those two people in a very special place in my heart. I still do. I recorded this song on a clear summer’s night on the porch of my studio that looked out over the valley towards the house where they used to live. You can hear the nightlife as I play my Big Mama’s dobro and sing for Dorothy and John.

Currently available as a download, a factory pressed cd edition will be available early September on the Domino label via CD Baby – Buy cd now via CD Baby here.

Source: yourwaytomusic.com

Coco Carmel and Bobby Whitlock Website
The Bobby Whitlock YouTube Channel
Bobby Whitlock & CoCo Carmel My Space