Hobo Jungle. Lyrics by Robert Hunter. Music and arrangement by Keller Williams. This is a special edition of the OAWF. Robert Hunter worked very closely with Jerry Garcia. Together, they wrote songs that will live forever. I have covered dozens of these gems co-written by Robert Hunter. To be able to put music under his lyrics is truly an honor. This tune was recorded on a Sunday at the Fillmore in San Francisco in November of 2008. It features Gibb Droll on guitar and voice. Keith Moseley on bass and voice. Jeff Sipe on drums and smiles and me on acoustic and voice. Please enjoy.
Hobo Jungle
Lyrics: Robert Hunter (Ice Nine Publishing)
Music: Keller Williams (Basil Leaf Music)
For 72 years, the soap opera Guiding Light has brought joy to many people. It has recently been cancelled. This made me remember that I recorded a song about the show, using the characters and the story line of the time as the focus of the tune. It pretty much wrote itself. My wife Emily, grew up watching that show. From 97 to 2000, she and I and our 2 dogs, circled the country in a variety of motor homes playing upwards of 200 hundred shows a year. Each day, we would stop somewhere where we could get TV reception on our Radio Shack 8 inch 12 volt TV to watch this show. I of course didn't always watch but I did enough to know the characters and their personalities and their back stories and who they were sleeping with and who their wives and husbands were sleeping with and who killed who and who and so on. Once we settled back into Fredericksburg, we were introduced TiVo. It was then I got really caught up in the characters and this song was created as a joke. Each year, the real life actors would go to Kings Dominion (amusement park) for a series of autograph signings and interactive seminars where they take questions from fans. Emily wanted to go and like a good husband I accompanied her. (Along with Cam Morin my business manager who was also a semi-fan of the show). Just for fun I recorded this song to put on disc to give the characters in person. Needless to say, there were thousands of house wives and pissed off husbands there to see them and the line for autographs was ridiculous. We waited in it for a long time and by the time we got close, they switched out the actors at the signing as it takes hours to accommodate a crowd like that. 5 would sign and 5 would do the seminar. You had to be super hard core and wait a l o n g time to meet the actors. There were way too many roller coasters to ride for me to do this. So, I walked to the front of the line and handed the discs to the publicist and kindly asked her to give these to the actors. Each disc was labeled with the character's name. She took them and looked at me like I was crazy and said "yeah....ok......sure......thanks." The discs probably went quickly in the trash. I may have played this song a handful of times a long time ago but more than likely it will be new to you. Guiding Light. May you rest in peace. Enjoy.
This week is yet another blast from the past. Thin mint>Unbroken>Thin mint was recorded during a radio interview with David Gans at the KPFA studio in Berkeley, California during David's weekly radio show. That explains why the sound quality is exceptional. David Gans knows what he's doing when it comes to the radio. I'm one of many many who listen to David on the Grateful Dead channel as well as his "Grateful Dead Hour" syndicated radio show that has been running since 1984. David Gans is one of the inspirations behind my radio show called Keller's Cellar Somewhat Ruleless Radio. I wrote Thin Mint and Unbroken Chain was written by Phil Lesh and Robert Peterson. Please enjoy.
Unbroken Chain: Peterson, Rober M, Lesh, Phillip
This week has us listening to a little more Danny Barnes. From the same show that you heard "Birds of a Feather", as well as "Loser Cornpone Sally" comes my old standard "Porta Potty". This version is featuring Danny Barnes on banjo, Gibb Droll on guitar, Keith Moseley on bass, Jeff Sipe on drums and myself on acoustic guitar. The lyrics came from waiting in long lines for porta potties at Grateful Dead shows. Enjoy.
