Christopher Wyze & The Tellers

Live In Clarksdale

Big Radio Records

Christopher Wyze was awarded a “One To Watch” songwriter award by the Nashville Songwriters Association International. This is the live follow-up to his debut studio recording “Stuck In The Mud”. The album was recorded at The Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The band includes Wyze on harmonica and vocals; John Boyle, guitars; Gerry Murphy, bass; and Mark Yacovone, keyboards.

The album opens with the country-ish “Three Hours from Memphis” as Wyze sings “Headed south, on my way, started out years ago today, said you wanna make it, you gotta play. Down in Memphis, where you make your hay, three hours from Memphis, a million miles from home”. “Back To Clarksdale”, “did things I shouldn’t tell, but sick ain’t well, watched it all go to hell, so I hide inside my shell…goin’ back goin’ back to Clarksdale”. On “Money Spent Blues”, Hey Mr. Advertising man, I  bought your cigarettes, tried a pack, smoked a few, ain’t quit yet, I got the blues,  got them money spent blues”.

“Hard Work Don’t Pay”, “well once a had a job, work hard every day, gonna tell you what I learned, hard work don’t pay”. “Stuck In The Mud”, “no steps forward, no steps back, struggle now and have a heart attack, broke and busted, don’t have a dime, I’m goin’ down slow, lord, I’m doing my time, after the flood, I’m stuck in the mud”. “Cotton Ain’t KIng”, “Have you been down to the Delta? Have you seen the cotton grow? Can you hear it growing, echoes through a cotton boll? Cotton ain’t king, blues is the king”.

“Looking for my Baby”, I’m looking for my baby, fellas don’t mean maybe, wish she would appear, hope she hasn’t left this town”. “Good Friend Gone”, “I was born in  Indiana, cross the line from Illinois, me and my friend, were bad boys, good friend gone”. “How Long, How Long Blues” is the first of two covers that close the album, written by Leroy Carr in 1928, piano and vocal; and Scrapper Blackwell, guitar,  as Wyze chimes “How long, baby how long, must I keep my clothes in pawn, baby how long”. “Nobody Knows You When Your Down and Out”, once I lived the life of a millionaire, spent all my money and I didn’t care, took all my friends out for a mighty good time, we bought bootleg whiskey, champagne, and wine, then I began to fall so low, nobody knows you when your down and out”.

This live album is accompanied by two videos. The first is the live recording session at Clarksdale’s iconic Shack Up Inn, while the other is a historic documentary on the history of the blues. This is a must have for all those Wyze fans.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene