THE DADDYO'S BAND: Pawn Shop Diamond Ring

The DaddyO's Band

Pawn Shop Diamond Ring

© 2008 James F. Boyd (600385182928)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

SPECIAL: 30% discount if you buy more than one copy of it today!

About as close as we can come to Genre Identification is "funkadelic soul bop, electric eclectic, Cajun county, R&B, boogie blues groove." Got the picture?

notes

Band History…

The DaddyO’s Band is the “late in life / damn!, I did NOT see that coming!” child of a partnership between Mark ( The Original DaddyO) Agababian and Jim ( Dr. DaddyO) Boyd in a music shop called DaddyO’s Gold City Guitar and Repair in Villa Rica, Georgia, just west of Atlanta, on the old road to Birmingham. The “business”, as if anything Mark and Jim did together or apart could be conceived of as even coming close to what the word business implies, was started as an outlet for Jim’s serious case of “Guitar Acquisition Syndrome” (GAS) and Mark’s talent and training as a stringed instrument mechanic and builder.

Its primary purpose in life was to get abandoned and kindly used tools of the trade into the hands of practicing and aspiring players at a decent price and in good enough shape not to send ‘em screaming with bleeding fingers and broken spirits. The venture survived for six years doing just that, and if you define success as meeting your purpose and not making money, it was a success for that window in time. It finally folded when the rent went up and then came due, but not before that child that became The DaddyO’s Band was delivered and raised up part way.

With the shop in “learn as you go” operation, it didn’t take long for the idea to jump up and take hold. Any of you who have hung out in a music store know how it happened. Two things were equally important in getting the ball rolling on the birth of the band. The first was hearing Mark play when he finished a repair or demoed an instrument for a customer, watching the reaction of any who were around to hear him, and the realization of just how magic he can be with a guitar in his hands. Jim says that it was an immediate thing, that he knew that he wanted to play music with this man, the “Last of the Great Armenian Blues Men!” and to be able to sing some of old early influence songs that he carried around in his head. Second came the parade of fine musicians that showed up in the shop asking; “Wanna jam ?” They ranged from Milt, an early days R&B and now days gospel performer, to the kid (at least in our seasoned eyes) Merritt who came in from time to time and amazed us with whatever he found interesting hanging on the wall, to a list of others way too numerous and diverse in talent to do justice to here.

It’s not clearly remembered when things started to gel. Friends from pre shop jams and music parties joined in, and before we knew it there were regular practices in the evenings at the shop. The first DaddyO’s incarnation came together as “Dual DaddyO’s Rhythm and Blues Review” and started playing out for benefits and an occasional paying gig. The original players were John ‘Lebo” Lebowitz on drums, John “Beatle Bass” Barry on Bass and vocals, Mark, of course, on guitar and vocals, Merritt “Jughead” Smith on the other guitar and vocals, Jim “Sweet Slice” Hunnicutt blowing harp, Milton “Milt” Howard on keyboards and vocals, and up front with vocals, Jim “The Boy’s Still Learning to Sing” Boyd. It was typically rough at first, but we worked at playing and played at working, and it got better as time went on.. More importantly, though, it was almost always fun, and if we could “get ‘em up and dancing”, that was all the payback it took to keep us keeping on. From the start, the enjoyment that the music seemed to bring to our audiences is what fed us.

Changes, shifts, and turns in the path to getting tight and to becoming cohesive as a performing unit are inevitable it seems, and the DaddyO’s were no exception to that rule. Most came as the result of those unavoidable circumstances and changes in the lives of our members, but we were not immune to occasional disagreements and differences of opinion. Jim and Mark used to talk about how building a band was like a marriage or family. The real trick was keeping it functional and growing, and somehow we navigated the rapids of those early years and came out better for it in the long run. Occasionally the rifts were resolved by parting of the ways, but almost without exception, we parted as friends.

The best thing was, with every exit, someone emerged, stepped up, and stepped in to fill the void. Some stayed around, some just dropped by, some returned and some are still around. Through these formative times we had the pleasure of playing with drummer David Phillips, sax man Donnie Toussaint Turner, guitarists Richard Hurt and Reed McGowan , and Amelia Boyd, Rosanna Boyd, and Carol Boyd (the “C Town Pale Raylets”), on vocals, and we thank them for the parts they all played.

Up until 2003/2004,The DaddyO’s Band remained an R&B and Classic Blues cover group, playing songs from the archives and the likes of Muddy Waters, The Clovers, Jimmy Reed, Robert Cray, Sonny Boy Williamson, Little Walter, Rosco Gordon, B. B. King, Bobby Bland and others in the same camp. We also took pride in reviving some of the more obscure work of artists like Wild Child Butler, Oscar Brown Jr., The Beat Daddys, the Subdudes, Nappy Brown and others. We had, over this time, established a consistent and stable unit of players, that is…if stable is a word that those who know us will let by as a description of our crew. That crew consisted of Mark, Jim, John,and Merritt from the original group and Phil Mengle (drums) and Howard Williams (harp/guitar). Familiar with our music and the boys in the band, Phil stepped right in when the demands of a job change put “Lebo” on stand by, and we didn’t skip a beat. Howard (aka Blind Hogleg Willy) Williams brought a full menu of talents to the band including harmonica, vocals, and anything with a string on it abilities.

If one singular event is looked to as a “up swing” turning point, it would be this. In 2002, Jim got the call to bring the band to perform at a gathering of musicians, a yearly reunion, for the nuclear and extended family of people who come together annually to celebrate and enjoy the feast. The invitation came from an old friend, a primary organizer of the event, Danny Gaddis. It was at this “Big Dance”, while playing for and with this amazing assembly of the most accepting, supportive and welcoming family of folks in the universe, that the band really learned what it had to offer and, from our brother and sister players who encouraged and provided the measuring stick, we also learned how much better we could be and came to believe that we would. Again, our deepest thanks go out to all. You know who you are.

There is a sadness and a gratefulness associated with another major change in the path and progression of the band. In 2003 Danny Gaddis went on to the “Big Dance” in the sky, and at that years reunion we were among those who provided him with a musical send off. In the following few months, the call went out for original tunes to be included on a tribute / in memory of CD. Jim, a veteran songwriter of 40 + years, had plenty of songs, but the band wasn’t playing any, and most were out of the range of our musical territory, or so we thought. With contributing to that project as out primary push, the band took a turn toward writing and performing our own material. As with every other shift in direction, the guys put themselves to the task, and in less than a year we had eight tunes ready to be heard and began doing them when we played out. The response of our friends who turned out to hear was encouraging to say the least.

The idea to take our material into the studio grew out of the burst of activity and energy we put into the writing and refining the tunes, and it coincided with our getting to know Michael Butler, a home studio engineer and accomplished musician who we had played with at a local benefits. At Butler Sound Studio in Carrollton, Georgia, Michael used his patient and generous nature and well honed skills to guide us through what was for some of us a first recording experience. As we began to fine tune those songs and to get the sound we were after, our intent was to produce an 8 song demo CD for use in getting gigs, as a sample of what we did live. For this reason, our guiding principle was not to exceed what we could produce live in the studio. We pretty much stuck to our original guns on the first batch of tunes we recorded.

If it has not been implied in what has already been written here, you should know that most of us in the DaddyO’s have a fair number of years and miles on ourselves. We certainly don’t always feel or act our ages, but throughout that first year of recording when we could get the crew together, we were also experiencing those changes that life deals up in the guise of life issues and health related stuff. This is not intended to complain. It was just how it is, how it went down, and we know better than to seriously complain when we are still up and kicking and doing what we love to do. It does, though, actually set the stage for our next phase of recording. Jim, as is widely known by those who know him well, is not known for knowing how or when to quit. Toward the end of the first recording race, a race that went something like rush…rest…wait…recover…race…pace…rush, he wrote 3 more tunes, and it was decided that they should be on the CD too.

Coinciding in time, our Brother DaddyO, Phil, went down temporarily with a heart thing that took his full attention for a spell, and our original drummer, John returned to hold down his end of the rhythm section in the studio and playing out. Also in this time frame, life changes and opportunities took Merritt out of the picture and off to chase his dream. That was the point at which Howard took on an expanded role both on stage, playing harp, guitar and singing, and in the studio as a co-primary in making production decisions and playing dobro, mandolin, guitar, Banjo (on one country blues ditty), harmonica, and doing both back up and lead vocals. His generosity throughout this 2nd recording push knew no bounds. He helped drive the bus across those bumps and around the curves, and, just as Merritt had done before him, he steered it straight and true.

With all the richness of the main unit band, and the depth of that richness shows through in the first 8 songs; it might, to some, seem strange that there was room for more, but there was. It was not like there was anything missing. The band alone, with Mark being magic on leads and rhythms, John B. doing his super solid bass thing, with John L. or Phil on the kit or percussion holding the beat steady, and with Howard doing everything he does so well, how could we ask for more? As it happened, that was not how it happened at all. It was more like we began to hear others in the mix in our minds. When we heard them, like Ronda or on vocals, Guy on conga drums, or Richard on leads and fills, we knew that they belonged there and sent out the call. Without fail, they answered that invitation in a big time way. Seeing and hearing how well that worked, we also dipped back into the first eight tunes, asking Milt to sing the Gospel / Blues song “For So Long’ and our good friend Debra Martin, a super singer songwriter and performer in her own right, to blend her flute in on “When It Comes Down To Your Deal.

It needs saying here that the lessons we learned at “The Big Dance”, the generosity, support, and example of our brothers and sisters while making music together, taught us and freed us from the limiting conviction that we started with. All of you need to take credit where it is due but particularly Danny, Sarah, “Ludi” Bill, Fred, Ralph, Heidi, Howard, Caroline, and that other Bill need to know that it’s all your fault! Thank you!!

The 2nd set of 3 songs also took some time to wrap up due to more of the same (we’re well into 2007 now), but, with every turn that slowed us down, something or someone countered to keep us on the track. Hearing them clearly on the new set of songs, Richard Hurt and Ronda Cheatham, of the “Swami Gone Bananas’ crew, agreed to lend their support on organ, guitar, and vocals. With the help of Michael and Carrie Robbins at Robbin’s Nest in Atlanta and The Border Collies celtic band (one of Howard’s other groups), we were able to take the project into Atlanta to make it easier for Richard and Ronda to do their parts, and our Michael at Butler Sound accommodated our weird scheduling needs, did his magic to make it possible to export and import the project, and patiently kept our material backed up and stored for what, at that time, was closing in on 1 + years. Those are just a few examples of how it came together for us when we needed it to. By this time we were not really sure who was driving the bus, weren’t worried in the least, and were sure learning a lot about lying back and enjoying the ride.

Finally in the spring of 2007, with another burst of lyrics and music coming unexpectedly out of the ozone, Jim wrote 5 new tunes, and it was on automatic pilot by that time. Of course, they needed to be included on our CD, so we cranked up again for the push toward the finish line. The plan was to keep to our primary playing unit on the new 5 using both John (Lebo) and Phil alternating on the kit and percussion support. These tunes do rely heavily on our main unit band and show case their skills, and we certainly could have left it at that except…Here we went again.

From the start, we could sense the empty spaces left in our minds’ ears from the days that we had the pleasure of playing with Donnie Turner on sax for much too brief a time and an occasional stand in on keys. Well guess what? Through an unrelated side door, Jim was put in contact with a young horn player named Montrell McClendon who had, as a kid, admired and followed Donnie around when he played. It was kind of like getting Donnie back. Montrell came into the studio and amazed us from the start. He played on two from the original eight, and won a part in all of the new 5 song set. He came highly recommended and brought much more than those recommendations suggested. As if that were not gift enough, our new friend and relatively recently transplanted “local boy”, stepped up and gave us those missing keyboard riffs, holding down solid rhythm and tinkling keys parts in four of the five new tunes. Like his sweet wife and partner, Debra Martin, Preston Scott brought seasoned performing and recording skills to the mix. As self produced recording artists, they are veterans of a vast collection of CDs. You can learn more about them and check out their work at www.martinandscott.com. Finally, our friend David Pippin sits in and struts his stuff on 2 of these songs. David is currently fronting (guitar and vocals) a newly formed band, “Mile Train”, who specialize in a style that David calls ‘Swamp Rock’. David wrote all of the tunes on their new CD. Check them out on My Space.

No look at our story and the way this deal unfolded would be complete without recognizing the roles and contributions of our families (brothers, sisters, wives, children) and our community of friends who encouraged, celebrated, participated, and understood what we were up to that was taking so long. Their verbal and “actions speak louder than…” feedback kept us between our widening lines and appreciating the importance of it all. They collectively boosted us over the low spots and lifted us up to the highs This collection of work would literally not have come or stayed together without them. We are also, of course, a part of that circle and as such, as individuals and as a band, are deserving of that tip of the cap. All said and done, like Danny G. used to say, “it’s a people thang”, and our circle helped it happen.

The band is, as this is being written (Spring, 2008), putting the finishing touches on a 16 song CD of all original music that will be released in this year. So what began as “doing a demo” has grown up, filled out, and become something that none of us dreamed of at the start. Don’cha love it when it works that way?! What started inside the lines of doing what we could do as a stage unit has wandered way beyond into uncharted territories where we found a circle of friends who came out and played with us. The DaddyO’s Band crew, past and present, are at the heart of it, and the one guiding principle that we stuck to like glue and will always insist on is that “we do it for the fun of it and to get ‘em up and dancing.” The time has come to send out the invitation to jump up, listen and enjoy with us. You are in this band!!!

© 2008 The Daddy Os Band

reviews

Please log in to review this album.

email

Please log in to email this artist.