Just Because

Our buddy Roger Samples is one of the founding members of The Flood. From its first days in the 1970s through the mid-1980s, Rog played and sang with us, and his guitar styling, vocals and song selection have set the standard for The Flood ever since. Even after Roger and his family moved to Kentucky, we stayed in touch and last weekend, on a bright, crisp January day, a bunch of us headed to Mount Sterling for a little reunion with Roger and his brothers, Mack and Ted, who form the legendary Samples Brothers Band. Here's a tune for that grand day, with Mack and Roger doing the vocals and that's Ted on the five-string.

Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me

1919 was an amazing year in music. With The Great War over, Tin Pan Alley was pumping out the hits again. "12th Street Rag" and "Royal Garden Blues," "Swanee" and "I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate." Meanwhile, on the other end of the block, a trio of composers -- Charles McCarron, Casey Morgan and Arthur Swanstrom -- were making this little ditty, just so The Flood could flirt with it 90 years later.