Up a Lazy River

We have loved the songs of Hoagy Carmichael for … well, forever. For instance, we started doing his great river anthem, “Up a Lazy River,” probably 25 years ago, and our rendition of the tune has evolved over the years. Originally, we did it has an instrumental with hard-driving solos by Joe Dobbs and Dave Peyton. Later we made into a vocal, with Chuck Romine singing the lead. In more recent years, Charlie took over the lead vocals, and that was okay, but the song really took off when Michelle Lewis brought to it her wonderful, original harmony counterpoints. And the song is still evolving for us. Listen to this take from a rehearsal just a few weeks ago, one in which Michelle even discovered a fine high final note that surprised and thrilled her bandmates.

Lady Be Good

Sometimes in the best conversations, not a word is spoken, such as when a group of musicians sit in a circle and listen to each other. In this little confab from last night’s rehearsal you can hear those wild, wordless ideas being exchanged by Sam St. Clair and Paul Martin, by Doug Chaffin and Paul Callicoat. And the subject of the moment? Why, it’s Gershwin and “Lady Be Good.”

Needed Time: 2019

Some tunes have their own long, strange stories for how they end up The Flood’s songbag. Here’s one. Back in 1952, blues great Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins recorded a sweet, mournful number called “Jesus, Will Come By Here,” but the song went largely unnoticed for 20 years. Then in 1972, the great Cicely Tyson/Paul Winfield movie called ”Sounder" used it in the soundtrack, but renamed it "Needed Time.” Well, sitting here in Huntington, WV, both Roger Samples and Charlie Bowen saw that movie, loved that song, and a year or so later, as our band getting busy being born, “Needed Time” was a song that both Rog and Charlie brought to the table. Well, over the next decade or so, as we played it at the ever-more raucous music parties where The Flood was just getting its feet wet, our little tune evolved from a moan to a shout — a lot less Sunday morning and a lot more Saturday night, as Roger might have said — but, you know, we like to think even today the tune still taps into some of Lightnin’s original magic, what made us fall in love with the song in the first place a half century ago. So here’s “Needed Time: 2019.”

If You Lose Your Money

It was eight years ago this month that our youngest-ever Floodster — Jacob Scarr — left the nest. Jacob played lead guitar with us from the time he was about 15 until he graduated from high school and left for college and a new life in Colorado. Well, earlier this year, Jacob finished law school and is starting his first post-college job with a law firm in Denver. Ah, but he still he gets back to our time zone a couple of times a year and we’re so happy that, when he does, he always tries to make time to jam a little with us. Last night, Jacob partied with his Family Flood, swapping tunes and stories with old friends and new around the table, This was our first tune of the evening, one that was our usual warmup number back in Jacob’s days with the band, here with solos by Doug Chaffin and Paul Martin, Sam St. Clair and Paul Callicoat, and, of course, a couple of extra choruses by our guest of honor, Jacob Scarr. This is “If You Lose Your Money (Please Don’t Lose Your Mind).” Hey, also our manager Pamela shot a cool video at last night’s session. To check it out, visit our website at 1937flood.com and click on the option called “Our Videos” on the left-hand column.