I Almost Lost My Mind

 Before rock ’n’ roll was a thing, it was rhythm and blues that was perking up the ears of a generation of young radio listeners, and tops among the early R&B songwriters was Ivory Joe Hunter, the original “Baron of the Boogie.” Ivory Joe — by the way, that wasn’t a nickname or a stage handle, but his given name — was born in Kirbyville, Texas, to a gospel-singing mother and a guitar strumming daddy. At 13, his piano-playing was already turning heads and his first recording was for Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress when he was still a teenager in 1933. He left Texas for the wilds of downtown Los Angeles in the early 1940s, just as R&B was starting to attract legions of fans hungry for more tunes, and in 1950, Ivory Joe got into everybody’s head with his new song “I Almost Lost My Mind.” The Flood’s been paying homage to this great old tune for a few years now. Here’s a rendition from last night’s rehearsal, with Michelle and me harmonizing over the rock-solid support of Doug Chaffin and Paul Callicoat. You know, if you’re going to lose your mind, those are the guys you want helping you find your way back to it.