Think I came out of the womb hearing music in my head. Words and lyrics, melody and rhythm have been with me from the start. Music is indeed a step or two closer to the angels…have to count my lucky stars that I play harmonica…it’s allowed me to hang out with some amazing artists, musicians and wannabes who had something to share, something they had to get off their chest.
I grew up on the Appalachian side of things musically – Appalachian and Country music, to be correct. With aunts and uncles who could all play multiple instruments and sing with pristine, mountain harmony, the stage was set. Sunday afternoons were magical times growing up…after the Sunday sermon, a big spread for lunch, laughs and jokes and conversation on the latest family happenings and, of course, the afternoon music.
Mountain music is in my blood.
I was always transfixed by the sound whenever someone would ask Uncle Richard or Uncle Kenneth if they’d play some guitar. They’d start noodling on the strings then lay down Tennessee Stud or maybe something with a little pep. On a good day, Aunts Wanda and Virginia would pick up their guitars and sing harmony. Uncle Larry (who married Wanda) was a virtuoso on either guitar or banjo and knew a slew of songs.
This very record played in our house for many years. From the Blue Sky Boys to George Jones, I was hooked! Porter Waggoner was on television and the education in sound rolled in.
Of course, the matriarch of the clan, Hettie Ann Edwards, who was my grandmother on my mother’s side, could outdo them all and play just about every instrument except the fiddle. Aunts and uncles playing music was a precious treat. When we could talk grandmom into playing, the stars were aligned. She had migrated from Appalachia and brought the music with her. Lot of musical talent coming out of that side of the family. If you were lucky enough to have been at those gatherings, time stood still and the moments reigned glorious.
What an introduction to music! Long before the radio or even vinyl hit my eardrums, live, family music transported me to the heavens, never to come down again.
Believe it or not, Bobby Dylan wasn’t my first choice of budding artists. This was the very first record I bought…still have it, still love it. Eric had a heavy picking thumb, a bit lighter than my Uncle Richard.
Of heaven, there was also a healthy dose of old, religious numbers I was introduced to at the Baptist church we went to. Holding the hymnal, just feeling the songs come alive, I had my ear on the choir and the songs sent me to the rafters. Sermons stuck with me, but the music had me singing with the angels.
As the teenage years took hold, musically, I was still very drawn to an acoustic sound. All that rock had me baffled for a while, but eventually, bass, drums, even a tastefully played electric guitar entered my wall of sound.
Oh, yes, my friends. Home is where the heart is.
The marriage of music and words is a timeless tradition of solitary figures, townspeople and drifters alike gathering together to tell their stories. Broken hearted lovers, mean-eyed bosses, wild and mysterious adventures both sad and lonesome, happy and free and just downright silly…all of these and more populate a musical landscape with rich, vast explorations of the human condition and maybe it’s a way of understanding a few of those mysteries a little better.
The harmonica player needs a band…unless you’re doing time upstate.
If you want to find out more about the music, a tip of the hat is needed for each and every person I’ve ever played with, for they are the true musicians. Now, unless you are Charlie McCoy, Toots Thielemans or some such virtuoso, harp soloists will get stuck playing Oh Susanna all by themselves unless they can find some guitarist to hang with.
Some of the musicians I played with are included on broadwayextended. The Freedom Alley Archive Series isn’t professionally recorded, mixed or polished. Still, there are treasures to be heard there. We were a close-knit band of brothers and stay close to this day. Culled and remastered from old tapes, a new release is forthcoming! Imagine that, forty years in the vault.
Another precious chapter in the music story has been playing music with my own brother. We were known as none other than the Wallis Bros. We weren’t the Everly Brothers, but we had a style and sound that could keep your toes tapping long after the song was done. Later, his wife joined the band, we became Wallis & Co., and were quite the thing for a spell. There are quite a few live shows of Wallis & Co. that will hopefully get cleaned up and released, they’re that good!
So, explore what you will, listen and let the music smooth, move, and groove you. You’ll also find details and write-ups pertaining to the recordings on the music pages. Use the Menu at the top of the page or select an image below to navigate to the sound!
Enjoy the music and keep on the sunny side!
Freedom Alley
Best Basement Band to never make it out of the basement!!
Wallis Bros.
Not the Everly Bros., but pretty darn good!
