S. E. Willis's fourth CD is a moving musical tribute to two founding fathers of American music, Robert Johnson and Hank Williams. Thirty years in the making, Taproot goes to the heart of Country and Blues roots, delivering truly original and inspired interpretations of classics. From the rocking boogie of Johnson's "Preachin' Blues" and "Last Fair Deal" to the heartbreaking intimacy of Williams' "Mansion On the Hill," Willis, a veteran bluesman with incredible vocal range and stylistic maturity, makes an important and memorable contribution to Robert Johnson's and Hank Williams' songbooks. With: Bobby Cochran, Nancy Wright, Steve Evans, Kedar Roy, Ed Michaels. "I've been listening to and studying these men all my musical life. There are no more important voices in American music: they are the twin hearts of my country." - S.E.Willis "...one of the most sought-after blues pianists; he covers different styles with aplomb, comps like a master, and bangs out a mean solo." ---Blues Review #84 "S. E. Willis plays like he's got twelve fingers. He can pound the 88's but there's a whole lot more to him than that. He rocks, he rolls, he swings, he sings. For a complete tour of piano styles perfromed by a master, get Steve's new one. What's on my iPod? "Taproot." --Marcia Ball "...a commanding singer and keyboadist (piano, organ, and accordion) who delivers classic and original material with conviction and authenticity." ---Lee Hildebrand, East Bay Express "S. E. Willis is a helluva keyboard player!" ---Elvin Bishop | |||
Songs: "Lost Highway" "The Last Fair Deal Gone Down" "Mansion On the Hill" "Preachin' Blues" "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" "Me and the Devil Blues"
"May You Never Be Alone" "Shreveport Farewell" "Love In Vain/Six More Miles" "Cold Cold Heart" "If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day"
"Your Cheatin' Heart"
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A musical slice of Americana that takes a listener from the hills of West Virginia to the bayous of Louisiana, the banks of the Ohio to the Mississippi Delta. S. E. Willis' third and finest release ranges from the title track's neo-Rockabilly to Jimmie Rodgers style blue country (When and If), swing (Chasin' a Train), swamp-pop (That's My Dream), blues (I'm Tired) and funky zydeco (Muddy Water, Think Twice, I'm Coming Home), with plenty of side trips between. Harmonica ace Norton Buffalo adds his talents to the unique "Poison Love." Mandolin hero Tom Rozum (Laurie Lewis and Grant Street) provides a bluegrass edge, and Johnny "V" Vernazza plays perhaps the best guitar of his career. "If Bill Monroe and Howlin' Wolf had ever played together it wouldn't sound like this, but that's got the idea, that's the aim." -S. E. Willis | |||
Songs: "Cold Hand In Mine" "Wreck on the Highway" "Blue Moon of Kentucky"
"When and If" "The Bitter and the Sweet" "If the Drink Don't Kill Me" "Chasin' a Train" "Muddy Water" That's My Dream" "Poison Love"
"I'm Tired" "Missy Missy" "Think Twice"
"I'm Coming Home" "No Teardrops Tonight"
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S.E.Willis (piano, vocals and harmonica) delivers a sterling collection of original and classic blues and boogie. The CD is coproduced by Johnny “V” Vernazza and features guest appearances by blues guitarist Elvin Bishop and harp aces Charlie Musselwhite and Mark Hummel. | |||
"Luckiest Man Alive is a fine new CD. Every tune is a goodun! & I have enjoyed listening to it very much
because there's some good blues happening here--that's for sure!"
- Charlie Musselwhite
" ...a commanding singer and keyboardist who delivers classic and original material with conviction and authenticity."
- Lee Hildebrand East Bay Express
Songs: "My Baby's Sweet" "Luckiest Man Alive" "Find Some Boogie" "Four Years Gone By" "Halfway Out the Door" "Poor Man" "Corrine Corrina" "Kindhearted Woman" "Been Brokenhearted" "Mystery Train" "Cry To Me"
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S.E. Willis' first CD, "Airn Beats Nairn," establishes him as a solid and original creator of roots-based American music. It is a collection of twelve songs, all written by Willis, with styles varying from New Orleans funk ("Love Monkey") and Rhumbas ("Ma Cher," "High Octane Gas") to straight Blues ("Drinkin' Blues"), Rockabilly ("Past Tense," "Fool For Life"), and Zydeco ("Good Food, Good Fun"). There is also a fine soul ballad ("Baby Why"), a smokin' boogie ("Good To Go Boogie") and the album's title track, the accordion-drenched bayou grinder "Airn Beats Nairn." "Airn Beats Nairn" is a Southern expression meaning any beats none. This record does far more than that, featuring solid backing by both a crack Arizona band (Bob Blazi, drums; Johnny Rapp, guitar; and brother John Willis, bass) and a California line-up (Vince Littleton, drums; Takezo Takeda, guitar; Jerome Hammond, bass). | |||
Songs: "Skate Scram"
"Love Monkey" "Airn Beats Nairn" "Ma Cher" "Drinkin' Blues" "Good To Go Boogie" "Past Tense"
"Baby Why" "High Octane Gas" "Fool For Life" "Gonna Leave This World" "Good Food, Good
Fun"
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