Mark Robinson
HAVE AXE - WILL GROOVE - CD release February 2013
Blind Chihuahua Records
MarkRobinsonGuitar.com
mark@markrobinsonguitar.comTRACK NOTES
1. Drive Real Fast (2:51)
Mark Robinson (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC)
John Lee Hooker meets “Exile On Main Street.” I wrote it in the car on the way to a gig, and I sang it on stage that night in a low-down dive bar. Near the end of the gig, a nearly-toothless man told me that he would “give his remaining teeth” to be able to play like me—the best compliment I’ve gotten in a long time. Somehow I managed to remember the song and I recorded it just the way I did it at that gig.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. TJ KLAY harmonica.
2. Baby’s Gone to Memphis (3:47)
Davis Raines & Michael Conner Rogers (Songs of Crossfield/Autauga Songs, BMI,
Village Mills Music)
I’m a big fan of Sun Records, Sam Phillips, and Elvis—and this song. I love hearing my frequent musical co-conspirator Davis Raines (who wrote it with Michael Conner Rogers) sing this one, and I wanted to give it a try myself. I put a little more of the Delta in this version, riding that mystery train all the way to Memphis. This one’s for The King.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. VICKI CARRICO & JONELL MOSSER backup vocals.
3. Angel of Mercy (5:47)
Slats Klug (Rebo Music, ASCAP)
Written by my friend (and fellow member of Bloomington, Indiana’s short-lived band the “Limestone Cowboys”) Slats Klug, whose version I have loved for years. He’s a terrific singer, so it was a challenge to take it on and bring a bit of Memphis soul to what started out as an acoustic Cajun-style lament. I don’t sing many ballads, but this one always sends chills up my spine, and I hope it touches other people the same way.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. RANDY HANDLEY piano. MICHAEL WEBB Hammond organ. VICKI CARRICO & JONELL MOSSER backup vocals.
4. Cool Rockin’ Daddy (2:29)
Mark Robinson & Mike Cullison (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC, Cullison Music, BMI)
I’m deep into the R&B and jump blues of the ‘40s and ‘50s—and you can hear those influences on this one. I wrote it with my friend Mike Cullison, a fine lyricist. I wanted to play some swinging blues guitar on a song, because there’s not enough jump blues in the world today. This one is for the late, great Johnny Otis, a real idol of mine.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. RANDY HANDLEY keyboards. BEN GRAVES alto saxophone.
Album Notes
Mark Robinson
HAVE AXE - WILL GROOVE - CD release February 2013
Blind Chihuahua Records
MarkRobinsonGuitar.com
mark@markrobinsonguitar.comTRACK NOTES
1. Drive Real Fast (2:51)
Mark Robinson (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC)
John Lee Hooker meets “Exile On Main Street.” I wrote it in the car on the way to a gig, and I sang it on stage that night in a low-down dive bar. Near the end of the gig, a nearly-toothless man told me that he would “give his remaining teeth” to be able to play like me—the best compliment I’ve gotten in a long time. Somehow I managed to remember the song and I recorded it just the way I did it at that gig.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. TJ KLAY harmonica.
2. Baby’s Gone to Memphis (3:47)
Davis Raines & Michael Conner Rogers (Songs of Crossfield/Autauga Songs, BMI,
Village Mills Music)
I’m a big fan of Sun Records, Sam Phillips, and Elvis—and this song. I love hearing my frequent musical co-conspirator Davis Raines (who wrote it with Michael Conner Rogers) sing this one, and I wanted to give it a try myself. I put a little more of the Delta in this version, riding that mystery train all the way to Memphis. This one’s for The King.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. VICKI CARRICO & JONELL MOSSER backup vocals.
3. Angel of Mercy (5:47)
Slats Klug (Rebo Music, ASCAP)
Written by my friend (and fellow member of Bloomington, Indiana’s short-lived band the “Limestone Cowboys”) Slats Klug, whose version I have loved for years. He’s a terrific singer, so it was a challenge to take it on and bring a bit of Memphis soul to what started out as an acoustic Cajun-style lament. I don’t sing many ballads, but this one always sends chills up my spine, and I hope it touches other people the same way.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. RANDY HANDLEY piano. MICHAEL WEBB Hammond organ. VICKI CARRICO & JONELL MOSSER backup vocals.
4. Cool Rockin’ Daddy (2:29)
Mark Robinson & Mike Cullison (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC, Cullison Music, BMI)
I’m deep into the R&B and jump blues of the ‘40s and ‘50s—and you can hear those influences on this one. I wrote it with my friend Mike Cullison, a fine lyricist. I wanted to play some swinging blues guitar on a song, because there’s not enough jump blues in the world today. This one is for the late, great Johnny Otis, a real idol of mine.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. RANDY HANDLEY keyboards. BEN GRAVES alto saxophone.
5. Broke Down (3:11)
Mark Robinson (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC)
I didn’t know if this song was right for this project, but when I heard Paul and Dan play it, I knew we had something special going on. They made it rock way beyond what I had envisioned when I heard it in my head. We stretch the envelope and take the blues someplace new on this one.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. TJ KLAY harmonica.
6. Pull My Coat (3:43)
Mark Robinson (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC)
An old song of mine that took on new life when Paul threw a big Texas shuffle at it. It grooves hard and is fun to sing and play over. At the Indiana University School of Music, I studied with jazz great David Baker (who grew up playing with Wes Montgomery), and he used the expression “pull my coat,” an old jazz hipster thing that means “tell me what’s going on, give me the scoop,” I always liked the expression, so I wrote a song using it. I’m not really that hip, but I can be that hipster guy when I sing this song.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. MICHAEL WEBB Hammond organ.
7. Lifetime Prescription (3:43)
Mark Robinson (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC)
This song is my own spin on a traditional slow blues. I had been singing it for a few months before recording the CD, and it always seemed to get a strong response from the audience. There might be just a little bit of me in the main character in this song.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. MICHAEL WEBB Hammond organ. VICKI CARRICO & JONELL MOSSER backup vocals.
8. Rhythm Doctor (4:25)
Mark Robinson & Dave Duncan (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC, Covered Call Music, BMI)
This song is dedicated to Indiana’s funkiest drummer, Rex Miller—the original Rhythm Doctor. He taught me about second-line drumming and New Orleans grooves. I wrote it with Dave Duncan (co-writer with Curtis Salgado on several songs on Curtis’ new CD). We wrote it in about an hour. I wouldn’t have tried recording it without Paul Griffith, Daniel Seymour. and Randy Handley. These guys are the soul doctors—with deep trick bags of musical skills to draw from.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. RANDY HANDLEY keyboards. VICKI CARRICO & JONELL MOSSER backup vocals.
9. What’s the Matter Baby (4:01)
Mark Robinson (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC)
My own take on the Chicago Chess Records groove. This is a song for all the men out there who have ever had their woman give them “the look.” You know she’s mad, but you don’t have a clue what you did. How can you keep her happy when you don’t know what you did to make her mad? Don’t say I never wrote any songs for you, baby.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. MICHAEL WEBB Hammond organ. ROGUIE RAY LAMONTAGNE harmonica.
10. Lonely Avenue (4:45)
Doc Pomus (Unichappell Music)
A killer song by the legendary Doc Pomus, made famous by Ray Charles, and it’s been one of my favorite songs to play live because there’s lots of room to stretch out, both vocally and on guitar. This song has been sung by a lot of great artists, so I knew I had to make it my own. You can hear a lot of my R&B, jazz, and blues influences in the way my voice and guitar interact in a conversation.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. JUSTIN AMARAL drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass. RANDY HANDLEY piano. MICHAEL WEBB Hammond organ. VICKI CARRICO & JONELL MOSSER backup vocals.
11. Blue Moon Howl (4:34)
Mark Robinson (Dogs in Trouble Publishing, SESAC)
I love the hypnotic groove of the Hill Country blues—combine it with some spacey ‘60s rock lead guitar and it goes someplace really unexpected. I’m playing a crazy electric resonator guitar tuned down to open C, and Dan has his five-string Fender bass hitting those sub-sonic tones, while Paul drives the train with that loose Mississippi groove that borders on a march. I like to think about David Gilmour visiting R.L. Burnside at his juke joint in Mississippi to drink some ‘shine and have a late night jam … the Devil made me do it.
MARK ROBINSON guitar, vocals. PAUL GRIFFITH drums. DANIEL SEYMOUR bass.
HAVE AXE - WILL GROOVE
Mark Robinson
Producer: Mark Robinson
Associate Producer: Daniel Seymour
Engineers: Jim Burnett, Mark Robinson & Daniel Seymour
Recorded and mixed at Guido's Studio South, Nashville, TN
A&R: Sue Havlish
CD Design: Alicia Adkerson, Adkerson Design
Mastering: Paul Mahern, Mahern Audio
Manufacturing: DiscMakers, Rich Furtner
Photographs: Gregg Roth
Mark Robinson vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, glockenspiel
Paul Griffith drums and percussion (all except track 10)
Daniel Seymour bass
Justin Amaral drums (track 10)
Randy Handley piano, keyboards (tracks 3, 4, 8 & 10)
Mike Webb Hammond organ (tracks 3, 6, 7, 9 & 10)
Ben Graves alto saxophone (track 4)
Roguie Ray harmonica (track 9)
TJ Klay harmonica (tracks 1, 5)
Vicki Carrico, Jonnell Mosser backup vocals (tracks 2, 3, 7, 8 & 10)
The Shout Chorus and Chain Gang Choir Daniel Seymour, Randy Handley, Ben Graves, Mark Robinson (tracks 4, 11)
The Memphis Hounds backup barking (track 2)
