Acoustic bluesman Papa King and bassist Tyler Bird started his solid set of acoustic , finger picked acoustic blues just after 8 p.m. with a King original “Busy Boy Blues,” followed it up with a version of “Key to the Highway,” and then one of my favourite King originals “Beale Street Blues.”
His baritone voice sounded somewhat like Dr. John as he introduced the receptive crowd to some excellent originals which warmed them up for the main event Morgan Davis. Papa King will be opening for Big Dave McLean and Doc MacLean at the Slice, Oct. 24.
Throughout two sets, the Detroit born, Nova Scotia resident Davis played some impressive fingerpicking blues licks on his black Danelectro guitar all the while cracking jokes and telling stories about blues legends like Sonny Boy Wiliamson, Mississippi John Hurt and Robert Johnson who wrote some of the songs he was singing including “Stagger Lee.
He also sang numerous originals and a couple novelty songs which had the crowd grinning.
The second set was more upbeat including Sonny Boy Williamson’s ”Dissatisfied,” a fantastic song about a “Last Meal” which including things like snake hips, dinosaur eggs and fully cooked hippopotamus. I also enjoyed a funny song about “Polly Urethane” and I especially enjoyed “Too Much Competition.”
Basically Morgan Davis capped off a chilly Thanksgiving Monday with warmth, humour and a lot of talent. Here’s hoping he returns to Lethbridge soon.
— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor