When a person has physical trauma in their life, the remnants of physical healing often times remain. But that doesn't mean the physical healing is complete, and it sure doesn't mean the emotional scars have even appeared yet. Emotional and mental healing can take a lot longer and are tied into the physical healing process. Mabel Hicastle has had more than her share of physical and emotional trauma since her cancer diagnosis last year. The cancer was in her leg, and she went through successful surgery and treatment which resulted in the loss of all her teeth due to gum disease. She has since had recurring issues with small tumors showing up in the same leg and foot, and once again had to go through surgery to excise a tumor on her foot. Luckily her leg has shown no further evidence of cancer, but the concern remains that she may lose her foot altogether.
This new song is a reflection of the mental issues she's dealing with, mainly the loss of her job as an RN. She definitely will never return to here former position in a hospital, and even more than the cancer is her sorrow at losing the calling of her life. And it seems every time she's back on the mend, something else pops up. So it's no wonder she's going through so much emotional and mental anguish.
We at Big And Tall Records give her all the encouragement and support we can. She's got an open invitation to bring any songs or recording projects to us for production. She has more than one talent. Her talent and compassion for taking care of people is evident, and we hope her obvious musical talent and artistry will help carry her through all the tough times he's had and continues to have.
When you’re life is hit with a big change
Well, when you’re life is hit, with a big change
When it hits to the root, and disrupts your pursuit
The Burgoo Boys figured it would happen. Hard to believe, but there are folks in this country that do not know what Burgoo is, some never hearing the word before. After getting bombarded with the same questions over and over again, they came up with this song. Burgoo is a stew that legend has it was first made in Louisville, Kentucky. There's not a stead-fast, standard recipe for making it. Pretty much what ya got ya throw in the pot! The main thing is that it's supposed to cook a long time. Some of the festival chefs start the Burgoo the day before it's to be served, and it ends up being really thick, so thick that a spoon is supposed to stand straight up in it! The Boys must've really gotten tired of the same question, because they do make their point somewhat aggressively. But it's got an authentic Bluegrass fell and beat!
When Ada Shymore conferred with the leaders of The Noir Players over the possibility of working together, the players themselves suggested after the recording session that there were other possibilities for her song Let's Go Out. She was intrigued, and sat down with the groups arranger and they came up with a version quite different from the first Rock style version.
This project shows the ability of Ada to sing in different styles, and it also shows how a set of lyrics can be set to more than one style of music! The arranger, Stewart Bitsher, is a classically trained musician that plays cello in the orchestra as well as doing the majority of arranging for the group. He also has extensive experience in jazz, which no doubt came in handy with this arrangement. We at Big And Tall Records invite your own comparison between the versions! Let's Go Out (Rock Version)
We here at Big And Tall Records welcome a new artist found by an associate on the road. Her name? Boxcar Bertha, an obvious takeoff on the well known country/western hobo singer Boxcar Willie. Yes, she was a woman that rode the rails for thirty years. There's not many hoboes, (or rail riders as some prefer to be called) left. At one time, there were many who took to riding the rails not for the thrill of it all, but to get to where they could possibly find work. Historians have written that the phenomenon started after the Civil War, when men took to the road to find work, or other reasons. Some indeed wanted adventure, some were used to going places far from their home during the war. and after any major conflict, some veterans have a difficult time readjusting to civilian life.
There are many more barricades for rail riders these days, with electronic surveillance being a great deterrent. It is and always has been illegal, which no doubt attracted some anti-authoritarian types. But it has also been a quite dangerous activity. Many injuries caused by accidents as well as railroad security beatings in the older days, with death always being a possibility.
Boxcar Bertha took to the rails from college where she was studying to be a horticulturist, with minors in Spanish, French, and German. She studied music for a while in her youth, and started with the piano. Her teacher recognized her talent, and had it in mind to make her into a concert pianist, but she was more attracted to folk music and the guitar. She was expected to keep up her musical studies in college, but abruptly changed to botany and languages, to her piano teacher's disappointment. About three quarters of the way through college, she again abruptly changed her mind, quite school, and took to the rails!
She recently came to the conclusion that her rail days are about over. She's only in her early 60's, but thirty years of that life has worn her down, arthritis mainly in her knees and hips. Her fingers have a milder case of it so she can still play the guitar. By the title of her song, she knows how to draw attention to herself, and she's begun busking on street corners and making enough money from that so she can afford a small efficiency apartment. so we hope she can make some money with her recordings as well. No doubt she's got a lot of tales to tell after thirty years of bumming the rails!
We at Big And Tall Records have released some recordings with subjects out of the usual. A band whose hero is a cartoon character, a song about the hazards of eating hot peppers, and a song about atomic farts! Those are just examples, our catalogue has many others. So it isn't really strange that one of our artists would write a song about a goofy horse. Amos Carter's song Charlie Horse is pretty much fact, and he told us, like the examples we gave, he gave but a few of the horse's foibles as examples.
Amos Carter came upon the recording studio at the urging of his ranch boss, Delmar Gentry, who also produces all of his songs to date. Amos has a small Boogie Woogie band that plays locally in the Flagstaff area bars and grills, usually on Saturday night. The band wanted to start doing more of their original songs, so Delmar also helped them get started with that.
One of our associates in the office is a horse man as well, and he attests to how each horse has their own character and personality, and that sometimes they can be really goofy and fun! So hats off to Charlie Horse and all of his quirks, known and unknown!
There's been a permanent change in personel in this group, and not a minor one! Minerva Peña, their lead singer for the first two songs they recorded with Big And Tall Records has been replaced by Sophia Johnson, a member of the band that substituted for Peña in their last recording. We originally heard that she was dealing with an illness, but the leader of the group confided that it was a money issue. Not to get into all the particulars, but to cut to the chase they couldn't come to terms. They offered the lead singer to Johnson, and after a lot of thought, she accepted. She's got a fine contralto voice, and her tall stature, red hair and green eyes makes for a striking singer to stand at the microphone.
Also on this recording, there is extended guitar solos by guest artist Juan Marron, the same guitarist that plays on our previous recording Flamenco Fantasia. Marron has a great reputation in the Latin American music world, and has played with many artists and played for top name Flamenco practitioners. With Johnson's mellow singing, Marron's artistic playing, and the rest of the band giving a very appropriate background, this recording is one of our favorites from a group that has recorded many favorites!
Ada Shymore And The Boogie Men recently had a recording session with the members of The Noir Players. We here at Big And Tall Records enjoy it when our artists join forces. Both of these groups stretched their comfort zones, as Ada's recordings of the past have been somewhat controversial in her first recording, No Way Big Boy, and a social commentary in her second one, The Information Highway. The Noir Players is a group of musicians that came together to explore the more serious and macabre sides of modern life. It was a surprise to us when they came up with this song, Let's Go Out that deals with a woman that wants to go out and have fun with a man she just met while her usual man stays home to watch TV. And it's definitely a rock song, symphonic rock, as the whole orchestra joined the Boogie Men. The song was co-written, and the group got along so well that they decided to record two versions of the song. There is a jazz version in production that will be released soon.
