Something Blue - for air 8/28/93  Larry Donn

play - Larry Donn, An Old Hillbilly Cat                 3:15
        Three Suns - single

Welcome to Something Blue.  This is Hairy Larry and I've got the
blues ... for you.

play - Billy Lee Riley, Stranded                        4:13

OK.  Kicking us off tonight we heard Larry Donn, International
Rockabilly Star from Bono, Arkansas.  He sang a song he wrote
called "An Old Hillbilly Cat".  Then we heard another Jonesboro
musician who had an early career in Rock and Roll and is enjoying
a huge resurgence in Europe and all over the world, Billy Lee
Riley.  Billy Lee has a new CD out on Hightone called "Blue
Collar Blues" and it's hot all the way through.  The song we
heard is called "Stranded".

Larry Donn and the Killer Possum Band will be performing at Blues
Fest 93 the Sunday before Labor Day at Craighead Forest Park.  I
spoke with him last week and he had some interesting things to
say about the power of early Rock and Roll and Blues Music.

play - Larry Donn, interview                            :45
        in - The early rock and roll...
        out - What makes it blues is that drama.

Larry Donn also had a few comments about the popularity of Billy
Lee Riley overseas.

play - Larry Donn, interview                            :20
        in - Some of the artists like Mick Jagger...
        out - over there right now

Billy Lee Riley is from Jonesboro and recorded at Sun in the
fifties.  Since then he has had an immense career as a session
harp player in L.A. and is now a Superstar in Europe, yet many
Jonesboro residents have never heard of him.  Let's listen to
another song from his "Blue Collar Blues" CD, "The Blues Come
Around".

play - Billy Lee Riley, The Blues Come Around           2:47

play - Larry Donn, interview                            1:35
        in - To me rock and roll started with Elvis
        out - And that's what rock and roll is all about.

play - Larry Donn, Great American Superstar             3:20
        Three Suns - single

play - Larry Donn, interview                            1:15
        Everybody has and ego...
        It's a lot of fun.

Larry Donn is involved in a project where he is writing songs
about many of the early stars.  We heard "The Great American
Superstar" a song he wrote about Elvis.

As well as being a performing musician, he also documents early
rock and roll in his magazine column "Rockabilly Daze".  It is
the most popular column in "Now Dig This" the leading Rockabilly
magazine in the world.

play - Larry Donn, interview                            :41
        in - In Dec of 1990...
        out - Complain about things...for the last 30 years

On Friday, August 13, "Something Blue" had the opportunity to
record Larry Donn at the VFW.  It was a great party with The
Killer Possum Band; Terry Carter, sax; Philip Jackson, bass; Mark
Pungercar, drums; and Tommy Riley, drums.  Larry Donn also had
some guests from Sweden including "Wildfire Willie" who got loose
and sang a few.

A night of great music at the VFW that we were lucky enough to
catch and turn into a mini album for "Something Blue".  Here it
is, "The Great Larry Donn".

play - Larry Donn, The Great Larry Donn                   28:24
        S.B. Sessions - 8/13/93

Yeah, that was Wildfire Willie, playing guitar and singing with
"The Great Larry Donn".  He was in seventh heaven at the VFW in
Jonesboro, Arkansas.  He came all the way from Sweden to enjoy
American "Roots Music".  He gave me his CD by Wildfire Willie and
the Ramblers called "Rarin' to Go".  Let's listen to a couple of
cuts of Swedish Rockabilly, "Come Back Baby" and "Mean Little
Mama".

play - Wildfire Willie, Come Back Baby                  ?:??
        Sun Jay - Rarin to Go

play - Wildfire Willie                                  ?:??
        Sun Jay - Rarin to Go

I got turned on to a great Blues LP by the Chicago Blues All
Stars called " Loaded with the Blues".  Playing on it are Willie
Dixon, Sunnyland Slim, Big Walter, Johnny Shines, and Clifton
James.  This album is a good example of the similarity between
blues and rockabilly styles.  Here's "29 Ways" written by Willie
Dixon.

play - Willie Dixon, 29 Ways                            2:50

play - Larry Donn, Hemorrhoid Blues                     3:00
        S.B.Sessions - 08/13/93

Closing the show we have Larry Donn and the Killer Possum Band
featuring Terry Carter on Sax playing "The Hemorrhoid Blues".
Until next week, then, this is Hairy Larry reminding you, once
again, that blues is the mainstream.

@ 58 minutes

Something Blue is a production of KASU at Arkansas State
University.  I'm Larry Heyl, your producer and host.  This show
was engineered by John Sifford and myself.  If you have enjoyed
the show call me at Jonesboro Computer Services, 501-935-6659, or
write to Something Blue, Post Office Box 2160, State University,
AR 72467.  Thanks for listening.