Michael Grady and a Sort of Cotton Kings Shreveport Reunion

Michael Grady

Wednesday I got an email from Mike Grady:

HELLO MY SWEET,      HOW ARE THINGS THESE DAYS ? COMING WEST FROM MONROE EN ROUTE TO DALLAS. ARE YOU ALONG THIS TRAIL OVER THE COMING WEEKEND ?  G 

Michael has been in Playa del Carmen for the past few years, popping in and out of Monroe now and then to see his mother. The Carribean suits him; he looks strong and well.  He's not drinking and I'm told he quit smoking.  I've tried to keep up with him through the years and a while back I found a video of him playing in a beach bar in Playa del Carmen, did a blog post  or two about him, and still get emails and comments about where Michael is and what he's up to, and I get the occasional request for his email address. The post has become sort of a portal for people who want to keep up with Grady.  

I've not known Mike as long as a lot of people, only 38 years (damn, I'm getting old...), but he's the kind of fellow that makes an impression.  His distinctive music style has been the genus of several permutations of his original band and the music business is a brotherhood. Musicians that last and that people remember are the ones that take care of their brothers and mentor the up and comers in the business.  Back in the 1970s and '80s there weren't many people in the Shreveport music scene who didn't know who Michael Grady was. 

Robert McLane, Pat Austin-Becker, Michael Grady

Mike played his gig solo sometimes, he played with "Howdy" and "The Cotton Kings."  Around here they played The Royal Room and the infamous Lakecliff Club on Cross Lake, among others.  The Royal Room was a real dive, but that was part of its charm. The dingy beige walls, the red glass candle holders on the laminate tables, the metal & upholstery chairs you see in every dive bar....  There was a window unit in the wall behind the stage, mounted up high, pumping stale air and dripping water.  But nobody cared about the decor; that's not why you went there.  

The Lakecliff (or is it Lake Cliff?)  was on Cross Lake by the water plant; it's hard to find any remnants of it at all now.  But oh man, that place...; it was just a sort of road house, a big, barn looking place with a stage and a bar.  Elvis played there.  It was just a nowhere place that kind of sprung up and took off, but the musicians that played on that stage....

Anyway, so when I got Michael's email Wednesday, of course I'm "along this trail."  Let's get together for coffee, I said.  Then I decided maybe I'd invite David Shelton to come, Michael's drummer back in the day, and a fabulous musician and all around good guy today.  David was all in for a coffee date and suggested we call John Bicknell. Before you know it, we have a reunion on our hands.

David called me Thursday morning and said, "Hey, you know of any place we could get together and play a little while Mike is here?"  

No.  But my brother might.

Michael Grady, Bruce Flett, David T. Shelton, Robert McLane

So my brother gets to working the phones and gets Stan Hoffman in on it who eventually hooks us up with Gary Graves who was booked to play at Lee's Friday night with his new band Funhouse.  Gary is a class act and (see paragraph above) a longtime, well respected Shreveport musician who takes care of his brothers.  I sent Gary a text, told him Mike was in town, and asked if it would be okay if Michael played a bit? 

"Yes," he said.  No hesitation.  

Brothers.

"That's what its all about," Gary said.

So Friday we take over Strawns on Kings Highway. I'm sitting there looking at David Shelton, John Bicknell, and Michael Grady, wondering how long it has been since these three guys were in the same room together when in walks Bruce Flett.  There are cheers and hugs all around and I spent the next hour and a half listening to them all reminisce and tell stories. 

"Remember that time we played in...."

"I was on the bus with...."

"Havana is the place to go now, man!  You'll forget all about Mexico once you go to Cuba."

"I went to visit that sonofabitch ...he's laying in a hammock listening to all the Cotton Kings tapes...."

Micahel Grady and Bruce Flett

(I WANT those tapes!)

"I was sitting there with Guy Clark and Jerry Jeff and...."

I pulled out some old pictures from the 1986 reunion gig they played at The Royal Room and those were passed all around and we all marveled at our youth.  Looking at those guys, and listening to their stories, I remain flabbergasted at how much musical talent this town has produced.

"Oh hell, he probably has half of the remnants of the Lakecliff at his house...."

"What ever happened to Mike Coker?  Where is he?"

"Last I heard he went to Acapulco."

Looking at the pictures..."Damn, my beard used to be black!"  Mike said.  "I got my cataracts done a few years ago and looked in the mirror one day and said 'oh shit!'"  

David Shelton has a memory like an elephant and remembered every gig, every date, every place, every detail.  I'm going to get David and a tape recorder and we're going to write a book.  I'm not sure who our market audience will be, but we need to record all of it.

Michael Grady

It was a grand reunion.  Really.  

Later, I picked up my brother and we went to pick up Stan Hoffman and head to Lee's.  (Getting Stan's equipment into my Jeep, in the dark in the alley behind his house, along with the three of us is a story unto itself.)  

At the bar, the ever-gracious Gary Graves embraced Mike, they caught up, and after Gary's band finished their first set Mike Grady took the stage in Shreveport one more time.  He plugged in his guitar, settling his lean, lanky frame on a bar stool, and started to sing.  The bar-chatter stopped and everyone was watching the legend on the stage. He did three songs, which wasn't nearly enough but it was everything.  

"Who is that?"  I heard behind me.  

"That's Mike Grady."  

"I've heard of him, but I've never seen him play!"

"He's great!  I like it!"

He opened with his classic "Do Wah Ditty," then "Let Him Roll" and then "a song I wrote," he said which was perfect because the chorus is "this is my town, these are my people...".  And indeed this is, and we are.  

Here's a snip:  (sorry for the poor lighting)



And hey, if you guys every figure out what happened to the sparkly tip jar found under the Lakecliff stage that said "Elvis's tips," let me know!

Michael Grady is Alive and Well in North Louisiana

This one is for the locals...

Back in 2010 I posted a link to Michael Grady's CD "Nona Mae"; Grady still has a lot of fans around here and many wrote or emailed me to ask where he was and what he was up to.

In response to that I'm here to report that Grady is alive and well in North Louisiana and has just returned from a week long gig in Mexico.  He tells me he's working with Dino Zimmerman again on...wait for it...a CD of 40s music!

What a kick!  Can't wait for that!

I would love to see Grady perform at the Highland Jazz & Blues Fest.

Can we make it happen?




(See most recent Mike Grady updates here)

The Music Is a Little Quieter Today: Sad News from Nashville

The local music industry mourns the loss today of Shreveport's own George W. Clinton.  (He was actually from Helena, but worked here for many years.)  George died in Nashville yesterday after a lengthy illness.

Many will remember George from his work at Sound City Recording Studio on Line Avenue.  With his big Buick LeSabre ("The Shark"), parked out front, he worked with many of the best in the business and for years Sound City was the place to be!  George also worked the sound board at The Louisiana Hayride on Saturday nights for a few years.  He had the opportunity to meet and work with many great entertainers there.

Locally George worked with Miki Honneycutt, Tag Graves, Joe Spivy, Dennis Zimmerman, Michael Grady, Eddie Giles, Reuben Bell, Ted Taylor, Geater Davis, Little Johnny Taylor, Shay Holliday, Tommie Young and the African Music Machine. Bobby Patterson ran his Soul Power label there.

Even if they weren't cutting tracks, the local greats would come by to jam, to visit, or just sit in.

In Nashville, George and his business partner at Bayou Recording Studio,  Joe Spivey, worked with such acts as Booker T & The MGs, Isaac Hayes, Alabama, Charley Pride, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, KISS, Martina McBride, KT Oslin, Hank Williams Jr, and many others.

George was a personal friend of mine, though we lost touch through the years, and I had the opportunity to witness his talents behind the mixing board and his gift with people.  He had an easy smile and a gentle manner that drew people to him.

The music is a little quieter today.

Added:  George's obit, from The Tennessean:

CLINTON, George W. Age 68, of Nashville, passed away on Wednesday, November 23, 2011 at his home. Born in Helena AR, he had lived in Nashville since 1983 where he worked in the music industry. Until earlier this year, he owned and operated Bayou Recording with his business partner and long-time friend, Joe Spivey of Hermitage, TN. He was preceded in death by his parents, George V. "Buck" and Catherine Clinton, and his granddaughter, Chelsea Suzanne Weisz. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Jill and Dwayne Weisz-Keller of Nashville; his son and daughter-in-law, Jay and Christine Clinton of Asheville, NC; his sister and brother-in-law, Sue and Jack Russell of Decatur, TX; his granddaughter, Rachel Weisz of Nashville; many cousins, nieces, and nephews; many dear friends; and his canine companion, Daisy. A Celebration of Life service will be held on Thursday, December 1 at 6 p.m. at Brenthaven Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 516 Franklin Rd. in Brentwood, TN. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Diabetes Association .

Michael Grady's "Nona Mae and Friends" Available Now!

Way back in the day my sister took me to The Lakecliff Club to hear a band.  We went to listen to her friend Michael Grady.  Let's just say it was a very interesting experience, and lots of good times were had at The Lakecliff!

Shreveport is known for its rich musical history and there are many who can write about it much better than I, but I did love to go to The Lakecliff , The Royal Room, the Rusty Nail, and later, clubs in Shreve Square to hear Michael Grady play;  Grady shared the stage with some of our best local talent and I even saw him with Willie Nelson once at Whiskey River on the Riverfront.

I stumbled across Michael's CD this morning and promptly ordered it.  Dennis Zimmerman, another fabulous local talent, is running a demo studio in Nashville and has produced a CD for Grady.  I had to have it.  I listened to the samples and Michael is ... well, Michael!   The only thing this CD is missing is "Goodnight Irene."

Any of you locals who remember Grady and his entourage will want to add this one to your collection.  Good times!

(See most recent Michael Grady updates here)