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"Every New Orleanian knows about the long black line, the dirty bathtub ring left by receding floodwaters. Folk/blues troubadour Spencer Bohren threads that indelible image through a post-Katrina landscape laced with the menace and moan of a slow-crawl, doomsday acoustic slide guitar. His unflinching narration resonates with the authority of an Old Testament prophet. "The Long Black Line" could serve as the soundtrack to a Katrina documentary, but video footage would be redundant - Bohren's song paints an all-too-vivid picture." Also performed are an array of topical songs that give the listener the feeling of reading the news of the day. - Keith Spera for the Times Picayune. Down the Dirt Road Blues (2005)
CDs: $18.00 US
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- Africa 0:30
[ listen | download ] - Slavery Days 1:52
[ listen | download ] - Homemade Banjo 2:36
[ listen | download ] - Birth of the Blues 2:50
[ listen | download ] - Delta Slide 3:12
- Jug Band Music 2:46
- Take to the Hills 2:26
- Blue Yodel 2:02
- Back to the Delta 1:54
- Nashville Bound 2:08
- North to Chicago 2:24
- Urban Shuffle 2:02
- Rock ‘n’ Roll 1:40
- English Invasion 2:06
- Folk Boom 2:11
- Full Circle 3:30
Beginning with a melody carried in the heart of a man chained in the hold of a Sixteenth-Century slave ship, Down the Dirt Road Blues tells the story of one song's journey through American history and culture. Using era-appropriate instruments as accompaniment, the African melody travels from the cottonfields of Mississippi to urban Memphis, Tennessee, and on to the Appalachian mountains, the studios of Nashville, the genesis of the Rock 'n' Roll era, and the Folk Boom and English Invasion of the 1960s.
Southern Cross (2004)
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$21.00 international
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- People Get Ready 5:43
[ listen | download ] - Goin' Down the Bayou 4:43
[ listen | download ] - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry 6:17
- Blues Stay Away From Me 3:56
- Wake Me, Shake Me 1:59
[ listen | download ] - Long Black Veil 5:38
[ listen | download ] - East Kentucky Coaldust 5:01
- I'll Be Around 3:40
- Parchman 3:29
- Workin' On A Building 5:34
- Lost Highway 3:51
Spencer Bohren's lifelong interest in America's musical history comes full circle with Southern Cross. In his capable hands, a variety of stringed instruments breathes life into a cornucopia of traditional blues, gospel, country, and rhythm 'n' blues songs.
His original pieces fit so seamlessly into the tradition that one must look at the liner notes to identify them, and the comfortable pace and depth of performance make it his most mature effort to date. From the powerfully evocative lapsteel intro of "People Get Ready" to the lonesome frailed banjo of his own "East Kentucky Coaldust," Spencer takes the listener on a sublime and unforgettable musical journey.
Solitaire (2002)
CDs: $18.00 US
$21.00 international
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Spencer Bohren's Solitaire documents many of the most beloved songs from his concert repertoire in their acoustic form.
Though several of the tracks have been previously released, these versions are what the audience typically hears at a Spencer Bohren concert. All of the elements of his concerts are here, from the deep delta bottleneck slide work of Been 'Round the World, to a chilling rendition of the original, Witch Doctor, performed on the supremely evocative lapsteel guitar.
Other original contributions include the ever-popular Born in a Biscayne, the lonesome ballad, In-Between Friends, and the jaunty Down the Road. Blind Willie McTell, The Rolling Stones, Hank Williams, Skip James and Charley Patton fill out the songlist.
Carry the Word (2000)
CDs: $18.00 US
$21.00 international
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After decades of mining the roots of American music, it was inevitable that Spencer Bohren would someday dig into the fertile soil of his own gospel-singing childhood. His explorations led to a musical place filled with imagery from a distant America. Here there were lonesome train whistles, big rivers, chariots of fire, epic battles, long journeys and heavy burdens, as well as strong men and beautiful women. Here the enemy was doubtlessly in league with the Devil and all paths led to Gloryland.
The theme that emerges is not really salvation, however, but rather the quest for freedom. These songs sing of crossing those rivers, escaping bondage, flying away, and generally slipping the chains of this mortal plane.
Carry the Word is a loving collection of Gospel-related Folk Music in which Spencer Bohren takes the listener from the sweet Southern Quartet sound of the Carolinas to a charismatic sanctified country church meeting in the Delta, with stops along the way for a Kentucky banjo piece, a heavenly instrumental version of Amazing Grace, and a couple of gorgeous originals. Inspiring!
Dirt Roads (1997)
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$21.00 international
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Dirt Roads - According to Dirty Linen, the Folk Music "bible" of New England, Spencer Bohren's DIRT ROADS is ". . . the most stunning Blues recording of the year!"
It is an unusually atmospheric set of music, paying tribute to a musical era before radio, television and the media informed the public taste. The title implies a period before pavement. Before the automobile.
It was a time when music was a pure expression of the heart, soul, or the circumstances of life. The acoustic instrumentation of Spencer Bohren on guitar, slide and mandolin, backed by JAB Wilson on harmonica, is as comfortable as an old pair of boots. It's soothing to the soul.
Included are traditional blues, spirituals and field hollers, along with several of Spencer's "traditional originals," inspired by back roads music from America's past. DIRT ROADS became an instant favorite among Spencer Bohren fans worldwide.
Vintage (1994)
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$21.00 international
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All of the tracks on Spencer Bohren's VINTAGE were originally released on L.P. records titled BORN in a BISCAYNE and DOWN in MISSISSIPPI. The title tracks represent the character of both projects, one displaying more of Spencer's original material, and the other paying respects to the Blues ancestors from the Deep South.
The story of a man who begins life in the back seat of a 1954 Chevrolet is told in the song "Born in a Biscayne," which is fueled by the incredible slide guitar work of John Mooney.
J.B. Lenoir's classic "Down in Mississippi" speaks of the unspeakable custom of racism in a Mississippi of the 50's. Spencer's haunting version garnered much airplay at the time of release, and it's just as chilling today.
Present Tense (1994)
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Present Tense - Originally recorded for release on SONY Records in France, PRESENT TENSE combines Spencer Bohren's fine songwriting with a decidedly New Orleans rhythm section and a killer guitar player. Drummer Frank Bua and bassist Reggie Scanlan anchor the funky music of New Orleans' beloved RADIATORS. In 1994, they met with Spencer and his favorite guitarist, Sweden's Bengt Blomgren, at Ultrasonic Studios in New Orleans to cut a batch of original songs, many which display a wry social consciousness and a surprising humorous streak.
The resulting tracks reveal a different side of Spencer Bohren's musical personality, and it's one that rocks!
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Gallery of Spencer's shadowbox artwork
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