MARK MAY
DOLL MAKER
Titles :
Doll maker / I'm a gambler / Did you ride / Gangsta's blues / Pimp daddy / Blue monday / Place your Betts / Gone too long / Black cat bone / You ain't all that / Busta blues / I ain't drunk

Musicians :
Mark May : guitars, vocals
Skip Nallia : piano, B3 organ
Kirk McKim : guitar
Dan Cooper : bass
Clyde Dempsey : drums
Dickey Betts : guitar (9,12)


It's been five years since Mark May released a brand new album. But don't be afraid, he was working. He was touring and recording with Dickey Betts for two years. And Dickey certainly had an inlfuence on Mark's guitar playing. You just need to listen to the song "Place your Betts" to know what I mean (Dickey is not playing on this song, Mark is in charge of all the guitar solos), and also some harmonized guitar parts on songs such as "Dig your ride" and "Gangsta's blues". Mark doesn't only use Dickey's influences on his record but also Carlos Santana's with the song "Gangsta's blues" and its latino groove. The album is mainly blues music oriented, texan blues and sometimes chicago style oriented. But, the main influence on this album is the one Albert Collins had on Mark. He covered two songs from Albert COllins, "Black Cat Bone" (with Dickey Betts playing the first solo) and "I Ain't Drunk". Let's also notice the great voice work which sometimes reminds me of an other great texan, Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Dominique Turgot



MARK MAY & THE AGITATORS
CALL ON THE BLUES / TELEPHONE ROAD
Titles :
CALL ON THE BLUES
You're Leaving Baby / Wound Up / You Can Call On The Blues / All For You / Short & Stout / Hail To The Iceman / If You Love Me Like You Say / Laugh To Keep From Cryin' / Down For The Count / She Ain't Coming Home / Big City Crime / Sweet Shuffle Queen

TELEGRAPH ROAD
Mercury Blues / Don't Give Up / Sweet Spot / Lights Are On But Nobody's Home / Joann / Telephone Road / Icehouse Special / Back In The Joint / Took Me By Surprise / She's A Stranger / I'll Be Around / Helena Hangover

Musicians :
CALL ON THE BLUES :
Mark May : bass, guitar, lap steel guitar, vocals
Dan Cooper : bass
Eric Demmer : saxophone
Joe "Guitar" Hughes : guitar
Rusty McFarland : bass, guitar, background vocals

TELEGRAPH ROAD :
Mark May : dobro, guitar, organ
Dan Cooper : bass
Eric Demmer : sax
Travis Doyle : organ
Greg Grubbs : drums
Alan Haynes : guitar
Larry Mc Cray : guitar
The Memphis Horns : horn section
David Nevling : harmonica
Barbara Pennington : background vocals
Yvonne Washington : background vocals
Debbie Watson : background vocals
Bill Wells : guitar, slide guitar


It's always a great pleasure to listen, or re-listen to an album from Mark May, the famous guitar player from Texas, who one time was playing with the great Dickey Betts.
On this first album, "Call on the blues", released in 1995, Mark May delivers us a very swinging and energetic blues album, with such great guitar parts.
An improvement of the production can be noted, most notably on the guitar sound, on his second release,"Telephone Road", which came out back in 1997. A great great album, with great guitar solos, in particular on the slow blues "Lights Are On But Nobody's Home".
Dominique Turgot



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