Music Makers and Soul Shakers with Steve Dawson

Steel guitarist and dobro player Al Perkins is on the show today. Al is a true legend of the steel guitar, having played on hundreds of albums, including classics by Manassas, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, The Rolling Stones, as well as plenty of modern country hits through recent years. Al grew up playing steel guitar as a little tyke in country bands on radio and TV around his home state of Texas, and eventually moved out to California in the 60’s, where he encountered a young Kenny Rogers who brought him in on sessions for rock and country albums. Al was in a band at the time called Shiloh, and between his live work and sessions, his reputation led to him replacing Sneaky Pete in the Flying Burrito Brothers. His playing can be heard on classic albums of the time like GP, Grievous Angel and Exile on Main Street. Al stayed incredibly busy through the 80’s and 90’s as a session player, and then cropped up on my radar again as Emmylou Harris’ dobro player on the incredible Nash Ramblers “At The Ryman” album.It was great to speak with Al about lots of these sessions, as well as hearing about some of the technical innovations he made to the steel guitar, customizing his own instrument as the need arose.You can get info on Al at alperkinsmusic.com - Please enjoy my conversation with Al Perkins!Be sure to listen to the Accompanying Songs Playlist which contains some of the artist’s work, plus many of the songs we discuss on the show:Playlist on Spotify / Playlist on Apple MusicIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show with a donation or Patreon subscriptionThe show’s website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.comYour fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guitarist and composer Molly Miller joins me on the show today. I first saw Molly playing a show at Nelson Drum Shop here in Nashville with her trio - Jay Bellerose on drums and Jen Condos on bass. It was a spectacular show. Molly has a really unique style that’s rhythmic and aggressive but also extremely melodic. Kinda jazz. Kinda not. The trio is a regular thing for her, and they create music that owes as much to Booker T and the MG’s as it does to a more traditional jazz approach. Molly also has taken a unique path to her career in music - it’s a combo of playing live, recoding her own albums, touring and recording as guitarist for Jason Mraz, and then teaching at University. In fact, she has a doctorate degree in music and she was the Chair of the Guitar Department at LA College of Music, and is currently a professor of Studio Guitar at USC in LA. So between all those things, she’s got a really interesting career on the go. To hear her at her finest, check out one of the Molly Miller trio albums, which feature amazingly creative guitar playing but also spectacular arrangements and ensemble playing. The latest album is called “St. George”, and there’s also a new one in the works. We had a great conversation about all of those things, as well as her instruments and gear, and how she approaches solo guitar playing. Enjoy!You can keep up with all of Molly’s projects and tour dates atmollymillermusic.comBe sure to listen to the Accompanying Songs Playlist which contains some of the artist’s work, plus many of the songs we discuss on the show:Playlist on Spotify / Playlist on Apple MusicIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show with a donation or Patreon subscriptionThe show’s website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.comYour fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the show this week is William Bell, an incredible vocalist and legendary soul songwriter from Memphis. William was the first male artist signed to Stax Records in the early 60’s and it’s an honor to have him join me today to talk about his experiences. He grew up singing in church but quickly moved to the vibrant nightclub scene on Beale Street in Memphis where he worked with his vocal group The Del Rios at many of the venues there. He was first signed to Stax Records in the early 60’s, primarily as a songwriter, but also as an artist. Other Stax artists at the time included Otis Redding, Carla Thomas, Booker T and the MG’s, Sam and Dave, and The Staple Singers. William wrote one of the label’s first hits with “You Don’t Miss Your Water” in 1961, and had several other releases and hits but his tenure at Stax was truncated in the mid-60’s when he enlisted in the army. When he returned to Memphis and the Stax world, he wrote more classic soul tunes like “Everybody Loves A Winner” and ”Any Other Way”, as well as the blues mega-hit “Born Under A Bad Sign”, which he tailored directly for Albert King (including whispering the lyrics in his ear as King sang the song for his record). That song has also been covered by Cream, Jimi Hendrix and Etta James, among many others.Bell’s successes continued through the 70’s and 80’s writing and recording more hit soul tunes, and having songs covered by artists like Eric Clapton, Lou Rawls, Rod Stewart, and Billy Idol.In 2017 William collaborated with the incredible producer and guitarist John Leventhal to make his album “This Is Where I Live” which brought him in front of a new audience and won him a Grammy award. That killer album was followed by 2023’s “One Day Closer To Home”. We’ll be hearing lots more from William Bell in the years to come, so make sure you check his dates at williambellmusic.com and go so him live!Be sure to listen to the Accompanying Songs Playlist which contains some of the artist’s work, plus many of the songs we discuss on the show:Playlist on Spotify / Playlist on Apple MusicIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show with a donation or Patreon subscriptionThe show’s website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.comYour fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Singer and songwriter William Prince joins me on the show this week.William came by the studio here in East Nashville to talk with me on the eve of his Grand Ol’ Opry debut, which was quite thrilling for a guy from northern Manitoba. William hails from the Peguis First Nation, which is a couple of hours outside of Winnipeg, which is where he now lives. He’s just released a killer new record called “Stand In The Joy” and it was great to get a chance to talk about that, how he wrote the songs for it, and recorded it, as well as his musical history, his upbringing, and how he was exposed to the country and rock music that really resonated with him. He’s made a few records now here in Nashville and Savanah with Dave Cobb, and they really do sound amazing. Great playing, great vibe, and what a voice! He is a Juno Award winner, and has a bunch of other accolades and awards for his various records. 2020’s “Reliever” is a great one, and right after it came out he also released a gospel record, “Gospel First Nation”. William is going to be out touring alot this year and next, so check out all of his dates and music at williamprincemusic.comBe sure to listen to the Accompanying Songs Playlist which contains some of the artist’s work, plus many of the songs we discuss on the show:Playlist on Spotify / Playlist on Apple MusicIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show with a donation or Patreon subscriptionThe show’s website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.comYour fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Songwriter and banjo player Kaia Kater joins me on the show this week.I’ve seen Kaia’s artistry grow over the years as she’s been involved in festivals and events like Folk Alliance that I’ve been a part of and seen her perform quite a few times. Kaia started showing up on the scene 10 or 15 years ago and has put out some incredible music in the last 7 or 8 years. She’s a really interesting banjo player, well versed in traditional string band and old time music which she studied in depth at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia, but also takes the instrument in her own direction using the trad stuff as a launching pad. On her Dad’s side, Kaia has a strong Grenadian connection, which is where he’s from. She did some hefty research into his life and the music from that island, and that all comes out in an incredible way on her album from 2018 called “Grenades”. Go have a listen to that as well as the one before called “Nine Pin”. She has a brand new record that is stellar, but it’s not out yet and she’s not exactly sure when it’ll be out, so we talk about it a bit too, as well as her writing process, and how she approaches recording her own music. Kaia will be touring alot this year and next and I highly encourage you to go see her. You can keep track of all of her activities at www.kaiakater.comBe sure to listen to the Accompanying Songs Playlist which contains some of the artist’s work, plus many of the songs we discuss on the show:Playlist on Spotify / Playlist on Apple MusicIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show with a donation or Patreon subscriptionThe show’s website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.comYour fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the show this week we have the incredible songwriter Peter Case, who I’ve been listening to for a long time. He’s been making records for decades and has some really cool stories under his belt. He’s also a bit of a guitar nerd, so it’s fun to get into that with him as well. Peter’s latest album is called “Doctor Moan” and it’s available now at all the places.Originally from Buffalo, Peter moved to the Bay Area as a youngster and that’s where he started getting into the punk rock scene with a band he started called The Nerves. After The Nerves disbanded, he moved to LA, and that’s where he started to flourish as a performer and songwriter. He formed the Plimsouls next which were more of a straight up rock & roll band, signed to Geffen and made some killer records. “A Million Miles Away” was a hit for them and they started touring all over the country. After the Plimsouls, Case started his solo career, and worked with some amazing producers and musicians, some of whom he continues to work with to this day. His debut was nominated for a Grammy and led to a string of other cool records like “The Man With the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar”, “Six Pack of Love”, “Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John” and “Full Service No Waiting”. His brand new album “Doctor Moan” features mostly songs written and performed on piano, which is a departure for him in some ways, as he is known as a guitar player/singer, but he has in fact always been a keyboard player as well.You can keep track of all of his music and his tour dates at petercase.comBe sure to listen to the accompanying Songs Playlist which contains some of the artist’s work, plus many of the songs we discuss on the show:Playlist on Spotify / Playlist on Apple MusicIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show with a donation or Patreon subscriptionThe show’s website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.comYour fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We kick off Season 7 this week with the very remarkable singer and songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan. Aaron has released a string of compelling and original solo albums over the past decade. They are all unique and interesting, but the last 3 or 4 are real gems, both in the writing and the incredible production and delivery with Tasjan! Tasjan! Tasjan! being the latest release. Aaron has had an interesting path to where he’s at now, starting out playing in bands and jazz band at high school, and toying with a career as a jazz guitarist. As he realized his real passion was for songwriting, he left his jazz studies behind and moved to New York. He joined or started various bands there like The Madison Square Gardeners (great band name), and Semi-Precious Weapons. He also had stints as a side-person to artists like Marc Cohn and even The New York Dolls! Eventually, Aaron relocated to Nashvile and started his solo career in earnest - he’s managed to stay true to his own unique sound but has also evolved in really interesting ways with each new project. He’s collaborated with folks like Sean Lennon, Jack White, Tim Easton and Lilly Hiatt and is currently in the middle of completing his next album, and we get into that process as well.You can keep track of all of his work plus his upcoming tour dates at: aaronleetasjan.comBe sure to listen to the accompanying Songs Playlist which contains some of the artist’s work, plus many of the songs we discuss on the show:Playlist on Spotify / Playlist on Apple MusicIf you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show with a donation or Patreon subscriptionThe show’s website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.comYour fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A bit of info on what's to come in Season 7 - All-new full episodes starting next week!If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show with a donation or Patreon subscriptionThe show’s website can be found at www.makersandshakerspodcast.comYour fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We lost the great David Lindley yesterday. In remembrance of the great Mr. Dave, I have gone back to my conversation with him in 2019. Because I’ve had to pull the music samples from my show, the episodes were shorter, so I glued the 2 parts together into this one episode. I hope you’ll spend a couple hours with us and then go crank some Twango Bango! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 6 comes to an end this week with my guest - the incomparable Jerry Douglas, who has re-invented the concept of the Dobro over the last 50 years, while also working as a bandleader and acclaimed producer. There are select few musicians on the planet who have undeniably redefined their instrument and the way it is approached in modern music, but Jerry is definitely one of them. He has had an incredibly prolific career, starting in the mid 70’s with stints in The Country Gentlemen, the groundbreaking JD Crowe and the New South, Boone Creek and with the incredible Buck White. Soon after establishing himself in the bluegrass world with those groups, he started playing on records as a session musician and became not only the most recorded Dobro player in history, but pretty darn high up there with anyone on any instrument. The number of records he’s played on is somewhere seemingly about 1600. He’s been nominated for 32 grammies, won 14 of them, and is a 10-time IBMA winner of dobro player of the year. His production credits are amazing too, and that really came to the fore with Allison Krauss and Union Station, not to mention his recent work with John Hiatt and Molly Tuttle. Jerry is very active with his own incredible band, and continues to produce and tour seemingly non-stop. He’s been involved in alot of technical Dobro innovations as well, which are really interesting. We’re going to get into all of that and more here today, and meanwhile you can keep up with his latest projects and touring at jerrydouglas.comListen to the accompanying playlist for this episode here, which features the artist’s own music, plus many of the songs that were discussed during the show.This episode is brought to you by Izotope - check out their amazing recording software at: www.izotope.comThanks for your support, and your fearless host, Steve Dawson can be found at: www.stevedawson.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.