Rickey Godfrey Playin’ da Blues at Mama Rues

Nashville’s Rickey Godfrey will be working his Telecaster at Mama Rue’s Blues Garden in Pawleys Island, S.C. on Wednesday evening,  April 13. In a performance that begins at 7:30, Rickey will play tunes from his new blues CD, Nasty Man, along with blues standards and other Rickey Godfrey originals.

Rickey said, “I’m excited to be playing at Mama Rue’s. It’s my first time there, and just from talking with Marrue on the phone, it feels right. I can’t wait!”

Marrue Bleau is the owner of the cozy café that serves up local seafood and spicy Jamaican cuisine. An indoor stage easily handles a duo or solo act, but when the weather permits, the music moves to the garden bar out back. Mama Rue’s is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.; and Saturday, 11 a.m. – midnight. The intimate lowcountry spot is known for its lowdown island cooking and Chef Eric’s Jamaican specialties such as jerk pork and jerk chicken.

Mama Rue’s is located at 9737 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island, S.C. 29585. Telephone number is 843-235-3853.

For more information, visit Mama Rue’s Facebook page.

Nashville Blues Artist To Present Program at Sunset River Marketplace April 13

Nashville guitarist Rickey Godfrey is scheduled to speak and perform at Sunset River Marketplace in Calabash, N.C. on Wednesday, April 13, as part of the gallery’s Creative Exchange series. The presentation, which is titled The Life and Times of Rickey Godfrey,  starts at 11 a.m. and runs through 12:30 p.m. Cost is $7 and includes lunch. Due to limited seating, reservations are required.

The talented musician will perform some of his music as he talks about the challenges of growing up blind and functioning in a world that is largely sight-oriented.

Blind since birth, he started studying at the age of seven, while attending the South Carolina School for the Blind. He studied classical piano and voice, and, at age 13, began playing guitar as well.

At 16, Rickey Godfrey joined his first band. He and his brother Ronnie Godfrey, also blind, soon formed their own band, Garfeel Ruff, which signed with Capitol Records in 1978 and became one of the most popular bands in the S.C. Upstate.

Since moving to Nashville in 1993, Godfrey has worked with artists such as Donna Fargo, Rufus Thomas, Junior Walker, Sam Moore, Billy Preston, Clifford Curry, E. G. Kight, Sonny Turner and Bill Pinkney, performing throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.

In 2003, Godfrey formed the Rickey Godfrey Band, which catered to beach and blues audiences in the Carolinas. He released two CDs while he had the band.  Soul Sensations earned four 2004 CBMA awards including Song of the Year for “Can’t Change My Heart.” During 2005, Godfrey posted three additional Top Tens from the album with “No One Loves You Better Than Me,” “Whatever It Takes” and “If Ten’ll Kill Me, Give Me Nine.” Once In a Lifetime Love, released 1n 2006, was also well received, earning awards for Blues Album of the Year, Group of the Year and Group Album of the Year.

Since disbanding the group, Godfrey has been a sought-after composer, session player and touring musician –including a performance with the Chocolate Thunder Band at the 2009 Montreal Jazz Festival.  He has also released his fourth solo CD, Nasty Man, a powerhouse of a record – solidly blues-driven with jazz and funk influences that give it an edge and a sound unique to the uber-talented musician.

Rickey Godfrey has been nominated by the Music City Blues Society as both Guitarist and Keyboard Player of the Year. He earned a 2008 Marion James Musician’s Aid Society award and, in 2009, Nashville’s Best Blues Keyboardist. In late 2010, the N.C. Cape Fear Blues Society chose Nasty Man as its nomination for Best Self Produced CD at the Blues Foundation awards.

Ginny Lassiter, owner of Sunset River Marketplace said, “The gallery is a big supporter of the performing arts, and we are delighted that Rickey has time to come and talk to us.”

To reserve your spot, call the gallery at 910-575-5999 or send an email to lassiter@sunsetrivermarketplace.com.

The gallery’s interactive Creative Exchange series offers a wide range of presentations on music, art, travel, entertaining, home design, financial planning, fashion and more. If you would like to receive notifications about upcoming events, call the gallery or send an email with “Creative Exchange Mailing List” in the subject line.

Sunset River Marketplace showcases work by approximately 200 North and South Carolina artists, and houses some 10,000 square feet of oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, mixed media, art glass, pottery, sculpture, turned and carved wood and artisan-created jewelry. There are two onsite kilns used by students in the ongoing pottery classes offered by the gallery. A custom framing department is available. There are also classes in oil painting, watercolor, pastel and figure drawing.

For more information, visit the website: www.sunsetrivermarketplace or call 910-575-5999. The gallery also has a Facebook page.

Sunset River Marketplace is located at 10283 Beach Drive SW (Hwy 179) in Calabash, N.C. Hours  are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CD Review: Michael Buffalo Smith (universalmusictribe.com)

Michael Buffalo Smith – musician, author and blog talk radio host

Rickey Godfrey never ceases to amaze me. He and his brother Ronnie have been blind since birth, but please don’t call them handicapped. Rickey always said “It ain’t a handicap. it’s more of an inconvenience.” Of course, that inconvenience has never slowed this blues rocker down one iota.

Godfrey has been one of my favorite guitar slingers ever since his days with Capitol Recording artists Garfeel Ruff, back in the early 1980’s. That was where I first heard him play and sing, and where I first witnessed his knack for songwriting. Those skills have only grown over the past thirty years, and after a long and successful career in beach and dance music, Godfrey returns to his blues and southern rock roots with Nasty Man, a 12-track whoop-up that comes out of the chute kickin’ like a wild bull on Red Bull. From the grungy “I Want Me a Nasty Woman” to the first single from the album, “Don’t Get Your Honey Where You Get Your Money,” this is a fiery, guitar driven and gritty masterpiece. It’s electric blues the way God intended them to be played. Lord have mercy, Miss Percy. Rickey Godfrey has done got nasty on us, and it sounds so good.

-Michael Buffalo Smith, universalmusictribe.com

How To Purchase ‘Nasty Man’ by Rickey Godfrey

Nasty Man is available online, via mail or at a growing list of retail outlets. We’ll add more to this list as the information becomes available. Thanks!

Online

• CD Baby

• iTunes

• SouthernSoul.com

Mailorder

• Rickey Godfrey via PayPal or Check/Moneyorder

• Record Rack

3992 N.C. Hwy 55 W

Mount Olive, N.C. 28365-7556

919-735-7773

Retail Outlets

• Judy’s House of Oldies

300 Main Street

North Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29582-3056

843-2499-8649

www.judyshouseofoldies.com

•Sunset River Marketplace

10283 Beach Drive SW (Hwy 179)

Calabash, N.C. 28467

910-575-5999

www.sunsetrivermarketplace.com

BluesSource.com reviews ‘Nasty Man’ – Thanks, Dirk!

After meeting & seeing this gracious guitarist in Nashville, I can only say that I’m hooked! Not only does Rickey have a great vocal style, with a textured grovel and dynamic howl, he also renders a style on guitar that is quite unlike any other I have seen. Rickey is of course blind, and that is one of the reasons his guitar style is different from other players. He has had to adapt to his own way of approaching the instrument he commands. His style is a gut wrenching blues, channeled with a slight infusion of jazz inter weaved into his finger work that only makes his blues style even more intriguing. All this without any influence through sight, although he probably has one hell of a musical ear.

Ten out of the twelve tracks on this CD are original. Some with a humorous take, like the title track, “I Want Me a Nasty Woman,” and “Don’t Get Your Honey, Where You Get Your Money.” Others have a flaring groove complete with soulful background singers like “Heart On Fire,” and others like “Let’s Get Busy,” & “Help Yourself To Me.” He has invited several great performers to help out on this recording, and Rickey also plays all keyboards here as well.  Also, that’s Shaun Murphy on background vocals.

He also dedicated a tune to the late “Johnny Jones,” where he conjures up his guitar solo in a way that is fresh and rejuvenating. Rickey definitely has his own sound, true to the blues he lives, and it is a welcome relief to know him and others like him are slipping into the blues. Maybe more players like Rickey will begin a project in the blues, stepping away from their country or jazz roots, and we may begin to see a resurgence of new players. Professional players like Rickey, who want to leave behind the grind of the commercial music business, just to have some fun in the blues.

(C) 2010, Dirk Wissbaum

BluesSource.com

Nashville Blues Society Reviews ‘Nasty Man’ – WOW!

Rickey Godfrey review…

Around here, he’s affectionately known as “Little Rickey,” but, although he may be small in stature, he comes up big in talent and heart!  Born in Greenville, SC, he began his musical training at age seven while enrolled in the Greenville School For The Blind.  He developed an affinity for the South Carolina R-&-B-rooted “beach music” prevalent in the South, and has released several critically-acclaimed CDs.  His fans have been begging him for an all-blues set, and “Nasty Man” is finally here!

On this set, Rickey plays a mean guitar plus all the keyboards and vocals, and couples four original tunes with cuts from such heavy hitters as Richard Fleming, Doug Jones,  and Gary Nicholson.  He kicks things off with his signature growling vocal on the title cut, where he’s lookin’ for a woman who’s not into champagne and bubble baths, but who “loves me for what I am!”  Low-maintenance women are also the theme of “Allergic To Mink,” while Rickey plays the part of the cheatin’ lover who’s lady show’s him the “Fool’s Way Out.”

Rickey doesn’t forget his roots or his beach music fans, either.  The horn-driven dance-floor anthem “Let’s Get Busy” is followed by the tale of a broken-hearted woman whom Rickey invites to “Help Yourself To Me,” which the shaggers will enjoy immensely!

We had three favorites, too.  With all the sharp stuff available, it’s best to “Don’t Argue In The Kitchen,” or “you may not survive!”  A mythical Saturday night down on Beale Street allows us to learn why Rickey wears his shades at night—”When You’re Cool, the sun shines all the time!”  And, a poignant look at “another bluesman done gone” is “Johnny Jones.”  Rickey pays tribute to the late hero with a minor-key slow blues that name-checks Johnny’s early hits and his Hendrix connection.

It’s always good to hear a new set from Rickey Godfrey.  With “Nasty Man,” he brings it all back down home, and reinforces what most of us already know—he’s one of the biggest talents in all of blues!!!    Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow

CD Review – Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro ©Jan. 2011

Thanks to Pete Lauro at  Mary4Music for this great review of Nasty Man:

The Blewzzman

Here I go, starting off another new year doing my favorite thing – listening to and writing about good blues music…. make that very good blues music. Although it’s a new year, the artist kicking it off is certainly no newcomer. With “Nasty Man” being his fourth solo release it’s safe to say that Rickey Godfrey is a seasoned veteran.

Rickey Godfrey, on guitar, keyboards, vocals, synthetic horns and background vocals, is also the writer of ten of the disc’s twelve tracks. He’s joined by George Perelli, Michael Grando and Tez Sherrard on drums, Franklin Wilkie and Doug Seibert on bass, Don Wise on saxophone, and Shaun Murphy, Ronnie Godfrey, Kim Morrison Godfrey and Angel Rissoff on background vocals.

As he candidly describes the women of his dreams, it’s quite obvious that Rickey is easy to please. His only demand is that she be a “Nasty Woman”. No champagne drinking, bubble bathers for him – a cigar smoker with holes in her underwear will do just fine. Hard sung vocals, wonderfully amusing lyrics and scorching guitar all make this one a winner.

OK, there seems to be a pattern going on here. Now Rickey’s singing about a low maintenance woman whose “Allergic To Mink”. While funny, it’s funky as well, and that’s due to the great rhythm provide by George and Franklin on the drums and bass.

Here’s a public service announcement from Rickey….“Don’t Argue In The Kitchen”. There are just too many pots and pan & forks and knives and you just might lose your life. Musically, this one could very well be the discs best track. It snaps from beginning to end. Led by crisp and wicked drumming from George, the rhythm sets a solid, speedy pace and the whole band just jams along with fantastic results. One of the best vocally as well.

Other than the name of the song, nothing’s changed. The band’s still tearing it up with everyone going full tilt. It could be because “It’s A Good Night To Drink”. When this smoker’s on, I’m sure it’s a good night to dance as well. One hell of a party tune.

Another great track is “Johnny Jones”. It’s dedicated to a very dear friend of Rickey’s – the late Nashville Bluesman who passed away in 2009. Johnny was known for playin’ those low down nasty blues and that’s exactly what this one’s all about. With the band tightly tucked into a bluesy groove, Rickey shines on this one. His soulful and sincere vocals clearly make it known how much he misses Johnny, and his scorching, low down guitar riffs just can’t be any nastier. A true tribute indeed.

Other tracks on “Nasty Man” include: “Heart On Fire”, “When You’re Cool (The Sun Shines All The Time)”, “Don’t Get Your Honey Where You Get Your Money”, “Fools Way Out”, “Let’s Get Busy”, “Help Yourself To Me”, and “It Can Happen To Me”.

I highly recommend getting your ears on a copy of “Nasty Man”. Then you’ll know exactly why the Cape Fear Blues Society in Wilmington, NC felt so strong about it that they’ve sponsored it in this years “Best Self Produced CD” competition. You can do that by contacting Rickey Godfrey at www.rickeygodfrey.com. Please tell him the Blewzzman sent ya.

– Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro/ Blues Editor @ www.Mary4Music.com ©Jan. 2011

Thanks! Cape Fear Blues Society

That's George Tucci on sax, Lan Nichols on bass, me on guitar, rocker Michele Seidman on the mic and Rich Laverdure on drums. (The next time I played the Rusty Nail, Lan's wife Nel sat in on harp, too. Super!)

I want to take this opportunity to thank Lan Nichols and the Cape Fear Blues Society (CFBS) in Wilmington, N.C. This organization has nominated Nasty Man, my new blues album for the Best Self-Produced CD award, which will be named by the Blues Foundation during the  International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. in February 2011.

My first contact with CFBS was a couple years ago, when I stopped by the Rusty Nail for the Tuesday night jam run by Pete Durso (one of the fairest jam organizers I’ve ever met and a topnotch player to boot). I met Lan Nichols there, who is one of the directors for CFBS as well as the bass player for a Wilmington band called Tommy B and the Stingers. I also met Sandy Williams, who owns the Rusty Nail. The crowd was great, and I had such a good time that I went by again during another visit to the area . Then in July 2009 I played at the Cape Fear Blues Festival jam at the Rusty Nail. Since then I’ve had a couple gigs at the Rusty Nail (Thanks, Sandy!) with Lan Nichols joining me on bass and Rich Laverdure on drums.

I love the atmosphere at the Rusty Nail and find the Wilmington blues community to  be enormously appreciative and excited to be involved, so I’m especially honored that the Cape Fear Blues Society chose to nominate my CD for the award.

Thanks again,

Rickey Godfrey

P.S. Thanks also to George Scheibner,  WHQR operations manager and on-air host of Midday Edition, who interviewed  me the last time I was in Wilmington.  (I enjoyed it, George!) WHQR 91.3FM is Wilmington’s National Public Radio station.  If you’re into the blues, be sure to listen to Lan Nichols’ Front Street Blues show on Friday nights (or Saturday morning) from midnight to 2 a.m.

Don’t Get Your Honey Where You Get Your Money

(Written by Rickey Godfrey)

I went to this job interview, conducted by a lady who looked so fine

She said, I’ll be your boss. If you take this position you’ll have to work a little overtime

Well, when I got hired I was really inspired by this bodacious business queen

I was her man of choice to be her errand boy, I took care of everything

Sprintin’ up the corporate ladder, my head was cool and my outlook was sunny

But I tell you don’t get your honey where you get your money

I still can’t believe it happened, one night while we were working late

She gave me a hug for a job well done, and her lips brushed against my face

Well, that one kiss led to a wild affair, though another woman had my heart

And when the boss found out I got fired on the spot, I had to cancel all my credit cards

Now, I can’t find no work nowhere. The joke’s on me but it’s not really funny.

Don’t get your honey where you get your money.

Now the woman that I loved got to wonderin’ why I got laid off

When I told her the company was down-sizing she went straight to my ex boss

She asked her “how come a man with his skills should suddenly get the shaft?”

The hussy said I wouldn’t keep my hands to myself, she got tired of being harassed

Well my girl believed that lie and said good-bye, now I’m down and out, sour and bummy

I tell you don’t get your honey where you get your money

Don’t get your honey, where you gettin’ your money

Resist the thrill, or you’ll lose the dollar bill

Don’t be too slick, or you’ll end up on the short end of the stick

Don’t take that chance, you better keep it in your pants

 

Heart On Fire

(Written by Rickey Godfrey and Richard Fleming)

Girl, when I kissed you I thought I was gonna melt

I couldn’t believe how good your hot lips felt

You started running your fingers through my hair

My raging fever need tender love and care

My body was shakin’ just like a live wire

Then you got cold feet and left my heart on fire

You said, “Cool down, we better take it slow

“I’m not like those other girls you know

“They’ll light your candle right from the start

“And wind up making ashes out of your heart”

I said, “Girl you’re talking sense and I know the reason why”

But still you got cold feet and left my heart on fire.

A heart on fire can’t be left alone

When flames get to licking at your danger zone

Now self control is a thing to be admired

But what are we gonna do about this heart on fire.

Heart on fire,  heart on fire

Heart on fire, heart on fire.

Oooh, heart on fire

We started going out every single night

I patiently waited for those sparks to ignite

We saw the hottest movies, and ate the finest food

Knew sooner or later you’d get in a sexy mood

And when we made love there was no end to your desire

I must have warmed your cold feet and set your heart on fire

Heart on fire, heart on fire

Heart on fire, heart on fire

Oooh, heart on fire

Heart on fire, heart on fire

Heart on fire, heart on fire

Oooh,  heart on fire