It’s time to talk about Kelly Joe Phelps. The first song of his I ever heard was Taylor John, from Sky Like A Broken Clock, and as I listened I felt a door swing wide, with a me-shaped path on the other side, giant arrows pointing down it.
I had been drifting a little musically, sensing one phase coming to a close, and not sure what was coming next. I knew I had to get back writing for myself and performing, but no idea what shape that could take.
Five minutes 44 seconds later I was very clear. This incredible musician, with his abstract, cock-eyed but somehow deeply poignant songs, and the voice of an angel’s whiskey-sipping younger brother was the Dog Star I could navigate by.
Sadly, he had died not a week earlier. As many will attest, he left behind some pretty big boots, and while I would never presume to fill them, I can at least try them on and stomp around the house for a while, pretending to be a grown up.
Tuning is CGCGCF, capo’ed at second fret, for DADADG. We’re in D.
No chord diagrams this week. There really aren’t any.
Here’s the link to the KJP video
Many thanks to the Six Bells, Chiddingly
Next Week - “Worn Out” by Kelly Joe Phelps
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