Occasional Bootleg Series No.9 – Chuck Mead in Charlotte

Chuck Mead and the Grassy Knoll Boys
July 12, 2009, Neighborhood Theatre
Charlotte, NC

Introduction, Out On The Natchez Trail, No Train To Memphis, Change The Way I Look, Sittin' And Thinkin', After The Last Witness Is Gone, Gun Metal Gray, She Got The Ring (I Got The Finger), Hot Rod, Sweet Sweet Girl, Big Big Love, I Wish It Was Friday

This bootleg is a soundboard recording from Chuck Mead’s 2009 summer tour where he was plugging his latest release Journeyman’s Wager. With him due to tour UK later this week the timing of this boot couldn’t be better. The opener is from Wager and it’s a great way to open the show. The others from the album all hit the spot, with the closer, I Wish It Was Friday sounding just like BR549 at their best.

The tracklist shows Sittin' And Thinkin' as being an Elvis Costello song. You gotta be shitting me! Chalrie Rich and half of Memphis had written, sung and mastered the song before Costello started wearing kiddies glasses. Chuck’s version here is a bit pedestrian and not the high spot of the show. The best of the oldies covers is Don Gibson’s Sweet Sweet Girl which I first heard courtesy of Warren Smith.

With his band called the Grassy Knoll Boys, I thought he’d have covered Jerry Lee’s Lincoln Limousine! A pretty good album that is worth digging out and would get me excited about the upcoming shows if I was going.

Check out the clip below for a great clip of Chuck and the GKBoys doing Cadillac In Model A.