The Year of Alabama Music
Dream assignment? Let’s see … my partner and I commissioned probably the best/worst looking Gibson Custom Shop guitar ever (it cost $10,000 😮) and called it the “Alabama Jamma.” We put it in the hands of some of our heroes and incredible up-and-comers. We went to amazing venues – have y’all seen Muscle Shoals? – to film them playing this guitar with now uber-famous shooter Miller Mobley. And we helped change the perception of Alabama from a drive-thru state to a drive-to state. OK, yeah. Imma call this dream assignment #1.
The Year of Alabama BBQ
Needle-drop Blues and Bluegrass scoring a movie about Alabama’s smoked meat contribution to the world? This. Will. Not. Stand. Yet, that was the condition that “Q: Alabama’s BBQ Legends” was in when I saw the rough cut. So, I became the Music Director on the project and re-recorded the score with my band, Bourbon & Bleach (that’s me on harmonica throughout) and brought in The Herb Trotman Band to do the grass. I also helped to start a rather uncivil BBQ war between Alabama and Memphis, Kansas City and Washington DC – so call this dream assignment #2.
I also took my band to the Memphis in May BBQ Competition to play the Year of Alabama BBQ kick-off event and created a cool Alabama BBQ exhibit that travelled to BBQ hotspots across the Southeast.