…I thoroughly enjoyed this fine CD. The music is all original, well written, and fresh. Andy’s vocals are clear and clean and he is an excellent guitar player as well. One cut, “Little Bird,” I especially enjoyed features Andy playing some fine finger-style guitar with a banjo-like roll. — JP, Bluegrass Now [more]
Americana pioneer Andy May combines acoustic/alternative country, bluegrass, folk, blues and rock influences with his trademark optimism touched with humor. Blackberry Jam also features Andy’s clean, lively production and some of Nashville’s best players.
Credits
- Produced by Andy May, Swift River Music
- Andy May: lead vocals, acoustic guitars, mandolin
- Jim Heffernan: Dobro, pedal steel, acoustic guitar, banjo (Bound for Tennessee)
- Kenny Malone: percussion
- Dennis Crouch: bass
- Rick Lee: piano, keyboards
- Tim Crouch: fiddle
- David Talbot: banjo (They Put the Blue in Bluegrass)
- Larry Marrs: harmony vocals
- Craig Fletcher: harmony vocals
- Engineered by Nathan Smith
- Recorded and mixed at Mainframe Recording Studio, Nashville, TN
- Mastered by Eric Wolf, Wolf Mastering, Nashville, TN
- Cover photo by Lauren LeCroy May
Tracks
- Blackberry Jam (Lauren & Andy May) – 2:31
- Stan (Lauren & Andy May) – 3:17
- I’ll Still Want to Be with You (Andy May) – 3:12
- Bound for Tennessee (Andy May) – 3:26
- They Put the Blue in Bluegrass (Andy & Lauren May) – 3:42
- Cloudy, with a Chance of Pain (Lauren & Andy May) – 2:51
- Big Wings (Andy & Lauren May) – 3:35
- Little Bird (Andy May) – 2:54
- My Dad (Andy May) – 4:05
- I Think I’ll Move (Andy May) – 3:56
- I’ll Meet You in My Memory (Lauren & Andy May) – 3:18
- Love’s the Greatest Gift of All (Andy May) – 3:55
Blackberry Jam is packed with a dozen original songs performed by Andy and a world-class acoustic band. The recipe features cuts with a traditional flavor and an innovative zip. The rip-roaring Bound for Tennessee and the contemporary bluegrass They Put the Blue in Bluegrass are tributes to legendary musicians of other eras, and the melody of the title song is based on the old fiddle tune, Blackberry Blossom. There is also a taste of acoustic rock (I Think I’ll Move), and contemporary folk (My Dad) in the mix.
There is plenty of food for thought here–as in the gentle, Love’s the Greatest Gift of All –as well as for the heart and ears. There is heartache in the country ballad, I’ll Meet You in My Memory, and bluesy wistfulness in Cloudy, with a Chance of Pain… balanced by a dollop of humor provided by the swampy Stan. The musicianship is delectable throughout. Little Bird, for example, features an ear-catching three-finger roll guitar style Andy began developing in the 1960s.
Dedicated to the memory of:
Herbert May: See, Pop? I sang your song. –Andy
Sara McCain LeCroy: I’ll meet you in my memory. –Lauren
Wynn Fay, the ol’ Ridgerunner –Andy
Note:
Master fiddler Randy Howard’s passing in 1999 was a major loss to country music. I had the greatest respect for his ability and his courage, and had been looking forward to having him play on this project. Sadly, that wasn’t to be. When it came time to lay down the tracks for this CD a few months after Randy’s death, I talked to Randy’s good friend and fiddlin’ partner, Tim Crouch, and he agreed to play on the session. Tim not only contributed his own considerable fiddling talent to the recording session, but—in honor of Randy—he played his parts on one of Randy’s favorite fiddles, which Randy had given to him. – Andy
Special Thanks To:
Jim Heffernan: For his arrangemental contributions and enthusiasm for this project from the very beginning.
Rick Lee: For the spark to get this project going and for all his support since ‘way back.
