That evening I saw my old buddy Sid Selvridge play (he's the producer of the Beale Street Caravan blues show, syndicated on about two-hundred-fifty PBS radio stations coast to coast). Sid, by the way, played at Furry Lewis's funeral accompanied by Lee Baker. They rolled the old man out to "When I Lay My Burden Down." Listening to Sid, I couldn't believe that this man didn't have a "deal." Everything about the guy is perfect - from pitch to picking to presence.
The next night caught Mose Vinson (the last surviving cat who played on the Memphis Blues Caravan) performing at the Center For Southern Folklore. The Center is run by Judy Peiser, a one-woman perpetual motion machine. "Judy, you're like crabgrass…you're everywhere." She laughed. Then she disappeared. Mose is 84 (but claims to be 105) and still plays a mean piano. I told him I always thought he had the best left hand in the business. He smiled...he was trying to remember who I was. I don't know if it ever got through.
Listening to Mose, I sat at a table with Carol Baker and one of her three sons. Carol is the widow of Lee Baker, Memphis musical powerhouse and co-founder of such influential bands as Mud Boy & The Neutrons and Moloch. Two teenaged boys murdered Lee in a botched robbery attempt. The world lost a treasure. I told Lee's son that I knew his Daddy and that he should be very proud. "I am," he said, "everyday."
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