MOG

He deserved so much better than he got, as did Roy Buchanan.

Ivylander, I second that emotion. Spike this is something else again. Thanks. That's why the MOG is so vital, "..take a trip an' never leave the farm".!

what a fine performance. he is not afraid of anything switching from jazz to funk & then to rock n roll. redneck jazz explosion is a great name.

oh YEAH, and ain't that a beautiful damned guitar too . . . loved him, he always signed the check baby.

I have no idea what has gotten into me tonight, I swear I'm sober.

mktackabery, don't worry, you can blame it on the music. Does "sign the check" mean to come through?

yup, (personal injury) lawyerly term . . . for when the settlement comes in, "they signed the check, too" means the other party is good for the cash. :) So "they always sign the check" usually means, they're not bankrupt or anything like that.

Great, great stuff. I'm surprised that there are no comment from Yotochan, who is a big Danny Gatton fan and sent me a few CDRs of his stuff. The fact that it was written by someone else is a bit surprising, as Danny just seems to be riffing at random over a 12-bar blues pattern.

dermahrk, who knows what complex, exciting and important project is temporarily preventing yotochan from helping us out here. It's to yotochan's credit that a Mogger would lament his absence on another Mogger's post. The hope that the same thing may someday happen to me gives me something to live for.

As for Danny's random riffing, the video sounds like it's all his own improvising on the spot from beginning to end. As for "Rock Candy," they play Jack McDuff's opening copyrighted simple twelve-bar theme in the first twelve seconds and at the very end. They may play it at some point in the middle; I don't remember. For that, McDuff gets the royalties. In any American genre of music that has improvised instrumental solos, whether it's blues, jazz, rock, country or whatever, that seems to be the formula. A good opening theme is worth paying royalties for, I guess. Also, if you write a new melody using somebody else's unique one-of-a-kind chord progression, that can sometimes mean having to share royalties, I think. Starting from and ending on a theme can be a catalyst for ideas and can keep the piece from getting too scattered.

I'd never heard of this guy until this post.

Looked him up on Wikipedia and it said he committed suicide in 1994 (sad), but his talent and legacy lives on through videos like the one above and of course, his recordings.

Thanks for bringing him to our attention!

Here's a video of Gatton and Buddy Emmons (on the pedal steel) performing together.

I got to see Buddy Emmons perform back in November 1998 when he appeared as a guest on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor at the Fox Theatre. My sister managed to score the family some front-row seats, so it was quite awesome.

Spectacular riffing - enjoyed; thanks for posting!!

That video clip is marvelous.

Spike

Sorry for being so preoccupied as to have not been the first to respond to this wonderful tribute to Danny Gatton. Believe it or not I discovered Danny from listening to a Chris Isaak album, he was a guitarist on a couple of cuts and he stuck out in my ear like an elephant with some poodles in the park. The album was San Francisco Days. I wish I knew how to post it here. I'll post it on my page. How's Big Bill and Mr. Sykes?

Great video! Danny is jamming! Brother's got SOUL!

Thank for sharing!

2Serenity, Yes indeed!

yotochan, No need to be sorry about being preoccupied with non-Mog life, which has its occasional compelling moments, so I've heard. Believe it or not I discovered the Danny Gatton clip thanks to you because some clip you posted had the Gatton clip linked to it.

Big Bill and Sykes have waited for me to get my errands and chores done. Oh boy, they're next!

tasty tasty. he definitely deserved wider recognition. i 2nd or 3rd that emotion on Roy Buchanan as well . . . went on a hunt to re-accumulate Roy's music a few months ago. saw Roy live in chicago at the Park West once and he reportedly was doing acid - sounded like it when he spoke but sounded transcenndent when he played . . .