Unsung Heroes 11 : Bo Ramsey : Country Blues Guitar Hero

I first heard about Bo Ramsey in an article in an early edition of Real Groove Magazine.  The Real Groovy record store in Auckland at that stage had branched out into become both a record label (being an import imprint for some obscure artists who would not have had releases in New Zealand otherwise) and a concert promoter of the same artists.

He sounded like someone worth checking out and I managed to pick up a copy of the album Down to Bastrop around the same time.  Bo has a style that crosses country and blues boundaries and yet manages to produce something that is at the same time stylistically unique.  His sound is characterised by his atmospheric and understated guitar playing and vocal style. The album has a number of excellent songs on it including the title track, Back No More and

An interesting side to the same story is that another singer that Real Groovy was promoting about the same time was Lucinda Williams.  The manager at Real Groovy gave Lucinda a few CDs while she was there and among them was Down to Bastrop.  She liked the sound and when she got back to the US she looked up Bo and he ended up making important contributions to both he Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and Essence albums.

In addition to Lucinda Bo also provides critical support to Greg Brown another distinctive Iowan. He has also helped his son Benson out on the excellent albums by The Pines.

Over the years I have picked up quite a few albums by Bo including his album of blues standards Stranger Blues, a great mix of songs done with the normal Bo style.  All his albums are worth checking out - especially once you hook into his unmistakable and distinctive groove.  Sidetrack Lounge from his In The Weeds album is a favourite that captures that well.