Bobby Solo, one of the most prolific and versatile songwriters that the Italian rock scene has ever witnessed, is still talked about today, after over 50 years of non-stop career. “I had my first musical shock when I was 14: it was Elvis Presley with ‘Jailhouse Rock’ and ‘That’s All Right Mama’. For years I have been inspired by Elvis. I discovered that when he was 10 he was constantly listening to American radio stations in Tupelo that aired blues, gospel, spiritual, bluegrass and country. I searched for the biographies of the various singers he referred to, and I fell in love with the blues. Playing it was also very important, I always had a good rhythmic technique, and since blues is based on a simple pentatonic scale, I made it my own and now even guitarists much more noble than me say that I have a recognizable style. Cristopher Bacco and AMS Records have now given me the opportunity to get out of the stereotype in which I am pleasantly imprisoned: I am pleased to have a 40 or 50-year-old follow-up to whom grandparents have handed down my melodic songs, but as a Pisces ascendant Pisces I can’t help but explore ever new musical planets”.
Bobby Solo’s return to the scene is marked by a 4-track EP, three of which represent a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Tony Joe White, who passed away on 24 October 2018 at the age of 75. A singer-songwriter from Louisiana, he soon fell in love with the blues and that was a point of no return for him. He also collaborated with the great Lightning Hopkins, and his ‘Polk Salad Annie’ and ‘I’ve Got A Thing About You Baby’ were sung by Elvis; in the 1980s he also wrote “Steamy Windows” for Tina Turner, an incredibly successful song. Bobby Solo got to know him and personally presented it to the public at a recent festival in Mendrisio (Switzerland), and now he finally has the opportunity to tribute him the right honor. A cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me Lord” also adds to the three songs chosen from Tony Joe White’s repertoire.
This new EP is called “Good in Blues Vol. 1” and is released as a digipack CD and a 45rpm 12-inch record. Produced by Cristopher Bacco at Studio 2 in Padua, Italy, with AMS Records as executive producer, it is an old-fashioned work, with bass, drums, guitar and vocals recorded live; this aspect truly emerges from the grooves of this release, which reveals a passionate and competent Bobby Solo, eager to explore new sensations.
Digipack CD edition.
Tracklist:
1.(You’re Gonna Look) Good in Blues
2.Backwoods Preacher Man
3.As the Crow Flies
4.Why Me Lord
