1) Q: ”How’s come you guys don't play electric guitars?” Angela S., Topeka, KS
A: "Lee Roy is a fine electric rock-jazz guitarist, Angela. The problem is me; I'm dangerous. A modern electronic instrument is more than six strings, but peddles, knobs, levers, humbuckers, tremolos, reverbs, delays and effects, and all plugged in to 500 watts of VOLUME. I'm sorry to say that the last time I played an electric instrument, I killed chickens a half a mile away, and they're God's creatures too". Big Taylor.

2) Q: “Are you all married? And how old are each of you?” Rhonda M. , Atlanta, GA
A: "Rhonda, I'm happily married, and probably old enough(51) to be your Daddy". Big Taylor.
A: "Rhonda, I'm not married, I'm available, and I'm 36." Lee Roy.

3) Q: “I checked on a Road Atlas to find Morristown, Tennessee, and am curious as to how you came to play blues music, rather than country. You are in the middle of the Southern Appalchians.” Patti B., New York, NY
A: "That's an honest question, Patti. I, (not speaking for Lee Roy), have been thrown out of virtually every country music and bluegrass band in town, and I had to play some kind of music". Big Taylor.

4) Q: “I liked what I heard, but I always thought Blues music was slow and sad. We found your playing lively. My roommate Donna and I actually danced to it!” Henrietta D, Chicago, IL
A: "We think blues music is slow and sad because we've been conditioned to think so by the music media. Sometime back in the '60s, a bunch of hippies decided that Blues music was supposed to be that way. Blues is more than Robert Johnson in a lonely hotel room recording for some out of town white man that paid him, but it's Big Bill Broonzy too. I've got a tape where Big Bill starts playing an intro. His side man then says "You can sure play them blues, boy!", then Big Bill replies, "Man, I can barrelhouse them Blues!", and then he shows off: embellishing the intro, and ripping through it.

The key term here is "Barrelhouse". During prohibition, this was where barrels of beer (and moonshine) were served. When the old bluesmen played these joints on a Saturday night, you can bet things were lively, and most certainly there was dancing!

Playing music in a lonely hotel room is a whole lot different than playing music for pretty women to dance to, and Blues music, even acoustic Blues, is BOTH of these things." Big Taylor

5) Q: “All artists with integrity admit their mistakes. What are yours?” Vonette Y, Dallas, Tx.
A: "Alicia, Bernadette, Charlene, Cleotia, Denise... Just kidding. We know you are asking about artistic mistakes. OK...

Worst mistake I) Releasing our first album on cassette, rather than CD. We went the cheapest route, not realizing how much more popular CD is with customers, and not realizing either, how much more trouble a DJ has queuing the third cut on side A of a cassette, versus the same procedure on CD. We're thankful for all the DJs that gave us air time, but we would be getting a lot more if we issued CD. But there's only 75 left, and The Blues: Man's Best Friend" WILL be reissued on CD.

Mistake II) We didn't know who our audience would be. Our music is acoustic blues first, but also falls under the "eclectic", and "folk" genres. We write our own original lyrics, and have no desire to imitate the blues masters, but rather to emulate them. But the listening crowd for eclectic and folk music, are more politically liberal than other audiences. We shouldn't have put the tune "Slick Willy Blues" (though it's a great one), on our first album. But I've never liked the sitting president, and Viet Nam veterans can write folk songs and play guitars too!

Mistake III) I, (Big Taylor), did not proof read the album jacket, and had no way of listening to the DAT master tape. This jacket ("J" card) has errors and omissions. The instrumental "Socially Awkward" is omitted from the list of titles, but is on the tape. My dog's full name is "Princess Ilana, Blue Star of Wautauga, III [The Third!]", and has no reference to "..Wautauga, IL [Illinois]". (Around here, Wautauga is a Cherokee word for the upper East Tennessee area). And why didn't we put an email address on that jacket? And I have a sneaking suspicion that Lee Roy, who edited and created the DAT tape (which I had no way of listening to), may have put takes on the album, where he especially shone on slide guitar and accordion, where other alternative takes might have been more to my advantage. ("No, I never!" Lee Roy).

But this tape will never be duplicated again. It will come out next with errors and omissions corrected, and on CD. There's only a few of these originals left.
Say, wanna order one?

6) Q: ”I like your music, but it's hard to keep track of what you are calling yourselves from one week to the next: You've performed as the "Rainmakers", the "Acoustic Blues Trio", and "Big Taylor & Lee Roy". Why do you change names so much, and why do you use stage names?". Beverly M, Waltham, MA.
A: "That's easy to answer, Beverly...to avoid creditors". Big Taylor.



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