MP3 Mister Bill - Faces & Places

Acoustic and Americana songs that span sytles from blues to TexMex to Zydeco to traditional folk and world music.

12 MP3 Songs in this album (40:14) !
Related styles: FOLK: Alternative Folk, COUNTRY: Western Swing

People who are interested in Gordon Lightfoot Jimmy Buffett Asleep at the Wheel should consider this download.


Details:
"Mister Bill" Harrison is a singer/songwriter, keyboard and accordion player who started studying classical piano at age six and began playing college keggers when he was 15-years-old. Since then, he's played thousands of gigs in every type of venue working with (and learning from) some of the great Motor City players including Funk Brother drummers "Papa Zita" Benjamin and Richard "Pistol" Allen; legendary Detroit bassist Hubie Crawford; crooner/musician/arranger Danny Ascenzo; and jazz drummer extrodanaire Frank Isola. He currently works as a solo performer and with his band, The Critters. Singing, playing accordion, piano and keyboards, Mister Bill has a varied song list that includes a wide range of Americana -- rock, jazz. blues, Zydeco, and TexMex -- as well as his own compositions. His latest CD "Places and Faces" is a collection of a dozen compositions written and performed by Mister Bill. Here is what he has to say about them....

"The songs on this album are about places Iâve been,
faces Iâve seen, things Iâve done and stories Iâve heard.

I Forgot the Alamo
This was inspired by my only trip to San Antonio.
All I remember is that the weather was hot and humid;
the beer was cold and plentiful.
No wonder I Forgot the Alamo.

Charcoal Man
This song isnât meant to knock gas grilles,
but if Iâm not cooking with charcoal,
I donât consider it barbeque.

Hang Up and Drive
Everyone has at least one story about almost being
killed by some jerk talking on the phone while driving.
If weâre honest, most of us would have to admit
that sometimes the jerk is us.

Smelt Dipping Sun Parlour Night
Go south (yes, south) across the border from Detroit.
Youâll find yourself in Canadaâs Sun Parlour along the
north shore of Lake Erie which is home to schools of smelt.
When they run in the spring, you can wade out and catch
them using anything from a fish net to a garbage can with
holes drilled in the bottom. Batter them, fry them up and
wash them down with good Canadian beer.

Zydeco Detroit
Like many Zydeco songs this one doesnât really have lyrics.
The words are just street names from Detroitâs French heritage.
I hope anyone who speaks French will accept my deepest apologies.

Blues by the Numbers
This song is dedicated to several friends who are living it.
If youâre one of them, you know who you are.

It Takes a Village
This song is based on the West African proverb.
If youâre raising a child, you know how true it is.
If youâre not, donât be afraid to help.

Passing the Saint Clair Light
Visible from almost any spot on our 450-square-mile lake,
the Saint Clair Light roughly marks the halfway point between
the upper and lower Great Lakes. Iâve been using it as a
landmark for over half a century so I thought Iâd write it a little song.

Downriver Fais Do-Do
The Detroit suburbs known collectively as Downriver still bear the
influence of the original Habitant (French Canadian) settlers.
This includes the local taste for Muskrats. The story goes that
Muskrat (along with Beaver tail) could be eaten on Fridays because
the Catholic Church considered it fish, not meat. For the squeamish
or uninitiated, this version of the lyrics substitutes âribsâ for Muskrat.

The Better Half of Me
Some of us have been lucky enough to find our better half.
Then again, some of us never realize what we have until itâs too late.

Detroit Boogie
This is a song about a mythical spot like those that dotted Detroitâs
fabled Black Bottom back in the day. They were the kind of joints
where you could drink, dance and carouse until dawn while the
band laid down a solid boogie beat.

Home Brew
This one is dedicated to all the home brewers out there like
my great-great granddaddy, George Harrison (not the Beatle)
who loved to play the fiddle, dance a jig
and quaff his own homemade beer."