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| Joey Gilmore's CD release party for 'Bluesman' There are rich paradoxes in Joey Gilmore's voice: regret and hope, weariness and vitality, sensuality and reverence. The South Florida blues veteran's vocals run the spectrum of emotion. And there's a maturity in his baritone tenor that suggests he's onto something and ready to share his wisdom with the rest of us. He'll do just that as he showcases tracks from his latest recording, Bluesman, at a CD release party Saturday night at the Back Room Blues Bar in Boca Raton. At 64, he's been part of the local music scene for 32 years; two years ago he won blues music's highest award for unsigned bands, the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn. "I guess I consider myself a good storyteller, " Gilmore said from his home in Davie. "It's like I am singing to each individual and I want people to know and imagine what I am singing about. And I want them to learn something that makes them feel better about themselves or about the world." Gilmore tells many stories on Bluesman. There's the convict who returns to his cell covered in mud after his daily chores (Blues All Over You). Or the gambler holding onto her Last Two Dollars - one for the bus fare and the other for the jukebox because she's got to hear the blues. Also the husband who's wondering what those White Shoes are doing in his closet; he only wears black. Or the place where the Ghosts of Mississippi meet the gods of Africa. "Everybody has a story to tell, " said Gilmore, whose own story began in rural Ocala, where he learned to play the piano and guitar and performed with a church gospel group. In the mid '70s he moved to South Florida, where he's evolved as a vocalist, guitarist, arranger, composer and bandleader. The songs on Bluesman are a mix of older tunes, like Things I Used To Do, written by Eddie "Guitar Slim" Jones in the '50s, and fairly recent compositions, including Ghosts of Mississippi by South Florida songwriter Graham Drout, and Gilmore's own You Put the Rush On Me. The selections are varied, but Gilmore weaves a common thread about hardship and resilience, about getting knocked down and getting up again. "There's always hope for a better day and that's the basic concept of the blues and of musicians, period, " Gilmore said. Beyond his hopes for a better tomorrow as a performer, with more CD sales and engagements, Gilmore also has discovered a gift for putting music to lyrics and arranging other people's songs. "I realized very late in my career that I had this ability, " Gilmore said. "If I had recognized it sooner, I would be a lot richer than I am now. But I suppose that things happen in their own time." Deborah Ramirez is editor of el Sentinel. She can be reached at 954-385-7965 or dpramirez@elsentinel.com. If you go Joey Gilmore performs at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at a CD release party for Bluesman at the Back Room, 7200 N. Dixie Highway, Boca Raton; cost, $10. Call 561-988-8929, or visit thebackroombluesbar.com. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |