Mean Gene Kelton (1953-2010) at Ken and Mary’s Blues Project House Concert (05/03/08) — Images by kenne
“If this guitar could talk – don’t you think you might hear
How the road goes on forever, just follow the trail of tears”
— from “If This Guitar Could Talk” by Mean Gene Kelton
*****
Mean Gene Kelton was one hell of a rockin’ bluesman. He was also that down home Mississippi boy who loved sitting around picking, playing the harp and telling stories — never a moment to write about in “Gigs from Hell.”
I recall Gene telling me that he was getting tired of the “regular gig thing,” which is one of the reasons he started his weekly acoustic “Rooster Jam” at Rooster’s in Baytown.
In May of 2008, Ken & Mary’s Blues Project provided one of those perfect “under the stars” venues for the “unplugged” Gene.
And yes, we are still following “. . . the trail of tears.”
— kenne
Cool guy
Yes, he was.
My teenager and a peer arrived when I was finishing playing with my longtime keyboard friend and poet Dave Monday. We weren’t doing any Blues forms that day — but then what I play is often informed by the Blues. Friend’s comment: “Blues is always cool.” Which is true, even when you think of all the extensions of that music.
Speaking of the trail of tears, the bluesiest thing we played was a revamped version of Hendrix’s “Up From the Skies” which is a SciFi story in song, but I wondered if Hendrix (aware of his mother’s Cherokee heritage) might have thought of the spirits of first nations people returning to a “world that is burning.”
Wishing you a good autumn.
Gene was a very good friend and I have many photos and several videos of Gene in the Houston area. Here’s a link to I video I did in in 2008. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_r6fJhiRAE&t=28s
I miss those days. Thank you very much for the comment.
The video contains a short Tears On My Guiture clip leading into Free Bird. Here’s a link to his recording of Tears On My Guitar.