Denny Freeman And The Cobras

Denny Freeman And The Cobras - Denny Freeman And The Cobras - 1991 - CrossCut Records

This Dallas native and Austin fixture was co-lead guitarist in the Cobras with Stevie Vaughan, before joining Angela Strehli (cutting two solo LPs during his stint with the songstress), contributing to Big Guitars from Texas, and recording with Lou Ann Barton. More original and out-on-a-limb than most textbook-blues players, he co-wrote "Baboom/Mama Said" on the Vaughan Brothers' Family Style and played guitar and piano on tour with Jimmie Vaughan following the latter's Strange Pleasure. © Dan Forte © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p12992/biography

These guys were the hottest thing around Austin prior to the "Thunderbirds"(circa 1976). It would get six stars if Paul Ray were singing. A good example of the live music, outside of the "Cosmic Cowboy" scene, that helped develop Stevie and Jimmy. Good live recording showcasing Denny Freeman and Joe Sublet. Wished there were more recordings of this band. By & © A Customer February 2, 2000 © 1996-2011, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates http://www.amazon.com/Denny-Freeman-Cobras/dp/B000001XXM

Recorded live at the "Continental" club Austin, Texas, on January 26th, 1981 by the ex co-lead guitarist in Cobras with SRV, & Antone's house band member, Denny Freeman. This is a great soul/blues/R&B album from a very underrated musician and his band. Listen to Denny's "Out of the Blue" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Tomcat - Denny Freeman, Joe Sublett 5:15
2 Harlem Shuffle - Relf, Nelson 6:39
3 First To Let You Know - Larry Williams 5:56
4 Blow, Joe Blow (Crazy 'Bout A Saxophone) - Buddy Johnson 3:38
5 Learn To Treat Me Better - Cornelius Green, J. West 4:56
6 Checkin' Up On My Baby - Rice Miller 3:01
7 House Party - George Kelly, Julian Desh, Louis Jordan, MaCoy Rose 4:06
8 I Smell Trouble - Deadric Malone 5:48
9 See See Baby - Freddy King, Sonny Thompson 4:15
10 I'll Go Crazy - James Brown 2:55
11 Gangster Of Love - John Watson 5:18
12 Playboy Hop - Paul Williams 4:45
13 Mary Sue - Rodney Craig 3:05
14 That's How Strong My Love Is - Jamison 2:32
15 Further On Up The Road - Joe Medwick Veasey 4:06
16 Peter Gunn - Henry Mancini 2:59

MUSICIANS

Denny Freeman - Guitar
Lee Parks - Bass
Rodney Craig - Drums
Joe Sublett - Tenor Saxophone
Luke MacNamee - Baritone Saxophone
Junior Williams - Vocals

BIO (WIKI)

Denny Freeman (born Dennis Edward Freeman, August 7, 1944, Orlando, Florida) is an American Texas and electric blues guitarist. Although he is primarily known as a guitar player, Freeman has also played piano and electric organ, both in concert and on various recordings. He has worked with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Bob Dylan, Angela Strehli, Lou Ann Barton, James Cotton, Taj Mahal, and Percy Sledge amongst others. Freeman spent his adolescence in Dallas, Texas in the late 1950s and played in a rock group called "The Corals" while in high school. He went to college in North Texas, and had a brief stay in Los Angeles, before relocating in 1970 to Austin, Texas. He was co-lead guitarist in the Cobras with Stevie Ray Vaughan, then in 1972, became a founding member of Southern Feeling, along with W. C. Clark and Angela Strehli. He later recorded with Lou Ann Barton. Freeman lived and played with both Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan throughout the 1970s and 1980s. He played piano on Jimmie Vaughan's first solo tour, and on a James Cotton album. At Antone's nightclub in the early 1980s, Freeman was a member of the house band and backed Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Lazy Lester. After touring with Jimmie Vaughan in the mid 1990s he toured with Taj Mahal until 2002. A songwriter on his five mainly instrumental albums, Freeman lived again in Los Angeles from 1992 until 2004. Freeman played with Bob Dylan's backing band between 2005 and 2009. Dylan's album, Modern Times was recorded with Dylan's then touring band, including Freeman, Tony Garnier, George G Receli, Stu Kimball, plus multi-instrumentalist Donnie Herron. During a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone, Dylan spoke about his current band: "This is the best band I've ever been in, I've ever had, man for man. When you play with guys a hundred times a year, you know what you can and can't do, what they're good at, whether you want 'em there. It takes a long time to find a band of individual players. Most bands are gangs. Whether it's a metal group or pop rock, whatever, you get that gang mentality. But for those of us who went back further, gangs were the mob. The gang was not what anybody aspired to. On this record (Modern Times) I didn't have anybody to teach. I got guys now in my band, they can whip up anything, they surprise even me". Bob Dylan, August 2006, Rolling Stone. Clem Burke played the drums on Freeman's latest solo offering, Twang Bang (2006).

MORE

As an adolescent and young teen in Dallas, Texas in the late1950's, Denny Freeman heard on the radio the radical new sounds of people like Little Richard, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, and Chicago and Louisianna blues artists like Muddy waters and Slim Harpo. Freeman would go to concerts that featured folks like Jimmy Reed, Bo Diddley, Ruth Brown, and the Clovers. In the 60's there was Jimi Hendrix and Cream, and the wonderful jazz of the time. All of it contributed to the music that Freeman would come to play. Primarily a guitar player, he has played piano and organ on his own and other folks records and gigs over the years. Jennifer Warnes has him playing piano on one track (The Well [Reprise]) on her latest release. His piano playing also appears on James Cotton and Jimmie Vaughan albums. He toured on Jimmie Vaughan's first solo outing as the piano player. Denny has been the main writer on the songs on his four, mostly instrumental albums, and teamed up with Kathy Valentine of the GoGos and Clem Burke of Blondie, to submit music to Deborah Harry for the Blondie "No Exit" album. Deborah wrote the lyrics, and "Boom Boom in the Zoom Zoom Room" was born. He also co-wrote "BaBoom (Mama Said)" with Jimmie and Stevie Vaughan for the Vaughan Brothers' "Family Style" album. After touring for a year and a half with Jimmie Vaughan in the mid nineties, he toured w/ Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band until late 2002, playing guitar. It was during this period that Taj' Grammy winning CD, "Shoutin' in Key" was released. "Playing with an American icon like Taj Mahal was a real honor for me. We went all over Europe and to Japan, and it seems that there are Taj fans in every nook and cranny, all over the planet." After growing up in Dallas, going to college in north Texas, and a brief sojourn in L.A., Freeman moved to Austin, Texas in 1970. Jimmie Vaughan, Doyle Bramhall, and Stevie Vaughan soon followed. If you were a musician, a part of the sub culture, or just had long hair, Austin was the place to be in that part of the world, at that time. It wasn't so much of a music town, Freeman observes. " It was the kind of place that musicians in the early 70's found hospitable. Lots of pretty girls, cheap rent, a laid back atmosphere, those things were especially helpful, in those days." The word got around and musicians are still moving there, today, although things have changed, like everywhere else, and cheap rent is certainly a thing of the past. The main thing, though, that these folks had in common, was that they came ready to play blues. Unhappy with the direction rock was heading after the demise of Cream and Jimi Hendrix, blues was the only thing that appealed to these and a few other people. But still it was a struggle. Of course, Jimmie, w/ his Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Stevie finally found some commercial success. Freeman lived and played with Jimmie and Stevie off and on through the 70's and 80's. There just weren't many players interested in playing blues, so the pool was small. "I first heard Jimmie Vaughan play in Dallas, when he was 16, and Stevie a few years later, in Austin, when he was around 17. It was obvious, even then, that we would be hearing from these guys. It took a while, but eventually most fans of guitar, the world over, came to know about them, too. We became friends, roommates, bandmates. Stevie still owes me $30 rent." In 1975, the world famous Antones Night Club opened up. At first, the T Birds were the house band, providing backing for the famous Chicago, and other, blues artists that were booked. In the early 80's, another house band was formed, and Freeman had guitar and piano duties, backing up blues giants like Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Jr. Wells, Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Lazy Lester, and many, many more. "It was beyond anything I could have imagined. I never thought I'd see most of these guys, much less get to play with them. Some of the shows were recorded, so I'm even on records with my heros." In spite of Freeman's work with Austin blues bands and blues artists in L.A., where he lived from1992 until late 2004, he doesn't consider himself a "blues guy". "I'd rather think of myself as a guitar player." The compositions on his four albums display a love of three chord rock n' roll, soul jazz, blues and old school r&b and soul music. "I'll always love listening to my old blues records, and trying to play it (blues), but I don't want to be stuck in that bag. I like to go out on a limb, sometimes. I also love ballads." Clem Burke plays drums on his latest CD, "Twang Bang." Some of Freeman's early recordings (late 80's) ended up in low budget, mostly horror films. One, "Mortuary Academy", featured Paul Bartel and Wolfman Jack. He recently was in the studio (eraly 2004), playing on the new Percy Sledge album, "Shining Through the Rain", which includes a Denny co-write (w/ Fontaine Brown), "Love Come and Rescue Me", as well as his own new project. In October (2004), he was in the studio, with C.C. Adcock, and Scott Nelson and Mike Keller, working on Doyle Bramhall's forthcoming album, "Is It News?". (Spring release). Denny played in the Bob Dylan Band from 2005 until August 2009, and plays on the Bob Dylan album, "Modern Times". Since the autumn of 2009, Denny has been playing in Austin, Texas a lot, mostly at the Continental Club, Antones, and The Gallery, and in DFW area clubs, and is preparing to record. © 1995-2011 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved http://www.ebay.com/itm/DENNY-FREEMAN-AND-COBRAS-LIVE-CD-STEVIE-RAY-VAUGHAN-/270627785020?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item3f02ac493c