In Good Spirits Further Southern Migration

Recording session at Farmhouse Studio

on’ even though he had nowhere to really go,” Blake says. “I think J.D.’s situation and the theme of the song are as important and as relevant today as ever.” As you might expect, the song ends with J.D. moving on for the final time, to the great beyond. “I think he died in the late ’80s or early ’90s,” Blake adds. Blake’s award-winning song came after many long years of hard work and he admits he also wrote some clinkers during that time. “I’ve been writing seriously for less than 10 years so I still consider myself somewhat of a newbie to the game,” Blake says. “And while I’m not prolific in the quantity of songs I write, I like to think I’ve written some good ones here and there. I’ve also written a number of duds that may have been well intended but poorly arranged or that lyrically just didn’t have any meat on the bones, so to speak. Those duds just come with the territory I guess. “As a performer, you can tell if a song is resonating with an audience or if it still needs a little spit shining,” he adds. “However, even if the end result is not a masterpiece, or never really sees the light of day, it’s going through the creative process that’s important. Sometimes you may write a song that isn’t worth the paper it’s written on as a whole, but may have a good line or two in it. You can recycle that line in some other song and I’ve done this a number of times. Anything you work hard at you get better at over time and I’ve learned it’s the same way with songwriting.” Much of the live music scene in Memphis is concentrated on Beale Street, a scene that Blake is familiar with. “There was a time in the early to mid-’90s when Beale Street was having a resurgence; it was very organic and exciting to watch and be a small part of,” he says. “I was playing mostly blues back then but there were a ton of bands of all genres around town, and smaller music venues with their own niche communities were seemingly everywhere. I miss the rawness and energy of that time. In addition to an abundance of world-class musicians, Memphis has some of the best recording studios anywhere. I’m constantly inspired by my peers, both young and old, and I love that

Memphis-area songwriters continue to have platforms to build audiences and connect with them. That is so important.” Blake says he’s anxious to follow up “Move on J.D.” with more good music. “My album is going to be titled ‘Rice Field in the Distance’ and it’s themed around myself and my family’s roots in southeast Texas and our hometown of Liberty. I’ve got the songs written and mostly ready to get into the studio and I’m currently scouting producers and recording studios. It’s a bit of an intimidating process but I’m looking forward to sharing these songs with the world.”

Music writer Kevin Wierzbicki is not a songwriter and he also doesn’t play one on TV. But he is grateful for these talented tunesmiths not only for the entertainment, but also for giving him plenty to write about.