My Buddy and Me: An Introduction to the R.L. Boyce Stories

Steve Likens
Dec 18, 2023
4 min read

Updated: Oct 30, 2024

“Come on down, down in Como,

Mississippi

Just hanging around

Me and my buddy, and my friends,

R.L. Boyce, just boogying around.”

(Carlos Elliot, Jr. - “Down in Como” from the album Del Otún & el Mississippi)

I was R.L.’s tour manager, business manager, agent, driver, roadie, confidant, and occasional drummer, on and off for over a decade.

More importantly, I was blessed to be R.L.'s friend. That part was always on, never off.

During the first years of our friendship, I lived in rural Tate County, Mississippi, near the Panola County line. If you drove the back roads from our place, east past Mississippi Fred McDowell’s grave in Hammond Hill Cemetery, you could be at R.L.’s house on Compress Rd. in Como in seven minutes. I made that trip many times.

R.L. was born on August 15, 1955, and died of lung cancer on November 9, 2023. We buried him in the Boyce family section of Hunters Chapel cemetery on November 18, 2023. The late Rev. John Wilkins - son of the late Rev. Robert Wilkins - preached at Hunters Chapel Missionary Baptist Church during R.L.’s lifetime. If you do not know of the Wilkins, I suggest you look them up.

ree — Santiago Monsalve, R.L., Santiago "Lier Slim" Garcia Lopez (2/05/2017) © 2017 Steve W. Likens

R.L. often started his sets by telling the audience, “I can only stay for a little while” or "I ain't gonna play too long." Hours later, after repeatedly declaring, “I have got to go,” he'd shout out, "One mo' time!” and keep on going. If only there was one more time. If only this time he did not have to go.

The loss of R.L. goes deep. I do not want there to be a version of this world without my friend in it. Still, there is no lasting sadness. The memories of our adventures, near and far, bring me immeasurable joy.

After his death, I began to write down the stories of those adventures in a series of blog posts to preserve them for myself and to share that joy with others. Some of these stories have been told (many, many times), but never written down. The few that had been written I revisited and expanded.

The present collection is not a comprehensive biography of R.L. Boyce nor is it intended to catalogue his every performance, recording session, album, or documentary film appearance (or even every one of those I helped him with). Rather, these are stories about time spent with my friend. In July 2023, Scott Barretta, host of the Highway 61 radio program on Mississippi Public Broadcasting and former editor of Living Blues magazine, penned an excellent bio of R.L. for Mississippi Folklife, the on-line publication of the Mississippi Arts Commission. Scott tells much of R.L.'s rich history in the blues and his place in Mississippi culture long before I met him. I commend it to your reading, which you should do here. (The link opens in a new window.)

Jesse Finklestein provided early encouragement for me to continue writing these stories and to collect them in a volume. Jesse is the host and co-founder of Blues Radio International. I had the great fortune and pleasure of meeting Jesse in May 2018 after he contacted me to interview R.L. for the program while the BRI crew were in Memphis for the Blues Music Awards. In a series of email exchanges shortly after R.L.’s death, Jesse wrote:

Steve:

I can’t thank you enough for allowing me to interview RL. He was an extraordinary man, and you were such an important person in his life.

Without entering a theological debate, I am absolutely certain that there is life after death. It is when someone who loves and respects you keeps your memory alive.

Your stories about your time with RL bring him, and you, great honor.

You are writing first person history of one of the greats of our music.

I appreciate your sharing this important history.

Jesse

Sherena Boyce, R.L.'s daughter, also encouraged me. After reading a few of the early stories, she wrote me: "Thank you very much for writing everything down. I know that you loved my dad just like a brother!! And he loved you just like his brother."

Without further fanfare, let the sharing of the joy begin.

A list of links to the individual stories in this collection follows the break.

~ Steve

ree — Photo by J. Skolnick Photography | Courtesy of Jesse Finklestein and Blues Radio International

Links to Individual Stories Contained In This Collection

Read in any order you like. Even though not written or positioned in precise chronological order, these stories build, in certain respects, upon themselves. Events and people mentioned in one story might have better context if the previous story is read first. Or, maybe not.

The Beginning of the Endless Boogie

RL Got Gramminated (Extended Play Edition)

R.L. Boyce’s Epic Adventures in North and South America With Carlos Elliot and The Cornlickers

Las aventuras épicas de R.L. Boyce en América del Norte y del Sur con Carlos Elliot y Los Cornlickers

Part One - You Just Think You're Ready

Parte Uno - Solo piensas que estás listo

Part Two - This is My Band

La Segunda Parte - Esta es mi banda

Part Three - I Chose the $35 Option

Parte Tres - Elegí la opcíon de $35

Part Four - Samuel L. Jackson Wishes He Was Me

Cuarta Parte - Samuel L. Jackson desearía ser yo