R.L. Got Gramminated - Extended Play Edition *
- Steve Likens
- Nov 27, 2023
- 15 min read
Updated: Oct 29, 2024
In rapid succession,
the label called Luther,
Luther called R.L.,
the label called me,
Luther sent me a text,
other people sent me texts, finally
R.L. called me.
"Hey, buddy. Luther said we won tickets to the Grammys!"
"No, buddy," I laughed. "You just got nominated for a Grammy!"
__________
In 2013, R.L. Boyce released his debut album, Ain't The Man's Alright, on Sutro Park Records. The tracks were culled from a two day live, "one take" recording session that had been the brainchild of David Katznelson and Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars, Black Crowes) - one day in R.L.'s front yard in Como, Mississippi, and the other in the Dickinson family's Zebra Ranch studio in Coldwater, Mississippi.
Years later, Waxploitation Records acquired the rights to the previously unused material from those sessions and released R.L.'s second album, Roll & Tumble, on September 8, 2017 . The album features R.L. on gutiar and vocals, Luther Dickinson and Lightin' Malcolm on guitars, father/son duo Calvin Jackson and Cedric Burnside on drums, and Andre Otha Turner on drums.
Roll & Tumble debuted at #16 on the iTunes Blues chart the week of its release- just behind Robert Cray & Hi Rythym (which would be nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album that year) and ahead of BB King - The Complete Collection (#18), The Best of Buddy Guy (#19), Keb' Mo (#20), and Joe Bonamassa Live from the Royal Albert Hall (#21). The song "Shotgun" from the album was later licensed to Showtime and used in the soundtrack of the 2018 pilot for the original series The Chi. "Which R.L. Do You Want" is a lighthearted look at the confusion that always ensued when he and R.L. Burnside were playing at the same event.
By this time, I'd been helping R.L. in a variety of ways and capacities for a few years, as well as traveling with him, and knew his genuine excitement at its release. "I want the world to know what I do," he'd tell folks.
Roll & Tumble Receives a Grammy Nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album
Waxploitation enrolled R.L. as a member of The Recording Academy and submitted Roll & Tumble for Grammy consideration. On November 28, 2017, the nominees for Best Traditional Blues Album were announced:
Roll & Tumble | R.L. Boyce |
Sonny & Brownie's Last Train | Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi |
Migration Blues | Eric Bibb |
Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio | Elvin Bishop's Big Fun Trio |
Blue & Lonesome | The Rolling Stones |
It takes more than one vote to move past the first ballot and subsequent rounds of voting, but Jud Phillips of Phillips Recording Service in Memphis (which had several Americana projects engineered by Matt Ross-Spang also nominated that year) let us know he was one of those early votes.
Final-round voting opened December 7 and closed December 31, 2017.[1] All voting members received instructions that ballots were due earlier than usual that year. We later learned this change occured because the ceremony itself was being moved up due to scheduling conflicts at the venue.
R.L. had been told that he and a guest were invited to attend the Awards ceremony in person and details were being sent. A week went by, and no details or tickets arrived. He checked his mailbox every day for another week. Still no details. Finally, I contacted the good folks in the Membership Department at The Recording Academy on his behalf. They told me invitations and details are not sent until the artist personally responds to their email requesting confirmation of the physical mailing address to be used for that purpose. After checking their records, they reported that they did not send R.L. an email because a personal email address for R.L. was not on file. "That's because," I said,"he does not have email." At the time, we were lucky the man was even using a flip-phone. I could not confirm his physical mailing address over the phone. It had to be done through the official confirmation email. And, that is how and why R.L. got his first email account in December 2017.
Mississippi Night
On January 21, 2018, the week before the awards ceremony, The Recording Academy Grammy Museum Mississippi, located on the campus of Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, hosted its annual Mississippi Night.
R.L. performed in two capacities during the program. He played guitar and sang, accompanied by Luther (guitar) and Sharde Thomas (drums); and then, harkening back to his musical roots as a drummer in Otha Turner's Rising Star Fife & Drum Band, R.L. played the snare with Sharde, Otha's granddaughter, on fife in a contemporary version of The Rising Stars. The Como Mammas, a bluesy gospel singing group from R.L.'s hometown, also performed. Scott Berretta, host of the Highway 61 radio show on Mississippi Pubic Broadcasting and former editor of Living Blues magazine, who did much to draw attention to R.L. over the years, was in attendance, as was Luther's delightful mom, Mary Lindsay Dickinson.
You can read more about the event on The Grammy Museum website, here.
Grammy Weekend - NYC
The Recording Academy held the 60th Grammy Awards on Sunday, January 28, 2018, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, instead of Los Angeles where it had been the past several years. In fact, that was the first time they held the ceremony in New York since 2003, when the "other" R.L. was nominated for Best Tradtional Blues Album (for Burnside on Burnside). Although he preferred January in L.A. to January in N.Y., R.L. said, "Let's go, buddy." So, aboard Southwest Airlines flight 724, with Dawn (aka Mrs. L) and I in tow, R.L. left Memphis for NYC (with a stop in Tampa!) on January 25, 2018.
Interviews and Offical Business
Thanks to advance introductions by John Boncimino [2] and leg-work by Chloe Walsh and Lisa Gottheil with Grandstand Media and Chris Patrick at the label, R.L.'s pre-ceremony intinerary for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday included interviews and/or recorded performances with Grammy TV, Deezer, Veronica Figueroa of W Radio (in South America), Salon Sessions (big thanks to Lee Kostrinsky for the amplifier assist), and City Winery Cellar Sessions: One-on-One Series.
True to form, when asked what songs he was going to play, R.L. replied, "Well, this one right here (starts playing). And if there's time, whatever comes next to my mind." In one session, the host asked if what we just heard was on his Grammy nominated album. R.L. grinned and responded, "Nuh-uh. Ain't nobody heard that one before." Which was true. In typical R.L. fashion, he improvised lyrics based on where he was and who and what was going on around him at the moment; such as this line during the Salon session: "I hope I win my Grammy award." No one lived in the present moment, on stage or off, more than R.L.
Everybody also asked about the red jacket. "Is your last name Boyce or Boyd? I have Boyce on my sheet." A member of R.L.'s home community recently arranged to have a jacket custom made for him. It had his name on the front and "Blues Man of Como, Mississippi" on the back. His last name somehow got mispelled as "Boyd" in the process, but it was a gift and R.L. wore it proudly.[3]
Despite all the attention, R.L. remained the same easy-going, humble R.L. that he'd always been. He greeted everyone with a smile and when he left each session, everyone he just met was now his buddy. Because he said they were.
R.L. also had offical Grammy business over the weekend - pick up credentials and swag at the Stewart Hotel, collect his Grammy Nominee medal, and attend the Nominees' reception at Ziegfield Ballroom on West 54th Street.
Somewhere in the midst of all this, R.L. found time to take us to John Brown BBQ in Queens. R.L. held court on John Brown's backporch stage with local blues artists (and sometimes friends from Mississippi, such as Little Joe Ayers) at least once a year and always had lunch or dinner on the house waiting for him anytime he wanted to drop in.
Friday Night Jam Session
Friday night was party night. Guy Davis and his manager Thom Wolke hosted a wang-dang-doodle in Thom's suite at the Wyndham. It was there that R.L. and Italian harmonica player, and fellow Traditional Blues Nominee, Fabrizio Poggi first played the blues together. It would not be their last live collaboration. Fabrizio and his lovely wife Angelina remained big fans of R.L. and visited him in Mississippi later that year. Unfortunately, much discusssed plans to record together could not be arranged before R.L.'s death.
Music Maker Relief Foundation Benefit Show
Thom Wolke invited R.L. and the other blues category nominees to participate in a benefit show and silent auction to raise money for the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Music Maker is a non-profit that provides grants to artists who create traditional American music that put roofs over their heads, food on their tables, and instruments in their hands, as well as assisting in times of crises. Music Maker also has a division that manages roots artists. At the time, it just happened to be working with R.L.'s friends, the Como Mommas.
The benefit took place on Saturday night, after the Nominees' reception, in the intimate setting of City Vineyard on Pier 26. It sold out days in advance. The evening included dinner and incredible performances by R.L., Fabrizio Poggi, Keb' Mo', Elvin Biship, John Hammond, Eric Bibb, Guy Davis, Dom Flemons, Scott Sharrard, and Barbara Blue. We were also honored to have the heralded blues photographer Joe Rosen on hand to document the evening.
When Thom Wolke sent the final details to everyone earlier in the day, he wrote: "I'm sensing from everyone how fun and relaxed this night will be as we celebrate the blessings we all have received to be able to do what we love. And this night gives us a chance to pay it forward through MMRF." Thom worked his ass off to pull this event together. His efforts delivered an over-the-top evening. Thanks for including R.L., Thom.
Guy Davis served as the evening's MC. When he called R.L. up, R.L. shouted out, "Where's my harmonica player?" Spotting Fabrizio in the crowd, he hollered, "Get up here, buddy. I need my harmonica player."
Don Flemons (formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops) and R.L. discovered they share a connection through the late Sid Hemphill. Sid was a multi-instrumentalist (fiddle, banjo, fife, guitar, piano) during the 1940s and 1950s and was born in Panola County, Mississippi, near R.L.'s hometown of Como. Dom cites Sid Hemphill, and other early African-Amercian fiddle and banjo players, as a major influence. R.L. heard Sid play as a child and in the 1980s and 1990s, R.L. played drums and recorded with Sid's grandaughter - North Mississippi hill country blues guitarist Jessie Mae Hemphill.
I did not sit in on all of the long conversation R.L. had with Eric Bibb. From what I heard, it sounded like they knew a lot of the same people and had a mutual friend in Charlie Musslewhite. Perhaps Eric remembers more and can tell that story.
Scott Sharrard was nominated that year for Best American Roots Song as co-songwriter, with the late Gregg Allman, of "My Only True Friend," which appeared on Allman's final album, Southern Blood. Scott performed an emotional rendition that evening with Barbara Blue.
Dawn and I knew Barbara from back home. She lived in Memphis at the time and was a staple of the Beale St. music scene. We joked about having to travel all the way to New York to spend time together. After dinner, Barabara told us, "I sure do love me some R.L." and explained that her mother provided nursing care for R.L.'s mother while she was still alive. Barbara sometimes made the trip down into Mississippi with her mom and spent time in the Boyce home.
Keb' Mo' was nominated that year, along with Taj Mahal, for best Contemporary Blues Album for TajMo. His was one of the unnamed, but advertised, "special guest appearances." John Hammond was the other.
A few good-natured shots were also taken at the lesser known blues artists nominated that year. Thom Wolke remarked, "Eric, Guy, R.L., and Elvin are all grateful the Taj/Keb album is not in the Traditional category, and we only have to contend with those upstarts in the British band, the Rolling Stones." Upon his arrival, Elvin Bishop told those who quickly gathered around: "On the way over here, my Uber driver asked what I was doing in town. When I told him I had been nominated for a Grammy, he asked if I was gonna win. 'Oh, hell no!' I said. 'I'm up against the Rollin Stones.' My driver then said, 'Just tell me what hotel they're staying in. I'll pick 'em up in the morning and dump 'em in the river.'"
The Big Night
Actually, the big night started in the afternoon.
A week earlier, during Mississippi Night, Luther told us he had attended several Grammy ceremonies and had some advice: "It's a long day. Bring snacks."
The Recording Academy handed out Grammys in 84 categories that year. They presented only the nine "big ones" - Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best New Artist, etc. - during the live telecast on CBS that started at 7:30 p.m. The remaining 75 awards were presented during the Premiere Ceremony that started at 3 p.m. You may remember watching and hearing that familiar voice-over between live presenters during past TV broadcasts: "In a separate ceremony held earlier this evening, awards were presented in the following categories ... ." Well, that's the Premiere Ceremony. And, that's when they give the award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
Sunday afternoon, Luther sent a text to share with R.L.:
The Premier Ceremony took place in the Theater at MSG. Our hotel was close enough that, even as cold as it was, we could walk. Heeding Luther's advice, I stopped in a corner convenience store on the way. At the register, while loading the inside and outside pockets of my jacket with goodies of all sorts, I asked, "What do you want?" Shaking his head and waving his hand, R.L. responded, "Nothing, buddy. I'm fine."
The famed "Red Carpet" started outside along the street. Waiting to go in, R.L. was as cool and laid-back as ever. In fact, Guy Davis told him.: "I really admire you. We all gotta go one day. But, after spending a few days with you, I know when it's your time to go it ain't gonna be because of stress!"
Once inside, the Red Carpet ran through a gauntlet of reporters, photographers, and interviewers. Fortunately, an assigned sherpa guided us through the maze. Along the way, R.L. received several compliments on his outfit (for which he was actually featured in the "Killer Fashion" blog). He did look sharp!
When asked, R.L. was always quick to name Fred McDowell as an influence. "Carlos, Luther Dickinson, and Malcolm," became the standard answer when asked who he most enjoyed playing with.[4] During one live segment, an interviewer asked him who picked out that sharp-looking jacket for him to wear. R.L. answered, "My friend, Steve" and pointed to me. Wanting to remain married, Steve quickly jumped in, "To be clear, his friend Steve's wife, Dawn, picked out that jacket." Later, when a particularly attractive female interviewer asked what the best part of the weekend had been so far, R.L. flashed that big smile of his and said, "Talking to you right now."
Waiting at the end of the Red Carpet was a small room with a backdrop on the right wall and a set of short bleachers (maybe three rows) occupied by "fans" placed at a right angle to the backdrop but pushed against the wall in front of us. This is where the nominees stopped for their official photos and live introduction. R.L. stepped on his mark, and at the director's signal, flash bulbs suddenly popped from all directions and the "fans" in the bleachers let out a raucus cheer. Ah, showbiz!
Having survived the paparazzi, we found our seats in the auditorium with Fabrizio, Angelina, Guy Davis, and Guy's son, Marshall.
The award for Best Traditional Blues Album was scheduled as agenda item #50 in the program, so we settled in for a long afternoon.
The invitation said "black tie." Further, the "Rules & Restrictions" section on the inside sleeve of the ticket portfolio advised, "Formal attire is requested for all Grammy telecast-related events." Most attendees dutifully complied. However, R.L. pointed out one woman wearing nothing but a large white rope strategically wrapped around certain parts of her anatomy. Of course, Elvin Bishop sat behind us wearing a flannel shirt and a pair of overalls.
In contrast, there was a very well-groomed gentleman wearing a black tuxedo sitting to our right. I do not recall his name, but he told us he was nominated for one of (I don't remember this either) the Classical or Orchestral categories - agenda items #26 through #35. At some point, his name was called out, a lot of people clapped, he went on stage, he said a few words into the microphone, and then we never saw him again.
While waiting for agenda item #50, we were treated to live performances by afternoon host Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band, India.Arie, and Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo'. The latter duo performed "Diving Duck" from TajMo, which later that afternoon received the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
Finally, presenter Zac Brown announced the nominees for Best Traditional Blues Album. As "Roll and Tumble - R.L. Boyce" flashed up on the big screen, R.L. leaned over and said, "If they call my name, you know you have to go up there with me and tell 'em." I had written down a list of the label folks, musicians, and promoters R.L. needed to thank, just in case.
Zac Brown finally opened the envelope, pulled out the card, and read: "The Grammy goes to ... Blue & Lonesome, The Rolling Stones." The deafening silence and befuddled faces across the auditorium screamed, "Huh?!?!? What?!?!?" Then the young lady in the silver gown brought out the Grammy and Zac Brown announced, "The Stones couldn't be with us today. We'll make sure they get this." And, that was it. R.L. took it in stride. "Oh, well, buddy. We'll get 'em next time."
After the Premier Ceremony ended, several polite young people in matching red sport shirts herded everyone down hallways, around corners, up stairs, around more corners, down more hallways, and into the main arena of Madison Square Garden for the televised portion of the ceremony.
According to our instructions, we were to be in our seats by 7:15 p.m. If not, we would not be allowed in the arena until the first commercial break. R.L. and I did as we were told and found our seats next to Brent Cobb (who had been nominated for Best Americana Album) and his wife. Earlier in the day, R.L. had been bested by the Stones. Ten minutes before that, Brent by Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit.
Throughout the evening, the P.A. announcer reminded us that we could only leave our seats during commercial breaks and if we did not return to our seats before the end of the break, we must wait until the next one to return inside. As the end of each break drew closer, a visual and audio countdown started and seat fillers scurried across the arena floor to fill any open seats before we went "live" again. We joked about the hypothetical usher who might have to block the door and explain, "I'm sorry Ms. Beyonce, but you can't go in right now."
R.L. and I remained in our seats during most of those breaks. During one, we watched several groups of excited "fans" rehearse down front. With a member of the production crew providing choreography and direction, each group perfected a synchronized wave of swaying arms or thrusting fists or claps on 2 and 4 - the ones that would "spontaneously" happen during the next live segment when they rushed the stage during their assigned songs.
James Cordon hosted the live telecast, which included performances by Elton John, Sting, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Chris Stapleton, Cardi B., Bruno Mars, Gary Clark, Jr., Little Big Town, Cyndi Lauper, Pink, Rhianna, U2 (via video), and Dave Chappelle, among others. I noticed that R.L. paid particulary close attention during Rhianna's performance.
In case you have been wondering how R.L. held up having ignored Luther's words of wisdom, about 20 minutes into the live telecast he whispered, "Hey, buddy. You got any more of them Snicker bars?"
All in all, R.L. really enjoyed the day. When we left the arena, though, he said he was worn out. So, we decided to skip the after-party and walked back to the hotel instead.
Hometown and Memphis Chapter Regional Receptions
R.L.'s Grammy activities did not end after he left New York. Back home, Dawn and Michelle Baird hosted a family and friends reception for R.L. at Michelle's house in Senatobia on February 3, 2018. R.L., Cameron Kimbrough, and Yella P (Damion Pearson) provided the jams. Robert Kimbrough, Sr., Steve Toney, Joyce "She-Wolf" Jones, and Artemus LeSueur, among others, stopped by to congratulate R.L.
Senatobia post-award show reception and celebration photos by Dawn Likens
Finally, The Recording Academy's Memphis Chapter invited R.L. and Lightin' Malcolm to attend its annual Regional reception and celebration for area-nominated artists at Lafayette's Music Room on April 10, 2018. Each of the nominees, whether they came home with a Grammy or not, got their turn at the podium. I was deeply touched by R.L.'s brief remarks: "I thank my co-player Lightin' Malcolm, Steve Likens, Mrs. Likens. I'm glad to be here with all of ya'll today. So I thank ya'll for everything that ya'll did for me. I'm not a big talker, so thank ya'll." You can view the footage of his brief (24 seconds) remarks here.
Engineer Matt Ross-Spang, who works out of Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, won a Grammy that year (Best Americana Album) for his work on Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's The Nashville Sound, on which Isbell's "If We Were Vampires" appears. Matt sat at the next table and told R.L., "Jud Phillips has told me all about you." Matt then asked R.L. if they could work together some time. Unfortunately, this was another project that could not be arranged before R.L.'s death.
After the reception, looking like a seasoned pro, R.L. gave one more interview about his Grammy experience - this time to local WMC NewsChannel 5.
Thanks for stopping by.
~ Steve
Return to table of contents.
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Notes:
- I am very grateful Dawn took so many photos on our trip and preserved these wonderful memories.
* In a July 27, 2021, post with a similar name, I briefly discussed a few of these events. Hence, "Extended Play" in this title.
[1] Roll & Tumble also earned R.L. two nominations (Best Traditional Blues Artist - Male and Best Emerging Blues Artist Album) at the 2018 Blues Music Awards.
[2] At John's later recommendation, R.L. received an invitation to perform at the 2019 Chicago Blues Festival.
[3] Artist Sheena Ike's R.L. Blues Catcher Doll™ also famously outfits him in that red "Boyd" jacket.
[4] R.L. appears on Carlos Elliot and The Cornlickers' 2015 album, Del Otun & El Mississippi," on which he plays guitar and drums on several studio tracks. Carlos's 2014 release Raise The Fire America includes a bonus "live" track taken from a January 2014 recording of them playing together at one of RL's famous North Mississipi Hill Country Blues yard parties in Como, Mississippi. In addition to frequent appearances together throughout Mississippi and the northeast, R.L. toured with Carlos across Colombia, South America in August 2015 (including multiple performances at the Medellin Blues Festival), and then again in December 2017. Malcolm, of course, is Lightin' Malcolm.
© 2023 Steve W. Likens
Photos © Steve W. Likens, except as otherwise credited.
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