A while back former author Jimmy Fleming did an interview with Rick Solomon of Bayside Blues Records titled “the blues you can use” and I decided to follow up Blue Rick and ask him about his current projects and managing Bayside Blues Records a small music production facility and recording studio company in New York State. We are featuring 3 of Ricks songs in this article/interview the first is “I rose and then I fell” was written for a rather tragic character in a book Rick wrote. He knows he’s dying and he’s writes this song as his own epitaph.
The second from bayside blues recordings is a tribute to Robert Johnson titled “crossroads” which is a song to modernize the sound of the iconic blues song from the great delta era of the 30’s and pay respect to one of the greatest blues guitar players ever with the help of Ricks spooky sound dynamics which add more mystery to an already supernatural story.
The 3rd tune we talk about is “Mary Lou” who seems to be the type of Woman that you guys would probably get involved with even if you were warned about beforehand, She is bad and nasty will steal and deceive If you want to know more about here listen to the song below.
The final one is a tale of a place called Motel 88 it’s a real place and it’s not exactly the place you want to be spending your honeymoon or even a weekend
About Blue Rick
Welcome back Rick to another Guitardoor Interview, Lets start off with a little about yourself for those who have not seen the previous interview or anything which has changed since then?
BlueRick is the stage name used by Rick Solomon, a veteran of the local NY music scene. He’s played in clubs, bars, street fairs and guitar shows and expos. He’s an author and an on-call, multi-instrumental studio musician and vocalist with much recording experience. He has released two albums; “Promised Land”, and “One Dog, No Bone”. BLUES DRIVER is his third album release. He has also written a novel “Promised Land”, based on the album title song from his first album release. PARTIAL WORK HISTORY: Guitar for The Brooklyn Bridge Guitar and vocals for Smokin’ Gunz Guitar and vocals for Bobby Kayle Blues Band Numerous solo gigs in bars, coffee houses etc… Guitar and vocals for hire Numerous on call studio gigs working as: musician, engineer, production assistant, producer, arranger -Electric LadyLand 1970 – 1972 -Roxy Recording 1973 – 1980 (7 years) as an on-call studio musician, engineering and production specialist. -Avalon Recording Studios 1975 – 1982 (7 years) as an on call studio musician, engineer, production specialist -Monkey Hill Studio 1980 – 1988, musician, engineer, production specialist CURRENTLY: BaysideBlue Recording Studios and Production – Owner/ Manager and record label owner 1995 -present –You can hear BlueRick on Facebook.com –You can view BlueRick videos on:
www.youtube.com/BlueRick –You can purchase BlueRick music at all major internet vendors under the name BlueRick.
I Rose and Then I Fell
I rose then I fell is the first track we would like to talk about tell us more about the background to this song?
I wrote a novel about a musician named Bobby Joe Reese, born in Alabama, abandoned by his traveling musician father and raised by an alcoholic mother who dies in a house fire she accidentally set. Alone, he is living in a corner of an abandoned barn until his teacher asks an up and coming local family to take him and his two sisters into their home…which they do. The family themselves have an only son, named Carl. The teacher, who was friends with Bobby Joe’s father, buys Bobby Joe a cheap acoustic guitar which he practices on until his fingers bleed. Carl also learns to play.
The novel follows the adventures and lives of the main characters.
In NYC, Bobby Joe has to defend himself from a vengeful group of rivals and he and Carl are badly injured as a result. Bobby Joe gets a medical report telling him he may die from his injury. Knowing he will die soon, BOBBY JOE WRITES THIS SONG as his epitaph and hands it off to his brother Carl, who besides being a teacher and business man also owns a recording studio. Carl and his son, Quentin, along with Quentin’s friends, record this song according to Bobby Joe’s directions. At age 75, Bobby Joe succumbs to a brain aneurism.
Crossroads
I love this one especially since I am a big fan of Robert Johnson what I would like to ask you is In your opinion, how can Blues music stay relevant and connect with younger audiences?
Ever since I first heard Robert Johnson sing this and later heard and loved Cream’s version, I’ve wanted to do it my way. So I revised the lyrics and started to rehease it at home in the studio. Then I brought it out on the road to my gigs where it has been well received. The version you hear was a live take at a now defunct bar out in Long Beach NY.
Mary Lou
Mary Lou sounds like a nasty piece of stuff was she a real person?
It’s a song about a good lookin’ girl who goes through life using people. The phrase, “wheelin’, dealin’, and stealin’ without feelin'” is an apt description of her character. I wrote it because in my travels through life I’ve met several women, and girls like her. But the song isn’t limited to one gender. It could just as easily be about a guy. And as we know there are plenty of people out there like MaryLou.
MOTEL 88
I traveled quite a lot and have stayed in a few crazy places but Motel 88 seems like it’s top of the list when it comes to downtrodden places tell us more about the tune?
I was a full time teacher as well as a full time musician. During my off time from teaching I took road gigs with a pickup band touring these small southern towns and cities. At the time it was an adventure. The tour bus was a run down, beat up, but useable vehicle. The places we stayed were much the same. In Wilmington North Carolina, we had a gig at a dive bar on Market Street…a street you don’t wanna be on at night. We had rented a room at the Motel 88 in advance. When we got to the room it was already trashed and not cleaned. The song describes it best. We got ready for the gig there, did the gig, met some girls, brought em back with us, partied the room to oblivion, and left early the next morning before dawn…and moved on to the next town.
The Birth Of Bayside Blues Records and Production Company
ABOUT BAYSIDEBLUE RECORDING STUDIO -BaysideBlue Records and Recording Studio is located in Bayside, NY -My recording studio features a PC desktop with 4 studio quality speakers -For drums…I create and program my own customized drum beats or purchase samples -For guitars I use: slide –a Gibson Les Paul Studio leads –a custom made Greggorio Pro –Fender Strat –Epiphone Custom with 3 pickups rhythm –Fender Squier Custom Telecaster –Gibson SG Bass –Hofner Beatle Bass PLUS –other acoustic guitars and electrics as needed KEYBOARDS—Roland D-50, Casio CZ1000, Yamaha DX7 EFFECTS – stomp boxes galore…too many to list COMPUTER —an older PC SOFTWARE —main DAW is Mixcraft 8 Pro Studio Bandlab, GoldWave, EZMix, plus others if needed Microphones are mainly Shure sm57 and sm58
Going Beyond the Songs and Music Tell Us More About Your Book
Well I haven’t published the book as yet…still looking for a viable publisher if anyone reading this would like to get in touch via the Facebook Page about it. The book is called Promised Land. It follows the life and times of a musician abandoned as a child by his parents and adopted by family and raised by them. The book covers his life and that of his adoptive family from 1945 to about 2024. It’s actually semi autobiographical because it divides me (yes me) into two characters and follows the course of their lives.
You Have some Experience Playing With The Winter Brothers Tell Us More About That and How it came about?
I played briefly with the Brooklyn Bridge…subbing for a sick band member. I jammed with both Johnny and Edgar Winter after a now defunct Roxie Recording & Rehearsal Studio…just some jams nothing recorded.
So where can we find out more about you and where is your music avaiable to buy?
You can find out more about me on my website which is still a work in progress and you can also find my music to buy on Amazon and a few other online stores. I have an active Facebook page and I sometimes share stuff on X you can find all these links on my Website along with other blues you can use
