PAUL BLACK Blues/Slide guitar

I posted most of this on the IGS forum so this is a cross post.

I was originally led to discover Paul Black when I found some very short .wav files of Acoustic Slide Guitar loops via P2P. No information was given so I searched the file names and traced these loops to Paul Black, finally learning the source of the loops (see further below).

Paul Black and the Flip Kings released a CD in 1996 entitled 'King Dollar'. It hit # 17 on the Blues Music Charts in 1997.

Low quality full sound clips of several songs from the King Dollar CD can be downloaded at the following URL. 'Dead Shrimp Bues' and 'G-Baby' are my favorites of these.
http://www.blues.ru/bluesmen/Paul_Black/

The King Dollar CD is on the top of my list to buy.

Now, regarding Paul Black, I have become fascinated with this guy and finding information on him on the web is not easy. I also found an extraordinary resource for some of his playing abilities (see further below). Here are a couple of quotes from websites that have a little bit of informtion about him:

>>1) Paul Black, King Dollar. Dark, swampy, low-down blues with Paul Black playing innovative and incendiary slide guitar...partner Andy Linderman plays fabulous harmonica.<<

Believe me, that is some awesome harmonica playing too.

>>Though unrecorded and unheralded until now, (King Dollar CD) Black has been around. He spent four years on the South Louisiana lounge circuit with then-undiscovered slide whiz Sonny Landreth, followed by stints in Austin, Texas, and, later, San Francisco, where he recorded jingles with Mike Bloomfield<<

Whoa... like, "Who is Paul Black?!"

Actually here is what Sonney Landreth wrote about Paul Black on the King Dollar CD cover: "Like all the great bluesmen he trurned me on to many years ago, Paul Black's music emerges from deep within the soul and engages his mastery of conversation between impassioned voice and preimier slide guitar in performances of raw power and inspiration." -Sonny Landreth, Beaux Bridge, Louisiana.

It is my understanding that shortly after the King Dollar CD was made, the record company (House of Blues) came upon some difficulties I think that this may be one reason why this CD (out of print) and Paul Black have been fairly obscure, otherwise he may have become much more well known, as in my opinion he deserves.

Here is a photo of Paul Black playing at an acoustic guitar festival in Manitowok Wisconsin:

http://www.acousticfest.com/af09.html

The only other photos I found are in the .ru url that I cited above.

Here is the resource I found:
I bought the CD of Paul Black Guitar Loops entitled 'Whiskey Cigarettes and Gumbo' from Sony for $29.95. This CD has over 600 Paul Black guitar loops, short .wav files that I am playing and arranging in the Free Download version of Sony ACID software, called ACID XPRESS.

I think this is the URL for the CD:
>>Sony Pictures Digital presents the Paul Black: Blues Guitar collection - a blues guitar masterpiece. Enter the gold mine of authentic, traditional blues: deep delta stylings and scorching urban riffs, rich with tone and character.<< See the rest here:
http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/loop_libraries/showloop.asp?spid=54

I find this to be a most extraordinary resource for learning slide guitar, and some fingerstyle blues, acoustic and electric. I am using it as a learning tool. It is worth a big bundle more than I paid for it, as an educational resource, that is for sure.

I feel like I am revealing a secret discovery here that is going to make me a good slide player.

Also I have learned that he is playing in Madison Wisconsin in a local bar on Tuesday nights and only "for pass-the-hat tips". I'd like to send him a tip for an invaluable work in this Whiskey Cigarettes and Gumbo CD.

Here are the different sections and tunings that are on the CD:

Demo Song: 'Keeping it Cool' Blues fingerstyle and slide; pretty basic 12 bar, not too exciting, but probably nice to play along with for practice. BTW, I understand from other sources that he plays an old 'Airline' electric guitar on alot of his slide work, such as on the King Dollar CD.

Here are the main Folder Names followed by the subfolder names:

Acoustic Slide> sub folders; Blues in E, Blues in G, Fingerpicking in E, Funkey Fingerpicking in E.

BTW, I think most of the finger picking ones have slide work also, I was just now listening to a few loops in the Funky Finger Picking in E folder and it has some great slide work!

Blues Rock in A; sub folders: Chunky Riffs, Licks and Riffs. (These remind me alot of Sonny Landreth, enough said.)

To keep this post shorter (for time) I won't describe or characterize the loops in every subfolder, but will just list them.

Chunky and Funky;sub folders: Chunky Funky in E, Distorted Chunky and Funky in C.

Delay Wah and Effects Guitars:Delay Wah Riffs in A, Melodic Delay Wah in A, Wah Wah Licks in E, Wah Wah Strat in A.

Electric Slide in C; Slide Blues Shuffle, Swampy Voodoo. (ooooo, this is good stuff like on King Dollar CD)

Electric Slide in G: Double Time Shuffle, Vibey Shuffle.

Rural Blues in ERural Doubletime, Rural Shuffle.

Strat Fingerpicking in A.[Paul Black Sonny Landreth type stuff, yeah :-)]

Tremolo Slide in C: Exotic Shuffle Chords, Exotic Straight Chords, Mellow Straight Vibe.

Urban Blues in A: Distorted Leads and Riffs, Heavy Leads and Riffs, Jazzy Blues, More Distorted Leads and Riffs, Urban Rhythms.

Urban Blues in E

Ok, that's it except for a Demo folder with some drum beats.

Now, all of this being said, not every single loop can be considered as a lesson, necessarily, some are only a note or chord or two with an effect, there are so many loops, over 600 that it is hard for me to say what percentage of those are useful as individual lessons, and it depends upon what the listener wants to learn, but even at 1/3 or 1/2 of the loops being useful, this is a rich resource.

If you get this CD, I recommend using ACID XPRESS to play them in, even though the free version has limitations on functions, unless you have other studio software that you can arrange tracks in.
How much is it worth to have Paul Black come over to your house and patiently teach you each of these loops (via this CD)? For me personally it's worth anywhere from $1500. to $15,000. That's my opinion and even after editing this post I am going to leave that opionion in here.

BTW, the King Dollar CD (1996) is awesome if you can find it, it's been out of print for quite awhile, definately a favorite of mine.
Thanks,
Phangeaux