Dave Thomas

Bridge Street Blues

Blonde On Blonde Direct Records

Dave Thomas is a British blues guitarist and singer whose career spans more than five decades, tracing back to the explosive 1960s blues boom. A contemporary of John Mayall, Eric Clapton, and Peter Green, Thomas has remained a vital and evolving force. At just 18, he joined the pioneering progressive rock band Blonde on Blonde, sharing stages with icons including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis,s and Deep Purple. Over the years, he has also performed alongside Paul Jones and the Blues Band, and by special invitation for Paul McCartney. For 15 years he has led the house band at Shake Down Blues, backing more than 40 leading Black American blues artists on UK stages. Thomas’ recent recordings include 2021’s One More Mile and 2022’s Road to the Blues, both reaching No. 1 on the Roots Music Report UK Album Chart, with Top 10 success across US Blues and Contemporary Blues Charts. In 2023, Thomas won Independent Blues Awards for Best Contemporary Blues Band and Best Contemporary Blues Album (Road to the Blues).

All ten songs are written by Thomas except for one co-write. Thomas, on vocals and guitar, is joined by producer/guitarist Declan Sinnott, who also plays all of the other instruments. The album was recorded at Ar Neamh Studios in County Cork, Ireland.

The album opens with “Go to Legends,” as Thomas sings, “Enjoy a few beers at the bar, son, pour a bourbon over ice…dance til you drop, fill your head up with the blues…but leave politics and religion at the public zoo.” The song is built on a groove that feels alive — a manifesto for living and listening, grounded in the simple rituals of music and fellowship.

On “City Streets,” Thomas chimes, “Walk all night to get to my baby’s door, walk all night to get to my baby’s door, her door is locked and bolted, I have to sleep on the floor. I tried to call her, no answer on the phone, sometimes I wonder is my baby all alone…she said she loved me, told a lie?” It sounds as if Thomas is singing from experience.

“Gone for Good” features the lyric as Thomas chants, “I go to bed at midnight, winds howling around my door, a creak comes from the hall stairs, footsteps on the floor. It’s 3 AM. I’m crying, I just can’t get no rest, I think this time she’s gone for good, I thought I’d done my best, the best I could,” as Thomas continues with the same theme as the previous song.

On “Big Fast Car,” Thomas wails, “I gotta heart full of love, I got a book full of girls, I gotta big fast car, gonna drive around the world. I got a pocket full of money, I gotta heart that’s made of gold, I’m a gift of milk and honey, I’m a story still untold. I’m a wicked syndicator, I got a alligator smile, If you’d like to see me later, I’ll stick around here for a while,” as Thomas sings of better times.

“Honey” features Thomas as he once again sings of love lost, asking, “Honey, where are you? Honey, where are you? You took my love and all my money, Honey, where are you? Honey when you smiled…you were beaming, gold tooth gleaming, honey when you smiled. When you, when you said goodbye…I hung my head as tears rolled down, when you said goodbye.”

On “Mr. Moonchild,” Thomas howls, “Mr. Moonchild, Mr. Moonchild, Mr. Moonchild, Mr. Moonchild, What’s he got that I ain’t got? Don’t ask! He stands up tall, and makes the girls go wild, wags his tongue, gives a great big smile, Mr. Moonchild, Mr. Moonchild, What’s he got that I ain’t got? Don’t ask!…Gets up early with his gun, leaves his home in Staghorn Street to shoot and fish, ’til he comes home beat, Mr. Moonchild, What’s he got that I ain’t got?” as he becomes a doubting Thomas.

“Busted” features Thomas as he groans, “Busted, down and out again, busted, down and out again, now my money’s gone, can’t even find a friend. When I had money, friends all gathered round…now my money’s gone, my friends just can’t be found…just gotta keep on walkin’, till this hard road ends.” This is a “nobody knows you when you’re down and out” theme.

On the funky “I Know You Through and Through,” co-written with Julia Smalley, Thomas belts, “Girl, I know you through and through, I can read you like a book, Girl. I know you through and through, I can read you like a book, every move and every look, I know you through and through. No-one knows me like you do, the good things and the bad things too…you’ve stood beside me through and through.” Simply a great song and one of my favorites on this fine album.

“All Loved Up” features Thomas as he shouts, “Well I’m all loved up, don’t know which way to turn, well I’m all loved up, don’t know which way to turn, women all around me, and my love light starts to burn. I got money in my pocket, and I’m driving my Jaguar, I got money in my pocket, and I’m driving my Jaguar, working on the line, feelin’ like a movie star…well I’m all loved up.” Once again, Thomas sings of better times.

On the closer and title track, “Bridge Street Blues,” Thomas croons, “Some days I feel I wanna walk back home, to the place I took my first steps walking on my own, take me home, to the town where I was born, take me back across the tracks, I’ve got the Bridge Street blues. Take me back to the place I saw my little self grow, into a boy and then a man who was ready to leave home, take me home, to the town where I was born, take me across the river, I’ve got the Bridge Street blues.” My own experience justifies wanting to return to places that transformed my character and personality.

Thomas draws on a lifetime of influence, from the gospel sounds of his youth at the Baptist chapel in Llanthewy Road, where he first sang, to the lessons learned from the music listened to in his home. He learned his craft from American blues artists including Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, James Cotton, Big Walter Horton, and Otis Spann. He also learned a great deal from John Mayall and the British blues boom. Thomas’ guitar playing remains expressive and precise, while his vocals never lose their warmth or immediacy. It’s easy to identify with Dave Thomas.

Richard Ludmerer

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