Gerald McClendon Down At The Juke Joint

May 23, 2024

Gerald McClendon

Down At The Juke Joint

Delta Roots Records

Gerald McClendon is widely known as the “Soulkeeper”. Born and raised in Chicago he began singing along with the music he heard on the radio. His love for music included R&B icons Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett, and Otis Redding. McClendon’s love for music allows him the ability to take a song, reshape it and make it his own. Gerald recorded his debut CD “Choose Love” on the Do-Rae Productions imprint in 1999. In 2005 Gerald was a featured performer on “Mother Blues” a CD by Twist Turner. Follow-up recordings included Gerald teaming up with Vince Salerno on 2018’s “Grabbing The Blues By The Horns” and on 2021’s “Blues From All Points”, both on Pravda Records. Gerald also recorded his own album’s 2020’s “Can’t Nobody Stop Me Now”, and his last 2021’s “Let’s Have A Party” both on the Delta Roots Records.

This new album “Down At The Juke Joint” was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Gerald’s old friend Twist Turner at Chicago’s Delta Roots Sound Studios. Gerald, whose remorsefully smooth vocal opens “Back Where You Belong” sings “where did she go, I don’t know…baby come home”. The fabulous horn section aptly named the Delta Roots Horns is fronted by saxophonist Mike Jackson. Joe Burba plays guitar on all tracks except where noted otherwise. On most tracks we hear David Forte on bass; while Twist Turner plays drums on all tracks.

On “It’s Too Late” Gerald sings the soulful lyric “I said some things just to make her mad, it’s too late, too late, she’s gone…there is no sunshine in my life no more…I just hope she comes back one day”. Tony Llorens plays piano, organ and a Fender Rhodes. On the title track Gerald is joined on a duet with Mary Lane. The song is an ode to good times as they sing “havin’ a ball, down at the juke joint drinkin’ alcohol…don’t let the whiskey go to waste”. loren’s take an impressive organ solo.

“House Ain’t A Home” features guitarist Maurice John Vaughn; while Mark Wydra plays guitar on “So Long” as Gerald sings “we’ve been together so long, where did we go wrong”.On the funky feeling “Talkin’ Smack” Gerald sings “you’ve been talkin’ smack behind my back”. On “Only Time Will Tell” he sings “our love grows stronger, every day, deeper and deeper, in every way”. The whimsical “She’s Tryin’ To Drive Me Crazy” includes the lyric “but I just won’t give her the key”. “Cryin’ Time Again” is a melancholy lament of despair as Gerald sings “I wonder where my troubles will ever end”.

“You Make Me Happy”, “more precious than diamonds, shine just like gold, our love grows stronger, it never grows old”. On the soulful “I’ll Be In Your Corner” Gerald vows “I’m the one who will treat you right”. Gerald closes with the piognant “Your So Fine” as he sings “if you’d only give me a chance, to make you smile, to make you laugh”, once again Mike Jackson decorates the song with some great saxophone.

Gerald states “my goal is to reach students of all cultures and to teach them the background and tradition of R&B Soul music and the blues”. Gerald McClendon does that and more on this fabulous new recording.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene

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