Mike Guldin

While I Can

Blue Sky Tunes

Mike Guldin first picked up the guitar at age 15, and since then has spent over 45 years honing his craft on stages ranging from roadhouses and bars to festivals and theaters. Influenced by blues legends such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Albert Collins, and the “Three Kings” (B.B., Albert, and Freddie), Guldin also draws inspiration from contemporary artists like The Allman Brothers, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan, and The Rolling Stones.

His sound is further shaped by R&B and soul icons including Sam & Dave, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and Rev. Al Green, along with the Stax and HighTone Records groove. Add in the Southern-fried Muscle Shoals influence of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws, and crossover artists like Delbert McClinton and Lee Roy Parnell, and you get a deeply rooted, wide-ranging blues foundation.

A true journeyman, Guldin has shared stages with artists such as Sam Moore, Levon Helm, E.G. Kight, Tab Benoit, Tommy Castro, Teresa James, The Nighthawks, Little Milton, Shemekia Copeland, Debbie Davies, Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women, Michael Hill & His Blues Mob, John Sebastian, and Jimmy Vivino. Backed by his band Rollin’ & Tumblin’, Guldin has been a two-time finalist in the International Blues Challenge, held annually in Memphis by The Blues Foundation.

On this release, Guldin handles guitar and vocals, joined by Rollin’ & Tumblin’ on select tracks, featuring Kevin McKendree on organ and guitar, Tom Hambridge on piano and Wurlitzer, Bill Sharrow on bass, and Billy Wear on drums and percussion. Produced by Grammy Award-winner Kevin McKendree and recorded primarily at Rock House Studio in Franklin, Tennessee, the album features an all-star cast of contributors. Co-writes include Nashville heavyweights like McKendree, Gary Nicholson, James Pennebaker, and Lynn Williams. Additional guitar work comes from Pennebaker and Craig Thatcher, while the horn section includes Andrew Portz on trumpet, and Kyle Hummel and Sal Lombardo Sr. on tenor saxophones. Vocal support comes from Jackie Wilson and The McCrary Sisters.

The album opens with “Driving Rain,” co-written by McKendree, Dave Duncan, and Curtis Salgado. Guldin sets the tone with, “I’m driving in a driving rain, dark as night I can’t see a thing, I’m gonna blow on over until I’m in your arms again…I can’t see no road, I can’t see no lights, the wind is howlin’, but through it all your love is a mystery but it’s the best for me.”

On “Heartbreak In Disguise,” written by Guldin, McKendree, and Pennebaker, Guldin is joined by vocalist Jackie Wilson for a heartfelt duet. He sings, “Did I break your heart? Have I done you wrong? if so please tell me lets get our love back strong, tell me everything, ’cause it’s time for me to do anything to avoid a heartbreak in disguise,” accompanied by standout piano and organ.

“Let It Shine,” written by Guldin, Sharrow, and Laura Anne Klee, carries a reflective tone as Guldin wails, “I’ve been up and down this mountain, at least a thousand times, looking at a star, man they sure do shine, from the cabin to the dope fields, and a trail to the swimming hole, hanging with my friends, let it shine, let it shine.”

On “Always A Woman,” co-written by McKendree and Nicholson, and driven by a groove reminiscent of “Tequila,” Guldin moans, “We got to get in a song or two…what makes him a happy man it’s always a woman…the first thing that comes to mind, it’s always a woman, she’s got what he’s got to have, its always a woman.”

“Luck Runs Dry,” written by Guldin and McKendree, finds Guldin howling, “try to outrun the sands of time, you missed the sign, where would you be if you left the past behind, it’s hard to see when the money runs out, what you gonna do when your luck runs dry?”

On “Placencia Nights,” another collaboration with McKendree, Guldin paints a vivid picture, singing, “Moonshine from the water, through the Palm, Palm trees, looking for an Indian path, with a cocunut breeze, the waves keep crashin’ down, chasing ocean rainbows, living on a dream, reaching for the star to eternity, ain’t to hard to see what it means to me, the full moon adds mystery, just another night in the misty.”

“Goin’ Back To Memphis,” written with John Cumming, leans into classic blues roots as Guldin cries out, “We’re on the road to Memphis…we’re all goin’ back to Memphis, I hope you all understand…it’s a hard life better have a plan…I’m going back to Memphis again, we’re from Texas…we’re goin’ back to Memphis again, that’s the way I remember it, bye, bye.”

On “When The Bills Come Due,” co-written by Guldin, McKendree, and Pennebaker, Guldin declares, “the time is up…they say it’s over, that’s what they say…they took my job away, they need to come and get me when the bills come due.”

“Roll Chattahoochee Roll,” written by Guldin, Sharrow, and Stanley Kevin Vannoy, is a heartfelt nod to place and memory, with Guldin singing, “Roll, Chattahoochee roll, whenever I come home the river is in my soul, when I look for a place to go, there’s my old fishing hole.”

The lone cover, “Oh Lonesome Me,” written by Don Gibson, is delivered with charm as Guldin chirps, “Everybody’s goin’ ’round and having fun, I’m a fool for staying home and having none…whoa, lonesome me…there must be something I can do to get rid of these lonesome blues, whoa lonesome me.”

On “Deadwood,” co-written with McKendree, Guldin reflects on life’s journey, singing, “I’ve spent most of my life…on this side of the county line…I’ve see some things I’d rather left behind…Deadwood County line.”

The album closes with “Down The Hatch,” co-written by Guldin, McKendree, and Pennebaker, where he celebrates with, “Whiskey bottles are piled high, shots are raining down, just another Friday night, I gotta a pocket full of cash, set me up another round as I pour it down the hatch…one of these days I’m goin change my ways and throw it down the hatch…the wife says I drink too much, there’s some truth to that, one of these days I’m going to change my ways and throw it down the hatch.”

On “While I Can,” veteran guitarist and singer-songwriter Mike Guldin delivers a record grounded in lived experience—weathered love, quiet doubt, and the hope that lingers between the lines. This is not an album chasing trends; it’s an album chasing meaning. Throughout the record, Guldin returns to a central theme: say and do what matters before it’s too late. Love while you can. Repair what you can. Sing while you can.

There is no pretense here—just real stories told plainly. The kind of songs that grow stronger with every listen. This is the best I’ve ever heard from Mike Guldin.

Richard Ludmerer

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