David Bromberg: Wanted Dead Or Alive 1974

 

David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and

Remembering the great John Prine. David contributed guitar, dobro and mandolin on John's 2nd album Diamonds in the Rough.

songwriter. An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock and roll. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the same time.
                      

Bromberg has played with many famous musicians, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Willie Nelson,

Jorma Kaukonen, Jerry Garcia, Rusty Evans (The Deep) and Bob Dylan. He co-wrote the song "The Holdup" with George Harrison, who played on Bromberg's self-titled 1972 album. In 2008, he was nominated for a Grammy Award. Bromberg is known for his fingerpicking style that he learned from Reverend Gary Davis.
                         

With his 1971 self-titled Columbia Records release, David Bromberg emerged as the wunderkind of American roots music. The disc’s compelling blend of traditional and original material, virtuosic

musicianship and iconic cover art trumpeted the arrival of a new artist possessed of audacious and uncompromising vision. Over the course of four albums for Columbia and five for Fantasy Records, and through associations with artists like Bob Dylan, Jerry Jeff Walker, John Hartford, George Harrison, the Grateful Dead, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt, Bromberg’s reputation, repertoire and following grew exponentially. However, the incessant demands of touring finally brought the band’s recordings and shows to an end in the early 1980’s.
                      

The twenty-two year drought ended in 2006 with the release of the Grammy-nominated solo effort Try

Me One More Time. Gradually tour dates were added and bandmembers assembled as David, in 2011, followed up Try Me with Use Me, a typically unorthodox Brombergian effort, partnering him with some of the most celebrated names in music – Linda Ronstadt, Vince Gill, Los Lobos, Dr John, Keb’ Mo, John Hiatt, Levon Helm and others – whom David asked to either write or choose songs and then produce him doing them.
                                   

Two more albums emerged from 2013 to 2017, Only Slightly Mad and The Blues the Whole Blues and

Nothing But the Blues, both produced by three-time Grammy winner Larry Campbell. Recorded at Levon Helm’s Barn, Only Slightly Mad brought the band back to David’s eclectic ‘kitchen sink’ musical philosophy, while with The Whole Blues, David upheld Texas fiddler Johnny Gimbel’s claim that: “There are only two songs – the Star-Spangled Banner and the Blues.” The band skipped over the ‘Banner’ and headed straight for the blues, winning the 2017 Downbeat Critic’s Poll for Best Blues Album.
                        

Eventually David’s band settled into its current lineup of Mark Cosgrove (guitar, mandolin, vocals),

Nate Grower (fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals), Josh Kanusky (drums, vocals) and newest member, Suavek Zaniesienko (bass, vocals). This nucleus has performed hundreds of shows together, traversing thousands of miles, across the US & Canada to Europe, Japan and Australia. With the group having attained a high level of musical telepathy, they entered the studio in mid 2019 for a slightly different approach to record making….

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE

                       

This is a reissue of Bromberg’s 1974 album. Backing musicians include several members of The

Grateful Dead as well as Andy Statman on mandolin and tenor sax. Some of Bromberg’s strongest and best-loved material can be found here, including “The Holdup,” “Danger Man,” “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair,” “The New Lee Highway Blues,” and Bob Dylan’s “Wallflower.”
                       

It was his third album, released by Columbia Records as a vinyl LP in 1974. It has been released as a

CD several times − by Sony Music Media in 2004, by SBME Special Markets in 2008, and by Columbia Records in 2011. It was also released as a double CD, combined with Bromberg's subsequent album Midnight on the Water, by BGO Records in 2010.
                     

The title Wanted Dead or Alive is a play on words, referring to how the record was created. Side one of

the LP was recorded in the studio with various musicians, including four members of the Grateful Dead − Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Keith Godchaux and Bill Kreutzmann. Side two was recorded live. According to AllMusic, "Some of Bromberg's strongest and best-loved material can be found here, including "The Holdup", "Danger Man", "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair", "The New Lee Highway Blues" and Bob Dylan's "Wallflower"."

David Bromberg – Wanted Dead Or Alive
Label: Columbia – SMM 516093 2
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Digipack
Country: France
Released: 2004
Genre: Rock, Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Blues Rock, Folk Rock

TRACKS

                              

01. The Holdup   3:03
Written-By – D. Bromberg, G. Harrison
02. Someone Else's Blues   8:00
Written-By – D. Bromberg
03. Danger Man   3:05
Written-By – D. Bromberg
04. The Main Street Moan   5:13
Written-By – D. Bromberg
05. Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair   4:52
Written-By – G. Brooks
06. Statesboro Blues / Church Bell Blues   5:08
Arranged By – David Bromberg/Written-By – Blind Willie McTell, L. Jordan
07. Wallflower   2:57
Written-By – B. Dylan
08. Kansas City   3:57
Written-By – J. Leiber/M. Stoller
09. The New Lee Highway Blues   5:40
Written-By – D. Bromberg

Total Time 00:42:19

MUSICIANS

                                         

David Bromberg – acoustic and electric guitar, lead vocals
Steve Burgh – bass
Peter Ecklund – trumpet, mellophone
Joe Ferguson – alto and baritone saxophone
Hungria Garcia – timbales
Jerry Garcia – acoustic and electric guitar
Keith Godchaux – piano
Jeff Gutcheon – piano
Bill Kreutzmann – drums
Phil Lesh – bass
Tony Markellis – bass
Steve Mosley – bass
John Payne – alto flute, bass clarinet, tenor saxophone
Neil Rossi – fiddle
Andy Statman – mandolin, tenor saxophone
Jay Ungar – fiddle
Winnie Winston – banjo
Jack Lee – background vocals
Andy McMahon – background vocals
Tracy Nelson – background vocals
The Sweet Inspirations – background vocals

SOMEONE ELSE'S BLUES  LYRICS

 
When I woke up this morning,
everything seemed all right.
My woman called me from New York City.
She said, "Darlin', did you sleep well last night?"
She told me I got three checks in the mail.
Hallelujah! I got a refund on my union dues.

But when I woke up this morning,
I musta had someone else's blues.
I swear I don't know why.
I don't know why I feel this way.
Well, I got, I got someone else's blues
in the midst of an almost perfect day.

                

I don't owe anyone any more money.
All my cavities are filled.
If I pull my hand outside my pocket too fast,
I might drop a couple of fifty-dollar bills.
I got more dope than I can smoke.
I got more chicks than I can use.

Somehow when I woke up the morning,
I guess I had somebody else's blues.
I swear I don't know why.
I don't know why I feel this way.
You know I got someone else's blues
in the midst of an almost perfect day.

I swear I don't know who the man is that this trouble belongs to.
I wonder did he do a murder?
Great God, what did that man do?
He's a no-good lying rascal,
but I guess he's pretty smart,
Cuz he's outside havin' himself a real fine,
sweet, happy time and his blues are right here,
breaking my heart.

I swear I don't know why.
I don't know why I feel this way.
I got someone else's blues
in the midst of an almost perfect day.

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