I first encountered Florida native Damon Fowler a few years ago when he released his second album on Blind Pig Records Devil Got His Way, now his third record on the label Sounds of Home sits at # 4 on the Roots Music Reports Blues Chart and it’s rising!! Now that was when I officially listened to Damon Fowler’s music but Damon Fowler the musician who plays not only a terrific guitar but also steel guitar, dobro and lab steel has played on albums from artists like Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter, Robin Trower, Gregg Allman, Jimmie Vaughan, Junior Brown, Rick Derringer, Delbert McClinton, and many others. so there’s a good chance that I have heard his playing somewhere along the way.
Damon chose to work with another blues great on Sounds of Home Damon as he chose Tab Benoit to produce the album and even traveled to Tab’s rural Louisiana home studio to record the album! Sometimes it takes me a few listens to get into Damon’s vocals, but I never have had any problems with his guitar work and neither has anyone else….
In 2008’s “Best of Tampa” poll, Creative Loafing magazine named him “Best Guitarist… And Slide Guitarist… and Lap Steel Player… And Dobro Player.” Fowler’s guitar work has been compared to Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck, while his slide guitar has a hint of the late Duane Allman. He can play fiery guitar runs with the best of them, but it’s his lyrical work on lap steel and Dobro that makes him stand out among the legions of guitar heroes. From his bio page at Blind Pig Records
As a sit here writing and listening to the album again I’m enjoying the album more and more! On the second listen a few of the tracks that caught my attention on the album were the opening track “I Thought I had it All”, the country sounding “Old Fools, Bar Stools, And Me”, “Where I Belong” and his cover of Elvis Costello’s “Allison”. But now as I listen to the album again, I find myself saying “hey I like that one, and this one” Hell I like them all!!
In addition to his solo career, Fowler spent a lot of time touring around the country as part of what has become a very successful new “super group” Southern Hospitality with guitarist JP Soars and another of my favorites and a helluva good piano player Victor Wainwright!! I went to Spotify tonight and checked out their album Easy Livin’ and that’s a toe tapping good one, too!!
Wade Tatangelo wrote in March, 2013, in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune,
“Damon Fowler’s big, dimple grin cuts through the darkness as he stands outside the historic cottage he calls home in Bradenton Beach. It’s the same endearing smile he’s flashed on stages across the country and, in recent years, abroad, for nearly two decades. But these days, his smile shines just a bit brighter. In the past year Fowler has married, become a father and witnessed his music career reach new heights thanks to the formation of the super group Southern Hospitality.”
So check out his music either solo or with Southern Hospitality!!
Here’s one of those songs that didn’t catch my attention the first couple of times through,but it did tonight, a live performance of “Trouble”!!