A week in review

I usually go out to hear live music on the weekends. I have two venues I go to regularly for music. One is Dream Mecca Studios/Daniel Day Gallery at 3025 6th Ave. S. This is one of my favorite places in town. Good owners, a pleasant place to spend time, nice art on the walls and always full of good people I enjoy being around!! Plus, the music is almost always enjoyable.

Last Friday I went to the Gallery to see a band called 2 Blu and the Lucky Stiffs. A blues band. They began playing and it was good music. They are a very good blues band. At some point, early in the evening an older gentleman by the name of Curtis Files walked in. The band knew him, as did many people in the audience and the band asked him to sit in with them. He joked around with the band, telling them that if he sat in it wouldn't be "Country Boy Eddie style". Everyone laughed and the band played on. A little while later Curtis got up to join them. After several minutes of him telling them what key to play in and what tempo, he began singing. He never told them to play any particular song, but just told them to play. They began playing. He began singing the song "Going Down Slow". Google the lyrics, as what happened next was sort of eerie and surreal. Remember, noone knew what Curtis was going to sing and he choose to sing this song, that is about a mans health going down. He sang the first verse, with an appreciative crowd watching and listening with the respect an older blues singer deserves. He got the line that goes, "Tell my mama to pray for me, mama forgive me for my sins" After he sang those words, he gently collapsed to the floor. A young lady in the crowd and a friend of mine began CPR. 911 was called and he was taken to the hospital. We heard alter that he had passed away. We all believe he left this world after that line. I don't think he was alive when the paramedics took him out.

The following week, was full of post and tributes to him on Facebook. Those people that were there posted picutres of him from that night, as well as our accounts of the event. Those who were not there posted questions and thier personal tributes to Curtis. You tube videos from performances of past years were posted.

I took it as a sign that I needed to go to Mr. Gips in Bessemer, which is a Juke Joint in the backyard of Mr. Henry Gipson, another local celebrity on the blues circuit. I ahd been wanting to go for several years and felt this was the time I needed to go. Mr. Gip and Curtis were friends. I now have been to Mr. Gips, and it is indeed a magical place and I will be going back!!

Last night Curtis' band played at Dream Mecca Studios/Daniel Day Gallery. Many local blues musicians sat in and there was a large crowd of people there to remember Curtis in the best way we could; listening to Blues music and celebrating his life.

A friend of mine put it in these simple terms, " he left his earth, not languishing, but doing what he loved, surrounded by people who loved what he did". Can you think of a better way?