Life's a long hard dusty road - ALBERTA 1760

 

Leroy

The best known Miami based Alberta 45 is by the brilliant Don Hollinger, but this one, the only release on the label I know, is a belter as well. Sadly I have no information about Leroy’s identity but on the evidence of ListenLife’s A Long Hard Dusty Road he was a gutsy singer of some power and a good rhythmic sense. The lyrics of the song make reference to Charles Brown’s immortal “Black Night” but while the form may be a blues one, the backing, full of a big horn section, has a real soul feel. This is one of those 45s that blues fans will dismiss as to soul oriented and soul fans will switch away from as being too “blue”. But those reactions prove to me that Willie Clarke and his partners got it just right.

UPDATE ~ Jeff Lemlich reports that Leroy is really Miami WAME and WRIZ DJ and singer Nickie Lee who had other 45s on DADE and MALA.

 

Discography

ListenLife's a long hard dusty road / Drifting blues ~ ALBERTA 1760 (late 60s)

 

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