Ricky Nye didn’t invent boogie-woogie, he just plays it like he did. I’m really bad at defining musical genre boundaries but even I know that not everything on this album is technically boogie-woogie. On the other hand, boogie-woogie is more than time signatures and bass lines. Like many other musical genres, it is partly attitude. Boogie-woogie is fun. It makes you smile. Maybe tap your toes. Of The Vevay Sessions Nye says, “The objective was to make a fun upbeat party record…” which to me means a record with a boogie-woogie attitude.
The album’s name comes from it being recorded in Vevay, Indiana. Some may need to be told that Vevay is “a small rural river town” but not me. I’m quite familiar with Vevay and the name was actually a big attraction for me. I can vouch for the accuracy of Karen Boyhen’s cover art which I suspect was largely done while standing at the front door of my favorite Vevay bar, Cuzz’s. The toe-tappin’ “Kay-Bee Boogie” that opens the album is named for Boyhen.
Backing Nye’s piano and vocals are Anthony Ray Wright on drums and guitar and Jerry King on bass and Eli Gonzalez adds some really nice saxophone on several tracks. The story goes that Ricky approached Jerry and Anthony about doing something together while at a show where the two performed with their regular group, Jerry King & The Rivertown Ramblers. The Ramblers’ forte is rockabilly and Ricky describes what he had in mind as “something a little rootsier than my previous releases.” I’d already heard the album when I read that and, although the word “rootsier” was a new one for me, I immediately knew what it meant and thought it a pretty good description of what they put together.
I think the tracks are about evenly divided between songs from Nye’s live repertoire and those newly worked up for these sessions. Among the latter group is one by Bob Wills (How’s that for rootsier?) and a couple from King Records. One of those King Records’ songs is an album highlight for me. “Train Kept A-Rollin'” was written by Tiny Bradshaw. He recorded it with his big band (with Philip Paul on drums) in 1951. In 1956, Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio dramatically reworked it into one of the earliest guitar-driven rock and roll songs ever recorded. Since then, The Yardbirds, Aerosmith, and almost every garage band in the world have updated or covered Burnette’s version. Ricky covers Bradshaw’s version and it’s a glorious thing.
The rest of that quote about the objective being “a fun upbeat party record” is “…and I believe we delivered”. And I believe so too.
The Vevay Sessions and other Ricky Nye recordings can be purchased at
rickynye.com/music
The CD is available in Cincinnati at
Everybody’s Records, Shake It Records, and Mole’s Record Exchange.
A digital download is available at
bandcamp/the-vevay-sessions
But the best way to get it is direct from Ricky at one of his upcoming appearances.