Written by Michael Pittman

I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me on the music front which makes it all the mo’ better to tell you about this long anticipated (at least by me) invasion by three guitarists who took Dosey Doe by storm last Sunday night.

Robben Ford, Lee Roy Parnell and Joe Robinson blew the roof off the place piece by piece with the able backup of Brian Allen on bass and Wes Little on drums.

Around there, we all know Lee Roy as a more than capable Nashville guitarist. He moves from Country to Blues with effortless ease. Born and raised in Texas, he charted huge on Billboard in the not too distant past. Lee Roy is a guitar slinging ace who seemed to front the band as much as anyone.

Robben Ford is a graduate of the L.A. Express (Tom Scott’s), Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell track. Musician Magazine named him one of the top 100 guitarists in the 20th century. With all that pedigree, I was impressed by the humbleness he imparted and to be honest, he was the main reason I was anticipating this show.

Joe Robinson, who hails from Australia, was probably the least known of the three to me. I discovered he was quite a prodigy at a young age; his virtuosity capturing the attention of none other than Tommy Emmanuel (also an Aussie). Emmanuel began mentoring Joe and with a win at the Australian National Songwriting Competition at the tender age of 13, Joe was on his way.

Opening the show with a standard shuffle, we were introduced one by one to each player. Though friends and quite comfortable with each other, I couldn’t help but notice a little friendly competition as they traded riffs and shared the spotlight.

Then, one by one, they each soloed.

Robben began his solo section with the backup of Allen and Little on his driving blues-rock boogie Same Train. His set gave way to a blistering bass solo by Allen and a huge drum solo by Little.

Next, Joe’s searing acoustic guitar work was nothing short of amazing and I caught myself wondering if I was witnessing Emmanuel’s heir. His 25 years belies his huge stage presence and mastery of the instrument. I hope he comes around again soon and reprises his performance as I’m thinking the sky is the limit for Joe Robinson.

Lee Roy had to follow Joe and like the pro he is, fell back on one of his tried and true standards Love Without Mercy. It was a very nice change of pace and a classic piece of music from a class act.

I have to say that after hearing all the offerings this evening, my personal favorite tips to Robben Ford’s Cut You Loose. A spooky, off tempo and syncopated song about lost love, Brian Allen later described as deceptively intricate. I dug it.

So, once again I have to congratulate Steve and all the folks at Dosey Doe for putting on a great show. Keep it up guys.

Setlist

Lee Boy’s Shuffle

Ebb and Flow

Hours In Between

Cut You Loose

Hold Your Head Up High

(Robben) Same Train

(Joe) Solo Spot

(Lee Roy) Love Without Mercy

Out Alaive

Midnight Believer

On The Rise

Gold On My Shoulder

Somebody’s Fool

T-Bone Shuffle | Slow Blues