Tune Tag #140 with David Baldwin of The Gumbys: Todd Rundgren, 10cc, Cathy Kreger, Black Crowes, Elf, Black Star Riders, Pants!
It's always an honor to have a Tune Tag guest who's a singer/songwriter/recording artist! And, today, we feature David, whose new EP just dropped a few days ago! Congrats, David, and let's do this!🎵
Tune Tag proudly welcomes singer/songwriter/guitarist for The Gumbys, David Baldwin of David Baldwin Rocking the Climb Climbing the Rock!
Last week, we enjoyed the outback presence of Australian, Stephen Huppert of Daily Groove:
Next week, we’re eagerly anticipating the electric arrival of Emm of Emm as in Music!
David’s song #1 sent to Brad: Elf, “Black Swampy Water,” 1975
David’s rationale: It’s a gas-heating proto-Dio before the demons and Necromancers. When I was a middle-schooler, I was really into Rainbow and I loved Ronnie James Dio! I was at a party and saw this album sitting on the table next to a turntable, and because I have ears that can tell you who a voice belongs to with some regularity (it’s weird, but it’s a skill), I recognized Dio immediately, but the music was bluesy.
It was Elf, with a heavily made-up RJD as an elf on the cover (above). From there I tried to find everything I could on the band, but there wasn’t much. I found out later that Elf, in fact, sorta became Rainbow with Ritchie Blackmore’s touch, of course! I still love this version of Dio. Incidentally, one of my embarrassing secrets I don’t tell people is that I preferred Dio/Sabbath over Ozzy/Sabbath. I loved them both, but if I’m putting in a Sabbath record these days, it’s 1980’s Heaven and Hell.
Brad’s response: I wonder how David feels about Dio/Red Caps! Yes, that’s himself-the-Elf on the far left, below (sans nose prosthetic and stage make-up…yep, Elf’s on the shelf for this one!)🤘😈:
Brad’s song #1 sent to David: Cathy Kreger, “Black Water,” 2007
David’s response: I’d never heard of Cathy Kreger before, but her voice is like butter, really great vibe as an interpreter of this Doobie Brothers cover. I love the intro! Incidentally, I used to make fun of my wife’s acapella group’s version of “Black Water,” thinking about how they must have handled the soulful outro in a classical style. I always imagined it as coming out very schmaltzy. But they were quite good, so it was really just a fun inside joke between us!
Brad’s rationale: My first thought went immediately to The Doobie Bros’ 1974 hit, Patrick Simmons’ swamp-laden “Black Water.” But, while both loving their original, and always averse to the obvious, I looked for riveting covers of the song, and landed on this cagey Cajun one from a Cathy Kreger. We’ll find out more about her, and report back!
From her Instagram account (date unknown): “Still Doing Music...Moved back to my hometown of Portland and became a ‘Mailman’ at the Glastonbury Post Office! Ah LIFE!”
A Kreger original: “Love’s Easy Chair”:
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