Jimmy Ray spent a week in November of 2024 in Clarksdale to perform and to make an acoustic guitar recording with Guitar Frenchie and Bill Abel. They are both outstanding guitar instrumentalists and the concept was for Jimmy to be featured on guitar and vocals with Bill and Frenchie (aka Kevin Sciou) doing turns playing backups and leads. The recording was made downtown at Studio 305, operated by 19th Street Red (aka Randy Cohen), one of many great present-day blues musicians in Clarksdale. Located in an old store front on the busy end of Issaquena Avenue, the recording was done live with no overdubs and all on mics with nothing "plugged in". These are some of the tracks that were recorded that afternoon. Guitar Frenchie plays with me on "Waiting on You' (Jimmy Ray Hipp), "Georgia On A Fast Train" (Billy Joe Shaver), and "Statesboro Blues" (Blind Willie McTell). Bill Abel joins me on my arrangements of "It's All Over Now" (Bobby Womack) and "I Know You Rider" (traditional).
Here are two videos taken during the week Jimmy Ray and his producer, travelin' buddy, and long-time friend Ted Thieme (who took the still photographs you see on this page) were in Clarksdale in November of 2024. One is a candid look at Jimmy and Guitar Frenchie rehearsing “Statesboro Blues” for the recording session. The other video is from the night after the session when Jimmy Ray played with Guitar Frenchie and BE at the Den Again Diner, then sat in with the Lucious Spiller Band (and Frenchie) at Ground Zero Blues Club. Lucious is one of the finest blues singers in Clarksdale. The harmonica player sitting in that night was visiting from New York City.
