Bobby Keys

Listen/Download – Bobby Keys – Gimmie The Key MP3

Greetings all.

The track I bring you today is a record that I was after for a long time, and as is often the case, it kept slipping from my grasp until recently.

The rockers among you will likely be familiar with Bobby Keys as the sax player with the Rolling Stones and Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen (among many others).

The Texas-born Keys was a prolific sideman and studio head (check out his Wiki for an idea of the depth of his discography), and a frequent presence until his death last year at the age of 71.

In 1975 keys went into the studio and recorded a one-off 45 for Ringo Starr’s short-lived custom label, Ring’O records.

‘Gimme the Key’ is a testament to the popularity and influence of the Average White Band’s 1974 ‘Pick Up the Pieces’, to which this song is a not too distant cousin (keeping in mind that no less than James Brown felt the need to crank out an answer record with the JBs in disguise as the Above Average Black Band).

The tune opens with funky guitar and clavinet, chants of ‘Gimme the Key!’ followed of course by Keys’ instantly recognizable tenor saxophone.

It’s slick – but not too slick – funky, and danceable enough that one might suspect that it had its share of spins in the discotheques of the time.

I dig it a lot, and I hope you do, too.

See you all on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

 

 

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

 

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.