Before there was Norah, there was Once Blue.

Let me tell you a story.

Back in ‘95, my good friend Cathy Walker turned me onto this great band called “Once Blue”. They were a great band that had an amazing self-titled album out. Kinda jazzy, kinda bluesy, VERY talented group outta NYC. I was supposed to see them live but was sick that night so Cathy came to me the day after the show with a poster autographed by the singer Rebecca and their drummer Bill. I still have that poster hanging in my studio.

Anyways, fastforward to 2006 and I was looking for something to listen to that I hadn’t heard in a while so I pull out the Once Blue CD. It’s still as good now as it was then, maybe even better as I’ve really grown to appreciate many different styles of music. So I’m reading the credits and to my surprise I see that the male singer and writer is none other than Jesse Harris, who went on to write most of the hits and other songs for Norah Jones’ debut album “Come Away With Me”. Wow, talk about a surprise. I love when stuff like this happens!

Anyways, to make the story even more interesting, I pull the poster out to look at it and notice that it’s autographed my Rebecca Martin (the female singer) and the drummer who was Bill Dobrow. Bill was the drummer for the Black Crowes this year on the first leg of their tour and I even met and chatted with him in March at the Raleigh show. Never knowing that he had signed a poster for me back in ‘95 after a missed show by one of my fave bands.

Ok, so was that just interesting to me and no one else? Oh well, it is MY blog!

Anyways, if you ever happen to come across this CD (it’s kinda rare and outta print), I HIGHLY reccomend you check it out. It’s a great collection of songs and performed by a VERY talented group of folks from NYC who were just playing, writing, and singing from the heart. Again, you’ll thank me!

~ by chapelhillbilly on November 30, 2005.