9.15.13 I first heard of John around 2006 in Austin. I had an event in town and my Texas chaperones assured me a good time and that I would be back at the hotel by 10:30 so I’d be fresh for my audience the next day. “Andrew, you gotta see this guy at Friends – he’s the real deal Texas Bluesman.” I consented but didn’t expect anything special being a bit desensitized to hype at this point. What I heard and felt blew my head off. It was hardcore Texas blues, a bit jagged and full of passion. I got back to my hotel at 3:30am. I flew back to Austin a few months later to do a double take and make sure I hadn’t witnessed a fluke performance. Again, I had my head ripped off. There are lots of artists and I don’t jump quickly. So on my 3rd trip back to Austin, I was ready to deal. But there was a slight problem. No John… As I repeatedly returned to Austin to scout talent...the problem persisted. No John. My assistants and I combed the internet, press and locals. No John… He had disappeared just like he dropped off the map. We persisted for over 3 years. Then the phone rang. It was John. One of my outreach attempts with Doc Blues Records had been successfully forwarded and John, in his delicate as a sledgehammer style, kicked my tires. He was in Houston. I added Houston to my travel schedule and met up with John. We started working out a deal. As to what happed to John is his story to tell, not mine, except to say that the move saved his life. We agreed that we would record a “live” studio record and that John would handpick an all-star rhythm section of extraordinary blues players that would include legendary drummer Barry “Frosty” Smith and Detroit’s own James Cloyd Jr. on bass. Aaron Price from Asheville would play keys. Contracts were executed, travel arrangements made and the players came to Sedgwick Studios to record. John’s goal was to capture his live sound in a studio environment. He spent a day moving his amps into different recording spaces and rooms until he settled on placing them on one end of the large reflective space on the 2nd level of the studio. The band would play together, as a live unit, on the 3rd level of the studio where the huge sound of his guitar would be allowed to bleed over into the drum overheads from the 2nd level. This meant, no overdubs (except for a few vocals) and that the performance would be what it was…an authentic capture of John at a specific moment in time. That is what this records is about… John’s style has evolved over the years. Each iteration has its own distinctive place. But, when you hear John McVey, you KNOW it’s John McVey. There are a lot of wannabe bluesmen that try to shortcut the process. However, to be a great bluesman, you have to have lived it…and understand the blues tradition. John IS one of those rare individuals. This only comes with time. When John was a skinny 20-something year old kid, Larry Davis saw something special in John and invited him to join his band (doing 2 shows his first night with Larry – one for 2,000 people and a second at 2:00am at a club 100 miles away for 10 people, 5 which were the band, on the Chitin Circuit). That was his start...and John has never did anything else except playing the blues for a living. If you want to hear real Texas blues, without the glitter and turd polishing of modern recording, with the big balls attitude needed for the Lone Star state, put on John McVey. Andrew Reed, Executive Producer Artists International Media