The Jelly Roll Journal

06/26/2025

Good news for Arizona fans of Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives! While in the state opening for Chris Stapleton, they'll be playing a one-off show of their own on August 7th at the historic Fox Theatre in Tucson! Tickets available at https://foxtucson.com/event/marty-stuart-2025/

And for your viewing pleasure, here's a video we dug up of their opening song at a gig at The Museum Club in Flagstaff, AZ from Sept 3rd, 2013! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be9apcfAuBM

https://www.facebook.com/events/719365633746412

Country Boy Rock and Roll live

04/23/2025

The Dave Phillips Combo, January 1963, Elks on 7th Ave, Phoenix, Arizona.
Dave Phillips (sax), Duke Draper (vocalist), Fred Allen Murphy (holding drumsticks), "Big Boy Pete" aka Pete Cosey (in back smiling with guitar), and possibly Theodore Lane on electric bass.

Electric guitarist, Pete Cosey, (1943-2012) known for his work on both Muddy Waters’ and Howlin’ Wolf’s late-60’s psychedelic excursions on Chess Records, and as a member of Miles Davis’ mid-70’s band, grew up and began playing guitar in Phoenix, Arizona.
I recently discovered this photo (and advertisement, posted in comments) and assumed that the “Big Boy Pete” credited was Phoenix blues legend, Big Pete Pearson. I shared it with my PHX music history pals, John Dixon and Al Perry, as well as guitarist, Scotty Spenner, a longtime member of Big Pete Pearson’s band, and was soon alerted that this particular Big Pete was in fact, Pete Cosey, and what a history he has! Ends up this is the only known photo with Cosey in his Phoenix years. Pete was quite the guitarist. A simple search will lead you to many great articles regarding his history and experimental approach. His playing from this era, before he headed back to his hometown of Chicago, can be heard on a few cuts off the CD, "The Soul Side Of The Street" (Dionysus), a collection of Phoenix soul sides from the vaults of producer Hadley Murrell.

Singer Duke Draper performed in the Phoenix blues scene for decades. He can be heard on the CD, "Flyin' High" (Southwest Musical Arts), a collection of 1950-60's Phoenix rhythm & blues.

In-demand sax player Dave Phillips was also the first black quarterback at Phoenix College. Sadly, he died in 1966 at age 25 in an automobile accident.

Thanks to Elias Butler Photography for image restoration and to John Dixon, Al Perry, and Scotty Spenner for all the great info and for tipping me off to the significance of Pete Cosey!

Images from the Arizona Tribune archives.

03/31/2025

Dom Flemons is playing a free show at NAU in Flagstaff this Wednesday night!
Kitt Recital Hall, 7:30pm.

Join NAU alumnus, Dom Flemons on his American Songster Tour right here in Kitt Recital Hall! Enjoy the sounds of country, blues, folk, bluegrass and Americana as part of our alumni stories project highlighting CAL alum and the places they have gone with their NAU degrees!

Flemons is the grammy winning founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and four time GRAMMY nominee, Two-Time EMMY Nominee, International Acoustic Music Award Grand Prize Winner, and a United States Artists Fellow. He is a musician based in the Chicago area and he is known as "The American Songster®" because his repertoire covers over one hundred years of American roots music; including country, folk, bluegrass, Americana, and the blues.

Flemons is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music scholar, historian, actor, narrator, host, slam poet, record collector, podcaster, and the creator, host, and producer of the American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville, TN. He is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife and rhythm bones.

This concert is free and open to the public, so get there early!

April 2, 2025, 7:30 pm

Kitt Recital Hall

01/08/2024

Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys performed in Yuma, AZ at Fraternal Order Of Eagles #398 on two separate Sundays in 1951, on both February 11th and July 29th. Not sure when they first opened, but 73 years later the Eagles are still active in this building today. Look for our story later this year on nearly three dozen Bob Wills shows we’ve documented throughout Arizona from 1944-1968.

01/19/2023

Something we dug up about the great Lonnie Johnson.

Lonnie Johnson, one of the earliest and most influential guitar stars from the 1920's, came to Arizona in the fall of 1947 to play two weeks worth of shows in both Tucson and Phoenix.

10/31/2022

Happy Halloween!
(ad from 1948)

09/06/2022

HANK WILLIAMS IN ARIZONA
Country superstar Hank Williams performed 3 times in Arizona during his all too brief career. Read about it at:
www.joebakermusic.com/blog/hank-williams-in-arizona

08/30/2022

Don't miss the legendary Tav Falco's Panther Burns in Arizona this week!
8/30 (Tues) Flagstaff @ The Orpheum Theater
https://www.facebook.com/events/6047454791947669
8/31 (Wed) Phoenix @ Rhythm Room
https://www.facebook.com/events/1008453836537313
9/1 (Thurs) Tucson @ Hotel Congress
https://www.facebook.com/events/320074146963256

Multimedia artist Tav Falco and his band Panther Burns have long been considered heroes to bands like Primal Scream, Spiritualized and the Blues Explosion. : The 77-year-old Falco takes it all in stride. : “I doubt these two consider me a hero,” said Falco about Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream ...

08/20/2022

I've reviewed the evidence and have come to the conclusion that Charlie Christian, the first true star of the electric guitar, did in fact perform in Arizona. He did so on a string of dates in 1940 as a member of Benny Goodman's band.

I've reviewed the evidence and have come to the conclusion that Charlie Christian, the first true star of the electric guitar, did in fact perform in Arizona. He did so on a string of dates in 1940 as a member of Benny Goodman's band.

08/20/2022

01/27/2022

As a player and an historian, Deke Dickerson is truly on another level. Arizona is lucky to have him for three shows this week featuring his new rockabilly trio.
27th (Thurs) - Bisbee, AZ at The Quarry
28th (Fri) - Tempe, AZ at Yucca Tap Room
https://www.facebook.com/events/924001735154546
29th (Sat) - Flagstaff, AZ at Yucca North
https://www.facebook.com/events/389620849521232
Also shows with Franks & Deans (Las Vegas, NV). The Surfside IV opens the Tempe show.

01/09/2022

Phoenix Venue Series, No. 1 - THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM - The Polly Rosenbaum Building in downtown Phoenix at 15th Ave & Washington is officially 100 years old. The beautiful structure was most recently the Arizona Mining And Mineral Museum but has sat unopen to the public for over a decade. Originally called the El Zaribah Shrine Auditorium, for decades it was more commonly referred to as simply, The Shrine. Completed at the very end of 1921, today marks the 100th Anniversary of it's grand opening, when the great John Philips Sousa Band performed 2 shows on January 9th, 1922. This building was the social center in Phoenix for many years, and with the largest floor space in the city, it held many events especially when music and dancing were involved. Below is a list of notable musicians who came to Phoenix and performed at The Shrine in the 1920's, 40's and 50's.

1922
1-9 John Philips Sousa Band

1925
2-3 Sergie Rachmaninoff
2-12 Paul Whiteman Orchestra

1942
4-4 Freddie Slack Orch, Johnny Mercer

1944
10-10 Tommy Dorsey Orch, Buddy Rich
11-4 Lucky Millinder, Wynonie Harris
11-13 Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys

1945
4-5/7 Wingy Manone
12-30 Tex Ritter

1946
9-17 Harry James

1947
4-1 Grand Ole Opry Tour w/ Roy Acuff, DeZurik Sisters, "Fiddlin'" Arthur Smith and more
7-28 T Texas Tyler
11-11 Alvino Rey Orchestra

1948
2/8 First Annual Valley Of The Sun Square Dance Festival And Fiddlers Jamboree

1951
3-30 Les Brown
12-8 Will Osbourne
12-12 Ray Anthony

1952
9-20 Eddy Arnold, Hank "Sugarfoot" Garland

1956
5-12 Grand Ole Opry Tour w/ Faron Young, Tommy Collins, Ray Price, Red Sovine, Jimmy & Johnny, plus local acts Sanford Clark, Loy Clingman, Jimmy Spellman
10-19 Louis Armstrong and The All Stars

1957
2-21 Dizzy Gillespie
12-29 Buddy Knox, Eddie Cochran, Ray Price, James Burton, Bob Luman