Acoustic blues legend Roy Book Binder brings his trio, his stories and a new album to the Side Door

Roy Book Binder is arguably the best known musicians living in St. Petersburg, though he keeps a pretty low profile here. Around the U.S. and in Europe, Roy is recognized as one of the world’s top acoustic blues artists and a master storyteller, who learned his craft some 50 years ago from pioneering bluesmen like Rev. Gary Davis and Pink Anderson.

 

Roy spends about seven months of the year traveling to gigs in his motor home, and the rest in a lovely house he shares with his wife in St. Petersburg. For the past few years, Roy’s sole hometown gig has been at the Palladium. He’s back for another show on Friday, Jan. 24 – this time with his trio.

 

This is a big year for Roy. He turned 70, he produced his first studio album in almost a dozen years and the album landed atop the blues and Americana charts.

He recorded with a bass, drums and clarinet trio and several cuts feature another local star – Damon Fowler – on lap steel.

 

He’ll be celebrating the release of that CD – The Good Book – in the Side Door on Friday. His band will feature Frank Bowman on clarinet, T-Bone Hamilton on bass and Glenn Evans on drums.

 

I asked Roy this week why it took so long between albums.

 

“I’m taking the Fifth Amendment on that,” he joked. “Actually, I don’t like to record as a rule. A lot of acts crank out a new record every year, but I don’t do that.”

 

But he felt that it was time and the songs started showing up as well.

 

I used to ask Rev. Davis when he wrote a certain song and he’d say ‘that song was revealed to me in the spring of ’28.’ That makes a lot of sense to me.  A lot of times a song pops out. You’re playing and you hit a riff and there it is.”

 

As the recording was winding down last year, Roy needed a  title and another song.

 

“I told the producer, “if I can write a song in the next eight days, I’m going to call it The Good Book.  I can’t promise I can write it in 10 days,’… but I did.”

 

He recorded the song with Damon Fowler on steel. And it’s just one reason he really loves the new record.

 

“This very well might be my last album. I really pleased myself and this is the album I’d like to be remembered by,” he said.

 

Don’t miss the Florida debut of The Good Book on Friday, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. in the Side Door. For tickets and information visit www.mypalladium.org. You can also call the box office at 727 822-3590 or pick up tickets at the door before the show.