"Baby Please Don't Go" by Webb Wilder.
I first saw Webb around 1993 when my ex-wife was despondent over a recent break up. We remained friends so I figured nothing could cheer a wounded soul more that a ride to the Cleveland Flats district to see a roots rock band. There was a concert bar on St Clair called Wilberts that booked blues and Boomer roots bands so we walked in cold to see who was on the bill.
I asked the guy at the door who was there that night and he said "Webb Wilder $10". Who? I further inquired as to what kind of music we could expect from this Webb Wilder and he said something to the effect "Progressive country rock" The guy next to him offered a correction to say "it's surf rockabilly". They both began to passionately argue their point completely ignoring us, so I handed over $10 and walked in without their further notice.
Wilberts was a narrow alleyway bar with the bar at the far end and a stage area on one side with the kitchen that ran the sound board on the other. We were right in front of the band. There wasn't much of a crowd yet and I watched Webb and his trio setting up. He was a big guy six and a half feet tall and dressed in garish cowboy clothes and a man sized hat suitable for the Grand Old Opry. So far so interesting.
He tuned a Gold Top and cranked out this song as an opener. I was blown away as ripped through a number of originals and a couple covers by Big Joe Williams and The Yardbirds. I never missed Webb again when he made the yearly tour from Mississippi to the North Coast. The last time I saw him around 1997 I noticed he didn't have any CDs at the merch table. He sadly told me the label took them out of print and he wasn't allowed to sell them. Since then I guess hosted a show on SiriusXM and an afternoon radio DJ spot on WMOT in his home town of Murfreesboro, but he hasn't been back this way since. I miss Webb.
The Webb credo is "Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em!"
= new reply since forum marked as read
