Elvin Bishop has long been the clown prince of the blues but since his days in Paul Butterfield’s original blues band decades ago, he’s also recognized as a very, very good guitar player.
Released on June 15, 2010, Red Dog Speaks served as a tribute to the tool of his trade, a cherry red 1959 Gibson ES-345 – dubbed “Red Dog.” After a talking blues where Bishop spoke in his trademark down-home country style comparing his relationship with his guitar to a man and his trusted hound-dog, he got down to business.
That meant cranking out one deep-fried barroom blues tune after another – sometimes with originals, sometimes covers; sometimes letting John Nemeth handle the lead vocals and other times handling them himself. Through it all, Red Dog Speaks still sounded just like Elvin Bishop, and the substantial slide howling from his 1959 Gibson was a big reason why.
Like Bishop’s prior release The Blues Rolls On, he brought in some special guests, like Tommy Castro, Buckwheat Zydeco and pianist Bob Welsh. Like most Bishop records, Red Dog Speaks still offered its share of chuckles, while engaging listeners as only a road warrior like Pigboy can.
What a treat to see that Elvin Bishop could still bring the goods this far into his career. Call it serious fun.
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