Robert Cray is a Strong Persuader for Blues

I originally had the cassette version of The Robert Cray album, Strong Persuader. I don't remember why I bought it. It had its moments but it wasn't a favorite. 102.7 Fm played Smoking Gun and that was the song I liked. Years later I visited Memphis and got a little education on the blues. I used to hear "blues" and thought Mannish Boy. Memphis shows me delta blues, vs. Chicago, vs. Memphis. I found that cassette from Robert Cray when the current music was boring I needed to find something new and creative. This blues collection from 1987 fit the bill. This is an amazing album. The Great Albums podcast should review this. www.thegreatalbums.com

In the spirit of that podcast, I'll tell you about Robert Cray and then some of the standout tracks of this album.

Robert Cray was introduced to music in high school. Practicing and jamming became his life. If you look close, you'll see Cray in the band, Otis Day and the Knights in Animal House.

His first album was released in 1980. It didn't sell. Cray kept up the touring and playing and releasing albums on small labels until Mercury Records signed Cray. The first release is Strong Persuader. This album was a big break through for him. His style and band was influential. He mixed jazz and soul into his sound. His songs had swing, not that blues didn't. This music incorporated the sounds he heard as he toured. 

This goes to what I wrote above. The blues didn't have to be one way of playing. The album crossed genres. There's horns. There's humor and sadness. There's ballads and fast songs. 

I looked at Wikipedia and www.RobertCray.com. Cray is still touring. He's won 5 Grammys. There are 20 albums not including live albums. I didn't read about a private life. Perhaps he kept it private. 

If you think blues is just one song in different versions, you want to find Robert Cray and learn something new.