For today’s set, Rickey was backed by Jim Summer (Big Blue Planet) on drums; Gary Wright (Big Blue Planet) on guitar; and Gar- feel Ruff bandmate Franklin Wilkie, who went on to play bass for The Marshall Tucker Band following the death of Tommy Caldwell in 1980, on bass. The pick-up band sounded like they had
been together for years. Well, truth be told, they have all played with one another here and there over the years. It’s that way in Spar- tanburg. You see many of the same musicians in various configurations according to the event and the time of day. They kicked off with the chestnut “Let the
Good Times Roll,” and did one of the great songs from Godfrey’s latest album called “If it Can Happen to Me, It Can Happen to You.” Of course, the highlight of the set for me was when Rickey decided to pull out an old Gar- feel Ruff tune, “Pine Needles Don’t Cry.” For “When You’re Cool,” Gary left the stage and Shane Pruitt joined in on guitar. Pruitt is an excellent young picker who has been seen playing out with The Marshall Tucker Band quite often of late. Rickey and Shane traded off some red hot leads and I was loving it. Rickey invited Fayssoux McLean to the
stage to sing and play acoustic on a couple of Hank Williams classics, including a spirited rendition of “Jambalaya.” Fayssoux, a long time member of the Emmylou Harris Band, sounded fantastic. Big Blue Planet was up next, and boy
howdy, did they ever sound good. This has got to be the only band I have seen that is brave enough to cover Kansas, Styx and Rush. “Carry On My Wayward Son” was off the chain. Of course, their primary reason for ex- isting is to spread their Christian message, which they do quite well with original songs like “Heaven Without You.” I have always said that Jim Summer is one of my favorite drummers. He just has power to spare and
49
The Greatest Casualty is
Being Forgotten.
woundedwarriorproject.org
seems to never under or over play- he plays just the right amount for the song. It’s a skill that comes from years of experience. The benefit show appeared to accomplish
everything it was staged for. One thing’s for sure, the audience at The Cellar knew they had been rocked.
Michael Buffalo Smith
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