Today, GuitarWorld.com has teamed up with Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters to premiere a new song, "Ain't That Loving You." The track is from the band's upcoming album, The Luckiest Man, which will be released November 17 via Stony Plain Records.
"Ain't That Loving You," which has been recorded by scores of artists, including Buddy Guy and Bobby "Blue" Bland, is credited to Peacock Records founder Don Robey, who also "wrote" Bland's "I Pity the Fool" and "Farther Up the Road."
The Broadcasters' version, which is sung by Diane Blue, features some tasty and twangy Strat picking by Earl—which shouldn't be much of a surprise. Earl, a former member of Roomful of Blues, is a three-time Blues Music Award winner (Guitar Player of the Year), a DownBeat magazine winner (Blues Album of the Year) and an associate professor of guitar at Berklee College of Music.
In the words of the late B.B. King: "[Earl] is one of the most serious blues guitarists you can find today. He makes me proud.”
Besides Earl on guitar and Blue on vocals, the Broadcasters include Dave Limina (keyboards), Forrest Padgett (drums) and Paul Kochanski (bass). The Luckiest Man follows the sudden loss of Jim Mouradian, the band’s longtime bassist (and a respected luthier),who died in January. In fact, the album is named after something Mouradian said: “I’m the luckiest man you know—and I don’t even know who you know.”
On The Luckiest Man, the band addresses loss on “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” and “Jim’s Song.” On “Long Lost Conversation,” Earl is reunited with some of the earliest Broadcasters, including Sugar Ray Norcia (vocals, harp), Anthony Geraci (piano), Mike Welch (guitar), Neil Gouvin (drums) and Michael "Mudcat" Ward (bass). Other guests on the album include Nicholas Tabarias (guitar), Mark Earley (baritone sax), Mario Perrett (tenor sax) and Peter Ward (guitar).
Besides "Ain't That Loving You," Earl and the gang put their indelible stamp on interpretations of “So Many Roads” and “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” You can see a full track list below.
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For more information, check out our song premiere and album preview below, and visit ronnieearl.com.
The Luckiest Man Track Listing 1. Ain’t That Loving You 2. Southside Stomp 3. Death Don’t Have No Mercy 4. Jim’s Song 5. Heartbreak (It’s Hurtin’ Me) 6. Howlin’ Blues 7. Never Gonna Break My Faith 8. Long Lost Conversation 9. Sweet Miss Vee 10. Blues for Magic Sam 11. So Many Roads 12. You Don’t Know What Love Is
The Luckiest Man: Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters' latest album is coming November 17 - YouTube
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
