This Week from The Flood Jam Sessions

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam sessions features a great old Mississippi John Hurt standard, "Payday."

The Flood has been doing this song for years now. In fact, it's featured on the first CD we recorded a decade ago this summer. But it is still a favorite at the weekly jam sessions, where the tune takes on a different personality, depending on who's sitting in that night.

On this version, we were especially energized because the great guitarist Jesse Smith was on hand, and his stellar finger-pickin' solos took "Payday" to a whole 'nother level! Hear the audio.

By the way, tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features two hot tunes from a wild and wonderful jam session with the legendary Phyllis Dale, the original Red Hot Mama of the Delta Queen riverboat.

It was more than 15 years ago when we met singer/pianist Phyllis Dale. For more than a decade, every night Phyllis played whatever the crowd wanted when the passengers gathered for the after-hour parties in the Delta Queen steamboat' great old Texas Lounge. Phyllis is an original, a born entertainer and we've been waiting for years to get her up here for one of our Wednesday night jam sessions. Well, last night was our night, and The Flood's own crowd was enthralled.

These days Phyllis is a world-class travel agent and consultant, on the road all the time with tour groups and adventures. We don't know when we'll get her back this way. But hey, girl -- you've got a standing invitation with party with The Flood. Hear the audio.

By the way, tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features a wonderful duet on a beautiful ballad from the British Isles.

Joe Dobbs and Dr. Wendell Dobbs are not related, but when you hear Joe's fiddle and Wendell's flute together, you'd swear these Dobbses were brothers. Or at least, they ought to be.

Wendell, a music professor at Marshall University and a section leader of the Huntington Symphony Orchestra, is an old friend. (And he and his wife, Linda, live only a few blocks from where The Flood has its weekly jam session, so, honestly, Wendell, you have very little excuse for not dropping in more often!)

Here, he and Joe put their special touch on "The Water is Wide." Hear the audio.

By the way, tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features several tunes from our friend Jesse Smith, the phenomenal, nationally known fingerpicker.

Jesse came down from his home in Wadsworth, Ohio, near Akron, to sit in with us last night for one sweet evening. Jesse makes everything sing -- just listen to his solo near the end of our trot through a 1918 Leo Wood standard, "Somebody Stole My Gal." Then stayed tuned as Jesse leads the guys on a tear through "Little Rock Getaway." Hear the audio.

By the way, tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features a grand tune in the tradition of 1920s and '30 stringbands.

It's always a good summer when our friends Rod and Judy Jones arrive on one of their regular visits from their native Australia. And now 2011 is officially a good summer. The Aussies have landed again!

The Flood first met Rod and Judy, expert players of old-time stringband music of the 1920s and '30s, more than three decades ago, during the couple's first visit to The States. Then, as now, whenever they sit in with us, we all get back to our roots. Hear the audio.

By the way, tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features a favorite tune from old friend.

One of our favorite local bands used to be Sheldon Road, a trio of great singers and pickers named Paul Martin, Randy Hamilton and Kenny Adams. Alas, the group disbanded a few years ago, but we've stayed in touch with all the guys. In fact, Randy Hamilton has been sitting in with us on bass for several weeks now.

And last night, Randy's old compatriot Paul Martin dropped in with his sweet mandolin. We even got Paul singing some -- here he leads us through a great old Bob Dylan standard. Hear the audio.

By the way, tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.

From This Week's Flood Jam Session

This week's freebie from The 1937 Flood jam session features three tracks from last night's special reunion with one of The Flood's first members.

When someone says The Flood is an eclectic string band, they're actually paying tribute to one of our founders, Roger Samples. And whenever Roger stops by to sit in again with his old partners, as he did recently, we're reminded all over again of just how wide and deep our dear friend's musical tastes run, from folk and blues and The Beatles to a sweet old Jimmy Rodgers tune.

Here are three tracks from Roger's Flood Homecoming. Hear the audio.

By the way, tunes from the jam sessions make up our weekly Flood podcasts. You can subscribe for free and get the music automatically delivered to your computer each Thursday. For details on that, click here.