JOHN PAUL KEITH

My new album THE RHYTHM OF THE CITY is out 02/19/21 on Wild Honey Records.

[johnpaulkeith]

If you don’t know, portrait mode on the iPhone camera is awesome for close ups of gear. I just snapped these as we were packing up after another great day at @samphillipsrecording. And I used the wide angle lens with the phone vertical for the room shot, you can really appreciated the ceiling design. Love this place! (at Memphis, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpg6hEcgoY-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

It’s #BandcampFriday y’all! We’ve got #TheRhythmofTheCity🎶🌃 on red vinyl for US customers (signed if you like!) and clear vinyl for EU/UK. We’ve also got A World Like That - Live at B-Side on orange vinyl and 💿! Only at @bandcamp from @wildhoneyrecords___. johnpaulkeith.bandcamp.com link in bio https://www.instagram.com/p/CpVdRxDgbzz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

Alright, this will be the final post today about the making of The Rhythm of the City in 2019. Just a few random behind-the-scenes clips I found on an hard drive I thought I’d share today, now that the album is two years old. This was my first time in the studio with @dannybanksdrummer and @thewilsonmc together, but happily it would not be the last. And this was my fourth album to be graced by @algamble1 on the keys. The entire record was a mixture of analog and digital technology, back and forth from one to the other. We tracked the basics live on @electraphonic’s 8-track Scully, with drums on two tracks, including my live vocal and lead guitar. We then transferred those 8 tracks to digital where we added bgvs, percussion, and yes, ELECTRIC SITAR! (Thank you, @highlowrecording!). Although we mixed digitally, we used much analog gear in the process of course, including Scott’s Ampex tape machine for slapback echo, just like Sam Phillips did at Sun Studio in 1954. Then the mix was digitized and mastered, uploaded to the streaming servers, and sent off to the pressing plant, where it became analog again and went on to become 7 different colors of vinyl over the next two years thanks to @wildhoneyrecords___. Thank you Scott Bomar and @adamemphis1457 for making everything sound awesome. I’m gonna miss that little studio on South Main. And a special note of thanks to @ronnymon6149 for his invaluable help making this all happen. #therhythmofthecity🎶🌃 #johnpaulkeith #studio #recordingstudio #recordingstudios #analogrecording #memphismusic #memphisstudios https://www.instagram.com/p/CpOjD6xALpw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

I’ve been a fan of Memphis’ amazing @southernavenuemusic for many years, and I was incredibly lucky to get @tierinii and @tikyradrums to sing on The Rhythm of the City. There’s just nothing like sibling harmony, and they sent record to a whole other level. And we had a lot of fun in the studio that day, too. 😂 This whole record was fun to make, from start to finish, and I think you can hear that in that music. I was very proud to have these two rock stars on the album. Thank you, Tierinii and TK! 💙 #therhythmofthecity🎶🌃 #johnpaulkeith #studio #recordingstudio #recordingstudios #analogrecording #memphismusic #memphisstudios #tierinii #tikyra #southernavenueband @electraphonic https://www.instagram.com/p/CpObiOZJFG6/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

🎷🎷🎺The biggest difference between The Rhythm of the City and all my previous records is the brass. Like most songwriters with any ambition, I had long fantasized about doing at least one album with horns on every song. About half of the record the section is two saxes, baritone and tenor. Art Edmaiston (@artiepartie) wrote the killer arrangements for those, and we decided that he and @kirksmothers would track live at @electraphonic with the band, since the bari can become a part of the rhythm section. For the rest of the songs, we wanted Marc Franklin’s (@mfrankl3) trumpet in the section, and he wrote the arrangements for those. We would track each song without horns, do a quick rough mix at the end of the day, and DropBox the rough to Marc. He would then write the arrangement at home the next day, and then he, Art, and Kirk would come in the day after that and overdub the part. For me, hearing other writers’ arrangements augmenting and embellishing my songwriting was a real thrill and a wonderful learning experience. Thank you guys for making that dream come true. #therhythmofthecity🎶🌃 #johnpaulkeith #studio #recordingstudio #recordingstudios #analogrecording #memphismusic #memphisstudios #horns #hornsections #BTMhorns #memphissound #memphishorns #saxophone #trumpet #arranging #arrangements #hornarranging #hornarrangement #memphissoul #countrysoul #southernsoul https://www.instagram.com/p/CpN5k-7gaPv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

One very special memory from The Rhythm of the City sessions back in 2019 for me: the day Archie “Hubbie” Turner (@turner.archie2018) of Hi Rhythm came by to play Clavinet on “Keep On Keep On.” I had been listening to a lot of Syl Johnson’s Hi records at the time, and Hubbie of course plays some really sick clav on some of that. I will never forget the late nights I spent in Wild Bill’s watching Hubbie play when I first moved here in 2005, my first real immersion into Memphis’ musical culture. It will forever be amazing to me that I was able to just call him up out of the blue one day and ask him to come by the studio and make the same magic on my record that he made on so many records that I love and admire. That’s the Memphis magic you can’t get anywhere else. Thank you, Hubbie, for helping to make this record so special and thank you for sharing your talents with us! #therhythmofthecity🎶🌃 #johnpaulkeith #studio #recordingstudio #recordingstudios #analogrecording #memphismusic #memphisstudios #hirhythm #hirecords #archieturner #archiehubbieturner #memphissoul #southernsoul #countrysoul #memphissoul #memphissound #funk #clavinet https://www.instagram.com/p/CpNzZrTAadQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

February marks the two-year anniversary of the release of The Rhythm of the City, so I thought I would share a few memories from those sessions. It was my first time producing my own album, but I called the right people. Thank you to Max Kaplan (@mkappy33) for taking these pics, and thank you @electraphonic, @tierinii, @tikyradrums, @dannybanksdrummer, @thewilsonmc, @algamble1, @artiepartie, @kirksmothers, @mfrankl3, and @turner.archie2018 for lending your talents to this music and making it a reality. #therhythmofthecity🎶🌃 #johnpaulkeith #studio #recordingstudio #recordingstudios #analogrecording #memphismusic #memphisstudios (at Memphis, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpNsM2sgsot/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

🖤💙💚🤍♥️In the words of Nick Lowe, “I love my label.” Thank you, @wildhoneyrecords___, for releasing The Rhythm of the City two years ago this month. We are now on our third pressing, and our seventh color. Customers in the US can get the new limited edition RED vinyl directly from me (signed if you like!), and customers in EU/UK/ROW can get the new limited edition CLEAR vinyl directly from Wild Honey in Italy - both exclusively at Bandcamp. Link in bio. And ICYMI, I added three more previously unreleased studio outtakes from the sessions for this album, exclusively for my Bandcamp subscribers. #therhythmofthecity🎶🌃 #johnpaulkeith #memphismusic #vinyl #bandcamp https://www.instagram.com/p/CpLbrqJPaX8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

NEW ALBUM UNDER WAY

Pre-production rehearsals for album #6 began today with Danny Banks and Matthew Wilson. There will be other talented folks involved as we go, but our process starts with this core trio working out the basic arrangements. I’m stoked to be making some new music with these guys! Thank you Memphis Slim Collaboratory for providing such a great space for us to rehearse – I’m proud to be a member.

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[johnpaulkeith]

What a pleasure it was meeting Billy Swan today, a musician and songwriter I admire very much and whose songs I’ve performed countless times. Thank you to my friend @monsieurmatt for inviting me to stop by his truly stunning @southerngrooves studio in @crosstownconcourse for my first visit. I cannot wait to hear what they are cooking up, I know it’s going to be very special. Many people know “I Can Help”, but real ones know “Lover Please”, a rhythm and blues hit in 1962 for Clyde McPhatter. I played guitar on my friend @jackoblivian’s version on his Rat City album. Billy also worked with Kris Kristofferson during some of his peak early work, including classics like The Silver Tongued Devil and I. One of the many cool things about Billy’s original hit recording of “I Can Help” besides the trademark organ sound is the unforgettable guitar work of Reggie Young and Chip Young (no relation), two of the most-heard session guitarists of all time. Both the intro lick and the solo are throwback rockabilly guitar master strokes, required reading for any guitarist interested in the style, and a lot of fun to play. For years I’ve performed regularly at the @guesthousegraceland in the lobby lounge as an acoustic duo, playing many Elvis songs, naturally, and a variety of Memphis classics, along with a few of my own tunes here and there. But one song I make a point to play every single time is “I Can Help”, because it was of course recorded by Elvis Presley. Being a songwriter myself, I like to share with the guests what I know about the many songwriting greats who composed the music that comprises the Elvis Presley repertoire, people like Otis Blackwell, Lieber and Stoller, Pomus and Shuman, and Billy Swan. So it was really cool to meet him today. Thank you, guys. I love Crosstown Concourse and enjoy my experience there every time. What a cool thing we have here in Midtown. I’m always happy for any excuse to stop by. #BillySwan #songwriters #songwriting #rockabilly #rockandroll #rockhistory #Americana #Memphismusic #Elvis #reggieyoung #chipyoung #clydemcphatter #kriskristofferson @elvis (at Crosstown Concourse) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co0R6aZvTOI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

New album under works

Pre-production rehearsals for album #6 began today with Danny Banks and Matthew Wilson. There will be other talented folks involved as we go, but our process starts with this core trio working out the basic arrangements. I’m stoked to be making some new music with these guys! Thank you to the Memphis Slim Collaboratory for providing such a great space for us to rehearse – I’m proud to be a member.

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[johnpaulkeith]

Pre-production rehearsals for album #6 began today with @dannybanksdrummer and @thewilsonmc. There will be more talented folks involved as we go, but our process starts with this core trio working out the basic arrangements. I’m stoked to be making some new music with these guys! Thank you @memslimhouse for providing such a great space for us to rehearse - I’m proud to be a member. And we just had to get a photo op across the street at @staxmuseum, site of some of the greatest recordings ever made. I’m grateful these resources are here in Soulsville and I’m grateful we get to work on our music by such hallowed ground. (at Memphis Slim Collaboratory) https://www.instagram.com/p/Coso9PFvk7y/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

I decided it was finally time to bite the bullet and get my first b-bender. Rather than building a partscaster for it, I decided on this @Fender Vintera 50’s Modified Telecaster in Daphne Blue, and yesterday Aaron at @glaserbender installed it for me. Ingenious design, non-invasive, and same-day service. I’ll post video later. 😎 Related: we really enjoyed the “Western Edge” California country rock exhibit at the @officialcmhof, where ironically I got to see Bernie Leadon’s 1968 b-bender Tele while mine was being installed. (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnzcR8NgPcg/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

I decided it was finally time to bite the bullet and get my first b-bender. Rather than building a partscaster for it, I decided on this @Fender Vintera 50’s Modified Telecaster in Daphne Blue, and yesterday Aaron at @glaserbender installed it for me. Ingenious design, non-invasive, and same-day service. I’ll post video later. 😎 (at Nashville, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnzbqNqAiJl/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

I’m not one for personal nostalgia, it’s an emotion I don’t let myself feel very often, and I always prefer to talk more about my future plans than my past. But this week, I’ve been going through some old files on a hard drive full of music and photos, and I’ve decided to start sharing some of this stuff. Why not? We had a great run with The One Four Fives at the old Hi-Tone opening for some heavy hitters and heroes of mine, around the time of my first couple of solo albums, 2008-2010. Thank you to my old friend @sourandviciousdan for that, and to the band, @markedgarstuart, @johnargroves, @algamble1, @kevincubbins, and @johnwhittemoredds. (I can’t recall who was on which gig all these years later). I’m afraid I don’t recall who designed the Junior Brown (2008), Leon Russell (2010), or Shaver (2012) posters, but if you know, please drop the @ in the comments and I’ll tag. I designed the Ian McLagan (2008) and Charlie Louvin (2009) posters. On a sad note, with the exception of Junior, none of these artists are still with us today. Buy tickets to go see your heroes, folks. #charlielouvin #louvinbrothers #ianmclagan #thefaces #thesmallfaces #juniorbrown #leonrussell #shaver #billyjoeshaver #memphis #memphismusic #americana #johnpaulkeith (at Memphis, Tennessee) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnmqpMXpW-G/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

My friend Alexis Grace new single is out today and I was proud to play on it. Some new music for you on the first day of the new year! Link in bio at @alexisgraceig. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm4FCwcA-nv/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[johnpaulkeith]

I was honored to get to appear on the same stage today as @jamesalexander_barkays, @wendymoten, and @ericgalesband at the @memphischamber annual luncheon at the @peabodymemphis. Thank you @garrygoin and @officialkurtkcclayton and fabulous house band for including me in this amazing afternoon. And thank you again @lanskybros for my new jacket! I’m glad it made its onstage debut here today! (at The Peabody Memphis) https://www.instagram.com/p/CmH6jLIPI8m/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=