You are in a smoky blues bar drinking and listening to a local blues band.

This is my version of Donna Evans' Bottom Dollar Blues.(Now I can give a listen to the other versions!)

BiaB style Jazz Ballard w/electric piano is supplying the drums (which I slightly modified to better fit the song) and the Electric Piano. I am singing and playing the slide, bass, and lead guitars.

I hope you like this.

Bottom Dollar Blues

Bottom Dollar Blues by Donna Evans

Verse 1
She’s a candy red hot
Fire whiskey, tequila shots
She’s waitin’ for me at the bar
Spends my money like a wild fire
Think I’m scorin’ but I lose
Got the bottom dollar blues

Verse 2
Hopin’ she’s my Lucky Star
She plays me like a lotto jar
We cruise and smooze around
My ticker tape’s runnin’ down
Then some final rounds of pool
Goes my bottom dollar blues

Bridge
Sunday church I’m confessin’
Can’t seem to learn my lesson
Party girls and booze
Give me the bottom dollar blues

Verse 3
She always reeves my engine
Sparing an intervention
I’m addicted to the night life
We live the weekends right
For her I’ll be the fool
With the bottom dollar blues


Optional Chorus
I got the bottom dollar blues
Think I’m scorin, but I lose
For her, I’ll be the fool
With the bottom dollar blues

Nice job on this Mario, I like the sparse arrangement at the beginning and holding off on the band until the second verse.

Guitars sound great! Mix wise I'm not sure if I'm mad about that hard left panned piano though to be honest, I think it might have sounded better in the center.

But, a nice take on the great lyrics Donna wrote, enjoyed the listen!

Mario,

I love the very, very bluesy groove! As I listened, I found it so easy to hear that you totally enjoy this style. Your guitar playing is outstanding and your smoldering vocals simmer perfectly with the backing. No one can doubt that blues is a genre that you feel really comfortable with both instrumentally and vocally.

You've done a great job with Donna's fine lyrics that have captured the imagination of a number of PG Music members.

This is definitely one to be proud of.

All the best,
Noel

Mario, I love the soulfulness and emotional blues of your arrangement. Love your take on the song and that you liked the lyrics enough to put them to music. It has been so rewarding to see everyone's take on the song and they were all unique and spectacular. Such a talented and great community here.

Mario !:))

This is your best blues !
Love everything about it !
Hope you were left with
at least some bucks ?

Cheers
Dani

Thanx Dave for the very nice comments. I'll take a look at that EP, thanx for bringing that to my attention.

Thanx so much Noel. Yes I always have been a fan of the blues. I have CDs and records that go back to the early blues guys like Son House and Willie Brown, through Albert King, Muddy Waters, John Mayall, BB, up to the new guns like Bonnie Raitt etc. I also love jazz blues like Jimmy Smith, Miles, Coltrane etc even though some are not considered blues people, i.e. I like jazz also. I am more of a blues player than any other genre.

Thanx so much Donna. I wasn't sure if you would like this or not so I'm glad that you did like it.

Thanx so much Dani. Left with some bucks? Heck no I'm married so I ain't got no money

Cool vibe, Mario!

I'd like to go into this smoky blues bar listening to you singing and playing – drinking beer and maybe join you're band on bass! :-)

Keep on this bluesy path!

Hey, there, partner !!!

This is Loren (a.k.a. "bluage), who gave Ms. Belladonna's lyrics a musical spin. What you did with them is s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g, sir. Yes, I said it: stunning.

In my opinion, you have turned a stereotype on its head by casting a darker light on what could be called the "underbelly" of the bar scene, meaning "drinking establishments", where people go mostly to "drown their sorrows", at the very worst. Painting the lyrics in near-suicidal sounding shades of the blues as you did exposes the idea of "getting tanked", or "tying one on", or "getting s**t-faced", or any of the other ways of describing drunkeness, as a basically sad and un-funny activity that mocks the popular image of it. For example, the phrase "happy hour". While you're at your regular neighborhood "watering hole" pouring shots into your craw, you may feel "happy", yes, but what happens when you return home to your family?

Don't know if that's what you intended, but it sure sounded that way to me. Regardless, my hat's off to you, "MarioD".

Caught off-guard,

LOREN

Mario,
Nice moody vocals and great to hear your lead guitar unleashed on a tune you sound very comfortable with.
I can almost taste the smoke in the bar here - you captured the "low places" vibe of the lyrics very well!

Robert

Way back in my early playing out days I did play in a lot of smokey bars. In fact my first job when I was 15 was in a smokey bar and I got paid $100 and all the beer I could drink. Drafts were only 10 cents USD back then!

Yea I'm more of a blues player than any other genre.

Thanx so much Loren for this.

I did try to exhibit the local bar/pub scene with a ton of smoke, at least in the old days around here, and a local blues band playing while no one was listening and all were drowning their sorrows by getting plastered! Thanx for picking up on that!

Thanx Robert. I am the most comfortable playing the blues. Also I have friends in low places! Hey I think there is a song there

Mario,

Nice take on Donna's lyric. Cool guitar.

Enjoyed the listen.

fj

Wow - you did an incredible job on this! It has so much attitude and character. You really did some justice to Belladonna's lyrics here. It has a wonderfully unique groove to it. I enjoyed the progression on this one, too. The sparse and gentle beginning gradually evolved into all these layers - very good at keeping the listener's attention

Thanks so much for sharing!

Loved this tune Mario. Super intro. I loved this kind of blues. Guitar is so good...

Mario:
Great job-you really capture the feel, and your playing is top notch.

I really like your interpretation. The emphasis is definitely on the "bottom" of bottom dollar. You have created a wonderful atmosphere.

much enjoyed!

Thanx so much Floyd.

Thanx Deryk for those very kind words.

Thanx Scott. The blues are one of my favorite genres for music.

Thanx so much SaxMarc. I greatly appreciate those comments.

Thenx gruverider for listening and the very nice comments.

Down and dirty "Smokey bar" blues!! Nice to hear you sing Mario! You've really captured a vibe with this. I dig it!! Take care. Greg