Met a guy hitch-hiking along side the road just outside of El Paso in the late 60s. He was carrying a pack of his trappings and an old guitar slung cross his back. I was fresh out of Vietnam, determined I wasn't going back home until I saw the better part of the country, trying to get the bad taste of war out of my mind. Anyway, he took a liking to me so we bummed around the country together for a while.

I can honestly say I've never heard anyone play the low-down blues like that guy. It would make a bull dog wanna hug a hound. Once he took that first slug of wine he'd break out that old guitar and play the blues til the morning light.

Somehow, we had migrated down to Jacksonville, how we ever got there I'll never know. Anyway we were suppose to meet the next morning to hit the road again, but I got tangled up with a couple of wired-up chicks from Jupiter and maaaan did we fly. Long story short, by the time I woke up and stumbled over to what was suppose to be our meeting/departure location, he had already moved on and I never ever saw him again.

A couple of years later when I finally made it home and collected what was left of my thoughts, I wrote a song about him, 'They Called Him The Blues Man'. I had always hoped to see him again so I could give the song to him, but it never happened..... Anyway here are some of the lyrics...... Oh. sorry about being so voluminous...

THEY CALL HIM THE BLUES MAN....
Not one dime in his pockets
and holes in both his shoes
he was feeling kinda lonely
down with the blues

With everything he owned
wrapped up inside that pack
and he carried an old guitar
kept it slung cross his back

Yeah-e-Yeah
for the price of a good slug of wine
He'd break out that old guitar
and play the blues til the morning light

Troubles seem to find him
no matter which way he'd choose
But with a broken heart and broken dreams
there's not much left to lose

With one hand on the bible
the other on a bottle of booze
he was at the bottom
with nothing left to lose

They called him the blues man
seems like I can still hear him play
But like a desert rose in a sand storm
he just faded away

Yeah E Yeah E Yeah,
aaah for the price of a good slug of wine
He'd break out that old guitar
and play the blues til the morning light

Yeah, they called him the blues man
seems like I can still hear him play
But like a desert rose in a sand storm
He just faded away


The song is to you Boley, my old friend....

Kajun Jeaux