PG Music Home Forums General Discussion User Showcase A Gospel Tune Revisited (Tom and Janice)

Missed The Message Video

Hi folks, a long winded Bud here:

Three years ago this month Tom (Tommyad) posted the audio production of this gospel song that he and Janice wrote. As I mentioned in a review of Tom’s current posting, The Dash, he has a way of profound lyric expression with relatively few words. This song has come to mind many times over the last few years. And more so as I get older and see more friends cross over.

In addition to writing the lyric Tom produced/arranged the song and played both pedal steel and guitar on it. Janice contributed the vocal and melody.

I’ve often considered a video for it but I would fail to find images that I thought supported the lyric without distracting. Recently I revisited the notion and saw it though to completion and hope that it works for you. BTW, I asked Tom what inspired “the old Big Muddy” and he explained that it was a river in Illinois where he went to college. The second verse incorporates a photo I located of that river.

The use of steel in gospel music may initially seem unusual (as it did for me). However Tom introduced me to the tradition of the “sacred steel.” Starting in the 1930’s some African-American Pentecostal churches in Florida began to substitute a lap steel for the organ and later brought the pedal steel into their music. The Robert Randolph Family Band, a blues rock group, is an off spring of this tradition as Robert was brought up in churches that played this form of gospel. I think Tom’s over driven wah wah steel really captures the excitement of the sacred steel which you can see in this short film: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SOmZhhNNElM Things really start cooking around 2:30 in. And it is fascinating to hear the ministers and practitioners talk about how the steel "talks."

What a wonderful example of the richness and diversity of American music traditions - gospel oriented pedal steel with roots in Florida African-American Pentecostal churches.


Guitar & Pedal Steel by Tom Adams
Vocal by Janice Merritt

Choir loops from Logic Pro 9

RealTracks in song: 1418:Bass, Electric, SouthernRock Ev16 085
RealTracks in song: 1602:Piano, Acoustic, Rhythm Pop16 Ev16 065
RealTracks in style: ~368:Guitar, Acoustic, Strumming Ev 065
RealTracks in song: ~688:Organ, B3, Background Pop Ev 065
RealTracks in song: 1600:Guitar, High-Strung Acoustic, Rhythm Pop16ths Ev16 065
RealDrums: RealDrums in Song: NashvilleEven16^5-a:Snare, HiHat , b:Snare, Ride

© 2014-2017 Tom Adams and Janice Merritt / All Rights Reserved

What a cool song and awesome video. That steel guitar is something else. Janice does such an incredible vocal as well. Lyrics are so well done. Thanks so much for posting this again....

Wow! what a treat

fine song, excellent vocals

that wah wah steel is awesome, Tom you're a monster

on that thing

Song could've also been titled
Angel Flying Next To Me

Bud, thanks for the info, loved that I was looking at the actual old Big Muddy

Kenny

Hey Ya'll,

Before I forget, just wanted to say how Janice lit up our ears with her falsetto late in the song. Smokin'!

What a treat for the ears. This is just so danged good. Everything gels perfectly. There really are no words to say what a wonderful song this is. Please know ... we think this is one of the best productions we've heard on our two or so years here!

I (Alan) grew up in St. Louis and we always called the Mississippi River "The Big Muddy". If you've ever seen it, you'd know why!

Di and I are in the process of recording a Country Gospel song and the primary instrument is pedal steel. We're probably a few days away from finishing it.

Anyway ... this is fantastic!

Alan & Di

Hair raising backings fab vocals and lyrics.
Best song I've heard for a while. Cheers.

Hello, Janice & Bud and Tom

Very cool gospel song with great vocal!
I heard wah wah pedal steel for the first time.
Tight bass drums and the background vocals are pleasant.
Enjoyed my listen a lot.

Best regards.

Shigeki Adachi

Janice Bud & Tom

Superb! Great vocal, great playing, excellent video - top notch all round.

Peter

Man!!!!! First of all, thanks for posting this again, I missed it the first time around.

Great write and great vocal from Janice, man, when those background vocals come in!!! Pure heaven.

And the guitar work from Tom floored me, just stunning good.

Excellent collaboration, very much enjoyed!

Thanks Scott. Yep, Tom nailed it all on this one (and many others).

J&B

J&B and Tom,
A fine collaboration.
Lapsteel is one of my favourite instruments - this is the first time I`ve heard it used with wah wah and it sounds great!
Lovely soulful vocal by Janice.
The background southern church music video is amazing.

Robert

Wow! That's fantastic.

And not to change it, but I really think (as has been suggested) it should be titled "Angel Flying Next To Me".

Great song and Janice' voice is perfect on it.

Yeah man, wah wah steel - don't hear that every day

I was lucky to find that shot of the actual river - particularly one of high enough resolution for me to crop to 16:9. Glad you liked that.

Bud

Great collaboration by some of my favorites here on the forum! I like pretty much anything you guys do, as individuals, and as a collab, this just really works. Great guitar work, and Janice, you always nail it!

Thanks for sharing this!

Steve

J & B and Tom,

This is good stuff. I enjoyed the video as well. Some very cool & unique steel work!
I played with a steel guitar player in the 1980's that came from a southern blues kinda background and he was really good at turning an OD pedal on and wailin' on some slide licks.... He's gone now, but that sure took me right back to him. Thanks for that Tom.

Great job all around!

Greg

Janice & Bud,

This is excellent! Great tune and a great video.

Much enjoyed!

Bob

Thanks y'all. On behalf of Tom and Janice I (Bud) think they did a wonderful job and it was fun being along for the ride!

Look forward to hearing your gospel song.

Bud

Sweet, heavenly soul all over up in here!

I could go on and on about this song. But I will leave the meaning up to the individual listener. For me, the best thing about this song was the realization that Bud and Janice were fully vested in the idea and that the three of us are truly on the same page regarding many different facets of our lives. Collabs with them and a few others turned out to be BIAB's gift to me that I had not expected. Thanks to PG, Bud and Janice, all my forum friends, and those that have taken the time to listen (again) and comment. Tom - PS Bud, special shout out for applying your video skills and taking this song to the next level.

This is SUCH a fine song. Nice to hear it again. Nice to be able to see/read the lyrics as they slowly go by...lyrics worth reading. And a beautiful melody.

Janice - one of your best vocals - and that is SAYING something!

Tom's guitar and steel work is exceptional.

The choir loops - nice. Nice video, Bud (as always).

Y'all done good.

fj

Mighty kind of you!

Bud aka Janice and Tom spokesperson