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Black Dust Blues Due to continuing work with Peter on our upcoming covers album we haven’t done our typical dives into the blues public domain this year (we have a 2022 album titled “Deep In The Domain”  ) Our most played blues rock song, Countin’ The Blues, is based on a Ma Rainey 100 year old tune so we decided to go with another one of her inspirations for this song. She recorded 100 blues tunes between 1923 and 1929 and is oft referred to as the mother of the blues. She was a remarkable artist and an amazing woman - well worth reading about. Yeah, we get it that blues rock ain’t everybody’s thing but it’s in our heart and there are, like us, some Spotify curators who feature Janice that love a slow burn blues rock with plenty of guitar. Black Dust Blues is in the public domain worldwide thus we own all rights to our version, i.e. it’s not a cover song. We created the melody, chord structure and some of the lyric but want to give Ma Rainey all due credit for the inspiration. The lyrics are on SC. We thank you, if you choose to listen, for your time and comments are most welcome. And thanks to PG Music and our music partner Peter. © 2025 Trad Arr All Rights Reserved B. Merritt, J. Merritt & P. Fulham Glossary: Hoodoo - not voodoo but a well defined spiritual belief system that was brought over by enslaved people and survives to this day in parts of the South - in Louisiana in particular. The song terms described below are from hoodoo. “Hex" is a synonym for a curse or a spell intended to cause harm. "Black Dust," graveyard dust or goofer dust is any powder used to cast a spell especially if harmful in nature. Vocals: Rodes NT1 mic via Scarlett 212 USB interface > Logic Pro X > Nectar Guitar solos and fills: Peter and whatever he does to them Drums: RealDrums Blues Rock Shuffle > Waves CLA Drums Fills comped from multiple generations Tag created from RD kit components Snare: Doubled from RD audio file > Waves Magma BBT > Ozone Impact > Izotope Neutron > Logic Chromaverb Kick (tag) RD audio file > Waves CLA Drums Cymbal: Doubled from RD audio file > Logic Pro Chromaverb Bass: RealTrack 1922 (DI) > Logic EQ > Waves Bass Rider > Logic Pro Bass Amp (comped from two files) Piano: MIDI SuperTrack > Logic Pro X > Logic Concert Grand > Waves CLA Unplugged Guitar Rhythm: RealTrack 3364 (DI) > Logic Pro Amp Sim Mastering: (Izotope Modules) EQ > Imager > Limiter > Tonal Balance 2 > Logic Pro Loudness Meter
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Janice, Bud & Peter,
What an amazing version of this song! I love the raw edge that Janice has in this one, which is complimented by Peter's biting guitar. This song would not sound out of place on an early Led Zeppelin record. It has that same feel and tonality. I particularly love the way Janice is phrasing here. It's something that cannot be taught - it's truly in the soul...
The band and Peter are outstanding. And Bud, well, he just sonically brings everything to life. I also love the cover art!
Loved it all!
Bob
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Wow! If there's such a thing as 'perfect' then this is perfect blues rock! It's my favourite song of yours to date. Love everything about it. Janice's voice is 100% as is the arrangement and the superb lead guitar. Very, very well done to all.
Some favourite Waoist Adages:
#1: Play on the Way.
#13: Ask not for whom the flower blooms, it blooms for you.
#58: Bring consciousness to it.
#63: On the road to effortlessness, effort must be made.
#92: Be Love Now, the rest will come on its own.
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J&B, very sweet slow burn of a blues ya'll have here! Love how the band steadily keeps the rhythm going while Janice and Peter provide the oh-so-sweet dynamics. All perfectly mixed. Ya'll done great!
DC Ron
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Too many guitars (is that a thing?)
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Janice, Bud & Peter,
What an amazing version of this song! I love the raw edge that Janice has in this one, which is complimented by Peter's biting guitar. This song would not sound out of place on an early Led Zeppelin record. It has that same feel and tonality. I particularly love the way Janice is phrasing here. It's something that cannot be taught - it's truly in the soul...
The band and Peter are outstanding. And Bud, well, he just sonically brings everything to life. I also love the cover art!
Loved it all!
Bob Thank you Bob. We are very appreciative of your comments. We also felt Peter’s guitar bit … and soared. Janice smiled big time when she read what you wrote about her vocal. Yes! For us it is indeed all about soul irrespective the genre. We are happy that you liked the mix and the cover art. Bud grabbed a screenshot of Janice singing in one of our videos for it. 😀 Thanks for all! J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Always enjoy your takes on these old classics, and this is no exception, fine work by all involved! Peter is in top form, and of course Janice is amazing as per usual!
Love the turnaround, very cool indeed, and cool ending too. Nice mix as usual, Bud, sounds great through the 'phones.
Blues rock at it's best, well done you three!
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Wow! If there's such a thing as 'perfect' then this is perfect blues rock! It's my favourite song of yours to date. Love everything about it. Janice's voice is 100% as is the arrangement and the superb lead guitar. Very, very well done to all. Well, a wow from us to you. Your very positive and supportive comments help us feel that the effort we put into this production was worthwhile. We much appreciate your mention of the vocal, guitar and arrangement. Thank you! J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Hi, Janice, Bud and Peter. Woweee! That's some burning blues! You're all in top form here. The Spotify folk aren't the only ones who appreciate the fan service blues songs.  Janice sounds great (of course), Peter's guitar is awesome (as always) and Bud, that mix is perfect (again, as always). You're keeping the bar high for the rest of us! I always appreciate the technical information. I see Wikipedia says at one point Ma Rainey toured with her husband under the name "Rainey and Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues". Now that's a name for a band.  Love your music!
-- David Cuny My virtual singer development blogVocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?BiaB 2025 | Windows 11 | Reaper | Way too many VSTis.
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J&B, very sweet slow burn of a blues ya'll have here! Love how the band steadily keeps the rhythm going while Janice and Peter provide the oh-so-sweet dynamics. All perfectly mixed. Ya'll done great! Thanks! And what you described with the band was exactly what we hoped to accomplish … let ‘em do their thing but stay outa the way of the singer and guitar picker. Much appreciated, J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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I'm always up for good blues rock that's really atmospheric, and thanks to your glossary, I even know a little bit about what it's all about. Perfect work by everyone involved ![[Linked Image - Only viewable when logged in]](https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/images/icons/default/thumbs_up.gif) Coincidentally, I was listening to "Blue Attitude" right before this song. I think it's time for you and the Blue ones to go on tour together. Perfect fit!
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Always enjoy your takes on these old classics, and this is no exception, fine work by all involved! Peter is in top form, and of course Janice is amazing as per usual!
Love the turnaround, very cool indeed, and cool ending too. Nice mix as usual, Bud, sounds great through the 'phones.
Blues rock at it's best, well done you three! Well from a blues man those comments are even more appreciated! Thanks for the turnaround and tag mention. The tag was Janice's idea. We do enjoy seeking out PD treasures ... there is a trove for sure. Thanks for the nice review Dave! J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Janice, Bud & Peter, this is what happens when three outstanding musicians get together, mind blowing blues.
Janice never sounded better. She always sounded great but she really put her soul into this song. Peter must have burned is fretboard and melted all of his frets with that super hot playing. Bud's mixing skills really shown through on this song. Everything was perfect.
Loved it.
The bumper sticker said "I'm a veterinarian, therefore I can drive like an animal".
Suddenly I realized how many proctologists are on the road.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Hi, Janice, Bud and Peter. Woweee! That's some burning blues! You're all in top form here. The Spotify folk aren't the only ones who appreciate the fan service blues songs. Janice sounds great (of course), Peter's guitar is awesome (as always) and Bud, that mix is perfect (again, as always). You're keeping the bar high for the rest of us! I always appreciate the technical information. I see Wikipedia says at one point Ma Rainey toured with her husband under the name "Rainey and Rainey, Assassinators of the Blues". Now that's a name for a band. Love your music! You are too kind … but we’ll take it! 😀 We put a bit more effort than usual in this one so your review is greatly appreciated. And we gotta say that your really enjoyable backstories inspired us to tell more about what we were up to. Glad you liked the tech stuff. We always enjoy reading how your mixes came about, etc. And it’s cool you read about Ma Rainey and the band name. 😀 Thanks for all! J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Echo all the kudos from others..so polished in every way, and both Janice and Peter really shine..I esp liked the transitional phrase at the end of each verse..really adds color and movement. Excellent track and thoroughly enjoyed it
Windows 11, Intel Core i5-8600T 2.3Ghz, 16 gig ram, BIAB 2025 MegaPak, SampleTank 4, Keystation49 Kybd, Neewer NW-800 mic
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Very nice. I like how you find these old PD songs and bring them a new life. The mix is right in line with your normal standards and what I expect to hear from you.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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I'm always up for good blues rock that's really atmospheric, and thanks to your glossary, I even know a little bit about what it's all about. Perfect work by everyone involved Coincidentally, I was listening to "Blue Attitude" right before this song. I think it's time for you and the Blue ones to go on tour together. Perfect fit! Glad you liked it and the glossary. Tour? 🤔 Our last gig was in 2003. And we don’t look back! But were it to happen it’d be an honor to play with them. We appreciate the comments! J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Ahhhhhh. Is that enough to say to tell you how much I love this? Janice, the only song of mine my wife said she liked was one you sang. Bud, I think of you so much when mixing --I've learned so much from you, my friend. Peter, man, I wish you lived nearby. You would be such a treat in the jam room.
Ma Rainey lives in y'all. I am a BIG FAN. You guys are the top of my Spotify playlists.
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Janice, Bud & Peter, this is what happens when three outstanding musicians get together, mind blowing blues.
Janice never sounded better. She always sounded great but she really put her soul into this song. Peter must have burned is fretboard and melted all of his frets with that super hot playing. Bud's mixing skills really shown through on this song. Everything was perfect.
Loved it. Mario, those comments are much appreciated. This is our comfort zone and we much enjoyed working together on this. We agree about Peter’s playing - reckon he’s shopping for a new axe. 😃 J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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So great to hear a good old blues rock song again! Everything in right place!
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Echo all the kudos from others..so polished in every way, and both Janice and Peter really shine..I esp liked the transitional phrase at the end of each verse..really adds color and movement. Excellent track and thoroughly enjoyed it We are very appreciative of your time to listen and write such thoughtful and positive comments. Glad you liked the turnaround. It’s common in 12 bar blues but we tried to “fancy it up” a bit. 😀 J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® users: Build 904 now available!
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