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Blues After Hours

"On February 25 [2002], Mai Cramer, the renowned host of Blues After Hours, died after battling breast cancer. Mai's in-depth and wide-ranging knowledge of the blues won her national acclaim and a faithful following. We will miss her.

But Blues After Hours lives on. Every Friday and Saturday night, acting hosts Josh Hull and Holly Harris provide listeners with the eclectic mix of the blues Mai offered for 24 years. From the Delta to the city, from legendary players to up-and-comers from the local scene, Blues After Hours is still the place for blues livers and blues lovers everywhere."

Friday and Saturday evenings at 9pm, on WGBH 89.7 FM

[The above duplicates the memorial notes from when they were on wgbh.org - note that the current show line-up and host(s) have changed. And what the heck is a "blues liver?" Hope I don't get one...]

Good Love was written in the bath on a Friday night about two weeks after we lost Mai. The new host was playing a tribute to her, consisting mostly of these wild, totally incredible sessions done at the station's studio over the years, with various musicians playing as Mai's guests. Her enthusiasm was genuine and fabulous, and the playing, the music, was just "over the top" high quality live blues by the greats in the genre.

The "feel" of the music was infectious, and I could not help but absorb it into my veins and mind as I listened, and the next thing you know I was singing these lines to myself. Then I had to mute the radio to finish them and keep singing them to myself while I finished bathing, so I would remember them and write them down as soon as I got out of the tub.

Within a week or two my guitar teacher and I were playing the "fine tuned" version of the song (nothing is ever perfect as written, someone has to tear it down for you so you can build it back up and make it stronger!) at the weekly "open mike" he hosts. It really is fun song to play, and I hope it is at least slightly worthy of its dedicatee. Thanks, Mai.

return to "Good Love"

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© Huw Powell
humanthoughts.org

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