Virgil

Music:

Member Since: 03/09/2007
Band Members: Ronnie Godfrey: Keys, Vocals

Steve Johnson: Drums, Vocals
Casey Lutton: Guitar, Vocals
Michael Thorn: Bass
Sounds Like: We never wanted our music to be labeled, but as we were making our record our influences became obvious and that was one of the many great things about this project! We basically just drew from the things that made us all love music in the first place; artists and groups such as, Leon Russell/Joe Cocker, “Mad Dogs And Englishmen,” Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Robert Johnson, Dinah Washington, Derek Trucks, The Allman Brothers Band, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Jaco Pastorius, Rocco Prestia, Jeff Porcaro, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Billie Holiday, The Crusaders, Toto, Quincy Jones, Miles Davis, The Beatles, Gladys Knight, The Marshall Tucker Band, Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk, Eagles, Etta James, Sam Cooke, The Neville Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, Santana, War, Doctor John, James Brown, Little Richard, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Edgar Winter And White Trash, Tina Turner, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, The Police, The Average White Band, Otis Redding, James Taylor, Z Z Top, Earth Wind And Fire, Prince, And Nine-Inch Nails to name just a few.
The first time I played with these guys was in a little bar on a Monday night in November of 1998. I had been relatively successful as a session player, singer and writer in Nashville but something was missing! I knew I had to rediscover myself as an artist and a player and, lo and behold, I meet these soulful guys who were ready, willing and able to get down and play! The jam was great; the guys Casey, Steve and Michael were all kickin’ ass and somehow I knew we were meant to do something together!
We jammed and rehearsed quite a bit for the next year or so and then Casey suggested that we get in the studio and do something and that’s what we did. The music started to form itself and the vision began to grow.
We went into a little studio called The Switchyard and began to record. It was totally spontaneous; we didn’t even talk about making a record, we just went in and put a couple things down and had a blast doing it. Michael St. Leon, the owner of The Switchyard and engineer, really got involved with us and helped us produce this record. All of us have a love for Rhythm And Blues and Rock ‘N ‘Roll so the whole thing went down incredibly easily because there was so much musical compatibility. The enthusiasm level was high and, for the next five years, I was given one of the most incredible gifts I’ve ever gotten by these guys. I had the vision for this record for years and everything I asked these people to do, they did with the utmost effort, positiveness and respect and I will never be able to thank them properly.
Casey Lutton, our Guitarist, is from Chicago. He is a wonderful, thematic player who thinks in phrases, not licks which made this project even more of a joy to do. Casey’s parts are solid, his musicality is just as solid and he is even more of a rock as a human being. He is one of my best friends in the world and his encouragement, financial support and input have been immeasurable.
Steve Johnson, our Drummer, is from Auburn Maine. He is one of the best listeners and instinctive musicians I have ever been around. He is a person who has kept in close touch with his feelings and, unlike many I know, not afraid to face himself which only expands his incredible musical empathy. Anybody who knows me knows how important a drummer is to me when I play and I know I couldn’t have done this without Steve being there for me as a player and as a friend.
Michael Thorn, our Bassist, is from Jackson Mississippi. He is basically a quiet guy who lets his ax do the talking for him. He is positively predictable; you can count on him to show up, you can count on him to have a great attitude and you can count on him to play his ass off and, more importantly, you can count on his friendship. I call that a real person.
“Standin’ In A Circle,” the title of our record, was taken from a Wayne Dyer book I read called “You’ll See It When You Believe It.” I was so moved with the way Wayne explained our connectedness to one another, I wrote a song With Kim and Carson in 1994 which basically explains Wayne’s beautiful thoughts. WE MUST ALL COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT, AS HUMAN BEINGS SHARING THIS PLANET, WE ALL NEED EACH OTHER TO SURVIVE! THE SUPREME TEST OF MANKIND IS CAN WE LEARN TO LOOK PAST OUR DIFFERENCES SO THAT WE CAN LOOK DEEPER INTO OUR SIMILARITIES AND, ONCE AND FOR ALL, LEARN TO GET ALONG WITH ONE ANOTHER!? WE MUST GROW TO THE POINT WHERE WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE PRACTICE OF WAR, ESPECIALLY WAR FOR PROFIT IS INSANE AND THAT LOVE, SWEET LOVE, IS THE ONLY ANSWER!VIRGIL RONNIE GODFREY