G. Love & Special Sauce

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http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2009/08/16/dickinson-obit-memphissound.html

Hello friends, I got sad news today. Legendary musician and producer and friend Jim Dickinson passed away today. I had the great honor of working with Jim when he produced my second record Coast to Coast Motel in 1995. We recorded in New Orleans and mixed in LA. I spent about a month all told with Jim and those were some heavy and intuitive times. 

I remember traveling with Jim and checking out his spread in North Mississippi, and going to visit various studios in Memphis and New Orleans. Jim had played with the Stones and Dylan but I was more interested in his stories of the great Memphis Blues men like Sleepy John Estes. Jim knew these guys and he was a real link for me to the original Delta Blues. He told me once how, in his later years, Sleepy John Estes would call him at crazy hours because he was blind and didn't really know if it was day or night. Jim had stories for days and we were all ears. 

Another time, in LA during mix down he told me "don't lose the fire G". Talking about playing and saying that's where its at, “Its about that fire”. I knew just what he was talking about too. 
I hadn't really seen Jim for awhile, but over the years I've stayed in touch with Jim's boys Luther and Cody. We've become good friends since way back in the day, when they first played with us at the New Daisy Theater on Beale St in Memphis. 

We recently got a chance to hang with Luther when we shared the stage with him and the Black Crowes at Rothbury. Luther is playing guitar with the Crowes now and he is burning it up for real. I know Jim is proud. 

Music will always miss Jim and I count myself blessed to have shared some of the most intimate moments of my musical life with Jim while he was our producer. I'm lucky to have had the chance to work with him and get to know his amazing family. People call people like the Dickinson's "good people". Good people. Keep jamming Jim! 

We miss you- G