Bo Diddley (1928-2008) - Cowboy Mouth MIA
Diddley Daddy
Bo Diddley died Monday of heart failure at his home in Archer, FL after months of ill health. He was 79.
“Saw my baby run across the field,
Slippin’ and slidin’ like an automobile,
Hollerin’, my baby got towed away,
Slipped on from me like a cadillac-8.
Hey bo diddley, oh bo diddley,
Hey bo diddley, oh bo diddley.”
Cowboy Mouth turned me onto Bo Diddley in the early 90’s.
Sadly…after their first major record label deal…
Cowboy Mouth: stopped playing 3-4hr shows (to only play songs from the new album), stopped flipping over tables covered in beer bottles to drum on the legs and sweat on the fans (for insurance purposes, I guess), stopped hanging from the rafters while still singing and Paul on the kick drum (also insurance I assume), stopped playing songs from the 1st album (that made me love and miss my friends), stopped making want to scream until I lost my voice (because I did every show), stopped making me want to drive from South Louisiana to North Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee to catch 3 shows in 3 nights, and stopped being fun. Also, they’ve gone Spinal Tap with bass players and dropped key members. Cowboy Mouth always has been and always will be Fred, Paul, and John Thomas.
Yes we’re all getting older, but 90’s Cowboy Mouth is MIA.
Cowboy Mouth (I Can Tell cover) - Now, THATS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!
Miss you Gunslinger & ’90s Cowboy Mouth…fff
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June 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 am
Have you seen CM recently? I saw them in March, they played over 2 hours, a mix of old and new stuff. From the first album, they did Any Little Bit, and Walk Among the Angels. Yeah they’ve changed some members, but the new bassist and guitarist have given the band a new engery, it’s like watching a band of 25 years olds. Fred and Griff look like they’re having more fun than they ever had, and the 4 musicians actually interact and play together, something they rarely did in the past. And Fred went out into the crowd while the new guitarist took over the kick drum. You oughta go check them out again.
June 4th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
To be fair…Cowboy Mouth has been consistently touring since at least ‘91 or earlier. That kind of road work is not easy - on the social life, the bank account, or the soul at times. Being in a band is very akin to being married (but to 3 or 4 more people). You spend more time together than most married couples do. You will disagree. You will have arguments. Hell…a band staying together for 10 years is LONGER than most marriages these days. However, I still stand on the fact that Cowboy Mouth is the songwriting trio of Fred, Paul, and JT.
I was very proud of the guys to garner their first commercial success. It was as if the music industry FINALLY realized what everyone who had seen them live was realizing. Cowboy Mouth f*ing DESTROYS live!!! I’ve seen hundreds of shows and most of music’s greatest frontmen (Aerosmith, Prince, Chuck Berry, the Black Crowes, James Brown, Stone Temple Pilots, Bo Diddley, etc.) I have yet to see anyone master a crowd the way Fred does. He has you in the palm of his hand whether you like it or not. And being a drummer, I’ve always envied him for his crowd mastery (and his spot in the middle, up front, monkey bashing the drums, and singing his ass off).
Immediately after the release of “Are You With Me”, however, their shows changed dramatically. From balls-out, sweaty, f*ing all-out craziness to calculated cookie cutter 45 minute play-the-album-front-to-back, bow and get off the stage. I am exaggerating a little for effect, but it was a night and day difference. Having seen at least 20 Cowboy Mouth shows prior to the “Are You With Me” album, I was offended. Literally offended. Yes, they’ve worked their asses off, suffered in a tiny van traveling the states, lived off of table scraps and cheap beer, lost loves, and deserve the best. I know this your chance to be heard by millions of new fans, but don’t crap on the fans that helped get you to this point.
Cowboy Mouth was always my musical gem. I could take anybody to a show and they became fans instantly. I’ve never seen another band who could do that. Red, yellow, black, white, democrat, republican, God-fearing, atheist, whatever, didn’t matter. Fred will own you for 2-4 hours. I knew what was coming and I still hung on every note. But I didn’t bring my friends to hear the studio album. I brought them to blow their mind with what a band is capable of.
Watch the video from ‘93 again and I hope you see/hear what I do…Hunger, Desperation, Commitment. They have to make it. There is no other option. Clanky. Raw.
They’re Cowboy Mouth and they’re from New Orleans LOUISIANA!!!