Keb' Mo' with Tom Shinness and Phil Keaggy (LIVE)
On November 30, 2016, we gathered at Jack and Jameson’s Smokehouse in Franklin,TN for a birthday celebration show for multi-instrumentalist, Tom Shinness. This would be Tom's final performance before he left this world on February 17, 2017; he was 56 years old. Due to the rapid nature of his sudden illness, Tom knew this was probably going to be his last performance ... although we were all praying for healing and his complete recovery ... so he wanted to have a big birthday party and invite some of his favorite musician friends — enter Keb' Mo' and Phil Keaggy.
This performance of Keb' Mo's "Life Is Beautiful" is completely improvised (no rehearsals)... and I know none of us actually ever heard the tune before (sorry Kevin). Video footage courtesy of David Allen Williams.
This was the first time I ever worked or played with Keb' and Phil, although I had performed and toured with Tom quite frequently since 2002.
Keb' Mo' (aka Kevin Roosevelt Moore) is an American blues musician (singer/guitarist/songwriter) and four-time Grammy Award winner. He has been described as "a living link to the seminal Delta blues that travelled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America". His post-modern blues style is influenced by many eras and genres, including folk, rock, jazz, pop and country.