Page 31 - BiTS_07_JULY_2021

EARLY TIMES – HANGIN’ ON THE CORNER WAXIN’ BLUE

by Lawrence Lebo

Blues troubadour Early Times gets about as many comments about
his name as I do about mine! No, he didn’t take a stage name based
on the famous whiskey. Early Times is his given name! A New
Yorker by way of Sacramento, California (USA), Early Times and

his band the High Rollers have a new release this year titled
“The Corner”.

The ten-time Sacramento Music (Sammies) Award nominee,
Early Times has enjoyed a well-rounded career in music. He’s been a
guitar sideman, a multi-instrument front man, a label owner, and a radio disc
jockey/on air personality. He formed his first band in 1990 and released his debut “Society

for the Misunderstood” on self-owned Fantasia
Records. His follow-up recordings include
1993’s “Hobo-Deluxe and 1995’s “The
Comedown”. Early formed the High Rollers in
2003, releasing the album “New York City”,
followed by “Moonshine Serenade” and then
“Hit & Run” in 2007.

At one point Early formed a blues jazz trio with
Johnny Heartsman and Jimmy Robinson, and on
occasion the legendary Jimmy Smith would sit
in on organ. In 1997 Early was chosen
Sacramento’s Best Guitarist, winning a Critics’
Choice Award. He also toured with vocalist E.C.

Scott, playing guitar on her 1998 album “Hard
Act To Follow”.

In 2001 Early helped launch Sirius Satellite
Radio and hosted a daily show for the next
seven years. In 2016 he returned to SiriusXM
and his daily show on B.B. King’s Bluesville.

Early currently appears as an “on air
personality”.

While most blues recordings feature the
musical tracks, “The Corner” equally features
Early’s poetry. His lyrics paint like mini
novellas, showing as well as telling their

stories. On track 2 ‘Charlemagne’, Early sings
“well Charlemagne, girl tell me who does your
hair, ‘cause it gives you that devil macabre, a certain kind of flair”. Like the musician, “The Corner”
is a well-rounded mix of feels and grooves married to master storytelling!

I asked Early Times to tell us a bit about his life and his music. This is what he told me…