DESCRIPTION:
In the fall of 1980 Mike "Lightnin" Well's professional debut as a recording artist and record producer began with the release of his first self produced EP which would eventually become known as "Lightnin Strikes".
That 8 selection EP captured Lightnin in his "element", well seasoned as a performer, comfortable with his passion, insight and connectedness with the song(s) and each selections' rich heritage ...that demanded his level of reverence and authenticity in it's re-presentation to his fans.
Those 8 early recordings of personal favorites when assembled as compilation, offered his listeners that unique and tastefull crossection of vintage Americana, as he envisioned it at the time.
Listening to his earliest studio work even now (after all these years), reveal a performer at peace with taking interpretive liberties with vintage music while maintaining it's authenticity. Those 8 interpretations of traditional folk, blues, gospel, western and novelty tunes still stand the test of time, and showcase this gifted artist and historian at an earlier time.
That first EP originally intended for limited release and "promotional use" for the NC, and Va festival circuits began to catch on with fans.
While mastering and duplicating that limited release I christened it "Lightnin Strikes" as I typed the labels.
I had enjoyed those sesions and Lighnin had invited me to add percussion and co-produce a few of those tracks. Surprisingly we discovered mutual interests in collecting vintage records and analyzing the blues classics for just what made them great records. One such distinction was the reverberation used within them. This mutual interest and our desire to capture those certain sounds led to the session featured here. .