Guest Book

A review of Tuesday night's CRS show in Macon by Jambands.com: From JamBands.com: Last night The Capricorn Rhythm Section performed in the Tunetown Exhibit Area at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon. The band is composed of Paul Hornsby (keyboards), Scott Boyer (guitar/vocals), Tommy Talton (guitar/vocals), Johnny Sandlin (bass), Bill Stewart (drums) and a token Texan, Lee Roy Parnell (guitar/vocals). Taking the stage in front of The Skillet Licker, a museum café named after the fiddle group of which 1986 inductee George Riley Puckett was a member, the group opened with a sprightly cover of Booker T.’s “Evergreen.” Over the course of the first set, CRS performed a bunch of member originals starting with Talton’s “Time Will Take Us” and Parnell’s “Oughta Be A Law,” and later visiting Boyer’s “Please Be With Me” (which Eric Clapton covered on 461 Ocean Boulevard). Parnell fronted the band for a tight cover of Dickey Betts’ “Rain,” and many Eddie Hinton songs were delivered as well (including the whimsical “300 Pounds of Love”). Fans of the band Cowboy were delighted with the cover of “Livin’ In The Country” written by Boyer and fellow Cowboy bandmember Bill Pillmore. This served as an appropriate prelude to the evening’s biggest surprise, as Gregg Allman came through the crowd to join the group on acoustic guitar for a trio of tunes. A tentative, somewhat haggard take on “Midnight Rider” (a better choice may have been Allman’s “Queen of Heart,” with which CRS is considerably more familiar) was rescued by a solid reading of “Melissa,” with Talton adding sweet embellishments and Parnell offering a brief, but sterling solo. The band seemed most comfortable during “Rock Me Baby,” as they kicked into high gear with ease. A spirited cover of Talton’s “Where Can You Go,” closed what was for the few people in attendance, a very memorable set. Sandlin and Hornsby were members of Gregg Allman’s Hourglass band, so it was not surprising that the second set commenced with an Eddie Hinton tune that was part of that band’s repertoire, “Down in Texas.” Later in the set, the guitarists were replaced by Chris Hicks (Marshall Tucker Band) and Bruce Winton (The Wall) - jolting the crowd with a stompin’ run through “This Ol’ Cowboy.” Atlanta soul singer E. G. Kight joined the fray to share lead vocals with Parnell on “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby” (just a few feet from a display about the duo that made the song famous, Sam and Dave), and fronting the band on a fiery “Shaky Ground.” Parnell offered lead vocals on a gem of a version of the aforementioned “Queen Of Hearts,” and revealed that Gregg had asked him to sing it while guesting. “I ain’t singin’ it in front of you,” Parnell had told Allman. Oscar Tony Junior was the best dressed guest of the night, sporting a Sunday-goin’-out suit and loosening his tie as he hushed the crowd - soulfully crooning “Dark End Of The Street,” and then using “Your Precious Love” as a springboard to offer impromptu vocal salutes to Georgia’s own Otis Redding and Johnny Taylor. Willie Perkins’ protégé Tony Tyler was the evening’s final guest, leading the band through Sonny Thompson’s, “I’m Tore Down.” The evening concluded with a return to the core band for a cover of Redding’s “Down In Alabama,” done in the style of Capricorn Rhythm Section favorite Eddie Hinton.