Reba Russell Band records at the Zebra Ranch by Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms

(Memphis, Tennessee) We venture south this week into northern Mississippi, home of my friend, the late Jim Dickinson, his sons, Luther and Cody of the famous North Mississippi All-Stars, and his sweet wife, Mary Lindsay. In the past couple of months I wrote articles about Jim and his artistic and scholarly contributions to music, particularly BLUES. This week my band worked in the very sanctum sanctorum of the man himself, his recording complex at the Zebra Ranch. I am endeavoring this week to share some of the experience of the place and the trials of our recording with you, my beloved readers.

The Zebra Ranch is about an hour's drive from my home in Memphis and we ventured down the highway everyday this week to load in recording gear and lots of musical gear to do the job. This will be the seventh Reba Russell Band CD and it is shaping up to be the finest one we have ever recorded. There were songs proffered from many fine song writers and the inspirational value of the Zebra Ranch is not to be discounted either. We even recorded a couple of Jim Dickinson's favorite songs in his honor and simply because they are so damn much fun. Jim loved to laugh and his wit was exceptional. His insight continues to unfold to me like the never-ending geometric permutations of a kaleidoscope.

(above)The legendary Jim Dickinson
photo courtesy of Tom Lonardo

guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Josh Roberts

Doug McMinn

the last big hit on SUN was by Jim Dickinson singing with
The Jesters

surrounded by awards at the Zebra Ranch

Today's article consists mainly of photographs (about 120 of them) because I was enthralled with all the visual stimuli at the Zebra Ranch and since most of you will likely never visit here, I thought you might enjoy a look around the grounds. It rarely ceased raining after our first day or so in the studio and we stayed for almost a week cutting songs all the livelong day and night. It was great to be able to hang out with my friends, my old band mates, in such a remote relaxed atmosphere and I knew that Jim was looking down on us and smiling throughout the week. He was always there with sincere advice, a witty quip or a ponderous opinion and his legacy among musicians across the world remains strong.

Lightening, Jim called him, "the long and the short of it."

For our band, this may indeed be one of our greatest efforts to date, at least from my perspective. It is a tastefully crafted recording true to our blues roots and inspired by our surroundings. The last day of recording will be today, Monday, and then our beloved Dawn Hopkins is off to Wayne Russell's secret Fortress of solitude to do the mixing. The record will be out this year, likely in a few months time before we begin our touring schedule for 2010.

The mighty BEB Production team produces the magic CD
Dawn Hopkins, Reba Russell

the Creature from the Black Lagoon is prominent on the wall

Jim's favorite chair, a barber chair in the back room

the Shrine

the wall

bassist Wayne Russell reads the wall

magic star with a lucky ladybug crawling on it

This is the rear isolation room for guitar amps. That's Luther's brown Fender Concert in there and Brother Duane looks down upon the happenings. Luther got that amp in honor of the late Lee Baker who played one just like it.

Wayne Russell on bass

Reba and Mary Dickinson

Wayne and Doug

Zebra drums!

an old Farfisa organ, one of the first portables

Listening on the speakers after cutting a track

Doug strokes the zebra skins

The good luck horseshoe seemed to work as we cut 14 sides in about 4 days and then I overdubbed my parts on the big piano on the next 2 days. In order to keep the tracks separated properly we could not cut with the acoustic piano as we would get too much bleed-over on the other tracks.

Level Devil

buckaroo Doug McMinn dons his hat to stay dry in the torrential monsoon

holy mojo candles from Tater Red on Beale

this holds up the ceiling and the roof

This beautiful piano is provided by the fine folks at Baldwin, a division of Gibson Guitars
this was my battle station

Mr. D's concept of the vast geographical expanse of Memphis

inspiration

Vital coffee supplies rest on the Yamaha Zebra Leslie that I gave to Jim a couple of years ago.

So many keys, so few fingers

Reba Russell

Josh Roberts

Reba's powerful voice collided with the atoms of the Shure mic creating this cobalt sensation

a sculpture of me as a younger man

A cool stained glass of the North Mississippi All-Stars

Luther and Cody Dickinson and Chris Chew on bass

North Mississippi All-Stars

my friend Luther Dickinson, son of Jim, is a world class guitarist

Luther tamed this wisteria vine, pulling it back using a long chain. He has his Dad's inventiveness and kind spirit along with formidable musical talents he shares with his brother.

yard art

entrance to the holy place

Cowboy Doug

the author surrounded by keys

Reba

Josh

author's aging Leslie cabinet has many miles on it
My Leslie looks like Jim's wall

This 122...it's been everywhere

the rhythm section confers before tracking a song

we used some wire

drum room outcroppings

shelltray and shelf in the drum room

awesome bass drum with cowskin head wsas a favorite of Jim's because it sounds damn good

drum room outcroppings stuck to the walls

tiny drums

Music and zebra skin Yamaha Leslie. They only made Yamaha Leslie briefly. I think Leslie sued them and forced them to desist. They were cool as they had two rotating 6 x 9" foam speakers that turned end over end. This was the first Leslie speaker I ever owned and it was originally the property of the late blues man Larry Lee of Memphis. It has a good home now.

Wayne and Reba Russell

Wayne's new dental implant allows him to eat an entire tray of biscuits at once.

What a time saver!

The mighty Zebra-lava!

Illustration explains the Zebra Ranch philosophy

the Creature next to an old showbill for Jim Dickinson and Mudboy and the Neutrons

Wurlitzer 200A and an Epiphone share a spot in the back

That's a Hohner pianet I gave to Jim a while back. It was originally used in Tanner Studios in Memphis.

Betty Page island next to a ton of old recorded tape reels.
That pyramid is more occupied than the one in Memphis.

Jim demonstrates the size of the catfish he caught to interested onlookers

Autographed photo from the Memphis Horns adorns the wall

Inside the compound protected by chain link and razor wire

this bell tolls no more

making records

I spent a good deal of time right here

Furman rides a zebra

lucky ladybug can't decide on oboe or trumpet

photo of Jim Dickinson by Steve Jones

Jim's last words,

I refuse to celebrate death. My life has been a miracle of more than I ever expected or deserved. I have gone farther and done more than I had any right to expect. I leave behind a beautiful family and many beloved friends. Take reassurance in the glory of the moment and the forever promise of tomorrow. Surely there is light beyond the darkness as there is dawn after the night. I will not be gone as long as the music lingers. I have gladly given my life to Memphis music and it has given me back a hundredfold. It has been my fortune to know truly great men and hear the music of the spheres. May we all meet again at the end of the trail. May God bless and keep you.

World boogie is coming,

James Luther Dickinson


Luther and Cody Dickinson decided the best way to honor Jim's legacy is to keep the Zebra Ranch open for recording with Jim's sonic genius and musical ambiance intact. Contact zebra@zebraranch.com for more details.

"I'm just dead, I'm not gone."
Jim Dickinson

UPDATE: Click here for the second part of this article:

http://www.ameriblues.com/2010/02/more-from-zebra-ranch-by-robert.html

©Robert "Nighthawk" Tooms, 2010

Check out my website at http://robertnighthawktooms.com

Here's the Reba Russell Band website: http://www.rebarussell.com/

RCT

If you'd like to read more American blues News articles I have written about Jim Dickinson, click here:

http://www.ameriblues.com/2009/12/memphiswhere-music-came-from-posted-on.html

Also a memorial piece I wrote about Jim:

http://www.ameriblues.com/2009/12/memphis-james-luther-dickinson-dies.html

Here's an article about the North Mississippi All-Stars by Virginia bluesman:

http://www.ameriblues.com/2010/01/north-mississippi-all-stars.html