Brewer & Shipley with band & Jesse Winchester

[Steve]

OK folks, it is only one month before the 2010 Brewer & Shipley Wildwood shows. I just want to warn everyone that this year is going to be extra special. Brewer & Shipley will not only be joined by their former guitarist Larry Knight again this year, but they will also be joined by their former bass guitarist Steve Baker. Larry & Steve performed live with Michael & Tom for for several years in the 1970s. I calculate that has been 35 years since the four them performed on stage together. In addition, for the first time ever, (that I know of) Michael's brother Keith Brewer will join Brewer & Shipley live. Keith plays a multitude of instruments. What a special treat it will be to hear Brewer & Shipley and band.

What? You want more for you money? OK, the good news doesn't stop there. They will share the stage both nights with the great Jesse Winchester, an artist that they have both greatly admired but have never had the pleasure of sharing the stage with before. Brewer & Shipley introduced their fans to Jesse Winchester in 1972 when they covered his beautiful song "Yankee Lady." The Rhumba Man will be sharing the stage with Brewer & Shipley at Wildwood. How great is that!

I don't know if there are still tickets left, but if there are, here is your warning to buy them before they are gone.

[sngwrtr525]

Just wanted to wish everyone at Wildwood this weekend all the best. Have a grand time, and I'll be with you in spirit. Wish I could be there, but it just wasn't in the cards this time out.

Len Jaffe

[Steve]

I had been looking forward to the Brewer & Shipley Band show with a co-bill of the great Jesse Winchester ever since I found out about it last November. I kept pinching myself that it was really going to happen. This was my dream show. Well it did happen and it completely lived up to my expectations of it. It was a thrill to be there both nights and let the great music soak in. This was Jesse's first shows in Missouri as far as he could recall and partially explains how the hell I had loved his music since 1971 but had never seen him. I have a couple of live recordings of Jesse's and I swear he is better now than when he recorded those. Besides sharing "Yankee Lady" this co-bill share remarkable attribue of having written great, great songs for over 40 years and then being such a wonderful performers too. Jesse mentioned that Brewer & Shipley were the first artists to ever record one of his songs and for that they would be going to heaven.

I could go on and on about Jesse but only have a short time to finish this, so let me turn to the B&S show. I have been at the last 3 Brewer & Shipley Wildwood shows, and each of the last two years I didn't think they could do better shows. WRONG! Larry "Gator" Knight joined them on lead guitar for the 3rd straight year and was simply superb. For this show the guys added their old bassist Steve Baker who is now a producer for the Public Television station in Boston, and that was a great idea. Gator & Steve were Brewer & Shipley's band in the mid-70s and played all over the country with them, including sharing a bill with Bruce Springsteen in Central Park. Oh the stories they could tell. For the Wildwood 2010 shows and the first time ever, another addition to the ensemble was Michael's brother Keith Brewer who has been a musician in bands since he was a teen. He added mandolin and harmonica which was a perfect addition to Brewer & Shipley's songs. Like I said, even with eleven months of anticipation the shows lived up to my expectations. They were magical.

What a thrill to see Michael, Tom, & Jesse perform their wonderful songs for us. I mean for goodness sakes, how remarkable that Michael, Tom & Jesse had written poignant songs about this time of the season, and here we were on those two beautiful October nights hearing Jesse sing "Yankee Lady" and then Brewer & Shipley sing "Indian Summer" within the same hour. "Your memory that's enough for me."

[Michael]

Thank you for the kind words, Steve. It was, indeed, a fun filled weekend. Wildwood always is, but this was definitely a special occasion with the guys in the band, and with Jesse on the bill. I'm still buzzing from it. Thank you to everyone who attended, and I hope you had as much fun as I did.

[larryknight49]

I too am still buzzing from our WILDWOOD show. I look forward to this show every year.This year was especially exciting being joined by Steve Baker on bass from the old days. A pleasent surprise and treat was Michael's brother Keith joining us on mandolin, harmonica,and percussion. Add Jesse Winchester opening the show with a mesmerizing performance, and Mike and Tom creating magic for two nights........ well, I'm still trying to absorb it all. Larry "GATOR" Knight

[Steve]

Jesse Winchester mentioned that Brewer and Shipley deserve a special place in heaven for being the first to cover any of his songs when they covered Yankee Lady. Linked below is a picture of a rare 45 rpm sleeve for Brewer & Shipley's version of Yankee Lady. The subsequent autographs of Jesse, Michael & Tom make it completely unique.

http://www.brewerandshipley.com/images/CoverArt/YankeeLadyAutographed600.jpg