Song of the Day: Delaney and Bonnie “Lonesome and A Long Way From Home”

During the holiday season I tend to reach for records I grew up with. One of my parents’ favorite records when I was a kid was Motel Shot by the soulful folk-blues band Delaney and Bonnie. Hearing it always reminds me of home. Motel Shot came out in 1971 and included a few musicians you may know playing on it including Duane Allman, Leon Russell, Gram Parsons, Dave Mason, and Bobby Keys. The song I picked here “Lonesome and a Long Way from Home” is a very soulful acoustic blues number with great vocals and amazing playing.

Delaney and Bonnie should be better known now than they are. They put out string of albums in the late 60’s and early 70’s which critics loved. Eric Clapton ended up hiring most their band as Derek and the Dominos. They were well know for their live shows and the Motel Shot album played off this strength, recorded mostly live in the studio.

from allmusic.com

The husband-and-wife duo of Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett created some of the most distinctive and unique music of the early ’70s, but their alchemical sound — equal parts blue-eyed soul, blues, country, and gospel — was often marginalized by the attention instead paid to the contributions of their famous “friends,” including rock icons like Eric Clapton, Duane Allman and George Harrison.

Song of the Day: Delaney and Bonnie “Lonesome and A Long Way From Home”