Roy Book Binder
Polk City Ramble (Rounder)
Book Binder, a Florida-based folk circuit veteran who counts country blues greats Pink Anderson and the Rev. Gary Davis among his mentors, has an amiable, wryly whimsical style that has served him well since he began touring back in the 1960s. His lively, often poignant vocals and tastefully expressive acoustic guitar playing are showcased to good advantage on this collection of rags, folk, rockabilly and country blues. Backed by harmonica player David “Rock Bottom” York, stand-up bassist J.P. Coley and percussionist Glenn Evans, Book Binder tackles vintage classics such as “Rag Mama” and “Married Man’s A Fool; Billy Joe Shaver’s “I’m Just An Old Chunk of Coal”; and a handful of originals, several of them written for his three ex-wives, all of whom seem to be living in Biloxi, Miss., with new husbands.