Paddy King Rocks the Floodisphere
#595 / Flood Time Capsule: 2019
Because of the weather seven years ago this week, we were a little cranky as we got ready to play the latest rendition of the Jewel City Jamboree.
Persistent rain that late April Saturday had kept all but the most loyal away from Huntington’s Harris Riverfront Park, and a chilly wind made our old bones ache.
However, we were determined to keep our promise to be there as a tribute to our old friend and former bandmate David “Bub” Ball, who organized the festival. We were so glad we did because it turned out the event also would allow us to make a new acquaintance literally right there on stage.
Meeting Paddy
Twenty-four-year-old fiddle phenomenon Paddy King from Port Saint Lucie, Florida, came to the festival with Dave intending to sit in with every band on the JAM schedule.
At that point we in The Flood, having not heard Paddy yet, were understandably reticent, but Bub just winked and said, “Don’t worry about it. Paddy will be able to keep up.”
Wow, was that ever an understatement! We were blown away when Paddy King took the stage and nailed every solo as if he’d been playing those old jug band tunes and blues all his life.
Click the button below for a sample from the night.
As you’ll hear in the above, rides by Doug Chaffin and Paul Martin bracket a sizzlingly sexy solo by Paddy midway through.
More Paddy King
Even better than the riverfront encounter was three nights later when Bub brought Paddy to The Flood’s weekly rehearsal.
The remarkable evening of music that followed at the Bowen house was later commemorated in an entire episode of our “Pajama Jam” feature films, which you can view below: