Rick Raw: Ken Will Morton Live at Euro Street – A Rare Quality Songwriter Emerges from The Throng

By Rick Grant Music Commentary rickgrant01@comcast.net

A couple of years ago, I covered Ken Will Morton at the European St. On Beach Blvd., since then, Ken has been busy touring and recording for Sojourn Records. Slowly but surely, Ken has been making his bones as a quality songwriter, rising above the tangled jungle of wannabes.

So, I was curious about Ken’s new music and album "True Grit" and decided to crawl out of my self imposed exile from live music to catch his set at the European Street last Saturday night. I previewed "True Grit" on Rhapsody before covering Ken live.

The album was slickly produced and has a quasi-Buffalo Springfield vibe. The sound quality and mix are flawless. Overall, the work represents Ken as a top rated songwriter and singer, whose gritty voice is reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen.

Ken is a great believer in just let it happen. To overcome any diversity he jokes with the crowd.
In a bizarre pre-show incident, Ken was accidently locked in his friend’s car. He was writing a set list and she took the keys and locked the doors. Ken was trapped like a car thief. The car wouldn’t let him out until someone rescued him.

As a seasoned road dog, Ken took it in stride and joked about it to the audience. In any live gig, Murphy’s Law is in play. The show was booked as a songwriters circle with veteran songsmith Bill Sheffield. It was news to Ken, who went with the flow.

Ken’s solo set was a compilation of his songs from previous albums plus new material from "True Grit." Remarkably, Ken’s songwriting passes my test: "Would I listen to this album multiple times? The answer is yes!"

The title song, "True Grit" is a folk anthem lauding the salt of the earth people who struggle every day to make it to the next day. Ken performed many other songs that his fans associate with him, such as his "Deadliest Catch" song he wrote for the Discovery reality show, "Oh My Goodness."

The song will be heard in the background on this Tuesday night, June 22, at 9:00 pm on the new episode in which Captain Phil has a stroke and is carried off the ship. He later died in the hospital at only 53. Connect with Ken at www.myspcae.com/kenwillmorton

Halfway through his solo set, Ken brought up Bill Sheffield to jam with him. The format allowed Ken to play a song and Bill to play one of his original tunes. Both experienced guitarists played backup to each other despite not knowing each other’s songs. It worked out great. As Ken said, "Bill has scary skills."

Bill Sheffield has toured for years and released five albums of his blues styled folk music. Like Ken said, he bought a new energy to the room with is clever songs like the witty "I Don’t Hate Nobody."

Bill’s body of work is impressive. His songs have contemporary lyrics with his finger-picking blues style of playing and his excellent slide work. His new album, "In Other Words" joins my car collection of select music. You can find out more about Bill at www.myspace.com/billsheffield or at www.billsheffield.com

Incredibly, over the years, since Bob Dylan, and Neil Young set the standards for folk rock, roots music has burgeoned into a very crowded field. Over my 28 year career I’ve heard legions of would be songwriters who were mediocre at best. Now, it’s every mothers son and daughter’s ambition. "Mom, I want a $3,000 Martin for Christmas."

In contrast, Ken Will Morton has quickly risen above the cacophony of other folk artists who produce poorly written songs and go nowhere. Ken is finally breaking big and will be again playing the Athfest in Athens, Georgia June 25, 2010.