Portland’s Jerry Joseph is a bonafide “triple-threat”, a prolific and accomplished songwriter, a powerful singer and a memorable performer. In his four-decade career; as a solo artist, with the Jackmormons, supergroup Stockholm Syndrome, his two-piece The Denmark Veseys, his beloved 80s cult band, Little Women, or most recently with Drive-by Truckers backing him; he has continuously toured the world, including such unlikely locales as Lebanon, Israel, Kurdish Iraq, India, Cambodia and Afghanistan, and released a steady stream of albums. Baby, You’re The Man Who Would Be King was recorded in NYC and produced by Eric “Roscoe” Ambel, and features a band made up of some of New York’s best players. Written in a vintage camping trailer parked in Joseph’s Portland driveway in the midst of the pandemic and recorded in Ambel’s Brooklyn studio in the summer of 2021, the nine songs on King are a bit of a mystery, and a bit painful, for Joseph to reflect on. “These for me, were a different collection of songs,” Joseph acknowledges. “If there was a theme, it was to focus on simplicity – lord knows I can be … er, verbose -, often ending with a head scratch and ‘what the hell is this song about’ upon listening to the final versions. In the end, there’s a lot more truth and vulnerability here than I’m willing to publicly concede.” Ambel says, “I met Jerry when our bands played together in February of 2018 at Rough Trade in Brooklyn. He invited me to sit in with him on ‘a couple songs’. That turned into half the set and the encore. I really enjoyed how loose the band was and Jerry’s super personal connection to his fans. Ambel curated a band of stellar musicians Jeremy Chatzky on Bass, Phil Cimino on Drums, Charlie Giordano on Hammond Organ, Wurlitzer Electric Piano & Accordion and himself on Electric Guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Keyboards, Percussion & Harmony Vocals with Casey Neil on Harmony, Joe Flood on Fiddle, Mary Lee Kortes on Harmony Vocals, and Cody Nilsen on Pedal Steel, adding their skills to a song each. The album was mostly recorded in a week after which Ambel added some additional recording from his home studio, Evie’s Terrace. Discussing the album, Joseph remarks, “Considering the whole Covid driveway origins, it’s surreal what we made and I’m just going to call it magic … for which I am exceedingly grateful.”
