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My family and I moved from California in 1991, and this song became my "goodbye message" to San Francisco, where I’d lived for 13 years. Part of the lyrics are based on a dream that re-winded me back to my first encounter with the City by the Bay. It felt like I was at a huge gate to an Oz-like place, seeking permission to enter this great Emerald City. Once inside, I had fresh eyes and felt healed, seeing water turning into wine even in grungy city enshrouded by fog. In the end, I was grateful to the city for allowing me to be a part of it.

The title “I’m so Glad” has an obvious reference to a Cream song, but the chords are very influenced by Iggy Pop's "I Got a Right" and the guitar work (all slide in open E tuning) tributes the late, great John Cippolina of Quicksilver Messenger Service (my favorite San Francisco band). That guitar was an $80 Lotus acoustic with a pick-up and cool burgundy finish. It wasn’t much good as an acoustic but it was great for thrash!

Initial tracks were done on a 4-track portastudio (in a San Francisco loft) and demo’d out, then the tapes were presumed lost in an earthquake. In 2007, the tapes were found and expertly revived by Scott Francis at Mind’s Eye Music Studio. I dubbed in new bass and drums, kept the old guitar and vocals, and, for drama, added the intro with the Felix String Quartet (recorded in Moscow, Russia by my old pal Bil Bryant). That Franken-mix was issued on the GRATEFUL CD www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnnyjblair3.

Here is a transitional mix. In those same sessions you can hear a thrashy-pop remake of “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” and other odd covers.

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Johnny J Blair "Singer at Large" San Francisco, California

"Johnny is a virtuoso"--Brian Wilson
"Pop music with a conscience.”--Goldmine
“the Harry Houdini of rock and roll.”-- Spotlight. Listen to Johnny's fast-paced mix of old school soul, psychedelia, punk/new wave, & classic pop/rock. Singer-songwriter in his own right, he was also a sideman for Davy Jones and The Monkees + performed with David Cassidy, Al Stewart, Buddy & Julie Miller, & others. ... more

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